A supposed meeting with Professor Andreiopov had turned into an ambush by the monstrous thing that Jenna Andreiopov could become thanks to the mysterious Demonblade. If I had not had a little secret of my own, it would have been the end of my partner and possibly myself. Instead, my partner now knew that I had superhuman abilities and that I had accidentally given myself a “superhero name” based on the color of my blood - Indigo.

We were heading to her apartment to compare notes with FBI agents Burke and Adamsky, who had been sent to take over our case as it now looked to be a serial killer. Burke had been waiting outside of Dina’s building, and there was, so far, no sign of her partner.

Dina unlocked the door to her apartment and Burke followed her in; I trailed behind a few steps, keeping an eye out on the street. Don’t know what I expected to see – and I did not see it so it did not really matter – but felt I needed to stay as alert as possible.

“So, you said there was stuff Adamsky wanted you to hold back from us?” Dina began.

Special Agent Lynn Burke nodded. “Only a few details – but when your lab guy mentioned one killing looked more like a ‘disciple’ than a ‘copycat’ some things started falling into place.” She seemed to want to continue but could not find the words.

“Right – you suspect it is all some kind of cult thing then?” I offered.

“More or less, yes,” Burke answered, her eyes closed as she gathered her thoughts. “It seems to follow a cycle as well – about a dozen killings, most of them a week apart, about once every ten to fifteen years, all bodies brutally torn apart. The earliest records we found come from Mongolia, from the early seventeenth Century, from a report found in a missionary’s house.

“All of the killings have a few common factors: First, most, if not all, of the victims could be viewed as, well, sinners – usually sexual deviants by the mores of their time, though some are outright criminals as well. Second, they all bear similar injuries in addition to being torn apart – injuries consistent with the third common feature.. just a second.”

She began rummaging around in her purse, until she found a packet of photographs. She then pulled one out and passed it to Dina.

Dina gave a low whistle and passed it to me: “Look familiar?”

“Definitely – the ‘Demonblade.’” I replied.

“You guys have that name? Wow – you are farther along than we had expected. Have you stumbled on any of the legends around the thing?”

Dina and I exchanged a glance – we had just lived through at least one of them!

“It is supposed to grant great strength and immortality, or something like that,” I offered.

“Yes, the Strength of the Righteous to punish transgressors and send them to Hell – at least that is how the oldest legends word it," she informed us. "More recently, a belief that feeding the blade fresh human blood grants more than strength wound up attached to the blasted thing, but that is the gist of it.”

Dina looked at her: “And you did not tell us this because?”

Lynn paused for a moment before answering: “Adamsky believes it is true, at least to some degree, and was afraid you would be more likely to lock him up than look for the person using it, if we said so.”

Dina looked at me and barely kept back a laugh. “Earlier this evening, I might have. But then… Nathan, do you feel safe in telling her?”

“Do you trust her?” I asked.

“Almost as much as I trusted my former partner – and at least as much as I trust my current one.”

It took me almost a full second to realize the importance of what she said – she has accepted me as her partner! I was thrilled – I enjoyed working with her and she was a very good cop. I looked at both women briefly then said: “Perhaps I should … show her?”

“Set the scene first, Rookie.”

“Right. This afternoon, after we left the station, Dina received a call from one of our top suspects…” I began.

“A Professor Anton Andreiopov?” Lynn offered.

“Exactly,” I replied. “He claimed – how did he word it?”

Dina stepped in: “He said that he thought we suspected his sister, and that we might be correct. He wanted to meet with me in a private location to turn over some evidence.”

“And you did not inform us?” Lynn asked, without a hint of surprise in her voice.

Dina shook her head, and replied: “I had no idea what… No, you take the story Nathan.”

“Right – we arrived ahead of the planned meeting, found a spot where I could observe in secret, and she waited for the Professor to arrive.

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“When he did,” I continued, “He made some comment about his sister wanting to show her the evidence – and then… Something attacked her. Something huge, a giant brute that bore a striking resemblance to his sister. This thing … it was incredibly fast, and could move cars around with little effort.”

The fact that Lynn didn’t seem too surprised by this suggested there was even more the FBI hadn’t told us than there was that we had not told them. Instead of questioning my account, she turned to Dina and said: “How… how did you survive it?”

“Rookie saved me. That thing was fast – he was faster…”

Lynn turned to look at me – and took an involuntary step back. I had turned off my disguise, and stood there, my blue skin and amber-pupiled eyes on full display.

“Dear God – what… what are you?” Lynn asked – she showed more shock and curiosity than fear, I noted.

“To be honest, I am not exactly sure. As far back as I remember, I have always been like this – very fast, very strong, able to alter my appearance at will. Oh, and I can fly.”

Dina almost gave herself whiplash turning her head to face me. “Fly? You didn’t tell me that one!”

“Did not have a reason to before,” I answered. “That, and the way you drive, your car moves faster than I do in the air, at least when I have to worry about maneuvering.”

“Like when flying around buildings?” Lynn offered.

“Exactly,” I admitted.

“So, we have got our own … thing … to face theirs?” Lynn finally said.

“He has a name – and a … nom de guerre as well, I suppose,” Dina said.

“A battle name?” Lynn replied, slightly amused at the idea.

“Indigo,” Dina said.

“That is the color of my…”

“It's what they know you as, it’s your name when you’re not being Nathan.”

I met her gaze, and realized she was not going to budge on this. I sighed. “Fine. I am Indigo.”

“Two things here,” Lynn interjected. “First, you said they… You suspect the doctor and his sister are both involved?”

“Yes – he kind of led us into a trap – or what would have been if, just like his sister, I had not been much more than I appeared to be.”

“Good point. Now the second one – how … versatile is your ability to alter your appearance?”

“I cannot change my actual weight and can only make limited changes to my size, but my features beyond that… well…” I closed my eyes and concentrated, felt my flesh sliding around, rearranging itself, my clothes now binding me in some areas, far too loose in others.

Then I opened my eyes and shifted my thoughts to my throat, and asked Lynn in her own voice: “How is this?”

She gasped, then composed herself quickly, walked around me once, looking up and down, then smiled: “You are several inches taller than I am but otherwise the resemblance is remarkable. Where did you come from?”

“As far as I know… Wisconsin. I was found there a few years ago. I really … I have made some promises and cannot say anything more about that right now, not without checking with a few others first,” I replied as I felt my body revert to what was almost my natural form – that of Nathan Daniels.

Lynn looked pensive for a few seconds, then nodded. “I do not think Adamsky will take this well, so if we are going to move we may have to do it without him…”

“Or without me,” I replied.

“True. Do we want to confront Andreiopov in his home – assuming he is still there?”

“He might be off balance from our earlier meeting – I doubt he would have left town. He is very proud of his collection of antique weapons,” I answered.

Dina nodded. “Yeah, I saw some of it – not a great place to confront him if he wants to resist arrest but definitely not a place someone could easily just abandon either.”

“Now here’s the important question,” Lynn interjected: “Do we have any means of tying him or his sister to the murders that would stand up in court?”

Dina and I exchanged glances, then she answered: “Aside from two possible blood spatters, everything is circumstantial.”

We both shot her a questioning glance, and she gave me an odd look before saying: “The ones you dropped off this evening – before you almost abandoned me for your red-head?”

“Ah! Right! The ones we found at his house!” I could not believe I had forgotten that. Then again, it had been a very busy night…

“Call your lab, see if they have found anything. I have to make a few calls of my own, then we can start discussing strategy,” Lynn said.

Dina nodded and I took out my phone – only to find it had been shattered in the fight. She shook her head, and then said: “Your arm!”

I looked down. My left sleeve was a torn ruin. I could not figure out why she was so excited.

“You were bleeding – heck, I thought I saw bone in one of those gashes,” she added.

“Ah! One of the benefits of being a shape-shifter – I can knit my flesh and bone back together, given time. It takes a lot of stamina and it will probably be tender for a while,” I answered – though I could not recall ever suffering an injury like this before and was not sure exactly how I knew it.

She considered this for a moment. “Of all your tricks, Rookie, this may be the one that impresses me the most,” she said after a while, then took out her phone and called the lab.

Turned out one of the samples was too dry for any quick results but the other one they were confident they’d get a DNA match from soon – maybe two days. “We don’t have two days,” Dina replied.

I could hear the response even without concentrating: “Then call the guys on one of the CSI TV shows because they are the only ones who could get a DNA match back faster than that.”

“Even if you have a sample to compare it to?” Dina inquired.

“What do you mean?” The tech at the other end replied, curiosity evident.

Dina replied: “The victim from last night – we think it is hers…

“We can check some antibodies, give you a ballpark ‘Maybe’ or ‘Definitely Not’ in fifteen minutes, then. But if you want something more concrete, two days minimum.”

“Fine – then ballpark it and get back to me ASAP," was Dina's response.

“Got it, Detective,” I heard before the connection went dead.

She sighed. “I hope Lynn’s calls are going better…”