Disclaimer: I do not own Artemis Fowl, Juliet, Root, Holly, Foaly, or Mrs.
Fowl.
FF.net Owner: Ahem...*pokes her in the shoulder*
...OR BUTLER! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! (Like this: Y.Y) I DO however own the Doppleganger...lot of good that does me...
Summary: Same as last chapter.
Warning: If you are looking for mushy oatmeal romance porn stuff, I suggest you vacate the area NOW, before I shove my foot up yer--
Holly's C/N: *cocks gun against CH's head* I don't think so...
O.o On to the fic!
Artemis C/N: Good Author...
***
Fowl Manor
Artemis watched the cameras quietly to see how Juliet and Shoa Lin were doing. Not much. Talking, probably about girl things. He studied the older woman's features and wondered what kind of conversations a teenage girl could have with her. But, then again, this was Juliet.
"Anything unusual?" he asked when Butler returned from the other side of the room.
Butler shook his head. "Nothing outside of the manor. That camera you planted in Tara picked up something, however. A shuttle. Looks like we may have visitors after a while."
Artemis nodded after a minute. Something was happening, he decided. He could feel the air around him buzzing with magic that had yet to be grasped. And he would work like a dog to figure out what it was. He made his way to the other side of the room to watch the monitors.
What he should have done was keep his eyes on Juliet and Shoa Lin. Thankfully Butler did.
"I'll be right back Artemis," he said, hoping the worry didn't drift into his voice.
Artemis turned around suddenly, brushing black hair out of his eyes as he fixed them on his manservant. "Why? Is something wrong?"
"Nothing," Butler answered, even though his fingers instinctively reached for the Sig Sauer he always kept near. His favorite weapon. He made his way over to the door, stopping only when he was outside to lock it. "You'll be better off in there, Artemis."
"What?" Artemis hadn't registered what was happening until he was locked in. Good thing he had a key. He strolled over to the opposite monitor and frowned.
Or, he did have a key.
"Juliet just as good as men," Shoa Lin smiled. It had been a while since she'd used the mesmer, but it still worked. Good thing there had been a full moon tonight. "Juliet smart and strong. Very beautiful. Do whatever Juliet wants." She stepped back as Juliet approached her.
"Yeah," Juliet answered and Shoa Lin was happy her parents had blessed her with strong magic. "Yeah, I'm just as good as my brother and a lot prettier."
Shoa Lin beckoned for the young girl to come closer. "Yes, Juliet." She shed her Chinese accent like a heavy winter coat. "You'll do as well as any man. I can teach you anything you wish to know." And gain your body in return, she thought to herself. All it took was a pretty body. And this body would suit her well. Just Juliet and then Artemis. And then, it would be over. She'd be free.
Juliet knelt before Shoa Lin, who set her hands on the top of Juliet's head, near her temples. She hoped the carpets weren't brand new. This was going to be bloody...
Butler kicked the door open, his gun raised. A bit melodramatic, yes, but efficient. His little sister was on her knees before the old woman, who was ready to crush her skull. Grabbing up Juliet, he simultaneously pushed the surprised maid away.
"What meaning has this?" Shoa Lin growled as she struggled to maintain balance and regain her Chinese accent. "I give beauty tips and Butler burst in kicking doors?"
Butler glared at her. There was no way this hag was giving beauty tips to his little sister. He set the girl outside the room and readied himself to shoot the old woman full in the face. "I don't think you'll be giving any tips when I blow your face off."
Shoa Lin hissed at him and he saw her for what she was for a moment. "You will give me the girl. Now." She layered her voice with the mesmer. "She's mine. You will go back to Artemis."
Butler resisted, just barely. There was no way anyone could fool him into giving up his sister. "I don't think so." He shot the bed next to her, making the little woman jump. "I want answers."
Shoa Lin was becoming impatient. She couldn't do anything in this body. She needed something more suitable.
"We all want something..." she whispered as she began to change.
"Holly!"
"Don't get all worked up," Holly told Artemis as she blasted the knob off of the door. "You're not out of the woods yet." She grabbed his arm and began to drag him through the Manor to the front door. "We have to get you back to LEP now!"
Artemis pulled away from her, straightening his suit. "I don't think so, Captain. I can't leave without Butler." He started down another hallway to find his manservant.
Holly tugged on the back of his jacket. "Don't make me use the mesmer, Mud Boy!" The determined look in Artemis's eyes was all she needed. "Fine, fine, where is he?"
Artemis thought for a moment. "He was looking for Juliet. She might be in trouble." Holly ran with him as they made their way back up the stairs and to the bedrooms. Running in his own house. Artemis resisted the urge to shake his head in bewilderment. Why couldn't he be normal?
They spotted the door Butler had kicked in. Oh...yeah...that's why.
"Who's that?" Holly pointed at Shoa Lin, who, from far away, didn't look all that human.
"That's Shoa Lin, our new maid," Artemis answered, frowning.
Holly watched closely as Shoa Lin began to change quickly. "That's no maid!" she yelled as she switched her blaster's power to maximum and fired at the renegade fairy.
Shoa Lin leapt back, switching to her LEP officer disguise as rapidly as she could. Stupid purebreds, they'd never learn. She dodged the blasts easily, grinning as she brought her fist down on the opposing officer's helmet. The thing cracked like an egg under her hit. A horrible pressure connected to one of her ribs, however, and Butler flung her across the room, ready to pump bullets into her fallen body.
And then, she saw him. Artemis Fowl. In this stronger body, she'd have a chance to kill him. She dodged the Sig Sauer's bullets nipping at her heels as she leapt onto the bed where her suitcase was. She broke it open easily, kicking the LEP officer as soon as the whelp came running at her, blaster once again drawn. She faced Butler. "Your shots are up," she growled, throwing the long dagger she had drawn from the suitcase at his chest.
The man had the reflexes of a pixie, she admitted when she watched him attempt to dodge the knife, getting his shoulder pinned to the wall instead. Just then, Artemis Fowl tackled her.
The young boy wrestled with Shoa Lin for a minute, but it was like trying to fight Holly when she was mad. The tiny fairy threw him off of her and approached him, new dagger in hand. Holly struggled to her feet and drew her blaster once more, aiming for Shoa Lin's back.
"You are under arrest," she said. "Don't move or I will blow your spine out of your back."
Shoa Lin turned to face her, eyes blazing with fury as she removed her LEP helmet. "Do it then."
Holly tried to stifle a gasp, keeping her weapon steady. "This is not right." She shook her head, all the while watching Shoa Lin. "There are no other female Recon officers. I'm the first. I'm the only one."
Shoa Lin laughed loudly. "No, child. I was the first. And soon, I will be the only one." And, with that, she disappeared completely.
Artemis sat, watching, wide-eyed. "That's not possible." He straightened and began to brush himself off. "There's no way..."
"Apparently there is," Butler gasped as he wrenched the dagger from his shoulder. Holly healed it easily enough, but it still ached a little. She retrieved her cracked helmet, frowning as she examined the damage. Useless. The commander was going to kill her. Foaly would do worse.
Artemis examined his arms and legs for anything that might last as Butler set Juliet, who had passed out in all the excitement, on the bed. "Well, Captain," he began, turning to Holly. "Shall we?"
Police Plaza
"No, absolutely, under no circumstances, are we doing this!" "It's not in your place to say what Recon will or won't do, Captain. Artemis Fowl is obviously the Doppleganger's next target and it is our duty to make sure she doesn't get to him. I smell something big here." Commander Root grumbled as he fished for another fungus cigar, his face turning red in frustration. He really had a nasty complexion.
Holly eyed Artemis momentarily. "Can't we just keep surveillance on him until the threat passes? I'm sure if the Doppleganger strikes again, we can get her before she gets the Mud Boy."
Artemis rubbed the sleep from his eyes quietly as the two elves argued over his future. Butler shifted uncomfortably beside him, feeling naked without his guns. Foaly was typing furiously, trying to bring up old files.
"From what I saw," Root said, "you were trying just that. And you know what? It didn't work!" His face was turning deeper shades of red by the second. "We are going to follow correct procedure that states that we have to keep Fowl close at all times."
"Sir, what happened at Fowl Manor was a one-time occurrence," Holly answered through clenched teeth. "We were taken by surprise."
Root, instead of answering her, turned to Foaly. "Did you find anything about another female Recon officer?"
"Yes, Julius," Foaly told him. "It's all here in Chimaera's file. It turns out there was another test case, Holly. Her name was Captain Ivory Stone. A cute little pixie, if I do say so myself." He flashed the picture. "She was assigned to the Doppleganger case. One of the first victims. She was dismembered and hung from pieces of the playground. A week later, her son and husband were found." Even Butler, who had once been gored by a troll, had to avert his gaze.
Holly shuddered. "That's terrible. Trolls are one thing--they don't have the mental capacity to understand. This woman simply does it because she can."
"She was fresh out of the academy," Root sighed, examining the ex- captain. "Only eighty-five. Terrible way to go." He handed the picture to Artemis, who did a double check between the print out and Holly.
"She looks just like you," Artemis said. "True, your hair and skin tones are different. She doesn't have the cherubic roundness of the cheeks. But, other than that, you could pass for her." He gave the picture to a startled Holly.
"This isn't real..." Holly mumbled as she stared at the picture.
Foaly gently took the picture back. "There's more. A lot more."
Butler rubbed his temples. "This is hard enough to take in by itself. What else could there be?"
Foaly shrugged and brought up more of the file, which had been deleted just after the Doppleganger's scheduled execution. "She had a family."
"Yeah, we've heard all of this before," Root grumbled impatiently. "Mom and dad were crime lords and she married a dragon. Nothing new."
"No," Foaly told him sternly. "You haven't heard this part, Julius. This is bad."
Holly sighed angrily, settling herself into a chair. "How much worse can it get?" She closed her eyes, wishing she could just sleep.
"She had a daughter," Foaly began. "The first child of an elf and a dragon. Her daughter's name was Kindle Blaze. She could've been a real problem for the LEP during the revolution. Lucky for us, she had a heart of gold. Wouldn't hurt a Mud Man, no matter how annoying." He stopped for a moment when he heard Butler clear his throat. "Anyway, this girl is very humanoid and very curious. She secures a shuttle and hops up onto the surface world, but, instead of blowing things up, meets the Mud Man of her dreams."
"Let me guess," Root said, his fingers leaving dents in his desktop. "They have a little bundle of joy as well. Well, I don't know how this could get any worse."
Artemis sat straight up. "Somehow, I'm guessing this new link could break our chain, am I correct?"
"Right." Foaly brought an all new file. A tanned elf with black hair and red eyes. "Kindle died in childbirth. The father is unknown. He disappeared. This is their daughter. Ember Blaze. Age 16."
Holly groaned in frustration, burying her face in her hands. "So what? She's...16?" The LEP captain made her way to the computer screen. "That's not right. She'd be just a little child down here."
"Down here she would," Foaly replied. "But up in the surface world, she's almost a grown woman."
Butler frowned. "So, we are researching her...why?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Artemis asked, getting up so he could pace effectively. "If we find this girl, we could somehow use her against her grandmother. If we can find this Ember Blaze, we can use her to locate Chimaera Blaze."
"How?" Butler asked bluntly.
Foaly grinned. "Simple. All dragons have a natural radar. They can locate each other. While Chimaera certainly doesn't have any dragon blood, Ember is still related to her, which should keep the connection strong." He went back to typing while Root prepared to rant again.
"Oh, sure," Root raved. "We can expect to simply locate her and drag her in? She could be anywhere on the surface world right now!"
"Calm down, Julius," Foaly coaxed.
"Stop calling me Julius!" Root bellowed.
Holly broke them apart by asking another question. "And, even if we found her, does she even know she's related to the Doppleganger?"
Foaly was quiet for a moment. "You're not going to like this at all."
"What's to like?" Root demanded. "We're once again asking a Mud Man for help! We'll have to go above ground to search for a Mud Girl who probably wouldn't know an elf if it offered her a pot of gold!"
"Actually," Foaly corrected, "she knows a lot of things. How to kill. Murder. Steal. You might even say"--he glanced at Artemis for a minute-- "she's a criminal mastermind."
Root didn't like this at all. "Another one? No doubt ready to exploit us at her first chance. She's just waiting for a chance to expose the People." He reached for a fresh cigar.
"No one we've heard of," Butler spoke up. "If she's as brilliant as you say, Foaly, I'm sure we would have already run into her."
"No," Foaly responded, "you wouldn't. At least, you wouldn't live to talk about it." He looked at Root. "What's the one thing you hate more than working with Mud Men?"
"Working with convicts, no doubt about it..." Root cut himself off as realization dawned on him. He looked up at the screen Foaly had brought up.
The Doragon. Named after the Japanese name for dragons.
Enemy Number One when it came to terrorists and smugglers. Specialized in fireballs and assault.
Root growled as he turned his gaze to Holly. "I want you to get a line on Howler's Peak. I want the Doragon in here. Now." No point in complaining about it--they needed this girl, now matter how dangerous.
Howler's Peak
"Wake up and smell the sulfur."
Ember Blaze rolled over onto her stomach. A fresh roasted goblin carcass lay beside her cot. Her last cell-mate had been blown away by her fiery temper in less than an hour. "What do you want?" she called, her eyes burning with the desire to injure, kill, or otherwise maim the idiot who bothered to disturb her.
The LEP officer stared her down. At least the fools had the sense to wear fireproof suits now. "Commander Root wants to see you. Now."
Ember sat up. Since when did she run her life on the commander's schedule? She slid off of the cot and onto the floor. "Alright, I'm coming. But I want a new cell-mate when I get back." She slid her hands through the bars of her fireproof cell so that the guard could cuff her hands to prevent her from conjuring fireballs. "Talking to a pile of ashes on the floor gets boring after the first few hours."
"There won't be much need for that at the Plaza," the officer told her as he led her to the shuttle that would take her to the Plaza. She smiled wryly--this officer must be new.
"The Plaza," she chuckled. "That's rich. They never take people like me to the Plaza..." She palmed the officer's ID, however, just in case she'd need it. You never could tell with LEP. Stupid as they were, they could be crafty when the need arose.
Police Plaza, Detention Cell 6
Ember rolled her eyes when Root's face hovered barely an inch from hers. "Are you finished?" she asked wearily. "I already told you I don't know where she is. Nothing you could say or do could make me say differently. Now unshackle me, before I get mad." She signaled to her hands, which were bonded to the chair.
Commander Root growled. "I can have you locked away in Howler's Peak for the rest of your days, convict! You'll be shoveling fresh clay from the dwarf mines before I'm finished with you!" His face was turning purple. Ember was much more concerned about his cigar.
"You really shouldn't smoke," she mumbled as she used her inherited heat senses to make the cigar catch fire. She grinned innocently as Root tossed it to the floor, stamping it out with one foot. "It might kill you one day."
Holly glared at her. "Fine, what do you want in exchange for your help?"
"A pony," Ember answered, cocking her head to the side with a smile. "It's too cold in here..." She looked beyond Holly to Artemis and Butler. "Other than that...I want to kill the Doppleganger." Artemis, though he really shouldn't have been surprised, blinked. She wanted Chimaera dead? Her own flesh and blood?
"Ember," Holly said, leaning over the table to look the convict in the eye, "we can't guarantee that you can...burn. Nor will we let you kill the Doppleganger. Police regulation."
Ember's hatred flared up in her eyes until even Butler, who stood on the other side of the room, could almost feel its heat. "Then I have nothing to say to you. We are finished. Take me back to my cell. And, I'd better have a new cell-mate. The other died rather unexpectedly. It seems goblins are not dragon-fire proof."
"We're not finished with you," Root growled while searching to see if he had anymore cigars. "You can't just click your heels together and wish yourself home, Dorothy." He almost chuckled at his Wizard of Oz humor. "You're on my time."
Ember narrowed her eyes. "You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" She glanced from one person to the other, frowning in disgust.
"Actually." Artemis stepped forward. "We seem to be on borrowed time. You have lost all options and choices in this matter. So, either you can tell us where we can find the Doppleganger, or I can make sure you are relocated in a cozy little radioactive prison, in, say, northern Russia."
Ember paled for a moment. "You can't threaten me, purebred."
"On the contrary," Artemis said, pretending to examine his nails, "I can do anything I want. After all, you're the convict." And, with that, he knew he had won.
"Russia has snow," Ember protested. "No place for fire. No place to burn. Radiation would kill me." Nobody seem to care. She frowned again, this time in deep thought. If she got to kill the Doppleganger, she would finally be free at last. She would not die in Russia, or be rotting with goblin corpses in Howler's Peak.
"I have decided," she told the fairies and humans. "You wish for me to locate the Doppleganger and help you track her down. This is to protect a Mud Boy that I should not even care about, and I don't. In return, I wish reserve a single wish, which I will not name at this time. You help me, and I will help you. Are we clear?"
Artemis nodded and waited for the Commander to agree. He did.
It was the beginning of something.
Or the end of everything.
***
That is the end of Chapter 2! Review, human scum, or FEEL MY WRATH!! Bye- Bye ^_^!
FF.net Owner: Ahem...*pokes her in the shoulder*
...OR BUTLER! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! (Like this: Y.Y) I DO however own the Doppleganger...lot of good that does me...
Summary: Same as last chapter.
Warning: If you are looking for mushy oatmeal romance porn stuff, I suggest you vacate the area NOW, before I shove my foot up yer--
Holly's C/N: *cocks gun against CH's head* I don't think so...
O.o On to the fic!
Artemis C/N: Good Author...
***
Fowl Manor
Artemis watched the cameras quietly to see how Juliet and Shoa Lin were doing. Not much. Talking, probably about girl things. He studied the older woman's features and wondered what kind of conversations a teenage girl could have with her. But, then again, this was Juliet.
"Anything unusual?" he asked when Butler returned from the other side of the room.
Butler shook his head. "Nothing outside of the manor. That camera you planted in Tara picked up something, however. A shuttle. Looks like we may have visitors after a while."
Artemis nodded after a minute. Something was happening, he decided. He could feel the air around him buzzing with magic that had yet to be grasped. And he would work like a dog to figure out what it was. He made his way to the other side of the room to watch the monitors.
What he should have done was keep his eyes on Juliet and Shoa Lin. Thankfully Butler did.
"I'll be right back Artemis," he said, hoping the worry didn't drift into his voice.
Artemis turned around suddenly, brushing black hair out of his eyes as he fixed them on his manservant. "Why? Is something wrong?"
"Nothing," Butler answered, even though his fingers instinctively reached for the Sig Sauer he always kept near. His favorite weapon. He made his way over to the door, stopping only when he was outside to lock it. "You'll be better off in there, Artemis."
"What?" Artemis hadn't registered what was happening until he was locked in. Good thing he had a key. He strolled over to the opposite monitor and frowned.
Or, he did have a key.
"Juliet just as good as men," Shoa Lin smiled. It had been a while since she'd used the mesmer, but it still worked. Good thing there had been a full moon tonight. "Juliet smart and strong. Very beautiful. Do whatever Juliet wants." She stepped back as Juliet approached her.
"Yeah," Juliet answered and Shoa Lin was happy her parents had blessed her with strong magic. "Yeah, I'm just as good as my brother and a lot prettier."
Shoa Lin beckoned for the young girl to come closer. "Yes, Juliet." She shed her Chinese accent like a heavy winter coat. "You'll do as well as any man. I can teach you anything you wish to know." And gain your body in return, she thought to herself. All it took was a pretty body. And this body would suit her well. Just Juliet and then Artemis. And then, it would be over. She'd be free.
Juliet knelt before Shoa Lin, who set her hands on the top of Juliet's head, near her temples. She hoped the carpets weren't brand new. This was going to be bloody...
Butler kicked the door open, his gun raised. A bit melodramatic, yes, but efficient. His little sister was on her knees before the old woman, who was ready to crush her skull. Grabbing up Juliet, he simultaneously pushed the surprised maid away.
"What meaning has this?" Shoa Lin growled as she struggled to maintain balance and regain her Chinese accent. "I give beauty tips and Butler burst in kicking doors?"
Butler glared at her. There was no way this hag was giving beauty tips to his little sister. He set the girl outside the room and readied himself to shoot the old woman full in the face. "I don't think you'll be giving any tips when I blow your face off."
Shoa Lin hissed at him and he saw her for what she was for a moment. "You will give me the girl. Now." She layered her voice with the mesmer. "She's mine. You will go back to Artemis."
Butler resisted, just barely. There was no way anyone could fool him into giving up his sister. "I don't think so." He shot the bed next to her, making the little woman jump. "I want answers."
Shoa Lin was becoming impatient. She couldn't do anything in this body. She needed something more suitable.
"We all want something..." she whispered as she began to change.
"Holly!"
"Don't get all worked up," Holly told Artemis as she blasted the knob off of the door. "You're not out of the woods yet." She grabbed his arm and began to drag him through the Manor to the front door. "We have to get you back to LEP now!"
Artemis pulled away from her, straightening his suit. "I don't think so, Captain. I can't leave without Butler." He started down another hallway to find his manservant.
Holly tugged on the back of his jacket. "Don't make me use the mesmer, Mud Boy!" The determined look in Artemis's eyes was all she needed. "Fine, fine, where is he?"
Artemis thought for a moment. "He was looking for Juliet. She might be in trouble." Holly ran with him as they made their way back up the stairs and to the bedrooms. Running in his own house. Artemis resisted the urge to shake his head in bewilderment. Why couldn't he be normal?
They spotted the door Butler had kicked in. Oh...yeah...that's why.
"Who's that?" Holly pointed at Shoa Lin, who, from far away, didn't look all that human.
"That's Shoa Lin, our new maid," Artemis answered, frowning.
Holly watched closely as Shoa Lin began to change quickly. "That's no maid!" she yelled as she switched her blaster's power to maximum and fired at the renegade fairy.
Shoa Lin leapt back, switching to her LEP officer disguise as rapidly as she could. Stupid purebreds, they'd never learn. She dodged the blasts easily, grinning as she brought her fist down on the opposing officer's helmet. The thing cracked like an egg under her hit. A horrible pressure connected to one of her ribs, however, and Butler flung her across the room, ready to pump bullets into her fallen body.
And then, she saw him. Artemis Fowl. In this stronger body, she'd have a chance to kill him. She dodged the Sig Sauer's bullets nipping at her heels as she leapt onto the bed where her suitcase was. She broke it open easily, kicking the LEP officer as soon as the whelp came running at her, blaster once again drawn. She faced Butler. "Your shots are up," she growled, throwing the long dagger she had drawn from the suitcase at his chest.
The man had the reflexes of a pixie, she admitted when she watched him attempt to dodge the knife, getting his shoulder pinned to the wall instead. Just then, Artemis Fowl tackled her.
The young boy wrestled with Shoa Lin for a minute, but it was like trying to fight Holly when she was mad. The tiny fairy threw him off of her and approached him, new dagger in hand. Holly struggled to her feet and drew her blaster once more, aiming for Shoa Lin's back.
"You are under arrest," she said. "Don't move or I will blow your spine out of your back."
Shoa Lin turned to face her, eyes blazing with fury as she removed her LEP helmet. "Do it then."
Holly tried to stifle a gasp, keeping her weapon steady. "This is not right." She shook her head, all the while watching Shoa Lin. "There are no other female Recon officers. I'm the first. I'm the only one."
Shoa Lin laughed loudly. "No, child. I was the first. And soon, I will be the only one." And, with that, she disappeared completely.
Artemis sat, watching, wide-eyed. "That's not possible." He straightened and began to brush himself off. "There's no way..."
"Apparently there is," Butler gasped as he wrenched the dagger from his shoulder. Holly healed it easily enough, but it still ached a little. She retrieved her cracked helmet, frowning as she examined the damage. Useless. The commander was going to kill her. Foaly would do worse.
Artemis examined his arms and legs for anything that might last as Butler set Juliet, who had passed out in all the excitement, on the bed. "Well, Captain," he began, turning to Holly. "Shall we?"
Police Plaza
"No, absolutely, under no circumstances, are we doing this!" "It's not in your place to say what Recon will or won't do, Captain. Artemis Fowl is obviously the Doppleganger's next target and it is our duty to make sure she doesn't get to him. I smell something big here." Commander Root grumbled as he fished for another fungus cigar, his face turning red in frustration. He really had a nasty complexion.
Holly eyed Artemis momentarily. "Can't we just keep surveillance on him until the threat passes? I'm sure if the Doppleganger strikes again, we can get her before she gets the Mud Boy."
Artemis rubbed the sleep from his eyes quietly as the two elves argued over his future. Butler shifted uncomfortably beside him, feeling naked without his guns. Foaly was typing furiously, trying to bring up old files.
"From what I saw," Root said, "you were trying just that. And you know what? It didn't work!" His face was turning deeper shades of red by the second. "We are going to follow correct procedure that states that we have to keep Fowl close at all times."
"Sir, what happened at Fowl Manor was a one-time occurrence," Holly answered through clenched teeth. "We were taken by surprise."
Root, instead of answering her, turned to Foaly. "Did you find anything about another female Recon officer?"
"Yes, Julius," Foaly told him. "It's all here in Chimaera's file. It turns out there was another test case, Holly. Her name was Captain Ivory Stone. A cute little pixie, if I do say so myself." He flashed the picture. "She was assigned to the Doppleganger case. One of the first victims. She was dismembered and hung from pieces of the playground. A week later, her son and husband were found." Even Butler, who had once been gored by a troll, had to avert his gaze.
Holly shuddered. "That's terrible. Trolls are one thing--they don't have the mental capacity to understand. This woman simply does it because she can."
"She was fresh out of the academy," Root sighed, examining the ex- captain. "Only eighty-five. Terrible way to go." He handed the picture to Artemis, who did a double check between the print out and Holly.
"She looks just like you," Artemis said. "True, your hair and skin tones are different. She doesn't have the cherubic roundness of the cheeks. But, other than that, you could pass for her." He gave the picture to a startled Holly.
"This isn't real..." Holly mumbled as she stared at the picture.
Foaly gently took the picture back. "There's more. A lot more."
Butler rubbed his temples. "This is hard enough to take in by itself. What else could there be?"
Foaly shrugged and brought up more of the file, which had been deleted just after the Doppleganger's scheduled execution. "She had a family."
"Yeah, we've heard all of this before," Root grumbled impatiently. "Mom and dad were crime lords and she married a dragon. Nothing new."
"No," Foaly told him sternly. "You haven't heard this part, Julius. This is bad."
Holly sighed angrily, settling herself into a chair. "How much worse can it get?" She closed her eyes, wishing she could just sleep.
"She had a daughter," Foaly began. "The first child of an elf and a dragon. Her daughter's name was Kindle Blaze. She could've been a real problem for the LEP during the revolution. Lucky for us, she had a heart of gold. Wouldn't hurt a Mud Man, no matter how annoying." He stopped for a moment when he heard Butler clear his throat. "Anyway, this girl is very humanoid and very curious. She secures a shuttle and hops up onto the surface world, but, instead of blowing things up, meets the Mud Man of her dreams."
"Let me guess," Root said, his fingers leaving dents in his desktop. "They have a little bundle of joy as well. Well, I don't know how this could get any worse."
Artemis sat straight up. "Somehow, I'm guessing this new link could break our chain, am I correct?"
"Right." Foaly brought an all new file. A tanned elf with black hair and red eyes. "Kindle died in childbirth. The father is unknown. He disappeared. This is their daughter. Ember Blaze. Age 16."
Holly groaned in frustration, burying her face in her hands. "So what? She's...16?" The LEP captain made her way to the computer screen. "That's not right. She'd be just a little child down here."
"Down here she would," Foaly replied. "But up in the surface world, she's almost a grown woman."
Butler frowned. "So, we are researching her...why?"
"Isn't it obvious?" Artemis asked, getting up so he could pace effectively. "If we find this girl, we could somehow use her against her grandmother. If we can find this Ember Blaze, we can use her to locate Chimaera Blaze."
"How?" Butler asked bluntly.
Foaly grinned. "Simple. All dragons have a natural radar. They can locate each other. While Chimaera certainly doesn't have any dragon blood, Ember is still related to her, which should keep the connection strong." He went back to typing while Root prepared to rant again.
"Oh, sure," Root raved. "We can expect to simply locate her and drag her in? She could be anywhere on the surface world right now!"
"Calm down, Julius," Foaly coaxed.
"Stop calling me Julius!" Root bellowed.
Holly broke them apart by asking another question. "And, even if we found her, does she even know she's related to the Doppleganger?"
Foaly was quiet for a moment. "You're not going to like this at all."
"What's to like?" Root demanded. "We're once again asking a Mud Man for help! We'll have to go above ground to search for a Mud Girl who probably wouldn't know an elf if it offered her a pot of gold!"
"Actually," Foaly corrected, "she knows a lot of things. How to kill. Murder. Steal. You might even say"--he glanced at Artemis for a minute-- "she's a criminal mastermind."
Root didn't like this at all. "Another one? No doubt ready to exploit us at her first chance. She's just waiting for a chance to expose the People." He reached for a fresh cigar.
"No one we've heard of," Butler spoke up. "If she's as brilliant as you say, Foaly, I'm sure we would have already run into her."
"No," Foaly responded, "you wouldn't. At least, you wouldn't live to talk about it." He looked at Root. "What's the one thing you hate more than working with Mud Men?"
"Working with convicts, no doubt about it..." Root cut himself off as realization dawned on him. He looked up at the screen Foaly had brought up.
The Doragon. Named after the Japanese name for dragons.
Enemy Number One when it came to terrorists and smugglers. Specialized in fireballs and assault.
Root growled as he turned his gaze to Holly. "I want you to get a line on Howler's Peak. I want the Doragon in here. Now." No point in complaining about it--they needed this girl, now matter how dangerous.
Howler's Peak
"Wake up and smell the sulfur."
Ember Blaze rolled over onto her stomach. A fresh roasted goblin carcass lay beside her cot. Her last cell-mate had been blown away by her fiery temper in less than an hour. "What do you want?" she called, her eyes burning with the desire to injure, kill, or otherwise maim the idiot who bothered to disturb her.
The LEP officer stared her down. At least the fools had the sense to wear fireproof suits now. "Commander Root wants to see you. Now."
Ember sat up. Since when did she run her life on the commander's schedule? She slid off of the cot and onto the floor. "Alright, I'm coming. But I want a new cell-mate when I get back." She slid her hands through the bars of her fireproof cell so that the guard could cuff her hands to prevent her from conjuring fireballs. "Talking to a pile of ashes on the floor gets boring after the first few hours."
"There won't be much need for that at the Plaza," the officer told her as he led her to the shuttle that would take her to the Plaza. She smiled wryly--this officer must be new.
"The Plaza," she chuckled. "That's rich. They never take people like me to the Plaza..." She palmed the officer's ID, however, just in case she'd need it. You never could tell with LEP. Stupid as they were, they could be crafty when the need arose.
Police Plaza, Detention Cell 6
Ember rolled her eyes when Root's face hovered barely an inch from hers. "Are you finished?" she asked wearily. "I already told you I don't know where she is. Nothing you could say or do could make me say differently. Now unshackle me, before I get mad." She signaled to her hands, which were bonded to the chair.
Commander Root growled. "I can have you locked away in Howler's Peak for the rest of your days, convict! You'll be shoveling fresh clay from the dwarf mines before I'm finished with you!" His face was turning purple. Ember was much more concerned about his cigar.
"You really shouldn't smoke," she mumbled as she used her inherited heat senses to make the cigar catch fire. She grinned innocently as Root tossed it to the floor, stamping it out with one foot. "It might kill you one day."
Holly glared at her. "Fine, what do you want in exchange for your help?"
"A pony," Ember answered, cocking her head to the side with a smile. "It's too cold in here..." She looked beyond Holly to Artemis and Butler. "Other than that...I want to kill the Doppleganger." Artemis, though he really shouldn't have been surprised, blinked. She wanted Chimaera dead? Her own flesh and blood?
"Ember," Holly said, leaning over the table to look the convict in the eye, "we can't guarantee that you can...burn. Nor will we let you kill the Doppleganger. Police regulation."
Ember's hatred flared up in her eyes until even Butler, who stood on the other side of the room, could almost feel its heat. "Then I have nothing to say to you. We are finished. Take me back to my cell. And, I'd better have a new cell-mate. The other died rather unexpectedly. It seems goblins are not dragon-fire proof."
"We're not finished with you," Root growled while searching to see if he had anymore cigars. "You can't just click your heels together and wish yourself home, Dorothy." He almost chuckled at his Wizard of Oz humor. "You're on my time."
Ember narrowed her eyes. "You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" She glanced from one person to the other, frowning in disgust.
"Actually." Artemis stepped forward. "We seem to be on borrowed time. You have lost all options and choices in this matter. So, either you can tell us where we can find the Doppleganger, or I can make sure you are relocated in a cozy little radioactive prison, in, say, northern Russia."
Ember paled for a moment. "You can't threaten me, purebred."
"On the contrary," Artemis said, pretending to examine his nails, "I can do anything I want. After all, you're the convict." And, with that, he knew he had won.
"Russia has snow," Ember protested. "No place for fire. No place to burn. Radiation would kill me." Nobody seem to care. She frowned again, this time in deep thought. If she got to kill the Doppleganger, she would finally be free at last. She would not die in Russia, or be rotting with goblin corpses in Howler's Peak.
"I have decided," she told the fairies and humans. "You wish for me to locate the Doppleganger and help you track her down. This is to protect a Mud Boy that I should not even care about, and I don't. In return, I wish reserve a single wish, which I will not name at this time. You help me, and I will help you. Are we clear?"
Artemis nodded and waited for the Commander to agree. He did.
It was the beginning of something.
Or the end of everything.
***
That is the end of Chapter 2! Review, human scum, or FEEL MY WRATH!! Bye- Bye ^_^!
