Disclaimer: I do not own any of the Artemis Fowl Series, be it characters or plot, I do not own it, so please do not sue me. ;;
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me, obviously: Artemis is just an amazing character like that. He doesn't do his evil things for himself anymore, but everyone thinks he does, so it is indeed quite sad. cries
Chapter Six
Realization
Berlin, Germany
Artemis smiled weakly as Holly, Trouble and the other officers approached and Holly looked him over suspiciously. He seemed skinnier than a week ago, his black coat hung loosely around his thin shoulders and his neatly folded collar was a bit wide; his normally pale face seemed now to have taken on a slightly grayish hue, and his bloodless lips were tinged blue. He pushed up his dark sunglasses and effectively concealed his eyes.
"What's going on Artemis?" Holly demanded once she was near enough. "Foaly said that you had already ordered the parts for the blue rinses even before you got the plans. If you already knew how to make one, why drag us into the picture?" Holly and the rest of the fairies remained shielded and in case any of the other humans happened to look out, it would just seem Artemis would be looking out at the city. Artemis chuckled emptily.
"Foaly hasn't figured it out yet? I knew most of the parts I needed, and mostly how to fit them together, but I was missing some crucial parts. I have no doubt that I would have been able to complete my blue rinses without Foaly's plans eventually, but that would have taken time, and I needed the blue rinses as soon as possible," he explained.
"Don't you realize what you've done? Now, with this technology you humans will wipe each other from the face of the Earth!" Holly exclaimed and Artemis ironically smirked.
"Well, I'm sure you fairies wouldn't mind that," he whispered sardonically. Holly blinked in surprise. "Besides, that won't happen. As soon as I die, humans will once again be ignorant of Fairy Technology, and you will once again be the far superior race," the wind swept Artemis' slick bangs from the trim part in his hair and covered his forehead; with a sigh he tucked the hairs back behind his ears.
"You seem awful confident about that; people just don't forget things like the blue rinse unless they're mind wiped, and we can't do that to everyone. Somebody will piece together the clues that you leave behind, they'll… steal your notes or something," Holly wanted to hit him.
"Ah, but even if someone does manage to reproduce one of my blue rinses, they'll never be able to operate it," he let a devious grin spread across his face now, "I input my eternity code into the very being of the mechanisms of the blue rinses, so only I can set and trigger them, only my voice and codes are recognized; with me die the human blue rinses," he explained.
"Artemis, you… Artemis you shouldn't have threatened the People again!" Holly cried and Artemis rose his eyebrows.
"So that's what this is about?" he quipped. "No one ever visits me just to say hello," he groaned. Holly hesitated and Trouble stepped forwards.
"Fowl, we've been given orders by the Tribunal to kill you in order to stop you from threatening us again," Trouble's strong voice replaced Holly's, for once, quivering one. Artemis let a muted expression of saddened surprise creep across his angular features.
"I assure you, that will not be necessary. I will not threaten the People ever again," Artemis stated resolutely.
"Artemis, we can't just take your word for it; that's not good enough," Holly shook her head. She refused to cry. She had cried at Root's funeral. Now, she was not going to cry because of Artemis. The thing is, they had been friends. While working as a private investigator she found his help indispensable and his companionship even more so. His witty remarks and sarcastic smiles charmed her to no end, and he had even called her a friend. He had called her a friend. Artemis Fowl II had never expected friends, nor had he had any for a long time and Holly had been honored to be one of his first. Now, she could not believe the monster in a trench coat in front of her was the same person. Artemis was about to reply when his assistant shouted his name. Instinctively, the fairies dodged for cover, even though they were all shielded. Artemis turned around and took a few steps towards the helicopter. Trouble and Holly glanced at each other anxiously, if he got on that helicopter it might be a long time before they came into contact again. But no, Artemis stopped after just a few steps.
"Master Fowl sir, it's the Protectorate's main office for you sir," the assistant handed him a cell phone. Artemis took it with a small thanks and turned around, but the man did not leave. Holly watched as a real look of surprise stretched across Artemis tired face. His sunglasses slid farther down his nose, his dark eyes widened and his mouth slowly fell open. He mouthed like a fish out of water for a few moments before muttering something on the phone and turning back around. He chewed on his lip and took deep breaths as he handed the phone back to his assistant. "Sir, are you alright?" the man asked worriedly, taking a step forwards as Artemis swayed on his feet. Artemis took a step to the side to keep from falling.
"It was… they've… it was a surrender. A complete, unconditional surrender. From all of the Empire. First Germany, then Russia and China, then Japan and finally North Korea. We won…" Artemis took another stunned step. "We won…" his assistant's face beamed and the man grabbed hold of Artemis shoulders.
"You did it! It's over! You said it, we've won!" the man practically danced back to the helicopter, repeating "We've won! We've won!" at the top of his lungs. Soon everyone within earshot was celebrating along with him. All except Artemis. He turned back to the fairies, with an unreadable strange look on his face: his eyes were wide and his mouth formed something of a frightened smile. He looked at Holly.
"Three weeks. The war lasted three weeks," he said quietly. "And yet, it feels like an eternity has past since I last saw my manor," he raised a shaking hand. "My manor which I will never again see," he added with a small curl of the lip. Holly took a step forwards.
"Hold on, maybe… maybe we can work something out. A mind wipe or… or a constant surveillance deal. You can have a trial and everything," Holly walked up to him. "Now that its over, you have no more use of the rinses, you can forfeit the plans and then maybe come up with some way to repay the People, right Foaly?" Holly called into her helmet and Foaly coughed unexpectedly.
"Well, maybe he could work for LEP, my department is usually under funded and short of hands, right?" Foaly's voice permeated through Holly's speakers.
"See, we don't have to kill you. It, I mean, you stole from us for a good cause, right? To end the war?" Holly was grabbing at strings. Artemis was shaking his head and Holly's eyebrows drew together as she grew more and more worried. "So, you don't have to do anything drastic, I mean we can't sentence you to death just yet," Holly's voice trailed off and Trouble's rather surprised voice piped up.
"Uh, Fowl, your nose-" he barely pointed before Artemis let out a startled yelp as blood dripped from his nose to his shirt. He jumped back and leaned forwards, blood spilling on the roof below him before he raised his hand to his nose. He rustled through his pockets with the other hand for a handkerchief. He went to his knees with dizziness as he held the white cloth to his draining nose.
"Gawd, 'snot like I gaht enof bood to loose," he could not help murmuring out. Holly felt a knot in the pit of her stomach and she raced to the kneeling scientist.
"Artemis, what's wrong?" she asked sternly, putting a hand on his shoulder and another on his arm.
"I… I'm sick," he finally muttered and pulled his other arm around his stomach.
"What's going on?" Trouble asked as he neared. "He could be faking," Trouble warned and was rewarded with a very exasperated groan from Artemis.
"Holly, he's really not kidding," Foaly's voice echoed like the voice of God.
"What?" Holly felt Artemis' sweating forehead.
"I just did a bio-scan with your camera and found low levels of blood cells and high levels of radiation in his body; he's got radiation sickness," Foaly reported despairingly.
"What!" Holly cried as Artemis began to rock back and forth slightly.
"See, I told you, you wouldn't have to worry about me soon," he said quietly and laughed as blood began to drip from his blackening lips.
"Master Fowl? Master Fowl!" the assistant called from the helicopter, and then quickly began to run towards them.
"Holly, get back!" Trouble ordered quickly. Holly looked back at Artemis with a hesitant glance but then bounded backwards nearer to the edge of the roof. Without Holly supporting him, Artemis slumped to the side with a cough and a groan.
"Master Fowl, what's - ah!" Artemis' assistant stammered when he neared the ailing scientist. "Medic! Somebody get a medic over here!" he shouted at the helicopters. The assistant shifted Artemis onto his side so as not to choke while he coughed weakly.
Artemis's coughs subsided and he stared blankly straight ahead, at the fairies. His dark sunglasses fell to the ground to reveal his bloodshot and darkened eyes. As the medic from the other helicopter raced from the ground up through the Reichstag, Holly's mind was a blur. Artemis had been ill this entire time, the realization struck her. Everything he had done was out of desperation. He was the last gifted scientist, genius, the humans had, and he had been given the responsibility to end the war, and unfortunately for him, there had been a time limit, one he had barely made. Holly shook her head. It was not fair, she was supposed to have saved him, but by the time she had enveloped him in the blanket he was already doomed. Then her magic had attempted to heal his wounds, but he had pulled away. Perhaps if she had held on… her eyes widened, and then her eyebrows drew together in determination.
Author's Note: SO CLOSE TO THE END!
