User:Fairfieldfencer/Sonic Meets Artemis Fowl

XOaktpdGx7Y Sonic Meets Artemis Fowl - The Plan Trailer. Sonic Meets Artemis Fowl, or Artemis Fowl: The Future Chase, is a Sonic and Artemis Fowl fan-fic about Artemis Fowl in the Sonic universe. Copyright owned by SEGA, Sonic Team, Eoin Colfer, Puffin books, 4Kids Entertainment, Archie and Dic.

In the early years of the twenty-first century, teenage criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl is off on another daring mission to find one of the greatest enemies of the fairy people. With help from a close companion, this threat travels into the future where she uses her magic to be protected by newlyweds Princess Sally Acorn and Sonic the Hedgehog. With only three days to complete their mission, Artemis and his team of heroes are going to have to work fast to bring this criminal to justice and return with her back to the past. But what does she want that can only be found in the future? And why enlist the help of the heroic Mobians residing in New Mobotropolis? Read on to find the answers...

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Author: Fair field fencer F F F

=Story=

PROLOGUE
Through the thousands of years the fairy people have lived and strived in the underground of the earth, many events and individuals have threatened to wipe them out of existence. Among those who stand out are Artemis Fowl, Irish teenage criminal mastermind, and Opal Koboi, a once genius pixie with an IQ of over three hundred.

Artemis has since been dropped as an enemy of the People, and has become a valuable ally since he first met Captain Holly Short of the Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance Division. Opal Koboi, on the other hand, has remained a constant threat to her fellow fairies.

During her lifetime, the pixie with the golden touch has founded her own company known as Koboi Laboratories and used her wealth to fund a goblin rebellion for the B'wa Kell. After that failed, she escaped arrest for a short time and managed to trap and kill the youngest full commander in LEPrecon history and blamed Captain Holly Short for it. It was later revealed that five years before this, she had captured rare animals by mesmerizing the leader of the Extinctionists known as Damon Kronski to further her magical power by extracting their naturally magical fluids and injecting them into herself.

This particular tale tells the story of how she managed to travel far into the future after she escaped imprisonment with the help of a close friend of hers. One so close to her, in fact, that you'd think them one in the same...

CHAPTER 1: DOUBLE TROUBLE
SPECIALLY CONSTRUCTED ISOLATION PRISON CUBE, MAXIMUM SECURITY PENITENTIARY, ATLANTIS, THE LOWER ELEMENTS

Opal Koboi was making yet another plea to shorten her sentence in her cell by writing a letter to a random politician. She was very displeased with her last attempt when Wing Commander Vinyáya had said she would release her, but it turned out to be a wicked trick. She had added her name to her vengeance list, which was just several names on a yellow piece of paper she had taken from the human world before her capture. Of the names only one was crossed out. That name was 'Julius Root'. The one person Opal had actually managed to get her vengeance on. But he would be far from the last if she had anything to say about it.

For the past three years she had been writing plea after plea to various members of the Council. During that time, she had been thinking over things. Thinking about how she could escape from this prison. Thinking about new plans and schemes for when she was out. And most importantly, thinking about her enemies and how she would exact her revenge on them.

The members of the Council would be sure to go. Especially that Vinyáya. Then there was the technical genius, Foaly, her school rival. She would have him dipped in the molten metal of his own creations. Then there was the dwarf called Mulch Diggums, who had helped in toppling two of her plans for world conquest. She often fantasised of tying him up in Death Valley and watching his body fry in the sun. Then there was that Holly Short with her pretty features that paled in comparison to Opal's own beauty. Oh how she loved the thought of her being thrown into a boiling pool of lava and watching her sink beneath the molten rock. And above all, that meddlesome Mud Boy, Artemis Fowl. He was the main factor in her plans failing. Opal could not even imagine a fate horrible enough to justify the human's interference in her grand plans.

Opal finished her letter and yawned. She was tired of being in this cell. Her only contact with the outside world was when the prison guards informed her that it was time for her daily meals through an old fashioned intercom. Opal reasoned that they must have spent so much money on the cell itself that they only had enough left for the intercom instead of one of the more high-tech communicators. She went over to her rather uncomfortable bed on the side of the cell. On the wall next to the bed were drawings of sea horses painted in pink, strawberry-flavoured toothpaste.

Then, just as Opal laid down her head on the cheap pillow, a feminine voice came through the intercom on the cell's wall.

'Hello?' said the voice. It was strangely familiar to Opal. She could remember hearing it before, but could not attach a face to the voice.

'Hello?' said the voice again. 'Opal Koboi? Can you hear me?'

'Yes?' said Opal, her face barely a centimetre from her pillow so as to avoid the security cameras. 'Who are you?'

'That can wait. I have hacked into the mainframe here to contact you and have shut down their recording. The simpletons will likely think it's just a malfunction. But blabbering about others' stupidity can wait. I've got an ingenious plan to help you escape from here. And you won't have to do a thing in return.'

Opal almost laughed at this. 'Let us not be reticent so early in our relationship. What do you want from me?'

'Nothing,' said the voice coolly.

'And you honestly expect me to believe that? It doesn't take a genius like me to know nothing in this world is free.'

'Oh, but by freeing you from imprisonment, I am earning a great deal. So listen carefully, Miss Koboi. Here is the plan that will set you free and allow you to start a new life. And above all, allow you to regain everything that was stolen from you on the day Artemis Fowl came into your life.'

Opal listened intently to the voice. Her plan was great, evil and sneaky, with just a touch of vengeance as well. Opal smiled when the voice finished telling her the plan. This girl was so evil, that they could have been related.

FOWL MANOR, DUBLIN, IRELAND

Fowl Manor has served as the estate and home of the Fowl family for the past six centuries since it was first built by Lord Hugh Fowl in the 1400s. It has been remodelled and refurbished several times in its existence until it became a stately manor. In recent years, it has occasionally been used as a battle ground by the third latest member of the Fowl line, for fights between either high-tech fairies or dim-witted criminals. Though only one other member of the Fowl family is aware of this, and even she doesn't fully know what has been going on for the last five years.

Fowl Manor, with its expensive decor and lavish garden, currently houses five Fowls and one bodyguard who could easily count for three of them.

One of these Fowls currently sat in his study facing a computer screen with his designer jacket over his chair, and his midnight onyx tie hanging loosely around his neck.

Artemis Fowl II had been racking his significantly large brain ever since he had returned from a trip eight years into the past a few months earlier. That excursion had been to save Artemis's mother, Angeline, who had apparently been infected with a new kind of disease. But it had turned out that going back into the past had caused the disease by creating a time paradox. When Artemis and LEPrecon Captain Holly Short had themselves returned from the past through a time stream, they had brought with them the past version of Opal Koboi, the LEP's most wanted fairy.

Artemis and Holly had dealt with her twice before, but never with the powers she had given herself almost a decade ago. They had barely made it out alive. Opal's new powers included an extreme version of the fairy mesmer, that allowed her to completely control a person's body, and she had done just that to Angeline Fowl to give her the symptoms of the aforementioned illness.

Once Opal's trip to the present had been revealed, she had stolen Holly's standard issue LEPrecon suit, which had highly advanced technology woven into it. Opal Koboi was now using this technology to evade the LEP.

Artemis had dedicated himself to tracking down the past Opal and sending her back to her home time. The walls of his study were plastered with pictures of the village of Duncade and the area around it where she had escaped. Computer monitors were kept on twenty-four hours a day, showing Lower Elements Police reports of surveillance sweeps, illegal satellite footage and news websites should Opal accidentally give herself away. It hadn't looked like this since his father had been thought dead in Russia. But Artemis doubted any of the equipment he was using would help yield the critical results needed, just as he had when his father was missing.

Artemis was currently working on an energy tracking program that could locate Opal's unique magical signature. Once it was complete, Artemis was going to hook it up to hidden LEP trackers referred to as 'Scopes' placed on American communications satellites and it would lead them straight to Opal. But there was one slight hiccup in that plan.

The problem was that Opal's magical abilities came from the bodily fluids and liquidised body parts of endangered animals that either boosted her own powers or gave her completely new ones. Well, they were endangered eight years ago, but now they were extinct. All Artemis had was the brain fluid of a silky sifaka lemur called Jayjay. He was the only remaining silky sifaka lemur and was also the last animal Opal needed to become virtually omnipotent, but Artemis had managed to keep Opal away from him and Jayjay was now in the hands of the fairy people. If there were common similarities among the natural magic in the animal's brain fluid that matched the others, Artemis would be able to use that for his energy-tracking program. But he hadn't been able to find any yet, so Artemis was as stuck in square one as an elephant playing hopscotch.

Artemis got up from his chair and grabbed some new notes he'd just printed and tacked them to his wall with all the others. These notes were all written in a language Artemis himself had created to make sure no one else could read it and steal his ideas. This language he'd made corresponded with the Eternity Code he had created a few years earlier. Back then the language had been only been words spoken aloud and could not be applied to paper, but Artemis decided to match them together since it would take up less thinking time. Time he needed to dedicate to more important things.

Just as Artemis was ready to call it a day and was about to press his finger on the computer's shut down button, a new window opened up showing the long face of Artemis's old companion, Foaly.

Foaly was possibly the only person working harder on finding Opal than Artemis. He was a paranoid centaur and the LEP's technical consultant. The centaur was the main reason the humans had not yet discovered the existence of fairies, with the exception of four who knew everything about them. Despite all his genius and efforts, Foaly felt at as much a loss as Artemis did. Opal had managed to steal the centaur's own inventions installed in Holly's LEPrecon suit, and was using it to avoid detection from Foaly and every other officer under the world. So he'd felt a little responsible for Opal's escape.

Foaly had taken to calling Artemis practically every day in case he'd had any new ideas on how to prevent the present Opal from escaping her specially constructed cell. This, adding to his arrogance and love for sarcasm, had made the centaur an even greater annoyance than he usually was.

'Your brain thought up any new ideas, Mud Boy?' the centaur asked.

'It's nice to see you too, Foaly,' Artemis replied.

'Sorry for the lack of courtesy. It's nice to see you again, Artemis. Now, any new ideas how Opal's past self could spring her?'

'As I have said repeatedly, Foaly, if I think of something new, you will be the first to know. The men on security detail have all had thorough background checks, and not one of them has any link to Opal Koboi. The cell is state of the art and the only way you could get into the prison itself where Opal is being held would be with a nuclear warhead. I have had many ideas on how Opal could escape from her cell, and each one of them is even more implausible than the last. Have there been any signs of the past Opal?'

Foaly shook his head. 'We've caught no sign of her. She's even managed to block any system in the suit I could use to track her. It might take another few months before we catch her. I'll tell you, Artemis, the longer Opal's out there, the longer she has to think about her next move.'

'She is but one exceptional brain that has to live on the run. We are two highly resourceful genii who have out-smarted her before. And this Opal has no idea what we are capable of, so we have an advantage in that respect.'

'Tell yourself that often, do you?' Foaly quipped. 'But on a more serious note, Artemis, we've had a break-through down here. After Opal was arrested, we were able to get a warrant to search her home and all her computer files. We managed to find her journal amongst them and we've finally been able to crack it!'

'After three years?' Artemis exclaimed.

'Don't sound so surprised. Opal encrypted her journal with some sort of unique code I've never seen before. I expected it to take centuries to crack, but it looks like we caught a lucky break.'

'That's what astonishes me,' said Artemis, frankly. 'No offence, Foaly, but I seriously doubt an entire division of computer hackers could have cracked the journal if not for your "lucky break." Anything interesting?'

'Plenty. Opal made dozens of illegal experiments to further her wealth and power. There's a lot on here about the animal fluids too, so I'll send that over to you for your tracker. It should help a lot. I think that's all an impressionable mind such as yours should see though. Some of the things Opal went to... She even had a group of greedy elfin warlocks send a probe into the future to see the outcome of her plans and inventions. But apparently the warlocks were inexperienced in time travel and it landed way off course. Like, twelve thousand years into the future. Frond knows what might have happened if it worked and she managed to outsmart us all during the B'wa Kell rebellion. She would probably be queen of the world right now.'

That image sent a shiver down Artemis's spine. Mainly because there was every chance of it becoming a reality right now.

'Mulch sends his regards, but the stink he left behind will stay with me. Oh, and Holly told me to say happy birthday to you,' blurted out Foaly.

'It's a week late in coming, but tell her and Mulch thank you. How is Holly fairing?'

'She received her punishment from Commander Kelp for the time-travel incident, but it got cut short because of another Opal being on the loose.'

Artemis nodded. It was wise to pull every available officer in to look out for Opal's past self.

'What about your little side-project?' Foaly asked suddenly. 'Is it finished yet? I've got a bet going with one of my techies if you can actually finish it. Anyone with a good brain would bet on Artemis Fowl. So, naturally, my money's on you, Mud Boy. Don't let me down, now.'

'I won't. Give my regards to Caballine. And Mulch. Tell him Butler says hello too.'

'Don't worry. I will,' said Foaly, and terminated the link.

OPERATIONS' BOOTH, POLICE PLAZA, HAVEN, THE LOWER ELEMENTS

Foaly terminated the link. He then consulted his moonometer and realised it was time to head home. Foaly packed up his gear, stowed away his tinfoil hat that hid his brain waves from prying human intelligence agencies, and headed out of the Operations' booth of Police Plaza.

Usually it would take about five minutes to get from the Operations' booth to the parking lot, but security had been beefed up and it now took fifteen minutes to get through all the security equipment.

Haven's Police Plaza for the Lower Elements Police was currently on full alert because of Artemis Fowl and Holly Short's trip eight years into the past three months earlier. Everybody working in Police Plaza had been subject to background checks to see if they had any connection to Koboi and regular DNA analyses. No one was allowed in further than the front door without a key-card and the pass code. The LEP weren't taking any chances of someone sneaking in and finding a way of releasing Opal. Though she was kept in Atlantis and not Haven, the LEP had schematics of her cell and maintained constant watch over Opal from the Operations' booth. And it was highly possible that the past version of the genius pixie could think up of some way of freeing the present Opal from Police Plaza that no one else had. That thought alone was enough to terrify the higher-ups of the LEP.

After struggling through the crowds of people heading into Police Plaza to either complain about the recent goblin lootings or the swear toad infestation, Foaly exited through the main entrance and made his way to his personally manufactured MagnaCar.

Previously, fairies had travelled around in cars powered by magnastrips on the roads of Haven. The cars had thin pieces of metal built into the bottom, which absorbed energy from the magnastrips and allowed the cars to be pulled along by them to get the drivers to their destination.

But Foaly, as usual, had come up with an even more efficient way of getting around that used less energy. Using electromagnets built into the bottom of the new MagnaCars, Foaly was able to make to them fly in the air by reversing the polarity of the magnastrips lying on the roads of Haven so they both were on the same frequency, making them repel each other. Foaly then added a nuclear engine that allowed the MagnaCars to be moved forwards and backwards and allowed them to be turned. The newer models with retractable roofs were constantly being snatched up by fairy jocks, though this was not a very sensible option. Because they had been told that the magnets were extremely sensitive due to their power, goblins had been leaving tiny magnets on the roads so as to upset the magnetic fields and make many a said jock get thrown out of their cars. They then threatened said jock at fire-ball point and either robbed him or stole parts from the car to sell in the back-alleys.

Foaly walked out of Police Plaza to the parking lot where he had left his fine invention, only to find the hood of it opened with missing engine parts. Someone had somehow managed to bypass the finger print activated start button for the car and had opened up the hood and stole some of the more essential engine parts. No doubt to sell them on the black market for a fine price.

Foaly stowed his shocked surprise and sighed at the sight of his beloved invention and walked over to get a closer look. Burn marks surrounded a melted hole where the finger print scanner had once been. The only answer Foaly's intellectual brain could think of was that goblins had somehow burned through the finger print scanner, and then hot-wired the car to open the hood. But that was impossible. Goblins barely had enough brain power to light a Glow Cube. Hot-wiring a MagnaCar was way beyond their intellectual capacity.

Foaly quickly took a look around to see if any of the goblins might still be around looking to rob the car's owner, but he instead saw a free taxi driving nearby.

'Taxi! Taxi!' Foaly yelled out.

The cab pulled out to the side-walk and Foaly got in. He hated having to take taxis, or any car that had not been personally designed for a centaur. There wasn't any room for him to sit down, so he could only lean against the seats with both seat-belts strapped around him to keep his large horse body secure. One time he had to share a taxi with a dwarf who was coming home from a busy day in the tunnels and had forgot to release the air he swallowed while digesting through all the clay in the mines. The taxi had flown over a magnet on the road, and Foaly had bumped into the dwarf's stomach. It had taken the centaur a month to get the smell out of his lab coat, and the taxi driver several months before he could get another customer.

Foaly fastened the two seatbelts around his front and hind quarters, tried to get in the most comfortable position possible for him and then told the driver where he wanted to go.

'I swear things are getting worse around here,' said Foaly, making conversation with the taxi driver. Although her face was out of sight, Foaly could tell the driver was a girl by the long hair sticking out of the back of her baseball cap and feminine hands on the wheel.

'Goblins have even worked up the nerve to steal car parts not two miles from Police Plaza,' continued Foaly. 'And they're getting smarter, if you can believe that.'

'Things can only get better and improve,' said the taxi driver. 'Look around! Who would have thought eight years ago that Haven would have such wonderful mechanisms and gadgets like there are today?'

'Oh, they are wonderful. I designed most of them. Pure genius. The Council should really be giving me a better budget for-' Foaly stopped mid-sentence after realising something. 'Eight years ago? Pretty odd number. People usually say ten or five. But you said eight. Something important for you happen eight years ago?'

'You never miss a trick, do you, Foaly?' said the taxi driver, and turned around to show her face. The face of the past Opal Koboi.

'Opal!?' exclaimed Foaly. 'What are you doing driving a cab? Insane-genius-bent-on-world-domination not paying the bills?'

Opal let out a shrill laugh like a harpy at the joke. 'You always did have a sharp wit about you, Foaly.'

While Opal was talking, Foaly was trying to open the door, but it was locked and the windows couldn't be wound down.

'Like my little taxi, Foaly? I modified it just for you,' said Opal in a dreamy little girl voice.

'Well if that's true, then you could have at least put in more comfortable seats,' said Foaly.

'Oh, but they are comfortable. Why, you could sleep like a baby on them,' said Opal, and pressed a button on a hidden control panel.

A window came up from behind her seat, cutting off all access to the passenger section. Hidden pipes were then activated and a special mixture of sleeping gas and fairy anesthetic that, while non-lethal, would leave Foaly in a comatose state was emitted.

'Nighty, night,' said Opal. Once the centaur had been knocked out cold, Opal dragged him from the taxi and dumped him on a side-walk, which was no small effort as the centaur was over twice her own weight.

'Phase One complete. Now on to Phase Two,' said Opal with a devious smile on her face as she drove off.

CHAPTER 2: ALL THINGS SHORT AND BRILL
KOBOI LABORATORIES, EAST BANK, HAVEN CITY

Koboi Laboratories, once a company that supplied consumer products and advanced weapons to the Lower Elements, now lay in Haven's East Bank, waiting to be renovated into something new.

A hotel company currently had their eyes on the place, though it didn't have the kind of view tourists paid for. Eight stories of rooms and departments and all you could look at was the surrounding half a mile of granite.

Captain Holly Short of LEPrecon was in the front of an LEP MagnaVan escorting two prisoners, convicted of assisting in the attempted exposure of the People and illegal animal fluid harvesting, to the old Koboi Labs.

Usually, Holly's job was to go up to the surface and locate fairies that had illegally travelled to the humans' domain and then let LEPretrieval do the rest of the dirty work. But with a past version of Opal Koboi on the loose with powers no normal fairy should have, every available officer was being pulled to check out possible sightings or leads.

Recently, the infamous Brill brothers who had helped free Opal Koboi from the J. Argon Clinic and served as her assistants had revealed there to be a secret laboratory hidden in the old Koboi Labs building with research on the illegal animal fluids Koboi had been harvesting hidden on a chip. After a team of investigators had been sent to confirm their story, the Brills made a deal to get the LEP into the lab for six months off their appointed sentence.

So now Holly was escorting them in a MagnaVan with the recently promoted Captain Grub Kelp. Many a fairy had lost money over that one. Including Holly.

Grub was the brother to Commander Trouble Kelp, a decorated officer who more than deserved to lead LEPrecon. Grub, however, was... Well, pretty much the opposite of his brother. Nowhere near his level of bravery, and certainly not a born leader.

Rumour had it that Commander Kelp had only promoted his brother to bring him closer to a desk job when he became a major, just the type of occupation Grub was suited for. Plus, it got him out of action, which worked seeing as it wasn't Grub's strong point. Nagging and whining were what he was suited for, along with making complaints about the tiniest flaws caused to his possessions during work hours. Today it was his helmet.

'It's too tight,' said Grub. 'It's all these new features they put in. No room for the blood to circulate. It's been giving me terrible headaches.'

Holly sighed. Five more minutes talking to Grub and she'd have a migraine of her own.

Holly drove up to Koboi Labs and parked in an unmarked space. The building was a sorry sight. The Council hadn't been willing to renovate it until every last area in the facility was secured. Opal was a genius, and there was no telling what surprises she'd kept in there for intruders.

Holly and Grub went around to the back of the MagnaVan and opened the double doors. Two pixies were inside. Their names were Mervall and Descant Brill, the infamous Brill brothers who had helped Opal obtain her illegal powers years ago and almost take over the world by exposing the People to the humans.

They were serving fifty years in prison. It hadn't suited them. Many of the crooks down at the Haven Penitentiary hadn't been too pleased to find that two of their fellow in-mates had almost killed them all by helping Opal Koboi. It had been rough for them, and pixie skulls were delicate. One good whack and they could be on the happy train to loony land, or possibly riding the hearse to their recycling ceremony.

The Brills were desperate to be out of prison. That much was obvious by them taking a meager six months off their sentences. So Holly and Grub had to be on their toes. And while Grub hadn't been on his toes in so long that his feet ached whenever he had to reach up for something high, Holly made sure she was always at the ready. Pixies were clever and formidable when determined, and not to be underestimated.

Holly and Grub took out their new Neutrino 3000s and set them to level one, or lights out as the guys in LEPretrieval called it, to let the Brills know not to try anything.

So, with guns to the backs of the Brills, the four of them stepped into Koboi Labs.

It had become destitute without proper care. Major work would have to be done on the wiring to make sure a guest wouldn't accidentally activate the building's self-destruct system while flicking through the channels. A lot of work had to be done on everything, but the Council was willing to give grants to whoever renovated the facility seeing as it could be a potential danger to the public.

'Brings back memories, don't it, bruv?' said Scant, his head low and hands secured in cuffs.

'Yeah,' agreed Merv, who was the same. 'Doing the devil's work, ghastly working conditions, Opal screaming at us day and night.'

'Happy days.'

They stopped when they'd reached the west wing of the facility. Holly lifted up her visor and looked Mervall Brill squarely in the eye.

'Where to from here?' she asked.

'Down that corridor on the left, then stop when you see the first broken computer interface,' said Merv.

'No, the second,' piped up Scant.

'No, it was the first. When you pressed the second, it led to a sewer filled with swear toads Opal was experimenting on. I'd never heard such bad language in my life before that day. Well, maybe when you blurted out Miss Koboi's ankles looked chubby. That was a really bad move, bruv.'

'I was under a lot of pressure!' protested Scant.

'Stow it, the both of you,' said Holly. 'There'll be no delay tactics so you can think of more ways to escape while I'm around. Now move.'

She emphasized her point with a light shove of her Neutrino to their backs, and the Brills walked forward until they came to the aforementioned computer panel.

It was built into the wall with three keys of Gnommish missing and a piece of paper stuck to it with the word 'Malfunctioning' printed on it.

Merv ignored the piece of paper and typed in a few commands on the broken keys and then placed one pixie hand on the computer interface's screen, which then scanned his palm and finger prints.

A secret door then slid back, revealing a dark room.

'You're sure this isn't the one with the swear toads?' asked Grub. 'Those things can really hurt if they bite, not to mention offend.'

Ignoring her comrade, Holly ordered the Brills to move forward.

The lab was not much different from the rest of the facility. All broken down and degrading.

Holly could spy a few modified Softnose lasers on a workbench. Opal had teamed up with the treacherous and insane Briar Cudgeon to arm the major goblin gang known as the B'wa Kell with these weapons to terrorise the city and then betray them for their own benefit. In order to keep the operation secret, they had to steal human-made batteries instead of making their own power sources for the Softnoses.

Holly smiled fondly at the memory of the event. It was the first time she'd been beside Artemis Fowl as an ally and not an enemy. It was unbelievable to think she'd made friends with him. Though perhaps not the best of friends. Past experiences would probably never allow something like that to happen.

'Where's this chip?' asked Holly.

'It's sealed in a draw in that desk,' said Merv, pointing to a table with a computer on it. 'The draw's locked. You have to put in a password on the computer to open it.'

'How do we do that?' asked Holly, while Grub busied himself cleaning a spot of dirt off his handgun.

'There's a ghost drive on the system. Go to it, and you'll see an area where you can enter the password.'

'Are there any traps we should worry about?'

'Yes. The drawer won't open until five seconds after you've put in the password. By then, you need get at least five feet away from the drawer. When it opens, anybody standing within five feet gets blasted by lasers.'

'Lasers?' asked Grub with a touch of fear in his voice. 'Where?'

'You see those little black domes on the ceiling?' said Merv. 'The ones that look like security cameras?'

'Yeah.'

'Well, they ain't.'

Holly nodded. Hidden in plain sight. That was just cunning enough to be Opal's work.

'Captain, keep your weapon on the convicts, if you're quite done cleaning it.'

Grub sensed Holly's tone of hostility, and he quickly aimed his new Neutrino at Merv and Scant.

With the twins covered, Holly sat down at the desk.

'What's the password?'

'It's a series of numbers,' said Scant. 'Opal's birthday, the Haven area code, and how much Opal is worth. Was worth.'

Holly put in all these numbers and then hurriedly rush away once she'd pressed the confirm button.

After five seconds, the drawer stayed shut, and then the computer monitor brought up a new window with a flat neon green line against a black background. Then, a voice came from the computer, and the line started jumping erratically.

'Voice authentication requested,' said the computer in a feminine voice commonly used for consumer help-lines.

'Voice authentication?' dim-wittedly asked Grub. 'What's she talking about?'

Holly quickly jumped on top of Grub, and the force sent them both flying underneath the desk. This was lucky, as the laser system the Brill brothers had pointed out had activated the moment Grub's voice had been diagnosed as unrecognised, meaning he was intruder.

The desk would provide them with cover for now, but they needed a strategy to get them out of the situation before it was reduced to so much melted plastic.

Meanwhile, the Brills were trying to get over to the workbench where the Softnose was without getting a hole burned through them. They could use the gun to blast away the titanium chains that were keeping the cuffs together.

Holly turned to her comrade, his body shaking so fast it was as if he'd just consumed ten bags of sugar, thirteen bottles of coca cola and fifteen cups of coffee to finish.

'We've got to do something quick!' Holly yelled at him over the laser fire.

'You're the experienced one!' hollered back Grub. 'You think of something!'

'We're both captains, for Frond's sake. Surely you have an idea, or aren't you worthy of the acorns on your chest? You know what, that was a dumb question.'

Grub's shaking stopped instantly, just as Holly knew it would. Grub was never unable to defend his pride.

'I am too! I went through the procedure just like you did! I was even outnumbered.'

'Pull the other one!' said Holly while aiming her handgun at the nearest Brill. She couldn't allow them to escape.

'It's true!' butted in Grub, disrupting her concentration. 'I was up against four. I shot one with a paintball just like you're supposed to, and I was promoted.'

Holly let a warning shot fly at Mervall Brill before replying. 'How can you have only shot one and be promoted?'

'He was the leader. Those are the new rules. Shoot one, and they all go down.'

Of course! If Holly shot one of the lasers, the neutrino charge could run through the defensive grid and fry it. She'd have to be quick though. The moment the lasers were open to her, she was open to them.

She quickly poked her head out from underneath the desk. The closest laser was about a foot away from them. Holly had her computer target it and got ready to fire. The lasers struck every two point five seconds, so she had less than three seconds to shoot it and duck out of harm's way.

'Grub, I've got a plan.'

'Oh, good for you,' said Grub, sarcasm poking through the fear.

'But I'm going to need your help. I'm going to shoot the closest turret and overload the system. The moment I take the shot, you pull me back under the desk. Mess up and I will spend my entire afterlife haunting you until the day you don't quiver at the sight of a spider.'

Grub paled. That was a long time.

Holly swallowed her distress and gripped her handgun firmly. She pulled a chair under the desk and tossed on its side with Grub supporting it.

After she got her nerves straight and a laser fired, she kicked her legs at the chair, sending her out from safety and wide into the open. Within a second, she took the shot, and then Grub pulled her back underneath the desk.

A laser had hit her head, but her helmet had saved her on that occasion. Electrical sparks played about the laser, but they didn't carry on to the rest. Now it was Holly's turn to pale. Her plan had failed.

Merv and Scant were now free of their handcuffs and laughing like crazy.

'Ha ha! Nice try, Short-stuff!' cried out Scant.

Four things happened all at once. Holly lost her temper at being called 'Short-stuff,' fired a single shot at Scant that missed, the computer registered Scant's voice as friendly, shutting down the laser system, and then opened the drawer containing the computer chip.

Holly and Grub got out from under the desk, murder sparking in their eyes and Merv and Scant's laughter fled them.

Holly and Grub advanced on them weapons drawn. They could still be dangerous now that their hands were free.

The two recon captains noticed Scant eyeing the Softnose laser nearby, lying next to the broken cuffs.

'Go on, Descant,' said Holly. 'Go for it!'

'Yeah, if you're feeling lucky, punk!' piped up Grub.

Holly slowly turned her head toward her fellow captain in a fashion that emanated danger.

'Grub, never quote Clint Eastwood movies in my presence again. You completely kill the lines.'

Scant was smart enough not to go for the gun, and now he and his brother were being loaded into the back of the van.

'We were going to escape to Atlantis,' sighed Merv.

'Freedom, Atlantean girls and all the fresh fish you could eat,' commented Scant.

Holly shut the doors on them, wiping sweat from her brow with a large grin. The adrenaline in her system felt good once all the fighting was over.

Up front, Grub was wearing his apparently too tight helmet, and talking to Police Plaza with a grim expression on his face, as if what he was hearing was unbelievable.

'What's up?' asked Holly when he'd finished. 'Don't tell me you've been promoted to major.'

Grub was so shocked at the news he didn't even try to defend his pride.

'Holly, I'm going to need you to brace yourself for this,' he said. 'You might want to sit down in the van first, if you like.'

Something about Grub's tone made Holly's exhilarated smile lessen until her teeth were no longer exposed. When Grub told her what was wrong, her smile vanished altogether.

Foaly had been found not too long afterward by a couple of passing gnomes and was immediately sent to the Haven Clinic downtown. The warlock medics there determined that he had somehow gone into a comatose state, and LEP investigators reasoned that goblins had somehow been the cause of it. According to their finds, at least one goblin had burned his way into Foaly's MagnaCar, hot-wired it to open the bonnet and had stolen some engine parts. Then Foaly must have stumbled across them and tried to stop the thieves, but it looked like they had somehow rendered him comatose. Possibly by a very hard blow to the head.

Any human in Foaly's condition would likely never come out of the coma, but humans didn't have fairy friends healing them with magic. With Foaly receiving daily bursts of magic into his system, he would likely be back on his hooves again in the next few weeks. But a few weeks was too late.

Someone had managed to penetrate Haven City's virtual defences and was running havoc on all things electronic. Mobile phones began ringing at all times and when you answered them you were greeted by some rather unpleasant noises that were usually issued by dwarfs. Fairies ordering food at drive-thru windows were greeted by some choice swear words recorded from various talk-shows, and the less said about Haven's plumbing system the better. But if you really must know, let's just say geysers have been spotted in people's water closets at rather inconvenient times. One unfortunate elf had been answering Mother Nature's call while reading the paper and shot straight through the roof when Old Faithful suddenly erupted from his bathroom's waterworks.

It was only a matter of time before some of the more essential systems were hit. Like the ones making sure that the Mud Men could not detect Haven and come down to exploit its resources.

The Council were desperately seeking a way to restore order in their city and bring calm back to the People. They had always depended on Foaly during times of technical crisis, and the centaur constantly boasted that he was the only one that kept Haven running. They hadn't realised just how much truth there was to that until now.

Reasoning that desperate times called for desperate measures, the Council voted to make a deal with the only other person under the world who could help them: Opal Koboi. In exchange for restoring the city to normal, they would lift two hundred years off her sentence.

Many of the Council members objected to this at first, but they quickly realised that they had no other option. So Opal would be led from her prison in Atlantis to Haven's Operations' booth to fix the mess by a team of the highest ranking LEP officers there were. One of which had all too many encounters with Opal Koboi in the past.

CHAPTER 3: AND THEN THERE WAS OPAL
MAXIMUM SECURITY BLOCK, ATLANTIS CORRECTIONAL FACILITY, ATLANTIS, UNDER THE OCEAN

Captain Holly Short walked alongside the new members of LEPretrieval One while Wing Commander Raine Vinyáya led the group towards Opal's specially constructed isolation prison cube.

Many of the previous members of LEPretrieval One had been promoted to cushy desk jobs in the three years Holly had been away in Limbo, but there were one or two faces she recognised. Obviously these fairies believed that they were not ready for desk jobs just yet, or possibly they loved the excitement of dangerous missions when above ground too much. Holly knew about being in that position.

Three years ago she had been up for the rank of major, the career turnaround of the century as she had previously been the only fairy in recon history to have two simultaneous Internal Affairs investigations. For a while Holly intended on refusing the position, but her late superior Commander Julius Root, who had opted for her promotion, told her the same words his commander had told him. That the position as a major was not for her, but it was for the People. Holly then changed her mind about it and intended to accept the position, but then Opal Koboi escaped from the Argon Clinic and had the Commander killed, and framed Holly for his murder and she quit once a new commander had been appointed to try and do good without a badge on her shoulder.

Then when she and Artemis Fowl had saved the demons on Hybras and a new commander was appointed during her three year leave, she rejoined the LEP. Then she went and broke a few major rules by going back in time to save Angeline Fowl from what appeared to be Spelltropy, but it turned out it was an Opal Koboi from eight years ago mimicking Spelltropy. When Opal had learned of the time portal Artemis and Holly had used, she followed them back to the present and escaped arrest and being returned to her own time by the LEP.

Holly was then punished for this by receiving LEPtraffic duty for two weeks. It was supposed to be three months, but with another Opal on the loose, the LEP needed every available officer to help on the fairyhunt for her.

Holly couldn't believe the Council was actually willing to shorten Opal's sentence by even a second after all she'd done. Let alone two hundred years. Though, truth be told, it was logical. Opal had one of the greatest minds the fairy people had ever known. But just because it was logical didn't mean she thought it the best of choices.

The maximum security penitentiary was roughly as high-tech and security prone as Section Eight Headquarters had been on Holly's first visit. Foaly had personally constructed this wing and had updated it since the past Opal's escape.

As they walked along, security cameras and devices took pictures of all members of the group and their identities were confirmed at least fifty times before they made it to the end of the hall.

Wing Commander Vinyáya pressed her hand against a plate of liquid metal that Holly recognised as flux metal.

Flux metal was another of Foaly's inventions. It was metal saturated with nano-sensors. The nano-sensors would read through everything from Wing Commander Vinyáya's handprint to DNA. It was so high-tech that even is someone cut off the hand of someone who had access to Opal's cell and used it, the flux metal would detect a lack of pulse and fail to allow that person entry.

Opal's prison cube had been designed by Foaly and made with the help of Altantis's top mechanics, technicians and engineers. The cube was air-tight as it was surrounded by six hundred thousand gallons of water, which was roughly the same amount used in Olympic swimming pools. The cell had been given an air supply through a large tank attached to the cell directly opposite the cube's airtight access tunnel. Pipes attached to the cell had been deemed too risky as pixies were nimble creatures and could possibly squeeze through large enough pipes, and they weren't taking any chances with Opal, so the idea of air pipes had been dropped altogether. So they had opted for the tank.

This kind of tank was primarily used on fairy space ships and submarines to ensure the survival of their occupants. The tank was filled with genetically-altered plant life that could produce the same amount of oxygen as an acre of trees within its life-span. The plant life inside could hold in water in a similar fashion to cacti and was kept alive using grow lamps on the walls of the tank. The plant would absorb the carbon dioxide and breathe out oxygen for the inhabitants, relieving the need for restocking until the plant died. And if it did, a back-up tank with over two hours' worth of air would kick in until the plant was replaced.

Wing Commander Vinyáya placed her hand on another flux metal scanner attached to a titanium door that separated the cube from the access tunnel made entirely of glass and steel.

Opal sat there writing out another letter and was surrounded by seahorse figurines fashioned from chewed cardboard. Two of them appeared to be broken. One had lost a tail and the other had been decapitated.

Opal's appearance had changed slightly in her three years' imprisonment. The usual height of a fairy was just over one metre, but Opal had been under that height when she was arrested. But thanks to the artificial pituitary gland containing human growth hormone she had had surgically placed in her head three years ago, Opal was now almost three foot four inches tall. Which was quite a towering height for a fairy, and even more so for a pixie.

Her dress attire had changed too. Instead of the traditional stylish and expensive catsuit the pixie usually wore, she had on a blue jumpsuit with a serial number on the back. The standard prison uniform for Atlantean inmates.

'Ah Wing Commander Vinyáya. Have you finally seen the truth of my words?' said Opal in a sweet, innocent little girl voice.

'Stuff it, Koboi!' snapped Vinyáya.

'Oh, my dear Wing Commander. Are you still upset because I took away your precious Commander Root?'

Vinyáya kept her cool, but Holly noticed that her fists were kept clenched very tightly after this. She was similar, but she was squeezing the gun butt of her Neutrino 3000 rather than her fist.

'Just... Get up and come with me,' said Vinyáya in a voice of strained calm. 'I'm sure the exercise will do you some good.'

'What do you mean by that?' said Opal, looking genuinely concerned.

'Well, look at you. Your skin's not as smooth as it used to be and your lips look pretty dry. And, oh, I think I might actually see a few wrinkles coming up. The centuries are catching up with you, Opal dear,' said Vinyáya, patting Opal playfully on the cheek.

This had Opal rushing over to the glass that surrounded them to check her reflection and see if this was true. Holly swallowed a smile at the sight. Good old Vinyáya. Always hit them right where it hurt.

They walked out of the holding facility where they drove in an armoured MagnaCar to the nearest shuttleport and took an LEP shuttle that would take them straight to Haven.

It was a really agonising trip. Opal kept on talking all the way through it about her marvelous inventions and how the efforts of Holly and Artemis Fowl were so feeble that only luck could have allowed them to succeed.

'How they infiltrated Koboi Labs was all because of those stupid dwarfs I hired!' Opal ranted. 'I always knew that those two were not to be trusted, but dwarf help is so hard to get. As for the Zito Probe, that was all the fault of those accursed Brill brothers. They were such bumbling idiots. As for Fowl, he is no genius! He is but a mere Mud Boy who spends too much time with those ancient Mud Man computers. I have analysed over everything in my plans and none of the mistakes that caused them to fail were my fault! It was all because of some idiot with dumb luck on their side. My brilliance and beauty is unmatched and will remain unmatched until after I am gone and I have revolutionised everything on and under the planet.'

It occurred to Holly then that Opal must have been thinking about all these factors during her three years in prison. This pixie was losing her mind to obsession.

Once they arrived in Haven City, they took another armoured MagnaCar to Police Plaza where the Operations' booth that controlled all the city's defences and networks was.

It was a long drive due to yet another traffic jam. Haven was the largest city under the world with roughly ten thousand fairies residing in it. Not very big by human standards, but by the People's it was the biggest city since the original Atlantis and traffic jams constantly clogged up the lanes.

Finally, after a long twenty minutes, they reached the steps at the front of Police Plaza, were an armed group of LEP officers were standing. Among them, Holly could spot Grub looking particularly stoic. Perhaps he was still a bit shaken from yesterday's events.

LEPretrieval One joined the group outside. Holly's job was finished from here on in. Guards were to be switched since Holly and the others hadn't been briefed on how to access Foaly's Ops' booth.

Opal was handed over to Grub, who took her firmly by the arm with his free hand, the other clutching his weapon.

Vinyáya received a message through her helmet and closed down her visor. Holly could see her expression through the glass. She was concerned over something as she listened to what the other person on the line was saying.

Finally, she cut the connection and whispered in Holly's ear.

'I'm needed back at headquarters.'

By headquarters Holly realised she must have meant Section 8, an elite branch of the LEP that used to track the activity of demons. But since the demons had returned, Section 8 had mainly been helping them rehabilitate and was now involving themselves in serious counter-actions involving demons, such as gangs of war-like race planning to head to the surface and hunt down Mud Men.

'Qwan's gone a bit hysterical because he can't find or contact Qweffor,' continued Vinyáya.

Qwan and Qweffor were two peaceful demon warlocks who had assisted in bringing the rest of the demons and their island of Hybras back from Limbo. They were both now living at Section 8 and were helping the latest demon warlock, N°1, with his magic studies.

'It's probably nothing, but better safe than sorry,' finished Vinyáya. 'I can give you a ride home if you like.'

Holly accepted and Vinyáya called for her stretch armoured vehicle waiting around the corner.

They got in and both women relieved themselves of their headgear before setlling in to relax before the rest of the day's stresses came up.

Holly was having difficulty though. Opal was devious, and there were currently two of them in the same timeline. Heaven knew what they'd be capable of if they so much as got in contact with each other.

Then the car's built-in communication system picked up talk on the LEP channel.

'Back up! We need back up!' came a desperate voice through the surround sound speakers. Blaster fire could be heard in the background with various soldiers barking order. If you closed your eyes, you'd swear you were in the middle of a war zone.

Holly and Vinyáya looked out through the rear window of the vehicle and could see Neutrinos being fired high up at the rooves of the buildings surrounding Police Plaza.

'We have goblins!' shouted the LEP officer a few blocks back into his communicator. 'They've set themselves up on the rooftops and in the alley ways. They must be after Koboi. We need reinforcements fast!'

'Driver!' yelled Vinyáya while Holly put her helmet on. 'Take us back! Now!'

As an added feature for government vehicles and collisions, all MagnaCars had been given an emergency function that would lift the vehicle five feet off the ground to either fly above traffic or avoid another MagnaCar crashing into them. In all civilian vehicles this would be done automatically through the use of sensors that would detect when a vehicle was coming too close too fast. But for emergency services, it could be done manually at the touch of button.

The driver pressed this button now and passed over the traffic at top speed, all the way back to Police Plaza.

When he finally landed, the officers on the scene were shooting at every rooftop in sight. But when Vinyáya and Holly got out, there was not a sign nor scale of a goblin.

Holly got out of the car and joined them, taking aim at one goblin with a fireball at the ready and aiming in their direction. Her hit landed but the orb of flame was still coming towards them. Holly grabbed Vinyáya and forced her to hide behind their vehicle.

'Keep your head down!' she ordered. 'They're got us surrounded!'

'What are you on about, Short? I don't see a goblin anywhere,' said Vinyáya, raising her head above the car slightly.

Holly forced her down again by her shoulders and her helmet accidentally hit the hood of the car, falling off her head and now she could not see the goblins. Then it dawned on her. There were no goblins. Someone had hacked into their helmets and was showing clips of them. She put her helmet back on and by the look of the scene, it was Movieshopped news recordings from the failed B'wa Kell uprising four years ago.

Holly stood up and walked right into the middle of the supposed firefight, raising her hands up high.

'Everybody, cease fire!' she commanded. 'Take off your helmets. There are no goblins. It's all a trick!'

Everyone pulled off their headgear while still covered just in case, but then looked about at where their goblin enemies had been seconds ago.

'A trick?' said one officer. 'This was a stinkin trick!?'

'Yes. Most probably thought up by Koboi to spring her future self. While you were distracted by the goblins, Opal would be wide open. Where is she?'

'With Captain Kelp,' said another officer, and pointed to Grub.

He was lying on the ground with Opal in his arms. She must have been hit in a crossfire. But all LEP weapons were non-lethal, so nothing to worry about.

'Fight's over, Grub. Better wake up Koboi so she can sort out this mess,' said Holly.

Grub just lay there, haunched over Opal, his breathing shallow. 'I didn't mean to do it!' he blubbed. 'It was an accident. She got in the way of my fire.'

Holly pulled off her glove and felt Opal's ulnar artery in her wrist, applying gentle pressure. No good. She tried the carotid on her neck, but still could not find a pulse.

Holly looked away from Opal's lifeless body, mystified. All the LEP had were stunning weapons. But pixies brains were delicate. Perhaps if they were shot in the right place on the skull, it could resort to total system failure and immediate death.

'I shot her in the back of the head,' said Grub through sobs, confirming what Holly thought. 'It was an accident,' he repeated.

'Someone, take Captain Kelp inside,' ordered Vinyáya. 'Then bring back a medical examiner and full CSI team. Internal Affairs too. Tell them it is a homicide investigation.' She then turned to the patrol surrounding her. 'Listen, everyone. We've got a... crime scene on our hands involving a uniform, and I want it done by the book. Seal off the area. Check in all weapons to IA when they get here.'

Suddenly, everyone felt rain upon their heads. Strange when you're underground in a cave. It was really a complex sprinkler system currently set on 'light shower.' It was used to give the plants placed in Haven and the wildlife nourishment, but as of today, at this very moment, it seemed as if it was reflecting Grub's mood.

The sprinkler system had been ordered to shut down for the moment so it didn't wash away any forensic evidence. Everyone had gathered inside Police Plaza, Internal Affairs running inquiries by everyone.

Holly was stuck sat down, not being allowed to go home until IA had finished doing their work. She sadly watched Grub being questioned fervently. He hadn't even looked anyone in the eye since it happened.

Vinyáya sat beside her, her statement already filled.

'This week has been getting worse and worse,' said Vinyáya. 'The city's in a panic, tommorow's news will read the death of our only hope, a criminal who once tried to destroy this city. I think the only option left to us now is to contact your friend.'

Holly suddenly perked up, semi-consciousness of what was going on. 'You mean Artemis? He'll be thrilled to hear that. The People in need of his help again. He might not be so cocky when he hears Opal died like she did. Maybe he'll finally learn the smart ones aren't always invincible. I still can't believe it,' she declared. 'I mean, what must the odds have been.'

Vinyáya could only shrug. 'Some things just come out strange.'

They were all allowed to be let back home then, and Holly left Vinyáya sitting at the chair, waiting to speak to Commander Trouble Kelp.

Holly watched Trouble on the phone, hearing the voice of an elderly woman, probably his mother, and thought of her reaction.

'The Commander's ear is gonna be sore for a week,' she silently said to herself, then walked outside in pursuit of Grub.

HAVEN MORTUARY

Next to Police Plaza was the Haven Mortuary, the morgue used to house the dead of the city. The medical examiner on duty performed a routine check of his CT scanner, which could X-ray a corpse and produce a three-dimensional image to establish what a victim had died from.

In human circles and the olden days of the People, such a thing would be accomplished by autopsy, but fairy law had deemed it illegal since the invention of the CT scan.

The examiner, a warlock who didn't have a bone that didn't crack when moved, placed the body of Opal Koboi on the stretcher leading into the machine. He pushed a button and it retracted, pulling her body inside.

Two minutes later, it's job was done, and a 3D picture rotated on the machine's monitor. The examiner immediately noticed something was wrong, but then he got shot in the back from a Neutrino and he didn't have to worry about it anymore.

In the doorway was Captain Grub Kelp, who had managed to sneak through the alleys to avoid anyone following him.

Grub took a quick look at the X-ray out of curiousity, and saw the two anomalies covering Opal's neck and wrists, then moved over to her body and pressed a button on the controls, moving the stretcher out.

'Wakey, wakey, dearie,' he said in a voice far more sophisticated high-pitched than his usual one.

Opal Koboi's eyes fluttered open, awakened from her fake sleep. She tore off the bandages that blended to the perfect colour of her skin from her neck and wrists, right where the major veins were so officers could take a pulse. With the Nu-skin bandages blocking feeling to the vein, no one would could register a pulse, allowing them to think her dead.

Grub helped her down off the stretcher graciously.

'You have no idea how horrific it is to live like a subordinate,' said Grub.

'Oh, believe me,' said Opal like she was recounting the most horrofic experience in the world. 'I know it better than you do.'

Sparks cocooned Grub's body for a moment, then were swept away like a heavy summer breeze tugging at a dandelion's parachutes.

Where Captain Grub Kelp once stood was the past version of Opal Koboi, evading the fairy police and now helping spring her future self out of jail.

'We have to get out of here quickly,' she said. 'Our escape vehicle is right outside.'

The pair swiftly exited to the past Opal's modified taxi to make their escape.

The past Opal courteously opened the back door for her future self.

'Age before beauty,' she said.

Opal frowned. Was she really like that? Never mind. After all, it was justified.

Unbeknowst to the twin pair of pixies, the medical examiner was not in fact unconscious. The past Opal had forgotten to change the setting on her Neutrino so that when he was shot, he was only out for thirty seconds. He got up off the floor and pressed the emergency button on the wall.

CHAPTER 4: BACK TO THE PAST, OFF TO THE FUTURE
WAREHOUSE DISTRICT, HAVEN

Haven's Warehouse District was filled with large storage buildings where goods were kept. There was not a house in sight for five miles, and was usually were criminals went to conduct secret meetings in the only blind spot from the surrounding twenty cameras.

The past Opal's taxi slowed down as it approached one of the buildings.

'What are we slowing down for!?' said the present Opal furiously. 'The LEP are probably using the tracker in my arm to pin our location right now! We should be moving as fast as possible!'

All criminals were surgically fitted with subcutaneous seeker-sleepers in their skulls, or the arm in the case of pixies. The subcutaneous seeker-sleepers could both track the criminal's whereabouts and render them unconscious if the LEP realised they were involved in any illegal activity.

'Relax,' said the past Opal. 'This taxi's lead-lined. The lead stops the signals from getting through. You'll only be in danger as soon as I open the door.'

'I really do think of everything, don't I?'

The past Opal pulled up the taxi to an abandoned warehouse with a sign on top. On the sign was a male pixie with a bushy beard and moustache in a sailor's uniform with a wide smile holding a mackerel. Right beside his head in fading yellow were the words "Sturge's Fish".

'Oh, old uncle Sturge's place!' said the past Opal, surprised.

Sturge N. Koboi had previously been the owner of a major fish company. Pixies loved fish. And they especially loved protected shellfish such as lobster. Sturge had been caught smuggling illegal fish only ten years ago and was now serving time in prison. But Sturge had rented out the warehouse for one hundred years in cash, so the lessor was reluctant to rent it to somebody else in case Sturge sued him for every penny he was worth while still in the cooler. So the warehouse was left with nothing occupying it apart from swear toads and rotting fish.

The past and present Opals hurried into the warehouse. It was a dark and damp place, filled with the smell of moldy fish and was as quiet as the grave. Apart from the occasional profanity issued by a swear toad. The leaking fish tanks and broken floorboards added to the seedy appearance of the place. The only light came from the smashed windows and a glow cube accompanied by a flower pot filled with earth, a medi-kit and a plexiglass sphere also filled with earth.

The past Opal quickly removed her stolen LEP uniform, revealing a one-piece swimming costume, and threw it on to the table. This was to ease the difficulty of time-travelling. Clothes, and anything else the time-traveller was wearing, could meld with their body in the time-stream and would be stuck with it forever. Better to travel light than end up stuck in the same clothes for all eternity. Opal would be a walking fashion disaster for the rest of her life. How was that for a queen of the world to live?

When she was done, the past Opal picked up the plexiglass sphere filled with earth on the table and passed it to her future-self.

'This sphere has an acorn inside it,' explained the past Opal. 'You can barely see it, but it's in there. I robbed it from Holly Short along with her LEP gear. I can only guess that this is to keep the acorns fresh so you can complete the Ritual at a later date, and a genius like me is hardly likely to be wrong.'

Fairies were bound to certain laws and rituals that were written in their Bible known simply as the Book of the People. One of these rituals allows fairies to replenish their magic by picking an acorn from an ancient oak tree and burying it far away.

'You'll need magic to guide you, so perform the Ritual now,' said Opal the younger.

The present Opal smashed the plexiglass sphere against the worktop and picked up the acorn from the small pile of earth before placing it in the pot.

'I return you to the earth,' she said, reciting anicent texts, 'and claim the gift that is my right!'

Then jolts of magic flowed like electricity through Opal's arm, empowering her until she was full to the brim with magic. Sparks flashed and fizzled all over Opal, driving out the human hormones that had humanised her. The magic restored the sheen to her hair and brightened the devious twinkle in Opal's eyes to a radiant lust for power that could light up the darkest cave like a disco.

'There. Now, on to our escape plan,' said the past Opal.

She walked over to a metal barrel with an oxygen tube sticking out of the side. Opal opened up the lid to reveal a pair of long horns that looked like they could easily gut a pig. Attached to the horns was a muscled creature with skin the colour of moon-dust and a head like a gargoyle lying in a thick liquid the present Opal recognised as animal fat.

Animal fat enchanted with hexes was an ancient way of suppressing a fairy's magic, making it much easier to imprison them. Humans had used this method millenia ago to capture members of the People. This trick was quickly adapted by ancient fairy police forces as a last resort to contain dangerous criminals, but it was soon deemed too cruel to both animal and fairy alike and was outlawed.

'Allow me to introduce you to Qweffor,' said the past Opal. 'He is a former apprentice of Qwan himself, but has since completed his training and is now a fully fledged demon warlock. I ran into him on purpose at a speed-dating event and used my powers to mesmerize him. I can have complete control over him within a twenty metre radius. Even with solid objects acting as barricades. Now, it is time to put him to use.'

The past Opal then summoned her magic and in a voice as beautiful as the stars in a clear night sky, gave Qweffor his orders.

' Step out of the barrel, Qweffor, and stand over there, ' said the past Opal in a purely irresistible voice.

Qweffor then zombie-walked over to the spot Opal had indicated, trailing animal fat in his wake. Above the spot was a large tank of water the past Opal had prepared. She pulled a rope attached to a small hatch on the tank, and two gallons of water fell from it, completely washing away the fat from Qweffor. She then took a syringe gun from the medi-kit on the table and injected what looked like water into the demon's arm.

'Spring water from the fairy well sixty metres below the ring of Tara,' explained the past Opal. 'It will counteract the fat and the hexes and have his magic up and running again in no time.'

Within seconds of saying it, blue sparks came erupting through Qweffor's body, driving out the last remains of the hex stirred into the fat.

'Perfect,' said the past Opal. 'Just one more use of the mesmer and we'll both be back in the past, ready to foil the LEP's attack against us.'

'About that...' said the present Opal, 'I do not wish to return to the past.'

The past Opal's face was one mixed of fury and confusion. 'What? I've been planning this for three months! I've been working out every little detail since I first found out you- I was imprisoned.'

'Calm down. It is a minor alteration. Instead of us both going into the past, you will return to your time, and I shall go to the future.'

'Excuse me?!' said the past Opal in a hysterical voice.

'There is no time for argument. The LEP know we are here and will no doubt be banging down that door any second. You have learned about everything Artemis Fowl and the LEP did to stop my plan. So you must return to the past and I must go to the year 14,017. Trust me. I know what I'm doing.'

The past Opal let out an aggravated groan before saying 'Fine!' in a most irritated manner. 'I'll send you to the-'

'Opal Kobois,' said an amplified voice from outside. 'This is Commander Trouble Kelp of the LEP. We have the warehouse surrounded and every exit covered. Come out with your hands up in the next twenty seconds or we will enter the premises and take you in by force.'

Outside the warehouse, roughly eighty LEP officers were armed with Neutrinos and buzz batons in body-armour were ready to kick down the door to the place and go in all guns blazing, but the past Opal had powers that could fry them like flies in a bug zapper, so they had to be cautious.

'D'Arvit!' swore the two Opals simultaneously.

'Quickly!' said the past Opal to her future counterpart. 'Get in position!'

The present Opal stood in front of Qweffor. Her younger version giving her instructions.

'Just concentrate on the time and place you want to go and the time-tunnel will do the rest. Don't worry. Now that you have your powers back, it should be an easy matter.'

The present Opal nodded, not trusting herself to speak. After all, genius like that was bound to catch on eventually.

Qweffor's eyes closed and power crackled across his talons and horns in the shape of cyan lightning bolts while his power surged. When his eyes opened, they were pure crimson. His power was ready for the time-travelling process.

Because of the mesmer, Qweffor had virtually no hold over his magic and the past Opal, even with her advanced magic, had never handled power like this before and volts of electricity sparked off in various directions.

Outside, the LEP watched this spectacle in awe, unsure what was going on and how to plan their next move.

This was perfect for the two Opals. It gave them the time they need to travel to the past and future.

The past Opal then focused for all she was worth (in her opinion) and twin beams of scarlet energy shot out from Qweffor's eyes at the present Opal, sending her into the future. Where the pixie had once been was a ghost image of herself which lasted for barely a second before flying away into the surrounding air.

The past Opal took up her future self's position and readied herself. This was where things went incredibly bad for her.

Black canisters roughly the size of spray paint cans then came rushing through the already broken windows, and crashing into the ones still intact. These canisters were sonix grenades that generated sound waves that disoriented anyone within a twenty foot radius. This was generally used in hostage situations when someone was holding another fairy under their control using the mesmer so they would do harm to themselves, or worse. The grenades would disrupt a fairy's concentration and thus either allow the hostage to regain their senses and run for it or give the authorities the chance to slap a pair of handcuffs on the perp.

Opal collapsed to the ground, her ear drums aching from the pain of being on the edge of rupturing.

Qweffor blinked away the last traces of the mesmer, completely in control of himself. He summoned a wall of magic in his ear lobes to protect the drums. Then he saw Opal and he knew what he had to do, as Qwan had been instructed to by the LEP not long ago.

He grabbed the tiny pixie by the shoulders with his powerful arms and gazed into her eyes. Twin beams of cardinal magic erupted from his eyeballs and laced their way through Opal's eye sockets just as the LEP came charging in.

Qweffor was wiping the past Opal's memory of the past few months so that she would remember nothing of her trip to the future. When he was finished, a flash of light from his eyes sent her back to her proper time with only a passing ghost image to show where she'd stood.

With his free will restored and job done, Qweffor fainted from exhaustion and was soon making more noise than a legion of chainsaws with his snores.

CHAPTER 5: FOWL IS AT PLAY
WAITING ROOM ONE, OUTSIDE THE COUNCIL CHAMBERS, POLICE PLAZA

It had been two days since the present Opal Koboi's escape and the city of Haven was running smoothly again, though all the authorities were thoroughly panicked now that Public Enemy Number One was back on the loose.

Grub Kelp had been found stuffed in a closet in Police Plaza and revealed that the past Opal had come up to him disguised as Holly Short and ordered him to go into the closet using the mesmer. Opal had then hacked into the identification software installed in the suit she'd stolen from Holly and used a hair from Grub to fool the DNA scanners to get into Police Plaza after she'd stolen Grub's own LEP gear once he was trapped, dressed up in it and then used her shape-shifting powers to give herself Grub's features and appearance after pulling a couple of hairs out. No one would know any the wiser.

Now they knew how the past Opal had got in they could shut down the alert and get things running normally. Security had been beefed up now that hair strands had been deemed too easy to steal and were now running all DNA tests by surliva swab.

On the bright side, Qweffor had woken up late last night and had given a detailed explanation to the agents at Section 8 guarding him, and was due to repeat his tale before the Council today so a Retrieval operation could be planned.

Holly Short currently sat outside the Council Chambers with her commanding officer, waiting to be admmitted. She'd been asked in because of her experience with Opal so she could give an opinion, and she was hoping to get in on bringing her back.

Holly's superior, Commander Kelp, famous for choosing the name 'Trouble' at his graduation ceremony, stood stiffly next to the bench Holly was sitting at. He'd been promoted to commander in the three years Holly had been away. Some said he was channelling the spirit of Julius Root and there was currently an office pool going on how long it would take before his face started going scarlet and he began having temper tantrums.

'Feeling OK, Captain?' he asked. This was a rare moment of comfort for him these days. He'd been a good friend to Holly over the years, but he'd become much more stiff in how he treated her and his comrades now that he was their commanding superior.

'Yeah. Just a little nervous,' she said. 'It's like being on trial in there, and not just because of the set-up.'

'Well, keep your chin up and your back straight going in there,' Trouble ordered. 'Show 'em you're confident in yourself or you'll never get on the mission. And a recon officer not being part of a retrieval operation is a slap in the face to your badge.'

'Yessir. Will do, sir.'

A large gnome in a blue uniform then came through the large false wooden entrance to the Council Chambers.

'Commander Kelp. Captain Short. The Council will see you now,' he said. 'And I must remind you that once inside, everything you hear becomes confidential. Not a word can leave this room.'

The two elves nodded.

Before going in, Commander Kelp took on a more pleasant and kindly expression and turned to his officer.

'Don't worry, Holly,' he said, sounding much more like a friend than a commander. 'You'll get your chance to get even. How can they refuse you after all the experience you've had with Koboi?'

Holly gave her thanks with a confident look in the eye and a firm nod. The two then entered the Council Chambers side-by-side.

The chambers were similar to a courtroom in terms of furniture and arrangement, with the chairman at a large stand on his own and all the other members sitting off to the left on raised seats like a jury, whilst non-Council members sat at one of the two tables in view of them all. There were also six rows of seats behind these tables for seating at larger conferences.

Chairman Cahartez sat at the stand, his official conical hat perched on his head. He pushed a button on the stand and buzzed for attention. Hammers weren't used anymore. Except for the last Christmas party when Cahartez had decided to come as a nutcracker. Unfortunately, few fairies celebrated Christmas and even fewer knew much about it, so Cahartez just used his imagination and brought with him a large mallet for work. The stand had needed mending twice that day.

'Please be seated,' said Cahartez, indicating towards one of the two tables.

The two officers took up their chairs and made eye contact as much as possible with their superiors. Holly spotted Vinyáya with her silver hair among them, and the wing commander risked an encouraging wink.

A female official in a dark grey suit walked up to the table and activated a digital voice recorder on it.

'You are Captain Holly Short of the Lower Elements Police Reconaissince unit. Correct?'

'Yes I am, miss.'

'And you are Commander Trubbadias Jupard Kelp of the of the Lower Elements Police Reconaissince unit. Correct?'

Trouble blushed slightly. His real name was rarely brought up, and whenever it was it received a fit of giggles from his fellow officers before Trouble shot them a threatening glare.

'Yes I am,' he said.

'Do you both swear on the Book of the People that you shall tell no lie within these walls?'

'I do,' they both said simultaneously.

The official returned to her seat and Chairman Cahartez took over from her.

'Before action can be taken to deal with Opal Koboi, we must determine our course. We have to know everything that went on, so we must ask you to be present while our main witness repeats his account, Commander Kelp. It is most vital that you listen too, Captain Short. You might be able to shed some light on the matter considering your experience with Miss Koboi.'

Cahartez then looked at Vinyáya and gave a single nod. The wing commander then addressed the gnome that had fetched Holly and Trouble.

'Mr. Gabole, please bring in the trio of demons waiting outside.'

Gabole then hurried to the door leading to Waiting Room Two and brought with him three gargoyle-like creatures. One was siginifacntly larger than the others but showed respect towards the eldest of the group while ruffling the bald head of the smallest creature. These three were Qweffor, Qwan and Nº1, the last three remaining demon warlocks in existance.

Qweffor was larger because of his warped body. Demons usually reached maturity from being covered in a thick slime that caused them to reach adulthood or 'warp' within several hours. This didn't apply to warlocks as warping was brought on bloodlust and they were peaceful creatures, but Qweffor had been trapped inside the body of a warped demon called Abbot when he tried to kill a group of demon warlocks trying to remove their island from Earth and into Limbo. Qweffor had been stuck in the back Abbot's mind for years, a very dull place to say the least. Finally, Qweffor was freed from Abbot's control and the demon's mind had been transferred to the body of a ginny pig. The scientists studying the strange specimen often threw in toy swords or axes when solving quantum therums became a bit too dull for their taste and had a good giggle.

Qweffor approached the speaker's stand next to Chairman Cahartez, Qwan and Nº1 giving him encouraging looks as he went along. Finally, he walked in through the side-entrance and sat down.

The female official walked up to him and activated the button-sized recorder on the stand.

'You are Qweffor? Demon warlock and former apprentice to Qwan?' she asked.

'Yes, I am.'

'Could you repeat the account you gave yesterday night to Section Eight personnel while at Haven Clinic?'

'Certainly, miss,' said Qweffor, and let out a little cough before reciting his tale. 'Three days ago, I went to a speed-dating event in Downtown Haven at a restaurant called Milany's. I put the charm on the first six women I talked with, flexing the muscles and all that, hoping that one might like me. After the sixth girl, this sprite sat down opposite me and we started to get along pretty well. I talked about my life as a demon warlock, the things I'd seen as a time traveller. Mostly me, really. Once the speed-dating was over, it turned out we were matched up and we went out for a night together the following evening at a disco. It was set in the human seventies and I had to wear this really itchy alfro. Anyway, once the night was over and we left the club, she tried to kiss me, but at the last second, as my guard was down, she used the mesmer on me and I was completely under her control. Pity, really,' he added, a little embarrassed. 'I rather thought we hit it off.'

'Then what happened, Mister Qweffor?' asked Cahartez, eager for the interview to be over and the Retrieval operation underway.

'She took me to the Warehouse District and ordered me to get into a barrel full of animal fat. None of my magic was working at all, but hers was. I was still under her control despite the lack of eye contact. Then, two days later, she ordered me out of the barrel and cleaned off the fat before giving me some sort of booster to get my magic back up and running. I've been at the back of a demon's head for years. By then, I'd retreated into a part of my mind that was resistant and aware while my body followed her commands using an ancient warlock spell. It's kind of like state you're in during a cleansing coma,' explained Qweffor, 'except you're awake and mesmerized. So, she ordered me to send Opal, our Opal, not the past one, thousands of years into the future. Then, after I'd done that, she ordered me to send her, the past Opal, back to her own time. At the last second, just as she was about to go back in the time tunnel, she released me from her grip. I grabbed her by the shoulders and did a blanket mind-wipe of the past three months and put a block on her powers.'

'A block?' asked Cahartez. 'Could you please explain what you mean by "block?"'

'Of course. A block is an ancient spell. Only demon magic can produce it. It stops certain magical powers from being used. We use it when apprentice demon warlocks lose control of their magic and we have to stop them for wrecking everything. Opal's new powers, or old, should I say, are blocked from her control. The only way to bring them back under her control would be to submit her to a strong boost of magic.'

'Like what, exactly?' asked Holly. Technically, she shouldn't have spoken unless given permission, but she wanted to know everything that could go wrong and everyone was too busy being worried about the situation to give a hoot.

'Something extremely powerful. Five times the power of the Ritual. Like if demon magic were transferred into her system,' said Qweffor.

With the facts presented, Cahartez adjusted his hat as he thought, deciding on what action the Council should take.

'This situation is a desperate one,' he said, frankly. 'Koboi is a great risk to the people and must be located. I am giving you permission, Commander Kelp, to put together a crack team of your best men to find her.'

'But how, sir? We have no idea how to track her,' said Trouble.

Wing Commander Vinyáya then coughed before speaking up. 'We have that covered. Computer, activate monitor 002. Bring up link Atlantis Fairy Troll Sprite-001.'

A section of the wall behind Cahartez slid back to reveal three plasma screen monitors, all thirty by thirty inches.

On the middle one appeared a boy with the face worthy of Dracula's son sitting at a desk, and a bald, aged head twice the size of the boy's crammed next to him, trying desperately to get into the camera's view and not knock his charge off his seat at the same time.

Holly smiled. Artemis and Butler. Vinyáya had brought in the best people for the job.

At the sight of the two Mud Men, many of the Councilors went into silence, too stunned at the sight of two of the humans to speak.

'I have brought in Artemis Fowl II to assist us,' said Vinyáya, as if the boy's name and face weren't known by everyone in the room.

Vinyáya's introduction snapped the Council out of its stupor and they began barking out protests like wild dogs.

Artemis coughed several times to get everyone's attention while Cahartez vainly pressed his buzzer for order. It wasn't until Butler cleared his throat and a sound like cannon fire came through the surround sound speakers, nearly deafening everyone, including the young boy sitting right beside him, that they were under control again.

Artemis rubbed the insides of his ears a little. 'Do give me the opportunity to cover my ears the next time you do that, Butler,' he said.

Butler merely moved off screen with an apologetic look on his face. The real apologies could be saved for later.

'Why have you brought a human into this?' protested one councilor, a gnome with a corkscrew goatee and enough rings to make his fingers look like they were made of solid gold. 'And of all humans, this human?'

The protests roared up again, but this time, Cahartez's buzzer managed to get them to settle down.

With silence restored, Vinyáya stood up so she could be seen by everyone.

'I know Artemis has been an enemy to us in the past and almost compromised fairy safety, but more often he's saved us from terror. He's a genius and has had experience with Opal Koboi before. Plus, he has a solution ready and waiting on how to capture Koboi.'

All protests were forgotten, and all eyes were fixed on the monitor with Artemis's face on it. Could it be true? Could this human prodigy have the answer to one of the greatest problems in fairy history?

Artemis cleared his throat for attention and assumed his usual manner. Arrogant and annoyingly clever.

'Ladies and gentleman, before Opal's escape, I anticipated that if her past self did indeed free her, they would travel through time to the past to stop Opal's original plan of the B'wa Kell rebellion and then assuming power. But I was only partially right. On the day Foaly was rendered comatose, he told me his team had cracked the encryption on Opal's diary. I was given some of the files within it for my tracker project. During this time, Foaly told me of Opal's attempt to find out how her own plans would progress by illegally sending a probe to the future. I have been given access to all the information on her diary and I managed to find out that while the probe landed off course by a dozen millennia, it did return. It had recorded three days worth of information. The video file wasn't in the diary, however, but the exact date it landed and departed was. So we now know what year Opal is in. She wouldn't go into the future without knowing what she was getting in to. That's like going into the world's biggest maze without directions.'

'While that is a very good start,' said Cahartez, 'it still does not give us her exact location. And if were to send agents out into every single day of that year to find Opal, the results could be catastrophic. So many journies through the time tunnel could have effects we couldn't even begin to imagine. Nothing like that has ever been attempted before.'

'True,' admitted Artemis, 'but I can get us Opal's exact location.'

'How?' asked Holly and Cahartez in almost perfect unison.

'The seeker sleeper in her arm,' said Artemis. 'Opal will want to be cautious. She's only got three days' worth of information to use. Three days' worth of absolute fact. She would stick to one of these days to avoid getting involved in some dangerous incident. She said in her diary that the planet was in a state of war at the moment. The last thing she would want to happen to herself would be to get killed or captured by whoever's fighting in this war. I propose our demon warlock friends send a probe to the start of these three days that can detect the seeker sleeper escorted by an LEP officer.'

'We would be happy to do that,' spoke up Qwan, elder of the demon warlocks. His new apprentice Nº1 also looked eager to help. Qweffor, who was still sitting in the stand beside Cahartez, looked happy at this. It was a chance to redeem himself for what he had inadverdently caused.

'We wouldn't be able to get an exact location where she is on the planet, though,' said Artemis. 'For that we would need satellite support. But it would determine when she arrived in the future, and thus we send a team to when she is in the future and find her using Earth's satellites.'

'That is ridiculous,' piped up one council member. 'The humans will have had thousands of years to develop new technology. How do you know our current machines will be able to rig a satellite? That is, if they even use satellites anymore.'

'Opal's diary said that human technology has only risen by a few decades. It seems that humanity's ability to create has only gone as far as to improve what they already have and left it at that. No idea why. Perhaps due to a global recession that has lasted a significant time. The world could have fallen into chaos by an economic crisis and only recently has got back on its feet. I've been expecting such an orccurence to happen. So, we have the means, the opportunity, the resources and the brains to catch Opal. That is, if you'll allow me to be a part of this mission.'

'What concern is it of yours that Opal should be imprisoned?' asked Cahartez.

'She tortured my mother with a deathly illness, rendered my good friend, Foaly, comatose and murdered Commander Julius Root,' said Artemis. 'I owe her much sorrow, as do many others. The People have helped rid me of the demons of my life. No offence to you three of course,' nodded Artemis at the three demon warlocks. 'It only seems fair that I rid of a devil like Opal. And to stop the devil, you'll need someone on his level of cunning.'

Holly had to smile. Cunning as the devil. That was Artemis Fowl alright.

'For this mission, we will be venturing out into the unknown for three days, so we will need to take along some resources. I know in time travel you have to concentrate during the journey through time or else you will be lost forever, and thus it is better to keep what you're wearing or carrying simple or else it could meld itself on to you. But I have a remedy. I have studied magic long and hard and have made a machine using a similar method to your own time-stop towers.'

For centuries, fairy warlocks had been able to stop time around certain spaces or even across the whole planet. But since the humans had become so much more technologically advanced, the People had to stay ahead of the game. So Foaly had made the whole operation of a time-stop machine controlled by having elfin warlocks store their magic in lithium batteries that could stop time for eight hours. But elfin warlocks had been rendered obsolete since N°1 had arrived, and these batteries could now stop time for a whole day. The towers transmitted the magic like a net over a set area, completely dropping wherever they wanted out of the current time under the power was out, and then it returned back to Earth.

'It broadcasts a small dome of magic across a platform big enough for six or seven people,' continued Artemis, 'but we no longer have to think during the jump through time. Using a CT scan, I can have all my biological information stored on a computer and it concentrates on this image throughout a journey through time, so I no longer have to. This process can be done with anyone and anything by simply inputting the schematics of an object or person. In short, I have removed any risks of the time travel process and allowed us to take anything we need with us. We could send a full team with all the equipment they need into the future and catch Opal within three days. With the resources at their disposal, it would be simple.'

Cahartez stood up, dumbfounded, though also confused. This went for a fair few of the Council too, but they understood that last bit.

'Fowl, you may have just given us the answer to our prayers,' the chairman said. 'Now that we have a plan, we'll need the team. Fowl, I'll allow you to go along in case the machine fails and our team needs a way back to the present. I can't spare any demon warlocks, though.'

'I could simply take a battery with their magic then construct a new machine. The parts will be difficult to get, but with fairy aid, certainly not impossible. And if I'm going on this mission, Butler will want to come too. He would be more than a great asset. He's tracked criminals with some of the greatest underworld connections in human circles. Opal Koboi all on her own shouldn't prove a problem. Plus he'd be helpful in a combat situation if she plans to join one of these warring factions for asylum. No one would pass up the opportunity of her engineering skill.'

'Excellent back-up strategy. Foaly was working on a bigger shuttle model that could house twelve fairies, rations and weaponry. I think you could use it for your mission, if this platform can take the shuttle.'

'Oh, don't worry. I've got the perfect solution for that.'

'Good. Now, we will need someone experienced with Koboi. Captain Short.' Holly quickly rose up at her name.

'Yes, sir?' she said.

'You're on board. Your record with Opal and your Recon missions speaks for itself, but this is Retrieval. And this'll be your first time trying out this new game, but the rules aren't much different, so expect the usual success from you. Do I make myself clear?'

'Yessir.'

'Good. Now, who else in the LEP has had experience with Opal.'

'No one, sir,' said Commander Kelp. 'The only other people were Commander Root and Foaly, sir.'

'There are other fairies, though, sir,' said Holly. 'Mulch Diggums has been involved with all of Koboi's major expliots, and has been a vital part in our successes.'

'I don't like this,' said the councilor with the goatee, which sprung a little as he played with it. 'We are relying too much on outside help.'

'True,' admitted Cahartez, 'but not help we haven't relied on before. Diggums is one half of the Diggums and Day: Private Investigators group, a PI and part-time bounty hunting business we've called before because of their reputation. They've caught fifteen per cent of Haven's criminals since they opened business. They were even hired to track down Koboi, the past version, so technically we still have a contract with them.'

Artemis smiled. 'Smart thinking. Mulch and Mister Day are just the people I had hoped you'd think of.'

'Then, it seems like everything is ready. Captain Short, contact Diggums and Day immediately and get them down here. Get yourself ready for departure until they get here. Wing Commander Vinyáya, arrange for these demons to power up the necessary batteries. Commander Kelp, get everything organised. Get these three fairies a visa, get that new shuttle ready for launch and load it up with everything they'll need. Ladies and gentlemen, this mission is dismissed until further notice,' said the chairman and buzzed them away.

CHAPTER 6: A DIGGER AND A DRIVER
OUTER HAVEN, ABANDONED TUNNEL COMPLEX

You've heard the names, now meet the people who match them.

Mulch Diggums and Doodah Day where both reformed crooks now making their way in life legitimately while still getting to use their old criminal methods. Mulch was a burglar who had once broken into the Bank of England on a dare and Doodah Day was an accomplished driver of every type of vehicle, formerly a professional smuggler dealing mainly in transporting fish.

The business used to be just Mulch and Holly, but then she went back to working with the LEP and Doodah filled in her place and had been working with Mulch for nearly three years now.

They'd been occupied with tracking Opal Koboi down along with the LEP and anybody else desperate for the reward money they'd get for bringing her in, but five days ago they'd been hired by the Frond family, the descendants of first ever king of the fairies.

The second latest in the line, Corporal Lili Frond informed them that a gangster called Groma with a bounty on his head almost as big as Koboi's had kidnapped her little sister, Prudence.

Groma was infamous in underworld circles. He was a cross between a pixie and a goblin, which was odd since pixies were smart and the average goblin had a smaller brain than an ant, though with powers over fire and the surprising ability to speak.

Groma, being a fusion of his respective parents' species, had pixie brains and the look and powers of a goblin, making him an incredibly dangerous foe. Goblins naturally lived a life of crime, and Groma wasn't any different, actually becoming something of a crime boss.

The pair of bounty hunters couldn't get any police aid. Lili told them if the LEP were involved, then the girl was a goner, and that's why she needed outside help.

Her father had come up with the idea, as Lili herself was none too clever, and was willing to pay handsomely for his daughter's safe return as long as it was kept quiet to avoid public embarrassment at an LEP officer needing outside help, even willing to let them keep the bounty on Groma if he was captured.

Mulch and Doodah could get two pay-outs for finishing one job, and the total would be a king's ransom. They pulled out all the strings to get this job done, calling in owed favours and interrogating their informants.

They didn't have any luck until they got to their prized informant, Groober the Tuba. He got his nickname after the highest ranking insult in dwarf circles, which was releasing recycled earth and wind in the direction of another person. Groober had little bowel control due to a lifetime of eating vole curry and no earth roughage for his insides. It had often got him into trouble with other dwarfs, but Mulch had often sweet talked whoever he accidentally insulted out of beating him to a pulp.

Even with these kind of favours backing him, Mulch still had to persuade Groober to give them the information they wanted.

The incontinent dwarf told them that Prudence Frond was being kept in Groma's hideout of an abandoned tunnel complex, not too far from the city. It had been a hive of illegal activity and mainly used for smuggling when it still had tunnels leading to the surface, but the LEP had sealed some of the larger ones to keep fairies from going out into the human world and getting caught on camera.

This was not good. The tunnels was where Groma kept his pet, a troll he fed his enemies to, and often those he'd abducted along the negotiators carrying the ransom money. Of course, the money would be relieved from them before they got eaten.

Fortunately, being ex-cons who had worked in the tunnels before, Mulch and Doodah knew the layout pretty well and began to think of a plan. Groma and his goons would be easy to deal with if everything went accordingly, but the troll was what worried them. The average troll was over twelve feet tall, but rumour said Groma's was somewhere between fifteen and twenty. Thankfully, one of Doodah's owed favours provided an answer and they had a solid plan at their disposal.

So now Mulch was lying in wait underground with a flesh-coloured microphone stuck to his neck and a speaker lodged in one ear in contact with Doodah.

You see, dwarfs had little in the way of magical power, and in any case, Mulch had had his magic taken from him when fairy law still allowed any fairy who went into a human dwelling without invitation to have their powers revoked. But Mulch did have his abilities granted to him through evolution like all his species. Dwarfs are diggers and most usually work down in mines searching for precious gems and metals.

These abilities unique to dwarfs are ingesting dirt through their mouths and ejecting it out the other end, drinking moisture through their pores in the case they were trapped by a cave-in and couldn't get to water with the added effect of his skin becoming a living suction cup and surliva that glowed and hardened when it came in contact with air. These abilities came in great use in the life of a professional burglar.

'Wheels to Pungent. Wheels to Pungent. Do you hear me? Over,' said a voice buzzing in Mulch's ear.

That was the problem with the outdated LEP gear they were using. The quality wasn't nearly as good since the ear piece was fifty years old, but still better than anything civilians were using.

'Pungent to Wheels, I hear you. And why do I always have to have the ridiculous code name? So far I've had Stinky, Dog-Breath, Flatulence, Fly Farm, Sewer Mouth and Goblin's Cologne.'

Doodah had to smile to himself. Annoying his partner gave him no end of satisfaction. And Mulch felt the exact same way, which was what made this job interesting. 'Because it's all true. And the Fly Farm one was a comment on your table manners. That shirt of yours is covered in so much food it attracts more flies than a manure truck. Hey! That should be your next code name. Walking Manure Truck!'

Mulch admired his friend's playful side, but wasn't about to concede defeat. 'Why don't we just call you Pram Man, since you're no bigger than a baby and spend all your time sitting in four wheels.'

'Not all the time. Last week I had to drive something with three wheels. Though it did start out with four, I'll admit.'

All this playful banter was to make time go by faster. Right now, Doodah was stationed with a pair of binoculars he bought on the black market that came with scopes, digital zoom, X-ray and heat sensors. The X-ray was the main reason it was on the black market, as it could see inside various facilities such as banks or inside LEP buildings with hidden weapon stashes.

Currently, everything was pretty ordinary except for the heat signature of a swear toad. Then a lone figure highlighted in pinks and reds showed up.

'Pungent, she's here,' Doodah told his partner. 'Get ready.'

Mulch did as he was told and dug himself to four metres below the exchange point, feeling for the vibration of conversation through the earth.

Up above, or as above as you can get underground near the Earth's core, Lili Frond walked into the network of tunnels as Groma had instructed her. She'd been told to go to the largest tunnel and heading straight. She finally reached a room filled with adjoining tunnels, some of which had been sealed off or mostly filled with earth, but still allowing enough room for excess heat from the planet's core to be released, otherwise the Earth would have shaken itself to pieces ages ago.

She went into the complex's centre and heard a 'psst' coming from a tunnel she'd just walked passed. In it was a goblin waving her to come to him. Lili did as she was told.

The goblin led her down a single long tunnel, going up a little until coming to a cavern. Groma was on a ledge, looking down at the stalactites and stalagmites. Lili noticed another tunnel behind these that sent her heart racing. It had a large entrance, and she could see a bone wedged between two rock structures. She might not have been the brightest in the bulb box, truth be told, she'd been rattling when you shook her for a while, but gut instinct told her the troll was kept there.

She swallowed her instant overwhelming fear. She was at least good at following orders. Though she'd lose her cool if things got out of control and pandemonium was at hand.

Slung across her should was an LEP equipment pack. It was similar to a backpack, but completely airtight, water-proof, fire-resistant and secured with a thumb-print scanner. If the pack identified you as a thief, it'd sent a shock through your hand in a joy buzzer style, giving anyone with long hair the appearance of a feather duster.

Groma turned to face her.

'You came,' he said in a very bad Italian accent. Groma had studied humans through their media due to their success when it came to crime and had fashioned himself an appearance based after Marlon Grando in The Godfather. He was still working on the accent though and the reptillian voice common to all goblins wasn't helping.

Lili put on a stiff upper lip. 'I've got your money. All of it. Now I want my sister.'

Groma turned to one of his comrades. 'Bring the girl.'

The goblin sulked for a moment at being asked to actually do work and stalked off.

Lili turned to him, frightened, but doing her best to hide it. 'Aren't you going to search me?'

'No. No bugs will work in this cave. One of those stalagmites down there is fake. It's really a jammer. And if any LEP showed up, I'd have picked up chatter. I stole one of their helmets and one of my boys is listening for anything right now.'

Doodah heard this from his perch in one of the tunnels higher up. Just as he and Mulch had figured. They'd be too focused on the high-tech communication devices to watch out for low-tech ones like walkie-talkies. Technically, these were illegal. But technically, Doodah and Mulch couldn't care less. It wasn't as if they hadn't broken the law before.

The goblin that had left quickly returned with a young girl wearing goth gear with a pink zig zag going through her hair. The girl was sixty, but by human standards, she was little more than a teenager.

She had on a better brave face than her sister. From what Mulch had heard underground, young Prudence Frond had annoyed the living daylights out of her guardian, who was now blabbing to his comrade a few metres off.

'A whole day I spent with that brat!' said the traumatised golbin. 'Kept on demanding hair stuff. Why'd she want that stuff? She got hair already!'

This was just the latest. Before now, Mulch had heard of at least one escape attempt, which were infuriating because they mainly came out of human movies that barely got one star from the critics.

Tying to knock out a goblin using a rock. Honestly. Any idiot knows a goblin's head is thicker than the standard rock, and in more ways than one to boot.

Lili let out a breath she'd been holding at seeing her younger sister. She had her arms crossed and was scowling at the world in general. She was perfectly fine.

'Open the bag then hand over the loot,' said Groma.

Lili placed her thumb on the print scanner and the latch on the bag unlocked. She placed it in-between her and Groma and the goblin/pixie hybrid picked up. He took out an eyepiece resembling a monacle and digitally enhanced a gold piece from the pack. His comparison to a photo on an online database proved it was genuine.

He smiled widely, breath of an old furnace spilling out between his teeth in excited pants. He'd pulled off his biggest ransom yet.

'You have it,' said Lili. 'So we'll go now.'

'I'm sorry,' said Groma. 'But I can't allow that. If I kidnap you here, I could double my earnings. I doubt your daddy would want the LEP to know both his precious daughters had been kidnapped. Unfortunately, I don't have much room here. So I'm afraid one of you is going to have to be treated as a waste of space and taken care of.'

Goblins covered various escape routes, all except for the ones that were secret and too high up to be reached.

'Bring the corporal forward,' said Groma.

Two goblins grabbed her by the arms, foolishly leaving their posts to grab her.

'NUMSKULLS!' roared Groma at his men. 'Idiots! Get that entrance covered now!'

The two who grabbed Lili bolted back to their posts.

'Not you two!' screamed Groma. He resented his goblin side of the family, especially since every one of them were brain-dead as zombies. 'Someone else do it! And keep hold of Miss LEP.'

'Yeah!' roared up Lili. 'I'm LEP. You're dancing with trolls here.'

'What an appropriate choice of phrase,' said Groma with a nasty and eager smile upon his face.

He turned towards the large cave at the other side of the room.

Lili might have been dumb, but she could see what was coming next. Fluttering her eyelashes wasn't going to help her in this situation. It was all down to their plan now.

Groma pulled out a remote from his jacket pocket and pushed its one and only button. The pressing of the button sent out a signal to a battery-powered speaker that sent out a high-pitched whine using Sonix technology, audible to only dogs and a certain monstrous fairy creature.

Disturbed by the noise, the being inside the cave walked out from its den, massive thuds sending out vibrations through the floor of earth and stone. It emerged from the shadow, twice the size of a normal man and ten times in weight. It had tusks jutting out from its jaws like hooks made of jagged rock, skin covered in untamable brown fur. Its face looked like nothing more than a skull with wrinkled flesh clinging to it, with red night eyes latched into the sockets below the dirty dreadlocks atop its head. The combined result of tigers, alligators, lions and every other fearsome creature known to man would not have stood a chance against a beast such as this. But then again, fairies were not commonly known to men.

'Tiny!' said Groma as if he'd just been greeted by a favourite pet dog.

His goons were shaking, holding up electric stun guns. They could not knock the troll unconscious, but they'd scare him and make him run back into his shelter if his fur got singed.

'Duddy missed you,' he said using his baby talk vocabulary. 'But he brought you a treat.'

The troll threw it head back and roared, the power of sound causing the fairies' very bones to shake in their bodies and their teeth scrape in their jaws.

'Bring his food,' yelled Groma. 'He's hungry.' The goblin/pixie hybrid thought acting psychopathic like this added an additional fear factor, and he was more than a little right.

Lili breathed deeply and thought.

What was it? Three coughs? Three swoons? Pretending to throw up?

Then she remembered. She breathed in deeply, releasing some air quickly before taking it in again, then taking one long breath. Then her head jerked forward three times.

'A-choo!' she said. 'A-choo! A-choo!'

'You wanna hankey?' asked a goblin.

Three sneezes. That's the signal! thought Doodah from his hiding place before giving the order aloud. 'Come in, Pungent! Now, Mulch, go! Ride like the wind that flows out your-'

'I get the picture!' said Mulch hurriedly. Even dwarfs didn't like talking about that specific subject if they could avoid it.

Suddenly, the ground beneath Groma and his cronies began to shake.

'W-what is this?' the crime boss asked no one in particular, but hoping for an answer all the same.

He got it as the earth was sucked out from underneath his feet, into the belly of Mulch Diggums and then out again. Soon, Groma and the thugs closest to him were up to their necks in recycled earth. Even if Groma could escape now, he'd never live down the humiliation.

'A dwarf!' yelled a particularly intelligent goblin. 'It's a stinkin' dwarf!'

'Yo' sure?' asked another, more on the average brain scale.

'Dunno. I could be wrong.'

As the mentally stimulating conversation (for them at least) progressed, Mulch ate dirt and buried them in his recyclings.

Soon goblins had their fire balls up and were blasting the earth randomly, not coming anywhere close to where Mulch was.

The flashing light and noise of the hysteria provoked Tiny, who roared as loud as he could and went straight for the easiest meal he could get his hands on: Lili and Prudence. Even trolls didn't want to eat goblins covered in earth.

Then a horn echoed through the complex as Doodah in a vehicle zoomed out from one of the upper tunnels and landed near Tiny.

He was driving something similar in body to a forklift truck, but shielded with bullet-resistant glass and armed with many grappling tools that could be manipulated from the driver's seat.

This was the latest in anti-trill technology, the Gripper. It weighed a ton but could move as fast as one hundred and fifty miles per hour with a clean engine.

Doodah floored the accelerator and the Gripper rushed towards Tiny and he manipulated the vehicle's controls, trying to secure the troll's arms, body and legs. Each grapple was fitted with a needle filled with tranquillizer to stun the creature, but the hard part was getting close enough to the troll.

It could easily pick up a car or two, but thanks to gravity manipulating technology, the Gripper could be made to weigh anything from one to five tonnes.

Tiny struggled with the machine, thrashing for all he was worth. Despite knowing they every protection had been taken with the vehicle, Doodah felt terrified, but did not freeze. If he did, he would have certainly been doomed.

Instead, he looked at the read-outs and assessed the situation, eventually settling on a course of action. The obvious one: Take out the troll.

With one hand manipulating the controls, Doodah pulled down a pair of goggles linked to a series of cameras on the front of the Gripper, then slipped his free hand into a v-glove, which allowed him to control one of the vehicle's arms as if it were his own.

He grabbed the troll by it's right wrist and applied the sedative needle, causing the limb to slacken a bit. Then he turned on the stomach and leg clamps and finally slipped his right hand into the other glove and grapsed the troll's only remaining limb.

The monstrous beast was falling deep into lullaby land now, and the only thing keeping it up was the Gripper. Doodah wiped the perspiration from his forehead and drove the Gripper and the troll into its cave dwelling, releasing Tiny to where he could do no harm then backed out. That particular troll wouldn't be awake for at least a couple of ohours.

Mulch had been busy. All of Groma's goons had ended up just like the crime boss's ransom plan: Soiled.

Lili and Prudence were still shaking, but they weren't beyond comprehension.

'Th-thank you,' said Lili.

'Yeah,' said Prudence. 'Real awesome.'

'We accept thanks in cash or checque, and the occasional celeboratory dinner,' said Mulch.

'We'll take gold, though,' said Doodah.

'I only have my Platinum,' said Lili.

Doodah scowled. Mulch just smiled behind his bushy Santa beard.

'Not a Gold Card. Gold as in actual gold. Your pop agreed we get half the ransom,' declared Doodah.

'Oh, yeah, sorry,' said Lili and picked up her LEP backpack, spilling out fifty unmarked twenty-four carat gold ingots. 'Half.'

'Thank yo very much,' said Mulch and scooped as much of the gold as his arms could carry.

Doodah had the same greedy glint in his eye Mulch did, but acted more professional and loaded the gold into the Gripper to take back.

'Dig him up, Stinky!' said Doodah.

Mulch moved over to Groma.

'Don't even think about it, dwarf!' the goblin/pixie hybrid spat. 'Touch me and I burn your skin off.'

Mulch unhinged his jaw, expanding it to the size of a washing machine's drum, though not nearly as clean.

Groma's eyes widened in horror as Mulch's mouth engulfed him. Initially, he thought the dwarf was going to eat him and started yelling for help, which gave Mulch a very irritating headache. What he was realy doing was covering Groma in dwarf surliva, which was laced with a sedative and quickly knocked out the crime boss.

When Mulch released him, Groma was sleeping like the world's ugliest baby and then proceeded to eat up the earth around him before loading Groma into the back of the Gripper with the gold, securing his hands in special LEP cuffs that stopped his palms meeting with oxygen and starting a fire.

'You ladies want a ride?' asked Doodah.

'No, my dad will be coming soon. The bag has GPS,' said Lili.

'Suit yourselves,' said Doodah. 'Say, err... You think I could get your number or something?'

Lili never had time to reply as Mulch slammed his foot down on the accelerator, which also had Doodah's foot on it.

'Ow!' he yelled. Then he said, 'What you do that for?'

'Because our goblin friend here is a smart one, and I don't want him escaping before we get our cash when he comes to.'

'If I'd got her number, I could have got a whole load of cash when she got her old man's money.'

'OK. Now that's low, especially for a shorty like you.'

Doodah didn't have a reply for once. He was just trying it out. He'd known other people it had worked out for, but things did eventually turn sour for those people. Now that he thought about it, it wasn't the best of ideas. And it was breaking a level of decency deeper than any law.

They drove back to a branch of the LEP suited for troll attacks and dropped off the Gripper, loading their cargo into the back of their MagnaVan. From they went on to Police Plaza, dropping off Groma and collecting the bounty that doubled their earnings.

Once business had been settled, they were given a message from the Council saying their services were needed for a dangerous mission under ludicrous circumstances.

Mulch Diggums smiled when he read that.

'Hey, Doodah,' he said to his partner. 'Looks like Arty's got a job for us.'

CHAPTER 7: FOWL TO THE FUTURE
FOWL MANOR, IRELAND

For every Fowl, there has been a Butler. Their protectors. Their life-long servants. The men and women who were paid to cook, clean and take a bullet for what had once been a family of criminals.

The current Butler and guardian of Artemis Fowl II was sitting at the desk in his room. One eye was flitting through Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's The Hound of the Baskervilles, the other keeping a watchful gaze on the security monitors for the house.

The Eurasian eased back in his swivel chair, relaxing himself for a moment before returning his attention to his multi-tasking. Back in the day, he could watch monitors or observe locations on stakeouts for hours on end, but he had developed as a person since then and now the Fowl affairs were mainly legal.

Sometimes he scolded himself for this, but consoled himself that he could break this mind-set when necessary. Then he remembered that in this business you could never tell when it was necessary to do anything. His job was always so full of surprises.

Then the house intercom emitted his master's voice in crackled tones.

'Butler, come down to my workshop,' he said.

Butler pulled over his suit jacket across his considerable bulk and shoulder holster, the Kevlar jacket hidden underneath his shirt restricting his movement slightly. Then he proceeded outside his room, through the corridors, into the hallway and then down the oak staircase before coming to the wooden steps of the basement entrance.

Butler had cared for Artemis since his birth. He had protected him, tutored him, fought for him, watched over him, and even had a hand in raising him. Butler was like a second father to the boy, and for a time had been his only one.

During these times, the years of adventures had taken their toll on him.

A few years ago, Artemis had arranged a business meeting with the owner of a multinational communications company with mob connections and Butler had accompanied him. The meeting had turned into an incident that almost cost Butler his life, but thanks to Artemis's quick thinking and Holly Short's magical healing powers, Butler survived to fight another day. But Butler's body was forced to also contribute, and gave fifteen years of his life energy to help him heal. So Butler, at the age of forty-four, now had the physical make-up of a sixty-year-old man. Granted, a sixty-year-old man with the stature of a mountain gorilla, but age does terrible things to a body, and it most certainly had done in Butler's case.

The bodyguard had alerted his sensei Madame Ko to his predicament during his three-year-wait for Artemis's return using the excuse that the years were catching up to him. She had recommended a routine of diet and exercise she'd learned from an old Tibetan man that would make Butler feel as if he were thirty years younger. The Tibetan man was currently ninety-seven and was living in Jamaica for the tropical fruit. Every day he would climb up banana trees for food and would knock down coconuts and crack them open with his head for drink. His body was as youthful as that of a twenty-year-old, but he often suffered from terrible headaches due to the coconuts. And aspirin was hard to come by in the tropical islands.

The dieting was easy enough. All Butler needed was the necessary fruits and vegetables and a few ancient herbs mixed into a protein shake. It was the exercise that was the tough part.

A normal person at Butler's age might have a little trouble with exercising, but for the manservant it was terrible. Especially when jogging or on the treadmill. Another thing happened to Butler when Holly had healed him. She had accidentally replicated some Kevlar fibres from Butler's bullet proof vest that had sunk into the gunshot wound that had nearly killed him, and now his breathing was constricted and a fifteen minute jog now seemed like a marathon for the Eurasian. But apart from that, everything was A-OK.

Butler had stuck to this routine of diet and exercise for the past three years. He hadn't felt so alive since Holly had saved him from a troll's attack. Right now, he felt as if he could take on a dozen trolls. Not necessarily in medieval armour though. Perhaps if he just had a really big machine gun.

He came to the solid pine door with iron locks. The basement had originally been a dungeon until the renovations had been made, and now stored various antiques, wines, fine art, several items of sentimental value and Artemis's own private workshop.

The word workshop didn't really seem to apply to the place, though. It seemed more like the laboratory of some crazed scientist mixed with the class rooms of various teachers because of all the blackboards filled with physics calculations, mathematical theorems and blueprints for many contraptions that would leave the most gifted engineer wondering if these were plans for a sci-fi space rocket.

Artemis was currently finishing off a machine's computer coding on a device the size of a Gameboy, its screen showing ones and zeros above the pull-out keyboard. It was another of Artemis's inventions.

'Ready to astound me yet, young master?' asked the manservant.

'For that event, Butler, I am never unprepared.'

Artemis turned around to face him. The boy's eyes were underlined with bags worked on from late and sleepless nights in the last three months. This combined with the boy's ghoulish complexion did nothing for his looks. If he wasn't a genius, the only possible career he'd have was in horror movies.

'When this is over, you need a good night's sleep,' said Butler.

'I agree, but only when this is over,' said the Irish youth.

'A tired and battered soldier is no good on the battlefield. And you look pretty beat.'

'Trying to coax me out of it going again?' said Artemis, always out to establish the angles.

'We're going into the future. Jumping ahead thousands of years. I'm sorry to tell you this, but even your mind isn't that advanced.'

'True. But it can adapt. They are going to need me. And there is little chance of my machine malfunctioning if you're going to try that argument. I've run all the diagnostics.'

'So it's ready?'

'Yes,' said Artemis, taking a theatrical pause between breaths. 'It's ready.'

The young Fowl heir swooped over to a large object covered by a white sheet and dramatically pulled it off for it to be seen by Butler. He'd been practicing for when the rest of the party arrived.

'Complete genius, wouldn't you say, old friend?' asked Artemis in a voice of pure giddiness. This arrogance at his own smarts was one of the main reasons he made so many enemies.

'Indeed, Artemis. It looks like we can now add Dr. Emmett J. Brown to your long list of aliases,' said Butler with the merest hint of humour in his voice.

IRELAND AIRSPACE, 45,000 FEET ABOVE SEA LEVEL

Moving at speeds of near mach one, the new prototype LEP shuttle created by Foaly moved through the sky as graceful as an arrow.

The ship was shaped like a teardrop like most LEP shuttles, but this one was much larger the cramped standard issue aircraft and incorporated a material known as cam foil. Cam foil was a series of matrices that used artificially made diamonds to project an image on its opposite side. Or in simpler terms, put on the cam foil and the image behind the wearer hides from view.

This was an experimental version of cam foil called cam coating. Quite simply, it was a ship's armour coated in cam foil diamonds. Traditionally plasma panels were used, but plasma could be torn and leave holes in the air. Cam foil had its own weaknesses, such as shorting out in the rain or if it was damaged, but the new cam coating was more resilient.

The shuttle was being flown by Holly Short with Mulch sitting in the back stuffing his face with his personal food rations and Doodah observing Holly's manipulation of the ship's controls.

Rushing below them were great blocks of grey coming from rows of buildings with the occasional green of a park poking through.

Fowl Manor lay just outside the city of Dublin, so Holly reduced her speed to two and fifty miles per hour and ran a check to see if any commercial flights were coming her way. Everything came up green.

The same could be said for the horizon. Now that they were away from the city, all that could be seen were fields of olive to emerald.

An icon flashed on her screen showing a lone structure hidden by wall and trees near a road running through the country.

Holly looked on at the place that had taken part in many of fairy history's recent events. It had brought dread, forbidding and happiness to her at different times in her life. Now she only had one thought in her mind.

Fowl Manor, at last.

She steered the shuttle behind the huge imposing structure right next to the stables, activating her shadow lights beforehand.

Captain Short unclipped herself from the pilot's seat and took a look at her passengers.

Mulch had applied his usual layer of super strong and repellant sun block while Doodah was stuck wearing a three-year-old's outfit due to his childish features.

The pixie adjusted his baseball cap so it was turned backwards like he'd seen humans do in his pirate movies.

'Couldn't we have got something a little less... Denim?' asked Doodah, whose entire outfit could have been used for at least two pairs of adult jeans.

'It has to be authentic,' said Holly, barely concealing a smirk. 'Now, if you're both ready, we can get on with the mission.'

Captain Short pushed a button near the access hatch and the door opened. Holly used her magic to shield so that she was invisible and got out of the shuttle. Mulch and Doodah, who were both without magic, got out and dealt with their disguises.

Mulch looked much like a hobo, so he had no complaints. Even when he was rich, he hadn't been fancy.

Holly moved over to pet the flank of a friendly filly and then the three went on to Fowl Manor.

The sky was white with clouds and there was a chill in the September air, green trees filled with the reds, yellows and browns of Autumn season.

The Fowl estate was mostly deserted as had been pre-arranged by Artemis, so they had zero amount of human contact by the time they reached the manor's side-entrance.

Doodah rushed up and knocked on the door. Twenty seconds later it was opened by Butler. The manservant spread an arm wide to allow them admittance, then closed the door behind them.

The huge intimidating bull of a man suddenly seemed much more friendly as he put on a smile at the sights of his friends.

'I'm glad you three are here,' said Butler.

'Wouldn't miss it for the world, big man,' said Holly. 'Are we clear?'

'Yes, you're perfectly fine to turn off your shield.'

Holly did so, and she appeared as if an artist had painted a masterpiece using thin air as a canvas.

The LEPrecon captain hugged Butler's knees, as that was all she could reach. Butler slowly bent so as not hurt his elfin friend before returning the embrace.

'How are you, Mulch? You're partner still frightened of me?'

Mulch shook his head with his usual smirk. 'Nah, I told him though you could snap anybody like a twig, you're just a big old softy. Doesn't believe, me though.'

'Why's that?'

'Because he wouldn't give the truth about what time it is if he can stitch someone up,' piped up the small pixie.

Holly suddenly heard foot steps bouncing off the manor's ancient walls.

'Artemis has come to greet us in person?' she asked.

'No,' said Butler, looking on toward the door.

Within two seconds, a graceful blonde woman came through it, her smile of purest sincerity at seeing the three creatures. This was not the general reception the fairies were accustomed to.

The woman was Angeline Fowl, Artemis's mother.

Holly wasn't sure what was going on here, but let her hand fall to the Neutrino on her hip just in case it was something sinister. Angeline had been used for evil deeds before, though she hadn't really had a choice in the matter.

Angeline's arms were raised wide before settling down to her hips. She looked over them one by one. She came to Mulch and lowered herself to his eye-level.

'Mister Diggums,' she said, and took his hand. 'Artemis has told me everything. He's told me how you've saved him from such dangers, befriended him. I welcome you to my home, and thank you with all my heart for looking out for him.'

She then scooched over to face Doodah.

'Mister Day. Artemis tells me he hasn't known you as long as everyone else here, but says you are beyond dependable, and I thank you for helping him be a better man than I could have dreamed. But everything I have to say to you two goes double for you, Captain.'

She was now looking right into Holly's eyes. Then after a second, she hugged her, catching the elf completely off guard.

'Artemis tells me you've saved his life countless times, and even risked your own to save mine. You made my little Arty a hero. There are no words for me to express how much I must thank you for making him a human being that can set us all on the right path. For years I worried that big brain of his would only be good for the life of a criminal. But you, you put my fears to rest. You gave me back my husband. You've given me back my family. You've given me back my life. Thank you so very much, you remarkable woman.'

Holly just stood there, too shocked for words. Finally, Angeline let her go and showed them down to Artemis's work shop with Butler.

'Any other parents Artemis wants to introduce us to?' Holly whispered to the manservant.

'No,' he silently said back. 'Mister Fowl is away at a board of directors meeting in America.'

The young mastermind was just straightening his tie in a piece of reflective metal when his guests walked in.

'You three made good time,' Artemis commented. 'Are the new shuttle's engines supersonic?'

'Close as we can get without making a sonic boom and letting everyone know where we are,' said Holly.

While Holly was still talking, Artemis grabbed a device and handed it to his manservant.

'Butler. Please place this somewhere inside the shuttle. It doesn't matter where. Then come straight back.'

Butler did as he was told and jogged off, hoping it wouldn't take too long to find an invisible aircraft with nothing but a rough location and his bare hands.

Artemis stepped over to a large tarpaulin covering some obviously spectacular machine.

Holly smiled.

Typical human wanting to give off a big reveal. Typical Artemis Fowl too.

Then she noticed something and butted in on Artemis's pre-prepared speech, much to the criminal youth's annoyance.

'Yes, Holly?' asked Artemis.

'What's that?' said Holly, pointing towards a painting showing a ghostly man with his hands on his cheeks and an almost comically shocked expression.

'That is a copy of one version of Edvard Munch's The Scream, not the real one.'

Holly raised her hands up in a defensive apology. 'Sorry. But I heard it was stolen, and you do like your art. And this looks like it could be the real thing.'

'Thank you. I forged that and another myself. And yes, The Scream was stolen a couple of years ago. But it was recovered a few weeks ago thanks to an anonymous tip-off.'

'I like that picture,' said Mulch. 'Very dramatic. Plus it reminds me of Butler the first time he saw my talents.'

Holly ignored the vulgar statement and looked up information on The Scream quickly and covertly. Nothing about a tip-off. And Artemis had made two copies of the same painting? Had Artemis...

'Now, ladies, gentlemen, mythical creatures to all those who don't know better, I give you, in the simplest terms, the world's first time machine,' said Artemis and pulled off the tarp.

Underneath was a square panel fitted with towers that looked like electric pylons sporting a combination satellite dish and TV aerial. Attached to it were half a dozen cables leading off to other computers which were connected to devices only a genius could have assembled. All very complex stuff, but let's just stick to what the reader will understand; It was big, high-tech and looked like it could pick up every TV channel known to man.

'This is magical time travel in technological form,' explained Artemis. 'I had to use components from your own time stop equipment to make it. Demon magic is stored in batteries and we will no longer need to concentrate to get to a specific timeline. That is now the computer's responsibility.'

Holly swallowed. Leaving her life in the hands of a computer was not the most comforting notion.

'This process is to allow us to bring whatever we need through the time tunnel. If we did this normally with nothing more than a demon warlock and our own minds, we would only be able to take a small piece of clothing with us like an undergarment.'

Butler had just walked in, the device out of his hands and on the ship along with a bag of his own weapons and Artemis's computer files. The manservant now hung in the background to catch up on the details.

'Another thing with the time tunnel is a physical alteration which would increase our chances of returning in one piece. An example would be our bodies becoming younger or older by a few years, or decades in the case of fairies.'

This perked up Butler's interest.

'Could that work for me, Artemis?' he asked.

'I had a feeling you'd be asking questions at this point. While we could give you a younger body, the Kevlar in your chest would still be there. Except this body wouldn't have adapted to it and you could end up physically worse than you are now. It could even kill you, and we've been down that road enough times already.'

Butler coughed to cover up his embarrassment, though logically he had no right to feel this way. Three times he had nearly been killed only to be revived in situations beyond his experience or control. A troll had slashed and bashed him, he'd been shot point blank in the chest and finally suffered a heart attack under the control of a power-crazed pixie. After this mission, they would be the good old days.

'So that's one of the primary reasons our bodies will remain unchanged. It's simple to do the same with objects, but for an organic body, a full scan will need to be run of you.'

'Scan?' asked Doodah, lifting up his jeans whenever they fell passed his waist.

'Yes. To transport anything, the time machine will need a blue-print of what it's sending. That's why objects like your technology are so simple. They all have their schematics on file. For a person, we need to make a schematic of them. For this I connected a CT scan to my machine. One analysis and your ready to travel. Koboi will never expect us to have made it through with all this equipment and will be caught totally off guard, leaving us the perfect opportunity to capture and arrest her.'

Not everything Artemis explained was understood, but what was indicated the advantage was with them. Providing Opal hadn't already taken over the world by the time they arrived, that is.

'Please line up and lie down on the CT scan. The device Butler placed on your ship will allow it to be towed by us into the future. I assume it's fully stocked?'

Holly nodded.

'Yes. Some Neutrinos, one modified for Butler, and enough food and water to last the five of us up to three days. We still only have three days, right?'

'Yes. There was nothing I could do to alter that. The device will also make the shuttle a beacon. Anything touching it will be dragged back to this point by the time machine in the location it was originally standing. I had to install a plant in the device so it could work, in case any of you were wondering how I got a machine to absorb magic.'

Holly pressed on toward the CT scan before Artemis could get another lecture in.

This was the human version of the CT scan, though it wasn't much different from the fairy model. Place somebody inside the machine and it would X-ray them from all angles, creating a three-dimensional picture of them. Artemis was at the controls and kept quiet while he concentrated. Then Butler took over when it was Artemis's turn.

All his organs, bones and tissues appeared on the time machine's screen exactly as they were in his body.

When he was finished, he got out and walked over to the panel, disabling the safety protocols, inputting his secret password and pressing his hand on to a gel scanner to confirm his identity.

'Everything is ready,' said Artemis.

Artemis's mother looked beyond words at her son's willingness to help others. She'd dreamed of him being a good person, but also worried about him becoming a criminal like so many of his ancestors day after day. Finally, she knew he was going down the right path.

'Oh, I'm so proud of my little Smarty Arty!' said Angeline, and she hugged her son tighly.

Inside the embrace, Artemis frowned deeply. He hadn't been called 'Smarty Arty' since he was seven when he'd passed his first nuclear physics test.

After a minute, it occurred to her that it was time to say goodbye to her son.

'Don't worry, Missus Fowl,' said Holly. 'Smarty Arty knows exactly what he's doing. Don't you Smarty?'

Artemis's frown returned, but was hidden from his mother's sight.

'She's right, I do know what I'm doing. We'll be there and back in ten seconds.'

Angeline's eyes became more and more worried.

'They are going to need me for this... Mum,' said Artemis, his voice fully convicted and convinced.

Angeline rubbed above her cheek a little. When her hand came away, her fingers were wet.

'I know, my darling. Take good care of yourself,' she said and hugged him again.

Artemis pulled out of the embrace and initiated the thirty second countdown, then got into his place. A beeping started emitting from a speaker and began quickening as time went on.

'Join hands, everyone,' he instructed. 'It will make the process much easier for the machine.'

Everyone was a little anxious, as Artemis could clearly tell by the shallow breaths everyone was taking.

'Are you sure you've figured everything out, Artemis?' asked Holly, a touch nervous herself. 'All the calculations and the physics mumbo jumbo has been sorted out? You sure you haven't miscalculated or anything?'

Artemis let out an irritated snort. 'Please. My mathematical prowess is on par with the great Archimedes. Though if I ever discern the answer to one of the world's greatest problems while bathing, I'll be sure to put on a towel before running through the streets of Syracuse screaming "Eureka!"'

Holly pouted, but her chest eased itself out a bit. Artemis was only this smug when he knew he was right.

The beeping was getting faster, as were their hearts from the tension. It seemed as if it was uncannily keep rhythm with their pulses. They held tense silences and could feel their own blood pumping, as well as in the hands they were holding.

Then the beeping became so fast it was like a continuous whine.

Then what looked like clouds of sparking mist shot into the bodies of all of them and into the ship outside, leaving behind ghost images of our heroes and their lifeline to the present.

CHAPTER 8: GUARDIANS
Artemis and company travelled through what could only be described as a water slide made of stars of red, blue and various purples. In between small gaps space could be seen and so could pieces of history. They could smell city exhausts, battles filled with sweat and blood in the air as the atoms that made them drifted at speeds greater than light itself.

Usually they would have to maintain concentration or risk being lost to time by blending with the time tunnel, but the computer got rid of that and they could observe these spectacles for the flashes they appeared.

Moments of history yet to come was seen by them. Explosions, technological marvels, new species. Then, for the strangest time, floating earth surrounding the planet to be replaced by grassy country and rustic cities, expanding as they travelled further into the future.

Then the light came at the end of the tunnel, and it was time to depart.

Everyone! Head for the light, Artemis broadcast.

They followed his orders and were absorbed by the brightness, as if they had just walked into a white sun.

12,011 YEARS INTO THE FUTURE, ABOVE THE FORMER LOCATION OF IRELAND, EARTH

The two humans and three fairies all landed right on their feet, holding the same position they had at back at Fowl Manor.

Travelling through time was always different. This time is was extremely tiring and they all felt a little fatigued, but their energy was quickly coming back as they relaxed and their breathing returned to normal.

Artemis looked around. Sight upon exiting the time stream was akin to putting on a freshly cleaned pair of glasses. The images seemed crisp and sharper, and the colours were even grander than they were only seconds ago, like a fifties' television compared to a plasma flat-screen.

Though there was not much to see.

They were standing on a beach, a chill wind brushing against them with a sky filled with white clouds hanging above their heads. Typical for September this side of the world, so the climate hadn't changed that much.

Their ship had landed a few metres nearby and they all got in and buckled down.

Artemis went straight for the shuttle's computer, reading the Gnommish words and settling for a course of action.

Foaly had left behind several onboard computer programs for them to use should they have gone to the future. These included hacking, which Artemis intended to use to hijack a satellite and collect data for their mission.

Meanwhile, Holly secured herself in the pilot's seat while Doodah took up the position of co-pilot. It made sense. Though Doodah was an excellent driver and could operate anything with a working engine (to begin with), Holly was built for flying. An analogy between the two of them would be like comparing a claw hammer to a nail gun. A hammer is good for a fair few jobs around the house, but a nail gun was built for precision and did its job better than any other tool could.

All the others on the shuttle spent time looking out of the windows of the invisible craft, viewing the Earth millennia on. Not much had changed, but so far all they had was a sea view and a sky to go on, and that was only seen as a fleeting glance as they went at speeds of mach one.

Soon, Artemis put the monitor to sleep and turned his chair to face everyone.

Holly put on the autopilot to focus her full attention on Artemis.

'First order of business, you'll all be glad to know we arrived at the appropriate time,' said Artemis, starting with the good news. 'Now events are about to become more complicated. To track Opal, I brought with me the program I was working on to install on the fairy technology attached to human satellites. That technology no longer exists, meaning either it is more advanced that the equipment we are supplied with, or fairies have taken a different route of monitoring humanity. Either way means our only way to track Opal will be to apply the program to a satellite network ourselves. The only grid under a single controller is hack proof from here. Meaning we either go into space, or break into the facility where the satellites are being controlled. My investigations on this world's Internet reveal them to be owned by a military organisation called the Guardian Units of the Nation.'

'So we're going to have to break in to a human military complex,' said Holly.

'Yes. Their weapons are only a few decades ahead of what we have now. It seems humans might have gone back a bit on the clock from some sort of global disaster. I can't say what, though. I'd say some sort of great economy crisis and then it fell into poverty, then started rebuilding.'

'What are we up against?' asked Butler.

'The majority of their weapons are typical of what any military would have now,' said Artemis. 'News reports state they have made recent developments in the fields of robotics and have both manned attack mechs and automatons acting under artificial intelligence programs, but nothing too remarkable. Their AI is no better than that of a video game's, so they're not too smart. But obviously, we are going to try and avoid all that. Holly, please head to the co-ordinates on the computer screen. We'll do a sweep of this facility then forge a plan, though I have one brewing already.'

Holly felt a know tie in her stomach out of tension, but she'd come to associate that with Artemis's plans.

She gunned the throttle of the shuttle and they were flying over a night time metropolis, lights shining below as if multi-coloured stars had landed on Earth.

'Station Square, capital of the United Federation, the human government,' explained Artemis.

'It all looks very clean,' said Butler in admiration. 'Is it new?'

'No. It has been around for centuries. It was built after an event I'm still researching. Aha!' Artemis proclaimed. A monitor displaying the city outside highlighted one building in neon green and the ship came closer towards it. 'GUN Base 56. It's the main military defence facility for Station Square.'

Holly looked at her own monitor. 'The ship's picking up plenty of heat signatures from the guards in that place. I'd say there are at least two hundred soldiers in there, and another fifty on the outside.'

Artemis mulled this over. 'The ventilation shafts should be clear.'

'You want us to crawl through those?' said Holly. 'That is completely insane.'

'And I know someone crazy enough for the job,' replied Artemis, turning his head to Mulch.

'Me? I don't know nothing about computers, and I did not sign up to get shot at,' yelled the dwarf.

'We don't need you to steal anything for us. Yet. All we need you for is reconnaissance. You just have to wear an iris-cam, film all the hallways as you crawl above them, find the room we need, then search for an escape route. Once that's all done, you walk out. Surely such a thief of your status can accomplish this? And a couple of other things,' said Artemis as ideas continuously popped in his head like popcorn in a pan.

Mulch winked and gave a thumbs up. 'No problem. Especially if it earns me some extra cash from you, rich boy. And maybe a couple of free dinners from KFC.'

'Done. Once Mulch's mission is successful, Butler and I shall enter the building and hijack the satellites.'

The manservant turned to his master. 'And how will we get in? If we knock out the guards at the gate, the cameras will spot us. And we can't sneak in without being caught by either human or mechanical eyes.'

Artemis leaned towards the shuttle's front window, pointing to a lone soldier in full body armour on patrol in the street. 'I'd say that guard on duty was about your size, wouldn't you?'

Butler smirked, catching on to Artemis's plan. 'I knock him out, steal his uniform and walk straight in, eh?'

'Not exactly. Once you've stolen his clothing and ID card, you'll take me as a prisoner to be interrogated on charges of being a spy. My searches revealed that the United Federation is at war with a nation called the Eggman Empire. I pose as one of their agents in your custody and when the coast is clear, we sneak into the control room for the satellites and install my program. We'll use the film from Mulch's iris-cam as a map.'

Artemis turned to Holly. 'Any objections about this, Captain?'

Holly shook her head. 'Nope. Like I said, you're the smarty, Arty.'

Artemis's expression was initially filled with his characteristic smugness, then it formed into a prominent scowl. 'When exactly am I going to hear the end of this smarty Arty business?'

'Depends. When do you turn fifty?'

LEVEL 5 RECREATION ROOM, GUN BASE 56, STATION SQUARE

In GUN Base 56's rec room, Corporal Topaz McKnight, twenty-eight year old top G.U.N. agent, was facing off against her superior, Captain Rich Taylor, a dark man with a face filled with frantic black hair going in all directions with limbs as big as tree stumps.

She gripped her pool cue; fingertips blue with chalk, aimed and pocketed her last ball.

'That's another twenty you owe me,' she said.

Rich had lost six times in a row, and was losing his cool. 'OK. How about this, you win the next game, I'll give you double all the money you won. But if I win, I get my cash back. Fancy earning over two centuries quick?'

'You're on!'

'Stop kidding yourself, Rich,' piped up Commander Hugo Brass. 'That girl beats you every time.'

'Save your breath. You know he never learns,' said Chief Commander Lionel Westwood. 'All the military protocols have filled up his head. There's no room for anything else.'

'I can hear you!' yelled Rich.

'We know, that's why we do it!' piped up Lionel's thirty-one year old son, Reginald. 'The sight of every vain in your face nearly popping is hilarious.'

The three men away from the pool table were playing poker around a coffee table, Commander Westwood on the sofa with Captain Westwood and Brass taking the two chairs.

Lionel was a grey-haired man in his late fifties, currently the highest-ranking and most respected commander in the Guardian Units of the Nations, having got very far on his pilot's instinct and iron will.

Brass was a long-time friend of the Commander's with a black beard like a lion's mane, and was not the type a soldier would argue with if they didn't want to get yelled at and taught a lesson by scrubbing toilets for a couple of days. He was a little over-eager, and willing to speak up against authority for what he believed in, but he was a good man at heart.

Reginald Westwood was a by-the-book captain, who recently had been focusing more on his career now that his wife was pregnant. With a baby on the way, a bit of extra cash in his income wouldn't hurt too much. He had bright red hair he inherited from his mother, and his father's mismatched eyes which he hid behind a pair of sunglasses he never took off. This had been a habit of his ever since his school-days when he'd been nicknamed "Mismatch Reg." The kids at his school hadn't been particularly bright.

Brass took a shot of whiskey from his flask.

'You shouldn't drink while your playing cards, y'know,' said Captain Westwood.

'Reg, be quiet. If he wants to lose his money like a good drunken gambler, that's his decision,' said Lionel.

'Please. I'm not drunk,' defended Brass. 'I never get drunk. I get a little tipsy, but five minutes off the drink and I'm fine.'

'Is that why you have double-vision?' asked Reg.

'What makes you think I have double-vision?'

'Because the last match you put down a pair of aces thinking there were four of them! You should know there aren't four red aces, anyway.'

Brass's cheeks went a deeper shade of red, embarrassment mixing with the alcohol he'd gulped down.

Lionel swapped one of his cards when a frantic yell accompanied by a loud bang sounded. He turned around to see Topaz with her palm outstretched waiting for her money, and Captain Taylor having a tantrum.

'One more game. I'll triple what you've won,' said Rich desperately.

'Nuh-uh. You've got enough debt to pay. Call it a night,' said the corporal.

Taylor reached into one of the numerous pockets in his uniform and pulled out his wallet, handing over his money to Topaz. He then grabbed one of his cigars and lit it, easing the stress from his losses.

Just as he began relaxing and walked over to join in on the poker game, five of the burliest and most scarred of G.U.N.'s soldiers walked in. They looked like a typical thug gang, albeit a thug gang packing serious fire power and with enough training and experience to take down a group five times their size.

They didn't look it at the moment, though. They seemed more worn out by the looks of it.

The soldier with messy-hair, one Corporal Brett, walked straight up to his superior.

'Paladin Team Sigma-Alpha 2 reporting. Search conducted, Captain Taylor,' he said. 'Nothing found.'

Topaz's attention was drawn, and so was Commander Westwood's, the latter actually folding from his game to come listen.

The burly Captain Taylor stepped aside to let the Commander through. Lionel Westwood had this general effect on people, especially when it came to inferiors and moody college students working check-out. The latter trick he picked up from his late wife.

'Full report, Corporal.'

Brett took in a long breath through his nose and recalled the events of the day.

'Me and the rest of SA2 entered the abandoned human research facility at ten hundred hours. We scattered and kept in touch with our radios. Knowing the robot, Isaac, was always armed we took proper... Precautions.'

'In the form of something that could do a lot of damage?' accused Westwood, on good authority.

'Yeah. We brought rifles and pistols in with us. All of our non-lethal weapons used electricity and would probably wipe the whole thing, so we figured at least some of the tin man would be in piece if we were careful. We searched for the robot that looked like Agent E-123 Omega as instructed, and when we found it, we scanned it. All we got were a bunch of messed up files. Then we put our guns to good use when an Eggman attack force came. He must have been watching the place since his last visit. Took us over eleven hours to find another way out.'

'It was definitely Isaac you found?' asked Commander Westwood, more concerned with the mission since his men had obviously made it out alright.

'Yeah, it was there. Big, white and broken down, guarding a corpse kept in the world's most advanced refrigerator,' huffed Brett.

'I thought Shadow said it was gold?' said Topaz.

'Well, your old partner's report said white from tip to top, and that's what we found,' said Brett. 'Maybe it had a paint-job done.'

Lionel mulled this over, thinking back to the distinct features of the robot mentioned in G.U.N.'s reports. 'Agent Rouge said it had the number one-hundred and one on the side.'

'Yeah, that's right. One zero one. We found the right robot.'

'Or maybe the robot you picked up was a decoy from Eggman,' said Topaz. 'It sounds as if the robot was the bait to lure you into an ambush. Someone was bound to go looking for the data on that antique. Shadow said when he encountered Isaac it was perfectly lucid, but Rouge said it was practically insane. If a robot can stay in one piece and think logically for twelve thousand years, surviving a virtual apocalypse, how did it manage to get its screws loosened within a few months?'

Rich decided to speak up at this time. 'If it was a trap made by Eggman, then that would mean he has this robot.'

Commander Westwood took a stance of action.

'Sigma-Alpha 2, tomorrow you go back there and strip the place until you've found every room, every facility and every bathroom in that base. If we can't get anything out of Isaac, we'll get it from the notes on file while searching for the robot's quarters. It's got to have a little nest of its own somewhere in that place. If you don't find him there, then Eggman must have him, and who knows what he'd do with that kind of information.'

Brett only took the tomorrow part in, knowing there'd be a briefing in the morning. He went over to join the rest of his team, who had relieved the rec room's mini fridge of a six pack.

While Brett was swigging down his beer, Topaz noticed the time on her watch and decided to call it a night after one quick social call in the base.

Brett, who was now trying to help his team-mate Rico figure out which of a vending machine's candy bars to choose to soak up the alcohol for tomorrow, saw Topaz leave. He slicked his hair back and followed her.

'Hey, Topaz!' he yelled, quickly cutting her off from the outside corridor's only elevator. 'Just wanted to say thanks for helping me get on another crazy mission.'

Topaz was always ready to deliver a come-back. 'I just keep hoping some bad guy knocks a little sense into that thick skull of yours.'

'First off, there is no chance of any bad guy hitting. Now, how about we go out for dinner tomorrow if I make it back alive?'

Rico had just come out into the hall looking for another vending machine, picking up a little bit of the conversation. Better get his snack quick. Never good to have your superior mad at you for eavesdropping.

Meanwhile, Topaz rested a finger on her cheek, pretending to think about it. 'No. Now, if you'll excuse me, someone's waiting for me.'

'Like who? A date?' asked Brett.

Topaz let out snicker. 'No. Not a date. If she was a date, you'd finally realise you were wasting your time with me.'

'Oh-ho, that hyperactive blonde kid you've been playing crash dummy for.'

'I test her vehicles. And she's not that hyperactive.'

'Bore's you to death with all that science and mechanical talk, though, dun' she?'

The female corporal flashed a look that said 'Too darn right!' before getting cut off.

'Hey, Topaz!' shouted a young and eager voice.

Topaz looked around a saw a young blonde girl of fifteen in red and black overalls.

Hope Kintobor. Resident kid genius of GUN. She was carrying an orb attached to some sort of pointed device. Hope walked up for Topaz to see it.

'It's my new invention,' she said proudly. 'I've been working on it as a side-project. I call it the Sunshine Ball. They absorb the sun's rays from up in the sky and project them through these orbs. It'll mean natural light and heating can be brought to every home whenever somebody wants. It'll be much cheaper than anything else once everything's up and running. Here, I'll show you.'

Hope bushed a button on the metal part supporting the orb. It flickered for a moment, then went dead.

'It needs constant contact with the sun. I tried powering it in the sun with solar panels for a few minutes when I finished it, but haven't got that much power. Maybe if I add a solar ray enhancer and increase magnification of the sun's rays...'

By this point, Topaz knew instinctively it was time to act before she was flooded with technical jargon.

'I'll look at it tomorrow when it's working. There's some planning I have to do with Sigma Alpha-2 for their next mission.'

'Stick to making weapons and cars, short-stuff,' said Rico, joining the conversation after taking a bite out of his chocolate. 'You're good at that. You're just wasting tax payer's money.'

Rico was the size of a bear and equally fierce in battle. Despite this, Hope got angry and defended herself.

'I'm good at making other stuff too! This'll be finished soon. And you can forget testing out my new stuff again.'

'Good! Someone else can get blown up for a change. You seem to enjoy it, Topaz.'

'My new vulcanised ceramics only blow up what you want them to blow up!' yelled Hope before Topaz could get a word in. 'Or what I want them to blow up, so be careful.'

'Ha! As if you could handle a gun.'

'I might not, but Shadow and Omega can, and they owe me plenty of favours.'

Rico actually bit his tongue for once. His mama had always told him to pick his fights carefully and if he took on Team Dark's heavy hitters, his mama would be nagging in his dreams every night he lay in a hospital bed.

'So... These falcon dynamics? What are they,' asked Rico, pretending to take an interest to change the subject.

'Vulcanised ceramics. They're bullets as hard as diamond and are hot enough to burn through solid steel. All I had to do was sharpen the ceramics, then vulcanise them and coat them in an oil I made. The heat from your gun ignites them so they could melt a block of ice in one shot.'

'Really? That for shooting up robots? How's that oil work?'

While Hope went into a ramble, knowing what Rico was up to but wanting to bore him to death despite this, Topaz snuck off and Brett followed suit.

'About this planning of yours, maybe we could do it back at my place,' said Sigma-Alpha-2's captain. 'I've got some old action figures we could use as models.'

Topaz could see through a hopeless ploy at romance a mile away. 'Play dollhouse with you? I don't think so.'

'Hey, they're action figures and I keep 'em for sentimental reasons!'

Just then, the elevator opened up to all the commotion. Topaz had to hold in a gasp at seeing a huge soldier escorting an absolutely ghoulish boy restrained in handcuffs in the tiny metal box.

This guy must be a Mobian, she reasoned, then another thought struck her. 'Why are you bringing a kid here, soldier?'

'He's a traitor, ma'am,' he said, his deep voice slightly muffled from the helmet covering his face. 'I've been ordered to bring the prisoner to Commander Brass's office until an interrogation officer arrives from GUN Fortress. We believe he's been monitoring our communication channels.'

'But he's only a child.'

The boy looked up, eyes of hazel and blue staring intensely into Topaz's irises, and somehow going deeper, into her soul, as if he had exposed all her secrets with just a look. Topaz took an involuntary step backwards, restraining chills. She'd only had that experience the first time she'd seen a dead body.

'Children like me, miss, are capable of things you cannot imagine,' said the boy with a tone of voice that made Topaz believe every word that came out of his mouth as if it was a fact of nature, which it was.

The youth then let out a small muffled chuckle, perfectly balanced in both evil and madness that seemed to infect Topaz's body with terror, blood freezing in her veins.

The soldier stayed composed.

'Get moving!' yelled, emphasising his words with a slight push. He then raised his rifle and trained it on the boy's back, prodding him on with it.

'That's the creepiest teenager I've ever seen,' said Brett.

'Creepier than you with acne?' asked Rico, who had finally got away from Hope.

Brett attempted to make a reply, realised he just got insulted, and proceeded to slap his teammate across the head with his combat gloves.

The giant soldier looked through his blacked out visor, taking careful note of the patrols. Unfortunately, the helmet was disrupting his concentration. His head felt like it had its own tropic zone.

Of course, the soldier was Butler leading his charge at gun point through GUN Base 56. Mulch had been in and out quick and so far things were going without a hitch, but Butler's experience and instinct told him it would not stay that way, and had tucked his Neutrino and Artemis's down the sides of his uniform acquired from the G.U.N. soldier.

Butler had been surprised to find the soldier was not human at all, but a bear that had human similarities.

'Anthropomorphic animals employed by the military,' Artemis had explained not five minutes before.

'Did G.U.N. make them?' asked Butler.

'I don't think so. Look down in the streets below. There are similar creatures partaking in modern day tasks like shopping or heading home from work. A new species must have evolved, possibly through a merging of animal and human DNA. Maybe even through mutagenic exploitation.'

Artemis then gave the short version that the creatures were mutant animals with human physiques so his bodyguard could catch up.

Butler then stole the bear's uniform and gave the unconscious soldier to Holly to place out of harm's way in the streets somewhere. It was weird for Butler wearing the bear's clothes, as it was the first time he had ever worn anything loose on him. Even the sheets of a single bed felt constricted around his chest.

His physique did come in useful for intimidating others, which was both part of a bodyguard's job and a useful tool for young boys when they tried to ask his out his little sister. Though considering his sibling was currently a professional wrestler in Mexico, it wasn't as if she needed a big brother to guard her.

Butler's thoughts strayed to Juliet for a moment, thinking of all the e-mails he'd received from his sister as of late and all the tales of her enjoying fame in the ring.

Butler pushed these thoughts from his head.

Mind on the mission. Mind on the mission!

Butler passed many G.U.N. soldiers on his to the corridor. Some were as big as him, others bigger.

I'm unsure of my odds here, thought the bodyguard. Who knows what these creatures could do. Their physical prowess was definitely great. Who knows what else they can do. But Artemis has got a goal set in his mind and there's nothing anyone can do about it now.

The bodyguard continued on, following the directions being given to him by Holly through his ear piece. He'd been slowed down twice already since Holly had used the computer's intel for speed. Unfortunately, it seemed it couldn't tell when a wall was blocking their path and they had to pick out alternate routes.

Meanwhile, Topaz had been ordered by Brass to bring the gigantic soldier and his prisoner to him in the rec room to find out just what was going on. He wasn't in Brass's office like he said, so Topaz went to the security office, hoping the surveillance equipment could help her find the guard and the boy.

She finally stopped at the security office's hallway when who should she see but the ghoulish boy and the behemoth. Except now something was different. The soldier had taken off the boy's handcuffs and the youth had just slipped out some sort of device from up his sleeve to get passed the digital finger print lock on the door.

Topaz quickly hid for cover behind the corner, waited for half a minute after they entered, then followed them in. She drew her pistol, pushed her thumb on to the scanner and the mechanical door opened with nothing but a quiet swish.

Topaz could only see the boy, who was sitting at a chair calmly typing away. He'd hacked the mainframe in less than thirty seconds.

Topaz took aim at the boy and addressed him. 'Where's the other-'

Her sentence was cut off by a hand that could have belonged to a gorilla on her wind pipe. He'd come out of nowhere, as if he'd melded with the shadows themselves and jumped out at her.

In reality, Butler had merely cloaked himself with the sheet of cam foil and waited, expecting the guard for the next shift to pop in.

The manservant relieved Topaz of her weapon, sat her down in the room's only other hair and pointed her gun in the middle of her forehead.

'Are you the security guard for this shift?' asked Artemis coolly. 'You're colleague has been incapacitated and is currently snoring under this desk, which is no little distraction when one only has minutes to hack a system and plant a virus so no one can remove what I'm installing.'

Sweat slicked Topaz's brow, a little going on to the barrel of her gun.

Artemis turned around in the swivel chair and got up to look Topaz in the eye.

'Are you the guard on duty?' he asked again clearly, looking deep into Topaz's eyes. No pupil dilation. She was here for something else. Best not be concerned with her reasons now. 'Do know you when the next guard will be here?'

The woman's pupils shrunk.

Artemis couldn't help but let out a smile of satisfaction. He'd been researching micro-expressions recently and was delighted at finally being able to put them to practical use. Though his father certainly considered helping him win poker games with aristocratic fat cats practical. 'When will he be here? Five minutes? Ten minutes? Fifteen?'

That last estimate scored results. They had fifteen minutes to finish this before the next guard arrived. Perfect.

'Butler, the situation is under control for now,' said Artemis, examining Topaz's identity card. 'We have no need for hostages. Please incapacitate her as painlessly as possible.'

'Whatever your planning for Eggman, you won't get away with it,' declared Topaz. 'GUN has powerful people on their side, like Team Dark. And when the Freedom Fighters over at the Republic of Acorn get wind of this, your and your boss will get just what you deserve.'

'Miss McKnight, I am not the "bad guy" here. I am actually chasing a bad guy, for the better of all of us. Now, Butler, please put her to sleep.'

The manservant reached out a hand to Topaz's throat when Artemis stopped him with a sudden jerk of his finger.

'Wait! See if you can't get a clear escape route out of her for us. Just tell her the directions Holly is feeding you, and watch her responses.'

Holly? Feeding directions? thought Topaz. Just how much intel do these guys have? And who exactly were "these guys?"

While Butler pried her for information, Artemis fervently typed. After five minutes his program was installed, but the extra ten could prove invaluable if he downloaded all the military data about this world. It would likely be more accurate than his findings, and if any holes were discovered, he could probably fill them through use of the Internet. The tricky part would be distinguishing fact from theory.

What he was seeing on G.U.N. itself was amazing. In the two years since the United Federation allied with the Republic of Acorn, a government apparently run by more of these humanoid animals, which were called Mobians. They had existed for millennia and appeared to be the dominant species on this planet, with equalities and superiorities to humans in different areas. They seemed to differ individually as much as human beings themselves did.

Outside the security office, Hope Kintobor was walking passed the entrance with her Sunshine Ball, looking for Topaz to show her now fixed invention. Though Hope was a genius, she had trouble seeing Topaz had no interest in any gadget unless she got to test it, which gave her an early advantage when it was ready for field usage.

Then Hope heard Topaz's voice, but it was followed by two foreign ones, and they didn't sound friendly. One voice had enough timber to keep a lumber yard running for a week.

Hope plucked another device out of the pocket of her overalls. It looked like a miniature television with a handgrip and several ostentatiously large buttons.

This was her own personal interface device for G.U.N.'s free databases and security system, some of which she helped design.

There was one camera right above the doorway of the security office and she could clearly see Topaz and the two intruders. She activated the red alert option on her device, sending out a signal to all G.U.N. helmets and special communications devices that alerted everyone to the emergency. It had been reasoned that klaxons gave away the element of surprise at a board meeting, so they made this new more discrete way.

Unfortunately, Artemis spotted Hope just outside the door on the cameras, and Butler soon brought his attention to a red light flashing on a walkie-talkie kept in Topaz's jacket. They'd been found out.

The manservant pulled out two Neutrinos modified with shoulder straps, one with a noticeably larger trigger to fit Butler's finger in. The manservant gave one fairy gun to Artemis while keeping Topaz's pistol trained on its owner.

Artemis opened the door and immediately trained his weapon on Hope, who hadn't been quick enough to get away.

Artemis took both her devices, placing the Sunshine Ball in one of his jacket pockets and keeping the handheld security interface for himself.

'We can't have two hostages. They'll slow us down too much. Leave the corporal behind. We'll use Miss... Kintobor here as our trump card if we get in over our heads,' said Artemis after reading Hope's name tag.

He then put his arm around her from behind, clutching his hand over her mouth. The boy swallowed from anxiety. He'd been involved with kidnapping once before in a desperate attempt and that had been a horrible experience for him, but he'd been the orchestrator, not the one holding the gun. It was different, and not at all pleasant. Crime had its limits for the Fowl heir, though some did not have such principals.

Following his orders, Butler kept a strong hold on Topaz and aimed his Neutrino at her head, then fired. She was out like a light.

Hope went into panic mode, struggling for all she was worth. It would only be a matter of time before she got free, as Artemis had nowhere near Butler's strength, and was definitely weaker than the average teenage girl. Never mind the fact that Hope worked on machines all day long, and had the axle grease in her hair to prove it.

The boy kept as tight a hold of her arms as he could while she struggled and tried to keep her screams muffled with his hand, all the time trying to calm her down.

'She is not dead, miss,' Artemis tried to say soothingly, but a bit of panic crept into his voice. Seeing one's plans unfold from a computer monitor was one thing, being in the actual field were everything could go wrong was another. 'She is merely stunned,' he continued. 'We have no intention of killing anyone. You will help us make sure of that, should things turn too aggressive.'

Meanwhile, Butler dragged Topaz by the shoulders and placed her up against the wall. The manservant placed the soldier's pistol back where it belonged, but stole her ID card in case they could use it. Information was a tool more powerful than weapons in most situations.

Then he took her walkie-talkie communicator to keep track of the comms before going over to a locked gun storage locker, securing himself another weapon. Firearms were among the most feared weapons on the planet, and could help get them out of here with a little bit of scare tactics. Something Butler excelled at, and enjoyed whenever he could.

Artemis began looking through the options on Hope's device. It had a miniature keyboard that popped out of the side, but with only one arm free, that wasn't going to be much use for Artemis.

Fortunately, the device also came with a scrolling option in the form of up and down buttons and a command system.

Camera footage was one of the shortcutted options and Artemis selected it. The built-in microphone was whisper sensitive, so he could manipulate the device quietly.

He sweeped through the corridors, which were highlighted by a map in the screen's corner. Butler had been interrupted while interrogating Topaz, but now they had a definite clear route.

Then Butler heard something over the walkie-talkie after he switched channels, looking for chatter.

'Artemis! Commando unit heading our way,' informed the manservant.

A quick search and Artemis spotted them. Sigma-Alpha 2 heading their way.

'Only five rather brutish-looking soldiers. They look more like a rock group than army personnel.'

Butler reached up his shirt and pulled out some cam foil he'd brought to keep Artemis safe, but perhaps he could use it to his advantage for the moment.

Paladin Team Sigma-Alpha 2 marched through the corridors at top speed, having been not too far away at their barracks. Weapons were loaded and readied on the run, Brett taking point as usual with an automatic rifle.

The group sounded like a herd of charging elephants from their own body weight and the large amount of equipment strapped across their chests, backs, arms and hips.

Two more corridors and they'd be at the security office, which Hope had listed as the source of the emergency.

The group charged passed the guard stationed to look after the security office, who suddenly felt he should report to his commanding officer since a firefight looked prone to break out.

Sigma-Alpha 2 turned the corner, guns at the ready. Then they were thrown back as if hit by the blast of a cannon.

Invisibility gave Butler the advantage, but it'd be easy to tell where he was when he started attacking and then there would be trouble. After all, Sigma-Alpha 2 had youth and greater arms on their side, but they were fatigued at the moment after a long day spent searching. Not to mention the fact that they were a touch tipsy from the canned beers they'd had not too long ago, so speed was going to be a key element if Butler wanted victory.

The manservant charged at them and knocked into the team like a wrecking ball through brick. Except this wrecking ball came with additional destructive devices, namely Butler's arms.

The moment Butler's figure touched the group of G.U.N. agents, his hands flailed around to precise locations on their bodies and reduced them to unconsciousness. And when he couldn't reach a certain soldier's pressure point, he threw his arm back before letting fly, and the soldier would be flown into the nearest wall by the assault.

Once the five men were knocked out, Butler threw off the cam foil and gave it to Artemis.

'Artemis, take the girl and go on ahead. I'll stir this hornet's nest up a bit. Have them focus on getting to me. That should distract them enough to not notice you,' said the massive Eurasian. 'Take that device with you and watch out. I'll manage with the communicator.'

Not particularly used to receiving orders instead of giving them, it took Artemis a moment to get into action before running off as fast as he could. He had a stitch after two minutes.

When I get home, Artemis thought as he ran, I'm going to buy a Segway.

Outside the rec room we visited earlier, Taylor was first to the arms box on the wall, grabbing twin machine guns and enough ammo to last him through three fire-fights.

'Activate the X-ray filters. Find out what this guy's carrying,' ordered Brass into the walkie-talkie attached to his shirt as he took out a shotgun.

Commander Westwood was still taking out a pistol when the other two military superiors charged off in pursuit. Then he turned and went in the other direction. His son going off to command his own squad.

Meanwhile, Taylor and Brass moved as fast as their trained legs would carry them, ready to supervise their troops. All soldiers had been ordered to cut off the exits, but if this guy had taken out Sigma-Alpha 2 and a trained agent of G.U.N.'s Intelligence Bureau, who knew what he could do to the regular guys. Hopefully, numbers would be enough to stop him. But there was the chance that they weren't dealing with a man at all, but rather one of Eggman's robots.

Brass swallowed and hoped he was dealing with something flesh and blood instead of titanium and coolant. Humans and Mobians could be bargained with. Robots would just destroy everything until they destroyed it.

The two men turned at the last corner, expecting to see a platoon of G.U.N. soldiers. They were there, alright, but out cold on the floor, sporting various bumps and bruises.

'Delta Bravo, come in,' said Brass. 'This is Commander Brass broadcasting on a secure channel. Delta Charlie is down. Split your group. Have half come to my location and back us up, ASAP. Authorisation Captain Richard Taylor, secure code word millions. Over.'

'Authorisation acknowledged, Commander,' said Reg on the other end. 'I'll secure what I can with my squad. Private Jennings will lead your half with Corporal McKnight out of commission. Over.'

'Roger, Captain Westwood. Commander Brass, over and out.' Hugo turned his attention to Rich. 'We'll wait for back-up then find this guy. Keep your guns cocked in case he's close by.'

'Since when have you ever known me to carry a gun with the safety on?' asked Rich, and Brass could honestly not think of a single time, which was both very macho, and very stupid. Captain Taylor only had nine toes now because he'd left the safety off on his belt-holstered pistol.

Then they heard frantic yelling, followed by shots from an automatic rifle. Then silence. Disturbingly quiet silence. Then a body was thrown against the starting wall of the corridor in front of them.

Taylor and Brass trained their weapons in front of them as they heard heavy boots on the floor. The boots might not have been heavy, but whoever was wearing them sure was. Brass himself could swear he could feel thuds in the floor.

Both men, with bodies so tense a masseuse would have to work over time to get their muscles to relax, nearly pumped the wall ahead of them full of lead when the elevator behind them pinged and their reinforcements arrived.

'Sirs! What's the situation?' asked the private in charge.

Brass made the hand signals for 'Shut up, you idiot! Enemy up ahead. Go back down the hallway and flank him.'

The private responded with 'Understood, sir. We're with you all the way.'

Then a green, metal sphere was thrown into the hall, clinking as it bounced off the floor.

'Grenade out! Grenade out!'

With those words said, and repeated, the group of tough, burly armed soldiers promptly legged it like children running from the grumpy old man down the street after snatching back their stranded ball from his lawn.

'Get back here!' yelled Taylor. 'It's still got the pin in, you idiots!'

After Rich cursed under his breath, he turned to face a soldier bigger than himself standing not three inches from his nose.

The captain lifted both his guns to shoot his enemy in the chest, but Butler grabbed him by the wrists and moved the weapons so he was out of range.

When the clips ran out after a few seconds, Butler assaulted Taylor in a series of punches to his torso and face that left him winded. Then he used a single strong kick to send him flying into Brass, who'd been waiting to get a clear shot.

The soldiers had heard the commotion and lack of an explosion and were heading back, so Butler had to run for it. He could only take these guys down one at a time at close quarters. If he gave them enough range to shoot him, he was done for.

His only choice now was to link up with Artemis and use the girl as a bargaining chip or diversion to get themselves out of this mess. Unless Artemis had one of his plans, then they'd either die or make it out Scot free.

Butler took the next right, following the signal from the tracker he gave his master. The manservant thoroughly hoped they could make a quick rendezvous and escape with little incident. Butler realised there was no such luck as he got a little surprise in the form of three big, killer robots.

Artemis was still under the cam foil with Hope, but there were three manned G.U.N. combat walkers standing between them and Butler. Each robot was armed with missiles and machine guns, and two exclusively with some sort of laser cannons. They were coloured yellow and teal, all with flying capability, and one was constantly hovering due to its lack of legs.

Butler cracked his neck and knuckles. To get passed these mechanical guardians, the manservant would have to cause mass destruction, property damage and perhaps singe a uniform or two. Ah well. Time to go to work. Let's hope G.U.N. had insurance.

The now recovered Commander Brass and Captain Taylor were being surrounded by their squad with fervent askings of 'Are you OK, sir?' 'Are you hurt, sir?' 'If your fingers are broken, can I have your shotgun, sir?'

Taylor's radio emitted static and a warbled woman's voice. GUN Base 56 Control Centre was calling.

'This is Control calling Captain Taylor,' said th4e voice. 'Commander Brass is not registered as receiving. Are we looking at an equipment malfunction?'

Taylor eyed the walkie-talkie on Brass's coat with its antennae snapped clean in half.

'Affirmative, Control. Battle damage,' said Taylor in his beastly voice.

'Received. Have you identified the intruder?'

'Negative. Whatever the heck this thing is, no way is it human. It's more like a bulky, robot ninja or somethin'.'

'Received,' said the woman in an odd tone, wondering if Taylor's brain had suffered any battle damage. Everybody who had ever served with him on a mission knew the answer to that.

'Just send in reinforcements and lock this place down,' said Taylor with an undertone of obvious rage. 'Tell any pilots coming here to bear arms and be ready to shoot. Our intruder is dressed in a GUN uniform and is big enough to be the Statue of Liberty's twin brother.'

'Received. Good luck down there. Control out.'

With radio silence, Brass took a moment to throw his old friend and comrade a look of mixed criticism and embarrassment.

'A bulky robot ninja?'

'Shut up, Brass. Let's get this guy before we lose him.'

'Wait! Let's head to weapons testing. There's a car there with bullet-proof plating,' said Brass. 'We use that and it could work as a distraction for that big thing while our squads flanks him.'

Taylor let out a smile as big as his face.

'A tank on wheels. Just what we need to turn this fight around.'

Butler dashed to the side, praying that the walkers were as slow as they looked.

The plan was to jam a grenade under the cockpit of the one without the laser cannon, but first he had to make sure there weren't any big guns pointed at him.

This was more of a distraction for Artemis than a plan, but it was all he had for the moment.

The manservant stood on one of the giant robot's feet and tried to place in the grenade, then he got a bit of a shock as the walker went into flight mode and took off.

Butler held on for about five seconds before he lost his grip and fell unceremoniously on to the floor.

One of the combat walkers then activated its secondary weapon; a cannon hooked up to a particle accelerator that when charged to its limit, expelled a large beam that could burn through anything, but had a life of about a second and a half for safety precautions. After all, if you're going to build a weapon, it's best to make sure it doesn't blow up the whole planet with you and your comrades right at the heart of it.

It first started as an orb of sky blue, then expelled itself in a pure bolt of cobalt.

It landed ten feet from Butler, who quickly stood up and readied himself to start running.

'That was a warning shot,' said the soldier in the walker's cockpit. 'You've seen what these things can do, and we know how to use them. Try anything else and we will kill you.'

Butler was sweating profusely inside his borrowed suit. The three manned robot tanks all had gatling guns trained on him. The manservant had researched many different weapons, and knew that the rapid-fire firearms lying underneath the cockpit of these battle mechs could shoot fifty rounds a second, leaving him stone dead before he could even register what happened.

'That doesn't bode well,' said Artemis in an odd matter-of-fact manner.

The boy scolded himself.

What are you doing? You're oldest friend is out there risking life and limb, and you're making bad jokes. Pull yourself together, Artemis!

Artemis scolded himself again. Talking in third-person was always a bad sign. And a personal pet peeve of his. Maybe that was because he was picturing his mother's voice as the one chastising him rather than his own.

Then he got his mind on track and focused. He needed a plan. Plan's had elements, and what elements did he have? He had a hostage, cam foil, and a device that had limited control over basic functions in any secure building. Nothing fancy like reassigning targets or disabling weapons.

Now, what did he know about the enemies? They were big, they were tough, and they were deadly, manned by trained soldiers. He had to disable the weapons some how. Maybe short them out.

This last statement had Artemis's mind flashing with electricity, and thus went to frying the walkers' controls with water, but he'd have to get them to open theirs cockpit for any chance of that happening.

Wait! Water. Cockpit. Perfect!

Artemis stepped back so he was outside the room to make sure the cam foil wouldn't be hit. Hope was still struggling to get away. That stopped when she saw Artemis pull out her device, her natural curiosity getting the better of her.

Artemis highlighted the room the walkers and Butler were in and activated one particular feature that was scattered in almost every room in the base.

The sprinklers poured down hard, like a storm sealed inside one room. And just like a car stuck in a storm, the glass in front of the soldiers' was covered with water, obscuring their view so all they could see was scattered blobs of objects.

Butler could hear them babbling from the chatter on his stolen walkie-talkie.

'I've lost visual!'

'I can't see the target!'

'Why in the heck doesn't this thing have windscreen wipers!?'

The manservant listened to them while running around the side of the closest walker, trying his tactic again.

He pulled out a silver sphere, yanked out the pin, jammed it underneath one of the robot's legs and bolted.

Three seconds later, Butler was flown across the wet floor as the grenade exploded, completely blowing away the machine's right leg.

The soaking wet Eurasian quickly got off his equally drenched backside and used this tactic on the other legged robot.

The last robot with no legs was still standing, so to speak. Butler could see the panels on its missile silos opening, and saw an opportunity.

In less time that it would time to say, 'Oh dear me,' Butler put a single shot into a missile on each holder. They exploded within a second of each other, spreading to all the other missiles and starting a chain reaction, eventually blowing up altogether. But the pilot was safe in the cockpit thanks to the bullet-resistant glass layered with polycarbonate around him.

Butler lay on the floor, the force and noise of the explosions wracking his nerves to the point of almost blacking out.

The bodyguard shook himself and got off the floor. This really was a younger person's game. He was fit enough to protect Artemis from the casual thug, but he really wasn't qualified to take on robot tanks.

Butler walked towards his master, careful of the wet floor in case he slipped. Metal and water could be treacherous, after all. Then he stopped in his tracks as he heard a hiss, several bangs and then a thud of something hard bouncing off the ground.

Butler looked over to where the noise had come from to see the soldier piloting the airborne walker in a fighting stance. Apparently, his mech had been fitted with an emergency eject sequence for the cockpit canopy.

This soldier was unarmed, but the manservant could tell he was fit and would likely strike at the first sign of an attack.

On his shoulders the trooper wore two insignias. On his right was a shield with a gemstone emblazoned in the middle and angelic wings on the sides, and on his left he wore a simple line-out of a scarab.

'I am a member of the Shields,' announced the soldier. 'You know what that means. I come straight from the Beetle Troops Division. Surrender now and I won't hurt you. With that warning said, I can do whatever I want to you should I see any signs of danger towards myself, or to any other innocent person.'

Of course, Butler had no idea what being a Shield meant. But if the soldier thought it well known and enough to scare him off, it was likely a specially trained division of G.U.N. that would have any thug quaking in his boots.

Butler, however, remained calm and stock still. He'd worked with plenty of black ops organisations in the years. He'd even taken up missions that were too tough for them to handle. Nevertheless, he had learned some very effective combat moves from different militaries and their branches, such as the United States Marine Corps and the British Army's Special Air Service. He was only missing MI6 from the checklist.

But back to the situation at hand.

Butler made a fist for Artemis to see, signalling to stay back. No arguments there.

Then his fist quickly opened and went for his gun, but the soldier grabbed the arm carrying the weapon by the wrist and making sure he was nowhere in range of a shot. Then he put his elbow under Butler's throat and jammed his left knee behind the manservant's right knee.

Now Butler knew that move was SAS, and had trained and prepared himself accordingly.

The idea of the manoeuvre was to drop him to the ground by breaking the knee joint and was meant to be used for stopping someone with a knife, but this soldier was apparently improvising. Unfortunately for him, Butler always wore padding all around his knees and a Kelvar plate across his jugular as a precaution against this move ever since it had been shown on TV.

Since the move known as the Over Arm had failed to bring Butler down, the massive bodyguard had the element of surprise for about a second and used that time to wrap his free hand around the trooper's wrist and squeeze it with an amount of force no normal man could possess.

Butler's liberated gun hand let off a single shot from his Neutrino and his enemy was flat on his face in no time.

The bulky protector returned to his master's side, removed his helmet and took several deep, painful breaths.

Hope was quite surprised at the sight of Butler's face. She thought he must have been a Mobian. A bear, or perhaps a lion. But a human? This was a new one. She'd have to wait until her kidnappers left her alone and use the locator/communicator hidden in her hair clip to tell GUN about this.

Going away from Hope's thoughts, Artemis was deeply saddened by his friend's face. At this moment, the manservant looked as old as his body felt.

'I am sorry about this, old friend,' the boy said with uncharacteristically genuine sorrow. It wasn't often he let down his emotional barriers, but when he did it was only with people he was close to.

'No pain, no gain,' said Butler with a forced smile. 'It'll be worth it if that lunatic's stopped.' The manservant then turned on his communicator and spoke to his elfin colleague. 'Holly, activate the X-ray filter on my iris-cam. I want to be able to see these guys coming and what they're carrying.'

'Roger, big man. X-ray up... Now!'

A painful sting went through Butler's right eye as the world's most advanced contact lens suckered to the manservant's iris allowed him to see straight through the facility's walls. It was amazing. And a spectacular field advantage.

The bodyguard did a quick three-sixty to scan around himself, but it was cut short to a one-eighty when he saw two men entering a car in the room on the left. The vehicle appeared to be lead-plated as he could only see the men's heads at the moment. Though it could have been lead paint that was causing the interference.

'We've got trouble,' said Butler. 'Two men in some sort of armoured vehicle. I can't tell if they're carrying weapons.'

'What kind of vehicle?' asked Artemis.

'A car. And I can see it moving. They're on the way.'

'We could use that car. It will only be time before reinforcements arrive in the form of the local police, and we won't be able to make our escape. They'll patrol the base with helicopters, and news choppers will add to our problem.'

The manservant nodded. 'You're right.'

Butler then examined the room around him for anything useful. Nothing. Then he looked through a door leading to the room the men were in and saw what looked like a pair of robotic legs joined together with a seat and twin guns on either side of the headrest.

'What is that?' asked the manservant.

'CV-4', said Hope. 'Walker unit made for Mobians. The bullets won't penetrate the car's armour.'

'So it is armoured,' said Butler. 'I was wondering if lead paint was causing that interference.'

Hope swore under her breath.

'That is not very lady-like conduct,' said Mulch in Artemis's ear, which was not helping with his concentration.

Never mind. Butler had a plan anyway.

He picked up the half-ton machine and moved it into position. The men were getting the car started, apparently trying to hot-wire it since the keys had been locked safely away in Hope's work shop.

Butler was trying to do something similar with the CV-4, to unlock the safety for the twin guns. He did it in considerably good time and pulled out some tape from his pocket, placed it over the fire button, forced the mechanism to stay down and ducked.

Immediately, flashes of light and deafening bangs sounded as the guns went off.

The bullets struck the armoured car, but either bounced off the metal or got stuck in the bullet resistant glass.

The two men in the car, the familiar faces of Commander Brass and Rich Taylor, decided to exit the vehicle and duck behind it since they still couldn't start the darn thing. After all, bullet-resistant glass was only resistant, and right now it looked as if it could give way any minute if the bullets kept coming.

Butler got up out of the CV-4's range and smiled at his work. There was his distraction. Now for the next part.

On a crate near the original site of the mech were baseballs. Undoubtedly used to test the machine's targetting system.

Butler then cast his gaze upwards to the air vent near the ceiling, five metres up. He pulled out the fairy weapon, upped the setting and melted the corners of the ventilation grate. He then snatched it from the air when it fell to avoid noise giving the game away.

Butler grabbed a baseball, pulled back his arm behind his head and let it fly. It went straight into the vent and started bonging around inside.

Brass and Taylor immediately started shooting the source of the noise.

'He's in the vents!' yelled Rich, stating the obvious just as he would with his soldiers. Always good to make sure everyone knew where your bullets should go.

Butler took his chance and sweeped around the corner, gun raised and back on a safe setting. Two shots and it was over. Rich and Brass lay unconscious on the floor next to their vehicle.

The manservant gave the all-clear to his master and rushed over to the vehicle.

Artemis and Hope rested in the back, which had solid metal instead of glass. Apparently, this heep had been made with VIPs and civilians in mind.

After hot-wiring the car in considerably better time than Brass and Taylor ever could have done, Butler floored the accelerator down the hallways. Mulch's reports had said the corridors to their designated exit were fifteen to twenty feet wide, meaning there was plenty of room for maneuvering if necessary.

The trio soon come into contact with soldiers waiting for to surprise attack the intruders, who got a bit of a shock themselves.

One particularly foolish trooper of a size rivalling Butler's jumped on to the head of the car, machine gun in hand. Due to his size and inhuman gripping strength, this soldier was likely some sort of Mobian. Probably a tiger, judging by its skill at keeping its balance on a moving vehicle.

Butler increased his speed to fifty miles per hour once he got a clear run, then applied the parking brake and the tiger flew off as if it had been launched by a cannon.

The manservant drove around to the next corner and was greeted by a long, clear stretch of corridor. Perhaps they were too fast for the GUN troops to flank them. Maybe they were finally getting lucky.

Then big metal doors slid down from the ceiling, blocking their path.

'Press on!' said Artemis.

Butler's initial thought was to stop the vehicle, just as anyone would. But he had faith in Artemis. Faith that had almost got him killed three times now. Here's hoping he'd live to die another day.

He changed gear into fifth and rammed straight into the solid iron door, which proved to be not so solid as it broke into small chunks.

'Corroded metal,' explained one young mastermind to the other. 'I had acid sprayed on them before we came in.'

'You planned all this?' asked Hope, slightly astounded.

'My original intention was to manipulate one of your robot drones to break through the doors and scare your men away, but one must learn to make compromises.'

When the last door had been cleared, Butler wasted no time getting to the end of their escape route; A helipad on the Southern part of the base. All he had to do was reach the exit at the end of this corridor and drive through.

The car went through the archway snugly and Butler applied the brakes with one massive foot, skid marks showing their trail. Butler got out of the car and accessed the control panel on the wall to seal the door behind them.

Then he noticed from behind the archway that the helipad was occupied by a docked twin propeller heavy-lift helicopter.

Men surrounded it. Two soldiers with automatic rifles, two engineers and one pilot. The engineers seemed to be checking over cargo that had been dropped off by the helicopter, which consisted of crates and more of those GUN Walkers. Regardless of what these men were doing, they were in Butler's way, so he took cover behind the car's door, pulled out his Neutrino and started shooting.

The men shot back, but the car's armour held and they were soon unconscious.

Artemis whipped the cam foil off himself and Hope, then calmly walked to the edge of the helipad while Butler mumbled something to himself.

'You're letting me go?' said an astounded Hope.

Artemis just turned to her and shrugged. 'According to the files on this device you made, a you're supposed genius. Think about it. What use do I have for you now?'

'You don't want me for anything?'

'No. I've already filled the child genius position on the team. Good luck to you and your future projects. You really are quite gifted, and coming from me, that's saying something.'

'There's time for arrogance later, Artemis,' said Butler. 'We're not out of this yet.'

Then a whooshing sound came from above.

Butler drew his Neutrino again and took a look around.

The whooshing was getting louder, and now he could hear engines. Something was coming towards them from above. The rooftops of GUN Base 56.

Then it happened. What looked like a black disc with a seat attached came hurtling towards Butler. Then the manservant saw chopper blades inside the disc. That was some sort of hover vehicle, and it was heading right for him!

One of the crates opened by the engineers had a metal body shield inside and Butler grabbed it. Not a moment too soon as the flying vehicle slammed into Butler, but the shield took most of the impact. Butler was sure one of his ribs cracked when he hit the ground, though.

The hover vehicle did a one-eighty, revealing the pilot to be Commander Westwood.

He fired the machine's twin miniguns to make them duck for cover, then set it to fly a further thirty feet into the air, well out of anyone's jumping and grabbing range.

Butler, Artemis and Hope all ducked behind crates in case of more bullets getting fired as they saw the Commander pull out his pistol.

'Surrender yourselves now and I won't be forced to hurt you,' said Commander Westwood. 'And when I say "hurt," I mean "cripple."'

Butler kept his head down and moved behind boxes, barely making as much as a tap of his heel as he stooped further on.

He pulled out the automatic weapon he confiscated earlier, careful not to rattle anything metal on his person.

Then, in one swift motion, Butler took the safety off, shot over a dozen rounds into the night and rolled over to behind some other crates as the Commander fired three shots in the direction of the machine gun.

'If you're going to try and kill him, be warned,' said Artemis's voice over the base's now hijacked speaker system. 'He's died three times already.'

'I don't want to kill any of you, but if you try and shoot me, you bet your life I'll shoot back,' said Lionel with practiced conviction.

'I'm afraid I'm too young to gamble. It's a fool's hobby, anyway. You throw everything you've earned away to chance.' The next sentence Artemis spoke sounded so evil, they could have come from the devil himself. 'I am no fool and I leave nothing to chance.'

For some reason, Lionel, who had seen men killed on the battlefield, cities blown to ash and had come within an inch of death, suddenly had a chill crawl up his spine.

Artemis's talent at making the skin of others crawl was often thought to be supernatural by those who didn't know him. Some of those who did thought it, too.

Fear clouds the mind, thought the Fowl heir. It is a valuable tool on the psychological badlands, and may just grant me enough time to rig this device.

Meanwhile, Butler was flicking through his mental list of dangers. At the top was this either reckless or well-experienced member of military personnel, but snipers would take his place as soon as they got into position and had them in their cross-hairs. He had to incapacitate Westwood now.

Then he got a sudden surprise as he felt an odd rumbling in his hip.

He quickly calmed his heart rate from the shock and pulled out his mobile phone, which had been set to vibrate to avoid an embarrassing situation.

He'd received a text message from Artemis. The bodyguard quickly read through it and smiled when he reached the end. This plan was typical of his master. All he needed to do was play decoy. First things first, time to get that gun out of the Commander's hands.

Butler retrieved a flash grenade strapped to his vest, switched filters on his borrowed GUN visor, pulled out the pin, placed it on top of the crate in front of him with a 'clink' and it blew.

The moment Westwood heard the slight noise, he turned around to face it and received a blinding light to his eyes.

Butler's darkened field of vision gave him the advantage and he ran towards the disoriented Commander, relieving him of his gun and throwing him on to the floor by grabbing his arm, spinning and letting fly.

When the light went out, Westwood looked at Butler, expecting to see a gun barrel in his face. Instead he saw the manservant disassemble the weapon in seconds and throw it over the sides.

'You are going to regret that,' said Westwood.

The Commander ran straight at Butler and threw a series of well coordinated punches across his upper body.

To the casual observer, it would seem Westwood was just beating him senseless. But to a man trained in the anatomy of the human body, he would see that Lionel was actually striking weak points in Butler to lose energy and was also hitting him in the stomach and chest repeatedly, making sure to keep him winded until it looked like Butler was about to pass out.

The manservant threw a clobbering blow at the top of Westwood's head before staggering a few feet away and falling on to the ground in a rather theatric manner.

With the big one dazed at the moment, Westwood moved slowly towards him in case he was faking, deciding the best course of action would be to take Butler's stolen handcuffs and keep him restrained.

Meanwhile, Artemis was going through the options on Hope's device to try and access the stationed GUN Walker's controls.

Hope could see what he was doing from here.

'It'll never work,' she said. 'I made sure you can't access the weapons system.'

'It's a good thing I don't plan on shooting him then,' said Artemis and dramatically pressed the 'fire' button.

The release charges attached to the GUN Walker's cockpit detonated, sending the canopy flying straight towards Westwood. Butler, as instructed, had led him straight in front of it using martyr theatrics.

The protective enclosure of glass, metal and polycarbonate bounced off the helipad floor so the underside trapped Commander Westwood beneath it when it came back up.

Butler quickly got himself off the floor and used his X-ray vision to see if they were safe. The hordes of soldiers racing to the helipad told him they might be in a bit of a pickle.

'Let us in,' said the bodyguard, apparently to thin air and ran towards Artemis.

The young Irishman took out Foaly's programs from Hope's device and threw it in front of her.

'Thank you for loaning me this handy little item, but it's use has ran out now,' said Artemis. 'It has given me a few ideas, though.'

'No time for gloating, Artemis!' urged Butler. 'Let's get out of here now!'

The dazed Commander Westwood was struggling to lift the cockpit canopy off himself, unable to tell where the edges were due to its transparent material.

Artemis and Butler were at the helipad's edge, waiting for a sign of their ticket out of here. Then it appeared. A heat haze like you would see stranded in the desert or in a ho oven. It was the shuttle.

Then the Commander's double-vision went and he pushed his cage off himself, quickly getting to his feet and aiming his pistol at the two intruders.

'Don't make a move or I will shoot you, and take a disturbing amount of pleasure in doing so,' said Westwood.

But the threat was soon forgotten as klaxons went off in the base, alarms flashing red, lighting the entire place up like a Christmas tree.

'I've read about you,' said Artemis. 'You are Chief Commander Lionel Westwood, the best military leader G.U.N. has to offer. Currently an army of robots is bombarding this base from all corners. You are the only one who can possibly get the men stationed here out alive.'

Robots? Then they're with Eggman! Westwood realised. This brought anger, stress and concern to his mismatching eyes. Eggman was ruthless. The only way to get out of this was to fight. There'd be no point in taking these two hostage as bargaining chips. Eggman would probably let his own son be killed before he surrendered. If he had a son.

'How do I know you just haven't rigged the alarms?' asked Westwood.

'He's not lying, sir,' said Hope as her fingers played over her returned device, and Artemis then noticed she was missing a digit on both hands. 'I've patched into the security cameras. There are these... Awful, skeleton robots surrounding us. They've got laser rifles like I've never seen before. There's even air support.'

Westwood gritted his teeth. It was either let these two go or risk the lives of everyone in the base.

Finally, Westwood sighed, lowered his gun and ran back towards GUN Base 56.

Once his back was turned, a pneumatic hiss sounded and a door opened from the skyline, revealing the inside of some sort of aircraft.

Hope immediately began fiddling with her device, desperately trying to get it on camera mode and take a picture to determine more about the invisible ship. Good luck to her. Any photo taken of an LEP shuttle would be useless since it gave out a strong signal that would distort the pictures. This particular craft even came with a choice of clouds to project when a photo was snapped, including a variety of animal shapes and a single one in the shape of a man blowing a raspberry.

Artemis and Butler stepped into the LEP shuttle, the door closed and they were gone.

Just as well. As soon as Westwood had reached the doors, an entire squadron of soldiers led by the recovered Brass and Taylor stormed in.

'Commander! What the heck happened!? What's with the alarms?' asked Rich.

'Robot attack,' said Lionel. 'Likely Eggman Empire. We've got to set up our retaliation plan. Hope, give me that gadget so we can pin-point their locations with the cams.'

The young blonde prodigy got the CCTV cameras back up on her view screen and showed it to Commander Westwood. Commander Brass was interested at what was on the picture.

'Wait a minute... I recognise these robots. That's from an ancient movie series. That's Terminator ! That kid tricked us with gawddang Terminator clips!' Brass activated his radio and started screaming into it. 'Cancel the alarm! We've been duped! An aircraft just left here. I want you to tell me which direction it was going.'

Silence was present for a few seconds before the radar operator got back to them.

'Corporal Wilkins here, sir. There's been no sign of any aircraft on radar except for one of our choppers.'

'Well use something else!'

'I've checked, sir. The ship went totally undetected. It must have a new kind of cloaking system we weren't prepared for.'

Brass could only swear until a sailor would have scolded him for bad language.

While Commander Westwood was thinking up a plan of action, a soldier in full battle armour came up to Westwood and saluted sternly before him.

'Sir! Team Dark has made contact with us in an e-mail. They request a video conference with you and Miss Kintobor. They say the situation with Doctor Finitevus is critical and will need support from the both of you.'

The Commander turned to his colleagues.

'We'll have to leave these guys for later. They may be a threat, but right now we're dealing with a potential apocalypse. Miss Kintobor, we're going to need your help. I'm going to have to ask you to be strong right now. If our agents requested your assistance, that means they need you to build something for them.'

Hope's lip was quivering a little with nerves, but she soon gave a firm nod. It wasn't as if this had been her first time in a terrifying situation.

'Good. Hugh, get her whatever soft drink in the vending machines has the most caffeine in. Help her nerves settle. And button that mouth, will ya.'

Brass ceased his cursing and went off to get Hope's soda while Westwood started thinking over Artemis Fowl.

What that kid had done was impressive. He'd rigged G.U.N.'s cameras, infiltrated their base, gone passed security protocols in their computer as if they didn't exist and had managed to incapacitate him with a canopy. This was all genius, and not Eggman-genius either. This kid was something else. Something entirely new to them and incredibly dangerous.

LEP STEALTH SHUTTLE, 2 MILES OUTSIDE OF STATION SQUARE, UNITED FEDERATION AIRSPACE

Holly flew the shuttle as fast as she could from city. Once she thought they were at a safe distance and they weren't being tracked, she gave the controls to Doodah and ran over to Butler to give him a magical healing. She wasn't sure how many times this would make, but it was definitely more than her fingers could count.

She used her medical training to search for the major areas. Butler had a few broken ribs and a cracked clavicle, not to mention a fair few bruises that would soon be more colourful than a peach.

Holly ripped open Butler's shirt and put her hands on his chest, focusing on the injuries before quietly saying 'Heal!'

And suddenly blue sparks flew from her digits as if a tiny Chinese New Year was taking place on her finger tips. The healing magic travelled through Butler's upper body to fix his broken bones within less than a minute and repair some muscle damage Holly hadn't noticed.

When she did all she could, she withdrew herself to save some magic and put a hand on the Eurasian's shoulder. It was nearly as big as her arm.

'Try and get some rest, big man. You deserve it,' said Holly and kissed him lightly on the cheek.

Butler didn't need to be coaxed. He rested back in the chair too small for him and quickly fell asleep. Holly smiled a little. She reminded him of her grandfather after they'd been to visit him as his house and he was tired out from playing with her.

Her expression soon turned stern as she faced Artemis.

'I hope that was worth it,' she said.

'In the greater perspective of things, it was,' replied the youth and slotted the information he gathered on to the ship's computer.

Maps, pictures and data files filled the screen. English had stayed the common language to this part of the world, so they didn't need to translate it.

'Let's see... According to these files, the current year is 14,017. Or 3238 locally,' Artemis informed Holly. 'We're at the right time.'

'You had doubts?' asked the elfin captain playfully.

'In time travel, not myself,' recovered Artemis. 'Quite a lot has changed. Earth isn't even Earth anymore. It's been renamed Mobius. There are two new major species currently on the planet. Mobians and Overlanders. Overlanders are basically humans with a slight deformity in the form of a missing finger. That explains the girl Butler and I were forced to apprehend. These Mobians are what's intriguing, though. According to this data, they are animal and human DNA combined through a freak accident after an explosion was caused.'

'An explosion?'

'Now that I read more into it... It was a nuclear explosion. Human and animal genes combined into one in the fallout. The result were the Mobians. They have the same intellectual capacity as humans, and in some places it actually exceeds us. Animal genes have helped them to achieve greater strength, speed and stamina. Most of them are as fit as cavemen and their sizes can range from an inch to twenty feet.'

'Are they something to worry about?'

Artemis shook his head. 'Unlikely. The majority of Mobians are allied with humans by their government, the Republic of Acorn. The Republic was formerly a kingdom until civil war threatened to ensue and changes were made to how things were run. Mobians in general appear to be far more peaceful and open to negotiation than humans are back home.'

'Humans here haven't changed much. They're still shoot first and ask questions later.'

'On the contrary, the United Federation openly embraced Mobians upon their meeting and have had a friendship with Overlanders for years. Humanity of the twenty-first century could learn a thing or two from their descendants. They're not free of criminal activities and war by any means, but life certainly looks better.'

Holly smiled a little.

At least someone has a good future ahead of them.

'But since your prerogative police experience will be more concerned about the "bad guys" we may have to deal with, there are two that stand out,' said Artemis. 'The main one is the Eggman Empire. The United Federation and Republic of Acorn were at was with this one, but it's currently recuperating from losses. It says here that the Eggman Empire's army consists entirely of robots built with an AI of limited personality so as to allow them to think of their own tactics in the field. Impressive work, though it hasn't garnered much. It seems these robots have only succeeded in the basics, like animals stalking their prey.'

'Is everything run by robots?' asked Holly, trying to contain this bizarre turn of events in her head.

'No. They are controlled by their leader, an Overlander calling himself Doctor Eggman. There are also numerous enforcers and field commanders called "Sub-Bosses" across the continents either fighting to protect his rule or to spread it.'

Holly nodded.

'So, we know our environment. Now how about you find out where Opal is?'

'I already know. She's in a city called Soleanna twenty miles east of Station Square that the ship's auto-pilot is taking us to.'

'You reprogrammed the auto-pilot? That's encrypted. Fairy encrypted.'

'Not even Foaly's defences can stand against his own viruses. Especially when they are being used by me. The shuttle will land in a large forest area and I suggest we stay low for a few hours. Opal is not going anywhere without us knowing.'

'The humans can't shut down the tracker?'

'Not remotely possible. I laid a few false trails to throw them off the track. A few viruses and programs meant to make their equipment malfunction on a global scale. Nothing much.'

Holly just stared at the young mastermind.

'If you were still a thief and you got a hold of these viruses, I think the world would have been brought to its knees in hours.'

'You flatter me,' said Artemis, graciously accepting what he thought was a compliment.

When Holly had gone, Artemis opened a new file. In bold green letters at its top it read, ' Xorda Attack on Earth .'

CHAPTER 9: ARTEMIS ON THE HUNT
FOREST OF VICTOR XII, SOLEANNA

The Forest of Victor XII. Named after Soleanna's former king on the day of his birth over one hundred years ago.

It had become quite the tourist attraction and added natural beauty to Soleanna's already small but glorious country, with its ornate Castle Town and bustling metropolis known as Nuova Città.

Opal Koboi failed to see the allure of the forest as she landed in a moss-covered lake and was currently trudging along, her prison clothes completely soaked. Though a bit of moss and water actually touched them up, truth be told.

Opal had spotted a sign directing her to a camp site in the forest and decided to go there for new clothes. Some five-year-old girl's dress would do.

After avoiding a wasp's nest and a particularly slimy frog, Koboi snuck down to a small pink tent in the same lot as a bigger blue and green one. It had fairy princesses and unicorns, so Opal thought it a safe bet as a little girl's. Though, so much had changed, pink, unicorns and fairy princesses could be some sort of symbols sported by this world's teenage goths or football hooligans.

Luckily for Opal, it seemed the trend of cute, mysterious animals and fairy folklore had stayed with girls who hadn't even made it to double digits yet.

She pulled out a school uniform crested with a strange winged creature that had the words ' Duke Richard VI's School For Girls ' embellished around it in a circle.

Opal quickly got dressed and walked out of the camp site in pink shoes with glitter and flashing lights that were hardly any use for crossing over jutting stones and branches and the uniform was much too warm for her liking. It was already blastedly hot in this sun.

The climate of this area and nature suggested she was in America, or at least what had been America. Probably Florida. Though it could have changed due to any number of events.

Why, she could be in the North Pole if the humans' so called 'Global Warming' had become worse and they decided to get a resort out of it by making a new country. It really wouldn't be all that difficult. All they'd have to do was take a piece from one of the Solar System's barren planets and attach it to the Earth's surface. Opal had often dreamed of doing just that and making her own 'Opalland' for people to build cities in her image and worship her.

A thirty minute hike later and Opal was at Soleanna's Castle Town. The morning sun had risen and her eyes had trouble adjusting to the light for a few moments.

Around her shops were opening, cafés were getting tables set up and people were setting off to their work.

Soleanna had a theme not dissimilar to that of Venice, with gondolas and clean blue canals covering the town. The architecture was also very much of the Italian Renaissance period. It did indeed look like an entire village made with just as much care and beauty in mind as European castles. No wonder it was such a tourist attraction.

The maniacal pixie made her way through Castle Town to a bistro with tables outside. This restaurant was setting up the breakfast menu for the early customers heading to the production factories at Nuova Città.

Aside from tourism, Soleannans primarily earned their money building some of the most precise machinery the United Federation had to offer and sell it to other companies to use. A certain blonde mechanic down at GUN Base 56 couldn't have made half of her mechanical marvels without the technology of Soleanna.

Opal climbed atop one of the outside chairs to reach one of the tables, which had just been laid with a new newspaper.

One of the waitresses went up to Opal and asked her if she was looking for her mother. Opal casually gave her a blast of the mesmer and told her to take a morning dip.

When the waitress had gone, Opal grabbed the local newspaper, the Daily Soreana, from a public recycle bin and checked the date. She'd arrived at the right time. Her genius had worked. Then again, why wouldn't it? It was her mind power that had achieved this. No one else's.

Then Opal's eye caught the picture on the front page. It showed two furry creatures not more than a metre tall being given medals by a woman with red hair in white royal garb with another photo of a burning hotel placed in the corner. The title read "HONEYMOON HEROES," by Tiara Boobowski.

Curious, she started reading.

Late last night, a fire broke out at the popular Solaris Hotel. The fire is said by authorities to have started in the kitchen when a chef's hat caught fire. The chef in question ran out of the hotel's kitchen with his hat smoking, and flung it off on to a table where a couple were dining. A waiter serving a particularly strong choice of wine dropped the bottle on to the flaming hat, causing the small fire to consume the table and quickly spread throughout the hotel due to alcohol being a flammable beverage. The fire alarm was sounded, but a malfunction in the electrical system stopped it from reaching the top floor, twelve stories up. Hotel guests there were trapped by blinding smoke, - Continued on page 7.

Opal quickly flicked through the pages.

Continued from front page - until newlyweds Sonic the Hedgehog and Princess Sally Acorn arrived on the scene. Sonic quickly navigated his way through the hotel and made his way to the top floor, and actually jumped out of the window with the guests in his arms. While this was happening, Princess Sally helped in instructing the fire crews on managing the fire and seeing civilians to safety. Go girl! The recently married couple were then awarded medals for bravery by Princess Elise III herself. Princess Sally then stated to all of those watching that their actions should be taken as an example of how the people of the world needed to keep a strong alliance during their fight to the Eggman Empire. Her husband, however went for simpler statement and said, 'Just doing it for kicks. No biggie. Saving people's what I do, and it's what we all gotta do!' Words to live by, for sure. The couple are to return to New Mobotropolis tomorrow morning after witnessing the Festival of the Sun on show tonight to celebrate the anniversary of the lighting of Solaris, the now extinguished Flame of Hope that brought light into the lives of many. We wish Sonic and Sally thanks and happy trails on their journey home. Seeya later, guys!

Opal had received information about these two creatures. They were not her targets, but if they were in Soleanna with her, they could be a great advantage in getting her to her goal.

Opal put the newspaper back on the table and pulled out a sketching book she'd stolen from the little girl. She'd had three years to think up new mechanical ideas in prison. It was about time she put those ideas to paper.

Meanwhile, in the luxurious Three Oracle Bed & Breakfast, Sonic the Hedgehog, world renowned hero of Mobius, was getting shook awake by his newly wedded wife, Sally.

'Get up!' she said, continuously shaking him back and forward by his sheets. 'It's our last day here and we've done everything Elias asked us to. I want to enjoy it.'

'Then enjoy it an hour from now,' he said, green eyes seeing her as a brown and red blur. 'This hedgehog needs his good-looking sleep.'

'Oh, come on! You've got up earlier than this.'

'Is Eggman attacking the city?' said Sonic, his voice muffled by his pillow.

'No.'

'Then I'm staying right here!'

Sally applied her knowledge and experience of combat to this situation, and then thought of all the practical jokes she and Sonic had played on each other as kids. This one she remembered from a camping trip.

She grabbed Sonic in the bed sheets and rolled him up them with a firm shove before he fell out of the bed and on to the floor. The last time she did that, it was into a particularly muddy puddle she'd found out in the Great Forest.

Sonic rubbed his particularly sore noggin.

'The last time you did that, I thought I'd started bed wetting. Rosy made me wear a diaper for a month.' The blue hedgehog grabbed his iconic red and white shoes from under the bed and put them on before he picked himself off the floor. 'So, where do you wanna go?'

'Well, there are a few museums I'd like to check out. And maybe a little sight-seeing or perhaps some hiking down at the forest. I hear there's a local apple festival where you can pick apples off the tree and the people make you all sorts of treats out of them. I've spent two weeks here and I'm a little bored. I'd like to do something fun before getting back to a battlefield.'

'Looks like part of me's rubbing off, huh? Or is the old Sal starting to come back?'

'The "old Sal's" still here. She's just... Buried a little deep. And are you going to go out like that? You haven't even cleaned yourself up yet! Get in that bathroom!'

Sally shoved him into their en suite and didn't leave the door until she heard water running.

She decided to do a brief reading through her report to her brother while Sonic showered. She'd been glad there was nothing to worry about. If Soleanna was forging an alliance with the Eggman Empire like it was rumoured, his machines would be twice as efficient and they probably wouldn't stand a chance.

She pulled out a portable computer from her vest pocket, which looked like a first attempt at a flip mobile phone. Minus the view screen and laser attachment of course.

Usually this computer was inhabited by a sentient computer program Sally had long considered her friend, a sort of pal in her pocket, but even she had important things to do with the Eggman Empire proving such a threat.

Sally's report showed up in neon green text, highlighted by a black screen.

I told you I'd get results in two weeks and I have. We investigated the background of Princess Elise. Her father ran the country when the ruling monarch was in a coma and died in an industrial accident; A science experiment went critical and exploded and the Duke pushed one of the researchers out of the way and was killed from shrapnel wounds. This puts an end to the rumours he was killed by Mobians who thought the Soleannans were Overlanders during the Great War and a suspected grudge Elise might have had. The cover story you have set up was excellent and I thank you for all the effort you put in. If the cover had not run so deep, we may never have cleared this mess up so easily. Elise is a strong supporter of the United Federation and Republic of Acorn and I have learned she plans on offering a contract to both governments to help stomp out the Eggman Empire with Soleanna's superior craftsmanship. Eggman is our last threat now and I think he's had plenty of time to rebuild. Everyone is getting ready for a fight and it seems like it's inevitable. Right now, I can offer no advice on what action to take. I do wish you luck in making the right decision, though, Elias.

Yours sincerely, Bean.

Bean. Her father used to call her that when she was little. It seemed the appropriate codename in case someone intercepted the message. She selected send on the computer and looked at clock display on the computer. Sonic had spent way too much time getting ready now.

She put the computer back in her pocket and walked into their en suite bathroom, catching a brief glimpse of herself in the mirror.

It was up a little high up for her and had been a problem for her and Sonic during the two weeks. They had to stand on the toilet with the seat down just to brush their teeth in the morning.

Her appearance was that of a furry girl, really, with a full grown woman's proportions. Her fur was mostly a copper colour with a lighter buff from her chest down to her abdomen and around her muzzle and eyes. Then there was her contrasting vivid auburn hair and finally her blue eyes, which could not be described.

The only attire she wore was her baby blue boots and a matching vest. Mobians didn't usually many wear clothes, anyway. It hadn't particularly appealed to Sally. She always felt so hot and itchy when wearing anything formal. Better to let things breathe.

Sally crept up to the bathtub with the built in shower and promptly pulled back the curtain on Sonic.

He quickly covered himself, though she didn't see why. He wore less clothes than she did.

'Yo, Sal! I'm taking a shower here!' he said hastily.

'What are you worried about? Everyone you've met knows what you look like naked. Just hurry up.'

'Hey, I rush a lot of things, but when it comes to my quills, it's got to be handled delicately. It wouldn't do for Mobius's main hero to look like he doesn't care about himself.'

Sally let out a genuine laugh at this. 'You, not care about yourself? I don't think anyone's going to get that impression with your attitude.'

'Hardy-har-har. Very funny.'

'Just be out in five minutes.'

'Sorry, but this is going to take at least ten.'

Sally quickly went over to the shower's dial and turned the water cold until Sonic actually jumped out of the bathtub. Sally then turned the shower off and threw Sonic a towel.

'You know, despite everything they say, marriage does have its quirks!' she said, barely containing a giggle.

After Sonic had dried off and put his shoes on, they headed out of the bed and breakfast into Castle Town. The sun had risen and promised another beautiful day in Soleanna.

The weather here was always great, never gloomy. Even when it rained, the locals went about their business as usual and children even played out in the street in their rain coats, welcoming the showers for watering their crops and washing their streets.

Great for the average tourist. Not so brilliant for Sonic the Hedgehog. The Blue Blur as they called him didn't mind relaxing for a day or two, but after that all he wanted was some action. Fighting robots and arch villains was his hobby and it gave him hero privileges, like free food and girls ogling him and asking for his autograph or phone number.

Now he was stuck in a boring city that had been attacked once by a robot horde and driven off by some local hero nobody even knew. Yet another thing that had attracted tourists.

'Why can't I just take a run outside the country?' Sonic asked. 'I feel like going somewhere where I can kick up dirt, like Mazuri.'

'Because you'll insult the locals. We're ambassadors here, too. Remember?'

'Oh, yeah. Elias, your brother, king of the Republic of Acorn, asked us to represent the Republic on our honeymoon. That cad,' said the speedy blue hedgehog, delivering a performance so unconvincing a soap opera actor would have been ashamed of him.

Sally elbowed him with surprising strength for someone so small.

'Ow! Oh, come on, Sal. It's a sham! Why don't we just split up? You wanna check out all this old artsy stuff, and all I'm interested in around here is the restaurants.'

'Then we'll eat together. After the museum tour.'

'You took charge of my life the moment I said, "I do," didn't ya?'

'Isn't that what marriage is?' said Sally with a sly smile, putting her arm around Sonic's.

'Marriage? I'm talking about when you asked me to be your pal when we were five!'

'Well, I'm a princess. I can take what I want.'

Sonic had to smirk at that, then got a little more serious as he started thinking.

Truth be told, he was a little uncomfortable with this situation. They'd exploited marriage just for a mission. Granted is was of a sensitive nature due to the rumours of Mobians being involved in the former ruler's murder, and after the attack two years ago, the locals were keeping an extra close eye on those that came into the country. Especially Castle Town. They needed a good excuse for why a capable agent would come here with an air-tight backstory.

So Sally had suggested the whole marriage plan. It was meant for a couple of the Republic's own agents, but Elias thought that since Sonic and Sally were well known for their previous romance and their reputation for job done without major incident when ordered to, they were the ideal agents for mission.

Sally, meanwhile, was taking in the views just strolling through the streets. It truly was a beautiful city. Perhaps even more beautiful than Old Mobotropolis where she grew, but that would always be precious to her for different reasons.

The only thing spoiling the city where the election posters scattered everywhere. Michael Rowling was facing off against Theodore Hughbert for leadership of the United Federation as its president.

Sally thought it was much better to have an elected leader rather than an appointed one like a royal monarch. That had certainly led to much trouble in the past when the Republic of Acorn was still a kingdom.

She then looked over at Sonic, who was just lost in thought. Something that happened very little.

She sighed and took pity on him.

'OK, you can have a chili dog before we go to the museum, but I want it ate by the time we get there,' she said.

Sonic snapped out of it and replied with his customary pithy remark.

'Gee! Thanks, mom! You gonna let me tie up my shoe laces too?'

'You know, Soleanna has some fabulous opera houses. Maybe we should stop by and see a show.'

Sonic stopped dead in his tracks and you could clearly see all the blood had run from his face. Guaranteed over four hours of watching huge guys caked in make-up singing with a single chase scene in it.

'Don't even joke like that,' said Sonic, and Sally just smiled at her new thing to threaten him with.

LEP STEALTH SHUTTLE, WAVE OCEAN BEACH, SOLEANNA

The band of humans and fairies had landed atop a cliff inaccessible to the locals for most of them to rest up, especially Butler. Artemis on the other hand had insisted on thoroughly researching the country Opal was in and the rest of the planet before any action was taken.

What he'd found out was fascinating, bearing on the unbelievable. Great achievements had been made by the species of this world, but tragedies accompanied them as well.

Artemis had all the while been focusing on Opal's movements from the satellite he'd hacked. He couldn't focus it to get an exact location. He could only get a reading from within half a mile's distance. They'd have to search for her on the ground.

Artemis wasn't particularly worried at this stage. Only wary of what Opal might do. She could be planning to gain access to one of Soleanna's factories and use them for something, but he couldn't think what.

Did she want the precious technology here for her own scheme? It did seem that in some areas, humanity and these new 'Mobians' were technologically superior to fairies in some respects.

And there were also many mystical powers at work in this world that had been factually documented. But Artemis had found nothing about time travel being possible, so how was she going to get home to conquer her world? That's where she was familiar. That's where she had resources. She had nothing on 'Mobius.' But perhaps she could only get something in particular here.

Holly began to stir from her slumber and made it known as whined a little and stretched her limbs.

She got out the pilot's chair, aching a little from being in such an uncomfortable position and walked over to Artemis.

'Forced insomnia kicking in yet?'

The criminal mastermind smiled. 'Not yet. The flow of knowledge is keeping me awake. Many things have changed in such a long.'

'Yeah,' said Holly, getting a packet of rations for her breakfast. 'Like what?'

'Magic's been exposed for one thing.'

Artemis assumed Holly had been silenced by shock, then he turned around and saw she was choking. He quickly got behind her and attempted the Heimlich Manoeuvre, but his poor strength was letting him down again.

The physicist in Artemis told him he was doing it wrong and he changed position to get enough force. Finally, to put it as bleak as possible, Holly's throat was cleared. Everyone was now awake thanks to the ruckus.

Holly patted Artemis on the back.

'Thanks, Arty. Clean that up, would you?' she said, indicating to the contents of her rations pack.

While she left Artemis to his task, Holly went over to the shuttle's computer and checked on Opal's signal.

'Is it safe for me to go after her,' she said.

'I'm not sure. Magical items have been exposed, but I don't know if this is fairy magic or some unknown energy.'

'Magic is magic, Mud Boy. There's no other kind.'

'To repeat myself, many things have changed. There are new energy and fuel sources, new species, there are even new elements.'

Holly's eyebrows shot up as she looked at Artemis, who was now dumping remains of her breakfast into the onboard waste recycling system.

'New elements? But... How?'

'There is only one new element I know of. It is called a Power Ring. They are a manufactured by-product of mystical gems called Chaos Emeralds.'

Holly rubbed her head. This was all so unreal.

'Magical gem stones? Are you sure you didn't take us to some weird alternate universe or whatever?'

'Those exist, actually.'

'Now you're messing with me.'

Artemis shook his head. 'I am not the type to give out false facts.'

'Except when it benefits you?' pointed out Holly.

'Indeed. But this is the truth. Read for yourself. Many bizarre discoveries and inventions have been made. The existence of certain gods has been proven, magic exists and fantastical gems are a reality. Among these new species of Mobians are even dragons. I imagine they are some sort of hybrid of different creatures, though. I had always theorised the legend of dragons came from diggers who had discovered dinosaur bones and exaggerated the details in stories.'

Holly laughed a little nervously. 'This is just too much to take in.'

'It is practically a new world, Holly. But we don't need to know everything about it. We just need to use certain parts to our advantage. Now, my research indicates fairies are still thought of as mythology, so they're still secret. I would suggest use of your shield to capture Miss Koboi, but I'm not sure yet if Soleanna has scanners that could detect you.'

'I guess I'm up then,' said Butler.

Holly turned her gaze towards him. 'Where do you think you're going? You just recovered from getting smacked into by a flying saucer.'

'It was a hover craft. Not a flying saucer,' corrected Artemis.

'Whatever.'

Butler began shuffling through the contents of one of his duffel bags.

'We have Opal's location to within a mile and we don't know if Holly is safe out in this city, so we're going to have to do things the old fashioned way,' said the manservant and pulled out some clothes.

Butler put on a trench coat that, surprisingly, hid a vast amount of his bulky frame and a cloth cap atop his head.

'How do I look?' he asked.

'Like a tall Del Boy,' said Holly, barely concealing her fit of giggles.

'Thanks,' said the massive bodyguard and exited the stealth shuttle.

He was greeted by a shining sun and the smell of fresh ocean and ripe fruits nearby. He hadn't been anywhere this tropic since his last visit to the Caribbean.

He was standing on a small island, furbished with greenery and showing off the view of a life time.

White beaches, water of aqua and skies a splendid azure.

Butler then heard deep breaths behind him and looked to see Holly, gulping for all she was worth in the shuttle's starboard exit. She had a massive smile on her face whenever she finished exhaling.

'What's the matter?' asked the manservant. 'Bad taste in your mouth from earlier?'

She just shook her head.

'That air... I've never smelled air so clean,' she said. 'Hardly any trace of pollutants. I don't care what's different about this place; it beats our time any day of the week.'

Butler could then hear dolphins chattering and looked around to see a ferry boat with two of the cute aquatic creatures jumping on both its sides to greet the man steering.

'Better get back inside, but try cracking a window if you like the fresh air,' said Butler.

He knew how much Holly loved surface air and he could tell just how much sweeter it was too. It was like jumping from Pittsburgh straight to a British countryside. Though it, thankfully, lacked the odours of farm animals.

Butler moved away from the foliage on to a stretch of beach to wave to the ferry.

The small boat soon spotted him and altered it's course to come as close to the hefty traveller as possible.

'What are you doing out here?' yelled out the ferry driver. 'And why are you in those clothes? You'll catch heat stroke dressed like that.'

'I was robbed,' said Butler. 'A gang of men jumped me, knocked me out, stole my wallet and dragged me out here.'

'They dragged you out here?' said the man, surprised and a little skeptic. 'How?'

'I don't remember. They must have had a boat or something.'

'I'm sorry to hear that, my friend. Here. I'll give you a ride back to shore.'

'Thanks.'

Butler walked over to the ship, getting everything below his knees wet in the metre deep water before climbing aboard.

He sat down in an empty seat and when the driver wasn't looking, surreptitiously pocketed his Omega wristwatch.

'I really appreciate this,' said Butler, trying to play the innocent victim role.

'No problem. I give free tours in the morning because of the Festival of the Sun. It's great because it makes seem generous, but hardly anyone can be bothered to get up between three and six AM, so I don't lose out much.'

'Clever,' said Butler, smiling. He'd become used to devious little schemes like that since working with Artemis Fowl.

'We're going to be at the shore in about twenty minutes. Would you like me to show you the sights as long as you're here?' said the man, adjusting his boater.

'Sure. Why not?'

'OK. First things first, allow me to introduce myself. My name's Antonio Bellechi, but everyone calls me Tony the Teacher. That's all I ever wanted to do. Teach history. I love it. I could never pull myself away from my grandpappy's history books. But all the schools want to do is show kids pictures in books. How are they gonna learn like that, eh? You need to show them the sights! Let them get a feel for it. That's how it started for me. My grandpappy brought me out on a ferry like this and taught me everything about Wave Ocean Beach. He even corrected the tour guide we had. The guy was a hack, though. Kept getting dates and monarchs wrong. I would never allow myself to get details wrong. A tour guide is just a teacher working with scenery, and a teacher with flawed facts is nothing but a man rambling nonsense.'

Butler was both listening and observing at the moment when something caught his eye.

Many large rock structures jutted out from the ocean like giant stalagmites, but it looked like one had been blown to pieces.

'What happened there?' asked the manservant.

'The Eggman Empire, my friend. They came here two years ago and committed great terrors. Screaming and panicking. I was out on my ferry when that rock blew up. It had beach houses on it. Happened exactly two years ago, now that I think about it. Yes, because it was during the Festival of the Sun. They mainly attacked Castle Town where everyone was gathered for the celebration.'

'That's artistic,' said Artemis to Butler through his ear piece, who had been eavesdropping. 'Attack the city where people can see the damage, then add another dash of destruction afterward to have the devastation linger. This attack was done by someone who wanted to leave a lasting impression.'

'It was such a pity,' said Tony, unknowingly interrupting Artemis. 'Old Eggman blew up a sculpture made for Queen Elizabeth XII. It was such a beautiful piece. Made by one of Soleanna's finest artists. There's only one of his paintings left in Soleanna now, you know.'

'Tell me more about this attack,' said Butler.

'It was ferocious,' said Tony, the bluntness he delivered bringing the words home. 'Over a hundred robots big as yourself, black as a moonless night. They rounded up the locals. Then this guy in green came and drove them all away. Soleanna's own local hero. Nobody knows who he was though. But he beat every single robot there was that day.'

'Eggman doesn't lay back, does he?'

'Everyone knows that. He bumbles things up, though. He's his ego's too big. It blocks out all the flaws in his plans and that's how he gets beaten. Flames of Hope preserve us should he ever get over his arrogance.'

'In my experience, genii rarely do.'

Tony let out a chuckle at this. 'The bigger the brain, the harder the fall, eh? We're almost at Nuova Città Harbour. There's always Bernoes around there, so you should be able to make a report in no time.'

'Bernoes?' asked Butler. 'Are they the police?'

'Sort of. They're not actually police. We are protected by soldiers here. We call them Bernoes because the Soleannan Army was founded by King Bernardo II to bring order to this country. That's how it started, at least. Only six out of ten people would tell you where the name came from these days.'

Within five minutes of more historical waffling, Butler was at the shore. He thanked Tony for the informative trip and quickly went on his way.

When he was out of sight, Tony walked over to a Berno Butler had passed.

'Excuse me, Corporal,' he said, 'but that man there seems a little suspicious. He said he was mugged, but I saw he still had his watch. And you'd have to be a fool to mug a man that size.'

'I'm sure you're thinking too much, Teach,' said the solider, his green uniform making him stand out a mile. 'He's probably just a tourist who got lured into some alley.'

'And then got dragged off to a piece of land that you can only reach by boat? It's a whole lot of effort. My boy, I know when something doesn't seem right. Like when my wife undercooked my fish once and I ended up with food poisoning. At least tell your buddies to see if he does anything as fishy as my Luciana's cooking.'

'Alright, Teach. I'll have the guys keep an eye on him. You go back to giving the tourists their paid-for history lessons.'

'I'll do my job as long as you do yours,' said Tony, and tipped his hat to the soldier.

After Butler had made sure he was out of sight of Tony, he walked over to a business man talking with one of his colleagues, picked his pocket, relieved a quarter of the currency of his wallet for a cab fair and then thumbed a taxi.

'Castle Town, please,' said Butler.

For the next half an hour of what should have been a fifteen minute drive, Butler took in the sights of Soleanna.

The country was remarkable. First he was in a city, now he was travelling through forest and making his way to a beautiful scenic village.

The taxi stopped at the end of the only road leading to Castle Town, which was suspended above the water on a stone bridge with cast iron railings.

Butler opened the taxi's door, but was then reminded of his fare.

'That's twenty-three, sir,' said the cab driver.

Butler smiled sheepishly, counted out the money and placed it in the outstretched hand of the driver. It was extortionate, really. Taxi rates these days were criminal.

Castle Town was absolutely magnificent. The architecture reminded him of his last trip to Venice. Canals carrying gondolas in their waters replaced roads packed with cars.

'Was there any need to steal that money?' Holly asked, the police side of her showing.

'I only took twenty-five of this money. The man was dressed in a designer suit and had a hundred of... Whatever this stuff is. And if we save this country from Opal, I don't think he'll mind sacrificing a bit of cash for it.'

'The currency here is called Solarans, in case anyone asks,' said Artemis before Holly could make a counter-argument.

Butler cast a glance at the last two Solarans he had left. They were gold coins the size of a bottle cap with a bird on it, a wavy line supposedly to represent fire and a circle that could have been the sun.

He scolded himself for letting his mind wander again and started walking through Castle Town, taking in the sights and keeping an eye out for Opal.

Usually when Butler went on a manhunt he had an address, a small area to work with. Or at least a daily routine. Right now, all he had was half a mile and a magical tourist to go on.

He kept walking through the ornate village. It was the type of place countries put on post cards to attract people.

The people seemed happy. Quite pleasant, really. People actually took the time to smile at Butler as he walked by and he always returned the gesture.

It reminded him of an autobiography he'd read about a young man living in London at the time of World War II.

While war carries on abroad, life continues here, he had said. We know of the terrible things that are happening to our loved ones, but do we want them to come back to a country that's lost itself? No! They are being strong for us, so we shall be strong for them!

Butler could easily picture Soleanna being in the same state. Carrying on their lives as usual for the benefit of those fighting for their freedom. Times of terror do bring out the worst in people, but the best is never far behind.

Dawn had long since broken and now the town was wide awake, many people up early to help set up for the Festival of the Sun.

Butler continued to walk and observe, then noticed a large crowd gathered, chattering like mad.

He kept his distance and observed in case Opal was amongst them to keep cover. Though she had no idea they were there, she could have kept her guard up in case of Artemis pulling out another of his oh-so convenient plans out of thin air.

Amongst the crowd he could see a small figure wearing only a blue vest and boot with dark skin and auburn.

'Holly?' said Butler unconsciously.

'What's up, big man?' said Captain Short.

'Nothing,' said the manservant, as the figure turned its head, revealing its skin to be fur. It did seem female, though.

She seemed agitated, tapping her foot impatiently while casting her eye out to the ocean in front of her.

This was when Butler spotted a slightly darker shade of blue amongst the sea. It was another Mobian and this one seemed oddly streamlined and was making waves at the crowd while stretching his legs. It then licked its finger (which was odd, since it was wearing white gloves), tested the wind, then yawned and got into a starter's position.

Butler tried to get a better look and saw as fiery determination soon lit in the creature's eyes as it readied itself and then, amazement hit.

The little blue creature must have taken off at a hundred miles per hour. It was actually moving so fast it was running across the ocean! Water spray followed in his wake like a jet stream, allowing the people to clearly see where he was running, otherwise they may not have noticed.

He then headed out towards the coast at astonishing speed and when he was out of sight, a tremendous thunder had sounded. It was a sonic boom! The creature had broken the sound barrier and now it was running back. The mere fact that it could survive such speeds was amazing, but being able to run at them? It was bordering on inconceivable.

Butler could easily picture Soleanna being in the same state. Carrying on their lives as usual for the benefit of those fighting for their freedom. Times of terror do bring out the worst in people, but the best is never far behind.

Dawn had long since broken and now the town was wide awake, many people up early to help set up for the Festival of the Sun.

Butler continued to walk and observe, then noticed a large crowd gathered, chattering like mad.

He kept his distance and observed in case Opal was amongst them to keep cover. Though she had no idea they were there, she could have kept her guard up in case of Artemis pulling out another of his oh-so convenient plans out of thin air.

Amongst the crowd he could see a small figure wearing only a blue vest and boot with dark skin and auburn.

'Holly?' said Butler unconsciously.

'What's up, big man?' said Captain Short.

'Nothing,' said the manservant, as the figure turned its head, revealing its skin to be fur. It did seem female, though.

She seemed agitated, tapping her foot impatiently while casting her eye out to the ocean in front of her.

This was when Butler spotted a slightly darker shade of blue amongst the sea. It was another Mobian and this one seemed oddly streamlined and was making waves at the crowd while stretching his legs. It then licked its finger (which was odd, since it was wearing white gloves), tested the wind, then yawned and got into a starter's position.

Butler tried to get a better look and saw as fiery determination soon lit in the creature's eyes as it readied itself and then, amazement hit.

The little blue creature must have taken off at a hundred miles per hour. It was actually moving so fast it was running across the ocean! Water spray followed in his wake like a jet stream, allowing the people to clearly see where he was running, otherwise they may not have noticed.

He then headed out towards the coast at astonishing speed and when he was out of sight, a tremendous thunder had sounded. It was a sonic boom! The creature had broken the sound barrier and now it was running back. The mere fact that it could survive such speeds was amazing, but being able to run at them? It was bordering on inconceivable.

Then it put its feet down and skipped across the water like a stone, kicking up a mist to catch the sunlight and form a rainbow before getting back into a sprint.

It then jumped into the air and did a series of flips too fast for Butler to count.

Then, when it landed, the creature ran around in circles, making a small vortex of water that had the crowd roaring with cheers.

Then he fell down into the ocean and shot out of the man-made waterspout with liquid dripping on him and landed perfectly on the iron bars separating Castle Town from the ocean.

Deafening applause followed and Butler could only laugh in disbelief at the spectacle he had just seen.

'Please tell me you saw that and that I'm not going mad,' said the manservant, his voice practically giddy with astonishment.

'I saw it alright,' said Holly, just as amazed. 'I haven't seen gnomes move that fast when its their turn to pay the cheque.'

Artemis was busy opening a file stolen from G.U.N.. He'd read about that creature.

'Sonic the Hedgehog,' he said for Butler to hear. 'Iconic hero in the fight against the Eggman Empire. He is gifted with remarkable speed, agility and durability. He has collected the Power Rings I spoke of earlier for years and in that time it has increased his already impressive natural abilities. He's been able to channel the power of many mystical objects for his own purposes. Where his speed comes from remains a mystery as does a lot of his biological make-up, but that hasn't stopped the higher ups defending their regions from exploiting him.'

'Ask no questions, get the job done,' said Butler. 'Sound policy. How dangerous is he?'

'He's not very strong, but that is immaterial. He can travel at such high speeds and endure high levels of air resistance, meaning he is practically a living bullet. He can also use the spines granted to him by his species to spin and act as a buzz saw. The quills that compose them are almost diamond sharp, apparently. They start off as needles during childhood then bunch together and harden as the hedgehog reaches maturity.'

'Nature never ceases to amaze,' said Butler.

'Nature and a nuclear explosion,' reminded Holly.

The manservant drew his eyes away from Sonic and went back on the hunt.

'What can you tell me about the brown one?'

'That would be his wife, Sally Acorn,' informed Artemis. 'They were recently married and are on honeymoon.'

Butler looked back at Sonic, who was now being pulled away from his audience by Sally for taking too many bows. He should have guessed they were married.

'She is a princess of the former Kingdom of Acorn.'

'Royalty? And she's out here with no protection? Have bodyguards ceased exist to exist?'

'She is often offered protection, but turns it down. Kings of old had to act as generals and Princess Acorn upholds that tradition. She is quite the strategist and a well-trained soldier. She successfully led resistance groups against a dictatorship that usurped the Kingdom of Acorn and regained the throne. She still leads conflicts now with the Eggman Empire. Her skills as a field leader are said to be on the line of some of history's greatest military figures. This world's Wellingtons and Lord Nelsons, if you will. But she does seem to occasionally suffer from battle and familial stress. She turned eighteen a few weeks ago.'

Butler brushed this aside, casually. This world had obviously been dropped into a deep, dark pit. If the same happened back in their time, he was sure Master Artemis would be pulled into the fight for his tactical mind.

Then Butler spotted a tiny, blue creature with wings flying above him. He followed it for a few streets before coming to stop at a fountain. It was filled with these creatures, who were swimming in the water, gurgling it and seemed to be playing with each other. Needless to say, tourists were pulling their digital cameras out from every angle.

Butler got closer and saw that the blue creatures were rounded and portly in a cute fashion. Everything about the little guys was cute, from their angellic pink wings to their onion-shaped heads and the tiny yellow bobbles that floated above them. They had no fingers or toes and had only arms and feet with huge curious eyes with no retina.

'These creatures are Chao,' said Artemis after running another search, and was now a little bored of playing narrator when he had other matters to attend to. Then he realised the value these creatures could hold. 'They are drawn to magical places with plenty of fresh water. They do not usually habit Soleanna, so that means something mystical is that particular area.'

'Koboi,' breathed Butler.

'Take one of the Chao and see if it can't play out the roll of a blood hound.'

'Is it safe to separate them?' asked Holly, concerned for Butler and the innocent creature.

'Chao are considered harmless. Butler, all you have to do is treat it nicely, feed it when it gets hungry and let it swim for a little while in a fountain. It acts very much like a household cat.'

'Do I need to take those little bags with me or something?' asked Butler, not looking forward to having to clean up the creature's droppings. The last time he did that it was with a particularly large Dobermann and it was not his most pleasant of memories.

'No, you don't. Everything a Chao eats becomes magical energy to help it grow. No... Waste disposal is involved,' said Artemis, phrasing his sentence as tastefully as possible.

'Speaking of "chow," what do they taste?' piped up Mulch from the back, peckish since he'd finished his duffel bag of rations.

Holly threw him a venomous look.

'Try it and you'll eat standard issue LEP gloves.'

Mulch had eaten those before, and they hadn't gone down well.

Back at the fountain, Butler was thinking about how to get the best tracker for the job. With subtle reasoning, he pulled down his shirt collar to expose his healed wound.

One Chao with a green bobble instead of yellow doing a backstroke turned its head to Butler after a few seconds and then flew out of the water, giving the rest of its flock a shower them seemed to enjoy.

It flew over to Butler's chest and the manservant held out almost as big as the creature itself. It took the sign of friendship and sat itself in the massive palm before being tucked snugly in the Eurasian's trench coat.

'Time to do a public service, little fellow,' said Butler and went on the hunt.

Butler was out searching Soleanna's Castle Town for the next several hours, darkness descending at near seven o'clock.

The streets were packed with people due to the local festival. Stone torches lit up the streets to give the village a feel of how it was like six hundred years ago when it was first built.

The manservant was now waging through the crowds with his new companion.

The Chao had proven quite useful, but had only taken him to places where Opal had been. So far he had led Butler to a bistro, the Forest of Victor XII, and an Internet café.

So Opal had at least done her research and that was enough for concern. She could have located whatever she was after and now Butler let the Chao fly by itself to give it more freedom and hopefully it would find Opal faster. The Chao had become attached to the protector and, strangely, now mirrored his appearance.

Its head was now potato-shaped, its skin a light olive except for where its hands, feet and cranium came to an end which retained its original blue, and Butler could have sworn the creature's eyes had become darker so they matched his own. The Chao had changed its features to look as much as the manservant as possible.

Artemis had explained this as the result of a sort of bond between a Chao and who it associates with most. Its body will mimic that of whoever nurtures it, protects it and cares for it. Quite a curiosity.

Now the Chao had led him to the village square where large boats were floating through the canals carrying dancers and royal and political figures.

During Butler's hunt, his comrades had been left to sit in the shuttle and develop cramp. It was worst for Mulch, who had to get up and walk around every few minutes in fear that his lower half would get numb, and when you're a dwarf in the tunneling business, a numb posterior could prove fatal during mining "procedures" for reasons best not to go in to.

Holly was sitting in the pilot's seat watching Butler's progress through his iris while everyone but Artemis had fallen asleep, and even he seemed to be slipping away. You couldn't blame him for dozing off. They'd all been getting tired. Artemis deserved it especially. The Irish youth had not had a good night's sleep since his mother became Opal's unwilling slave.

She decided to help keep him awake with some conversation, so she asked Artemis a simple question to get them started.

'How's life?'

'...What?' said Artemis, his senses now irritatingly alert.

'How's life?' Holly repeated. 'Anything new?'

'Not recently.' Artemis then thought for a moment or two before smiling at a memory and speaking up. 'Although, there is this one incident that's amusing to look back on. Before mother succumbed to Opal, she sent me off for a week at a normal school for a trial run. I tried to make some friends there, nobody on my intelligence level, of course. Especially the physics professor. Most of the equations he gave to us were severely flawed and I had to correct him several times. He said it was the first time in twenty years anybody had spoken to him about the subject. Not surprising, really. Every other student there was barely able to grasp the equations. But I'm drifting away from the subject. I was talking with this girl and mentioned I liked opera. Her reply was, "Oh, I love her show too!" The scatter-brained delinquent thought I was talking about some American talk-show host called Oprah Winfrey.'

After having a bit of a giggle over this, Holly asked Artemis another question. 'Finally started talking to girls your own age then?'

'Not in that sense. This girl in particular was dating an exchange student I thought was stealing from my locker. I was making casual conversation to find out more about him.'

'And you thought talking to a teenage girl about opera was casual?'

Artemis shrugged. 'It seemed reasonable at the time. Though that was before I realised how low on the IQ scale she was. Anyway, instead of trying to catch the culprit, I came up with the more effective solution of having Butler escort me to school. Butler eyed the crowd there in his usual terrifying glare, the thief panicked and my belongings were returned to my locker before the bell rang.'

'The moment your type sees someone bigger than them, they do tend to admit their guilt.'

'You're comparing a criminal mastermind to a teenager reduced to stealing from lockers so he can get his hands on the latest computer games,' said Artemis, his eyebrow raised. 'Surely you think better of me than that, Holly.'

'A thief's a thief no matter the crime. You still steal things. Just things that could buy you all of Ubisoft instead of one of their video games.'

'Ubisoft and several companies,' remarked Artemis.

Their conversation was interrupted by a burst of sound on the shuttle's communicator. Butler was on the other end.

'Artemis!' he cried out. Through the fairy speaker, it sounded as if the manservant was actually in the room with them. 'I've got her!'

'You've captured Opal?' asked Holly.

'No, but I've got her in my sights,' replied the bodyguard.

Opal was making her way through the crowds, trying not to attract too much attention to herself, but the bodyguard had once spotted an assassin at a rock concert while protecting the teenage daughter of a British lord. It had been easy, really. The man had made no attempts to blend in whatsoever. He hadn't even dyed his hair some bright colour, for heaven's sake.

His Chao comrade had led Butler right to her and was now resting inside his jacket to not give the manservant away.

Koboi was now near a canal's edge against some ornate railings, struggling with all the legs surrounding her.

Butler kept his arms behind his back and slowly approached Opal, stooping ever so slightly. Lower and lower he went, until he was within grabbing range of the pixie. It was now or never.

At that exact moment, Opal bolted through the crowds as fast as she could. She didn't get very far, but all the people soon kept her out of view.

How could she have known he was behind her? Then he saw his reflection in the canal and realised she must have seen him coming. Classic rookie mistake. He was better than this.

Butler began shoving tourists and locals aside for the next few minutes to find Opal before seeing her on the other side of the canal.

He would soon lose her. There was no choice. Butler jumped on to a particularly large boat resplendent with dancing girls, startling many of them and causing them to let out screams to alert the authorities.

'Never a gondola around when you need one,' said Butler as a lame excuse and jumped off the opposite end of the boat and on to left side of the canal. The screaming ceased immediately, but by now the Bernoes were in pursuit.

'Hey, big guy, you know that those big stone things called bridges work too, right?' said Mulch. The spout of humour was the dwarf's way of concealing stress. If Opal got away now, things could get really bad really quickly.

Butler rushed through the streets after Koboi, the local soldiers running after him. They were armed with only sticks and basic training. Easy to fend off for someone like Butler, but now was not the time for a fight.

Opal had ducked under tables with sparklers, disposable cameras, batteries (typical they'd be at two different stalls) and glow sticks to avoid the manservant.

He tried using the X-ray in his iris cam, but it was proving useless with all these bodies in the way. It looked like a skeletons' jamboree.

Then he saw the couple from earlier, the blue hedgehog and the brown female. Opal was approaching them and then Butler's keen hearing could pick up the sounds of her voice layered with mesmer.

Then the fireworks up ahead caught whatever she was saying and the manservant was left standing still in the noise for a moment.

Then Butler's brain registered. The hedgehog could run at incredible speeds! He was Opal's get away!

He made a mad dash for the couple, but was too late. The blue Mobian had picked up both females and then ran off faster than Butler's eyes could keep up.

'Artemis, we have a problem,' he reported to his master.

'He's over here!'

Butler swung his head behind him to see two soldiers with their truncheons out in pursuit of him, doubtless with more on the way.

He ordered Holly to make a quick rendezvous and promptly legged it.

Through the deserted streets he ran until he came to a back alley, Bernoes closing.

A hiss sounded and a door opened from nowhere. Butler wasted no time in getting into the LEP stealth shuttle, but the men chasing him already had seen him.

'Argh! It's aliens!' screamed one not too bright soldier. Two illegal immigrants ran for it on the spot.

LEP STEALTH SHUTTLE

Butler landed on his face in the shuttle and started gulping down air, chest hurting with every breath drawn. Holly wasted no time in taking off so the Bernoes beneath them couldn't bump into the hull and sound the alarm of an alien invasion.

When Butler was finally breathing steadily enough to speak, he said, 'I lost Opal. She used the mesmer on that blue Mobian, Sonic. They zoomed out of sight.'

Artemis immediately began hacking into the local travel agencies and networks to find out how Sonic would leave the city. His wife was royalty and not as fast as he was, so she would most probably want them to travel by a commercial airliner or ground transport.

After a few minutes, they had him. Sonic and his wife had just asked for transport at the Soleanna airport and were about to make a return trip to New Mobotropolis.

'They've arrived at their private jet and are heading home,' Artemis informed everyone. 'We've missed our first chance, but others will come.'

Butler sighed. He'd felt he'd really let everyone down this time. Curse his blasted body!

'If you say so, Mud Boy,' said Doodah. 'But just how are we supposed to get passed these animal things and walk out with Opal in one piece?'

'I shall think of a plan. That's how, Mister Day. So don't worry about it. Just have your driving talents at the ready should they be needed.'

Artemis returned to the computer screen and ran a new search.

'Our first course of action should be to gather information on New Mobotropolis if we're going to snatch Opal from the city.'

'Don't you have intel already?' asked Holly.

'No. It appears GUN was smart enough to keep files on their ally's city off the security grid. They must be kept on discs for security. They seem to have done the same with their defence systems. The only way to find out how to get into New Mobotropolis is to find someone who has already spent the time and resources into breaking in. And from this list of most wanted criminals, I think I know just who to ask.'

CHAPTER 10: CRASHING THE CASINO
Rushing through the sky at seven hundred miles per hour was the FFF-15 from Soleanna to New Mobotropolis. Thanks to New Megaopolis now being wide open to the Freedom Fighters, they had access to all of the files within the city and those in Robotropolis due to Dr. Eggman keeping them all linked to preserve his plans and data.

There, they discovered plans for a shuttle called the Shriekbot equipped with Flash Thrusters capable of at speeds of near mach one. The engineers at New Mobotropolis had been instructed to adapt these for commercial flight to make their new home more independent and to quickly bring supplies in and out of the city. They were also to be used in times of emergency when an evacuation was necessary.

The FFF-15 was for exclusive use by the Acorn royal family and had been loaned to Sally and Sonic in case of the need for an emergency return trip from their honeymoon.

The trip back had taken a mere few hours. Usually, Sonic would have complained the entire trip due to his trademark impatience. Today, he sat silently like a zombie thanks to Opal's mesmer.

The little pixie was so excited about her good fortune, but yet again it was spoiled by the presence of Artemis Fowl. If his manservant was here, the boy and the LEP would not be far behind. She had to put her plans into action soon before they made their next attempt to capture her.

For now, she would have to lie low pretending to be helpless with the two Mobians serving as her help. They were just as defenceless to the mesmer as humans and were even more gullible than them too.

She relaxed herself in the luxurious seats and looked down at a world that could soon be hers.

It was mainly vast open countryside with the occasional village blending in with the view. She was glad of the space. It meant plenty of room for her new cities when Mobius was in her hands for her stay.

Sonic and Sally were not completely oblivious to what was going on around them. They merely believed they had rescued a child that had lost her parents and had brought her back to New Mobotropolis until the local authorities could find them.

Along the way, they had answered everything Opal asked about the city and the planet, confirming much of her information and blasting the rest to pieces.

Soon, they arrived at New Mobotropolis, crown jewel of the Republic of Acorn and an incredible engineering feat.

It was originally a city constructed by the Eggman Empire using nanites, microscopic machines that could reassemble themselves into different structures, objects, other machines and even imitate nature. They were so small they were nearly on an atomic level. Some of the greatest minds of New Mobotropolis, and those with large imaginations, believed Eggman had developed a mass-reduction device, or a shrink ray as the latter group called it, before his city was destroyed. Eggman would make the machines in full size then shrink them. Mass produce the nanites and reduce them in bulk and it could be done after a long waiting period.

However they were made, it was an act of genius. Genius she could steal for herself with some reverse engineering. She should give herself when she went back home. Technology could out do the numbers and resources if she planned everything well enough.

The FFF-15's pilot soon informed them of their arrival and ordered them to put on their seat belts.

Following orders from other people was quite the turnaround for Opal. She usually gave out the orders and when this little trip was over, she would do forever.

Sally and Sonic exited the FFF-15 and looked around at the city of New Mobotropolis. It was like a little Medieval village with its straw-roof cottages, ponds and huge castle, but with everything made out of the most advanced technology known to life, big city restaurants and a fully-equipped hospital and airfield.

Once they were cleared to come close, the Knothole Freedom Fighters, named after their former home, came to greet Sally in person.

They were the heroes of the planet, and Sonic and Sally were among their ranks, with the latter being the leader and the former being the second-in-command. It was fitting, seeing as they were married and now had a similar system.

These brave Mobians all had different skills and abilities. There was Amy Rose, a preteen pink hedgehog who had remarkable strength and used her trademark mallet, the Piko Piko Hammer, to show it off.

Antoine D'Coolette, swordsman and occasional army field leader, and his wife, Bunnie 'Rabbot' D'Coolette. During the First Robotnik War, she went under a process known as 'roboticisation,' where the organs of a living creature became pumps, the veins became wires and the bone and skin turned to metal. She had been rescued by Sonic when the process was halfway complete, leaving her legs and left arm mechanical.

And of course, Rotor Walrus, the team's former mechanical genius and only retired member now serving the Council of Acorn due to spinal injuries he received in the field. He was currently the team's liaison and greatest supporter, having yet to vote against their favour.

Hugs were held between the group as they welcomed back their leaders.

Then a later entry in the form of another Freedom Fighter showed up, one both Sonic and Sally had missed seeing.

'Sonic! Aunt Sally! Cosmo and I have got something really cool to show you.'

It was an orange and white preteen fox, mucky with motor oil and wearing a pair of blue goggles right below his large pointed ears. He was as cute and adorable as a puppy as his adopted aunts Bunnie and Sally had kept telling him, but more mature good looks were starting to worm their way in as he got older. This fox always stood out in a crowd due to his twin tails and had earned himself a reputation as Rotor's mechanical apprentice turned successor, pilot and hero. This was Miles Prower, better known as Tails.

Sally immediately pulled him into a hug, glad to see him after two weeks. During the First Robotnik War, many of them had lost their families and thought them dead. Sally had been something of a surrogate mother for Tails and even though his mother was back, she still held on to the roll a little and was starting to become more like a big sister to the young kitsune.

'It's good to see you, honey. I brought you back a little something,' said the princess and pulled out a pale green orb in a wrapper she'd got from Soleanna.

'Mint candy! Awesome!' said the fox and put it in his mouth the moment it was in his hand.

'There's a whole bag in my luggage. You can split it with Cosmo.'

'I... Had a couple on the way over, big guy, but still plenty left,' said Sonic and ruffled Tails's cowlick. If Sally was the kitsune's big sister, it was because Sonic had always been his older brother. The two were partners, almost inseparable. This friendship had been life-long for Tails and had helped him develop into a strong, confident young man. Some of Sonic's incomparable bravery had rubbed off too, though he was still nervous talking around girls his own age and was currently taking lessons from the hedgehog on that front.

Another being stepped up to welcome the newlyweds, though step may not be the accurate term. I think a detailed description would fare better.

This being first appeared as particles of green light that came from thin air and pieced themselves together to form a female Mobian lynx clad in a lilac toga, with brown fur and black hair leading into long bundled strands decorated with orange and purple beads.

'Welcome home, Sally. It's good to see you, Sonic. I hope you had a pleasant trip.'

This was NICOLE. An artificial intelligence that had assisted the Freedom Fighters for years and currently maintained New Mobotropolis and actually took control of the nanites to make the city into what it was today. She had proven a great resource of knowledge, data and technical expert in the field and had become self-aware recently, wanting to act more like a Mobian and 'live' like any organic creature, hence her appearance.

'It was fine thank, NICOLE,' said the princess.

NICOLE then noticed something out of the corner of her eye and leaned to the left to get a better look.

'You have brought a visitor? Do I need to document her stay?'

'No, NICOLE. She'll be staying with us for a little while. She lost her parents in Soleanna and we'll look after her until the local authorities find her family.'

The curious thing was, nobody seemed to have noticed Opal. Not after she told everyone to take no notice of her with the mesmer before NICOLE arrived.

'Would it not have been easier to have extended your stay in Soleanna?' asked the AI. 'She could have been reunited with her parents at a much faster rate without the plane trip.'

'I think it's for the best, NICOLE. Please don't question my judgment,' said Sally.

The holographic lynx may not have been a real Mobian, but she'd analysed voice pitches and compared them with recorded responses. According to her evaluation, Sally had used an unusual touch of iron in her voice so as to forbid NICOLE to press the matter further, and so she didn't since the princess she had been friends with for many years seemed to be acting defensively and just a little hostile, an attitude she did not usually get from Sally.

'King Elias has requested your presence before you return to your home. Shall I take the girl to the children's hospital? She can be inspected and cared for there,' suggested NICOLE.

'No thank you,' said Sally, acting on Opal's earlier orders. 'Take her to my home and see she gets whatever she wants. She requests it, you give it to her.'

'Very well, Sally.'

The hologram walked over to the pixie and looked her in the eye kindly, as she was not two inches taller than the girl.

'I'm NICOLE. What is your name?' she asked politely.

Opal simply walked away without saying a word and the AI eventually followed. She was unaccustomed to civilians acting ill behaved, but it seemed as if more and more people were starting to give her an icy treatment.

Once this was over, she decided to go into her robotic replica of a Mobian body and ingest chocolate goods to pick herself up a bit. After all, it wasn't like she needed to worry about her health from eating junk food when you had no organs to spoil.

Sonic and Sally were now acting much more natural now they were away from Opal and were allowed to act like themselves. The mesmer's power still hung over them, though.

They climbed the stairs of Castle Acorn to reach the Council of Acorn Meeting Chambers where Sally's brother, King Elias, was waiting.

The seats for the council members were empty and Elias stood with his back to the door looking out the window.

Sally had come to associate this with times of stress for him. The country brought back good memories for her older brother and the surrounding nature tended to relax him with simpler times.

He heard their foot steps as they approached and reluctantly looked away from the view, only to be bombarded by a hug from his sister. He returned the embrace quickly before giving her a proper welcome.

'I trust your trip was enjoyable?' said Elias.

'As enjoyable as spy work could be,' replied Sally.

'I am deeply sorry for that.'

'No problem, Elias,' said Sonic. 'But next time I have to play 007, can you send someone who doesn't want me to pack two dozen books along for the trip and then remember she has a perfectly good computer?'

Sally gave him the evil eye briefly before her brother coughed to bring the situation to business.

'In two weeks, one of my agents working for our government will go over your marriage papers and discover that no witnesses have signed to the event, making it null and void. In the mean time, you'll have to voice doubts about your marriage like saying you're too young, or the threat of Eggman needs your devoted attention. I trust you laid some before the wedding?'

'Yes, I talked with Bunnie about my own doubts,' the princess informed. 'She's something of a gossip and she'll probably tell Antoine. If she doesn't spread word about it, someone will overhear them.'

'Excellent. I read your report in full and am glad to hear the Soleannans are trustworthy. But that still uneases me. No human majority has allied with Eggman. Someone somewhere must be in his pocket.'

'Isn't it possible that the humans hate the fat guy's guts as much as we do?' said Sonic in his usual too-cool-for-you tones.

'I wish I could believe that. Eggman will want a hold on the humans to help enforce his power. But I don't know if he's succeeded in doing so yet or if he's still trying. It's best to be cautious than assume everything is right. These days, I'm learning more and more there's something dark in the corner ready to block out the light.'

'You know, you're sending a lot like this guy I know. He's black and red, fast, but slower than me, acts all dark and brooding like he never heard a fairy tale when he was a kid. Come on, Elias. The UN is solid. They hate Eggman and everyone knows that if he gets control, what happened to the Kingdom of Acorn will happen to the whole planet. Forests will be burned down and replaced with factories, the air will be polluted with the toxins from his robots and water'll be dirty from oil thrown into the oceans. It'll be Eggman's version of Judgment Day for everyone that isn't a robot, and there's no way anyone will just stand by and let that happen. There's too many dudes and dudettes out there who know we have to fight to keep Mobius green and glorious.'

'Your words are what keep our people going, and the picture you paint keeps us all strong. I think you for keeping the morale up, but-'

'But if the king for the Republic of Acorn acts like we've already lost, I'm just wasting my time and should probably be at home stringing my guitar.'

'For once, Sonic has a point,' Sally said. 'He's a hero, but you're our leader. People will lose confidence seeing you like this. We've all got to put on brave faces and show our stiff upper lips. Without everyone believing there's a fighting chance at beating Eggman, there will be no fighting chance.'

Elias had learned from experience that on the rare occasion when Sonic and Sally were together on something, they never lost. He realised this was one of those times.

'You're right. I'm being too melancholy for everyone's own good. Grim tides are making me this way.'

This caught Sonic and Sally's immediate attention.

Elias took a breath and delivered the news. 'Eggman has expanded his Iron Jungle base. He's completely destroyed the surrounding nature and wilderness to make a new city.'

Sally's entire face was agape. It couldn't be. Not this soon.

'But he's only been back on the loose for two weeks! How could he have built a city so fast?'

'He's built giant robots in hours by himself, Sal,' said Sonic bluntly, his arms crossed and his expression actually somber for once. 'I'm surprised it took him this long to make a city.'

'We don't actually know how long he's had the city,' pointed out Elias. 'For a while, we lost sight of the real Iron Jungle. We have since discovered Eggman's defences include a dome shield that can project 3D images across its surface. We thought it was business as usual for Eggman, but all the time he had us fooled. Our main priority is the expansion of his Lava Shelter. It's become a huge factory and is pumping out robots at such a rate, robots could actually replace every person on this planet if we give them the time. I am talking in the billions here. We must destroy this factory. Trusted members of the United Federation agree and they're loaning us Team Dark.'

'Why the outside help?' asked the hedgehog.

'Because we don't have the time to mount an undermanned operation. The Freedom Fighters are exceptional, but this city is vast, dangerous and made by Eggman with every possible intention of trapping or killing his enemies. Reconnaissance shows many devices have that intention with you in mind, Sonic.'

'Just shows how much I'm ruffling the big guy's moustache,' he told the brother and sister with a smirk.

Sally was more to business. 'Have you made contact?'

'Yes, but Commander Westwood said they would not be sent out yet until he was sure they were in fighting shape. Shadow suffered some severe injuries against Doctor Finitevus and Scourge, but I'm told he heals quick. You'll be the team leader and Agent Rouge will be second-in-command. I hope that suits you.'

It didn't really. Sally didn't like working with known thieves who had jobs on the side as spies, but at least any plans she had she could run by Rouge. She had bypassed nearly every security system the Eggman Empire had so far.

'Will we be receiving help from the Chaotix?' she asked.

'No. They're busy helping the Brotherhood of Guardians on Angel Island. Spectre told me they're busy making a new base and anti-air defences by converting the Grand Conservatory and relieving it of all the technology stored there. It's a lot, so maybe Angel Island could serve as a fall-back in future. Knuckles is coming here later today with Vector and Saffron to bring supplies, so if there's anything you need from him, better ask as quick as you can. That'll be all, Sonic. Rosemary tells me Tails is excited to show you some projects he's been working on for the Republic while you've been away.'

'Guess I'd better go see the big guy while I've still got the energy for technobabble,' said Sonic as he stretched his arms to add emphasis. 'Could you do me a favour and tell her thanks for having me over for dinner? I didn't get a chance before Sal and I left.'

'Not a problem.'

Sonic headed to the exit with Sally right behind him, then Elias grabbed her arm and stopped her from going further.

Sonic noticed the sudden lack of foot steps and turned around.

'I need to speak with Sally in private. I won't keep her long,' explained Elias.

Sonic left with a simple 'Catch ya later!' in the direction of Miles Electronics while Sally started looking at her brother curiously.

'What's the matter?' she asked.

Elias led her over to the empty seats usually occupied by the Council of Acorn and sat Sally down one chair from him.

'I'd just like to ask you a question,' he said. 'Sally, I'd like to know, how fond of little Alexis are you?'

'She's a cherub,' said the princess, wondering just where he was going with this.

'You feel like she's family, though she's merely my step-daughter?'

'Of course,' said Sally. This conversation was decidedly weird, and Sally turned toward her brother to get answers. 'Elias, is something wrong?'

'Couldn't be further from it. Sally, you're going to be a full-fledged aunt.'

Sally's eyes widened and her lips rose in a smile of disbelief. 'Meg is pregnant?'

A slow nod was all her brother could manage.

'Oh, Elias, that's wonderful!' Sally said, hugging him. 'How far along is she? Have you thought up any names yet?'

Elias couldn't hold in a small chuckle. 'She's only five weeks, and we're still coming up with suggestions. She likes Elissa for a girl, and I've thought of Zacharias for a boy.' Suddenly, his joyful face became stern and determined. 'Sally, your next mission must succeed. I won't allow my child to be brought up in a world of warfare. I don't want it to have to go out and fight or live in fear for its loved ones. Eggman has terrorised this planet. We must stop him from taking power again. I want him stopped, as much for Alexis as for my own child. Please, Sally, I'm depending on you now.'

Realising just how much her brother really was, she nodded firmly, her eyes showing such determination that you would have thought she would walk through fire to reach whatever goal she had.

The approaching foot steps of a small crowd soon sounded and Elias arose from his chair to greet the Council of Acorn.

'It's been nice talking with you, Sally', he said. 'We'll have your over for dinner soon. Mom and dad too. I'm sure they'll be delighted at the news. I'll have to depend on yours and Meg's strength to break it I think.'

Sally punched him playfully on the shoulder. 'You're stronger than you give yourself credit for. Besides, you're the big brother. You're supposed to give me support.'

'Sally, your inner strength outmatches an army. You are a greater leader than any member of our family could have hoped to have been, or ever will be. I included. Be careful. Eggman's desperate. There's no telling what he'll try to turn the tides back to his favour.'

Sally gave him one last tight hug and went over to Tails's workshop, thinking how much she wished she could hold the same belief in herself Elias did.

The king of the Republic of Acorn took his seat at the top of the arched crescent table, which had curved stone steps surrounding the back of it and led up to its highest point before falling down again to the other side. It was an aesthetic choice by the architect and was proving a little impractical. Like the time Hamlin had leaned back in his chair and fallen over on himself. He'd even done a little cartwheel.

Elias arranged his notes while everyone sat themselves down and coughed to call for both silence and their attention, creating something of an ominous feeling in the air.

'Council of Acorn, I have called you here to discuss preparations for war should Dr. Eggman regain power. I put forth that we recreate the War Ministry, and give title of Warlord to General Amadeus Prower. NICOLE will be his advisor as she has downloaded information on Eggman's method and tactics from E-123 Omega of the United Federation at G.U.N.. Ladies and gentlemen, if the Freedom Fighters and Team Dark fail today, a new war will be on our hands. If we are to keep losses of life to a minimum, we will have to strike back quick. To this, I propose forming a new organization. The New Mobotropolis Military. Should war break out, I feel these actions will be absolutely necessary. Please place your debates by a show of hands.'

Sonic had made his usual excellent time of one point five seconds getting to Miles Electronics, the little workshop Tails had been given by the Republic of Acorn to let his technical prowess benefit them.

It was located inside King Frederick Airfield, right next to Tails's private hangar. This stored Sonic's plane, the Tornado, but it was practically owned by the young fox since he was the one who always flew it.

It was a blocky, two-storey iron grey building with Tails's logo of his twin namesakes highlighted over a red circle.

Sonic entered through the open door to be greeted by the sound of machinery. Sparking metal as it was welded, the whirring of drills as they bore holes into steel plates and the beeping of computers as they flashed updates and warnings of their diagnostics of the kitsune's projects.

It seemed obvious to Sonic that Tails was working on a schedule, as he had actually employed machines to increase the work rate. This was quite odd for Tails as he usually liked to see to the building of his inventions himself.

Currently, Tails was huddled underneath a stainless steel plane that looked like a cross between a fighter jet and a rocket ship.

Sonic saw some blueprints that said 'X-Tornado' spread out on a work table before his attention was brought to a face he'd only recently been acquainted with.

It was a girl whose skin was as pale as any human's could possibly be, with giant leaves that made up her hair and clothes in forest and a cream that lightened her skin. Across her stomach was a large scarlet jewel attached to her dress and rosebuds on the verge of blooming took the place of ears on the sides of her hand, adorned with slim golden bands.

This was Cosmo. She had been rescued by Sonic, Tails, Knuckles and the members of Team Dark just before his honeymoon from the deep reaches of space. Her species was called Seedrian and closely mirrored Mobians on a visual scale except with the animal factor removed, but were completely different genetically. She had also unwittingly taken the form of Tails's latest crush.

Cosmo was checking the systems of the plane using an orange computer with a touch screen when Sonic lightly tapped her on the shoulder and startled her.

'Oh, it's you Mister Sonic!' she said, recovering her breath. Recent events had made her a little jumpy. 'Tails said you would come by.'

The moment the twin-tailed fox heard his best friend's name, he put a stop to his work and went over to greet him.

'It's great you're finally here!' he said excitedly. 'I've got all sorts of cool things to show you. King Elias and mom have been amazed by them, but I'd really like to known what you and Sally think of them.'

'This baby looks like something that'd send an Eggman robot packin',' said Sonic, patting the X-Tornado lightly.

'Yeah. It's a great attack craft, but it still needs work. I've been experimenting with Power Rings and Chaos Emeralds and found out that the rings can by crystallised! It amplifies their power and time of existence immensely.'

Sonic nodded thoughtfully. Power Rings were good, but their energy always faded quickly and proved something of a liability.

'Will they work for me?' the hedgehog asked first.

'I'd really like to try that with you later, as a matter of fact. I've got some pretty good theories on what should happen, but like your uncle, Chuck, said, a theory's just a theory until you prove it.'

'What theories have you got so far?'

Tails was about to answer that question when Sally walked in, looking a touch annoyed.

'You couldn't have waited five minutes for me to come?' she said. 'I'm as anxious to see Tails as you are.'

Sonic wasn't sure if Sally was adding more stock into their marriage beginning to fall apart, or if she was just angry at him as per usual. Either way, he just used the same eye roll. When he and Sally were kids, he was often threatened with having his head cut off for eye rolling by the princess. Thankfully, she'd grown out of the whole execution-ordering phase.

'So, show us what you got, Tails,' said Sally, eager to see just what the little genius had been working on.

Tails's namesakes swished side to side in excitement and he took them over to his most recent mechanical marvel, the blue goggles on his head slipping under his eyes as he ran. He pulled them back up gingerly and pulled out his invention.

The newlyweds saw what looked like a child's kiddy car fashioned after a plane. It was no bigger than five feet in length and a metre in width, not including the wings. It was mainly a deep yellow with black and sported Tails's trademark symbol of twin tails on both wings with twin exhaust pipes on the back.

'This is the Whirlwind,' announced Tails. 'I basically took the blueprints from the old Tornado II and shrunk it down and made a sky-worthy one man mini plane out of them.'

At the mention of Tornado II, Sonic turned his head to the blue and orange biplane behind him. It had his name on it and he'd flown it a couple of times, but it was really Tails's and he made great use out of it.

'It can travel up to a speed of three hundred miles per hour.,' continued Tails. 'I made it so when we're fighting off Eggman's ships or cannons, it'll be too small for them to hit. It wouldn't be as effective going up against other planes or a jet, though. It'll also be great if we want to mount a rescue mission. It's smaller than any other plane in existence, so hopefully we can sneak right under Eggman's radar, but the smallest flying object we've confirmed he can't detect is about the size of a water melon, so this might work. But if it doesn't, I can make some sort of short ranger jammer and install it to make up for that.'

'Good thinking, Tails,' said Sally. 'It always pays to be prepared, even if your blue idol over here thinks otherwise.'

Sonic accepted the poke with a playful smirk.

'So, how high can this thing go?' he asked.

'Anywhere from a foot to one thousand two hundred feet. It's also got tech that I can drop out on the battlefield.'

'What kind of tech are we talking about, big guy?'

'Two new robots I made out of medical equipment from New Megaopolis. Eggman made stuff that'll be a big help to us. He probably made it to guarantee he recovered from any battle with you, Sonic. I used the tech to make the Medi Bot and the Shield Bot. One robot heals someone injured in a danger zone while the other projects a force field to protect them. The shield isn't very powerful, though, and the Medi Bot can only handle lesser critical wounds, but they should be a big help in field medical aid.'

'What about weapons? How will it hold itself out in the middle of a battle?' This time, the question came from Sally.

'It's got laser guns hidden in these two black sections near the cockpit. The propellers are covered in nanites that conduct a small shield that absorb energy, so if the laser hits the propellors, it'll be redirected back into the plane's engine. There's also something a little less sophisticated I made called a Flash Bang for tricky situations. It's just a flash grenade, smoke and lights, but it's got the bonus feature of a very weak narcotic. I can drop it right on enemies and they'll be disoriented, and during all the hustle whoever they've got cornered can escape. But, obviously, it's ineffective against Eggman's machines. But to make up for that, I made an onboard scanner that can pin-point a robot's weaknesses, making it easier for the pilot to target them, so all they have to do is fire away.'

'You didn't tell them the last bit, Tails,' said Cosmo, who had walked over with a tray of refreshments and the orange control panel under her arm.

She set down the tea and cookies on a work bench and handed Tails the orange device.

'Oh, yeah. It's remote control too.'

Tails activated a function on the control panel and within seconds the Whirlwind's propellers were spinning, accidentally sending various blueprints flying and tipping over Cosmo's tray.

'Oops! Sorry! Sorry!' he said, shutting down the tiny plane and going over to fetch paper towels.

'I'll take care of this. You show them the plane,' said Cosmo.

Tails took one wing and started to push before Sonic came along to help him.

'So, Tails, how have things been going with you and Cosmo?' he asked. 'I hope it hasn't been weird hanging out with an alien.'

'No. Cosmo's been a big help around the place. She says she wants to learn everything she can about mechanics since she might need to make herself a living, but King Elias says she doesn't have to. I think she feels she's excess baggage on Mobius. Galaxina and I have been trying to convince her otherwise, though.'

'Oh yeah. How's she doin'?'

'Great! She really knows a lot about star charts and has helped fill in a lot about existing planets in deep space. The Council of Acorn are going to vote on whether or not to make an embassy for aliens next week.'

'Heh. They sure are planning ahead.'

'I'll say. My mom told me they've gone ahead and had entire sectors made in the research labs at Castle Acorn dedicated to mapping space, the species on specifc planets, their cultures and their capabilities. Elias doesn't want another Black Arms fiasco.'

'Can't argue with him there. But back to you, big guy. How's being the big egg head for the Republic working out for you?'

By now, they'd moved the Whirlwind out on to a free runway and Tails was setting up the controls.

'I'm not really the main guy or anything,' said the young fox. 'I'm more like a... Contract inventor. The Council asks me to make something specific or maybe in just a certain area and I do all I can to do it. Some things I have to need to call in help with and then Rotor usually helps me out. Or NICOLE comes and helps out. Which reminds me, I still have to do some finishing touches on her new robotic body.'

'Like what? Upgrade? New parts? Weapons system?'

'Manicure.'

'A manicure?'

'Yeah. Chuck did a good job on her body, but the nails grow at a rapid rate. They're like tiger claws. I'm cutting and fixing them.'

Tails turned his head back to his personal all-purpose portable control panel, which he'd nicknamed the Kitsune, since the mystical fox creatures were supposed to be multi-tailed with great intelligence, and this little device could determine problems and how to fix them all by itself as a form of computer intelligence and would automatically flag these problems the moment it detected them.

It currently showed all systems were green and he started the tiny plane up.

'OK, all set.'

The Whirlwind greeted its activation with a series of happy bleeps and bloops, eager for its take-off.

Sonic called out to Sally and Cosmo to tell them it was ready and they watched out in front of Miles Electric.

The propellers of the Whirlwind started to gather speed, making the sound of a chainsaw as the blades whirred.

Tails had his thumbs hovered over the two joysticks attached to the Kitsune and gently pushed the right one forward.

Almost immediately, the Whirlwind zoomed forward and soon took off.

When the right instructions were done, it did loop-the-loops, spun, even flew upside down.

'I sent up a satellite called the Lunar Fox,' Tails informed the on-lookers. 'It's resting on the moon's surface and can pick up this signal anywhere on the planet, meaning I can control this thing from wherever I want, whenever I want.'

'No bugs then?' asked Sonic.

'No. I've worked them all out. The worst I found was on the first trial run last week; I fired her up and lost control. It came so close to Cosmo, she said the propellors nearly made her into salad.'

At the touch of a button, several skeets flew out from a hidden device and the Whirlwind's targetting system came into use, firing off golden homing lasers that reduced the clay pigeons to sparkling dust.

Two more buttons were pressed and Tails's robots were deployed from underneath the plane's cockpit like bombs. They kind of looked like flying saucers, but the size of Frisbees. The Shield Bot proved itself completely capable, while the Medi Bot just hovered inside the bubble of energy its companion created since no one was injured to make a demonstration.

'That's amazing,' said Sally who had come to take a closer look.

'The Shield Bot uses the atoms in the air to pass energy and create the sphere which protects the wounded. Then the Medi Bot uses a variety of medical tools and ointments to dress the person's wounds or try and heal them. I also found this really cool device Eggman made that actually sprays skin cells that adapt to the injured person's flesh so any cuts or wounds are covered in seconds so no diseases can be caught. It uses a scanner similar to the one I installed in the Whirlwind and actually picks up all the wounded person's injuries. I had to use a different program and sensor for each scanner along with a few extra modifications to the memory and base operations unit, but they both work perfectly.'

Sally still wasn't used to hearing technical jargon coming from someone not even into his teens. She just kneeled down gave him a big kiss, saying, 'Come here, my little genius.' Cosmo looked a little jealous.

'Tails, you've been amazing these past few months. You deserve a break. Tomorrow, for just an hour or two or however long you want, just be a kid. Play some games with Cosmo. It'd be good for the both of you.'

'OK, Aunt Sally.'

Just then, the Kitsune started beeping again and it showed a picture of a familiar red-furred face Sally knew well.

'It's Knuckles,' said the two-tailed fox. 'He's been giving me combat lessons by hologram for a few weeks, but now I help him out with his ancestors. The Brotherhood of Guardians wants the echidnas to move back to Angel Island, but they all want to stay at Albion. But that might change. Last week, the Brotherhood installed some kind of control room on Angel Island so they could direct where it would fly to so it could be near Albion and they could keep the echidnas safe. It was a really good idea. A squadron of Eggman robots in these new aircrafts came to take the out the city. Angel Island's anti-aircraft systems managed to shoot them all down before they could do any damage though.'

'We heard about that. Even more reason Eggman's got to be stopped,' said Sonic. 'He's starting to get serious again.'

'It'd be easier if the Brotherhood would help, but they still refuse even though they've seen what Eggman's capable of. The echidnas want to help in the effort, and the Dark Legion even went over there today to join them and act as a new means of defence with the Albion Security Team.'

'Err... Tails, I think Knux'll be getting impatient,' Sonic pointed out, knowing that Knuckles's patience was nearly as short as his was, which had made for many entertaining moments for the blue hedgehog when he'd grinded the echidna's gears.

'Oh right!'

'Tails, I'd like to have a word with Knuckles too,' asked Sally. 'I remembered something while in Soleanna I thought might get the Brotherhood more involved.'

'Sure! What do you want to tell him?'

'Elias once told me a story he'd heard from when the Brotherhood while they were bringing him up. They told him about the first time Overlanders came to Angel Island. Among them was Eggman's ancestor. The Guardian back then said that neither he or his kind should return to Angel Island. But his kind is. His family. His descendant. Eggman. If I try showing them this point of view. If it's personal, it might sway them our way a little.'

'Good plan!' said Tails, once again impressed by Sally's own ingenuity.

'Well, if you're going to talk to Knucklehead, I might as well,' said Sonic. 'It must get boring being on a flying rock that floats in the sky thanks to another giant rock.'

Tails took a page from Sonic's book and rolled his eyes behind the blue hedgehog's back.

'Just wait until you hear about our weekend...'

MOBIAN DESERT AIRSPACE, OVER BADLANDS, 15 MILES WEST OF CASINO NIGHT RESORT

'So, we're going to visit a crime boss?'

'Yes.'

'Who has been jailed for kidnapping, acting under a dictatorship and starting various violent rebellions?'

'Correct.'

'And we're going to stroll into his expensive resort, filled with his musclemen, who are old robots that have been repaired and are armed with lasers guns?'

'Right.'

'And the aforementioned crime boss is ten thousand years old because he had one of these Chaos Emeralds in his chest and can control this Chaos power?'

'You have kept great attention to detail, Captain.'

'But have you? I'm still waiting for any of this to make sense.'

Holly and Artemis were discussing the latter's latest plan. During his research of Earth's history yet to be made, he came across a villain that stood out from an already surreal crowd. His name was Mammoth Mogul. Somehow, the extinct species of mammuthus primigenius had been remade, possibly through a hybrid breeding of elephants and some large furry creature, Artemis had reasoned.

Mammoth Mogul was a Mobian version of a woolly mammoth who had been alive for thousands of years thanks to these Chaos Emeralds and the energy they granted. Their power had increased his lifespan and constantly returned his body to a youthful form while witnessing the greatest events of history.

Unfortunately, while his intelligence had grown greater and greater with every passing millennia, his ambitions had always been the same; power. Being of the most intellectual and powerful, Mogul rightfully thought the world his and his mind has yet to change on the subject in over ten thousand years.

He had obtained god-like power in the past on more than one occasion, but had always been struck down. He currently was biding his time, living comfortably by turning the horrors of the First Robotnik War into spoils.

One of the maniacal doctor's recurring ploys was to set up elaborate traps and challenges ranging in size and lunacy for one Sonic the Hedgehog to brave through to break his spirit, and in the process, him.

He continued to fail in this regard, but one attempt resulted in the Casino Night Zone, a joint house of horrors and gambling establishment. Mogul had renovated it into an overnight success, employing old robots discarded with the creation of new models Robotnik had no need for. The Doctor had apparently installed an artificial intelligence in all of them to supplement himself of living slaves who would feel terrified in his very presence and had made sure most of them had not been too high on the IQ scale to increase his feeling of mental superiority. These robots were now the grunts of Mogul doing basic jobs for oil and board, but they all seemed to think their new jobs were better than under Robotnik as it called for less battles with Sonic and this less maintenance.

All the time Artemis had been doing research, he wished there was a delete button for nearly every passage he read about this cruel doctor. It felt like when he'd heard one of his fellow students at St. Bartleby's read his report on World War II and the actions Adolf Hitler had taken. It was the kind of stuff a person can't get rid of or ignore. Not if they want to stay human.

'It does make sense, Holly,' insisted the Irish youth. 'Mammoth Mogul is the only person who has accessible records of New Mobotropolis. Butler and I merely run a reconnaissance of his famed Casino Night Club and then you and Mulch shall steal his records later tonight. All this can be done in the remaining forty-eight hours, giving us plenty of time to devise a plan and catch Opal.'

'Two days and counting,' said Holly, almost unconsciously. 'This had better work, Artemis.'

Artemis said nothing. It had better work. Full stop.

Butler had been sitting huddled all night with packs of ice across his frame, preying for pain relief and a Swedish masseuse.

'Just relax, old friend,' said Artemis. 'Just a quick surveillance with your iris cam and we'll be back in the ship.'

'Artemis, shut up,' said the manservant, surprising his charge. His sore spots were making him a touch irritable. 'If you tell me everything's going to be OK, no doubt some villain will crawl out of the woodwork, snatch you from me and then I'll have to rescue you from the clutches of the blazing tower, wasting time and bullets.'

'It's not my fault if jealousy of genius attracts a bad crowd,' defended Artemis. 'But we will be dealing with a villain we've researched. One pull of the trigger from a Neutrino and our problems with him will be over.'

'What about the robots?'

'I've had Mulch see to that part of the plan already. A "SWATbot" was patrolling the grounds outside a restaurant for criminals and I had Mulch hide inside a rubbish bin with a little gift for it.'

'So that's where he got those barbecue ribs from,' said Butler, waving the stench of three day-old onions away from his nostrils.

Holly gave Doodah the controls and went over to a weapon locker, inputting a five digit code and revealing the small arsenal.

'Time to gear up,' she said. She pulled out Butler's Neutrino and his iris cam and Artemis's preserved in solution from the weapons and gadgets.

'Anything else I can take with me?' asked the manservant.

'Nothing much. Although, there are these.'

Holly pulled out from the locker two gloves that looked like a pair of human hands. But there was something odd about them. The palms, for example, were blank. No lines whatsoever. Nor were there any fingerprints.

'Gloves made out of memory latex,' explained Holly. 'They have an added middle layer of impact-gel inside them to cushion any punches you dish out. They're also fire proof and heat resistant. Fairy firefighters use entire suits made out of this stuff when looking for civilians inside burning buildings. You could punch a wall of solid steel wearing this stuff and your hand wouldn't even have a scrape. They're brilliant for fist-fights. Professional boxers even use them they work so well.'

'Handy,' admitted the manservant.

'Please tell me that gag wasn't intentional,' piped up Artemis. 'Anything a genius can use?'

Holly tossed him a bottle.

'Fairy acid. Butler can take out any people and you can use that on the robots.'

'Good thinking,' Artemis admitted, impressed with the elfin captain.

Butler put his tourist disguise back on and led his charge through the doors of the fairy shuttle. They'd parked just out of sight of any visitors or cameras, making it the perfect drop spot.

The two humans walked around the corner and were greeted by noise, flashing lights, people yelling at their good luck and misfortune and music of a dozen genres for every gambling business.

Artemis had once been to Las Vegas with his father to give him a taste of an investors' meeting when he was nine with a casino owner. He'd been in the hotel suite for most of the trip, but had learned the hustle and bustle of places like Sin City were not to the taste of a young criminal such as he and did not like Casino Night Resort's resemblance one bit.

'All this place is missing is the King himself,' the criminal mastermind remarked.

Butler then tapped him on the shoulder and showed him a robot with drill hands singing Blue Suede Shoes in a wig and white outfit complete with bell bottoms and studded sequins. A tip jar empty except for a few nuts was lying in front of him.

'Put more feeling into it,' called out a voice near Artemis. 'You're killing a classic!'

To the young boy's amazement, the voice was Butler and he gave his manservant a discouraging look.

'When we get back to the manor, you are going to listen to Mozart and Chopin until you learn the proper definition of music.'

His scolding finished, Artemis walked on and Butler hummed a few notes of Don't Be Cruel in his wake.

As they walked on, they saw betting shops of all sorts next to larger establishments. Artemis could see sporting events that were most certainly exclusive to Casino Resort, such as Badnik Racing, Bingo Highway Bonanza, Robot Wrecking Wrestling, Badnik Boxing and even Oil Polo.

A man was then taken out of one of the smaller casinos by his arms by two humanoid robots, begging for a free bet to earn his money back. He had no watch or any valuable items on him, suggesting he'd lost it on the tables.

'Gambling, Butler, is one of the most imbecilic choices in life if you are on the wrong end. Even if you're the man who owns the house, what kind of person must you be to know that you're ruining people's lives by giving them the opportunity to completely waste their money on chance?'

'The kind of person you would have turned out to be,' the manservant noted, and he wasn't completely wrong.

Artemis had often wondered how exactly he would have turned out if he'd stayed a fully fledged criminal, but decided to stop thinking about it once he resolved that he had chosen the alternate path and was determined to stay on it. Within reason.

They finally reached the resort's centrepiece where Mammoth Mogul resided; Night Babylon. Neon lights lit up a district that looked as if it were constantly set in the middle of the night.

Artemis and Butler walked over to it and the world took on a curious new perspective. It wasn't a cheap amusement park trip; they'd actually walked over into nighttime.

'This would be the direct result of Mogul's powers, if I were to hazard a speculated guess,' said Artemis, inspecting the area. 'Casino Night Club. It's the main attraction and the largest establishment here. Mogul manages it personally. He makes plenty of money off the other casinos, though. They are all tenants on his land and pay an expensive rent depending on their size and daily revenue. Mister Mogul is no fool. We should tread lightly while here.'

Butler nodded in agreement. If past experience had taught him anything, it was that when Artemis and a megalomaniac were within one hundred metres of each other, global disasters got brassed off because they were being overshadowed.

Casino Night Club had robots with heads like upside down teacups acting as bouncers. Next to the entrance had a sign reading "SWATBOT SECURITY. THE ENFORCERS OF ROBOTNIK NOW KEEP CASINO NIGHT CLUB PROTECTED. THIEVES BEWARE: LETHAL FORCE WILL BE PERMITTED IF CARRYING FIREARMS. ANY OTHER ACT OF ROBBERY INSIDE THIS ESTABLISHMENT WILL RESULT IN INCAPICATION AND REMOVAL FROM THE PREMISES."

For the first time in his life, Butler wished he hadn't brought a gun with him.

'Let's go around the back,' said the Eurasian.

They passed next to a repulsive bistro you would likely get food poisoning at by just making a reservation before find Casino Night Club's rear entrance. It was a dark alley with one guard and a camera with a blind spot picked up by Butler's iris cam. The manservant walked calmly over to the security robot.

'Good day, sir,' said the SWATbot with the speaker quality of a cheap radio.' I must inform you this establishment is for the higher classes of society. If you are not within our restrictions, I must ask you to visit one of the other casinos.'

Butler smiled courteously, nodded, then tested out the gloves on the SWATbot's head. It came clean off and the bodyguard hid it behind a dumpster.

Artemis caught a quick peak of Mulch's handiwork and quickly hid it with the machine's head to avoid suspicion.

Butler had a quick peak through the door to see it was a janitor's station filled with cleaning supplies. Butler walked into the dark room with his young charge at his side.

He snorted in contempt. Whoever was in charge of the SWATbot deployments should be fired. One security guard for the rear entrance? Even a supermarket security guard could see the error in this.

The two then stealthily made their way through the hallways of Casino Night Club, avoiding all the angles of the cameras.

At one point they were next to the main vault. No mistakes were made on security here. And the robots guarding it weren't SWATbots, either. They were twice as tall with metal plating as black as the night itself, as if they were ninjas in metallic armour, their single optics eyes glowing as a line of ominous red.

Butler and Artemis quickly made their way passed them and were soon in the main hall. It was covered in a red the colour of Burgundy wine, slot machines droning out their annoying noises and occasionally there was the clatter of pennies from a winning pull. Blackjack and poker tables were full as Mobians, humans and Overlanders gambled away their hard earned cash at the tables, hoping to Heaven they had luck enough to score big.

More robots became visible, acting as waiters, barmen, card dealers and those guys that spin the Roulette wheel. They were fashioned after animals, insects and things Butler couldn't even begin to place. They looked kind of cute in a way, but a trained bodyguard like Butler could easily spot danger, such as the additional pressing power that had been added to a crab robot that could snap away steel.

Artemis observed the bar as a good place for observation and they took a table. A purple wasp robot wearing a yellow bow tie came flying towards them with a note pad.

'Anything to drink, sir?' said the robot waiter.

'Yes. Err... Do you have a rum and coke?' asked Butler.

'Yes, sir.'

'I'll have one of those without the rum in.'

'So... Just coke then?'

'Well, yes. I suppose you're right,' said Butler with an unconvincing chuckle of realisation. 'I've been ordering those wrong for years.'

The robot just gave the manservant an odd look and jotted down the order on his note pad, leaving a buzzing noise in his wake as he fetched the drink.

'What exactly were you doing?' asked the younger of the two humans.

'I was acting stupid, Artemis.'

'Well that much was obvious,' the Irish youth commented irksomely.

'The latest infiltration techniques show that people tend to let their guard down when around someone who they think can't threaten them,' explained the Goliath of a man. 'Thus, I act stupid so it seems I am a complete imbecile so I won't arouse suspicion.'

'But you are acting like a maniac who will be arousing men in white coats with butterfly nets. Stop it at once.'

A further lecture from Artemis was interrupted by the speedy return of the wasp robot.

Butler thanked him and reached for his refreshment when a loud boom and flashing lights made him drop his drink and have his hand dart for his holster.

'Relax, sir,' said the mechanical wasp, taking note of Butler's actions. 'Casino Night Resort's owner and manager also owns much of the land surrounding here. G.U.N. is currently hiring the ground to run tests on satellite lasers. We are quite safe. I assure you. There is no need to panic.'

Butler made the appearance of relaxing while trying not to draw attention to where his hand had been as the robot went to get another drink for him. He saw the wasp converse momentarily with another automaton that looked like a red monkey with a yellow lightbulb on its head. It suddenly started flashing like an alarm and the wasp had to calm the monkey down to get it to stop.

The manservant's gut filled with acid. He'd really sunk them in it this time. And he doubted acting brain dead would help now.

Mammoth Mogul was in his office sitting at his desk, throwing Oakmund cookies to Ixis Naugus tucked away in his basket in the corner when Coconuts came crashing in with the light on his head flashing.

'Mister Mogul! Mister Mogul!' he said urgently. 'The Buzz Bomber at the bar just saw this big human going for a gun when he got spooked by the laser blasts. He thinks it could be someone from G.U.N., sir.'

'Preposterous,' said Mogul calmly, his usage of lengthy words something of a trademark for him. 'A representative of the Guardian Units of the Nation would bear knowledge of the satellite laser testing grounds, and would therefore remain calm in their presence. Unless they issued a consummate dilettante to observe me, which I find dubious. Even the humans are not that incompetent.'

Coconuts's headlight flashed again as he had an idea. Well, a new thought. But to the mechanical monkey it was an idea, and those did not come along very often.

'But it could be someone else, sir,' he said. 'There have been a lot of bounty hunters after you. What if this human is another one?'

'For once, Coconuts, your train of thought actually wields intellectual results. I shall deal with the depilated apes myself.'

'He's much more than an ape, sir. From how the Buzz Bomber described him, he's more of a gorilla.' Coconuts smiled. He'd said 'described'. He was picking up more and more big words from Mr. Mogul.

Butler then saw the second largest creature on two legs he had ever seen in his life. The first largest had nearly killed him back at Fowl Manor and its brain was no bigger an ant's eye ball.

Mammoth Mogul represented a terrifying figure in more ways than one. Firstly for his enormous girth clad in a tailored grey suit with accentuated his size and natural strength, secondly for the air of mystery and danger that surrounded him like an aura, and lastly that look of complete disregard for any person other than himself that flew through you when you looked in his cricket-ball sized eyes.

'Greetings, my human friends. I trust you are procuring an exuberant time at my petite establishment?' said the mammoth.

'Why, veritably,' said Artemis, eager to engage in a verbal battle and not appearing at all intimidated. 'The amusement of the gamble is most joyous, the pabulum delectable and the entertainment meritorious. This entire establishment is to be panegyrized.'

In the LEP shuttle outside the casino, Holly turned on her translator.

'Ha ha! At last, an individual in possession of a vocabulary tantamount to mine. I have to resort to using the words of a commoner so these uneducated rubes can even comprehend me. But what of my decorum? I am Mammoth Mogul, manager and owner of this establishment. Do tell to as to your own identity?'

'Henry Adrian Stephen Wahl. Or H. Adrian S. Wahl as I'm often credited.' Artemis had used this alias several times to deliver papers in various archaeological magazines. Most recently he had submitted a lecture on Egyptian hieroglyphics to The Trowel regarding a mistranslation he'd discovered that could render everything learned from hieroglyphics as worthless. The ancient Egyptians had based their language on Gnommish, the fairy tongue, and according to Artemis's translation, what most archaeologists believed to be the tale of a powerful curse actually said, 'To get to next lavatory, go two floors up and take a right at the third sarcophagus.'

'Credited? You have had your own material published?'

'I have had several psychiatric, historical and physics papers printed in many leading magazines of each field.'

'Impressive. Your youth would have had me strayed from the path of truth. Just how many years is your body retaining?'

'Fifteen and counting. I hear you're roughly ten millennia.'

'Then you have heard fact, my boy. But why don't you reveal unto me facts. Such as the presence of an apparent under-aged prodigy in my establishment. Does your intellect pertain to mathematics, per chance? I would so loathe to see someone I may actually converse with be removed from these premises for playing an underhand game of poker with his adult escort.'

Artemis's mouth turned into a sickly cold grin that even made Mogul want to take a step back, but he stayed his ground to maintain power.

'Money is of no concern to me or my guardian, Mister Mogul, and I assure you I would not waste my talent for such a meager sum. If I spent twelve hours here counting cards, I would earn, say... five million if the stakes were right? That is pennies to the amount I usually gamble.'

'Then do tell exactly what you lay on the table,' asked Mogul, his guard going up more and more every second.

'My life. The lives of others. The lives of the people in this building, in fact. Which is why I'd like to speak to you about the plans to New Mobotropolis...'

Mammoth Mogul's eyes became slits and suddenly he was flat on his back, his shoulder stinging in pain as he slipped gently into a pool of black.

Artemis saw a small purple figure from where the white light of a stun laser had originated up above, then he was shoved under the table as red flashes retaliated.

Typical, thought Artemis. No matter where you go, there's always some titchy idiot pointing a gun at you.

LEVEL 7 PERSONAL LIVING QUARTERS, GUN BASE 56, STATION SQUARE

Rouge the Bat, white-furred spy Mobian and leading spy of GUN, awoke to a headache and sore muscles from yesterday's battle with Enerjak. Who knew demigods could leave you with such a migraine.

Rouge groaned and opened her eyes to a grey steel ceiling. GUN Base 56 was nothing like any of the expensive resorts or hotels she had been stationed at for her spying operations.

As she rose her head away from her pillow, she saw the personal touches she added in the form of paint on the walls and luxurious and tasteful furniture, all in lilacs and deep reds. Only the sofa, lamp and coffee table stood out with accented deep gold.

She got out of her single human bed (which was practically a double for a Mobian) and looked at her pink, heart-shaped alarm. For a moment she could see herself in the clock's reflective surface, clad in only magenta pyjamas and lacking her customary blue eye shadow and Flair No. 7 lipstick.

She lazily got out of her bed, did her morning exercises and after a quick breakfast and thirty minutes of bathing, emerged from her room acting her typical flamboyant and playful self.

She knocked on the door of the quarters next to her. She didn't expect any reply, but knew that the agent living in there did not appreciate bad manners or people disturbing him unannounced. Well, she said 'people,' she meant either his superiors or acquaintances, never someone that had a reason that would not interest him.

After receiving no reply as usual, she opened the iron door and entered the room. It was exactly the same as hers, except there were little to no personal touches. All there was was a steel grey room with a technologically advanced tube in it were he slept. It monitored his vital signs and alerted him to any irregularities or injuries in the morning he'd have to check out for active duty. This was purely because of a rule that allowed the black and red Mobian to ally himself with the United Federation and GUN.

Rouge checked the vital signs and saw that he hadn't even entered the tube last night. Then her eyes gazed over to the one thing here that allowed had some value to its occupant; a picture of two Overlanders, one an aging man in his fifties with a large moustache and bald head, and a small blond girl not even into her teens, eyes pure and happy yet slightly tinged with illness.

Rouge walked out of the room. If he wasn't here, there was only the mess hall and weapons testing to check, and he only ate there when they had breakfast dates.

With one great push of her wings, Rouge was propelled into the air, switching between flapping and gliding in the air to gain a faster route down the hallways until she was at the R&D department.

A couple of documents and Captain Westwood's coffee went on to the floor, but it wasn't like it was her concern.

She removed one of the white gloves that went up to her elbow she wore as her trademark and applied her palm to a handprint scanner, successfully gaining entrance. Like it would have slowed it down even if she hadn't worked for GUN.

Even though she hadn't reached twenty yet, Rouge was an experienced and intelligent thief with great strength in her legs that only enhanced her fighting ability. She was not one of the more powerful fighters, granted, and if she could, she would leave the dirty work to someone else like her teammates, but she was not a lady you wanted to get on the wrong side of. Thievery had worn away at her sense of morals over the years, making her all the more unpredictable. She had her limits, granted, but she tried her best to keep them secret. As did everyone else on Team Dark, the group she was part of and considered the most feared and dangerous gathering in the United Federation. Not bad for a group with only three people in it and two of them you might not even consider people.

She walked through the five inch steel doors and through a long hallway leading to vital facilities in the manufacturing of military weapons and vehicles, their capabilities and ways to improve them.

She spotted the girl she was looking for in her black and red overalls amongst the white coats that practically overthrew the place.

Hope had kept herself busy since her incident as a hostage and had not slept a wink, keeping herself awake on nothing but cream sodas. All she did was work.

Right now, Hope was in the department's engineering facility, slicing up metal with a plasma cutter, completely concentrated on her work despite her earlier sugar rushes.

'Hey there, blondie,' said Rouge as she raised Hope out of stupor.

'Err... Yeah. What's the matter?' said the teenage prodigy.

'Nothing. Just wanted to know where our boys in black and red are.'

'Ohh... Shadow's at the medical ward getting checked on. And I think Omega's down the shooting range trying out the new weapons I installed,' said Hope, regaining her composure with every word. The girl had too much cheer in her to be gloomy for too long.

'More weapons? What did you give him this time?'

'I've been having trouble fitting weapons in his arms, so much that everything I've put in seems to have clogged them up,' explained Hope. 'How Eggman managed to place so many weapons in such a small space amazes me.'

'But you did manage to install more weapons?'

'A few. I managed to add an automatic rocket launcher in one arm and a regular one in the other, two energy cannons and four extra laser blasters on each arm surrounding his wrists. Those are all the weapons I could manage to get in his arms. So I fitted four plasma cannons in his chest, two small instantaneous flamethrowers on both sides of his pelvis, twin heat-seeking rockets mounted on his shoulder and a pair of laser shutters to match.'

'Laser shutters?'

'Yeah, they're basically guns with a laser beam continuously firing, but a small shutter keeps spinning to block the laser every half a second. It makes the laser fire in smaller amounts and tears up enemies like the dickens. I was also able to fit in a smaller monitor in Omega's arm and a keyboard, so you'll be able to contact headquarters. I had to make a new monitor the size of a compact mirror just to fit it all in. One last thing was a gun rack in his belly. Well, stomach compartment.'

'A gun rack?'

'Yeah. It can only store a couple of pistols and small machine guns. Rifles are a no-go. There's also enough room for some of your bombs. You could fit in three of your Stunning Grenades and ten of your new heart bombs.'

'You made new ones?' the bat asked, delighted at the thought of having new equipment to use to her advantage in spy missions and any jewel thefts she had in mind.

Hope reached into her pocket and pulled out three pink hearts. They looked like trinkets from a teenager girl's necklace.

'Smaller package, same kind of explosion. Listen, Rouge, this heart theme of yours is cool and everything, but it costs a whole lot of cash to design them this way.'

'Don't worry about it, honey. GUN's paying for it,' Rouge said, patting the girl on the shoulder. She had to stand on her tip toes just to accomplish that. 'Any idea when I can see Mister Sunshine?'

'None, sorry. He's with some kind of Mobian specialist. Commander Westwood brought him in personally.'

'He does know Shadow can heal from just about anything, right?'

'Not quickly enough. The Commander wants Shadow fighting fit quick and his wounds aren't mending fast enough.'

Rouge let out a loud groan for everyone to hear.

'Not another mission. If it's anything like the last one, my skin'll be purple with bruises. And that is not an attractive feature for me.'

'I think the Commander's trying to hit two birds with one stone. Shadow's first physical has been long overdue.'

'So Westwood's finally found someone he trusts with Shadow? Never thought I'd live to see the day that guy trusted someone.' Rouge sighed again. 'Oh, well. If I have to hang around with one particular big strong guy in red and black, I might as well do it. Wanna see how red-eyed and steel-plated's doing?'

Hope took offence. 'It's mobibendum plated. And don't you insult my work again if you don't want me to rig your next batch of explosives.'

Surprisingly, Rouge actually smiled at this. 'You're getting gutsy, kid. Keep it up and we may just make a tough cookie out of you yet.'

'I work with six foot soldiers all day long and spend my time hanging out with organic and mechanicals super weapons. Some of that was bound to rub off on me, eventually.'

'Just glad you're perking up. I can barely stand Shadow mopey, with two of you on the team, I don't think I could handle it. I know you're a teenager and that can be depressing, but no matter what happens, you'll get over it.'

'I'll take that as support and not just some kind of veiled jab at me. And you're technically still a teenager.'

'I am an adult.'

'I'm sorry. Where are my manners. Let's not forget you're the oldest one here.'

Like a flash of lightning, all sympathy Rouge had for Hope disappeared.

'In fact, you're the second oldest on Team Dark, behind a fifty-year old guy.'

'Kid, you may be bigger than me, but I've put guys bigger than you in the hospital for a lot less than what you just said to me. Be glad I actually need you.'

With that little conversation over, they went over to weapons testing and the sounds of loud booms, gunfire and the triggering of practically every weapon known to man could be heard. Strangely, it all seemed to coming from the one place.

Rouge and Hope went over to a Perspex chamber that sunk beneath the floor and contained a variety of vehicles, plenty of which lay in flaming heaps.

A volley of bullets struck a jeep and after ten seconds, the explosive rounds caught the fuel tank and it blew up, making a flaming cartwheel.

Rouge looked down at the source of this destruction, which was a bulky black and red robot with arms bigger than she was filled with so many weapons, physics itself would scratch its head in confusion.

'Having a good time down there, Omega?' said Rouge over the intercom.

'Excellent,' said the automaton before priming an anti-air missile and launching it at a tank, adding to the wrecked lot. 'Double Kill!'

With his tests completed, the robot stepped out from behind the protective barriers to his teammate and mechanic.

'Everything working OK?' Rouge asked. 'Blondie didn't put you out of action, did she?'

Hope shot Rouge something of a glare. She tried to like Rouge and they had an on-off relationship, but under no circumstances did she tolerate being called 'blondie.'

'Despite the juvenile Overlander's inexperience, her craftsmanship is impressive on a satisfactory level,' said Omega with his usual monotone and deep resonating voice.

'Everyone's a critic,' said the young girl.

'It was a fair assessment. Obviously superior technology could have done better, but being the hairless grease monkey you are, your work is commendable.'

Hope straightened her back authoritatively and for the third time that day, Omega had to recognise that the cute, innocent little squishy blonde girl was taller than him.

'You could have at least extended my leg joints,' he pointed out, irritation somehow slipping into his emotionless voice.

'By what? An inch?' she asked.

'I was considering along the lines of five feet of additional height. It would seem appropriately intimidating, considering that I am the ultimate battle robot.'

'If you're so tough, you don't have to be tall to prove it, right? Or is that soft side of yours starting to effect your macho reputation?'

'I am macho!'

Rouge just rolled her eyes. Men, whether mechanical or alive and breathing, they always had to prove themselves. That's why women were considered the smart members of the species.

'If you ladies are quite done,' she said and Omega immediately eyed her.

Rouge had to admit to herself under the mechanical gaze, the robot was an intimidating sight, despite his short stature. His bodily structure looked as if it had enough metal to make him ten feet tall. His chest was big enough to fit Rouge herself in and was built like a tank, a single silver stripe reaching from his stomach compartment to underneath his glowing red glass eyes, encased by ostentatious yellow metal that took the shape of an old concrete bunker for protection. His arms were bigger than water melons and sort of the same shape, except with a sudden curve just before his hands that led to bright yellow wrist guards studded with spikes, his hands really nothing more than four-fingered claws, smooth for the majority but razor-sharp at the tips as if made purely for stabbing things.

All in all, Omega was actually a large and threatening figure, though his legs were scrawny and amazingly managed to hold up a ton in metal weight, which was were he got a little sensitive and he lost some of his credibility. That all changed the moment his hands retracted into his wide arms and were soon replaced by a weapon of choice, be it machine gun, flamethrower, laser blaster, energy-directed rifle, cannon or missile. And now with Hope's upgrades, he could use more than just the one type of weapon at once. The very thought of him going against them was enough to keep some people awake at night.

Some people did not include Rouge. She worked with the guy and knew that despite Omega being a robot, he had emotions. They were mainly associated with violence, admittedly, but just so long as it was directed at the bad guys and not her, she didn't care. Same went for her other teammate, Shadow. Speaking of which...

'Omega, do you have any idea when Mister Big Quills will be done?' she asked.

'Doctor Madden did not give a time of result. Shadow the Hedgehog has been in his care for the majority of the night. I offered my company, but Shadow declined. Then I was given upgrades during Shadow's medical analysis and have been testing my weapons ever since upgrade completion.'

'OK. Am I allowed to see him?'

'Affirmative.'

'But you said I couldn't see him,' said Hope, confused.

'You have more oil on your body then I have in mine. I didn't want you contaminating Shadow's body should surgical procedures take place. I didn't want the moment spoiled.'

Rouge thought to ask further about this, but considered better of it and walked to the medical lab.

GUN BASE 56 MEDICAL WARDS, QUARANTINED LABORATORIES FACILITY 9G

To sleep, perchance to dream, as said by Shakespeare's Hamlet.

That is not always the case. As of now, a creature unlike any other was sleeping a dreamless sleep inside a tube similar to an isolation tank filled with healing blue liquid, hooked up to a pump supplying the solution.

A red light started flashing inside his little chamber, alerting him and bringing him around from his snooze.

He breathed in through his oxygen mask and sighed. He was disappointed his sleep was over. He didn't get to truly sleep often and something about this tank seemed utterly relaxing and comfortable. The liquid was the same temperature as he was, he was floating in it without anything to rub against him. It was just himself, alone, sleeping in a warmth that covered his entire body. Bliss.

The time has come again for us to introduce a character to our story so let us start with the basics.

Shadow the Hedgehog was an artificial lifeform created by man as a step closer to discovering the secret of immortality with the side-mission of serving as a weapon. He was what the government declared as the 'Ultimate Lifeform.'

He was a metre tall and covered in black and red fur with cold eyes of bright scarlet. His chest was covered in white fur like chest hair and he only wore red and white hover skates adorned with golden bands known as Inhibitor Rings with matching gloves also in white.

Now awake, Shadow was waiting for the doctor who'd been assigned to him. He'd been involved in a major battle recently and with his treatment almost over, all he had left was a physical examination. His first. G.U.N. had always wanted his anatomy to be kept secret so it wouldn't fall into enemy hands, though it was unlikely anyone could get their hands on the chemicals necessary to make him.

Shadow heard a swoosh through the glass and liquid from the room's only door as it retracted into the ceiling before closing again.

In that time a balding man with grey hair sticking out on both sides of his head walked in. He wore a lab coat and thick glasses perched on a large nose and had a grey moustache covering his mouth. His nametag read 'Dr. H. Madden.'

'So, how are you doing today?' he said in a high-pitched German accent. 'Any new pain developed since the original injuries?'

Shadow shook his head.

'Ah yes. Lionel said you weren't much of a talker. No need to worry. My wife says I can talk enough for an entire room of people when my own work comes up. Probably why I'm not invited to many social gatherings.'

Madden moved over to the control panel for the tank and began to drain it, Shadow sinking as it went down.

'Do you recognise this?' said Madden, inquisitively. 'It is a legacy of your father. An unappreciated one that serves his memory much better than his final goal in life. Though, I cannot blame him for it.'

Shadow nodded. He knew this liquid. It was a concoction of advanced medicines that could increase the healing rate to repair severe wounds. They were expensive and were first used fifty years ago by Professor Gerald Robotnik, his creator, the leading researcher on Project Shadow.

'He went mad with vengeance over an unjust sacrifice. If he is my father, then I inherited that trait.'

'You're going the right way about it, though. Unlike he did. Fight the evil and the ones responsible, don't lay the blame on everyone and take it out on them, sacrificing innocent among the guilty. Also, my great niece has a role in her school ballet next week and she would appreciate it if the world was in one piece for it.'

'Am I being accused of something?' asked Shadow, his tone unchanged. It wouldn't be the first time something like this had happened.

'Not at all. It's just that people need reminders every now and then. They get distracted by other things,' said Madden, pulling out a syringe and two vials from his med kit.

'I don't get distracted. There are no other things.'

'Then we're on our way to the right topic. Medicine is not my only doctorate. I have one in psychiatry too. Plus, I have it on good authority from my old friend, Lionel, an excellent judge of character, that you very rarely release the pressure. Keep it bottled up, son, and you'll go mad yourself.'

Shadow just realised he'd been played. But psychiatry was based on everyone else around him. He wasn't like them. They had to live up to their own mortality and face the possibility of death every day. This didn't effect him, so he would be different from everyone else and thus Doctor Madden's conclusion could not be accurate. It was probably far from it. It was like comparing a human a chronic busy-body to a worker ant. Both similar, but entirely different.

Madden opened the lid on the capsule and handed Shadow a towel before leading him over to a table where he could look the hedgehog in the eye without stooping down. It only took Shadow a reasonably high jump to get up.

'First an X-ray,' said Madden and picked up a gadget with a plastic dish attached.

He turned on the machine and carefully adjusted the setting, then walked around Shadow in a circle, keeping the device at the same level at his chest.

A three-dimensional picture of Shadow then appeared on the screen, then changed to reveal his skeleton.

'Huh,' said the doctor in simple surprise. 'Your bones are thick, even for a Mobian. A human's bones are roughly four times as strong as concrete. A Mobian's can be five times. But judging by this scan, yours should be on the same scale as steel. It's calcium for the bones and iron for the blood. Your body must be all mixed up.'

Madden then asked Shadow to extend his arm and dabbed a section with alcohol after locating the vein. He took out his syringe and plunged it into the Ultimate Lifeform's flesh. Shadow didn't even flinch.

He did this twice to fill the two vials and then activated a speaker hooked up to a computer that would register his words and make a transcript for the medical report.

'Green blood indicates sulfhemoglobinemia and thus a large amount of sulfhemoglobin,' said the doctor. 'Possibly specific to the alien species of the Black Arms and a necessity for survival.'

Madden opened up the second vial of Shadow's blood, exposing it to air. It turned from moss green to neon.

'Blood becomes bioluminescent when exposed to oxygen. Well, that is a new one.'

Madden put the cap back on the sample for later research and went on to gathering more data.

He then brought out a pair of solid metal grippers hooked up to a machine that calculated the pressure used on them.

'Please squeeze this,' he told Shadow.

The hedgehog took it in his hand and clenched, finding the gadget far more resilient than he expected. It was like trying to bend titanium. He had done that before, but now with just his bare hands. Usually with a series of lightning fast punches and kicks. He was strong, but he was no Knuckles the Echidna.

The doctor looked at the results.

'Two thousand and twenty-one pounds of gripping force. Impressive.'

Next he pulled out a set of resistance bars, also hooked up to a machine.

These were specially made to accommodate the short arm length of a hedgehog, so Shadow pulled away. A little too much in fact. After a touch of strain, the bars snapped in his hands.

'These bars were hooked up to the backs of two trucks, each driving in an opposite direction and they didn't break,' said Madden. 'Whatever you're putting in your cereal, let me in on it.'

'I don't eat very often,' said Shadow simply.

'Really? How long can you go without food or water?'

'As long as I want.'

'But you enjoy eating and drinking?'

'Yes. I eat with my team.'

'Miss Kintobor and the bat lady? I believe your third member is a robot?'

'Yes.'

'Must be quite a treat for you. I understand you get along quite well with such an... intimidating crowd.'

'If you think Hope's intimidating,' said Shadow, a rare occasion of him making a joke.

'Wait until she reaches motherhood. Then you'll see more intimidation than you get from the commanders here.'

'Hmph.'

Shadow started at himself. That was actually pretty close to a laugh. This Doctor Madden was sinking in to him somehow with his guard still fully up. He wasn't sure if he wanted a stranger suddenly developing a bond with him.

'Just one last test of the old leg muscles,' said the doctor. He pulled out a pressing plate this time and placed it again the room's wall. Shadow got on his back and applied both feet to the device, forcing his leg muscles down. He stopped suddenly when the wall started cracking.

'What? That the best you can do?' asked the doctor, provoking him. 'It's coming out of my salary, not yours, big shot.'

Shadow applied more force still until half of the section of wall actually came out the otherside, snapping a water pipe loose. It was a shame the room he was in was right next to the toilets. A private seeing to nature's call at a urinal got a very big surprise when water shot out of the pipe and right on to his face.

Madden could hear the commotion from here and suddenly found himself hoping against hope that if the soldier came in here, he could keep a straight face and not give himself away.

Just at that moment, the door actually did open and Madden quickly walked in front of the hole to cover it.

Shadow immediately eyed the door and got back on his feet. When it opened fully to reveal the one behind it, Shadow saw a Mobian with purple bat wings and large ears the pick could pick up a sound a mile away. She wore a black skintight cat suit cut below her arms with a magenta chest plate in the shape of a heart, three inch heel boots also adorned with the symbol of love just above the toe and elbow length gloves retaining the colour scheme of white and hot pink that matched her shoes.

The only person who could pull off a style mixed of sassy cat burglar and lovesick teenage girl was of course, Rouge the Bat, the only person Shadow could say he might trust his life to. Might.

'There's a very wet and ticked rookie out in the hallways screaming with his pants halfway down his legs about pipes suddenly coming to life and showering him,' said Rouge. 'Is it Saturday night already or did I miss something?'

Madden did a little bow in greeting. 'You must be the charming Miss Rouge the Bat. I am Doctor Hans Madden. It is a pleasure to meet you.'

The two shook hands briefly, one set of brown surgical gloves coming into contact with white elegant ones.

'My oh-so chipper friend here took a beating as if he'd just lived through a nuke. What's the diagnosis, doc?' she asked.

'Well, he's suffered fourth degree burns, injuries similar to laser wounds, broken bones and according to his medical records, he's been declared dead once already. Apart from that, he seems fine.'

'I am fine,' said Shadow. 'When's our next mission?'

'Now, now, Shadow, manners. Thank the nice doctor for seeing to your little boo-boos,' said Rouge, playfully pulling his cheeks to see if he'd actually respond this time. He didn't.

At this, the bat let out a long sigh.

'Er erhält sehr schwermütig. Trübsinn und Schicksal ist hauptsächlich seine Haltung,' said Rouge in flawless German at Madden. He gets very moody. Gloom and doom is mainly his attitude.

'Mein Sohn war wie der während der Jugendjahre. Meiner Enkelin, die auch es, anscheinend durchläuft. Gutes Glück zu ihm. Ich könnte vorschreibe einige glückliche Pillen, wenn es das Leben einfacher bilden würde,' replied Hans. My son was like that during the teenage years. My granddaughter's going through it too, apparently. Good luck to him. I could prescribe a few happy pills if it would make life easier.

'Ich denke nicht, daß Schatten den schätzen würde.' I don't think Shadow would appreciate that.

'Er konnte nicht, aber, wenn er aller wie mein Sohn ist, werden Sie.' He might not, but if he's anything like my son, you will.

Rouge let out a little polite laugh at this and waved goodbye.

'Say bye bye to the next man, handsome,' Rouge told the Ultimate Lifeform.

'Guter Tag, Doktor Madden,' said Shadow in slightly accented German. Good day, Doctor Madden.

Once he walked out, Rouge quietly whispered, 'Him not killing you is the closest you'll get to a thank you.'

'I believe it. I went through the same thing with my son.'

Shadow wasted no time moving. If Rouge had come to see him during his medical it was because they had a mission. He would have to regroup with the others for when Commander Westwood came to debrief them or end up wasting time or losing facts.

Rouge was following him as he spoke and Omega would be down at weapons testing as usual at Hope's station.

When they got there, Hope's head was leaning over a sink, tepid water rinsing her hair of axel grease and other engine lubricants.

Once she was satisfied that the H2O had washed away all the mechanical fluids, Hope turned off the water and Omega lit his flamethrower a foot above her head, giving it an effective blow dry.

'You're way better than the salon's gear,' said Hope, looking at her hair in a shiny piece of metal. 'And not a singe or fire in sight this time. Good job, Omega.'

'I can do perms too,' replied the battle robot, retracting his hand into his arm and replacing it with a drill weapon.

Hope flashed a sheepish smile and wisely turned down the offer.

Then she saw Shadow and turned her attention to him.

'How you feeling?' she asked. 'Did you look away from the needle like I said? That makes it so much better.'

'No, I was fine. But thank you for the advice,' said Shadow, more polite than usual. Perhaps it was because Hope was the most well mannered of his close friends. 'Any idea about our next mission?'

'No idea what it's going to be, but there's a chance of it turning ugly. The Commander wants you to take a weapon in case you're more tired out than you think.'

'I don't need a weapon. I am a weapon.'

'True, but you got toasted on your last mission and actually had all your juice sucked out of your body. We can't tell if all your Chaos powers are fitted in properly, yet. So, you'll be taking along a little... Precaution. Maybe more than one, since I have a few new inventions I'd like field tested. Just don't use them on Sonic, OK?'

'If I take him on, it's with bare hands only,' said Shadow as if he was stating a fact of nature.

'Good enough for me,' said Hope with an air of perky innocence for comedic effect. 'I've got two weapons for you to try out. First one is this, the Shadow Rifle.'

Hope picked up a black gun with spikes on top reminiscent of Shadow's own spines. It was no bigger than an Uzi.

'It runs on Chaos energy which it gets from you. When you pull the trigger, out comes a Chaos Spear.'

'I can already produce Chaos Spears,' said Shadow in his usual down-to-business tone. 'And I thought this was in case I'm drained?'

'Yes. But the Shadow Rifle runs on energy, not a specific ability. As for those yellow bolts of yours, the Shadow Rifle takes half the power you need to make them, then makes up for it so the Chaos Spears are twice as powerful. Five shots from this would be enough to take down a tank.'

Rouge nudged Omega. 'Looks like you might be getting replaced by something a little lighter.'

Omega stood stock still and stared at Rouge with blank red eyes. It was his version of glaring. But it was more annoying than intimidating.

'Next in line is this,' continued Hope, picking up a machine gun. 'What's special about this gun are the bullets. They're my vulcanised ceramics, which can-'

'I read the report,' butted in Shadow before Hope could get in a lecture. He liked her, but not that much. 'They catch on fire when you shoot them and can burn through nearly anything.'

'That's about right,' admitted the Overlander. 'They only stay hot for a second, but everyone knows bullets travel fast. You'll want to be close to your target for maximum effect. The gun barrel is coated with a gel I made. It's the only thing that can take the heat of the bullets so the gun doesn't melt in your hands. It holds two thirty round magazines, so try using short controlled bursts. I'm working on something semi-automatic for mass production, but right now, the only thing I need is to know the bullets work.'

'Why didn't I receive these?' asked Omega. Weapons were his specialty and he did not like it when people had guns that blew stuff up better than his.

'Because Shadow has self-control. Plus, your machine guns can fire fifty rounds a second. I give you my bullets, they'll burn through anything in their way and people that aren't the enemy are going to be casualties.'

'Stupid, ill-armoured, fleshy air consumers,' said Omega with arms crossed, an insult to organic life in general.

'No time for target practice, but I've told you all you need to know. They work like any gun, really.'

'Commander on station!' yelled out a trooper and every soldier went into a brief salute except for Team Dark. They were too useful to GUN to be thrown out for not following such a small regulation, and if Team Dark could get away with something, they generally did.

'Agent Shadow, Agent Rouge, Agent Omega, Miss Kintobor,' said the Commander, addressing the four to let everyone else know who was supposed to be listening. 'I assume Team Dark is ready for go?'

'Depends. Do we get some R-and-R after this mission?' Rouge asked. 'Your working us kind of hard here, sir.'

'You're going paid, aren't you?' said the Commander, knowing the answer to his own question. Rouge's pay was higher than his own. Heck, it was higher than three platoons combined, plus their life savings.

The Commander suddenly sniffed the air. 'What smells like burned hair?'

'Oh, umm... That'd be me, sorry,' said Hope. 'Omega did my hair again and it's a little crispy, but nothing you can see. At least I didn't end up bald. Again.'

The Commander stopped listening to her when she got to the bit he wanted to hear, which was what he always did.

'Team Dark, your new assignment is to assist the Knothole Freedom Fighters tomorrow with a raid on Eggman's base, so you'll get plenty of time for some shut-eye. Get ready to leave A-S-A-P.'

'Got any details for us?' Shadow asked.

'Princess Acorn has them all ready for you. Even I don't know what she's planning, but all I know is it's big and if she's requesting you three, there's going to be a lot of fireworks. Might want to take some med packs with you. Which reminds me... Shadow, how was your exam? Did Hans give you the all clear?'

Shadow nodded once. 'Yes, sir.'

'Madden a friend or yours, Commander? You must be to be on first name terms.'

Westwood stared at her. 'We have a lot in common and he's one of the most capable medical specialists I've ever met, which was some years ago now. It was back when his hair was still brown and I had a kick in my step. Now, didn't I say A-S-A-P? Move!'

The Commander was probably the only person that dared talk to Team Dark like that. Everyone else was afraid of them. But then again, some of them were a little afraid of him. And if they knew more about his past, they'd all be petrified.

At the Commander's word, Hope led them all to another part of the facility that specialised in vehicular upgrades and development.

'One thing that's wrong with Team Dark is that while you fight well together, you don't travel well together,' said Lionel on their way there. 'Shadow has exceptional speed and stamina and for the most part, you two can keep up with him. But you're still lacking. A team is strongest when strung together, so I've had Miss Kintobor make a solution to this problem.'

Hope went over to a lot covered by a garage door and opened it remotely. Inside was a red and black all-terrain buggy. Once the buggy was brought out, however, Team Dark noticed some non-standard equipment on it.

'This,' said Hope from the car's seat, 'is the Black Bear, the first fully completed item in my special line of vehicles. I'm still working out the bugs of the others. And a little damage after Commander Westwood took one for a joy ride last night, but he saved my life because of it, so I'm going to let it slip.'

Lionel let her have that one and for the briefest moment, the shadow of an amused smile crossed his lips. It was a gesture that was happening less and less the more time he spent in the military.

'The Black Bear is fitted with twin automatic-reloading rocket launchers with guidance systems and two energy propulsions systems for extra speed,' explained the teenage mechanic. 'They work similar to Extreme Gear by actually sucking in tiny atoms and using their energy to power the propulsors. This is typically known as "sucking air." It only works effectively when air is getting trapped in the vacuum at the front and then moved to the back. It comes with GPS, space and two handlebars for Omega to allow for stability with optional clamps for his legs to let his weapons run loose, automatic targetting and first aid kits. Any questions?'

'Does it drive stick?' asked Shadow simply.

'With an optional automatic, yes. But I know how you like a little control, so I left the gear stick in.'

Hope dismounted.

'It's fueled up and ready to go. I left the keys in the ignition for you.'

Shadow hopped in the driver's seat.

'How fast can it go?' he asked.

'If you continuously boost, you can go up to five hundred miles per hour. So it should take you about six hours to get to New Mobotropolis if you don't slow down.'

Shadow thought this over for a second before an idea occurred to him.

'Omega's stationed on the back. If he activated his jet boosters, how fast would the car go?'

'A contribution from Omega's own boosters would be an increase of fifty miles per hour, making the travel time roughly...'

'Five hours, twenty-seven minutes and sixteen seconds,' blurted out Rouge. All eyes were on her now. 'What? Don't tell you all just thought I was a pretty face?'

Shadow ignored her reply and revved the engine, satisfied with the loud roar that sounded.

The rest of Team Dark took their seats and Shadow drove off down to the exit bay, then off into the world. Next stop: New Mobotropolis!

CASINO NIGHT RESORT, CASINO NIGHT CLUB

While Artemis had been talking with Mogul, a team of mercenaries infamous in the crime world called the Destructix allied with a bounty hunter named Nack the Weasel had also infiltrated the club.

Nack had hidden himself in the shadows with a sniper rifle that fired a non-lethal shock laser that caused the target to collapse the moment they were shot.

After Nack had taken out Mogul, Butler's gun hand drew his modified Neutrino 2000 faster than Mulch confronted with a bar of soap. He took aim at Nack and fired the Neutrino within a flash, catching him in the head at a thirty metre distance. This caught the weasel completely off guard and the beam stunned him before his eyes had time to widen.

Butler was about to fire on the rest of the Destructix when a metal hand grabbed him by his gun arm. It was a SWATbot in nothing but the top half of a black suit. The SWATbot pulled the Neutrino out of Butler's hand with surprising strength and threw it right across the room. The SWATbot then raised its arm and Butler could clearly see a building laser beam from the top of the robot's wrist.

'Surrender,' said the automaton.

Butler promptly batted the robot's arm aside and knocked its head clean off with one swift punch, the fairy gloves protecting his hands completely.

The bodyguard scanned the room. More mercenaries were coming out of the wood work. One a frog that could fly, another a fast moving lynx, a blue hawk with a combination of the aforementioned two's powers, a gorilla with impressive and a dog and wolf with average abilities, though impressive combat skills.

They were Flying Frog, Lightning Lynx, Predator Hawk, Sergeant Simian, Sleuth Dawg and Drago Wolf, respectively. High end soldiers for hire willing to take any work for the right price. They were more than a match for any normal man or Mobian, but now they were dealing with Butler.

'Will you require fairy assistance?' asked Artemis without a tone of worry in his voice.

Butler shook his head then got into a battle stance as the white wolf came to challenge him.

Drago threw a punch at Butler, but the bodyguard caught it easily and then pressed his thumb to a specific area of the neck that would render Drago unconscious. But the wolf was still standing.

Drago then attempted a spinning kick at Butler's chest, which was the highest point he could hope to reach. Butler blocked, then tried another pressure point, but still had no luck. The wolf's anatomy appeared to be different to that of a human. But Butler had one trump card that was guaranteed to work.

The Eurasian forced Drago back a few yards with a quick push, then the wolf came charging at him. Just before Drago was within Butler's striking distance, the bodyguard drew back his leg and threw a well aimed kick at the area underneath Drago's stomach. Paralysis due to excruciating pain was immediate.

At the sight of their comrade falling, the Destructix noticed one of the civilians was fighting back, though they seemed to care very little for Drago.

The dog in grey combat gear ordered the frog, hawk and lynx to attack Butler.

A three against one fight wouldn't normally be a problem for Butler, but he'd never fought anyone who had super speed or could fly before.

Flying Frog and Predator Hawk swooped down on him, obviously trying to get him to take cover. Then Butler saw Lightning Lynx rushing towards him and quickly figured out their plan.

He picked up a table and smashed it against the two flying creatures before making contact with the lynx, throwing the smaller animals across the room in heaps. They were already recovering though.

Sleuth then decided to end this quickly and sent in the main muscle of the group; Sergeant Simian, a gorilla wearing camo pants, army helmet and an ammo belt across his large chest.

The massive Mobian sized up Butler and so did the manservant, tensing his muscles, ready to strike.

The two flying members of the Destructix and the one fast one were now on the side-lines getting ready to enjoy a front row fight. This suited Butler perfectly. He intended to give them a very good show indeed.

Simian swung with one massive arm. Butler ducked and his knees seemed to have sprung him back up once the attack passed. The manservant then delivered a single jab to the gorilla, full in the face, leaving him temporarily blinded, pained and unable to smell anything but artificial skin.

Two kicks followed, one to the stomach and the other to the rib cage. The bones held, but ached.

Then Butler huddled down on the floor and delivered a blow to the Mobian's knees, causing one to fail slightly. This surge of pain actually seemed to bring Sergeant Simian around and he clutched two fists together and brought them down.

Butler rolled out of the way and could actually feel the floor shake slightly as the giant creature's hands slammed into the concrete.

The mercenary had a look of pure rage on his face and stood tall in front of Butler. The manservant did the same, provoking him with an air of calm.

'Where'd you learn those moves from?' growled Sergeant Simian. If another human could fight like that, he would crush them. No human would get the better of him.

'My sensei,' said the bodyguard.

Butler then grabbed the gorilla and lifted him above his head and started spinning him with his hands. Once the Destructix member was dizzy enough, Butler grabbed him by the ammo belt slung across his chest and spun in a circle, building up momentum and let go before he lost his balance, sending the gorilla flying into Flying Frog and Lightning Lynx.

'That I learned from my sister,' said Butler once the room had stopped spinning.

Predator Hawk had now flown away and was trying to revive his teammates, wisely deciding numbers would be needed to defeat the man monster that had batted aside him and his comrades.

Sleuth was currently hiding behind an upturned poker table, quivering in his boots.

Butler took out a flash bang from his belt and threw it over the table. Sleuth was blinded and deafened by the bright light and loud noise for a moment, which was all the time the manservant needed.

Butler grabbed the dial of his watch and then tugged out a line of garrote wire with a sound like dental floss being pulled from its container. He quickly made the wire into a loop and placed it around Sleuth's neck.

This ground the Destructix to a halt, now back on their feet and prepared to fight.

'Don't move, or your buddy gets it!' said Butler, emphasising by tightening his hold on the Mobian dog's neck a little.

The mercenaries stayed frozen, while Artemis merely rolled his eyes at the clichéd statement. Don't move, or your buddy gets it! Honestly.

'Get out,' the manservant followed up with. 'Get out of this place now and don't come looking for me. Because if you do, I'll be waiting for you. With a very big gun.'

The Destructix got the message, deciding this mission wasn't worth the pay.

Butler released Sleuth and the band of criminals ran for it, in case the giant still had them in his sights.

'You really do enjoy yourself too much on our little excursions,' Artemis commented drily as the bodyguard walked over to him.

The club was now devoid of patrons thanks to that little event. Everyone had either run away screaming or fainted at the sight of the Destructix. This suited Artemis perfectly.

Butler went over to Mogul and brought him around with a couple of hard smacks to the face.

The SWATbots took this as a sign of violence and sprung into action since there were less scary bad guys around. They had learned it was better for their well being if they stayed out of fights rather than got in the middle of them. But the odds now seemed in their favour with at least a fifty to one advantage.

Butler and Artemis were soon at gun point and then Coconuts came on the scene, wielding a buzz baton currently on the lowest setting. He tapped it on his employer's arm and the mammoth came around.

'Are you OK, Mister Mogul?' the robotic chimp asked.

'Incompetent, procrastinating, pusillanimous cretins!'

Coconuts did not understand a word of that. He sighed. The boss was fine.

'What was the situation after I fell into unconsci- Oh, forget it! What in the heck happened?!'

'The Destructix, sir. With Nack the Weasel. The guys you hired way back. They knocked you out with some sort of gun from the rafters and wrecked the joint. That big scary guy I was telling you about scared 'em away!'

Mogul turned to Butler and could not help but notice that some of the SWATbots closest to him were making rattling noises due to shaking with fear.

He got up off the floor and stood to his full height. Instead of going over to Butler, he stared down Artemis, who seemed perfectly calm despite the recent happenings and Mogul's daring gaze.

'Just to be perfectly clear for you and your henchman, I shall use small words. For one thing, if you think that I am to believe that a common civilian could defeat seven mercenaries on his own, then you greatly insult my intelligence. Now, I must give you my thanks for what you did. At the very least you saved the Chaos Emerald that gives me my power, but there is no big reward for you if that's what you're thinking.'

'A shame,' said Artemis, not sounding at all disappointed. 'But riches are not what I came here for. It is to gather information on a city called New Mobotropolis. And I think that is the least you could give me for saving your life.'

'What kind of idiot knows nothing about New Mobotropolis?'

'I am no idiot. I am just new here.'

'Everyone on this planet knows of New Mobotropolis.'

'I am new to this planet, in a manner of speaking. May we discuss this further in your office.'

'Perhaps. But do reveal the truth of your identity.'

'Artemis Fowl the Second, criminal mastermind.'

'And where do you come from?'

'The past.'

Mogul was intrigued, but took the information as if Artemis had told him he lived across the street.

'How far back?'

'Put it this way; I'm older than you are.'

'My my, you have had a long journey. Well, then, to my office it is.'

Mogul opened a varnished wooden door leading to a large room, mixed with classical furniture and modern equipment.

Artemis stepped in appearing relaxed. He left the weary eyes of a trap to Butler, thinking Mogul would focus more on him than his bodyguard.

Then Artemis froze as he saw a hideous creature vaguely resembling a Mobian huddled on the floor, growling at him while staring with burning red eyes resonating violent intent. It had olive green skin with a horn, a crab's claw, bat ears and impressive bodily structure. Nowhere near as big as Mogul, but he came pretty close to Butler's height.

The bodyguard immediately stepped between the creature and Artemis, but Mogul told him not to fret.

'Heed, Naugus,' he said. 'Disobedient, Ixis. To your den!'

Mogul sealed Ixis Naugus away in a closet with a dog basket, water bowl and plate of biscuits and locked the door.

'Pet?' asked Artemis.

'It is his only use now, I am afraid. He is in good fortune that I did not simply throw him out into the desert. He was an excellent pawn, however, and all too willing to sacrifice what life and little sanity he had left to preserve me. I remember those who do me a good turn, which is why I am heeding your request.'

Mogul's speech returned to its more verbose state the more he spoke, but Artemis had no problem following. He probably knew some big words that would even leave the mammoth stumped.

Mogul touched a button under his desk and a small plasma screen and keyboard appeared, the keys larger to manage Mogul's large fingers better.

After a minute or so, a tiny chip came out from under the monitor and the mammoth handed it to Artemis.

'That is all the information you will require on New Mobotropolis, my ancient friend. I must say, young Artemis, I like the cut of your jib. Perhaps you could help me with something, if you are as intellectually superior as you claim?'

Artemis smiled, but there was no heart in it. He just didn't want to upset the hairy elephant with energy powers. 'Certainly. What is adventure without its challenges?'

'Good show, my friend! Now, I have been renting out casinos in this area to all those who can afford it for a cut of the winnings for every night.'

'That's the rental agreement, is it?'

'But of course. Anyway, an Overlander from Station Square is trying to, shall we say, muscle in on my territory. So, I have decided to teach him a lesson by stealing his most prized possession, a rather ghastly piece of memorabilia from the Great War. A ring set with diamonds and sapphires stolen from a Mobian household. It was originally owned by the former queen herself. My adversary is very xenophobic toward my kind, and loves remnants of the Great War since it involved the killing of so many Mobians. The mere fact that he attributes me to these inferior beings is an insult in itself. It is kept safely locked up in the Bank of Station Square. I have deposited my own finances in there, along with a camera fitted with an X-ray filter hidden in a very large fraudulent gemstone. The vault is protected by a door of metre thick titanium with thirty tumblers. The exterior of the vault runs thermal scans every five minutes.'

'And it is impossible for any burglar to accomplish such a feet,' concluded Artemis. 'But don't tell me that's the only security.'

'Hardly. There are also the matters of the security cameras, motion sensors and laser grid. But I can handle those.'

'Do tell.'

'I have a team of computer hackers, some thirty of them, working on this problem.'

Artemis couldn't hold back his own surprise.

'Thirty?!' he exclaimed. 'How the devil can you keep them quiet?'

'They are a subterranean species of Mobian, who are mistrusting of many outside their kind. They are a hybrid of mole and lizard known as the Nerbs. They are rather sapless, but are excellent at working computers. My payment for them is Badniks to assist in excavating to expand their underground kingdom, and to mine for gold and precious gems. They care nothing for anyone on the surface that hasn't helped or financed them. But to the matter concerning you... The previous security measures I mentioned are all on different grids, and it takes ten Nerbs to deal with one of them.'

'And you're ten short to deal with the heat sensors.'

'Exactly.'

Artemis pulled a bottle out of his pocket. The one containing the fairy acid.

'This is the most powerful acid in the world. It can eat through your vault door in less than five minutes, if you use all of it. All your thief has to do is spray this after the thermal scanners have done their routine check, grab the ring, and walk out. Problem solved. But one's word alone is not proof. Bring me one of your... Robots and I'll prove it to you.'

'None of them are made from titanium, nor are they nearly ten feet think. Though a certain three are as thick as ten short planks.'

'How about I offer you an advantage to your plan as good faith?' said Artemis. 'That way, even if your man gets caught, he'll be able to work with you for another day. It is a man, or am I mistaken?'

'It is a woman, not that is any of your concern.'

'In two days, I'll be back twelve thousand years into the past. Information is power, so provide me with the power to help you.'

Mogul chuckled. This boy had a way of persuading a person. His tricks would work on any old dimwit for whatever he wanted, but if he asked for something big from someone smart, he'd be in a pickle. But still, this wasn't anything big.

'Her name is Rouge the Bat. She is a cat burglar who works part-time for the United Federation's defences in their espionage unit. She has the rare brains and skills for such a delicate operation. Usually I do not employ those working for my enemies, but Miss Bat is inclined to work for whoever she wants for the right price.'

'That's what you get for working with criminals. There's no honour among thieves these days.'

'Absolutely true. But I don't only deal in thieves.'

Artemis raised his guard a little at this. Thieves were the lowest threat in criminal circles compared to what else was out there. The only other major crime was murder, which spoke for itself.

'Butler, hand me the device I took from that young girl.'

'A thief that steals the proverbial candy from little more than babies,' pointed out Mogul.

Butler placed the gadget stolen from Hope Kintobor in Artemis's outstretched hand.

'A child prodigy that steals from a child prodigy,' retorted Artemis. 'In my opinion, the most effective plans are the ones with twists you don't see coming.'

Artemis turned on the Sunshine Ball and it filled the room with light and warmth.

'This contraption came from a United Federation mechanic,' explained Artemis. 'It produces light and heat. Connect it with a parachute and what have you got?'

'A miniature hot air balloon,' breathed Mogul, unbelieving of what had just dawned upon him.

'Exactly. A balloon shining in the night sky with your treasure attached, and the police in pursuit of Miss Bat. With one of your robot employees flying around to catch it, the ring will be as good as in your hands.'

Mogul was astounded. The perfect guarantee that the ring would be his was being handed to him for nothing. Or was it?

'Our debt is settled, Master Fowl,' he said, his voice marking no argument would be made. 'I thank you for driving away the Destructix and for your assistance with my personal matter. Good luck on whatever you plan on doing.'

Artemis was walking to the door, when a finger the size of an arm rested on his shoulder.

'And if you meet a certain Sonic the Hedgehog, send him my regards however you deem necessary.'

Just outside the Casino Night Resort, the Destructix were squabbling amongst themselves for failing their assignment.

'You idiots!' yelled Sleuth. 'We had that guy outnumbered! We weren't even dealing with a Freedom Fighter. It was a human that looked old enough for his grandkids to have grandkids!'

'He had training that was better than the military,' said Sergeant Simian.

'He was faster than me!' protested Lightning Lynx.

'He shot better than me,' practically screeched Nack. 'In less than three seconds, he zeroed me and shot me in the chest. With a handgun without a scope! I'm the best sniper in the business and even I ain't able to do that.'

Drago then interrupted. 'Urgh... You reckon that egg-head will still pay us for the job, boss?'

'No way!' stated Sleuth, disbelieving of the question. 'And I'm not going back to find out. The last time we were alone with that maniac, we walked out as shiny and metal as my coffee pot!'

'Yeah... That wasn't much fun,' said Flying Frog. Everyone in the Destructix agreed with that.

Lightning Lynx's sensitive ears then picked up feet stepping on sand, then saw the big human and his child companion heading towards them.

'It's him!' yelled Drago. 'Run for it before he hits you!'

Artemis and Butler heard and saw the commotion, but didn't bother with the mercenaries. The Destructix and Nack had merely got in the way of their direct path to the fairy shuttle.

'This trip was faired well, Butler,' remarked Artemis. 'And I'm sure you had fun.'

Despite the pain he felt in aching joints, Butler smiled in joyous memory.

'More than you do when you outsmart someone.'

Artemis then had a turn at smiling, then his face was business.

'Mister Mogul is particularly intelligent, though it is little surprise. If mammoth brains are any similar to those of elephants, then I should expect such. As you know, old friend, elephants have the largest brains of all land animals and are on par with primates on the intellectual scale.'

'Well, it is common knowledge,' said Butler, not fooling anyone.

'But consider this, for all his planning, knowledge and genius, he has been bested by the very people we intend to steal Opal from, and she will have doubtlessly mesmerised them by now. We're in for a fight that will take all our skill.'

Butler rolled his shoulders and snorted. He was ready for a fight.

GREAT FOREST, RUINS OF KNOTHOLE VILLAGE, FIFTEEN MILES EAST OF NEW MOBOTROPOLIS

Knothole Village was famous amongst Mobius. Not a soul had not heard of its purpose or the tragedy that had happened there.

It had started out as a hide-away village made of wooden cottages that blended in perfectly with the trees of the Great Forest, making it practically undetectable.

The Great Forest was a magical place filled with mystery. Some believed a Chaos Emerald had once been resting in the forest for millennia and its magical energies resided here. This had caused problems with certain kinds of electrical equipment, such as satellite imagery and thermal scans. These effects had been what had mainly kept Knothole secret for many years and had protected its citizens.

Eventually, it became the capital of the Kingdom of Acorn and the once small village turned into a huge city was renamed the Kingdom of Knothole.

Eventually, however, tragedy came. The Eggman Empire's greatest victory had been when the Egg Fleet had first been deployed. Air ships shaped like sea creatures had flown through the air in great numbers, raining down fire from their cannons and burning Knothole in blasts of orange-yellow energy, consuming all they could.

They had also been fitted with teleportation beams, which had were used for a plot sick enough to put anyone on edge.

Eggman had intended to actually use the citizens of Knothole to power his city, his robots and his fleet by sucking the life energy out of them, massacring thousands in the process in a practical Holocaust.

Thankfully, a few Freedom Fighters had evaded capture and saved all the citizens that had been captured using some very clever subterfuge.

Knothole, however, could not be rebuilt.

Team Dark now drove through the remains of the village, nothing but the ashes of burned buildings mixed with the soil and blackened earth.

Rouge touched up her make-up in the passenger seat, but kept spreading it on to her cheek due to the bumpy terrain.

Eventually, she gave up and Shadow handed her a tissue from the glove compartment.

Then he listened to the news reports from Station Square being broadcast on the seven by ten inch television installed underneath the dashboard. It currently showed an anchor woman in a blue suit with blonde hair. The name underneath read Susan Baxter.

'Our top stories today begin with yesterday's defeat of a Mobian echidna by the name of Doctor Finitevus, who set out on a quest of destruction to rid Mobius of nearly all life except for his followers,' said Susan. 'But thanks to the efforts of Station Square's own Team Dark, members of the Brotherhood of Guardians, Chaotix and Knothole Freedom Fighters this crisis was averted. Doctor Finitevus has since been handed over to the Republic of Acorn and is awaiting trial. For our next big story, we go to Scarlet Garcia outside of GUN Base 56.'

The picture switched to a redheaded woman wearing an orange dress suit carrying a microphone.

'Thank you, Susan,' said Scarlet. 'Late last night after the events involving Finitevus ended, G.U.N.'s own base stationed right here in Station Square Central was infiltrated by a group rumours say could be spies from the Eggman Empire. Apparently a mechanic working late was held at gun-point throughout the ordeal after he stumbled across the intruders.'

' She stumbled across the intruders,' corrected Rouge, now applying a new layer of Luscious Lip since the ground was flat.

'Apparently they brought with them some sort of advanced battle robot that took out an entire battalion of G.U.N. and three mechanical pilot-operated walker machines,' continued Scarlet. 'There appears to be no unrecoverable injuries, though. This is Scarlet Garcia signing off, and reminding you all to catch my new show Station Square Today tonight at seven.'

Susan Baxter gave an unintentional discouraging look to the camera before covering it up with a celebrity smile.

'Plug what you can when you can,' remarked Rouge.

Copies of the Artemis Fowl books and Sonic the Hedgehog's latest video games are in stores now! For the Sonic the Hedgehog comic book, see your nearest comic book store or visit an online shop.

'In other news, President Theodore Hughbert is now up against some pretty big competition in the race for his re-election,' continued the reporter.

The screen then changed to a rally in a busy square with a large man if his fifties waving to the crowd with his assistant and chief campaign planner.

'You are now seeing pictures being taken at a "Vote for Michael Rowling" rally. Mister Rowling's campaign has been gaining strength since his latest act was to guarantee more jobs by placing Thorndyke Industries, the largest employing company in the United Federation, in control of all large businesses and giving benefits to smaller establishments. In celebrity news, newlyweds Princess Sally Acorn of the Republic of Acorn and world-renowned hero Sonic the Hedgehog returned from their honey-'

Shadow turned it off there, deciding nothing else was worth hearing if they'd move on to the celebrities.

He now approached the gates of New Mobotropolis. They were large, thick, self-repairing due to being made out of nanites and the only way into the city with its dome shield up.

Shadow stopped the car just outside the entrance, then a blue light emitted from an eye just above the large doors, scanning them.

Shadow and Rouge held up their ID cards. Omega didn't have one since he already had a hidden serial number that could only be seen under ultraviolet light.

They checked out and Team Dark were then given a friendly greeting from NICOLE, her voice echoing through speakers they couldn't see.

'Good day, Agent Shadow, Agent Rouge, Omega,' she said. 'You are expected. The gates will now open. Please come inside.'

The large barriers that were the doors retracted and Shadow drove through.

He parked near Castle Acorn where Princess Sally was waiting for them. She was rather surprised by their method of transport.

'What's with the car?' Sally asked Shadow.

'New G.U.N. make. It's a battle vehicle with strong armour and twin missile launchers on the sides. We're testing it in fake war zones right now, but we'll be giving it a trial run for car chasing at the Station Square Annual Motor Derby next week.'

'Oh yeah. Rotor said he was going to try out something of his own there too. Now that I think about it, Amy was also talking about the race. But hey, a five thousand credit prize is a hard thing to pass up.'

'I guess. We only get to keep half of the money if we win, which we'll split between us. The other half goes to G.U.N. to help with the war effort.'

'Nice to see you're thinking about others.'

'Ha!' piped up Rouge. 'We have to donate half of the money if we want to use the car. I'd spend it all on this diamond necklace I've got my eyes on if I had it.'

Shadow just shook his head with the ghost of an amused smile on his face. 'Some things never change...'

'Listen, I'm glad you guys got here early,' said Sally. 'I was hoping you could help me with something.'

Before she could say another word, NICOLE walked on to the scene in her robotic body. She only used it for occasions she thought were special as it slowed her down a little. At least compared to her hologram form, which could be in one place in New Mobotropolis and then halfway across the city in a single second.

'Hello, Omega,' she said, blushing a little and swinging herself side to side unconsciously.

'Greetings,' replied the automaton, his arms behind his back (a difficult feat) and his fingers rubbing each other nervously.

Sally swallowed a smile at the sight. Omega and NICOLE had a little thing between them and they got little time to speak to each other outside of e-mail, but right now, time was precious.

'NICOLE, sweetie,' she said, sorry to bear the bad news.

The robotic lynx's head drooped a little. 'Mission time. I understand. Try to come back in one piece please, Omega.'

The robot shook his entire form forward, the closest he could come to a nod and then followed Sally.

'NICOLE has constructed a new building to keep the Chaos Emeralds in,' explained the princess on their way there. 'We've thought up every security measure we could, but I'd like to run it through a professional thief and one of Eggman's own robots.'

'You called us all the way here to check out a big safe?' asked Rouge, feeling there was more to it.

'You'll wish,' said Sally, as they arrived at the building and she pressed her hand to the hidden palm scanner and opened the door.

'Age before beauty,' said Rouge curtly to Shadow.

Shadow then went first and he and Rouge followed the princess inside without a problem, but Omega was too big to get through the door.

'Oh, sorry, Omega. We made the entrances smaller so that Mobians could get in, but not any of Eggman's robots,' explained Sally.

'You really are taking every little precaution,' noted Rouge. 'Making the doors smaller. You must have been thinking of everything that Eggman could dish out and how to stop it.'

'I have. But once we've finished here, a small door will be the last thing that amazes you. Come on, you two.'

'Hang on,' said Shadow in his usual grumpy demeanor. 'Omega, please give me your arm,' the hedgehog instructed, clutching Omega's arm by the thin part attaching the arm to Omega's shoulder. The arm was then released with a pneumatic hiss and Shadow caught it in his hand before it dropped to the floor.

'Omega's arms can be detached from his body?' Sally questioned.

'You can then carry the arms around as your own personal weapons. You just twist the spikes on the wrist to switch between weapons. Turning the spikes also releases a firing trigger and a handle for better grip.'

It was a long sentence for Shadow, but got out all the necessary information like with everything else he said.

He hefted the large arm with two hands down the corridors until they came to a solid barrier.

'First test,' said Sally. 'Try and break it.'

First, Shadow summoned Chaos energy to his left hand, as if he were the Greek god Zeus making a bolt of lighting. He then threw his Chaos Spear at the door, not even leaving a scratch.

He then brought Omega's arm into a comfortable holding position and opened fire with missiles, bullets, lasers and flamethrowers. No sign of damage.

Sally smiled satisfied.

'Perfect,' she said and pressed her hand to another hidden palm scanner, retracting the barrier. 'Next up is the laser grid.'

When the door made out of nanites was taken microscopic piece by piece back into the walls, laser sensors that would sound alarms and a lock down sequence were scattered across the hall.

'Guess it's my turn,' said Rouge.

Team Dark's field leader slipped off the soles of her high heels. Remarkably, they weren't even real shoes. They were attached using a slip on attachment that locked using a clasp hidden in plain sight; the heart motif covering her toes. They were merely the under layings of a pair of stilettos attached to white ballet slippers, designed to resemble boots.

The bat then tucked her wings behind her back so they didn't stick out and trigger the laser security system.

With a couple of light stretching exercises, Rouge sprang forward into the complex of red beams. Standing on tip toes first using her slippers, then jumping off the walls with remarkable balance, standing upside down with a single hand, propelling herself in the air using one arm and spinning. Within thirty seconds, she had made it straight passed.

'Remarkable,' breathed Sally. She was limber, but she'd never been able to do anything like that.

Rouge took the praise in stride, as if she were the superior to the princess. She had deliberately kept the other methods she had thought of a secret the next time she was fed up with regular jewelry and desired something a little more... Unique.

'Only one test left,' said Sally. 'I'll only be needing Shadow. Why don't you give Omega some company. People might not be so scared by him if they're looking at you.'

It was complimentary, but Rouge knew Sally didn't want her seeing the main vault to case it. Smart girl.

The bat thief abided the princess's implied command and went to join her robot companion. By now, he'd probably have caused a local to scream and run away in terror. Omega enjoyed the sight of it and had even recorded their reactions sometimes to show them to Hope, who then posted them on UTube. But it didn't do well to get people up in arms about them. Sometimes crazy things happened. Like when one of the people Omega recorded demanded a payment for his 'acting' after one video got fifteen million hits in the first week.

After Rouge had gone, Sally opened the final doorway, leading to a small circular room with six brightly glowing gems in a case, resonating with power. The Chaos Emeralds. Brilliant cut jewels of green, red, yellow, purple, cyan and a Persian blue. Only the seventh emerald that shone as bright a white as the stars themselves was missing, currently kept in the chest of Mammoth Mogul.

Sally activated the security system and a large barrier composed of solid foot long bands of metal slid down to cover the emeralds.

'I just need you to test the strength and one other thing,' she said.

Shadow readied Omega's arm again and unleashed a full barrage with every weapon in the robot's one arm arsenal. The bands held as if only a summer breeze had been thrown at them.

'Excellent. Last of all is a... Anti-Eggman robot precautionary system. It identifies Eggman robots and puts them out of commission for a few hours. I was hoping to use Omega, but I thought he'd fit through the door. Could you use your shape-shifting thing? It'll sting a little.'

Shadow summoned all the energy he had into his head and pictured an Eggman robot. His photographic memory allowed him to remember all the details perfectly. The rusty orange hue of the battle armor that shined like the blade of a knife, the cold eyes of silver-white that only ever shone when their master barked orders, the weapons that shot bolts of energy to maim and destroy.

'Chaos Transformation!' he yelled, and in a flash of green, he changed into an Eggman robot.

In a flash of blue, he was fried and left on the floor, back in his own form. His skin was burned slightly, his eyes were bloodshot and his quills smoked a little. It had also done a little something to his basic functions and he felt like he was going to throw up. But he hadn't eaten anything today, so there was little chance of that happening.

'That's the second time I've been reduced to so much charcoal in twenty-four hours!' he said, a rare quip.

Shadow was coughing uncontrollably so Sally patted him on the back, leaving her hand sore. It felt like she had just slapped a brick wall.

'I'm sorry about that,' she said, her voice full of concern, and a little pain.

Shadow just kept on coughing until he could get back up on his feet.

'There are two rooms booked for you and Rouge at the Nut Hut,' she said. 'It's a little bed and breakfast run by an old friend of my nanny's. She's a very nice old squirrel and she'll make sure you're comfortable. Omega can stay over at Miles Electric.'

Shadow tried to say something, but ended up coughing again, so he just nodded and walked off.

'Rest up and eat,' Sally called after him. 'We've got a very big day tomorrow.'

CHAPTER 11: OPALS AND EMERALDS
OUTSIDE OF TEMPORARY PRESIDENTIAL HOUSE, STATION SQUARE

'President Hughbert! Has anyone claimed responsibility for the incident at GUN Base 56 last night?'

'Mister President, Michael Rowling is gaining more and more political support. Do you think it's safe to say that you've lost the election?'

'Rumours have it that Doctor Eggman's forces are building every day. What is your strategy for toppling the dictator?'

'Mister President, everyone has been blaming you for Eggman's escape and that your incompetency is running this government into the ground. What do you have to say in response to this?'

President of the United Federation, Theodore Hughbert, was currently strolling up the stone steps of his mansion flanked by burly bodyguards and members of his staff trying to keep the reporters that outnumbered them at bay.

Currently, he was in a fine political pickle. The press had turned against him in favour of his opponent and were pinning events on his head that weren't even down to him alone.

Job losses were occurring more often, the war was starving the continent of its life even though things were quiet at the moment and millions of homes had been lost during the destruction of Westopolis and Central City, metropolitan areas meant to reinforce the alliance between the humans, Overlanders and Mobians.

Of course, his opposition, Michael Rowling had turned all of this to his advantage for his campaign. Though, truth be told, Theodore probably would have done the same thing had he been in Rowling's shoes.

Right now he was heading to his office for a situations' update and a report on reconstruction of the two lost cities. He had two million homeless people at the moment with eyes on him to do something. Thank heaven for all the volunteers wanting to rebuild their houses and earn the food and shelter they were being given right now.

The large, black steel door opened and shut the moment the President was inside. He then headed straight for his office where his secretary, Gretchen, was waiting.

When he entered, his assistant was tirelessly cleaning her glasses. This was her tell of bad news.

'Is this news political? Or do I have a disaster on my hands?' he asked.

'Both at the moment, Mister President. The situation with Doctor Finitevus has worsened, but I think I should let the Chief Commander fill you in on that when he was the time.'

'Very well. Lionel doesn't mind being the messenger of bad news, anyway. What else do I have to worry about?'

'Chief Commander Westwood issued a report on the break-in last night. The intruders hacked into G.U.N.'s mainframe and placed a computer program guarded by a virus inside it. The program has done nothing more than given them access to our satellites, but will take at least a week to remove safely. It hasn't really hindered anything of GUN's, so it seems likely the break-in was not to weaken our defences, but rather give them access to satellites used for relaying information and global tracking used by the Central Information Agent and the Intelligence Bureau.'

The President rubbed his chin thoughtfully and sank into his swivel chair. 'All the damage they could have done and they hacked information? They're obviously planning something different and most likely, it won't be good for us.'

'The latest poll counts came in,' said Gretchen. 'According to these, Michael Rowling will beat you by a landslide.'

Theodore sighed. 'Of course he's going to win. His policy is no war taxes. Shame we can't all be billionaire big-shots.'

'Trillionaire, sir,' corrected the secretary. 'He recently bought a chain of fast food restaurants to go with his fuel stations and stocks in Thorndyke Industries.'

'That's his golden nugget, right there' said the President. 'Being an old school friend of Nelson Thorndyke, the man with all the right connections. They cover each other's backs. I mean, look at his latest policy. If he's elected President, he'll hand over half his property to Thorndyke Industries and jobs will be guaranteed to increase.'

'That was your idea originally, sir,' said Gretchen.

'Yeah... Shame I could never get MeteoTech to agree to it. That pompous jerk who owns it wouldn't even talk to me face-to-face. Miss Robbins,' he said somberly. 'Gretchen. Do you think I'm being selfish wanting to stay President?'

'I... Umm...'

'He offers so much more to everyone. He may not be the brightest of men, but he's capable. He served as a colonel. That's got to count for something. And he has the resources this continent needs.'

Gretchen chose her words carefully before replying.

'I can see the both of you having qualities that would help us greatly, but either way, you're not going to do much about the state we're in. That's out of your hands, really. You leave decisions about Eggman up to the Commanding Generals to make sure you make the right choice and don't drag us down further. If there was no war, you'd be sitting pretty. There'd still be people without jobs, but the main reason so many people are out of work is because the Eggman Empire destroyed their businesses. Otherwise, you could probably help everyone. Doctor Eggman has been at large for ten years causing misery and chaos, but since it came to the United Federation during your term, people are unfairly blaming you. What we need isn't a President. It's more than one man. We need ambassadors, generals and countless outside sources if we're going to stop Eggman. Right now, you're nothing more than a figurehead leader and Rowling will be the same if he wins the election. I think you are an excellent leader, sir, but you're not the one who is going to stop Eggman and restore everything. It's going to take more than one person to accomplish all that.'

Theodore had been silent throughout his secretary's little speech, faced away from her and looking out at Station Square's beach where the sun was rising.

'Thank you, Gretchen,' he said finally. 'Your insightfulness was been a precious gift and a vital tool to me. And you have been a great aid. Why not have the day off? Have one of the volunteers take care of your duties. I don't think I have to worry about sloppy work ruining my campaign now.'

Gretchen gave her thanks and left the President's office. After a few minutes think he rose from his chair to get a better look at the sun rise. It was nice to think that, even during these horrible times, there was still something beautiful out there to inspire them.

Then the automatic blinds turned down, covering the room in darkness.

President Hughbert looked around blindly for the button to pull them up and pressed it when his hands finally felt the control box. It didn't work the first time, so he tried again. Then again. It was still no use.

Then the electric lights came on and Theodore looked round to see who had flipped the light switch. No one had but now someone was sitting in his chair, a large stomach wedged between the seat and the varnished desk.

The President saw that the particular someone was a middle aged male with a bald head with goggles resting atop it. His clothes were of an odd fashion and his face was frightening in an almost comical fashion, but the air this man gave off made all the laughter die inside you the moment your eyes were to lay on his features.

'Good morning, Ted,' said the man, his voice on a level of calm that inspires panic in others. 'I'm dreadfully sorry that it's been so long since our last meeting, but I developed something of a distaste for you and your kind after you helped destroy my city. Referring to me as a, quote, "pompous jerk," unquote, also left me feeling as if you thought I was bad company.'

The President hurriedly pressed one of the many silent alarms hidden throughout the room to his bodyguards to end this as soon as possible.

The man just laughed in a manic, sickly manner, as if he had contracted a cold and just heard a good joke.

'Don't bother calling for help, Teddy,' he said. 'Your alarms are disconnected. In any case, you're not really in the same room with me. I've hidden some "robot projectors," and I use that term so you can follow, into the room's air vents so I can talk to through a hologram. Four different beams of light focus on the one point to make this simple simulation. It's the kind of thing I'd use for a home entertainment system. Maybe I'll make one after MeteoTech's new range of car parts is shipped.'

The President stopped in his tracks all of a sudden, grim tidings hanging on his head as he considered Eggman's every word.

'You own MeteoTech?' he asked.

'Yes. I got the name from my grandfather's colleagues. The work men on board his space station called the excavation rigs on meteors "MeteoTech." Haplessly simple, but what can you expect from people of an average intelligence quotient? The slogan was all my idea, though. "Electronics, Gear, Greatness!" It seemed the perfect business man's approach to suckering the common bystander.'

'You own MeteoTech?' he asked again, hoping for a different answer. Then it dawned on him that it wouldn't come and realisation kicked in. 'You control the second largest company in the United Federation. We depend on you for supplies, resources, machines. You sponsor the local soccer team! You're going to set the continent back years!'

'And all that in the space of six months thanks to you, Teddy,' said Eggman.

'No! I didn't know!' pleaded Theodore, as if proving his innocence to the mad dictator would change everything.

'Of course you didn't. But you see... This hologram is a very complex one. From a photograph, you wouldn't even be able to tell I was a projection. And my robots caught some great shots of me sitting in your chair looking down at me.'

The President was now shaking. His career, his reputation, everything was being flushed down the tubes.

'But don't worry, Teddy,' said Eggman, laying a projected hand on the President's shoulder, though Theodore couldn't feel it. 'This is a blessing. I can help you win this election. Run Thorndyke Industries into the ground. Expose every deep, dark secret of Rowling's all for one small favour. Ally the United Federation with the Eggman Empire.'

The last of Hughbert's courage rose to the fore. 'Never!'

Eggman only laughed again and the President felt as if the chuckle had etched away his every defence, leaving him completely exposed to this mad man. He was psychotic like nothing Mobius had ever seen.

'Don't be so quick to decide, Theodore,' said Eggman. 'You'll be on the winning side. You think I'm powerless right now, but so have many before. I always bounce back. Want to know why? Because my genius knows no bounds! It can see a way out of any situation for me. It can do the same for you. Deny me this and I will frame you as a traitor to your nation. But first I'll run MeteoTech into the ground by taking back everything I've made for you, then I'll watch Rowling take your position in office, so you're at the lowest of low. Your wife will probably leave you and your kids will not even want to know you. Every friend you ever had will want your blood for betraying your own people. Because, let's face it, you humans are like that. All your talk of unity; United, betrayal destroys you. But if every man stands alone, your expectations are at their lowest and you're never disappointed with the results of life, even if they are nothing but failure. But you'll soon find that out for yourself when you're homeless on the streets. Unless you side with me.'

The President felt so low, he could have been halfway through the world right now. But he refused to side with this... Sick piece of scum.

'I will not break so easily,' said the President. 'This nation will not break so easily! Get out of my office! Leave! I don't care what happens to me. The United Federation will stay united with the Mobians, and there's nothing you can do about that.'

Eggman shook his head. 'And to think the world views me as deluded. If that is your final decision, I will accept it. Try to fix the problem by yourself and I'll discredit you early. There is nothing you can do that won't result in you failing your nation. Cheerio!'

And with that, the Eggman hologram disappeared.

The President sat back in his chair for the next half an hour, thinking everything over. He had one priority right now. He had to put all his focus on it. But in all that time he knew there was only one option where the United Federation, but he would lose out.

He patched himself through to his secretary's desk on the building's phone line. 'Gretchen?'

'You gave Gretchen the day off, sir. I'm Lucy. What can I do for you?' asked an excitable young woman on the other side.

'Can you please bring me my speech for my next debate against Rowling? I want it to include my resignation.'

NEW MOBOTROPOLIS, CASTLE ACORN

The next morning, Sonic awoke in his king sized bed to find himself alone, missing a femine figure opposite him. Sally and he had been sharing a bed to keep up appearances and he had grown used to seeing her next to him, either still dreaming or rubbing the sleep from her eyes.

The room was technically Sally's, but he'd moved in some things since their marriage.

He got out of bed, put on his sneakers and went to look for his wife.

He stopped for a moment. Calling Sally his wife for even pretend was weird. They had loved each other once and he sometimes thought he caught a spark beneath their flames of friendship, but he was never sure. Sally had changed with everything that had happened to her. She was very complex. A little too complex, Sonic sometimes thought. She dealt with so much pressure and was always under such extreme situations, he thought she might snap like a twig in a giant's hand.

Sonic finally found her in the castle's war room. It was an exact replica of her father's own study as it had been during the Great War before it was destroyed along with the rest of Old Mobotropolis.

But were as charts of disputed territories had been pinned to the walls and the king had received messages giving him updates, computer monitors displayed 3D layouts of maps with realtime satellite images, notes from the front and every group linked with them. NICOLE had set up a personal web system based on an old human communications server called a 'blog.' People had posted comments on what they were doing and their thoughts from computers, phones and game consoles. NICOLE had mass produced a device worn on the rest of every man and woman in action to keep the home group updated, and it was proving invaluable.

Eggman's groups were currently scattered, and for a while had looked poised to completely conquer their own territories before aiming for the rest of the planet. But with the doctor back in action, things had ground to a stand-still. It was like an ominous cloud in the sky, telling them a storm of lightning and thunder was coming to strike and deafen them in its terror.

Sally was making some changes to the battle plan and re-checking everything tirelessly.

'How long have you been up?' Sonic asked.

Sally was startled for a moment before catching his eye. She hadn't heard any noises but her own for the past while. 'Almost two hours.'

'You're a real hypocrite,' Sonic pointed out. 'You told everyone to get some sleep. Then you were up late last night doing the exact same thing you're doing now.'

'I'm worried. Frankly, we're on a suicide mission and I don't want the term to ring true.'

'You've done all the planning in the world, Sal.'

'I barely had a day to come up with this,' she pointed out. 'And with limited tactical info.'

'And you've pulled off successful plans with less, especially with NICOLE helping you. Which she has been. She's like your personal plan assistant.'

'Elias wants her to hold that position permanently,' said Sally. 'She wants her be the consultant to his Warlord.'

Sonic's eyes perked up. They hadn't had a Warlord since the Great War and the last two had proven treacherous on a grand scale.

'Who's he got lined up for the job?' he asked.

'Me. I'm the only one he can trust most and I'm the best leader he knows.'

'But you're already leading the Freedom Fighters. Why does he need you to run a war?'

'Because he's planning for one. He's ready to set up a military to face Eggman. The Freedom Fighter groups will be considered the Special Forces wherever they are stationed and will be kept well in the loop.'

Sonic's back straightened and for once, he looked nervous.

'Sal, this is big. Elias is ready to start a world war here!'

'We've pretty much been fighting one ever since my father lost the throne,' said Sally. 'Elias wants us to be better prepared. But if we complete this mission, Eggman will be crippled again and we may not have to resort to making a military. If it does come to that, though, I don't have to be a Warlord. There's a Great War vet named Rufus LaTour who's willing to take the position. Tails's father will be serving as his second-in-command and Antoine may be a battalion commander.'

'Those two'll love those jobs,' Sonic remarked drily. 'Sal, you've done a good job. Relax a little. We don't need you more on edge than you need to be.'

Sally just nodded slowly before letting out a sigh, her mind still thinking over her strategy.

While all this had been happening, Opal had been sitting at the room's only desk, head on hands, listening and waiting. She just needed to catch Sally alone once the meeting was over and give her final instructions with her mesmer.

The tricky thing was she needed Sally to give orders as if they had genuinely come from her. This would take full eye contact for complete control, as she needed to only add little layers of magic between Sally's thoughts and make it seem as if she had thought up Opal's intentions herself. It was a very delicate operation.

Then the doors opened to reveal NICOLE, again in her robotic body.

'Sally, members of the Chaotix have arrived as expected. I believe you wanted to greet them in person?'

'Thank you, NICOLE,' said the princess and went to the door.

'Knucklehead with them?' asked Sonic, his voice bristling with devious anticipation. 'I'll say "hi" too.'

Outside Castle Acorn was a large, cream armoured van with two blast-proof dome windows. One acted as a windshield the other as a sun roof. This was an old echidnan vehicle that hadn't seen the light of days for generations, yet still worked perfectly. No one built machines like the echidnas, except maybe for Eggman himself. They were certainly equal in mechanical capability, but the genius applied to their creations were entirely different.

The van was the first thing Sonic and Sally noticed as they walked out and then saw a bright yellow aircraft that looked like a cross between a biplane and a jet with seating for four over at the King Frederick Airfield, also made by echidnas.

They had expected the Chaotix to appear in a New Mobotropolis cargo shuttle, not to bring their own equipment. The echidnas had suffered amongst the most, losing ninety per cent of their species due to the Eggman Empire's efforts, and technology had been banned for use due to an internal conflict that had caused a blood fued spanning across a family into two and fallout from the warring relatives had spread across Mobius. Thankfully, that issue had recently been resolved and the echidnas were getting back on their feet.

Getting technology like this, though, was unexpected. The echidnas had just finished making new homes for themselves in an anbandoned city. The couple had no idea where technology like had this come from, but no doubt their old friend had an explanation he was willing to share.

Castle Acorn was right next to the market district and the Chaotix had initially only come here for supplies, then Sally made her request and they brought along a little something with them.

Sonic jumped to the top of a building in a single powerful leap, then he scanned the crowd until he spotted four figures. Two were yellow and black and flying, the third was almost twice the size of his companions and finally a red dot standing firmly against them, posture perfect and muscles ever so slightly tensed.

Sonic signalled to Sally he had found the visiting members of the Chaotix, the Freedom Fighter group for Angel Island, a chunk of Mobius flying in the sky like an airborne country thanks to the power of the Master Emerald.

Sonic jumped down and landed with the grace of a cat, not even injured. Then he scooped up Sally in his arms for a second and raced over to his friends, great wind marking his presence from his speed.

'Can you do that away from people trying to shop?' asked the red one, looking annoyed but amused.

He was taller than both Sonic and Sally, but only by a few inches. His fur was the shade of freshly erupted lava with eyes of a delicate violet. Purple wasn't usually considered an intimidating colour, but in this case, an exception was clearly made.

His fists were the size of bricks, wrapped in mittens with hardened spikes tougher than rock. Dreadlocks that reached down passed his shoulders were long and thick, a natural trait to all species of the echidnas. But the white crescent on his chest was a family birthmark that marked him out from everyone else in his species.

He was Knuckles the Echidna, Guardian of Angel Island, the echidnas and the Master Emerald, the only object in existance that could potentially rival the power of the Chaos Emeralds themselves.

Sonic noticed a fashion change in Knuckles.

'What happened to your cowboy hat?'

'It's somewhere safe. It nearly got burned to ashes in that fight with Finitevus, so I'm keeping it off the battlefield from now.'

'Yeah, thanks for keeping the planet safe while I was away. But I'm back now, so just keep busy keeping that big old rock safe.'

Sally found herself yet again rolling her eyes. It was always this way with them.

She instead greeted the three others. The first two were bees, constantly flying two metres in the air to avoid getting caught up in the crowds. They had been engaged to be married for three years now, but complications from the war had stopped them.

The female was Saffron. She had beautiful blonde hair the colour of a sunflower flowing down her back. She wore a pink dress and bomber jacket and was considered the responsible though naive one of the Chaotix.

Her partner was Charmy Bee. He was perhaps one of the worst casaulties of these wars. He had everything going for him in his young age and then Eggman destroyed his home, taking a massive chunk of the bee population down in fire. Then he'd been subjected to one of the Doctor's plots which had caused severe brain damage to him. He was seventeen now, but had the mentality of a six-year old.

Saffron had given him unbelievable care and support for him that spoke wonders of her affection for the poor bee. She had moved from soon-to-be wife in a happy marriage to a carer for someone who couldn't look after themself.

The third and largest was a lime green crocodile, wearing only black and white shoes, earphones and a golden chain with a single ring around his neck. This was Vector, the third strongest and undoubtedly largest of the Chaotix. He was currently trying to get the number of a pretty raccoon waitress with blonde hair putting out rubbish outside of a diner. His luck with women was holding, however, and he wasn't getting good results.

After Sonic and Knuckles had finished their usual man's way of an affectionate greeting, the echidna called his right-hand man over to them.

'Vector, come here,' he yelled.

The crocodile came over disappointed, the raccoon waitress back in the diner.

'That Roxie blew me off,' he said, frustrated. 'I swear, I get nowhere with any dame I try to talk to. It's like they've all got the same problem.'

'Or you're the problem,' suggested Knuckles.

'They've all got the same problem, I'm telling you!'

'Yeah, their eyes work,' said the Guardian of Angel Island and held out his hand.

Vector held his palm up to his golden chain, covering the ostentatiously large ring attached to it. Then he yanked it and it came free, somehow escaping the chain without breaking it.

'Always did want to put those magic tricks to good use,' Vector commented drily.

He handed it to Knuckles and he offered it to Sally.

'One Warp Ring. Charged since you called me. It's got the juice to send you from here to the Dragon Kingdom, or to another dimension. Your pick.'

Sally accepted the ring. 'Thanks you. This will be our emergency escape plan. I'll give it back once the mission's over. I noticed you've got some new transportation.'

'It ain't new, unfortunately. The Brotherhood of Guardians needed a new base so they're using the Grand Conservatory. All the old echidna tech down there is up for grabs for the Chaotix. All we have to do is ask. We're going to ship out supplies to Albion, help the echidnas there get back on track. And thanks for telling me about that story Elias mentioned. The old timers back home are starting to rethink things. Spectre's really up in arms about it.'

'We're going to need every ally we can get if this mission goes under.'

'It won't. Not with you leading the team.'

Sally blushed a little at this, but it was just old feelings she had no desire of pursuing again. Neither did Knuckles. He was just helping boost confidence.

'And even if Eggman does find a way to come back again,' continued Knuckles, 'with the echidnas and their tech on your side, he'll have a big welcoming party waiting for him. And I'll be sure to be on the party list.'

'You said party twice,' pointed out Sonic.

'It was a one-liner! Those don't count, black and blue!'

'I'm not black at all. I'm blue all over.'

'Not when we next square off, you won't be. I guarantee it.'

'Yeah. You said that the last twenty times before I sent your tail packing.'

More eye-rolling would have followed if the small computer in Sally's pocket NICOLE occupied hadn't started beeping suddenly. This was to inform her when everyone was at the meeting. She was running late.

She walked over to Knuckles and pulled him into a brief hug.

'Thank you again,' she said. 'I really owe you one this time.'

'Beat Eggman and I'll consider us even,' he retorted in his youthful yet gruff voice.

Sonic picked Sally up in his arms, they bid their farewells and zoomed off at high speed.

With enough momentum behind him, Sonic actually jumped from the ground to the castle's fourth floor and into the window of the war room, making his usual flashy entrance.

Unfortunately, loose carpet was on the floor and Sonic and Sally slid up into the air doing a sort of double-barrel roll. Sonic landed against the wall and Sally landed on Sonic.

'That what the married couples are trying these days? I thought the fun went out the window after the honeymoon was over,' said Rouge jokingly.

'Looks lahk it just flew in!' said Bunnie, carrying on the gag before helping Sally up off the floor. Rotor tended to Sonic.

'Hey, Rote,' the hedgehog said. 'Your back finally feeling up to field action?'

The walrus let out a small laugh that rang hollow.

'I'm here to represent the Council of Acorn. Its fully behind you guys on this one, so you don't have to worry about any trouble from them. We want this place destroyed as much as you do, so I volunteered to spare you guys all the red tape.'

'Thanks, I appreciate that.'

'Alright,' said Sally, now at the head of the table. 'If we're all here, let's get started.'

'Get rid of the human first,' said Shadow, pointing at Opal.

Sally had quite forget about the pixie, but only because of her magical influence. Indeed, everyone in the room seemed surprise at her presence as if she were invisible before and now suddenly she appeared before them.

'Don't worry, Shadow,' said Sally. 'She's fine. She's just staying with us until we can find her parents.'

'I don't care. Get her out,' said the Ultimate Lifeform, acting as if he were roayalty and his word was law.

'Why?' Sally asked, the word all she could do to delay. But for some reason, she didn't know why she wanted to delay.

'She's a child. She could reveal our plan. Or someone could abduct her to steal information.'

'Shady here's got a point,' said Rouge. 'She's a kid. She could blurt out your little strategy here because someone spy's imaginary friend wants to be let in on the secret.'

' It's OK for me to be here, ' said Opal, now using her powers of the memser on Shadow and Rouge.

The bat's arguments died in her mouth and she submitted. Shadow, however, only thought that Opal was doing something funny with her voice.

'No. It's not. Go play outside.'

Opal got down from the chair she was laying in and walked over to Shadow defiantly, her stride showing authority.

Being the exact same size as the hedgehog, Opal looked straight into his eyes. She stared into dark, cold orbs of red while he saw a fire of something he had only seen when he had been allied with Eggman. It was greed, hunger for power, with a touch of heartless gaze.

Shadow felt disturbed seeing a look like this in a child, but her eyes didn't seem that young. They were aged as if she had seen and done things beyond her years. Same could be said for Shadow from Opal's perspective.

' I stay, you dear, moronic, incompetent, waste of flesh! ' she screeched, her voice sounding like it could belong to demonic angel, an ironic thought Shadow didn't appreciate.

He didn't know what made him do it, most likely animal instinct that makes a cat scratch at you when cornered, but he suddenly gripped her lightly by the throat. Then before he could blink, Rouge kicked him in the stomach, knocking him back and off Opal, then Bunnie got her roboticized arm around his neck while Rotor got his limbs.

At the sight of this, Omega immediately wrestled them off, throwing Rotor halfway across the room, landing on his stomach, and fighting back against Bunnie as she tried to force to the ground.

'STOP!' yelled Sally and everyone haulted. Except Omega, who seemed to be having fun rabbot wrestling.

Bunnie, on the other hand, forfietted, causing the large robot to lose his balance and fall feet over head.

'Ah'm sorry, 'bout that,' she said, sounding a little surprised at herself. 'It were instinct.'

Omega didn't seem upset.

'It was enjoyable. According to my pressure sensors, you hit harder than Shadow. It is reassuring that my armour can take hits from the strongest member of a group we could do battle with one day. And if it were not for the blubbery lifeform, you wouldn't have stood a chance anyway.'

Rotor looked offended, then remembered Omega's hidden weaponry and decided to let it slip.

One thing that wasn't going to be let go was Shadow's actions and Bunnie was right out on the assault.

'Shadow, y'all should know better than ter hurt a little girl.'

The hedgehog didn't look in the least bit sorry, just miffed and continued to eye Opal.

'What on Mobius is with you?' said Sally. 'I thought you could control yourself now, if I'm mistaken you're off this mission.'

'You need me, I don't need you,' he said, stating the fact. 'But I don't like that girl.'

'She is not a security risk. She will stay inside the castle under guard. She's even staying in my room so no one can get to her. There are two troops from the Mes Braves Battalion standing outside the doors whenever she's there and I've even had NICOLE set up laser turrets.'

This immediately struck Shadow as odd. All that security installed for a little girl? Sally was caring of others, certainly. The mere fact that she had spared such protection for herself to keep the citizens of New Mobotropolis safe spoke volumes. But she was going was overboard.

He needed to investigate this later. Everyone seemed to be acting odd except for Omega. Well, no odder than usual in his case. Robots like him did tend to act abnormal with their devotion to destruction and misunderstanding of general life. When Hope had brought him back a stuffed bear from the carnival, he'd used it for target practice. But that matter had been fixed when they had found out the bear was stuffed with candy.

'Let's get this over with,' said Shadow, changing subject. 'I want to go back to HQ and talk with Westwood. I'm running behind on my Shield training.'

Sally went back to the head of the table, coughed briefly and spoke.

'OK, guys,' she said. 'Here's our mission. Two nights ago when Sonic and I were on our honeymoon, NICOLE sent out some spy-eyes to check up on Eggman, and she found some things that we're all concerned about.'

Spy-eyes was the term the Freedom Fighters used for the hovering nanite-powered cameras NICOLE had made. They were based on designs made by Robotnik that NICOLE had found on previous adventures with the Freedom Fighters. She had discovered blue-prints Robotnik had made for devices called Surveillance Orbs but never put them into production and saved them. After New Mobotropolis was created, NICOLE had decided to make her own version of the Surveillance Orbs using nanites as power-sources.

'The spy-eyes went to Eggman's Iron Jungle base above his underground factory called the Lava Shelter, only to find that the facility has grown significantly and is being called the Egg Factory,' continued Sally. 'In just two weeks, Eggman has used the Egg Factory to make more robots and build a new city called Metropolis and the Iron Jungle now acts as a sort of defensive network for the Egg Factory. You have to get through Iron Jungle and all the robot guards to get to the factory. This place is making 'bots by the minute. NICOLE's spy-eyes saw them being spewed out faster than you could believe. This means his robot-creating machines have become much more faster and efficient, and he could probably have an army ready to take over the entire planet within days.'

This part caught everybody's attention, especially Opal's.

'What is even scarier is that one of the spy-eyes caught Eggman putting in plans for another one of his battle mechs. All he did was put in the blueprints he'd made, and within minutes the thing was complete. The mech was called the Egg Mastodon and we know little of its abilities, but you can be sure Eggman will put it to use soon. We've got to destroy the Egg Factory at any cost.'

Rouge raised a hand in question.

'Princess, would you care to explain just how the creation of an entire city went unnoticed?' she asked. 'I haven't heard anything about this and G.U.N.'s satellites would have picked it up.'

'He used some sort of cloaking technology to make 3D images for us to pick up and then applied the picture to his force-field. It was like playing a movie over a huge, three-dimensional screen. I guess we just got lucky with NICOLE's probes.'

'What is our plane then?' asked Antoine.

'Plan, honey,' Bunnie corrected her husband.

'Metropolis started at the Lava Shelter, then Eggman worked his way from there, expanding in the one direction before spreading out,' explained Sally. 'We've been to the Lava Shelter, it was underground, filled with molten metal and made dozens of machines. The only difference now is it's bigger, so we know our terrain. The Egg Factory is right on the outskirts of the city because of how Eggman built it and is also right next to an airfield and refueling station, so the shields are often lowered in this sector to allow vehicles and aircraft through.'

'And how come we didn't spot them?' asked Rouge. This question actually originated from Opal, but Rouge didn't know that.

'Simple, we did spot them. The airfield and the vehicle lot where already there as part of Iron Jungle. We saw them going out and coming back, but there were no building materials of any sort. The Lava Shelter, well, the Egg Factory now, must be built on a metal mine, which would explain how Eggman's got so far without outside resources. He could even have had the metal planted there ready. Or maybe the molten metal we saw there ran deeper than we thought and everything he needed to make his city was right under our very nose.'

Sonic shook his head unconsciously then checked the movement before he thought anyone had noticed. Any one of those ways was ingenious, sneaky, underhanded and pulled the wool over everyone's eyes without them realising it. The thought of the doctor's cunning always made Sonic feel a little nervous.

Opal had come to the same realisation as Sonic and it made her smile. Shadow saw it and he found himself comparing her to Eggman again, like the time he'd helped conquer a continent and imprison a whole village for a trap for the Freedom Fighters. The dictator's warped features had made themselves into a grin that was filled by the joy of a heartless monster that still made Shadow squirm whenever he thought too much about it.

'Our counter measures,' said Sally, bringing everyone back to the matter at hand, 'will be to destroy the Egg Factory by planting a bomb in its power core. The explosion will trigger a chain reaction down a line of several secondary generators. They'll blow up, there'll be power outages throughout the Egg Factory, systems will fail, damage will be catastrophic and Eggman's new production line will be put out of commission. We just need to get in through Iron Jungle or go in guns blazing and hope that we can bring the shield down with enough firepower.'

'I vote the latter!' said Omega.

'I was actually thinking more of subtlety. Until we get in. Rouge, NICOLE and I will handle infiltration. Once we're discovered, everyone else will be needed for multiple diversions and to hold off Eggman's robots while we're at work. I know this'll be taxing, you may be fighting for a good few hours if we're lucky, but it could be days if we need to stay undercover. If our mission fails, however, I have an escape route from Knuckles,' said Sally, brandishing the Warp Ring. 'It would have been our entrance too, but Eggman's energy field seems to keep it from forming in the city limits. I've tried. The Warp Ring will be our way home or last resort, depending how things fair.'

Sally stepped back for a moment to let anyone voice their thoughts. Rouge came to the plate.

'It all sounds very sketchy. We've got the heavy-hitters for the job, but we could be dealing with entire armies here.'

'We can always just draw back into some other part of the Egg Factory and avoid fighting.'

'What if we can't get out of a fight, though?'

'We've got the Warp Ring. We can go anywhere inside the facility once we're in.'

'How come it can't get us inside?' asked Shadow.

'Eggman's shields are somehow preventing us from teleporting to inside the energy barrier, hence the need for physical infiltration. Sonic already tried Chaos Control last night when I was popping off ideas. It won't do any use. However, we should be able to use it to get out since Eggman won't want to hamper any of his equipment. Whatever's keeping us out could short out countless machines if it's used carelessly. Eggman won't want to take the risk, so he'll keep whatever's keeping us out broadcasting outside the city. If you see any other problems, please point them out. My feeling's aren't worth lives. And I'm all ears to any new ideas.'

Shadow had his eyes closed, thinking back to his short time at the Lava Shelter.

'The defence system,' he said. 'Is that still operational?'

'The first one? Yes, but it's been replaced. The new one notifies the robots of intruders, they come running. It is possible the original could be being used a fall-back defence system, most likely a last resort.'

'Could it be our back-up plan?' the hedgehog asked. 'If we can't get to the core, we could activate the old defences. They were hooked into the system supplying the molten metal, so it must flood the entire facility with it to burn anyone inside. It could cause a lot of collateral damage if it was activated and if the machines can't take the heat, they'll be destroyed too.'

'That's excellent!' said Sally, impressed and a little relieved. She was glad of having another plan. She really wanted any help she could get. 'We just use the Warp Ring to get ourselves out in time.'

'But we're still stuck in the middle of possibly the single largest army Mobius has ever seen,' pointed out Rouge. 'This is a suicide mission.'

'Do you have doubts in yourself?' asked Sally, flashing a grin just slight enough to send Rouge over the edge.

'By myself, I could sneak in and out no problem. With you guys slowing me down, we'll be caught in five minutes.'

'That's an excellent point. So you'll carry the bomb to the core by yourself while we fight off the robots. And if Eggman's forces capture you, we'll use Shadow's back-up plan. Thanks for volunteering.'

Rouge had been played and she knew it. Shadow had to cough just to cover up laughter, which was a rare phenomenon on par with a solar eclipse, but the same could be said for Rouge missing a trick.

'If no one else has anything to say, prep yourselves. You've got two hours to get ready before the mission. Meet us at King Frederick Airfield the moment you're ready. We can move early if we finish in good time.'

Everyone except Sally and Opal left the room, Koboi sitting in a chair with her fingers touching, watching over her puppet before delivering a mental command.

'NICOLE,' said Sally.

Green particles of light materialised to form the AI's holographic body. She stood rigid and was listening intently, expecting orders for when Sally was away.

The princess leaned in close to her friend and whispered in her ear.

'The little girl we brought back is a little upset right now,' she said, confusing NICOLE right off the bat. 'I want you to take her to see the Chaos Emeralds. It's a once in a life time opportunity and it's the perfect thing for a little girl. They're magical, shiny, pretty. The stuff of fairy tales. She'll love them. You might even let her hold one, she'll really get a kick out of that.'

Despite knowing the princess's place and her intellect, NICOLE was apprehensive.

'Sally, the Chaos Emeralds are not best handled by a child. They are dangerous and contain great power. Some can even harness that power. Tests have not proven that humans are incapable of channelling Chaos Ener-'

Sally held up a finger and gave NICOLE a look that said not to disobey her. It was a rare sight for the princess to look so... Forbidding. Like she wasn't herself.

'No buts,' said the squirrel simply and walked away, not uttering another word.

NICOLE would have been left to ponder this most recent irregularity in the princess if Opal had not interrupted her thoughts.

'Take me to the emeralds,' she said with an authority that gave the AI even more cause for thought. Opal was a genius, but she didn't have a clue about how intelligent other people were. In Opal's mind, there was just her in the smart box, then there was everyone else crammed into the other marked 'stupid', which would be relabelled as 'slaves' when her time came.

'Sally never said when,' NICOLE responded. 'Currently, a routine check is being undergone on the emerald's energy levels to confirm a scientific program. You will have to wait until I say so before you see the emeralds.'

'I already checked the schedule and there are no checks,' said Opal, growing impatient.

'There are now I've arranged them,' NICOLE told her, a cunning smile in her face that hid concern. She checked the schedule? That is classified. I need to talk to Sally before she leaves. And if this child has something to do with the Freedom Fighters' odd behaviour, we might need that military earlier than expected.

LEP STEALTH SHUTTLE, TWO MILES OUTSIDE OF NEW MOBOTROPOLIS

The patrons of the past had been observing the Republic of Acorn's capital for a couple of hours now to confirm any shred of Mogul's information was true. The defences, technology and civilian lifestyles were holding up, but they were only looking skin-deep and could not afford an infiltration.

They had a day left now. Artemis had ordered them all to get rest for five hours while he and Holly stayed awake for the observation of the city, then the elfin captain had got in five hours of her own. Artemis only slept for two before setting back to work.

'You're no good to us tired, you know,' said Holly.

'It would appear we have an economic crisis or two in the near future, and mass hysteria when fossil fuels were depleted. But that ended quickly,' said the prodigy, trying to glaze over the conversation.

'See what I mean? You can't even think of a better way to change the conversation.'

'Well?' Artemis asked after a few seconds.

'Well what?'

'Aren't you curious as to what happened afterward?'

'Alright then. How did they fix the fuel crisis?'

'Simple. A replacement fuel exists in used cooking oil once filtered. Many fast food restaurants use it when deep frying. All the world's governments had to do was make a deal with McDonald's, though the oil does need a solvent and saturation over a week's period. And apparently there were some faults with newer cars and they had to be modified to last longer. And you didn't pick up on the economic crisis.'

'Because it was a poor distraction.'

'I still managed to steer the conversation away, though, didn't I?'

'Listen to yourself! Where's the Fowl wit? Those oh-so annoying repertoire of complex psychology to get into my head. You're off form.'

'In the wit area, yes, I admit I am. But only because I am devoting my considerable brain power to stratagems rather than rebuttals.'

'Fair enough. But get some rest.'

'No time. Opal is right under our noses. We can't lose her. We can't be a team member down. Especially seeing as I am our only tactician.'

'You're not the only one that can make a plan,' retorted Holly. 'Back at that military base, Butler did most of the thinking for you.'

'That was in the field. I was out of my element. Now I'm back. I am now the conductor of this symphony that is Fowl versus Koboi, now in part four. Hopefully, these shall be the last notes because, frankly, it is getting dull listening to the same tune over and over again.'

'You do know how to stretch out a simile.'

Artemis let her have that one for lack of a quick remark. He hoped this habit would not be permanent. He had a school rival with whom he exchanged banter fervently and he had not lost a quip match yet.

Surveillance had shown the only one responsible for keeping order in the city was a female Mobian clad in a toga that projected her hologram form throughout the city. She wasn't called upon much except for jobs on par with rescuing a non-anthromorphic cat from a tree.

Defences from attack, however, were the Knothole Freedom Fighters. Their abilities and reputation were more than impressive. They had to avoid them at all costs. Using a pair of fairy binoculars, Artemis had been able to zoom in on the eyes of the blue Mobian that had taken Opal. After getting passed the odd fact that his irises were ovular instead of round, he could see he was mesmerised. And if Opal had managed to get to him, she could have got to the others. Then they had spotted a car with the logo from the military base they had infiltrated and linked it with a battle robot and two more Mobians. Things were getting more and more dangerous.

Holly activated the shuttle's engines and piloted the ship into the skies above New Mobotropolis. They had been a touch concerned when they found out the city had an energy dome for protection but were pleased to find out it was only activated when attacks were imminent, otherwise it was kept down otherwise everyone in the city would suffocate from oxygen starvation.

Holly parked the ship at the North end of the city in a nice quiet spot, keeping it floating two feet off the ground to avoid the landing gear giving away their position.

'Mind going through the plan again for us?' asked Holly, soldier's need to print the plans on the team's skulls before a mission.

'Butler causes a distraction in the form of a scuffle, allowing Mulch to dig underground and sneak into Castle Acorn and pluck Opal,' said Artemis. 'If she escapes, I cause a different more elaborate ruse and this time while Koboi is distracted, Mulch shall incapictate her and then bring her to me in the shuttle, then we regroup and in case anything goes wrong, you shall be waiting in the crowd to apply some level of that bravado and magic you're known for. Now, battle stations, everyone,' said Artemis. 'You all know your roles. Mulch, don't forget your sunscreen. Mister Day, the controls yours. But be warned. Attempt to fly away with me in it or leave without me and Butler will come after you.'

There are some lines that sound corny on paper, but when they are actually said they carry an added zest by the deliverer. This was one of those times.

Holly got put a young girl's outfit over her LEP jumpsuit and Butler put his cap and trench coat back on.

Mulch, now coated head to toe in stinking cream to protect his incredibly delicate skin, waited by the door to jump out. The moment the door was opened he sprung from the ship and dived down into the earth, gone from view in less than a second.

The manservant went after him and immediately started made his way into the cover of the crowds. Some Mobians were even big enough to cover him completely, others could barely conceal his foot.

'Don't you think Butler should sit this one out?' said Holly. 'He's had it rough for the passed two days without a decent rest. You're a bit of a slave-driver, you know, Artemis.'

'Butler is the most competent and reliable of us in the battlefield, with you coming in close behind. Besides, Butler doesn't think I'm a slave-driver. Do you, old friend?' said Artemis, this last bit to their private comm channel shared by the team.

Just as the manservant was about to respond through his throat mic, Holly butted in.

'Tell the truth, Butler, or I'll mesmer it out of you!'

Feeling trapped, Butler took a deep breath before qietly singing to himself and into his partners' ears.

'Swing low, sweet chariot. Coming for to carry me home!'

Holly almost burst out laughing.

Artemis became slightly annoyed and decided to take the higher ground. 'Very informal of you, Butler. But for the duration of the mission, try not to get wrapped up in your new job as comedian and cause a scene that will blow our cover.'

Butler coughed his affirmative. Artemis was right. That was most unprofessional. Though amusing.

'Mulch is under the target area and is ready to infiltraite. Initiate whenever you're ready.'

The manservant unconsciously nodded as he gave his affirmative.

He scoped around. Plenty of these Mobians looked very peaceful, tending to little markets in their stalls and acting very... Nice. It was like one of those small communities where everybody knew everybody. It was the type of place someone would like to retire, but usually were hard to come by and, more often than not, hiding something.

But again, his mind was wandering.

Pick a target. Pick a target...

There! The ideal fish to hook. It looked like a Mobian crocodile with skin of a very bright lime green. Butler could tell by the muscles on this animal youth and by its body-language it was full of self-confidence, a touch short-tempered and was currently trying to entice a female raccoon without success.

A big-headed muscleman with a short fuse trying to impress a girl. Perfect!

Butler then walked up to him and bumped into the crocodile with his shoulder.

'Why don't you watch where you're going?' Butler yelled.

'Hey, you're the one that bumped into me, Gramps!' said Vector.

'You're the one that bumped into me, you over-grown handbag!'

'Watch it, buddy, or I'll put your head between my jaws and bite down. Hard!'

'Oh! Does the croc' with the big mouth want a fight?' Butler was getting Vector so worked up that Foaly would have been proud had he been there to witness it.

'Would you two stop it?' butted in Roxie, started to worry that this scene might effect her job if she got the blame.

'You keep your mouth shut!' Butler snapped at her. It was very ungentlemanly of him, but such rude behaviour would certainly set the crocodile over the edge.

'That's it! You're going down, pal!' yelled Vector, true to the manservant's expectations.

'OK. I always did want to Crocodile Wrestle,' said Butler and removed his trench coat, revealing a chest rivaling Mammoth Mogul's. 'Come on, scale-face. My sister's birthday's coming up, and I want to give her a pair of crocodile-skin shoes as a present.'

Vector had had enough, and charged at Butler, as did the Eurasian so that they were soon locked in a battle of strength. Each trying to overpower the other. Soon there were mobians, overlanders and humans of all kinds placing bets on the crocodile and manservant for who would win. A couple of "Mes Braves" Battalion soldiers saw all the commotion and considered stopping it, but who was going to get in the way of an over two-metre tall human and a near six-foot crocodile who both had chests roughly the size of houses?

Artemis watched the fight from the stealth shuttle and tutted while Doodah was making bets with Holly.

'Ten gold grams says the croc' breaks something of the big mud man's,' he said into the craft's onboard mic.

'You're on. And I bet another five Butler knocks him clean out when we're done,' she replied after yelling out her support for the bodyguard. She was currently watching the fight from a ringside seat and threw the occassional punch herself as a signal to Butler. Holly had always loved a good punch-up.

Finally, she stopped goofing off and went back into her position as innocent little girl roaming amongst the crowd. A couple of people had asked her if her mother was nearby, but she merely told them she was fine using the influence of the mesmer to convince them.

She was standing not too far away from Castle Acorn, looking out for signs of alarm and ready to spring into action with her winged flight rig hidden in a false backpack. Come on, Mulch...

CASTLE ACORN, PRINCESS SUITE

Opal was currently fuming on a queen-sized bed handed down by generations of Acorns made with the finest wood and beautiful craftsman. She ignored this though as she picked chips out of it with her nails, now unkempt thanks to years in prison.

She needed those emeralds, but that AI was in her way. She suspected her since her mesmer could not extend to machines, a factor she had not considered.

There was only one thing to do; NICOLE was too human and liked to travel one place at a time instead of exerting complete control like a real computer program. All she needed was a distraction, but what? Burn down a cottage? Implant her with a virus that would burn her away one kilobyte at a time?

Then her lips rose at the corners, exposing tiny fairy teeth as white as a mountain's snowcap.

Him! she thought.

She pulled out from her pocket a tiny human device she had stolen from the same little girl she had taken her uniform from. To modern humans, they were called civilian communicators or "Chatters" as a nickname. But in the past they were cell phones.

She entered the code of a satellite into the number then texted a short message and pressed send. Using public communications equipment would certainly mean the message would get picked up by New Mobotropolis and every other major government, giving her the distraction.

It would only take a few minutes to track, but in that time, she could get a guard under her will and the gems would be hers.

She proceeded to creep down the halls, making sure her sneakers didn't make enough noise to alert the wrong sort of soldiers.

While her footfalls may have been inaudible to the average human and indeed average Mobian, a dwarf ten feet underground could sense the vibration through the tile no problem.

Mulch had tracked Opal by her scent to the castle and had been lying underneath the ground floors for sound of her. Mulch and all dwarfs could determine the exact weight of a creature just by sound. It was a useful tracking technique so you could find the animals you wanted to eat by size.

After learning Opal's weight and ruling out other suspects, he got a match. It was fifty-fifty since there were other Mobians around her size, but it'd have to do.

He climbed up nine feet, then chipped a little hole through the floor with his nails. He made out jet black hair on a little girl. It was Opal alright and she was being nearly as sneaky as he was. Maybe he'd better hang back a minute and see what she was up to.

Mulch's train of thought was interrupted when the pixie saw a guard, took a step back into cover and accidentally stood on Mulch's exposed finger.

The dwarf let out a yipe and Opal ran towards the guard.

' Get him! ' she screeched in her hypnotic voice layered with magic, then ran off while Mulch was distracted.

The guard ran over and slammed his fist through the tile with his impressive strength, grabbing Mulch by the beard and pulling him out from underneath the ground.

Mulch went sliding across the polished floor and hit his head on the wall, faking unconsciousness and letting the bubbles in his get ready to be set free. The poor guard didn't stand a chance as all the air Mulch had consumed along with his meal of dirt came rushing out, blowing his bumflap open, knocking the guard off his feet while severely damaging his nasal passages and making his eyes water.

I didn't think anybody could smell worse than the captain! thought the guard as the smell overwhelmed him and his body shut down.

Mulch's powerful legs went to work and he ran after Opal, which he immediately regretted. A belly full of dirt and sudden running make for bad indigestion.

MARKET DISTRICT

Butler put on a show worthy of the hero of a third-rate action movie.

He had originally gone for supporting cast member, then the crocodile showed to be more skilled and agile than he had expected. More than once now he was forced to use some of his training to dodge Vector's blows by a hair's breadth.

Butler threw a punch and the third strongest member of the Chaotix Freedom Fighters grabbed him and threw against a fruit stall.

The bodyguard saw the rage in him and his training told him to delay the target. So he picked up an apple, threw it at Vector and the crocodile crushed it between his jaws. He then sought cover behind the little wooden shop and started throwing more fruit. First grapes, then more apples, then bannanas, tomatoes, oranges, lemons, even a water melon, Vector crushed them all.

Forget the fight, we could sell tickets to this! thought the manservant before getting serious and grabbing a couple of kiwis.

He threw them with good timing. The first fruit was caught in Vector's jaws but the second landed on his head, squashed against his hard skin and got the crocodile steaming like he was a lobster in a sea food chef's pot.

He reached over grabbed Butler in a bear hug.

'No need to get fruity,' said the manservant, the bad pun spurring on the crocodile.

Vector threw him against the ground, but Butler was prepared for this. He ducked and rolled at the last second, transferring his momentum to inertia and allowing him to jump back on his feet. The movement caused stretching and breathing pain in his chest, but it was only momentary.

The crocodile was flabbergasted for a second before getting back into a fighting stance. Butler and him started circling again, fists raised.

The fight had gone from brawl to a more sophisticated boxing match.

Vector threw quick blows with considerable force that left Butler in pain with every block, but he squashed that pain and tried his best to merely dodge when the opportunity arose.

The Mobian crocodile was starting to get into it. Right jab, left jab, right hook, left jab, block, uppercut, block, left jab, right jab.

That last move Butler ducked and delivered a spring-filled punch to his stomach. Then he started playing dirty and when Vector clutched himself in pain, he grabbed him by his chest and slammed him into the floor.

He waited for Vector to get up, but the crocodile looked a little rough.

'Don't give up yet, handbag,' said Butler, mockingly. 'You should be feeling up and ready to go. Didn't all that fruit count towards your five a day?'

'Stop it! He's hurt,' said Roxie.

'Shut your mouth, blondie,' said the manservant.

That insult got Vector back on his feet and his fists were back up.

'Vector? What the heck do you think you're doing?'

A red Mobian with dreadlocks and large fists with spikes came up to the group, looking annoyed at the crocodile.

'I'm teaching this guy a lesson,' said Vector.

'Yeah, well bell's rang,' said Knuckles. 'School's out. We're leaving.'

'Not 'till he takes back those insults!'

Butler threw both strong Mobians a smile to rile them.

'Let him stay, half-pint,' he said. 'I'm having fun beating him sense-'

A voice sounded in his ear. Butler had been especially careful to make sure Vector hadn't landed a hit on his head and damage the tiny fairy speaker.

'Opal's got away from me!' said Mulch, broadcasting on the team's private channel. 'She's heading to the market, back towards the blue and brown ones she hooked up with.'

Vector threw a punch. Butler ended his charade and blocked. Then in less than a second, he struck him in the nerve cluster in the armpit, sending massive pain throughout his body. Thankfully, this creature seemed to hold some of its human biology. With the shock of the pain, Vector's defences were down as the manservant used a series of rapid strikes on his body and kicked him into an alley unconscious.

Knuckles jumped up to attack Butler, but the bodyguard had been prepared and was already in the process of taking off his overcoat. He threw it around Knuckles and then blasted it with his modified Neutrino, knocking the Mobian into a sleep that should last for a good fifteen minutes.

Panic started just as it would with any crowd. People ran for cover from Butler and the big boys that were coming in to deal with him. They took the form of a squadron of Mes Braves Battalion soldiers. Six well muscled bears were getting ready to surround him, armed with only fists and wits. The poor saps.

They advanced as one and Butler dodged their strikes so they all forced against each other, then started attacking. He didn't bother with nerve clusters since they weren't guaranteed to work, so he decided to just knock them out.

They were considerably less well trained that the soldiers at GUN, making this somewhat easier. Their strength, however, exceeded the human norm a little and they actually seemed somewhat stronger than Butler himself. But that didn't work to their advantage this time.

The manservant's own bulk and honed skills were more than a match for them and they were soon sprawled out in a pile with headaches.

He turned away from them and got the wind knocked out of him by what he saw.

Though the bodyguard had faced armed soldiers, walking tanks and mutant animals within mere days, Butler could not help feel as if his heart had stopped at the sight of Opal Koboi standing high on a water feature to avoid Mulch.

Then Butler saw the blue Mobian from earlier and his brown friend come out and things got a whole lot more complicated.

The pixie summoned her magic and set the two Mobians on her enemies.

'Get them!' screeched Opal to Sonic and Sally, and the hedgehog and squirrel complied and went after Butler and Mulch, respectively.

Sonic was first to his target, moving with amazing speed and spinning in to a ball, spines extended. But Butler's reflexes were much faster than a normal man's thanks to his extensive magical healing. He used this advantage and the memory latex gloves to grab Sonic around a safe area while he was in the middle of his spinball move and threw the hedgehog hard into the ground.

The D'Coolettes Bunnie and Antoine, the recently married couple consisting of a southern cyborg rabbit cowgirl and a French coyote swordsman, charged at Butler while Sally ran to the Chaos Emerald Chamber with Opal.

Butler raced after them, but the D'Coolettes blocked his way, wanting to to help their friends and follow Opal's orders.

'Ah'm warnin' you!' said the golden-haired rabbit. 'Y'all stop this right now and Ah won't have to give your hide a whuppin'.'

Cute, thought Butler and got into a fighting stance that gave the appropriate message.

Bunnie used the jets installed in the bottoms of her robot feet to fly straight towards him, but Butler was prepared. He threw down a flash grenade and ducked just as she was blinded and missed the spot where his head had been moments ago as she flew out of control.

Antoine became enraged by this and brought out his sword. Butler brought out his Neutrino and fired a single shot, but Antoine's sword deflected it, amazingly enough. Butler tried again, this time firing three shots too fast for the coyote to deflect. He went down, and Butler wrenched open a door to a nearby house, throwing him inside before placing the door back where it was and running to assist his smelly comrade.

No doubt Mulch could handle the situation from here, but it was always good to have back up.

As it happened, the brown Mobian was giving the dwarf quite a handful. While Mulch was in prime condition for tunnelling, he was no fighter and the small creature was dealing out practiced punches and kicks that didn't leave the poor fellow time to think.

As the manservant went to help, Bunnie was recovering. She strated up her jets and got back on her feet, so to speak. She saw Butler and got ready to blast herself right into him.

Holly saw this and fired up her flight rig, taking off a few metres and went into action, heading straight for Bunnie.

The cyborg rabbit had her robotic arm outstretched and was moving just to the side of Butler, indicating she was going to lift him off the ground and throw him down somewhere. Good luck to hear with that. But better not take any chances.

Holly's Neutrino came up and blasting, knocking Bunnie out cold and disabling her rockets. The rabbit girl's momentum still kept sending her towards Butler and the LEP captain had to fly to intercept her with a grabbing air tackle to avoid injury to either her or Butler.

The manservant took a quick look behind and nodded his thanks before heading for Mulch's position.

In that instance, the Mobian had knocked Mulch unconscious and moved Opal to safety in a secure area. Soldiers were pouring in from all fronts, new bearing arms.

Holly didn't hesitate. She activated her shield, vibrating at such a speed that the naked eye could not make out more than a heat haze.

She ascended into the skies and set her Neutrino to fire in bursts, shooting cones directly into the heart of the groups of badly trained Mes Braves. They were fit and sharp, but their battle strategies for basic riots were way behind from the twenty-first century. Throw a spanner in the works like an invisible flying fairy with a sleepy-bye gun and they didn't stand a chance.

Butler went running to Opal's safe haven. The doors closed, then surreally became solid wall as if the entrance had never existed.

A normal person would reason battle fatigue and stress had caused some sort of hallucination. But in Butler's experience, he knew it was better to think twice about what you see.

'Holly, I need you here,' said the manservant, moving to the rear of the building. 'I've hit a wall, literally.'

Captain Short landed next to his position and used the filters on her helmet to zoom in on the outside wall of the chamber, and then ran a scan.

'Nanites,' she finally said, looking at the result being displayed on her visor. 'This entire city's made out of tiny robots. Maybe I can short-circuit them.'

Holly drew her Neutrino and fired dead centre. Fiery ripples of charge flew through the wall, disabling the tiny machines as they went.

'Now we can get through,' she said while running over to check on Mulch. 'But the nanites are still in our way disabled just as active. They're staying clumped together. We'll have to use some sort of small explosion or something to remove them.'

'I've got a better idea,' said Butler, and took a few steps back before charging through the wall.

Inside the chamber, Sally gripped Opal to her like a mother protecting her child. The pixie eventually knocked her away.

She was here. The Chaos Emerald Chamber. Six of the seven mystical gems that granted unlimited power. When all were gathered, physics could be defied and bended by one with the knowledge and right make up.

Even if Opal wasn't right genetically, she could always alter herself to change that. But for now, she could gain what she had never known she had lost. All that work taking the magical fluids of endagered animal species wasted by one dumb demon's block could be swept aside like a tumbleweed in the wind with the power of these gems.

' Open it ' Opal ordered Sally, and she complied, pressing her hand to the palm scanner and overriding the security codes and retina scan. Opal had needed to act fast before the mesmer damaged her irides and made it so no one could get the magical jewels.

She was about to reach out to the red Chaos Emerald, her face mirrored in its shining surface, when a echoing crash sounded, dust consisting of tiny machines and particles flew and Sally flung herself on to Opal to guard her again.

When the dust settled, Fowl's little pet gorilla was standing in front of them looking very intimidating and ready to fight.

Butler used the heat sensor on his iris cam to find the felon pixie in the dust. In seconds, he could see on his own.

Standing in front of Opal was the girl from outside, her stance fearless. But Butler could see through the mesmer and into her eyes. He'd seen that look before on a black ops mission during Desert Storm. He'd been assigned a young soldier as his partner to help him sneak through to behind enemy lines. She was scared deep down, but hiding it behind a brave face and determination. One good strike against her or her people would completely shatter her, sending her into an emotional breakdown. Perhaps losing Opal would cause such a thing...

Butler shook away this line of thought and resolved to scold himself later. This was ridiculous. Part of a bodyguard's job to make sacrifices for what was more important. At any rate, the girl was not thinking straight, and if Opal let go of her, she'd probably have absolutely no recollection of what had happened. Though he'd remembered everything the last time he was under Opal's mesmer. Would she suffer trauma?

His concern for the princess faltered a little when she kicked him in the knee cap and placed a painful blow with her knuckle between his tenth and ninth ribs when his leg collapsed and she could reach his sides.

Opal used the distraction to place her hand on the Chaos Emerald that glowed like molten lava and power surged through her body, restoring her magical abilities and sending enigmatic energies coursing through her.

'Oh, son of a-' Butler never got to finish that sentence as bright light blinded him and surprise drove the words from his mouth.

Outside, Holly was healing a slightly fractured rib of Mulch's when she received a worse migraine than after drinking twelve nettle slushies.

Magic, she thought. So much magic! More of it than in all of Haven City!

On the steps of Castle Acorn overseeing the commotion, NICOLE was going through a similar experience, although it was less intense. It was more like someone had walked over her grave, but instead of one person stepping it was like a hundred marching.

The shields over New Mobotopolis flickered and died. The power of the Chaos Emeralds absorbed by Opal left them completely exposed.

No! she thought. The message I intercepted! I've got to get the shields back up.

But something was wrong. Her system had been accessed. But that was impossible. Even Eggman couldn't break her encryptions. They were over nine thousand-bit. How could some hack her city?

Then she felt a digital presence appear in the market and then saw it. It was a human, large than the little girl and scarier. She instantly moved back to take cover behind the stone guard rails. Who was this?

Then the little pixie caught sight of one of the people she loathed most in the universe.

'Fowl!' screeched Opal and shot a blast of lightning at her hated enemy. But he simply vanished.

Opal blinked in confusion, then she heard a whistle and saw Artemis on the steps of Castle Acorn. She threw a sphere of fire this time, but all she did was mark the stone steps and nearly set NICOLE's robotic body on fire.

She heard the same whistle, and now three Artemis Fowls stood behind her. And another five on top of a building. Then even more all around her. There were Fowls by the dozen.

The princess of the Republic of Acorn then stumbled through the gaping hole in the Chaos Emerald Chamber, half-dazed and viewing the world as a spinning blur.

'Sally!' exclaimed NICOLE. 'Someone's hacked into my hologram matrices.'

Opal overheard this and Artemis's intentions became apparent to her.

She smiled maliciously. 'Very cute, Fowl. Very clever. Using holograms to get me to waste my power. But I'm smarter than you and you know it! My power cannot be drained so easily! I am nearing godhood.'

'What a coincidence,' said a cold voice, echoing throughout New Mobotropolis. 'For you see, as long as I am in control of this city's nanites, I am a virtual god.' Artemis himself appeared from thin air through another holographic projection with a smile on his face that leeked such arrogance and evil that Opal was almost jealous. 'Artemis Fowl with the power of a god. Now doesn't that just scare you to death?'

Sometimes the simplest sentences are the most terrifying ones.

Opal's response was another bolt of magic sent out of frustration that actually struck the hologram this time.

Then a sound echoed throughout the city. A shriek so loud it sounded distorted, like a terrible scream being played at full blast on a speaker.

The screech that nearly shattered ear drums and made blood run cold came from NICOLE. She'd felt Opal's strike on Artemis's hologram even though she wasn't in control of it. It was the worst pain she'd ever felt. It was like having a needle jabbed into her, only the needle was hooked up to a power socket and sent shocking eletricity through her body, making her convulse and feel like her throat was going to tear from strain.

Meanwhile, Artemis set to work on phase two.

He made a small dome to surround Opal, projecting holographic images that tricked her into thinking she was seeing the real world.

Pictures of Artemis kept jumping from place to place within a second, taunting Opal with every reappearance.

'You claim to be a genius,' he said before moving position, 'but you were manipulated by a maniac like an airheaded teenager who could mistake a musical genre with a talk show host.'

Light bright enough to blind flashed as more bolts were let off, short-circuting nanites and causing chunks of buildings to fall apart as if they had been reduced to clouds of dust.

NICOLE felt all of these and kept getting twinges in her body, starting to feel as she'd been poked with a needle every time the city was damaged. Sometimes the needle pierced and the pain got worse, but she had to maintain herself and try to get the shields back online. But all this pain was making it difficult.

Then she could feel her holograms being tampered with again. More intricately this time. Someone was making a holographic dome around Opal, projecting three-dimensional pictures.

Inside the dome, it seemed to the tiny pixie reality had been distorted. The city lay in ruins and she could swear she could see the faces of Artemis Fowl and her old partner Briar Cudgeon popping up all over the place. Then the LEP came marching, Foaly and Holly Short leading them with nasty grins.

Then, from the back of the band of fairy police, a portly elf with a face redder than a tomato appeared, flying over the officers using a flight rig, green smoke trailing from his cigar.

He landed right in front of her and said, 'We want pay-back, Koboi.'

Opal threw out more bolts, aiming for the police, but it bounced off and they seemed invincible.

Then clouds parted as if some giant had waved them away like smoke and the white ball of the moon shone down on her, Artemis Fowl's moving face embedded in the space rock, laughing down at her.

Opal fired lightning again at the moon, hitting the artificial sky not more than a metre above her head. Opal's rage seemed to better her aim and in the background screams sounded and got louder and more intense.

In the stealth shuttle, the shrieks caught Artemis's attention and he searched through the city's surveillance system and pinned the source to a Mobian lynx huddled on the floor clutching at herself, tears running from her eyes.

Opal spotted an Artemis hologram atop a building at hit it in the head.

Immediately, the female animal clutched at her skull as if the bone were on fire and scorching her skin from the inside.

Artemis realised that this must have been NICOLE, New Mobotropolis's AI system whose security systems he'd just bypassed thanks to Foaly's genius. Somehow, she was still linked to the holograms and could feel when Opal struck them. Artemis could be cold at times, but letting someone suffer like this was purely repugnant.

He shut down the holograms of himself and instead decided to hang back with the hologram deception. He looked to Doodah for a second for suggestions, but then he saw the hacked feed of the Chaos Emerald Chamber on one of the monitors.

A man rose up from the cockpit, though his appearance was bearing on inhuman. His disfigured body was just over six feet tall, a dome-shaped head resting in the middle of two broad shoulders. His stomach was so large it was like looking at the base of an egg, but his limbs differed considerably, being long and skinny. His legs were nothing but bone wrapped in muscle and flesh, no fat whatsoever. His arms were long and equally thin, ending in dexterous hands large enough to fit over a man's head, and his face was nothing but an enormous manical smile, with a large pink nose above and the largest moustache you're ever likely to see resting in the middle.

His clothing consisted of black, tight-fitting spandex-like pants reaching up to cover his vast stomach and matching boots with an odd pattern of iron plates where the laces should be. He wore a red coat with tails and gold button decoration adorned with white stripes stretching from front to back, and similar sliced up stripes going up his arms and chest. The sleeves of the coat ended in yolk yellow cuffs, and beyond them were white gloves covering his hands. Atop his head were a pair of work goggles and resting on his nose was a pair of dark blue pince nez glasses, hiding his eyes from the world.

Butler fired a few charges from his modified Neutrino 2000 on the nearest Eggman robot, and it began to spark upon impact as the charge made its way through the robot's body and fried all its inner circuitry.

Apparently, Butler thought, Eggamantium conducts neutrino charges. Perhaps my luck is changing. Then another Eggman robot sneaked up to him and charged at him and Butler was flung from his feet by the force of the blow. Nope. Still bad as ever.

'Mastodons now, eh? Latest model in the Eggman fashion line?' Sonic quipped. 'Why not make something more appropriate? Like an Egg Cockroach so I can really squash it.'

'Heed to my will, mortal,' said Opal in the hypnotic mesmer. 'Destroy the humans! Squash them like the bugs they are to me!'

Eggman looked stumped for a moment, before letting out an echoing guffaw.

'Bwa ha ha! Oh, oh... You're a laugh riot, kid,' he said, wiping an imaginary tear away. 'Now where was I? Oh yes. DEATH TO YOU, RODENT!!'

Butler shot a lone Egg Fighter. It sputtered and died in a haze of static. Then he renched off its disc-like head and pulled out two grenades, each with ten second timers.

He pulled out the pin of the first grenade and put it right in front of the robot, then placed the second in its body and put the head back before running for cover. Four seconds later, the first grenade went off and sent the robot body hurling into the heart of a troop of Egg Fighters. Then the second went off inside it, causing shrapnel, fire and sheer explosive force to fly around the immediate area, destroying the closest robots and severely damaging all the others.

Butler quickly moved between the buildings for cover, and when he was close enough, ran straight for the armed buggy Team Dark had come in and jumped into it. He didn't even need to hot-wire the car. The keys were still in the ignition.

Butler floored the accelerator and the car zoomed off towards the Egg Mammoth with surprising speed.

The buggy was armed with twin missile launchers for these kinds of situations, but Butler didn't know this. He did, however, spot a red button with the word 'boost' on the gear stick, and pressed it when he was only two metres away from the Egg Mastodon and jumped out of the car.

The force of the car ramming into the mech caused the Egg Mastodon to lose its balance and topple over onto the ground, shaking the earth on impact.

Butler then walked over, yanked Eggman out of the cockpit and behind the overturned Egg Mastodon to give them both some cover from Opal.

Eggman surreptitiously activated his glasses' sytems by caressing their rims. The dictator then issued a series of blinks, flitting through the various filters until he finally came across the power level analyser and disgnostic settings. As he observed the data, Eggman let out a vicious smile tinted with the genius's madness. This little girl had enough power in her body to run an army of Egg Fighters. Shame all the working Egg Grapes were occupied at the moment. He'd have to dump some of the contents into the lava of his Egg Factory to make room.

Eggman ran over to the Egg Mastodon's cockpit and pulled out two very large guns perfectly suited for his shovel-sized hands. They were mainly grey and red, with yellow and black hazard lines right before the barrel. These were Eggman's twin Egg Boomers, so named because everything they were shot at went boom.

Butler ripped off the head of an Egg Fighter and shoved a grenade in the new hole and quickly ducked for cover. The grenade went off inside the robot's body and shrapnel was sent everywhere, forcing people to hide behind whatever they could or be fatally injured.

'Don't worry, rodent! I won't just up and kill you. I've got something special planned for a hero of your caliber.'

Eggman then did a run for the Egg Mobile and jumped into it with a 'Yosh!'

'I caught the little Freedom Fighter! Ha ha ha ha!'

'Ah-ah-ah! Chase after me, Sonic, and I'll set this ship to go as fast as you can. Your little friend wouldn't look the same with his face ripped off by g-force.'

Something seemed off to the hedgehog, though. The face's various expressions between speaking seemed genuine, but the boy's body was completely still. Sonic was right to notice this. The computer hologram system aboard the shuttle added bodies to faces, so people could sit in their seats with the bodies they'd assigned themselves from a list of images and talk to others in comfort. Once, Commander Kelp had accidentally posted a hologram of himself with a bikini model's body when conversing to the Council. His cheeks had stayed red for a week.

'Wait!' said Sonic. 'Who are you?'

The mysterious boy turned to face him in a most eery fashion. Almost as if he had glided across the ground. 'I am Artemis Fowl the Second.'

Sonic shrugged. 'I've never heard of you before.'

The boy showed an amused smile across his face. 'So much for an artist being better appreciated outside his own time.' And with that, he vanished.

A new arm appeared out of the side of the Egg Mobile, but instead of ending in a three-fingered claw, it was a machine gun.

Bullets went flying and struck the Tornado's engine, sending up black smoke.

Sally looked up, but saw nothing. It seemed as if the clamps had appeared from thin air. In reality, Artemis had chased after Eggman and Opal, but when he saw Sally in danger, he aborted his mission and fired the ship's magnetic docker clamps at the wings of the Tornado. Now all Sally had to do was climb on them and Artemis could release the ship's magnetic grip on the plane.

Eggman flicked through the various projects shown before him by swishing them aside with his hand.

The holograms worked on a series of light projectors being reflected of a non-lethal gas that was otherwise invisible and motion sensors that detected the hand gestures and registered them as commands.

When he was finished looking over his projects, Eggman sighed and leaned back in his seat, allowing the gentle rush of the warm air to fly through his moustache.

His empire was getting harder and harder to keep hold of. All his enforcements were at the ready to betray him the moment he lost power so they could rule the world. One of them was his personal lackey, but it did liven things up a bit.

Despite all this distressing information, Eggman had smile to himself, his maniacal grin a sight that would have asylum workers breaking out the straight jackets.

His plan was working. His defeat at New Megaopolis had been inevitable, but all he had to do was bide his time until he could escape prison. When the opportunity came, he started building machines of mass destruction again. For a month, the people of Mobius thought the war was over and breathed easy, finally relaxing. Now Eggman was back on the loose, ready to wage another global battle. And they would be ready for him. All according to plan.

They will want me stopped and will fight back to do so, the mad but brilliant dictator thought. A new war will begin, this time with more casualties. That'll dampen the rodent's spirits, knowing that all around the world people are dying because of me and even he isn't fast enough to protect all of them. With his friends and allies dropping like flies day after day, he shall soon be at his breaking point. Then I can launch the final strike. Then I can defeat him, and the planet will be mine! A whole planet of robots and slaves to serve as my soldiers. There is so much more out there to conquer. Beyond the stars! I shall rule... everything.

'I see you got my message.'

CHAPTER 12: OMNIPOTENT OPAL
Two mintutes later, NICOLE finished her search and reported in. 'Sally, I have completed my assignment. At first, I could find nothing on Artemis Fowl. Then I ran a deep search and I came across a very old public-access database written in an unknown language, but I was able to get a rough translation, and from there what I found was amazing. According to my findings, the database was last updateed roughly 12,000 years ago and was used by an organisation known as the Lower Elements Police. Fowl was on a criminal profile.'

'So Fowl's a crook?' asked Rouge, ignoring this awing piece of information.

'Was. This database last reports him as a successful CEO of his own company, Fowl Entreprises. I found data on everyone else we saw with him as well. I am posting a display for you now.'

Soon, profiles for the five mysterious beings flashed on the screen, and Sally began to skim through. NICOLE had obligingly highlighted some of the more important bits.

Rouge got tired of waiting for the reveal after about two minutes. 'So? What's it say?'

'Basically, everybody Fowl is associated with has the potential to take us down for good,' said Sally.

'Pish. We can down any old bad guys.'

'You would be right, except these are the good guys. Fowl allied himself with these strange creatures as did his bodyguard, Butler. They've hunted down and stopped many major threats all within the span of fifty years.'

'Well that's nothing special. Compared to our track record at least.'

'True. But these methods... This Fowl kid is a complete genius. No two ways about it. He's like Mammoth Mogul, but still in his teens. It says here that he also served as a general during a conflict known as World War III. An... Iranian anarchist working as a scientist for a nuclear weapons facility launched a single missile into the heart of a country called... How do you pronounce that? Roossia? Or maybe Rush-a? Anyway, the missile killed a total of seven million people in the initial blast. Then these other two countries England and America joined forces to mount a sabotage mission so all other missiles would be inoperative in case they were attacked next. The Iranians were still making investigations, and this led to war that spanned through six other countries, and two continents. The conflict lasted two years, and in that time, Fowl joined the military while undergoing secret investigations of his own into the incident that started it all by deploying his bodyguard into the country. After a year and a half, they got proof that the missile attack was not related to the government as rumours had circulated, and six months later the authorities there confirmed it, and the war was over.'

'But we're dealing with him before all this?'

'Yeah. Possibly. There are many alternate futures on Mobius, the same could be said all those years back. And I'm looking over these tactics he thought up and... This Artemis Fowl is really a genius. And in multiple fields. He's got degrees and doctorates of almost every kind. He's won awards for his work. It's all so incredible. I mean, he must have somehow figured out a way to travel through time to capture this Opal character when Power Rings and the technology that existed today was all fiction.'

'I have more information regarding Opal Koboi and Fowl's pursuit of her,' said NICOLE, rejoining the conversation. 'The night you found her, soldiers reported sighting a man chasing a little girl through the streets of Soleanna. I hacked into the city's security network, viewed recordings from their surviellance cameras and made an X-ray analysis of the man to confirm his bone structure and height. I compared it to the statistics taken from the profile I discovered, and the man was Artemis Fowl's bodyguard, known only as Butler. There is gygabytes of data about this man, mainly detailing operations he has been involved in, his skills and training. This man is like the ultimate super soldier. There is also a video file showing him do battle with a vicious creature identified as a troll. Shall I display?'

'Please, NICOLE.'

A holographic orb of green light was cast up by the sentient computer, and at its heart displayed Butler battling a creature Sally could only have dreamed up in her worst nightmares. The human fought it using a mace and suit of armour and amazingly emerged victorious after shooting the creature and finally going against it with his gauntleted hands.

'You've got to be kidding me,' said Rouge. 'There's no way this guy's human.'

'I also checked the G.U.N. security files after you said Artemis Fowl matched the description Hope Kintobor gave of the intruder in your base. X-ray scan confirms the man with him was Butler. I made a comparison of their skeletal structures and came up with ninety nine point six per cent match. It seems Butler sustained some injuries to his bones that were healed at an amazing rate.'

'You're telling me a human took down Sigma-Alpha 2, three G.U.N. Walkers, some of the most powerful Mobians on the planet and a troop of Eggman robots. Can humans do that? Or did they just lose it a few milleniums down the line?'

'No. Butler is classified as uniquely skilled and dangerous and surveillance files list him as being able to backlift a maximum amount of four thousand, seven hundred and fifty pounds. This combined with the powers of these creatures and Artemis Fowl's genius has made them virtually unbeatable.'

'Well,' said Sally, trying to lift their spirits. 'At least they're on our side.'

'Are they?' said Rouge, lowering them deep enough to nestle with dinosaur bones.

'One joke about women drivers, Sonic, and I'll reduce you to a blue smear on the wheel.'

'Keep driving like that and it'll happen anyway.'

'Could you tell me just what these guys are capable of?'

'Certainly, Holly. Some closed files I hacked into should provide all the information necessary. Let's see. First off we have Princess Sally Alicia Acorn. She has impressive martial arts skill for her age, and according to this she has quite the tactical mind. Nothing quite as impressive as yours truly, of course, but it has to be said that plans like these made so quickly aren't without merit.'

'So she's the head.'

'Yes. Next in line is one Sonic the Hedgehog, thought of as quite the hero, having saved Mobius many times during his exploits. A number of which he did have assistance with, though. Physical capabilites include super speed, impressive combat ability, though amateuristic, and he can withstand considerable damage. Though, according to this, it's not surprising. It says here he can surpass speed of mach one, and I've seen him come close to this. If a body can withstand travelling that great a speed, heaven knows would kind of physical damage he could take.'

'Can deal it fast and can take it too. Noted. Next.'

'Shadow the Hedgehog. Initially thought to be a bio-weapon made from only altered Mobian DNA, it was revealed blood from an actual extraterrestrial was used to give him the ability to manipulate some sort of energy called the Chaos Force. He's been alive fifty years and was trained in weapons' usage, vehicle controls and combat from high-ranking military.'

Holly blinked in amazement. 'This list isn't going to get any better, is it?'

'Don't worry, Holly. We haven't made them our foes, yet. And Mobians seem to be peaceful. But moving on, next in line is a preteen mechanical genius called Miles Prower, otherwise known as Tails. He can fly using his twin tails and is also an accomplished pilot and inventor. He was the one who was kidnapped. After this comes Rouge the Bat, a professional thief with considerable strength in her legs and a combat style similar to ninjitsu accompanied with espionage training. She could be a better thief than Mulch, and that is truly an accomplishment.'

Mulch nodded graciously at the compliment while wondering if he'd been simultaneously insulted.

'The only one left is a robot named E-123 Omega, who is nothing more than the world's most advanced tank on legs. His artillery is greater than most armies, and he keeps it stored all within his upper body. Now to our hostile. Doctor Eggman, aka Doctor Ivo Robotnik, real name Julian Kintobor of the House of Ivo. It says he that comes from an alternate dimension and fills the gap left by this world's Doctor Robotnik after he died. He underwent a process known as roboticization to turn his body from organic to metal, making him a robot with the mind of a genius. He became invincible for a short time, being able to escape circumstanes were anyone else would have died thanks to his robotic bodies. The roboticization process was reverted by an alien species known as the Bem, so now he is organic again. He has an intelligence quotient of three hundred, and the ability to create schemes of immense proportions using a robotic army and currently controls most of the planet. We're dealing with Hitler in spandex and a ringmaster's coat.'

'Seen this one in a Bond movie, big man?' asked Holly.

'Bond movie? I haven't even seen anything like this in Star Wars.'

'Butler', called Artemis with a touch of excitement in his voice. 'You must see this. The DNA analysis shows that these "Mobians" are a mixture of human and animal DNA merged together. These creatures are mutant beings, hybrids of homosapien and almost all creatures lower on the intellectual scale. They've even come further than humans in some areas, like technology. They have each created devices superior to humankind's own.'

'That's all well and good, Artemis,' said Holly from the front of the ship. 'But right now Opal Koboi is running off with a self-absorbed dictator bent on world domination.'

'A match made in heaven if there ever was one,' Artemis commented drily. His sense of humour had the aggravating habit of coming to the fore whenever the situation was at its most stressful.

Dr. Eggman sat in the main laboratory of the Egg Factory with Opal, looking over the new robot just manufactured. Its skinny body was covered from top to bottom in white and black armour, and had a head shaped like a Frisbee with a single optic eye. Its armaments consisted of a missile launcher on its right arm and a machine gun on the left. It also came with a jet engine in its back for hovering. Eggman couldn't help but admire the handiwork and great craftsmanship of the design, and this was only one of four models.

'I must say, Miss Koboi,' said Eggman, 'these new modifications to my Egg Gunner designs are brilliant. And you made the perfect models for my Egg Rollers idea in no time at all. You're an evil genius after my own heart. And I must also thank you for your contribution to my little side-project.'

'The new design is rather splendid, but the SCR-GPs are nothing to fret about,' said Opal while filing her nails. 'Their ingenuity is no greater than their name of Egg Rollers compared to my designs for your Operation: Eggstermination. But there's no chance of that plan working unless you get the other necessities.'

'Don't you worry about them,' said Eggman with an air of nefarious cunning and malice. 'My Egg Cruiser will soon be ready and I can collect the Destructicite crystals from Mobius's asteroid belt. With them, Operation: Eggstermination can't fail. The Eggman Empire will be all powerful again, and I shall rule it all from right here in Metropolis. I think I shall destroy one of the continents when that happens, build a new glorious vast city from the ashes and christen it Egg Capital as a gift for myself. Or better yet, ha ha ha, pave over the entire world and turn it into the Egg Planet. My own glorious world with an all-powerful army of robots serving my every whim with that hedgehog behind bars, living for the sole purpose of giving me entertainment by being tortured or humiliated whenever world domination starts getting tedious. But why stop there! I'll construct a super laser in orbit and have it carve Mobius's surface into my own face, so that even from the stars, people will know Doctor Eggman is this world's great ruler!'

Opal smiled an evil smile at the Doctor's view of the future. He may be deranged, but his ideas and schemes were so deliciously inspired.

Snively took that moment to walk in and deliver some news to his adoptive uncle.

'Sir, satellites show that something is heading towards Metropolis at high speed. It must be the Hedgehog and his friends, sir.'

'Now, now, incompetent lackey,' said Opal in a voice as if talking to a disobedient child. 'It is ma'am and sir now that I am here with your uncle.'

'Ooh... I'd like to give you such a whack you witch!' muttered Snively to himself as he walked away.

'What was that!?' said Opal, furious.

'I said "I think on my back, there's an itch",' said Snively and proceeded to try and scratch himself in a place he'd never been able to reach.

'Long time no see, rodent! What do you think of these brilliant new robots Miss Koboi designed?' Eggman asked. 'Their inner-workings are absolutely spectacular! Their armour is made of a newly discovered metal found by my grand empire known as Eggamantium; The strongest metal on Mobius. And let's not forget the best part about these babies; They have such great computing and battle situation protocols that they make your wife's NICOLE look like a pocket calculator. They're smart, smart enough to out-think you and your little band of renegades with the utmost precision, Sonic.'

'We'll see about that, Eggman!' said Sonic, tauntingly. 'Your new hardware's smart enough, but let's see if they're fast enough.'

Sonic zoomed off, leaving his friends to their own fights. He moved at supersonic speed through the city of Metropolis, being careful to avoid rivers of acid and patrolling robots. The Egg Gunners followed with their jets at full speed and they're guns working at maximum power. It was already pain-stakingly obvious that Sonic was faster than them.

Sonic ran up to a wall and jumped on to it, then sprung right back off, causing the robots to slam into the solid wall at full speed and explode. If they had been going slower, they might have been able to pull up, but Sonic had made sure to make them go at maximum speed for his plan to work.

'You were saying about your robots being smart, doc?' said Sonic with his trademark grin.

Eggman let out a burst of hysterical laughter. 'Don't get cocky yet, my spiny friend. They weren't meant to catch you. They were meant to lure you in.'

Sonic bent his knees a little at this, ready to spring into action. His choice was a wise one, as in less than a second three white robots in the shape of wheels burst out from various buildings and were in hot pursuit of Sonic.

The hedgehog moved at high speed to avoid them, but these robots were fast. Incredibly fast, fast enough to catch Sonic.

One of them got to within a metre of Sonic, and it then transformed in mid-roll and then began to fly in order to stay close to the hedgehog. The robot had a single red eye that locked on to Sonic and large metal feet that were painted gold and had long. On other side of its chest were thin golden arms like pipes that ended in three black, metal fingers that reached out for Sonic.

Sonic turned around so he was running backwards, stuck out his tongue and pulled at his eye, making a very insulting face. The Egg Roller attempted to grab Sonic, but the hedgehog jumped out of grabbing distance and leaped on to the robot's head right in front of its eye.

The robot was now blinded and was trying desperately to grab Sonic. Its two comrades then transformed and went into hover mode to grab Sonic, but the hedgehog managed to avoid them. The two robots then climbed on to their comrade in order to capture Sonic, and that was when he put his plan into action.

Sonic jumped off of the Egg Roller with such force that it went face first into the ground, and then bounced back off of it again and again until if finally landed in a river of acid along with its comrades. The robots were devoured by the river of green acid within less than a minute.

'Launch the sonic missiles!' ordered Eggman.

'The hedgehog's out of the city limits, sir!' informed Snively. 'He's travelling at five miles per second.'

'Freedom Fighters, so called "heroes of Mobius," many times have we fought, and many battles have you won. By the mercy of your own Aurora, you won the war. The Second Robotnik War. But no longer do I go by the name of Robotnik. At that time, I was a bumbler. My ideas all too shrewd and my goals all too small. Today I am Eggman, leader of the Eggman Empire. My very own kingdom, which rules over most of this planet. I am now more successful than I ever was before. So, on this very day, a new war begins. The Eggman Onslaught. No more Robotnik. My former self is forgotten. In this new war, my armies will be deadlier. My ideas greater. My schemes grander! And my enemies...' Eggman's face was dominated by his maniacal smile as he heinously whispered, 'No more.'

Three Egg Rollers were flying in to provide back-up. Butler pulled out a metal sphere the size of a cricket ball, flicked back the safety cap, waited for five seconds, then threw it into a river of acid. Another five seconds later, what was left of the grenade exploded, and the contents of the river were sent flying into the air and enveloped the incoming Egg Rollers. Butler had taken advantage of the ten-second countdown so that it detonated just as the Egg Rollers were flying over the acid river.

'Allow me to introduce myself. I am Artemis Fowl II, former criminal mastermind and a being who shall haunt your worst and darkest nightmares for years to come,' said Artemis, and went into a small bow while simultaneously giving Eggman his best vampire-like smile.

'Ha ha ha! Look at these fools! Fighting, trying desperately to save the lives of their comrades. But why? Why are you doing any of this, knowing your fates are sealed?'

'Oh ho! You haven't told them yet, have you, Artemis? Creatures of the distant past, let me be the first to inform you that in fifty years' time, you die! The great Doctor Ivan Kintobor will capture a live specimen of an alien race known as the Xorda. He dissects the little squid and then comes the fireworks. The apocolypse! Armageddon! The end of the world as you know it.' Eggman turned to face Artemis's hologram. 'Tell me, little Arty. How long is left on the clock? You must have known about this, to keep the Xorda's attack hidden from your friends. You know what this means, don't you? Let me spell it out for you! Artemis Fowl the Second, hero of Earth and saviour of the fairy people, loses! His big brain for all it's worth cannot come up with the solution, and billions of his own kind die. Including him! Your mother, your father, your brothers, the little girl across the street from your house! All dead! All because the one person on the planet who could do something about it failed! The blood of mankind is on your hands, little Arty! And you're responsible for so much more! The creation of Mobians, overlanders, and even me! Yes, why me! If the Xorda had been stopped, I would probably never exist. Nor would all the other scum of this planet. And you know it, Arty! Your friends, your family. Everything your young eyes ever looked at, poof!'

The lip of the hologram Artemis trembled. His eyes watering. Father. Mother. Beckett. Myles. Butler. Mulch. Holly. Dead. His fault.

'And what about you? Why do you fight? You must have someone that is to die because of your master's failure? A brother? Mother? Father? Sister?'

'An emotional bodyguard! Oh, you are a shame to your cause! What would your ancestors say of you? Your own parents would disown you! Your sister would think you a disgrace! You shall die in shame!'

'I should have died years ago!' said Butler. 'But thanks to the fairies, I'm alive today. I've had more years to live than I was given. I'll do the same for them, so don't think this soldier is ready to give up yet, Fatso!'

'My mother told me something when I was young! When my grandmother was dying, she told me that anyone could die at any moment. You can't schedule when you die, or predict how you're going to. You must simply live every day like it is the last opportunity you have! I've seen my comrades fall beside me! And I realise just how right she was! So, the people of the world only have fifty years to live. Well that's fifty years I will fight for! Fifty years for them to accomplish their dreams. I'll keep fighting. And there is nothing you or that egg-shaped freaked can say to change my mind!'

Eggman lifted a large red and black gun with an unusually big scope with added mechanics so the filters wouldn't glitch. This was his custom-made EB-917 Blaster Rifle. He took aim briefly at Butler's leg through the scope and fired.

This activated the rifle's shutter laser, just like the one Hope had made for Omega. Except the young mechanical prodigy wasn't aware her "uncle" had had the same idea.

The shot of the laser actually split Butler's kneecap, and he went down like a bombarded rugby player.

'Surrender, girly! Before I'm forced to put a hole in you,' said Snively.

Girly? Holly wasn't about to take that, even if a gun was trained at her chest.

She shielded and it appeared to Snively as if the girl had vanished right before his eyes. The short overlander lowered his weapon while he pondered what he just saw, trying to make sense out of it. Big mistake. The little toady with the big nose received two invisible slaps on each cheek and one uppercut right to the jaw, sending him flying back on to the metallic ground. It'd take a few weeks to get rid of those bruises. And probably a few months before the Egg Workers stopped snickering behind his back.

'Sweet spark-plugs!' exclaimed Eggman.

'The next time you shoot someone dead in the chest, make sure they have a heart to shoot first.'

Omega, now firing bullets that expelled casings the size of soda cans, hefted Butler on his shoulder with his free arm and launched him into the LEP shuttle. Perhaps this should have been done a bit more gently, but it was either Butler in a little pain now, or Butler cremated in a little pot on the fireplace forever.

'I HATE THAT HEDGEHOG!'

'AND I HATE THAT HUMAN!'

Then, just as everyone relaxed, believing their troubles were over for the moment, Eggman appeared in front of their ship in his Egg Mobile.

In the aircraft's two arms was Opal's limp body, clutched tightly together.

Eggman stood tensed, facing them boldly. His fists clenched, and his expression unsettlingly neutral, going on terrifying.

Behind his glasses, a glow of red light appeared, shining brightly and menacingly.

Then, somehow, his glasses lost their dark hue, becoming completely clear, and showing them his eyes underneath. His red pupils burned brightly in the centre of pitch black scleras, like a red light shining from inside the darkest tunnel, basking them in its glow.

The strange phenomenon had then routed to their seats, completely paralysed in an unexplainable terror.

Finally the silence was broken, though everyone would have preferred if it hadn't been.

Eggman laughed a laugh of purest, darkest giddiness, the light shining from his eyes bouncing as his body shook from his complete gayety.

Then the cockpit of the Egg Mobile became engulfed within a dome of tinted glass, hiding Eggman from the rest of the world before flying back to Metropolis.

They all sat in their seats, wondering if Eggman had done something to fill him with such joy, or if he was just plain bonkers. But Artemis knew better.

He's laughing because he's found fresh meat, he realised. New opponents. New players in his war games. Things just got very complicated.

CHAPTER 13: GENII WITH THE LIGHT BROWN HAIR
'Whatever choice I make, there will be a body count, and definite genocide. But with one there is infinitely more death.'

'Artemis, you're not making any sense.'

'If I stop the Xorda's attack, the creation of overlanders and Mobians will be stopped, thus erasing billions. If I let the Xorda destroy the world, humanity will survive, but will lose so many of its numbers. We are a violent race, and self-destructive. If we re-invent ourselves, there may be a chance. But I have no way of being sure. However, here, in this time-line, I can see them evolving. Going down a new path. We are still violent, but we don't cause as much damage, nor seek out to conquer each other. Humanity is at peace here, and they have two new species to help keep them on the right track. If I change this world's history, the outcome will likely result in Earth's own destruction, and humanity's. Either way, the result is the death of billions. So I will not interfere. I will not allow myself to be driven insane with the guilt of knowing I have wiped off men, women, children and people with the potential to do remarkable things. We will capture Opal and we will bring her back. Nothing else. There's... Nothing I can do. And you have no idea how much it hurts me to say that.'

'Butler here is my bodyguard. The Butlers have been protecting the Fowl family for centuries. All members of his family are either bodyguards or assassins.'

'Well, almost all, Artemis,' corrected Butler. 'My sister Juliet is a wrestler and I also have a cousin in America who is an artist who draws comic books for a living. My, it's been a long time since I last saw old Steven,' muttered Butler under his breath before drawing out of his past memories and back to the present.

'In a way, Metropolis's force field is powered atomically,' said Omega in his usual monotone voice.

'Atomically? How?'

'There is an electro-magnetic ring buried underground surrounding the city. The ring sends out an intense pulse of electro-magnetic energy.'

Artemis slapped his own forehead.

'Of course,' he said, the explanation of it all dawning on him. 'This shield doesn't appear from thin air. It is thin air. It's everything. Atoms exist within everything on this planet, even the air. Atoms are surrouned by a cloud of negatively charged electrons. If Eggman used this magnet to reverse the polarity of the electron cloud to positively charged, they would attract atoms nearby, forming a mass large enough to cover the city. It's genius. Completely ingenious. Everything on this planet is made of negatively charged atoms. Nothing could get through one of these shields.'

'But atoms can't be seen,' said Sally. 'They're too small to see unless you use an extremely powerful microscope. So why are they showing up blue? And how come we can see through it?'

'Excellent question. Brilliant question. And I have no idea what the answer is.'

Heads turned in unison to the Irish youth. Artemis expected smug looks to appear at any moment, so he put his brain into over-drive and thought up an explanation with plenty of holes in it based entirely on theory. He'd be great as a political adviser.

'Eggman's using a new energy source for his robots, correct?'

Sally nodded, wondering why Butler and every fairy still had the same look on their faces.

'Perhaps this electro-magnet doesn't run on electricity then, and what's powering it has the side-effect of causing the electron clouds surrounding the atoms to glow blue. So that answers that question. As for the transparency, it's possible some atoms are not being effected by the magnet, leaving billions of holes for us to see through and allow air to pass in. Just think of it like the world's largest, and at the same time smallest, security gate.'

Looks were stowed and minds were placed back on the job. No one had bothered listening to the jargon, but they all knew that whatever conclusion Artemis came to had a near one hundred per cent chance of being right.

Opal and Eggman sat at a long dining table in one of the more opulent rooms by electric candle-light. The dictator had dressed up for the celebration of his new army and was wearing a different version of his regular uniform. It had gold buttons in the shape of bottle caps instead of slabs and he had even managed to tame his straggly moustache with an Eggamantium comb dipped in motor oil.

Everything on their table was a food of Eggman's favourite, as he very rarely had guests. Every one of the dishes had Eggman's face on them and had the word "egg" in it.

There was the "Egg Dictator Sandwich", which was a foot long submarine sandwich with everything on it from sardines to pickled eggs. Then the was the "Egg-squisite Dinner", which was a plate of king prawns surrounded by fruits and vegetables that made it look like Eggman's face. Opal detected a slight hint of motor oil in the meal that made it far from "Egg-squisite". "Egg Dogs", which were hot dogs with a sickly green sauce on them. Then for desert there was "Egg Candy", which were huge lollipops with Eggman's face that tasted extremely bitter. Poppin' Eggcorn, which was basically popcorn that tasted like sawdust and finally Egg Puffs, which looked like large pieces of dough with the symbol of the Eggman Empire. Eggman had said it had a creamy filling, but what Opal found was a bitter and strange coloured gunk.

At each entrance to the dining room stood two blue robots with chests the shape of tea cups with lights on wielding a sword with spikes and a shield. These were Eggman's Egg Fighter robots that were supposed to form his new army, but had now been demoted to security duty and were now in charge of guarding Metropolis. Some of the more elite ones served as Eggman's personal bodyguards. Apparently, the Egg Fighters had saved Eggman from a group of cyborg echidnas armed with lasers and dressed in cloaks. Perhaps Eggman wasn't such an idiot after all if could actually made robots that could do their jobs well.

After finishing off an Egg Dictator Sandwich in three bites and downing a glass of Dr. Egger, Eggman addressed Opal.

'We will have to devise a new strategy to pulverise my enemies,' he said casually. 'The kidnapping won't work again and they won't fall into another trap by charging into the city after they've seen my new assault force. We shall have to create some sort of device strong enough to break through the energy field surrounding New Mobotropolis.'

'Why not use brute force again like last time?' Opal asked.

'Wouldn't work. It only succeeded the first time because of you, my dear. Your burst of magical energy upset the boundaries for a moment and let me crash through them. I had only intended to cause a bit of havoc outside the city until a Freedom Fighter came along to fight me off so I could distract them from their inevitable attempt to destroy my Egg Factory.'

Opal nodded. It made sense. 'What about its power source? Can you access it?'

'Well, yes, but destroying it would be suicide. Its powered by the remains of Robotropolis, my alternate counterpart's former city. I launched a nuclear missile attack on it once the Mobians had successfully recaptured it and declared it as their home. It is now surrounded by a field of its own that contains the radiation. If we were to make any attempt to disable or damage it, nuclear fallout would spread across half of the planet. No, it would not work. But I have made a device that can penetrate minor energy fields, but ones the size and power of New Mobotropolis's is beyond its capacity. Perhaps you have some ideas how to remedy that?'

Opal smiled malaciously. 'Fear not, Ivo. There is not a piece of mechanical equipment in existence that can't be improved by Opal Koboi.'

'Excellent!' said Eggman with a firm nod.

'Oh, and Miss Koboi. We must discuss the matter of your wardrobe.'

'My wardrobe,' asked Opal with mixed puzzlement and terror.

'Yes. As you will soon be a high-ranking member of the Eggman Empire, you must wear the attire that shows your status. So, I took the liberty of putting this together.'

From behind his back, Eggman pulled out a version of his own outfit in blue draping over a clothes' hanger.

Opal's expression at the clothing was one of complete repugnance. She looked like she was posing for The Scream.

'They seem to be heading back, sir!'

'WHAT!?!'

Eggman bolted from his seat, roaring with pure anger. He picked up a plate full of dessert and threw it at Snively.

'Get to your station, or else the next plate I throw will be empty! And then I shall pick up the broken shards and toss them at you!!'

'Oh, Opal,' said Eggman debilitatedly. 'I love it when you talk vengeance to me.'

Behind their backs, Snively let a revolted look take over his features. It was taken to the extreme, with all the trimmings. Including forced closed eyes and sharp intake of breath. If anything, it would earn a silver medal for sure, but was easily beaten by Opal's expression, which looked as is she'd just sucked on a bag full of limes, three lemons and one particularly spicy curry.

CHAPTER 14: MURDER MOST FOWL
'This Robotnik character is truly fascinating,' said Artemis. 'If you're looking at him from a psychological point of view. I've observed him by reading data entries and watching recordings of Eggman and his schemes. At an educated guess and a touch of personal theory, I would say his childhood was nonexistant. He had no friends, no pets, nothing of what normal children should have. He only had an older brother he loathed, and a mind comparable to no other. He was neglected by his parents and everyone around him, and that is why he's waged this Napoleon-type campaign. He wishes to have the attention of everyone. He trusts nothing but the machines he himself has built. His intellect is his sole drive in life, and he believes that it is his great power, which it is. He rightfully believes his mind so great, that only he can rule Mobius. He is but a gifted child in the body of a powerful man. He creates machines in the forms of people and creatures because he never had friends, true family, or even a faithful pet like every other child around him. That's why he's doing this. He wants to rule the world to fill the void in his life. A void that has been there since the day he was born. His hatred of all those who paid him no mind he has done away with has since been projected onto one being. One who has foiled all his plans and nefarious schemes despite Eggman's greater intellect. This is what makes him a mad man. A threat. The world's worst enemy, and one of its greatest victims.'

'Don't you have anything non-lethal?'

Omega ran a thorough search through his word program for a hit. Two seconds later, he found the word's definition, and he immediately shot Holly a look of pure revolt at the thought.

'You've been making weapons?' asked Holly, revolted.

'I've had ideas and kept them. When I hacked into Foaly's server after he'd infiltrated mine, I saw schematics for all LEP weapons. They gave me my own ideas and I saved them on my Digi-Pad. The Softnose is the only one I actually had made.'

'Common market alkaline D cell. Should give you about twenty-five shots. More likely twenty-four.'

'Wouldn't a Duracell have been better?'

'Mister Mogul! How nice to hear your voice and verbal intensity.'

'What is it, boy?'

'That stolen satellite of yours. Could you use it to patch me through to Commander Lionel Westwood of G.U.N. please?'

'What!? Has your mind lost its grip on reality? I will never do anything so ludicrous.'

'Really. Tell me, that SWATbot that was decapitated by Butler near your casino's rear entrance. Is it undergoing repairs?'

'Yes. It is back to full working order and is functioning at full capacity. I see what you are doing, Fowl. You're trying to intimidate me by having me remember a display of your bodyguard's skill. Well I am not so easily shaken. I could break him like the most bantam woodland offshoot.'

'That wasn't it at all, my companion. For you see, before it was so badly damaged, I had a friend of mine place a bottle of something inside it. The liquid is well know in my time, but I'm not sure if you've heard it now. Tell me, does the term nitroglycerine mean anything to you?'

Mogul's eyes widened, and despite his vast vocabulary, there were only a few small words that came to him in this situation. Many of them only four letters long.

'Do I have your attention? Good. There is a tiny microscopic machine inserted in the bottle's lid that will issue a spark when I input the command on my ship. If that happens, it will explode, and the SWATbot's body will act as shrapnel, causing mass panic and destruction of property. The authorities are certain to investigate. Especially if anyone's hurt. And you don't want them digging too far into your business, Mister Mogul. Why, who knows. You're Overlander rival might use his connections to see all your secrets are revealed, one by one.'

'Ready satellite lasers Juliet Charlie Foxtrot 16, Tango India Quebec, Delta Hotel Bravo Sierra Hotel, Papa Alpha Mike, Echo 123 Bravo and Sierra Lima Juliet 1. Take aim at the new coordinates I just fed into the computer and fire on my command.'

'Err... Sir? We haven't been given clearance to-'

'I gave you an order solider! Now get ready to launch the strike when I give the word.'

'You do realise what we're about to do, don't you, Artemis?'

'Yes. We're about to launch an attack on a futuristic fortess with an alien hedgehog hybrid, a voluptuous thieving bat, a robot with more weapons than a small army, a two-tailed genius fox, a royal squirrel tactician, and a speedy blue hedgehog who's had such an active love life that his theme song should be Mambo No. 5.'

'Good. Just so I know.'

Butler let out a short chuckle at his dwarf friend's expense.

'I think you've just found yourself some competition, Mulch,' he said with a large smile on his face. It wasn't something that appeared often.

'Eggman robots detected. Conversion into toaster ovens imminent.'

Butler let off two shots. One to penetrate the robot's outer shell, and another to fry its inner circuits.

The metallic door opened with a whoosh, revealing a room lit with elecrtic lights and the size of a warehouse.

'Looks like this factory doubles as a storage facility,' said Butler as he looked around the room.

They were standing a platform surrounding the area's four walls with little bridgers here and there. At ground level were hundreds of robots in sleep mode, their guns resting at their sides and built-in bloodlust waiting to be dampened. Egg Gunners, Egg Fighters and Egg Shooters, all right in front of them. They would never make it.

'The moment Eggman detects us here, we're done for,' analysed the manservant.

'Maybe not,' said Shadow. 'The Egg Grapes are only two corridors away after this room. If the heavy-hitters stayed behind for a few minutes, the robots would be too distracted and you'd have a clear shot.'

'What!?!' exclaimed Sally. 'There's only you, Sonic and Omega here. You don't honestly think you could take on an entire army, do you?'

As the words came out of her mouth, Sally realised they could actually do it. Sonic had the speed, Shadow had the ability and Omega definitely had the fire-power.

'Relax, Sal,' said Sonic. 'One Super Sonic Spin and I'll plow right through these guys.'

'The supports underneath the platforms would give you some cover and hide you in shadow,' said the Ultimate Lifeform. 'We stick together and we die today. Devided we can conquer.'

'And it'll only be a few minutes. Tops.'

Sally looked thoughtful, then sighed before replying. 'OK. Everybody, down underneath the platforms.' She turned to Sonic and his allies. 'You three, good luck. Don't be too long now.'

'Since when have I been long with anything?' said Sonic in his usually cocky way.

Sally just shook her head and jumped off the platform to join the others.

Shadow pulled out his guns from Omega's stomach and took the safety off them both. Sonic flexed his legs and E-123 got his weapons prepped.

Then the lights of the robot army lit up, red and pulsing. Then they stood tall to face the invaders and prepared to fight. Then the bullets flew.

Shadow and Omega jumped in the air and carried out their assault from above. Sonic did exactly what he said he would and transformed into a living buzz saw while moving at speeds near mach one so as to avoid a sonic boom and deafen everyone.

Shadow's bullets melted right through the casing of the robots. Omega had to stick to his more powerful ammunition along with his lasers and energy cannons.

Shadow's bullet ran out within a minute and he had to resort to the Shadow Rifle, which pearced every robot it shot and caused them to either shut down from malfunction or explode. Then the energy lag set it, and it was time to resort to close quarters.

His considerable strength alone wouldn't cover it, but strength combined with massive velocity would more than definitely make the cut.

Shadow lunged at an Egg Gunner and clutched himself to its chest with his legs, pounded it with two dozen puches in less than a second. Another Gunner readied a rocket and launched, only for Shadow to disappear from view barely a second before it hit. It instead impacted on the first Gunner and caused it to explode.

More Egg Gunners homed in on Shadow, shooting like crazy only for him to evade with amazing speed.

He zoomed between two Gunners and swinged his arms at their legs to topple them then flipped over in mid-air and kicked them straight into four of their buddies.

One Gunner launched another rocket at Shadow. He reacted quickly by gently grabbing the rocket and directing it back to where it came from, causing the Egg Gunner's head to be ripped from its place.

Then two Egg Fighters flanked Omega from behind and secured his arms. Lasers sped out of each one, trying to shoot off the legs of each robot. Before he was successful, another Egg Fighter holding some sort of device that looked like a suction cup with a lightbulb base on top came up to Omega and placed the curious gadget on him. His weapons immediately retracted into his body.

'Your weapons are shut down,' said the robot facing Omega. 'Surrender now and you will be converted back to the Eggman Empire.'

Omega wasn't particularly hyped about that idea, so he wrapped his arms around those of the Egg Fighters holding him until he was able to elbow them both in the stomach area. The robots flew back, but their arms had such a tight grip they stayed with Omega.

Then the ultimate E-Series robot went into a whirlwind of melees which shook the arms off and sent any Egg Fighters he collided with into the wall. The moment they made impact with the hard surface, it looked as if they'd been through a trash compactor.

'D'Arvit!' exclaimed Holly.

'Is there really any need for such language, Hol- D'Aaaaarviiiiit!' said Artemis, once he saw what Holly had seen.

As Artemis inpsected one of the Egg Grapes, he experienced a familar ardour explode inside his cranium. It was like a bubble of euphoria bursting inside his head, coating his mind in a joyous hysteria. He let his elated bliss spread out across his features, forming into a conceited smile.

'You are at my mercy, Fowl,' spat Opal. 'And this time there will be no escape.'

'Really? Which one of your more deluded voices told you that?' retorted Artemis.

CHAPTER 15: THE WAR BEGINS
'You have done well to get this far, my furry little friends,' said Eggman with merciless anticipation. 'But your trouble-making and your lives end here.'

Eggman roared to the ceiling with laughter until the sides of his throat felt like they would split.

'That's been something that's troubled me for a long time. I laugh hard and it hurts. Do you see the ominous meaning of that, Sonic? Whenever I laugh, there is pain! Think of all the times I've laughed, rodent! Think of all the pain I've caused!!'

The Doctor was rampant behind the wheel of his destructive machine.

'Death to humans!' he yelled out in an absolute frenzy. 'Death to hedgehogs! Death to Mobians! Death to every last stinking creature on this planet! By the gods, if that's what it takes to achieve victory, then I... shall... Have it!' he stated, two of the last words said between manic pantings before the final roar of declaration.

Eggman ran for it before the Freedom Fighters could pounce on him, only to run into Butler's chest with the force of a car hitting a brick wall. Eggman smiled sheepishly and raised his hands in the hope that the man monster would spare him. No such luck.

Butler pulled back a brick-sized fist for extra spring and let fly into Eggman's face, causing the mad dictator to get thrown head first into a vat of machine oil.

Sonic let out a low whistle. 'Nice punch, big guy. I think you caught the old egg-meister on chins three through five.'

'Computer! Shut down all life-support systems for the Egg Troll and re-route the power to the shields.' Eggman smiled gleefully. No neutrino charges would be getting through that shield barrier anytime soon with all that extra power.

Butler was in panic. The Neutrino was no good, and if bullets did rupture the field, it could move on to hit Artemis. Quickly, his militaristic brain thought up a new plan.

He took off one memory latex glove and sliced it in half with the Swiss army knife he kept in his pocket. The tool was average, but the blade it came with had been sharped until it could cut through bamboo.

Butler tore off his sleeve and wrapped the severed glove around his shoulder, then charged at the Egg Troll.

He ran full speed, building up momentum. His breathing caused the tissue attached to his chest to cause him pain, but the bodyguard pressed on.

Finally, two seconds before he collided head on, he jumped into the Egg Troll's stomach, the impact-gel in the glove protecting his shoulder from breaking or further injury.

The Egg Troll toppled to the ground and Butler ran up its body. He put his right foot on its head as it collapsed against a platform sideways on and jumped high into the air.

Soon, he was inches away from the field Artemis was trapped in. Then, with only seconds of opportunity at his liberty, Butler slammed the energy sphere between two fists and it shattered.

He and Artemis both fell to the ground. Artemis landed on hard metal and his right hand had been crushed in the process.

Butler was less fortunate. The Egg Troll had grabbed him by the leg mid-fall and swung him up in the air, causing his knee to pop out. The Egg Troll then fired a talon and Butler took Artemis's place trapped up in the air.

'Well come on, Doodah! Full speed.'

'I'm givin' her all she's got, Captain!'

'You just had to say it, didn't you?'

'Yeah!'

'Members of the Council of Acorn, thank you for coming. I have summoned you here today to alert you to a new crisis. With his new machines and robots, Eggman's declared a new war on us. I do not want him to have the upper hand again. In the last two Robotnik Wars, we were unprepared. We were at their mercy. So I suggest we enact preparations for war. But not just us. Our allies too. Eggman's terror has effected all of Mobius, and it's time all of Mobius fought back. We should get into contact the United Federation and make sure they're ready to fight. They can help us in the war effort.'

Hamlin was about to speak and open for debate, but Sally cut over him.

'Please, if we are to make ourselves ready, we must act fast. No talking. Just a vote to decide our action. Please.'

Sally took off her boots and slid them underneath her bed, tired. When she took off her vest, she heard the sound of plastic falling on a hard floor. She looked down to where the noise had come from, and picked up a thin SD card. Sally could guess what it was and slipped it into NICOLE, hoping her advanced computer could cope with the ancient technology and sat down on a chair nearby.

Luckily, it did. Then a message popped up on to the screen in bright neon green letters.

'DEAR PRINCESS SALLY,' it read. 'THOUGH WE HAVE KNOWN EACH OTHER ONLY A SHORT WHILE, I FEEL WE HAVE BECOME CLOSE. THAT A FRIENDSHIP BLOSSOMED AFTER YOU HELPED SAVED THE LIVES OF ME AND MY COMRADES. AND WHAT ARE FRIENDS IF THEY CAN'T PULL YOU OUT OF THE GUTTER? SEEING AS YOUR PERSONALITY IS SO CLOSE TO AN ELFIN FRIEND OF MINE, I CAN EASILY GUESS WHAT YOU'RE NEXT MOVE WILL BE. HERE'S SOMETHING TO HELP YOU ALONG THE WAY. THE FOLLOWING IMAGES ARE BLUEPRINTS FOR LASER WEAPONS, BOTH OF FAIRY DESIGN AND MY OWN. THE TECHNOLOGY DOESN'T EXIST IN MY TIME TO MAKE THESE SORT OF THINGS, BUT HOPEFULLY THEY'LL HELP TO REDUCE A FEW AUTOMATONS TO SO MUCH SLAG TO BE SCRAPED OFF THE FLOOR. GOOD LUCK FACING DOCTOR EGGMAN. ARTEMIS FOWL II.'

By the time Sally had finished reading the note, her jaw dropped from a gasp right in the middle, to be replaced by a warm smile of gratitude. They had it this time. A real chance of winning.

'NICOLE,' said Sally to her computer friend. 'Contact Sir Charles Hedgehog immediately. Ask him if he can come out of retirement for a while. I've got some tech for him to assemble that's right up his alley...'

Eggman was in his personal shooting range, dressed in nothing but slippers and a bath robe, his moustache still wet from the shower.

He was hefting one of his Egg Boomers, blasting the heads of various Sonic dummies. Shooting the head off his most loathed foe was soothing for him. The noise of it exploding poetic. And its essence purely inspirational.

Eggman then took his EB-917 Blaster Rifle and completely obliterated the last of the dummies. Vowing that one day, he would do the same to the real Sonic and all his friends.

EPILOGUE
FOWL MANOR, IRELAND, FIFTY YEARS AHEAD OF CURRENT TIME

'Who's this little guy?'

'Ricky. My nephew's pet chipmunk.'

FOWL MANOR, PRESENT

Artemis Fowl the Second swooped past his mother, leaving her stunned for a moment, and reached his study and fired up his computers.

He started creating blue-prints for nuclear fallout shelters hidden five miles underground that could survive the new apocolyptic enviroments. It would take many years to iron out all the wrinkles, but Artemis Fowl could never pass up a challenge. He was about to face his most testing and important mission. The most important of all time. The guaranteeing of the human race's survival.



=Dialogue= 'Fast is my middle name. Well, it's my first, actually.'

'So... How smart is this guy? And more to the point, what kind of smart?'

'Every kind. Try thinking of him as a cross between Stephen Hawking and Top Cat.'

=Rating=  What would you rate this story (Sonic Meets Artemis Fowl/Artemis Fowl: The Future Chase) as? 0 (pants) 1 (poor) 2 (alright) 3 (good) 4 (very good) 5 (best story in the universe!)