Artemis kneeled down in the wine cellar near a leaky vat and a mound of loose earth. His smile was vampire-like as he said softly, "So, it was Mister Diggums. He is the only one with no regard for fairy law, after all. Where did he strike? The stairs." He stepped lightly up the creaking staircase back to the main floor and Butler followed making no more noise than a panther.
Artemis examined hidden safe beneath a large staircase of ornately carved wood. Hidden in the paneling was a micro-keyhole no larger than a speck of dirt. The vault could have only been opened with the combination or with one of Mulch's dwarf hairs. Well, he thought, I should have updated all the vaults last year after that whole affair in the Artic; I knew Mulch could bypass my security. "It's my own fault for not improving the security last year. What did he take?"
"Mister Diggums took the watch your Father left you the day he left for Russia three years ago. He also took the LEP helmet and both bars of gold that were here but he let be your copy of the Book that is in here."
Artemis was not a very emotional boy and he never felt very sentimental toward too many things, he valued his mobile phone and laptop certainly, but he wasn't emotionally attached to either. But the watch was another story, only the barest hint of feeling crept into his voice, "We'll have to recover that, I've been meaning to have a little talk with the hairy thief anyway." Artemis continued, "No matter. I have other LEP helmets and I suppose I can stand to lose two small bars of gold. No other rooms were touched?"
"I checked every room, safe, and vault myself. Nothing else was touched but he set off the alarm in the upstairs study before leaving."
"He's a professional, I doubt that was an accident. He didn't take the Book so he wasn't working for the LEP. This was a solo job. Now, he wouldn't have gone back to the United States because he did after all make national news there and he's far too recognizable." He turned sharply to face Butler. "Get together some gear. We're going on a trip."

Holly followed the dot on her screen all the way to chute E1. It was just Holly's luck that Aquarius and an ugly dwarf (though it is rare to find any handsome one this one was particularly gruesome) disappeared into the pod. His accomplice, a short looking elf, began to charge at Holly.
"Are you getting this on screen?" she asked.
The response was the affirmative and it was more than just the voices of Foaly and Commander Root. Holly barely heard them though because it was at that moment that the pod closed and she knew that if she did not get out of the launch zone she would be trapped inside and baked by the dry heat that would soon come rolling into the space. She had narrowly avoided that experience once and she wasn't going to take that chance again.
The blast doors that were about to shut were six feet thick. Holly rolled out of the way. If it had only been that the dwarf had left with her charge and that there was an elf chasing her it wouldn't have been so bad. That is when Holly stood up from her roll and felt the tip of a weapon against her back. A reptilian voice whispered, "Don't move, elf girl."

Holly raked her brain for information; the wrong move could cost her life. In 2.3 seconds she had decided her course. She waited another ten crucial seconds, knowing she could catch the goblin off his guard. But even perfect plans don't always work. Just before she was about to do a quick turn and relieve the goblin of his weapon, he fired it. Before unconsciousness completely engulfed her, she heard the goblin tell his companion, in his reptilian voice, "Go! The LEP are coming! I hear them. I'll dispose of this one."

Artemis was in the study checking his e-mail on one of his various computers. The message read:

BSon, I'm meeting your mother in Milan in two days. When we get back to Dublin there will be a Fowl family reunion. I will be speaking to your Dean immediately and getting you pulled out of school to assist Butler with the preparations. Goodbye. /B

What followed this were three pages worth of preparations to be made, food and such to be order among other things. "This is superb. Butler, come read this. We needn't discuss a thing with the Headmaster after all. My father's taken care of it for us." Artemis printed the e-mail giving the instructions a cursory reading before handing them to Butler.

Holly tried to sit up and was restrained by the hands of at least two medi- warlocks.
"Stay down, Captain."
"That's right, miss. We just healed some fractured bones in your spine and you need to be still at least another ten minutes. Don't move."
"What happened?" asked Holly.
"You'll have to talk to Foaly or the Commander. They seem to be running the show. I think they were getting video feed."
"What about the goblin?"
"Look, Captain, we don't know anything. You'll have to wait and talk to the commander in 8 minutes."
Holly tried to turn her neck but it was sore. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Root pacing and glaring. Things were not good. Holly began to count the seconds. "Time's up." She struggled into a sitting position and when she stood up Root was standing in front of her.
Concern flickered in his eyes before the hard expression and ferocity returned. "Are you okay, Captain?"
"Yes, sir."
"Then tell me what the happened!"
"As you know I got separated from Aquarius and then we traced him to E1. A dwarf left in the pod with Aquarius and-"
"Two people in a pod?" The Commander rounded on the centaur. "Foaly, can't the pods only handle one person a piece?"
"Yes, but if the readings are right that was an extremely large flare, Aquarius isn't very large, and they didn't think there was any better choice."
"Continue, Captain."
"The dwarf's accomplice, an elf named Cronus, came at me but then some goblin came from behind and got me with a weapon. I'm not sure what it was. It reminded me of one of the weapons that came out of Koboi Labs. Did we apprehend either of them?"
"We missed the elf."
"So the goblin's here?"
"Don't say a word, Holly. He's an LEP undercover officer."
"A goblin as an officer? Sir, what about the goblin uprising last year?"
Root grimaced. "This one hasn't been in a single gang, let alone the B'wa Kell. He's never done anything worse than petty theft, and he agreed to be on video feed through an iris-cam twenty-four/seven and he invited us to tag him in case we ever suspect him of anything illegal. He's working for us now so get used to it."

"Sir, he shot me and now he's working for us?"

Foaly stepped in, "Actually he was working for us before he shot you."
"Why didn't anyone tell me any of this?"
Root took out of his trademark, noxious, fungal cigars before replying. "Because, Holly, we knew this is how you would react. Now, I admit that goblins aren't all that bright-"
Holly snorted.
Foaly grinned, "It's scientifically proven goblins don't have the cranial capacity."
Root scowled, his fingers drumming a tattoo on the blaster at his hip. "Foaly, shut-up or I'll tan your hide with this blaster. We knew that when you lost Aquarius these guys would be after him. When the boy was taken our goal was to have the goblin get Aquarius and then Captain Kelp and his squad would come and get the other two."
"You had Retrieval on my heels? Why didn't anyone tell me? Commander, you knew I'd lose Aquarius?"
"Let's face it, Holly: you aren't the best babysitter. I heard about the time you watching Captain Kelp's brother Grub when he was Aquarius's age. You let him swallow a swear toad and his head got stuck in the stairs. And yes we did have Retrieval following you. As I said before, we knew how you'd react if you found out about any of this."
"And was I supposed to get shot in the bargain?" demanded Holly, her temper and voice rising.
"No, that wasn't in the plan. We didn't want you hurt."
"You're sounding like Fowl."
"Captain! Do not compare me to that Mud Boy. Go home, you obviously need rest."
Holly consented but she knew this would under no circumstances be the end of that discussion.
When Holly was out of sight, Foaly remarked. "She is right you know. You did sound like Fowl."
"Leave me alone or you're fired, Foaly," grunted Root, taking his cigar and leaving.
Foaly grinned smugly at Root's retreating back, "That's because you know I'm right." Mouthing off to the commander was one of the perks of his job.

Holly went home and after throwing off her jumpsuit and helmet she settled down for a nice, hot bath in the slime pool. Her muscles relaxed and it felt as though she were in heaven.