Disclaimer: I do not own Eoin Colfer and I am not Artemis Fowl. No.....
Wait...
Chapter 29
"Why don't we just go in blasting?" Asked one of the lieutenants.
"Because Captain Short is in there," answered Root, glaring at the officer. "And she's already shown so much bravery on this mission that we owe it to her not to risk injuring her."
"Not to mention my children," cut in Artemis.
"Honestly Fowl, I couldn't give a dwarf's hair about your offspring," cried Root, his face reddening. "It's that boy's fault that we're in this mess in the first place."
"No," said Artemis. "It's Brice's fault. How was Brian to know that he was being used?"
"Well if the boy's as smart as he's been made out to be then he should have known!" cried Root.
"This isn't helping Holly," Trouble cut in from across the room. "She trapped in there bleeding and she can't even heal herself or else they'll kill her!"
Any other time Root would have suspended him for speaking to his superior like that, but now was not the time. Plus he was right.
"So what do we do?" an officer asked.
Root rubbed his temples. He needs a plan, and he needs one fast.
~*~
Brian wiggled against the ropes that were wrapped around him hands and feet. Needless to say, he was not very happy. He's a Fowl, meaning that he had impeccable blood. He's also a genius, true he's not as intelligent as his father, but extremely intelligent nonetheless. Yet, he had been toyed with, tricked and painfully tied up. His pride has taken quite a beating on this little venture.
Moreover, to top it all off, he was lying next to Captain Short's dead body, which made him cringe.
Therefore, you can imagine how much it freaked him out when her hand moved.
He immediately jerked back, which was very difficult because his feet and hands were bound. He glanced up at the two guards, who were having an argument over their go fish game. Everyone else was out of the room either guarding the doors, trying to find the LEP squad, or trying to get the computers started again. After deciding that they really were not paying attention, he leaned towards Holly.
"Are you still alive?" he asked softly in disbelief.
She groaned a little in response.
"You've lost so much blood," he commented as he stared at the puddle of liquid that surrounded her. "Is there anything I can do?"
Her eyelids flickered a little then opened drowsily and rested on him. "Don't..." she started, "let... me..... fall.... asleep...."
"Why?"
"Magic....." was all that she choked out.
Brian sat baffled for several moments before he understood. Faeries can heal themselves, meaning that if she fell asleep her magic would go an autopilot and he was sure that the guards would notice if Holly was suddenly covered in blue sparks.
He knew that he had to do something though, if he didn't she would surely die before the LEP came to the rescue. And if she died he didn't know if he could live with the guilt.
He desperate eyes found a discarded jacket lying beside a chair. He inched over to it with much difficulty and was able to pick it up in his bound hands. He went back to Holly at a painfully slow speed and sat with his back to her, applying pressure with the jacket against her shoulder wound. He prayed that the guards didn't turn around.
~*~
"Brice is smart, going through the vent won't work. We tried it before....." The shuffling of papers interrupted Root's voice. He glanced in the direction of the noise and saw Artemis holding a stack of blueprints to the building.
"What in the name of Frond are you doing?" Root demanded, glaring at him.
"These ground pipes," Artemis started, ignoring Root's question. "Are they active?"
"No," replied Root, raising an eyebrow. "Some how mice and bugs were getting into them so we shut them down and put in new ones that ran only through the wall."
"They seem awfully big."
"A lot of fires were started in a place like this, we needed lots of water. So what?"
Artemis smiled.
~*~
The stench of the pipes was almost unbearable, making everyone in them gag and want to vomit.
"Fowl, this better work or I swear I will blue rinse your house," said Trouble as he sunk into a particularly disgusting mound of sewage.
"It'll work," Artemis said simply. He wished inside that he was a sure as he acted. Many things could go wrong with this plan. 1) the pipe area that they planned to climb out from could have been sealed over the years, 2) if they did get out of the pipe then the floor that they plan to go through could have been redone and they might not be able to get through, 3) There could be a hundred guards in that computer room and they wouldn't know it if the decoy LEP failed. Needless to say, Artemis was worried.
~*~
Chix smiled to himself as dust rose around him. Easy job, go through the vent to the computer room, look through and radio Root telling him how many guards there are. Then sit back and relax while they do the fighting. Yep, Chix was very proud of himself for weaseling out of dragging himself through sewage.
Chix stopped by the vent grid and glanced through. Two guards, three prisoners. Piece of cake. He radioed Root and told him this.
"Only two?" said Root in disbelief. "Brice is too smart for that, he's up to something. Keep an eye open Private Verbil, and radio in any activity."
"Yessir," said Chix. Even though he had no intention of watching out for anything. Two guards, what could possibly happen?
~*~
"Only two?" said Trouble over the radio to Root. "Are you sure that Chix isn't mistaken?"
"Either way," said Root. "Keep on your toes. Anything can happen."
There were two teams in the pipes. One headed by Root which was on it's way to the outside of the main database to fight the mercenaries out there, another, headed by Captain Kelp, was on it's way to save Holly and the twins.
To Trouble's own personal shock Artemis reached up and snatched the com from him. "Did Chix say anything about seeing Amber?" Artemis asked.
"No nothing," said Root. "I'm sure that we'll find her though."
~*~
Chix leaned his head back, shifted his body into a comfortable position, and started to doze. His own bad luck stepped in though, and he leaned a little too far back. The grid caved under his weight and he found himself falling to the floor right beside the human girl. The guards may have been thick, but they weren't that stupid.
"Hey look," said one. "A sprite."
"Must be one of that Root guys," said the other. "Better call Brice."
A/N: All I got so far, please review!
Chapter 29
"Why don't we just go in blasting?" Asked one of the lieutenants.
"Because Captain Short is in there," answered Root, glaring at the officer. "And she's already shown so much bravery on this mission that we owe it to her not to risk injuring her."
"Not to mention my children," cut in Artemis.
"Honestly Fowl, I couldn't give a dwarf's hair about your offspring," cried Root, his face reddening. "It's that boy's fault that we're in this mess in the first place."
"No," said Artemis. "It's Brice's fault. How was Brian to know that he was being used?"
"Well if the boy's as smart as he's been made out to be then he should have known!" cried Root.
"This isn't helping Holly," Trouble cut in from across the room. "She trapped in there bleeding and she can't even heal herself or else they'll kill her!"
Any other time Root would have suspended him for speaking to his superior like that, but now was not the time. Plus he was right.
"So what do we do?" an officer asked.
Root rubbed his temples. He needs a plan, and he needs one fast.
~*~
Brian wiggled against the ropes that were wrapped around him hands and feet. Needless to say, he was not very happy. He's a Fowl, meaning that he had impeccable blood. He's also a genius, true he's not as intelligent as his father, but extremely intelligent nonetheless. Yet, he had been toyed with, tricked and painfully tied up. His pride has taken quite a beating on this little venture.
Moreover, to top it all off, he was lying next to Captain Short's dead body, which made him cringe.
Therefore, you can imagine how much it freaked him out when her hand moved.
He immediately jerked back, which was very difficult because his feet and hands were bound. He glanced up at the two guards, who were having an argument over their go fish game. Everyone else was out of the room either guarding the doors, trying to find the LEP squad, or trying to get the computers started again. After deciding that they really were not paying attention, he leaned towards Holly.
"Are you still alive?" he asked softly in disbelief.
She groaned a little in response.
"You've lost so much blood," he commented as he stared at the puddle of liquid that surrounded her. "Is there anything I can do?"
Her eyelids flickered a little then opened drowsily and rested on him. "Don't..." she started, "let... me..... fall.... asleep...."
"Why?"
"Magic....." was all that she choked out.
Brian sat baffled for several moments before he understood. Faeries can heal themselves, meaning that if she fell asleep her magic would go an autopilot and he was sure that the guards would notice if Holly was suddenly covered in blue sparks.
He knew that he had to do something though, if he didn't she would surely die before the LEP came to the rescue. And if she died he didn't know if he could live with the guilt.
He desperate eyes found a discarded jacket lying beside a chair. He inched over to it with much difficulty and was able to pick it up in his bound hands. He went back to Holly at a painfully slow speed and sat with his back to her, applying pressure with the jacket against her shoulder wound. He prayed that the guards didn't turn around.
~*~
"Brice is smart, going through the vent won't work. We tried it before....." The shuffling of papers interrupted Root's voice. He glanced in the direction of the noise and saw Artemis holding a stack of blueprints to the building.
"What in the name of Frond are you doing?" Root demanded, glaring at him.
"These ground pipes," Artemis started, ignoring Root's question. "Are they active?"
"No," replied Root, raising an eyebrow. "Some how mice and bugs were getting into them so we shut them down and put in new ones that ran only through the wall."
"They seem awfully big."
"A lot of fires were started in a place like this, we needed lots of water. So what?"
Artemis smiled.
~*~
The stench of the pipes was almost unbearable, making everyone in them gag and want to vomit.
"Fowl, this better work or I swear I will blue rinse your house," said Trouble as he sunk into a particularly disgusting mound of sewage.
"It'll work," Artemis said simply. He wished inside that he was a sure as he acted. Many things could go wrong with this plan. 1) the pipe area that they planned to climb out from could have been sealed over the years, 2) if they did get out of the pipe then the floor that they plan to go through could have been redone and they might not be able to get through, 3) There could be a hundred guards in that computer room and they wouldn't know it if the decoy LEP failed. Needless to say, Artemis was worried.
~*~
Chix smiled to himself as dust rose around him. Easy job, go through the vent to the computer room, look through and radio Root telling him how many guards there are. Then sit back and relax while they do the fighting. Yep, Chix was very proud of himself for weaseling out of dragging himself through sewage.
Chix stopped by the vent grid and glanced through. Two guards, three prisoners. Piece of cake. He radioed Root and told him this.
"Only two?" said Root in disbelief. "Brice is too smart for that, he's up to something. Keep an eye open Private Verbil, and radio in any activity."
"Yessir," said Chix. Even though he had no intention of watching out for anything. Two guards, what could possibly happen?
~*~
"Only two?" said Trouble over the radio to Root. "Are you sure that Chix isn't mistaken?"
"Either way," said Root. "Keep on your toes. Anything can happen."
There were two teams in the pipes. One headed by Root which was on it's way to the outside of the main database to fight the mercenaries out there, another, headed by Captain Kelp, was on it's way to save Holly and the twins.
To Trouble's own personal shock Artemis reached up and snatched the com from him. "Did Chix say anything about seeing Amber?" Artemis asked.
"No nothing," said Root. "I'm sure that we'll find her though."
~*~
Chix leaned his head back, shifted his body into a comfortable position, and started to doze. His own bad luck stepped in though, and he leaned a little too far back. The grid caved under his weight and he found himself falling to the floor right beside the human girl. The guards may have been thick, but they weren't that stupid.
"Hey look," said one. "A sprite."
"Must be one of that Root guys," said the other. "Better call Brice."
A/N: All I got so far, please review!