Holly chewed her lip for a moment, then typed a command into the keypad on her wrist. She could have used voice command, but the software was touchy and she did not have time for computer error. In seconds, her on-board computer had hacked into the hotel computer and was displaying a guest list and schematic. Artemis was in room 304. Third storey on the south wing of the hotel.
Holly sprinted across the roof, activating her wings as she ran. She was seconds away from saving Artemis. Having a mythological creature drag him from his hotel room might be a bit of a shock, but not as much of a shock as being vaporized by a bio-bomb.
She stopped dead. A guided missile was arcing in from the horizon, towards the hotel. It was of fairy manufacture, no doubt about that, but new. Slicker and faster, with bigger tail rockets than shed ever seen on a missile. Opal Koboi had obviously been making upgrades.
Holly spun on her heels, racing for the other side of the hotel. In her heart she knew she was too late, and the realization hit her that Opal had set her up again. There never was any hope of rescuing Artemis, just as there had never been any chance of rescuing the commander.
Before her wings even had a chance to kick in, there was a bright blue flash from beyond the lip of the roof, and a slight shudder underfoot as the bio-bomb detonated. It was the perfect weapon. There was no structural damage, and the bomb casing would consume itself, leaving no evidence that it had ever been there.
Holly dropped to her knees in frustration, peeling off her helmet to gulp in breaths of fresh air. The Munich air was laced with toxins, but it still tasted better than the below-ground filtered variety. But Holly did not notice the sweetness. Julius was gone. Artemis was dead. Butler was dead. How could she go on? What was the point? Tears dropped from her lashes, running into tiny cracks in the concrete.
Get up! said her core of steel. The part of her that made Holly Short such an excellent officer. You are an LET officer. There is more at stake here than jour personal grieving. Time enough to cry later.
In a minute. Ill get up in a minute. I just need sixty seconds.
Holly felt as though the grief had scooped out her insides. She felt hollow, numb. Incapacitated.
How touching, said a voice. Robotic and familiar.
Holly did not even look up. Koboi. Have you come to gloat? Does murder make you happy?
Hmm? said the voice, seriously considering the question. You know, it does. It actually does make me happy.
Holly sniffled, shaking the last tears from her eyes. She decided not to cry again until Koboi was behind bars.
What do you want? she asked, rising from the concrete roof. Hovering at head height was a small bio-bomb. This model was spherical, about the size of a melon, and equipped with a plasma screen. Opals happy features were plastered across the monitor.
Oh, I just followed you from the chute because I wanted to see what total despair looks like. Its not very fetching, is it?
For a few moments the screen displayed Hollys own distraught face, before flashing back to Opal.
Just detonate, and be damned, growled Holly.
The bio-bomb rose a little way, slowly circling Hollys head.
Not just yet. I think theres a spark of hope in you yet. So, I would like to extinguish that. In a moment I will detonate the bio-bomb. Nice, isnt it? How do you like the design? Eight separate boosters, you know. Its what happens after the detonation thats important.
Hollys law-enforcer curiosity was piqued in spite of the circumstances. What happens then, Koboi? Dont tell me, world domination.
Koboi laughed, the volume distorting the sound through the bombs micro-speakers. World domination? You make it sound so unattainable. The first step is simplicity itself. All I have to do is put humans in contact with the People.
Holly felt her own troubles instantly slip away. Put humans into contact with the People? Why would you do that?
Opals features lost their merry cast. Because the LEP imprisoned me. They studied me like an animal in a cage, and now we shall see how they like it. There will be a war, and I will supply the humans with the weapons to win. And after they have won, my chosen nation will be the most powerful on Earth. And I, inevitably, will become the most powerful person in that nation.
Holly almost screamed. All this for a childish pixies revenge.
Seeing Hollys discomfort cheered Opal immediately. Oh no, Im not a pixie any more. Koboi slowly unwound the bandages circling her head to reveal two surgically rounded humanoid ears. Im one of the Mud People now. I intend to be on the winning side. And my new daddy has an engineering company. And that company is sending down a probe.