Hi! So sorry for the long delay! The document that had once contained this chapter suddenly decided to go haywire, and before anyone could say, "Freeze!" the document was nothing but some meaningless squares and sqiggles...Mind you, it was an immense loss for me, and I spend the last week and a half grieving over my lost chapter 22 and crying. But three days ago,lcame to my senses and rewrote chapter 22, and even had ample time to write ch 23! So in order to repent for the two-week wait, I'll treat you to two chapters! How awesome is that?
darklink231: Thanks! Keep reading!
froggiesrcool: Quite a long line of reviews you left there. And this is not A/H, I think those are cute sometimes, but usually nonsensical. This is A/OC(D), H/T. Those two rockl!
cybergurl: Hi! Glad you liked it, and I hope you didn't get in trouble because of your homework! And I think OMF stands for Oh My F-word, just taking it was used on the internet by some netizen.
Chapter 22, coming up!
Chapter 22: Tension
Artemis's complexion was as white as a blank sheet of paper; yet it paled into an even lighter shade. He stared down at his hands, taking in his fingers steepled in business-style, and also his immaculate manicured fingernails. They were undoubtedly shaking.
Not even Artemis knew why he was so nervous. When rescuing the C Cube in the Spiro Needle, he didn't even allow suggestions that his plan may fail. Nor when he kidnapped one fairy who was now one of his best friends(did that seem a long time ago). It was probably because he was afraid for his parents and bodyguard. Juliet and Root seemed to be faring well according to the screens, but for his family, it was either life or death. Artemis indeed knew how grieving this dilemma is.
Screw it. He was afraid for himself, and he had to admit it. Self-centered, selfish, cold-hearted Artemis. He didn't even flicker an eyelid for others, but he was trembling for placing himself in grave danger.
Holly had taught him many things; one of them was that his plans worked out in the end, but put many people in peril along the way. Despite his meticulous planning, he was unacceptably irresponsible for others. Holly, his father, Butler... They all would have ceased to exist if someone hadn't been there to save them.
After holding the fairies in utter tension, he should have learned that lesson. But no, that wasn't enough for Artemis. He had to hold himself at bay before he could be satisfied. True, he was no longer the fairies' main threat, on the contrary, he was there to save the world. But what he was about to do now was something derived of pure selfish thoughts, and it was completely unnecessary.
Maybe it would have been better if he had never thought of abducting a fairy. Maybe it would have been better off if he hadn't regained his memories.
Foaly gave Artemis a surreptitious glance as he shoved the residue of his carrot cake down his throat. He was worried for the poor boy. The Irish teenager couldn't go through a day without having to prove himself. His thick mask of indifference was eroding at a rapid pace, and Foaly could already see Artemis's fearful expression.
But both knew it was all too late for regrets. In order to put things back the way they were once and for all, they had to go through the plan, period. No other choices. The only time they have to feel sorry for themselves came after this all ended. According to the circumstances, that could be very soon, or much, much further on.
"Finally," Holly grasped her hands in mock prayer, "the easy part!"
"I thought it would never come," Diana put in gloomily.
Holly inserted the membership key that belonged to Root into the slot provided. A miniature 3-D version of Commander Root (complete, including his fungus cigar) appeared right next to Holly almost immediately. It lingered there for approximately five seconds, then with its disappearance another disembodied, monotonous tone voiced their welcome.
"I hope that's not the same voice that gave us the stupid riddle," Holly muttered, just so everyone could hear.
To no one's surprise, the reply did not come. However, that was the least of their concern. In fact, it was driven straight out of their minds. In front of their very eyes, a yet-to-be-seen technological marvel was taking place.
"Wow," Diana breathed as he walked over to a pair of wafer-thin wings in a gargantuan case. The set of wings were shaped exactly like those of a dragonfly, only at least a million times bigger. Ths fabric seemed so thin and delicate, yet Diana couldn't help but reach out(she knew she shouldn't do it) and touch the tip of the wing. She half expected it to shatter into fragments, but it did not. Encouraged, Diana grabbed it and shook it gently, taking in its soft, comforting texture. Apparantly, this was made of stronger stuff than what it appeared to be.
"Those wings would sure beat the Hummingbirds," Holly commented as she passed by.
A mannequin dressed in what seemed to be a brand-new model of a LEP uniform was what captivated Holly's attention. Not that Holly ever had anything against the dull green, unisex uniforms all officers were wearing now. She thanked Frond and her ancestors, including Cupid, that she didn't have to wear any of those ridiculous knickerbockers and stand by a rainbow like they had to way before she was born.
But this was just amazing, so secret-agent style. And what really distinguished them from the present model was that it was no longer unisex. The men's uniform was a plain grey suit with no tie. The women's were similar, but it had a thin waistline and the trousers were a style that made a pair of legs look really long. (I'll eat my badge if Lili Frond can put her plump leg through one of those, Holly thought amusedly.) It also had a very fashionable moonbelt where she could hold all her gadgets. Finally, the police could earn the respect they deserved through these outfits.
Holly's eyes drifted slowly to a blueprint on a yellow oak desk. She picked it up, and to her surprise found that it was a design for a new titanium pod. This seemed so much more comfortable than Foaly's masterpiece, with air conditioning all over the ship and even a small refrigerator that could hold three 1 liter bottles of still water. The seat was made of ploppy cushions as well. The trip to outer Earth was going to become very exciting.
That was when Holly's instincts snapped into her mind. Ashamed at the time she had frittered by browsing around, she turned to ask Diana, "Where's the switch room?"
Diana stalked over to a small door with a sign that read "Employers Only." "I think it's this one," she replied as she burst open the door and peeked inside.
Sure enough, the room was bare except for one switch against the wall which greatly resembled a joystick. Scrutinizing it up and down, she muttered, "So what we have to do is pull this switch, right?"
"That's exactly it," Holly answered from behind.
"Quite a demotion after what we've been through, don't you think?"
"Never mind that," Holly said, smiling. She clicked on her microphone and sent a connection to Root. "Commander, do you copy. We are both inside the switch room. We will be pulling the switch at your command."
"Got it," Root's voice sounded. Then her earpiece shut down with a soft click.
When a commander actually wants to run, they can actually run pretty fast. Especially a certain plump fairy with a face identical to a beetroot with his face stuffed inside a helmet at the moment. Believe it or not, the stunning blonde right next to him had a hard time catching up.
"How do you run so fast with legs just like yours?" Juliet asked while running beside him. "Your feet are almost a blur!"
"I've dying for the loo," Root grunted as he headed for the door at the end of the aisle that said "Exit."
Amused, Juliet took the opposite way that led straight to where Artemis and Foaly were. As she stepped closer. her giddyness slowly started to wane, and a dark feeling began to seep inside. To her, Artemis was like the younger brother she never had. In spite of his tendency to scowl at the most infinitesimal things, that was exactly the part that she liked about him. That was Artemis's idiosyncrasy.
She couldn't understand why Artemis was acting so differently these days. Both dangerously and exceptionally so. It was starting to concern her out of her mind, but Artemis didn't seem to notice. And what he wanted to do, what he said he wanted to do... it was something the old Artemis would have rejected doing.
"Okay, whatever you say, Artemis," she had said casually, rolling her eyes. "But remember. whenever you change your mind, just tell me. You don't have to do it, okay?"
"I never change my mind as rashly as I suggest matters," he had replied seriously.
Until now, she thought what he had then said was a joke. A very dangerous, seriously not funny, Artemis kind of joke. Or at the very least expected him to chicken out. But he didn't. And he really was about to do it.
Actually, maybe he will. He would change his mind at the very end, admit that this was all too much for him to bear, and even burst into tears. Maybe.
"Artemis?" Juliet called out questioningly as she opened the door. "Um...we can go now."
Artemis's expression was as blank as ever now. Juliet might as well have not said anything. He looked younger than he ever looked, and thank goodness his eyes weren't still bloodshot. If they were, he would have looked just like an albino right now, considering how pale he was. Slowly, his face began to shift and change, from blank and anxious into a mask of determination.
"I heard you," he said as Juliet opened her mouth to speak again.
Artemis stood up, his mind already swimming in a sea of doubts. He had always thought of himself as a being with no intellectual weaknesses, but now he thought otherwise. True, he was clever than anyone could actually manage to be, and he was a genius in almost every area. Yet he lacked something that could only be earned through experience: wisdom. What Butler had and he didn't. The reason why Butler was able to save his life plenty of times, risking his own along the way. Something that sagacious old man dressing in a robe in one of those cartoons, whoever he was. Honestly. Artemis was no medicine man.
Artemis caught Root's eyes as he returned from his lifelong journey to the toilet. There was no doubt about it; in his eyes were deep concern and sympathy. Artemis wasn't so eager to see that, but it should have cheered him up; it meant that Root no longer regreted Artemis's flashback, and he was giving him his concern and trust. His gaze wavered somewhere near Root's feet, and he moved on, Juliet by his side.
Artemis and emotion. One would have thought that these two were like oil and water, never to be mixed nor associated even if they were put in one room, side-by-side. They thought wrong. Artemis had emotion, and he had so much of it churning in his stomach right now that it made him sick. He had just hid it well for so long, but that was already starting to change...
Holly was not at all willing to pull that switch. No matter what mission she was on, there was always one part that she always dreaded doing. Like blowing up the goblins with their own fireballs not too long ago. It was not a pretty sight. This lever was no goblin, but what was about to happen the instant she pulled it was not to be a pretty sight either.
Nevertheless, it had to be done. She couldn't just stall like she wasn't involved in any of this. Like that time when she completely ignored those sprites trying to blast each other's wings on the highway... boy, did she ignore a lot of feuds. But let's face it: she was fed up with those sprites that it was either not acknowledging them or pulling out their wings herself. Everyone alive knew that Holly Short had a serious temper, didn't they?
Sighing, yet still playing for time, her hand grasped on the red ball at the end of the stick. As slowly as possible, she pulled it.
Guess what happens, guess what happens! But it's obvious, isn't it? Stay tuned for Chapter 23!
