"I got it," Sparrow says. After an almost imperceivable hesitation, she turns around and flops on to the random cushions she has around the floor.

"Probably the kind of thing best handled by a girl anyway."

Now her shades are finally off, Dick can see she's of Asian extraction: Chinese. Her eyes are, contrary to icons, brown not blue, and have a humour to them that makes her habitual frown a lot less like a scowl.