Frostburn (Ultrahumans Book 4)

by Niall Teasdale

  ‘Okay, so June and Andrea will have the same, um, access as I do, okay?’ Penny said.

  ‘I am unable to comply. You are my… principal user. My coding precludes anyone else gaining user access levels equal to or exceeding yours. I can assign them similar privileges.’

  ‘That’ll have to do, I guess. June’s going to be using you a lot when Twilight and I are out.’

  ‘I want to be able to locate them in the city,’ June said. ‘So I know where they are… um, obviously.’

  ‘Elaine provided a set of suitable communication devices,’ the computer said. ‘These include GPS positioning locators which will achieve your goal.’

  ‘Yeah,’ Penny said. ‘I asked her to give us a set like the ones the Stars use. I think we have a dozen of them. I’ll be giving them to Dom, Red, Skadi, and Andy. We’ll set up access levels for them when they get their radios. Uh, and we have a plan to link into the police and fire departments for emergency calls.’

  ‘And Doctor Ultimate has arranged for me to link into UltraNet,’ the computer added. ‘I suspect he knew I could read English perfectly well and was playing along.’

  ‘He is probably the most intelligent man on the planet.’

  ‘And really nice,’ June added.

  ‘You’re just saying that because he’s never had you in his scanner. You wait. If you ever develop powers, you’re going to wish you could wear sunglasses in the thing.’

  25th November.

  Night Shift vaulted the fence at the back of Jacob Dannon’s property with the ease of a man clad in articulated, powered armour. Watching the soon-to-be-ex-agent had produced few results. Dannon had spent much of his time at home behind closed drapes. Direct action was required. A search of his house would likely uncover evidence of his nocturnal icy activities, maybe something explaining why there had been a long gap between the second kill and the third.

  Where Dannon had gone off to was unimportant, but he had turned south and that was not the direction of the supermarket he usually used. That was important since it suggested he would be out for a while. It would take time to circumvent the UID-approved security system and pop the locks. It would take time to do a thorough search of the house and then tidy things up. It would be best if Dannon did not know Night Shift had been there.

  Smiling behind his helmet, Night Shift set to work on the locks.

  ~~~

  ‘Okay,’ Jacob said, ‘well, there are some notable anomalies to this case and I’m sure you’ve noticed some of them already.’

  ‘The big gap in the pattern being the obvious one,’ Andrea said. Just home from work, she had been surprised when Jacob had rolled up to the door, but then he had been surprised at the changes to the grounds so there was plenty of surprise going around.

  ‘Yeah. We have one body found on the twenty-eighth of February, another on the thirtieth of March. About a month between them and then nothing until August twenty-seventh. Two months before the next body turns up, but only a month to the latest one.’

  ‘I’ve been assuming we’re missing some.’

  ‘I think we’re missing a lot,’ Jacob agreed. ‘I think he kills once a month, around about the same time each month. Either he’s got more careless or he’s got more confident, which is why we’re finding more of his victims lately.’

  ‘So that would be… ten victims?’ Cygnus said. ‘Not the four or five he’s known for?’

  ‘I think it’s eleven.’ Jacob frowned. ‘It’s a little circumstantial. I found an unsolved case from late January. They only ever found a few body parts, nothing which could identify the victim. The autopsy notes evidence of the body having been frozen at some point, but the suggestion then was that someone had frozen it to obscure the timeframe of the murder. And that might be true. He’s never cut any of the other bodies up.’

  ‘That we know of,’ Andrea added.

  ‘True enough. Maybe he normally chops them up and we’ve found the ones he failed to do it with, but then I couldn’t find any other cases of dismemberment.’

  ‘Another anomaly.’

  ‘Yeah. Uh, I should’ve brought a map. You could do with seeing the sites mapped out–’

  ‘Not a problem.’ Andrea looked up at the TV. ‘Denny, would you give us a map of Deale and Churchton with the body locations marked.’

  ‘Of course, Andrea.’ And the screen filled more or less instantly with the data Andrea had asked for.

  ‘Denny?’ Jacob asked.

  ‘Blame June.’

  ‘We couldn’t keep calling her “computer,”’ June protested. ‘It’s short for Deneb, which is the brightest star in the constellation of Cygnus.’

  ‘Which proves she actually listened to all my talks about astronomy,’ Cygnus added. ‘Denny’s a reasonable name and Denny seems happy with it.’

  ‘Uh, yeah,’ Jacob said. ‘Well, you can see that the bodies found are mostly in the north of Deale, close to the Churchton border, and all within about six blocks of each other. One is further north, but not very far into Churchton.’

  ‘I hadn’t looked at the distribution like that,’ Andrea admitted.

  ‘Fair enough. That’s why you asked me to look, right?’

  Andrea grinned at him. ‘Something like that. So… So you’re thinking he lives in Churchton, probably the south, and works in Deale, probably north of the main harbour and warehouse areas.’

  Jacob nodded. ‘I think he works in some sort of food outlet, or maybe a store that’s open late. He kills on the way home. He’s going to be low income, not a big achiever. He doesn’t fit the usual serial killer profiles, but we’re dealing with an Ultra so all bets are off anyway.’ He shrugged. ‘It doesn’t really narrow things down that much, to be honest.’

  ‘It’s more than we had.’

  ‘Denny?’ Cygnus said, peering at the screen thoughtfully. ‘Could you make any predictions from those data points about where the killer works or lives?’

  There was a slight pause and then, ‘Given this data, the potential regions are indistinct. With ten points, I might be able to produce a better fit.’

  ‘Still… Could you cross-reference your projected areas against the phone book and get a list of food outlets and stores in the work area?’

  ‘It is not an especially short list.’ The map was replaced by a scrolling list of businesses and their addresses. ‘I have culled the list to those establishments open until midnight. There are twenty-seven.’

  ‘Huh,’ Jacob said. ‘Can I get a printout of that? I’ll start checking them out tomorrow. I’ll come here again.’

  ‘My pleasure, Jacob,’ Denny said.

  ‘Well, if you’re going to do that,’ Cygnus said, ‘you’d better take one of our radios with you. It’s an earbud thing, quite discreet. I handed them out to Svetilo and Skadi and a few others last night, and we all have them.’

  ‘Even me,’ June said. ‘Cygnus wants to keep tabs on me.’

  ‘You want to keep tabs on me. It’s only fair. If you do find anything, Jacob, one of us can be there to help in minutes.’

  Jacob nodded. ‘Okay. I mean, this guy can apparently freeze someone solid in seconds. I don’t think I’m equipped to handle that and the UID are probably not going to come running if I call.’

  ‘Plus,’ Andrea said, ‘I’ll be able to see where you are whenever I want to. It’ll make booty calls so much easier.’

  ‘I believe,’ Denny said, ‘that you may be abusing the technology, Andrea, but to confirm that, would you mind explaining what a “booty call” is?’

  ‘Ask June.’

  ‘Me?!’ June squeaked. ‘Why me?’

  ‘You named her. You get to educate her.’

  ~~~

  Jacob closed the front door behind him and reached out to put his keys on the stand, and stopped. Something was wrong. There was something about the little stand with its coat rack… Something out of place which he could not quite put his finger on, but it had him immediately on alert. He slipped his Gloc
k 22 from under his jacket and moved forward.

  The lounge was empty, but a magazine Jacob had left on the arm of his chair was now on the floor. Frowning, he moved toward the rear of the house where he found the master bedroom door open: it had been shut. Bathroom and kitchen were clear…

  There were sounds coming from the second bedroom, basically a box room Jacob used for storage. It had a single bed in it, just in case it was needed, but the floor was more or less filled with boxes which had either never been unpacked or were never likely to be. Old documents, many of them related to taxes, expense claims, all the stuff a meticulous person amassed over a few years of government employ.

  Not normally found in there was the black-armoured figure which Jacob immediately recognised. ‘Federal agent. Do not move,’ Jacob said, though given Night Shift’s reputation, he figured it was a wasted effort.

  Night Shift did not even look around. ‘If you really think a forty-calibre Glock is going to do you any good, Dannon, I suggest you pull the trigger.’

  Jacob felt his temper rising and tried his best to force it down. ‘What the fuck do you think you’re doing in my home?’

  The black-clad hero straightened his back, a little stiffly Jacob thought, and turned around. ‘Looking for evidence to convict you of murder, but since you’re here…’ He took a step forward, going for menacing.

  Jacob stepped back. ‘Get out of my house. You’ve no right to be in here. Leave before–’

  ‘Before what? You try to freeze me to the spot?’

  ‘I can’t do that! All the power I’ve exhibited is a general cooling of the air around me, and that’s not even something I can control.’

  Night Shift took another step forward. ‘So you say.’

  Jacob raised his pistol and aimed it at Night Shift’s faceplate. ‘Get out.’

  Night Shift moved, one armoured fist rising quickly to slam into Jacob’s hands where they were gripped around his weapon. It felt a lot like bones were splintering and suddenly Jacob was not holding his pistol anymore. Jacob backed up, fear tugging at his insides: the bastard meant business.

  ‘You don’t threaten me, freak,’ Night Shift growled, the sound made more menacing by the speaker system in his helmet.

  ‘I’m not–’

  ‘A freak? Then why are your eyes glowing?’

  The armoured man was closing the distance and Jacob backed away. His hand throbbed, the pain robbing him of sense, and it took him a second to really take in what Night Shift had just said. ‘What? I–’

  ‘So it comes over you now and then, right? The urge to just freeze some sap to death just… grips you.’

  ‘No. I… Keep away!’ Jacob raised his left arm, the one that still had a functional hand. Ice and white mist swirled around Night Shift, the ice clinging to his armour and rapidly forming a tight shell.

  ‘Like that!’ Night Shift exulted. ‘Don’t think this will hold me…’ He strained against the ice wrapping him, even as more of it formed, thickening around his body. Jacob could not believe what was happening, but as the ice seemed to hold the hero and Jacob backed away a step at a time, Jacob could only feel grateful. Then the ice shattered. ‘Now let’s see how much punishment you can take,’ Night Shift growled.

  Ice continued to swirl, but now it wrapped around Jacob. As Night Shift drove his fist toward Jacob’s stomach, a shell of ice formed over Jacob’s skin, hardening instantly beneath the impact. Jacob had no idea how he was doing it, but he was protecting himself and he retreated, desperate to get away from the armoured man with his power-enhanced punches. Another punch swung in and was blocked by Jacob’s frozen armour. Night Shift took a swing at Jacob’s face, missing as Jacob stepped back, but a second blow connected and Jacob felt it through the ice, staggering back as his nose began to bleed.

  ‘Admit it,’ Night Shift growled through his speakers. ‘You’re the killer. You’re the one who’s been freezing people to death. You!’

  Jacob backed away as Night Shift swung again, and again, and then his fist connected with Jacob’s jaw. Jacob’s head snapped back and, for a second, he thought he might have blacked out. Then Night Shift’s armoured hands were gripping Jacob’s jacket, lifting him, turning him, and slamming his back into the wall. There was pain, pain and the urge to just sleep. Jacob saw his breath misting the air and condensing as frost on the surface of Night Shift’s blank faceplate. And the armoured detective seemed to falter for a second…

  ‘Stop it!’ Night Shift snapped.

  ‘What? What am I…’

  ‘The cold, you idiot. Stop it or I’ll–’

  ‘Can’t stop it,’ Jacob mumbled. ‘Can’t control… Help me. Somebody… Somebody help me…’

  Within Night Shift’s helmet, warning indicators were beginning to flash. His suit had an air-conditioning system designed to handle most things the American weather could throw at him, but right now he was being told that the heating system could not cope with the drop in temperature. He stepped back and drove his fist into Jacob’s stomach. The icy armour was still working, but Jacob grunted, sagging against the wall. ‘Stop it!’ Night Shift ordered, swinging his fist again. Jacob doubled over, sinking to his knees, and Night Shift pulled his arm back for another blow.

  And the world turned to darkness. Night Shift’s suit was fitted with the latest hyperspectral video system, but he could see nothing through the inky blackness which enveloped him. He could see nothing, but he could hear… He could hear claws scraping over his armour. He could feel something in the blackness with him. Something old, so old. Something old… and hungry. Was it outside his armour, or in there with him?

  With the temperature alarms competing for attention with the sudden rush of fear, Night Shift ushed in the direction he thought the house’s front door was in.

  And the darkness receded, falling away as fast as it had come. Twilight stepped out of it and dropped to her knees beside Jacob, lifting his head. His eyes were blue orbs, glowing faintly as he blinked at her.

  ‘T-Twilight?’ Jacob asked.

  ‘Hold on, Jacob,’ Twilight said. ‘You’ll have help soon. Just hold on…’

  Union of Ultrahumans HQ, Antarctica.

  It was sometime after ten at night, but there was sunlight streaming through the window of the room. For once, neither Andrea nor Twilight cared about that; they were both too interested in what was happening behind the inner window, in the isolation room where Doctor Ultimate and a team of medics were working on Jacob.

  It could not have been easy. Ultimate and his team were in full survival gear since the temperature in the room was significantly lower than the current outside air temperature. They had been working for… Andrea was not sure how long, but there had been a lot of activity that did at least seem to be easing off. As Andrea watched, Ultimate stepped back, nodded at the lead doctor, and then started for the door.

  ‘How is he?’ Andrea asked before Ultimate had even managed to struggle out of the helmet he was wearing.

  There was a short pause while that task was completed and then, ‘Physically he is not in the best of shape. There is internal bruising as well as surface tissue damage to the face. His right hand is broken in several places. I left to give the medics space to set it.’

  Andrea gritted her teeth. The only reason she was not out hunting down Night Shift was that she was worried about Jacob. Given the way she was currently feeling, that was probably for the best.

  ‘As for the other factors… It’s possible his powers will shut down again, as they have before…’

  ‘But?’

  ‘But, the cosmic energy emission signatures are different from last time. More stable. His EEG is showing pronounced cross-hemispheric activity. Again, more stable than last time and quite… urgent.’

  ‘You think it’s going to be permanent this time?’

  ‘I believe that there is a distinct possibility, perhaps a probability, that that is the case. His core temperature has dropped very close to zero Celsius and sho
ws no inclination to rise. Warming him produces an immediate reaction from his body and appears to fatigue him. We’re going to keep the room temperature down to just below freezing and, hopefully, that will allow him to rest.’

  ‘I’d like to see him.’

  ‘I suggest, Andrea, that you get some coffee and sit down. He’s barely conscious at the moment. He knows you’re here. Let the medics do their job and, if he’s well enough after they’ve stabilised him fully, then you can see him.’ Ultimate reached out a hand, placing it on Andrea’s shoulder. ‘It may do him some good. I assume you’ll be perfectly happy in there without all this insulation and that may well be something of a moral boost.’

  Andrea managed a smile. ‘I knew this stupid costume had to be good for something.’

  New Millennium City, MD.

  The Millennium Royal Hotel was a fifteen-storey building in Uptown frequented by film stars, businessmen with large expense accounts, the odd newly married couple, and tourists who felt they should really splash out on a visit to the new New York. And Night Shift. One call to Red Huntress had produced the information that Eric Hoffman always booked the penthouse suite at the Royal when he came to the city.

  When Cygnus landed on the balcony, Hoffman was in the lounge in his boxers, checking his armour with what looked like rather excessive care. He glanced up as she walked in through the window, and then went back to his checking.

  ‘I was more or less expecting the other one,’ Hoffman said.

  ‘Luckily for you, she’s in the Antarctic waiting to find out what state Jacob is in,’ Cygnus replied.

  ‘Luckily?’

  ‘Yeah, if she was here, you’d be eating that helmet by now. I’m just angry. She probably wants to kill you.’

  ‘I can handle one little girl.’

  ‘Yes, I’ve seen how you do that. And there’s an even larger drop for you to fall down this time.’ There was not a lot Hoffman could say to that: he had been tossed down a stairwell by someone not much bigger than Twilight. ‘What the Hell were you thinking? Breaking and entering, illegal search. If you’d found anything incriminating, it would have been inadmissible. And Jacob is not the killer. The murders started before Tonaldo’s people dosed him with Excelsior, never mind him exhibiting any powers at all.’