Hi, this is the sequel to Holly Short: Girl On A Mission, you don't really need to read the first one before this though. I hope you enjoy it and please review to tell me what you think. Have a nice day, ;) PS I have now removed the typos from here, if you spot any please let me know thanks!
It was a dismal day on the surface, and deep in the earth's crust Commander Julius Root pounded his fists on the conference table in frustration. This was the stuff of nightmares, horror movies –the kind your mum never lets you watch but you secretly do anyway- This wasn't supposed to happen in real life! He looked at the expenditure list in front of him and silently cursed the now ex-commander Sool. It was unbelievable how much he had managed to spend on useless things in such a short space of time. I mean, who needs bathroom signs written in human English? Or carpet tiles with LEP laid into them in bright green?
Thanks to a certain giant human called Domovoi Butler and Mulch Diggums the kleptomaniac dwarf the entire building that was Police Plaza was in ruins. It had all began quite a while ago when Opal Koboi had broken out of the secure unit and had wanted revenge. She had strapped a bomb to Commander Root's chest and –so everyone had thought- blown him up. The only person who had believed otherwise was the centaur, Foaly; Foaly had sent Holly Short to rescue him and their mission had been successful. However, Root was not just going to quietly let Opal escape –he persuaded (actually that's a lie, he ordered) Holly to come with him to Italy to capture Opal in a mission that involved Halloween outfits, sweets, and most sadly, electrocution. The commander had captured Koboi, but in the process Holly had gotten electrocuted; so they flew hurriedly back to Haven where Holly was admitted to the hospital in a critical state. Everyone thought that Holly was in a coma but actually she wasn't and as she woke up Foaly declared that he loved Holly, and Holly said she liked him too! But everything wasn't perfect, and during a fight Butler had dropped a grenade on the floor and Mulch had been knocked out. When Mulch woke up he thought that the grenade was an apple and took a bite out of it; then the grenade went off and Police Plaza was blown up.
"Is there anything more that we can do Commander?" Asked Trouble Kelp tentatively.
"What do you mean is there any more we can do? Do you really think that we can do any more?" Replied Root angrily. "We have donation boxes at every entrance to the building, our officers are out rattling change buckets on every street corner, and we've got a slot on HTV News tonight to plead for extra funds!"
"It isn't working." Came Wing Commander Vinyáyá's voice from the corner where she was furiously pressing buttons on a calculator. "The way we're going we're not going to have enough gold to build up the plaza again until 500 years from now!"
"Oh my God." Root thumped his head down on the table and kept it there.
"There's always a Code D operation," suggested Foaly.
"Code D!" Bellowed the commander, raising his head in disbelief.
"A Code Desperate operation?" Echoed Vinyáyá. "It could actually work!"
"No it most certainly would not!" Intersected Root. "I'd be a laughing stock! Have you read about the last time a Code D was attempted, it was 700 years ago so I don't remember –and that's saying something!"
"Think about it Julius, about what would happen if we succeeded. You would be a national hero, and think of the gold! We don't have to tell anyone that we're attempting this –so if we fail noone will know!" Wheedled Vinyáyá, batting her eyelids.
"Hmmm, ok, but on your head be it." Said Root crossly. He was angry with himself for giving in so easily –he must have been going soft. Maybe that was a bit unlikely but there was no denying that Holly's hospitalisation had shaken him up-
"I'm going to the hospital now," Foaly said, as if he could read minds (come to think of it, he probably could. Who knows what kind of machines he had been experimenting with in that lab until it burned down?) He cantered out of the room and down the street to the busy Haven Undernational Hospital where he raced up to Holly's room.
"Good morning Holly!" He said, and got the shock of his life. Gone were the scary tubes and machines that had been present at Holly's bedside for the past few weeks. In fact even Holly was gone from the bed –she was sitting fully dressed in her LEP suit in a chair by the window- "Woah, what happened?"
"I'm fully healed." Holly smiled, jumping up and planting a kiss on Foaly's cheek. "Isn't it great?"
"Um, yeah, but maybe you should stay in hospital a few more days just in case." He replied nervously.
"Why? I thought that you of all people would be happy that I was finally getting out after all these weeks." A small pout appeared on Holly's lips.
"Yes, I am; but lots of things have happened since you were last in the LEP." Foaly stammered.
"Like what?" Holly demanded, she didn't like to left out of things.
"Well for starters the building is all bombed out…."
"I already knew that!" Holly interrupted.
"No listen, and we don't have the money to build it up again. So, I, the wonderful centaur that I am, persuaded them to attempt a Code D mission." Said Foaly.
"Code D? What's that?" Questioned Holly.
"Oh come on Holly! You can't tell me that you've never heard of a Code D operation?" Holly shook her head. "The last Code D operation was attempted over 700 years ago. Basically it says in the Book that in times of great financial need two people can attempt to win the mythical treasure of the great wizard Carlos Dientenegro, a Spanish sorcerer. According to the Book, the gold-finders have to go the Caves of Drach on the Spanish island of Majorca and complete a series of challenges to win the treasure."
"And what's that got to do with me staying here in the hospital?" Holly asked.
"You know Holly, that you are one of the LEP's greatest officers, and if you were to go back now then you would undoubtedly be chosen to go on the mission. You would surely be killed because every single one of the people who have gone on the mission before have been murdered by the cave's mysterious beasts….and I don't want that to occur, you've already been nearly taken away from me once this year –I don't want that to happen again-" the centaur said.
"That's really sweet Foaly, but you know if Police Plaza doesn't get built up again the whole of the Lower Elements population is at risk, not just the lives of two fairies, so maybe you should reconsider. Also there's no guarantee that I will be chosen," the elf replied.
"Well I guess, and you never listen to anyone anyway so I'm really wasting my breath." Sighed Foaly.
"Correct, now let's go." The twosome ran down the stairs to the exit, retracing Foaly's steps to the portakabin that was currently being used as police headquarters. As Holly came in several people began to clap, it was no secret that she had saved the commander's life. Suddenly the only other door opened and an angry voice called out "What's all the commotion?" And Commander Root's face appeared, his expression softened as he caught sight of Holly. "Holly! Great to see you, come in we have a special welcome back mission for you." Foaly rolled his eyes as his girlfriend was ushered into the conference room.
"So, have you ever heard of a Code D operation before?" Said Vinyáyá as soon as Holly sat down.
"Yes, Foaly's told me," the captain returned eagerly.
"So you know what they expect of us?" Questioned Trouble.
"Us? You mean you're coming too?" Holly said happily. It was so great to be back, and to be assigned a mission with one of her best friends as soon as she got in was heaven.
"I don't think you realise how important this is Holly. The whole of the LEP are depending on the actions of Trouble and yourself, if you fail then all of our careers are over. Not to mention the fact that the city's crime levels will soar." Wing Commander Vinyáyá replied. "Right now Foaly is trying to locate some equipment that hasn't been damaged so you can begin your mission, so all that is left to say is good luck."
A few minutes later and Trouble and Holly were all kitted out in special suits and had neutrinos hanging from their gun belts. They sat nervously in the sub and wished they hadn't been chosen (or in Trouble's case volunteered) to go on this mission. There were too many variables in an equation that was against them, but there was no going back as Trouble flew the sub away and Holly waved and blew kisses at Root, Vinyáyá, and Foaly who were there to see them off.
"Bring it on!" Holly cheered, and Trouble nodded –but on that cold autumn's day neither of them knew just what they were in for-