The whole world appeared to be holding its breath as Holly made her way back to the Skull's HQ. There was no one around, no movement in the darkness-the whole world was on mute. No lights shone in the deserted buildings that lined the asphalt road, not even the vermin of the underworld were out tonight. Usually the back streets were infested with swear toads and other disgusting creatures who watched over the streets with their beady black eyes. There were no swear words floating on the wind as Holly turned the corner and Jolly came into view.

"You seem upset Rose," the old elf said as she approached him "Why?"

"I couldn't find Eclipse," Holly lied quickly "I'm just worried that he got cleaned up by that LEP commander."

"I'm sure he'll be back soon," Jolly cracked his knuckles absently "what you doing here?"

"I want in," she said shortly.

"What's the password?" the elf grinned, he loved to mess the gang members around as often as he could.

"Let me in," Holly said quickly "and I think it's about time you considered changing the password."

"Hey, it's not me who makes up the passwords darling," Jolly groaned as he opened the door he had been standing in front of, "that's the boss's job, in you go-have a good time in there." Holly glared at him as she walked through the doorway into a dark, wet corridor that smelt of mildew and moss. The gang's headquarters was an endless maze of twisting hallways and dead end rooms. If you didn't know you're way around it would be quite easy to get lost and stay that way till someone heard you shouting, by then it would probably be too late anyway-not many gang members venture into the corridors for fear that they might become lost as well. She nodded in acknowledgment at the shadowy figures who navigated through the corridors around her. The plan at first had been quite simple, kill the boss using any means necessary, but now she was here it had all become a lot more complicated. If she had guessed right the boss would be in his private office on the top floor. That meant that she would have to first find the stairs that led up to his office, get past the guard at the door and draw her weapon before the boss realised what she was there to do. She had heard that the boss had once been a legendary hit man himself; if this was true then her mission had just become one hell of a lot harder.

Her body seemed to know where it was going even though her mind was lost in thought and all too soon Holly found herself approaching a large blast shield door. This was the boss's office, the security measurers were over the top, it was actually one of the safest places under the world. Holly raised one black gloved hand and knocked softly three times. There was a scuffling noise behind the door and an eye appeared at a small hole in the door.

"One moment," growled a voice from behind the door as the eye disappeared and footsteps grew closer. The heavy door swung on its hinges to reveal an old gnome standing in its shadow. "What do you want?" He was obviously not very happy today.

"I'd need to see the boss," Holly glared at him while trying to do her best gangster impression.

"What for?"

"I have news on the commander;" she had to suppress the urge to cry "I'm sure the boss will be interested in it." The elf considered her, as he stepped forward Holly noticed a slash across his face from ear to ear, it looked like he was grinning-permanently.

"Okay, you can go in," the elf stepped aside "and if the boss asks who let you in remember to tell him that I did or he'll take your head off with a softnose, your choice though." Holly walked past the gnome without thinking to ask his name, her legs felt like collapsing as she saw a boot hanging over the arm of an armchair at the end of the corridor. More and more of the person was revealed as she stepped closer until finally she had entered a cavernous room and there sat the Boss.

"Ah, Rose my dear," the Boss sat up in his chair "who let yo in here?" Holly remembered the old gnome's advice.

"The…ah, the gnome outside with the slash across…..he……Mr. Grin." She stuttered and finally the words slipped out of her mouth, she stood there now on the verge of being sick waiting for the elf to respond.

"Excellent my dear, excellent," the boss was grinning now "nobody else has ever guessed his name without a little help." He was rubbing his gun now; its metal casing gleamed evilly. "I heard that you had some news for me on that retched commander."

"Yes," Holly's hands were shaking so she stuffed them in her pockets "he's dead, I killed him."

"Wonderful!" The gang leader clapped his many ringed hands together "finally we are rid of his incessant probing." Holly breathed a sigh of relief; she had half expected herself to be discovered as soon as she walked in the door.

"Have you seen Eclipse lately Rose?" The Boss was still grinning "I haven't seen him around lately and I meant to give him another task to do." Holly had to think fast on this one.

"No, I haven't seen him since he said he was going out to try and track down the commander and that was at least an hour ago."

"No matter, I shall send someone out to find him later," the Boss grinned again, it was actually quite unnerving "did you get the note I sent to you?" Suddenly Holly remembered the square of paper that was sitting in her back pocket from when Jolly had given it to her as she went to find Eclipse.

"Yeah," she said uncertainly "Jolly gave it to me."

"And did you read it?" The Boss asked with his eyebrows raised "there was something important that I found out on it."

"Umm…."

"I'll take it that you didn't," the Boss said but for some reason he didn't seem upset with her "you must have been busy, you can read it now if you like." Holly was suspicious but she drew the piece of paper out of her pocket all the same. As she unfolded it she realised how strange this was, why didn't the boss just tell her what was written on the piece of paper without making her read it? When she had unfolded it she found only one word written in red ink across its crumpled surface. Her eyes widened as she read it, traitorHer heart was pounding against her rib cage now, how could he know? It was impossible, she had never told anyone, never done anything to give herself away, except-

"You thought that you could get away with it did you? Thought that you could outsmart me?" The Boss had jumped up from his chair now, his hand resting dangerously on the holster at his hip. "You probably want to know how I found out about you little Section 8 rat." Holly stood there horrified; this was all going terribly wrong.

"One of my hit men found something this morning when he was hunting on the back roads, bring him in Mr. Grin." The old gnome ambled in dragging what appeared to be a limp body, revulsion spread quickly through Holly's mind. "He found him face down in the dirt; the hair that we found on his jacket matches yours." How could she have been so stupid, she fought to keep her stomach from turning as she leant over to see who it was. It was Eclipse who lay motionless on the floor, eyes blank and clouded, if she had not been so possessed with the sweet idea of revenge she would have remembered to hide his body.

"No matter," the Boss said as he motioned for Mr. Grin to take the body away "I can always find another hit man, the big thing is that I have been betrayed." The elf paused to watch her reaction, in the silence Holly could have sworn she heard a faint crash from above but she ignored, if she broke eye contact with the crime lord she was sure he would kill her on the spot.

"I haven't betrayed you, Eclipse did," she was trying to lie her way out now, it was the only option "he tried to sabotage my mission, he told that bloody commander that we were on his tail, I had to dispose of him before he let anything else out. Although I do regret it there was nothing else that I could do." The Boss laughed at this and paced around the room in front of her.

"You've been well trained girly but you can't trick me," his hand was twitching on his thigh, if he pulled his gun before she could get hers up then she would be dead, no questions asked. "say goodbye." He flicked his gun up and held it at her head "don't even think about pulling your weapon, just say your last request." Holly just kept her mouth shut, it would be too much to ask for a rescue but she would have really liked to see her friends one last time.

"Ah, the silent type, I'll say it for you then shall I?" He waved the gun about elaborately as he thought of something to say "Coward. Your commander isn't even dead; you didn't have the guts to shoot him did you?" That was the one missing link; Trouble's body had been right next to Eclipses so why hadn't it been found? Maybe his body had been found by someone and taken away or thrown in a skip to be found by the city cleaners. Maybe.

"I'll remember to tell your friends at the LEP where you are," he was laughing manically now "maybe even send them your body as a present, goodbye." He dropped his gun to her heart and squoze the trigger, the room flashed momentarily red and then went completely silent.

The gun dropped out of the boss's hand as he looked at Holly in astonishment who looked just as stunned; a muffled thump echoed through the room as a body hit the floor. There was a noise on the floor above and what seemed to be an elf jumped lithely over the banister to land with a soft thunk on the ground. He straightened up and slid his neutrino back into its holster under his jacket.

"Alan Box, you're under arrest," he walked across and slapped a pair of cuffs on the crime lord's wrists "I'll read you your rights later shall I."

"Wh-what did you do to him?" Holly was on the verge of shock.

"He's unconscious, that's all, are you alright?" The elf stepped closer to her but she hastily backed away "you gave me quite a scare."

"Who are you?" Holly shouted "what do you want with me?"

"It's alright Rose," the elf hadn't realised who she was yet, that was the only way out that Holly had left now. The elf stepped into the light and she gasped "It's only me, Commander Trouble Kelp; I was the one that you were tracking in the alleyway." Her heart seemed to have stopped beating, the blood pounding in her ears though said otherwise.

"But you're….you're dead," small white specks appeared in her vision as she said those words; she pinched the bridge of her nose as if it might rid the spots.

"I know that's what it looked like but I wasn't-" Trouble began but Holly cut him off.

"The book…it let me…" her mind was struggling to provide the words for her mouth "this is a strange feeling" she said finally and blacked out.