Artemis Experiments Weird

by Eldewind Dolly

It's been a few months since Artemis Fowl has been mindwiped by the LEP when he notices peculiar glitches around, and ends up discovering an uncanny dimension : the Wired. Artemis' lust for power takes over, and as he has forgotten all about his spark of decency, the fairies will face the consequences of distrusting him. Set after The Eternity Code.

14. Database 13 - Ctrl Z

Author's Note : Hellow people ! :D

FINALLY. First off, I apologize for the wait. Long story short, film school was intense, and much like Artemis, I needed some time to think x') After Christmas, I've been writing literally non-stop since Sunday, and Database 13 is finally all wrapped up. It's the longest chapter (32 pages. yeah.), and everything finally unfolds. I hope it will live up to everyone's expectations, especially after Database 12's climax. By the way, I really recommand (if you have the strength and the time) to read at least the two last segments of the previous chapter, to get back into the mood.

I also want to thank, super warmly, everyone who has reviewed Source Code - Rival Argentica, KiaSunrise, LN, HartemisShipper, DarthDestroyer2, SomeGuyOnlineXD, and mentosmorii. Words can't express how grateful I am for your support. Thank you again :-)

Oh, and I almost forgot : HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE !

(And may the AF movie be better than the teaser trailer, please. PLZ.)

Disclaimer : Eoin Colfer is the author of the Artemis Fowl series, therefore I do not own any of its characters. Many elements of this fanfiction (including its title ^^) are also inspired or directly drawn from the 1998 Japanese anime 'Serial Experiments Lain' (GO WATCH IT) even though it is NOT a crossover.

Author's Recommandation : I personally love writing and reading to music. If you're interested, I highly recommand listening to Neon Demon full OST by Cliff Martinez, from the eponymous movie by Nicolas Winding Refn (freakin aesthetical masterpiece if you ask me). This entire soundtrack just really fits the mood of the fanfic !

Enjoy your reading ! :-)

---

Database #13 : Ctrl+Z

FOWL MANOR, IRELAND

This can't be real.

Artemis blinked ; once, then twice.

His ears were still ringing from that sound – that thunderous tearing sound, that had ripped the room's atmosphere apart, a mere few seconds ago.

In contrast, the current silence felt so dense and heavy, it became utterly sickening.

Artemis' throat was acrid, indeed ; the strange electric, overwhelming warmth that had risen in his lungs, moments before, was fading away, slowly, leaving him shuddering and with an aching, cold lump in his stomach.

The young Fowl blinked again, nauseous. His vision was still blurred with tears ; but he wasn't crying anymore. All the panic and absolute terror he had just felt, all that intolerable fear at realizing the brutal, horrifying fact that he was going to die – that he was going to be killed – had been instantly shut down. Silenced. Like a candle put under a glass.

Artemis swallowed, his eyes blinking almost automatically. He was terrifyingly calm ; as if his mind had been engulfed into a soft, mellow blanket, pushing all the feelings and suffering aside, as far as possible. Yet, just as a candle under a glass isn't blown out until the glass is removed, Artemis' brain wouldn't give up. It fought with this comforting numbness, trying desperately to grasp comprehension and control of the situation again.

Everything was so quiet now ; but something felt wrong. Horribly wrong.

Butler was gone.

And despite all his efforts, Artemis couldn't remember him walking away.

This can't be real.

The boy's heart started pounding against his chest, as he tried to recall what had happened. Butler had told him his first name.

Domovoï.

He had pointed his Sig Sauer at him. Intenting to kill him. The memory of his own pleading screams made Artemis shiver. He remembered thinking, as he had stared into the gun's cannon, that the shot would be clean – and the death, instantaneous.

And then, there had been this… warmth. His fear of dying had become so unbearable, that his lungs had started to burn, and it had felt as if his heart had exploded. He vaguely remembered that he had said, screamed one last thing ; and then, the world had gone black, and there had been this sound – as if the very fabric of reality had been violently ripped apart. And then, utter silence.

For a very few, yet extremely long seconds, Artemis had truly believed that he was dead.

But then, he had opened his eyes again, his veins still boiling and pounding with electricity ; and Butler was gone.

This just can't be real.

Artemis' breathing hardened, as the comforting blanket enveloping his brain started to remove itself sluggishly. Immediately, his genius intelligence provided him with the obvious, only possible answer to all his questions ; but it refused to click. He just couldn't accept it.

This can't be real. Why… why is everything so red ?

Suddenly, the silence was broken.

The fairy. She was screaming.

The sound of Holly's voice finished to remove the comforting blanket ; and her voice was filled with such pure despair, that Artemis just had to accept that his rational self was telling him the truth.

But he couldn't.

Internally, the young boy was an absolute mess – his mind torn apart between the knowledge that there was no running away possible from such an unforgiving truth ; and the irrational, desperate conviction that for once, just once, he was wrong, and this just wasn't real. But on the outside, Artemis seemed completely off.

He laid still, on the bed, his wrists hanged above the mattress by the LEP handcuffs, and his gaze dull. Eventually, moving as if in slow motion, he managed to raise one hand to his face, and then pull it back, staring at his fingers blankly.

Blood, his brain analyzed at first.

Not just blood. Butler's blood, said an emotionless voice in the back of his head.

No, it's not, immediately replied another voice. That's impossible. Butler can't die.

The electric warmth in the young Fowl's lungs arose again, as he kept on repeating these words mentally, like a mantra. Butler couldn't die, of course not, that would be impossible, unthinkable. A world without Butler wouldn't make any sense.

Where is he then, if he's not dead ? What happened ? What ? Happened ?

Artemis' throat became filled with bile. An horrid, awful idea had emerged, and it started echoing in his mind, ruthlessly.

Butler didn't die. I killed him.

Mentally, the young boy shook his head, feverishly. No. Just no. How the hell would he have… done anything to Butler ? He was completely defenseless, tied to a bed, deprived of his supernatural powers, held at gunpoint, and terrified. How would he have…

The answer came, immediately.

With the Wired.

And the reply fused, just as instantly.

The Wired isn't supposed to do that. I'm not supposed to be able to do that.

But even when in severe denial, Artemis and his sense of reason just couldn't ignore for much longer that this was the only possible explanation.

… then how… ? … how did I access the Wired ?

Suddenly, Artemis was gripped by the front of his shirt, and before he could process the information, Holly punched him. Really hard. Somehow, it helped to clear his mind, and the horrid, awful idea vanished, for a moment.

" What have you done ? WHAT HAVE YOU DONE ?! " Holly yelled, her face, just as Artemis', covered in tears and blood.

" … I don't know. "

Artemis' left cheekbone was starting to swallow alarmingly, but he barely even noticed the pain. His brain was running at full speed, trying to solve the enigma – of how the hell had he managed to access and use the Wired the time it took Butler to start pulling the trigger, without even realizing it, and most of all without any technological device whatsoever.

Ignoring the burning warmth in his chest, he mentally gathered everything, every single drop of information he had about the Wired, trying to figure this out.

Realizing, in the process, that the only information he hadn't found using the Wired – truth be told, because he had other things to care about back then –… was what the Wired was exactly in itself.

… I don't know.

The Wired wasn't a virus. Nor was it just an advanced network, neither something purely magical. It also wasn't an artificial intelligence, a military superprogram, a malevolent entity… or anything else like this.

Yet, it emanated this aura.

This aura that everybody perceived ; merely by hearing the five letter word out loud. This aura that had Foaly break an oath on the Book of the People, that got Lain and many more hackers turn insane. This aura, that caught Artemis' attention, all those weeks ago, in a darknet's chatroom, after the Wired had Glitched its way into his life.

This aura that some feared ; and others craved for.

Artemis suddenly realized how, amongst all the others, he had utterly, desperately craved for what the Wired promised ; he had craved for it more than for gold, revenge or his father's approval – more than anything else in the world. And the Wired had destroyed him. Then, granted him with the pure, raw power he seeked.

But only when he had a keyboard and a monitor as an interface.

Or at last, that's how it was a few minutes ago. That's how it was before Butler… disappeared.

Gazing into the distance, above Holly's head, Artemis blinked, and one single tear rolled down his cheek.

Whatever the Wired was, the only way to access it was through a digital device. That's just how it worked. But somehow, for no reason, without any explanation… it had worked differently.

This isn't supposed to be possible. This. Isn't. Supposed. To be. Possible.

But suddenly, Artemis recalled something. The first Glitch he had ever witnessed.

It hadn't manifested itself in his cellphone. It was on a blackboard. Directly into the physical world.

" … This isn't supposed to be possible. Unless… "

And then.

Unless.

Everything became clear.

The burning within Artemis' chest brutally expanded, reaching his arms and throat, filling his blood with electricity.

Focus, Artemis. Focus.

The theory was so huge, that he had to test it out before he could actually believe in it.

Handcuffs. Magnetic lock. Unseal.

With a soft click, the LEP material dropped on the mattress, unlocked. Glitching gently.

.

After that point, the scene occuring in the room became background noise to Artemis, his body moving on automatic mode. His brain was burning with Glitching power, running and thinking at light speed ; he barely realized that he was voicing some parts of his train of thoughts out loud.

" For all this time, I thought the Wired was just a network, that it only affected the digital world ; but… I was wrong. "

… or not exactly so. I was wrong, and I wasn't. I pictured the Wired as a network ; and as I long as I saw it that way, it worked that way. Usable via read-only and edit mode, affecting only digital and technical material, and accessible only through a digital device.

But that was exactly what the Wired was about.

The Wired is just about how you rationalize it.

Thinking about it, it is nothing more than what you learn in art and philosophy class in high school. Nobody perceives reality the same way.

And that's what I believe the Wired is. Every single aspect and detail of reality is reachable and alterable by the Wired… because the Wired is reality.

Or, to stay in a data processing paradigm…

" … the source code of Reality itself. "

And if you hack into the source code of reality, and alter it… then you have the power to shape our world's entire rules and tangible layers at will.

" … the ability to rewrite the entire reality as we know it. "

You have true, absolute power.

At this moment, the Wired's force within Artemis burned so hard he briefly lost track of his reasoning, and wondered if he was going to melt down alive ; but quickly, the burning sensation turned into a heady, gorgeous, nauseating sense of powerfulness. The undisputable knowledge that he was above the very notion of almighty power.

Artemis' hand started shaking in the air, and he dropped his arm, not even hearing Holly's whimper as she slided down the wall and fell on the ground – he hadn't even noticed that he had Wired-pushed her in the first place. The sensation of power he felt right now was beyond everything. It was at least tenth times more intense than logging into the Wired on a computer.

More than ever, it felt like an awakening.

As if he had truly opened his eyes on the world and grasped it for the very first time, in its every dimensions.

He saw the cell splattered in blood around him, and heard Holly coughing on the dusty floor ; but he also realized it was dawn outside.

The air was cold and vibrant, and the snow shimmered when the first sun rays pierced through the clouds. The night frost had started to melt slowly, on the gold and marble fountain in the center of the Manor's maze ; the drops of molten snow rolling down the sculptures making them seem almost alive. A few miles away, the ocean was rough and tormented.

From the Fowl Manor's cellars, Artemis could feel all of that.

He sensed the salty taste of the sea on his lips, the warmth of the sun hitting the snow-covered hills, the harshness of the wind brushing against the replica of Camille Claudel's The Mature Age sculpture in the maze. Closer, he could also detect the smell of the wine bottles in the cellar nearby, and the buzzing of the light bulb on the ceiling. He perceived the statics in the atmosphere, the electromagnetic radiations in the corridors, the wireless Internet connections across the European continent ; and much more.

At first, it was the most thrilling, exhilarating feeling Artemis had ever experienced in his life.

But then, his excitement slowly started to turn into fear.

The Wired kept on assaulting his mind in huge, relentless waves of information, one after the other in a neverending flow of upgrades and updates.

One every new second ; each wave containing every data about the current state of reality. Sounds, images, smells, tastes. Mathematical, quantical, literary, philosophical, biological formulas. Codes, numbers, constants, sentences, equations, theorems, streaming down before his eyes at an insane speed.

But there was more than a mere enumeration of plain facts. Artemis didn't access only the precise coordinates of any living being on the planet, along with their digital files and their biological informations, ranging from their Internet accounts to their DNA code. Most of all, he experienced their sensations.

Their thoughts. Their dreams, also ; for the imaginary is as much a part of the social reality than the physical and the digital worlds are.

Artemis' own nightmares started to mix up with children dreams, post-traumatic delusions and erotic fantasies. He could barely hear himself think, over the chattering of every living being, human, animal, vegetal and fairy, on the entire planet. The million births, the thousands deaths across the Earth, and all the relief, anger, love, sadness, hope, fear and hatred vibrating in the social dimension of reality engulfed his brain mercilessly, barely leaving enough space for his own conscience to breathe.

Suddenly submerged by a new Wired rush, Artemis was brutally pushed back into his body, and an overwhelming terror seized him when he realized how abnormally fast his heart pounded.

The human brain has never been conceived to be fully omniscient, the young Fowl suddenly realized. It's a miracle that I've made it so far alive.

A miracle, or a demonstration of sheer unconscious will and determination.

His face paler than the room's white cement, Artemis turned back from Holly, haggard, and started walking towards the door. He closed his eyes, desperately trying to ignore the Wired's constant flow of information munching onto his own consciousness.

Control. I need control. Find a solution right now, before I disappear.

Despite the emergency, Artemis' brain couldn't manage to run at its usual speed, utterly submerged by the Wired. He tried putting all his remaining will into this, but his own situation kept on fading away. There was a bear devoring a deer, in the Boreal forest of Canada ; the deer's cries for help and the bear's thoughts of contentment kept on resonating in the boy's mind. His heart started pounding faster and faster.

A solution. Now. Something.

A second passed, along with a new wave of information. The deer was dead. Somewhere in France, there was a woman giving birth – it was already about an hour and she hadn't had an epidural yet. There was a new contraction which almost broke Artemis down to the ground in tears.

Something. Now. NOW.

" Open your books at page 42… "

Something.

" … Nobody's hurt… Thanks Frond, nobody's hurt. "

Please…

" … venti-due a Firenze, e diciotto a Bologna. Buona mattinà… "

Artemis, think. Think.

" … Minerva, dépêche-toi un peu, tu vas être en retard à ta soutenance. "

Think of something.

" … Mom, I can't find my skates, have you seen them ? "

The Wired. Glitches. Read-only mode. Edit mode.

" … and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil, amen… "

Edit mode. Edit. … Edit.

" I love you. Have a good day. "

… what would an editor do ?

" … Artemis… please, wait… "

The young boy barely recognized Holly Short's voice, out of the magma of souls and consciences populating the universe. Yet, as she was so close behind him, he felt the distress in her voice as if she had stabbed him in the chest. For a brief moment, he saw the world through her eyes.

He saw himself the way she saw him.

And it was just too much.

" WON'T YOU ALL JUST SHUT UP ?! "

Artemis sensed the warmth of the Wired exiting his body, as the Glitching shockwave crossed the walls of Fowl Manor to swallow the entire planet, in less than seven seconds and nineteen milliseconds. And then the warmth came back, gently, and everything was much more quiet.

The voices, hallucinations and animal growlings had turned into a low and blurry murmur, growing fainter by the second. Artemis turned around, and looked at the room, still a bit confused.

Think of the Wired as an editing software, he told himself. Reality is a timeline, with an almost infinite number of tracks. Each "wave" of information is the timeline updating, with a new timecode – new clips constantly being added, cut out or trimmed. And as an editor, I can travel across the timeline, from timecode to timecode, I can zoom in and out, I can edit the clips… and I can pause the whole thing down.

Having never been a huge cinema-lover, Artemis only had basic knowledge of film editing, but for now, it was enough. It felt slightly better. Slightly.

The boy's eyes were locked on the Sig Sauer, abandoned on the floor. The tip of the gun Glitched, softly.

Artemis blinked, brought back to reality by a new timecode – 2003:01:03:06:38:46.

Save from his own presence, the timeline was empty.

Artemis shivered, a lump of discomfort dropping on his stomach. He turned around, and left the room as quickly as he could without getting too nauseous.

" … I need some time to think. "

… I need to find Butler.

.

2003:01:03:06:38:46.

Artemis stood in the middle of the Manor's hallway, shivering, hugging himself for warmth – feeling atrociously cold despite the Wired inside him. Breathing loudly, he swallowed, trying to calm himself down.

Ever so slowly, after the intensity of what he had been through in the last ten minutes – the last previous six hundred timecodes –, the young Fowl started to come back to his senses, and his eyes became piercing and focused again. Eventually, his haunted expression shifted back to a more usual composed, yet worried one.

He could sense the Wired's presence inside, and all around him. Technically, he wasn't alone ; the world was nothing more than paused, and he could play it again whenever he wanted. But something was still off.

There was one presence that he couldn't find, despite his efforts. That worried him.

Butler can't have gone far. I'll find him, said a voice in his head.

You'll never find Butler again and you know it, cut another one.

Artemis started walking, climbing the stairs inconsciously. As he made his silent way into the large, empty corridors of the Manor, he couldn't hold a bitter sneer back.

He, Artemis Fowl the Second, was now the incarnation of the very concept of powerful… and he had absolutely no clue what to do.

The door creaked as he opened it, bringing him back to present day, present time. He found himself confused for a moment, as the room was plunged into darkness. He wavered his hand in the air, and the curtains flung themselves open. When his eyes grew accustomed to the light, Artemis realized he was in the master bedroom. For a minute, he stood still ; then took one, two hesitant steps inside. His father was on the king sized bed, curled up into the sheets, but his eyes were wide open.

Artemis narrowed his own identically ocean blue eyes, and stepped closer. Then, he felt his heart drop.

In Artemis Senior's paused, horrified stare, there was a small, yet unmistakable Glitch.

The young Fowl stepped back, and put his hands on his face, concentrating. He spoke, out loud – that helped him focus the Wired's energy.

" TC : 2002:12:31:21:04:17."

At the bottom of the stairs, Selene, panting heavily, started to slow down, her heart threatening to burst out of her chest. Suddenly, Artemis' fingers clenched on her skinny arm like a hawk's claws, and she screamed.

" … Too early. TC : 2002:12:31:21:11:56. "

Both Artemises stared at each other, in silence, for a second. Then, the youngest one spoke, very softly.

" Now, you see me. Now, you respect me. Now, you fear me. … It's a little too late, for all of that. "

Artemis Senior didn't reply. He was petrified, in sheer horror. That creature… that creature wasn't his son. And this underlying light, in his eyes… the former criminal leader wondered, did he really appear like that, to his opponents ?

But then, the creature spoke again.

" I wish you never came back from Mourmansk. "

Artemis dropped his hands, his mouth dropping in shock when realizing what he had done. He started shaking, completely appalled.

I wish you never came back from Mourmansk.

He looked down at his father, laying on the bed with his hands gripping upon his amputated leg. Unaffected by the global pause, the Glitch in the man's eyes was pulsing gently, at the rythm of the loop Artemis had locked his father into.

A loop of Artemis Senior's worst and most nightmarish memory of the past decade.

The young Fowl stepped back hurriedly, unable to take his gaze away from his father's haunted, distorted expression. His heart started stinging, unbearably.

" … that's not my fault ", he muttered out loud, still shaking. " I didn't know. That's not my fault. "

He looked down at his hands. After he had put them on his face, they were covered in blood. And suddenly, without any warning, the horrid, awful idea emerged again.

I killed Butler.

Artemis rushed to the master bedroom's attenant bathroom, and collapsed on the floor, panting and heaving. He crawled on the tiling, to the sink, and opened the valve. He poured his hands into the hot water, scratching his fingers and palms with the energy of a madman ; soon, the sink's enamel turned pink-brown. Not daring to look at his reflexion, in the mirror, Artemis dipped his head under the streaming water, rubbing his face furiously.

He collapsed on his knees, panting, soaking with water. But the voice in his head wouldn't shut up.

I killed Butler.

Artemis felt a Wired wave growing inside him, and he pressed his chest with all his strength, jaw clenched.

I must not loose control. I must not loose control again. I didn't kill Butler. Butler isn't dead. Butler can't be dead.

His eyes started to burn, but he wouldn't allow himself to cry, even though there would be nobody to witness it anyway.

" Butler can't be dead ", he asserted firmly out loud, to calm himself down. " That wouldn't make sense. I told Father I wished he never came back from Mourmansk, and that didn't kill him. "

Artemis nodded encouragingly, his irregular breathing easing itself slowly.

" I didn't tell Butler I wanted him dead. I said that I didn't want to die. I only asked him to stop. "

And you stopped him indeed, the mean voice in his head replied.

His legs still shaking, Artemis bolted out of the bathroom, and exited the master bedroom, half-leaning against the wall – not daring to look toward his father's bed.

He ended up in the corridor, crying, half-running, half-crawling.

" Butler ! Butler ! Where are you ? WHERE ARE YOU ?! "

The boy ran erratically past his own bedroom, then his office, until he had reached the last door. He pushed it open, and landed on the manservant's bedroom carpet.

The room was empty, and all tied up. On the nightstand, there was the latest Guns and Ammo magazine, and a worn-out edition of Jane Austen. The patchwork bedspread was handmade by Juliet, and still had the bodyguard's smell of warm oak wood and after-shave. On the desk, facing the wardrobe filled with Zegna suits and workout clothes, Butler's gun-cleaning towel, and a dismantled Uzi. There were also, neatly stored, a relatively huge pile of collector ammunition, cookbooks, and Fred Astaire musicals DVDs.

On the shelf, right above the bed, caringly disposed, were Artemis' nine origamis – he offered one to Butler each year, for the manservant's birthday, since he was five.

The young boy laid on the empty bedroom's floor, crying softly.

" Butler… Please come back… Please… Don't leave me alone… "

Only silence replied.

" … Please come save me. "

.

Artemis found himself in the hallway again, unable to tell for how long he had been there. Well, technically, if he wanted to tell for how long, he could ; but he didn't want to.

The young Fowl was seated on the first step of the marble stairs, holding his legs close to his chest, his face half-buried into his knees. He had taken Butler's bedspread, and wrapped himself in it. Somehow, the manservant's warm, protective smell made him feel a bit better. Safer. Even though some part of him kept thinking it was childish, Artemis clunged onto the large piece of cloth, hoping that if he fell asleep, Butler would come pick him up and put him to bed, and he would wake up from this endless nightmare.

He was just extremely, incredibly tired.

Butler was nowhere to be found.

Really nowhere to be found.

The Major, for example, or Archimedes or Virginia Woolf, could appear to be nowhere to be found. But Artemis did find them ; in what he pictured was the Wired's archive bin. They were dead, sure, but they were still stored somewhere – they were still part of the Wired.

Butler was nowhere to be found.

Artemis had searched, first for hours and then for more timecodes than he could count. And there was just absolutely no trace of Butler, anywhere. As if…

… he had never existed.

His belongings were still there. He was still remembered, in what Artemis would describe as the "social reality" tracks of the timeline. His birth certificate still existed, along with his other official documents and the contract he had signed with Artemis' parents, about fourteen years ago.

But Domovoï Butler, the man himself – the body, the soul, the conscience, or whatever – had vanished.

Artemis buried his face in his knees even more, his shoulders weighted with a burden he still refused to entirely process.

The Wired was still pulsing in his veins, but it had absolutely nothing exhilarating anymore. He just felt sad, small, and lonely.

The thought of un-pausing someone had crossed his mind, obviously – but who would he want to wake up ? Selene had betrayed him. The last time he had spoken with his parents, they had ended up respectively in an asylum and in an infinite loop of traumatizing memories. All the fairies hated him. He didn't know anyone else he would want to speak to.

The only person he wanted to talk to, the only person who could have comforted him, had disappeared of this plane of existence.

I made him disappear.

Artemis stayed there, huddled at the bottom of the stairs in Butler's bedspread, until his eyes were too sore to keep on crying. He tried to get himself to move, to do something with his newfound absolute powers – but nothing appealed to him. He listened, but there wasn't much more than silence around, and vague, distant echoes from the past – conversations, thoughts, moans, whispers. Most of them were in various human languages ; some in Gnommish.

Eventually, Artemis stood up, still wearing the bedspread, and went back into the Manor's cellars. On the threshold of Holly's former cell, he looked at the paused elf. Their gazes met, even though she didn't see him.

The young Fowl stepped forward, and kneeled.

Picking up the minidisk in Holly's palm.

.

He watched it entirely a first time.

Then a second time.

After the third time, the shame and guilt became impossible to bear any longer. Some kind of self-protection instinct kicked in, and a burning Wired wave whiplashed through his chest, escaping his control.

The minidisk exploded, in a rain of Glitching and polycarbonate dust. Butler's bedspread got splattered with molten aluminium drops, but Artemis couldn't have cared less.

He remembered everything. Absolutely everything.

He fell down to his knees, staring at the ground, transfixed.

It was so… odd.

His memories were back ; but he was emptied. Any feeling, any emotion had deserted him.

Only a latent, dull pain remained.

Suddenly, a menacing, low sound emerged from the cell's walls. The cement bubbled, then cracked open lenghtwise, fissures lurching forward in an alarmingly violent fashion. An invisible force propelled the mattress out of the bed, and teared it into shreds as if it was a mere paper handkerchief.

Artemis kept on staring at the ground, his jaw clenched ; fingernails planted into the soil, scratching the dust and clotted blood. A red drop fell from his nose, and he tilted his head up, allowing the nosebleed to run down on his mouth and chin, eyes still wide open.

The bed's rusty frame crushed itself against the opposite wall, then was projected alternatively on the ceiling, the ground and every other wall, faster and faster, harder and harder, so brutally it made the Manor's foundations shatter. Each blow brought sensation back into Artemis' heart – a raging, storming feeling of hatred and madness. He wanted the Manor to collapse to the ground, with him underneath it. He wanted the world to suffer.

A whiplashing migraine suddenly awoke him with a violent spasm, unleashing a Glitching bolt which snatched the light bulb on the ceiling, plunging the room into darkness. The bed's frame fell back to the ground, mashed up like a crumpled soda can.

Artemis buried his head in his hands, shoulders trembling, the migraine pulsing against his skull. Slowly, the anger faded away, replaced by a sickening, unforgiving guilt.

The cellar corridors kept on reverberating the impact sound for a few seconds ; and then, it was over.

Silence was restored all over again.

.

… or was it ?

Artemis froze into place, and slowly looked up at the ceiling, unable to believe his own ears.

That music.

When he had first started hearing it in the back of his head, before pausing everyone, he hadn't paid attention at first. When it had kept on playing after the global pause, he had assumed it was just the Wired and his mind playing tricks on him.

But now, through the cracks in the cement, he could distinctly hear it.

Gnossienne n°5.

.

Selene had sensed Butler's death at the precise moment it had happened.

She was already weakened by the endless hours of piano work, and feeling the manservant's sudden and brutal absence almost broke her. But she dragged the last ounces of determination out of her soul, and even if a few notes flinched, and she couldn't see the keys through her tears, Selene didn't stop playing.

But then, something warm and dangerously fast seemed to approach, and before she could even begin to start screaming, she was swallowed by what appeared to be a supermassive Glitching wave. Half a second later, it had passed.

She sat still, her fingers hovering above the piano keys. Breathing loudly, not daring to make a move.

The young girl looked out through the bay window, and after a few seconds she noticed that the clouds and the trees suddenly seemed… very still.

Selene stared, for a brief moment, her heart pounding. Then, she turned back to the piano, and resumed playing.

Quickly, she had lost track of time again ; maybe she had played the Gnossienne for fifteen times, or maybe seven thousands. Through the music room soundproof walls, she couldn't hear Artemis destroying the cell, three floors below. She felt the ground vibrating, though ; but she refused to pay attention. Even if the Manor were to be burnt to the ground, Selene would keep on playing.

Over, and over, and over again.

She felt that she was getting tired, though. She was starving, parched, her fingers benumbed and blistered, and ignoring her body signals became increasingly hard. The more time passed, the more Satie's melody became tainted in despair.

Just at the moment she thought that Artemis would never come, and she would just die here alone, a voice echoed, behind her.

" Selene… I'm here. "

She jumped, stumbling on the piano seat and clunging onto the instrument's keyboard. Surely, it was an hallucination due to starvation ; but no.

Artemis was here, on the music room's threshold ; enveloped in a patchwork blanket too big for him, his eyes red and swollen, a bruise on his left cheekbone and dried blood dripping from his nose. He was here.

They stared at each other, silently, for a long minute ; then Selene untensed her muscles, and let her fingers slip away from the piano keys.

She immediately collapsed on the floor, unconscious before her head hit the carpet.

.

When she woke up, she didn't open her eyes immediately.

Wherever Selene was, it felt warm, and safe. It exhaled a fragrance of warm wood, and some kind of after-shave. She had smelled that odor before, but she couldn't exactly put out where at first.

When it came back to her mind, she jumped up with an half-choked scream, scanning her surroundings wildly.

She was in the Manor's main living room, on the couch. Artemis was seated cross-legged by the fireplace, his back at her. Selene noticed he didn't have the patchwork blanket anymore – then she saw that he had enveloped her in it.

When he heard her waking up, Artemis turned around to face Selene, and gave her an extremely weak smile.

" Are you alright ? " he asked quietly.

Selene gathered the blanket closer around her, inhaling Butler's reassuring smell to ease herself down.

" …I don't know ", she replied just as quietly. " Are you ? "

The young Fowl's pale smile vanished. That was the only answer Selene needed.

Before she could say something, Artemis had stood up, and went to pick a tray on the small table where they had once played Go. He sat next to his daughter, on the couch, and held her a plate of waffles.

" You must be hungry ", he stated.

Selene looked at the plate, suspicious, then back into the boy's eyes.

" … you… prepared it ? " she asked hesitantly.

" Yes, sort of ", Artemis replied. " … I promise it's edible, if that's what your dubitative silence is implying ", he added, rolling his eyes.

Selene shrugged with a falsely sorry smile, then grabbed the plate. She gobbled the entire pile of waffles in less than thirty seconds.

Artemis took the cup of Earl Gray tea that was waiting on the tray, but suspended his move before handling it to Selene.

" Wait a second, it's cold. "

He narrowed his eyes, focusing on the porcelain mug, and Selene's eyes widened as the brown liquid started to Glitch. When she took it from Artemis' hand, bewildered, the tea was fuming softly.

" … you found a way to use the Wired without an interface ?! " she muttered, astonished.

Artemis had turned back to face the fireplace, his gaze unreadable. He nodded, silently.

Selene looked down, and took a sip of tea. She hesitated, biting her lip.

" … is that how you killed Butler ? "

" I DIDN'T KILL BUTLER ! "

Selene jumped, frightened by the young Fowl's sudden outburst. She had dropped the tea, but the mug instantly paused itself in the air, the drops of Earl Grey hovering above the manservant's bedspread. Then, the cup was projected straight onto the fireplace, too fast for the tea to spill up, with a broken porcelain noise.

" … I didn't kill Butler ", repeated Artemis in a calmer, yet not less threatening tone.

Despite his firmly clasped hands, Selene could see they were shaking.

She stared at her father, for a long moment.

She could see how distraught he was ; she knew that the Wired had gotten out of his control, that he would never have done such a thing willingly. She felt atrociously bad for him. She couldn't blame him.

But she couldn't forgive him either.

" You're a monster, father. "

Artemis' jaw clenched.

" I know. I don't give a shit. "

" Liar. "

The young boy closed his eyes.

" Selene. Shut up. I am warning you. "

" No, you shut up and listen to me ! " the girl exclaimed, furious. " We tried to warn you ! We did everything we could to save you, but you never listened ! "

" Selene, shut your damn mouth ! "

" YOU CAN'T SILENCE ME, ARTEMIS ! "

The girl and the boy stared at each other, their eyes filled with hatred and defiance.

" You can't silence me ", Selene repeated menacingly. " You can't silence your conscience forever. "

" Try me ", Artemis snapped back. " You don't know me, Selene. You don't know what I'm capable of. "

Selene smirked viciously.

" Maybe, but I know what you did, father. I know what you did. "

The young Fowl's confidence shattered.

" … please, Selene. Just… please. "

The young girl's smirk turned into a sad, disheartened expression.

" I can't shut up. I can't. I have to reach out to you. … that's the last thing Butler asked me to do. "

Artemis bolted away from the couch in shock, as if Selene had hit him. The young girl's lower lip started to tremble, but she tried to keep her voice steady.

" He came into the music room, and he heard me play Satie. He told me not to stop playing… and he never came back. "

Artemis' eyes were glowing with madness. At his fingertips, the air started to Glitch, with a menacing, crackling sound. But Selene swallowed her fear, and turned it into the more bitter and cruel tone she could pull of.

" What do you think you're doing ? You want to kill me ? " she snapped. " You've already killed Butler, you want to murder your own daughter now ? "

The young Fowl convulsed brutally, gasping for air, his eyes back to their usual blue, reddened shade, the Glitches disappearing without a sound. He stepped back, cautiously.

His face becoming more guilt-ridden at each step he took.

" … it's not my fault. It's not my fault. "

Selene stood up, her fists clenched.

" It's entirely your fault. You wanted absolute power, at all costs. Now, you have it. It's all yours to enjoy. I hope it feels nice ; because we all paid the consequences for your megalomania. "

Artemis' eyes became wet, and he started shaking his head negatively, as if trying to keep Selene's words away from his head.

" No. No. I did nothing. I didn't want any of this. … It's Foaly who started everything. He used the Wired to spy on me. "

" And so what ? Why couldn't you just get back to a normal life ?! " Selene yelled.

" I was ALONE ! "

The young Fowl looked down, tears rolling down his sunken cheeks.

" … I was alone… "

Selene's heart flopped, but she kept going. Pressing on every word, ruthlessly.

" You were not alone. Your mother was here. You father was here. "

She paused.

" … Butler was here. "

Artemis screamed, pressing his hands against his ears, collapsing on the carpet. He screamed until his voice broke. He screamed his lungs out.

But nobody came.

Selene moved forward, and kneeled next to him. She looked at her shuddering, grieving father, and spoke, softly.

" You were not alone. But… you still aren't. I'm here. "

She looked into the fireplace, her gaze unfocusing.

" I know you never meant what happened. I know you're willing to do anything to erase what you have done. " she continued. " … And now, you are the only person in the world to have this power. "

Artemis didn't reply. He stared at the Persian rug before them, still catching his breath.

" I don't know if there is anything I can do ", Selene whispered. " But if you think of something… I'll help you. "

Artemis blinked. Slowly, he laid down on the carpet, facing the fireplace.

" Could you… bring me the bedspread, please ? "

Selene smiled weakly. She stood up, and fetched the patchwork cloth. But when she draped Artemis into it, he reached his arm to her. The young girl hesitated ; then she laid on the ground and snuggled under the blanket, taking Artemis in her arms. He hugged her back, his cold breath on her neck making her shiver.

They stayed like this for a long time, curled up into Butler's bedspread, listening to each other's heartbeats. Eventually, Artemis spoke, in a whisper.

" … Thank you. "

.

" … Artemis ? "

The young boy curled up into a ball, frowning.

He didn't want to wake up. He didn't remember falling asleep, but he didn't regretted it ; for the first time, since what felt like forever, his mind had been at peace. Feeling nothing.

He didn't want to feel ever again.

" Artemis… wake up. "

Grudgingly, the young Fowl opened his eyes. Kneeling in front of him, Butler looked back.

Artemis' eyes widened. Stunned, he held his breath, instinctively – fearing that if he made a sound or a sudden move, the spell would break.

But Butler was really here.

Artemis' lips started to tremble, but for the first time, he didn't try to refrain the emotions. Tears of sheer relief started to run down his cheeks, and he smiled a weak, but truly genuine smile.

" I missed you so much, old friend ", he whispered. " … Domovoï. "

The manservant smiled back, softly.

" I never really left, you know. "

The young boy's smile widened with a sob. Butler's steel gray eyes shone, and he added, with a quiet, caring tone :

" I missed you too, Artemis. It's been such a long time. You… weren't yourself, for a while. "

Artemis nodded.

" … I know. "

Butler's gaze suddenly became clouded. Frowning, Artemis straightened on his elbow, staring at the bodyguard's ashamed expression, worried. When Butler spoke, it was with a desolated, apologetic tone.

" … I just wanted to protect you. I didn't want to hurt you. I was forced to. "

Artemis's heart stung, and he sat, reaching out his arm to Butler.

But the manservant moved back hastily, as if his charge's hand was a venomous snake. Artemis froze, taken aback. Butler stared directly into his eyes. His entire demeanor had changed, becoming hardened and implacable.

" I didn't want to hurt you. You forced me to. "

Artemis felt his heart fall and sink into a cold, endless dark pit. Butler, his gaze softer but final, stood up, and looked down at the young boy at his feet.

" Make sure it didn't happen for nothing. "

Then, he turned around, and walked away. Artemis, shaken, took a few seconds to react.

" No… No, no, wait, Butler, no, come back ! "

Entangled in the bedspread, the young boy stood up, and ran after the manservant, sobbing and whimping.

" Butler, Domovoï, please, please, don't go ! Come back ! Please ! PLEASE ! "

The bodyguard didn't respond, and kept on walking, further and further away. Artemis ran at full speed, neverminding the dry taste of iron in his throat and the lack of air in his lungs. He finally reached Butler, grabbing the bottom edge of his jacket, and drawing the man into a tight, desperate embrace.

" Please, I beg you, please, stay with me… stay with me… "

Butler looked down at him, his eyes expressionless.

Suddenly, his face started to crackle, and Artemis felt the manservant's body crumple in his arms, like a sand statue.

Petrified, his eyes widened in horror, Artemis watched Butler fall into ashes in his hands, red cinder dissolving between his fingers and drifting away without a sound. He yelped, terrorized, and knelt down, clawing onto the ash heaps desperately, trying to gather the dust flakes back together.

" Butler ! Butler ! BUTLER ! "

He punched the ground with his fists, and screamed, his voice turning into a long, shrieking howl of agony as his mouth and face became covered in ashes.

" BUTLER ! COME BACK ! BUTLER ! BUTLER !"

" Father ! Father, wake up ! Wake up ! "

Artemis' eyes shot wide open, and he stood up with a jolt, his spine covered in cold sweat and his breathing jerky.

Selene, who was shaking the young Fowl's shoulder and had backed away at his sudden move, looked at him with concern.

" … It's okay ", she said clumsily. " It was just a dream. "

Artemis shook his head, and closed his eyes, migraine, guilt and sorrow already pulsing through his skull.

He just felt so empty.

He had brilliantly executed one of his most brutal schemes in order to obtain the Wired's absolute power, inconsciously hiding behind his need for revenge. Hurting a lot of people in the process. Mostly loved ones, and forgotten friends.

And all of that, for nothing.

At the precise moment he had finally reached the Wired's full potential, it had become pointless.

A world where he was the only one in control of every single aspect of reality was already bleak and grim enough, he now understood it. But most of all, a world where he lived without Butler was simply meaningless.

The young Fowl reopened his eyes, slowly gathering his composure back. His heart was still pounding, but somehow, the nightmare had refilled him with an acrid energy.

A cold determination.

" I refuse. I refuse to let this be real. I am the God of the Wired, and I won't let this be real. "

" … What ? "

Ignoring Selene, Artemis stood up from the carpet, and went to sit in front of the fireplace, in a meditation posture. The burnt chunks of wood in the hearth started Glitching, and caught fire with a roaring sound. Selene stood up, confused.

" … what are you doing ? "

Artemis stared into the flames, his expression focused and resolute. For a moment, Selene thought he hadn't heard her, but he eventually replied ; his voice sadder and more fragile than what his tenacious attitude suggested.

" … It was all a mistake. All of this. A terrible mistake. "

He clenched his fists.

" … but I can fix it. "

Selene didn't react, at first. But then, a warm sensation arose in her lungs ; something she hadn't felt for a long time.

Some kind of hope.

The young Fowl had closed his eyes, and started muttering for himself, his lips moving silently, his brows furrowed. Selene watched him for a few seconds, then she turned back to the small table, and sat down. She had no idea if she would be able to help him, but she definitely wouldn't be of any use with an empty stomach, so the young girl finished eating the meal she had crafted when Artemis was sleeping. As she swallowed an eighth turkey, mustard and scallion sandwich, Selene's appetite started to fade out, and she began to look preoccupied.

She was happy to see her father back on track ; yet the young girl couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. Seeing how things had turned out, she agreed that Artemis and the Wired were a desastrous collaboration ; but she wouldn't exist, if he hadn't created her as his Wired avatar.

How exactly was he planning to fix her ?

Don't worry, Selene. You will be fine, I promise.

The young girl raised her head from her plate, startled. But Artemis hadn't moved.

" … Have you just read into my mind, or am I developing a multiple personalities disorder ? " she eventually asked, baffled.

Draw your own conclusions.

Selene dropped her fork loudly, infuriated by the young Fowl's disrespect of her privacy.

" You know, I'm literally five steps behind you ", she snapped. " You could just, I don't know, talk to me. "

I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude. As for talking, I'd rather not. It distracts me, and I've still got a lot to do.

Selene sighed, but Artemis' voice kept resonating in her head.

There's something you can do to help, if you want. Could you go check in my parents' bedroom ? See if everything is okay ?

The young girl hesitated for a second, but she had been torturing herself wondering about Artemis Senior since she had been locked into the music room, and she wouldn't mind finding out how he was. She drank a full glass of mango milkshake, and exited the living room, not turning to look back at the young Fowl.

Whatever he was plotting, she had decided that she trusted him. Even though it wasn't really as if she had a choice.

Selene climbed the stairs, and ventured through the corridors. She found her way to the master bedroom easily – Angeline had taken her there, to give her the short green dress she was still currently wearing. On the doorstep, she wavered, wondering in what state she would find her metaphorically-speaking grandfather. Mustering her courage, the young girl opened the door, and switched on the light.

She jumped, putting her hands on her mouth to hold back a surprised scream.

Artemis Senior wasn't alone.

Angeline was here too.

Selene ran to the bed, unable to believe her eyes. But it was definitely Angeline Fowl, apparently paused in the middle of a dreamless sleep, wearing white clothes and a bracelet with her full name and an ID number.

After an hesitation, Selene grabbed the plastic strap, and removed it delicately. The back of the bracelet read "The Black Edelweiss – mental institution".

The young girl raised her head towards Artemis Senior. Contrarily to his wife, his eyes were open ; but his gaze was appeased, and his face relaxed.

Selene stared at the Fowl parents for a few minutes, then pulled herself back together, and stored the Black Edelweiss strap in her pocket, a smile on her face as she started to understand what Artemis was up to.

The young Fowl was literally undoing all his Wired misdeeds. Soon, there wouldn't be any trace left of his mischievous plan. Everything was going to get back to normal.

And even though that wasn't really auspicious for her, Selene knew it was for the best.

As he was already in his pajamas, probably thanks to Butler, Selene simply tucked Artemis Senior under the silk sheets carefully, after closing his eyelids gently. She then explored the attenant dressing room, and picked one of Angeline's nightdresses. Being completely indifferent toward nudity, Selene had no problem in removing the woman's hospital clothes and putting her into the sleeping outfit. The fact that she was paused was a lot more disturbing, though.

It really felt like manipulating a human-sized wax doll – only Angeline's skin was warm and languid, despite being completely still. It made a cold sweat run down Selene's spine, and she quickly tucked Angeline into bed with her husband before taking a few steps back.

Now, they just looked like a regular couple sleeping together, at peace. Selene smiled.

Angeline and Artemis, she thought to herself. Lydia and Liam.

Nothing happened for a few seconds, then the Edelweiss clothes scattered on the floor started Glitching, before disappearing with a soft popping sound.

Feeling a bit out of place now everything in the master bedroom was back to normal, the young girl turned off the light and left, closing the door gently behind her. Selene felt a lot better, and as she ran down the stairs toward the living room, she even found herself being optimistic.

Artemis' plan was working. Everything was going to fall back into place.

But as she entered the living room, her happy expression faded away from her face, and she froze.

The fire was off again ; and Artemis was standing by the window, his forehead and his palms pressed against the glass, a thin line of blood streaming down his nose.

Selene immediately rushed by his side, her heart pounding.

" What's wrong ? "

Artemis blinked, slowly, drawn from his lethargy by Selene's worried tone. He brushed the blood off his face, and pushed the window with his hands, facing the young girl. He tried to keep his tone even and his expression composed, but Selene saw the incertitude looming in his eyes.

" Holly's… Captain Short's minidisk. "

Selene frowned. She had never heard about the minidisk before, and seeing Artemis' state she had expected something a lot more serious than that.

" A minidisk ? … where's the problem ? "

Artemis pursed his lips, a flash of guilt streaming across his exhausted features.

" It contained my real fairy-related memories of the past two years. Holly tried to give it to me, but… I didn't believe her. After I had paused everyone, I watched it, and… it was too painful. I broke it. "

He paused.

" And I can't fix it. "

Selene tilted her head, still confused.

" … and ? I don't understand. If you can't "fix" it, then why don't you just undo the fact that it's broken, like you did with sending your mother to Switzerland ? "

Artemis shook his head negatively.

" No, you don't get it. I didn't undo my mother's registration at the Black Edelweiss ", he explained. " I simply edited her location – I teleported her back home, if you prefer. "

He sighed, and leaned his back against the window, massaging his temples.

" It's about the same with everything else ", he pursued. " I deleted the memory loop I had accidentally locked Father into, along with my office's new computing machines and the sculpture I had demanded from the Fairy Council. I brought Holly back to Haven and Foaly out of the LEP Headquarters' cells the same way I did with Mother. I reinitialized Haven's lockdown procedure, my classmates' text messages history, and reuploaded St Bartleby's counselor's real diploma back into the school's archives. So forth, and so on. "

Selene's eyes widened as she finally understood the young Fowl's point.

" You've reversed your actions ; not cancelled them. "

Artemis nodded, his eyes closed.

" Retracing my progress with the Wired and cancelling everything step by step was the first thing I tried. But it seems that you can't cancel an action you've made in the Wired. "

Selene crossed her arms on her lap, swallowing. If Artemis was right, this could possibly be a serious complication. This could mean that the young boy would have to deal with the consequences of the actions he wasn't able to rectify. The idea scared Selene, and her tone became angry and defiant.

" What the hell does that mean, you "can't do" something ? I thought the Wired gave you an almighty power over the entire reality ! "

" It does ", Artemis cut patiently, " but only on present day, present time. "

He started to pace around the living room, and despite the latent fear he felt, there was an hint of his old lecturing tone in his voice as he explained his reasoning.

" Look, I've lately deduced that the Wired works a bit like an editing software ; but I think it's actually only partially true. In film editing, you can wander around your timeline and cut bits and pieces anywhere ; not with the Wired. It only affects the current state of reality. That's why the timecodes are so important, and they keep on updating each second. I can access the past, via read-only mode, but I can use the edit mode only on the current timecode. You see ? "

He stopped, unable to hide his anxiety any longer.

" For most of the things I've done, it didn't matter ", he said, his voice trembling. " But I've destroyed the minidisk. It's gone. I can't un-destroy something, that's the most basic concept of the law of entropy. Once something unrecoverable is done… it's done. There's no ctrl+zoption. "

Artemis and Selene exchanged a scared, silent look, the realization of the Wired's only limitation making their throats dry.

The minidisk was one thing ; but there was someone else that Artemis had destroyed with the Wired, and his name hovered between the two youngsters, unspoken.

Selene was the first one to break the silence, by stepping in front of the young Fowl and grabbing his shoulders, firmly.

" There has to be a solution ", she asserted. " There has to be. We just have to figure it out ; and we have all the time we need. "

Artemis looked back into her eyes, and it shocked her to see him so unsure. So despondent.

" Come on, father ", she insisted more gently. " Together, we can make it. "

She snapped her fingers, as an idea crossed her mind.

" For example ! The law of entropy ", she exclaimed. " Why would you have to stick by it ? "

Selene was surprised to see Artemis look at her in shock.

" … You can't be serious ", he said, incredulous.

The young girl raised her arms in the air, annoyed by the young Fowl's resistance.

" Well yes, I am serious, and I honestly don't see where's the issue ! " she retorted. " If the law of entropy is a problem, then nothing can prevent you from rewriting it, or the laws of gravity or anything else, if you want. "

" Yes, something does prevent me from doing something that stupid, and that would be common sense, Selene ", Artemis snapped back. " Do you realize that entropy is one of the most basic laws of physics ? It's the parameter that maintains the reality mutable, ongoing. Subverting entropy would be taking the risk of creating an universe of eternal stasis. A reality without any chaos, time or death, I grant you, but mostly without any possible evolution. Which means no edit mode. "

Selene bit her lip, not extremely pleased to be treated like a delusive five-years-old.

" I didn't say you had to reverse the law of entropy or anything, I only suggested… "

" I know, Selene, but it would be like rushing headlong into a supermassive black hole. The stakes and the consequences are simply too high, if anything goes even remotely slightly wrong. "

Artemis crossed his arms on his lap, shaking his head negatively.

" I can't mess with something like that. I can't. "

" Well, then, you lack imagination ", Selene retaliated.

At first, Artemis seemed to be hit by Selene's retort ; but he startled her by dropping his shoulders, his resolute expression wearing off his face.

" … I guess you're right ", he eventually sighed. " I'm probably too much of a scientific mind for this kind of ideas. But you have to understand that you need a paradigm, to use the Wired. You need a structure, to help you figure out how you shape reality. Maybe if I had been an occultist, or a religious man, things would have been different ; but I would have found a way to use the Wired all the same. "

He looked out the window, thinking.

" Though, I still think that even with a different paradigm, I wouldn't be able to alter a thing such as entropy ", he added, more to himself than to Selene. " There are just some aspects of reality that are too fundamental to be messed around with. "

Selene's anger had cooled down, as Artemis was making his point. But she couldn't help herself thinking that he was suddenly very cautious and responsible, for a so-called omnipotent living God.

As if reading her mind – which, in fact, he probably was –, Artemis brushed his face with his hands, shaking his head again. When his hands dropped, Selene's bitterness immediately faded away.

She had never seen him look so fragile.

" Please, Selene. If anything more starts going sideways, I won't be able to handle it. I won't. "

Defeated, Selene paced around the small table, rubbing her face, then let herself fall on the couch with a frustrated grunt. Artemis stayed up, pinching the tip of his nose, his brain overheating ; trying to ignore the pounding of his heart, clunging onto Selene's words for hope.

There has to be a solution. There has to be.

But the more the two geniuses were thinking about it, the more sinister and hopeless the situation became.

At one point, Artemis dropped himself on the couch, next to Selene, unable to fake steadiness any longer.

Selene's eyes slowly started to water, and she sobbed openly, sniffling from time to time. Artemis buried his head in his hands, planting his nails in his tangled hair. He didn't make any sound, but his shoulders were trembling.

They stayed like this for a long ; very long time.

Eventually, Selene brushed her face with her sleeve, and gathered her legs under her chin, staring into the distance. Her expression was still sad ; but somehow, she was soothed.

The same thing couldn't be said about Artemis, though. He still hadn't moved, or uttered any word ; but Selene didn't try to talk to him. He had known Butler for a lot longer than her – in fact, he had never known a life without Butler. It would take him much, much more time than her to overcome his grief.

If he ever overcame it at all.

Selene waited, patiently. When Artemis eventually spoke, in a broken whisper, she almost didn't hear him.

" I never loose control. Never. It had to happen once. Just once. And Butler died… because of me. "

As he phrased this sentence, the young boy realized a part of it wasn't true.

He had always been a control freak ; but he had lost control, of himself or his plans, several times in the past. With the troll during the Fowl Siege, or with Spiro outsmarting him, at the beginning of the C Cube incident. And each time, Butler had taken the blow for him. Each time, being fatally wounded, or killed. Except now, it was as if the young Fowl had pulled the trigger himself. And there was no fairy magic or cryonics to bring the manservant back.

Artemis suddenly felt as if the entire world was crumbling apart around him, and his heart faltered ; for the first time in his life, his signature determination completely deserting him.

He dropped his hands off his face, revealing his swollen eyes and guilt-ridden features. Selene gently took his arm, forcing him to face her.

" It's alright, Artemis. " she said, very softly. " You are not to blame. From the moment the Wired stumbled upon you, it destroyed your mind, and you became both unstoppable, and impossible to reason with. Butler was the only one able to stop you ; and I think this was the only way for him to stop you. I think he was aware of it, from the beginning ; and he made the choice knowingly. "

The young Fowl looked away, his gaze unreadable, but he didn't withdrew himself from Selene's grip. She allowed what she had just said to sink in, before she concluded, quietly but firmly :

" … We have to accept it. We have to let Butler go. "

Artemis didn't reply. He probably wasn't ready.

Selene was, however ; and saying it out loud helped her. She felt better, and her mind became keen and seething again.

She squeezed the young Fowl's arm, and stood up. She walked toward Butler's bedspread, abandoned on the carpet, and picked it up. As she began dusting it off and folding it caringly, she headed off the living room, leaving Artemis alone so he could have some time to think.

Selene rearranged the bedspread on Butler's bed, and after inhaling deeply, she locked his bedroom's door behind her. After an hesitation, she went back into the master bedroom, and took Angeline's dress off, putting it back in the Fowl lady's dressing room. She had also borrowed an old pair of shoes, which she stored back into place.

Naked, and hugging herself for warmth, Selene came back to the living room. Artemis had fixed himself a cup of tea, and a mango milkshake glass for her. He had also left his Armani suit's jacket on the table, and the young girl gratefully put it on and buttoned it up.

Even if she knew Artemis could read her mind, it felt less uncomfortable to voice her train of thoughts out loud, so she turned back to face him – but not before sitting back on the couch and absorbing a few gulps of milkshake.

" If Butler and the minidisk are the only irretrievable … actions you made, and you've already fixed everything else ", she said, " then the only things left to do are deleting me, and unpausing the rest of the world. "

She tried to keep her voice steady, but it was difficult to hide her apprehension.

Artemis didn't answer immediately. His gaze was as grim and saddened as when she had left him, but he had composed his attitude again, standing upright on the couch, the tea cup resting on his crossed legs. He took a sip of Earl Grey, and eventually replied, his tone back to even and business-like.

" I don't think that would be an excellent idea ", he said. " Even if I've fixed everything I could, and my memories are restored, the fairies still went through hell because of me. Holly might have tried to help me, but… after Butler, I think I've broken any ounce of consideration she had left for me. As soon as I would have unpaused everything, and they realize the lockdown is over, it would only be a matter of time until the entire LEP armies show up knocking at the Manor's door. "

Selene bit her lip. She hadn't realized that.

" What would happen, then ? "

" There are a few options ", Artemis replied, bitterly. " One, they knock my family out and abduct me underground. I'd be judged for computer terrorism, blackmailing, psychological and physical torture, kidnapping, and attempted genocide, if I don't forget anything. Then, option a, I'm sentenced to death ; option b, I'm mindwiped again but certainly the brain-turned-into-melted-yoghurt style ; option c, I'm sentenced to life imprisonment in Atlantis, and never see my parents again. Or two, they straightforwardly biobomb the Manor, and both me and my parents die. "

Selene swallowed.

" … Okay. But what can you do to prevent that ? " she asked.

" I'm working on it ", Artemis retorted after another sip of tea.

Silence fell back, for a short moment. Suddenly, a shadow passed before the young boy's eyes.

" ... I've thought about dematerializing and uploading myself, on the Internet or directly into the Wired's code. I've seriously thought about it. But… " he hesitated, for a second. " … I can't bear the fact that in all those options I've evoked, my parents are the ones who would truly pay the price. Whether the Manor gets blue-rinced, or I disappear without a trace and any explanation, maybe to never return… I don't want people to suffer because of me anymore. Call that hidden and self-justified selfishness, if you want ; but I can't let the fairies decide my fate. "

Selene pondered ; then she nodded, gently. Somewhat relieved, Artemis focused back on the current problem, and closed his eyes.

Taking a deep breath, he plunged back into the Wired, picturing the timeline before his eyes.

Migraine immediately pulsed against his temples, and he became instantly nauseous. Navigating the Wired without an interface became much more mentally exhausting each time – he would have to think fast, if he didn't want to faint like earlier when he had tried to repair the minidisk.

Fortunately, he had regained consciousness before Selene arrived ; he didn't want to worry her more than need be.

Artemis clenched his jaw, and focused on the timeline, zooming in on the five seconds before he had forced the Fairy Council to reveal his statue. Mentally scrolling, he explored all the various superposed tracks which had constituted the reality at these moments – the temperature underground, the exact numbers of fairies standing on the Police Plaza, the 3D-printed sculpture's texture…

There must be an option I haven't thought of.

He kept on scrolling, eventually reaching the "social reality" tracks : conversations, thoughts, relationships, determinisms…

I'm still thinking too much in terms of programming. I'm not on a computer anymore. With my restrained vision of the Wired, I couldn't access all those non-virtual social stratums. The answer must lay there.

He focused as hard as he could, but he still felt his body becoming weaker by the second.

Pull yourself together, Fowl. You will rest when this is all over.

He watched and listened to each track one after the other, trying the ctrl+z option every time – to no avail. As he scrolled up and up, without finding anything, his hope started to crumble away, and he felt the blood slowly withdrawing from his fingers and his legs. It was only a matter of seconds before he would start nosebleeding.

Artemis reached the five remaining tracks. And as he read onto them, it suddenly clicked.

Of course.

The solution was right there, after the dreams and the personalities.

The memories track.

Artemis bursted out of the Wired like a drowning man emerging out of the water, panting, blood pumping through his veins.

Yet, for the first time in hours, he was exulting.

" The mindwipes, Selene. By God, why didn't I think about it sooner ? '' he exclaimed, his eyes twinkling. '' The fairies have developed a mindwipe technology ; and guess who was behind it ? Foaly. So obvious and simple, I can't believe it. The memories track is the only one where the ctrl+z option works. That's the solution. I can't erase my actions ; but I can erase everyone's recollections of them. "

Selene widened her eyes.

" … Are you sure ? You've tried ? "

Artemis grinned, introducing the young girl to his signature vampire smile.

" I don't need to. I know it will work. Foaly has been doing it for years. Including on me. "

Selene smiled, shyly. But suddenly, a shadow passed before her eyes, and they started to water, making Artemis frown, confused. His cheerfulness instantly disappeared when he heard her thoughts bouncing into his head.

… you're gonna have to cancel me too, now, are you ?

He stared back at her, apologetically. There was nothing he could say.

Selene looked down, fidgeting with his Armani jacket's buttons.

" Could we… could we just play Go one last time ? " she asked with a small, trembling voice.

Artemis felt his heart melt.

" Yes, Selene. Of course. "

.

Artemis and Selene sat on the Persian rug, at each side of the small table, their attention entirely focused on the Go board before them. They had played for over two hours already ; their scores were tight, but the young Fowl was still leading by a couple points.

As he laid one more white stone on the board, his thoughts started drifting away, and he bit his lip.

" Selene ? "

" Yes ? "

" Can I ask your opinion ? "

She raised her head from the board, a black stone in her hand.

" I don't have to, if you don't want to ", Artemis added. " We can just keep on playing. "

Selene hesitated, then placed her stone on the board, enhancing one of her three territories.

" No, go ahead. What's on your mind ? "

Artemis took the time to think about his next moves and place his stone, before answering.

" About the mindwipe. I was wondering ", he said. " One could say, that if something isn't remembered, then it never existed, right ? "

" That would mostly be true philosophically speaking in my opinion, but yes. "

" Then, do you think… do you think that if I erase everyone's memory of Butler's death, it would… bring him back ? "

Selene raised her eyes. Artemis kept on staring intently at the board, but she could say that he was tensed, and waiting for her answer.

Her heart twitched, but she replied as firmly as she could.

" No. It wouldn't. It would just erase the last glimpses we have left of him. "

The young Fowl's shoulders dropped, but that was the only reaction he gave out. Selene waited for a reply, and seeing it wouldn't come, she put her stone on the board, cornering one of Artemis' territories and picking up his captured stones.

" Three points for me. I'm leading. "

She looked up, hoping for an appreciating comment, but Artemis was off.

" … I've had another idea ", he said, without even looking up at her. " Picking up and merging all the existing memories of Butler shouldn't be too complicated. I could recreate his body, and… "

As he kept on talking, Selene felt an aching, heavy lump fall on her stomach. This was the last moment she would spend with him before being erased from existence, and he didn't even care about the game. The young girl interrupted him, brutally.

" You're not seriously considering the idea of creating a golem, please, reassure me ! " she snapped, furious.

Artemis stared at her, startled by her sudden outburst. His confused expression slowly switched to an aggressive, defiant one.

" That would be nothing like a golem. He would have a conscience, and a soul. "

" Maybe, but it won't be Butler. " Selene hammered.

" Why not ? I have not only my own recollections and all his relatives and contacts' ; I have his own memories, from the previous timecodes. I've recovered my memories, I know what I'm talking about. "

" Yes, but remembering something isn't the same as remembering something you have actually lived ", the young girl insisted desperately. " Your Butler would have his head filled with memories not his own. It would take him years to recover from that, and become truly sensible again. And even then, it would never be the Butler that you knew. "

" I don't care ! " Artemis violently snapped, an insane look in his eyes. " Even if I have to spend my entire life building a relationship back, it's better than just having nothing !"

" Please, listen to me… "

" I don't care if it takes him two or fifty years before he becomes truly human again, that's a price I'm ready to pay ! "

" ARTEMIS, THIS ISN'T ABOUT YOU, IT'S ABOUT HIM ! "

Artemis backed away, stunned. Selene had bursted into tears, her face buried in her hands ; and even though he tried not to intrude, her thoughts echoed back into his own skull, filled with pain and sadness.

Why don't you want to try to save me the way you're trying for him ? Why don't you ever care about me ?

Overwhelmed by an intense shame, Artemis wavered for a second, unable to decide what to do. Eventually, he took Selene's hand, and squeezed it gently.

" I'm sorry, Selene. I beg your pardon. "

The young girl sniffled, still looking down at her knees.

" … That's alright ", she mumbled weakly. " I know how important Butler is to you. I'm sorry. "

" That's not what I meant. "

Artemis squeezed her hand again, making the young girl raise her eyes and stare back at him. He gave her a sad, crooked smile.

" I'm sorry for everything I've been putting you through ", he apologized, softly. " I'm sorry that I wasn't… a better father for you. "

Selene tilted her head up, her heart pounding. Leaning over the table, Artemis took her face in his other hand, clumsily but as gently as he could.

" Of all the things I've done with the Wired ", he said, staring directly into her eyes, " you're the only one that I don't regret. "

Selene sat still, for a second. Then, she bypassed the table in a single move, and jumped into his arms, her frail body shaking with sobs. Artemis hugged her back, warmly, running his hand through her hair like his mother did with him. She huddled against him, clenching her fists on his shirt.

" I don't want to be erased ", she stuttered between two sobs. " I don't want to disappear. "

Artemis pulled her closer, holding her head against his chest, so she wouldn't see his eyes watering.

" I know. Please forgive me. "

Selene held her breath, then exhaled deeply, whimpering.

" Erase me. Now. "

" … Are you sure ? We haven't finished the game. "

The young girl gazed briefly at the board, then closed her eyes tightly.

" It's not a good idea. It's better to do it now. Later, I wouldn't have the strength anymore. "

She paused.

" Plus, I've won, for a change. Let's keep it that way. "

Artemis smiled weakly.

" Alright. As you wish. "

" … Can you hold my hand ? "

The young Fowl obeyed, silently. Selene's fingers started Glitching, delicately. She shivered.

" I'm scared ", she whispered urgingly, as the Glitching propagated into her arms.

" You're very brave, Selene ", Artemis replied, squeezing her hand. " Much braver than me. "

He had managed to keep his tone comforting, but his heart was flinching.

When he sensed the Glitching reaching Selene's neck, tickling the tip of his fingers as he kept on caressing her hair, the young Fowl had made his decision.

" Selene, listen to me. "

He took her face in both his hands, tilting it up so she faced him. Only her eyes hadn't been covered in Glitches yet.

" You will be okay, Selene ", Artemis said, pressing on each word. " I won't forget you. "

Selene frowned, confused ; then her eyes widened as she understood the meaning of the boy's words.

Before she got a chance at reacting, she had disappeared, swallowed by the Glitches, and Artemis found himself alone in the living room, his empty jacket in his hands. The sudden silence overwhelmed him, cold and cruel ; but he refused to flinch. He stared at the Go board, for a few seconds.

It was great to have someone... to spend time with.

His heart pounded heavily, and he hesitated, filled with apprehension.

But that was the right thing to do.

Diving back into the Wired, he zoomed onto the timeline, and focused on the four months after the mindwipe. Selecting the Wired-related clips on everyone's memory tracks.

Everyone, except him.

" Ctrl+z. "

A Glitching tornado formed around him, and bolted away with a whirring sound. Artemis fell on the small table, gasping, spilling the Go black and white stones over the carpet. He felt as if his brain had been sliced in two with a burning scalpel, and his nose started bleeding. But he gripped onto the table, refusing to give up.

He went back through the entire current timecode, checking that he hadn't forgotten anything. Once he was reassured, he took a deep breath, and closed his eyes.

" Play all tracks. "

Artemis had tried to prepare himself, but the Glitching wave burning its way out of him, and the entire world coming back to life in a swirling storm of noises, smells, datas and voices almost instantly killed him.

He rolled down on the carpet with a thud sound, blood pouring down his noses and eyes. Burning his very last ounces of will, he exhaled, deeply.

When Artemis reopened his eyes, there was nothing in them but determination.

" Delete user profile. "

HAVEN CITY, BELOW GROUND

All the fairy capital's inhabitants suddenly stopped dead in their tracks.

Simultaneously, their throats had been seized with a sensation of utter, overwhelming terror. As if they had been discovered by the Mudmen. But the sensation faded away almost as instantly as it had appeared, and life continued its course, without any other thump. For most of them.

In her small apartment's bedroom corner, Holly laid on her futon, her eyes wide open, panting. Her ears filled with an atrocious, unutterable silence, that would keep on haunting her dreams for the months to come.

As for Foaly, he sat in his booth, facing his computers. Paralyzed with the looming sensation that something was wrong. Almost instinctively, he reached out to his keyboard, and started typing furiously. He searched, for hours.

But the Wired was unfindable.

It horrified him, at first ; mostly because he couldn't think of anyone who could have somehow slipped past Protocol 9, without his prior knowledge, to steal his administrative rights.

… Actually, he could think of two people ; but one of them was in a comatose stase at the Argon clinic, and the other had been mindwiped four months ago, leading a perfectly regular and innocent life since then.

Well, as regular and innocent as Artemis Fowl the Second's life could get.

The centaur smiled inconsciously, when thinking about the little Mudboy. And, after a small hesitation, he turned his search engine off.

The Wired was gone. He'll try and figure out how later. For now, he'd just stick to this unquestionable fact : it was for the best.

FOWL MANOR, IRELAND

Angeline woke up with an annoyed yawn, startled by the sun rays beaming on her face. She hated sleeping with the curtains open ; and for a brief second, her discomfort turned into a blatant uneasiness. As if she had been dislodged, put out of place somehow.

But then her husband cuddled against her, with a soft kiss on her neck, and the disquieting feeling was soon forgotten.

A few moments after, the Fowl couple descended the stairs toward the kitchen, holding hands and chattering – arguing playfully about what they would do today, and rejoicing of how nice New Year's Eve had been this year. Arriving in the kitchen, they were surprised to see nobody around and no food prepared. Usually, by this hour, Butler was already up.

Seeing her husband's brows furrowing in disapproval, Angeline squeezed his hand.

" Come on, Timmy, this is not big deal ", she said, " everyone has the right to sleep every once in a while. Let's wait for Butler and Artemis to wake up, shall we ? "

Artemis Senior's view was briefly fogged at the mention of his son, and he shivered for an instant. But he quickly got his composure back, and he nodded with a smile, resting his weight upon his cane.

They didn't see Artemis immediately when entering the living room ; first noticing the Go board and stones spattered all across the table and the carpet. It was only after taking a few steps closer than Angeline noticed a pale, inert hand on the floor.

The blood withdrew from her face, and she rushed and kneeled by the boy's side in a single move. She rolled his body around, and brought her hands to her mouth, her delicate features distorted in horror.

Then, she started screaming.

" TIMMY, CALL AN AMBULANCE ! CALL AN AMBULANCE IMMEDIATELY ! "

Struggling with his prosthetic leg as he was trying to come and get a closer look at the situation, Artemis Senior froze, his heart stopping at the panic in his wife's voice. Dropping his cane, he rushed to the nearest telephone, limping and cursing at his God-forsakened leg.

Meanwhile, Angeline had started crying, as she held her son's unconscious body in her arms, neverminding the blood staining her nightgown.

" Arty, oh my god, my baby, what happened ? What happened to you ?! "

She couldn't understand. Just the evening before, he was all well, wishing her and his father a good night. And now, he was knocked out in the living room, barely breathing, his skin paler than death and his cheeks sunken like a corpse's, blood pouring from his nose and eyes sockets.

The young woman pulled her son closer, tears streaming down her cheeks, as Artemis Senior started yelling over the phone, his usually so calm and composed voice dripping with worry and anxiety.

" BUTLER ! FOR CHRIST'S SAKE, BUTLER, WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU ! "

He was screaming so loudly it took Angeline a full minute to realize Artemis had spoken.

" Arty ? Honey, what did you say ? "

A wheezing, hollow sound escaped Artemis' cracked lips.

" … Butler won't come, mother. "

Angeline's heart missed a beat.

" Wh-… What are you talking about, honey ? "

Artemis closed his eyes ; a lonely, single tear melting into the blood dripping from his cheeks.

" Butler won't come. He won't. Ever again. "

---

Jeez.

Writing this chapter was SO intense and difficult. I've done my best to make it as emotional and fulfilling as possible, without falling into pathos ; I hope I managed alright and nobody is completely depressed right now :3

I've started working on the Epilogue, I'll do my outmost best to finish it before returning to school (I might also add a proper A/N as a sixteenth chapter, if there are some questions or things pointed out in the reviews that I want to address publicly).

I'm absolutely not realizing that there's only one chapter left for the story to be completed. Wow.

As always, reviews and feedbacks of all kind are warmly welcomed and enormously appreciated, on this particular chapter more than any other !

Lots of love from France, and I wish you all the best for 2019 :-)