AN: Well, we're both still here. We didn't get swept away by the hurricane.
ASN: That could, of course, be because we live in the MOUNTAINS!
AN: Hey, everyone else was panicking. Why not join in? *looks at readers* Sorry. None of you care anyway. Here's the new chapter.
CHAPTER 12: ONE DONKEY, TO GO
California Technology Labs, "Guest Suite"
Foaly sat in his tiny cell, worried out of his mind. One of the guards had come in to inform him the mindwiping machine was geared up and ready to go. And then suddenly, both had left for no apparent reason. So, assuming they were still gone, Foaly was unguarded. Shame he still was tied up.
The door opened, light shining right into his eyes. He squinted, and was just able to make out a figure. A short figure.
"Opal, don't do this." he begged, hoping for a miracle. The figure studied him for a moment, then spoke.
"I like you hog-tied, donkey-boy."
"JULIUS!!" Foaly shouted, struggling to sit up. "How did you find me? I mean, no offense, but I'm the brains behind your brawn."
"Can the smart remarks, donkey-boy, or I'll leave you here. And don't call me Julius." Then he sighed. "We called in an expert to help us find you."
"Really? An expert in what?" Foaly asked curiously. Holly appeared and started to loosen his bonds.
"Us." she said sullenly. Foaly frowned.
"What?" he asked. He stepped out into the hallway, stretching his cramped legs, and saw the infamous Artemis Fowl leaning against the wall, his ever-present smirk firmly in place. "Oh. Him."
"Greetings to you too." Artemis said, picking up a large pack. "Shall we go?"
"Wait!" Foaly said, turning to Root. "Julius, we need to destroy the mindwiping machine."
Root nodded. "I agree. We also need to pick up Opal." He paused. "And don't call me Julius."
Foaly's shoulders drooped. "Oh, do we have to? Can't we mindwipe her?"
Root shook his head. "Sorry, donkey, mesmering or mindwiping another fairy is totally against the Book, remember?" Foaly pouted, then turned to Holly.
"Holly?"
"Sorry, Foaly, but the Commander's right." she said.
Foaly scowled, the his face lit up in an evil grin. "You know, Holly, Opal called you Julius's girlfriend."
The two fairies went bright red with anger. "Commander," Holly ground out, "Can't I make an exception?"
Root clenched his teeth. "Get in line."
The two fairies were all set to go mindwipe the pixie fairly violently, when they heard a strange sound. Artemis was laughing. Loudly.
Holly stared at the teenager. She had never seen him laugh before. Really laugh. If the situation hadn't been so infuriating, she would be heartened to see him acting so normal.
Butler, who was grinning as well, gestured to the motionless bodies of the guards. "Aren't you going to mindwipe them first?" he asked.
Taking deep breaths, the fairies calmed themselves and set to the job. After a bit, they had gotten both of the guards. "Let's go destroy the mindwiping machine before anything else happens." Butler said.
Opal was still hanging there as the group strolled in. Foaly grinned widely as he saw her.
"Oh, Opal. How do you feel? Not too good, I hope." The pixie grimaced.
"Ha, ha. Now get me out of here." she snarled. Root grinned slightly.
"For being an escaped convict, you have a lot of demands." Holly glared at the unrepentant pixie, and placed the headphones over her pointy ears. Opal just about lost it.
"You can't mindwipe me! That's going against the Book! You'll lose your magic!"
"I know," Holly said unperturbed, "That's why we'll have Artemis do it."
The pixie fainted. Artemis looked at Holly in confusion.
"Isn't that going against your morals?" he asked wryly.
"Who are you to talk about morals?" the fairy snapped back.
"Good point." Artemis said. Butler slung the unconscious fairy over his shoulder.
"Um, the machine?" Foaly reminded the crew. Both officers pulled out their blasters and set them to extra crispy. Thirty seconds later, the machine was a heap of melted metal and plastic.
"Forgive me for asking, but does anyone else think that was a little loud?" Artemis asked, peering down the hall. They all moved into the hallway cautiously. Suddenly, a gunshot rang out from the direction of the elevator. They bolted for the stairs and started pounding down them.
"Maybe we can get out before the guards can get reinforcements." Holly said as she flew down the stairs. "We mesmered most of the ground floor guards."
They banged open the fire door on the bottom level and bolted for the side door. A bullet whizzed by, blowing a hole in an office doorframe.
Immediately, Butler dropped Opal, grabbed Artemis, and tossed him into another empty office. The two fairies hustled Opal into the office, and Butler yanked one of the weapons the guards hadn't found out of its hiding place. He fired a warning shot back down the hall and leapt into the office. As he slammed the door, he saw Artemis pecking at the keys of the computer.
"What are you doing now?" Holly sputtered as she saw the Mud Boy typing away.
"I had an amazing revelation, and I'm rewriting Volume 13, Section 2." The teenage criminal let Holly chew on that for a second, then glanced up. He looked as harried as Holly had ever seen him. "What do you think I'm doing?!"
Root leaned over to Artemis. "So, Mud Boy, you've done great so far. We've broken into a top secret lab in a HUMAN city, busted out Foaly, set off every alarm you hadn't disconnected, and I can hear the pitter patter of really big feet coming this way. Somehow, I don't think Butler can handle them all."
"I have everything under control." Artemis said tightly. Holly laughed derisively, and Artemis glared at her as he jumped up and yanked down a ventilation grid, revealing the dark tunnels of the ventilation system.
"You expect us to escape through the ventilation system?!" Root exclaimed. "That's the oldest trick in the book. Even these humans will get it!"
Artemis smirked as he bent the grid slightly and stuffed it back in its hole. "I'm counting on it."