The Julius Deception
Or, "A Factual Description of What on Earth Happened to the Commander"
"Chocolate truffles are my passion, you know. All that time I was away, truffles were one of the two things I craved. The other was revenge."
Opal Koboi, The Opal Deception, p. 175
Contrary to popular belief, there was a method to Opal Koboi's madness. Ever since that cleansing coma, she had looked at each aspect of her brilliant plan and pondered where she had gone wrong.
Explaining why the scheme had failed had been easy: It was all Cudgeon's fault. The goblins were all his idea anyway, and the whole thing would have worked so much better if he hadn't insisted on them…
But he was dead, so there was no use dwelling on that. None at all. Having learnt her lesson, Opal vowed never to use a goblin in an assassination attempt ever again. Better to use something more reliable, preferably something that knew that jumping on a train did not mean dead, however radioactive the train might be.
In keeping with this promise, Opal had hired the Brill brothers to do most of her dirty work. All the same, if you needed an expendable lackey, there was nothing quite like a goblin to fill the position. So, she chose to mesmerize Scalene, knowing that the LEP was sure to send out the elves she wanted to investigate.
And, as usual, Opal Koboi was not disappointed.
This time, though, when things started to go awry, she was ready. Captain Holly Short had somehow managed to knock the detonator askew with hers shot, and, as Opal had feared, when the chunk of rock hit the commander's wings it was enough for the rig to spirit Root away.
Sure, there had been major bodily damage and one of her enemies was in intense discomfort, but what did that matter? He wasn't dead, and that was the problem. Her tiny fists had clenched in rage and had the Brill brothers not been present, she would have pounded the desktop.
Instead, she had adopted a meditative mood. Things were still working in her favor; Holly believed Root dead, as would the rest of the fairy world. As long as dear Julius never made it back to Haven City, the plan would go through as smoothly as planned. It could even be to her advantage if the commander was alive…
That got her mind rolling into action. It would be the perfect trick: hold one of the most important people to the People hostage (while they assume he's dead), then reveal the commander to the Mud Men as proof of Fairy existence. The People were sure to make an attempt to rescue him, and that was exactly the kind of thing she needed to draw them out for capture.
Her stealth shuttle had followed Root as he made his trek around Paris, and then at just the right moment, she set the clamps on him. In celebration of her new acquisition, she sent Merv and Scant down to the booty box for more truffles.
They were taking a little longer than usual, but what did that matter? She was well on her way to taking over the world for real this time and now no one could stop her.
Koboi cackled. It really was a deliciously evil plan.
…
Crunch…
For the third time, Julius Root woke up. He noted that he'd been making a habit of falling asleep in unknown areas and resigned himself to put an end to it. It was not tactically sound, some area of his brain lectured. As a commander, he really ought to know better. Goes against every rule in the-
Crunch…
Unlike most of the commanders before him, Root attended a good deal of the in-services held at Police Plaza, including one on Sound Recognition (which Major Kelp had also been to for his Captain's exam). After lengthy training and personal experience (equally lengthy), he was able to identify the sound as someone eating something.
This was a relief, as the sounds for bones being crunched and food being crunched were disconcertingly similar. Luckily, he had determined that it was the latter and that was nothing to worry about. …Or was there?
Crunch…crunch…
Crunching meant living beings. Which could mean Mud Men. And that might mean captors…
But that thought was thrown out of his head immediately as his police instincts set in: Whomever was crunching would stop if they knew what was good for them. He hadn't allowed eating in his office- except by himself, of course- and he wasn't intending on bending the rules here. Plus, though he would never admit it, he was feeling the pangs of hunger more acutely now that someone else had food.
Suddenly, there was a noise and Root stifled his stomach's growling, lying very still.
"Oi, Merv!"
"Yeah? Don't tell me she's found us out. These things are way too good to keep just to herself." More chewing, followed by the distinctive sound of slobbering. "Mmm. Frond, I can't believe we never thought of this before."
"Neither can I," said the other voice in agreement. "Gods, I wouldn't mind taking over the world if it meant that I could have all of these I wanted."
Where they talking about some sort of secret weaponry? Root considered it. Or maybe a stash of gold? This certainly didn't sound good for the LEP.
"Mm-hm. Say, you think that's her reason?"
"What do you mean?"
Root listened intently. They were going to reveal the crux of whatever plan kept him here. This could be his ticket out…
"Well, she hasn't met the prisoner yet, whom she will undoubtedly tell everything about her plan. It's just what she does. And, as we're the hench-faries, we don't get told anything. I wouldn't mind knowing what's going to happen once in a while."
He nearly pounded the floor. Come on, he shouted in his head. Get to the important part. At least he was pretty sure about who the prisoner they were talking about was, if that was any consolation.
"Very true. 'Course, I don't think she'd admit it."
"Admit what?"
Root held his breath.
"That she's trying to destroy the People for the truffles."
He sighed in exasperation, a little too loudly.
"Woah, was that her?"
Hurriedly, sounds of shuffling and scuttling reverberated across the room.
Trying to draw his attention away from the movement, he concentrated on checking himself for injuries. He became aware of a slight pain in his thumb, but when he tried to inspect the digit, he also discovered that his hands had been bound. Not good.
On the bright side, if there was a bright side to being tied up with idiots talking gibberish around you, he wasn't experiencing any great pain. Frond was even blessedly silent, except for a far-off sounding clip about lying still too long and blood clots.
Of course, this peace couldn't last forever.
Nothing happened at first, which made it even worse. Then, quite suddenly, a rectangular object slid down from its perch in the heavens above and whacked him unceremoniously on the nose.
He winced, trying with all his might to refrain from swearing.
"D'Arvit! Scant, I thought you to put that box back! Now she'll know for sure that there's something going on!" The voice said worriedly.
The commander had been expecting sinister steps or a resounding echo, or at the very least some sort of action that would foretell the coming doom. There was none, save a mysterious humming sound that was barely audible.
"And just what did I tell you two dolts about swearing around me?"
"We're so sorry, Miss-"
"Yeah, really sor-"
"Swearing," she cut in, "dirties the air which I have to breathe. I can always tell when you have been swearing: it makes the truffles taste slightly off."
Something was coming towards him. Root desperately tried to refrain from peeking.
Unfortunately, Root had recoiled more than he thought at the impact of the box, and his position had changed just enough for his captors to see right through his act.
"Here he is, Miss. Awake, just as you specified."
Wonderful. Knowing that there was no use at all to feigning anything when one's captors already knew the ruse, he sat up and opened his eyes.
The scene that greeted him was nothing short of comical- not at all what he had expected.
After working for centuries in the LEP, Julius Root could count on a few standard things with kidnapers: One, they usually did not let the victim see their faces. Two, food was not readily available in the cell, definitely not stacked in mountainous forms all around him. And three, most masterminds, however power-hungry, controlling, and arrogant, did not usually have their underlings kowtowing to them.
"Hello, Julius," spoke Opal Koboi, as Merv and Scant bowed as elegantly as they could manage (all while trying to hide any signs of their raid on the truffles). Scant lost his balance as he shoved a partially empty box out of his employer's sight, but steadied quickly once Opal gave him a look.
A whisper of noise was emanating from his helmet, still on the ground. The good news was that it was in good working order. The bad news was that Root did not have to bend down to know who it was.
"So," simpered Koboi, as she reclined on her Hoverboy and delicately selected a fresh box of truffles from a nearby pile. "You managed to survive my explosive pack. Very good, very good, commander." She clapped her hands in mock applause before resuming. "You LEPrecon officers have always had the greatest quantity of dumb luck I've ever encountered."
He evaluated the statement. True, his department had been very fortunate: Holly had lost a finger, to have it restored to perfect working order; his own ribs had been squished in E37, once when trying to enter the supply chute, and again by Koboi's device (and, come to think of it, again by gripper clamps just now); he and Holly had endured radiation in the Arctic and on the Mayak Train; Trouble Kelp and Retrieval One had survived Bulter; Coporal Newt had not yet had a heart attack; and somehow he'd restrained himself from murdering Foaly on several occasions. Amazing, really. Next thing you knew, Bom Arbles would be flying through the chutes again.
"In light of that," Koboi continued, "you'll be staying here, in my booty box."
"In your what?" the commander spluttered.
"My booty box, Julius. Surely you know what that is?"
Root reddened, and gripped his bonds tightly.
"Yes, I do. Now, what's the reason for keeping me here?"
Koboi allowed herself a little giggle. "Because you, Julius, are my booty."
This caused even the Brill brothers to work heard not to double over with laughter. The commander had turned a fascinating shade of crimson, and Koboi quickly became annoyed.
"And what are you two laughing about?" She turned towards the twins, voice dripping with malice. Merv and Scant were sniggering, not to mention with Julius acting rather oddly. And for once, Opal Koboi could not fathom why. This was probably a good thing for the Brill brothers.
Calling her attention back to him, the commander spoke, hoping to drag out some sort of answer about his captivity from her.
"So let me get this straight," he mused innocently, "You've just become a Mud Maid-"
"That's Miss Mud Maid to you, Julius."
"- and you expect me not use every spark of magic I have against you?" He thought it was a sound argument, and in a normal situation, it would have been. Fairies had magic, humans did not. Basic. Hit her with the mesmer and he was free. Easy as stink worm pie.
However, Koboi was smiling. And when Opal Koboi was smiling about your master plan, it was a safe bet that things were not looking good for you.
"I did. And I do. You, though, you don't know a thing about science, do you? You're wrong on two points." She illustrated this by holding up a tapering finger for each point. "One, you forget that the transformation from fairy to human is not an instant one. It takes time. I am still very much a fairy, despite appearances. So, any magical skill you could use would go directly against the laws of the Book."
"Two, I would obviously have taken into account the fact that you would use magic. Merv, show the dear commander his thumb."
The twin scampered over, intent on obeying the orders of his mistress, lest she discover her truffles missing. It was always smart to be on Miss Koboi's good side.
"This is a little device I think you might find familiar."
After the twin had finished releasing one arm, careful to give the prisoner no leeway to escape, Root was allowed a full view of the damage. There was virtually none. None, save the small, unmistakable pinprick made by a tack.
A pinprick that no blue sparks were coming forth to heal.
"D'Arvit," Root cursed, none too softly.
He remembered doing this to officers that were going to take their Captain's exam, draining them of all their magic so that not a drop would be left. It was the most painless, and, as he had found out, least noticeable way to sap a fairy's magic.
"Exactly." gloated Koboi. "The very same method you use at the Plaza. Briar told me quite a few things about your methods and I've just been dying to try them out for myself."
Shaking with mirth, she twirled the Hoverboy's joysticks and readied the chair for the flight upwards. She misjudged the height of the ceiling and accidentally bumped her head on the top of the hold.
"Ow!"
Once more, the Brill brothers had to fight the rolls of laughter that were threatening to overtake them. Working with Opal Koboi was not a job where one could expect a lot of comical moments, and this meeting with Root was catching them off guard more than was professional for hench-fairies.
Miffed that the situation was slipping away from her, Koboi delivered a series of devastating blows:
"Merv, Scant! I want the booty box-" More snickering. "-cleaned and tidied the next time I come down. It's a mess. Re-organize everything and stop breathing in my general direction. It's absolutely disgusting."
Groans resounded against the walls of the booty box. When Opal wanted a place reorganized, it generally took days. And that was before she came down and had them move things around to suit her tastes. It was an utter nightmare of a job.
"Oh, and Julius?"
Biting his lip so that he wouldn't worsen matters by exploding about Koboi using his first name, the commander tensed.
"Yes, Koboi?"
"I think it's only fair that you know what really happened to Captain Short in that chute."
Root involuntarily dropped his guard. Holly? What had happened to Holly?
Koboi twirled the Hoverboy's controls, gliding slowly backwards in an omnious fashion.
"When your wings activated, it dislodged the detonator device enough for it to fall off mid-flight. Naturally, it had to go somewhere."
He held his breath, praying that Koboi wasn't going to tell him what he thought…
"Captain Short was right behind you as you were flying, and was later vaporized by the remaining explosions. I hadn't exactly planned it that way," she added, as she moved farther and farther away, "but fate works its own agenda. Either way, she's dead and you're mine. Good-bye Julius."
Root sat in shock.
His eyes didn't register that Koboi had backed up too far and gone into a wall, his ears hardly heard the sounds of Merv and Scant's chuckles. He couldn't feel the cold steel of the booty box beneath his hands, and when the lights were shut off it barely made a difference to the darkness that clouded the edges of his vision.
He had lost his taste for food, and subconsciously doubted that truffles would help anyway. The air was dry and stagnant, and something was clogging his lungs that was not cigar smoke. He felt himself slipping, falling into the greater blackness that loomed beyond the walls of his prison and could sense the realization washing over him.
There really was no purpose now. An empty void bit into the back of his heart, reminding him of the absence of his magic and everything else he valued: honour, justice, Holly...
Holly…
He hadn't- had he?
How long had he known? Since that first day at the Academy, while saving Haven from being flooded, during the goblin rebellion? It wasn't being late that bothered him, not much. It was the sauce they lathered over the burgers at Spud's.
That's not the point, captain. The point is that it looks like a rectangle and therefore is not a titanium pillar. But it was chance, all chance…He'd had his chance, riding with her in a limousine through Haven. One option, that's all you have, convict. Chasing after what had been so important and now was just there…
Was he always jealous? That day in Tara…could not have been his promotion, could it? Always the pony's fault, too. Nothing to do with this…
Nothing to do with her.
His bleary eyes focused for a moment on the faded light coming from the shuttle cabin above him, and brought his confused thoughts back into coherent forms. He'd searched all of Haven for someone like that; the city just didn't make them that way now. There had been so few people he could compare to her. Haven rarely saw any stars, the People lived underground, too far from the sky to care about them anymore.
Julius Root wasn't worried that he would never see Haven again: he was resigned to that.
He was worried that he may have put out one of the few stars it had.
Author's Notes:
I am so sorry! (bows head in shame) All these lovely reviews and no chapter in forever...My computer died, and took everything I had with it, so I got depressed. Then it took a week and a half to get the new computer and then I had vacant inspiration syndrome...gah!
It's
a little angsty at the end, but I just couldn't force Root, Koboi, and
everybody else to keep bumping into things without a little seriousness
to the story. XD Must keep balance...
Anyway, here it is. Chapter Three. Sorry again for the wait but, hey, at least it's longer! (dodges flying fruit and vegetables) Actually, I was surprised that more people hadn't guessed that Koboi was going to come into the picture. She is an evil genius, you know. Give her some credit, guys. (lol) Prize goes to slimefrog for coming closest. 'Course, there is no prize anyway, other than an author trying to make her readers believe there is...(more vegetables fly)
I'd better just answer reviews...Oh, did anyone get confused by the part about titanium rods, etc by the end? It's supposed to be Root's thought process breaking down out of shock and going from topic to topic in his life that he feels badly about and then relating it to Holly's death (and how he feels responsible for it). Everything's really all connected. ...(lol) Maybe I should explain that in the next Author's Note...let me know if you want the weird logic behind the randomness! (cackles and is hit by carrot) Right, the reviews!
SarahOh, I think he did. (winks) He's just trying to build up the dramatic tension for the next book, trying to fool everyone...right, Mr. Colfer? Right! (has nervous breakdown)
Trouble KelpI like that possibility, too. Sorry about not being so forward with the updating. (kicks old computer) Stupid viruses...
sergeantstanDoesn't that always seem to happen with favourite characters? You're reading along, thinking, 'Faustus, this is great! What a neat couple!' and then they blow up. (lol) Me too! I can just imagine him walking into Holly's detective office, waiting for her to see him...( XD squees ) That would be a good fic idea...hmm...Also, I saw your story with HollyRoot - have not read it yet(I desperately want to, though) Parents are limiting computer time (is currently sneaking on...). But I will! Thanks for the encouragement!
slimefrogGod, we are twins! (points to story above) I hadn't even read the reviews until I wrote this chapter. Great minds think alike...Either that or Root being secretly alive could be a major plot twist that Colfer has up his sleeve. You should post your idea! I'd love to see your take on what happened. (lol) Yes, it would be great to have a fic with Holly glomping him like crazy. But didn't I say that 'so many things could go wrong and many of them did'? (quotes self, feels like dork) Back to the point, though, yes, this is going to be more slow as far as R/H goes. With any luck, it'll keep some poor, unsuspecting soul up all night reading when it's done...Root's got a long way to go, though. So, never fear! The end is far from over! (oxymoron...yes) I should stop now...next person..
potter-Dork: He can't, can he? XD If I had a dime for all the times he gets injured I could probably bribe Colfer to bring him back. (but I don't, so...bah) Of course he's not dead. (lol) I have the same idea about that chapter name, too! ha, ha! Root-lovers, unite! (okay, that was lame, I'll admit it) Check out Chapter 4's name, too...I think that also had something to do with it- 'Narrow Escapes', right? See? More proof! XD I have the next chapter in my mind...will update soon...(hypnoties self)
emThank you! I really do need encouragement, you know. (lol) Funny thing, I was always the one who would laugh at authors when they wrote that their reviewers kept them going...but now I'm having to laugh at myself. You guys rock, seriously. Keep 'em coming!
RussianWolf7Thanks! You still ought to finish OD, though. (wink) I think I'm going to use a couple scenes from there for the fic, so it'll make more sense if you do. Plus, reading is good! XD You do can what slime and I do: delude yourself that Root really lived and that Colfer's just pretending about the death thing. (shakes fist) We have believers, I tell you! You're right: there isn't any point with out Root. That's why I don't like EC much. (The Arctic Incident is my favourite, though. I loved it so much that I rented the book on CD from the library. And then (weirdo that I am) I burnt a CD of it...(lol)) I agree again! H/R rocks! Someone ought to make a C2 for H/R...(hint hint wink wink)
And that just about wraps things up. As always, please review since it's great to know what people think about this fic-- you won't believe how nervous I get whenever I push the 'Sumbit Chapter' button. But you don't want to know anyway, so why not review and save Trypt from extreme consternation about typos, OOC-ness, and misspellings?
Thanks for reading!
