NEW AUTHORS NOTE: Hello. I am re doing this. Futher explaination on the Trouble part of this fic. If anyone is indeed still reading this fic. It's on, like, page ten of all the Artemis Fowl fics so I guess it's not going to be rating highly on peeps list of Things to Read. Well, you know. Hi. Stuff. Cool. And that.
OLD AUTHORS NOTE
Hey, it's me again! I just got the Opal Deception recently and it was so sad! This will probably be my only fic with Root dead in it – I really like Commander Roots character. This is sort of angsty but it is still funny – mainly because I'm using quotes from the book. It is sappy – VERY SAPPY – and sort of weird so here is:
Reflections
PS. I don't own any of the quotes from the Artemis Fowl books, or the song Someone's Watching Over Me by Hilary Duff.
Holly
It was Saturday morning and Holly was sitting on the sofa, absentmindedly watching holo-vision. One of Foaly's inventions, it enabled her to watch human television (practically the only good thing about the mud people) as a hologram so it seemed like it was happening right there. Sort of like 3-D glasses, only less dorky. But Holly couldn't concentrate. So, when a new song came on MTV, it barely interrupted her train of thought.
Found
myself today
Oh I found myself and ran away
Something pulled me
back
The voice of reason I forgot I had
All I know is you're
not here to say
What you always used to say
But it's written in
the sky tonight
Holly found herself thinking about Commander Root. He was gone. He wouldn't be here anymore. And that was too hard for her to accept. She thought about how he had treated her when he first met her.
Root froze, staring at Holly. 'Yes? What is it? Is there some kind of plumbing emergency?'
'N-no,' Holly stammered. 'Corporal Holly Short, reporting as requested, sir.'
Root stood, red spots burning on his cheeks. The commander was not a happy elf.
'Short. You're a girl?'
'Yessir. Guilty as charged.'
'We're not on a date, Short. Keep the witticisms to yourself.'
'Yessir. No jokes.'
'Good. I assumed you were male because of your pilot test scores. We've never had a female score that highly before.'
'So I believe, sir.'
The commander perched on the edge of his desk. 'You are the eightieth female to have made it as far as the initiation. So far none have passed. The equal-rights office is screaming sexism so I'm going to handle your initiation personally.'
Holly swallowed. 'Personally?'
Root smiled. 'That's right, Corporal. Just you and me on a little adventure.'
'You've got twenty minutes to cry or say your prayers or whatever it is you females do, then I'm comin' a callin'.'
'I hope your skills can pay the cheques your mouth is writing.'
'That's a direct order, Short, so take that insolent look off your face, it's making me nervous. And when I get nervous I tend to fire people. Get the message?'
Holly smiled, fondly. She remembered that day. She had saved all of them from death at the hands of Turnball Root. A tear trickled down her cheek. "You're going to wash out in six months and probably cost me a fortune." He had said to her. She had cost him a fortune. But it had taken her years to 'wash out'.
So
I won't give up
No I won't break down
Sooner than it seems life
turns around
And I will be strong
Even if it all goes
wrong
When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe
Someone's
watching over me
The tears came, faster now. She remembered the first Fowl Affair. She remembered it well. The commander had been about to fire her when he decided to give her one more chance. Maybe he should have fired her. Then she wouldn't have been around to fall for Opal's little trick with the trigger bomb. She sniffled and concentrated on her memories.
'I don't know why it is, Captain Short, but whenever you start agreeing with me, I get decidedly nervous.'
He had seemed to dislike her but then he risked a lot to rescue her from Artemis Fowl. And then during the next Fowl incident….
'Oh hardly covers it, Captain!' Root's hair was quivering with emotion. 'This was supposed to be a surveillance mission. There were several back-up squads sitting on their well-trained behinds only waiting for you to call. But no, Captain Short decides to take on the B'wa Kell on her own.'
'Oh no, Captain. You're the best shuttle pilot we have. You're going to Paris.'
'There you are, Captain. Never let it be said I don't look after my officers.'
So he looked after her. But she didn't look after him when it really mattered. More than once he had risked his career for her. And she had just stood there and watched him die? Even speeding up his death? She quietly started to sob.
'Tell me, Captain. That's a direct order.'
'Holly, maybe I could jump. I could make it. I'm sure I could make it.'
'Captain Short! What the hell were you thinking? I could have been killed!'
And now he had been. And it was mostly her fault.
Seen
that ray of light
And it's shining on my destiny
Shining all
the time
And I wont be afraid
To follow everywhere it's taking
me
All I know is yesterday is gone
And right now I belong
To
this moment to my dreams
Yet, he had known that she had been practically born to be a police officer. And he had told her that. And she had told him that she would do what was best for Haven. What would he say if he found out she quit the LEP? She imagined his face. She imagined trying to explain what she had done. "I can explain…"
'Oh, I'll just bet you can. But, strangely, I have a premonition that your explanation is going to cut no ice with me whatsoever and I will have you badge in my drawer by the end of this shift.'
'One foot. If there was so much as one foot sticking out, we could be all over the internet by tomorrow. Holly, why do you do this to me?'
They had been through difficult times together, Root shouting encouragement every step of the way…
'Holly, the future of our culture is at stake here. The bottom line is that Artemis's future is not our problem'
'Listen to me, Captain. Being command means making tough decisions. Not being in command means shutting up and doing what you're told. Now mesmerize those humans before we lose the link.'
She sighed and wished that the commander was here. If anyone had told her, five years ago, that she was ever going to miss the commander – cry over him even – when he was gone… She would have booked them in for counseling with a psychiatrist. But now…. Once they'd gotten over the whole female in recon thing, Root was like her father.
So
I won't give up
No I won't break down
Sooner than it seems life
turns around
And I will be strong
Even if it all goes
wrong
When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe
Someone's
watching over me
It doesn't matter what people say
And it
doesn't matter how long it takes
Believe in yourself and you'll
fly high
And it only matters how true you are
Be true to
yourself and follow your heart
And she had been there with him, he had spoken his last words to her, telling her to do what was best for Haven, and then she quit the LEP? She had double, triple guessed her decision. Would it have been better to stay in the LEP? Or did she make the right decision?
And Commander Sool, he was nowhere NEAR as good as Root. She remembered that day, Root's last day in the LEP.
'I want to tell you something, Holly. About my career. It's actually a metaphor for your career so listen carefully and see if you can figure it out. Many years ago, when you were still wearing one-piece baby suits with padded backsides, I was a hotshot Recon jock.'
Holly cried, harder this time.
'The people need good officers, Holly. They need fairies like you to protect them from the Mud Men. Would I prefer to be zipping around under the stars with the wind in my nostrils? Yes. Would I do as much good? No.'
'If it makes any difference, I'm proud of you Holly'
These words seemed so unlike Commander Root, yet they meant a lot to Holly. She got yet another tissue to blow her nose.
'Stay back. Stay back. It's a trigger,'
'Go now. Holly, I am ordering you to leave.'
'It's a trap. Don't be fooled again.'
'Don't take the shot. Just get out of range. Go and save Artemis. That's the last order I'll ever give you, Captain. Don't you dare ignore it.'
'Don't call me Julius! You always do that just before you disobey me. Save Artemis, Holly. Save him.'
A lump welled in Holly's throat. She wished as hard as possible to go back to that moment and prevent Root from going into the chute. To stop herself from taking the shot. To find a way out. To bring Root back.
'Be well'
These were his final words. For the last second he had left, he simply smiled at Holly, all traces of temper and blame gone from his face. As if he understood why she had to try.
So
I won't give up
No I won't break down
Sooner than it seems life
turns around
And I will be strong
Even if it all goes
wrong
When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe
That I
won't give up
No I won't break down
Sooner than it seems life
turns around
And I will be strong
Even when it all goes
wrong
When I'm standing in the dark I'll still believe
That
someone's watching over
Someone's watching over
Someone's
watching over me
Someone's watching over me
'Be well.' Was she well? Was she going mad? She wasn't well, she knew that. And she probably wouldn't be for a very long time.
AUTHORS NOTE:
I need to do a lot of work on this. So please review! Again, I do not own any quotes, they are the work of Eion Colfer. Seeya!
