Forecast is a novel by Shya Scanlon being serialized semiweekly across 42 different web sites. The Fake Angeleno is proud to host chapter 26 this month.
For a full list of participants and links to live chapters, please visit www.shyascanlon.com/forecast. Thanks to Joe Sullivan for connecting us with this great project.
--> Chapter 25 can be found at Coyote Breath.
--> Chapter 27 is available at Bound Off.
“How is she?” asked the Professor, startling me. He’d snuck into my Surveillance Port without making a peep, and I vaguely felt as though I’d been caught “red handed,” though with what I can’t imagine.
“Helen’s holding up just fine,” I said. I looked up over my shoulder. “She’s actually developed an unlikely friendship with Busy, and between him and his partner Blain, it looks like she’s found something of an escort for the next leg of her, of her…”
The Professor chuckled. “That’s our Zara alright,” he said, nodding. The Professor refused to honor the name Helen, maintaining that it was a phase she’d outgrow. Myself, I felt it wasn’t my place to speculate, so I stuck to the facts.
I took a deep breath. “I’ve run into an issue, unfortunately,” I said, avoiding the Professor’s eyes. I was sure he’d notice but I couldn’t help it.
“An issue, eh?” he seemed amused.
“It appears there’s a warrant out for Helen’s arrest.”
“A warrant? But that’s absurd.”
The Professor leaned in over my shoulder, looking more closely at Helen while she made final preparations for leaving the accounting firm’s grand entryway. Rocket sat beside the revolving door, tail wagging. Blain stood, stolid. “Who wants to bring her in?”
“Well that’s the thing.”
“The thing.”
“I can’t determine who is behind it.”
“You mean—”
“It’s just there.”
“I see.”
I finally brought myself to meet his eyes, and was strangely relieved to find them betraying a deep level of concern. I looked at the lines in his old skin, they too deepened by a thoughtful expression. “Well,” he pulled a chair close and sat down beside me – a rare thing. “I have some interesting news about AS-Masks, though I don’t know the full story quite yet.”