line in. Pilots had to come in over the harbour and the populated area of Kowloon, descending all the time,
and watch out for a particular hill with an orange-and-white checkerboard-pattern sign on the top. The moment they saw that hill they had to make a sudden forty-seven-degree turn to the right and
lose height rapidly while lining up on the runway, and they had to make that line-up visually, rather than using instruments. The plane would enter the final right turn at a height of about two
hundred metres and come out of it at about forty-three metres. At that stage the plane would be flying with tower blocks just a few hundred metres to either side, and I distinctly remember looking
out of the window on one occasion and staring straight into someone’s kitchen, watching them drain some noodles in a sieve – we were that close. And then seconds later we were hitting
the ground – hard – and braking really sharply so we didn’t go off the end of the runway and into the waters of the harbour.’ He thought for a moment. ‘And that was on
a good day. On a bad day the winds coming down off the mountains would try to push the aircraft sideways, into the tower blocks. That was fun.’
‘Yeah,’ Natalie said slowly, ‘it sounds like fun. But this new airport – nothing like as bad as the old one, right?’
‘Right.’ He nodded. ‘Except that they did build it on reclaimed marshland, but I’m sure it’s stable.’
‘Great – thanks for that.’ Natalie settled back in her seat, grabbed the blindfold and slipped it over her eyes. She was only going to take it off once they had actually,
definitively landed.
Calum phoned Tara as soon as Macfarlane dropped him back home. It sounded as if she was in a coffee shop, but she said she would come straight over.
When she arrived, she stood in the doorway of his apartment, looking at him as he stood, without using the overhead straps, in the centre of the room, looking back at her.
‘Wow,’ she said.
He held his arms out to either side and shrugged. ‘Look, Ma – no hands!’
‘Are you actually wearing the bionic legs now?’
He tapped his jeans. He could feel the metal braces beneath the denim. ‘I actually am.’
She glanced up at the straps that hung from the ceiling. ‘Are you going to take those things down, then?’
‘Not just yet.’ He gently touched the metal frame that encased his right leg. ‘I want to be absolutely sure that these things work properly and won’t suddenly fail on me
before I start doing something drastic. Which is why you’re here.’
She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to one side. ‘You mean this isn’t just a social visit?’
‘You know I’m always glad to see you, and the others,’ he said, suddenly aware that he might have been a little too . . .
honest.
‘Yeah, I remember how grateful you were that Gecko and I had drunk all of that Mexican cola that you have imported.’
‘But that’s my special cola!’ he protested, aware even as he said the words of how petty they sounded.
‘Calum, there’s no point having really tasty drinks around, and then
boasting
to your friends that you have really tasty drinks around, and then not letting your friends
actually
drink
those really tasty drinks.’
‘Point taken,’ he said. ‘Anyway – back to me.’
She smiled tolerantly.
Calum took a deep breath. ‘I want to go outside,’ he said.
A long pause, then: ‘Are you sure about that? Shouldn’t you test those bionic things around the apartment for a while, just to iron out any glitches? Because if there’s one
thing I know about complicated electronics and computerized systems, it’s that there’re always glitches.’
He shook his head. ‘Look, apart from being up on the roof with Gecko a few days ago, I haven’t felt the sun on my face or the breeze on my skin for . . . for as long as I can
remember.’
‘You went for a drive only this morning,’ she pointed out with the
and watch out for a particular hill with an orange-and-white checkerboard-pattern sign on the top. The moment they saw that hill they had to make a sudden forty-seven-degree turn to the right and
lose height rapidly while lining up on the runway, and they had to make that line-up visually, rather than using instruments. The plane would enter the final right turn at a height of about two
hundred metres and come out of it at about forty-three metres. At that stage the plane would be flying with tower blocks just a few hundred metres to either side, and I distinctly remember looking
out of the window on one occasion and staring straight into someone’s kitchen, watching them drain some noodles in a sieve – we were that close. And then seconds later we were hitting
the ground – hard – and braking really sharply so we didn’t go off the end of the runway and into the waters of the harbour.’ He thought for a moment. ‘And that was on
a good day. On a bad day the winds coming down off the mountains would try to push the aircraft sideways, into the tower blocks. That was fun.’
‘Yeah,’ Natalie said slowly, ‘it sounds like fun. But this new airport – nothing like as bad as the old one, right?’
‘Right.’ He nodded. ‘Except that they did build it on reclaimed marshland, but I’m sure it’s stable.’
‘Great – thanks for that.’ Natalie settled back in her seat, grabbed the blindfold and slipped it over her eyes. She was only going to take it off once they had actually,
definitively landed.
Calum phoned Tara as soon as Macfarlane dropped him back home. It sounded as if she was in a coffee shop, but she said she would come straight over.
When she arrived, she stood in the doorway of his apartment, looking at him as he stood, without using the overhead straps, in the centre of the room, looking back at her.
‘Wow,’ she said.
He held his arms out to either side and shrugged. ‘Look, Ma – no hands!’
‘Are you actually wearing the bionic legs now?’
He tapped his jeans. He could feel the metal braces beneath the denim. ‘I actually am.’
She glanced up at the straps that hung from the ceiling. ‘Are you going to take those things down, then?’
‘Not just yet.’ He gently touched the metal frame that encased his right leg. ‘I want to be absolutely sure that these things work properly and won’t suddenly fail on me
before I start doing something drastic. Which is why you’re here.’
She put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to one side. ‘You mean this isn’t just a social visit?’
‘You know I’m always glad to see you, and the others,’ he said, suddenly aware that he might have been a little too . . .
honest.
‘Yeah, I remember how grateful you were that Gecko and I had drunk all of that Mexican cola that you have imported.’
‘But that’s my special cola!’ he protested, aware even as he said the words of how petty they sounded.
‘Calum, there’s no point having really tasty drinks around, and then
boasting
to your friends that you have really tasty drinks around, and then not letting your friends
actually
drink
those really tasty drinks.’
‘Point taken,’ he said. ‘Anyway – back to me.’
She smiled tolerantly.
Calum took a deep breath. ‘I want to go outside,’ he said.
A long pause, then: ‘Are you sure about that? Shouldn’t you test those bionic things around the apartment for a while, just to iron out any glitches? Because if there’s one
thing I know about complicated electronics and computerized systems, it’s that there’re always glitches.’
He shook his head. ‘Look, apart from being up on the roof with Gecko a few days ago, I haven’t felt the sun on my face or the breeze on my skin for . . . for as long as I can
remember.’
‘You went for a drive only this morning,’ she pointed out with the
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