The Alliance Archive

Working Together at Long Last (Or Trying To)

I am really inappropriate in this chap...

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There was a stunned silence, for the second time that day. The only reason we didn’t speak was the fact that there was some serious thinking going on. I could almost hear the cogs grinding away in Foaly’s head, and Artemis had his head down and was muttering incomprehensibly. So that left Trouble, Liz, Jene, and I just standing there awkwardly. So while Artemis and Foaly muttered, we just waited awkwardly and in silence.

“Soo... How about that weather?” Trouble began.

We just kind of stood like confused sheep for a minute before Liz said, “It’s okay.”

“Oh.”

More silence.

“What’s it like in the LEP?”

“Sometimes it can get boring.”

“Oh. Okay.”'    

Artemis bolted upright. “I have it.”

“Yes! Finally! Good! What is it?” Jene nearly strangled him for the answer.

Artemis unhooked her fingers from his collar and said, “We have to save Butler and Holly.”

Foaly snorted. “That was a no brainer.”

“We have to have a plan,” Artemis continued with a glare at Foaly. Liz groaned and he flashed her a glare too.

“I hate plans,” Liz said, beginning to clean a dagger she had pulled from her boot. “Why do we need a plan?”

“Because a plan is their best chance to surviving. This time we have is precious if we want to save them.”

I sighed and sat back in my chair. “So what are you thinking of?”

A familiar glint appeared in Artemis’ sole blue eye. “I’m thinking we’re going to need a camera crew, and Mulch Diggums.”

And the plan was in motion.

Holly could feel the magic inside her, but she couldn’t use it, which frustrated her and made the escape even more harrowing. Butler, who was bleeding from one side of his head, his shoulders, his knees, and an arm, had abandoned the dead softnose a few corridors behind them. The rest of the plan was simple.

Run.

And they had, until Holly had tripped and nearly skinned her face.

They had lost the Jumbo pixies a few minutes ago, and now it was all about trying to catch whatever breath they had left, heal slightly, and stay alive.

Holly let her head fall onto her chest and tried a meditative technique to try unlocking all of her chi. It wasn’t working, but it helped her think.

Who was going to help them?

I twirled around in the swivel chair. “This. Is awesome.”

Foaly did a sort of whinny-sigh and I reluctantly got out of the chair. Artemis was staring at a giant map of the ocean with a huge circle drawn in the middle of it, labeled Atlantis. Right next to it was a screen with the same thing on it, except there were moving dots all over the ocean. I walked over to the map and cocked my head.

“So. What is this for?”

There was no answer.

“Atlantis isn’t real, right?”

No answer.

I stared at the map for another minute before looking at the screen. “Is this where you think Holly and Butler are?”

Artemis snapped a little and looked almost as if he was about to start screeching like a banshee. He gave me a death stare and got up in my face like he was going to start a rap battle.

“You-” He began, but I never heard the rest, since a knife blade thunk-ed in between us. I looked over to my left and looked at Liz.

“You’re a boy genius, but if you even dare to yell at her again, that knife will go through your lips,” Liz said, giving Artemis a death stare of her own. “Now, I know you’re worried as hell, but you’ve got to get through it, because we’re worried too. So leave her alone, or answer her question (I advise that, since then she’ll shut up) and I’ll stop throwing knives at you.”

Artemis narrowed his eyes at her and at me and turned back to the map.

“JUST BE SILENT,” He hissed. I looked at Liz and mouthed Someone’s PMSing.

She gave a disapproving shake of her head, but could barely hide the smirk of amusement on her face.

I shocked myself a little at that, and smacked myself around the head. What the hell?!

“You’ve all got to work together!” I whispered furiously at myself. “Otherwise, Holly and Butler are gone for good!”

I was ready to kick some Sanies butt.