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11. Ice Dream
🕑 Added 2024-02-08 00:14:17 +0000 UTCIce Queen sighed, shooting a glance over her shoulder at the body behind her. “Yeah, I know, I know. I said I’d stop killing petty criminals. But what was I supposed to do, ignore him? If he actually kicked off a rampage, do you know how late I’d be to dinner? I can’t waste those reservations, David.”
The vague grumble of the voice on the other end interrupted her, and her expression darkened. She shook her head.
“It’s the Molliere. The Molliere! I waited six months for lunch reservations, dammit! I’m not throwing away my one chance to eat the finest dining Central City has to offer, waiting around for the cops to show up and lecture some asshole, when I can just take care of it.” She swapped the cell phone to her other shoulder and reached down, tugging her other shoe on.
Behind her, a soaking wet shadow stood from the floor. Cloaked in darkness, only those mad, wide eyes reflecting the daylight, the shadow reached to its belt and soundlessly drew a pair of vicious blades. The cloth that had wrapped them in the sewer fell away.
“Look, I know Alpha’s trying to get re-elected. I know he doesn’t want any shit from anyone, and it doesn’t matter how small you are, you’re a hero—” Her eyes rolled, her voice taking on a mocking deep pitch. “God. We’ve heard it more than anyone, trust me. This isn’t—no, no, it isn’t going to be in the papers tomorrow. It was some vagrant. The kind of asshole no one gives a shit about. His family probably thinks he’s been dead for years. He doesn’t have a home. No one will even notice.”
One footstep. The melted ice sloshed underfoot, disturbed by a passing sneaker.
Ice Queen frowned. “Hold on, David, I think I—”
The shadow grabbed her updo and yanked, exposing her throat, one blade awkwardly pointed skyward. The other darted down, severing that snow-white expanse. Blood poured, staining Ice Queen’s pale skin, her jacket, her white top. The phone fell from her hand. She wheezed, gagging, bloody bubbles popping at her throat.
Her eyes glowed blue. Her face twisted in fury. Ice wrapped her neck, sealing the wound even as she reached back and grabbed her assailant, throwing him to the ground.
Levi smashed to the ground. His head struck concrete, and his eyes unfocused. He reached out, trying to push himself upright, but his limbs refused to coordinate properly.
Without hesitation, Ice Queen stomped. Her stiletto pierced through his eye socket and straight through to his brain. Levi trembled, then went still.
“Isa? Isabelle, are you okay? What happened?” David asked, barely audible.
Ice Queen bent. She picked up her phone and went to speak, but her voice wouldn’t operate. Frustrated, she flicked up, minimizing the call and going for her texts.
[You lost a life!]
[Lives remaining: -17249]
DEBUG: Corruption Level Low | Ability Points non-degraded | status GOOD
Press X to reallocate your ability points.
From the ground, Levi hurtled a blade at Ice Queen. She flinched, dropping the phone. Throwing her hand out, she sent an icicle Levi’s way, then froze, putting her hand back to her throat instead.
“Right. I’ve already won this, haven’t I?” Lifting his remaining blade, Levi circled her.
Ice Queen turned to keep facing him, her eyes narrowed.
He pointed the blade at her neck. “If you don’t spend all your focus there, your throat collapses, right? I mean, that’s a complex operation there. All that hot blood, all the tubes and pipes, veins and arteries… You can’t afford to toss icicles my way anymore.”
Snarling silently, Ice Queen lunged at him.
Levi jumped away, laughing lightly. All at once, his eyes flashed, and he threw his hand up. “Ha, you fell for it! Now! Come to me, blade!”
Ice Queen spun, raising a hand and summoning an ice shield behind her.
The blade Levi had thrown laid on the ground, no more animate than the metal it was made of.
Close behind her, Levi chuckled in her ear. “Good bluff, huh?”
Before Ice Queen could react, he grabbed her hair and stabbed her in the eyes. Her nose bridge shattered, her eyes popped, and the blade dug deep into soft gray matter.
Levi dropped her. She plummeted, lifeless. Humming to himself, he knelt and cleaned his blade on her shirt.
“Isabelle! Hey! What’s happening?”
Turning, Levi caught sight of Ice Queen’s phone. He smiled. Lifting it, he murmured in a strange, deep voice, “Hello.”
On the other end, a short-drawn breath and silence. At last: “Who is this?”
“The kind of asshole no one gives a shit about.” Levi mashed the end call button.
“Hey—who—what happened—Hey!”
At last, the call ended. Levi grimaced at it. “Fucking smart phones. Where’s the dramatic flipping the phone shut or slamming the receiver down? We’re ruined, ruined as a species.”
Settling into a flat-footed crouch, he dialed a number.
“Fuck off, I’m retired.”
“Hi Maury, love you too. I’ve got a fresh one.”
A long pause, almost as pregnant as David’s pause after the gasp. At last, Maury unleashed a long sigh. “I don’t know if I’m excited or exhausted, but I’m glad you’re back, Levi.”
“So…?”
“Yeah. You know the drill. Phone face-down on the body. Teleporter still seems to have a little life in it. I mean, who knows when the old thing gives out, but you can say the same about me, right?”
Levi cracked a smile. He shook his head. “No, come on, Maury. You have a long life ahead of you.”
“Not if I keep up this shit, I don’t. Phone on body.”
Obediently, Levi set Ice Queen’s phone on her chest. Blue light blasted out from the screen. The phone vibrated madly. A pulse of blue light burst from its face, and it clattered to the ground as Ice Queen’s body vanished.
The second it teleported away, Levi stomped down on the phone, smashing it over and over until nothing remained but little bits of metal and plastic. That done, he fled, speeding through the back streets at top speed. His wet clothes whipped his body, wet hair thrashing his forehead and cheeks. The streets flashed past, his 10 SPD pulling its weight. In a matter of seconds, he’d already left the construction zone two blocks behind him.
Turning a corner, he pulled his shirt from his body and inspected it as he ran, then released it with a shrug. “Could be worse.”
As he came up on the main road again, he slowed back to a walk. Glancing left and right, he searched for Fira, walking along casually as though there was nothing wrong at all. I can count on Maury to mess with all the cameras around me. As for the DNA… nothing I can do there. It’s not like Alpha really thought I was dead. And aside from that, what are they gonna do, arrest me? Good luck! Ha, I’d love to see the look on faces when they try to look me up in their databases.
Ahead, a flash of red hair caught his eye. Levi stood on his tiptoes, then beamed. Waving, he ran over. “Fira! Fira, over here!”
Fira turned. She looked him over slowly, eyes lingering on his hair and his soaking-wet clothes. “What happened?”
“Would you believe? It’s pouring two streets over. We’re lucky to be here, under the bright, dry sun. You find that Rainer Drift concert yet?”
Giving Levi the most skeptical of looks, Fira lifted her hand and pointed directly in front of them.
Rainer Drift stared down at them from a massive poster hanging from the side of the stadium, her head tilted slightly back, mouth ever so slightly ajar, her big dark eyes mesmerizing. Girls in brunette wigs and Rainer Drift’s signature sequined hotshort jumpsuits chattered with girls decked out in Rainer Drift gear. Here and there, the occasional unfortunate boyfriend or incredibly hyped male fan mixed in with the overwhelmingly female crowd, all of them heading toward the long line into the stadium.
All around, vendors hawked street food, snacks, popcorn, ice cream, and most of all, Rainer Drift merch, from charm bracelets to headbands to Rainer-Drift-branded light sticks to hold up and sway instead of a lighter or a cell phone. One particularly enterprising individual created street paintings with a planetary theme on the background of Rainer Drift posters, to the delight of a squealing crowd of teenage girls.
“Indeed. Well spotted, young Fira. Shall we proceed?” Levi asked, offering her his elbow to take.
Fira looked at his muddy elbow with disgust. Ignoring the offer, she nodded down a side street instead. “I’ve scouted the area. It looks like the free watch party is up that street—there’s a sharp incline there, and you can kind of see down into the stadium bowl from the top.”
“Excellent! I knew I recruited you for a reason.” Lowering his arm without a single hitch, Levi headed for the hill.
Watching him go, Fira squinted a little, suspicious eyes lingering on his soaking clothing and the weird pink stain spreading down the back of his shirt. To herself, she muttered, “But seriously, what happened?”
