Disclaimer: If only I owned Artemis Fowl, Julius wouldn't be dead… RIP, my friend.
Holly Short dropped into her swivel chair, playing with the soft leather on the arm.
"So here I am," she whispered into the emptiness of her new office.
The place was beautiful. Just the right size, it was fashioned in maroon and gold. Very elegant, yet professional. Wood cabinets shone from their spots, polished so carefully they gleamed. A file cabinet, its contents still fairly few, sat beside the exquisite mahogany desk.
Can't expect any less from Artemis Fowl, Holly chuckled. The Mud Boy had furnished this place for her and Mulch Diggums after their old headquarters had been blown up thanks to a former client.
Holly was an elf, a former Reconnaissance captain of the Lower Elements Police. She had been one of its rising stars, until she was accused of murdering her own commander. That had created a wound that was beyond deep, and Holly quit, deciding to begin anew as a private detective, aided by Mulch, a former dwarf thief.
Julius. Holly felt her eyes well up. Commander Julius Root had been the youngest-ever commander of the LEP. A fearless and honorable elf, he had subdued some of the biggest criminals in the underground city of Haven. Despite his hot temper (he had more or less always walked around with a purple face, earning him the nickname Beetroot), he had a soft side as well—and a fatherly love for every officer who served under him.
And Holly had looked upon him as a father.
Go now, Holly. I am ordering you to leave.
That great elf had been taken right before her own eyes. A bomb had finished him off, ending his life. He hadn't even gone down fighting before all of Haven—he'd gone down before a grandstanding, psychopath pixie named Opal Koboi, who had been laughing behind her little screen the whole time. Laughing as Holly scrambled, helpless, unable to stop his demise.
On the device. There's a sweet spot. One-inch diameter. The red dot below the screen. If you hit that spot from outside the trigger area, then you overload the circuit. If you miss even by a hair, you set off the explosive gel. It's a sporting chance, more than you gave me, Holly Short.
It had been a trick. A wily, conniving trick. And as Opal had expected, Holly fell for it.
Julius had been calm when he told her not to take the shot, to go and save Artemis instead. His final command.
That's the last order I'll ever give you, Captain. Don't you dare ignore it.
I don't have a choice, Julius, Holly raged inside her head as the memories of that painful moment washed over her. I didn't…
Don't call me Julius! You always do that just before you disobey me!
"No!" Holly cried out, her slim fist coming down on the desk as she remembered the seconds ticking by like lightning.
Be well.
Then orange flame.
xxxxx
Mulch Diggums heard the knock on the door as he downed a couple of beetles from his special mix. Shoving the jar into the nearest cabinet and quickly making himself look as presentable as he could possibly make himself, he strode to the oak door and opened it. At the threshold stood an unusually pale human, accompanied by another one who was approximately the same size as a bear.
"Fowl. Nice to see you."
The pale one smiled his trademark vampire smile. "Aren't you going to let me in, Mulch? You know I don't like to keep Detective Short waiting."
The dwarf grunted. "Come in."
They entered the spacious room, which had been built especially to accommodate seven-foot-tall Mud Men.
Mulch retrieved the bottle of beetles and settled himself back on the couch of the "meeting room". "So what brings you here, Mud Boy?"
Artemis Fowl had just removed two bottles of Irish spring water from the refrigerator. He handed one to Butler, the big one, who was also his bodyguard, friend, and constant companion.
"Holly contacted me, obviously. And it couldn't have come at a better time. I was bored to death in that joke of a history class."
"Oh yeah, school day. What excuses did you make up this time?"
Artemis smirked as he daintily sipped from the bottle. "Simple, really. All I had to do was flinch and clutch my stomach. I was immediately told to visit the infirmary, and it was of no difficulty at all to slip out to the grounds, meet Butler, and return home."
One of this house/office's most unusual features was its connection to Fowl Manor. Artemis and Foaly the centaur, the LEP's technical consultant and Holly's best friend, had come up with this idea so that Holly could still stay close to Haven while having the ability to reach Artemis (and the surface) easily if needed. It had not been an easy operation at all, but with the help of Mulch, some pulled strings, and a lot of illegal mumbo-jumbo (Foaly had not hesitated to break the rules--he'd never been one to stick to them, particularly after Holly left the LEP), the setup had been constructed.
Mulch inhaled a cockroach. "Was your girlfriend worried for you, Arty?"
Artemis scowled as Butler struggled not to laugh.
xxxxx
Corporal Holly Short. Reporting as requested, sir.
Twirling a digi-pen absently in her left hand, Holly thought back to when she first met Julius. She'd just come in from duty smelling like fish, having just apprehended an illegal fish smuggler, and she remembered trying to stand her ground before this broad-shouldered elf with a buzz cut smoking a noxious cigar. When he'd first laid eyes on her, he hadn't been pleased.
Short. You're a girl?
Yessir. Guilty as charged.
He'd doubted her ability, as she was female, and Julius had never denied that sexism was well in the LEP. But he'd been proven wrong when she saved both his and Captain (now Major) Trouble Kelp's hides during her initiation.
Stay here. If Turnball gets me, then go back to the shuttle and activate the distress signal. If help doesn't come and you see Turnball coming, then set the self-destruct. That's a direct order, Short, so take that insolent look off your face.
Holly shook her head, smiling bittersweetly. Of course she'd disobeyed. She'd flown the shuttle and blown off the roof of the hut in which the disgraced LEP captain Turnball Root had housed his hostages, Julius and Trouble.
I cannot trust you, Short. You saved us, it's true, but Recon is all about stealth, and you are not a stealthy fairy. It might seem unreasonable after all you've done, but I'm afraid there is no place for you in my squad. If you can do anything to change my mind, now is your chance. Your only chance. Well, can you do anything?
Just this, Commander.
She'd drawn the paintball pistol he'd handed to her for the initiation.
You tag me before I tag you, and you're in. No questions asked.
She could still see him tossing her the silver acorns that had been her most prized possession.
Put them on. Welcome to Recon.
xxxxx
Artemis gritted his teeth. "I do not have a girlfriend."
Butler coughed into his hand.
Mulch raised an eyebrow and plucked a couple of envelopes out of the breast pocket of Artemis's St. Bartleby's blazer.
"Cream-colored this time, I see." Mulch slid a finger underneath the flap. "Let's see what your little secret admirer has to say about you this time."
The raven-haired Mud Boy moved to snatch the envelopes from Mulch, then thought better of it. The dwarf might bite his hand off. Besides, who knew what illogical thing Mulch might make of his reaction?
"Ahem. 'Dear Artemis. Working hard again, I see. Your science project is coming along so well—it is a technological marvel.'" Mulch nodded at Artemis.
"Master Fowl," said the human stiffly. "She has no right to be using my first name."
Butler chuckled. "Now, Artemis, it wouldn't hurt you to be appreciative occasionally. She's simply trying to get your attention, to draw you out."
"With such drivel?" Artemis sniffed. "Watched too many romances, undoubtedly. Honestly, what has become of the film industry?"
"You forgot the romance novels," Mulch added.
Butler cleared his throat, looking quite uncomfortable.
"You will certainly never see me engaged in those overused and outdated rituals such…writers seem to hold so dear," Artemis replied.
"You really haven't ever dreamed of finding a mate and settling down with a family?" inquired Mulch.
"Most definitely not."
"You're more abnormal than I thought, Mud Boy. Even I've entertained those thoughts once in a while. But I remember my commitment to my city and my people, and no matter how hard it is, I must sacrifice my own dreams."
Artemis smiled. "Ah. Are you certain it's not because no dwarf woman would have you?"
"Fowl, that hurt."
"So I was correct."
Mulch buried his head in the letter again.
xxxxx
There you are, Captain. Never let it be said that I don't look after my officers.
Julius had never been afraid of taking risks. He would never put any of his men in grave danger—not before himself. When Holly had been kidnapped by more than three years ago by Artemis Fowl, Julius had chosen to negotiate for her release himself—barely escaping an exploding tanker on a whaler's ship. When Artemis had requested fairy power to rescue his father, Julius had volunteered himself, even though Russia was not good for fairies—too much radiation.
Even to the moment of his death, he held on to that philosophy.
Root. I would speak to you. I would tell you a great secret. Bring the female, Holly Short. Two only, no more. Any more, and many will die. My comrades will see to it…
I have to go in. I don't have a choice, not really. I won't order you to come with me, Captain Short.
He was the epitome of what being an LEP officer was about. He knew when he had to make a sacrifice.
Commander Root, it looks like you're the sacrifice.
Stay back. It's a trigger.
One minute to live, Commander. How does that feel?
Go now, Holly. I am ordering you to leave.
With respect. Commander. No. This isn't over yet.
Forty-eight…forty-seven…
What have you done, Koboi?
The seconds ticking…
Just get out of range. Go and save Artemis. That's the last order I'll ever give you, Captain. Don't you dare ignore it.
"I haven't," she whispered into the air. "I haven't, sir."
xxxxx
Artemis had crammed the letters back into his pocket with a smug look.
"Framing them, Arty dear?" Mulch asked sweetly.
Artemis ignored the question. "Where is Holly?"
Mulch pointed at Holly's closed office door. "In there. Said she wanted a moment to herself."
Artemis gazed thoughtfully at the door. "Yes, I supposed she does," he remarked softly.
His face softened.
The refrigerator door slammed, breaking the silence of the moment.
Mulch had a white box in his hands, a box of what appeared to be…
"Are those truffles?" Artemis perked up, snapping out of his reverie. Ever since the ordeal with Opal, he had attained a strange liking for the treats.
Mulch held up a half-eaten chocolate ball and inspected it. "Looks like it."
Artemis snatched a piece from the box. "I quite like these."
"Hey! Mud Boy!"
With a devilish grin, Artemis grabbed the box.
"Give that back."
"Of course. When I'm done."
"My truffles!"
xxxxx
Artemis's voice floated, unbidden, into Holly's head.
Julius would have been proud of you. Haven is here today because of what you did.
Maybe. Maybe if I had been a little smarter, Julius would be here today, too.
Maybe, but I don't think so. I have been thinking about it and there was no way out of that chute. Not without prior knowledge.
The most comforting words the Mud Boy had ever spoken to her.
Holly shut her eyes, dropping the digi-pen onto the table. She recalled Julius's face the second before the proximity trigger planted by Opal exploded in the center of his chest.
His eyes showed no fear, no trepidation. Just acceptance.
His smile was fatherly and reassuring.
There had been no sign of his old agitated, red-faced state.
He had been absolutely peaceful.
Julius would have been proud of you.
You're a good Recon officer, Holly. One of the best I've seen.
Holly felt a tear slide down her cheek. It was followed by another.
She was crying. For the first time since Julius's recycling, she was crying.
For him.
"I was a good Captain, wasn't I?" The tears rolled down faster. "I made you proud of me."
I'm proud of you, Holly.
"The truffles!" Artemis screamed from outside. "Butler!"
Holly looked up, surprised, but decided to pay it no mind.
Julius would have been proud of you.
If it makes any difference, I'm proud of you, Holly.
It had made a difference. It still did.
Be well. I'm proud of you, Holly.
"Thanks for the good years, Commander," Holly concluded quietly. "It was an honor to serve under you."
She clenched her fist. "I will do what is in my capacity to serve the People. I won't let you down, Julius."
As she closed her eyes in commemoration of the late great Commander Julius Root, Holly knew that this was a promise she would make good on for the rest of her life.
xxxxx
Holly stepped out of her office, baffled at the scene before her.
Artemis and Mulch were engaged in what looked like a tug-of-war over a box of truffles. The Mud Boy froze and dropped the box on Mulch's toe when he noticed her watching bemusedly.
"Detective Short. All's well with you, I presume?" Something in Artemis's voice seemed to add the word now.
Holly smiled at him and he smiled back, a genuinely warm smile, as a silent understanding passed between them.
"Very well." Then she grinned, Artemis's own vampire grin. "Truffle, Artemis?"
He reddened. Butler hastily turned his laugh into a cough.
"Something in my throat," the manservant choked out. "Good to see you, Detective."
"Good to see you too, Butler."
Artemis cleared his throat, trying not to look too disgruntled as Mulch tipped the whole box of truffles into his gaping mouth. "What have you called me here for, Holly? A Stradivarius? A Caravaggio? Ransom gold? Or perhaps more stinkworms?"
Holly let out a snort of laughter. Artemis had had a less than pleasant encounter with the creatures while on a job.
These are my people now, Holly realized. And she would treat them with the same respect and care Julius had given her, and all her other former colleagues.
One day, they will make me proud too.
"Yes, I received a call from Foaly. He's got a scene for us to take a look at. We better get to work."
Go now, Holly.
THE END
A/N: This story was already written June of last year, and should've been uploaded then, but I've been lazy... :D
God bless, y'all!