Reoccurring Dreams

A gothic cathedral stood in the center of a darkened, polluted city. The walls of the aged building dripped with murky water as rain poured down from the churning, black clouds above, making for a far more dismal scene than it normally would have been.

Within the stony premises of the ancient, holy structure the walls reverberated with the sound of the growling thunder that shook the city around it. Moments later the broken windows caught the bright light of the flashing lightening, the static it created crawling through the air like a thousand grasping hands.

The electric air was felt by many, but one felt nothing, his body immune to the storm that was causing chaos and fear all around him.

He stood, his back to the tall arched windows, with his body tight and hunched forward, his eyes focused on something else.

He stepped slowly across the marble floor, the lightning flashing across his young face. His footsteps echoed in the endless cathedral as if he weighed several more pounds than he actually did, but other than that he was silent.

He watched as he passed a shattered mirror, his reflection shifting and flitting through it like a bird caught in a glass cage, moving chaotically without any order. His eyes turned away as he caught site of another figure following a few feet beyond, their reflection in the shattered glass reacting nothing like his did-a mass of black seeming to seep across the broken mirror.

He continued to make his way across the ancient tiled floor; his mind on one thought…"I can't let him know…"

Another flash of lightning filled the darkened cathedral, followed by a deep rumble of thunder, the floor beneath the soles of his feet vibrating eerily as if the cathedral was threatening to fall apart.

He stopped and studied one of the many stained glass windows that sat before him. An array of frames filled with broken, colored glass-a tribute to the harsh fate the church had met.

He turned his head slightly as he heard the second set of footsteps come to a halt behind him, the air suddenly silent and sizzling with the electricity caused not only by the storm but by the awkward position he had found himself in.

He stood in silence for several minutes, the looming presence behind him causing his body to shake. A million thoughts raced through his head as he felt his body tighten. He knew he must keep the secret he had sworn himself to, and beyond that he had to protect the one person he had given his life up for. What could he do? This man-this thing-wanted to know what he had to tell-what he had in his possession. He was insisting that he know every detail by the end of that very night, claiming that he would spare his life if he cooperated.

But he couldn't. He had sworn himself to secrecy, sworn to protect what he now held from the very evil that was rising in the cathedral they stood in.

He had to laugh inside at the irony of the situation he had found himself in. A demon, a server of evil, had risen within one of God's houses making his evil known before his very maker.

It was then that the suffocating silence was broken-not by thunder, but by a voice.

"You are sure?" He said calmly, but his voice felt as cold as if a thousand tons of ice had been poured into the room around them. "You have no idea where it is?"

He turned abruptly, finally coming face to face with the darkened figure that now stood before him. He could barely breathe as he realized what he was seeing, the one enemy he had sworn to be a safe-guard against.

"I have no idea," He shook his head as he held his gaze.

"Should I believe you?" The other figure asked, his hand raising and a shining handgun coming into view. He examined it calmly, turning it from side to side as if it was a simple toy.

"Why would I lie to you?" He asked, his voice unwavering.

He turned back around, slowly continuing his way along the ancient cathedrals floor, his feet falling on the cracks and indents made by those before him.

"You are the sworn Obelisk, are you not?" His voice came from behind him.

"If I knew differently-if I knew of its whereabouts-I would tell you so," He replied calmly.

"Are you so sure?"

He turned and studied the darkened figure before him, their eyes meeting in the dusk of the storm. They stood there for several seconds, their eyes locked on one another's, before he turned away.

His silence didn't seem to serve as a good enough answer for the darkened figure continued to follow him.

He slowly arched his path towards the wall, his hand dragging against the cracked plaster of the ancient surface. He came to a slow halt before leaning his shoulder and the side of his forehead against the cracking plaster.

"It would be wise to divulge the information you hold," The figure spoke, his voice suddenly closer-his breath passing over his skin.

He stood with his body against the wall and his eyes focused on the pieces of the stained glass window before him. He could barely make out the images before him.

"I know of the secrecy you have sworn to," The figure spoke again. "But do not worry; your traitorous actions will not reach those in charge."

He felt something hard suddenly press against the back of his head.

"Either way I die," He replied quietly, his eyes fixated on the broken window. "Why tell you what you need to know when my fate is unpleasant either way?"

The figure behind him seemed angered by his response. A quiet click echoed through the room, followed suddenly by a flash of lightening.

The thunder would soon come, he thought placidly as he felt the muzzle of the gun pressing painfully against the back of his head. He waited patiently, in silence, for the rumbling to echo through the cathedral-to vibrate his ear drums as he awaited his death.

"One last chance," The figure said huskily, his voice barely more than a whisper. "Surely you wouldn't want your secret to die with you."

He continued to stare at the window, knowing he could not divulge such important information, he could not betray the one he had sworn to protect.

"Final chance," The voice whispered again, the gun pressing harder against his skull.

His eyes remained on the colors of the old window before him, focusing on the broken shards and glimmering colors in the light of the storm. There was nothing he could do now but wait…

Seconds later the silent air was shattered by the sound of a gunshot, only soon to be muted by the rumble of thunder.

The darkened city sat in silence, unaware of the incident that had taken place within the walls of the ancient cathedral. Lights continued to remain off, bodies continued to sleep, and the rain continued to fall.

Artemis Fowl shot up in his bed, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as his chest heaved in and out. He glanced around quickly, trying to regain full consciousness as the images from his dream ran through his mind like a never-ending film. It was midnight, and he knew he shouldn't be awake.

A shaking hand rose to his forehead as he shut his eyes and thought. It had been a dream-he knew that now, but it had seemed so real. Now it was behind him, looming in the back of his mind like a creature ready to attack. Parts of it made sense while others remained murky and just beyond his grasp. What he remembered was vague-images blending into one another. What he didn't remember was what wasn't letting him fall back asleep.

With a deep sigh he threw the covers off of him and swung his legs over the edge of the bed. He opened his eyes slowly to the room around him, letting the reality of the world take over the distant fiction of his dreams.

His computer sat on a desk only a few feet away, the glow of its screen illuminating the room he now sat in. He had spent the last few days in his room, calculating, theorizing, and falling into fits of frustration as he tried to decipher his latest project.

He stood slowly, crossing over to his computer and poking the mouse, waking the screen and bringing several windows of writing and equations into view. Even the sight of it hurt his head, making him turn away and focus on the darkness that surrounded him.

He couldn't help but find himself pulled into yet another mystery-another project. He knew the frustration it would, and already had caused him, but that didn't matter. He had been out of touch with the LEP for at least two years, and now he found himself, at eighteen-years-old, one of the most bored individuals he had ever known, not that he knew many.

Of course being out of touch with the LEP wasn't everything; in fact at times it was almost convenient, giving him an excuse to fall into projects of the not-so-legal kind. He had heard from his ex-LEP friend Holly Short several times, but not enough to keep him interested. She would call occasionally, looking to him for information she couldn't solve herself, but as the years passed she became far too busy to spend time merely chatting with a "mud boy".

He turned his attention back to the computer screen in front of him. The equations before him were more than confusing, but somehow he felt he understood them. His latest project revolved around what was known as the Obelisk. At this point in time here only had a vague idea of what this coveted object was, but he knew it was important, not to mention valuable.

Butler had no idea what he was up to, but then again he didn't always need to. Artemis knew Butler would warn him against beginning another "adventure" as he called them. It was time Butler retired, or so he claimed, and it was up to Artemis to let him live in peace…but for Artemis Fowl that just wasn't possible.

Holly Short awoke at midnight exactly, images floating through her mind she couldn't understand. Artemis had been there, somewhere inside her mind, and he had…

She raised her hand to her forehead and massaged it, trying to lure out images from the dream she had just been having. He had been there with her, in some dark and dank place full of rain. But they hadn't been alone. Someone else had been there with them, following them, and then in turn had…

What? She couldn't remember. All she knew was something had happened to Artemis-something she hadn't liked. She had awoken to the sounds of her screams echoing from a dream too far away to fully remember. It had been days since she had slept well, and now here she was waking up from the same dream that had kept her awake for what felt like weeks.

Each night she had seen more and more of this reoccurring dream. Step by step she had fallen deeper into the story unfolding in front of her eyes, and now she was at a cliff hanger, desperate to know what would happen to her friend.

Holly threw her covers back and slipped out of bed, crossing the room to where her headset sat, glowing a bright blue against the glass table. She picked it up and slid it on, pressing the power button and speaking a single word into the microphone.

"Artemis."

Artemis jumped as the top right drawer of his desk began to vibrate violently. At first he was tempted to call for Butler, but on a second thought he realized exactly what was going on.

He slid the drawer open, sliding papers aside and popped open a small compartment in what appeared to be the bottom of the drawer. Beneath the panel was a small, glowing phone, vibrating as Holly's name blinked on the thin screen.

He retrieved it immediately, anxious to hear her voice coming from the other side.

"Hello?" He asked, his voice rough from sleep.

"Artemis," Her voice sounded relieved as it traveled through the slim phone he held against his ear. "Did I wake you?"

"No," Artemis replied calmly, sleep having abandoned him for good it seemed.

"Are you okay?" She asked, her voice switching from relieved to anxious. "You sound…"

"I'm fine," He sighed as he ran his fingers through his dark hair. "Just…thinking is all."

"I hope I didn't interrupt any "plotting" of yours," She laughed calmly.

"No," He said again. "You know me Holly; I gave that up two years ago."

Holly smiled as Artemis made his claim, she knew better than to think the great Artemis Fowl would simply give up on wreaking some form of havoc in the world.

"Sure," She laughed again, feeling a little relieved that he seemed to be okay. "I'll pretend I believe that, for now."

"Good," He said, his voice sounded so tired and worn. "I'm glad we're on the same page. Now, why did you call me?"

Holly thought for a second. She had called him to tell him about her dream-to make sure he was okay and that somehow what she had seen wasn't coming true. But now that she had heard his voice-now that she knew he was fine albeit tired, she had begun to second guess herself. She knew if she told him Artemis would simply say she was worrying too much. Like he had said, she knew him, and she knew him all too well.

"Can't a friend call just to talk?" Holly asked, trying to sound casual.

"It's midnight, Holly," Artemis replied, she should've known better than to try to trick Artemis Fowl. "Since when have you ever felt the need to call me at such a late hour?"

"Since…now." She said, her statement sounding more like a question.

"What's wrong?" Artemis asked, his voice stern as he seemed to have woken up more.

"Nothing," She said calmly. "Nothing's wrong. I'll talk to you later, Artemis."

The next morning was nothing less than dismal. Artemis had lain in bed all night, the fairy phone beside his head on the pillow and his eyes focused on the ceiling. He couldn't sleep, and he had no idea why. The dream had been so strange-nothing like any dream he had had before. Not only was he confused, but he was tired and worn out, yet sleep hadn't come.

"Sleep well?" A voice broke through his thoughts as he sat, his face buried in his arms at the bar in the kitchen.

Artemis looked up from his thoughts to see Butler entering the room, a calm look on his face as he made his way towards the fridge.

"No," Artemis muttered grumpily. "If you must ask."

"It's no one's fault but your own that you stay up all night working on that computer of yours," Butler replied as he sat down with an entire grapefruit in his hand.

"I wasn't up all night at my computer," Artemis snapped before he could control himself. "I couldn't sleep because of this idiotic dream I've been having."

"Dreams don't mean anything, Artemis," Butler replied casually as he cut the grapefruit in two and began to eat.

"Tell that to my brain," Artemis sighed before shoving his face back into his folded arms.

"You know better than anyone I can't tell your brain anything," Butler replied. "I've tried it before, and it usually affects you in ways I'd rather not deal with."

Artemis's head rose and Butler received a disgruntled glare from the teenager.

"Don't blame me that you've given yourself insomnia," Butler said, defending himself.

"I don't have insomnia," Artemis grumbled before turning to look out the large picture window in the connecting dining room. "I have…"

Butler examined his charge with a confused look. He knew there wasn't much he could do to help Artemis think his way through whatever it was that was keeping him awake, but he could still be concerned.

"So it's a dream that's keeping you awake?" Butler asked as he finished the last of his grapefruit and threw it in the trash under the sink.

"Yes," Artemis muttered, seeming ashamed as his blue eyes stared out the picture window in the dining room, his narrow jaw set and his hand clenching and unclenching on the armrest of his chair.

"What kind of dream?" Butler asked as he moved back to the bar and watched Artemis's strange behavior.

"I don't know," The teen snapped, a reaction that wasn't normal for Artemis Fowl.

"Why don't you try to get some sleep?" Butler asked. "Make up for some you lost last night."

"Maybe," Artemis muttered before turning his tired eyes on him. "I'll try."

The cathedral was back again as rain fell around him, but this time Artemis was standing in front of the towering building, staring up at its flying buttresses and massive stained glass windows.

The rain poured down around him, soaking through his thin shirt and into his skin. Something about this place felt wrong, let alone threatening. He clenched something cold in his hand, a chain running from it and slapping against his skin in the cold wind.

Artemis suddenly had the feeling he was no longer alone as the sound of light footsteps made themselves known through the pounding of the rain. A hand slipped into his free one and he looked down to see Holly Short standing beside him, a gothic looking key held between their hands.

They both turned their attention to the cathedral in front of them, knowing something that Artemis's unconscious mind could not quite grasp, but it wouldn't be long before it all came to him.

This is the beginning of my third fanfic here. My first two are both "Black Cat" (an anime) fics, but I decided to try my luck with "Artemis Fowl", especially since I'm in love with the latest book lol. I hope this is confusing, but not too confusing, but I don't want people to suspect where this going. I hope you enjoyed and I'll write more soon (on top of my other fics…eek!)

-Train/Artemis