A/N: Remember that time I told you I'd have a chapter out in a week and then it was three years? So funny story… I wrote it. And then completely forgot to post it. I've been going through these years thinking to myself, well, I may have abandoned the story, but at least I got to the part where—

But it turned out I hadn't. Because I never posted that bit.

When I realized that, I immediately started editing what I had written before and now I'm going to post it here.

Which goes to prove that you can guilt me into writing with reviews. I want to thank everyone who has commented here over the years, and special thanks to Sarena TheStoryTeller, who's review made me realize I had made a massive mistake.

Enjoy.

Holly had waited several minutes before putting her plan into action. Perhaps it would have been safer to wait longer, but she was tired of other people telling her what to do. Not to mention, the longer she waited, the more likely Minerva would consider this as a possibility. Unwrapping the necklace from around her shoulders, she filtered it through her fingers, smiling as it glowed against her hands. Good old Artemis.

She examined the gray square that had been bolted over the keyhole. It was touch sensitive and the fingerprint from the Butlers' or Artemis' hand would make it open immediately. Unfortunately, it needed to be from a living hand and Holly wasn't that irritated with Artemis. At least not yet.

Fortunately, the room was designed to hide its true purpose from Mrs. and Mr. Fowl and thus, only this this slab of metal and plastic stood between her and a good old-fashioned keyhole. Placing her fingertips against the slab, she closed her eyes, imagining warmth flowing down her arm, into her hands. Blue sparks gathered around her fingertips and she could feel the metal's temperature rising, until she had to pull her hand away from the heat. While her magic began healing her burned fingers, she dug the crescent moon necklace into the weakened-most part of the metal. Pressing down with all her strength, Holly cursed the solid craftsmanship. The pad was unmoving, but than the metal began bending forward slowly. Enthused by the reaction, Holly ignored her burning muscles and continued working at the edge, occasionally giving the edges of the metal another zap of heat, until with a snap a large chuck of the plastic flew off as the metal wilted. A small portion of the keyhole was now visible.

She paused; holding her breath, she listed for a sign that someone had heard. After a few moments, Holly began threading the chain through the keyhole until it hit the floor on the other side. Using the scrap of plastic, she teased the bottom of the chain back into the room. Now she had both ends in her hands. The right end was threaded through the keyhole and she worked the left end around and up until they were right next to each other. Only two centimeters of wood between them. She braced her foot against the door and pulled until the wood began to groan. She pulled harder, wincing as the metal cut into her hands, but didn't stop, until with crack the lock snapped off, taking a chunk of wood with it.

She could clearly see the double bolts of steel, which was truly what was keeping her locked in, but it was no matter. The lock gone, the door gave about an inch, creating a gap next to the hinges through which Holly could see the hallway. With a grin, she looped the chain around the first of the hinges and began to pull.

Holly looped the necklace around her wrist several times before turning invisible and inched down the hallway.

The first window she came to, she opened. The wooden siding protested, creaking loudly. The sound of footsteps set her heart beating quickly. She vaulted herself up to the windowsill and grabbed hold of it firmly. Then she dropped down, keeping a tight grasp on the window. Her legs felt weightless as she hung, her arms taking on the strain. She still had splinters in her hands from breaking down the door. She held her breath.

A face came to the window. The glare on the glass masked the features of a woman, but judging by her height it was Mrs. Fowl. The human looked around puzzled at the open window and then reached forward, with the intent of shutting it. Carefully, Holly eased her hands back until just the fingertips clung to the edge. The window frame grazed her hand gently as it shut, trapping her outside.

Looking down, she saw a small outcropping about ten feet down. Bracing herself, Holly swung herself to the left and let go. She landed crouched on the roof, her feet smartly slapping against the gray tiling. The shock traveled up through her legs and she winced at the sudden sensation, but other than that she wasn't hurt.

Holly crouched under the thin outcropping of roof as rain started gently falling. It was only a scattering, but the rain could easily slow her escape down. She would have to leave now, before it got worse. Slipping off the thin gray tee she had worn over the low backed shirt, she shivered as the misty air chilled her skin. She twisted her neck around to look at the wings calculating their merit. They were flimsy looking things that hardly looked capable of lifting a twig, much less her off of the ground. If the rain started coming down in rivers and streams, the wings would probably rip into shreds. She braced herself.

Closing her eyes, she tried to activate the wings. She opened one eye and looked behind her. Nothing. "Of all the times to fail, Foaly…" she muttered. Taking a deep breath, she tried again, closing her eyes she tried to imagine the wings as an extension of her body. Picturing the wings in her mental eye, she ran her mind over every inch of clear fabric. She pictured blue sparks running through the material like blood rushing through veins, rushing from a single spot on her back, where the wings connected with her skin.

She felt a flutter and her eyes snapped open. Her back hunched over, she flexed her wings and felt whole inside as they responded to her. Standing up, she wasted no time and leaped into the sky. Her heart beat in overdrive in perfect tune with her wings, and she flew faster than she ever had before. The lack of heavy suit and bulky equipment allowed the wings to carry her even higher.

Holly let out a laugh of triumph and happiness. Let them try to stop us now, she thought. Let them try.

And that was when a neutrino blast caught her right ankle, knocking the breath out of her lungs.

Her wings fluttered for a moment and then stopped. Eyelids slid shut as she dropped like a stone, cutting through the air. Her attacker stood calmly, lowering the weapon, waiting as the elf dropped.

And that was her mistake. Holly's eyes shot open as she plummeted, and caught sight of the other elf. As she had hoped, Thorn had relaxed, believing that her shot had knocked Holly out. Keeping her body as loose as possible, Holly counted the seconds she had until she struck the ground. The patch of green was ten feet from the tip of her nose, when she snapped to attention, holding her body straight and reactivating her wings. She zoomed towards Thorn, hands outstretched. The elf's eyes widened and she brought the gun back up. But not quickly enough. There was a thwack as the metal hit Holly's palm. She used the momentum she had built up to force the gun out of Thorn's hand. The gun clipped the side of Thorn's face as it flew forward.

Thorn cried out and slapped a hand to her face.

Holly flopped onto the ground in a semi-resemblance of a crouch, grasping the neutrino, which had landed between two rocks. She was breathing heavily. The neutrino blast might not have been strong enough to knock her out, but it had tired her out severely. She could feel her magic pushing back the dizziness and she took a steadying breath, even as she twisted the neutrino, turning up the settings. She noticed the bottom of the gun had a splatter of Thorn's blood as décor.

The neutrino crackled as the mechanism turned off. Of course, thought Holly, Nuetrino 3000's only respond to the person who owned them. Centaur, you will be hearing it from me. She turned to face Thorn, ready to use the gun as a blunt weapon if need be.

Holly drew in a sharp breath as Thorn turned to face her. Her gun was covered in the elf's blood. It had to be Thorn's blood, she wasn't bleeding- and it had only taken the LEP trained elf seconds to recover from her fall and turn- certainly not enough time to heal a scrape. Holly knew from experience that facial wounds tended to bleed. And she had knocked Thorn good. And yet…

And yet there wasn't even a scratch on Thorn's face. Her cheek was perfectly smooth. No blood. It was as though Holly hadn't even touched her.

Holly blocked a weak punch from the elf and then feinted and managed to swipe her palm against the check that she had hit. Her hand came away covered in a sticky red. Thorn seized the opportunity to push her away with both hands, making her stumble backwards. Forearms blocked the other blow, as the pair circled. Holly was loath to try anything too hastily. Who knew what else the elf had up her sleeve? It must be some sort of powerful spell, thought Holly, to hide someone's appearance to thoroughly.

"And what kind of name is Thorn anyway," shouted Holly, dodging a punch and then landing one of her own against her opponent's shoulder.

Thorn slapped her across the face. Her cheek stung and she could feel the ghost of the impact repeating over and over again, becoming fainter each time. "A fake one," Thorn hissed. She opened her mouth to say something else, but Holly had had enough.

Her steely grip encircled both of Thorn's arms, pinning them to her sides. Thorn pushed back, but she was far weaker than Holly, who jammed a boot in her back, knocking Thorn onto her face.

A humming sound erupted by her ear. Something instinctual shot through Holly's spine and she dove to the side, landing on the ground as a ray arced through the empty air that she had been occupying a moment ago. Looking around her, Holly could see no other being besides Thorn, who was still on the ground next to her. No- wait-

There was another humming noise and Thorn disappeared from sight. Holly grasped at the space Thorn had been occupying, but came up empty.

Growling in frustration, she kicked at the wet dirt with her right leg in a sweeping motion, hoping to illuminate her attacker's position. It landed on an invisible leg, floating for a moment, bobbing slightly as her attacker shifted backwards, before landing back to the ground. Holly listened carefully, her limbs tensed, as she slowly moved into a crouch. The smell of wet dirt hung in the air. There was a faint rustling, and then it faded. About twenty yards away, two blades of grass bent unnaturally. They were on the move.

Holly looked about. Only an oval of crushed grass to her right. They had taken Thorn and everything else with them, including the nuetrino. She stood up, sighed, and took a step forward, vanishing into a haze.

Without her uniform, she was still somewhat visible, unable to blend into the environment as perfectly as her attackers had. So, she took to the skies, careful not to fly too high. The drain on her magic was greater than she had expected as she tried to shield and fly at the same time. It was not easy to concentrate on two different movements, so she flew rather choppily, occasionally flickering into visibility in order to compensate for the wind. She didn't have too far to fly. Spotting the black car she had arrived in, she concentrated intently on staying invisible until she was directly above the car. Then she dropped gently onto the roof of the car and she waited. Finally, the front door clicked open and Butler stepped out, leaving a two feet gap between himself and the car interior. Holly took a deep breath, holding it in so that Butler couldn't hear her exhale, shielded, then flipped herself gently into the empty space and into the vehicle with one motion. The smell of black leather assaulted her nose as she used a thrust from her wings to dive under the dashboard.

She held still, trembling from the effort it had taken to shield.

The door swung closed with a click. Holly drew air into her chest gratefully. After waiting an acceptable amount of time, she peered carefully over the dashboard. Butler had gone on to the manor. Un-shielding, she scrambled over the gearshift onto the passenger seat. Sliding down to the floor, she opened the glove box and pulled out her neutrino. She grinned, allowing her hands to reacquaint themselves with the metal, happy to have a working weapon again.

Her helmet was excavated from the trunk, which she had been able to break into through the backseats. Using her necklace, she tore through part of the seat and broke through the lock on a tiny door connecting the two spaces. The opening was a little tight and it took a little wiggling to get her through. Once she strapped on her helmet, Holly felt no guilt in using its laser to cut a larger opening, and crawled back out easily. Covering up the mess in the backseat as best she could, which was hard with all of the burned bits, she knelt down and switched her helmet's mic on.

"Okay Foaly, brace yourself. We've got a situation."

Haven was quiet. The People moved about uneasily, a strange feeling in the air. Today felt more sluggish then usual. Fights erupted all over the city, as the People grew more and more irritable. Today wasn't their day. Tomorrow didn't look good either. The light didn't change fast enough- it changed too fast- that pixie was looking at me funny officer. Trouble Kelp wasn't happy at all himself; to be out patrolling the streets today, of all days, but it was necessary. The feeling of unrest was growing and the LEP were getting nervous about how thin everyone was stationed. Still, it didn't stop him from rubbing the growing crease between his eyes and wishing he had never gotten up in the first place. The feeling had been there the moment he had awoken and as the day wore on, it only got worse. He didn't know what was going on, but he wanted it too stop. What was worse was that everything he was feeling, he could see reflected in the people he dealt with. The two little boys he had pulled apart in front of the playground glared at him with red irritated eyes.

He walked them down the street, to the first's house, delivering him to the disapproving stare of his father. The other child stuck out his tongue at him, before disappearing into the house.

Sighing, he walked smartly down the stairs, running his fingers over the tiny scrape he had received from one of the boys, who hadn't stopped fighting until he had pulled out his neutrino. He reached down into his core, and pulled at his magic. A spark or two would do the trick.

The sensation stopped him in his tracks. It was like a dry heave.

His magic was dry and his thoughtless probe had thrown him like he had tried to walk up a step that wasn't there. He shuttered at the sensation.

Trouble frowned, wondering how he had run out so completely. It hadn't been two weeks since his last trip above the surface. Of course that explained the irritation, he hadn't run this low since his early days at the academy. He and a few buddies had competed to see who could go the longest without the ritual and still be able to do magic. It had earned him a demerit and he had lost. In the end the only thing that had made it worthwhile was that he knew that he would never go that long without the ritual again. It just wasn't worth it. It made you snap at the smallest thing…

Trouble opened up a channel on his communicator, and after a few minutes of talking was transferred to the fairy he wanted to speak too. "Hey Foaly, you got a second? I've got something to run by you."

"Sure, but make it quick," snapped the centaur. Trouble paused, wondering what had made the centaur so tense. "Is there anything wrong?" he asked.

"I'm not sure. One of our operatives was sent for a quick run and hasn't turned on her helmet. There's not much I can do at this end, so just go ahead. If I get a signal, I'll just disconnect the call."

"Thanks," said Trouble flatly.

"No problem," replied the centaur in a more cheerful tone. "Now what can I do for you. Trying to get me to change departments again? 'Cause I'm happy where I am. Unless you'd care to up your offer?"

"That's not it. I'm sure you've been monitoring the chaos that's happening outside your office."

"Well, I have noticed a certain number of incidents that the LEP has failed to quell, yes."

"Don't you find something fishy about it? You are the genius."

"Flattery," said the centaur. "I like it. But I've been following the incidents, but they're all minor infractions that have no logical connection. It's no massive movement of any sort. Everyone's just tense."

Trouble nodded and then realized the centaur couldn't see him. "Yes. That seems to be the case, however what I'd like to know is if there is anyway that the entire city could be drained of magic."

There was a pause on the other end. "The entire city..." murmured Foaly. "Which would explain all the irritability, and everything else…" Trouble could hear some shuffling and electronic noises. "The hospital hasn't been reporting anything unusual, but of course that's where the warlocks are, so it would take longer to affect them."

"Yes, but for what to affect them?" asked Trouble.

"Such impatience," said Foaly. "I'd watch that temper if I were you."

Trouble inhaled deeply, clenching his fists and then releasing them. The centaur continued. "But whatever it is has to be something gradual, otherwise everyone would have noticed the drain on their magic. It has to be something that would cause a small strain on the body, in order to siphon off a few sparks at a time." The centaur whinnied. "Tell you what Major, I'll let you know as soon as I figure out. I've got to make a few calls to confirm my hypothesis. In the meantime, might I suggest warning the rest of the LEP. Now isn't a good time to get injured."

"Will do. Let me know the moment you have any new information." Trouble closed the communication channel and started contacting the rest of those under his command.

Meanwhile, at his office, Foaly sat in front of his computer screens and dialed Caballine's work number. The secretary's voice creaked like chalk as she told him to hold. There was silence for a moment and then the pixie came back on the line sounding bored. "Sorrry… She isn't in today. Would you like me to take a message?"

Foaly hung up without answering. Letting out a worried whinny, he called his wife's personal phone. Caballine picked up after the third ring.

"Hello?" she whispered.

"Caballine," he said with relief.

"Foaly, hi. Why didn't you call my work phone? You know I'm not supposed to have a personal communicator back here. If my boss walks in-"

"Are you at work then?" said Foaly quickly.

"Yes, of course I am," she paused. "Why?"

"Because according to your secretary, you're skipping work."

"That's ridiculous. You must have misdialed. Why, I had a lengthy conversation with her this morning about a tiff she and her husband had gotten into. She wouldn't let me go until she had finished relating his exact words no less than seven times. And yes, I counted."

In spite of himself, Foaly couldn't help but crack a smile at her story before pulling himself together.

"Listen," said Foaly. "Has anything unusual happened at work?"

"Ugh," groaned Caballine, "Everyone's quite stressed and the CEO has apparently locked himself in his office. No-one knows why. The strangest thing that's happened lately is all the accidents. I mean- we've always had accidents. Someone accidently locks themselves in the compression room, equipment malfunctions, that sort of thing. But they've been happening so often. It used to be something that only happened once a year and was usually pretty mild. They'd be let out of the room in a matter of seconds and just be dizzy or need a tiny boost of magic. But last week we had five different cases in a row and all of them required a trip to the hospital. Creed Bentley is still being treated. But nobody's called foul play. And there's been a lot of opportunity to do so." She snorted. "I think the company is afraid of legal action, but if Creed doesn't sue after he finishes getting healed, I will."

"And how's the forecast today?"

Caballine was the head technician for Haven's Pressure Control System. The company made sure that the city was at a safe and comfortable air pressure, controlling the climate with technology who's inner workings Foaly could only guess at. It was a carefully guarded secret and even Caballine wouldn't tell him. Most vixing. Occasionally, she guided a team into the massive pipes system that crisscrossed Haven, to repair and replace worn out parts, but mostly she kept an eye on the different pressure pockets and adjusted the settings accordingly. It was as complex a process as controlling the weather.

"Pressure systems are working perfectly," she responded. "Piece of cake. The readings are almost identical to yesterdays'. Heck, if I didn't know any better I'd say they were yesterdays'."

It was then that Foaly realized that Caballine's voice had become slightly strained in the last few sentences.

"But anyway, thanks for calling, but I have to get back to work. Oh, and Foaly? Could you make a reservation to eat at that restaurant we ate at last week. I had such a nice time last time. Didn't you?"

The last restaurant they had eaten at had given him food poisoning.

"Caballine?"

"Hope to talk to you soon! Bye-" she said in a rush. The line went dead.

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Foaly forced himself to call the hospital to confirm what she had said before phoning back Trouble Kelp. After a short brisk conversation, he raced out of his office and pounded on Vinaya's door.

She buzzed him in, not taking her eyes off of her desk, as she shuffled through various reports. "Well? Did you hear back from those two yet?" asked Vinaya. "Or do I need to stall longer?"

"I'd cancel that press conference if I were you." He explained the situation.

She pursed her lips. "Is there anyone in the city at this time that still retains any magic? Any at all?"

"By my calculations, some of the more magically inclined will have limited capabilities for a half an hour or more. However, even those with huge reserves are being drained at a similar rate. The warlocks in particular are so occupied with healing the injured that they are running out faster than some elves."

"Is there a place we can move them, to slow down the loss?"

Foaly shook his head. "All of Haven is controlled by the same pressure system. Even homes and business that have so-called private controls are linked to the main system." He took a deep breath. "The only exception is this building, but there isn't enough room-"

"It doesn't matter. We can worry about our security after we get everyone left with magic here safe and sound. Contact the warlocks and offer them a place of sanctuary. Ask them if they know of any other fairies who are similarly gifted and offer them the same."

Foaly imagined all the warlocks, rushing around their hospital, seeing the massive flood of wounded. "I don't think they'll want to leave their patients."

"Don't give them the choice. We're at war now. And our opponent is unknown. At least we do know their intent. Getting the warlocks here is the best chance that we have of a fair fight. Draining all of us of our magic, it's what they want."

"We'll be defenseless," said Foaly, grimly.

"Even the smallest wound could become fatal. We would have to submit. There would be no chance of survival. Though of course, I'm sure you are well aware of what is at stake. Contact the warlocks and keep your frequency open. We don't want to miss Artemis or Holly." She said, drumming her fingers on the desk. "Do you think there's a chance…" she trailed off.

"I'll go check the pressure in the chutes," he said, voicing the thought that had been troubling him.

He turned away, hooves clapping against the floor. Vinaya watched him go, before smoothing down her suit and hair. She stood, rigidly with purpose and contacted the press via video screen. Stealing herself against the onslaught of questions that were bound to come, she pasted a slight smile on her face. The press was a tricky beast best slain through a lack of intrigue.

The reporter was less then pleased to be stood up and even less so at Vinaya's explanation. Upon hearing that the interview was to be cancelled, she could see a flicker of interest in the reporter's face. She quickly followed it up with a story about the shuttle being delayed due to magma flares, which caused the reporter's friendly smile to melted in upon itself. She insisted on rescheduling, which was reluctantly agreed too by Vinaya who ended the communication with a sigh of relief.

Staring blankly at the wall for a long moment she wondered how this had all gotten out of control so quickly. Rubbing her right eye absentmindedly, tucked her communicator in her pocket and hurried towards Foaly's office.

The door was protected by a palm scanner, which she pressed her hand onto and waited while the sensors read her. A metallic chill settled into her skin. The door slid open and she quickly removed her hand, massaging warmth back into it.

Foaly was at his workstation, pulling up data on the screen. Charts and glowing lines of text flashed as he searched for the correct piece of information. As he did so, he spoke without looking away. "The warlocks are sending the most powerful of themselves here, but they refused to send more than a few. N1 should be among them, but the one I spoke too seemed to think he'd be difficult to persuade to leave. He is too dedicated to his work."

"And the chutes?"

"Hard to say. Caballine was correct. All the data has been duplicated from previous days. I had hoped to find something hidden behind a firewall, since it would have been too risky a move to stop all data collection, therefore it must still be collected somewhere. Most likely it's in a closed system in the building the sensors are in."

"So you can't hack into it?"

"Oh, no I can," said the centar grimly. "But someone's been planning this for a very long time boss. There are hundreds of false files I keep running into. It might take all day to locate the correct one."

"Then we must assume that we are no longer safe."

They sat in silence for several minutes. Vinaya watched the data flashing by and pondered the best way to calm the masses. Mass mesmer would be an ideal solution, although an impossible one. Of course, if she was to hold an emergency consul meeting, perhaps an exception could be made…

A channel crackled to life. "Foaly?" came Holly's voice. Foaly had set the computer on speaker. "Brace yourself."

The centaur let out a whinny. Vianaya let out a harsh laugh. "Captain Short, I believe it is far too late for that. What's the situation?"

Holly paused, recognizing the strain in both voices. Then she relayed the situation as quickly as she could.

"So basically, you're telling me that you lost Artemis?"

"I know Artemis. He's too persistent not to turn up at some point." She strictly kept her mind from imagining any other circumstance. "And when he does, I have no method of transporting us to back to the chute. At least no quick way. Besides, I think there's something going on here. Thorn being at the manor doesn't make any sense."

"No," murmured Vinyáya in thought. "It doesn't."

"The important thing is for you to get to Artemis before his family does," said the centaur. "Otherwise it may be difficult to persuade him to leave, and from what you say, being at Fowl manor isn't the safest thing. For either of you."

"I don't think that's going to be possible," said Holly. "He knows I'm here, and if he gets to the gate then the security cameras will pick him up."

Vinyáya, who had her hands clasped together, leaned forward. "Short, I'm going to need you to stay put and report as the situation develops."

"Commander, requesting backup."

"What's the matter?" said Foaly, his voice filled with sarcastic cheer. "Can't deal with a genius and an entire gang of fairies on your own?"

"Request denied Captain. Backup isn't possible at the moment. We've got problems of our own. Someone's hijacked the Pressure Control Center and is using it to drain us all of magic. People are rioting in the streets. The LEP barely has enough faeries trained to keep it under control and once they realize no-one has magic-" She trailed off. The situation spoke for itself. Mass panic.

Holly's breathing hitched. There was a noise as she shifted in the car seat. "One problem solved," she whispered. "Artemis is back." She watched for a moment as he reunited with his parents, but kept herself out of sight. "Commander, do you know who is behind this?"

"Not of yet no."

"Then wouldn't it be wise to consider that these two events may not be separate?"

Foaly, who had completely abandoned his computer, paced back and forth. "It is possible. After all, what is the result of your current predicament? You and Artemis are held captive, at least in theory, and cannot return below ground." He paused and then continued. "Look, Holly. Whether you get him away from there or not, you must stay above. We don't know what the pressure is like in the chutes. You could get ripped apart."

"Of course," said Holly. "Any other good news?"

"That's all we know. Whatever is happening, Short, you are to assess the situation to the best of your ability and decide what is the best course of action. I would simply tell you to stay put until we can provide backup, but knowing you, I would be wasting my breath."

Foaly let out a short chuckle at this, that sounded more like a snort.

"And if it is at all possible, contact us again once you've spoken to Artemis. Even if we cannot have him back in Haven, his brain will have to do."

"Will do, Commander."

"And if there's anything I can do to help, don't hesitate to call Holly," added Foaly firmly. "Be safe."

"Thanks Foaly."

The line fizzled as Holly shut off communication.

She slipped out of the car, closing the door carefully behind her.

Staring at the broken door, Artemis bent down and picked up a piece of twisted metal. Contemplating what this must mean, he didn't hear Juliet come in behind him. She reached out her hand, hovering over his shoulder, than let her arm fall back at her side.

"Artemis," she prodded gently. "I know that it's been a long day, but we have to go somewhere and talk."

The boy turned and glared at her. His eyes were reddened by the stress that was taking its toll on his body, and his clothing was in shreds. Yet there was still the old spirit of Artemis in there, the one who did impossible things and who, above all, did not fail at any task he put his mind to.

"Do you know where she is?" he demanded, a steely gaze in his eyes.

"No."

"Then we have nothing to discuss." He brushed past her, as Juliet stared at him in shock.

"Artemis Fowl," said Butler stepping into the hallway. "Do not speak to my sister that way."

The sight of his bodyguard since birth standing in a doorway, looking down at him with disproval broke through his resolve to find Holly for a moment. He wavered for a moment and then regained confidence.

"I believe it is I who employ you, not the other way around. If you both had not interfered earlier today, perhaps I would now be calm, because I would know that Holly is safe, but since it seems we have an intruder in the manor, I believe that is my first priority."

"Well, if that's the case then perhaps you ought to know that Minerva is controlling your parents with an iron thumb," said Juliet. When he turned around to face her, she continued. "Or that it is likely that Holly has escaped and is now roaming the manor?"

Artemis's mind was racing. Pieces of the puzzle were beginning to snap into place. If another genius had set the playing field, that meant that Holly had to be located at once.

He opened his eyes, not even aware he had closed them.

"Where are the twins?"

Juliet looked at him in horror.

"With Minerva," she whispered. "Playing hide and seek."

He nodded and simply walked to the twin's room, his two bodyguards trailing in his wake. The white paneled door swung open, creaking slightly. Two empty beds and scattered toys were the only things inside. The window was open, the curtains blowing in a slight breeze.

Juliet took a few steps and then stopped short as if shocked. Leaning down she picked up the teddy bear she almost stepped on and hugged it to her chest tightly. Butler had to sit down on Cassie's little bed, the flower bedspread split into two as the bed creaked, attempting to absorb the huge weight.

Artemis calmly walked into the room and walked straight towards the item he had expected to see. He surveyed the small table gravely. On top lay a black and white chessboard, the game already played. The black king had been toppled on its side, the white queen hovering over him victorious. Checkmate, he thought grimly.

Artemis stood there with the toppled king in his palm, feeling as low as he had ever felt before, when a shadow descended over the room. Turning, he looked at the window and saw Holly floating there. A solemn look on her face, her red hair lit by the dying light outside, her mismatched eyes stared at him with a fierce expression on her face and he suddenly felt hopeful in a way he couldn't have imagined feeling a second ago. Both Holly and Artemis failed to notice or to care about the two Butlers who were staring at them in confusion.

Before anyone could say make a move, there was a light clicking sound, at which all the room's occupants turned around and faced the chessboard. The white queen had begun to glow softly and as they watched a beam of light shot out of the queen, raking the plain white wall beside it. An image formed on the projection and Artemis felt his jaw tense.

Amused eyes looked back at him. "Hello, Artemis Fowl. So good of you to join us as last," said Minerva standing calmly in front of a blank wall, her face tilted slightly away from the camera. There was nothing recognizable behind her, save for the two little children sitting on wooden stepstools, their faces pale and drawn.

But it was Juliet who spoke next, not Artemis. "Minerva," she said in a frighteningly calm manner, as the girl looked at her mildly surprised. "When I find you-and I will- I'm going to make you regret ever hearing the name Butler."

Minerva looked bored now. "You mean as you are regretting not voicing your suspicions about me to your employer? A bodyguard as useless as you should not make such idle threats."

Foaly frowned as another set of files opened onto the screen.

"What is it?" asked Vinaya, who was pacing back and forth behind him.

"There's a lot of stuff here, but one pattern I'm seeing is references to Gage."

"Do you think he's involved?"

"Possibly. A lot of this information seems to have been changed remotely, but it seems that Gage has been visiting the Pressure Center a great deal lately. And even better yet there's been several clumsy attempts to cover it up."

"There's only one thing I don't understand. Where does Thorn fit into all of this?" asked Artemis.

Now Minerva didn't even attempt to hide her surprise. "The great Artemis Fowl hasn't figured it out? And you call yourself an evil mastermind." Turning fully towards the screen for the first time, Minerva's left cheek was fully visible, as was the angry red streaks running across her skin. Holly let out a gasp of surprise. "Now you see me," Minerva said softly, her form rippling and then it was Thorn looking down at them with undisguised amusement. "Now you don't." The video cut off. The white queen grew dark.