Shadows (Ultrahumans Book 2)

by Niall Teasdale

  ‘The Tonaldos were pretty quick to capitalise on Ghostfire’s demise,’ Rex said. ‘They’ve regained full control of Fairhaven, Friendship, and Churchton. They ran the docks anyway.’

  ‘What about these areas, Tracy’s Landing and Downtown?’

  ‘Most of the locals call them Uptown and Downtown. They were largely run by Ghostfire, but the family is moving back in. Still a lot of independent action going on there. North Beach doesn’t have much of interest anyway, aside from it being where this Cygnus lives.’

  She nodded. ‘How is our evaluation of their detailed operations proceeding?’

  ‘We’ve infiltrated a few of their groups. We’ve got a good hold on things in Churchton and we’ve made good inroads into Deale. Friendship is mostly drugs and burglaries. Easier to control from the top. Churchton’s got the drug labs and the low-rent brothels. Deale, well, shipment and storage.’

  ‘All right.’ She turned, swinging her legs off the bed and rising to her feet. ‘What about these heroines?’

  ‘Cygnus inherited a house from some old hero last year. Seems like Twilight moved in with her recently. There was something on the news about it. Did some digging and the landlady wasn’t keen on having an Ultra under her roof. That and her insurance company suddenly upped the premiums. They’re in tight with an inactive named Red Huntress.’

  ‘I’ve heard of her,’ the woman said as she paced back toward the bed. ‘I like her choice in colour.’

  Rex gave her a grin. ‘She runs a club in Uptown, the Huntress’ Den. Seems like Cygnus is there most Friday nights, Twilight less often.’

  ‘It seems like we’re due a night off. How’re the finances?’

  ‘We’re good for now, but we’re going to need a cash injection soon.’

  The woman walked over to her closet, opened the doors and began going through dresses, all of them red. ‘Make finding Tonaldo’s money a priority. I think he should bankroll his own demise.’

  ~~~

  ‘Tell them we can do it Monday,’ Andrea said.

  ‘Monday?’ Penny asked, her hand over the receiver of the phone. ‘You’re sure?’

  ‘Monday. I can’t do it until I’ve spoken to Lena. I’ll do that tonight. Better to get it over with; she’s been leaving a lot of messages.’

  Penny nodded, but looked worried. Taking her hand away she said, ‘Is Monday good for you? We have some things to clear up and… Okay, yes, at six. That should be fine.’ She hung up. ‘They won’t use it until next Friday anyway.’

  ‘Yeah, but… This is going to be worse than telling my parents.’

  ‘When are you going to go?’

  ‘We’ll run a patrol, then I’ll check in on her.’

  Penny still looked worried. ‘Be careful. If Tonaldo finds Twilight in his daughter’s bedroom…’

  ‘Don’t remind me.’

  ~~~

  The light was still on in Tonaldo’s office, but Lena’s windows were dark. When she had no company she tended to go to bed early. Twilight watched from the roof opposite silently conversing with her other self.

  ‘I think you should handle the talking,’ Twilight said. ‘You’re more… uh, more of a people person. And anyway, I’m too young.’

  It was a fact. There was something… slightly unformed about Twilight, an almost childlike quality to her. She had all of Andrea’s memories, but it was as if she did not have the experience which went with them.

  ‘All right,’ Andrea replied. ‘If you get us over there and make sure she’s alone, I’ll take it from there.’

  Nodding, Twilight slipped into the shadow of the low wall and out into the darkness of Lena’s room.

  The blonde was lying in bed, her hair a tousled mess half over her face. There was no one else with her and no sounds of anyone moving around outside. Twilight pulled her cowl off, and Andrea tucked it away under her belt before silently stepping over to the bed.

  She put her hand over Lena’s mouth and the blonde’s eyes snapped open, fear showing instantly in them. ‘It’s all right, Lena,’ Andrea said. ‘It’s me, Andrea. I need you to stay calm and keep your voice down. Can you do that?’ Lena gave a small nod, the panic draining from her face, and Andrea lifted her hand away.

  ‘Andrea? I’ve been leaving messages. What happened? I can’t see you; let me turn a light on.’

  Andrea caught her wrist. ‘Not… yet. Look, something happened to me and… and it means I can’t come here anymore.’

  ‘If you’re in trouble, Poppa can…’

  ‘Poppa is why I can’t come back, Lena.’ She started to reach for the bedside lamp, stopped, and said, ‘Don’t freak. Don’t scream. Don’t move.’

  ‘O-okay,’ Lena replied timidly.

  Andrea snapped the light on and looked down at Lena with pitch-black eyes. Lena’s blue eyes widened.

  ‘Oh… oh shit.’ Lena reached out a hand, fingers tracing along Andrea’s right cheek under her eye.

  ‘I… had an accident, of sorts,’ Andrea whispered. ‘When I woke up… There’s no way your father’s going to let an aborto girl come see you, is there?’

  ‘That’s a horrible word,’ Lena said. ‘I used it, but it’s horrible. Don’t say it, you’re… you’re beautiful, but… Oh God, you’re Twilight.’

  ‘Uh… yes.’

  ‘I’ve seen her picture. The costume… How could you?’ There were tears in her eyes and Andrea’s fists clenched as her own eyes threatened to do the same.

  ‘It was always going to end like this,’ Twilight said, her voice soft even though it was silent within Andrea’s head. ‘Sooner or later she was going to find out.’

  ‘At first,’ Andrea began, and stopped as her voice cracked. ‘At first it was just to get information on your father’s business.’

  ‘Was any of it real?’

  ‘Which is easiest for you, Lena? I can tell you that I got to enjoy our times together and, honestly, for over a year you were possibly the best thing I had in my life. If you want, you can believe that, or you can believe I’m a lying bitch. Whatever makes it easier for you to get over me. Do it, because your dad is going to want my head on a spike even more now.’

  Lena’s face hardened. The anger was not quite there in her eyes, but she was trying to make it happen. ‘I think you’d better get out of my room,’ she said. Her voice barely quavered at all.

  Andrea nodded, got to her feet, and stepped backward as the shadows rolled up around her. When the light stole back into the space she had been occupying, she was gone.

  12th April.

  ‘You look like shit,’ Penny commented as Andrea emerged from her room.

  ‘Thanks. I feel worse. Didn’t sleep well.’

  ‘Not fun last night?’

  ‘Not even close to fun. Um… do you think June is up to making me a new costume?’

  It seemed like a plea to change the subject and Penny accepted it. ‘I expect–’

  ‘June certainly is,’ June said. She emerged from her room, stretching languorously. ‘You want it for this interview?’

  ‘That was kind of the idea. Fresh start. Introduce the new me to New Millennium.’

  ‘In that case, I’d love to, but the timescales are a bit tight. We’d need to buy in.’

  ‘Damn. I don’t have the money to–’

  ‘I do,’ Penny stated flatly, ‘and June can consult on the look.’ She grinned. ‘Saturday afternoon clothes shopping.’

  ‘Oh, awesome!’ June enthused.

  Andrea sagged.

  ~~~

  The last time Cygnus and Twilight had been in UltraStyle they had been rescuing hostages and putting down Thermite. The paint was still fresh in places where the mall had been repaired, but there was little sign of the damage the pyromaniac had done. It had only reopened the month before after a full refit.

  ‘I’m a little uncomfortable about this,’ Andrea said as they walked in through the door. She was in her suit, but not wearing the cowl.

  ‘You want a new cos
tume,’ June said, ‘and quickly. This place–’

  ‘Oh, wow…’ A voice interrupted them, coming from a well-built man in a designer suit. ‘Cygnus and Twilight. No cowl and those eyes…? And do I not recognise your friend from the calendar? I’m Serge, the manager. You saved my ass last year. What can we possibly do for two such well-dressed heroines?’

  ‘Uh, well…’ Andrea began.

  ‘Twilight needs a new costume,’ Cygnus said over her. ‘Since… Well, her eyes make a secret identity difficult so she’s taking the opportunity to be a little more… open.’

  Serge nodded. ‘Not that there’s anything wrong with that classic catsuit look. Very European.’

  ‘Uh, right,’ Andrea replied. ‘I need something fairly quickly, and Cygnus and June suggested we come here…’

  ‘Well, we have all the latest materials, a multitude of designs. What sort of thing did you have in mind?’

  ‘Something… fairly classic,’ June said. ‘We keep the black, obviously.’

  ‘Obviously,’ Serge agreed.

  ‘Fairly simple…’ The model set off into the store and Serge turned, dropping into step beside her. Clearly he had spotted who was doing the selecting. His hips swung a little, unconsciously in time with June’s. Andrea looked at Cygnus, who looked back, shrugged, and set off after them.

  It took them thirty minutes before they were ready to send Andrea off into the changing rooms, and that was just the beginning. June seemed to have an idea of what she was after, but could not quite get to where she was going. So Andrea dutifully tried on costume after costume as June and Serge hummed and sucked their teeth, and shook their heads before handing her something new.

  All the while Cygnus had spotted June assembling something on the counter where Andrea was probably not going to notice it. Knowing her friends, Cygnus had decided that June knew exactly what to put Twilight in, but had decided that Andrea would balk. She was wearing the girl out before springing the trap. You had to admire the deviousness, really.

  ‘Maybe this wasn’t such a great idea,’ Andrea said as she rejected the latest outfit herself.

  ‘One more,’ June said, handing over a bundle of clothes. ‘You’ll like this, I promise.’

  Looking reluctant, Andrea about-faced and walked back into the changing room. A few minutes later she emerged again and Cygnus got to her feet, walking over from the thoughtfully provided chairs, because she knew this was the outfit she was going to be seeing a lot more of.

  In a way, June had picked out an outfit which was a black version of the one she had designed for Cygnus. There was a sleeveless unitard in a black, faintly iridescent material which looked a lot like the plastic Cygnus’ suit was made from. It was certainly slightly translucent, just enough to show shadows, but not the solid black of the catsuit. It had a high collar and high hips, but Andrea was wearing fishnet tights under it and a pair of thigh-high, black, stiletto boots. There was also a pair of fingerless, wrist-length gloves. The look was very different from the one Twilight had worn before, but it did have something of a classic quality to it.

  ‘There’s nowhere to put my sword,’ Andrea said a little warily.

  June lifted the roll of black tape she was holding ready for the argument. ‘ClingStrip, double-sided. Sticks to anything, can be disengaged easily. This will fix your scabbard to your back without any difficulty.’ She lifted her other hand, which had a mask in it. ‘Try the mask,’ she said, playing her ace.

  The mask was a wide domino-style, large enough to cover the cheekbones. The left side was a solid black, while the right was lace. Cygnus thought the duality was rather appropriate, and as soon as it was put on, clinging to the skin without any hooks or string, there was a change in Andrea’s posture.

  ‘I love it,’ Twilight said, grinning. ‘I always thought Black Canary was hot.’

  ‘It’s a little… briefer than that costume,’ June replied.

  ‘You just like half-naked heroines,’ Cygnus pointed out. ‘We’ll take it,’ she added to Serge, and pulled a card from the top of her boot.

  The man leaned forward, conspiratorially. ‘You get it at cost. If it weren’t for you two, this place would be a charred pit. Just don’t tell anyone.’

  ‘Our lips are sealed.’

  14th April.

  ACPN’s main offices were located in Downtown, occupying a whole block and five storeys in height. It was still one of the smaller buildings in a district which featured a lot of skyscrapers. The main entrance was on the corner of 3rd Street and 6th Avenue, and Cygnus stood in the reception area behind them at six pm, waiting for Twilight to arrive.

  There was a slight drop in the conversation level as the woman in the black outfit stepped through the doors and strutted across toward the taller blonde waiting for her.

  ‘I was wondering if you’d got cold feet,’ Cygnus said, her voice low.

  ‘It’s still light and it’s too bright in here,’ Twilight replied. ‘I had to take a cab.’

  ‘Oh. Hadn’t thought of that. Come on, they’re waiting for us.’

  Cygnus led the way through the double doors at the back of the foyer and they were immediately attacked by a woman with short, spiky, blonde hair, and a harried expression.

  ‘Good, you’re here. Come with me; Marta’s waiting.’ She turned on her six-inch heels and hurried off down the corridor.

  ‘Is she for real?’ Twilight asked as she stretched her legs to follow.

  ‘Uh-huh,’ Cygnus replied. ‘Her name is Sandy, I got that much, and she’s Marta Hendry’s assistant.’

  ‘Hendry does Ultras Tonight, doesn’t she?’

  ‘That’s what this is going to be on.’

  ‘Andrea’s feeling better about it already. No one she knows watches it.’

  ‘Huh.’

  Marta Hendry was an attractive woman in her late twenties with auburn hair and dark green eyes, dressed in a smart skirt suit. She was all smiles, presumably because Sandy got all the worries and complications. She breezed into the small studio the station was using for the interview, sitting down in one of the three comfortable armchairs and picking up a small clipboard with some notes on it.

  ‘Now,’ she said, her voice light and easy on the ear, ‘don’t be nervous. We don’t do deep, searching interviews on this show. Our viewers generally idolise Ultras.’ She glanced down her notes. ‘Oh, we would like to bring up Zephyr’s death, Cygnus. If you’re uncomfortable with that…’

  ‘I can talk about it,’ Cygnus replied. She was, if anything, looking more nervous than her partner. She was sitting up straight, knees pressed together; Twilight was relaxing in her seat, legs stretched out and crossed at the ankle.

  ‘All right, and we would obviously like to ask about the new look, Twilight. The last time anyone saw you it was in a black catsuit.’

  ‘I can give you some of the details,’ Twilight replied, smiling. ‘Some of it will have to remain secret. There are ongoing investigations.’

  Hendry nodded. ‘Superficial is good. Half our audience only cares that they can see more skin.’

  ‘She doesn’t have a high opinion of her viewers,’ Andrea commented.

  ‘Considering that you’ve never watched this show, I can’t imagine you do either,’ Twilight pointed out.

  ‘Well… she was right about the superficial bit.’

  Hendry turned to look at Sandy. ‘Are we ready?’

  ‘Yes’m,’ Sandy replied quickly. She indicated a camera on her right. ‘Uh, this is the camera you ladies will be seen on. The other one’s for the reaction shots. But talk to Miss Hendry, not the camera. We’re good to go when you are, ma’am.’

  Hendry looked at her camera, waited for the light over it to go red, and began. ‘Good evening and welcome to Ultras Tonight. I’m Marta Hendry and we have a treat for you. We’ve persuaded the newest team of Ultrahumans to grace New Millennium City to sit down for a chat.’ Her gaze shifted to her guests. ‘Cygnus and Twilight, welcome to ACPN.’

&nbs
p; ‘Thank you, Marta,’ Cygnus replied, taking the lead. ‘It’s a pleasure to be here.’

  ‘I must say, it was a surprise when we were able to get both of you here. You’re not one for appearing on camera, Twilight.’

  Twilight gave her another smile. ‘When we hooked up I made Cygnus promise to handle the press. I work much better from the shadows, and I preferred not to have much known about me. I had a secret identity to protect. Now… Well, it’s a lot harder to keep it secret when your eyes look like mine.’

  Hendry nodded. ‘You do seem such different personalities. How did you meet, Cygnus?’

  ‘I found Twilight about to take down an arms shipment one night and offered to help. We discovered that we work well together. I’m bulletproof and very visible which makes it easier for Twilight to be sneaky. We each have talents the other lacks.’

  ‘You turned that around for Tower Block, though. Twilight was the distraction while you snuck in and delivered the final blow.’

  ‘Yeah, well it would have been obvious I was leading him somewhere, but he could believe he was following Twilight as she tried to get away from him. You have to adapt your tactics. Twilight came up with the idea and she did most of the work. He was heavy, but tossing him into the bay was pretty simple.’

  ‘Yes, you first made news catching a moving car, and recently you dropped a smuggling submarine onto the docks. Just how strong are you?’

  ‘Very,’ Twilight put in, grinning.

  ‘We haven’t really tested it properly,’ Cygnus said. ‘I just keep trying and, so far, I haven’t failed when I’ve needed to lift something. I know I can lift over a thousand pounds without straining.’

  ‘Impressive,’ Hendry replied. ‘Now, when we saw Twilight leading Tower Block into a trap, she was in her catsuit. You mentioned your eyes, Twilight, and your costume has changed. What’s new with you?’

  ‘I was involved in an accident, of sorts. A drug bust that went bad. It triggered something in me, latent super gene stuff, I guess. Let’s just say I’m really a better match to my name now and the bad guys are going to be far more worried about following people into dark alleys. But it came at a cost and I can’t hide as easily as I used to. People get to wondering why you’re wearing dark glasses indoors. Since there’s no point in hiding, I figured I might as well be more… open.’