Zero History

“Give it a speed-dial code,” said Heidi.
“I never use that.”
Heidi snorted. “Call him.”
Hollis did. Almost immediately, the room filled with the sound of a ring tone,
unfamiliar. Five rings.
“He’s not there,” said Hollis, looking up at Heidi.
“Let it ring.”
After the tenth ring, there was a small, nondescript digital sound. Someone, perhaps a
very old woman, began to chatter fiercely, demonstratively, in what might have been an
oriental language. She seemed to make three firm statements, increasingly brief. Then
silence. Then the record tone.
“Hello?” Hollis winced. “Hello! This is Hollis Henry, phoning for Garreth.” She
swallowed, almost coughed. “I just heard about your accident. I’m sorry. I’m worried.
Could you call me, please? I hope you get this. I’m in London.” She recited her number.
“I—” The record tone sounded again, causing her to jerk.
“Hang up,” said Heidi.
Hollis did.
“That was good,” said Heidi, punching her shoulder softly.
“I feel like throwing up,” said Hollis. “What if he doesn’t call?”
“What if he does?”
“Exactly,” said Hollis.
“Either way, we’ve moved it forward. But he will.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“If you felt like he wouldn’t, you wouldn’t be going through this. You wouldn’t need
to.”
Hollis sighed, shakily, and looked at the phone in her hand, which now seemed to have
taken on a life of its own.
“I’m not doing Ajay,” Heidi said.
“I wondered,” said Hollis.
“What I am doing, very actively, is not doing Ajay.” She sighed. “Best sparring partner
I’ve ever had. You wouldn’t believe the way those squaddies can mix it.”
“What are ‘squaddies’?”
“I don’t know.” Heidi grinned. “I think it might just mean regular soldiers, in which
case it’s a joke, because they aren’t that.”
“Where did you find them?”
“The gym. Hackney. Your boy at the front door found it for me. Robert. He’s cute. I
went over there in a cab. They laughed at me. Don’t get women there. I had to put some
whup-ass on Ajay. Which was not easy. Picked him ’cause he was smallest.”
“What are they?”
“Something. Military. Listening to them, you can’t tell whether they’re still in or not.