Dravus, I did not kill Root, he is still alive and well, if slightly, well, read to find out :-)
Aurora Rose, I know that I tend to leave Mulch, Butler and Juliet in the background, I try and bring them out, but I find it difficult to involve more than 3 characters at once :-/ Sorry about that, I will strive to improve it on that point, and besides, Holly is… well, read to find out :-)
I am going to change the title by next update to 'Artemis Fowl and the Face Off', I think, so be sure you guys can find it :-)
On a more serious note, I am thinking about stopping this fic entirely. I sometimes find that writing this fic does not give me as much pleasure as it used to. The matter is not decided yet, and until I decide one the future of this fic, I shall continue writing. Don't worry, I shall inform you guys if I am stopping it or continuing it, I wont just leave you in the lurch :-)
Anyway, goodbye for now, and enjoy the somewhat short chapter :-)
RepercussionsRoot stirred faintly from his hospital bed. His first thought was, where the heck am I?
This question was quickly answered by a sweeping look at his surroundings. His next question was, why the crap am I in a hospital?
His third question: Who am I?
A harried elf paramedic scurried into the room. "You're awake! Good, I thought you were a gonner for a moment there, but due to my *ahem* acumen in the healing arts, I have managed to-"
Root felt a strange, unreasonable urge to shout at the doctor. Hmm, he pondered, maybe I was a guy who hated paramedi-
He was rather rudely interrupted in mid-thought by the elf's inane ramblings.
He felt for a tri-barrelled blaster at his hip, but found only empty air.
So he couldn't blast this irritating elf into oblivion. He punched him in the nose instead. It felt strangely good.
Foaly came storming in. "Commander," he breathed. "You're back."
Root blinked. He peered closely at the newest addition to his post-amnesia life. A centaur.
"Commander Root, you're back!" Foaly repeated. "Anyway, things are rather hairy at the moment. We have identified the culprit of the-"
"Excuse me," posed Root diffidently. "Who is this... Commander Root character?"
Foaly stared at him for a good three minutes. "Uh oh."
Root was slightly perturbed by the attention of this centaur.
"Um… Did I, by any chance, know you?" Root continued hesitantly.
"Know me?" Foaly was aghast. "You aren't playing a prank on me, are you?" he asked, eying Root suspiciously.
Root's only response was to gaze back calmly at the increasingly disturbed centaur.
"Uh oh," he repeated.
"He doesn't remember, he doesn't remember," Foaly muttered wildly while gesticulating. "Is he acting himself? Has the amnesia affected his memory and his temperament and personality?" Foaly asked, seemingly to himself. He paced, before stumbling on the unconscious elf. He glanced down and noticed the broken nose.
"Okay, he's still acting himself. No questions about that, at any rate." Foaly commented clinically.
"Julius. You don't remember anything at all?" Foaly asked desperately, looking the bemused commander in the eye.
The bemused commander in question had an unexplainable urge to feed this centaur his hoofs. Must be a side effect of his injury, he reckoned.
"Well, I feel like feeding you your hoofs," Root said hesitantly. "Is that normal?" he asked.
"Ye- I mean no! No! You do not want to feed me my hoofs. And you do not mind me calling you Julius. Nor do you get irritated when I tease you about your paunch." Foaly said quickly. Oh well, he must as well make the best of this situation.
"And you like to buy carrots for me. Lots and lots of carrots." Foaly added hopefully.
Root frowned. Something here didn't feel right, but he'd be darned if he knew what.
"I like to buy you… carrots?" he asked, somewhat perplexed.
"Oh, yes," answered Foaly
*
Holly fumed all the way to the Ritual site.
Sure, I have to tell the Mud Weasel, she thought irritably. She planned her speech mentally.
Dear Artemis, you see, the fairies suspected you were the perpetrator of this whole incident, and I was supposed to blast all of you on the faintest suspicion that you were guilty, probably incapacitating or killing the lot of you. Friends?
Scratch that, she growled.
She touched down at the oak tree which Artemis captured her at four years ago. She stared at the spot, nostalgia coming back to her. She remembered the cold monster who had callously abducted her. She felt a sudden surge of affection for the modern version of Artemis, who was, after all, a vast improvement over the former one.
Sentimentalist, she berated herself. She pushed away all thoughts of Artemis, good and bad, and quickly began searching for an acorn. Once she had found an acorn, she looked for a good spot to plant it.
She turned off her shield. You couldn't do magic while performing the Ritual. The magic just went out of control. She could end up vibrating at three thousand hertz for the rest of the week if she wasn't careful. Maybe that would have been better than the alternative, however…
*
Three hooded men were waiting at an enclosure. The moment Holly unshielded, the burly one raised his tranquilliser gun and fired a single shot.
And as Holly lost consciousness, one clear thought sliced through the mire and the eddies of her mind…
Déjà vu.
*
"That's the one Felix wants," the shooter said in guttural tones. "Lets go."
They collected Holly's inert body and filed out, leaving no trace of the fairy behind. Or so they thought.
*
Felix had posted his people at every Ritual spot in Ireland. It wasn't difficult to identify the pale youth as Artemis Fowl, he was practically a legend in the underworld. And from there, utilising his knowledge of fairy affairs, it had been basic to prepare to capture a fairy.
He chuckled evilly. This way, Fowl would be without magic when he went for the face off with himself. Not to mention Fowl would seriously be lacking in the technological department. Fowl wouldn't stand a chance.