had taken a sad turn for the worse. Homeless people and drug
dealers outnumbered aging hippies and curious tourists by a wide margin. The
Haight was still a good place to score a little weed, if that was your thing,
but it was also a good place to get robbed, or stabbed. Or possibly both at the
same time.
Tyler drove up and down the streets
slowly, scanning the sidewalks and trying to peer down alleyways as he did so.
He was clearly looking for something. “Are you lost?” Oliver finally asked.
“No.”
“What are you trying to find?”
“Not what,” Tyler said. “Who. And there
she is,” he pointed up the street. Oliver looked, but all he could see was a dirty
teenage girl sitting on the steps outside of an apartment building. She wore
ratty jeans and had a tangled mess of rainbow-colored dreadlocks running down
her back. She was smoking a cigarette, taking long drags and watching the smoke
thoughtfully as it rose into the sky.
“Her?” Oliver asked. “Are you kidding?”
“Nope.” Tyler pulled the Charger off to
the side of the road, nearly rolling one tire up onto the sidewalk.
“You’re right in front of a hydrant,”
Oliver pointed out.
“We won’t be long. You got a twenty?”
“What?”
“Twenty bucks.”
“Oh. What for?”
“Never mind, just give me twenty bucks.”
Oliver went into his wallet and fished
out a crisp twenty-dollar bill. “Here.”
“Thanks,” Tyler said. “Stay here.”
Tyler got out of the car and started up
the sidewalk. Oliver watched as he approached the smoking girl, who stood up
and smiled when she saw him. Oliver wondered how they knew each other. She
couldn’t just be some random homeless girl. Could she also work for Artemis?
Maybe she was some kind of secret agent, working undercover.
Tyler and the girl spoke for about a
minute, Tyler at one point motioning towards Oliver. Oliver saw the girl look
at him. He raised his hand instinctively to wave at her, and immediately felt
like an idiot for doing so. But the girl just waved back and nodded to Tyler.
He handed the girl Oliver’s money and started back for the car. The girl headed
off in the other direction.
“Who was that?” Oliver asked as Tyler
got back behind the wheel.
“Her name is Khameleon. With a K .”
“Khameleon? Really?”
“No, of course not. I don’t know her
real name. That’s what she’s calling herself these days, so it’s good enough
for me.”
“Oh.” Oliver watched as the girl
disappeared around the corner. “So does she have special powers? Her skin
changes color or something?”
Tyler looked at him like he was an
idiot. “No,” he said slowly. “She’s just a girl.”
“Well it’s about as plausible as a guy
getting shot in the head and then getting up and walking around five minutes
later,” Oliver said defensively.
“Hmm. Yeah. Fair enough,” Tyler
admitted.
“So what was that? What is she doing
now?”
“Putting the word out,” Tyler said. “We
need information. They have it.”
“Who? Homeless drug dealers?”
“She’s not a drug dealer. Well, she is, but not today.”
“But she is homeless?” Oliver asked. He
hadn’t been entirely serious before.
“Yeah.”
Oliver was sure he had to be missing
something. “You’re expecting a homeless girl to help us?”
“Exactly.”
“You’re serious?” Now who was the
idiot? “You just gave her twenty bucks? You realize she’s probably buying drugs
right now?”
“She’s not buying drugs. Come on, let’s
get out of here.”
Tyler drove them aimlessly around San
Francisco for half an hour before he finally asked, “Are you hungry? I’m
hungry. Why don’t we get something to eat?”
Oliver didn’t feel much like eating, but
the thought occurred to him that he hadn’t had any food today other than
Tyler’s blueberry muffins. He really ought to eat something more substantial,
if for no better reason than to keep his energy up. He might need to run later,
particularly if
dealers outnumbered aging hippies and curious tourists by a wide margin. The
Haight was still a good place to score a little weed, if that was your thing,
but it was also a good place to get robbed, or stabbed. Or possibly both at the
same time.
Tyler drove up and down the streets
slowly, scanning the sidewalks and trying to peer down alleyways as he did so.
He was clearly looking for something. “Are you lost?” Oliver finally asked.
“No.”
“What are you trying to find?”
“Not what,” Tyler said. “Who. And there
she is,” he pointed up the street. Oliver looked, but all he could see was a dirty
teenage girl sitting on the steps outside of an apartment building. She wore
ratty jeans and had a tangled mess of rainbow-colored dreadlocks running down
her back. She was smoking a cigarette, taking long drags and watching the smoke
thoughtfully as it rose into the sky.
“Her?” Oliver asked. “Are you kidding?”
“Nope.” Tyler pulled the Charger off to
the side of the road, nearly rolling one tire up onto the sidewalk.
“You’re right in front of a hydrant,”
Oliver pointed out.
“We won’t be long. You got a twenty?”
“What?”
“Twenty bucks.”
“Oh. What for?”
“Never mind, just give me twenty bucks.”
Oliver went into his wallet and fished
out a crisp twenty-dollar bill. “Here.”
“Thanks,” Tyler said. “Stay here.”
Tyler got out of the car and started up
the sidewalk. Oliver watched as he approached the smoking girl, who stood up
and smiled when she saw him. Oliver wondered how they knew each other. She
couldn’t just be some random homeless girl. Could she also work for Artemis?
Maybe she was some kind of secret agent, working undercover.
Tyler and the girl spoke for about a
minute, Tyler at one point motioning towards Oliver. Oliver saw the girl look
at him. He raised his hand instinctively to wave at her, and immediately felt
like an idiot for doing so. But the girl just waved back and nodded to Tyler.
He handed the girl Oliver’s money and started back for the car. The girl headed
off in the other direction.
“Who was that?” Oliver asked as Tyler
got back behind the wheel.
“Her name is Khameleon. With a K .”
“Khameleon? Really?”
“No, of course not. I don’t know her
real name. That’s what she’s calling herself these days, so it’s good enough
for me.”
“Oh.” Oliver watched as the girl
disappeared around the corner. “So does she have special powers? Her skin
changes color or something?”
Tyler looked at him like he was an
idiot. “No,” he said slowly. “She’s just a girl.”
“Well it’s about as plausible as a guy
getting shot in the head and then getting up and walking around five minutes
later,” Oliver said defensively.
“Hmm. Yeah. Fair enough,” Tyler
admitted.
“So what was that? What is she doing
now?”
“Putting the word out,” Tyler said. “We
need information. They have it.”
“Who? Homeless drug dealers?”
“She’s not a drug dealer. Well, she is, but not today.”
“But she is homeless?” Oliver asked. He
hadn’t been entirely serious before.
“Yeah.”
Oliver was sure he had to be missing
something. “You’re expecting a homeless girl to help us?”
“Exactly.”
“You’re serious?” Now who was the
idiot? “You just gave her twenty bucks? You realize she’s probably buying drugs
right now?”
“She’s not buying drugs. Come on, let’s
get out of here.”
Tyler drove them aimlessly around San
Francisco for half an hour before he finally asked, “Are you hungry? I’m
hungry. Why don’t we get something to eat?”
Oliver didn’t feel much like eating, but
the thought occurred to him that he hadn’t had any food today other than
Tyler’s blueberry muffins. He really ought to eat something more substantial,
if for no better reason than to keep his energy up. He might need to run later,
particularly if
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