Free Ultrahuman 01 - Ugly by Niall Teasdale Page A

times. He’s been indicted for statutory rape four times, but they’ve never managed to make it stick. The witnesses either recant or vanish.’ Penny found herself hoping the man did not get caught tonight. ‘That’s the kind of thing you’re going to see a lot of on the street,’ Red went on. ‘Are you sure you’re up to it?’
    Penny looked back at the mirror, seeing only tail lights receding. ‘Not yet,’ she said.
    ‘Huh. Let’s go back to the club and join the party. Don’t know about you two, but I’ve had enough of this.’
    ‘Yeah,’ Penny said. ‘I think I could use a drink about now.’
    ‘How many Ultras end up as alcoholics?’ June asked, her tone sullen.
    ‘More than we’d like to admit,’ Red replied.
    5 th July.
    Penny was about to change the channel when a picture appeared behind the newsreader and she paused. The smiling face looked a little different head-on, but she still recognised it.
    ‘New Millennium City businessman Anthony Briscetto, long thought to be high up in the Tonaldo crime family, was found dead early this morning,’ the woman on the screen announced.
    ‘Couldn’t have happened to a nicer man,’ June commented dryly.
    ‘Briscetto was found in a motel room in Churchton,’ the newsreader went on. ‘Police have stated that there was no sign of foul play and the cause of death was a fatal heart attack. However, there was no indication of what Briscetto, who lived in Friendship, was doing in the hotel.’
    ‘He was banging a hooker,’ June said.
    Penny changed the channel. ‘Fatal heart attack. He looked pretty fit to me. And the girl he picked up, there was something odd about her. She was… Well, she was too stacked.’
    ‘You think she was an Ultra? Maybe a vigilante out to get him?’
    ‘No idea.’
    ‘Never heard of an Ultra who could fuck you into cardiac arrest.’
    ‘Bobby keeps saying I’ll give him a heart attack,’ Penny replied, giggling.
    ‘I don’t think he means it literally.’
    ‘Probably not. We’ll see tomorrow.’
    June gave her a grin. ‘So Saturday is becoming a regular thing?’
    ‘Uh-huh. We practise fighting all week, and then we practise wrestling on Saturday nights. This Saturday’s special though. He said he missed the fireworks yesterday because he wanted the real ones at the weekend.’
    The brunette laughed as she walked over with two glasses of wine. ‘You two are adorable. Has he said when he thinks you’ll be ready to go out?’
    Penny sighed. ‘When I am,’ she replied.
    11 th August.
    The big screen in Bobby’s lounge was showing a map of New Millennium City, from Churchton in the north to North Beach in the south, and far enough west that the Patuxent River was just visible, though the city’s western edge did not go out that far. Red stood in front of it while Penny, June, and Bobby sat on one of the couches. Penny was snuggled up against Bobby; it was show-and-tell night, and it seemed like the right thing to do.
    ‘Bobby says you’re almost ready to go out there and kick criminal arse,’ Red said, a slight smirk on her face, ‘so we have two priorities aside from finishing your training. One, a costume. You’re going to need one for registration. Our resident fashion expert is designing that now, so it shouldn’t be an issue.’ Red gave June a nod.
    ‘I’ve got a few ideas,’ June said. Somehow Penny did not find the way she said it encouraging. June had ideas, she was quite sure of that. The question was whether Penny would be able to wear them.
    ‘I thought you might,’ Red went on. ‘So our second item is criminal familiarisation.’ She turned and looked up at the screen. ‘If I were you, I’d stick to smaller-scale crime to start with. Purse snatchers, store bandits, the usual stuff that makes the general public annoyed. It’ll build your rep with the common folks, always useful. However, you should know about the big stuff.’
    ‘Well,’ Penny said, ‘I probably know some of