A.N Guess what! I'm b-a-c-k! (Did I just here you guys say oh no?) So here is the chapter that I've owed you all for too long-I promise to get the rest of this up really soon (no joke!)
Oh, and my excuse for this being so late that its almost christmas? I was on a 3 week solar car race through the middle of Australia (feel free to ask me about that!) and then I was sick, overloaded with school work and tests, then the motherboard in my computer fried and then the graphics card in my computer died (for the 2nd time this year!) My computer is possessed!
NMEC'S, Enjoy!
Chapter 3: Earth
7:08am, a field, E1 Tara, Ireland.
"Well that was fun," Holly laughed as she jumped from the shuttles hatch.
"Very," moaned Chix "when was the last time you took a refresher course?"
"It depends if you add on the three years that I wasn't here."
"I think that explains it," Ash stumbled from the shuttle looking extremely nauseas.
"I don't see what you two are complaining about," Trouble was already half way across the field "that'll feel like a Ferris wheel compared to what's next." Chix and Ash both doubled over in unison,
"I think we should go on ahead," Holly turned away from them.
"I agree," Trouble pointed towards what seemed to be a small lake "Foaly said that the ports under there." Holly fell into step beside Commander Kelp. It was a few moments before either of them spoke again.
"So, you never told me how you got the top job," Holly tapped the triple acorn logo on Trouble's lapel "what did you use to bribe the council into picking you?" They both chuckled at that.
"Well, when Sool got fired a few years back I was the next highest ranking officer, so I was the next in line for the job."
"Where did Sool go after he left the LEP?"
"No one knows exactly but the last I heard he was on some nice little island in the tropics." Holly kicked a pebble across the muddy ground,
"He doesn't exactly deserve a happy ending."
"That's what I said, but he was already gone before I could have done anything."
"Do you reckon they've stopped spewing yet?" Holly changed the subject quickly.
"Hopefully, we are on a deadline-Foaly will go nuts if we run over time." Trouble turned and yelled back to Chix and Ash "Hurry it up you two."
"So where is the port entrance?" Holly asked as she reached the edge of the lake.
"…..there it is," Trouble pointed to a screen of bulrushes a couple of metres away.
"So this is it then."
"This is what?"
"This is possibly the last time we'll ever have our feet on the ground, breathe fresh air."
"Your not changing you're mind are you Holly," Trouble teased but he was thinking the exact same thing that she was-will we ever see Earth again. The moment of silence was spoiled by Ash and Chix's entrance to the group.
"What are you guys talking about?" Ash asked.
"Are you asking her-"
"Don't Chix," Trouble warned "you can go in first." Chix scowled and jumped into the clump of bulrushes-it was only a hologram-and after a little scrabbling with an electronic lock he disappeared from sight.
"Right Ash, you're next."
"Fine with me if you want to be alone with the Captain," Before Trouble could respond Ash gave him a wonky salute and jumped into the bulrushes behind Chix.
"You're next Holly," he turned back to the female elf.
"I know," Holly bent to down and plucked a small violet flower from the ground. She twirled it between her fingers as she looked back up at Trouble "needed a souvenir." Trouble grinned as she turned and paused, about to dive into the bulrushes.
"If you run off while we're all down there waiting I'm going to kill you."
"Don't worry, I'll be down in a minute," Trouble turned to the horizon as Holly disappeared from view, the sun had just set and it was still casting rays of sunlight through the rapidly darkening sky-it was beautiful. He was thinking of Holly's little flower as he looked around the field one last time. There was a stem of orchid like flowers not very far away so Trouble took it carefully from the ground and turned back to the bulrushes-everybody needs a souvenir sometimes.
In the shuttle.
Trouble heard laughing as he jumped through the entrance hatch into the shuttle; Ash and Chix were probably messing around again.
"What took you so long?" Chix shouted when he sat down in the co-pilots chair next to Holly's.
"Nothing that's you're business," Trouble replied as he tucked the stem of flowers into a cup holder that sat beside his seat "are we ready for take-off?"
"Almost," Holly said as she pressed various buttons in complex patterns-some of which Trouble didn't understand "just finishing off the pre-flight checks now."
"Good work," Trouble turned to the two fairies in the back "you may want to strap yourselves in now." Ash hurried over to a high backed chair that sat behind a bank of gas screens marked navigation. Chix went in the other direction to a gas screen that was currently showing a radar picture of the area around them, this screen was marked weapons.
"We ready?" Holly asked finally and fired the engines up with a roar.
"Yes," Trouble replied and felt his hand drifting towards hers "good luck," he said as his hand touched hers, then he turned red and quickly snatched it back.
"We're going then," Holly said before Chix could get a comment in "hold on to you're breakfast.
"Too late," Chix groaned "I lost it outside." Holly grinned and gunned the engines slightly more than usual.
"Then don't lose it again," Holly slammed her hand against the ignition button and the main engine blasted into life, shooting them up through the surface of the lake and into to the pitch dark sky. "Have you got anything on radar Chix?" Holly asked against the pressure that was starting to accumulate in the shuttle.
"No," Chix groaned.
"Good," Holly turned back to the engines read outs, all systems where at 100, they were now flying along at almost 1500km/h.
"We have two minutes before we exit Earth's atmosphere-"
"One minute thirty," Holly was grinning as she wrestled the shuttle back onto its set course "and I think that the handling could do with a little work if you're listening Foaly."
"Why thankyou," An image appeared in the top right hand corner of the windscreen "remember, I'm the one who has control over the life support systems-I'd be careful with what you say if I was you."
"Was that a threat?"
"No, it was merly a warning-here's a threat," Foaly grinned and began to say something that he had obviously been planning out for a while "if you don't comply with the rules of the creator of this shuttle-which would be me-I will open the hatches and you can all be sucked out into space."
"Well that wasn't very creative at all." Foaly shrugged.
"I'm on a tight schedule here; it's not my fault I don't have enough time to come up with my usual brilliant remarks."
"Fine, I'll let you off on that one," Holly glanced up at Foaly "but anymore and I'm warning you-I'm landing this shuttle on your head."
"You wouldn't be able to-" Foaly paused and then scowled "I've got to go-someone wants to talk to you-but I expect that we will continue this conversation later." Before Holly could ask who wanted speak to her an image crackled into life where Foaly's had been just seconds ago.
"Artemis?" Holy asked "how on Earth did you get this number?"
"I know someone who has all the numbers," Artemis smiled and began again "there is a reason why I called."
"And that is?"
"I'm sorry Holly but I couldn't explain my disappearance any other way," Artemis grimaced and continued "I told me parents about the fairies, Butler had already tried to tell them before but they hadn't believed him."
"So do you need a mind wipe now?" Holly said almost sarcastically.
"No, I would never do anything like that to my parents," Artemis glanced towards what seemed to be a door at the back of the room he was in. "My parents asked me if they could see said fairies, I asked Foaly wether I could show them-he agreed that they could see some fairies-but Foaly being Foaly did not want to be the fairy who was seen, instead he gave me you're number."
"I don't like this Fowl, it's not just me in this room, you'll have to ask the others."
"Alright then, who doesn't want to be seen by my parents?" Nobody spoke. "I think that's settled then, but look on the bright side Holly (Artemis almost cringed at such a cliché expression) Butler and Juliet will be here too." Holly considered him for a moment.
"Fine, but if I seem a little distracted it's because I'm driving a space ship right now."
"Oh ha ha Holly," Artemis took a look around the shuttle again with his eyebrows raised "oh, you're not joking, my parents won't mind."
"Go for it then," Holly turned to Trouble "don't do anything strange, all you have to do is sit there looking pretty, alright?"
"I do that everyday Major." Artemis cleared his throat and the two elves turned to see a whole pile of humans now staring at them. It seemed that Artemis had forgotten to mention the fact that he had told the twins as well.
"So is this them Arty?" Angeline asked her son "Is this the fairies?"
"Yes mother," Artemis said from a corner of the room "they do speak English."
"And every other language under the Earth," Holly grinned, the four humans who had been staring at her almost fell over backwards.
"You must be Holly," Artemis's father spoke first "he's said a lot about you."
"He has, has he?" Holly looked at Artemis before answering, Juliet and Butler had just appeared in the doorway and they moved to stand next to the teenage genius. "There all lies then." Angeline and Artemis senior were unsure wether they should laugh or not, the twins though did not share that uncertainty.
"What about you're companions," Artemis senior studied Trouble who sat next to her "they all look like their elves as you call yourself, except from the one in the corner, is he green?" Holly tapped Trouble on the shoulder and pointed to the controls,
"You take over for a moment." Holly stood up from her chair and walked over to where Chix was cowering behind the weapons desk; she grabbed him by his lapels and dragged him up to the front. "This is Chix, he is a sprite, therefore he is green, has wings and is extremely annoying."
"And what about the other two?" Angeline asked.
"This is Ash," Holly let go of Chix who ran back to his desk to cower behind it "he is an elf like me, even if he does look a little green right now."
"Why is he green?"
"We're up in space right now." The Fowl's eyes rose in unison to the ceiling and back down again.
"Do you do that often?" Artemis senior enquired.
"No, this is the first time we've been up." Holly walked back over to the pilot's chair, Trouble moved to get up but Holly kept him in the seat with one hand on his shoulder. "Is there anything else?"
"I don't believe you've introduced that man there yet," Angeline looked at Trouble for a moment "What's that badge on his chest?"
"This is Trouble, he's an elf as well," Holly reached down and unclipped the badge that Angeline had been talking about from his uniform "this little badge here means that he is the Commander of our police force, it's like the badges on your police's uniforms that specify the rank of the officer." Trouble looked at her; his look was saying something along the lines of-can I have my badge back now? Holly laughed and held the badge high above his head, daring him to try and get it.
"Is he you're boyfriend?" Myles asked after a little bit of elbowing from his brother (the twins were not geniuses-genii if you insist-but their IQ was still above average) Holly flushed pink and started hastily.
"No Myles, he's like…..a brother to me." The twins seemed to understand that answer and leaned back against their parents again. "Is that all now?"
"I believe so," Artemis senior took one last look at the diminutive creatures in front of him and got up "I think we shall take our leave now, I'm sure that Juliet and Butler will want to speak with you. Good luck with the mission."
"Thankyou Mr. Fowl," Holly grinned as the Fowl's got up and left the room. Juliet and Butler slid into their recently vacated chairs and smiled up at the screen.
"So he's not you're boyfriend?" Juliet laughed.
E.N Thanks so much for reading-please don't forget to review and if you have anything that you'd like me to read (on this site or otherwise) either say in a review or PM me (I will give out my E-mail if you want it)
Thanks so much again,
-Jess-
P.S I might just be able to update again today!