disclaimer: I do not own any of the Artemis Fowl characters

and sorry that Artemis was a little out of character last chapter. I really wasn't sure how he would react falling to his death, so I hope you like this one.

Cold cave wind brushed passed Holly's skin as she watched from the shadows as butler stood at the eye of the cave opening staring down at the dark, rushing river below. A silent sentinel, he stood as still as a gargoyle standing at twilight. Artemis was gone. Holly felt a sinking feeling in her chest, she knew how hard this was for Butler. He had been Artemis's body guard after all, and it had been his sworn duty to protect Artemis, and now Artemis was lost.

Holly took a step forward, and placed a consoling hand on Butler's elbow (The only part of his body she was really able to reach).

"I'm sorry." she stated not really sure what else she was supposed to say, but it was true, She WAS sorry. Artemis had been a friend to her, more than a friend at times. She reached a hand up to her face where her one blue eye (Artemis's blue eye.

"Sorry for what?" Butler asked voice a low monotone on the air.

Holly shook her head. Denial, she had seen it so many times, and yet, this was almost worse. It was bad to se one of her old friends broken apart like this. Butler was never one to live in a fantasy. But even now he was holding on to the notion that Artemis would come back.

"Face it butler he's not coming back." This Foaly said bitterness emanating from his voice.

Butler turned eyes narrowed in an angry death stare. "Artemis IS coming back." He turned to the cave opening "He promised, Butler stated under his breath staring down at the rushing waters below.

"Be realistic Butler." Growled Foaly tension and stress finally beginning to break him.

Butler turned again. "I AM being realistic."

Foaly cracked "HE'S DEAD D'ARVIT. DEAD!."

Butler took a step forward hands clenched into fists, but before either of them could make one more move Juliet stepped between them. "Now HOLD ON." The two stopped what they were doing but glowered at each other over Juliet's shoulder.

"We CAN'T fight like this. Not now… not after… Artemis. With or WITHOUT Artemis we have to keep going. Whoever this guy is, he is going to have to pay for what he did." she turned to Butler as the man was about to protest "And when Artemis gets back we will defeat him to ether, but right now we have to work on staying alive."

With those words hanging in the air, Butler and Foaly backed down. Foaly turned his head away "I'm sorry… I guess… I just can't believe he's…."

Butler nodded "I understand, but he IS alive. If I know one thing about Artemis, He always keeps a promise, and he always has a plan."

There was a moment of silence in the room as the others hid their thoughts what if Artemis DIDN'T have a plan? What if he DIDN'T make it back?

No one wanted to think about what would happen if he didn't have a plan.

Artemis

Artemis didn't have a plan, but to give Artemis a little credit, it was kind of hard to come up with a plan when your plunging through the air towards a freezing cold river.

His stomach left him somewhere above him, and he watched as butler's face fell away into darkness. It was almost surprising to him how long it took to fall towards the water, but even as he was falling, he remembered that during extreme stress situations the human brain speeds up visual processing that seems to slow things down. He only had a few seconds to wonder why he would pull up such a useless fact before his feet were swept out from under him by the icy river.

It was so cold it stole the air from his lungs. The current was so swift and hard that it dragged him under pulling at his clothes and whirling him around like a doll in a washing machine.

Artemis had never been a strong swimmer, and even now after all he had gone through in the past few months there was still something he needed to work on. He pushed against the water with his arms clawing his way towards the surface, at least what he thought was the surface. His head broke above the water for a moment and he couched and choked against the water, but the current tugged at his feet again. he tried to fight against it, but there was no use. He was dragged under again twirling and spinning around until he had no orientation of up or down.

Then out of nowhere, something rammed up against his side, and it took everything he had to keep from screaming in agony. His shirt caught against the rock, or waterer it was and he was pulled into the rock stuck tight and unable to move. he began to panic as his air ran out of air, he had no idea which was was up and he was stuck against a rock.

Then an idea came to him, an odd time for an idea to come, but one that he needed badly. He reached upward hand being pulled against the current, but was able to flick on his headlamp (luckily he had developed the tech himself so it was waterproof) the water around him was murky ad filled with dust and dirt but at least he was able to see where he had been caught on the rock. Reaching down to his boot, he pulled his knife out and slashed at the fabric until it gave way, but there would be no rest as he was pulled into the river. His vision was beginning to fade, he had to get tot the surface, and he had to do it fast, but he didn't know which way was up. then he saw it, the bubbles swirling all around him. Relief filled his chest as he watch the bubbles move to the surface. with his last suggested strength he clawed his way to the surface. His vision was beginning to flash black and red as he reached the surface, but then he caught his first breath of air, and he filled his lungs couching and chocking using all he had to keep his head above water.

He gasped mind filled with a blank panic muscles straining against the water. With his mind clouded over in panic, he called for Butler, but water choked off his voice, and his call was lost in the rushing river. With his limbs failing and his body growing week he finally let go and stopped fighting the current letting the water take him where it would.

Commander Trouble Kelp

The room was dark, lights from Foaly's computer equipment lit the unmanned communications station at LEP headquarters. Trouble stood in the middle of the room staring forward at a group of screens on the other side of the room. He looked differed and tired. His hands were shaking slightly, and he was having trouble keeping his eyes open. he had been awake for days now trying to find the fugitives, but with no such luck.

He was growing desperate, something he didn't usually do. Trouble was ALWAYS calm and collected, but now he was on the end of his string, but it seemed as if the day wasn't about to end for him.

"Please." He begged voice harsh and raspy "Please just let him go, I'll do anything."

"Of course commander, and all I want is for you to bring Foaly and his friends to justice."

Trouble gritted his teeth. "We can't find them; we have searched everywhere."

On screed, a dark figure shifted behind the silhouette of his little brother. The small knife wound along Grub's neck from the knife had long since stopped healing, and now it oozed blood sluggishly down Grub's neck and onto the collar of his shirt as he shivered. Grub had long since given up his crying emotionally drained from his days under constant stress.

The more you beg me to release him commander, and the more I will refuse to do so, and since you have continuously failed me for the past few days maybe a little incentive will make you work harder." There was a thick silence in the air for a moment and then, "If give you a month to catch them, failure to do so, and I will gut your little brother like a pumpkin and let you watch while he slowly dies"

Th computers powered down leaving Trouble to sink to his knees alone in the darkness, all hope beginning to fade from his mind.