An Artemis Fowl Fanfiction
Fiction rating: T (for a reason)
Pairing: ArtemisXHolly
There was practically all the Garda task force, the fire brigade, a complete news crew from RTE and more than half the county in the Fowls front gardens.
Artemis Fowl was impervious to all.
Beckett raced through the crowds, leaping over the barricade to reach his brother.
"Myles is on his way in the Lear Jet." Butler quietly informed him as way of greeting, batting away a Gardai who tried to remove Beckett.
"He's Family." A quick growl from the man giant was enough to send the poor officer into trauma.
The police services buzzed around the grounds like a hive of angry, anxious bee, keeping the spectators at bay. Who would have though so many people would turn up? An anchor woman reported on the situation in the back ground.
"It is now four hours since; three-year old Noël Fowl fell in to the old family well. The well itself is half a meter in diameter. It is impossible to open up. The little girl is wedged in between the wall of the well and a metal bucket 4 meters down. The well extends for another 20 meters approximately. Although rescue workers have tried, the little girl is too frightened to hold on to any rope extended to her. There is also the danger of her falling down further." The woman paused and the camera turned to the spot where Artemis was beside the well and Beckett frowned.
"Need to get them out of here..." he muttered to himself.
Although Butler was handling the situation, he was only one man and with Artemis refusing to move from his vigil beside the well it was up to Beckett to bring some order.
He turned and marched up to the news woman who seemed to be listening to her ear piece.
"And now we have Mr. Fowl's brother, Beckett Fowl the renowned artist-"
But Beckett cut her off.
"Please if you could move further away." He scowled but his tone was perfectly polite.
"We need room to assess this situation and no distractions."
The woman was taken aback but complied, staring at Beckett's back in awe. How could someone so young command such authority? Of course she didn't know the half of it.
Someone, most probably a certain Eurasian man turned on the flood lights. The evening dusk resembled a foot ball match. There were people lining the house and garden all staring one place, Artemis and the well.
Beckett hurried to this exact place. Time to knock some sense into his brother and try to rescue his niece. Although from what he could see, they had as much chance as Noël suddenly growing wings and flying out. Of course it would take nothing short of a miracle to save this situation.
"Please if you could move further away" The blue eyed young man scowled from the plasma screen.
"Are you seeing this Major Short?" asked LEP technical consultant Foaly.
Holly who had only just entered the Operations booth had her mouth hanging open. She had stood in shock hearing the end of the anchor woman's speech. Then her expression had gone from outright shock to blatant determination.
"I have to get up there!" she exclaimed suddenly.
"First of all Holly there are around two hundred mud men up there and second...why?"
"Foaly! Did you see Artemis's face?" The boy is completely distressed! He's our friend Foaly! We owe him this much at least!"
"Man." said Foaly quietly.
Holly who had begun pacing turned and sharply asked "What?"
"He's a man Holly, he has a child. Time moves differently for them, it's been over eight years since you last saw him."
Holly flinched at this, though not for the reasons the centaur had in mind.
"Holly we don't even know who that girl's mother is...well I suppose you might, you and the mud boy were the best of friends he might have told you..." Obviously the centaur was pissed at the fact that he didn't.
"It doesn't matter Foaly! Eight or ten! I have to help him! That's a little girl in a well!"
"Children fall in wells all the time Holly. There are numerous accounts of mud children falling in wells and narrow holes."
She glared at him.
"And your showing up might make things worse, Holly."
"Why did you call me here then? To see a child die?!"
"No...But I..."
When she continued to glare at him he relented.
"Alright! But this conversation never took place. I did not run you up a surface visa and I definitely did not give you the new set of dragonfly wings."
Silently Holly nodded as Foaly tinkered with his equipment. Then quietly she shielded, the last things to go were her lips mouthing a quick 'Thank you'.
"Artemis! Snap out of it!" Beckett shook his brother's shoulders, stopping short when he got a burning look from the older man.
"Snap, out of what precisely, Beckett?"
"Oh...You haven't gone loony?" Beckett asked warily
"No, no I haven't." Artemis turned again to face the well.
"She's sleeping?" Beckett questioned quietly.
"For now, but it's too cold. She'll freeze." Pain layered Artemis's voice.
"So what have you done about it Arty? You're just sitting there like a zombie."
"I'm disappointed Beckett."
"Disappointed?"
"Yes at myself, for all my genius, I cannot find a way of getting my daughter out of there." His shoulders slumped somewhat.
"What if we dig a parallel tunnel?" Beckett tried optimistically.
"The grounds too soft. Unstable." Artemis seemed to have lost the will to form complete sentences.
'He really must be far gone.' realized Beckett.
"What about someone going in there?" but he wouldn't give up.
"Won't fit. Too narrow." Almost an afterthought Artemis added "We can't do anything."
Beckett fell silent, and then they both heard Noël crying. Shining the torch Artemis had abandoned into the well Beckett spotted the little girl.
"Unca' Bekkeh?" she whimpered. "Cold..." then she sobbed again.
Suddenly Artemis was leaning down at the lip of the well.
"Shh... Noël everything will be fine. Don't cry, Daddy's here."
Beckett asked then, averting his eyes from the trapped girl. "Do you want to try the rope again? Maybe she'll listen now?"
Before Artemis could reply however, Butler appeared at their side, his face drawn with worry, a phone in his right hand.
"Your mother." He said simply, handing the phone to Artemis who gripped it as if it were a lifeline.
To Beckett he announced that Myles jet had landed and that he would be there shortly, before disappearing again to try and clear the property from all the spectators.
Artemis put the phone to his ear, "Hello Mothe- Mum?" he couldn't help it, his voice trembled.
"Oh! Arty! How terrible! We're on our way now! How is she?"
"She's holding up like you granddaughter."
Why was it that she made him fell infinitely better with just mere words?
"Oh Arty don't give up! If anyone can get her out, you can."
"Thank you Mum. We're trying..."
"Are Beckett and Myles there yet?"
"Yes Beckett, would you like to talk to him?"
"Please dear. Oh and Arty everything will be alright, you have to believe that! Your father's driving right now but he sends his love too."
"Yes of course Mother." He lied and gave the phone to Beckett, who immediately began "Uh-huh-ing" to his mother.
"Of course, I'll take care of him, Mum! Okay, see you when you get here!" Beckett had only to close the phone that his twin brother came jogging into view.
"I came as soon as I could!" he huffed straightening his tie.
Artemis only nodded, woebegone. Butler then appeared with a gruff looking man in his forties..
"Beckett, Myles, this is Garda Sergeant Malone, he's been in charge of our attempts."
The twins nodded and Beckett shook hands with the man.
"Why haven't we got her out yet?" Myles asked crossing his arms.
"She's too scared." Butler answered solemnly.
"And I'm afraid if we try she could just fall in further. From the blue prints we got, the well gets narrower further down, it's too dangerous." added the Sergeant.
"What about someone going down there?" Beckett asked again.
"It's too narrow, only a small child could be lowered down and even then they would hardly be able to pull her out."
The Sergeant said sombrely "Our main worry is that she'll get too cold..." seeing the horrified look on the twins' faces he added "You know boys I have a daughter of my own... I can see what your brother is going through; you need to be strong for him."
All was silent for a while.
"Well you two should keep talking to her at least, stop her falling asleep." Butler frowned. "Artemis seems to be in no position to do anything." he added gazing at his former charge's dejected form.
Beckett and Myles crowded around the edge of the well staring down apprehensively. Then they simultaneously looked at Artemis, if they found it difficult to face the girl then imagine what Artemis was going through.
"Hey baby girl?" Beckett called.
"Don't go asleep now okay?" Myles added blinking nervously.
"Fall." was the reply.
"No, you're not going to fall Noël! Don't worry!" Beckett tried to reassure.
Noël's voice came back cracked from crying "Fall asleep, not go sleep Unca Myes." She corrected.
The twins stared at each other. A three year old correcting grammar while in mortal peril, truly she could only be the daughter or Artemis Fowl.
Beckett let out a breath. They'd get her out the just need a little miracle
"Go ask the Sergeant about digging a parallel tunnel?" Myles ordered taking of his jacket, there was a light in his eyes. Beckett stared at his twin, each silently vowing not to rest until they had gotten there niece back.
She'd had to take a commercial shuttle to the surface but once there mercifully her visa had allowed her full access to equipment. From there it had been a straight flight from Tara to Fowl Manor. Of course once she got there she realised how hard it would be to just waltz in. The police had cordoned off most of the area but practically the whole country side seemed to line the barricade. Nothing attracted humans more than possible tragedy.
Holly Short flew around the estate once, alighting in the back garden of a small cottage. It was easy to 'borrow' some human clothes from a line. Surly Holly reasoned that no-one would miss them. So clad in a pair of children's jeans and a large white shirt Holly made her way on foot to Fowl Manor.
It had started to drizzle in the cold November night. It seemed almost hopeless for the spectators who watched as the emergency services tried in vain to rescue the little girl.
That was until a small figure leapt over the barricades and ran toward the Fowl family gathered around the well.
Myles stared at the little dark skinned girl.
"I'll go down the well!" she exclaimed but couldn't seem to hear her properly.
"Excuse me Miss, but I'm going to have to ask you to leave, and stay behind the barricade." The Garda Sergeant said, trying to turn the girl around. She shrugged out of his hold refusing to move and repeated "I'll go down!"
Myles felt a twinge of familiarity but pushed it away.
"No sorry you're only a little girl-" he began but she cut him off.
"I'm Sixteen!"
"Oh."
Beckett who had been on the phone to a building company requesting an emergency digger, appeared beside Myles and noticing the girl began "Who...?" before blinking rapidly as if to clear his head.
Looking at him Myles was sure Beckett remembered her from somewhere too like a half remembered dream...
"Let me go down! I can fit and I'm a gymnast!" The girl repeated again.
Beckett was ready to protest when Artemis stood up, his skin if possible even paler.
Staring wildly at the girl he said "Let her try."
"Arty! We can't endanger another child's life for-" Beckett began to say when the girl scowled and said "I'm not a child!"
Myles crossed his arm and was ready to object; he stared at his twin and knew that he too was against this. But before Beckett or Myles could point out the stupidity of this idea, Butler who had been for the most part quiet spoke up.
"Beckett, Myles I believe we should let the young lady try?"
Throughout this whole ordeal he had been the voice of reason, the calm unmoving mountain that had taken care of everything, the twins turned to stare at Butler astounded. If the cautious body guard was backing this up, then really was there no other way?
"Sinead O'Keefe reporting from Fowl manor, Co. Dublin for RTE News."The woman stood in front of the camera a grey umbrella clutched in one hand. In the back ground a young girl could be seen getting into a handmade rope harness.
"A slender teenager, a gymnast has volunteered to be lowered down into the well to try and pull out Noël Fowl. The little girl has been trapped down there for the last six hours. We can now see the teenager being lowered into the well, head first. One inside she will have to navigate through pitch black to reach the little girl."
There was a pause and then a dramatic gasp and the anchor woman began to exclaim. "Oh my, she's yelling to be pulled back out. The men have now pulled her back out but she is empty handed. It appears the ropes are hampering her movements. We can now see Noël's father Mr. Artemis Fowl plead with the young girl to try again."
The screen cut to a focused close up of the two. The teenager was on the ground with Artemis crouching beside her. Suddenly the screen shot was blocked by the enormous shoulders of Butler but only for a minute before the teenage girl could be seen getting to her feet.
"It seems the girl is ready to try again."
It is dark.
It is cold.
It is raining.
Daddy is outside.
He is crying on his inside.
Unca Myes and Bekkeh are there too.
And many, many people.
I am cold. I can't feel my arms and legs.
I'm stuck and cold.
Please Daddy...
I'm cold...
Get me out of here...
Holly couldn't breathe, the walls surrounded her. There was mud everywhere and it was pitch black.
Still she felt herself being lowered into the deep dark hole in the ground. Slithering through the muck due to gravity, the blood rushing to her head.
She was claustrophobic; she knew but still an instinct bigger that just the need to save another life propelled her forward. She could see Noël now a little round cherubic face, black hair caked with mud. One eye was blue and one eye hazel, widening in horror. Holly only knew two other people like that, herself and Noël's father.
"Come...on Noël... Just grab a hold of my hand." Holly coaxed.
But the little girl refused to budge. "Daddy?" she asked weakly.
"Come on...my names Holly... I'll take you to Daddy." Holly reached but her own arm was stuck against the wall.
"Daddy!" Noël's voice turned shrill.
Holly stared at the little girl through what little light there was, looking her in the eye, big mistake. Noël's voice layered with bass and alto. "Take me to Daddy!" she ordered.
Holly could feel her pupils dilate. The little mud girl was using the Mesmer on her. Before the elf could reply however Noël asked again.
"Make Daddy come here!"
Holly felt the compulsion to follow.
"Pull me up!" she shouted tugging at the rope she had to break eye contact. And then she was moving upwards, leaving the little girl alone in the dark, it was the single most hardest thing Holly ever had to do. Before she knew it however the cold night air slapped her face. She sucked in huge lung full's of air and felt herself being carried; she opened her eyes to see Artemis setting her down on the ground.
"Holly please you have to try again." He begged holding her shoulders. Her heart broke to see him like this and to think it all could have been avoided, if only... Someone handed her a glass of water, probably Beckett and she chugged it down.
Then sitting up straight she cupped Artemis's face and said clearly. "Of course I have to try again, Arty." She smiled, "I'll try another hundred times if I have to."
And then she pulled him down to briefly touch her lips to his before getting up and declaring she was going to try again.
Beckett gave his brother a confused stare, which Myles returned with equal question. Had they just seen what they thought the saw?
Butler too was acting as if he knew this girl, they heard him mutter "We're counting on you Captain." as she went past. Who was she? The twins wondered before returning to the task at hand.
Lilly: It's Finished!!! (falls over keyboard)
Laurry: (wipes forehead) Finally!!
Lilly: Ya know I've never worked this hard or fast on Fic! God it's tiring!
Laurry: It took me bloody ages to sort out the mess in her head!
Lilly: well there it is people... the second instalment of 'Something short of a Miracle' Please review!
Laurry: Oh and also there is going to be a bunch of T rated stuff toward the end..um and I'm thinking of it maybe going M rated...Review and tell me whether You'd prefer it to stay T or M??