A/N: I am aware that it's been a while since I updated this. Sorry about that. I'm now at university, so I'm in the process of adapting to living independently for the first time, and I don't have as much free time as over summer. This is also now one of three writing projects I am currently undertaking, so it isn't always easy to find the time/motivation to work on it. That said, I am in no way giving up on it, and I still have several chapters already written. I'm going to carry on updating as much as I can, but though I'll try and keep it fairly regular, updates might be a little sparser than before. Again, sorry.

Now that's out of the way, onto the chapter. It's the longest so far – maybe that partly makes up for the delay? :P – and as promised, it includes some action again. Enjoy!

-Kio

Chapter 12; Infected

Secure LEP Surface Installation, Egypt

"Commander, please, be reasonable," said Holly, resisting the urge to raise her voice. She was already regretting leaving Artemis to speak to K'Azir. The commander seemed intent on ignoring every piece of advice she gave him.

"For Frond's sake, Holly, stop trying to defend him." On the screen, K'Azir put his head in his hands. "I really don't understand you. On top of everything else he has already done to you, he shoots you – almost kills you – and all you can do is make excuses for him."

"Sir, that's not fair. Artemis has been a friend to the People. A friend to me."

K'Azir sighed, looking disappointed in her. "Holly, you said it yourself. He colluded with the human known only as Natalya, one of the greatest threats to the People right now, and attempted to kill you. I don't claim to know why – perhaps the two are lovers or lovers or something – but even you can't deny, he betrayed us. He chose her over you."

"Lovers?" choked Holly, appalled.

K'Azir shrugged. "It's possible. I gather that the girl is pretty by human standards."

"He wasn't acting of his own volition!" shouted Holly, losing her cool.

"Don't take that tone with me, Captain," admonished the commander. "And I'm sure he that's what he says now that he's in our custody, but I don't trust that Mud Boy for a moment."

"Forgive me, sir, but I do. He offers a credible version of events, and considering his past actions, I think he has more than earned a second chance."

"His past actions?" spluttered K'Azir. "You mean kidnapping you and extorting the LEP? What about giving away our technology to Jon Spiro of all people? Or perhaps you were referring to his spectacularly ill-advised journey into the past that landed us two Opal Koboi's and this whole mess we're in now?"

Holly ground his teeth. "With respect, sir, I think you're cherry-picking examples to make Artemis look bad."

K'Azir turned a slightly deeper shade of red. "The fact that those examples are there for me to cherry-pick in the first place is still pretty damning though, isn't it? And I would hardly call it cherry-picking when his misdeeds are so numerous."

"But Artemis has done a great deal of good for the People, too," argued Holly. "Without him, we would never have defeated Opal's goblin revolution, or stopped her from exposing the People to humanity. Not to mention that he sacrificed his life to stop Amber from starting a war that would have likely seen the People annihilated."

K'Azir looked unconvinced. "Perhaps he played a role in a few important operations, but I still think-"

"Played a role?" interrupted Holly, furious. "He single-handedly saved our civilisation of multiple times!"

K'Azir waved Holly's point away. "Details, Holly. The point is that Artemis Fowl is a danger to the People and he needs to be removed as soon as possible. I'm sorry that you don't agree, but it's what's best for all of us, trust me."

Holly felt the blood drain out of her face. "Removed?" she echoed.

K'Azir nodded. "Fowl will be mindwiped. A team of technicians will be dispatched as soon as is convenient. They would already be on their way, but we're still struggling in the aftermath of the incident in Russia – something else that your precious Mud Boy can take responsibility for. Plus, there's another wave of unrest here in Haven. We're stretched thinner than we've ever been."

Normally Holly would have protested that blaming Artemis for the fiasco in Russia was completely unfair, but her throat was suddenly dry. Her whole body was going numb. They were going to mindwipe him. They were going to take him away from her.

Not now, she pleaded internally. Please not now. Not when we've only just found each other again.

Blissfully unaware of her discomfort, K'Azir was still talking about the LEP's plan for Artemis.

"We have reached the conclusion that allowing Fowl to return to his partners in crime would represent an unacceptable risk. After the mindwipe, Fowl will be relocated somewhere he can't cause any more problems. His bodyguard can be relieved of his memories at a later date."

Holly's sensation of numbness was only growing. Not even allow him to return to his family? Is K'Azir out of his mind?

"Listen, Holly," continued the commander. "I understand that the two of you have been friends for some time, but it's your duty to do what's best for the People, even when it means making a hard choice. In this instance, that means letting your friend go."

Despite the outrageous sentiment of K'Azir's words, Holly couldn't resist smiling to herself.

You're right, she thought. It is my duty to do what's best for the People. Especially when it means making a hard choice. And that is exactly what I intend to do, even if it means disobeying a direct order from you. Because right now, mindwiping Artemis is possibly the worst thing anyone could do to the People. Without him, we don't stand a chance against Opal.

"For what it's worth," added K'Azir. "I'm sorry that it has to be this way." He didn't sound like he meant it very much.

"I understand, commander," lied Holly, careful to keep her face unreadable.

On the screen, K'Azir frowned. "You aren't upset?"

"Of course I am. But it's like you said: my feelings aren't important. What's important is what's best for the People."

K'Azir smiled, impressed. "I'm proud of you, Holly. I know you can be… stubborn sometimes, but that's very mature of you."

Even though she was seething, Holly managed to resist the urge to shout at K'Azir to stop speaking her like a child. Just.

"Thank you, sir. Now, if you'll excuse me, I would like to say goodbye to my friend."

"Of course, Captain," in what he probably thought was a considerate tone. "Take as long as you need. The technicians probably won't be there for at least a day."

Artemis knew at once that something was wrong when Holly strode purposefully into his room and locked the door behind her.

"Trouble?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

The elf nodded grimly. "K'Azir," she spat. "He's lost his mind."

"How so?"

"He thinks you're in love with Natalya and have betrayed us for her."

Artemis made a face. "Surely, Holly, you jest. That's absurd. There's no way someone could actually believe that."

"That's not the worst of it," continued Holly. "He's going to have you mindwiped and relocated away from Butler and your family."

"Ah," said Artemis. "That is rather a problem."

"You don't say. I need you to contact Butler. Give him our location and tell him to get him to get here ASAP with Juliet."

Artemis frowned. "What is our location?" He gestured around the room. "What is this place?"

"A safe house, more or less. Officially they're called secure surface installations. Remote human structures, adapted for our needs with advanced security and camouflaged to resemble the original building so the Mud People don't start asking questions. The LEP maintains several across the globe to in case they need somewhere safe on the surface to stay put."

"Why?" Artemis asked. "Why wasn't I taken to Haven?"

A shadow passed across Holly's face. "That was the plan. But after all the survivors were picked up from Russia, we split up to stop Opal attacking us all in one go after she found her future self. The shuttle carrying us was one of the ones meant to go through Tara, but the unrest underground is flaring up again. There was a riot at Tara, and we had to divert. Each of the shuttles went to a different safe house; this one's in Egypt, not far from Cairo. I can find co-ordinates if you want."

"That would be ideal, but I'm afraid the LEP took all my possessions. I don't have any way to get a message to Butler."

Holly went quiet, thinking. "Doesn't matter," she said a few seconds later. "I'll get Foaly to do it. I trust him."

The elf turned to leave, but Artemis placed a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"Wait, Holly. What exactly are you expecting Butler to do when he gets here?"

Holly gave her human friend a withering look. "Err, rescue you?"

Artemis smiled. "An honourable notion, I'm sure. But how, precisely, is he going to manage that? You said it yourself – this is an LEP safe house. I doubt they'll just let me walk out. Do you have a plan?"

Holly nodded. "K'Azir has a full squad of armed fairies here after the stunt you pulled in Russia. Not even Butler could take them all on and walk away with you in one piece. But if you make a break for it and he's there to pick you up, you should be able to get clear."

Artemis looked horrified. "Make a break for it? They'll shoot me! Who's going to provide the covering fire?"

Holly's face was a grim mask of determination. "I will."

"You're going to fire on your own people?"

Holly managed a smile. "They're going to take you away from me. I won't let that happen."

But rather than returning the elf's smile, Artemis was shaking his head. "No, Holly. Think about the consequences. I can't let you do that."

Holly was adamant. "Let them fire me," she said. "So what? You think I care about my career?"

"Forget about your career, Holly. What about your freedom? If you do this, you'll be a traitor to the People. You could lose your right to live among them. What would you do then?"

The elf was unfazed. "I'd come and live with you. I would be welcome at Fowl Manor, wouldn't I?"

Artemis frowned. "Of course, Holly – always. But that's not the point. I don't want you to-"

The rest of Artemis's words were lost as Holly's lips met his.

"Artemis," she whispered once she had broken off the kiss. "Do you know what the words I love you mean?" Artemis made to say something but she interrupted him with another kiss. "They mean that I can't live without you. I tried, believe me, and it was hell. I can't do that again. I don't care what the consequences are. I'll bear them."

Police Plaza, Haven City, The Lower Elements

Foaly was enjoying a nice cup of sim-coffee when Holly called him. He wasn't sure whether to smile or curse as he put her through.

"What's up, Holly?"

The elf didn't waste time of pleasantries. "Is this a secure line?"

Foaly groaned and tapped a few keys. "It is now." He paused. "I'm not going to like this, am I?"

"Nope."

"Is it… legal? At least slightly?" asked the centaur nervously.

Holly chuckled. "What I need from you? More or less. What I'm going to do afterwards? Not even remotely."

Foaly put his head in his hands. "Gods, Holly, why do you do this to me? I swear I age a few years every time you say something like that."

"I need you to put me through to Butler at Fowl Manor," said Holly, ignoring the centaur's words.

"Why?" Foaly didn't bother hiding his suspicious tone.

"I need his help," answered Holly evasively.

"With what? Seriously, Holly, if you want my help, you need to be honest with me."

Holly's ultra-sensitive helmet mic easily picked up the elf's sigh. "Artemis got his memories back, but K'Azir's going to take them away again. I need Butler's help to get him out of here."

"Holly," started Foaly gently. "You do remember what happened in Russia, don't you? Artemis shot you. He deceived all of us, he was working with Natalya. You can't seriously be trying to help him break out of custody, can you?"

"Yes, I bloody well can!" Holly shouted back immediately. "He wasn't acting of his own volition in Russia; Natalya was controlling him. After everything he's done for us, we owe him better than this. Besides we need him to defeat Opal, you know we do."

"What has he told you?"

"Enough to satisfy me that Russia wasn't his fault."

"And you trust him?"

"With my life."

Foaly ground his teeth audibly. He was reticent to trust Artemis since the Mud Boy had almost killed Holly and seemingly been working alongside Natalya. But he trusted Holly, and if Holly trusted Artemis…

It wouldn't be the first time Artemis had pulled the wool over Holly's eyes, a voice in his head reminded him.

Well, he decided. I suppose that's risk I'll have to take. Holly's right; we need him to beat Opal.

Despite his misgivings, he knew he couldn't just give up on Artemis, not after everything the human had done for them. Not to mention that even if he did, Holly would probably just try and break him out on her own. And if she failed, and Artemis was lost to them forever, he doubted she would ever forgive him.

"Alright," he said defeatedly. "I'll put you through."

"Thanks, Foaly," beamed the elf from all the way up on the surface. If they had been in the same room, Foaly was sure she would have hugged him. He could hear it in her voice.

Secure LEP Surface Installation, Egypt

Juliet picked up on the first ring. Holly wasn't surprised – neither she or Butler had been told anything about Artemis's situation. They were probably worried sick, especially considering that Holly had promised to deliver their charge back to Fowl Manor within twenty-four hours.

Oops, she thought. Well, I only missed the deadline by four days. And at least he is still alive. It could have been worse.

"This is the Fowl Residence," said Juliet smartly, but Holly could hear that she was on edge.

"Juliet. I need to talk to your brother."

"Holly!" exclaimed the human girl. "Where in Frond's name have you been?"

The elf gulped guiltily. "Funny you should ask that…"

"What are you talking about? Is Artemis alright?"

"Well," said Holly somewhat evasively. "He is at the moment."

"Holly Short," started Juliet in tone that brooked no argument. "Give me a straight answer right now or so help me Frond-"

"Alright, alright! The LEP have arrested Artemis and they are going to mindwipe him again."

"So what? He already lost his memories." There was a pause. Holly could almost hear the gears turning in Juliet's head. "He got them back?"

"Yep."

All the way away in Ireland, Juliet grinned. "Seriously? That's great! So he remembers you now?"

Holly's hand absently strayed to her face, her finger gently touching her lower lip. Maybe it was just in her mind, but she could have sworn it was tingling a little.

"Yes," she said, resisting the urge to smile. "He definitely remembers me."

"Fantastic. And now they're going to mindwipe him?"

Holly's smile vanished. "K'Azir's just doing it out of spite. He won't listen to reason."

Juliet sighed. "Do you think maybe, one day, Artemis will be able to stay out of trouble? Actually, scratch that, we both know it'll never happen. What did he do this time?"

Holly thought about everything that had happened since she and Artemis had gone below ground. There was a lot to explain.

"It's complicated," she said eventually. "I'll explain later. Preferably when no-one is in danger of losing their memories."

Juliet hesitated. She wasn't exactly comfortable with being left in the dark, but if what Holly said was true then time was of the essence if they were going to save Artemis.

"Alright. I'll take your word for it. Give me your location and my brother and I will be there as soon as possible."

Holly read out the co-ordinates of the safe house. "Don't try and mount an attack," she added. "I'll get the Mud Boy out, trust me. I just need someone to get him clear of the area once he's out. Just… be there."

"Just be there," repeated Juliet. "Got it."

Secure LEP Surface Installation, Egypt, Five hours later

Holly stood at the window of Artemis's room, surveying the safe house's grounds. Night had fallen a few hours ago, shrouding the sandy path in darkness.

"Bravo team," she said into her helmet mic. "Are you in position?"

One of the first things Holly had done was assign everyone involved a call sign for easier communication. She and Artemis were Alpha team; the Butlers were Bravo team. Simple – even you can manage that she had quipped at Artemis, who had little time for military slang. Though the human had objected, Holly had insisted that as she was the one rescuing him, they were going to do it her way. The soldier's way. At least Butler approved.

She got a pair of affirmatives from the Butlers, confirming that they were ready. The two sat in a rented Land Rover a short distance away, waiting to receive Artemis. They had rushed to Egypt, moving into position just as soon a Butler had picked up a few things in case things got dicey. Dangerous things.

"Copy that," she said. "The package is about to be on its way. Sit tight."

"Must you, Holly?" asked Artemis in a pained voice from behind her. "The package? I am a person, not a thing. I have a name."

The elf shrugged. "I could always use your LEP codename."

Despite himself, Artemis was curious. He hadn't known that the LEP had assigned him a codename, although it made perfect sense now that he thought about it.

"Which is?"

Beneath her visor, the ghost of a smile danced across Holly's lips. "Phoenix," she answered.

Artemis made a face. "For pity's sake. I was missing. I wasn't dead. And I certainly wasn't reborn."

Holly turned to face him and gave him a playful punch on the shoulder. "Look on the bright side, it's better than your old one, before you were… missing."

"Do I even dare ask?"

"Vampire."

Artemis sighed and muttered something that might have been no respect. Holly ignored him.

"Come on, Mud Boy, no time to be indignant now. We've only got so many hours of darkness – we need to get moving."

Artemis took a steadying breath, suddenly nervous. "Remind me again what I'm supposed to do?"

The elf placed a comforting hand on her friend's arm. She knew full well that Artemis remembered exactly what he was supposed to do, but she didn't blame him for wanting her to reiterate it one more time. It was comforting going over the plan that extra time before putting it into action; she knew that well enough from experience.

"It's natural to be anxious," she said soothingly. "But you're going to be fine, you hear me? I'm not going to let anyone hurt you. I promise."

Artemis nodded, even managing a little smile. "Why would I be anxious?" he asked, raising a playful eyebrow. "Making a break for it while being shot at by a squad of heavily armed LEP commandos isn't really a big deal, when you think about it."

Holly rolled her eyes. "The corridor outside is already abandoned – I made sure – so you have a clear route to the back of the building," she continued, pretending she hadn't heard him. "You'll be able to get outside as soon as I stun the sentry. Butler and Juliet will be waiting for you. There's a reasonable amount of cover between us and them, and the darkness will only make you a more difficult target. Stay low and move fast; don't look back."

"How far?" asked Artemis, even though he knew the answer.

"Only about three hundred metres. It's as close as they could get without setting off any of the sensors."

Artemis nodded again.

Holly took his hand in hers and gave a squeeze. "Don't worry about the LEP. I'll keep them occupied. I doubt they'll even have the chance to try and shoot at you, let alone hit you."

Holly was about to give him a good luck kiss when her helmet speakers suddenly crackled into life.

"Contact! Contact!"

It took her a moment to realise that the words were coming over the channel she was sharing with the other LEP personnel stationed at the safe house.

"We have multiple contacts converging on us. Prepare to engage."

Holly frowned. Was it the Butlers? Had they dismissed her plan and decided to come and retrieve Artemis themselves? She rushed to the window to see if she could steal a glance at what was going on outside.

Out in the darkness, several figures were emerging out of the night, sprinting towards the safe house. Not the Butlers then, she reflected. But in that case, who? But then the elf looked closer at the approaching figures. They were short – fairy sized – but there was something eerily familiar about how they moved. Something unnatural. In that moment, she knew exactly what was coming at them, and exactly how much danger they were in.

She's found us. I don't know how, but somehow Opal's found us.

"Weapons free!" came a shout over her helmet speakers. Immediately the night was lit up with neutrino bursts directed at the oncoming figures. And though the laser blasts found their mark, there was no effect.

Of course there isn't. We already learnt that lesson the hard way in Russia.

The creatures were almost at the house. Holly had counted at least ten as they made their approach, and there were almost certainly more. There was no way they could fight them off in the close quarters of the safe house. In minutes, they were all dead.

"Holly?" Artemis was asking, his tone surprisingly calm. "Is there a problem?"

Holly ignored him, frantically switching coms channel. "Butler!" she screamed. "Get here! Now!"

"But you said not to-"

"Forget what I said! We're all dead if you don't get here right now."

Butler didn't need telling twice. He slammed the Land Rover into gear and stomped on the accelerator, aiming the vehicle straight at the safe house.

Back inside the safe house, Holly was already piling up what little furniture was in the room against the door. She broke off one of a leg from the table to use as a melee weapon, but she wasn't kidding herself. There was no way she would be able to take on more than one of the formers at a time. If more got through, she and Artemis were both dead.

Artemis himself was growing rather impatient. "Holly," he said. "Would you please tell me what is going on?"

The elf didn't spare him a glance, continuing to push the bed up against the door.

"The creatures from Russia are here. The formers."

The colour drained from Artemis's face. Just like Holly, he had seen first-hand the kind of devastation the formers could cause. He gestured to the now barricaded entrance.

"Shouldn't we try and help the others?" he asked uncertainly.

Holly gave a bitter laugh. "With what?" She threw her arms wide to illustrate her point. "None of my weapons work against them. There's nothing we could do apart from offer ourselves up instead, and I'm not particularly keen on that idea."

Outside, the Land Rover containing the Butlers came careering through the grounds, smashing pretty much everything in its way. One of the formers decided to switch targets to the approaching vehicle, leaping into its path with bared teeth. The front grille slammed into it at forty odd miles an hour. There was a dull thud and the creature disappeared from view.

Even as the Land Rover was skidding to a halt outside the safe house, Butler was already opening the door and diving out. He landed surprisingly nimbly for a man of his size, and immediately began appraising his surroundings. There were two short figures – fairies, presumably – dressed in tattered LEP uniforms charging at him. Butler instantly recognised the animalistic behaviour.

He deemed them a threat and responded the only way he knew how: with as much violence and aggression as humanly possible. He shifted into a combat stance and moved forward, meeting the two fairies head on. The first was dealt with a quick jab to the throat, the second was simply grabbed and launched bodily into the gravel.

Without pausing, Butler turned his attention back to the safe house. Artemis was somewhere inside, and he was in danger. It was time for him to do what he did best. But something made him hesitate. A movement out of the corner of his eye. The fairy he had jabbed was already getting up, shaking off a blow that should have left him dazed for a few hours at least.

The fairy let loose an animalistic scream and leapt at the bodyguard. Butler caught it deftly and, in a single fluid movement, slammed its head as hard as he could into the Land Rover's bonnet. The metal groaned, but fared better than the fairy's visor, which shattered. The fairy's face met a similar fate as Butler brought it down for a second impact. This time, it didn't get up.

Not bothering to inspect his handiwork, Butler immediately headed round to the back of the Land Rover, where he was joined by Juliet. He flung open the boot and grabbed the ready bag he had picked up earlier. Among other things, inside the bag was a set of clean clothes, two days of spare rations, body armour, a Heckler and Koch MP5 submachine gun, a Sig Sauer P226 handgun and several loaded magazines for each.

The bodyguard ignored everything else in the ready bag, quickly retrieved both firearms. He passed the Sig pistol to Juliet alongside its two magazines and grabbed the MP5 for himself. He slotted in one of the thirty round magazines and pulled the cocking handle back and forth, picking up the first round in the mag and depositing it in the chamber, ready to be fired. Then he pulled back the cocking handle again, this time not all the way, just to check that the shiny brass bullet was where is was supposed to be. The last thing he needed when he pulled the trigger was to hear the dead man's click as the pin went forward but had no round to fire.

"Ready," said Juliet next to him, who had just done the exact same thing with the Sig Sauer.

Butler nodded in recognition. "I'll take point," he said, and started moving towards the safe house, weapon up.

Two of the strange animal-like fairies emerged from the building, both with blood on their tattered uniforms. As soon as they saw the Butlers they screamed and charged forward.

Juliet responded instantly, dropping into a stable shooting position and dispatching the first target with a swift double-tap to the head. The fairy stayed upright for a moment before falling, as though its body had taken a moment to realise that it had two bullets buried in its skull.

Butler didn't even break his stride, he simply squeezed the MP5's trigger and fired a quick burst at his target. The 9mm rounds slammed into the fairy and stopped it dead, killing it instantly.

"Come on," said Butler, still moving forward. "We need to find Artemis."

Meanwhile, upstairs, Holly's improvised barricade wasn't holding up as well she had hoped. The elf was confident she could hear at least two formers outside the door doing their best to break into their makeshift haven. At first they had tried to throw their weight against the door to break it down, but when that had proved fruitless, they had switched to trying to simply break the door itself apart.

Even as Holly and Artemis looked on, a strong hand punched through the flimsy wood. Another followed. It wouldn't be long the formers made a hole wide enough to climb through.

"D'Arvit," muttered Holly. She turned to the human boy and hefted the table leg. "Artemis. Get behind me."

"Holly, I appreciate the sentiment but-"

"Behind me. Now!"

Artemis did as he was told, stealing a nervous glance as the door as he moved. It was already starting to come apart. They had seconds.

Holly smiled grimly. For the moment, she could only see two formers outside. She gripped the table leg. One vs two. They look like former fairies rather than humans, so they won't be as strong as the ones in Russia. I can do this. She swallowed. I'll have to, or they'll rip both of us apart.

The sound of gunfire outside rent the night. The Butlers, thought Holly. It has to be. Help is on the way. We just have to hold on…

The door gave way. The two formers leapt over the mound of furniture Holly had left in their way and dived towards the elf. Holly dashed forwards, too; she knew she was only going to have the chance to get one good strike in and she was desperate to make it count.

She swung the heavy wooden table leg with all the force she could muster, catching one of the formers in mid-air. The impact shattered the table leg, picking the former out of the air and launching it back through the hole it had just jumped through.

One down, one to go, thought Holly as she skidded to a halt and span to face the other former as it landed behind her. She dropped the useless stub of the table leg and raised her fists, dropping into a combat stance.

"Think you can take me?" she goaded. The former shrieked and launched itself at her. Holly made to duck underneath her airborne adversary, but she reacted a split-second too late. Fingers wrapped themselves around her shoulder as the former passed over her, dragging her to the ground.

The former followed up instantly, sinking a vicious punch into her chest and climbing on top of her, trapping her arms and grabbing at her neck. But instead of manically scratching at her protective uniform as in Russia, the former's fingers sought the clasps that would detach her helmet. In a heartbeat, it released them, separating Holly's uniform from her helmet.

Holly could feel panic rising in her throat like bile. They're learning! she thought wriggled one of her arms out from underneath the former's leg and aimed a punch at the monster on top of her. It was relatively weak, but it was enough it to make it shift its weight off her other arm enough to pull it free.

Now with both arms liberated, Holly tried to shove the former fairy off her, but it was too strong. Using its armoured helmet as a weapon, it sent a brutal headbutt into her chest, knocking the breath out of her. Taking advantage of her momentary incapacity, it reached out and ripped off her helmet, raising it high above them like a nutcracker. Raising it directly above Holly's now unprotected face.

Holly tried to scream, but no sound came out. She had seen this in Russia. She knew how it ended. Eyes wide with terror, the elf stared at her death.

"No!"

The shout came from Artemis. Seeing what was going to happen, the boy charged forward and attacked the former with the only weapon he had: himself. He crashed into it, sent them both tumbling across the floor. In the commotion, the creature lost its own LEP helmet.

Artemis made to get up, but the former was faster, grabbing him and smashing his head into the floor before turning its attention back to Holly. The elf was slowly getting to her feet, her body aching from the beating she had already received.

Holly gasped as she saw the former fairy's face. It was a face she recognised. She'd seen it in Russia. It was the face of the fairy that had been pulled back into the horde chasing them as they as desperately ran from the ghost town.

"No…" she breathed, not daring to believe her eyes. The face was scarred and deformed, but it was unmistakeably the same elf.

The former growled at her, ignoring her disbelief. Holly raised her hands to defend herself, but she could barely stay upright without swaying. She didn't stand a chance.

The former fairy came at her. It ducked beneath her clumsy punch, reaching out both hands and grabbing her by the lapels. Before she had time to react, it threw her backwards into the wall.

Holly groaned in pain as she made contact with the brick, the last of her desire to fight abandoning her. She watched through blurring eyes as the former strode towards her, baring its teeth.

"No," she moaned, her consciousness already ebbing away. She tried to move, but her body wouldn't obey. The former shrieked and dived on her, clawing frenziedly at her face and throat. Holly felt her skin tear; pain was immediate. She wanted to cry out, but something caught her eye. Movement by the door way.

"Not today, freak."

A rapid pair of shots rang out. Two rounds slammed into the back of the former's head. Black blood splattered over Holly, running down her face, mingling with her own blood dripping from the wounds all over face her throat and face. The former slumped onto her, lifeless. Repulsed, Holly rolled the creature off her.

Juliet was by her side immediately. "Holly! Are you alright?"

Holly considered it as she caught her breath. Everything hurt, and for some reason her magic wasn't kicking in to heal the vicious scratches all over her face. But what she said was, "Forget about me. I'm fine. Check Artemis."

Juliet turned to the boy. He was lying face down, motionless. Holly was already starting to crawl desperately towards him, murmuring his name. Recognising the elf's fear, Juliet rushed to Artemis's fallen form. She turned him over and checked for a pulse.

"He's alive," she announced. "Just dazed."

Even as she spoke, Artemis was coming around. The boy sat up and looked around groggily.

Holly breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank Frond," she muttered. If Artemis had been badly hurt, she didn't know what she would have done. She couldn't bear the thought of losing him again.

"Dom!" Juliet shouted, aiming her voice into the corridor outside. "I've got them!"

Butler's massive form appeared in the doorway a moment, the MP5 cradled in his beefy arms. A single glance told him that neither Holly or Artemis were in great shape, but he knew they probably didn't have time to wait for them to recover.

"Come on," he said in his gravelly tones. "We need to get out of here ASAP. They'll be more of those things."

As if on cue, there was a noise in the corridor behind him. The bodyguard spun and unloaded the remaining rounds in the magazine into a pair of formers. In a single fluid motion, he dropped the empty magazine and slotted in a fresh one.

"Last mag," he muttered. "Juliet?"

"One and a half left," came the response. "I'll take point." Juliet turned back to Artemis and Holly. "Come on. We have to move."

Holly ignored her. Her eyes were fixed on the mutilated corpse of the former Juliet had shot, the pain from her wounds forgotten. The look of horror on her face was only growing more pronounced.

"Holly…" Juliet was saying. "You need to-"

"I knew him," the elf interrupted, gesturing at the corpse. "He was LEP. He was in Russia with me and Artemis."

"Russia?" exclaimed Butler. "What the blazes were you doing in- actually, never mind, we'll have time for that later. Right now, we need to go."

Holly's hands were shaking and her eyes didn't leave the body, but she managed to nod.

"Artemis?" called Butler. "We're leaving."

But Artemis wasn't listening. He was staring at Holly.

"Holly," he said softly, his face white. "Holly, what have they done to you?"

The elf frowned. She raised a hand and touched her face, looking faintly surprised when it came away bloody. "I'm bleeding," she muttered to herself. She looked back at Artemis and shrugged. "It's nothing."

It was obvious from Artemis's expression that he didn't think it was nothing. "Blood," he said, as though that would explain everything.

Holly's frown deepened. "So? I've been hurt way worse than this, both of us have. My magic will kick in in a moment and I'll be fine." She looked closer at Artemis, who didn't seem at all reassured. "What's gotten into you, Mud Boy? I told you, it's no big deal."

Artemis seemed to pull himself together enough to muster a coherent sentence. "Yes, Holly, you are bleeding. But that isn't the problem." At Holly's look of confusion, he pointed at her injuries. There were streaks of black mixed into the red. "The problem is that not all that blood is yours."

Holly was starting to grow impatient. They didn't have time for this. "And?" she snapped. "It's not as if they're infec-"

She stopped talking very suddenly. Her eyes flicked to the former elf on the ground, then back to Artemis. The colour trained from her face.

"Artemis?" she whispered. "You… surely you don't think….?" One look at Artemis told her that that she had reached the conclusion that he had been pushing her towards. She looked away, feeling suddenly ill. This couldn't be right. Artemis had to be wrong, that was the only explanation. The alternative was… it was unacceptable.

Two gunshots and a dull thud from the hallway dragged Artemis's thoughts away from Holly. "We've got company!" came a shout from Juliet.

"Holly," he said, striding forwards and kneeling down so his face was level with the elf's. He laid his hands on her shoulders. "Holly, look at me."

But Holly wouldn't. She turned her head further away, trying to swallow the bile rising in her throat.

"Holly, please," Artemis continued, his eyes pleading. "We don't know for sure that those things are directly infectious. Opal might have converted him another way. Maybe he was captured or something. You might be fine."

The elf turned to meet his eyes. "And if I'm not?"

Artemis's expression hardened. "I will fix it."

Holly gave a bitterly sarcastic laugh and looked away again, trying to cover the tears in her eyes. Artemis wasn't fooled.

"I mean it, Holly," he said forcefully. "Whatever happens, whatever it takes, I will fix this."

For a few moments, there was silence, punctuated only by the odd gunshot from out in the corridor.

"Artemis…"

"Holly, look me in the eye. Do you trust me?"

Holly did as she was asked. She recognised the iron determination behind Artemis's eyes as the same that so often sat behind her own, and she knew that he would do whatever was required to help here.

"Of course," she whispered. "I always have. But…"

"There you go; that's all there is too it. No buts." He smiled at her. "Come on. We need to get to Fowl Manor immediately so I can examine you."

"Finished?" growled Butler, looking thoroughly unimpressed with them for takings so long.

Artemis straightened up. "Yes, Butler," he replied, resuming his formal manner. "Lead the way."

The bodyguard flashed his charge a look that said quite clearly that leading the way was probably going to be a lot more dangerous than it would have been a few minutes ago, but nevertheless did as he was told, escorting boy and elf out into the corridor. Juliet was waiting for them.

As it turned out, Butler needn't have worried. Their departure from the safe house ended up being largely uneventful. It seemed that the Butler siblings had successfully neutralised all of the former fairies in the immediate vicinity, and though they had no doubt that Opal would be sending reinforcements, they had yet to arrive. The party of four were not harassed by any unnatural creatures as they made their way to the abandoned Land Rover.

As they were getting in, however, a movement out in the night caught Butler's eye. One of formers, lying wounded in the sand, covered in its own freakish black blood, was trying, ever so slowly, to crawl towards them. It was a pathetic sight. Butler raised his weapon almost lazily, his eyes devoid of emotion.

Artemis followed his line of sight. "No!" he cried, a fraction of a second before Butler could squeeze the trigger.

The bodyguard turned to him, a confused expression on his face. "No?"

"I need it. Alive."

Butler frowned, but knew better than to question Artemis. He strode quickly over to the injured former and dragged it back to the Land Rover, bundling it roughly into the boot and locking it in.

As Butler drove them to where he and Juliet had landed the Fowl Learjet, they could all hear the dull thuds as it slammed its fists into the walls of its tiny metal prison. Artemis and Holly, who were sat in the back, could even make out the odd muted growl. It was unsettling, to say the least.

Eventually, Juliet could contain her curiosity no longer. "Artemis? What on Earth do you need that thing for?"

Artemis gave a grim smile. "I need to study it."

"Why?" said Juliet.

"It is vital that I ascertain exactly what those things are and how Opal is controlling them if we are to stand any chance to stopping her. Also-" Artemis shot a glance at Holly, who hadn't spoken since they had left Artemis's room. She was still looking seriously shaken. Somehow, their hands had managed to find each other on the back seat. Artemis gave Holly's a squeeze. "Never mind. I'll explain when we get back to Fowl Manor. Just know that it is of the utmost importance that I have an… intact specimen to examine."

A/N: I don't really have anything to say here, but I'd love to hear what you thought in a review :)

-Kio