Terrence shook his head, grabbing Artemis' shirt and yanking the man back for a private chat. "What the hell do you think you're doing?"
Artemis sighed, "I know what it's like to lose someone that's important to you." He glanced at Holly. "I don't want that to happen to you."
The blond sighed, letting go of Artemis' shirt. He looked from Artemis, to Spiro, to Holly and the twin's. He stepped up to his uncle this time. "Fine." He told the villain.
Spiro grinned ear to ear at his nephew. "Good." He nodded to Artemis. "One of my boys will escort Master Fowl to a cell, and then I'll let the rest of you go."
Artemis nodded, looking down and not daring to look at Holly or his brothers. He couldn't. There was no escape plan that came to mind. He would be dead by the time Spiro let his brother out.
Terrence, however, had made a plan. He took another step towards his uncle only to raise his hand and push Spiro into the two almost uninjured goons. "Go!"
"Damn it!" Spiro grumbled as Holly grabbed the twins and Terrence grabbed Artemis, dragging him to the vent. Holly wrenched it open, just as a loud boom sounded from the other side of the building, shaking the floor.
"Bye bye, Daddy." Spiro snarled, getting up and throwing the now-useless trigger across the room. Terrence ignored him, but grimaced as he closed the vent behind all of them, lending a screw so it wouldn't open again for Spiro or anyone else to follow.
As Artemis ran down the metal corridor behind Holly to get outside, he could feel the heat behind them grow stronger. The metal around them shook continuously and the smell of a burning building filled his nostrils.
"Faster!" Holly coughed at the boys in front of her. Smoke and plaster dust from the falling building surrounded them.
Beckett practically pushed Myles ahead of him to get a bit more speed. His blue eyes watered so much from the smoke billowing around him that he had to blink and close his eyes momentarily repeatedly.
The heat and smoke was so overbearing by the time they reached the grate connected to the outside, Terrence was feeling faint and sleepy. They were inhaling to much smoke for their bodies to take. Myles wrapped his pale fingers around the holes in the grate and tried to push it open, but found that it wouldn't budge.
"It's locked!" Beckett rasped, trying to help his brother push it open to no avail. They were weakened by the smoke.
Holly and Terrence tried it themselves, but came to the exact same conclusion. The grate had locked from the outside. "Dammit!" Terrence hit the grate, coughing harshly into his sleeve.
Their sight soon turned pitch black as smoke engulfed them from all around. "Maybe someone will hear us if we yell loud enough." Beckett suggested wheezily.
Myles shook his head, slumping against the metal wall. "No one will hear us in time." He coughed, "The smoke will kill us in mere minutes."
Holly gave another hard tug to the bars before collapsing to her knees. "The air's better down here on the ground." She choked. Everyone nodded, sitting on the floor.
Without thinking, Artemis reached out and grabbed Holly's arm, bringing her back to his lap and wrapping his arms around her as though he could protect her from the smoke. She didn't resist, burying her face into his ruined shirt and clinging onto him. He was so warm, and the embrace was so familiar, she wanted to sob.
Myles and Beckett hacked against their sleeve, covering their nose and mouth with it. The smoke was smothering.
Another explosion sounded from behind them. "What was that?" Terrence swung his head back to it, still laying on the ground.
Artemis took his face out of Holly's hair, clearing his throat. "Probably another explosion."
"It sounded close." Beckett murmured, "And it's getting really hot…"
Holly gulped against Artemis, pulling back against Artemis. "It's shooting down the tunnel." She coughed harshly.
"Oh, great." Myles muttered, pulling and pushing at the grate from where he sat. "Now it will be a painful, but quick death instead of a sleepy, but slow one."
Terrence shook his head, feeling the heat and starting to sweat. Woozily, he stood up, walking back into the tunnel.
Artemis looked back, alarmed as he held Holly closer. They got up. "Terrence?" He yelled as best he could, "What the hell are you doing?!"
Myles and Beckett stood back up as well, panting from the heat-which did not do well for their smoke inhalation. "That's suicide!" Beckett called.
A battle cry sounded through the tunnel before Terrence came staggering back down the tunnel as fast as he could go without falling. He toppled past the others, running as best he could into the grate. There was a harsh, loud crack and a yell of frustration as he fell down, partially crushing Myles.
"What the hell was that?" Artemis jumped up, letting go of Holly. He wheezed, kneeling down next to Terrence.
"Thought I could break it." Terrence gasped, holding his arm. It was bleeding, as far as Artemis could tell in the smoke. Possibly broken.
Beckett sighed, looking at Holly "Don't you have, like...Super strength, or something? You can bend the grate."
Holly laughed softly, but it came out as a rough hack. "I'm not a superhero, Beckett." She smiled sadly at him.
Myles looked back at the grate. "Wait…" Myles ran his finger along the edge of the grate, "I think he loosened it." The young genius pulled at the grate again, and it gave, but only just a little. "I think I can see some screws."
"Really?" Holly scrambled over to him, examining the grate for herself. She reached between it, and Beckett pushed on it some more, trying to make it open wider.
Terrence sat up, groaning. Definitely had some cracked ribs as well. "Now we just need something to unscrew the damn things." He hissed in pain and started having a coughing fit.
"Holly, let me see your suit." Artemis said, looking over Terrence's wounds.
The elf scoffed, "Yeah, sure. Just let me strip, mud boy." She replied sarcastically.
Artemis coughed, glaring at her and pulling her to him. He ran his hands up and down her sides quickly. Holly was breathing heavily, too shocked to pull away. His hands searched her stomach and she shivered, remembering how good his hands felt. Even in extreme danger, he was so calm. His hands didn't even quiver. Gods, she wanted to lean into him and-
Her thoughts were cut off as the warmth of Artemis' hands and body left and want over to the grate. He gave Myles a wire, "Do your magic." He told him, ruffling his messed up hair reassuringly. "Quickly, but don't shake your hands."
Myles nodded, turning to the grate and started to work the wire against the screws and latched beneath the grate. Artemis turned back to Terrence, "How long do we have?" He asked quietly, his throat feeling like it was on fire and being rubbed by sandpaper.
Terrence, barely awake, licked his dry lips. "Uh…" He breathed, his mind fuzzy. "Less than a minute."
Holly looked at Myles, her eyes wide and wet despite the smoke. "How's it coming?" She asked.
Myles sighed, still working on the screws. "If you would like to help, you might as well look for a secret passage or something." He wiped his forehead. It was really getting hot now, he couldn't breathe anymore.
Another moment passed, and Beckett felt it hard to keep his eyes open. He slumped against the wall, feeling the heat of it. It was burning, but the blond couldn't find himself to care. "Hey…" He muttered, "I know this one."
Artemis looked at his little brother. "What?"
Beckett chuckled, not opening his eyes. He didn't have the strength. "Metal...Is an excellent conductor of heat. That's why it's getting hotter every second."
His older brother smiled, sitting next to Beckett. "I'm glad that school got one good thing embedded into your brain."
He shrugged weakly. "I didn't want you thinking I was dumb before we died."
"We aren't going to die." Myles wheezed pulling his hand out of the crack and pushing as hard as the boy could against the grate. Finally, it gave way and fell onto the cement ground. He sighed in relief, but coughed at the end. "I got it."
Artemis nodded, grabbing Terrence and helping him up when he heard an explosion from the building, this one the loudest so far. The closest. "Dammit!" He yelled, throwing Terrence with all his strength out of the tunnel and into the alleyway. He watched the boys scramble out and looked around, "Holly?!"
Holly coughed, groaning and pulling him out with her. They landed onto the ground, and Artemis pulled Holly close.
A final explosion sounded, with fire and shrapnel blasting out of the tunnel and into the alleyway. Terrence groaned, moving over just in time to shield the twins.
