Whee, an action (ish) scene! This was interesting to write. Now a couple of review responses. Only ONE, actually, so you can't report me or anything.


Wing Pikepaw: Ack. A mistake. I hate mistakes. Well, I suppose they happen. Someday I'll have to go back and fix that… keyword being someday. Ugh.

Thanks to all the other reviewers!

I'm not really happy with this chapter, so I reviewed it an extra day more and just made it longer to compensate for the lateness.

Summary: Right after Holly gets a job in the LEP, she cuts her hair. Each auburn lock falling through the floor makes her think about choices, and especially their consequences. What will happen after?

Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis Fowl. Eoin Colfer does.

Haircut

Chapter Thirteen

"Alright. Do we have our basic supplies?"

There was a chorus of 'yes' from the other four. Holly nodded shortly. She was feeling a little out-of-place in the organized Recon team.

"Weapons?"

A quick rushing to pick up forgotten guns was made. Maybe not too organized.

"Permits?"

A permit was needed to be on the surface. Recon members had them by default, but there always was that clumsy member that forgot it.

"Have we done our warm-ups?"

The officers looked at each other awkwardly. Four shouted, "But I don't wanna!", and was ignored by everyone. Apparently he was like that all the time.

"Thought so. Start now."

Sighing resignedly, they started to stretch. Holly listened carefully as the leader, number One, spoke. She didn't want to miss anything. With a pang, she realized this would be her third and last day as a Recon officer. Then it'd be back to boring old Traffic.

"We're searching for Officer Shrub, number Five. Tall, dark red hair, built like a LEPRecon." He chuckled slightly. "Accompanied by one Victoria Calendula, small, light red hair, feminine. Located just a little bit off of where our pod comes out. We need both."

Number Six fell on his backside while trying to touch his toes and One ignored him.

"Our prime mission is to quietly convince the two to come back. We are not, that's ARE NOT, to get violent unless they continue to protest or get violent first." He glared in particular at number Three, who fidgeted under his hard gaze. It was obvious this group was not trained at all, which was probably why this strict leader was chosen to put them in their places.

"Now, to the pod."

The pod was one of the largest Holly had ever seen, before only being allowed out to perform the Ritual, and that was only after graduation, when the students were deemed responsible enough to use magic. Holly could still remember the day she planted her first acorn and felt the accompanying burst of magic that rushed through her. It was the happiest day of her life.

All six of them were able to fit in the pod, One and Two taking the pilot and copilot's seats, respectively. Holly was stuck with the grumbling other three, who liked to push each other (and Holly) around, just for kicks. Fun.

Not to mention when they got to the surface, they all scrambled out at once. It was a while before they were organized and ready.

One looked tired and pretty irritated. "Alright," he said again, "we're already behind schedule. I want you all in pairs, moving out in different directions. We can communicate easily with our electrical equipment," here he pointed at Foaly's devices in their ears, "and your suits have tracking devices. We'll alert you when the search is over and you have maps, so you shouldn't get lost."

He said this all quietly, but his tone of voice implied Do this right, OR ELSE!

The pairs were as follows: One and Six, Two and Five, Three and Four. The less competent were paired up with the more, so it was more or less balanced. More or less.

Two nodded at Holly. "Five." There was an empty silence, as if he was going to add replacement after.

She responded with a likewise "Two."

It was quiet between them, Two taking off into the forest and Holly following close behind. It was obvious that he and One were the most skilled at this job.

It was like that for a while, both of them silent and watching around them. It seemed like it had been forever before something happened.

A man emerged from the bushes, with a large Neutrino slung over his shoulder, and picking berries from a bush. They all froze. The man, after glancing at the Recon badges on their chests, turned around and ran.

Holly took out her gun and set it to the 'stun' option, but Two stopped her.

"We're not supposed to resort to violence, remember?"

She would've protested that stunning was not necessarily violent, but he ran off after the man they both were sure was Officer Shrub.

Two was already long gone by the time she ran up. Her hands immediately went up to activate her headphone, and she pressed one of the buttons on the back of it.

"Hello?"

There was a pause, for a moment. "Holly?"

"Foaly!" She must've pressed the button to get right to the centaur. "I lost my partner."

"Yeah, I've been watching you. He's still chasing the guy, I think. Anyway, he's moving forward pretty fast. Go north for a while, that's to your right…"

Holly continued to listen to him, moving forward as fast as possible. Suddenly, One's voice cut through Foaly.

"Two's spotted Shrub! I repeat, Shrub's been spotted! Everyone go to these coordinates…"

She switched him off, already knowing this information.

Running towards her destination, she passed by a clearing. In it were a few trees, a pretty landscape, and… a house? She stopped short and turned around.

Yes, it was a house. She could see a figure that she swore was Victoria through the window. Actually, she was positive.

Cautiously, she walked to the door and knocked. She almost knocked it down instead, but remembered the 'no violence' rule.

A pause, then Victoria opened the door, expecting to see her husband.

She was in for a right shock. When she saw Holly, she froze. Her eyes traveled to her LEP badge and she paled. When she saw the gun hanging at her hip, she screamed.

Turning to run away, Holly grabbed at her wrist.

"Holly! No violence…" Foaly's teasing voice sounded in her ear. She growled and let Victoria go.

Seeming to feel better now that she was freed, Victoria stood up straight and spoke; her voice firm and resolving.

"Where is my husband?"

Holly scowled. "Your husband, Marcus, is down in Haven worrying about you."

She glared back. "I meant Victor."

"He's currently being chased down by the rest of us."

A gasp was heard, and Victoria looked like she had no idea what to do.

"So, are you going to come back to Haven quietly?"

Victoria kept quiet, smashing her lips together like she wanted them to disappear—that way, she wouldn't have to answer Holly's question.

"I will… do what Victor decides to do."

Holly resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Then she thought twice, and actually did roll her eyes. This woman was totally dependant on her husband.

"Okay, then follow me back to the ship, at least, so we can wait for the rest of the men to come back with him."

And speak of the devil—suddenly One's voice resonated through her ear extremely loudly.

"FIVE!"

"Yessir?"

"Why aren't you with us? We had to capture Officer Shrub without you!"

"I found Victoria, sir."

A pause. For a moment, Holly thought he was actually going to congratulate her. Only for a moment, though.

"Great job, Five, you managed to find a wimpy girl." His voice dripped with sarcasm. "Bring her back to the pod area, pronto."

She tried to turn him off and messed with the buttons on the back of her speaker, but it didn't work. Instead, she had numbers one through six, excluding herself, chattering in her ear.

"Did you SEE how we took him down? It was awesome!"

"Yeah, Six, we asked him nicely to come to the pod. Amazing."

"It was! He listened to us!"

"Of course he listened to us—we had guns, he didn't!"

"It's HAVE. We HAVE guns. It's not HAD because we still have the guns now—"

"Whatever, Two."

Having given up on turning the volume down, Holly took out the piece and threw it into her pocket. She looked around to make sure Victoria was still there—she was, standing behind her and apparently trying to make herself disappear, by the way she was sinking to the ground.

They stayed like that: quiet, for a little ways longer before they reached the pod area.

She was greeted with a couple nods in her general direction—though she wasn't really sure if they were to her or Victoria.

Now was the part that they had to convince them to come down quietly, or threaten them to come down, or else.

Needless to say, it was rather easy job. Victor turned out to be an obsessive-compulsive person, and had to have everything just right—which was why he was promoted to Recon in the first place. He was also rather neurotic, and scared out of his wits when he realized him and his wife were outnumbered rather badly.

He agreed to come down immediately, and his wife reluctantly approved.

Sooner then it seemed possible; they were down in Root's office, finalizing the information.

The Commander seemed rather pleased.

"So," he said, running his finger down the list of events they gave him, "Victoria buys a small cottage from her half-brother, plans the trip with Victor, and sneaks out on the cover that he was going on a personal Recon mission." He looked over the notes. "And we have proof."

Standing up, Root fixed his commander's uniform up so he'd look presentable for the Council.

"All right, you all. I have a few things to say." He took a deep breath. "Lousy teamwork, inappropriate use of equipment, carelessness with said equipment, and overall rather pathetic for a Recon team." A growl was heard. "But somehow, by some work of some god in some place, you got the job done. I should fire you all, but then I'd have to take even more useless people as my officers." He glared at them all, a sign that they should leave.

"Oh, and Miss Short?"

She turned around, hand reaching up to her badge and taking it off, quietly placing it in the commander's outstretched hand.

It was back to boring old Traffic.

END OF CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Ok, really really rushed, but I'm gonna be away from home the whole weekend. Hope to update on Monday!