Artemis looked out to see the park from his hotel room. He wondered
briefly if the excuse about being reassigned wasn't some cover, the LEP
could be spying on him. But Holly had seemed so genuine in her hatred of
being stuck on garbage duty on the surface. Then again, it could be that
she genuinely hates being assigned above ground to spy on some Mud Boy.
Artemis knew he'd caused enough trouble among the People to warrant being
watched but they had spied on him, and they'd felt it was safe to remove
the surveillance.
He stared out the window. He hadn't seen Holly at all the last 4 days. Perhaps she was hiding? Perhaps avoiding him, because it wasn't her mission at all and she did just have litter control. But as the saying went, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Artemis didn't keep friends, though he wouldn't exactly call Holly an enemy.
"Butler," he said softly.
"Yes, Artemis?"
"What do you think is really going on?" He never took his gaze from the window.
"Permission to speak freely?"
"Granted of course." Butler was the closest thing he had to a friend.
"I think that you're worrying too much. This is supposed to be your vacation. Captain Short isn't spying on you, or hiding. This is her job. In fact, I'm fairly sure that it's involvement with us that got her demoted to litter patrol here on the surface. It can't be anything but a demotion. She's made for action, for fighting; civilian work doesn't suit her and it's dragging her down like chains."
"Perhaps you're right." Artemis sighed. Though Artemis didn't keep friends there were only perhaps three people alive he respected enough to call them equals: one of them was Butler, another Holly, and the third would have to be either Commander Root or that centaur, Foaly.
"You'll feel better if we go outside and you get some fresh air."
"Maybe. I doubt it." Reluctantly, Artemis slipped on his handmade Italian loafers and buttoned his vest.
Butler checked for an all clear in the hallway before motioning Artemis to come; when guarding a Fowl you could never be too safe, they had a lot of enemies. They'd just gotten out of the elevator and reached the bottom floor of the hotel when a great BOOM erupted. Butler threw Artemis back in the elevator and shut the doors, shielding Artemis with his body in case the steel elevator doors weren't enough. Unfortunately the doors became stuck shut and all the power in the building went out.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was nearing dusk when Holly went to the surface. This was her last day and she was so glad. She loved the surface, even though the air was polluted it was still fresher than that recycled air below ground, but she wanted to be fighting bad guys and saving people, not cleaning up. This was nearly as bad as traffic duty.
She saw that something was wrong over by the hotel. Something was seriously wrong. What sort of mischief had the Mud Boy been up to now? She ran there and shoved her way through the thronging crowds. There was evidence of fire and a Mud Man in chains. She recognized him; his name was Luc. But the last she'd heard he was in prison or an asylum for the insane, she couldn't remember which.
He was protesting his innocence to the police, and he sounded drunk. The handcuffed him and stuffed him to a police car while paramedics tended the fallen. She shielded and went farther in the building. It looked as though there weren't many serious injuries. She heard a faint sound coming from the elevator.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Artemis and Butler had been in the elevator for 3 hours. The power was still out. The doors had buckled slightly during the earlier explosions (there'd been 3 in quick succession) and they refused to open despite all of Butler's efforts. Artemis had received a nasty bump on the head during the third explosion and Butler had nothing with him to bring down the swelling.
It had been hard figuring what weapons Butler could get past the park's security to bring on the trip (though Butler's hands and feet were as deadly as any weapon short of any sort of bomb).
When Butler's well-trained ear heard the rescue workers outside he began to pound on the door, but nobody heard his pounding. So he sat down again.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Holly was fairly sure there was someone still trapped in the elevator. Nobody was even looking in that direction. She'd just have to make someone look in that direction! She unshielded herself and grabbed one of the paramedics who wasn't busy, she coated her voice with the mesmer. "You will suggest that someone may be trapped in the elevator. You will make sure somebody opens up that elevator and gets them out. You will forget you ever saw me." She shielded again and saw to it that the paramedic did as he was told. When the elevator doors opened she saw Artemis and Butler. Artemis was unconscious.
She muttered, "Fowl, what sort of mess have you gotten yourself into now?" He needed Healing before those blasted paramedics came in. She took out a small smoke capsule and released it in the direction of people outside the elevator. That would give her a few moments to work, and it would seem as though the smoke had somehow come from the elevator itself. She squatted down beside Fowl. "How long has he been out?" she snapped.
"Nearly three hours. He didn't hold on to consciousness long after the bombs hit." Butler didn't ask if Holly could Heal him, he already had total faith in her abilities.
"He needs medical attention." She sent the blue sparks of magic scurrying down and out of her fingers, "Heal," she thought.
The sizable lump on Artemis's head (Butler had removed his jacket and placed it under his employer's head like a pillow) began to lessen and return more or less to normal color. He began to regain consciousness, but the smoke was beginning to clear.
"Captain Short, is that you?" he murmured.
Holly didn't pay attention, "If anyone asks he was unconscious for a brief period of time. I've Healed enough so that he isn't in any danger but there's enough work left for the doctors to take care of so it doesn't seem suspicious. And he'll have enough of a headache to remind him not to get into anymore trouble. The bombs were set off by Luc, Butler; that private detective. He heard from somewhere that you were staying here, you Butler- not Artemis. I don't know what's been happening in his warped mind, it went through a lot with all that business with Briar Cudgeon but he somehow blames you. Watch out." She shielded and flew away as the paramedics entered the elevator.
Butler stood by and watched them as they finished cleaning up Artemis. During this time Butler saw what he seldom saw in Artemis: a normal teenage boy, somewhat scared, but with no evil plots or deep worries, only concerned with the immediate situation. Silently, Butler thanked Holly even though he knew she was long gone.
He stared out the window. He hadn't seen Holly at all the last 4 days. Perhaps she was hiding? Perhaps avoiding him, because it wasn't her mission at all and she did just have litter control. But as the saying went, "Keep your friends close and your enemies closer." Artemis didn't keep friends, though he wouldn't exactly call Holly an enemy.
"Butler," he said softly.
"Yes, Artemis?"
"What do you think is really going on?" He never took his gaze from the window.
"Permission to speak freely?"
"Granted of course." Butler was the closest thing he had to a friend.
"I think that you're worrying too much. This is supposed to be your vacation. Captain Short isn't spying on you, or hiding. This is her job. In fact, I'm fairly sure that it's involvement with us that got her demoted to litter patrol here on the surface. It can't be anything but a demotion. She's made for action, for fighting; civilian work doesn't suit her and it's dragging her down like chains."
"Perhaps you're right." Artemis sighed. Though Artemis didn't keep friends there were only perhaps three people alive he respected enough to call them equals: one of them was Butler, another Holly, and the third would have to be either Commander Root or that centaur, Foaly.
"You'll feel better if we go outside and you get some fresh air."
"Maybe. I doubt it." Reluctantly, Artemis slipped on his handmade Italian loafers and buttoned his vest.
Butler checked for an all clear in the hallway before motioning Artemis to come; when guarding a Fowl you could never be too safe, they had a lot of enemies. They'd just gotten out of the elevator and reached the bottom floor of the hotel when a great BOOM erupted. Butler threw Artemis back in the elevator and shut the doors, shielding Artemis with his body in case the steel elevator doors weren't enough. Unfortunately the doors became stuck shut and all the power in the building went out.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
It was nearing dusk when Holly went to the surface. This was her last day and she was so glad. She loved the surface, even though the air was polluted it was still fresher than that recycled air below ground, but she wanted to be fighting bad guys and saving people, not cleaning up. This was nearly as bad as traffic duty.
She saw that something was wrong over by the hotel. Something was seriously wrong. What sort of mischief had the Mud Boy been up to now? She ran there and shoved her way through the thronging crowds. There was evidence of fire and a Mud Man in chains. She recognized him; his name was Luc. But the last she'd heard he was in prison or an asylum for the insane, she couldn't remember which.
He was protesting his innocence to the police, and he sounded drunk. The handcuffed him and stuffed him to a police car while paramedics tended the fallen. She shielded and went farther in the building. It looked as though there weren't many serious injuries. She heard a faint sound coming from the elevator.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Artemis and Butler had been in the elevator for 3 hours. The power was still out. The doors had buckled slightly during the earlier explosions (there'd been 3 in quick succession) and they refused to open despite all of Butler's efforts. Artemis had received a nasty bump on the head during the third explosion and Butler had nothing with him to bring down the swelling.
It had been hard figuring what weapons Butler could get past the park's security to bring on the trip (though Butler's hands and feet were as deadly as any weapon short of any sort of bomb).
When Butler's well-trained ear heard the rescue workers outside he began to pound on the door, but nobody heard his pounding. So he sat down again.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Holly was fairly sure there was someone still trapped in the elevator. Nobody was even looking in that direction. She'd just have to make someone look in that direction! She unshielded herself and grabbed one of the paramedics who wasn't busy, she coated her voice with the mesmer. "You will suggest that someone may be trapped in the elevator. You will make sure somebody opens up that elevator and gets them out. You will forget you ever saw me." She shielded again and saw to it that the paramedic did as he was told. When the elevator doors opened she saw Artemis and Butler. Artemis was unconscious.
She muttered, "Fowl, what sort of mess have you gotten yourself into now?" He needed Healing before those blasted paramedics came in. She took out a small smoke capsule and released it in the direction of people outside the elevator. That would give her a few moments to work, and it would seem as though the smoke had somehow come from the elevator itself. She squatted down beside Fowl. "How long has he been out?" she snapped.
"Nearly three hours. He didn't hold on to consciousness long after the bombs hit." Butler didn't ask if Holly could Heal him, he already had total faith in her abilities.
"He needs medical attention." She sent the blue sparks of magic scurrying down and out of her fingers, "Heal," she thought.
The sizable lump on Artemis's head (Butler had removed his jacket and placed it under his employer's head like a pillow) began to lessen and return more or less to normal color. He began to regain consciousness, but the smoke was beginning to clear.
"Captain Short, is that you?" he murmured.
Holly didn't pay attention, "If anyone asks he was unconscious for a brief period of time. I've Healed enough so that he isn't in any danger but there's enough work left for the doctors to take care of so it doesn't seem suspicious. And he'll have enough of a headache to remind him not to get into anymore trouble. The bombs were set off by Luc, Butler; that private detective. He heard from somewhere that you were staying here, you Butler- not Artemis. I don't know what's been happening in his warped mind, it went through a lot with all that business with Briar Cudgeon but he somehow blames you. Watch out." She shielded and flew away as the paramedics entered the elevator.
Butler stood by and watched them as they finished cleaning up Artemis. During this time Butler saw what he seldom saw in Artemis: a normal teenage boy, somewhat scared, but with no evil plots or deep worries, only concerned with the immediate situation. Silently, Butler thanked Holly even though he knew she was long gone.