Zero History

“We saw him,” Fiona said.
“He wouldn’t have gotten the Taser, but he’ll have it now.”
“Taser?”
“Arming the balloon.” He shrugged, grinned. “Had one handy.”
“How much weight?”
“Seven ounces.”
“I think that will affect elevation,” Fiona said.
“Almost certainly. Speed as well. But the penguin’s maker tells me it will still fly.
Though not as high. It’s silver, is it? Mylar?”
“Yes.”
“I think a bit of dazzle paint’s in order. Do you know what I mean?”
“I do,” said Fiona, though Milgrim didn’t. “But you know I’m to fly a different sort of
drone?”
“I do indeed.”
“The box is on the bike?”
“It is. And I should have new dampers by now.”
“What are dampers?” Milgrim asked.
“Shock absorbers,” Fiona said.
“Let me take your coats,” Hollis said, taking Mrs. Benny’s helmet, then Fiona’s. “I like
your jacket,” she said, noticing Milgrim’s tweed, when he’d shucked out of the stiff nylon
coat.
“Thank you.”
“Please,” Hollis said, “take a seat.”
There were two tall, striped armchairs, arranged to face the man on the bed. Milgrim
took one, Fiona the other, and Hollis sat on the bed. Milgrim saw her take the man’s
hand. He remembered their morning in Paris. “You jumped off the tallest building in the
world,” he said.
“I did. Though unfortunately not from the very top.”
“I’m glad you’re okay,” said Milgrim, and saw Hollis smile at him.
“Thanks,” said the man, Garreth, and Milgrim saw him squeeze Hollis’s hand.
Someone rapped on the door twice, lightly, not the brass lady-hand. Knuckles. “Me,
innit,” said a voice.
Hollis swung her feet to the floor, got up, crossed to the door, and admitted a very
pretty young man and a less pretty girl. The girl carried an old-fashioned black leatherette
case. They both looked Indian, to Milgrim, though he was vague about South Asians
generally, but the girl was a goth. Milgrim couldn’t remember having seen an Indianlooking
goth before, but if you were going to see one, he thought, you’d see one in
London.
“My cousin Chandra,” said the young man. He wore complexly distressed, very narrow
black jeans, a black polo, and an oversized, ancient-looking motorcycle jacket.