Two: "Take Me Back"

Author's Note: To be honest, I wasn't sure if I was going to write more of this so soon, but, here it is. Apologises if it doesn't shed too much light on what's happened quite yet. But, it'll make sense eventually. I'm off to watch The Veiderbecke Connection. Adeiu. Also, I just realised something which amused me. The Road Ahead Is Long can be shortened to TRAIL. :) Thank-you, to Ancient And Forever for BETAing...

"Take me back two Years, Artemis," his counselor instructed him sweetly. She was a middle-aged women, whose appearance had not changed once in the entire time Artemis has been forced to visit her twice a week for 'counseling' during the past two Years. She always wore the same light blue cardigan, which could only be described as 'frumpy', an unflattering pencil skirt and a pair of Crocs. Artemis wondered if this same appearance was for his sake, working on some idea that if she wore the same thing each time he would find her familiar in all ways and more likely to open up to. Whereas, even if it were true, all Artemis gained from it was a better sense of fashion and an intolerable grudge against Crocs.

"Mrs. Welkins," The Irish boy sighed, this being her address, though she constantly chided him for it and asked him to call her 'Mary'.

"Mary, please, Artemis." came the predictable response. It was always the same conversation, meeting after meeting. And, it always ended in the same, predictable way.

Artemis literally dreaded Tuesdays and Saturdays for this reason. She always asked him to go back, tell her what happened. And, he never could. Sometimes he remembered further back, but everything he did remember was painful. He did not relish bringing it up time and again. He was not a masochist, by any stretch of the imagination. He was tempted to storm out, something of an idea which he had been planning for several months, but he knew part of his university agreement was that he attended the sessions and complied with their structure with as much grace as possible for him. He swallowed and the turned his gaze back to the woman.

"I'd prefer 'Mrs. Welkins', please."

She sighed, she'd been trying for two Years and she hadn't exactly expected the reply to change, just as much as he hadn't anticipated a change in question. "If that's what you want, Artemis."

"Thank-you. It is." he smiled graciously.

Adjusting her clipboard, she smiled at him over a pair of reading glasses. "Now, you know I dislike this as much as you do, Artemis. But, please...tell me about what happened two Years ago."

"Well, you see the year started with New Year's day...much like every Year in our calendar does." Artemis told her sarcastically.

She frowned at him reproachfully, it was always something different in order to delay the story.

"Artemis, please. As soon as you've told me -you can leave."

"Very well." he complied.

Two Years, Three Weeks and Five Days Before, New York City.

"Artemis, I know I always find myself saying this but -are you sure this is a good idea?" Domovoi Butler asked his charge warily as he watched his at the computer terminal.

"Nonsense, Butler. Of course this is a good idea. As all of my plans are." The teenager replied arroangantly.

"I could beg to differ on that one." Butler muttered under his breath, thinking of one of Artemis' 'grand' ideas and his subsequent - albeit short- death because of it two years previously.

"You know perfectly well that the only reason my ideas ever turn out badly is due to the input of others. Not my own fault."

"But, that's living, Artemis. If you don't anticipate other's actions you can't have planned very well..." Butler pointed out.

The Irish scion of Fowl Enterprises glared at him icly and Butler shut his mouth. Perhaps, though humbled his charge may have been by past events, he was not quite ready for his mistakes to be pointed out to him. Not yet.

"Very well, Artemis. Have it your way."

Artemis nodded, "I plan to." as he said this a loud ping sounded from the electronic keyboard beneath his fingertips and a gleeful smile spread across his face. "And it would appear, that I just have." Butler rolled his eyes as soon as Artemis wasn't looking and watched as the boy hopped down from the the work station and made his way around it to a panel within the steel wall as it slid back...

Present Day, Paris

"What was inside the safe?" Mrs. Welkins asked, excitedly. As if the conversation was merely a tale woven from Artemis' imagination, and not one of fact.

"It wasn't a safe." He corrected her, tartly.

"What was it then?"

Artemis frowned, "Well, it was a security box."

"That's a safe, Artemis." She replied, amused by this.

He pursed his lips and glared at her, "It is not the same thing. A secuirty box is quite different to a safe, Mrs. Welkins."

"In what way?"

"Well...it's far too complex to explain in such a small amount of time."

Mrs. Welkins grinned, "You know, it's perfectly all right to admit you made a mistake."

"I did not make a mistake!" He growled.

She sighed, there was obviously no point. "Very well, Artemis. I apologise. Now, please continue. What was inside the saf--- secuirty box?"

Artemis shrugged, "I don't remember."

"You don't remember? But, everything started because of that - correct?" Mrs. Welkins asked.

He nodded slowly. "Yes. But, I don't remember what it actually was..."

*__________________*

Present Day, Haven City

"D'Arvit!" yelled Holly Short as two Goblins stepped in front of her, effectively blocking her way through the side street. She turned to look over her shoulder, only to be met by two more Golbins- these wielding fireballs. She swallowed quickly as her hand moved to her Neutrino on her hip, comforted by it's presence.

"Hello, Elf." the obvious leader greeted her, with a jagged smile.

"I'm surprised," Holly told him with a grin, "I always thought it was beat then greet with Goblins. Rebelling are we?" though, she was thankful that these four had taken the trouble to swap insults before any fighting broke out.

He licked his eyeballs thoughtfully and shrugged, "Sometimes Marks are better that way."

"Oh, like, satisfiying the need for dominance - I get that." she replied conversationally, taking a few steps towards him, "Not enough love at home, mother left you, daddy beat you...taking your troubles out on poor, unsuspecting elfin citizens to get your kicks?" She circled him slowly, keeping her eyes on the other three Goblins, "Can't get recognised as you are. Silent beatings don't give you any...satisfaction, right? It's not like anyone knows it's you - just another char-grilled body, no one cares. If they struggle it's better, right? If they talk." he nodded, dumbly. Holly doubted that he even understood most of what she was saying, but it sure was distracting enough to hopefully gain her an escape route while they were preocupied with listening to her.

She patted his arm in a friendly way, "It's all right, it really is. You can tell me anything. After all - what's a motive between a potential-murderer and his prey?"

"Erm..." she sighed, this was almost pointless. But, she did like to know who sent Goblins after her.

"Articulate, aren't you?"

"Huh? You insultin' me, Elf?" he bellowed.

Holly smiled as sweetly as possible at him, which was diffuclt when he reaked of rotting fish. "No, no. Of course not. Far from it. It's a compliment, really."

"Sayin' I don't have a way with words a compliment, is it?" he growled.

Holly groaned, just her luck to get a Goblin with a few more than four brain cells to rub together. She supposed that was why he was the leader.

"Yeah, sure. I can't stand the type of people who talk and talk. They say silence is a virtue...or is it golden? Those stupid mudmen sayings." She laughed nervously and hoped he didn't know the real saying.

He took a step foreward and grabbed her by the neck of her tailored green jacket. "Shut-up."

Holly nodded meekly. "Yes, sir."

The Goblins chuckled together and the leader grinned gleefully. "Know what? You may as well know what's goin' on, Elf. As you're gonna die anyway."

"W-who sent you?" she asked, "I've never done anything to anyone. Are you sure you've got the right elf?"

"Don't think you can pretend. Holly Short ain't done nothing to no one? You've done a lot'a stuff. That's why someone got a mark against ya. So, you see, you're gonna die. Just like you said before." he told her scornfully.

She looked down at the ground, her feet were dangling three feet above it and she was surrounded by four Goblins down a side street in the slums of Haven. There were very few who walked away from something like that...and the numbers had been dropped ever sice the Collapse two years previously. Everything was falling into disrepair, and as far as she could see, there wasn't really a reason for it. She would have thought the people Haven would recover from what had happened, and yet they had not. They stayed as they were -weak, unable to protect themseleves and underground. Even the LEP didn't venture above ground now unless it was absolutely vital.

"How does that make you feel - knowing this is the end for you?" he asked her, still grinning. Obviously hoping for some sort of plea for release.

Holly chuckled, causing the Goblin's expression to become utterly confused and...left him off guard.

"Satisfied." She told him deliberately, landing lightly on her feet moments later as his grip released and he fell away from her and hit the dirt caked sidewalk with a loud thud. She straightened up, gently pushing the folds out of her jacket then turned to the remaining three Goblins, her Nutreno in one hand – the barrel smoking ominously. "Right, who's next?"

"D'Arvit! Is he dead?" one of the three asked the other two, anxiously. Hoping that the boss was only faking, ready to top the little fairy as soon as she wasn't looking.

Former- Captain Holly Short smirked, "Oh, he's dead all right..." the three followers didn't even see her pull the trigger, until they fell one by one like their boss. "Oops...my finger slipped." she chuckled, kicking the toe of one of the Goblin's boots experimentally. She swaggered down the alleyway the way she had been going before the incident at a leisurely pace and holstered her weapon. Just as if it was perfectly normal for her.

**

"I'm back." Holly called as she walked into the technical booth an hour and a half later, dumping her bag and unholstering her weapon quickly.

"Oh, Holly. I didn't hear the slamming of doors three floors up at all, what a surprise it's you."

"Oh, Ha-Ha, Foaly." she replied irritably.

Foaly raised a hand as she opened her mouth to speak once more, "It's your job, Holly. Don't complain."

"But—"

He frowned at her, "You're lucky you have a job as it is. Don't complain. The walls have ears..."

"Seriously, Foaly, the mudmen don't care about us! No one is listening in on us." she snapped.

"No, Holly I mean it. They have the whole place bugged. You say anything that will make them see you as a risk, and you'll be out of the LEP and Haven before you can say ' Troll manure'." Foaly warned.

"I'd prefer that to doing this every day."

"Holly, much as I hate to say this. The people you're sent to kill - they pose a threat to us. To all that we are and any recovery. Now, I know you don't like it, but you have to honour that, because you played a part in what we have become." He turned away from her, and Holly sighed. She knew he would refuse to talk to her now, and she didn't blame him. He was right. The only downfall of this was that she didn't want to admit it to herself.

The door to the technical booth slammed open and the pair glanced up. Commander Trouble Kelp stood in the doorway, looking sheepish.

"Erm...those doors are much easier to move than they look." He explained hesitantly.

"And there was I, thinking you were trying a new Enter Man move." Foaly sighed.

"It's Action Man." Holly corrected. Both males shrugged, as if they actually cared?

"Anyway, this isn't a social visit -" Trouble continued.

Holly sighed, "I wish it was."

"An Audit would be nice..." Foaly added.

"No, no. Both of you. This is serious!" Commander Kelp chided them.

"It always is."

Holly nodded, "End of the world,"

"Death to all."

"The fate of all of humanity and faerykind lies on your shoulders."

Foaly shrugged, "We've heard it all before - several times."

Trouble Kelp groaned in exasperation, "I know, I know. And, I of all people wish it wasn't always you we turn to but-"

"It is." Foaly replied 'helpfully'.

Trouble frowned , but nodded. "Unfortunately, yes."

"What's wrong with us?" Holly demanded agrily, gesturing with her hand and then realising her gun was pointing at the commander. "Oh, sorry." she dropped it to the floor and sighed.

"There's nothing wrong with the two of you helping...it's just...aren't you tired of saving 'civilization as we know it'?" he asked, unhappily.

Foaly grinned, "Well, there's nothing on TV..."

"I was going to wash my hair...but, I guess it'll have to wait." Holly told him with a wink. Commander Kelp chuckled slightly, for the first time in at least a few months - given the pressures he was being put under to keep the city under some form of law enforcement. He nodded, turning to leave the room, before adding. "One thing, though. Artemis Fowl is involved again...not that he knows it yet."

Holly shuddered slightly.