Disclaimer: The bit before medal, (or the line if you can see it) is Eoin Colfer's. The next bit is my plot, but nothing else is mine. Thank you! Please review, as this is my first fanfic, and ask if you'd like the rest of the story on here because I do have it! ;)

Half an hour later, Foaly burst into the lounge.

"Holly!" he said, wrapping a hairy arm round the elf. "I am so happy that you're alive."

"Me too, Foaly," grinned Holly.

"A little 'Hello' wouldn't hurt," said Mulch sulkily. "How are you Mulch? Long time no see, Mulch. Here's your medal Mulch."

"Oh all right," said Foaly, wrapping the other arm round the equally hairy dwarf. "Nice to see you too, Mulch, even if you did sink one of my subs. And no, no medal."

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"Hey Holly? Can we go over there a minute?" Foaly gestured over to a corner of the spacious room.

"OK."

"I know," said Mulch, "when I'm not wanted." He slouched off to lounge on a squishy chair.

"What's up?" Holly slumped in the corner tiredly.

"OK, so – remember the new design suit Commander Root was wearing?" Said Foaly excitedly.

"Yes." Replied Holly, with damp eyes. "And no, I don't know what you are bringing this up for."

"It was fireproof…."

"Would you like to expand on that?" Sniffed the elf.

"So, when the device exploded the fireproofness should have protected him. Sure – he would have been blasted off his feet and carried at least a mile down the tunnel – but there is a 50/50 chance he survived." Whispered Foaly rapidly.

"50/50 Foaly. 50 chance he survived, but 50 says he died. And he did. I saw it with my own eyes. Julius is gone, and none of your theories will bring him back." Holly's voice trembled but she held Foaly's gaze. "Anyway, wouldn't your fancy suit have shown if he was alive or not?"

"Aha, but that's the thing. The suit doesn't show if you are alive -or dead- if you're not wearing it." Smirked Foaly annoyingly.

"What do you mean, if you're not wearing it? Of course commander Root was wearing his suit before he died!"

"Was is correct. He was wearing his suit. But he hasn't died because when the box exploded the explosion blasted his suit off. So that's why my computers aren't telling me that Julius is alive. The suit isn't sending off any signals because it's just a pile of melted cam foil in E37. The device explodes, Commander Root is carried off in his suit, when he's quite far away the suit melts, leaving Commander Root suitless, frazzled, but –hopefully- alive." Foaly gasped for breath after this long speech. Holly gasped too, but for a different reason.

"So you're saying," breathed Holly, "that Commander Root is alive?"

"Now she believes me." Muttered Foaly to himself. But Holly wasn't listening; she was glancing around the room. Artemis and Butler were talking quietly, Mulch was tucking into some carrots - but on the information wall at the back a small screen caught her eye.

"Foaly," whispered the redhead urgently, "there's a magma flare due in E37 in 15 minutes! If the commander is alive, he'll get fried to a crisp! He doesn't know the flare is coming!"

"No problem for an ace Recon officer like you Holly." Replied Foaly.

"Yeah, an ace Recon officer, who, right now, is under guard for killing her commander! I need a diversion and I need one now!"

"And you're gonna get one honey! Here's the code to the Op's booth." He slipped a piece of paper into Holly's pocket. "Good luck." Foaly took one last look at Holly. "I'm with you all the way."