Red Phoenix

it. I stormed right up to her. ‘What do you want?’ I said loudly enough for anybody in the lobby to hear.
    She smiled sweetly. ‘Do I know you?’
    ‘Where do you want to do this?’ I demanded.
    Her cute smile didn’t shift. ‘I’m sorry, I have no idea what you’re talking about. Do you mind going away now?’
    ‘Fine.’ I spun on my heel. ‘See you at my car. I just hope you’re more honourable than that bastard Wong, and don’t try to stab me in the back.’
    The security guards watched me incredulously but I didn’t care. They probably didn’t understand most of the exchange anyway; only that I had stormed up and abused this girl who hadn’t even spoken to me. Typical weird Foreign Devil behaviour.
    I stomped out the front door of the office building, turned left, and walked up the steep hill of Wellington Street. I concentrated hard on John. I hadn’t tried calling him before; I was sure that I wasn’t capable of the skill. But right now I needed it more than anything else. Nothing.
    I tried Simone. Still nothing. Leo? Gold? Jade? Nothing. The Goddess that Hears the Cries of the World? I’m really crying here, Lady. Nothing.
    Damn, I was in very serious trouble.
    I cursed my own stupidity as I reached the escalator and went back down towards The Centre. I hadn’t even had the brains to bring my weapon. I was unarmed and facing a demon that appeared to be close on level fifty; much higher than anything I had ever faced before.
    Well, this was it. This was where all the training and the work and the suffering and the torture came together. I only hoped that I could fight her valiantly,and lose with dignity if I had to. Then I felt a shot of panic: if she was working for Wong, she could be coming to pick me up. I had no way of killing myself if I lost. Then I immediately went very calm. Yes, there was. If I was losing, I’d hit her with energy, blow her up, and then blow myself up with the backlash. Easy.
    And then, suddenly, I felt really good. I was relaxed and serene. I shouldn’t have felt that way, but I did. Either way, they wouldn’t get their hands on me, and it would be over soon.
    I walked calmly and confidently through the water garden and past the large flat screen displaying the stock market prices. I went to the car park lift and pressed the button. The lift doors slid open and I went in. No demons there. She’d be waiting for me next to the car. Bring it on, bitch.
    And there she was, right next to my car, as expected. She gestured for me to follow her and I did. We went to a cul-de-sac at the end of the car park. There weren’t any cars parked there. Lunch was finished. Nobody would be coming in or out. And there were plenty of spaces on the next floor up, closer to the shroff office. We had all the time and privacy in the world.
    It was worth a try. ‘You wouldn’t like to come and work for me, would you?’ I said. ‘The other demon help say that I’m a good boss.’
    She seemed amused. Then she grinned. ‘If I bring you back in close to one piece, I’ll be promoted to Mother.’
    ‘Whoa, high stakes,’ I said cheerfully. And I did feel cheerful. I knew exactly what lay ahead of me for the next half-hour, and possibly for the rest of my short life. ‘I won’t let you though. If it looks like you’re winning, I’ll blow both of us up.’
    She shrugged. ‘Try me.’
    I put my hands out in a gesture of welcome. ‘No, sweetie, you first.’
    She came at me lightning fast. I’d never taken on anything as good as her before, short of John himself. She came at my head and my body so fast she was a blur. Head strike, head strike, body strike, spin kick. I managed to block them all, one after the other. I lost some ground but not enough to worry me. I used the block on the kick, grabbed her foot, unbalanced her and tipped her over. She landed neatly on her feet, spun again, and kicked me right in the middle of the abdomen.
    My abdomen was loaded with chi and I absorbed the impact. I was knocked backwards but landed on my feet, unharmed. I didn’t hesitate; I went straight back at her and struck at her in return. Head, head, head, body; she damn well blocked them all. I couldn’t get through her.
    We were evenly matched. She was at least as good as me.
    Well then, there was an easy way to defeat her: I just had to be better than me.
    We paused and studied each other. Neither of us was panting yet. This was just a warm-up. She raised her arms and snapped out her