Escapes:
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the mosquito bites I received while camping. Darn it!
O.K. Too many reviews, guys! :- I'm so pleased! Keep up the good work, and I'll keep writing and never go camping again, and thanx to Kathy Lu, Silver_Dragoness, freaky girl, Princess Karita, KittleKat798, Hermione Weasley, Stardust Firebolt, Da-xia Nariko, and, of course, Zoe O' Riley. Especially Zoe and Stardust who have reviewed more times than I can count, basically 'cause I can't count past eight. But thanx, guys!
And now, here's the chapter you have all been waiting for!
Insanity:
Holly groaned as she woke up. She had a splitting headache. "Geh meh coghee nogh.!" She croaked wearily. She shook her head. That was twice in a decade that she had said something not even worthy of a drunken gnome. She swallowed, her mouth full of what seemed like ashes, before she realized it was her tongue, and tried again. "Get me a coffee now!" she said in English. There, that was a bit better.
She tried to sit up to look at her surroundings but iron chains, which in turn, were bound to a giant wooden board that she was lying on, bound her arms. Not to mention, her favorite NEW Neutrino 3000 was gone. She cursed. "D' Arvit!" she said, and continued by using words in English that would have shocked even the R movie actors. She slapped the right side of her head to activate the READ 3000. She needed to examine the thoughts of the people in this dank and dark dungeon.
She closed her eyes to concentrate. Her eyes snapped open. "Butler, that traitor, let me get his hands on his overly thick neck, I'll strangle it . . ." she continued in this strain for half an hour before she remembered that LEP officers were supposed to maintain full dignity at all times. And this was no time for petty grudges. If Butler was down here, and he had as much loyalty to Artemis as he claimed, he would help her get out of this. . This. . place!
"Butler!" she hissed irritably. There was a grunt to her right. She painfully turned to face what seemed like a gorilla shackled to the walls of a modernized Bastille, (very famous French prison) before she realized it was wearing Butler's uniform. "Butler!" she snapped again. He couldn't help her while chained to the wall, but maybe he could think of something, The manservant groaned and turned away from her. Loud snores came from him, proving that he was indeed asleep.
Holly grinned wolfishly. It was not a grin you wanted to get on the bad side of. Especially since she had one more trick up her sleeve. "Atten- HUT, Private Butler!" Even in his sleep, Butler automatically jumped to attention, and took a step forward. Unfortunately, he was facing the wall already, nose to stone.
Butler's eyes flew open. He had felt his nose crack. 'Bumping your nose into stonewalls tended to do that.' he chided himself. Next time, if there were a next time, he would give himself fifty laps around the gymnasium. He turned around to catch a smirking Commander Short.
It would have looked terribly scary, had it not been ruined by the effects of herself being chained to a giant table. "Commander." He spoke softly. People who thought that soft-spoken words were better would've frozen at his tone of voice. "Commander," he said again. Holly immediately understood what he was asking for, and she shook her head. "No, Mud Ma- Butler. Artemis is not here."
Butler aimlessly glanced up, wondering what his charge was up to.
Somewhere white. . :
Artemis sat up, his memories fuzzy. He remembered dodging several angry punches, and receiving more than he lost. Then, a giant purple hand . . . . Then, darkness . . He looked around for signs of where he was now. There wasn't much. It was a completely white washed room with no furniture whatsoever, except the tiny white cot Artemis was lying on.
There were no doors, or windows, just an eternal brightness. Then, he sensed a presence in the room with him. His nostrils flared angrily and he spun around to see who it was. It was actually as blank as everything else, but he could still see that it was there. 'The LEP is under attack. There is a Mud Man who looks like you. Do you know who he is?' The voice was sleepy, with an undercurrent of anger just below the surface. "Father." Breathed Artemis.
He refused to scream as dark memories submerged him, memories that had nothing to do with the kind father he remembered, and, yet, everything. Refused to scream, and then fell without a sound, into memories.
LEP Operations Booth:
"Do we really have to do this?" was all Foaly could say. Root shot him a look. "Of course not, Foaly." He said in a false, cheerful voice. "We could wait for an explanation AFTER THE VIOLENT MUD MAN DESTROYS HAVEN!" "Still, it is cruel, a bit."
Root was impatient. "I've lost one of my best officers, while you're busy pitying the Mud Boy. Holly's in possible danger, Foaly! We can't let a nightmare-haunted Mud Boy stop us from rescuing her."
Foaly had to smirk, despite the grim circumstances. "My, aren't we eager to play the hero." He teased his companion, who grew redder every second. "Could it be, that our leader Root has a soft spot for-" "DON'T SAY IT!" Root exploded. "Foaly, one more word out of you, and it's pay docking time." Foaly quickly shut up.
*Flashback*
"Father!" A young boy ran up the marble staircases eagerly searching for his father. He almost ran into his father's bodyguard. The elder Butler glared contemptuously down at five-year-old Artemis. "I see you've tracked mud into the house again, child." Artemis immediately felt self-conscious. "I was only going to show my father the butterfly I caught." He opened up his hand to reveal a large monarch, still alive and fluttery.
Butler Sr. set it gently in his hand, where the insect nestled trustingly. In one fluid movement, his hand closed, crushing the butterfly, and when it opened again, there was nothing but a mash of powder, which he tossed onto the clean floor. Artemis' eyes filled with tears. The manservant glanced down. "Don't cry." He snapped, and struck Artemis on his right cheek. "Crying is for useless people, not for the strong, though you are not strong, and never will be."
He spun on his heel and walked away, leaving Artemis alone with his crushed bug. He sank slowly to the floor, but his glistening eyes never showed tears. "Crying is for the weak." He whispered softly. "Crying is for the weak, and I will be strong."
*End Flashback*
Looking back, Artemis realized that he had never really known his father, only at dinner and holidays did they see each other, and barely spoke then. He had just simply taken it for granted that his father was a nice man, and kind and generous.
But there was no time for contemplation. He quickly sank into other memories, though, for the first time in seven years, tears glimmered in his eyes.
Outside, in Haven:
"Come!" snapped the man with the iron leg. A pretty girl followed him mindlessly, chained to him as she was, mumbling things about Arty. He seemingly thrived in the violence around him, for he drank it all in, and grew stronger.
"It is almost time . . ."
Disclaimer: I don't own anything but the mosquito bites I received while camping. Darn it!
O.K. Too many reviews, guys! :- I'm so pleased! Keep up the good work, and I'll keep writing and never go camping again, and thanx to Kathy Lu, Silver_Dragoness, freaky girl, Princess Karita, KittleKat798, Hermione Weasley, Stardust Firebolt, Da-xia Nariko, and, of course, Zoe O' Riley. Especially Zoe and Stardust who have reviewed more times than I can count, basically 'cause I can't count past eight. But thanx, guys!
And now, here's the chapter you have all been waiting for!
Insanity:
Holly groaned as she woke up. She had a splitting headache. "Geh meh coghee nogh.!" She croaked wearily. She shook her head. That was twice in a decade that she had said something not even worthy of a drunken gnome. She swallowed, her mouth full of what seemed like ashes, before she realized it was her tongue, and tried again. "Get me a coffee now!" she said in English. There, that was a bit better.
She tried to sit up to look at her surroundings but iron chains, which in turn, were bound to a giant wooden board that she was lying on, bound her arms. Not to mention, her favorite NEW Neutrino 3000 was gone. She cursed. "D' Arvit!" she said, and continued by using words in English that would have shocked even the R movie actors. She slapped the right side of her head to activate the READ 3000. She needed to examine the thoughts of the people in this dank and dark dungeon.
She closed her eyes to concentrate. Her eyes snapped open. "Butler, that traitor, let me get his hands on his overly thick neck, I'll strangle it . . ." she continued in this strain for half an hour before she remembered that LEP officers were supposed to maintain full dignity at all times. And this was no time for petty grudges. If Butler was down here, and he had as much loyalty to Artemis as he claimed, he would help her get out of this. . This. . place!
"Butler!" she hissed irritably. There was a grunt to her right. She painfully turned to face what seemed like a gorilla shackled to the walls of a modernized Bastille, (very famous French prison) before she realized it was wearing Butler's uniform. "Butler!" she snapped again. He couldn't help her while chained to the wall, but maybe he could think of something, The manservant groaned and turned away from her. Loud snores came from him, proving that he was indeed asleep.
Holly grinned wolfishly. It was not a grin you wanted to get on the bad side of. Especially since she had one more trick up her sleeve. "Atten- HUT, Private Butler!" Even in his sleep, Butler automatically jumped to attention, and took a step forward. Unfortunately, he was facing the wall already, nose to stone.
Butler's eyes flew open. He had felt his nose crack. 'Bumping your nose into stonewalls tended to do that.' he chided himself. Next time, if there were a next time, he would give himself fifty laps around the gymnasium. He turned around to catch a smirking Commander Short.
It would have looked terribly scary, had it not been ruined by the effects of herself being chained to a giant table. "Commander." He spoke softly. People who thought that soft-spoken words were better would've frozen at his tone of voice. "Commander," he said again. Holly immediately understood what he was asking for, and she shook her head. "No, Mud Ma- Butler. Artemis is not here."
Butler aimlessly glanced up, wondering what his charge was up to.
Somewhere white. . :
Artemis sat up, his memories fuzzy. He remembered dodging several angry punches, and receiving more than he lost. Then, a giant purple hand . . . . Then, darkness . . He looked around for signs of where he was now. There wasn't much. It was a completely white washed room with no furniture whatsoever, except the tiny white cot Artemis was lying on.
There were no doors, or windows, just an eternal brightness. Then, he sensed a presence in the room with him. His nostrils flared angrily and he spun around to see who it was. It was actually as blank as everything else, but he could still see that it was there. 'The LEP is under attack. There is a Mud Man who looks like you. Do you know who he is?' The voice was sleepy, with an undercurrent of anger just below the surface. "Father." Breathed Artemis.
He refused to scream as dark memories submerged him, memories that had nothing to do with the kind father he remembered, and, yet, everything. Refused to scream, and then fell without a sound, into memories.
LEP Operations Booth:
"Do we really have to do this?" was all Foaly could say. Root shot him a look. "Of course not, Foaly." He said in a false, cheerful voice. "We could wait for an explanation AFTER THE VIOLENT MUD MAN DESTROYS HAVEN!" "Still, it is cruel, a bit."
Root was impatient. "I've lost one of my best officers, while you're busy pitying the Mud Boy. Holly's in possible danger, Foaly! We can't let a nightmare-haunted Mud Boy stop us from rescuing her."
Foaly had to smirk, despite the grim circumstances. "My, aren't we eager to play the hero." He teased his companion, who grew redder every second. "Could it be, that our leader Root has a soft spot for-" "DON'T SAY IT!" Root exploded. "Foaly, one more word out of you, and it's pay docking time." Foaly quickly shut up.
*Flashback*
"Father!" A young boy ran up the marble staircases eagerly searching for his father. He almost ran into his father's bodyguard. The elder Butler glared contemptuously down at five-year-old Artemis. "I see you've tracked mud into the house again, child." Artemis immediately felt self-conscious. "I was only going to show my father the butterfly I caught." He opened up his hand to reveal a large monarch, still alive and fluttery.
Butler Sr. set it gently in his hand, where the insect nestled trustingly. In one fluid movement, his hand closed, crushing the butterfly, and when it opened again, there was nothing but a mash of powder, which he tossed onto the clean floor. Artemis' eyes filled with tears. The manservant glanced down. "Don't cry." He snapped, and struck Artemis on his right cheek. "Crying is for useless people, not for the strong, though you are not strong, and never will be."
He spun on his heel and walked away, leaving Artemis alone with his crushed bug. He sank slowly to the floor, but his glistening eyes never showed tears. "Crying is for the weak." He whispered softly. "Crying is for the weak, and I will be strong."
*End Flashback*
Looking back, Artemis realized that he had never really known his father, only at dinner and holidays did they see each other, and barely spoke then. He had just simply taken it for granted that his father was a nice man, and kind and generous.
But there was no time for contemplation. He quickly sank into other memories, though, for the first time in seven years, tears glimmered in his eyes.
Outside, in Haven:
"Come!" snapped the man with the iron leg. A pretty girl followed him mindlessly, chained to him as she was, mumbling things about Arty. He seemingly thrived in the violence around him, for he drank it all in, and grew stronger.
"It is almost time . . ."