ASN:   Hello again.  Here's the new chapter...

AN:      We're too tired to be funny tonight...

CHAPTER 7: THE BEST OF THE BEST

Operations Booth

            Butler had come in twice, relaying unrepeatable demands from Root about why they were taking so long.  It had been two hours since Holly had given up and curled up in a corner, fists protectively on top of her Neutrino.  Artemis didn't mind; he already had one of those. 

            Password incorrect.

            "I am really starting to hate that phrase." Artemis muttered under his breath.  He sat there, not moving.  He looked up suddenly. 

            "Holly, what was the name...?" he stopped and stared at the elf.  "Holly?"  He walked over to her still form, bent down and touched her lightly on the shoulder.  "Holly?"

            At his touch, the elf erupted, and he didn't see the fist until it was too late.  He fell back into the swivel chair, hand going to his nose to stop the bleeding. 

            Holly looked up.  "Huh?" she stopped, seeing the blood and the disgruntled look on his face. "Oh, sorry." she said, but the slight smile on her face told a different story. 

            "I just bet you are." he murmured.  "Now that you're awake, what was the name of Foaly's ex-girlfriend?"

            "Uh, Defea."  Holly said.  "You woke me up for that?"

            "Sorry." Artemis said, very insincerely.  He typed the name into the computer.  It obligingly let him in. 

            Holly's jaw dropped.  "That's the most horrible password I've ever heard."  Artemis was pressing his handkerchief to his nose and pointedly ignoring her comment. 

            "Now, what do you want me to do?  Or more specifically, what not to do?" he asked.

            "Don't ever wake me up again-."

            "Don't worry; I won't," Artemis interrupted.

            "-But other than that, start bringing things back on line."  Artemis grinned and started scrolling through the list of commands.  While doing so, he shrewdly pressed the DOWNLOAD button on his laptop.

            Just in time to have it almost slammed shut on his fingers. 

            "Don't." Holly growled.

            Butler walked in and saw the elf giving Artemis the evil eye, his charge's nose was bleeding-  great, she hit him again-, and he had finally broken Foaly's code. 

            "Artemis, are you all right?" he asked, concerned.  The teen nodded.

            "I'm fine, Butler, just woke the wrong fairy at the wrong time.  Oh, you can go tell Root I have the system up and running.  Things should start clearing up soon."

            "I'll tell him." Butler responded.  "Captain, you coming?"

            "Nope," she said, "I'm staying right here and keeping an eye on Mr. Nosey."

            "You don't trust me, Holly?" Artemis said with a mock frown.

            "I find it safer not to, no." she responded jeeringly.  Butler sighed deeply and walked out.  They hadn't killed each other yet, why start now?

            After an hour of Artemis manually starting everything back up, all the computer controlled systems were back on track.  Just about everything was back to normal.  Now, all they had to do was find Foaly before anything broke and couldn't be fixed. 

            "Any ideas?"  Root had given Butler and Artemis all the information he had on  Foaly, Opal, and the Mud Men who had taken her.  Artemis sat and thought.

            "Foaly never set up any precaution in case he was kidnapped?" Artemis asked.  Holly shook her head.

            "I never heard of one, neither has the Commander."

            Artemis nodded.  "Well, I suppose we could try tracing the dart manufacturers.  Find out where it came from..." 

            Root quickly vetoed that idea.  "We already tried, before the trace program went bonkers.  A dead end." 

            "I..." Suddenly Artemis stopped.  He had an odd look in his eye, one Holly and Root immediately distrusted. 

            "Yes, Mud Boy?" Holly prompted.  Artemis blinked, then looked at the fairies.

            "Does the LEP at Howler's Peak record events there?" he asked.  Root nodded. 

            "Yes, they do.  They tape the caves, the command room; they even had a camera at Koboi's tree." he paused.  "Why?"

            "Well," the teenage mastermind said, "haven't you reviewed the tape of Koboi being freed?  You did, correct?"

            Root went totally silent.  Not one word.

            "Commander?"  Holly inquired.  "Are you okay?"

            Artemis was leaning back in Foaly's swivel chair and grinning like the Cheshire Cat. 

            "And how many of the 'best and the brightest' Lower Elements Police did you assign to his recovery?" Artemis asked snidely.  "They've obviously been doing their job well."  Root turned to Holly.

            "Captain, get him out of here before I kill him.  And get us all on a shuttle to Howler's Peak."

            "Yes, sir.  Come on, Butler, Arty, let's go."

            Butler sighed, very glad he hadn't taught Artemis jujitsu yet.  Judging from the icy look in the teen's eyes, Holly would have been a three foot tall pretzel. 

ASN:   Oh, this one was really short.  Oops.  If I remember, I'll put the next chapter up tomorrow.  

AN:      *grins evilly*  Don't worry, I'll remind her.