Iced
Page 78
Motive.
I sigh. No clue. Just that it had one.
No idea why it chose that place, or why it ices things.
None, I say. It didnt even touch anything, as far as I could see. It just kind of hovered above it all. Unless the fog is like its fingers or something and it sucks folks life force up with it and inadvertently ices them in the process. No way around it, I need more time with it. Got to feel it out longer.
Jayne starts cursing and says nobody is going to be spending more time with it because its too dangerous, and even Lor looks disturbed by the idea of another encounter with the Iceman. Which reminds me
Why were you afraid? I say. I didnt think anything scared you dudes.
Lor gives me a cool look, like I didnt see what I saw, and says, What are you talking about, kid? Only thing I was worried about was how pissed Boss was going to be if the thing killed you.
Bull. I know these dudes. They dont care about anything but themselves and he was freaked, which means it was a threat to him somehow. I want to know how. I want to know what Ryodans Kryptonite is. I know a few universals like: he who can destroy a thing controls it. Not that I get off on destroying things but when you get backed against a wall, coming out with both guns blazing is pretty much your only choice. I want enough power to void a contract, enough to quit my job, permanent-like. Im ready for retirement. I want enough leverage to get Jo out of the kiddie subclub, assuming she ever wants to leave.
She will. The day he chooses someone else.
In my estimation that wont be long at all.
Half an hour later Im outside Chesters, skidding holes in the rain-slicked pavement, pacing in hyperspeed, munching power bars to keep myself juiced. Im waiting for Ryodan to get done with whatever the feck business he said he had to take care of that couldnt wait, so we can get on with our investigation. He told me to sit tight inside the club, but me hanging around inside Chesters without my sword aint real likely and he should know better than to expect it.
Then again, without my sword Im not straying far either. I hate waiting for backup but I want it. The Unseelie princes freaked me out. I got a major thought brewing about them, an idea I despise but have to consider for its end result. Right now Im keeping it back-burnered where it cant burn me too much.
I got so many other thoughts exploding inside my head that I expect a few are poking out my ears. One second Im so excited to be living in these times I almost cant stand it, the next Im a nervous wreck because my people are out here in these streets and they dont have any clue we got a big scary Ice Monster turning parts of our world into a deep freezer! I got to get the word out fast, but what do I tell them? If you see a shimmery spot in the airrun? Thats assuming they even notice the shimmery spot before theyre iced!
Trouble is, I know folks. You can tell them to run all you want but there arent a lot ofpeople that will, until they believe theyre in major dangerwhich is usually too late. They gape like cows, and if you dont know it, cows gape a lot. There used to be a big herd out by the abbey where I tested my speed and navigating abilities after Ro took me in and I was drunk on my new freedom. The cow pasture was a great place to practice freeze-framing on a dime because (a) cows move and are unpredictable, therefore hard to map like the real world, and (b) if I hit a cow it usually hurt me more than the cow. I had a riveted bovine audience the entire time. Theyd chew their cud and swing their big heads back and forth, watching me like I was cow TV. If all I had to do was chew regurgitated food and watch other cows all day, Id be riveted by me, too. Heck, that bored, Id be enraptured by a fly battle on a cow pie.
But back to folks, shimmery spots arent terrifying enough to make them flee. And there are some folks, like the see-you-in-Faery chicks that hang at Chesters 24/7, sporting new Papa Roach bugged-sized waistlines, trading sex, competing with each other to see who can eat enough Unseelie to turn immortal and get to hang with the Fae first, that would deliberately linger if they saw a shimmery spot, just because it was, like, pretty. Gah, some chicks should be shot. Put out of everyone elses reproduction pool.
I need a couple of pictures to put in my daily, to show peeps the gruesome finality of what the Ice Monster does. I need to get over by Dublin Castle, shoot a few frames. Then I need to get to TDD headquarters and fire up the presses! I love printing my dailies. I got double the reason to get one out fast now. After seeing the Unseelie Princes WANTED posters, folks are no doubt worrying their butts off about me! I need to reassure them, let them know Im still on the job.
You must be Dani!
I turn.
And pop up on my heel and keep turning. Id turn all the way to bum-feck-China if I could. I spin in a full rotation so shes at my back again and stand there, trying to compose myself. I dont want to look at her. I dont want her to see my face. I didnt expect this. Wasnt ready for it. Feck, Ill never be ready for this. Its one thing to know shes out there somewhere, along with Mac. Its another thing to have to face her.
Feck, feck, feck.
I paste on a mask, turn around and begin the pretending game.
And youre Rainey Lane, I say. Same beautiful blond hair as her daughters, even though they were both adopted. Same pretty demeanor: classy feminine Deep South. Shes walking around in chilly, gloomy-ass late afternoon Dublin, dressed like somebodys going to care shes color-coordinated and accessorized. I guess Jack Lane does. Unlike most married folks Ive seennot that Ive seen a lotthey seem to be crazy about each other. I saw them in Alinas photo albums. I saw them in Macs. Ive seen pictures of this woman holding her daughters when they were small. Ive pored over photos of her beaming at their sides when they were grown.
I sigh. No clue. Just that it had one.
No idea why it chose that place, or why it ices things.
None, I say. It didnt even touch anything, as far as I could see. It just kind of hovered above it all. Unless the fog is like its fingers or something and it sucks folks life force up with it and inadvertently ices them in the process. No way around it, I need more time with it. Got to feel it out longer.
Jayne starts cursing and says nobody is going to be spending more time with it because its too dangerous, and even Lor looks disturbed by the idea of another encounter with the Iceman. Which reminds me
Why were you afraid? I say. I didnt think anything scared you dudes.
Lor gives me a cool look, like I didnt see what I saw, and says, What are you talking about, kid? Only thing I was worried about was how pissed Boss was going to be if the thing killed you.
Bull. I know these dudes. They dont care about anything but themselves and he was freaked, which means it was a threat to him somehow. I want to know how. I want to know what Ryodans Kryptonite is. I know a few universals like: he who can destroy a thing controls it. Not that I get off on destroying things but when you get backed against a wall, coming out with both guns blazing is pretty much your only choice. I want enough power to void a contract, enough to quit my job, permanent-like. Im ready for retirement. I want enough leverage to get Jo out of the kiddie subclub, assuming she ever wants to leave.
She will. The day he chooses someone else.
In my estimation that wont be long at all.
Half an hour later Im outside Chesters, skidding holes in the rain-slicked pavement, pacing in hyperspeed, munching power bars to keep myself juiced. Im waiting for Ryodan to get done with whatever the feck business he said he had to take care of that couldnt wait, so we can get on with our investigation. He told me to sit tight inside the club, but me hanging around inside Chesters without my sword aint real likely and he should know better than to expect it.
Then again, without my sword Im not straying far either. I hate waiting for backup but I want it. The Unseelie princes freaked me out. I got a major thought brewing about them, an idea I despise but have to consider for its end result. Right now Im keeping it back-burnered where it cant burn me too much.
I got so many other thoughts exploding inside my head that I expect a few are poking out my ears. One second Im so excited to be living in these times I almost cant stand it, the next Im a nervous wreck because my people are out here in these streets and they dont have any clue we got a big scary Ice Monster turning parts of our world into a deep freezer! I got to get the word out fast, but what do I tell them? If you see a shimmery spot in the airrun? Thats assuming they even notice the shimmery spot before theyre iced!
Trouble is, I know folks. You can tell them to run all you want but there arent a lot ofpeople that will, until they believe theyre in major dangerwhich is usually too late. They gape like cows, and if you dont know it, cows gape a lot. There used to be a big herd out by the abbey where I tested my speed and navigating abilities after Ro took me in and I was drunk on my new freedom. The cow pasture was a great place to practice freeze-framing on a dime because (a) cows move and are unpredictable, therefore hard to map like the real world, and (b) if I hit a cow it usually hurt me more than the cow. I had a riveted bovine audience the entire time. Theyd chew their cud and swing their big heads back and forth, watching me like I was cow TV. If all I had to do was chew regurgitated food and watch other cows all day, Id be riveted by me, too. Heck, that bored, Id be enraptured by a fly battle on a cow pie.
But back to folks, shimmery spots arent terrifying enough to make them flee. And there are some folks, like the see-you-in-Faery chicks that hang at Chesters 24/7, sporting new Papa Roach bugged-sized waistlines, trading sex, competing with each other to see who can eat enough Unseelie to turn immortal and get to hang with the Fae first, that would deliberately linger if they saw a shimmery spot, just because it was, like, pretty. Gah, some chicks should be shot. Put out of everyone elses reproduction pool.
I need a couple of pictures to put in my daily, to show peeps the gruesome finality of what the Ice Monster does. I need to get over by Dublin Castle, shoot a few frames. Then I need to get to TDD headquarters and fire up the presses! I love printing my dailies. I got double the reason to get one out fast now. After seeing the Unseelie Princes WANTED posters, folks are no doubt worrying their butts off about me! I need to reassure them, let them know Im still on the job.
You must be Dani!
I turn.
And pop up on my heel and keep turning. Id turn all the way to bum-feck-China if I could. I spin in a full rotation so shes at my back again and stand there, trying to compose myself. I dont want to look at her. I dont want her to see my face. I didnt expect this. Wasnt ready for it. Feck, Ill never be ready for this. Its one thing to know shes out there somewhere, along with Mac. Its another thing to have to face her.
Feck, feck, feck.
I paste on a mask, turn around and begin the pretending game.
And youre Rainey Lane, I say. Same beautiful blond hair as her daughters, even though they were both adopted. Same pretty demeanor: classy feminine Deep South. Shes walking around in chilly, gloomy-ass late afternoon Dublin, dressed like somebodys going to care shes color-coordinated and accessorized. I guess Jack Lane does. Unlike most married folks Ive seennot that Ive seen a lotthey seem to be crazy about each other. I saw them in Alinas photo albums. I saw them in Macs. Ive seen pictures of this woman holding her daughters when they were small. Ive pored over photos of her beaming at their sides when they were grown.
