Disclaimer:I don't own anyone or anything from the Artemis Fowl series. Do I look like a 40+ old man? Last time I checked, nope. :P
Happily, though, I do own Alina and Elsa Blau, as well as the Loss Factor idea. Oh, and the killer mood lights. ^^ Whoopie-yi-yay.
"Things are not always what they seem; the first appearance deceives many; the intelligence of a few perceives what has been carefully hidden."
~Phaedrus
As Holly entered the shuttle, the first thing she noticed was that there was a hatch on the other side of the shuttle. The second thing she noticed was that there was nobody left in the room but Alina, huddling up against the wall, eyes wide. She wasn't tied up; at least not with any visible bonds, but she hugged her legs to her chest with a grip so tight that her knuckles showed white.
"Alina?" Holly asked softly, afraid to speak any louder than a whisper. "Where is Opal? I'm here to-" A creaking noise startled her, and she spun to see that it was only Artemis, following her into the shuttle.
The girl remained mute, and Holly noticed a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of her mouth. Before she could protest, Holly forced her mouth open, horrified to see that the girl now had no tongue. The wound was ragged, as if recent, and there were no signs of healing. Holly, of course, sent healing sparks to seal the wound, at least, but more she could not do.
Oddly, the sparks fizzled and died before they reached the wound; Alina was gesticulating furiously, but Holly could make no sense of her jerky movements. Artemis gently pushed Holly aside and handed a notepad to the girl, so she could write what she was attempting to explain. With the attached digi-pen, Alina went to work, writing as quickly as possible.
I'm resistant to magic. Don't know why. Not that Opal cared.
Artemis had a reply ready almost instantly. "Where is Opal now? Once we find and take care of her, you'll be released from the seal of blood that she made you sign with."
Alina shook her head first, then nodded, taking the pen and pad to write more.
Don't know where Opal is. She jumped out the other hatch. Think she's still going to Germany. Don't know where though.
After musing over this for a longer time, Holly made a spit second decision. "We're going to Germany, too. Artemis, program the other shuttle to go back to the port; we'll take hers instead. If we're going to some sort of secret lab like she had before, then what better disguise to go in then her own shuttle?"
"True. In that case, I will prepare the other shuttle. Have Alina help you move things in here; I shouldn't take very long." He disappeared into their own shuttle while Holly explained what she wanted the other human to do. When she was sure that the girl knew what she wanted her to do, she followed Artemis's trail into the other shuttle, though she headed immediately to the section they had set aside for carrying all sorts of weaponry and supplies.
Artemis had paused a moment in his programming to glance back at Holly and Alina. So long as they didn't suspect what he was doing, he could go all out, but his time was running short. Turning back to his work, he continued coding the computer to direct the shuttle where he wanted it to go.
Though where he was programming it to fly wasn't the same place Holly had ordered him to.
"Miss Koboi. We saw that your shuttle was delayed, so we came to collect you. I hope you do not mind too terribly."
The pixie shook her head, seemingly confused, though only for a moment. "Is She waiting for me? Did the testing on Subject 001 proceed according to our plans?"
"Of course, Miss Koboi. The experiment went perfectly; all was as it was meant to happen. Since then, she has proceeded with Subjects 002 through 009; all have turned out the same way. Currently She is perfecting them where they had need of perfection. Most needed an agi-boost, and one or two needed an intel-boost. All but 001, 005, and 009 are ready now. Though the three were in need or further 'englightening', they will be ready soon.
"And now, we are nearing the base quickly. She will be expecting you; is there anything you require before we arrive?"
"No, no...but my servant can be let out now. Oh, and I will be unable to concentrate fully on the meeting; I have a minor magic running. It does not take up much of my mind's power, but it takes away from my overall concentration. I need a drink; let my servant prepare it for me, but show her to the galley of this shuttle. She is accustomed to caring for my needs; I require no other assistance."
"Of course, my Lady. By your leave, I shall depart now and see to the pilots; they are unaccustomed to the landing bay, so I am here for guidance." The figure bowed, the long black coattails flaring out behind him impressively. He stood after a moment and disappeared down a hallway, and the last thing Opal saw of him was the coattails, a small black flick of them as they disappeared around the corner.
Subject 006 is really very elegant, she mused, then snapped her fingers for her servant. The girl curtsied deeply, as Opal had commanded and taught her to and was escorted down the hallway to the galley by another servant, though not one of Opal's personal servants. I must make sure the rest are the same way; courtesy is desirable, after all. What was his name before? Ehh...Sebastian something. Very fitting; you would have thought he used to be some sort of butler, the way he treats me. It is pleasant, though; I shall have to request him personally for my unit, after She and I are finished with everything.
I cannot wait, Opal decided, massaging sweet-smelling lotion into her hands, though it wasn't needed with her flawless skin. Until this plan goes through. 006 is already a favorite of mine.
Shrugging thoughts aside, however, she closed her eyes, concentrating on the 'minor magic' she was using. It really was very useful, this type of magic; it had proved useful before and was doing so once more. Moments later, she settled down to a relaxing drink of chai and hot chocolate, a favorite combination of hers.
Yes, things were going wonderfully.
"Respond, 009." A brisk, sharp voice commanded the figure slumped against the wall. It looked like a man-turned boy, but with the best parts of both combined. It was leaning as if it were a doll, with arms hanging. When the voice snapped out at it, though, it jumped to attention, as it had been recently programmed. There were only two voices that it would respond to in such a fashion; others had various degrees of command, but there were few who had been chosen to wield such power.
"How are your intuition mods and implants working? I would like an accurate report this time." the female figure whose voice controlled Subject 009's every thought and action ordered the man-boy.
"Of course, my Lady. Intuition mods are working at 10% of their capability limits, and if needed they can jump to 100% in less than half a second. Implants are fully functional; do you require a demonstration?" The voice of 009 echoed eerily on the metal walls of the chamber, and in the stark lighting, the sharp, light blue eyes stare directly at the female who commands him.
A short nod, then the sharp voice pierces the silence once more. "Proceed."
Subject 009's shape distorted; long whip-like metal bars scraped the edges of the room, and the blue eyes are no longer blue. Bloody red is the color of 009's irises; a color that seems to color his vision as well.
The female laughed lightly, then bid him return to normal. After he became the doll-like limp figure once more, she departed the room, only to enter another. There are two people in this room; a young girl and an older teenaged girl. They are leaning close to one another, and both are just as limp as Subject 009 was.
At the female's command, they jump to salute, though the little girl seems a bit hesitant. After receiving the needed information on their intuition mods and implants, the female demands a show of the implants. The teenaged girl immediately changes, and the female can feel the tingle of electricity from across the room.
"Very good, Subject 005," the female turned to the little girl, and without waiting for an explanation for her reluctance to change, she clapped her hands, causing a strong, painful electrical current to course through her limbs.
The little girl took the punishment, falling to the floor and convulsing, but when the electricity dissipated, she stood as tall as she could, glaring defiance at the female.
"I command you to submit, Subject 001; reveal your implants immediately, before I must take more painful measures." the sharp voice is irresistible; never before has there been a voice so terribly commanding.
Yet under the pressure, the little 001 remained strong. She crossed her arms, still glaring at the female. "I refuse. No matter how many lights you show me, I will never obey you."
"Then you have sealed your fate, excuse the cliché phrase. There is nothing more for you now, little 001; I will have to completely and permanently reprogram you. But since you do not seem to care about yourself or your body, I doubt it will matter much to you."
"So be it, then. I would rather die as a person then as some...screwed up robot that can't say no to an order from you, you ugly old witch!" She stomped her foot, as if she were a spoiled child – which she was, to a point, but there was no way to avoid what was coming; not now.
The female shakes her head, but it is too late for Subject 001. "Subject 005; subjugate 001 and bring her with me. Your friendship with her is terminated; you would do well to remember that. There is no room for friends in this place; it is something you must remember, no matter what. Come."
Subject 001 fought, but she was no match for 005 in her released state; in a matter of seconds she was subdued and unconscious. Subject 005 could no longer remember what kinship she had had with 001; the Lady's orders were meant to be followed to the letter. If she had been commanded to forget, then forget was all she could do.
There was no possible way to stand up to either the Lady or Miss Koboi; she had seen 001 try every way she could think of to escape, but no ideas had worked thus far; now she had the permanent self-removal to look forward to. At least this way she would be unable to remember anything, and therefore she would have no painful memories.
Subject 005 sighed inaudibly, but a split second afterwards, she had no idea what she had sighed about. After all, Subject 001 had proved very troublesome to the Lady; she would have to be modified once more.
Thus was the apparent power of the Lady; nearly instant memory loss. But after all, she was the Lady. And the Lady was capable of anything she put her sights on, whether it was revenge, a person, or world domination; it was impossible for her to lose.
Ooh...so what's going on? Is this confusing? I just want to remind everyone that, like the quote says, things are not always as they seem. The same has to do with this story; many things are totally not as they seem. :)
I'm sorry this chapter has taken so long; it's entirely my fault. I just haven't had much computer time lately, and I've become obsessed with Bleach(the manga. So awesome!), and you can totally see the effects in this chapter. :P But I've had a lot of thinking time, so I have many, many more ideas for this fic, so I'm really happy about that; writing is awesome. I promise that the next chapters will not take nearly as long as this one has, though; I'm never going to let an AF fic go that long again. Once again, I'm sorry everyone who's been reading this!
I'm wondering if I'll be able to make the chapter quota for this fic; I'm definitely sure that I'll get to 20 chapters, but I'm not sure if I'll make 30. After all, I was never really good at planning out that kind of thing. :P But it's totally okay; I'll be happy no matter how long this fic is - or isn't, in that case.
I hope you all enjoy this chapter, though; I had loads of fun writing it! ^^
(Oh, and I apologize for it not being quite as long as the others...but yeah. There's only so far you can push a piece of writing, as many of you know. ^^)