Red Phoenix

its computerised displays at the far end of the Museum. The second floor housed tremendously annoying interactive musical computers, but Simone really liked them so we stayed there for a while.
    ‘Does she have to see absolutely everything ?’ Michael asked me, weary.
    ‘Yes, she does. You saw Leo’s face when we let him off.’
    Simone dragged us to the top floor of the new wing. Each floor was smaller than the one below, allowing usto see all the way to the ground. Two round tables with projected computer images were the only display on the top floor. Six people could stand around each table and interact with the computer.
    Michael, Simone and I took a place each and played games about the future of technology, genetics and space exploration. Michael and Simone competed fiercely to see who could win the most points. John stood and watched with his arms folded over his chest; he was too fast to give anybody a fair chance and the kids had thrown him off.
    John tied back his hair.
    The Museum fell completely silent, then a silent noise boomed through the whole structure. A vibration shuddered from my feet to my head. Without changing temperature, the air went very hot, then very cold. Something was very, very wrong.
    The expression on John’s face probably mirrored my own. Simone and Michael hadn’t felt it. I went to John. ‘What was that?’
    He didn’t need to reply. A large school group were visible on the ground floor of the Museum, running around and talking loudly. A minute ago they hadn’t been there.
    John was very calm and spoke softly. ‘There are about fifty of them. We need to get out of here.’
    ‘Why here, just after you’ve been to Paris? You’re at your strongest.’
    ‘They know Simone comes here every single damn time,’ he said placidly. He concentrated. ‘This is a really big one.’
    ‘We’re ready for them,’ I said, much more calmly than I felt.
    ‘I still think we’ll need some help. We’re pinned on the top floor.’
    The demons were clearly audible coming up the levels towards us, talking loudly and shrieking as if they were normal children. John looked around, then gestured. ‘Fire escape. Let’s go.’
    I went behind Simone and Michael and quietly spoke to them. ‘We have to move. Leave it. Let’s go.’
    Michael appeared bewildered, but Simone’s eyes widened. ‘There’s a lot of demons coming, Emma,’ she said, breathless.
    ‘How many, ma’am?’ Michael said as we approached the door.
    ‘Lord Xuan says about fifty.’ I tried to control my voice. ‘You can hear them coming, they’ve taken the form of a school group.’
    John waited at the fire escape. I moved to open it, but he raised his hand to stop me.
    The demons spread out, still talking noisily to each other, on the floor below us. They were looking for us. They would be on our level soon.
    Gold appeared next to John. He examined the door and smiled grimly, then put his hand on the latch and concentrated. He became completely transparent, as if he was made out of clear plastic, with his stone self clearly visible in the middle of his chest.
    Michael gasped.
    Gold returned to his normal human form and pushed the door open for us without setting off the alarm. He smiled and waved us through.
    We went through the doors to the top of an external set of metal stairs, a standard fire escape. No stairs led further up, and I had the incongruous thought: oh, what a shame. We couldn’t do the typical action-movie thing of stupidly running up to the roof and pinning ourselves with no way out.
    We quickly and carefully took the stairs down. The Museum’s back loading dock was at the bottom. It wasnearly deserted; it was almost closing time. Damn. If it had been busy then the demons would have stayed away.
    When we were about halfway down Jade appeared, flying over the roof in dragon form, whipping through the air. She landed lightly on the ground of the loading dock. She checked the location, her gold claws making metallic clicks on the pavement as she moved. She glanced up to us and nodded.
    Gold vaulted over the edge of the railing, and splattered like goo when he hit the ground. He quickly re-formed and stood next to Jade.
    A couple of Celestial Masters appeared next to them: two of the most senior Masters on the Mountain. The Shaolin Master, in his tan jacket and pants, and the Energy Master, in a plain black cotton pantsuit with white cuffs.
    The Shaolin Master, Master Liu, was a tiny ancient Chinese