Shadows (Ultrahumans Book 2) Read Online Free Page A

ease. ‘How was he?’
    ‘I wasn’t disappointed.’
    Cygnus turned, one leg swinging up for a back-kick. Twilight caught her ankle and pushed.
    ‘I won’t say “I told you so,”’ Cygnus said from the floor.
    ‘You just did. It made seeing Lena last night a little more… stressful than usual, but I did get something useful.’
    Pushing herself upright, Cygnus turned in the air and floated to a standing position. Her expression suggested she wanted an explanation.
    ‘Those thieves we caught? The diamond robbery? They were from out of town. Tonaldo is worried about it.’
    Cygnus gave a shrug before shifting into a sequence of punches and leg sweeps which Twilight stepped clear of, backing slowly across the floor.
    ‘We left a power vacuum when we took out Ghostfire,’ Cygnus said. ‘Tonaldo hasn’t managed to solidify his control in the zones Ghostfire held. He’s bound to see externals coming in.’
    Twilight stepped under a punch, pushed her elbow into Cygnus’ chest, hooked her leg, and there was an ‘Oof!’ as the tall blonde landed on her back. Grinning, Twilight held out a hand to help her up.
    ‘Yeah, but Lena seemed to think this was more significant. Something to do with the target. Maybe we should have someone look into that shop.’
    ‘I’ll see if Red can dig anything up. But you’re the one with the UID contact. Quite a lot of contact.’
    ‘Four times,’ Twilight replied.
    Cygnus raised her eyebrows. ‘Well, he’s got stamina.’
    11 th March.
    ‘There’s not much noise about it,’ Red said as she watched Penny chopping vegetables. ‘Definitely not a local team. No one knows them and there wasn’t any indication that they were coming in to pull the job before they arrived.’
    ‘No clue why Tonaldo would be up in arms about it?’ Penny asked.
    ‘Nothing that anyone’s saying. He put word out that he would pay for information about the backer, which means he doesn’t think they were acting under their own instruction.’
    ‘Huh. Maybe Twilight can get something out of her new boyfriend.’
    ‘She did it then?’
    ‘They did it, four times, and she wasn’t disappointed.’ There was a slightly melancholy edge to Penny’s voice which Red did not fail to notice.
    ‘You’re going to see Last soon, aren’t you?’ Red said, mostly to change the subject.
    ‘Doctor Ultimate? Yes, day after tomorrow.’
    ‘He’s okay, but be careful of the Union. They probably haven’t got over you declining their offer.’
    ‘I’m going to see him, not them.’
    ‘He was one of the founders. Just, keep your eyes open, okay?’
    Penny glanced at her and then nodded. ‘Okay,’ she said.
    Unity Base, Antarctica, 13 th March.
    Stepping through a warp portal was a little like being sucked through a straw. It was not painful, but it was far from comfortable as dimensions were compressed and reality did a double-take at what was happening to it, and apparently decided that the best course of action was to stick its fingers in its ears and hum very loudly.
    On the other hand, if you were trying to get from North America to Antarctica, there were few faster ways of doing it. The members of the Union of Ultrahumans did it all the time, Cygnus reminded herself as she tried to figure out whether her limbs were still attached on the other side.
    ‘It takes a little getting used to.’ The voice came from a slim woman with long, red hair who was standing in the doorway of the room Cygnus had arrived in. She looked somewhere in her late thirties, maybe early forties; she had a calm confidence about her which seemed to come from age and being around Ultras, though Cygnus suspected that she was not one herself, because whoever this woman was, she was not anyone recognisable.
    ‘I guess people must, otherwise the Union would never get anything done,’ Cygnus replied. ‘I’m–’
    ‘My husband’s latest infatuation,’ the woman replied without rancour. ‘Cygnus. He’s been talking about you