The Lost Colony by Eoin Colfer Page B

shimmer, like a heat haze. Holly’s entrance had been completely undetectable.
    Holly patted her own shoulder. “New suit. Made entirely from smart wafers. It vibrates with me.”
    Artemis studied one of the wafers, noting the microfilaments in the material. “Foaly’s work? Section Eight issue.”
    Holly could not hide her surprise. She punched Artemis playfully on the shoulder. “How do you know about Section Eight? Aren’t we allowed any secrets?”
    “Foaly shouldn’t spy on me,” said Artemis. “Where there’s a way in, there’s a way back. I suppose I should congratulate you on the new job. And Foaly, too.” He nodded at the tiny lense over Holly’s right eye. “Is he watching us now?”
    “No. He’s trying to figure out how you know what he doesn’t. We’re taping, though.”
    “I presume you’re talking about demons.”
    “I might be.”
    Butler stepped between them, interrupting the verbal sparring that was bound to follow.
    “Before you two get into negotiations, how about a real hello?”
    Holly smiled fondly at the huge bodyguard. She activated the electronic wings built into her suit and hovered to his eye level. Holly kissed his cheek, then wrapped her arms all the way around his head. They barely made it.
    Butler rapped her helmet. “Nice equipment. Not run-of-the-mill Lower Elements Police.”
    “No,” agreed Holly, removing the helmet. “This Section Eight stuff is years ahead of standard LEP. You get what you pay for, I suppose.”
    Butler plucked the helmet from her hands. “Anything an old soldier would be interested in?”
    Holly pressed a button on her wrist computer. “Check out the night vision. It’s as clear as . . . well . . . day. And the clever thing is that the filter reacts to light as it passes through, so no more being blinded by camera flashes.”
    Butler nodded appreciatively. Night vision’s major drawback had historically been that it left the soldier vulnerable to sudden flashes of light. Even a candle flame could blind the wearer momentarily.
    Artemis cleared his throat. “Excuse me, Captain. Are you two going to weep salty tears of admiration over a helmet all night, or do we have matters to discuss?”
    Holly winked at Butler. “Your master calls. I’d better see what he wants.”
    Holly deactivated her wings and settled into the chair. She folded her arms, looking Artemis straight in the eyes.
    “Okay, Mud Boy, I’m all yours.”
    “Demons. We need to talk about demons.”
    Holly’s eyes lost their playful twinkle. “And why are you so interested in demons, Artemis?”
    Artemis opened two shirt buttons and pulled out a gold coin on a leather necklace. The coin had a circular hole in the center. Put there by a blast from Holly’s laser.
    “You gave this to me after you saved my father’s life. I owe you. I owe the People. So now I’m doing something for them.”
    Holly wasn’t entirely convinced. “Usually before you do anything for the People, you negotiate a fee.”
    Artemis accepted the accusation with a slight nod. “It’s true. It was true, but I have changed.”
    Holly folded her arms. “And?”
    “And it’s nice to find something Foaly missed, even if I did stumble onto it by accident.”
    “And?”
    Artemis sighed. “Very well. There is another factor.”
    “I thought so. What do you want? Gold? Technology?”
    “No. Nothing like that.”
    Artemis sat forward in his seat. “Have you any idea how difficult it is to have had all those thrilling adventures with the LEP, and suddenly not be a part of that world anymore?”
    “Yes,” replied Holly. “Actually, I do.”
    “I went from saving the world to geometry in a week. I’m bored, Holly. My intellect is not being challenged. So when I came across the demon gospel in the Book, I realized that here was a way to be involved without affecting things. I could simply observe, and perhaps refine Foaly’s calculations.”
    “Which are not actually in the Book,” Holly pointed