Author's Note: Hello, my beautiful readers. Halloween is just around the corner, so this chapter is perfect: Some dark forest, people creeping about, a menacing danger lurking at the corner of your eyes… and some gun wordplays. Enjoy!

Also, a huge thank you to Space-Dweeb. You always know what to say to make me happy. Let's see if Holly is getting over her head…

Disclaimer: Eoin Colfer owns all the characters from Artemis Fowl, I only own my imagination and my characters.

Chapter 11

Trouble had hardly reached Haven City when he was manoeuvred straight to the conference room in the police headquarters. He scanned the room, studying the people present. Wing Commander Vinyáya gave him a friendly nod, but her icy blue eyes could not conceal her concern. Captain Vein, LEPrecon's top officer, greeted the fellow captain with a handshake before resuming his annoying habit of drumming his fingers on the conference table.

Trouble pulled up a chair next to Holly. She didn't look up from wolfing down some watery cafeteria sandwiches, so he watched Root as he walked up and down the room, his hands clasped behind his back.

Holly swallowed a mouthful, nudging Trouble with her elbow.

"Welcome to the party," she said with a forced smile. "Artemis' adventure not that exciting?"

He snorted. "Please, a lot of Mud Men talk. This is nothing compared to it. What happened to you?"

Before she could answer, Foaly came clip-clopping into the room, a laptop tugged under his arm. Root nodded towards the screen at the back of the room and the centaur technician connected to the Police Intranet.

"Let's start," Root said in a gruff voice. Holly finished the last bite before describing the events of the last few hours. Root's expression darkened minute by minute.

"Great, so now I got a bunch of crazed elves running around town, biting citizens who turn into some wannabe-vampires? Any idea what the cause of this behaviour is?"

Holly thought back to the conversation with the nurse. "They all kept talking about the bite. Come to think of it, they all used the same phrasing. As if they were in trance or under hypnosis."

Vinyáya frowned. "Is this possible? Hypnosis by biting?"

Root snorted in response.

"The experience with the angel has traumatized Stampa," Holly told the gathered team.

"Traumatized him to do what?" Foaly whinnied doubtfully. "Bite other people? Who in turn do the same?"

"He is right. They act as if they were drugged," Captain Vein agreed. "Are we sure, this is not one big ruse to expose our kind or exploit us? Wouldn't be the first time."

Commander Root could feel his headache getting worse. He turned to Trouble. "What was your impression of the Mud People?"

It was Trouble's turn to give an account of his events aboveground.

"They are on their way to find out if the angels can be stopped without causing the end of the world. From what I have seen, I don't think they are collaborating with the angels. The woman isn't. She was about to kick the bucket last night," he concluded.

"Could have been part of their plan," Foaly suggested. It was no secret that the centaur loved his conspiracy theories.

"Unlikely," Trouble shook his head.

"Any mentioning of this anomaly concerning our bitten elves?" Root threw in.

"Only that fairy blood seems to be superior to Mud People."

"No surprise there," Vein murmured.

"There is one more thing," Holly said. "Stampa seemed to talk to someone. He said something about going aboveground to get back to the angels, presumably."

"Right," Root finally said. "First of all, I want all travels aboveground suspended until further notice. Foaly, send a notice to the border authorities. I want this put into immediate effect."

Foaly's fingers began typing on his keypad, even before the commander had finished talking.

"Our most important goal at the moment is to catch and detain Stampa so that he doesn't drug any more people. I can't shut the city down without the Council's permission, which is going to take ages to get through. Any chances for a shortcut?" he turned to Vinyáya, who had typed a few notes on her tablet.

"I'll put it forward. But don't count on anything before tomorrow night. By that time, there might be already some damage done, though."

"Not good enough," Root murmured, scratching his chin in thought.

Holly bit her lip. "Then let's force them to shut down the whole city."

Root turned to her, his brows furrowed. "How?"

"By causing a national risk?" she half-asked with an exhale.

Wing Commander Vinyáya choked. Root stared at one of his most trusted captains in disbelief.

"You are joking."

"I mean, I am not saying we should really be causing a national emergency. Just make the Council believe it is."

"Out of the question. You are treading on very thin ice there, Holly. Seriously, if I didn't know you any better–," he left the sentence unfinished.

"With all due respect, you didn't see those fairies, Commander. They weren't responsive and highly aggressive. If we don't contain this the whole city might be plunged into chaos. And let's face it, even if the Council decides to tell people to stay in their houses, people will ignore it. The only thing that will keep people inside their houses is fear."

Trouble shifted uncomfortably in his seat. "Holly, that's harsh."

She stayed silent, although she had about 10 different answers burning on her tongue. It was impossible to put the horror she had experienced in the hospital into words. To imagine that this madness could spread through the whole city was too much to bear.

Foaly looked up from his keyboard, having listened intently. "It doesn't have to happen. If, however, people believe it is, they would stay inside, no?"

Root shot a look from Holly to Foaly and back to Holly again.

"Are you two out of your mind?!" he shouted, the red colour in his cheeks turning purple. "If this gets out, we will all lose our jobs. Possibly end up in prison."

Foaly held up his hands in defence. "I am just saying. If you want to cause mass panic, there are some ridiculously easy methods."

"For example?" Vinyáya asked.

"You can't be serious, Rai– Wing Commander!" Root protested.

"If Holly thinks the matter is so urgent that she considers causing a national emergency, then yes, Julius, we should hear Foaly out," she said, miffed about the fact that he had called her by her title, instead of her first name.

Holly lifted one corner of her mouth in a joyless smile, thankful for the support from the wing commander.

The centaur projected some old pictures from the last century. "As is probably known I have been studying the Mud People–"

"Get on with it!" Root ordered unnerved.

"Right. There have been several cases of mass hysteria aboveground, merely by news reports. One of them was in the 1930s in the USA. It was a radio play, reporting an alien attack. People thought it was happening and freaked."

Root snorted, unimpressed. "What? You want me to broadcast a radio play? Is this a joke?"

"What I was trying to say, Commander, was that people will believe anything if it is broadcast in the news. All we would need is to tip them off."

Silence fell over the room. This had better work, Root thought, or he would get his retirement earlier than he had wished for.

"Let's do it," Root finally said. "I don't have to stress that I need your absolute secrecy on the matter. Short, Kelp, Vein, I want you to patrol the city streets. Choose only the absolute necessary number of officers. Get me Stampa and put any attackers out of action."

All three captains jumped up, saluted and left the room.

The Major had ordered Butler to stay inside and they had spent the following day stuck in the safe house. And although the house did keep them safe from possible attackers, it did nothing to keep their spirits up. The grey walls and lack of things to occupy their minds slowly ate away their patience.

Butler had taken his Sig Sauer apart, cleaned every last spring and put it together again. Twice. Then he cleaned the kitchen sink and cooker. After a quick surveillance check, he went on to clean the bathroom. Artemis had downloaded some related books on their current adventure onto his e-reader and had brought it with him. He was reading them now, ripping the ideas of established academics apart and having the time of his life. Sofia had started to copy her handwritten notes on a second piece of paper but gave up halfway. It looked exactly like her first copy and was just as illegible. She picked up the Book of Enoch, opening it on a random page and reading a random sentence. And read it again. There were words, but their meaning went over her head. Frustrated, she slammed the book shut and stretched on the couch.

Artemis ignored her for about 10 minutes before he acknowledged her lying motionless on the couch, staring at the ceiling.

"Is the lack of your social media keeping you from a productive day, Professor?"

She didn't answer.

"I have finished the article of one of your colleagues on the religion's tactility in regards to American society. It was quite interesting, indeed. Extremely funny."

Sofia turned her head to see if he was smiling. He wasn't. "Levine is an idiot. He has no idea what he is talking about half the time."

Artemis switched into Italian. "Care to explain?"

She shrugged. "He is a white, privileged male talking about equality? Please."

"I suppose you think your paper on why Dante's journey is more satisfying than Dr Faustus' is sounder. Since you are constantly thirsting for more knowledge."

"At least I don't pretend to understand issues that are beyond my grasp."

Artemis smiled. He might not have any magical powers, but he could get information in different ways.

"I thought your reasoning was a tad easy, Professor. Don't you think you portrayed Dr Faustus too negatively?"

Pursing her lips, Sofia sat up. "If you read my paper, then you'll know I see Faust and Dante as equals, despite their approaches."

Artemis nodded. He did know. Her manifest on the continuous learning part was applaudable, albeit starry-eyed.

"Yes, learning is so very important. Tell me, Professor, did you put your knowledge to good use recently? Apart from trying to explain the makings of Hell to eager students?"

He was mocking her. The boy was less than half her age and thought her endeavours were childish. She opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind when he held up his hand to silence her.

"Relax, Professor. I was messing with you. Your beliefs are very much valid. Don't let yourself be provoked by my comments. In fact, I took the liberty to mark some of the passages with my comments. I think you will find them deeply stimulating."

He handed her a printout of her paper, filled with comments. Then he handed her another bundle of papers. "This is one of my papers. Maybe something, you can incorporate in your next class. Although, this might be a bit too complicated for your audience."

Sofia's eyes darted between the pile of paper in her hand and the boy. She took his paper and started reading the first page, curious if he was as clever as he pretended to be. She turned to the next page. And then the next. Her awe grew, but she refused to show it, keeping a straight face. That boy definitely didn't need any more self-esteem.

It was after dinner when the Major walked into the house. He exchanged a few words with Butler, before turning to Sofia.

"Massetti, with me. Grab your pistol," he ordered.

Sofia jumped up from her seat and snatched the pistol from her nightstand, much to the annoyance of the Major. She slipped into her jacket, a sparkle from the corner of her eye reminding her of Lucifer's ring she had dropped on her nightstand. The golden band had slipped from her finger twice on their way to the safe house. Healing powers or not, she wouldn't need it with the Major keeping her safe. She left it where it was and followed the older Butler into the woods.

Through the thicket. Through the muddy underground. Through the dense mass of trees. It felt like they had marched for hours when he finally stopped. He sat on a tree trunk and pointed to a tree a good distance away.

"Show me."

It was a simple command, but Sofia swallowed. She should have been confident enough. She had been regularly going to the shooting range. Her aim was okay-ish. She hit about 50% of the time. Still, to be scrutinized by the man in front of her was like walking into an exam never having had a look at the material. She took a breath, squinting her eyes and trying to make out the target in the darkness of the twilight.

The Major threw her some night-vision goggles. "You should always be prepared for bad visibility conditions."

Nodding, she put them on and her surroundings became fluorescent green. The Major's eyes glowed starkly against the rest of the surroundings. A shiver ran down her spine.

"Have you cocked your gun?"

A triumphant smile spread across her face. It was a trick question. "Glocks don't have co–," she stopped herself. "I mean, you don't have to cock a Glock."

His expression didn't change. He waited with his arms crossed. It wasn't the first time she wondered why he was protecting her when he clearly couldn't care less about her. In truth, he didn't seem to care about anything. And while his task was to protect her, she doubted that he would spare her a tear if she did get to harm.

Straightening, she picked up her Glock and put her hand around the butt of the pistol, the way she had learned. Breathing calmly, she focussed on the tree in the distance. She aimed, held her breath and pulled the trigger. Just like at the shooting range. And missed. The Major sighed. He wasn't furious, though, so that was a start.

"Again."

She took a breath, aimed and shot again. This time, she scraped the side of the trunk. The Major nodded.

"Your stance isn't too shabby, but you have gun cant."

"Gun cunt?" she asked with a frown.

"Gun cant! You miss the aim because your arms are leaning to one side. What are they teaching you?"

It was a rhetorical question, of course. She shifted the googles, scratching the bridge of her nose. "What can I do to stop this from happening?"

"Good question. Pull the trigger, while you breathe out. You will get a better aim."

She tried again. The shot hit the trunk of the tree and the Major grunted. It was a much better shot. He made her shoot the tree until she ran out of bullets. Then he threw her a new one and waited until she had exchanged the cartridges. She lifted the goggles to wipe away the sweat from her cheekbones, waiting for him to call it a night.

"Now, shoot me."

"What?" Sofia started, sure that she had misheard him.

"I said, shoot me. That is an order, soldier!"

"Are you stupid? I could kill you!"

The Major got up from the trunk and strode towards her, his face turned into a menacing mask in the green light. Sofia backed away, raising her pistol. "If this is one of those weird trust tests, I am not into those games. Stop it!"

He didn't. Instead, he kept coming closer and closer. He raised his fist, ready to smash it into her face. Sofia clenched her eyes shut, waiting for the impact. It never came. The Major wrapped his fingers around the barrel of the pistol.

"If I wanted you dead, this would have been your call."

Sofia slapped his arm. "Congratulations, you creep!"

"If there is an attacker, you'll need to take him out. I am also wearing a bulletproof vest."

The last bit had been a lie, but she didn't need to know. Sofia pulled the night goggles off her head and threw them to his feet.

"Couldn't you have told me that beforehand!?"

The Major sighed. "That was my point. It shouldn't matter."

Because anyone could try to kill me, she reminded herself. She knew what he was saying. Still, she would rather be mad at him. He had picked up the googles and turned towards the thicket.

"Let's hope you won't have to use your skills," he murmured and started walking.

"Where are you going? The house is in the other direction."

"We are not going to the house," he said, without looking back.

As soon as the professor and the Major had left the room, Artemis had given Butler a nod. The bodyguard knew what that meant. He took off his suit jacket and picked up his army jacket. The pursuit of a target was like second nature for Butler. It had been one of the first things he had been taught as a kid.

Years before the Academy, his uncle had made him shadow a squirrel once. To this day he wasn't sure if it hadn't been a joke. His eight-year-old self hadn't questioned the command, of course. He ended up dangling down a tree, scaring a very upset squirrel family. Naturally, going after his uncle without him realising it, was a completely different story.

He picked up the night goggles Artemis had improved with fairy technology a few years ago. The contraption wasn't comparable to LEPRecon equipment but still miles better than human technology. It would allow him to hide further away, without losing much of what was happening. Plus, even though his uncle was a pro, he was relying on the same strategies, Butler would have. With the right preparation, even the Major could be shadowed.

He slipped out of the house, reminding Artemis to not let anyone in and to not venture out by himself as well as of the security weapon stash under the stairs to the cellar. Butler took a deep breath, the air cooling down with the night falling on the surrounding forest. Following the beaten path, Butler crept through the thicket.

It didn't take long for him to discern movement in the distance. Two shapes. One big, one smaller. Butler stopped, hiding beneath some high raspberry bushes. He focussed his goggles, getting a better look at the scene. During the next hour, he watched the professor shoot several times at a tree. He remembered his shooting lessons with his father in a different wood. Many years ago. His father had been an excellent sniper, but his social skills had been just as developed as the Major's.

Right now, his uncle got up from his seat and strode threateningly towards the petite woman. Butler rolled his eyes. The scare tactic. It was such an old one. His uncle was a bully, but she wouldn't be able to shoot him. Not even he had dared on his first try. Neither did she. She tossed her goggles to the ground, clearly agitated. But the lesson didn't seem to be over. His uncle turned around and ventured further into the forest. Butler waited for them to move along before he got up from his hiding place and silently followed them.

A/N: And that's a wrap. Thank you so much for tuning in this week and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Also, good news, next week I'll be posting twice (yay!). Why? Because it's my birthday week and I wanted to treat you with my gooey chocolate brownies. I tried to get Spock to beam them to you, but he is busy on some mission in a galaxy far, far away. So, instead, you'll get a brownie chapter. 😊

What can you expect? The chaos boulder is set into motion, hehe. Have a great day and see you next week...twice!