*Finds muse hanging himself in kitchen* What the hell are you doing? We have to update! *to audience* Sorry about the l-o-n-g wait but now my muse seems to have spouted out something that vaguely resembles a chapter, including (drum roll please)an Artemis perspective! So sit back and enjoy

Disclaimer: I own nothing. NOTHING. The characters belong to Eoin Colfer, the Pattern and anything to do with it belongs to Robert Jordan. Please don't sue me! I'm poor!

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Grub froze. "I-I didn't mean to - I - I was -I mean" He spluttered incoherently, but no one seemed to be listening. Commander Root's complexion had paled - something that had not happened for over a century and Foaly was punching keys furiously.

"Another shuttle left about five minutes after Grub's did. I doubt it will take them too long to find you, Commander." He reported, his voice terse with agitation.

Root's head jerked up violently. "Everyone, pack up!" He barked. "We're moving out. NOW!"

Holly did not need to be told twice. She quickly gathered the few items that belonged to her, snatching up a pair of Hummingbirds and a Neutrino as well. Almost as an afterthought, she dug around for a throat-mike and stuck it to the front of her neck. It immediately assumed her complexion and seemed to meld to her skin.

When she looked around, Root was done with his things too, and had scattered what remained around the warehouse, giving the impression that no one had been there for a while. Mulch, however, had not budged an inch and was still working on the sack of carrots that were sitting next to him. Grub was working on disconnecting the plasma screen, and seemed to be having some difficulty with it; his hands were shaking uncontrollably.

Holly sat down beside him, and reached behind the screen to help him. "I-I'm sorry. I only wanted to h-help Trub." He moaned. A pleading note had entered his voice. Holly took pity on him, recognising the sincerity in his tone.

Holly shrugged uncomfortably. "They might have found a way to find us anyway, corporal. Don't beat yourself up." Her eyes darkened, and she added under her breath. "With those three working together I doubt there's anything they couldn't do."

Before she cut the video feed, she heard Foaly say. "I'll be in contact, but right now I've got to see if I can find out any more about the Spirit Sabre."

Holly nodded. "While you're at it, finding out where it was forged would help. Wherever that is, that's where Gus Lint and co. will go next." She cut the connection and stood up. Root was forcing Mulch out of the door, using the barrel of his Neutrino as leverage.

She felt weary to the bone. Sure, this was what she had signed up for when she had joined Recon; it was the most dangerous posting, but a big part of her yearned for the comfort of her own bed. All this constant running and guessing at what the enemy wanted and"stumbling around blindly in the dark" Butler was right. She thought bitterly. And now he's been pulled into this too. Gods, I never thought I would want so much for the dullness of Haven city. After this, traffic duty would look good to me.

They left in haste, and Root led the way to the shuttle that he had taken to the surface. Unlike the one that Holly had used to travel to the detention facility, this older model did not have shielding capabilities. Holly was mildly surprised that Root had risked an over-ground flight, but then, a mud man seeing them was the last of their worries right now.

It was hidden in a secluded area, dead leaves and trees masking what it really was. After they were inside, Holly realised that Root had been watching her. "Captain, when was the last time you slept?" He demanded.

Holly blinked, caught off guard. Now that she thought about it, she was exhausted, she barely stifled a yawn. She had been so caught up in the tangle that they were in - no, that the whole world is in, she corrected herself - that she hadn't even considered sleep in what seemed like an age. "Uh, I thinkit must have been" She trailed off, knowing that he wouldn't be satisfied with her answer either way.

Root shook his head, angrily. "Hit the sack, Short. If you fall asleep in the middle of a fire fight, you'll help no one." She began to protest but he fixed her with a steely glare. "That's an order Short!" He growled, all trace of concern vanishing.

She sighed, and found herself a corner to sit in. It was far from a luxury cruiser, but the floor was comfortable enough. I don't know why he's making a fuss, she thought between yawns, it's not like I'll even be able toHolly was asleep before she could complete the thought.

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She stood on a vast grassy plain, gently sloping hills were just visible in the distance. Sweet aromas saturated the air around her and a light breeze lifted her hair. It was daytime, yet the rays of sunlight did not seem to irritate her. It was odd, she knew it was a dream, and yet she felt no compulsion to wake up. It was so much nicer here thanwhere had she come from anyway?

Someone was with her, sitting in the grass in front of her. Holly squinted at the figure, but she - Holly thought it was a 'she' - was not clear. The closer Holly tried to look, the more distorted the figure became. Holly couldn't make out a face, only an outline and couldn't even tell if it was fairy or human. Eventually, Holly gave up trying. The figure was working on something that was spread out over the grass.

"What are you doing?" Holly asked, frowning as the words left her mouth. She had meant to say 'What am I doing here?'

The figure held up it's work. It was a tapestry. Threads of every colour had been worked intricately into patterns, twirling and circling and looping in and out of each other. Rich and vibrant colours that almost hurt Holly's eyes seemed to spring to life within the material. The overall affect was one of profound beauty.

"It's amazing." Holly breathed.

The figure held up the end of the cloth, gesturing offhandedly. "The end is near."

Suddenly, Holly had the irrational feeling that the figure was talking about more than the tapestry. Gus Lint. Artemis. The Spirit Sabre. It all came back in a flash. "We'll stop it." She said, trying to sound confident. "He won't get the power of the Spirit Sabre."

The figure now pulled at a single blue thread until one side of it was free. "Sometimes, when the entire pattern of threads is at its end, the only way for it to continue lie on the shoulders of one of them." The figure said, and the remaining threads took on a life of their own, they branched out and blossomed, continuing the weave. "But if the wrong move is made, then the entire thing may be ruined." She said, and she pulled the blue thread back into the pattern, dragging it underneath some of the others. As if in response to this, the tapestry broke apart, every thread was separated and the wind lifted, scattering them amongst the grass.

Holly frowned, uncomprehendingly. A sense of loss filled her, now that the pattern was gone and she wondered if the woman could make a new one. The figure was still holding up the blue thread. "You must make that move, Holly. The pattern rests on your shoulders now."

Holly started. "What?" Suddenly, Holly felt confused. What was the woman talking about? A pattern? A thread? What did that have to do with her? "I don't understand. Who are you? What do you know about Gus Lint? Do you know anything about the Spirit Sabre?"

It was hard to tell, but she thought the woman was shaking her head. "What you must know, I have told you. You will have to make a choice, Holly."

Holly trembled. A thousand questions burst into her head, but only one of them made it's way to the surface. "What must I do? What is the right choice?"

The figure was even more distorted now, Holly couldn't see her outline, and soon she wasn't even sure she was looking in the right direction. "You will know the right choice when the time comes. But it will be up to you to make it."

The plain around her was also fading now. Desperately, Holly tried to cling to her surroundings. That wasn't enough! She had to know more! "Wait!" She yelled. But it was too late, the hills around her were a barely recognisable green smudge. Dimly, she could feel herself waking up.

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Upon waking, Holly remembered little of her dreamsomething about a blue thread?and soon even that lingering memory was lost to her as she let herself become embroiled again in the mystery of the Spirit Sabre.

They were all seated outside when Foaly contacted them. Grub retrieved the plasma screen from the shuttle so none of them had to move. The shuttle had become increasingly cramped. From Foaly's expression, it was hard to tell whether his news was good or bad.

"What did you find?" Root questioned.

Foaly assumed his LEP-meeting-briefing tone. "There was nothing else I could decipher from the scroll itself but I did have some luck with a search I ran on ancient folklore. There were several hits, but a lot of them were nonsense. There were, however, a few things that were consistent in all my sources." He coughed importantly. "Firstly, was one phrase that kept coming up. Loosely translated, it meant that only the Spirit Sabre can undo it's own work."

There was a heavy silence. Finally, Commander Root voiced the thought that they all shared. "So what exactly is that supposed to mean to me? And for once in your life, Foaly, give me the facts with no technical jargon!"

Foaly sighed, as deeply as he dared. "It means, Commander, that even if Gus Lint does gain stage two of the power then he will not be completely invincible. The Spirit Sabre can still kill him."

Root barely restrained himself. "Foaly, right now I am more interested in prevention, not cure! Do you have anything useful for me?"

Foaly muttered something about being unappreciated before replying sulkily. "There are only hints as to where the Spirit Sabre was forged. Something about 'three points joined' and a 'magnet' but there's nothing conclusive. Apparently the information we're after is only written in the other scrolls. And as you know, Artemis has access to them, so he's probably got it all worked out now."

Holly slammed her fist into the ground in frustration. No matter what they did, Artemis, Gus and Opal would always be three steps ahead! It was infuriating.

"What else?" Root asked tiredly.

"The only other consistency was that old song. Even that had several different versions, though."

Mulch burst out into chorus with an air of singing around a campfire. "Three fairies there once were, each powerful and bold! But each of these warlocks." Everyone ignored him.

"What do you mean, 'different versions'?" Holly questioned.

"Oh, some of them were slightly different. Just a few words here and there. Some of their tenses were changes from past to future, that kind of thing."

"Oh."

Holly lost herself in thought. There was too much to consider here. Then, a flash of something metallic out of the corner of her eye brought her out of her reverie with a jerk. "Commander!" She yelled, standing up.

But it was too late. They were surrounded.

Figures clad in the trademark black of the Sabres were perched on the roof of the shuttle, and amongst the trees, with their deadly Neutrino 500s leveled on our unsuspecting heroes. A short blast that came from Holly's left ruptured the casing of the plasma screen, and their connection with Foaly was cut off.

Holly lifted up her palms, the universal gesture for 'I give up! Don't shoot' but with the same motion pulled out her Neutrino from it's holster. In seconds, blasts of red fire ripped through the air, raining down from all directions. Root had his out and was firing too. Holly was running, she barely registered the fact amongst the chaos around, looking for cover. She could hear Root fast on her heels, but surprisingly, it was Mulch that jumped out from in front of her.

Her eyes widened as the dwarf jumped into the thick of the Sabres. What in Haven's name is he doing? She thought. Then the Sabres were running. Scattering away from the area where Mulch had jumped into, and it took her a moment to figure out why.

Mulch had landed facedown and was eating ground rapidly. He had started his descent into the ground in the thick of the men, and was not sparing in his leftovers - that were cannoning out of the quickly vanishing dwarf's rear end and knocking many Sabres back. "CONVICT!" Root was yelling, but Holly saw past the fact that Mulch was escaping enough to realise with a start that he was making a diversion for them. Thank you Mulch, she thought. The Sabres had finally deviated from their perfect formation enough for Holly, Grub and Root to actually have a chance of escape.

But the dwarf's stunt didn't last long. The Sabres were already recuperating and coming after them. And they had Grub. She had not paid close enough attention to where Grub was, and amidst the confusion of the firefight, Grub had been caught.

The Sabre who had him shook him roughly. "That's enough! Lower your weapons." Holly obeyed immediately. She was not about to be responsible for Grub's death. Root did too, if slightly more hesitantly.

She heard the Sabre chuckle. "That's better. Now. Our orders are to take you to our boss, and if you cause any trouble" The Sabre gesticulated violently, making it clear what he would do.

Cuffs were slapped onto their wrists. 'Cuffs' was the generic term, but they were nothing like those big gangly things that Mud Men used. These were small chip-like metal plates that were put onto both palms. Once on, only a precisely focused ion beam would open them. The two were not connected in any way, but the cuffs sent paralysing rays into the arms they were attached to, so the prisoner would not be able to move their arms from the shoulder down. Courtesy of Koboi laboratories.

Holly found it extremely hard to fly with her arms hanging limply at her sides, but a threatening Neutrino was always near.

They were taken back to Walsh enterprises.

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Walsh Enterprises

A small office

Artemis's POV

Artemis inspected his fingernails. This was all too easy.

Gus Lint aka Tsu Ling sat beside him, watching eagerly with a greedy glint in his eye. Almost, the fairy reminded Artemis of a small child who was opening his Christmas presents a day early. That was before he remembered exactly what this 'child' had put him through. But that didn't matter. Not now, when revenge was so close and tangible.

Slowly, taking his time, Artemis opened the file on the laptop in front of him that he had been working on for so long. The translation of the sixth scroll. Lint jumped up from his seat and pushed Artemis out of the way, reading through the text gluttonously. "Yes, Arty! This is it! Soon, soon I will have it! The power will be mine and so will everything else!"

Artemis had told Lint a long time ago of the things needed to gain each stage of power. There had been no avoiding that, he knew Koboi would hack Foaly's computer and find out for herself anyway. For stage one - Knowledge- of course, all that was needed was to read and understand the scrolls. However, Artemis had known all along that he would hide certain details from Lint.

All part of the plan.

The plan! Always, Artemis was on the point of cursing his own genius for predicting the unfolding events so accurately. With a pang, he thought about Holly. The look on her face when she had thought he had betrayed her was enough to make him feel like she was ripping his heart in two. But I didn't betray you, Holly, he thought. Stop thinking about that. He ordered himself. She was safe with Root for now.

Of course he had known before they had entered Walsh Enterprises that Root was alive and well. It had taken some time for him to figure it out, but the absence of Mulch from his cell at 11036 was enough. Then, with the scrolls at his disposal he discovered that there was only one way to defeat Lint. He would beat him to the power.

Lint had finished his reading and was looking at Artemis expectantly, now. "Well? Why don't I feel any different? You said that if I read all the scrolls I would gain Knowledge, the first stage of power." He barked, his good humour apparently lost.

It was true, that was what he had said. But there were two reasons why Gus Lint couldn't gain Knowledge. One; Because what he had been reading was Artemis's slightly altered copy of the scrolls, and Two; because Artemis already had stage one. The power had come when Artemis had finished deciphering all the scrolls. Like a tidal wave, he had been submerged with knowledge about the blade called 'The Spirit Sabre' and with it came a yearning. A yearning to be complete. A yearning for the other two stages.

Artemis shrugged mildly in response. "Maybe you aren't supposed to feel anything. But you know everything there is to know about the Spirit Sabre."

Gus Lint snarled. "Not everything, my friend. You still haven't told me where we must go for stage two. The vessel is complete."

Stage two could only be gained where the Spirit Sabre was forged. The clues in the scrolls had been extremely obscure, and it had taken him the better part of an hour to figure it out. "We're going to the Bermuda Triangle."

Gus stared at him in disbelief. "You're joking."

"Hardly. Three points joined. Magnetic fields and a place of lost souls." Artemis said, listing off the clues. "It's elementary really. Geophysicists have theorised that the odd occurrences that seem to take place there is due to electrical energy released by rocks with a high crystalline content-"

Lint waved his arms impatiently. "In English, please."

Artemis sighed. "Basically, the power of the Spirit Sabre may release only in those conditions. Of course, there is the investigators theory that there's a black hole located in that area and-"

"Shut up!" Lint yelled.

Artemis had to hide the vampire grin that was spreading across his face. He took small pleasures in annoying this man, as so few things seemed to do so. Finally he said. "Tsu, I've done as you asked. Now can you release my family?" Artemis would give him this last chance to repent, to save himself if he would take it.

Lint's humour returned. "Now now, Arty, I couldn't have you trying to stop me with none of your family's life at stake, now could I? Don't worry. They will not be harmed." Artemis nodded, he had expected as much. But that didn't matter, he would free his parents and Juliet when the time came. All part of the plan.

A loud beep announced that Lint had received a text message. He read it with a widening grin. "Good." He murmured, then turned back to Artemis. "It seems we have some guests. Come, I think you'll like this surprise."

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Holly was thrown roughly onto the floor in a room furnished like an office. A grunt and a squeal told her that Root and Grub were beside her. Their armed escort left them then, all except two who stationed themselves in the two corners of the room behind her, weapons at the ready.

Holly stood up with an effort; her bones seemed to creek doing so. There was another door in the far corner of the room behind the burnished wooden desk. A moment later, the doors burst open. Gus Lint came striding in importantly, Artemis in tow.

She bared her teeth; not sure which one of them she wanted to hurt more right then. Once more, Artemis did not meet her gaze, instead standing behind Lint. His allegiance was clear. I was a fool. She told herself for the hundredth time. How could I ever let myself fall for him? But a skipped beat of her heart and a clenching of her stomach told her how. D'arvit! She thought furiously. I must have gone section eight.

With a disgusted snarl she turned her gaze on Lint. "You won't win." She told him defiantly. "The People will think of a way to stop you."

For a moment, she almost expected him to strike her, but he only laughed. "My dear, the People have enough problems of their own back in Haven to last them a century. My Sabres are making sure of that. Besides," He added maliciously "Anyone who might have stopped me is locked up in one of two rooms right now."

Root cursed him in seven different languages, Holly was slightly impressed but Lint only laughed. "Yes, yes I think you would make a excellent sacrifice." Holly stared. "Don't feel left out, my dear. I will be taking all the prisoners here with me as well as Commander Root. Stage two demands a life sacrifice and I intend to make it a spectacular one. You however have been a thorn in my side for too long and do not deserve such a fast death. You will be kept here until I have the power I seek, after which I will return and decide what I should do with you."

Holly swallowed. As she did, she felt something shift on her throat. The throat mike! She had completely forgotten about it! Foaly would be hearing every word! The overconfident fools hadn't thought to check for bugs, and why would they? They had caught them unaware. With a shaky voice, she asked. "Where are you going?"

Gus Lint stroked his chin, he seemed not to have heard her. "You will be kept here, don't worry, this one can stay with you for company." He gestured to Grub who gulped audibly. "But for now, I must go. I'll see you again soon."

Holly smiled too sweetly. "Count on it."

Gus looked at her briefly before turning to Artemis. Holly tilted her head slightly to listen, few people remembered except those who had been with her in the academy, but she had excellent hearing. "Have them put into a separate room, I don't want them talking to their old friends. Release some sleeping gas into the room, they should be kept asleep until we are done in Bermuda" Bermuda?? Holly thought, baffled.

But that was not the important thing. Holly thought fast. This was a Mud Made dwellingsleeping gas meantfor a moment, she had to stifle a laugh. Either something of Artemis's scheming mind had rubbed off on her of they were just getting careless. Either way

Holly let go of the leash she had been holding on her temper and yelled "You wont win, Lint!" Perhaps a bit melodramatic, but affective none the less. She lunged forwards, making Artemis her first target. Her arms were paralysed, true, but she till had the rest of her. The top of her head made contact with Artemis's nose, he grunted and staggered backwards. That one was for all the lies you told me, she thought fiercely.

She thought she heard Commander Root telling her not to be a fool but she lashed out with her feet, clumsily knocking one of the Sabres away. An arm fastened itself around her neck and she bit down into a muscled flesh and stepped on a foot. Like a wildcat, she fought until inevitably, one of the Sabres bashed her on the side of her head with his weapon. She crumpled in a heap.

Panting, the Sabre who had knocked out Holly, grabbed her arm and pulled her limp body up. "What shall I do with her, boss?"

Artemis nursed a bloody nose, but barely thought of the pain. Holly. You have always been a stubborn elf. Why? Why did you have to do that? With every fibre of his being, he hoped she was all right. He stepped closer, and soon saw that her chest was rising and falling normally. He had to stop himself from sighing in pure relief. She would be fine. And he would make Gus pay for even laying a finger on her. He swore it. At least he would be in charge of the amount of gas they let into the roomhe would make sure she would be all right

Out of Artemis's hearing Gus replied "Put her in the windowless room with that corporal over there. And tell the others to ready the ship. We leave soon."

"Yes Boss." This particular Sabre, didn't usually make a comment once he had been given an order, but this time, he felt certain the odd circumstances warranted it. "Boss," He scratched his head. "It was the weirdest thing. As she went downI could have swornshe was smiling."

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OK review time

Sheen Rox: AAH! don't stab yourself!!! *sigh* I wish I were Eoin Colfer. Umm...actually, if I was I probably woulda been murdered by now because I would have taken twice as long as he does with coming out with new books. *grins* Sorry about the delay, hope you haven't killed yourself.

lutefa: Science is your favourite? lol! I hate science with a vengeance. I had to disect a heart today in Biology and I'm not usually squeemish about blood or anything, but there were some idiots in my class who were playing with it, and my best friend insisted on cutting it into little pieces and it was so gross it looked like mince meat and now I don't think I can eat anything and my hands still smell of blood no matter how much I wash them. Ick! Sorry to bother you with my problems, didn't mean to make you sick too :-)

Mage kitty: Thanks for pointing that out, the problems you mentioned should have been fixed now.

kalariah: Thank you so much for the advice :-) I enjoy replying to reviews so I'm trying not to stop but do you think it's better if I write them at the bottom from now on like this? Because then people wouldn't exactly have to scroll past them to get to the story, just to review. Please tell me, I value your input. Anyway, I hope this chapter answer some of your previous questions.

slime frog: Hehehe, I can imagine what your going to call me after this chapter :-)

HollyShort29406 (sorry I forgot your new screen name): Yep yep. I LIVE for torturing characters....and all you readers of course :-) Oh, BTW, sorry I haven't reviewed your ficcy in a while. I haven't been allowed on the net for so long. I'll try to read your updates soon.

Aks: Thank you :-) I was under the impression that this got worse with every chapter

HollyB: I tried to update sooner but I seriously couldn't get the words flowing properly. I hope this chapter passes as acceptable.

Queen-Of-Gondor1: eek! THANK YOU!!!

kelaal: lol! really? this fic seems to be driving me insane. *shrugs* At least it's useful for something.

SilverButterfly: What is it with you and consoling my victims? *snatches Arty-poo back* He's mine! Mine y'hear? And I will NEVER be done messing with him! Mwahahaa! Arty: NOOO! Help me!! *more evil laughter from mad authorette*

spontaneousxhumanxcombustion: *hides* Umm...I can't remember why I took so long last time, but this time it was plain old fashioned writer's block. Sorry.

Earth Borne: Eek, sorry 'bout the wait.

kelsey: lol! hmm...well I think more punching would make Artemis seem like (an even bigger?) wuss, so I don't think I'll get away with it. I'm trying to limit myself to one punch per fic.

Jade Sabre: LMAO! That was great! hmmm....I don't think that's exactly how I'll end it but it's something along those lines...:-)

Dreamy-Eyes: eek! Me sorry! I'll be faster next time!

leonsalanna: Sorry bout that. Grub basically meant that when he bugged Trub's imposter the guy didn't seem to mind. Aargh! I'll go back and reword it, now I'm confusing myself...

Fowlet: *blush* thank you!

BookFreak: Aargh! Sorry about that, I have been told before....many times...by many different people...but I kept forgetting to change it. I'll try and do it soon. Thanks for reminding me.

carabas: Your welcome :-)

flamaria13: NOOO! Don't kill-haul me! I'm too young to die!

Marsbars: Hehehe. Thank you!