Dane Curse (2 page)

“My mom might’ve.” I gave him my best smile. I read somewhere that humans instinctively return them, but Old Stony must not have been familiar with the theory.

“If she did,” he said, “I believe things would’ve turned out differently for you.”

I heard a giggle from the corner, and turned to see Hoarfrost. She had silver eyes, long white hair, and wore a skintight, light blue uniform with sharp icicles jutting from odd angles. Next to her stood Sledge. I’m six-foot-six, and about as wide as a door, but he had me by eight inches and at least fifty pounds. He was also more silver than skin thanks to the cybernetic implants on his frame, and his left eye was a bright red orb that saw what most others missed.

“Are we doing a team thing here?” I said. “Because my fees go up for crossovers.” I was making light of it, but this scene gave off a stench the snoops weren’t privy to.

“No,” Gravel said, “the board wants multiple investigators.”

There was a pinch of static in Sledge’s voice. “Board’s been wrong before.”

“And maybe we’re wrong now, but that’s of no consequence.” Gravel shoved a rocky finger into his chest. “All that matters is that we have a problem which, by extension, means you have a problem. Solve it together, or solve it separately. It doesn’t matter, just solve it. Though before we proceed.” He turned to face the snoops. “What have you two uncovered?”

They jumped to attention. “Nothing sir,” the first snoop said.

“Still?” Gravel looked at us. “Two snoops working for an hour have come up empty.” He turned back to them. “Are you telling me there’s no evidence of any kind in these rooms?”

The second snoop shook his head. “No sir. Everything we’ve encountered belongs to… ” He glanced into the bedroom. “The victim. No scents, no fingerprints, no skin cells; nothing at all, sir. Whoever cleaned this room, it’s like they weren’t actually here.”

Gravel sighed. “Very good. Before you leave, please be so kind as to inspect that far wall one last time.”

The snoops turned around. “This wall, sir?”

“Yes, that’s the one,” Gravel said. Then he pulled a pistol and shot both men in the back.

Sledge said, “Good lord,” while Hoarfrost laughed.

As for me, I stood still, amazed my enthusiasm for this job could go any lower.

“Ok, let’s to work.” Gravel led us to the back room and we took our places around the bed, each looking down at the guest of honor. “Are you ready to see what this is all about?”

The three of us nodded.

“I somehow doubt it.” Gravel pulled off the sheet, and underneath, lying cold with a hole in his gut big enough for my fist, was Gold Coast City’s protector and the world’s mightiest hero, Pinnacle.

Turns out he wouldn’t be making it back for Hero’s Day after all.

Chapter 2

It was like the air got sucked out of the room. None of us moved. Gravel was right. We weren’t ready.

“Hey, are you with me?” Gravel said.

I nodded. We all did.

“Is it… is this really Pinnacle?” Hoarfrost leaned over the body. “It looks like him, but he’s not in uniform, those are normal people clothes.”

She was right. His short dark hair and light blue eyes were familiar, but he wasn’t in the crimson getup he made famous. Instead Pinnacle had on jeans and a gray t-shirt. His face was twisted in pain or maybe shock, and he was lying in a pool of blood that had crusted over dark and thick like tar.

Still, I didn’t have a doubt.

“Yes.” Gravel nodded. “We’re sure.”

“How?” Sledge asked.

“His height, weight, and body scans all heavily imply a match, but when we tried to decode a sample of his DNA it showed unreadable complexity. That wouldn’t be the case with anyone else. But there’s also this.” Gravel removed a knife from his pocket, and held it up for us to see. “It’s unbreakable Trumite.” He drove it down onto Pinnacle’s face three times. It didn’t make a scratch.

“Ok,” Hoarfrost said, “I'm convinced.”

“Me too,” Sledge said.

“Then your job is obvious, find out who did this and bring them directly to us, proof in hand. Not to the SPECs, not Team Supreme. To us. Do you understand?” Gravel asked.

We all nodded again.

“Good. And tell no one what you’ve seen. No one knows he’s here, and no one knows he’s dead. And that’s the way it’s going to stay or we’ll lay you down next to him. You have five days.”

“What?” Sledge’s cybernetic eye practically doubled in size.

Hoarfrost added, “If nobody knows then why set a deadline? This is going to take-”

“Because,” they all turned to me when I said it. “This is too big to keep. Team Supreme, the SPECs, they’re in the papers talking about his return, but they’ve been vague. They don’t know where he is, but they think he’s alive so you can bet they’re looking for him. Soon they’ll get desperate, desperate enough to turn to Doctor Velocity, or satellites, or something to scour the city. And when they do, when they find this, it’ll be all out war. The cops, the SPECs, and every white cape in town will be gunning for the Sindicate.”

“Good Dane, yes, that’s exactly correct. Unless,” Gravel said, and pointed at Pinnacle, “when this goes public they already have the killer in cuffs. And that’s where you three come in. You’re the best investigators in the city, so go, investigate, find out who did it. Second and third place get standard rates and a bonus, but the first one to piece me this puzzle wins the Grand Prize.”

“And that is?” Hoarfrost asked.

“Ten million dollars. Now get to work.”             

We started with the body. Sledge relied on his cybernetic eye while Hoarfrost held her hands over the bed and wiggled her fingers, which I think was just for show. I used my hand scanner, a little piece of tech that can pick up all sorts of clues from residue and fibers to energy waves. I covered every inch of the bed, but the readout came back empty, so I switched to the old fashioned way; my eyes. “The wound’s slightly off center with no burn marks,” I said, “and even though it goes all the way through him he’s still as invulnerable as ever. This is impossible.”

Gravel nodded. “Yes it is.”

“Maybe it’s suicide?”

We ignored Hoarfrost’s joke.

Sledge gave me a nudge. “If you’re finished would you mind standing back?” I obliged, and he projected a red graph of light from his cybernetic eye that cut Pinnacle’s body, the bed, and the wall behind him into tiny squares. “You’re correct, Dane. No burn marks on the body. Also, there’s no hole in the wall despite the blood pattern and the exit wound, which is too big for a bullet anyway. It’s about the size of a fist, but who could’ve hit him? No one’s that fast.”

“So,” I said, “he’s too tough for whatever weapon did that, too fast for the person who used it.” I turned to Gravel. “And every single black cape, Sindicate or free agent, is a suspect.”

“Yes,” Gravel said, “that’s exactly where we are.”

After ten minutes of going over the room Hoarfrost made for the door. She was followed closely by Sledge. Considering their dispositions I doubt they’d be teaming up so I didn’t see the harm in letting them get a head start. Besides, I had some questions. “Listen Gravel, how come you called me in on this? I deal with small time black cape stuff, murders, kidnappings, thefts... I’ve never dealt with those who wear the white cape. Especially one this big.”

Gravel paused for a moment, and sized me up. “What did you think of him?”

“Of Pinnacle? What everyone thinks of him.”

“Everyone I know wants him dead.”

I couldn’t help but glance at the bed again. “That’s because you can’t see how much the city needs him.”

“Yes, that,” Gravel said, pointing at me. “You were chosen because of that. We knew that once you saw what happened you wouldn’t quit until you had your man. But more importantly, unlike the others, you aren’t Sindicate. You have no loyalties. So you’ll follow the trail to the end. Even if it leads back to one of us.”

I looked at Pinnacle and my gut went as tight as my fists. It wasn’t right, him dying like this, without purpose. Without meaning. What Gravel said was true. I wouldn’t stop until I found the skell, and when I did I’d put the screws in deep and tight, I’d do them like they did Pinnacle. And not because of the ten mill. No, I’d do it because I wanted to. I promised myself I would.

But first I had to find them. “So who discovered the body?”

“I did,” Gravel said. “We received a report about a locked door to a supposed empty room.”

“And you checked up on it?”

“It may look run down, but this is a Sindicate safe house.”

So a member is involved. Or someone’s trying to frame them.
 “Did anyone see Pinnacle come in?”

“No.”

“Anyone hear anything?”

“Nothing.”

No witnesses. 
That plus Pinnacle’s invulnerability meant there was no way to nail down time of death. “What happened to his wallet? Did he have any identification on him?”

“What do you think?”

“I think this isn’t much to go on.”

Old Stony gave me a look. “What are you planning to do Dane, piece together his last few hours? Roust the usual suspects, herd them into a parlor? The classic detective formula isn’t going to work here. You’re going to have to get creative, and if I could suggest, started.”

Gravel was right, so with nothing left for me to do indoors I followed my competition into the night. I knew who I wanted to speak with first, but it was going to have to wait because, as Temper said, “Hoarfrost left you a gift.”

I looked over at Jane. Her tires, all four, were slashed. “So much for puncture proof,” I said. “Thanks for stopping her by the way.”

“Sorry pal, but that old girl isn’t worth getting frozen over.”

I turned to Rush. “And you, quick draw, no help?”

“I watch the door, not that clunker.”

“Don’t worry,” Temper said, “I called a guy. He’ll be here in a few ticks to get you back on the road.”

“Thanks pal,” I said, “you’re a bushel of peaches.”

“So, what was it like up there? Better than you hoped?”

“Hope?” I looked up. “Never touch the stuff.”

#

Temper’s friend showed up as promised with a new set of whitewalls, and I was on the road in minutes headed towards my first stop, and though I’d usually listen to music, I did the miles in silence.

I had some thinking to do.

A job… What was that cog on the phone talking about? This wasn’t a job, it was a catastrophe, an all-black puzzle I had to piece together in the dark, created by someone that had no smell, shed no skin cells, left no fingerprints, and shared a motive with the entire black cape community. 
Great.

But all that aside I had to start somewhere, and according to my mentor Carl Cutter whenever you wanted to find a killer you had to ask your mom, which was his way of describing the holy trinity of motive, opportunity, and means. The first two were lost causes, so I focused on the last. I figured if I could discover how the deed was done then I’d get a good idea of who was behind it.

My first thought was that Pinnacle’s abilities must’ve been neutralized. There are different ways to nullify powers, but each of them are temporary, and none work on someone as strong as him.

On the other hand it’s possible he was at full power when he died, and the murder weapon is something I’ve never seen before. But three problems undercut this theory. First, artillery that powerful would be massive, and wouldn’t fit in the room. Second, Pinnacle flies too fast to be hit. And third, if that’s what happened why no bullet hole in the wall or burn marks on the body?

Of course, it could be that maybe, and I didn’t want to think about this, but maybe they were just stronger and faster than him. Maybe they up and punched through his stomach with their bare hands. If that were true then there was an unknown player who was the new king of the jungle, and he clearly didn’t get hung up on things like ethics or morals, because what happened back there wasn’t killing, it was murder, and if that’s the case it might be as bad as a citywide war.

Maybe worse.

The whole business was swirling in my head. What I needed was clarity. And for that I had to speak with someone who knew Pinnacle’s limits, his strengths and weaknesses, much better than me.

Only one person came to mind.

He was the oldest and most accomplished villain the world over, and the closest person that Pinnacle ever had to an equal; the famous and feared Professor Varius.

He was also the most likely suspect.

Chapter 3

After thirty minutes I arrived in the Outskirts, on the north side of town. I hadn’t visited the Prof in years, but his neighborhood was exactly the same. The row homes all had busted or boarded up windows, their doors hung off the hinges, and the sidewalk was more weeds than concrete.

I got out of Jane, and walked towards my destination: a brownstone half a block away. From the outside it looked as swank as every other dilapidated building, but like most things in this town it was more than it appeared to be. Inside was a landing pad for Professor Varius’s drones. All I had to do was ring the buzzer and he’d send one right down. If he was home.

And if he was awake, and wanted to see me.

I barely waited five minutes before his transport arrived. It looked like a large, silver egg with just enough room inside for a single chair. I strapped myself in and it started the ascent to Varius’s massive airship, a technological marvel high above the clouds. It was protected from both radar, and the naked eye, and while it could go anywhere, from deep sea to deep space, he always kept it near Gold Coast City.

We docked, and when the door to the interior opened I found my host waiting for me. “Come in my boy, come in. It’s been such a long time.” Varius approached in his floating chair, and shook my hand. He wore a gray sweater with a green blanket over his legs. The glasses on the tip of his long nose had lenses so thick that the eyes behind them appeared three sizes too big, and while you couldn’t tell when he sat the Prof was one of the shortest men I ever met.

But I wasn’t fooled by the whole grandpa thing. He was as vicious as any black cape half his age and twice his size, and boasted the highest IQ in the game. He’d also killed more white capes than old age. Black capes too.

“Good evening Professor, I’m terribly sorry to bother you at this late hour,” I said. “Thank you for seeing me. How have you been?”

“Oh, you know, age takes its toll, but I’ve been keeping healthy.” His chair swung around, and he led us out of the arrival room. “The secret is to stay busy, to have hobbies. Do you have hobbies, Dane?”

“Yeah, whiskey.”

The Prof laughed. “That’s not a hobby. A hobby is something that improves your outlook on life.”

I gave him a shrug. “Whiskey fulfills that requirement.”

“You know very well it does not. But you should really find something, take it from me, you’ll be glad you did. It keeps you sharp.”

We moved through a portal and into the armory where the air smelled of ozone. Weapons of every size adorned the walls with his most famous cannon, The Sky Hammer, in the corner. It was easy to recognize since it was as big as a boxcar. We walked past it, and into another room. This one was small, but homey, with furniture made from leather and wood, a fire going in the corner, and pictures everywhere of a young Varius with the black cape royalty of yesteryear. I took a seat on the sofa.

The Prof stopped across from me and said, “So, is this visit about the hardware I sold you? I know it’s been a few decades, but there shouldn’t be any problems.”

“Oh no.” I pulled Lois out. “She’s working just fine. Always comes through when things get thick.”

“Of course it does, I built it. You know that’s the last one in existence.”

“I’m well aware,” I said.

He smiled. “Surely you carry something else. The fact it takes so long to recharge should inspire you to have a backup.”

“Considering the damage six minutes forty-seven seconds isn’t that long.”

“It can be. But the delay was unavoidable. It uses a very unique energy source.”

“That’s why,” I lifted Rico out with my right, “I carry this.”

“A Thumper. I always liked their design: four separate triggers in the handle that independently link to different bullets. If I may inquire, which do you use?”

“Ricochet, stunners, explosive tips, and target seekers.”

“Good choices. You know, most people would say that artillery is a little old fashioned.”

I looked at the iron in my hands. “I prefer the term classic.”

His smile got a lot bigger, and he pat me on the knee. “That’s a good boy. But then why are you here? Is it about a case?”

I holstered my guns. “In fact it is. I’m looking for some information about a certain absent hero, and hoped you might be able to push me in the right direction.”

“Ahhhh, Pinnacle. Strange isn’t it, him away with no explanation. But why do you think I can help? I’m not part of the hero apparatus, and nearly retired as well. I have no clue as to what he’s up to. Or, as I imagine why you’re asking, when exactly he’ll return.”

“So you think he’ll return?”

The Prof leaned in with probing eyes. “Don’t you?”

I moved back some. “Well, I like to cover all my bases. As you say, he left without warning, which isn’t like him, so I’d like to rule out the possibility that something-”

“Something sinister didn’t befall him?” Those probing eyes narrowed.

I nodded.

“Interesting,” he said, and tented his fingers. “How ever could that happen, do you think?”

“No clue, but I bet if anyone knows it’d be you.”

“That’s a wise wager,” the Prof said, “so proceed. Ask your questions.”

“Thank you. Would a nullifier work on him? Even a little bit?”

“No. For your weaker cape the energy blast from almost any nullifier can be a very effective short term power suppressant, but for someone like Pinnacle? Impossible. To even slightly dampen his abilities the nullifier would need a vast source of energy, which is my area of expertise, and I know of no battery that could do the trick.”

“Could another thinker have created one? Maybe Mindgame or-”

“Mindgame?” He waved the question away like it was a fly. “He may be a former lab assistant of mine, but he didn’t learn much while he was here. There’s no possible way he’s capable of doing what you’re asking. And neither is anyone else.”

“Then what about a collar?” I asked. “Could one of those work?”

The Prof’s face lit up. “A SPEC collar, that’s an interesting idea. Once wrapped around a black cape’s neck it disrupts their nervous system making them as powerless as a common reg. It’s far and away the most advanced long term method of nullifying abilities. I’ve never been close to one, thankfully, so if you want specifics you’ll need to ask an Agent. I suspect though, that if it did work on Pinnacle, it would only succeed in numbing his strengths, not erasing them.”

“Numbing, huh? And if it was used with another weapon?”

“That’s clever thinking.” A tiny smirk slithered across his face. “You think maybe something as strong as a blast from my Sky Hammer?”

Not without burn marks on the body. 
“No. He’s survived a direct hit before, right? I’m thinking something more powerful. Maybe a projectile.”

His smirk went limp. “There’s nothing more powerful than the Sky Hammer. For a mere bullet to match its strength so much gunpowder would be required as to destroy both the weapon and wielder. But,” he said, and crossed his arms, “since you like projectiles so much, have you considered the Azures?”

“Never heard of them, it’s a slug?”

“Yes, they’re brand new, specially designed to cut through invulnerable skin.” He reached down to a compartment on the side of his chair, and removed a long bullet. Its tip glowed bright blue.

“My God, is that Blue Blood?” I asked.

“Yes, it is.”

I didn’t need to ask. Every schoolboy knows the street name for the world’s most potent acid. “How do they get it to stay on the tip?”

“There are many ways to fasten liquids to projectiles,” the Prof said, “most are quite simple.”

“And you say they can pierce invulnerable skin?”

“Yes, but as you know the term invulnerable doesn’t mean impenetrable, rather it’s a matter of degrees. Some people have higher levels of invulnerability, others lower. This bullet though,” he held it up, “will shred most of them.”

I leaned closer, my eyes fixed on the bullet’s glowing head. “Are they strong enough for Pinnacle? I mean if his powers were minimized.”

“You’d like to be certain?”

“Of course.”

The Prof pulled a handgun from under his blanket, loaded the Azure into its chamber, and pointed it at me. “Let’s find out.”

Then he pulled the trigger.