Zero History

81. ON SITE
I saw him,” Hollis said, not quite believing it herself. “I think Milgrim saw him too, but
then he was gone.”
“I know,” said Garreth, “but we’re go now.”
Fiona’s drone hovered as Ajay and the man called Charlie reached the other three, who
now stood waiting. Charlie put his hand on Ajay’s arm, stopping him. Ajay stood with his
head lowered.
Now Foley led Chombo forward. Chombo squirmed, looking in every direction, and
Hollis saw the black O of his mouth. Foley jabbed his hand into Chombo’s ribs.
Garreth touched the switchbox. “Hit him,” he said.
She saw Ajay blur, or teleport, across the space separating him from Foley. Whatever
befell Foley, on Ajay’s arrival, was equally, invisibly fast, with Ajay seeming to have
spun and grabbed Chombo before Foley had hit the grass.
Now Charlie, the short, fridge-shaped man with the plaid tam, was between those two
and the man with the mullet.
She never saw the man’s knife, only the way he held his hand, as he closed with
Charlie, and then she saw him fall, though Charlie seemed only to have stepped back.
The man rolled, sprang up, almost as quickly as Ajay had pounced on Foley, lunged
again, fell.
“Charlie tried to teach me that, once,” said Garreth, “but I couldn’t bring myself to be
sufficiently superstitious.”
By now the man was on the ground again, without Charlie ever having seemed to touch
him.
“Why does he keep falling?”
“Some kind of Ghurka feedback loop. But your Foley’s not getting up. Hope Ajay
didn’t overdo it.”
Hollis glanced up, saw Milgrim’s screen. The gray-haired man. A rifle— “He has a
gun—”
“Fiona,” he said, “shooter. Under the penguin. Now.”