Memo: Oh how I've missed writing this story! Welcome to the first chapter of Bringing Back Technicolor! Before you start reading, a couple of important messages. This story, as you're about to find out, is getting a bit of an...estrogen lift. Not like I don't enjoy writing about my fine young Irish gentlemen, but it could really use some more girls. So, you will know be hearing from a certain Miss Holly Short as a narrator. Her chapters will start with famous quotes from different languages. If you have any quotes you would like to see used, drop them in a review and I'll consider them. Raleigh's chapters will still start with Irish sayings, and Artemis's will still start with song lyrics. Kris, of course, will just cut straight to the chase. As I'm sure some of you may have noticed, all the chapters in TGASB! now have titles, and I do plan on titling the chapters in this story as well. Before you ask me, you will be seeing Artemis very soon. Kris, however, will not be making a physical appearance for a couple more chapters. I've already started Chapter two and hope to have it up relatively soon.

Thanks, as always, to my wonderfully patient beta-reader undaunted_scholar, who puts up with all my ridiculous excuses and general absent-mindedness.

Disclaimer: Last time I checked, I wasn't a boy, which pretty much rules out the chances I'm Eoin Colfer. I must not own Holly and Artemis.

Chapter 1: Trouble in Paradise

Après moi, le deluge.

(After me, the flood-King Louie XIV)

Midnight Haven bustled with life and activity. Spoiled young fairies with the latest set of wings buzzed around the streets, gnomes lumbered down the sidewalks, swear toads hopped lazily through the crowds, croaking D'Arvit at anyone who would listen. The city was a hive of motion and I, Holly Short, was stuck on stake out duty. Normally, it wouldn't bother me so much. Stake out sure looked a hell of a lot better than traffic duty or my old P.I. business. But today wasn't a normal day. I was surface-sick. The latest Artemis Fowl case had closed not even a week ago and my lungs longed for fresh air. Sure Haven felt like, well, a haven but nothing could beat fresh Irish wind through my hair.

And any company could beat what I was currently putting up with. Vinyáya had stuck me with some fresh-off-the-gills newbie and he kept chattering away in the seat next to me. Granted, the stakeout hadn't proved itself to be any sort of interesting yet. The suspect had barely moved from his house and the blackout van didn't exactly provide hours of entertainment. But even that didn't give Stonewort permission to bore me to death with tales of his Great and Wonderful Feats and Achievements at the Academy. If I believed a word he said, which I most certainly didn't, Stonewort had won over the hearts of all the pretty little fairies like myself, beaten the records set down by myself and Commander Julius Root may he rest in peace and single-handedly bested a troll. Right. I'm sure he had.

"Listen, Stonewort," I said crossly twisting my body to face him. "This is a stakeout. As in, we're observing a possible criminal and gathering evidence against him. Usually this is done quietly."

"Of course, Captain, but I hadn't finished my story about the band of goblins that I-"

Before I could reach over and knock his head firmly against the windshield, the lights outside went out. All of the lights. The faint glow of the electronic devices inside the vans appeared to be the only lights in Haven. Stonewort stilled, frightened.

"Err, is this supposed to happen on a stakeout?" he asked weakly.

The back of my skull buzzed with buried instincts. It had been two years since Haven had been plunged into darkness like this. Last time, Artemis had unknowingly unveiled our existence to an American mega-millionaire. What had happened this time? We needed to get back to headquarters. Correction, I had to get back to headquarters. For all his talk, something told me Stonewort wouldn't be much help. Hastily, I threw the van into drive and we glided back towards base stakeout completely forgotten.

.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.

Sector Eight headquarters buzzed with activity. Everywhere I looked fairies frantically dashed around under the protocol dim lights of a security blackout. The closer I got to Foaly's office, the more hectic things grew. LEP sprites hovered anxiously outside and I could see the glint of metals from inside Foaly's glass office. What on Earth was the LEP doing here? Didn't they have their own tech people to walk them through this now?

Motioning for Stonewort to stay outside, I slipped into the office.

Foaly spotted me immediately. "Holly!" He brayed, tail swishing nervously from side to side. "Thank Frond you're here. We have a problem."

From across the office, someone gave a gravelly snort. "Most likely, she's the cause of the problem. Why is Miss Short even here? I was under the impression she'd resigned."

Vinyáya gave an icy reply from her perch on Foaly's right. "She's under my employment, Commander Sool, and so has as much right to be here as you."

Well, at least one of my employers actually likes me. What a change.

"Please, Foaly," my boss continued smoothly. "Tell us why you've called us in here and why in Frond's name you've killed all the power."

My friend straightened himself importantly, taking a moment to clear his throat. "We've been pinged."

The room visibly relaxed. It was commonly known that Foaly was an incredibly paranoid. He'd shut the LEP down once because some Mud Person had mentioned centaurs and computers in the same sentence. What had happened this time?

"Centaur," Sool growled. "Tell me this isn't another one of your paranoid overreactions again."

The tech genius took a moment to look righteously offended. "This isn't about me being paranoid, this is about a serious breach in protocol. Besides, it's not the ping that bothered me. It's the pinger."

A cold, unpleasant feeling festered in the bottom of my gut. Something told me I wouldn't like where this conversation headed.

"The pinger?" An LEP brass asked incredulously. "It's probably some Mud Child, prattling on about some book they read." Mutters of agreement floated around the crowded room.

Frowning, Foaly clopped his way over to his computer. "You'll want to hear this, Vinyàya, Commander. Computer, bring up the most recent ping on audio. Speakers on please, full volume."

The computer whirred to life and soon a deep, masculine voice filled the room.
"Where were you, Kris? Who had you?"

An almost dreamy, female voice replied. "Fairies… They were…fairies."

I knew that voice. I remembered that voice. Oh this was not good.

"Who was that Foaly?" Vinyáya asked sharply. All the tension that had left the room returned ten-fold with an unpleasant lurch.

The only sound that filled the room came from Foaly's fingers flying across his computer keys. Finally, he had enough information to reply. I knew what was coming, I knew exactly what he was about to say. "Kristina Nicole Smith. Currently enrolled at Saint Bartleby's School for Young Gentlemen, known associate and possible romantic interest of Artemis Fowl the Second kidnapped by Aster Koboi-Greenleaf two weeks ago and currently rescued and recorded as properly mind wiped."

The next question didn't surprise me much either. "Who performed that mind wipe?"

A pause as Foaly gave an uncomfortable gulp. "Captain Holly Short."

.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.

Vinyáya didn't wait for the others to leave; she hauled me into her office right then and there. Her lips had tightened to a thin line as she slammed the door shut. "Short, explain."

How to explain? How to explain that I knew what it felt like to be used by Artemis, that I could sympathize with her, even if she was a Mud Girl?

"Give me a moment to collect my thoughts, Commander."

By now I wasn't even sure if she had lips anymore. "You have one minute, Short. I want to know why you let a security risk wander around with a head full of damning memories in her head."

It sounded so much worse when she said it like that.

"She doesn't remember Artemis Fowl, but, she remembers Aster, her cohorts, myself and Foaly."

"I fail to see why this should make a difference to me. In fact, I fail to see why I shouldn't fire you right now and turn you over for prosecution."

As usual, she had a valid point. My actions certainly didn't make me any friends among my People. How best to sum up my reasoning?

"I…" I wanted to give her a chance I never had. "The girl deserved a chance to move on with her life. Artemis plagues you." The rest came out without in a rush. "I wanted to give her a chance for a normal life, well as normal as you can get around him. She requested to forget only Artemis because it would help her move on. The girl said that everything she learned with Aster would help her become a better person. She seemed sincere, I just… I know what it's like to be her. Sometimes remembering hurts less then forgetting."

Not the best argument but the only one I had.

Needless to say this failed to impress Vinyáya. She treated me to a stern glare. "Your first priority," she said, all authority, "Lies with your People, not some anguished Mud Girl."

I bit back my retort. Objecting now would only be treasonous and suicidal.

"Listen Holly," my boss sighed. "I've cut you a lot of slack throughout the years. You know I support you. But this…this is different. This a serious breach in protocol."

On edge, I waited for the damning sentence that would end my career.

It didn't come.

"I'm giving you one last chance Short." She said tersely, rubbing her temples. "They'll probably have my badge for this but I like you. So this is your last and only chance at redemption and I truly mean that."

Well, this wasn't exactly what I was expecting.

Wing Commander Vinyáya seemed to take the surprised look on my face as a need for explanation. "Now don't get me wrong, you're still on Tribunal for the breach of protocol. And I'll have to talk about this at the next Council meeting. You're not out of deep water yet. I'm just giving you a second chance. It's what Julius would've done."

Hearing about the dead Commander still pained my heart. Masking my sorrow, I voiced the question hovering on my lips. "What do you want me to do? What's my last chance?"

"Before we go anywhere, let me make this painfully clear. You are only on this case because we need you. No one under this Earth has the same sort of experience with Fowl as you do; no one under this Earth knows him better. You botched this up and usually the botcher doesn't get to go in and clean up their mess. Am I clear?"

"Crystal." I stated, relieved that the hammer hadn't fallen on my career quite yet.

Grinning in a way that did nothing to ease my apprehension, my boss dismissed me from her office.

.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.::.

She took me down the hallway to a small conference room, practically pushing me through the door.

"Listen," Ark Sool was saying, "All we have to do is go topside, wipe her, and return home."

"It's not as simple as that," Foaly argued, "Nothing is ever that simple when Artemis Fowl-Oh, Holly!" His tail swished side to side with excitement. Obviously, his happiness matched my own.

Sool looked like someone had just killed his firstborn son. "You're still here?"

Vinyáya blinked coolly. "Next time the way I deal with my employees applies to you, I'll be sure to let you know Sool."

He scowled, turning back to Foaly and Major Trouble Kelp. "As I was saying-"

My boss cut in swiftly. "What you were saying no longer matters. Captain Short, this is now your case. Your mission objective is to fix this…disaster."

Sool turned red, an impressive feat for a gnome. "Excuse me! What right do you have to burst in and reassign my cases? This clearly falls in the LEP's jurisdiction."

Commander Vinyáya looked official and annoyed as she turned to the gnome. "Are you or are you not currently located in Sector Eight headquarters?"

Blustering, Sool slammed his fist down on the table. "This has nothing to do with demons, or anything else you deal with! This is species security, this is LEP!"

"Are you implying," My boss hissed, voice colder than steel. "That I don't have the right to protect my own People?"

Sool had no answer.

"Sector Eight deals with more than just demons. And as we currently house both the leading Artemis Fowl expert and the top technological genius under the Earth, it makes sense that we should lead this mission."

My former employer snarled. "We have just as much place on this as you do!"

"Short knows more about Artemis Fowl than anyone in the LEP combined." Vinyáya defended vehemently. "And Foaly's the best there is, technology wise. Do you really think you'd be able to pull this off without them?"

From the look on Sool's face, he did. "All I have to do is send a man up there, swipe the girl for a night, wipe her clean, and put her back in her bed. Who said anything about Artemis Fowl?"

"The girl in question in Artemis's girlfriend. You really think he'd sit back and let this happen?" Vinyáya bit back.

Sool was unimpressed. "He let her get kidnapped. Why would he protect her now?"

The Wing Commander and Council member had nothing to say to this.

I butted in, tired of keeping quiet on a matter that obviously concerned me. "Listen Sool."

"Commander Sool to you, Short." He snarled.

I ignored him. "If Artemis didn't care for the Mud Girl before this started, he certainly cares for her now. I have it from good sources he's been dredging up the disc he gave Mulch, the one that helped him cheat the mind wipe before. Artemis isn't going to let this girl slip through his fingers. As far as I can tell, he's more determined to get her back now than he was to get fairy gold all those years ago. Surely we remember how that fiasco ended. If we wipe the girl now, there isn't any way to promise that he'd wouldn't just restore her memory the next day."

"I still fail to see why in Frond's name this is your jurisdiction, Vinyáya." Sool grumbled.

"Holly is the only elf here capable of accurately predicting Fowl's next move. If we don't want this situation blowing up in our face and becoming a regular occurrence, we need her. And as you so kindly pointed out earlier, she doesn't work for the LEP anymore. Trust me, this case won't go anywhere without her on it. And Foaly is the only with technology advanced enough to beat Fowl's brains. After all, Sool, the Mud Boy knows the People just as well as we know ourselves."

Sool snarled, unwilling to accept the idea that this simply was one thing the LEP couldn't control on its own.

Luckily, cooler heads currently inhabited the room and Foaly cut in.

"How about we make it a joint operation? One lead from each side? Then the LEP can have their mind-wiping pleasures, and Sector Eight contributes its Fowl expertise and technological superiority."

Grudgingly the two heads agreed, although Sool glared at Foaly.

"I want Kelp in on this," Sool stated, glaring at my direction.

Vinyáya turned to me. "This is your case now, too Short. Remember what I talked about earlier." In a whisper that Sool couldn't hear she added, "I mean it Holly. This is your last chance. Consider yourself on probation."

I blinked. No pressure then. Excellent. Just the way I liked things.

Taking a deep breath, I took charge. "As I was saying, nothing is ever simple once Artemis Fowl is involved. We should probably head topside to check the situation."

Across the table, Trouble frowned. "If we're dealing with Fowl, then we're going to need a plan. We can't just blunder forward like a light-blind troll. He needs to be treated with the utmost caution."

Trouble and I had always gotten along amicably. I couldn't really call us friends but we certainly weren't enemies. However, I could already tell this mission was bound to give me a headache. He used intellect where I used instinct. What a great pair we made.

"Listen, if Artemis has a hand in this somewhere, which wouldn't surprise me in the least, the longer we sit around on our hands the longer he has to plot. And I believe we can both agree that's not good."

Grudgingly, Trouble nodded. "Yes, this is true. But I still want to go in with a plan I don't want him catching us off guard. We'll go topside in three weeks. That way we can think out all the options."

This was the closest we were going to get to a compromise. I nodded, sitting down. Time to plan then. My gut stirred with excitement. I was going up to the surface. This wasn't going to be a normal swipe n' wipe mission, I could just tell. Something was brewing up there. Somehow, I could feel it. All I could do was pray we didn't end up in the middle.

I've missed you all, and so has the Rapid Review Rabbit! Hope you've read the memo.

ANY BEAUTIFULLY WONDERFUL IRISH FANS OUT THERE WILLING TO SHED LIGHT ON YOUR SCHOOL SYSTEM BEFORE I MESS IT UP? (Again. My first try wasn't too accurate, sadly...)