Holly felt as though the world had been yanked out from beneath her feet. She searched for a shimmer in the air, any indication that this was a clever technological trick. There was none.

"Artemis?" she asked tentatively.

"Right here, Holly. One second, and I will be back." Sure enough, one second later, Artemis materialized into view. Nothing had changed, except that he looked a little more tired.

"What- why- what- how?" Foaly was stuttering, staring in astonishment. "That's not the use of technology, I would know. And you don't have magic, Mud Boy."

Artemis smiled, and there was something sad in the smile. Holly didn't like that smile. It was similar to one he had given before he had… died the first time. It couldn't be…

"Think, Foaly," he said quietly. "Fast paced heart beat, no need to eat, strange blackout moments, disappearing from this world, a black void, emptiness. Surely you must be able to connect the dots."

Holly watched as Foaly's eyes grew wider, and then squeezed shut. "Oh, Artemis," he said in a tone unnaturally soft.

"What?" Holly asked sharply. "You better tell me now, or…" In truth, her head was in turmoil. She had guessed, and now she had the suspicion she was right. But she couldn't be. Panic and desperation clawed through her. When Artemis was silent, she screamed, "Answer me!"

Artemis gave Holly a look, and reality came crashing down around her. "You're wrong," she said flatly. "No way."

"I'm never wrong," Artemis said quietly, and Holly looked him in his mismatched eyes. The ones that matched hers. "Holly, you have to understand-"

"What?" she snapped. "That you're wrong? Yeah, I understand that loud and clear. I'm going to get No1 and he's going to say that I'm right. There's nothing wrong with you, D'Arvit!"

It took her a moment to realize she was crying. In hysterics. She was embarrassed, but she wouldn't stand for it. He couldn't be…

Artemis couldn't stand to see Holly this way. He took a breath, and placed his hand on her shoulder. "Holly, please sit down. Just listen."

"I'm not listening to this crap!" she yelled. She looked Artemis in the eyes, and the anger faded, to be replaced with sadness. "It can't be."

Artemis looked at his friend sadly. She was in denial. He should be too, like any other normal person, he supposed. But then again, he wasn't exactly the most normal person on this planet. He knelt, as that was the only way he could look face to face with Holly without one of them looking up, and the other looking down.

"It can't be." she repeated. "Can it?"

Artemis nodded. "I'm sorry," he said, although he wasn't sure what he was apologizing for.

The last time Artemis had died, Holly had been adamant. She had focused on sole one thing; bringing him back. Or at least, that's what Foaly had told Artemis. But now, she was a mess. As though she couldn't take much more.

Was this what he did? Artemis wondered. Ruin the lives around him? He took one deep breath, and then stood up. "We need to find a way to stop this of course," he said calmly. He could see Holly stiffen besides him. The tears were gone.

"I'll get No1," she stated, and left quickly.

Artemis frowned after her. "Is Holly alright?" he asked Foaly, and then realized how stupid that sounded. "I mean, besides the death thing."

Foaly squinted at him, as if to see if he was joking. He then sighed. "For a genius, you sure are blind about the things that really matter." Another sigh. "Anyway, just… sit here. Holly will get No1 soon, and we can see what we can do to help."

Artemis sat down on the couch, and leaned forward. "This type of… condition has never been seen before, has it?" When Foaly looked away, Artemis pressed harder. "You know there is nothing to base any research for this off of."

"Artemis, just be quiet," Foaly said. "I'd almost rather have Orion back."

The boy raised an eyebrow.

"Okay, maybe that's an exaggeration. But anyways, we're going to find a cure. We've done the impossible before, we can do it again."
As a realist, Artemis could not help but think what the higher probability was. And though he did not like it one bit, it was most likely what was going to happen. His phone buzzed in his front pocket, drawing him out of his thoughts.

He looked at the ID. It was Butler. Realizing he was about to be in a lot of trouble, he answered the call.

"Artemis." Butler's voice was dangerously calm. "Excuse me, but where the hell are you?"

He winced. "With our other friends," he answered, careful not to name anything, just in case the call was being tracked. Highly unlikely, but there was always the possibility.

"No note? No warning? I just come and check in your room, and you're gone. What's happened this time?" Butler's voice changed from annoyed, to slightly concerned.
"Whenever I come back, I promise I'll explain everything. I might be here for a little while, however." Artemis glanced over at Foaly, who was furiously running around and checking things around his office.

"I thought this was all over, Artemis," Butler said, his voice weary. "No more running around. No more near-death experiences. No more dying in general. I thought we were going to try and come home and live a normal life."

Near-death. Ah, if only he knew, Artemis thought. He heard the door open, and saw Holly come in, No1 in tow. "I have to hang up now, Butler. I'll be home soon to explain everything. Make sure my parents don't find out, I don't want them to worry." With that, he ended the call, and stuffed his phone in his pocket.

"I'm still not exactly sure what I'm supposed to do," the warlock said to Artemis. "All I know is that Holly came into the hospital, said that you were in trouble, and dragged me here." He squinted at the boy. "You don't look like you're in trouble." A groan sounded. "Is the Complex back? I've heard awful stories about the worst of it."

"It's a little more complicated than that," Artemis began, and launched into a lengthy explanation of what was going on. When he finished, No1 was staring up at him.

"Oh, Hybras," he muttered. "You really are in trouble."

"I had no idea," Artemis responded dryly, and then felt a little guilty. "But, before you start doing what you need to in order to fix me up, I need to travel back home. There are some conversations I need to make."

No1 was thinking some very negative things. "Artemis…" he began, and shuffled his feet. "You realize that there may not be a cure, correct?"

Artemis pushed open the door, and stared at the hallway ahead. After a moment of silence, he quietly responded, "I know."