3. Christmas shopping

At 11:59, Artemis and co. mounted the steps onto the roof of Harrods Department Store. Directly ahead, a tall girl, perhaps 16, stood with her back to them, her long straight brown hair glinting slightly gold in the sunlight.

“Hello again.” Her beautiful voice hit Artemis like a stone. She wore a silver top with short sleeves with grey-blue skinny jeans. The top was figure-hugging, showing off her glamorous shape. She turned around, revealing a design of a large silver sequinned and beaded bow on her top.

“Hello.” Holly replied, for Artemis was speechless. He couldn’t stop staring at her picturesque face. Beautiful, he thought. Beyond beautiful.

“Who are you?” Holly asked as Artemis was still unable to utter a word.

“I guess I may as well tell you my name now. My name is Gaia.”

“Well, Gaia,” Holly pronounced her name with particular dislike, which broke Artemis’ spell. “You certainly pick your places to discuss matters that could affect lives.” Gaia laughed. A sweet sound, bewitching.

“I just picked this place because it has a very obvious escape route, if a little difficult.” Holly laughed now, and Butler joined her. Artemis cut across them.

“What do you want? In exchange for your silence?”

“We want your help, support and influence in a certain matter which I will discuss later. Though you’ll know soon enough, thanks to the voice buzzing in all your right ears.” Gaia replied. Artemis suddenly felt very aware of Foaly’s amateur singing in his microphone, indeed, in his right ear. Except the singing stopped when Gaia finished speaking.

“I think violence may be necessary. She needs to be questioned. Holly, mesmer.” Foaly ordered into his microphone. Holly employed deep bass tones into her voice and instructed Gaia to walk towards them. Gaia smiled.

“No mesmer tricks, thank you. I’m wearing reflective lenses.” She winked at Artemis.” Took a leaf from your book. And I think resorting to violence would be a big mistake.” How did she know? Artemis wondered. She couldn’t possibly hear Foaly. Could she? Butler stepped around Artemis and Holly and said in a low voice,

“Stay very still. Move, and you will regret it. I am armed.” Gaia smiled again.

” Very well, violence it is.” and with that, she moved faster than Artemis’ eyes could. Or Butler for that matter. She was lithe, flexible and incredibly fast, as she somersaulted over Butler’s head to meet Holly, executing a quick strike to Butler’s carotid artery, which stunned him and he stumbled. Holly whipped out her buzz baton, but before she took one step, Gaia was slamming her into the copper roof. She looked back at Artemis, smiled and walked to the edge, before looking back once more at Artemis’ amazed and confused expression. Butler aimed his Sig Saeur at her. Very slowly, Gaia put out her fist, opened it and small sparkling snake shot out, and before a nanosecond passed, Dimona was around Butler’s very still neck, barely reaching all round the large tendons. Holly recovered herself and stood up. Everyone stared at the snake around an immobile Butler. Butler was calm, as he was trained to be, and didn’t react as the snake danced over his neck muscles, feeling his pulse. Artemis looked back at Gaia.

“Let him go. We promise to carry out you demands.” Gaia blinked at the snake, and some telepathic signal passed as the snake coolly and frigidly slid down Butler’s still form to Gaia’s hand. Artemis and Holly relaxed.

Except then, Butler fired a shot at Gaia.

A Devastator Slug slit the air, hurtling towards Gaia……… and hit the building on the other side of the road. Gaia had ducked a bullet. How?

Then Gaia glared at Butler, the hostility tangible, and said icily,

“Overreaction, Domovoi.” Then she launched herself over the edge of the building.