A/N I'm reviewing sort of earlier because of the three new reviews… I'm going to reply to them now:
Mischievous101: Thanks for reviewing. I can't believe I didn't notice that HUGE plot hole XD. Thanks for noticing… I'll put that somewhere in this story :/ I'm keeping my word here :D
Beckett Simpleton: Thanks for reviewing again :) Good suggestion on the phone conversation part. I didn't PM you HA!
ElfinEragon: Thanks for reviewing my story and loving it :)
Chapter 13
The Generator
Artemis's POV
The roof collapsed in front of them, leaving just dust everywhere. When the hazy image cleared, there were only two doors. One was the lab door and the other was a locked metal door. The locked metal door had rusty hinges and a steel barrier. Fortunately, they had a Neutrino with them so they just melted the barrier and opened the door. The room was dusty and older than the lab. There was a wooden table in the middle of the room with old parchment paper sitting on top.
They searched the room but found nothing except some old books and a steel dagger. They left the dagger and went to read the old parchment paper. Foaly wandered into the old laboratory. The old parchment read:
Diary of King Lewis Frond,
They were here! They attacked us! They have defied our orders! They have gone evil! I, King Frond, have ordered my soldiers to kick all of them out. Just in case this parchment falls into the wrong hands, I have not gone into specifics. If this parchment falls into one of the remaining survivors of the rebellion, I know you understand this. They have defied us once again! I will not allow this, they must be killed, all of them, every single one. I trust you to eliminate them. I –
The page was ripped off and it looked as if it was purposely done. Holly and Artemis exchanged a glance and returned looking at the parchment. Artemis traced a finger around the parchment and looked at it. There was a lot of dust on the parchment. It didn't look like someone had cut the bottom out for a very long time.
"Guys, I think you should see this," Foaly called from the laboratory. When they went into the laboratory, there was the huge power generator from before but this time it was on and glowing with different colors. There was blue, red, and green in the mixed colors. Fortunately, they were far enough when the generator shook off all the dust on it. Then it vibrated with so much magnitude, it knocked Artemis clear off his feet. Holly herself was on the floor. Then the whirring and vibrating stopped. Everything was still. The lights flickered on more brightly. Then there was a rumbling in the other room in which the parchment was in.
They entered the room to find the old bookshelf was gone. In its place was a secret chamber that led to eternal darkness. The chamber was made of slick metal. They descended downward and slid at the end. The slick metal made a rubbery sound against Artemis's shoes as he slid down. Again, they descended down another slide in the middle of the room the slide brought them to. At the end of the slide, there was a dark room. It was eerily lit with flickering light bulbs. In the room was a rusty iron table. It had a piece of paper on it. Water was dripping from the ceiling and making a fearful sound. They approached the rusty table in which the paper was upon.
The paper looked newer than the old parchment paper. They touched the paper and the paper crackled. They lit a candle lying on the wall with a torch attached to the dark hallway. The candle's flame was glowing deep red and they could easily read the letters on the piece of paper. There was a diary entry but this time, there was no name. It read:
This is outrageous! The condemned have returned! I have forbidden them to return! They defied their master, yes, I am their leader! They have turned evil, I don't know what has corrupted them but I cannot stand for this insolence! Thus I shall destroy every last one of them myself. They have not discovered my secret lair yet. I won't allow them to destroy Haven any longer; they have caused death and destruction everywhere. It will be in my power to defeat the condemned, as the fairies call them, and rescue Haven. The Atlantean fairies will help me with this dangerous quest. They know my pupils have been 'acting up.' As soon as they are destroyed, there will be no more destruction of any kind.
Foaly bleated and whined about the darkness, "I can't see! The paper is so weird!"
Holly stifled her giggles or so it seemed. Even Artemis tried hard to keep a serious face. Foaly looked at them suspiciously and looked at the paper again. He bleated again and scowled. Sweat beaded on his forehead as he thought. Artemis looked around him. This room seemed to be empty except for the table and the holes in the ceiling. The holes in the ceiling seemed to be writing something. They were specifically and probably purposely placed in the ceiling.
They were shaped in the shape of the Gnommish F.
"F for 'fairy' or f for something else?" Holly asked aloud.
Artemis too was staring at the ceiling and didn't say anything. Foaly continued his blabbering. Holly stared at him looking at the ceiling, waiting for a response to her question, Artemis guessed.
"You there?" Holly asked him.
Artemis looked at her and nodded. He didn't know what the 'F' meant or what it's for. Holly probably heard his heavy breathing in the musky air. Artemis wished Butler were here to stop Foaly whining. Why did the LEP agent have to leave Artemis alone without Butler? Foaly seemed to think this was what Artemis thought and stop his insolent blabbering. Artemis looked at him strangely.
"I think there's another earthquake," Foaly inquired.
Artemis and Holly listened carefully and heard a small rumbling sound resonating from the floor and walls around them. The dark echoes remained until the water from the ceiling stopped their dripping. The wet puddle of water from the dripping water stopped and only the pattering of the heavy footsteps from above could be heard. The footsteps stopped after a few moments.
"I wonder how much damage it did…" Holly trailed off. She must be devastated about the destruction in Haven. After all, it was her home and for all she been through, Haven has been her home for all her life. Artemis believed anything could be achieved by science and logic. The truth, he could not believe the fairies actually existed. It defied all of science with its healing and mesmerizing.
"I don't think it did much damage," Artemis said comforting her. He shook his head. Artemis Fowl, the cold emotionless boy comforting a fairy girl? Impossible! He couldn't believe he was actually comforting Holly.
Holly looked up at his face. Apparently she had been thinking the same exact thing. She wiped her tears away and stared up to his face. Artemis saw confusion in her eyes.
"Art… Artemis?" Holly sniffed.
"Yes, Holly?" Artemis replied calmly.
"What are you doing?" Holly asked.
"I truly don't know, Holly," Artemis replied.
There was silence for a while and Foaly said, "What are we going to do now?"
Artemis and Holly glared daggers at him and they both shrugged. Foaly scowled against their glares and returned pacing back and forth around the small space. The dark echoes around the small room sounded eerily freaky.
"You guys always ignore me when I talk," Foaly pouted.
They ignored his pout and pondered about. The piece of paper seemed strange. It was deep brown and as thin as regular paper. This probably wasn't an important clue to the big mystery of the condemned. He kept an eye out for important clues that pop up everywhere.
Holly's POV
Artemis was comforting her? Foaly was less annoying but nonetheless annoying? What was wrong with them? Her feelings were also mixed. The stress of this condemned business was too much for all three of them. Artemis, Foaly, and Holly have all turned soft. The deepness of the emotions have struck the treasure; their hearts.
Then a deep dark sound echoed through the black hallway. As they approached the small paper once again, another rumbling struck the ground. They stumbled and one by one, they tumbled onto the stone floor. It was freezing! Holly lay still sprawled across the cold, stone-gray floor. As the others got off of her, her mind was racing. She could feel their eyes on her back when she didn't rise with them.
As she was preparing to rise, another rumble shook her and she fell… again. This rumble was sufficiently louder and had more magnitude. The darkness made it even scarier but Holly was afraid of nothing… except someone evil ruling Haven. The deepness of the darkness could frighten anyone, especially after an earthquake. The silence was overwhelming and when she listened carefully, she heard a small rumble. This wasn't any earthquake… this was a building falling on top of the pit.
A/N I like using strong adjectives! That last POV was kind of weird. I personally think it was necessary to keep the suspense of the story alive. IT'S ALIVE! – Dr. Frankenstein from Frankenstein. Review!