Hey guys! Sofie's really getting a lot of attention! 150 hits, just today! It seems to me you really like her! My attention is now very much away from school and boys, [X-P] so you'll be seeing a lot more of Sofie!

Hope you like it! Btw, this chapter was inspired by Green Day's Last Night on Earth, so give it a listen while you read!

Comment, review, SUBSRIBE! TheModernChromatic is always cranking out more madness! Don't miss a bit!

Love you all! TheModernChromatic.

"Sofie!" Valor bangs on the door to my lab as I'm entering the evil little pixie's calculations, "Please come out, Sofie! You've been in there forever! I just want to talk."

"Valor," I call back, slightly annoyed, "I'm in the middle of something. Can you wait?" I continue typing out code. First, a layer of binary (8 bit) and then a little java, just to get the program right. Valor gives the door one last defeated bang and it goes silent outside my lab.

I glance over the pixie once more and find her peacefully unconscious. I almost allow myself to call her 'cute' while sleeping. Cursed estrogen... I hit the last few keys and activate the beam, having aimed it at her large, membranous forehead. Slowly, so as not to off-set the calculations, I back out of the room and close the door behind me. I'm still walking backwards when I hit a wall.

Valor is standing right behind me, looking upset with his arms crossed. "Sofie..." he trails off, looking slightly hurt. He places his hands on my arms. I tilt my head a little.

"What." I say, flatly, not hurtfully, just expressionlessly.

"You're certainly spending a lot of time in there. With out me. Alone. With Artemis."

"Valor," I look at him bluntly, "I told you, I don't need you getting involved. You'll only make the situation worse; you really don't get along with-"

"Cut your crap Sofie." He snaps. It's so painfully cold that I stop mid-sentence.

"Valor..." I look at him, hurt. "What is it with you? You've never treated me like this!"

"C'mon, Sofie. I'm not an idiot. If you think I can't see what's going on here, you're the idiot."

"Valor! What is wrong with you?"

"What's wrong with you?" He snaps back. His biting remarks went straight to me.

"I don't know what you're ranting about, but go PMS somewhere else. Unlike you, I have work to do."

"Yeah, work." He scoffs.

"What the hell are you talking about Valor?"

"You know exactly what I'm talking about. You don't spend hours at a time alone with Artemis because you're interrogating him. You aren't in there having stimulating conversations with him; in fact, I think the only 'stimulation' going on is-"

"Valor!" I cry out, finally seeing what he means, "How could you suggest I would do anything like that?"

"Beats me. How could you even stand to look at me while you're in there enjoying your prisoner? Or is this just part of the experiment?"

"Val..." I say, so painfully overwhelmed and on the verge of crying.

"Just forget it Sofie. Goodbye. I'll see you again when you realize your mistake."

And he leaves, just like that. I slump down against my lab door and rest my face on my knees. I hear the door slam behind him and that's the final straw. The tears spill over. I don't know how long this goes on, but I'm too cramped to stand when Rasta finds me. He scoops me up in his burly bear arms and begins to yell for Mama, who rushes in and adopts a broken look when she sees me. Rasta sets me on a couch in the main room and then recruits two of the beef-buffs to go find Valor 'Dead or alive'. Even River and Simon come out and help me. I unlock the lab tearily so they can feed Artemis and check on the demon pixie.

I crawl back to the couch and sit helplessly. My eyes are so dry, I simply stare at the wall, hopelessly. I've run out of tears. I've run out of hope. I've run out of desire to work. Quietly, I call attention to River, who, opposite Mama, is holding my hand.

She puts a hand on my shoulder and gives me a concerning look.

"What is it, baby?" She asks, sweetly. Even River could be kind when necessary.

I give her a sorrowful look.

"Let Artemis go."