Thank you very much to everyone who reviewed the previous chapter. Also thank you to everyone who has reviewed this story: harryzgurl (Rachel), Niffler41, Wing Pikepaw, xXxTroubleKelpxXx, Trouble Kelp (most especially, since you have reviewed every chapter), xXxBillieJoeisGodxXx, HIHIHIHIHIHIHIHIHI! (Bethany), and maddisonavenue.
This is the new, new chapter, because Trouble Kelp told me that it was a bit rushed, and I think so too; so here it is and I hope you like it (have I improved it or not?) Thank you please review and tell me what you think, have a nice day! ;)
Commander Root stared out the portakabin window in dismay. His path to the nearly ruined subport was blocked by masses and masses of annoying reporters who were dropping litter and flicking their cigarette ends everywhere.
"Now look here!" He roared, stepping outside.
"Ok." About fifty cameras flashed in his face.
"I want you –all of you- off the premises by the time I send out a fully-armed team to get rid of any stragglers in five minutes." Commander Root had had enough of the media for one day, and maybe longer than that.
"No can do! We know that two of your best officers are coming back from a secret mission right this second–an…em…source told us so," yelled a cameraman from the back.
Sorry Commander!" Squeaked Grub Kelp. "I didn't mean to!"
"We have a proposition Mr Root!" Called a familiar voice from the crowd.
"What? Julius sighed contemptuously.
"We know that you need money –so we'll give you it…for an exclusive interview with you, the technician, Wing Commander Vinyáyá, and the officers when they come back from the secret mission." The ugly pixie from HTV stepped forward. Julius had a dilemma. He truly hated this interfering fairy with every fibre of his being, and instinct told him to turn around and run miles in the opposite direction (if he could manage it)…but the LEP did need the money.
"Fine." Root stomped back into headquarters, YIPPEE! He had so much to look forward to!
"Now let's go!" Holly switched on the ignition. "I can't wait to get back!" She smiled happily just at the thought of presenting all the treasure to a delighted LEP.
"Shh," Trouble quietened Holly. There was a strange sounding noise coming from outside in the car park: thump thump.
"It's coming from outside." Holly opened the shuttle door a crack cautiously and peeped outside. Standing right outside the shuttle door were three humans, two of which did not look very happy. The tallest one had broad shoulders and a smirk a mile wide, the second male had very long nails at the end of his curiously thick fingers, and the third Mud person was a rather chubby lady with a twinkle in her eyes.
"LET US IN!" Human number one ordered.
"YOU STOLE OUR TREASURE!" Added number two.
"NO, LEAVE THEM ALONE!" Protested the friendly looking lady.
"Who on earth are you?" Said Holly. This was a bit random, how could these Mud Men (and lady) see the stealth shuttle. "The whole point of a stealth shuttle is to be invisible!" She thought.
"Haha!" Guffawed the second man, covering his face with his rather talon-like hands as he laughed hysterically.
"Hey hey hey! You can't just barge in here!" Trouble helped Holly to her feet.
"Oh yes we-"
Bang! Holly fired a round of shots at the two men. Trouble raised an eyebrow at her fiery face as she glowered at them.
"Sorry, I guess I'm just a bit wary." His would-be girlfriend apologized.
"Just a tad," chuckled Trouble to himself. "Holly looks better with some colour in her cheeks," he thought privately.
"Not to mention sexist." The female human who hadn't been shot commented.
"Well, if you insist!" Holly aimed at the lady.
"No no no!" The woman replied hurriedly. "It's fine thank you!"
"So why are you here anyway?" Questioned Trouble.
"Oh, it's a long story." When the two fairies raised their guns she continued. "Well a long time ago the sorcerer Carlos Dientenegro had a grudge on another wizards children, so one day he captured them and took them to his lair where he turned them into animals." The woman trembled as if reliving bad memories from a distant past.
"And what has this got to do with anything?" Trouble interrupted rudely.
"Dientenegro set the 3 creatures/humans to guard his treasure and told them that they could only be turned back into humans when he died, when the curse ended." Trouble and Holly were now enthralled. "You see, Cochiti, Rojelio, and Devante are not really monsters at all; they are us -as our curse ended when you," She gestured at Trouble "killed Carlos."
"But wait a minute, what about the treasure? Devante said that there was no treasure, and you're all here to reclaim it?" Trouble was a bit confused.
"Ah! Here's where I apologize on the behalf of my greedy brother. He couldn't bear to see the treasure he'd guarded for years taken away from him and he wanted it for himself." Cochiti looked at disgust at Devante, who, even when he was knocked out had an ugly expression on his face.
"So he told Trouble there was none so he could keep it!" Holly butted in.
"Exactly." Cochiti grimaced at Devante's actions.
"So what do we do with the treasure now?" Asked Holly. Obviously at least two of the new creatures-turned-humans wanted the gold, but then so did she. Her problems were solved however, when Cochiti replied.
"Oh you can keep it! We have no need for it, as I'm sure the café will be happy to have three new workers. Anyway, my greedy brother deserves a lesson." She smiled 'innocently' at her little try at revenge.
"Goody! Well I guess this is goodbye Cochiti." Holly smiled happily.
"Yes, hasta la vista you two, it's been nice knowing you!" And with that Cochiti grabbed her two brothers by their collars and threw them out of the shuttle, then walked down demurely and waved as the shuttle slipped off into the sunrise. "Buena suerte, good luck!"
As Trouble steered the sub into the chute he smiled as Holly's head lolled onto his shoulder in slumber. He always knew that Holly was a survivor, and just when he had given her up for dead she had returned with a treasure he thought hadn't existed and proved it.
As the shuttle zoomed into the collapsed subport an LEP Retrieval team marched into it to retrieve, not a fairy, but the treasure two brave fairies had won. The HTV pixie grabbed Holly and Trouble as soon as they emerged to tremendous applause and cheering and shoved them down the packed streets to the ramshackle HTV studio. Holly and Trouble could have laughed when they saw Root, Vinyáyá, and Foaly sitting uncomfortably under the studio lights –but seeing as they would be subjected to the same treatment in a few seconds they shut their mouths.
"Action!"
"Here I am again on HTV, this time for an underearth exclusive, Captain Holly Short and Major Trouble Kelp back from their mission! But first, Commander Root: What was their mission!"
"Boo." Commander Root thought as he multitasked, trying to listen to the ramblings of the pixie and also trying to interpret from his two officers expressionless faces whether they had got the treasure or not and get over his shock of actually seeing them alive again.
"The LEP is seriously cash strapped, so I sent my two best officers to attempt to find some mythical treasure in the Caves Of Drach in Majorca, above ground." Here Root glanced dumbfoundedly at Holly and Trouble as if he hadn't expected them to return, which, come to think of it, he hadn't.
"So tell me, what did you have to do?" She directed this question to Holly and Trouble.
"We had to complete tasks to win the treasure." Replied Holly, Trouble had always been a bit camera shy.
"I failed the third task though, but against the odds Holly found the treasure and brought it back." Trouble surprised even himself and spoke up for Holly. Commander Root's face broke into a wide grin (an event which hadn't happened since he had found out that Artemis had been successfully mind wiped.)
"Well done!" Vinyáyá exclaimed, which made Foaly's heart flutter.
"And now, the moment we've been waiting for…what is going on with technician Foaly and Wing Commander Vinyáyá? We ask the couple themselves. Can you tell us?"
Foaly slumped in his seat.
"Vinyáyá?" Questioned the pixie eagerly.
"Oh, why hide it any longer!" Vinyáyá paused and ignored Root's shocked face. "Foaly and I are in love!" She exclaimed dramatically, grabbing his hand. Foaly blushed but made no effort to pull his hand away.
"WHOOPEE!" Trouble yelled, grabbing Holly and twirling her around and around. Commander Root looked astounded and Vinyáyá and Foaly had never looked so amazed in their lives.
"This is amazing! A double romance!" Screeched the pixie as Holly and Trouble kissed. "Nobody could have expected this!" The presenter looked as if she was about to explode. "And, my special treasure-counters," here she gestured to a pile of exhausted looking sprites who were knee deep in gold; "have just told me that according to their calculations,"
"That's my line!" Thought Foaly.
"According to their calculations, thanks to Major Trouble Kelp and Captain Holly Short, the LEP now has enough money to build the headquarters of their dreams!"
"Hooray!" Yelled all the studio people, and they meant it too.
Now if this was a TV game show then a load of confetti would be billowing down from the ceiling, but it wasn't a TV game show and so Trouble and Holly did a victory dance á la Foaly, who staring lovey-dovingly into Vinyáyá's eyes, and Commander Root sat down happily with a calculator.
As he stared at the numbers on the tiny screen Commander Root was filled with happiness, he had never been this happy since…well, it was a had been a long time ago anyway. He had put all his trust in Holly and Trouble and they hadn't let him down.
"It just goes to show," he thought. "That sometimes if you believe in something and have faith in people, it does happen!"