Next chapter. Not really got anything to say.
Before going after Artemis, Holly contacted someone she thought Foaly might have forgotten. However she was careful to do it in her own quarters with no chance of eavesdroppers. Giving a fairy communicator to this Mud Person was definitely not legal.
The girl's curly hair appeared on the screen. "Holly?" Minerva, or Minnie as she prefered to be called, asked.
Holly gave a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness you haven't been mind-wiped," she said.
Minnie's eyes opened wide in shock. "Just what is going on down there?" she asked sharply.
"Look, Minnie," the captain said, "just listen and answer the questions. I'm breaking about fifty laws by calling you at all."
The human girl nodded suspiciously. "Go on."
"This is really important Minerva. When did you last see Artemis?"
Minnie thought for a moment. "I haven't seen him since Christmas, but I talked on the phone with him last month, and I emailed him last Monday," she said. "Why?"
"Not more recently?" Holly asked, her heart sinking. She'd hoped this was all just some big mistake.
"N-no, I don't think so," Minerva replied. She shook her golden locks in confusion. "Why?" she repeated.
Holly told her everything.
Minerva didn't say anything for about half a minute. Then she blinked. "What are we waiting for?" she asked. "Let's get moving!"
"Aren't you surprised?" Holly asked in surprise.
"Of course," Minnie said. "But being a genius, I adapt quickly." There was a dizzying change of perspective as the Italian prodigy lay the communicator down on her desk and began typing. "I'll see if I can use satellite to locate him, but that probably won't work seeing as he figured out how to duplicate Foaly's pattern-wiping last October."
"What?!" Holly cried. "But that technology's fifty years ahead of Mud Men tech!"
"Not for Artemis," Minerva said grimly. "All right, girl, go get some wings! We're going to track down Genius Boy if it kills us."
Holly saluted.