I do not own Artemis Fowl
Chapter 12
Standing facing each other in the front lawn, Constantine and Butler looked – for all they were worth – like david and goliath. Though Constantine had bulked up considerably, he was still no match for Butler's sheer height and mass, but still he stood cooly staring down the manservant, with his hands stuffed in his pockets. He had stripped down to a black wife-beater, revealing his arms and shoulders, a mess of scars and pock-marks, and the skin seemed so taut against the muscle that Artemis could actually see the striations in the muscle fibers at a distance.
When Constantine came back to Fowl Manor he had asked for Butler, and when he found Butler he asked for a sparring match. Butler agreed immediately, taking Constantine's increased bulk in stride. He had asked Constantine if he wanted it in the dojo, but Constantine declined, saying it was too small. He didn't say any more than that, and was now standing in front of the giant, stretching his neck, and bouncing his shoulders.
Butler took a standard fighting pose, his body turned sideways towards his target, his left hand forward, and his right across his chest. Constantine, in a turn from tradition, didn't raise his arms, but kept them loose at his sides, twisting them to stretch out his shoulder. Without taking his eyes off of Butler, he started bouncing on the balls of his feet, rising a few inches off the ground with every bounce.
Butler didn't need to ask if Constantine was ready, the determined look on his face was enough to know, and he struck.
Constantine caught the punch.
He didn't stop it with his hand, but in the same moment that Butler threw a straight right hand, Constantine turned, let the arm slide past his body, wrapped his own arms around it, and planted his feet. In another moment he twisted, put his shoulder into Butler's armpit, and heaved the 8 foot tall behemoth over his 6 foot frame, sending Butler crashing into the dirt.
Nothing was said, nothing could be said. No one in the Fowl's yard could believe that Butler could be tossed around like a toddler by anything less than a bull ape, or possibly an elephant; but there was Constantine, grinning down at the Eurasian bodyguard, lazily scratching his chest with one hand, the other in his pocket.
But Butler stood up, showing that nothing was hurt but his pride. He grinned at his opponent. "All that extra bulk has made you slower, I nearly got you with that."
Constantine's hand stopped scratching, and he grinned wider at Butler. "You don't miss a thing, do you?"
Butler shifted his weight, and hunched back, lowering his center of gravity; his hands were open now, each one about the size of Constantine's head. "Never."
He struck again, this time faster than Constantine could dodge, but he still managed to block it, and weave out of the way before another crashing hand replaced the spot where his head would have been. They traded blocked blows for a minute, but Butler wasn't used to fighting someone of this strength, speed, and skill, and a shot to the gut from Constantine threw him off balance. Constantine took advantage of the lull in the action, and ducked under Butler's right arm to get behind him. He simultaneously grabbed the arm, and kicked Butler in a nerve behind the knees, bringing him to the floor.
Holding Butler's right arm but the wrist, he caught a swinging blow from Butler's left and pulled both of them back behind the manservant, putting his right foot against his spine.
"Impressive, isn't it?" Marcus said, startling Holly, Juliet, and Artemis, who were all transfixed on the match.
"Yeah," Juliet said. "What the hell did you do to him?"
Marcus cocked an eyebrow at her. "I didn't do anything but return him to the way he was before he retired. The Constantine you see now is the same one I knew twenty years ago."
"But how'd you do it that quick?" Holly blurted out.
Artemis, who noticed that Marcus was similarly bulked up under his suit, answered for him. "It's your regenerative abilities, isn't it?" He said. "Because of how quickly you heal, the muscle fibers are able to heal, and hypertrophy occurs almost immediately, the two of you can become several times stronger in a matter of days. Couple that with your already higher-than-proportionate strength and either one of you could easily be stronger than Butler, though not as bulky."
Marcus nodded. "Spot on, mop-top," Artemis brushed a loose strand of black hair and glared at the man. "But let's watch the fight, shall we?"
The group turned their attention back towards the match, where Butler was still straining to get out of the hold, and Constantine, by the looks of it, was straining to contain him. Constantine still held Butler's arms behind him, and both of their faces were beet-red from the strain. Constantine's face was particularly contorted, and the tendons in his neck looked ready to pop out of the skin, and a spiderweb of veins was bulging in his skin underneath his scars and tank top. Butler's brow was furrowed, his jaw was set, and his teeth were gritted, as he tried to use every ounce of his considerable bulk to stand back up, this had descended from a fight to a strength contest.
With a loud ripping noise, Butler wrenched his right arm free of Constantine's, leaving the smaller man holding nothing but the remains of the larger's shirt sleeve. As Butler swung the free arm back around to knock Constantine down, the immortal jumped and, using Butler's head as a podium, flipped over the giant. He skidded on his feet for a moment, and in that moment Butler dived after him.
Constantine barely managed to dodge the kick, but he blocked the next punch and countered with his own which Butler swatted aside. The two traded a few punches and as many kicks, none of which hit their target, before they split apart. Each man was breathing heavily, and eyeing the other one carefully.
This fight was markedly different from their first sparring match, before the siege on Kravchenko's compound. During that one, Constantine was bouncing around, trying to wear Butler down, and slip in between the guard of a bigger, stronger – and possibly more skilled – man. Here though, Constantine was standing on level ground with the giant, eyeing him down with as much confidence as David had with all the Almighty's providence behind him.
Constantine started bouncing on the balls of his feet, like a boxer, and he grinned at Butler. He started shuffling backwards, they way Muhammed Ali would ten seconds before he knocked Joe Frasier off the mat, and when he got within arms reach of Butler, the giant struck at him. In a flash, Constantine redirected the strike and retaliated, hitting Butler square in the gut. He hit Butler three more times before he fell to the ground. Constantine remained standing over him, still bouncing.
Butler managed to sit up, but looked groggy. With a quick movement he swept his arm out at Constantine's legs, and though he didn't knock him over, it did throw off his timing, causing him to stumble. In an impressive display of acrobatics, Butler jumped up to take the advantage he now had, he attacked Constantine in a flurry of jabs. A few were blocked successfully, but a few more landed, leaving Constantine dazed, as Butler finished his attack with a Tai Kwon Do tornado kick.
The kick landed like a bulldozer thrown off the Empire State Building, and everyone in the clearing immediately thought that Butler had gone too far. Artemis was especially worried when Constantine's eyes rolled up to the back of his head as he closed them, and he started to fall forward. He was about to shout something, and Marcus looked ready to run forward when – about halfway through the fall – Constantine's eyes snapped open about halfway down, and he put forward his hands, turning the fall into a forward hand spring.
He stuck the landing and assumed an immediate fighting pose, glaring at Butler, who stared back with equal ferocity.
Suddenly, Constantine started coughing, and then kept coughing. He fell to his knees and covered his mouth, and when he brought his hand away, it was stained with blood.
"Conny!" Juliet shouted, rushing to his side.
Marcus swore under his breath, Following her at a slower pace
Butler immediately dropped his arms and ran to Constantine's side as well.
Only Artemis and Holly had no idea what was going on.
"What in the name of f- God is going on?" Holly asked as she and Artemis hurried behind the group. Butler was helping Constantine – who looked ghostly pale – to his feet, and Marcus had stripped to his pants and was holding his white shirt to Constantine's mouth. As he coughed, blood blossomed on the virgin cloth.
"It looks like tuberculosis, or some other degenerative lung disease." Artemis said, as Constantine had another hacking fit.
"Right again, mop-top." Marcus said. "Pity it had to act up now" He mumbled to no one in particular. Butler and Juliet said nothing.
"Lung disease?" Holly asked, looking concerned. "I thought you couldn't get sick."
"I can't," Croaked Constantine, wiping the blood from his mouth with a free hand. "catch diseases. This one, however, was a special gift from dear old dad."
"It's genetic" Breathed Artemis. "So no matter how much you heal, it keeps recurring."
Constantine nodded. "Sorry, Butler." He said, his voice seeming a little stronger. He tried to smile at the giant, but it looked more like a grimace. "Looks like we'll have to postpone our match for today."
"You need rest." Marcus told him. "Let's get you back to the house, I told you you shouldn't fight him right after training for that long, but no, God forbid you ever listen to me."
"I never listen to you because you're always wrong."
"Do you need any help getting back to your place?" Artemis asked.
"No, I shouldn't." Constantine said, he seemed to be able to stand on his own now. "But I would appreciate it if you came back with me. I have something to give you."
This took Artemis by surprise, he had hoped to use the chance to question Constantine about the Angels, to try to gain some more useful information that he already had, he hadn't expected to be invited along.
"Alright, I'll get my jacket." He said, and walked briskly back into the manor.
When he came back out, Constantine was already in his car, the Fleetwood this time, with the engine started. He inquired as to where Marcus was, and Constantine told him that they had come separately of each other, and Marcus already went back to the house. It was about then that Artemis realized he had never been in a car with Constantine in the driver's seat. He soon realized why.
A normal drive from Fowl Manor to Constantine's house took about 10 minutes, mainly because of winding forest roads and low speed limits. Constantine made it in about 4.
Once they stopped, Artemis tried to remind himself that, really, he should be used to this right now – what with all the times he had been in a shuttle with Holly piloting; but he was having trouble as he was also trying to unstick himself from the leather seats of the vehicle, so that he could get out of the car.
Constantine had amazingly already hired a contractor and construction crew to rebuild his house for him, evidenced by the giant frame that had been erected, with insulation and a few walls already being installed, and the troupe of jean, t-shirt, and hard-hat clad men who were crawling around the entire site.
"They put that up awfully fast." Artemis commented.
"They should've, I payed them a lot to do it, and possibly some extra to ignore certain red tape." Constantine said.
"Why pay them extra to do it this fast?"
Constantine thought for a moment, not taking his eyes of his soon-to-be house. "I want a home for my daughter to come back to. Not a basement. Speaking of which, I'm going to remodel the basement. Put in a play room, make it more kid-friendly."
"You think we're going to be able to get her back that easily?" Artemis asked.
Constantine sighed. "No, Artemis. I don't think it's going to be easy, I don't think it's going to be easy at all. But at one point I was a father, and a husband.. and it was taken away from me. Now I have a chance to get part of that back," Constantine looked Artemis dead in the eyes. "And no one is going to stop my daughter from coming back home. Even if I have to die to make it happen."
Artemis, seeing the look in his eyes, and searching his own feelings as to his future child believed him beyond a shadow of a doubt.
Constantine closed his eyes and turned away from the construction, walking over to a oak tree jutting out of his yard. "That brings me to something I wanted to talk to you about, Artemis. Something I want you to do for me."
Artemis followed him over to the tree. "What is it?" He asked as Constantine slumped down against the wood. Artemis followed suit as he explained.
"I met with my lawyer yesterday, and I wrote my will. If I die, and I do think I may die on this little venture of mine, as very well Marcus might,"
Artemis was chilled by the line this conversation was taking. And he noticed Constantine brush away at the hair behind his ear. As he did that, Artemis noticed that more of his hair had darkened, moving up the side of his head in a ill-boding, creeping way.
"If I am to die," Constantine continued. "Everything that I own will go to my daughter. However, she is too young to legally control it. I want you, Artemis, to act as a trustee."
Artemis was taken aback by this offer. "You realize I am a thief, right? You really want to trust me with such a large estate?"
Constantine smiled. "You were a thief, Artemis. I would trust you with my life."
He grew quiet then, and they both simply rested against the trunk of the tree. The sun beating down from the blue sky, it's heat abated only by the gentle breeze from the east. The only sounds were the steady beat of construction from the house, constantly permeated by the rustling of the leaves in the trees. A music of white noise and silence. Artemis wanted to speak, to ask about Constantine's past, but was afraid to break the majesty of the moment, so he simply enjoyed the silence of his friend's company.
His first friend, Artemis pondered, who was remotely human, of the same gender, and didn't work for him. His mother would say he was "growing up". Holly would say he was "becoming normal, for once". He didn't really care, either way. He just knew he enjoyed the feeling.
After ten minutes of sitting in the sun, during which Artemis felt himself drift off once or twice, and was sure Constantine did too, constantine suddenly sat straight up.
"Geez, I completely forgot." He said, standing up, chuckling.
"What is it?"
But Constantine ran off without answering into the half-constructed house, leaving Artemis sitting underneath a tree, slightly bemused.
When Constantine returned a minute later, he was holding a fully pressed black suit and white shirt on a hanger.
Artemis smiled as he stood up. "I have a suit, Constantine. Several, actually."
"Not like this, you don't." He handed it to Artemis, who felt the material.
"What cloth is this? It feels like silk."
"It is silk. With kevlar woven into the chest and back, and nomex woven down the sleeves and interwoven with the kevlar in the back. Bullet proof at small calibers, and fire retardant, but it breathes as much as any athletic wear, and specially tailored to give the wearer the same range of motion."
"Which would come in handy on a mission."
"Exactly." Constantine smiled. "I know how you like your suits, so I modified one of my old ones to fit you."
Artemis smiled, genuinely. "Thank you, Constantine."
"No problem." Constantine's beamed at him.
Then, for a second, his gaze flicked off into the forest, and he turned back towards the house, where Marcus was coming out of what would become the doorway. "I'm going to go for a walk in the woods, ok?" Artemis sensed something was up, but said nothing. "Marcus will give you all the information you need." He said, and walked away from him.
Artemis didn't even bother asking how Constantine knew. "Genii." He said.
Even from behind, Artemis could see the smile spreading across Constantine's face, who waved at him without turning around. "Always, mate."
Constantine picked his way through the trees and the undergrowth until he came to a large, moss-covered rock. He smiled at it. "Fancy seeing you here." He said, his mind quickly flashing on the fact that if anyone were watching they would think him mad.
Then, they would probably think themselves mad when a small, nimble-looking fairy with mechanical wings shimmered into sight perched atop the boulder. "How you always manage to find me I'll never know." Willow Berry said, grinning at her friend.
Constantine winked. "Trade secret." He said.
"I see," She said back, then she jerked her head towards Constantine's house. "Getting some remodeling done?"
"Yeah," Constantine grinned. "You should have been here for the demolition. Very flashy."
Willow rolled her eyes. Then looked at Constantine with concern. "You and the Fowls seem to be planning something. What's going on?"
"How long have you been topside?" Constantine asked, cocking an eyebrow at her.
"I bullied Foaly into giving me a pass last night, was on the first shuttle up this morning, don't deflect. Is something going on?"
"There is a mission, in preparation." Constantine conceded. He went on to tell her about his brother's attack, his daughter, and his dead wife, but he went further than that. He shared his fears, his worries, his concerns. His elation at the thought of getting his daughter back, his nightmare that she might have to grow up without him. Things he hadn't shared with anyone.
When he was done with the story, Willow swore. "Do you need any help?" She asked.
Constantine took a deep breath. "No." He averted his eyes from her gaze. "You'll be in too much danger, you have your brother to look after."
"What about Artemis? Doesn't he have to look after Holly?"
Constantine narrowed his eyes. "How did you – ?"
"Look, I may be out of the loop, but I'm not so stupid as to believe that goblin dung story about her sick aunt under the Americas. I took what I knew and put two and two together. They're married aren't they?" She plowed on. "That's why you couldn't have me over last week, that was the big event you were telling me about."
Constantine looked down. "Yes." He conceded.
Willow looked hurt. "Why didn't you tell me any of this? Why did you have to keep it from me?"
Constantine didn't know what to do, so he just shrugged. "It wasn't my story to tell."
Willow slumped over. "And this is another one of those things, isn't it? It's not my story, so I shouldn't get involved."
Constantine stepped over to her, putting his hands on his shoulders. "There's more too it than that." He said, trying to get her to look at him. "Having you in my life, even for this short while, has been wonderful. You're so much like me, so strong and independent, but so loving, and concerned, that it gives me hope. I couldn't bear to have your life taken away, especially when you have so much left to give. But on top of that, Severus, my brother, hates all humans. He thinks they're the lowest forms of life. He doesn't yet know about the People, but if he did, I can't say he wouldn't try to wipe them out as well. He's mad, Willow, and very disturbed. Holly's not coming, so we don't have to hide her, but I don't think we could hide you from him, not in any way that would be useful to us."
Constantine squeezed his eyes shut. "Ah... I just sounded like a royal ass, didn't I?"
Willow chuckled. "Only a little." She sniffed. "I just can't help but shake the feeling that this is the last time I'm gonna see you."
Constantine smiled softly. "You'll see me again. Even if I don't make it back. I'll be right around the corner, just out of reach. Down the block a bit. Lounging on the beach. Under a tree. This life, or the next. You'll see me again. I promise."
Willow looked at him pleadingly. Constantine rolled his eyes. "I also promise I will do my best to make it back, whatever the odds." He smiled. "Better?"
She nodded, then looked at him for a moment, and kissed him.
Constantine was taken aback, speechless. Willow stood up on the rock and giggled. "Now you have to come back." She said, powering up her wings. "So we can talk about that." She waved at him, and shielded, flying off into the sky.
Constantine stood there, aghast, silently waving at the sky. Then he smiled. "Yeah, I guess I do." He said to himself.
He was so shocked by what had just happened, he didn't notice Marcus come trudging through the brush behind him. "What do you do?" He asked, examining a tear in his sleeve left by a wayward branch.
Constantine spun around. "I... look stunning in black." He said plainly.
Marcus stared at him. "Who were you talking to?" He asked.
"Myself..of sorts."
"Right." Marcus diverted his attention away from his sleeve. "Mind telling me what's going on here?"
"I was walking, and talking. Then you showed up, now were standing and talking."
Marcus covered his eyes with his hands. "Not what I meant, smartass."
"Then what did you mean, dumbass?"
Marcus rolled his eyes. "If you were here talking to yourself than I'm the pope."
Constantine shrugged. "Your excellency..." Marcus flipped him the bird.
"There's more than that, though. It's about Holly..." Constantine stiffened. "She's not exactly human, is she?"
"What do you mean?"
"Don't play dumb with me, porcupine. I have just as big a brain as you. The things she does, some things she says, it doesn't add up. I noticed it when we first met but it seemed more pronounced today."
Constantine fell silent.
"So you wanna tell me what's going on?"
Constantine shrugged again. "It's not my story to tell, man. I'm sorry."
Marcus sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, porcupine. I just hope you know what we're doing."
Constantine through his arm around his old friend's shoulders. "Do we ever, Louie?"
Marcus rolled his eyes at the nick name he had ever since he and Constantine went to see Casablanca when it first came out. "No."
"Exactly."
Whew, long chapter!
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