That was officially one of the hardest AF chapters I have ever written. Don't ask why – I don't even know myself – but I've finally finished it and that's all that matters...isn't it? Hopefully chapter eighteen will be easier, and FAR longer : )

Now, here are the reasons why I have basically been more of a brick wall than a fanfiction author since December of last year:
- I travelled halfway around the world and was technologically isolated for over 6 weeks(no kidding, it was to see my Nana in the UK, and hopefully this experience will help my writing)
- My computer was banned. Actually, it still is but I'm sneakily using it anyway.
- This chapter was evil to write.

So, there are my pathetic excuses. You'll have to just bear them and read. Enjoy :)

SUPASHAKES PRIVATE LABORATORIES, HAVEN

When Holly was passed out, she remembered her fifth birthday. In her dream she was dressed in green overalls, her short auburn hair gathered into a fountain hairdo on top of her head. Her mother, Coral Short, was baking in the kitchen, free from her marine work for just a few days. The smell of cake and biscuits wafted in lazy swirls from the open kitchen door, and a hidden speaker pumped out loud party music. Holly waved her arms along to it as a pile of presents gleamed temptingly from on top of the bookcase. Holly wondered what was concealed beneath the sparkly green wrapping, and her fingers itched to open them.

'Mummy?' she called, poking her head around the kitchen door. Coral stood by the oven in a pink tank and grey tracksuit bottoms, her hands enlarged by giant silicone oven-mitts.

'Yes, honey? Are you hungry? Or do you want presents?'

Holly grinned widely at the mention of the gifts. 'Presents!'

Smiling, Coral brought down the stack from the bookshelf and put them on Holly's lap, where she stared at them like she had just been given the world. 'Can I...?'

'Of course you can! Rip in!'

Holly still remembered how she felt as the paper fell away from the presents one by one – a game and music chip, a big picture book of the surface and the sea, and a framed picture of her and Coral at a theme park they went to a few years ago. She felt euphoric, safe, at home.

But then the dream was gone, wiped away into darkness. Holly was calling for her mother, but she was walking away into her inevitable fate...

* * *

'Mum? You have got to be kidding me.' Opal Koboi swung her feet from a lab table, a pink vial in her hands. 'I was expecting you to start muttering "Artemis!" again. "Mum" is so clichéd.'

'What?' Holly asked groggily, still recovering from her vision-like dream. Too late, she realised she must have been muttering in her sleep. 'Koboi. What did you do to me?'

'I just tested a little drug I've been working on,' she waved the glass vial in her hands, pink liquid bubbling and swirling inside. 'It makes people go loopy over the people they love. Way better than the normal knockout drug.' She put on a squeaky voice, 'Artemis! Oh Artemis, I'm so sowee! I love you more than the world itself.'

'I did not say that,' Holly scowled. She knew that Opal was just toying with her, trying to make her angry. So instead of looking at the pixie, she began to observe her surroundings.

She was sitting on a dog bed in the middle of a lab, surrounded by a glowing square on the floor. It appeared there was nothing between her and the deranged pixie. No wall, no force-field, no bars. But Holly knew better. There was probably some vicious surprise waiting for her if she tried crossing the line. The actual lab was white and chrome and glass, with no windows and fluorescent lights. Blueprints and promotional posters were pinned neatly to the walls, and rows of conical flasks indicated that Opal was up to something. Judging by the pixie's tall, round-eared appearance and pink schoolgirl uniform, Holly deduced that this Opal was from the present. And as far as she was concerned, Opal had to go.

'Nice uniform,' Holly commented snarkily. 'Been kidnapping schoolgirls too?'

'Soon, you will wish you had never been born.'

'Ooooh,' Holly said sarcastically. 'Are you going to tickle me to death?'

With a screech of annoyance, Opal strode out of the room. 'You'd better watch it, Captain Short.'

Holly sighed in relief, then hooked her fingers around Artemis's present. It was about the size of half a fist. Checking it was concealed from the cameras that were dotted around the room, she pulled at the ribbon, fingers shaking. She tore at the paper to find a box inside, and in that red tissue. Buried in the tissue was a glimpse of gold, and Holly's breath caught in her throat as she tipped it out. Lying in her palm was a small, gold locket.

POLICE PLAZA, HAVEN

Mulch Diggums was having technical difficulties. He clutched two wires in his hands, weighing up the chances of him electrocuting himself. With a resigned sigh, he pressed the side of his neck and Artemis' agitated shouting filled his ears.

'... crying out loud Mulch, listen to me! You are doing it all wrong! Why can't you...'

'Shut up, mudboy! I'm trying to work here!'

An exasperated sigh fizzed in Mulch's ear. 'Working on blowing yourself up, more like.'

'Well if you're so clever, tell me what to do.'

'I have been!' Artemis protested. 'I've told you to plug the transistor node into the yellow socket, then connect...'

'In plain gnommish,' Mulch grumbled, 'none of this transistor geekspeak.' He glared at the two cables, wondering what would happen if he pressed them together. No doubt something highly painful. 'And besides, wasn't this just meant to be a small favour?'

Diggums stood in a small rectangular cave, his feet sinking into the soft brown clay. Technically, he should have felt at home in a room of lush dirt, but wires snaked around the room, buzzing with friction. Normally Mulch would be quite happy trying to cause a Haven-wide power cut, but his methods generally involved a hacksaw whereas Artemis seemed far more interested in making the task as confusing as possible.

'It is a small favour. You just aren't listening! Look, forget about it. Just meet me on the McGraney farm, one field over from Tara shuttle port.'

'No "thank you, Mulch. You're the best, Mulch"?'

'Maybe some other time,' Artemis said and terminated the call.

'Doubt it,' said Mulch and began to tunnel towards the surface.

* * *

FOWL MANOR, DUBLIN, IRELAND

Butler stretched out on the sofa, a fiction book in his hand. His eyes scanned over the pages, but he was no longer reading the words. Something was different – strange, unusual. And every fibre of his being told him it had something to do with Artemis.

Hauling himself up from the Butler-shaped dent in the cushions, he tossed aside the book and ran up the stairs. He resisted the urge to knock before entering Artemis' room, and threw the door wide open. The room was a mess – papers were scattered in irregular piles and laptops were left open with programs still running. There were only two possibilities – that Artemis had left in a hurry, or he had been taken by force. It didn't take Butler long to weigh up the probabilities.

With a final glance at Artemis's bedroom, Butler shut the door and continued reading.

MC GRANEY FARM, TARA SHUTTLE PORT

Artemis waited by the hillock which concealed Tara shuttle port for over an hour. Of course, it wasn't unusual for Mulch to be late, but he could already feel himself growing impatient. The dwarf was integral to his plan. Typically, this always seemed to be the case.

So when a furry head poked out of the soil, Artemis wasn't in the best of moods.

'Where were you?!'

'Hey, mud boy, calm.' Mulch shook off and buttoned his bum-flap. 'It was just a few minutes...'

'How many, exactly?'

Mulch checked his monometer then gulped nervously. 'Forty five minutes human time... For god's sakes Artemis, you sound like a worried housewife.'

Artemis stepped right up close to Mulch, just as the dwarf realised how tall the boy was getting. Artemis grabbed the mud covered fairy by the shoulders and stared at him through dark blue eyes. 'We have to go. Now.'

Mulch made one last attempt at a joke. 'At least you were only telling me that – for a moment I was worried you were going to kiss me.' Expecting a laugh, he was caught off balance as Artemis pinned him against the ground. As much as Mulch was used to lifting heavy objects, Artemis was a dead weight.

'You know what, Mulch?' Artemis said, his voice like ice. It was the voice he hadn't used for ages, and it felt sour in his throat. Cold, calm, unforgiving. 'I don't care if you don't want Holly to live anymore.' He stood up, keeping Mulch pinned to the ground with his foot. In one movement he brought out a neutrino, only jet black with the solar panels removed. 'This is a neutrino – only it has been modified.' He pointed to two prongs protruding from the nozzle. 'The prongs out the front act as a high-powered buzz baton. One shot is strong enough to knock someone out. The actual Neutrino has only one purpose, one setting. A five second shot is lethal. I don't want to have to use it on you.'

Artemis took the pressure off Mulch and helped him up. 'You see, Mulch, this isn't a joke. If I don't intervene, Holly WILL die.'

'How do you even know she's alive? She's been declared dead for months now.'

Artemis sheathed his weapon and showed Mulch his ring fairy communicator. 'On Boxing day I gave her a locket. Nothing special, just a nice gesture, but concealed inside it is a communicator not dissimilar to the one on my ring. Now, the second the locket were to be opened, my communicator would beep. Which is what happened about a month ago, when I was sitting in my study. If Holly had indeed burned up in the magma chute, the locket would not be able to form a solid shape, never mind send out a transmission. That's how I know she's alive. To rescue the locket, someone would have had to rescue Holly.'

Mulch gaped. 'You gave her a locket? God, you are soppy' At sight of Artemis's expression, Mulch flinched and changed the subject. 'What are you going to do?'

Artemis smiled grimly. 'We are going to break into Opal Koboi's lab.'

* * *

Ah, back into the old writing routine. Also, in honour of my imaginary 'do-something-nice-for-the-author-of-this-fanfiction-day', please review. I'm not forcing anyone but I want to reach my goal of getting 30 reviews for one chapter XD.