5
The Project
Present
As Artemis went out, he unconsciously felt a string of some sort around his neck. He pulled it out, revealing a necklace. There was a gold coin in the middle of it. The string went through a large hole in the center.
Artemis remembered when he had first gotten the coin. He had been thirteen years old, and Holly had shot a perfect hole through the center of it. It was supposed to symbolize Artemis in a way, in that between all his layers of deviousness there was a spark of decency inside.
The little hole had gotten a bit bigger since then, Artemis noted.
"...so you'll need to swallow these," Holly said handing the two some pills.
"I'm sorry?" Said Artemis as if coming from a daze.
"You'll need to swallow these so the conditions underground won't kill you."
Artemis took one and Butler took another. Artemis chewed on it. It felt bitter in his mouth. He swallowed it with a gulp. A minute later, it felt as if he had another layer of skin on him.
Holly led the two through the forest pushing aside at the branches. At a certain point, she held out her hand, and pressed a small button on her glove.
A ship that wasn't there a second ago suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Artemis guessed that she had deactivated a shield.
"Get in." Holly said. "You remember the procedure before, don't you?"
Before
"So what's this top-secret project, Captain Short, that was so important to the LEP?" Artemis said getting in the passenger seat next to Holly.
Holly seemed a bit stressed out, and didn't bother to tell Artemis that civilians sit behind the yellow line.
"This is a bit hard to explain, but it's supposed to open a portal to any specific area. If we're in a war zone, and one person is behind enemy lines in a prison of some sort, we can just go through the portal and grab the prisoner and bring him back with the other side not noticing."
"That's it?" Asked Artemis.
"No, not quite. If the controls are modified, a specific object from the other side, can be brought in forcefully. For example, if we need to bring in a criminal and we know where he is he can be sucked in to our side before he knows what hits him."
"How far are we on this?" Artemis asked. "Does it just require energy to run it, or is it still on the drawing board?"
The ship burst through the ground and went deeper and deeper.
"We're rather stuck in the middle. We're missing some pieces to it that humans have."
"And this is where I come in?" Artemis asked.
"Yes."
"I get it. If you went above ground, you could be caught. The person you go to could be wearing sunglasses of some sort to block it. A mind wipe could be used, but that would make this project you're working on better known. Am I right?"
"Right again, mud boy." She said with a grin. "I hoped you buckled up now, because if I do this turn wrong your heads will go up through the ceiling."
Artemis tried putting the seatbelt on, but discovered it was too small for him. The realization dawned on him just before the ship zoomed sideways and around a corner.
Present
Brandon was inside a very dark room. He could hear the hum of machinery and the buzzing of computers. Glowing computer screens gave a bit of light, but barely enough to see.
"Hello, Artemis." The voice said.
Brandon looked around. "Uh, I'm not him. I'm his son."
"Excuse me?"
"You've got the wrong guy."
There was a sigh of impatience. Then there was a tapping of keys, and a beep.
Two goblins stood outside the door. One opened the small hole in it.
"Yes?" He called in.
"I told you to bring me Artemis. Instead you brought me his son." The voice said.
"B-b-but we tried telling you that, but you insisted Artemis was still a boy." One of them stammered. "And this was the only boy inside the mansion judging from the photos on the wall."
"I did, didn't I?" Purred the voice.
"Y-yes."
"Hmm...I must've made a mistake, didn't I?"
"Uh, yeah. You probably did."
Brandon looked around in the direction of the voice but it seemed to be all around him.
Then, in the farthest corner of the room, near the ceiling were two eyes. One was twitching. Brandon thought the voice was going to scream, but when her voice came back it was calm.
"I never make mistakes. You must've taken the wrong boy."
"Ma'am, I don't know much on humans but I do know they grow into adults."
The two goblins stood outside the door waiting for a response. Instead, two small instruments came out of the wall.
They were a bit small and seemed a bit like security cameras. A red light flashed on in them. The goblins' eyes widened in terror.
Brandon heard the blast, but he didn't hear any screams.
"They talked back to me." The voice said, as if explaining a fact of life. "That was rude, wasn't it?"
"Yes," Said Brandon. "Very rude."
"So," The voice said. "If you're not Artemis then who are you?"
"I'm his son."
Brandon felt something push against him (he thought it was machinery, but it was too dark to tell) and slam him against the wall. He slid down, and if he had hit headfirst he would've been seriously injured.
He shakily got up. "What was that for?"
"For telling me something I already knew!" The voice shrieked. "Of course you're that idiot's son, you told me! I asked 'who are you?'"
"Brandon." He said. "Brandon Fowl."
"Nice to meet you, Brandon." The voice said pleasantly. "Has your father ever mentioned an Opal Kaboi?"
Before
Artemis and Butler sat in front of Root. Root looked like he was forced to talk with the two in front of him. Root's opinion of Artemis had changed a bit after the Arctic Incident but he was still cautious of the boy. Fowl Manor was still red-flagged to most of the LEP.
"Let's get things straight, Fowl." Root said. "Is there anything you want in return for your services?"
"I want a lot of things, Root." Artemis said. "But right now, I'm set, thank you very much."
"What are you doing this for, then?" Said Root. "Charity?"
Artemis put a hand on his chest in mock disbelief. "Is it so hard to believe that I come to help with no strings attached?"
"Yes." Root said. "It is."
Present
Root got skinny.
Artemis noticed several subtle changes since he left the Underground for good; Holly seemed older and weary, the technology seemed slightly better (at least in terms of transportation) among other things. Root's different appearance, however, showed Artemis how things had changed.
At first he assumed that Root had finally put up with Foaly's constant jabs about his weight, and worked out a bit to lose it. Holly later told him a grimmer truth; that after Artemis left the anxiety and stress of everything, along with his weight, gave him a heart attack. Root spent months recuperating, along with some physical therapy. Fairy magic helped him out a bit, but he was never the grumpy 'Beetroot'. He was more likely a turnip.
"I apologize for what has happened." Root said. "The LEP will try to find him. We doubt the kidnappers will harm Brandon, if they do think that he is you."
"What happens when they figure out he isn't?" Artemis asked.
Root didn't answer.
He quickly changed the subject. "When Holly was gone, Foaly found activity going on in some abandoned jail cells."
"So that means my son's being held there?" Artemis said, trying to sound calm and collected rather than eager.
"It's a possibility." Said Holly. "Or it could be a trap."
"If it is, its obvious they want me to go to them."
Butler, who was apparently in deep thought for most of the conversation, opened his mouth to speak. "Artemis, if they do have your son and they realize that he is not you, they would probably want to negotiate with you. A ransom, perhaps."
"Yes, perhaps." Artemis said. "I do not want to risk anyone's life on a guess."
"Well," Said Root. "Your son's not coming back on his own."
"I am perfectly aware of my son's conditions." Artemis said icily. "I am also perfectly aware he won't come back on his own, but when he does, I don't want him or anyone else to be brought back in a body bag."
Before
Artemis and Butler had been underground for a few moments only to find themselves buckling up again in Holly's cruiser.
"What was the point in coming down here if we are going to come back up?" Artemis asked.
"We needed to know if you were willing to help us." Said Holly. "And for you to know the whole thing. We're trying to run it as smoothly as possible."
The ship zoomed up through the surface and out of the ground.
Butler opened the door for the two.
"After you, Captain Short." Artemis said in a mock curtsy.
Holly walked inside and Artemis followed.
Butler quietly closed the door. It barely made a sound.
"What's the fairy doing here?" Said Juliet. She stood in front of the group with her arms crossed.
"Still bitter over the mesmer?" Asked Holly.
Juliet pulled at a blond tress of hair. "Of course not." She said, but the tone of her voice proved otherwise.
"I'm just helping Captain Short here out on a project." Said Artemis.
"What type of project?" Said Juliet, sounding a bit interested.
"Its top-secret." Said Holly. "We're trying to keep it as under wraps as possible."
Juliet stared at the fairy with a matter of distaste and walked off.
After he saw his little sister was gone Butler asked Holly what materials they might need.
"Nothing much at the moment." She said. "Just human energy sources."
"Batteries, I presume?" Said Artemis.
Holly nodded.
He gestured at Butler to go get some, and Butler went off to find them.
The two patiently waited there, keeping themselves silent for a couple of minutes.
Holly noticed the gold coin hanging from Artemis's neck, the one with the tiny speck in the center.
"You still have that?" Said Holly.
"Why not?" Said Artemis.
"Why not what?" Asked Butler. He carried a small bag filled with batteries wrapped in small packaging over his shoulder.
"Nothing, Butler." Said Artemis. "Lets go."
Holly turned off the ship's shield and the three got inside. All were silent on the way back.
The ship landed underground. The three got out when a bullet zoomed by Holly. She could feel it sear right by her cheek.
"Get down!" She called towards Artemis. He looked confused before it dawned on him. He ducked just in time. This time, a ray zoomed behind him. It burst through the rock.
Several goblins burst out from hiding holding all sort of weapons; softnoses, plasma-cannons, smuggled human weapons, etc.
"How could they know we were here?" Said Holly with disbelief, setting her gun to 'stun'.
With perfect aim, she shot three goblins in seconds. Butler got out of the ship to notice even more creatures coming. He grabbed a rock, and threw it straight at a goblin's head. Maybe it would even get a concussion.
The creature grabbed his gun and blasted it into several pieces seconds before it could crash against his head.
Butler couldn't believe it. That was pretty, uh, he couldn't describe it."Smart?"
Present
Root took a foul-smelling cigar, and lit it with trembling hands. He began to smoke it, but he began coughing and threw it in the trash.
"A-Artemis, I think we should go to the cells. It wasn't exactly easy to find. Perhaps it's not a trap."
"Again, perhaps." Said Artemis. He thought a bit. "What about Foaly? I'm sure he could find out if the cells are guarded or not."
Holly slapped her forehead. "Of course! I forgot about him for a second."
Foaly didn't look that different to Artemis. He was still the cynical, wisecracking technological centaur genius from before.
"We are talking about the jail cells in row D before they were taken off the network?" Asked the centaur, rubbing his chin.
"Yes." Said Holly.
"First of all, I need to convert the system to an earlier date. When the cells were still in the network."
He typed a bit. "There. Now lets access the network."
He typed some more. "Now...lets view the jail we're talking about."
A 3D view of the jail cells appeared. Foaly moved the POV around to show the group how it worked. It was like a time machine, viewing the cells way back when.
"Impressive." Said Artemis. "But we need the current view, not a historical one."
"Hold your jets, smart guy." Said Foaly. "You didn't let me finish."
Foaly entered what looked like a form of jumble. The screen changed. It was very similar to the first screen, yet the 3D animation was crude. Large, gray blocky areas moved sluggishly around. "Ta-daaa."
"What is it?" Asked Butler.
"It's the jail cells now, isn't it? The reason why the animation looks so primitive is because no one is working on it." Asked Artemis.
"Correct." Said Foaly. He controlled the POV around the cells.
Every cell was empty.
"Sorry, Fowl." Foaly said. "We know at least some of them are in hiding over there. But Brandon is nowhere to be found."
"Wait." Said Artemis. "What's that?"
Two gray blocky areas were walking with a red one in the middle. What could have been a door opened, and the red area was thrown in the cell.
"I-Is that Brandon?" Artemis asked.
Foaly didn't have to answer. Artemis saw the answer in his eyes.
"What do you think we should do, Artemis?" Asked Butler.
"You know what I think."
Holly turned around. "What happened to the 'I don't want anyone in body bags' we saw before?"
"Before, I was sure that they had planted booby-traps. But they have nothing waiting for us at the moment, judging from Foaly's program."
Alas, Artemis was wrong on this point, as he was to soon find out.
With Brandon locked in his jail cell again, Opal typed away at her computer.
Even with her face shrouded by the darkness, Opal's grin stuck out like diamonds in a pile of coal.
She looked through her records of old newspapers and found the article she was looking for.
The headline read:
COUNTLESS LEPRECON CASUALTIES DURING TRAGIC ACCIDENT.
Under that in smaller letters;
'Mud Boy horribly injured in the crossfire'.
"Happy times. Right, Artemis?" Opal said with a grin. "Happy times."
She shut the computer off, bringing the entire room in darkness.
The Project
Present
As Artemis went out, he unconsciously felt a string of some sort around his neck. He pulled it out, revealing a necklace. There was a gold coin in the middle of it. The string went through a large hole in the center.
Artemis remembered when he had first gotten the coin. He had been thirteen years old, and Holly had shot a perfect hole through the center of it. It was supposed to symbolize Artemis in a way, in that between all his layers of deviousness there was a spark of decency inside.
The little hole had gotten a bit bigger since then, Artemis noted.
"...so you'll need to swallow these," Holly said handing the two some pills.
"I'm sorry?" Said Artemis as if coming from a daze.
"You'll need to swallow these so the conditions underground won't kill you."
Artemis took one and Butler took another. Artemis chewed on it. It felt bitter in his mouth. He swallowed it with a gulp. A minute later, it felt as if he had another layer of skin on him.
Holly led the two through the forest pushing aside at the branches. At a certain point, she held out her hand, and pressed a small button on her glove.
A ship that wasn't there a second ago suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Artemis guessed that she had deactivated a shield.
"Get in." Holly said. "You remember the procedure before, don't you?"
Before
"So what's this top-secret project, Captain Short, that was so important to the LEP?" Artemis said getting in the passenger seat next to Holly.
Holly seemed a bit stressed out, and didn't bother to tell Artemis that civilians sit behind the yellow line.
"This is a bit hard to explain, but it's supposed to open a portal to any specific area. If we're in a war zone, and one person is behind enemy lines in a prison of some sort, we can just go through the portal and grab the prisoner and bring him back with the other side not noticing."
"That's it?" Asked Artemis.
"No, not quite. If the controls are modified, a specific object from the other side, can be brought in forcefully. For example, if we need to bring in a criminal and we know where he is he can be sucked in to our side before he knows what hits him."
"How far are we on this?" Artemis asked. "Does it just require energy to run it, or is it still on the drawing board?"
The ship burst through the ground and went deeper and deeper.
"We're rather stuck in the middle. We're missing some pieces to it that humans have."
"And this is where I come in?" Artemis asked.
"Yes."
"I get it. If you went above ground, you could be caught. The person you go to could be wearing sunglasses of some sort to block it. A mind wipe could be used, but that would make this project you're working on better known. Am I right?"
"Right again, mud boy." She said with a grin. "I hoped you buckled up now, because if I do this turn wrong your heads will go up through the ceiling."
Artemis tried putting the seatbelt on, but discovered it was too small for him. The realization dawned on him just before the ship zoomed sideways and around a corner.
Present
Brandon was inside a very dark room. He could hear the hum of machinery and the buzzing of computers. Glowing computer screens gave a bit of light, but barely enough to see.
"Hello, Artemis." The voice said.
Brandon looked around. "Uh, I'm not him. I'm his son."
"Excuse me?"
"You've got the wrong guy."
There was a sigh of impatience. Then there was a tapping of keys, and a beep.
Two goblins stood outside the door. One opened the small hole in it.
"Yes?" He called in.
"I told you to bring me Artemis. Instead you brought me his son." The voice said.
"B-b-but we tried telling you that, but you insisted Artemis was still a boy." One of them stammered. "And this was the only boy inside the mansion judging from the photos on the wall."
"I did, didn't I?" Purred the voice.
"Y-yes."
"Hmm...I must've made a mistake, didn't I?"
"Uh, yeah. You probably did."
Brandon looked around in the direction of the voice but it seemed to be all around him.
Then, in the farthest corner of the room, near the ceiling were two eyes. One was twitching. Brandon thought the voice was going to scream, but when her voice came back it was calm.
"I never make mistakes. You must've taken the wrong boy."
"Ma'am, I don't know much on humans but I do know they grow into adults."
The two goblins stood outside the door waiting for a response. Instead, two small instruments came out of the wall.
They were a bit small and seemed a bit like security cameras. A red light flashed on in them. The goblins' eyes widened in terror.
Brandon heard the blast, but he didn't hear any screams.
"They talked back to me." The voice said, as if explaining a fact of life. "That was rude, wasn't it?"
"Yes," Said Brandon. "Very rude."
"So," The voice said. "If you're not Artemis then who are you?"
"I'm his son."
Brandon felt something push against him (he thought it was machinery, but it was too dark to tell) and slam him against the wall. He slid down, and if he had hit headfirst he would've been seriously injured.
He shakily got up. "What was that for?"
"For telling me something I already knew!" The voice shrieked. "Of course you're that idiot's son, you told me! I asked 'who are you?'"
"Brandon." He said. "Brandon Fowl."
"Nice to meet you, Brandon." The voice said pleasantly. "Has your father ever mentioned an Opal Kaboi?"
Before
Artemis and Butler sat in front of Root. Root looked like he was forced to talk with the two in front of him. Root's opinion of Artemis had changed a bit after the Arctic Incident but he was still cautious of the boy. Fowl Manor was still red-flagged to most of the LEP.
"Let's get things straight, Fowl." Root said. "Is there anything you want in return for your services?"
"I want a lot of things, Root." Artemis said. "But right now, I'm set, thank you very much."
"What are you doing this for, then?" Said Root. "Charity?"
Artemis put a hand on his chest in mock disbelief. "Is it so hard to believe that I come to help with no strings attached?"
"Yes." Root said. "It is."
Present
Root got skinny.
Artemis noticed several subtle changes since he left the Underground for good; Holly seemed older and weary, the technology seemed slightly better (at least in terms of transportation) among other things. Root's different appearance, however, showed Artemis how things had changed.
At first he assumed that Root had finally put up with Foaly's constant jabs about his weight, and worked out a bit to lose it. Holly later told him a grimmer truth; that after Artemis left the anxiety and stress of everything, along with his weight, gave him a heart attack. Root spent months recuperating, along with some physical therapy. Fairy magic helped him out a bit, but he was never the grumpy 'Beetroot'. He was more likely a turnip.
"I apologize for what has happened." Root said. "The LEP will try to find him. We doubt the kidnappers will harm Brandon, if they do think that he is you."
"What happens when they figure out he isn't?" Artemis asked.
Root didn't answer.
He quickly changed the subject. "When Holly was gone, Foaly found activity going on in some abandoned jail cells."
"So that means my son's being held there?" Artemis said, trying to sound calm and collected rather than eager.
"It's a possibility." Said Holly. "Or it could be a trap."
"If it is, its obvious they want me to go to them."
Butler, who was apparently in deep thought for most of the conversation, opened his mouth to speak. "Artemis, if they do have your son and they realize that he is not you, they would probably want to negotiate with you. A ransom, perhaps."
"Yes, perhaps." Artemis said. "I do not want to risk anyone's life on a guess."
"Well," Said Root. "Your son's not coming back on his own."
"I am perfectly aware of my son's conditions." Artemis said icily. "I am also perfectly aware he won't come back on his own, but when he does, I don't want him or anyone else to be brought back in a body bag."
Before
Artemis and Butler had been underground for a few moments only to find themselves buckling up again in Holly's cruiser.
"What was the point in coming down here if we are going to come back up?" Artemis asked.
"We needed to know if you were willing to help us." Said Holly. "And for you to know the whole thing. We're trying to run it as smoothly as possible."
The ship zoomed up through the surface and out of the ground.
Butler opened the door for the two.
"After you, Captain Short." Artemis said in a mock curtsy.
Holly walked inside and Artemis followed.
Butler quietly closed the door. It barely made a sound.
"What's the fairy doing here?" Said Juliet. She stood in front of the group with her arms crossed.
"Still bitter over the mesmer?" Asked Holly.
Juliet pulled at a blond tress of hair. "Of course not." She said, but the tone of her voice proved otherwise.
"I'm just helping Captain Short here out on a project." Said Artemis.
"What type of project?" Said Juliet, sounding a bit interested.
"Its top-secret." Said Holly. "We're trying to keep it as under wraps as possible."
Juliet stared at the fairy with a matter of distaste and walked off.
After he saw his little sister was gone Butler asked Holly what materials they might need.
"Nothing much at the moment." She said. "Just human energy sources."
"Batteries, I presume?" Said Artemis.
Holly nodded.
He gestured at Butler to go get some, and Butler went off to find them.
The two patiently waited there, keeping themselves silent for a couple of minutes.
Holly noticed the gold coin hanging from Artemis's neck, the one with the tiny speck in the center.
"You still have that?" Said Holly.
"Why not?" Said Artemis.
"Why not what?" Asked Butler. He carried a small bag filled with batteries wrapped in small packaging over his shoulder.
"Nothing, Butler." Said Artemis. "Lets go."
Holly turned off the ship's shield and the three got inside. All were silent on the way back.
The ship landed underground. The three got out when a bullet zoomed by Holly. She could feel it sear right by her cheek.
"Get down!" She called towards Artemis. He looked confused before it dawned on him. He ducked just in time. This time, a ray zoomed behind him. It burst through the rock.
Several goblins burst out from hiding holding all sort of weapons; softnoses, plasma-cannons, smuggled human weapons, etc.
"How could they know we were here?" Said Holly with disbelief, setting her gun to 'stun'.
With perfect aim, she shot three goblins in seconds. Butler got out of the ship to notice even more creatures coming. He grabbed a rock, and threw it straight at a goblin's head. Maybe it would even get a concussion.
The creature grabbed his gun and blasted it into several pieces seconds before it could crash against his head.
Butler couldn't believe it. That was pretty, uh, he couldn't describe it."Smart?"
Present
Root took a foul-smelling cigar, and lit it with trembling hands. He began to smoke it, but he began coughing and threw it in the trash.
"A-Artemis, I think we should go to the cells. It wasn't exactly easy to find. Perhaps it's not a trap."
"Again, perhaps." Said Artemis. He thought a bit. "What about Foaly? I'm sure he could find out if the cells are guarded or not."
Holly slapped her forehead. "Of course! I forgot about him for a second."
Foaly didn't look that different to Artemis. He was still the cynical, wisecracking technological centaur genius from before.
"We are talking about the jail cells in row D before they were taken off the network?" Asked the centaur, rubbing his chin.
"Yes." Said Holly.
"First of all, I need to convert the system to an earlier date. When the cells were still in the network."
He typed a bit. "There. Now lets access the network."
He typed some more. "Now...lets view the jail we're talking about."
A 3D view of the jail cells appeared. Foaly moved the POV around to show the group how it worked. It was like a time machine, viewing the cells way back when.
"Impressive." Said Artemis. "But we need the current view, not a historical one."
"Hold your jets, smart guy." Said Foaly. "You didn't let me finish."
Foaly entered what looked like a form of jumble. The screen changed. It was very similar to the first screen, yet the 3D animation was crude. Large, gray blocky areas moved sluggishly around. "Ta-daaa."
"What is it?" Asked Butler.
"It's the jail cells now, isn't it? The reason why the animation looks so primitive is because no one is working on it." Asked Artemis.
"Correct." Said Foaly. He controlled the POV around the cells.
Every cell was empty.
"Sorry, Fowl." Foaly said. "We know at least some of them are in hiding over there. But Brandon is nowhere to be found."
"Wait." Said Artemis. "What's that?"
Two gray blocky areas were walking with a red one in the middle. What could have been a door opened, and the red area was thrown in the cell.
"I-Is that Brandon?" Artemis asked.
Foaly didn't have to answer. Artemis saw the answer in his eyes.
"What do you think we should do, Artemis?" Asked Butler.
"You know what I think."
Holly turned around. "What happened to the 'I don't want anyone in body bags' we saw before?"
"Before, I was sure that they had planted booby-traps. But they have nothing waiting for us at the moment, judging from Foaly's program."
Alas, Artemis was wrong on this point, as he was to soon find out.
With Brandon locked in his jail cell again, Opal typed away at her computer.
Even with her face shrouded by the darkness, Opal's grin stuck out like diamonds in a pile of coal.
She looked through her records of old newspapers and found the article she was looking for.
The headline read:
COUNTLESS LEPRECON CASUALTIES DURING TRAGIC ACCIDENT.
Under that in smaller letters;
'Mud Boy horribly injured in the crossfire'.
"Happy times. Right, Artemis?" Opal said with a grin. "Happy times."
She shut the computer off, bringing the entire room in darkness.