Chapter 16
Snapshots of another life
A/N: Yep, I'm making you wait to find out if Deryn hallucinated everything or died in the tunnel or what. I'm evil that way people. And does anyone think I'm past the climax? I don't want the pacing to be all screwy.
Otherwise Lets go.
Artemis was only slightly aware of the fact that Holly had magic, and as such would heal from the knife wound in her chest. However, the rest of him was acting uncharacteristically impulsive. And with the women he had just kissed had been injured, the oldest of all male instincts kicked in; Protect women, kill attacker. Had Artemis ever thought that over, he would have fainted from embarrassment. But as mentioned, he was too busy being angry and throwing the offender, a man he recognized from his stint in the infirmary as a Minotaur crewmen named Jaspert, overboard.
Unfortunately, this was about the time that Artemis did start thinking again, and suddenly realized that trying to kill someone by throwing them into a temporal hole wasn't exactly an ideal way to end their life. But he was committed to that plan when, trying to stop himself, he tripped over his feet. "Left foot Fowl seems to just become a far more appropriate term every day."
It seemed Orion hadn't abandoned him yet. "Is the real reason your still here just to annoy me? It would seem that is all you do."
"Artemis, I am only a projection of your guilt. I'm out of touch with reality, so I don't have to acclimate myself to the rules of society like you do."
"Really, because you seem to enjoy speaking so much. Perhaps you should shut up."
Orion's recourse was lost to the ages when Jaspert suddenly let go. As he spun away Artemis couldn't believe his good luck. Then he remembered what people said about his luck, and immediately began to wonder what the fates had planned for him.
This question was answered a second later when he slammed into one of the many comets that passed through the tunnel. As Artemis spiraled off to the left, he casually watched Opal Koboi the elder and Opal Koboi the younger rocket in opposite directions from each other. It was as he watched the older descend off to the right that he noticed that he lacked a right half. Artemis had been cleanly cut in half, straight down the middle. Oddly, the expected excruciating pain did not materialize a weird tingling and numb sensation replacing it.
Artemis tried to acknowledge this fact. When he did, panic overtook him (as most people would panic at the sight of themselves sliced in two), and he searched desperately for the other half of himself. The sword that Orion had found swung dangerously in his slacks, and then tore off completely, abandoning him. Tracing its trajectory, Artemis spotted a blue blur not too distant from him. The blur twitched, and a grotesque image greeted Artemis - half his face turned to look at him. The image eyed its counterpart, and then smirked with half it face. This Artemis assumed, was Orion.
With a jolt, Artemis realized that, yes; this was Orion, as he could no longer sense the presence of the rogue personality in his head. Orion had left the metaphorical building, no thanks to the Cumulus house. Before Artemis's eyes (or rather; eye) the being expanded, and became whole. The weird tingling/numb feeling abated, and Artemis deduced that he was whole as well.
A blur of wings filled the air around Orion, and Jules appeared, rapping his arms around the mad boy. He dug into his pocket and cocked an arm back. His limb wind milled, and a red stone flew from his hand. Artemis vaguely recognized it as the rock that Jules had been holding when he had kidnapped him. It glowed in the same manner, and had the same aura of force that had initially led to him assuming it was important and making a desperate bid for it in the tunnel the first time.
This was what enabled movement between worlds.
Artemis watched as the sword spun away to be caught by Jules, and then tried to reach the stone. It spun tantalizingly above him, mocking him. It hovered mere inches above his grasp, but no matter how much he stretched, he couldn't grab it.
Artemis began to panic. The stone was his only way back to his world. He had to grab it. He needed to get home and make sure Holly was alright. He needed to assure his family he was back, and safe, and sane again. But it was out of his reach, he had to get it, he had to, he had to, he had to, he had to-
'Stop!'
'Focus,' said some iron-willed part of his mind. 'You need to think this through, you can think, your good at that. Just stand back, concentrate on the situation and observe. Ten second of observation can save your life.'
Artemis looked up at the stone, then turned his gaze inward, taking stock of his mental capacities, his planning skills, his memories, all to find the answer to the question of how to survive this. Everything had an answer. And there, buried beneath all his thoughts and dreams, it was. Magic was the way out.
Artemis focused on the tunnel around him, taking the strange electric blue substance into him. The magic that flowed through the tunnel came unwillingly, but it came. It began to flow into him, coating his body with power, soaking his neural pathways with it. It reached deeper, starting to reach into him on a cellular level. Artemis started to resist, for as the magic flowed in, bits and pieces of him began to flow right back out. It only crossed his mind then that there may be some price to pay for this magic.
The toll hit him right then and there. He knew what the magic wanted. In exchange for power, it would take his memories, his very essence.
'No, anything, please, anything but that. My memories make me who I am, I need them. Please no!'
But Artemis was fighting a losing battle, and the only thing he could do was try to hold on the anything and everything he could.
'My name is Artemis Fowl the second, I live in Ireland, north of Dublin, within Fowl manor. I am a genius, and have made contact with the People, a collection of fairy races that live beneath the earth's crust. I am a millionaire, and have a bodyguard named… Butler. My name is Artemis Fowl, I live in Ireland, within Fowl manor. I am a genius, and have made contact with… a collection of fairy races that live beneath the earth's crust. I have a bodyguard. My name is Artemis Fowl, I live in Ireland. I am a genius, and have made contact with… with… something.'
'My name is Artemis Fowl, I am Irish. My name is Artemis Fowl, I am Irish. My name is Artemis Fowl I am Irish. My name is Artemis Fowl. My name is Artemis Fowl. My name is Artemis Fowl. My name is Artemis. My name is Artemis. My name is Artemis. Artemis. Artemis. Artemis.
Artemis.
Artemis was falling. That in and of itself was a surprise, as he had never not been falling. It was a strange feeling, not knowing what it was like to not fall. Artemis was briefly puzzled at the fact that that sentence just didn't seem right, when he became reacquainted with the ground. And pain.
Artemis passed out in a field, and his magic kicked in.
When Artemis came to, he was greeted with a rather awkward sight. Three young women, the youngest looking to be around his age, the eldest roughly eighteen, surrounded him with their arms crossed. The awkwardness wasn't really due to the fact they surrounded him, but rather that he wasn't quite sure that they were girls. He couldn't quite remember the definition for the fairer sex and thus could not devine whether or not they were, in fact, women.
'But apparently I can still remember the words. Strange.' Artemis looked up at the youngest. She was standing almost directly over him. She was wearing an astonishingly dull white skirt and corset, which was otherwise livened up by the mud streaked in it. Her eyes, a shockingly abnormal gold color, matched quite nicely with the gold hair that cascaded down from her head. She looked like she was wearing contact lenses, but Artemis couldn't remember what a contact lens was, so he dismissed the thought. The eldest girl then spoke.
"So you decide to just waltz right onto our property, mister. Well you've got another thing coming." The eldest girl had what Artemis assumed was a scottish accent. Said speaking girl also hefted a clod of mud, which she seemed to have had the whole time, threateningly. "You want to leave now?"
Artemis cocked an eyebrow. He had no idea what she was going to do with the mud, but decided the diplomatic civilized way that people acted in government would be best. "If I'm reelected…"
He got no farther, as the three girls smashed the mud onto him and ran away, giggling. Artemis sat up, and wiped some of the mud off of his face. "What did I do?" But lacking an answer and any background knowledge, Artemis started after them, just as something fell out of his pocket. He reached down to get it, and saw it was a big red rock. It didn't look valuable, but Artemis decided that introspection was less of a concern then just walking, and pocketed the possibly valuable gem. Strangely unable to move at anything faster than a weak gait, Artemis eventually consoled himself that he would not catch the girls.
He was maybe halfway across the field where he had landed when a loud shout echoed over the turf. Artemis turned his gave up from his shoes, which he had been finding fascinating, and saw a large, barrel-chested man holding onto the leash of a… Artemis didn't know what it was called, but decided that he didn't want to find out. He turned on his heel, took two running steps, forgot about his weak walking speed, and then collapsed face first into the mud. A few seconds of lying there was enough to convince Artemis he wasn't an athlete, whatever that was. And that the warm, wet thing that pressed into his back probably wasn't some water pressed into a towel to cool him off from his run.
"Get up boy. You got a lot of explaining to do, so you better get started." The man nudged Artemis with his foot. Artemis wisely chose to remain still and limp. The man nudged him some more and then said; "I think he fainted."
"Of course he did father, with you come running down the fields trying to scare every boy that looks at us funny." Artemis recognized the voice of the older girl from before. She spoke teasingly, fully confirming that the man really was her father. A soft hand suddenly grasped his shoulder and turned him over. Artemis didn't time to close his eyes, and was greeted with a full on view of the young blond from before.
"He's not faint, he's just lying here playing dead. See father, his eyes are opened." The girl cocked her head, and then stood up to let her sisters and father get a better look. Artemis raised his arms, unsure of what he could do, and of whether or not he would be fed to the leashed beast that looked like a cross between a dog and a spider with two snouts. He said the first thing that came to mind.
"I don't know who I am." Artemis watched the man continue to look at him quizzically, and then the man burst out laughing. Artemis wasn't sure of what was so funny about retrograde amnesia, but then again, maybe he would have found it funny if he knew what retrograde amnesia was.
The father's laughter died down, and then he looked back at Artemis, before starting to laugh again. His daughters next to him, one with red hair and another with black hair, started to giggle along with him. But the blond one was staring at Artemis with a face that started out as amusement, morphed into confusion, and then finally ended in shock. She turned to her father and said; "I don't think he's joking."
The father's jolly manner vanished in an instant. He looked at his daughter sternly and then back at Artemis. He had a calculating look to him, something that Artemis felt odd admiration for. He finally picked up Artemis by the shoulders, and arms still there looked him straight in the eye. "Do you really not remember who you are?" His eyes burrowed into Artemis's. Artemis nodded curtly, waiting for the man's judgment. Finally, he turned to his second black-headed daughter. "Send for the doctor. Tell him we have a strange case that needs treating immediately."
The girl scurried off, and the father turned back to Artemis, sympathy mellowing out his hard features. "I'm Jasper, local farmer and father. These are my stepdaughters, Margaret and Jenifer. Margaret's the blond, Jenny's the red head. The black haired girl you saw was mine, Catherine. Do you know your name?" He gave Artemis the penetrating look again that was obviously meant to intimidate and make people squirm with fear. Artemis felt like laughing instead.
"My name is Artemis. It's nice to meet you, Jasper" Artemis watched Jasper take him in. He was a big man, with black hair and brown eyes. Artemis didn't quite understand why, but for a moment he was vaguely reminded of room service. But he did feel safer with this man then, say, with his daughters. Which did beg the question, why had they poured mud on him? Mr. Jasper seemed to think the same thing.
"Why are you covered in mud? Did you get into some sort of fight?" Artemis shook his head and shot a glare at Jenny. Jasper followed that glance, and looked appraisingly at his children. "Well, well, well, aren't you two just the regular pair of guards. You two are going to have a good long talk with your mother about lady-like conduct." Both girls looked fuax-ashamed at what they had done, which only made Artemis wonder why they had done it in the first place.
Jasper tossed his hand over his shoulder, indicating the direction behind him. "Let's get you indoors, alright. This Scottish weather must be killing you?
Artemis Something-something reclined in the chair in the doctor's room. He had been going to these checkups on a regular basis, twice every week for two months now. The first checkup had failed to find anything wrong with his head, with no bleeding or ruptures. Neither had the second checkup, or the third, nor did any of the ones that followed yielded any results. Failing to find any physical damage, the doctor had resorted to find the obvious psychological damage Artemis had suffered. His primary method today was a recent breakthrough in psychology called Rorschach cards.
He held one up for Artemis to see. Artemis took one look at it and said, "I see a continent." The doctor wrote something down while Jenny said "I see the coast of Italy."
Margeret and her sisters had insisted that they see at least one of his psych tests, so they had to be quiet when and before Artemis was answering. But after…
"A dragon." "Sheep." "Death." "Cannonball." "A vase."
"I think it looks like two people to me," Margaret spoke for the first time. She was usually silent during the psych meetings, but did interject every now and again.
"I think it looks like you and Artemis about to kiss." Jennifer teased.
Margaret went a deep shade of red and countered. "I think it looks like you about to kiss Bertie." Bertie was the family draft dog, a cross between a spider and canine. When Artemis had arrived, he had been suitably surprised to learn that such crossbreeds weren't just common, but integral to the life styles of every person in the so called Darwinian nations. They had far more uses then Artemis could have expected, but some of their attempts were just slightly crazy. Who would need or want, say, a flying whale. But the boffins (mad scientist's that weren't so mad after all) had set their sights on them, and were crafting larger and larger creatures on a daily basis.
Of course, some people had decided that such practices were unholy (Artemis not among them), and were actively resisting such changes. Their answers were two legged, steam driven walkers. Artemis couldn't quite wrap his head around why these would be any better than flying whale, but anytime he tried to point out that treads would obviously be better, he was laughed at. It was maddening.
But beggars couldn't be choosers, and Artemis had begged his way into Margaret's home. As the psychiatrist started to pack his cards away, a message lizard informed the waiting children that Mary had come to take them back home. Artemis marched studiously out of the room and into the receptionist alcove, while Jenny and Margaret play-fought their way out. Mary sat in one of the chairs, and waved to her daughters.
Mary's life prior to marrying Jasper had been, to put it mildly, complicated. Artemis had the courtesy to not ask about it, but the varying appearances and hair colors of her three daughters provided an ample hint. But Artemis had put the thought out of his head, as Mary was simply too kind to think such thoughts of her. And she and her husband had offered him homestead while he tried to remember who he was. Artemis had the vague suspicion that they really wanted him to marry one of their daughters to keep them from ending up like Mary had.
In any case, Artemis had long figured that if he did manage to get a job outside of agriculture, it would have to be in manufacturing. The empire of great Britain had a severe shortage of people that could draw and translate the blueprints of fabrications and machines, and Artemis would have loads of work to do if he got into that line. And thus, loads of cash. He was already planning for this when he had come to the evaluation today.
Artemis looked at Margaret, arguing with Jenny that she didn't want to kiss Artemis, and then turned to the door and stepped out into the cold Glaswegian day.
Artemis waited as the butler monkey finally got to his table, and plucked the two teacups from the tray it held over its head. He gave the primate a little pat on the head, and turned to give Margaret the other tea. Margeret took it happily, and sipped it for a few minutes. The side walk café was bustling with activity as men discussed the newest fabrications, women talked about the newest fashions, and children talked about their newest drawings. Artemis eyed the ten year old kid that said he would grow up to be a soldier, before his father told him, "Gregory Hirst, you sit down this instant."
"Arty?"
Artemis's perked up at the sound of his pet name, and then turned to Margaret. Nearly three years after having been found in her family's field with no knowledge of whom he was and two years after he had gotten a high paying job as mechanic and schematics artist, he had only now worked up the courage to ask the youngest member of the family out. He had been planning this outing for two weeks, but had only yesterday spoken to her.
But it seemed like everything was worth it. The summer day was sunny and warm, the wind had picked up quite nicely, and the smell was tolerable. A mammothine stomped past, and a living airship was floating high above them. It was a picturesque day in Glasgow, and Artemis wouldn't have had it any other way.
"How has work been? Have you heard anything about the new fabrications?" Margaret wasn't as good an artist as he was, but Artemis didn't' begrudge her that.
"I can't quite say, as it's a military secret. But I can tell what I've guessed," Artemis added hurriedly as Margaret's face fell. "The boffins are obviously aiming for something big this time around. Not something like the Zeus which will fall apart when they send it up. Something that I know will work something I'm sure of." Artemis watched her chew this over, mildly entranced by how her features slowly changed as she moved from one thought to the next.
Finally she aimed a cheeky smile at him, and asked, "So sure that you've taken a bet on?" Artemis tried not to laugh at how true this was, and mock glared at her instead. She took his initiative and started giggling. Artemis finally gave in, smiled at her, and joined in.
Artemis pulled Margaret into the snow-covered field. Margaret followed bemusedly, unsure of where she was, as Artemis had blindfolded her. Artemis slowly maneuvered her into a section that was sitting at the western end of the opening. Finally satisfied that he was in the right position, he smiled and told her; "You can take your blind fold off now."
Margaret pulled the blind off and looked around. Artemis's smile grew fractionally as she recognized where she was. "This is where we found you, what was it? Five years ago."
"Four years, eight months and seventeen days." Artemis supplied. Margaret cocked her head, as was her habit when he surprised her, then mirrored his smile. Artemis swept his gaze over the many trees that grew at this end of the property. He had moved out of Margaret's home long ago, and eventually moved out of the rented house to a more permanent one. Margaret and her sisters frequented his home, and so did their father Jasper and mother Mary, when she had the strength.
Artemis finally turned back to Margaret. Her golden locks swept over her cheeks and down over her dress. Artemis had never met anyone that had matched her beauty. Artemis was the sort of man who prepared plans and backup plans for his breakfast, but here he was flying free (he refused to say flying by the seat of his pants, as this brought garden gnomes to mind). Because, right here and right now, Artemis had one chance to get this right.
"Do you remember when you first found me?" Margaret's mischievous smile popped up.
"Didn't we splatter you with mud?"
"Well yes, but it's the thought that counts." Artemis chuckled at the memory. The wind picked up then, blowing a little snow over their feet. Artemis kicked off the powdery flakes, and then got onto one knee. Margaret looked down on him, cocking her head, before putting her hand over her month to stem the gasp of realization. Artemis drew a little black box from his pocket, opened it. A little golden ring rested on white silk. "Margaret, will you marry me?"
Margaret looked at Artemis, then back at the box. To Artemis's horror, her smile faltered. "I, I don't know what to say Artemis." That was worse.
"Yes, you could say yes. Please say yes." Artemis's voice went up an octave, and if the situation hadn't been so important, he would have been indignant. But his relief came when Margaret looked back up at him, smiling wider than ever before.
"As if I would say anything other than yes, Arty. Yes, you can marry me." She stooped and picked the ring out from the box. Artemis watched her examine it, and his heart leapt in joy. She was going to marry him. He was going to be married!
"And I now pronounce you husband and wife." Artemis turned and kissed his bride. Margaret returned the favor, and the happily wedded couple started into the crowd. Margaret's father pounded him on the back. Margaret's mother smiled up from her wheel chair. Jenny and Catherine wept unabashedly from the pews. Margaret's friend swarmed her, wishing her well. Artemis's coworkers and friends moved through the crowd, trying to shake his hand or get the first dance in with Margaret. The fervor carried over to the reception, where butler monkeys and swaneques where threatened my trampling if they did not skillfully navigate the throngs.
"Congratulations, nice to see I'll not be the only one in the office with a wife anymore." One coworker said. Another, more bashful coworker, declared, "Pretty bloody smart to marry on the shortest day of the year. Means you got the longest night too."
The men guffawed at the innuendo, while the women tittered and pretended to be occupied with something else, including Jenny and Catherine, to Artemis's surprise. It seemed that being faced with the marriage of their youngest sibling had engaged their 'proper womanly instincts' as Mary, Artemis's mother-in-law, would have said. Artemis wrapped his arms around his wife. Tomboy or girly girl, he wouldn't have her any other way. She was his. He was hers.
Artemis sprinted through the rain. Of all days for the English weather to rear its ugly head, it had to be the one that his first child would be born. Artemis wasn't a particularly good runner, but now he made record time to his house. Joshua, his neighbor, was standing outside. He opened his mouth to speak, but Artemis breezed past. The house should have held several people, either well-wishers or doctors. Nether were present. The house was empty.
Artemis tried to control his nervous shaking, and stepped outside. Joshua just pointed down the road, and Artemis sprinted again, this time to the nearest Hospital. He was almost too late to.
As Artemis streaked in, the receptionist seemed to recognize his demeanor and said, "The only birthing we have is in the east wing. And she was getting real close to." Artemis, for the third time that day, broke into a sprint, and tried to find his wife. He was hoping for a girl. He had bet on it.
Artemis would actually lose this bet, as when he burst into the room that contained his wife, he was only slight saddened to see a small bundle in her arms. He had missed the birth of his first child completely. Margaret looked up and smiled at him. Artemis reached forward for the bundle. A tuft of black hair covered the boys head. Artemis barely remained standing, joy taking it out of him.
He was a father. He had a son.
Margaret sobbed into Artemis's shoulder. The news had just come about their mother. Jasper was waiting for a clear day to hold the funeral. Artemis quietly rocked his wife. "It's alright. It'll be alright. Artemis repeated this as a mantra. It was all he could think to say. It didn't even work for him.
From on the mantel piece, the red rock glowed and flickered inertly, seemingly having done nothing. It mocked him.
Artemis cradled the bundle in his arms. His newborn daughter, blond like her mother, slept fitfully while her older brother had crawled into the chair next to Artemis, also asleep. Margaret snoozed herself, quietly content to let Artemis hold his child. Artemis mused over names, and finally picked one. He had chosen to name his son after Margaret's father. But now Artemis wanted to try something else.
His first choice had been a little rash. He had assumed that he would have a son again, and so he had selected the name Fowler. He had always liked that name for some reason, but had decided against naming his first son that. And now he had to scrap that name because the child in his arms happened to lack a Y-chromosome.
But Fowler, or at least Fowl, did mean bird, and Artemis did know a feminine, gaelic, name that meant bird as well. Artemis quietly christened his sleeping daughter this name, and then leaned back in his chair and fell asleep. This was irresponsible on so many levels, but Artemis knew he could keep his daughter safe while asleep.
"Look daddy, look at all the clouds." Artemis's daughter pointed below them, at the clouds that swept past. She pointed at some that looked like puppies, some that looked like spiders, and some that looked like spider puppies. Artemis reached up and pulled the release cable, letting cooler air swamp in the hot air balloon's, er, balloon. Artemis had taken up ballooning as a hobby years ago, a little while before his son was born. He didn't know why, but he loved the feel of the air. Maybe it was because, when he strained himself, the earliest memory he had was one of falling.
And apparently his daughter and son loved it too. They would always fight each other for the chance to ride with their father in the balloons. They loved it like that. And he loved them for it. His daughter was six, his son was seven, and his wife and he were both twenty eight. And their lives were happy ones.
The air was rent with screams and fire. Artemis reached blindly, groping for his daughter. He found her form suddenly and screamed in victory and terror and hurled with all his might. And then she was gone, falling from the basket. The fire roared and the basket pitched and Artemis watched, almost detachedly now that she was gone, as his arms were consumed in fire.
Artemis really hadn't had a moments warning when the kerosene tanks exploded and showered his arms with flaming gas. His only thoughts had been to grab his daughter and throw her as far away from the blazing wreck of the hot air balloon as possible. Smoke rose from the basket in spirals. Then, out of nowhere, he connected with her. He only had one chance, and wrapped his arms around her and heaved with all his might. Then the ropes snapped.
Artemis fell on his back, the scourging fire above him not reaching his yet. Artemis was afforded an odd sight. While the left tank had ruptured, the right was intact, and bloated. Artemis realized that it was about to explode. He needed to get down.
The hot air balloon slowly climbed higher and higher. On instinct, Artemis reached into his pocket, and removed the red stone. He carried it with him everywhere, mostly for comfort, a little for safety. It flickered in the fire. Artemis did the only thing he could.
"Take me home."
And Artemis vanished in a flurry of blue sparks, seconds before the last tank exploded.
Artemis drifted through space, only vaguely aware of what looked like a fight between two floating people. The people began to vanish, though at the last second, one looked at him. This fighter was wearing a trefoil hat and a red buccaneers coat with black pants. He was a little older then Artemis, but also much younger. Artemis began to register that he felt much younger, when, with a jolt, images assaulted him.
Father, mother, Butler, fairies, wars, revolution, technology, power, gold, pixies, elves, love. Everything blurred together and tried to be recognized simultaneously. Artemis gripped his head in excruciating pain, and fell.
He landed on what seemed like firm earth, which on further inspection with his hands turned out to be just that. Artemis tried to sit up, Déjà vu creeping over him, noteing that the sky was a deep shade of red. He put a hand to his throbbing head, only to immediately remove and examine it. It was slightly smaller and much less callused, with a few years of wear and tear missing from it. Running his hands over his body, he confirmed his fears. He was much younger now.
Artemis stood, and then fell back onto the ground. Whatever had happened had left him very weak. Artemis tried to remember how he had gotten there, only to have numerous other memories intruded. Artemis took a long breath, and then let it out and tried again. He had been on fire. He had been with his daughter. He had been falling. He had been- Artemis froze mid-thought, then backed up a little. He had been with his daughter. He had a family.
Artemis rose, and decided that the memories recall could be put off for another time. But the names didn't stay down so easily. And one stood out. Artemis ponderd it for a few moments. Julius.
He had to get back. And come hell or high water, he would succeed.
A/N: Viola, the first all Artemis chapter. Thanks to stopthattimerave for being my Beta. You know, I could just end it here, but I won't. Because I care about you, and your entertainment.