Disclamer: I do not own Artemis Fowl, so please don't sue.
Excavate
By FairyDragonShadow
Chapter 8 - Prisoners
Holly slowly, painfully woke up. Everything was dark, and
the floor that she was laying on was cold and damp. The
smell told her she was underground. Every muscle,
especially her legs, were aching.
She let out a groan.
The elf sat up, not being hasty.
After sitting there for a couple of minutes, Holly felt
another person's presence in the room. If you can call it a
room. It was more like a cell.
A dugeon.
Why?
Then it all came back to her. Artemis, the Underground
Slum, the hologram wall, the buildings and streets, the
BlueS chasing them, running, explosion, running, the wall,
the key,
and...
"You're awake now."
It was familiar voice. Artemis' voice.
"Yeah..." Captain Short murmured back.
There was a pause.
"You okay? I saw the BlueS go after you."
Holly nodded, and said, "Uh-huh."
Her vision was blurry, but then gradually cleared. She saw
Artemis on the other side of the cell. His white coat was
gone, and he had a black shirt on, with his usual, but
dirty, white pants. All of his weapons were gone, including
his goggles, which let his long blond bangs hang in front
of his face. It made him look depressed.
"I bet they drained out your magic." Fowl said, without
looking up at her.
Holly had noticed that she felt weaker than usual, and
realized it was true. There was no sign of the blue sparks.
Then there was silence.
A long, long silence.
But then, "I'm sorry."
Holly barely heard the Mud Person say that - it was almost
a whisper.
"I got you into this mess...Huh...I told you to stay back
at the Underground Slum." Artemis now looked at Holly, and
she was shocked at how his eyes seemed to be laughing. "You
would have been safer there."
"Was getting caught by the BlueS part of the plan?" Captain
Short asked.
"No," Artemis admitted, "But when the alarm rang out, I
knew we didn't have much of a chance."
Holly sighed. "Shit."
More quietness.
"The keys. Did they get them?" Fowl asked.
The elf shrugged. "I don't know exactly. I know I grabbed
them, and ran...but they knocked me out when they caught
me. I can't remember what happened after that."
It was Fowl's turn to sigh. "Great...just...ugh..."
Yet again, silence.
"Um...since we're going to be in here for a long time...you
might as well explain more about what has/had been done
around here?" Holly said. "And you. With the hair. What's
with that? I thought it was darker...blackish? And your
eyes, too. They're too light. It used to be a deep, ocean
blue. Now they're...ice."
"I'm glad you've noticed me so much, Captain." Artemis
said, smiling. "As I have said before, things have changed
much in eight whole years."
"I know, but in detail, please. No, wait. Tell me what
happened to you. If it doesn't offend you or anything."
The elf remembered the look in his eyes when she had
mentioned his mother, Butler, and Juliet.
Fowl flicked his hair out of his eyes. "Guess I'll tell you
now. I should stop living in the past..."
Holly looked at him carefully. Leaning against the wall,
his head tipped slightly up, his eyes cloudy and distant,
she almost felt sorry for him.
"It started a couple years after I met you the first time.
The new government I had told you about? Well, that took
place. The built the buildings and the wall, and told
everyone that if you were inside, you would be safe. There
would be no wars, crimes, etc. They said all the so called
"harmful" things were outside. Outside the walls. Gradually
people believed them. One by one, they became prisoners.
Until a couple years ago did they realize the wall wasn't
to keep 'bad' things away. It was to keep them in. No one
could escape with all the BlueS around. The government
again, picked out all the able-bodied men, and put them in
the military. So in the buildings, there's no men. Only
little boys, women, and little girls. There's no grand
parents either. They kill you after you're over a certain
age. It's a harsh life." He looked at Holly. "Me and my
family tried to hold out as much as we could. They first
threatened us that they were going to demolish our mansion.
And they did. But we were stubborn. My mother..." Artemis
paused here. "Sh-she got killed. BlueS took her away from
me. Butler...him and Juliet...they protected me til the
end. They had set up a boat...for us to escape, US. But no,
after the whole thing...I was the only passenger. Quickly
setting off, I didn't want to get caught. I went away and
tried to make myself look different. Permanently. That's
why my hair's blonde, my eyes a slightly different color,
and my skin not so pale as before. The disguise helped
partly. They kept me hidden for a year or so. But I soon
was caught, brought back, and trapped. But like I said, I
escaped soon enough with the help of Nich. He thought he
saw something in me. That I would be a leader. That I would
be able to change things. So he took me down, taught me the
way to our underground city, the hologram wall, the button
combinations, the password...everything! He felt like a...a
brother. Almost as close as Butler. Anyways, when I got to
the Underground Slum, Nich asked the Rooks if I could get
the special training - using firearm, ducking in the
shadows, sneaking in, freeing people. I'll skip all the
detail about how they got all angry and didn't accept the
first time. All they wanted was proof that I am really that
worth it - smart, skills, serious. So I related this to the
gold scheme." Fowl looked at the fairy.
"You told them about the People?"
"Not directly. I told them about how I got the fairy gold.
They got interested immediately, but I tried to avoid about
the People. But they slowly dragged it out of me. I'm
sorry." Artemis looked at her, and Holly was sure now that
they looked apologetic.
Captain Short stared at the damp ground. 'So he HAD let the
secret out.'
"I guess you couldn't help it." Holly was surprised at the
bitterness and the chipped sound in her voice. But it was
really how she felt. Now her whole species was discovered.
The fairies were going to be completely extinct in a couple
more years.
"Now I owe you double. Once for telling about you guys and
now for getting you in this crazy revolution."
Even though the elf did not look up from the ground, she
heard him stand up and walk up to her. Artemis sat down
beside her. He slowly moved his hand towards her arm, and
brushed his fingers over it. Then, as if gaining more
confidence, Fowl gently set his finger-less gloved hand on
top of her slender arm. Captain Short looked up at him, and
saw he was smiling. Not smirking, not evilly, but just a
true smile.
Holly couldn't help her corners of her mouth turn up. She
took the other hand, the one with the arm free, and set it
on top of his.
Partners...finally.
A/N: Thank you for the REVIEWS!!!
And I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a month or so.
I promise I'll try to update more often!
Please post your opinion in the review section!
Thanks, again!
^_~
-FairyDragonShadow
3/3/2002
Excavate
By FairyDragonShadow
Chapter 8 - Prisoners
Holly slowly, painfully woke up. Everything was dark, and
the floor that she was laying on was cold and damp. The
smell told her she was underground. Every muscle,
especially her legs, were aching.
She let out a groan.
The elf sat up, not being hasty.
After sitting there for a couple of minutes, Holly felt
another person's presence in the room. If you can call it a
room. It was more like a cell.
A dugeon.
Why?
Then it all came back to her. Artemis, the Underground
Slum, the hologram wall, the buildings and streets, the
BlueS chasing them, running, explosion, running, the wall,
the key,
and...
"You're awake now."
It was familiar voice. Artemis' voice.
"Yeah..." Captain Short murmured back.
There was a pause.
"You okay? I saw the BlueS go after you."
Holly nodded, and said, "Uh-huh."
Her vision was blurry, but then gradually cleared. She saw
Artemis on the other side of the cell. His white coat was
gone, and he had a black shirt on, with his usual, but
dirty, white pants. All of his weapons were gone, including
his goggles, which let his long blond bangs hang in front
of his face. It made him look depressed.
"I bet they drained out your magic." Fowl said, without
looking up at her.
Holly had noticed that she felt weaker than usual, and
realized it was true. There was no sign of the blue sparks.
Then there was silence.
A long, long silence.
But then, "I'm sorry."
Holly barely heard the Mud Person say that - it was almost
a whisper.
"I got you into this mess...Huh...I told you to stay back
at the Underground Slum." Artemis now looked at Holly, and
she was shocked at how his eyes seemed to be laughing. "You
would have been safer there."
"Was getting caught by the BlueS part of the plan?" Captain
Short asked.
"No," Artemis admitted, "But when the alarm rang out, I
knew we didn't have much of a chance."
Holly sighed. "Shit."
More quietness.
"The keys. Did they get them?" Fowl asked.
The elf shrugged. "I don't know exactly. I know I grabbed
them, and ran...but they knocked me out when they caught
me. I can't remember what happened after that."
It was Fowl's turn to sigh. "Great...just...ugh..."
Yet again, silence.
"Um...since we're going to be in here for a long time...you
might as well explain more about what has/had been done
around here?" Holly said. "And you. With the hair. What's
with that? I thought it was darker...blackish? And your
eyes, too. They're too light. It used to be a deep, ocean
blue. Now they're...ice."
"I'm glad you've noticed me so much, Captain." Artemis
said, smiling. "As I have said before, things have changed
much in eight whole years."
"I know, but in detail, please. No, wait. Tell me what
happened to you. If it doesn't offend you or anything."
The elf remembered the look in his eyes when she had
mentioned his mother, Butler, and Juliet.
Fowl flicked his hair out of his eyes. "Guess I'll tell you
now. I should stop living in the past..."
Holly looked at him carefully. Leaning against the wall,
his head tipped slightly up, his eyes cloudy and distant,
she almost felt sorry for him.
"It started a couple years after I met you the first time.
The new government I had told you about? Well, that took
place. The built the buildings and the wall, and told
everyone that if you were inside, you would be safe. There
would be no wars, crimes, etc. They said all the so called
"harmful" things were outside. Outside the walls. Gradually
people believed them. One by one, they became prisoners.
Until a couple years ago did they realize the wall wasn't
to keep 'bad' things away. It was to keep them in. No one
could escape with all the BlueS around. The government
again, picked out all the able-bodied men, and put them in
the military. So in the buildings, there's no men. Only
little boys, women, and little girls. There's no grand
parents either. They kill you after you're over a certain
age. It's a harsh life." He looked at Holly. "Me and my
family tried to hold out as much as we could. They first
threatened us that they were going to demolish our mansion.
And they did. But we were stubborn. My mother..." Artemis
paused here. "Sh-she got killed. BlueS took her away from
me. Butler...him and Juliet...they protected me til the
end. They had set up a boat...for us to escape, US. But no,
after the whole thing...I was the only passenger. Quickly
setting off, I didn't want to get caught. I went away and
tried to make myself look different. Permanently. That's
why my hair's blonde, my eyes a slightly different color,
and my skin not so pale as before. The disguise helped
partly. They kept me hidden for a year or so. But I soon
was caught, brought back, and trapped. But like I said, I
escaped soon enough with the help of Nich. He thought he
saw something in me. That I would be a leader. That I would
be able to change things. So he took me down, taught me the
way to our underground city, the hologram wall, the button
combinations, the password...everything! He felt like a...a
brother. Almost as close as Butler. Anyways, when I got to
the Underground Slum, Nich asked the Rooks if I could get
the special training - using firearm, ducking in the
shadows, sneaking in, freeing people. I'll skip all the
detail about how they got all angry and didn't accept the
first time. All they wanted was proof that I am really that
worth it - smart, skills, serious. So I related this to the
gold scheme." Fowl looked at the fairy.
"You told them about the People?"
"Not directly. I told them about how I got the fairy gold.
They got interested immediately, but I tried to avoid about
the People. But they slowly dragged it out of me. I'm
sorry." Artemis looked at her, and Holly was sure now that
they looked apologetic.
Captain Short stared at the damp ground. 'So he HAD let the
secret out.'
"I guess you couldn't help it." Holly was surprised at the
bitterness and the chipped sound in her voice. But it was
really how she felt. Now her whole species was discovered.
The fairies were going to be completely extinct in a couple
more years.
"Now I owe you double. Once for telling about you guys and
now for getting you in this crazy revolution."
Even though the elf did not look up from the ground, she
heard him stand up and walk up to her. Artemis sat down
beside her. He slowly moved his hand towards her arm, and
brushed his fingers over it. Then, as if gaining more
confidence, Fowl gently set his finger-less gloved hand on
top of her slender arm. Captain Short looked up at him, and
saw he was smiling. Not smirking, not evilly, but just a
true smile.
Holly couldn't help her corners of her mouth turn up. She
took the other hand, the one with the arm free, and set it
on top of his.
Partners...finally.
A/N: Thank you for the REVIEWS!!!
And I'm so sorry I haven't updated in a month or so.
I promise I'll try to update more often!
Please post your opinion in the review section!
Thanks, again!
^_~
-FairyDragonShadow
3/3/2002