Disclaimer: I don't own anything that looks familiar, just my own
characters, and the rest is the delightful Eoin Colfer's. (By the way, if
anyone knows exactly how to pronounce that vowel-laden first name of his,
leave it in the review. Thanks!)
A/N: Wow, you know, I always wanted to do an Artemis Fowl fic, just never got a good enough idea. I think this will turn out okay though, as long as I don't screw it up. 50/50 chance, really. Oh well, read, enjoy, and hopefully review!
* ( * ( * ( * ( * ( * ( * ( * ( *
"With choice, there comes power. With power, there comes responsibility."
LEPrecon Captain Holly Short made her way through the busy byways of Haven to the station. What was that Mud Man saying? Another day, another dollar, yes, that was it. And that saying precisely described Holly's feelings that particular morning as she entered. Nothing new, everything routine, another day at the office. Wonderful. She supposed she should be grateful for the lull, what with the seemingly nonstop excitement of the last year, but it simply wasn't in her nature. This malaise of normalcy was becoming nearly unbearable to her, and if there was one thing Holly Short was not, it was a creature of routine. So it was a good thing this normalcy's days were numbered, and she wouldn't have to go on missing certain Mud Men who made her life so much more interesting for much longer.
"Holly," a new intern, a young elf named Caesar, greeted her as he fell in step with the superior officer, "Commander Root wants to see you in his office now, and he said it was important, and he said- what was it?" the rookie racked his brains momentarily, "He said, 'If Short's not in here within thirty seconds of her arrival, I'll not only have her badge, but I'll let you rid a hotshot without a transport.'" The young elf smiled like the proud puppy he was at remembering every word of his master's order.
"Very good, Caesar," Holly said, not so gently patronizing the intern, "More good work like that and you'll get an extra tasty biscuit from Commander Root." She upped her pace, leaving Caesar to puzzle over her meaning in the lobby.
* ( * ( *
"You really shouldn't threaten the interns like that," Holly chastised her beet-faced commanding officer as she sat down on one of his office's chairs, "Their parents pay good donations to make their spawn part of the LEP."
"I don't wanna hear it, Short, we've got bigger fish to fry. I've got a new assignment for you, something you may find more interesting than goblin gangs and digging violations in the dwarf sector." He tossed a case file to her from behind his desk and watched her scan it.
Holly sat up straighter as she took a better look, her flashing eyes incredulous as she sent a piercing gaze over the file's edge at Root, "Is this what I think it is?" Her question was spoken like a statement, which it was, she had no reason to question the case file.
"You bet your last Neutrino it is," Root said solemnly, "A changeling."
Holly shuddered at the word, "But I didn't think that kind of thing happened anymore?" A changeling; a fairy child who replaces a human one, which is taken by fairies as a kind of pet. A popular practice centuries ago when Mud Men and the People were on much better terms, any terms at all, to be precise. Now even the thought of it was distasteful at best, due to the obvious question of who would want a Mud baby?
"You're wrong, it does happen and it apparently has. You and a team of my choosing are on a rescue mission as of three days from now. You'll get all the information you need from Foaly and the file. You'll report to him three days from now and you and your team will be a go. I should tell you though; you don't have a lot of time, see-"
Holly's ears pricked up, "Me and MY team? Am I to assume by this alleged 'MY' that I'll be in command of this team?"
"Don't get too excited, Short, keep your skirt on," Root absently shuffled some loose papers on his desk, obviously wishing she'd go away.
Holly grinned wryly but said nothing and left the commander to his work, the best way for her to show her gratitude. Needless to say, Holly's cloudy mood was significantly altered for the remainder of the day.
* ( * ( *
Aldonza Morgan stood on the porch of her home, eyeing the car warily and dreading the ride to come. She knew it wouldn't be all bad, she and her family were going to her favorite place after all, but car rides were becoming increasingly uncomfortable. She couldn't understand it, and after repeated interrogation of her parents and grandparents she was certain she'd never been prone to car sickness before. And besides that, it didn't feel like car sickness exactly, which she assumed to be just nausea. This was different, like a kind of claustrophobia mixed with the nausea, plus chills and headaches that made her want to leap from the vehicle after forty five minutes of riding or less.
"Allie, come or we'll be late!" her mother, June, called as she carried a large, hand-woven basket with ribbons and other supplies nearly spilling out to the car, the beads that hung off her skirt and in her long, curly hair swinging.
"Yes, April bug," her father, Thomas, said as he passed her on the porch, calling her by the nickname she'd heard all her life. He had a habit of calling his wife June bug, and since Aldonza had been born in April, he called his daughter April bug, "You wouldn't want to miss the festivities, would you?" He too carried a basket of supplies, along with some Tupperware containers of food. The delightful aromas issuing from the clear plastic led Aldonza by her nose to the car.
She gingerly lowered herself into the backseat. Even though she hadn't closed the car door yet she could feel the nausea creeping around her lower intestine. She swallowed and took a deep breath, her brain reminding her before she could quiet it that it would be the last bit of fresh air she'd get for the next hour and a half. Aldonza tried to focus on the fresh, green trees that surrounded her family's small home. They always made her feel calmer, and she could almost fool herself into believing they actually were trying their hardest to make her feel better.
June turned around in the driver's seat and watched Aldonza with a look of concern written on her round face, "I know you haven't been feeling well, April bug, but try not to get down about it. We're going to the festival, to visit all our friends, Mary and Bud and Wind. Sunbeam's twins will be there, you know they've missed you like crazy." She smiled warmly, but Aldonza didn't see it. She was still gazing out into the forest, and June tried to ignore the look of longing in the girl's copper-colored eyes. She turned to Thomas, "Are we ready to go?"
"Yes, we've got the bags, the food, the stones, the candles, the ribbons- if there's anything we forgot, I guess we weren't meant to bring it." He smiled his relaxed, unconcerned smile and June started the car.
Aldonza squeezed her eyes shut as the engine came to life, making the metal prison shudder like a living thing, and they were off. The car took them up the unpaved hill that led to her house and they turned onto the road that ran parallel to some cornfields. Aldonza was glad she'd chosen the side of the car that ran along the line of trees that marked the forest. As their greenery slipped by her window, she leaned her head against the shatterproof glass and tried to imagine she wasn't in the car, but in the heart of that forest surrounded by green and brown. She imagined she was nestled in the roots of an ancient oak, listening to the burbles of a nearby stream, watching the stream as its cool, clear water flowed over multi-colored stones. The air was warm, but a breeze blew across her face every now and again, keeping her cool. The sun trickled, green-tinged, through the leaves and fell in golden pools on the forest floor. All was quiet, all was still except the flow of the stream, and that was how it should be.
"Watch out, June!" Thomas cried out as a massive truck swerved back into its lane. June jerked the wheel to avoid the other drifting vehicle, sending their car to the side of the road and screeching to a stop. All three passengers were thrown forward and slammed back into their seats in an instant.
"Is everyone okay? Is everyone okay?!" June was shouting frantically.
"We're fine, June bug," Thomas was saying, trying to calm down his near-hysterical wife, "Everything's alright, right, Allie?"
But Aldonza wasn't listening. The fragile fantasy she'd been using to keep herself calm had shattered and the sickness had fallen on her like a bucket of ice water. The symptoms seemed ten times stronger than ever, so bad all the deep breathing in the world couldn't stop Aldonza from wrenching open the door and bolting from the vehicle.
Leaving June and Thomas to call in vain and confusion, Aldonza stumbled into the small swatch of grass beside the shoulder of the road before the cornfields. The world rocked as if Atlas was spinning it on his finger instead of carrying it on his back, pain sliced through her head, and her shaky knees gave out so she was sitting in the grass. She sucked in breath after breath of fresh air, to no avail as her stomach spasmed and her breakfast was issued onto the grass. After she was beyond sure she had no food left in her stomach, Aldonza slumped to one side until she was lying flat, and her heart slowly stopped its fevered pounding as the pain in her head finally retreated.
"April bug?" she heard June say from somewhere nearby, "Are you okay?"
Yeah, just peachy, Aldonza wanted to respond, but she pushed it away, "In a minute, Mom, I'll be fine in a minute." She gazed up at the bright blue sky; a few black birds flitted past.
"Okay, sweetie, I'll let you center yourself." She heard June walk away.
Aldonza sighed and once again wished things could go back to normal, the way they were before she could barely stand the sight of a car, before June's food started tasting bland or not at all, before her face started changing. That was a recent development. Her face seemed to be at war with itself over something she couldn't imagine. Like her chin, always a squarish shape, seemed to want to become a point, but her skull would have none of it. And her nose used to have a small bump at the bridge, but now was as straight as an arrow, narrow and pointed too. June and Thomas hadn't noticed yet, or if they had they hadn't said anything, and Aldonza was glad for that. They were worried enough already with the sudden car sickness, no need to keep them up at night thinking their daughter was turning into someone else.
Aldonza sighed again and pushed herself to her feet. Her upper body felt like a lead weight as she resignedly got back into the car.
"Have you found your peace, honey?" Thomas asked.
"Yeah, I'm good, let's go." June smiled and they drove the rest of the way without incident. Well, at least no more vomiting.
* ( * ( * ( * ( * ( * ( * ( * ( *
A/N: Okay, that's all for now. There will be more of a backstory for Aldonza and her folks next chapter; this is just kind of an opener. If there are any continuity errors I should know about (I wrote this chapter w/out an AF book handy) please notify me in a review/email, k? And in case you're wondering where our man Artemis comes into this, the answer is you'll find out, though not for a while unfortunately. C ya next chapter!
A/N: Wow, you know, I always wanted to do an Artemis Fowl fic, just never got a good enough idea. I think this will turn out okay though, as long as I don't screw it up. 50/50 chance, really. Oh well, read, enjoy, and hopefully review!
* ( * ( * ( * ( * ( * ( * ( * ( *
"With choice, there comes power. With power, there comes responsibility."
LEPrecon Captain Holly Short made her way through the busy byways of Haven to the station. What was that Mud Man saying? Another day, another dollar, yes, that was it. And that saying precisely described Holly's feelings that particular morning as she entered. Nothing new, everything routine, another day at the office. Wonderful. She supposed she should be grateful for the lull, what with the seemingly nonstop excitement of the last year, but it simply wasn't in her nature. This malaise of normalcy was becoming nearly unbearable to her, and if there was one thing Holly Short was not, it was a creature of routine. So it was a good thing this normalcy's days were numbered, and she wouldn't have to go on missing certain Mud Men who made her life so much more interesting for much longer.
"Holly," a new intern, a young elf named Caesar, greeted her as he fell in step with the superior officer, "Commander Root wants to see you in his office now, and he said it was important, and he said- what was it?" the rookie racked his brains momentarily, "He said, 'If Short's not in here within thirty seconds of her arrival, I'll not only have her badge, but I'll let you rid a hotshot without a transport.'" The young elf smiled like the proud puppy he was at remembering every word of his master's order.
"Very good, Caesar," Holly said, not so gently patronizing the intern, "More good work like that and you'll get an extra tasty biscuit from Commander Root." She upped her pace, leaving Caesar to puzzle over her meaning in the lobby.
* ( * ( *
"You really shouldn't threaten the interns like that," Holly chastised her beet-faced commanding officer as she sat down on one of his office's chairs, "Their parents pay good donations to make their spawn part of the LEP."
"I don't wanna hear it, Short, we've got bigger fish to fry. I've got a new assignment for you, something you may find more interesting than goblin gangs and digging violations in the dwarf sector." He tossed a case file to her from behind his desk and watched her scan it.
Holly sat up straighter as she took a better look, her flashing eyes incredulous as she sent a piercing gaze over the file's edge at Root, "Is this what I think it is?" Her question was spoken like a statement, which it was, she had no reason to question the case file.
"You bet your last Neutrino it is," Root said solemnly, "A changeling."
Holly shuddered at the word, "But I didn't think that kind of thing happened anymore?" A changeling; a fairy child who replaces a human one, which is taken by fairies as a kind of pet. A popular practice centuries ago when Mud Men and the People were on much better terms, any terms at all, to be precise. Now even the thought of it was distasteful at best, due to the obvious question of who would want a Mud baby?
"You're wrong, it does happen and it apparently has. You and a team of my choosing are on a rescue mission as of three days from now. You'll get all the information you need from Foaly and the file. You'll report to him three days from now and you and your team will be a go. I should tell you though; you don't have a lot of time, see-"
Holly's ears pricked up, "Me and MY team? Am I to assume by this alleged 'MY' that I'll be in command of this team?"
"Don't get too excited, Short, keep your skirt on," Root absently shuffled some loose papers on his desk, obviously wishing she'd go away.
Holly grinned wryly but said nothing and left the commander to his work, the best way for her to show her gratitude. Needless to say, Holly's cloudy mood was significantly altered for the remainder of the day.
* ( * ( *
Aldonza Morgan stood on the porch of her home, eyeing the car warily and dreading the ride to come. She knew it wouldn't be all bad, she and her family were going to her favorite place after all, but car rides were becoming increasingly uncomfortable. She couldn't understand it, and after repeated interrogation of her parents and grandparents she was certain she'd never been prone to car sickness before. And besides that, it didn't feel like car sickness exactly, which she assumed to be just nausea. This was different, like a kind of claustrophobia mixed with the nausea, plus chills and headaches that made her want to leap from the vehicle after forty five minutes of riding or less.
"Allie, come or we'll be late!" her mother, June, called as she carried a large, hand-woven basket with ribbons and other supplies nearly spilling out to the car, the beads that hung off her skirt and in her long, curly hair swinging.
"Yes, April bug," her father, Thomas, said as he passed her on the porch, calling her by the nickname she'd heard all her life. He had a habit of calling his wife June bug, and since Aldonza had been born in April, he called his daughter April bug, "You wouldn't want to miss the festivities, would you?" He too carried a basket of supplies, along with some Tupperware containers of food. The delightful aromas issuing from the clear plastic led Aldonza by her nose to the car.
She gingerly lowered herself into the backseat. Even though she hadn't closed the car door yet she could feel the nausea creeping around her lower intestine. She swallowed and took a deep breath, her brain reminding her before she could quiet it that it would be the last bit of fresh air she'd get for the next hour and a half. Aldonza tried to focus on the fresh, green trees that surrounded her family's small home. They always made her feel calmer, and she could almost fool herself into believing they actually were trying their hardest to make her feel better.
June turned around in the driver's seat and watched Aldonza with a look of concern written on her round face, "I know you haven't been feeling well, April bug, but try not to get down about it. We're going to the festival, to visit all our friends, Mary and Bud and Wind. Sunbeam's twins will be there, you know they've missed you like crazy." She smiled warmly, but Aldonza didn't see it. She was still gazing out into the forest, and June tried to ignore the look of longing in the girl's copper-colored eyes. She turned to Thomas, "Are we ready to go?"
"Yes, we've got the bags, the food, the stones, the candles, the ribbons- if there's anything we forgot, I guess we weren't meant to bring it." He smiled his relaxed, unconcerned smile and June started the car.
Aldonza squeezed her eyes shut as the engine came to life, making the metal prison shudder like a living thing, and they were off. The car took them up the unpaved hill that led to her house and they turned onto the road that ran parallel to some cornfields. Aldonza was glad she'd chosen the side of the car that ran along the line of trees that marked the forest. As their greenery slipped by her window, she leaned her head against the shatterproof glass and tried to imagine she wasn't in the car, but in the heart of that forest surrounded by green and brown. She imagined she was nestled in the roots of an ancient oak, listening to the burbles of a nearby stream, watching the stream as its cool, clear water flowed over multi-colored stones. The air was warm, but a breeze blew across her face every now and again, keeping her cool. The sun trickled, green-tinged, through the leaves and fell in golden pools on the forest floor. All was quiet, all was still except the flow of the stream, and that was how it should be.
"Watch out, June!" Thomas cried out as a massive truck swerved back into its lane. June jerked the wheel to avoid the other drifting vehicle, sending their car to the side of the road and screeching to a stop. All three passengers were thrown forward and slammed back into their seats in an instant.
"Is everyone okay? Is everyone okay?!" June was shouting frantically.
"We're fine, June bug," Thomas was saying, trying to calm down his near-hysterical wife, "Everything's alright, right, Allie?"
But Aldonza wasn't listening. The fragile fantasy she'd been using to keep herself calm had shattered and the sickness had fallen on her like a bucket of ice water. The symptoms seemed ten times stronger than ever, so bad all the deep breathing in the world couldn't stop Aldonza from wrenching open the door and bolting from the vehicle.
Leaving June and Thomas to call in vain and confusion, Aldonza stumbled into the small swatch of grass beside the shoulder of the road before the cornfields. The world rocked as if Atlas was spinning it on his finger instead of carrying it on his back, pain sliced through her head, and her shaky knees gave out so she was sitting in the grass. She sucked in breath after breath of fresh air, to no avail as her stomach spasmed and her breakfast was issued onto the grass. After she was beyond sure she had no food left in her stomach, Aldonza slumped to one side until she was lying flat, and her heart slowly stopped its fevered pounding as the pain in her head finally retreated.
"April bug?" she heard June say from somewhere nearby, "Are you okay?"
Yeah, just peachy, Aldonza wanted to respond, but she pushed it away, "In a minute, Mom, I'll be fine in a minute." She gazed up at the bright blue sky; a few black birds flitted past.
"Okay, sweetie, I'll let you center yourself." She heard June walk away.
Aldonza sighed and once again wished things could go back to normal, the way they were before she could barely stand the sight of a car, before June's food started tasting bland or not at all, before her face started changing. That was a recent development. Her face seemed to be at war with itself over something she couldn't imagine. Like her chin, always a squarish shape, seemed to want to become a point, but her skull would have none of it. And her nose used to have a small bump at the bridge, but now was as straight as an arrow, narrow and pointed too. June and Thomas hadn't noticed yet, or if they had they hadn't said anything, and Aldonza was glad for that. They were worried enough already with the sudden car sickness, no need to keep them up at night thinking their daughter was turning into someone else.
Aldonza sighed again and pushed herself to her feet. Her upper body felt like a lead weight as she resignedly got back into the car.
"Have you found your peace, honey?" Thomas asked.
"Yeah, I'm good, let's go." June smiled and they drove the rest of the way without incident. Well, at least no more vomiting.
* ( * ( * ( * ( * ( * ( * ( * ( *
A/N: Okay, that's all for now. There will be more of a backstory for Aldonza and her folks next chapter; this is just kind of an opener. If there are any continuity errors I should know about (I wrote this chapter w/out an AF book handy) please notify me in a review/email, k? And in case you're wondering where our man Artemis comes into this, the answer is you'll find out, though not for a while unfortunately. C ya next chapter!