AN - Opal said in The Opal Deception that either Holly or Root could have died; she didn't care which. In this story, Root lived and Holly died. The story starts off pretty much the same as that in the book but moves further part as the story goes on. I'm going to rewrite the whole of The Opal Deception and may possibly do the other books as well. Please tell me what you think.

The first part of the story, in italics, is taken from the book. This first chapter is very like the original but later chapters will be very different.

Disclaimer- I don't own anything but I wish I did.

Parallel

Root pointed his weapon at the device round Scalene's middle, as if he could somehow hurt Koboi.

'What do you want?' he demanded.

'You know what I want,' replied Opal. 'The question is, how am I going to get it? What form of revenge would be the most satisfying? Naturally, you will both end up dead, but that's not enough. I want you to suffer as I did, discredited and despised. One of you at least – the other will have to be sacrificed. I don't really care which.'

Root retreated to the blast doors, motioning for Holly to follow.

'Options?' he whispered, his back to Koboi's device.

Holly raised her visor, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. The helmets were air conditioned, but sometimes sweating had nothing to do with temperature.

'We have to get out of here,' she said. 'The chute is the only way.'

Root nodded. 'Agreed. We fly up far enough to clear Koboi's blocker signal, then alert Major Kelp.'

'What about Scalene? He's mesmerized to the gills, he can't look after himself. If we do escape, Opal is not going to leave him around as evidence.'

It was basic criminal logic. Your typical 'take over the world' types were not averse to knocking off a few of their own if it meant a clean getaway.

Root actually growled. 'It really tugs my beard to put us in harm's way over a goblin, but that's the job. We take Scalene with us. I will sink a few charges into that box round his waist, and when the buzzing stops you throw him over your shoulder and we're off up E37.'

'Understood,' said Holly. Root lowered the setting on his weapon to minimum. Some of the charge would be transferred to Scalene, but it wouldn't do much more than dry up his eyeballs for a couple of minutes which, in Root's opinion, he deserved.

'Ignore the pixie, whatever she says, keep your mind on the job.'

'Yes sir.'

Root took several deep breaths calming himself. Holly looked as nervous as he felt. 'OK. Go.'

The two elves turned and strode rapidly towards the unconscious goblin.

'Have we come up with a little plan?' said Kobo mockingly from the small screen 'Something ingenious, I hope. Something I haven't thought of?'

Grim-faced, Root tried to shut out the words, but they wormed their way into his thoughts. Something ingenious? Hardly. It was simply the only option open to them. Something Koboi hadn't thought of? Doubtful. Opal could conceivably have been planning this for almost a year. Were they just about to do exactly what she wanted? Was he putting his officer in more danger?

Root silenced his doubts and got into position beside Scalene. He thought he heard Holly say 'Sir' quietly as he began firing but he may have imagined it. He fired six charges at the small screen. All six impacted on Koboi's pixelated features. Root felt a surge pleasure as Opal's image disappeared in a storm of static. Sparks squeezed between the metal seams and acrid smoke leaked through the speaker grid.

Holly hesitated for a moment, allowing any charge to disperse, then she grabbed Scalene firmly by the shoulders.

Nothing happened.

I was wrong, thought Root, releasing a breath he did not realize he'd been holding. I was wrong, thank the gods. Opal has no plan. But it wasn't true, and Root didn't really believe it.

The box around Scalene's midriff was secured by a set of octo-bonds, eight telescoping cables often used by the LEP to restrain dangerous criminals. They could be locked and unlocked remotely and, once cinched, could not be removed without the remote or an angle grinder. As soon as Holly leaned over, the octo-bonds, released Scalene and drawing the metal box tight to Holly's own chest.

Koboi's face appeared on the reverse side of the box. The smokescreen had been just that: a smokescreen.

'Captain Short,' she said, almost breathless with malice, 'it looks like you're the sacrifice.'

'D'Arvit!' swore Holly beating the metal box with the butt of her pistol. The cords tightened until Holly's breath come in agonized spurts. Root heard more than one rib crack. Holly fought the urge to sink to her feet. Magical blue sparks played around her torso, automatically healing the broken bones.

Root rushed forward to help. This was his fault. They should never have come down here. He should have been the one to pike up Scalene; not Holly. He would find a way to save his officer. However, before he could reach Holly, an urgent beeping began to emanate from the device's speaker. The closer he got, the louder the beep.

'D'Arvit,' swore Root, skidding to a stop, 'a trigger!' He punched the air in frustration. Trust Koboi to use something like a proximity trigger to stop him helping Holly. Proximity triggers were used by dwarves in the mines. They would set a charge in the tunnels, activate the trigger and then set it off from a safe distance, using a stone.

'You're quite right, Julius,' commented the pixie, 'This is a moment for caution. The tone you hear is indeed a proximity trigger. If you come too close, she will be vaporized by the explosive gel packed into the metal box.'

'Shut up Opal and tell us what you want,' snapped Holly. Even when her life was in danger, Holly never lost her sharp tongue.

'Now, now, Holly. Patience. Your worries will be over soon enough. In fact, they are already over, so why don't you just wait quietly while your final seconds tick away.'

Root circled Holly, keeping the beep constant, until her back was to the chute.

'There's a way out of this, Holly,' he said, calling her by her first name for once, the way he always thought of her in his head, 'I just need to think. I need a minute to sort things out.'

'Let me help you to sort things out,' said Koboi mockingly, her childlike features ugly with malice. 'Your LEP comrades are currently trying to laser their way in here, but of course they will never make it in time. And you can bet that my old school chum, Foaly, is glued to his video screen. So what does he see? He sees the decretive Commander Root holding a gun on his good friend Holly Short. Now why would he want to do that?'

'Foaly will figure it out,' said Holly. 'He beat you before.'

Opal tightened the octo-bonds remotely, forcing Holly to her knees. 'Maybe he would figure it out, at that. If he had time. But unfortunately for you, time is almost up.'

On Holly's chest, a digital readout flickered into life. There were two numbers on the readout; a six and a zero. 60 seconds.

'One minute to live, Holly. How does it feel?' sneered Opal. The numbers began ticking down. The ticking, beeping and Opal's snide sniggers drilled into Root's brain.

'Shut it down, Koboi. Shut it down, or I swear I'll…'

Opal's laugh was unrestrained, echoing through the access tunnel like the attacked screech of a harpie.

'You will what, exactly? Die beside your officer?' More cracks, more ribs broken. The blue spots of magic circled Holly's chest like stars caught in a whirlwind.

'Get out, sir,' she gasped, 'There's no need for both of us to die.'

'No Holly; we'll get out of this together. This isn't over yet.'

'Forty-eight,' said Opal, in a happy, sing-song voice, 'Forty-seven.'

'Julius, run!'

'I'd listen, if I were you," said Koboi, 'There are other lives at stake here. Holly is already dead. Why not save someone who can be saved?'

Root's head spun. Who else was in danger? How could he save everyone? Holly groaned, instantly forgetting her own troubles.

'What have you done, Opal?' cried Holly, 'Who else's life is in danger?'

'Oh, no-one important. Just a couple of Mud Men.'

Of course, thought Root, Artemis and Butler. Two others who put a stop to Koibe's plan. Root had no love for those particular Mud Men, especially Artemis, but he immediately determined to try and save them from whatever Opal was planning. He knew his face was burning red with anger at what Opal had done.

'What have you done, Opal?' said Holly, shouting above the proximity trigger and the core wind. A part of Root noted that she seemed more upset about the danger the Mud Men were in than the threat of immediate death she was facing.

Koibe's lip drooped, mimicking a guilty child.

'I'm afraid I may have put your human friends in danger. At this very moment, they are stealing a package from the International Bank in Munich. A little package I prepared for them. If Master Fowl is as clever as he is supposed to be, he won't open the package until he reaches the Kronski Hotel and can check for booby checks. Then, a bio-bomb will be activated and "bye bye obnoxious humans!" You can stay here and explain all of this, Julius. I'm sure it won't take more than a couple of hours to sort it out within Internal Affairs, or you can try to rescue the humans.'

Root's head was reeling. Holly, Artemis and Butler; all about to die. How could he save them all? There was no way to win.

'I will hunt you down, Koibe. I will bring you to justice. For you, there won't be safe place on, or under, the planet.'

'Such venom. What if I gave you a way out? One chance to win?'

Holly was on her knees now, blood leaking from the corner of her mouth. The blue sparks were gone. She was out of magic.

'It's a trap!" she gasped, every syllable causing her pain, 'Don't let her fool you. Get out while you can, and try and save Artemis and Butler for me.'

"Twenty-eight," said Koibe, "Twenty-seven.'

Root's forehead throbbed against the helmet pads. He knew it was probably a trap. Opal would never offer him a way out, but what choice did he have?

'OK. OK, Koibe. Tell me quickly. How do I save Holly?'

Opal took a deep, theatrical breath.

'On the device, there a sweet spot. Two centimetre diameter. The red dot below the screen. If you hit that spot from outside the trigger area, then you overload the circuit. If you miss, even by a hair, you'll set off the explosive gel. It's a sporting chance… More than you gave me, Julius Root," she said, her eyes narrowing to angry slits.

'You're lying,' snapped Root, through gritted teeth, 'You'd never give me a chance.'

'Don't take the shot,' said Holly, strangely calm, 'Just get out of range. Go and save Artemis and the People from Koibe. Don't let her win, Julius.'

Root felt as though his senses were being filtered through a metre of water. Everything was blurring and slowing down.

'I don't have a choice, Holly. And how many times have I told you not to call me Julius? When we are both safe, you'll refer to me as Commander Root. But I'll let it slide this once,' he said, managing a small smile, despite the situation. Holly smiled back.

'You know me. I never listen to orders but I must have done something right, otherwise you wouldn't have put me forward to a major. Seriously though, get out sir. The People need you.'

Root closed one eye and aimed his pistol. The laser sights were no good for this kind of accuracy; even Foaly hadn't managed to make them that accurate yet. He would have to do it manually.

'The People need you too. We're getting out of this together. Then we'll save Artemis, I promise.' He took a deep breath, held it and squeezed the trigger.

Root hit the red spot; he was certain of it. The charge sank into the device, spreading across the metal face like a tiny bushfire.

'I hit it!' he yelled at Opal's image, 'I hit the spot!'

'I don't know. I thought you were a fraction low,' Koibe shrugged, 'Hard luck. I mean that sincerely.'

'No!' screamed Root, and, for the first time in years, he felt tears prick his eyes.

The countdown on Holly's chest flickered faster than before, flicking through the numbers. There were only moments left now. Holly struggled to her feet, raising to visor on her helmet. Her eyes were steady and fearless. She smiled gently at the Commander, a smile that laid no blame, despite the terrible guilt he felt.

'Be well,' she said. An orange flame then blossomed in the centre of her chest.

The explosion sucked the air from the tunnel, feeding on the oxygen. Multi-coloured flames rolled like the plumage of battling birds. Root was shunted backwards by a wall of shockwaves, the force impacting on every surface inch facing Holly. The microfilters blew in his suit as they were overloaded with heat and force. The camera cylinder in his helmet popped right out of its groove, spinning into E37.

Root himself was borne bodily into the chute, spinning like a twig in a cyclone. Sonix spongers in his earpieces sealed automatically as the sound of the explosion caught up with the blast. Holly was disappeared within a ball of flame. She was gone. There was no doubt about it. Even magic couldn't help her now; some things were beyond fixing.

The contents of the exit tunnel, including Holly and Scalene, disintegrated into a cloud of shrapnel and dust, the particles ricocheting off the tunnel walls. The cloud surged down the path of least resistance, which was, of course, directly after Root. He barely had time to activate his wings and climb a few metres before flying shrapnel drilled a hole in the chute wall below him.

Root hovered in the vast tunnel, the sound of his own breathing filling his helmet. Holly was dead. It was unbelievable; just like that, on the whim of a vengeful pixie. Had there been a sweet spot on the device, or had he actually missed the target? He would probably never know but to the LEP observers, it would seem as though he had shot his own officer.

Root glanced downwards. Below him, fragments from the explosion were spiralling towards the Earth's core. As they neared the revolving magma sphere, the heat ignited each one, utterly cremating all that was left of Holy Short. For the briefest moment, the particles twinkled gold and bronze, like a million starts falling to Earth.

Root hung there for several minutes, trying to absorb what had happened. He couldn't. It was too awful. Instead, he froze the pain and guilt, preserving it for later. Right now, he had a promise to keep and he would keep it, even if was the last thing he ever did, because it was the last thing Holly Short would ever ask.

Root increased the power to his wings, rising through the massive charge chute. There were Mud Men to be saved.