'That we are,' confirmed Artemis. 'But only for a few seconds. There will be little or no danger to you. And if my suspicions are correct, it is just possible that we may save Hybras.'
'Go back to me being in danger for a few seconds,' said No.1, his thick brow folding in a frown. 'In Hybras, a few seconds can last a very long time.'
'Not here,' said Artemis, in what he hoped was a reassuring tone. 'Here a Jew seconds is how long it will take you to open your hand.'
No.1 opened his fingers a couple of times experimentally. 'That's still pretty long. Any way to cut it down?'
'Not really. If we do, it means sacrificing Minerva.'
'Well, she did tie me to a chair.' No.1 glanced round at the shocked faces. 'What? I'm joking. Of course I'll do it. But no more orange. Please.'
Artemis smiled, but it did not quite reach his eyes. 'Very well, no more orange. Now, the plan. It is in two parts. If the first part doesn't work, then the second is redundant.'
'Redundant,' said No.1, almost unconsciously. 'Not needed, superfluous.'
'Exactly. So I'll explain that when necessary.'
'What about the first part?' asked Holly.
'In the first part, we meet a vicious hit man and his band of thugs and he will expect us to hand over Number One.'
'So what do we do?'
'We hand over Number One,' said Artemis. He turned to the slightly nervous imp. 'How do you like the plan so far?'
'Well, I don't like the first bit and I don't know the last bit. So, I'm really hoping the middle bit is exceptional.'
'Don't worry,' said Artemis. 'It is.'taipei 101
The group took a high-speed elevator from Taipei 101's cavernous lobby to the observation floor. Holly and No.1 had technically been given permission to enter the building by a small plaque over the main door which simply urged visitors to come and go as they pleased. And seeing as she did not feel the urge to throw up in the elevator, Holly guessed that the plaque counted as an invitation.
'Toshiba elevators,' said Artemis, reading from a pamphlet he had picked up at information. 'These are the fastest elevators in the world.
We are moving at eighteen metres per second, so it shouldn't take much more than half a minute to reach the eighty-ninth floor.'
Artemis consulted his watch when the doors dinged open.
'Hmm. Right on time. Impressive engineering. I may get one of these for the house.'
They stepped out into the observation area, which had a restaurant at the far end. From this lofty vantage point, visitors could walk all the way round the floor and shoot video of the panoramic view. From this height it was even possible to see China across the Taiwan Strait.
For a moment the group forgot their worries and allowed themselves to be awestruck by the grace of this enormous structure. The sky was outside the window and blended almost seamlessly with the sea on the horizon. No.1 was especially dumbfounded. He turned in small circles, the muumuu swishing round his legs.
'Less of the pirouetting, little man,' advised Butler, the first to get his mind back on the job. 'You're showing your legs. And pull that bonnet down over your face.'
No.1 obliged, though he was not happy with the bonnet. It was shapeless and saggy, and made his head look like a bag of washing.
'Good luck, Holly,' said Artemis, into thin air. 'We will meet you on the twenty-third floor.'
'Get this done as quickly as you can,' Holly whispered into his ear. 'I don't have enough magic for a long shield. I'm barely invisible as it is.'
'Understood,' said Artemis, from the side of his mouth.
The small band walked slowly towards the bar area and took a table below the enormous mass damper, suspended a metre above the eighty-ninth floor. The seven-hundred tonne ball was a sight to behold, like an indoor moon, its surface etched with traditional Yuanzhumin drawings.
'This is the legend of Nian,' explained Artemis casually, while Butler scanned the room. 'A ferocious beast that would feed on human flesh each New Year's Eve. To scare Nian away, torches were lit and firecrackers were set off, because Nian was known to fear the colour red. Thus the splashes of red paint. It seems likely from the pictures that Nian was actually a troll. Chou must have based his work on contemporary accounts.'
A waitress came to their table.
'Li ho bo,' said Artemis. 'Can we have a pot of Oolong tea. Organic, if you have it.'
The waitress blinked at Artemis, then looked up at Butler, who was still standing.
'You are Mister Fowl?' she asked, in excellent English.
I am Master Fowl,' said Artemis, tapping the table for attention. 'Do you have something for me?'
The waitress passed him a napkin.
'From the gentleman along the bar,' she said.
Artemis glanced down the arc of the metal railing and buffer system which kept patrons away from the mass damper, and more importantly kept the mass damper away from them.
Billy Kong was seated a dozen tables down, waggling his eyebrows in their direction. He was not alone. No one else was eyebrow-waggling,
but three men were at the table with him, and several others were dotted around the bar area. Minerva was on Kong's knee. He held her fast by the forearm. Her shoulders were tense but there was defiance in the set of her mouth.
'Well?' Artemis said to Butler.
'At least twelve,' replied the bodyguard. 'Billy must have friends in Taiwan.'
'None of them invisible, thank goodness,' said Artemis, opening the napkin.
Send the creature to the reserved table, read the message on the napkin. I will send the girl. No tricks or people will get hurt.
He passed the napkin to Butler. 'What do you think?'
Butler gave the message a summary glance. 'I think he won't try anything here. Too many cameras. If the security doesn't get him on film, a tourist will. If Kong goes for a double-cross, it will be outside.'
'And by then, it should be too late.'
'So we hope.'
The waitress returned with a bamboo tray, bearing a clay pot of tea and three glasses. Artemis took his time pouring himself some of the steaming liquid.
'How are you feeling, Number One?'
'My leg hurts a bit.'
'The painkiller is wearing off. I'll ask Butler to give you another shot later. Are you ready to go? Everything will be fine, I assure you.'
'All I have to do is open my hand?'
'As soon as we're in the elevator.'
'That's it? Do you want me to distract the bad man with some witty banter, like you do with Holly?'
'No. That won't be necessary. Just open your hand.'
'Should I look scared?'
'That would be appropriate.'
'Good. Shouldn't be a problem.'
Butler was functioning in full action mode. Generally, he reined himself in, walking with a slight stoop to avoid drawing attention. But now, he stood tall and tensed, ready to spring into action. His gaze was fierce, and muscles bulged in his neck. He caught Billy Kong's gaze and zeroed in on his eyeballs. Even across a crowded room, the hostility was almost palpable. A couple of more psychically sensitive bystanders suddenly felt anxious and cast their eyes about for the nearest restroom.
When he was finished staring down Billy Kong, Butler knelt to give final instructions to No.1.
'All you have to do is walk down to that table with the reserved sign.
