Hi! I hope you all enjoy this chapter, as it has all been revised. (Yay!) And thank you so much for the reviews! Keep them coming!

Chapter II

Holly re-read the note in her hand and looked around the Shuttle station. Someone had sent her a warning, someone who had a lot of information on Jon Spiro. She was to come alone and meet him or her there. What she didn't know was that she was in a lot of danger.

Across from her were several goblins standing not far from a dark hallway. They licked their eyeballs stupidly, and flew away in fear, eyes widening when they noticed her LEP badge. Holly smirked. This wouldn't be hard after all, as long as she was wearing her green LEP uniform.

Something caught her attention from the dark hallway, and she looked around cautiously, before entering the corridor. She drew her Neutrino 2000 and held it out in front of her. "Come out, now!" Holly ordered in a firm tone.

A dark figure came up behind from the elf and grabbed her. Her form went limp as she was hit over the head a moment later.

When Holly woke, she found herself tied to a chair in some sort of room. There were no windows, the door was automatic, and the walls held the appearance of steel. There was no way out, as the only door opened from the outside.

Holly grunted as she tried to loosen the bonds on her hands and feet. As dark as it was, she could make out a pair of DNA cuffs. Though metal, an alarm would go off if the temperature of the captive's hands went down below 96 degrees. Also, it scanned hourly to verify one's fingerprints. Holly's head was throbbing and it took a moment for her to see straight. She froze when she heard a groan from across the room. "Who's there?" She called.

"Holly?" Mulch crawled towards her and she smiled in relief.

"Mulch, how did you get in here?"

He rubbed his throbbing head with his handcuffed hands. "The same way you did." He said ruefully.

"Any idea where we're at?"

Mulch nodded. "Jon Spiro's place. Although, this time I have to admit, he's been doing mighty well. You should see the outside!"

Holly tried to hide a smile. Mulch always cheered her up, even if the predicaments were bad.

"Too bad Arty isn't here, he could get us out in less than twenty minutes." The dwarf said.

Holly nodded. "The only problem with that is that he wouldn't know if I didn't show up for lunch and a cup of tea. We haven't seen each other for three years."

Mulch sat back against the wall and plucked a black beetle from his beard. Holly turned away in disgust as he popped it into his mouth. "What do you think Spiro's up to now?" She asked.

Mulch with his mouth full, mumbled, "I don't know, but Haven should have known he had escaped again. I don't understand it at all. You'd think Foaly would do a better job at his job."

Holly shook her head in puzzlement, and raised her eyebrow at her friend when she noticed what state he was in. He was trying to smile innocently, but wasn't doing a very good job of it. His cheeks turned a bright red, and he ducked away from Holly's now-knowing glance.

"Mulch, you wouldn't have anything to do with this, now would you?" Holly asked, smiling pleasantly at him.

The dwarf shook his head. "Oh, no, not at all! I wouldn't have anything to do with a Jon Spiro hologram, blocking messages, or anything of the sort!"

Holly groaned. "How long ago did you do this?"

Mulch grinned nervously at the elf. "A day or so ago."

Holly tried swatting him, but the chair and handcuffs kept her from doing so.

"A good paycheck, I suppose?" She grumbled through clinched teeth.

Mulch smiled almost dreamily. "I wish. But I had better reasons." He examined his fingernails casually.

Holly cocked an eyebrow at him, now curious to see what those 'better' reasons were.

"Spiro would not only have transported all Arty's money into his bank account, but he would also kidnap you. Besides, what are friends for if they don't protect each other?" Mulch looked very proud and pleased with himself.

"And you believed him?" Holly cried in unbelief.

Mulch looked her up and down. "Well, at least Arty is still rich."

Holly shook her head helplessly.

Back at Haven, Foaly thought that Artemis actually looked distressed and a little worried. He and Holly had dealt with the criminal a few times before, and he had every right to be worried. Holly could be seriously hurt. Artemis was in deep thought when he noticed that Julius and Foaly were staring at him.

Artemis shook himself out of his daze and went through the facts they had just learned. Jon was definitely trying to get Haven. He could easily gain entrance if he kidnapped Holly and used her for ransom. Simple, but ingenious. Foaly had been wondering how he could have possibly escaped jail a week ago without anyone knowing, but Artemis had been one step ahead of the technician.

Though last century, Spiro had used a hologram to make the guards at Valley Prison still think he was there. Even Artemis had to admit that this one was nothing like any he had ever seen. As long as anyone didn't touch him, he would be safe.

Artemis sighed and looked at his watch, surprised at the late hour. He said 'goodnight' to Foaly and Julius and headed towards his room. He shut his lap top down, and dropped into the desk chair. He heard a knock at the door, and frowned at having to get up again, but opened it a minute later to reveal Butler.

"Hello, old friend. Please come in." Artemis waved him to a chair, which the manservant took. Artemis sat down across from him.

"Sorry if I woke you, but I was wondering what you plan to do about Holly." Butler began. Artemis nodded. He had been forming a plan while sitting in Foaly's office, but he needed to work out the kinks before taking it into action. "I do believe we need to give Jon Spiro what he wants." Artemis' facial expressions remained impassive as he noticed the surprise in Butler's eyes.

"If he thinks we're willing to give him the Haven, he will give us Holly and Mulch." The youth continued.

Butler looked at him questionably. "And Mulch?"

Artemis nodded and pressed his folded fingers to his lips.

"Mulch is the only one that has been known for blocking any kind of messages. I assume he, too, has been kidnapped and one way to make him work is to give him a big paycheck or kidnap his best friend, Holly."

Butler nodded, still a little astonished at how well of a theory it was.

"If my theory is correct," Artemis continued, reading his mind, "we should meet him and do a little bargaining." He smiled confidently. This wouldn't be so hard after all.

Jon Spiro's smile was similar to Artemis'. The only difference, however, was that his was full of greed. He sat in his master bedroom with his lips pressed against his clasped hands, thinking, scheming. So far his plan was falling into place. Now that he had the elf and dwarf, he wouldn't have any trouble getting what he wanted.

He ventured down the hall to the elevator. He pushed the button that read 'basement', and ascended downward. Once reaching the prisoners' room, he typed his password into the number pad beside the door. The light shone green and the door slid open.

Holly and Mulch groaned in one accord at the sight of him. Jon Spiro sat down across from Holly and steepled his fingers. If she hadn't known where she was, Holly would have thought for a moment that Spiro and Artemis looked a lot alike. Artemis' wavy black hair, sapphire-blue eyes and handsome features were nothing like Spiro's blond hair and cunning green eyes, but the mannerisms were there. Each wielded a vampire-like smile that would make even the powerful feel quivers running up and down their spine.

If only he was here now. Holly thought, then silently scolded herself. Friends trusted each other, and even after he had kidnapped her, she still felt that lingering feeling of doubt. She realized then that she still didn't trust him completely. She was drawn out of her thoughts when Jon Spiro spoke.

"Holly, how nice of you to join us! And Mulch, thank you ever so much for blocking those messages. You certainly must show me how to do it. I'm sure Artemis is all ready on our trail now. My spies tell me that he has recently had contact with Haven. He will be joining us shortly, I can assure you." Jon Spiro's pleasant smile held menace.

Mulch and Holly were both taken aback. Did this mean he was planning to capture Artemis?

Holly squirmed in her chair, trying to loosen the bonds. The rope around her waist cut into her skin, and her thin LEP uniform did little to protect it. Jon Spiro laughed at her then, it was a very wicked laugh and Holly shuddered when she met his cold, icy eyes.

He left them a minute later. The prisoners could hear his laughter all the way down the hall. When Holly was sure he was gone, she turned quickly to Mulch. "Mulch, try to find something to loosen these ropes. We need to warn Artemis."

He nodded and took a little pocket knife from his shoe that he had hidden there when he was taken captive. Mulch moved behind Holly, and started cutting through the rope around her waist and then moved to her ankles. The knife was dull, but it was the only hope they had then.

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