WHUMPF!
Artemis landed on a plastic garbage bag, forcing any remaining air out.
"Ach!" he muttered, as pain infiltrated his arm. The edge of a tin had scored a long gash from his wrist to his elbow.
Artemis stared. It suddenly occurred to him that Butler had no idea where he was.
And for the first time in his life, Artemis had no money.
Artemis hauled himself out of the dumpster, wincing. Numerous cuts and grazes covered his arms and legs.
Brushing himself off, he glanced around. He was in an alley, both ends facing onto busy streets.
Turning left, he walked calmly out onto the pavement. Bernado had just been entering as he left, and without a doubt, would have discovered his absence by now.
Wandering along, past the row of shops, Artemis tried to mingle. It was his first attempt at it, and he wasn't great. People seemed determined to avoid him, and he saw one lady and her children cross the street to get away from him.
Suddenly it dawned on him what he must look like.
Old, ripped clothes. Bleeding, filthy and smelling like a garbage. Nothing like his usual self.
Suddenly, he found himself face to face with a cop.
"Hello, son." Said the officer, obviously making an effort to seem friendly. "You look beat. What's your name?"
Artemis blinked. The man thought he was a street kid! Opening his mouth to announce his name and status, he hesitated.
"Pat. Pat McCabe."
The officer nodded. "I'm Rick Hutchkins. Where do you live, Pat?" Artemis could see him getting more and more suspicious.
"Sorry Officer, I have to go. My brother's waiting over there." Artemis pointed at a boy about his own age.
Walking to the boy, just fast enough not to be running, he stepped up beside him. The boy had a girl with him, to much like him to be anything but his sister. She was maybe a year younger.
"What? Who're you?" the boy demanded. He and his sister both wore stuffed backpacks, and were moving fast.
"I'm Pat McCabe. Act normal, and I'll be out of your way sooner." They stared at him.
Artemis glanced at the bulging bags. A sleeping bag was slung from the girl's shoulders. No sign of adults anywhere near them, and a bruise darkened the side of the boy's face.
They were running away.
And his appearance wasn't helping their confidence. He was filthy, injured, and have I mentioned he stank?
Artemis could just see them thinking 'Is this what's going to happen to us?'.
He sighed. "Where are you going? I'll tag along until we're out of sight of that cop."
The girl eyed him nervously. "Umm.nowhere in particular. D'you have, like, a home or something we can go to? Just until we're out of his sight." She added quickly.
Artemis raised an eyebrow. Home, or something? "No." he said simply.
"Oh. Well. Alright then."
A few minutes later, they rounded the corner. Artemis turned to leave. The boy grabbed his wrist.
Turning back to look at them, Artemis raised an eyebrow. They glanced at each other.
"Umm, we don't really have a home any more either and.." The girl trailed off hopefully. They wanted help, from someone they saw as experienced.
He sighed. "Look. However I may appear, I'm as new to this as you. And you've obviously just run away."
The boy looked crestfallen. "Oh. We were hoping."
"I know."
************************
Mr Reid strode along the footpath, one hand rummaging through his myriad pockets. Suddenly his cell phone began to vibrate.
Frowning, he glanced at the tiny screen. The caller ID was...not there. Cautiously, he answered.
"Hello Reid. It's Britva here." Reid froze. "I though I told you never to contact me again." He said through clenched teeth.
"No. You requested that I never contact you again. That request was denied. And..there is that little matter of the McInnes affair. I'm sure Interpol would be delighted if someone was to give them an anonymous tip-off, wouldn't they?"
Reid swallowed. Three years back, he'd been involved in a kidnapping, and had miraculously 'found' the fourteen missing children.
Naturally, large sums of money were involved.
How the Mafia knew about it, he had no idea, but they did. Several times since discovering his little indiscretion, they had blackmailed him into working for them. And he'd like very much to keep others from finding out.
"Wha-what do you want?" Reid could almost see Britva's smug smile.
"The dog's barking in the street told me that you've got a new client. A very rich new client. Someone who escaped from us before, when they should have died. And that someone's son is missing."
"Yes." Said Reid slowly, painfully.
"Find the kid, Reid. For us." The phone at the other end was replaced with a sharp click.
************************
A month later
************************ Holly alighted on yet another rooftop, tightly shielded over the past month, she had systematically searched the huge city. No sign of the Mud boy. Her com unit bleeped.
"Yeah Foaly?"
"There's been another disappearance." Crackled Foaly's voice through the speakers. Holly sighed.
In the last two weeks, over 20 fairies had disappeared. Several had later been located trying to penetrate human secure facilities. So far, they had not been recovered. And it was only a matter of time before the Mud People saw them.
"Any luck?" said Foaly, almost desperately. "No." she replied despondently.
**************************
Reid glanced up as he turned the bend in the road, bringing Fowl Manor into view.
After discovering that the boy was no longer in Ireland, he had laboriously searched through the numerous planes and boats which had left the country on the day the kid disappeared.
Finally he had narrowed it down to three. All of them had had corpses aboard. Obviously, the easiest way to sneak a person out of the country was to fly them out in a body bag, as long as their body heat was hidden.
One went to Australia, one to Tokyo, and one to New York. Australia was highly unlikely, so he had searched there first. Nothing. Tokyo had yielded even less. But New York..
"It's always in the last place you look." He muttered. Duh. If you hadn't found it, you'd still be looking.
Ten minutes later, he was sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair, facing Fowl senior's desk.
"Mr Reid, it's nice to see you again." Said Angeline, walking through the door. "Have.have you found him?" she asked, anxiety showing.
Reid slid a photo across the desktop. "Not yet, but you might want to take a look at this. It was taken three days ago."
Fowl senior's eyes widened, and Angeline looked on the verge of tears.
The picture showed a grimy alleyway, partially light by the streetlamp on the corner. Just visible on the edge of the light, three teenage figures skulked.
One was a girl, skinny and filthy, with a haunted look about her. The other two were boys, one with a backpack and brown hair, and the same air about him. But it was the third figure that held the Fowl's attention.
He had always been slender, but now he was stick thin. His hair had been hacked viciously short, and his clothes were rumpled and muddy, as if he'd spent the last month in them. Which he had.
And he had the same look as the other two, haunted and hollow-eyed. Like he knew he could run, but not fast enough.
Three hours later, Butler and Juliet were on their way to New York.
Thankyou everyone who reviewed or read this ( and special thanks to phire phoenix for being beta and that aerin for all your advice
Artemis landed on a plastic garbage bag, forcing any remaining air out.
"Ach!" he muttered, as pain infiltrated his arm. The edge of a tin had scored a long gash from his wrist to his elbow.
Artemis stared. It suddenly occurred to him that Butler had no idea where he was.
And for the first time in his life, Artemis had no money.
Artemis hauled himself out of the dumpster, wincing. Numerous cuts and grazes covered his arms and legs.
Brushing himself off, he glanced around. He was in an alley, both ends facing onto busy streets.
Turning left, he walked calmly out onto the pavement. Bernado had just been entering as he left, and without a doubt, would have discovered his absence by now.
Wandering along, past the row of shops, Artemis tried to mingle. It was his first attempt at it, and he wasn't great. People seemed determined to avoid him, and he saw one lady and her children cross the street to get away from him.
Suddenly it dawned on him what he must look like.
Old, ripped clothes. Bleeding, filthy and smelling like a garbage. Nothing like his usual self.
Suddenly, he found himself face to face with a cop.
"Hello, son." Said the officer, obviously making an effort to seem friendly. "You look beat. What's your name?"
Artemis blinked. The man thought he was a street kid! Opening his mouth to announce his name and status, he hesitated.
"Pat. Pat McCabe."
The officer nodded. "I'm Rick Hutchkins. Where do you live, Pat?" Artemis could see him getting more and more suspicious.
"Sorry Officer, I have to go. My brother's waiting over there." Artemis pointed at a boy about his own age.
Walking to the boy, just fast enough not to be running, he stepped up beside him. The boy had a girl with him, to much like him to be anything but his sister. She was maybe a year younger.
"What? Who're you?" the boy demanded. He and his sister both wore stuffed backpacks, and were moving fast.
"I'm Pat McCabe. Act normal, and I'll be out of your way sooner." They stared at him.
Artemis glanced at the bulging bags. A sleeping bag was slung from the girl's shoulders. No sign of adults anywhere near them, and a bruise darkened the side of the boy's face.
They were running away.
And his appearance wasn't helping their confidence. He was filthy, injured, and have I mentioned he stank?
Artemis could just see them thinking 'Is this what's going to happen to us?'.
He sighed. "Where are you going? I'll tag along until we're out of sight of that cop."
The girl eyed him nervously. "Umm.nowhere in particular. D'you have, like, a home or something we can go to? Just until we're out of his sight." She added quickly.
Artemis raised an eyebrow. Home, or something? "No." he said simply.
"Oh. Well. Alright then."
A few minutes later, they rounded the corner. Artemis turned to leave. The boy grabbed his wrist.
Turning back to look at them, Artemis raised an eyebrow. They glanced at each other.
"Umm, we don't really have a home any more either and.." The girl trailed off hopefully. They wanted help, from someone they saw as experienced.
He sighed. "Look. However I may appear, I'm as new to this as you. And you've obviously just run away."
The boy looked crestfallen. "Oh. We were hoping."
"I know."
************************
Mr Reid strode along the footpath, one hand rummaging through his myriad pockets. Suddenly his cell phone began to vibrate.
Frowning, he glanced at the tiny screen. The caller ID was...not there. Cautiously, he answered.
"Hello Reid. It's Britva here." Reid froze. "I though I told you never to contact me again." He said through clenched teeth.
"No. You requested that I never contact you again. That request was denied. And..there is that little matter of the McInnes affair. I'm sure Interpol would be delighted if someone was to give them an anonymous tip-off, wouldn't they?"
Reid swallowed. Three years back, he'd been involved in a kidnapping, and had miraculously 'found' the fourteen missing children.
Naturally, large sums of money were involved.
How the Mafia knew about it, he had no idea, but they did. Several times since discovering his little indiscretion, they had blackmailed him into working for them. And he'd like very much to keep others from finding out.
"Wha-what do you want?" Reid could almost see Britva's smug smile.
"The dog's barking in the street told me that you've got a new client. A very rich new client. Someone who escaped from us before, when they should have died. And that someone's son is missing."
"Yes." Said Reid slowly, painfully.
"Find the kid, Reid. For us." The phone at the other end was replaced with a sharp click.
************************
A month later
************************ Holly alighted on yet another rooftop, tightly shielded over the past month, she had systematically searched the huge city. No sign of the Mud boy. Her com unit bleeped.
"Yeah Foaly?"
"There's been another disappearance." Crackled Foaly's voice through the speakers. Holly sighed.
In the last two weeks, over 20 fairies had disappeared. Several had later been located trying to penetrate human secure facilities. So far, they had not been recovered. And it was only a matter of time before the Mud People saw them.
"Any luck?" said Foaly, almost desperately. "No." she replied despondently.
**************************
Reid glanced up as he turned the bend in the road, bringing Fowl Manor into view.
After discovering that the boy was no longer in Ireland, he had laboriously searched through the numerous planes and boats which had left the country on the day the kid disappeared.
Finally he had narrowed it down to three. All of them had had corpses aboard. Obviously, the easiest way to sneak a person out of the country was to fly them out in a body bag, as long as their body heat was hidden.
One went to Australia, one to Tokyo, and one to New York. Australia was highly unlikely, so he had searched there first. Nothing. Tokyo had yielded even less. But New York..
"It's always in the last place you look." He muttered. Duh. If you hadn't found it, you'd still be looking.
Ten minutes later, he was sitting in an uncomfortable plastic chair, facing Fowl senior's desk.
"Mr Reid, it's nice to see you again." Said Angeline, walking through the door. "Have.have you found him?" she asked, anxiety showing.
Reid slid a photo across the desktop. "Not yet, but you might want to take a look at this. It was taken three days ago."
Fowl senior's eyes widened, and Angeline looked on the verge of tears.
The picture showed a grimy alleyway, partially light by the streetlamp on the corner. Just visible on the edge of the light, three teenage figures skulked.
One was a girl, skinny and filthy, with a haunted look about her. The other two were boys, one with a backpack and brown hair, and the same air about him. But it was the third figure that held the Fowl's attention.
He had always been slender, but now he was stick thin. His hair had been hacked viciously short, and his clothes were rumpled and muddy, as if he'd spent the last month in them. Which he had.
And he had the same look as the other two, haunted and hollow-eyed. Like he knew he could run, but not fast enough.
Three hours later, Butler and Juliet were on their way to New York.
Thankyou everyone who reviewed or read this ( and special thanks to phire phoenix for being beta and that aerin for all your advice