I AM ALIVE (more below I guess for those who want to know, sorry :P.) Special shout out to the guest who reviewed! You helped get me off my butt and back to writing! Consider this chapter a dedication to your amazing self! :3. Also, I have polls and updates sometimes on my profile, so don't be afraid to check uwu
Also, to all my readers, I wish you safety and good health in this scary time. You are all wonderful people. I know that I have readers from all over and I hope that you all stay healthy. Please do your best to practice proper infection control measures and be careful! You are all awesome and deserve happiness!
Lol seven chapters and seven reviews? Cool! On with the story! :D
"It was the possibility of darkness, that made the day seem so bright" -Stephen King
The eraser pulled Artemis off of Jeb and shoved him to the ground, yanking his arm and crushing it behind his back. When the pain faded enough to hear properly, Artemis realized that Jeb was ranting madly, yelling about traitors and perfection. Most of what the older whitecoat was saying seemed insane and random, but one thing was for sure: his stay here was certainly going to become even more miserable than it already was- which is most certainly saying something. Ugh.
As the scientist was finishing his crazed spiel, Artemis was released from the Eraser's grip and pulled up-right. The fuzzy wolfman shoved him forward, causing Artemis to exhale in pain. He took note of the sharp, carnivorous teeth and the clawed hands that had him trapped only moments before. The smallest hint of (fear) adrenaline made its way into his bones. Past and present observations of "Jeb's" mental state were becoming more and more alarming the longer he was trapped here. Artemis thought about what he just did, and couldn't help but to feel it was a mistake. Not the anger itself, but acting on it to someone who currently has more control over his life than he was comfortable with.
The anger he had felt earlier was still present, but he wasn't about to act on it again any time soon. It was unbelievable that he'd let his feelings get ahead of him in the first place! Members of the Fowl family didn't just do something like that! Or at least... That's how it was when he was young. Since he could remember, Artemis was drilled on how "proper Fowl's" should act. However, since the incident with No. 1, maybe even before that, the previous expectations that he had been upheld to suddenly appeared forgotten. It was... more than a little confusing. Suddenly, his thoughts were cut off as the eraser forced him forward.
He was guided to a pair of thick, steel double doors. Artemis swallowed nervously and felt the urge to bolt as the pair of doors opened. Light flooded into his vision, momentarily blinding him. The Eraser took advantage of his distraction and took the opportunity to toss him into the room. The ground was hard and covered in sharp rocks, causing pain as he rolled across the floor. He wasn't given time to prepare for what happened next.
Immediately, hordes of Erasers swarmed him, like starving animals to a bone. He tried to scramble upright, but before making it, a fist made its way straight to his stomach, knocking the air out of him. Artemis was able to roll to the side, narrowly avoiding a second attack. Not even a moment later, a furry, clawed hand cracked down on the dry, rocky ground he had just been on.
Adrenaline kicked in and he was soon on his feet, trying to heave air back into his lungs. As he struggled upward, Artemis quickly glanced around and it became obvious that he was outside. This, however, didn't mean he would be escaping anytime soon. A concrete wall that looked to be about twenty feet tall surrounded the area, and for some reason, a clear, yet thick dome covered the top, letting nothing in except for the light. There was no time to observe much else, as mounds of furry wolf-like creatures started to attack him at once. Even though he had been given some training by Butler and been in many dangerous situations before, he was currently injured and ill-prepared for this attack. Not to mention, even an entire well-trained LEP unit would struggle against these enemies.
Needless to say, Artemis was quickly overwhelmed.
He tried to leap away as a clawed hand swung at his side, but was struck on his shoulder. It ripped past the fabric of his shirt, and into his skin. At one point, he attempted to punch back, only to hear a crack as his hand struck what felt like a thick refrigerator door. Taking advantage of his momentary flinch of pain, a flurry of precise hits and swings came from all angles as the pack worked in perfect unison. Eventually, his white T-shirt started to look like an assortment of red ribbons. They left Artemis no time or space to dodge any hits.
The brigade halted, before the biggest, meanest looking wolf hybrid grabbed him by the neck and flung him toward the wall, which he met with a sharp crack. Hot coals lit his entire back, and he fell forward with a gasp, vision going white. Before he could recover, a clawed foot planted itself onto his back, fully and firmly face-planting him against the ground. The skin was stretching, and then ripping- he gasped in pain (not scream, never scream) as blood-soaked feathers fluttered around him. His ears rang, and for a couple of moments, the only thing he could comprehend was painpainpainpain- before the world faded to a dull, empty black.
_Line_break_
Jeb paused and halted the torrent. He had allowed himself to become soft with this new test subject. In some way, he considered the flock his children. His creations! This new addition to his metaphorical 'family' had him feeling giddy and proud. Never before had he successfully turned a regular human into an avian hybrid! Against all odds, the teen had survived each procedure and hadn't even attempted to escape. Granted, he had been mildly drugged most of the time, but it was still what he would call good behavior.
However, the punch had reminded him; these were his subjects. They had to be perfected, whether they like it or not. He couldn't be nice all the time. Not only that, but he was feeling mildly offended by the physical proclamation of dislike. In other words, that hit had hurt more than Jeb's face- it had also hurt his heart.
Jeb sighed, lightly touching the spot Artemis had punched him. It was starting to bruise… not what he had expected from some random 14-or-so-year-old. Then again, the flock surprised him sometimes too. He looked at the monitor, glancing at the collapsed teenager surrounded by Erasers. The raven-haired boy was covered in claw marks, and would probably find himself very bruised later. The scientist supposed they were about even now.
Still, the lesson was learned. He sighed mournfully, "No more going easy on them. It seems the solution to my problem was brute force all along. I perform easy tests, with no results, but when I throw subject 584 to a pack of dogs, it releases his wings, just as I wanted." Jeb looked on sadly for a moment, watching the dogs transfer Artemis out of the room and into the Avian Wing. He somewhat wished it didn't have to be this way, but the boy he had gifted obviously didn't understand that Jeb had given him something better than humanity. It was just like the flock. After finishing his notes and leaving the room, he thought of all the harder tests he hadn't performed on the teen yet and brightened. At least he still had his work.
_Later_With_The_Flock_
As soon as the Eraser left, the flock broke out into a flood of whispers. Iggy shifted in his small prison. He raised his head and asked, "What happened? What's going on?"
Gazzy quickly scrambled to fill him in, and responded, "They brought another person in here! He's about 5'4 with black hair and wings. Looks like he made someone really mad, cus' he's covered in scratches and blood." Iggy raised an eyebrow at the description.
"Kind of like Fang then?" He asked curiously. Not about the injuries, but the hair and wings.
"Uhhh a bit? He looks younger than Fang and smaller too. Plus, Fang doesn't look like he went through a wood chipper." Gazzy replied, looking over at their new "roommate" with curiosity burning in his eyes. Iggy hmmed in response, looking contemplative.
Max sighed at the description and leaned back, crossing her arms. Even though she was in a cramped space, she did her best to get as comfortable as possible. She wasn't too sure about this supposed "smaller version of Fang". The new kid was right next to Iggy, who was the closest to the door. Next to him on the side was Fang, who was right across from her. Nudge was to her right and Angel to her left. Gazzy was located right next to Angel, and right across from the bloody teen. Probably not the best sight for the younger kids, Max thought with a some-what growing wince.
Angel, who had been shocked into silence by the entrance, shaped her face into a wince and finally exclaimed, "That's the person who punched Jeb!" Most of the flock let out noises of shock, while some (*cough* Fang *cough*) raised an eyebrow in surprise. Angel's eyes watered as she looked upon the fallen teen sadly. "They hurt him. He wasn't like that when I saw him!", she cried out worriedly.
Max and the rest of the flock started examining the teen in a new light. Being what they were and going through what they've gone through, they were naturally suspicious most of the time. It never hurt them to be paranoid. If anything, it had kept them alive and free from the school and anyone else who might want to harm them. However, if he punched Jeb of all people in the face, he couldn't be that bad. This didn't mean that the flock would be throwing caution into the wind anytime soon, however. For all Max new, he could be a spy or something that the scientists sent to monitor them (not likely, but she wouldn't put it past the school). They still had no idea who he was, and wouldn't trust him yet (if ever at all), but it was a point in his favor. It was at least worth a chance.
Whew, finally got to see what exactly happened to Artemis and also some thoughts from the flock. I even put in some of Jeb's messed up thought process. I know Max and Ari are his actual children, but he has a soft spot for the flock in general- not that anyone can tell. But yeah why I took so long to update:
My parents have separated, and so, we were kicked out of our home and stuff. It was awful. Right on fathers day about a year or so ago, too. We moved around for about 5 months(?) and moved over 2 hours away. I had to switch schools during a very important year, so I kind of struggled a bit. I've been sad a lot, but I'm ok. It's just hard. I've had to do quite a bit adjusting. I also had to get a new computer to write with because my other one was reeeeaaallly bad. I wrote this on google docs, with the help of Grammarly (which I got for homework), so this chapter should have less mistakes! :3. It still won't be perfect, but I tried. Even if you don't review, I appreciate all the follows, favorites, and even views for this story.
Even though it's been so long, this story still gets about thirty views per month. Some even from different countries! It's very touching and inspiring. Thank you so much! However, If there is anything you think I should improve on, or even have any ideas, don't be afraid to review :3. I won't be abandoning this story any time soon, even if I take forever to update. Very sorry for the long note! -SpaceandInfinity