by Viola Grace
“So would I. I have a parent-teacher event next week, and I am hoping to be able to go to it without bruising on my face.”
“You have a child?”
“I do. You will see it in my file. He’s seven and a bit.” Forecast was getting dizzy and chatty. “Max has met him. Ask her about him.”
Darkflight met them in medical. “What happened?”
Forecast smiled slightly. “Training injury. It wasn’t the punch, it was the road rash that got me.”
Made gave a sharp whistle, and the medics came running and led her to the equipment that would peel Forecast out of her suit and treat her injuries.
Forecast looked to Darkflight. “You can turn your back now. You have seen me naked often enough.”
He laughed and turned around. She could see her own reflection in the interior windows in front of him, so he could see her. She frowned and flipped him off as the machine cut her suit away, and an analgesic was sprayed on her skin.
Made looked at her and whispered, “I guess you don’t see them all coming.”
Forecast looked at her with a solemn expression. “I do. I see them all, and I let them land in non-essential areas. I can save lives by putting myself in harm’s way.”
“You aren’t a hero.”
Forecast snorted. “It doesn’t happen because your name is on a roster or assigned to a team. My father was the greatest hero I have ever known. He was a great father, loving husband, and he put his people first, even if he knew that he was going to be in harm’s way.”
Made put it together. “He died.”
“Yes. He stopped a coastal hurricane, and when his energy was depleted, he fell into the sea with no other local hero strong enough to get him out.”
“You are suicidal?”
Forecast laughed. “No. Nor was he, but he knew we would be fine.”
“How did he know?”
Forecast looked at Made. “I told him. I told him he would die. I told him how and what the signs were. He went anyway. He weighed his life against the life of millions, and we lost, and they won.”
The machines were scrubbing her skin, and the chatter was a nice distraction.
“So, you and your family left your home so that they could become heroes?”
Forecast laughed. “My mother and sister are the most powerful beings I know. They already were heroes to me if no one else. I have always been the odd duck in my family.”
Darkflight stated, “Forecast uses her talent in a thousand small ways. She does daily runs to stop crime in her city, and she does it all on a cycle with a helmet in place, and no one is the wiser.”
Made raised her eyebrows. “You do?”
Forecast blushed. “I didn’t know anyone would make the connection. Well, I did, but it is still embarrassing.”
Made looked to Darkflight. “Is there footage?”
“Of course. Just look at the news vids and cross-reference the time of the interfered with crime with the traffic monitors.”
Made stood still for a moment, and then, she gave a slow smile. “That is some excellent coordination. Are you always accurate?”
“No. I have made mistakes and miscalculations.” She gestured to her body and the darker blue scars on the paler blue skin.
“Why the miscalculations?”
“Multiple options. There are points in time when my life can go in dozens of directions, and I have to choose. I try and choose the one that will give me the longest life with my son while ensuring the highest survival of the innocent. When that decision comes, I can stutter.”
Made looked at her and frowned. “That scar tissue won’t do. Set the repair for deep tissue and prepare to stay for the day.”
The medic blinked in a startled manner and said, “But we don’t have additional equipment in case anyone comes in injured.”
Made glanced at Forecast. “Is your healing going be interrupted?”
“No. It is a quiet day. I will be healed and gone before the broken wrist comes in from the security training course.”
Made gestured to the medic. “See? Now go.”
The medic nodded and set the program for deep tissue repair.
The dome came down as the machine set to work, and Forecast relaxed under the healing rays. She had been unable to seek medical assistance for her injuries for fear of being arrested for vigilante activities, so she had simply gotten one of the other seamstresses to sew up the wounds she could reach. She did the others herself.
She and Made had created their balance. It was their start, and since she had time to relax, Lore could see the forecast of their time as teammates stretching into the future.
That angry bot was going to become a very good friend.
She could see it.
Author’s Note
And so, we have met the second member of Team Eight. It is all coming together, and the next tale is that of Cone of Silence.
Yes, it is a reference to the Get Smart TV show, but I couldn’t resist.
Thanks for reading,
Viola Grace
About the Author
Viola Grace (aka Zenina Masters) is a Canadian sci-fi/paranormal romance writer with ambitions to keep writing for the rest of her life. She specializes in short stories because the thrill of discovery, of all those firsts, is what keeps her writing.
An artist who enjoys a story that catches you up, whirls you around, and sets you down with a smile on your face is all she endeavours to be. She prefers to leave the drama to those who are better suited to it, she always goes for the cheap laugh.
In real life, she now is engaged in beekeeping, and her adventures can be found on the YouTube channel, Mystery Bees Apiary. Just look for the cartoon kittens.
