Hello again. I did get two reviews overnight, so as promised, I will post the next chappie. Thanks very much to Plughole and Very evil daughter of Lord Vol for reviewing!
DISCLAIMER: Since I forgot it last time….I do not own Artemis Fowl the book series. However, I do own Artemis Fowl II ::cuddles Artemis tightly until the little criminal goes blue in the face:: Mine! My little criminal genius! Mine, I say!
Oh, and I probably should warn some of you. This will end up being Artemis/Holly. ::reviews what she has written and nods vigorously:: Yep, definitely Arty and Holls…I hope that doesn't dissuade anyone from reading!
Arc: SS
Chapter Two: Civil Conversation
Fowl Manor, Ireland
Artemis Fowl was not content. Now, you might think this made him somewhat of a selfish boy. He had many things to be thankful for. He was, according to many of the girls he met (or passed by even), a very attractive sixteen year old. His family was one of the wealthiest in Ireland. He basically had an unlimited supply of money. He was a certified genius and only attended school to appease his parents.
But no amount of money, genius, or goods looks could cure the common cold, of which Artemis was currently afflicted. This was something he would just have to suffer through like normal people, and suffering was not something he was familiar with. Suffering was usually connected with physical pain, something that Butler, his manservant and closest friend, had always handled. Artemis was by no means suitable to bear such a thing as pain; his physique saw to that. He was extremely pale, a feature brought on by an almost total lack of sunlight, and even he had to admit that perhaps he was a bit too skinny. But when you are a child prodigy, there is less time in the day to waste on eating and tanning. Indeed, Artemis was already enrolled in a schooling program that would seem far too advanced for some brain surgeons, plus his regular attendance at Saint Bartleby's School for Young Gentlemen. Then there was the time spent on managing the Fowl family fortune, a task he mostly did behind his father's back. Artemis was sure that his father could no longer handle the family's wealth; two years of imprisonment by the Russian mafiya and a miraculous recovery had changed Artemis I dramatically. His former lust for money and power had vanished, leaving him adamant about keeping the Fowl name clean of all illegal actions. All he wanted was for himself, his wife, and his son to be a happy, normal family.
And while Artemis was charmed and not altogether displeased with his notion, he knew it was a bit far fetched. It was in every Fowl's blood to be ambitious, to strive for gold and yearn for more when gold was received. Aurum Est Potestas. Gold Is Power. That had been his father's mantra up until his kidnapping. It had been drilled into Artemis's brain as a young child, and although he did keep his business transactions clean, he could not help but scheme up brilliant plans late at night, plans that would undoubtedly make the Fowls the richest in all of Europe.
Alas, but Artemis would not see through with these plans for several reasons. One, as previous mentioned, he did not want to upset his father, so all his wealth management plans were perfectly legal. Two, it would be hard to start up an illegal scheme when he had schooling every waking hour of the day. Three, he no longer had a body guard since Butler had grown older and could no longer perform the tasks needed to shield a criminal mastermind from harm. Lastly, and possibly most importantly, Artemis had a large aversion to hurting others. He didn't like it. Not after what had happened to Butler three years ago. Artemis had been trying to hit off the last of his adventures with money by selling a dangerous American con man his C Cube and things had not exactly went to plan. Butler had been shot and killed by taking a bullet meant for Artemis. Butler would be six feet deep in soil today if it hadn't been for the fairies.
Ah, yes. The fairies. By all means, Artemis was not supposed to have any memories of the People after Foaly's mind wipe four years ago. But Artemis always had a backup plan, and he was not about to be cheated out of the memories that had changed him into a better person. It had taken him a year to work out the all the kinks and fill in all the gaps, but hadn't given up. Captain Holly Short would be proud.
Holly. Artemis thought about her frequently after his total recall. He thought they could have been friends, given more time. After all, Holly had objected his mind wipe at first, and he still swore to this day that he had seen a glimmer of tears in her eyes before he had gone under. Unfortunately, he would probably never see her again. Artemis reached under his pillow, fingering the gold medallion with a perfectly cylindrical hole that rested there. He would probably never see any fairies again for as long as he lived.
Sighing, he settled back into his bed and drifted off into a miserable sleep.
Meanwhile, back in the Underground (::breaks out in the song from the Labyrinth::)
Compared to a shuttle, a hotshot was the preferred way to travel for an LEP. The term hotshot referred to the magma flares that carried titanium pods and their pilots to the surface. This was a much faster way to travel than a shuttle, which were mostly public and highly crowded, though less dangerous.
Still, Holly had always liked the hotshots. She was somewhat of a flyboy, considering that she reveled in the thrill of knowing that so much as one wrong move could turn you into a stain on the side of a chute wall. Fortunately for her, Holly was one of the best pilots around, bested only by perhaps the Commander and her flight instructor, Vinyaya, so the passage up was smooth and uneventful.
Holly emerged into the shuttleport with all limbs intact. Because of the lockdown the port was not ridiculously crowded, so she took advantage of this and grabbed a pair of wings from the wall and headed up. Above ground an early night was falling, the moon full and fat as it rose in the sky. Holly breathed deeply, relishing the smell of fresh wind as it brushed by her face, even if it was somewhat tainted by the Mud Men's odor. The night was so calm and so still that Holly considered taking a short flight around Europe to survey the newest changes that humans had made, but Root's reaction to this pleasure flight, should he find out, steered her course directly to the Fowl Manor.
The Manor looked the same as always: foreboding. Holly still couldn't forget the bad memories associated with her first encounter with this place. Still, at least the occupants had changed for the better. Holly wondered how she should go about contacting Artemis, since she couldn't go into the Manor without being inviting first. She could see lights still shining from windows within the house, so it couldn't be too late for a social call. Perhaps she should just knock, then. Shrugging, Holly descended before the great double doors and rapped hard three times against the polished wood.
A moment passed. Holly anxiously shifted from foot to foot, and then jumped when the doors creaked open. Butler's imposing frame and shaven crown peered out at her...or, truthfully, over her, as Holly was only about three feet tall. She cleared her throat and waved. "Hi, Butler."
Butler glanced down, obviously startled. Holly didn't know she was expecting, but it wasn't this. Butler looked confused and a little shocked about her appearance, and his to her absolute horror, he knelt down to eye level with her and said kindly, "Can I help you, little girl? Are you lost?"
Holly felt the bottom drop out of her stomach. Butler didn't remember her. That meant one of two things. Mulch had lied or Artemis hadn't bothered to inform his manservant about the fairies and the events of the past. She sincerely hoped it was the latter.
There was only one way to find out. Putting on her best pathetic human face and flattening her red hair over her pointed ears, she whimpered, "Yes. Yes, I'm lost, mister. Can you help me?"
Butler smiled. "Of course. Why don't you come in? I'll make some tea."
Holly mentally congratulated herself on her acting skills, then said aloud, "Thank you. Tea sounds good."
She was ushered inside the Manor, which looked exactly as she remembered it, and led to the lounge. Butler gestured to one of the plush armchairs. "Have a seat. I'll be right back with your tea. Then we can talk about how to get you home, all right?"
She nodded tremulously, the picture of a poor lost Mud Maid, but as soon as Butler had disappeared around the corner, Holly disappeared herself, in a manner of speaking. Truthfully she only activated her shield, which meant that she began to vibrate at such high speeds that she vanished from the visible spectrum. It wouldn't do to be caught by the rest of the household during her search for Artemis's room. She thought she had a vague idea, but it never hurt to be cautious.
Besides, if Artemis didn't remember her either, it would be one less mind to wipe if he never saw her in the first place.
Up and up she went, climbing up countless flights of stairs until she was convinced that no Mud Man would ever have need of so many staircases. Finally she reached a familiar looking corridor with a likely looking door on the very end. Holly pushed it open slowly, but there was no need. The door was so well oiled that it didn't so much as whisper at her touch.
The room was dark and utterly silent. Holly flipped on the infrared lights inside her LEP helmet, distantly wondering why Butler had not commented on her strange apparel, and scanned her surroundings. She was in a bedroom and there was indeed someone sleeping on the kind sized bed. But was it Artemis?
Outside, the clouds shifted overhead and a beam of lunar light was allowed to spill through the window. Holly switched off the infrared and crept closer to the bed. She gasped. It was Artemis all right. His already fair skin glowed in the moonlight, causing his familiar, though longer and messier, raven locks of hair to stand out livid from his face. From the way the white sheets fell around his body, Holly saw that he was thinner than she remembered, and slightly taller, but then again, most if not all Mud Men were taller than her. In sleep, he looked almost angelic, and Holly found herself drawn to him, unwittingly taking a few steps closer. Her shield fell away without her notice or care, and she gingerly pulled herself up onto the bed by his side. The urge to touch him was unbearable, just to make sure that he was real and not some moonlit illusion.
Her fingertips were inches away from his cheek when his eyes fluttered open, a startling shade of blue even in the twilight. He gasped and sat hurriedly upright while she yelped and fell backward off the bed to land in an undignified heap on the floor. Silently bemoaning her foolishness, Holly both cringed and felt her heart soar when the light flickered on and his surprised voice said one word.
"Holly?"
In his restless sleep, Artemis felt someone climb up onto his bed. It was a frightening feeling, for while he knew someone was watching him, he was still technically asleep and therefore could do nothing about it. He felt someone reaching out to him, and, in a panic, he forced his eyes to open.
The face leaning over him was blurry with sleep, appearing only to be a dark shape looming over him. Artemis jerked up into a sitting position, and the figure fell backward with a startled yelp. That calmed him a bit. He highly doubted an assassin sent to kill him would be so easily startled to fall off the bed. Curious now, Artemis flicked on the light switch. With the new light, he saw that the intruder had red hair and pointed ears, the only things he needed to reach a conclusion.
"Holly?"
Captain Holly Short wrestled herself into a sitting position and started up at him with large hazel eyes. "You...you do remember me..."
Artemis grimaced. Now came the angry tirade on his scheming ways. "Now, Captain Short," he began, but trailed off at the look of absolute relief in Holly's eyes. "Holly? What is it?"
"I'm just...glad you remember me," she said, standing up.
Artemis was thunderstruck. "You are?"
"Yes, of course I...eh...I mean..." Obviously flustered, she switched topics. "Hey, what's wrong with your voice?"
Now that was a strange question if he ever heard one. "What do you mean?"
"It's deeper…and nasally."
Had the light been off, Holly might have not noticed the blush spreading across Artemis's face. However, the light was on, and the red hue warming his cheeks could not have been more obvious. Artemis decided to ignore both her smirk and her first observation. "I have somehow been infected with a cold, my dear Captain. Surely you know what that will do to a voice? Or do fairies never fall ill?"
"It's a rarity," Holly admitted. "There aren't many viruses that can survive the temperature and heat of Haven. Besides, elves have a very good immune system."
Artemis smiled. Holly narrowed her eyes. "What?"
"Nothing, really. Just that we actually had a civil conversation in which you explained to me all about fairy anatomy," he said bemusedly, folding his legs beneath him. He might as well get comfortable; he had a feeling this was going to be a long talk.
Holly did not disappoint him. "I hardly call a few sentences a conversation. But while we're talking, I have a few questions to ask you."
"Let me guess. You want me to tell you how I managed to retain all my memories of the People." Holly nodded firmly. "Well, it was largely because of you, Holly. If I hadn't had your assistance, I most likely would not be sitting here, having this civil conversation with you."
"Me? What did I do?"
Artemis pulled the gold medallion out from under his pillow and held out for Holly to inspect. "Before the mind wipe was to commence, I had Butler compile all of my files that pertained to the People, including my diary, onto a laser minidisk and hide it on this gold coin, the very same one you gave me."
In spite of herself, Holly was impressed. Trust Artemis to come up with something so elaborate. Still, there was something that didn't fit. "But you gave that coin to Mulch. How did you get it back?"
"I gave it to Mulch, true enough," said Artemis, "but I also gave him something else. A good-bye note if you will. In it I instructed him that once cleared of his charges, he should bring the medallion to me."
"How did Mulch get out of all those charges?" Holly asked, though she suspected she already knew.
Artemis just smiled again. "Trade secret, Captain."
"Figures," she muttered. "All right, so Mulch shows up on your doorstep after being cleared. He gives you the medallion and you, being you, discover the minidisk and get back all your memories. That's crazy. Foaly's going to love it." A few more questions bubbled inside her head. "So you've known about us for four years now? And you've never attempted to contact us or steal our money?"
Artemis frowned. "I'm injured, Captain Short. You know very well that I am not the monster I once was. And for your information, no, I have not known about you for four years. It took a year for Mulch's case to right itself, and another year for me to both work out the medallion and Mulch's payment for his help."
"Let me guess," said Holly wryly. "You helped him get a little spending money?"
"Yes, but only so that he could make an honest living," he said defensively.
Holly chuckled. "Well, you'll be happy to know that he blew his chances and his money and is now in custody for breaking and entering."
That wasn't altogether surprising. Artemis knew his hairy friend would eventually end up in trouble again, but he had figured the dwarf would get at least a decade of legal living in before his scandalous ways once again took hold. He would have commented about Mulch's penchant for getting arrested, but a tickling sensation caught in his throat and he found himself coughing harshly, breaking the relative silence in the room.
Holly laid a hand on his ankle, worry controlling her words. "Are you all right?"
After a few deep breaths, Artemis regained his composure and stared incredulously at the hand on his leg. Holly never willingly touched him, unless it was to inflict some for of physical violence on him. It was quite a shock to him to hear the concern in her voice, so much of one that he found himself to reply gently in turn. "It's just a symptom of this blasted cold, Holly. Nothing to fret about."
But at the sound of his voice, she yanked her hand back. "I wasn't fretting."
That was more like it. "Oh, no?"
Holly opened her mouth to say something, then visibly shook herself. "Look, Fowl, I don't have time for this. I've wasted enough here already. I'm on a mission, one of vital importance to the survival of Haven."
Artemis fell easily back into the roll of a cool, aloof genius. "I take that to mean that the People are once again in need of my assistance?"
"Don't get a big head, Mud Boy," growled Holly, easily falling back into the roll of a gung ho cop. "We just need a contact on the surface. You see, one of your kind has found out about us. You wouldn't happen to know anything about that, would you?"
To his credit, he looked mildly shocked. "No, I haven't. What happened?"
"About twenty four hours ago, a newscaster on a local television broadcast reported on an underground society of inhuman beings. Most people weren't too taken by the story, but a few have started up a contact group. Your kind can't find out about us, Artemis. The fact that we can't get rid of you is bad enough, but every Mud Man on the planet knowing about Haven? It would be war."
Artemis nodded. He didn't like the idea of every human knowing about the People, either. It would go against his policy of not hurting others. "What you really need to know is who gave this reporter the story, or, if the reporter is a self informant, how he found out."
"Exactly," said Holly. "So will you help us? There's gold in it for you, if you agree."
"How much gold?" He couldn't get in trouble for this. He wasn't doing anything illegal. In fact, he was helping people. The fact that he would be heartily compensated was just icing on the cake.
Holly shook her head. That was typical Artemis behavior. "We'll work that out if you manage to prevent the doom of Haven. Agreed?"
He wouldn't be hurting people. He'd be helping. It was another adventure, another quest for excitement. And he'd get to see Holly. "Agreed," said Artemis, holding out his hand and shaking her smaller one.
Looking relieved, Holly said, "I'll be back tomorrow, hopefully with more information. You could get to work researching this reporter. Foaly recently discovered the name: Sean Flannigan. Try to find out anything on his former stories. He may be making this whole thing up without realizing how close to the truth he is."
"I'd be glad to help."
Holly headed for the window, but hesitated. Turning back to him, she locked eyes with him again. "Artemis, why haven't you restored Butler's memories to him? And Juliet's?"
Artemis dropped his gaze to his lap. "I don't know. He seemed happier not knowing. I didn't want to interfere with that."
And you still feel guilty from the time Butler almost died, Holly thought to herself, feeling suddenly compassionate towards the pale Mud Boy before her. Her range of emotions towards Artemis Fowl was becoming broader and broader every day. In an attempt to cover her lapse in thought, Holly finished lamely, "You should tell him. Those memories are as much a part of his as they are a part of you."
Silence fell as Artemis appeared to be thinking. Then he said, "Goodnight, Holly. I look forward to seeing you tomorrow."
Holly knew a dismissal when she heard it. Nodding, she revved up her wings and floated out the window. "Goodnight, Artemis."