‘You need to relax. I understand that.’
‘If I fall asleep in tub, try to wake me before I drown.’
‘I will have paramedics on standby,’ Denny replied, sounding amused.
‘Da. Good. Make sure they are hunky paramedics.’
Morrigan Manor, England, 5th December.
Something dragged June out of sleep and, for a second or two, she struggled to make sense of her surroundings. Her eyes found the clock on the ornate bedside table: four a.m., give or take, so what had woken her? Then she heard it again, a scream, and she was on her feet and grabbing her robe before the sound had died away.
Despite the fact that Viviane had to cover stairs to get there, she was in Cassandra’s room before June was, sitting on the edge of the bed with the younger woman in her arms. Cassandra was shivering and muttering something. It was not until June got closer that the muttering began to resolve into words.
‘Dark… d-dark… so dark…’
‘Is she all right?’ June asked.
‘She will be,’ Viviane replied. ‘When her mind has settled.’
‘Is this to do with, um, what her parents…’
‘No. Her parents gave her a most appropriate name. Cassandra suffers from visions of the future, and the past at times, actually. They can be… quite disturbing.’
Cassandra took in a shuddering breath. ‘I saw the Devil,’ she said.
‘You don’t have to do this now, child,’ Viviane told her softly.
‘I do. You know I do. I saw the Devil and he had two demons with him. One threw fire, the other ice. And there was another figure. Uh… Artemis, Diana. The fire demon burned her. Lakes of fire with people burning around Artemis.’ Cassandra shuddered again. ‘Uh… Then the ice came, but it was like there were two ice demons, fighting. They were fighting each other. The Devil looked angry about that. He was roaring and stamping his feet and then… Then it went dark. Just… really dark like…’
‘Twilight,’ June said.
‘Yes,’ Viviane said. ‘I’m afraid we may have to keep an eye on Andrea for a while. But there is another element in that vision which I believe we can easily interpret.’
‘Oh?’
‘Artemis, the Greek goddess of the hunt.’
‘Red? Red Huntress? Okay… and there’s an arsonist burning places in New Millennium. What time is it there?’
‘Uh… just after eleven.’
‘You don’t mind if I make a long-distance call, do you?’
New Millennium City, MD.
Svetilo shuffled around the house with a duster in one hand and a spray bottle in the other. Rather than her usual designer outfits, she was in worn jeans and a tank-top, which did have a sexy quality to it but was not her usual attire. Even Denny noticed.
‘You seem quite preoccupied with the cleaning, Dominika,’ Denny observed as Svetilo set to cleaning the big TV screen, which involved hovering in the air to get to the top corners.
‘The others will be back today,’ Svetilo replied.
‘Yes, probably this afternoon. Cygnus indicated that they may eat with Bianca Fullerton before leaving which would likely mean their arrival here is quite late, given the time zone changes.’
‘Da, but I do not want them coming back to a dirty house. They left me to look after it. I am going to make sure they do not think this was mistake, da?’
‘I am sure they would not think that.’
‘All the same, I will clean.’ Svetilo paused, peering at the top surface of the TV. ‘I’m not sure anyone has cleaned up here in last decade.’
‘I have noticed that Cygnus usually cleans in her Penny form. Penny does not fly.’
‘Well then, I do them great favour.’ Svetilo set to with her duster.
‘I’m sure they will appreciate it,’ Denny said. ‘I will have emergency glare goggles on standby for when they return.’
San Francisco, CA.
‘He’s going down,’ Andrea said. The words had a consoling edge to them.
‘Two hours,’ Cygnus said. ‘They’ve been out for two hours. I’d have had him locked in a dark hole by now.’ She lifted her plastic cup of coffee to her lips, sipped, and grimaced. ‘Do they make this stuff out of old tyres?’
‘From tractors. They don’t clean them which is why there are bits floating in it.’
‘See, that’s a joke, but I can’t manage to find it funny. Even if I think that’s a piece of straw floating to the surface.’
Andrea grinned. ‘I don’t think your sense of humour is that stilted. They have a lot of charges to go through. It’s bound to take some time.’
‘Yeah, I guess they–’ Cygnus looked up as people began moving past them in the direction of the courtroom. ‘You think?’
Andrea nodded. ‘I think. Let’s go listen to him being convicted.’
Morrigan Manor, England.
‘Do you think you’ve got what you came for, June?’ Viviane asked.
June looked up from her packing. ‘I’ve got several ideas. The software I need should be back home by now so… Could I get you to come over to the house in a couple of days? I need a full scan of your body.’
‘Of course.’
‘Great. And then I’ll work up the designs over that frame and I can either send you pictures or you can come visit again.’
‘I never have a problem with visiting your home, June. I rather enjoy it.’
‘Since we worked out how to make tea?’
‘That is certainly a factor, but I enjoy the company there.’
‘Maybe you could take me next time,’ Cassandra said from the doorway of June’s room.
‘You’ll need a passport for that,’ Viviane responded. ‘I may not carry it with me, but the niceties must be followed.’
Cassandra wandered in. ‘Well, I could get a passport. Shouldn’t I have one for going to Antarctica anyway?’
‘That is covered by international treaty.’
‘Oh. Well, I’d love to meet Cygnus and Twilight.’
‘And I’m sure they’d like to meet you,’ June said. She closed her case and zipped it. ‘Well… I guess I’m ready.’
Cassandra held out a hand. ‘It was very nice meeting you, and I hope to get to do it again.’
June smirked at her. ‘I’m sure you do. It was nice meeting you too. I’d say something about seeing the sights of New Millennium City if you come to visit, but… Well, frankly, we don’t have any.’
Giggling, Cassandra nodded. ‘I’d be happy meeting the people. Have a safe journey.’
June looked at Viviane. ‘That’s up to my travel agent.’
‘Then let’s get going,’ Viviane said. ‘Don’t forget your meditation practice, Cassandra. I’ll be back late, so I’ll see you in the morning.’
Cassandra sighed. ‘I won’t forget. See you tomorrow.’
Nodding, Viviane raised her arms and June grabbed her case just as white light enveloped them. When it cleared, it was to show the lounge of June’s home and Svetilo taking her hand away from her eyes.
The blonde bombshell Russian was looking a little nervous, which was weird. She was also dressed in a barely present micro-dress with a very deep cleavage, halter neck, and a skirt which consisted of two panels slung across her hips. Her pumps were gold, like the dress, and had sky-high platforms. It all seemed a little out of place. Plus…
‘Christ, Dom, did you spit-polish every last surface?’ June asked, looking around at the gleaming room.
‘Welcome home,’ Svetilo said. ‘I wanted you to come back to clean house, da?’
‘And the dress?’
‘You don’t think you’re tall enough already?’ Viviane asked.
The Russian gave a nervous little shrug. ‘I also wanted you to come back to pretty Svetilo. You don’t like?’
‘You look great, Dom,’ June said. ‘As always. You’re hoping to get me into bed before Cygnus gets back?’
‘Always people think I have ulterior motive. Deviant, sexual ulterio
r motive.’
‘You don’t?’
‘Usually I do, but–’
‘You were lonely.’
‘I had Denny, but people are more fun when they are actually here. No offence, Denny.’
‘None taken, Dominika,’ Denny replied. ‘And welcome home, June. I hope you had a pleasant stay in England.’
‘I did, thank you,’ June replied. ‘Has the verdict come in from San Francisco?’
‘Was bulletin on ACPN,’ Svetilo said. ‘Blutadler was acquitted on kidnapping charges, but convicted on everything else. They will pass sentence on the twelfth following submissions.’
‘Well, that should be something to celebrate tonight.’
‘Da. I went out and got in stock after hearing. Cygnus is flying tonight so she will not be able to celebrate too much before leaving.’
San Francisco, CA.
‘Two glasses, tops,’ Andrea said. ‘If you drop me from thirty thousand feet–’
‘You’d have to drop the bags and teleport,’ Cygnus said. ‘It’d be a terrible nuisance picking underwear up from a five-mile landing strip.’ She grinned. ‘Don’t worry, I’ll be responsible about it.’
‘That said,’ Bianca said, lifting her own wine glass, ‘here’s to Professor Blutadler spending the rest of his life in a cell.’
‘To justice being served,’ Cygnus suggested. ‘Sounds less vengeful.’
‘Of course, we don’t know what the sentence is going to be,’ Andrea said after there had been drinking.
‘He’ll get a long enough sentence that he won’t be walking out of there,’ Damian said. ‘The manslaughter charge alone will see to that. Have to say I was a little surprised they convicted on that one.’
‘Hugh was pretty persuasive,’ Cygnus replied. ‘He made it pretty clear that the agent wouldn’t have shot himself without a direct order to do so, and Kopf was the only person who could have given the order. I think they went for voluntary manslaughter because they didn’t think they’d get murder. But that’s what it was. Anyway, we got him. After all this time, we got him.’
‘Yeah,’ Andrea said. ‘I’m going to call my parents when I get home. Check they heard the news.’
‘It went out on ACPN,’ Bianca supplied.
‘Yeah, but that would be about their busy time in the café. And I want to call them anyway.’ Andrea glanced at Cygnus. ‘Like you said, justice is served.’
Airborne and Approaching New Millennium City, MD.
‘I could’ve just shadow-stepped it,’ Andrea commented as they sped through the night air.
‘And left me with all the baggage?’ Cygnus replied.
‘It’s not like you can’t handle the weight.’
‘Not the point. It’s only half an hour. We’re almost there anyway. That’s DC up ahead.’
Andrea looked ahead at the spread of lights. ‘Well, make sure you stay out of their airspace.’
‘They haven’t scrambled fighters yet. Not that they have anything that could catch us. I’ll be slowing soon.’
‘Good.’ There was a pause and then, ‘I have to admit, the view is incredible. I think it’s better at night. With all the lights.’
‘You would say the night was better.’
‘Huh, yeah, but it’s pretty.’
‘Yes,’ Cygnus agreed, scanning over the sea of lights. ‘It is.’
She began to cut back on their velocity once they were past Washington, and she angled into a declining flightpath. Ahead of them, another sea of lights showed their home city was getting close. They were still just over the speed of sound when they roared over Downtown and Fairhaven, and Cygnus took them around in a loop which brought them in toward North Beach and home.
‘I figure Denny’s told them we’re coming,’ Cygnus said as she dropped toward the trees around the house.
‘Given the door’s opening, I think that’s a yes.’
‘Yeah… What are they wearing?’
‘Well, I think Dom is wearing a handkerchief. Wasn’t that one of the dresses she used on the calendar?’
Cygnus frowned. ‘Yeah, I think so. The little corset dress is one June bought in the summer, I think. At least Viviane is wearing something normal.’
‘You’re complaining about your girlfriend wearing a pretty dress?’
‘Well… no.’ Cygnus lowered Andrea to the ground and then set herself down. She saw the running leap June was about to hit her with and was braced for the impact, if not the intensity of the kiss which accompanied it. ‘Miss me?’ she asked when June let her up for air.
‘Maybe,’ June said, grinning. ‘Come on inside and we’ll open the wine.’
‘I’m going to call Boston before I start drinking,’ Andrea said, hefting her case and starting for the door. ‘Hi, Dom. Hi, Viviane. Nice of you to wait for us to get back.’
‘It seemed appropriate,’ Viviane said. ‘And there was wine on offer.’
‘Are you sure you should drink and teleport?’
‘A little wine has never stopped me before. Occasionally I end up in the bathroom instead of the hall, but a little inaccuracy is nothing to worry about.’
‘Assuming it’s your bathroom.’
The sorceress shrugged. ‘Not always, but it’s usually nice to meet new people.’
~~~
‘Da, package arrived yesterday,’ Svetilo said.
‘Cool!’ June replied, grinning. ‘This is going to be great. It’s amazing–’
‘Of course, no one told us to expect package.’
‘Uh…’
‘Bomb disposal team made bit of a mess of it.’
June’s eyes widened. ‘They–’
‘I collect bits in dustpan. I think they are in box in kitchen.’
‘What?!’
Svetilo waited just a beat and then she said, ‘Look on your face.’
‘Dom!’ June shrieked. ‘And the rest of you can stop laughing.’
‘But…’ Cygnus said. ‘She’s right. The look on your face.’
‘Huh,’ June grunted. ‘Your next costume is going to consist of three handkerchiefs. And you will wear it.’
‘I don’t think we can allow that,’ Viviane said. ‘Considering your apparent influence on Ultrahuman fashion trends, June, we’ll have everyone clad in the bare minimum.’
‘I don’t think I’m that influential.’
‘If you design a new costume for Brightstar and she wears it, you will be that influential.’
‘Ah, but I don’t want to design a new costume for Brightstar. I told her she should stick with what she has. I’ve a plan to get her to keep things just how they are. And if she does pick one of my designs, I’m pretty sure it’ll cover more than the current one.’
‘This is not like you,’ Svetilo said. ‘Are you turning conservative?’
‘No, it’s about matching the costume to theme and personality. That’s one of the reasons I changed up Cygnus’s costume. I think the first one was good, but there needed to be more… flowing. I’m not fond of capes, but the skirts give the same sort of feel. Brightstar’s image is kind of pure. She shouldn’t be flying around in a bikini.’
‘Okay,’ Andrea said. ‘I can understand that, but why have the ones you’ve come up with for me been briefer with each iteration?’
June giggled. ‘Oh, well, I think the latest one has a real “Mistress of the Dark” vibe, but mostly I just think you’ve got a great body so why not show it off?’
‘Hmm…’
‘And for me?’ Viviane asked.
June narrowed her brows a little, looking across at the sorceress. ‘Oh… Like I said, I’ve got several ideas. I’m going to work up a couple of designs for you to look at. I’m not sure whether to stick with the sorceress-seductress motif or go with something more related to your wiccan leanings. I think we’ll be covering more of you up whichever direction we go in, but that’s partially because I would have to dress you in handkerchiefs to cover any less.’
‘She has point,’
Svetilo said. ‘Dress you wear normally is not conservative.’
Viviane shrugged. ‘If you’ve got it, flaunt it. If you’ve got less of it than some over-endowed Russian women I could mention, flaunt it more.’
‘It is valid philosophy. I may even get June to design something for me. Sometimes I get sick of ruining good dresses.’
Cygnus sighed. ‘You’ll break so many firemen’s hearts.’
‘Net. Only if you refuse to wear camisole to fires. Oh’ – Svetilo waved a hand at one of the tables beside the sofas – ‘those came today. Invitations to club opening, I think.’
Andrea was closest and, frowning, she picked up the decorated envelopes. They were a bright scarlet, with flame motifs embossed into them. She handed one over to Cygnus and then opened the one addressed to Twilight. ‘Invitation to attend the VIP opening of the Gates of Hell?’
‘Da. I had heard they were opening one here.’
‘You going?’ Cygnus asked.
‘Net. No invitation. Maybe it turn up tomorrow. They only came today and redirect might take a day. Even if I get one, I won’t be going. I do not like man who runs those places.’
‘Oh?’
Svetilo shuffled a little in her seat. ‘I went to club in L.A. Ended up in bed with him. Sweet is his name. Jason Sweet. Was not really interested in him, but he just talked me into it. Then he… talked me into letting him do things I do not let men do with me. He is too smooth. I do not like him.’
‘Well, I’m not going,’ Andrea said. ‘I have better things to do with a Friday night.’
Cygnus peered at her own invitation. ‘I’ll think about it. It’s plus-one so I could take June… And maybe one of us should take a look at Mister Sweet.’
‘Just remember to wear chastity belts,’ Svetilo said. ‘Locked ones.’
Antarctica, 6th December.
‘I’m pretty sure June would have designed something more… snowy,’ Andrea said, ‘but I like it.’
Jacob shuffled his feet a little. ‘It’s… functional,’ he said and lifted his helmet into place to show Andrea the full effect. There was a soft click as the seals engaged, and then the heads-up kicked in to give him temperature readings, environmental data, power status… ‘Still good?’ he asked.
Frostburn (Ultrahumans Book 4) Page 18