Thank you for reading and reviewing, you guys! Gives me the fuzzies, it does.

A gajillion thanks to the beta - hope your kitchen experiments are going well :)

Disclaimer: Eoin Colfer owns this series - I'm just an amateur writer, I am.

Chapter 12: Incendiary

Kuala Lumpur

There were two figures on the dark platform of a monorail station somewhere in Kuala Lumpur. One of the figures had a headscarf, which didn't look out of place in Malaysia; the other was in a jumpsuit, which would look out of place in Malaysia. But this was night, and the lights had been dimmed, and the platform was empty.

'Any news?' asked the one in the jumpsuit. The silhouette of the figure against the lights from the street below showed a hint of pointed ears. And both figures were barely a metre tall.

The one in the headscarf shook her head. 'Nothing yet. But we're keeping an eye on her.'

'Call me if anything turns up. Things will probably get worse before they get better.'

And then the fairy in the jumpsuit stepped out on to the tracks and waved to the one left on the platform. There was a shimmer, and then there was no one on the tracks.

The fairy in the headscarf descended the stairs, down into the city below.

Haven City

Haven was unusually quiet for the time of day when Holly stepped out of her apartment in her LEP uniform and the borrowed dress rolled in a bundle under her arm. The vendors along the street were conspicuously missing as she made her way down the road – on most days, there would be Clam selling his seaweed crunches and snacks, and Flora with her nettle smoothies.

Getting to Police Plaza was surprisingly easy, in light of the unrest that had spread throughout the city the night before, but Holly wasn't too bothered about it as she strolled down the main thoroughfares. There were less people to dodge, that was one good thing. And nobody was trying to throw things at her or blame her for something LEP had done – that was another good thing.

And yet…the fear and unease still hung in the air. She could almost feel, like the onset of a headache, an unfamiliar creeping sensation that one single action could shatter the peace and plunge Haven into total chaos.

Paranoid, she told herself. Everything's okay today.

The walk to Police Plaza was uneventful. Nothing out of the ordinary. She was definitely being paranoid.

Trouble Kelp was waiting in his office for her when she knocked on the door. The commander appeared to have spent the night in the LEP headquarters; there were empty cups on his desk and the coffee pot was blackened with the amount of coffee he had made during the night.

'Morning, Captain,' he said as she stood before him. 'Still worried about being attacked?' He glanced at the bundle under her arm.

'I'm dropping it off during my shift,' she replied. 'Any missions today? Or should I get out and patrol with Traffic?'

'Pretty quiet above ground.' Trouble pushed aside various cups and sighed. 'I can't say the same for here though.'

'What happened?' There was a lump in her throat. It's happening. Her hands clenched themselves into fists.

Trouble pushed the handheld computer across the desk to her. 'Take a look. One of Foaly's boys just dropped this off. He's keeping it quiet, doesn't want the Council to know.'

She picked up the device, her hands cold with dread. The computer was playing a live feed from an officer's helmet, and it was showing a sight she had hoped never to see again since the B'wa Kell uprising.

The street was on fire. Shops, homes and nearly all the buildings were engulfed in flames. As she watched, a few fairies tossed flaming bottles down the street, narrowly missing a family with children running from the fire. LEP officers could be seen trying to get these fairies to stop, but without much success. The view was somewhat jerky; the officer was probably running to stop the flames or the fairies from hurting civilians.

'Molotov cocktails,' said Trouble gravely. 'Someone's been reading about Mud Men explosives.'

'There are humans involved?' she said, horrified. 'Artemis is innocent, Commander, he wouldn't do this –'

'I didn't say it was him.' Trouble held up a hand for silence. 'I just said there might be. Foaly and his techies are presently tracking any calls that point to any signs of communication with humans.'

'I should get out there, Kelp.' She put down the computer and backed away to the door. 'They can't handle it on their own –'

'Wait, Short. There's something else you have to see.'

She took up the computer again, reluctant to continue watching, but knowing she would have to. And there, among the dull green uniform of the LEP and various shapes of civilians…were the fairies in grey. Her eyes darted across the screen, following the movements of a slim figure in grey. The view of the figure was getting bigger – the officer evidently had the same idea in mind and was going up to the fairy to speak to him or her. Holly watched as the fairy held up a hand to cover his or her face from the camera's view and darted away.

'Those vigilantes again,' said Trouble. 'I've been watching them.'

'Why doesn't Foaly want the Council to know?' she asked, handing the computer to Trouble.

'Cahartez just declared them responsible for the shooting and the recent riots.' Trouble shrugged and turned off the computer. 'I can't say the same myself – they've been helping the LEP.'

'What about the rogue officers?'

'Didn't turn up, and we can't trace them.' Trouble drummed his fingers on the desk thoughtfully. 'It's not a coincidence that all this happened at the same time, I'm thinking. Someone must have known this would happen. Those vigilantes, for one. Why are they helping?'

'Mulch hasn't reported anything,' said Holly.

'Ah yes, Diggums. Got a call from him after you left.'

'Oh?' This was odd. Why hadn't Mulch called her before he phoned the commander? He wasn't on friendly terms with Kelp, as far as she knew.

'He found out something interesting about Merrick. Apparently the fairy was illegally trading in firearms. And not just firearms – we're talking LEP weapons and equipment as well.'

'But Foaly would know.'

'Ah, but here it is – we're talking about LEP weaponry headed to the recycling smelters. Or so we thought.'

She sat down in the only other chair in the office, speechless.

'Someone didn't want Merrick to squeal,' Trouble went on. 'So they murdered him. It's all looking clearer now – oh, and coincidentally, most of Merrick's bodyguards were ex-LEP officers. Interesting, isn't it?'

'What's going on?' Holly whispered. It felt as though the world had been pulled from under her feet, and she was free-falling to the centre of the Earth. This wasn't just criminals racketeering round Haven and causing a big mess – this was LEP itself, and they were supposed to be the ones to clear up the mess.

Trouble leaned towards her and winked. 'Best keep a lid on that, Short,' he said conspiratorially. 'Foaly's really careful about who we should trust at this moment, as he doesn't want any of those involved to get the idea that we know what's going on. I want you to go out there and join the patrols, but keep your eyes open. Report to me personally if you see anything that would help us. And be wary of who you talk to – there's no knowing if the officer is on our side or theirs.'

'Who said there has to be sides?' she said slowly. 'We're LEP.'

'Ah yes, we are, but you see, Captain Short, we think that someone in LEP planned this.'

'This is like the B'wa Kell rebellion, isn't it?'

'You could say that,' said Trouble, in his normal tone of voice. 'But this revolution would probably come from within the LEP itself, so to speak.'

'Us against our own.' Holly sat there, stunned. 'We need to get Artemis out of Atlantis, Trouble. He could help us think of ways…'

Her voice faded into silence as Trouble shook his head heavily.

'Holly,' he said, somewhat hesitantly, 'the Council decided that he would be mind-wiped and granted amnesty before he would be allowed to return home.'

And then there was the feeling – far worse than the world slipping away – that she had fallen past the rabbit-hole into a Wonderland of nightmares. The only thing she could do was to sit and stare blankly at Trouble with her mouth open. Which was what she did. There was nothing for her to say.

'He's innocent,' she said hoarsely, when she finally found her voice. 'He said so himself. You saw for yourself. It's wrong enough that he's in Atlantis, but to mind-wipe him again, after all he's done for us – it's – it's – it's not fair.'

'The Council's not taking any chances, Holly.' Trouble passed a hand over his eyes, not meeting her gaze. 'The evidence showed that he wasn't guilty, but they've decided not to risk it. And with Haven in chaos…they have to decide what's best for us, even if it means that Artemis Fowl is mind-wiped.'

'He helped us! If it hadn't been for him and Butler, the B'wa Kell rebellion would have succeeded, and I wouldn't be sitting here right now talking to you! And – and – think about the other things he's done, for all of us, for Julius – '

Her voice broke into a sob as she dropped her head into her hands. Trouble stared at her, aghast.

'Holly,' he said gently, 'the Council is only doing what's best for us.'

'It's all politics,' she answered fiercely. 'You know it is.'

'Yes, but we can't do much about it now – there are fairies out there who need our help.'

'I could…I could go above ground,' she said, raising her head to look the commander in the eye. Her face had gone white, but there were no tears in her eyes. 'I could collect the evidence the Council needs and prove that he's not guilty. If you would just –'

'No.' Trouble stood up, pushing his chair back so violently that it fell over. 'No, you're not doing that.'

'You want me to find out more, and I'm doing this to help clear up the whole damn mess!'

'No, Holly, and that's my last order,' said Trouble immovably.

'But Trouble –' she pleaded.

'Commander, please, Captain. No means no. Now get yourself kitted up and get out there with the next patrol.'

'Commander, I really think Artemis doesn't deserve this.'

Trouble rounded on her, his face flushed with barely concealed emotion. 'You do what I say, Captain, and don't argue. Until I see fit for further evidence to be brought in, you will not go above ground to obtain anything!'

Holly stared at him, shock leaving her temporarily wordless. This was Trouble, her friend since she joined Recon. Why couldn't he see how much this meant to her?

And your commander, said a little voice amid her jumbled thoughts.

'Answer me, Captain!'

'Yessir.'

'And if you disobey my orders in any way, consider yourself out of LEP, you understand?'

'Yessir.'

'Get yourself out there – there're fairies in Haven, right here and now, who need you.'

'Yessir.'

'I don't like the look you're giving me, Captain. I have explicitly stated that you'll be booted out of LEP if you so much as put a toe above ground. Is that clear?'

'Yessir. Permission to speak, sir?'

'Go on then,' said Trouble, still fuming.

'I just want to say, sir, that you remind me of my former commander. He would've done the same as you in this crisis, sir.'

Trouble's face went through several expressions before it settled on awkward concern. 'Thank you, Captain,' he said gruffly. 'Anything else?'

'No sir.'

He caught the glint of tears in her eyes before she stood up and saluted to him.

'Holly!' he called, before he could register what he was going to do.

She stopped on her way to the door, her back to him.

'Permission to go above ground to obtain evidence granted, Captain. Now see that you're back with everything we need.'

She nodded, still refusing to turn around and face him.

'Don't do anything rash, Short. I'm not going to water your ferns for the next three years again. And I don't want to lose any of my officers today.'

'Yessir.'

The sound of her running feet echoed in the silent office moments after.

Atlantis maximum security penitentiary

Let the eye of the observer rest on the human boy lying on the bed in this particular cell.

The bed wasn't uncomfortable exactly – although it was far below the standard he was used to – but Artemis wasn't going to complain about it.

Lieutenant Shoal had gone off his shift hours ago; the gnome who had replaced him was a rather serious junior officer who saw no reason to speak to the prisoners. Artemis had watched him through the telescreen for half an hour before the gnome turned his back on the strange boy out of sheer embarrassment.

It feels as though I've been here for days, he mused. I wonder what excuse Butler has told Mother to explain away my absence. I could say that I met an old friend at Tara and we were too engrossed in our observations to notice the time – but she knows…

'Fowl?' said the officer from the telescreen.

Artemis sat up, facing the screen with a smile on his face. 'Yes, Corporal?'

'There's a visitor here to see you.' The officer disappeared from view, presumably to escort the visitor to the cells.

'Fowl?' said the visitor a few minutes later at his cell door. The officer remained in the walkway, where he watched the boy and his visitor intently.

Artemis stood up and smoothed his rather creased clothes. Right on time, he thought, moving to greet his visitor. 'Wing Commander Vinyáya, I presume?'

She didn't take his hand, but looked coolly at him instead. 'Councilwoman Vinyáya,' she corrected. 'You have been granted pardon by the Council and are free to go.'

He dropped his hand and nodded. 'And that is a precedent too, I take it?'

'I see that you are aware of our system,' she said. 'Perhaps you could tell me how we should proceed?'

'We would leave this place and you would escort me back to Haven, where I would be put on the earliest shuttle back to Ireland.'

Vinyáya smiled and shook her head. 'We could do that. Follow me, Fowl. There are some things I need to talk to you about.'

Artemis followed her out of the cell, with the Atlantis officer watching his every move. The occupant in the next cell had come to watch him go too.

He paused before the doorway to Opal's cell, despite Vinyáya's warning glance and the officer's frown. The pixie came to the wall, pounding soundlessly on the transparent polymer surface with her fists. Her shrieks couldn't be heard through the gap between the cells and the walkway, but Artemis could lip-read the words she was shouting to him.

'I'll get you, Fowl!' Opal yelled. Her eyes were livid with anger and madness. 'I'll get out of here and hunt you down!'

'I look forward to it,' he mouthed. It didn't matter that she couldn't hear him – Opal could read his lips as he read hers. She was driven into greater fury because of it, but she wasn't moving away from the wall all the same.

'I'll rip your guts out!' she screamed, chucking half a cardboard seahorse against the wall, where it rebounded off the hard surface and fell to pieces.

Artemis raised an eyebrow, unperturbed by her actions.

'We should leave soon,' Vinyáya murmured to him.

'I'm a genius! Remember that, Fowl! I am the greatest inventor the fairies ever had!' Opal appeared to have lost all control of herself as she kicked two of her seahorses to bits and shrieked her head off. Her arch nemesis's early release from the Atlantis penitentiary seemed to have driven her off the edge into the deep blue sea.

'I'll see you later, Opal.' Artemis grinned and waved to her. 'Nice seahorses.'

'Come on,' Vinyáya said, taking his arm. 'We don't have time to gloat.'

A/N: Monorail stations in Kuala Lumpur have elevated platforms, built over the main roads in the city and usually within the busiest areas of KL.

Molotov cocktails - kids! Do not try this at home.

Any thoughts? Ideas? Mistakes in here that I should correct? The review button is right there...your thoughts will be appreciated muchly!