Chapter Three: A Forced Mission
HOLLY'S P.O.V
I check my watch. Three thirty. Around this time, Commander Ro-
"CAPTAIN SHORT! GET IN HERE NOW!" I risk an eye roll, hoping Commander Root didn't notice. I enter his office. Typical. He's sprawled his stumps of a leg across his desk, his face a nasty shade of beetroot. I cough, mostly from the smoke billowing from his cigar. I wipe strands of my auburn hair away from my eyes, and frown. Something's wrong. Julius hasn't begun his usual rant at me, ending with a, 'Sometimes I wonder if you're up to the task of being in the LEP...'
I decide to take action. This silence is unnerving me."Commander, is anything... troubling you?"
Julius grins, exposing teeth like a snarling wolf, I note. Then again, it's been ages since I've seen a wolf. Born under the surface, and living for there for eighty years takes its toll. The Mud men have a stronger hold on the surface now, and visiting it has become increasingly difficult. If we didn't have our shields, snapshots of fairies would be all over the front page of newspapers. My mind wanders to the Mud boy; Artemis Fowl. He may have escaped with the gold, but he won't this time. I'm determined to defeat him.
Finally, Julius speaks up. "Captain Short, I've noticed you love the surface. You've defied rules so you could have a good gulp of the sweet surface air." He takes a long drag from his cigar. I don't like where this is going. "As one of my top LEP officers, I like to think of myself as a caring, kind, commander." This personal statement is so ridiculous I splutter, struggling to contain my laughter. Julius glares at me. "Therefore, I am granting you the chance to enter the surface. Free of charge." There had to be a catch. Julius wouldn't hand out a chance like this.
"Why, thank you commander." I turn to go.
"Oh, and Holly? You'll be on a mission to monitor Artemis Fowl's behaviour. In other words, be a dear and check up on him." He smiles at me. I scowl. I knew it!
E1, TARA, SHUTTLE PORT (HOLLY'S P.O.V)
I prepare myself, gripping the hand thruster. The magma flares should be happening any minute now.
Three...
Two...
One...
"BLAST OFF!" A smug recording of Foaly's voice blasted out of the speakers.
That stupid recording of Foaly's voice, I thought angrily. When is he going to get rid of it?! The smugness in Foaly's voice irritated me even more. Concentrate. I shook her head of any lingering thoughts, and stared ahead. I expertly navigate the shuttle, dodging bits of hot molten rock flying through the air. I can see glimpses of daylight ahead. Almost... there. Suddenly, out of nowhere, a huge rock steers its course and slams into the shuttle. The impact is massive, and all I can see is the shuttle flying out onto the surface as darkness closes in...
ARTEMIS'S P.O.V
I need time to collect my thoughts. I turn to my manservant.
"Butler, I need to be alone for a while."
"Where will you go?" He seems surprised. I don't blame him. He never leaves my side.
"Just...somewhere." I massage my temples, hoping the throbbing pain in my head will go. Butler nods at me, and I walk out of my study, through the hall of my manor. I take a minute to admire the magnificence of the centre hall. Then I remember the task at hand and feel ashamed. Stop wasting time, Artemis. Perhaps I should visit the girl. I feel strange. Normally I don't feel this connection with other people. Human emotions are so complicated.
BUTLER'S P.O.V
I keep thinking about Artemis dismissing me. It's never happened before. I'm concerned for him. Twelve years of service can do that to you. I've never left his side before, I realise. My mind wanders to a different subject. The girl, Hazel. I looked into her deep brown eyes and saw evil there. She only looks about thirteen. Maybe I'm just being paranoid, but my soldier instincts are kicking in. This girl is dangerous. I stride outside, taking deep breaths of fresh air. My sensei told me to stay calm and meditate, which I do, automatically. Till I spot the steaming object in the distance. I begin to run, spotting grass turfs ripped back; exposing old soil. Master Artemis will be furious. As I get closer I can smell electricity smoke. I get déjà vu. I recognise that smell.
"Anyone alive there?" I approach cautiously. There may be survivors. I get too close before it's too late. A female elf springs from the wreckage, looking me straight in the eye.
"Hello, Butler. Aren't you tired? It's time to rest." The voice is soothing, like angel voices. I fight it.
"Don't fight it, Butler. Give in." The female steps closer.
My brain is screaming at me to run, but my body stops. I'm a prisoner in my own body.
"Good, now sit down and stay there. I will return."
My heavy body forces me down, struggling is pointless. The female smiles for a second, but it quickly fades.
"Now, I need to find Artemis. He has me to answer to." I hear her mutter. Artemis is in danger. I need to help him. But my body, for the first time in my life, is the only thing holding me back.
All I can do is watch helplessly as she walks away.
HOLLY'S P.O.V
I felt guilty for disobeying Julius, but it's my duty. Artemis will have a little more than a check up... I need to make sure not a single Mud man on the surface has any knowledge of the fairies. I glance at my gleaming acorn badge, and the guilt melts away. If mud men mess with Holly Short, they better be ready for when I return. I'm Captain Holly Short. And no-one messes with Captain Holly Short.
ARTEMIS'S P.O.V
"Hazel?" I whisper. "Are you in here?"
Immediately, I feel stupid. (That's a first.) Where else would she be? She's been locked in here for almost a day. A part of me feels... ashamed. She's a living person, and thinks and feels the same way I do. I won't let this girl get in the way of my plans. Think of father. I need the money to search for him; it's been years since I last saw his face. Even the picture of his face is slowly fading. The door creaks open, and I peek through. She's... gone. The window is wide open, and the curtains flap with the force of the wind. Impossible... How could she have escaped? A knotted bed sheet has been flung over the window. Despite the situation, I smile grimly. The knotted bed sheet out of the window. How cliché. I need Butler. Immediately.
"BUTLER! The girl has escaped!" I jog downstairs, looking around wildly. "BUTLER!" I'm out of breath, which comes as no surprise. Butler's gone. That's impossible. I dismiss the idea of Butler strolling out. Something must have caught his attention. But what? I scan each screen from the security cameras I've planted all around the house, including the grounds. My eye hooks onto one. It's flickering, but the figure in it is familiar. It's Butler, sitting down. What is he doing? Then another figure appears on the screen, it's only for a second, but I rewind and freeze the image. It's Holly. And she looks determined. My brain slots the jigsaw pieces together. Holly must have been flying a shuttle, when it crashed. That explains the smoke on the screen. It must have crashed, attracting Butler's attention. Holly pounces, and mesmerises him. That explains the position he's in. A simple but effective plan. That leaves me in the house alone. Which means...
"Holly, you can unshield now. After all we've been through, you still hide from me?" I say this mockingly. Knowing this will infuriate Holly and she'll unshield, out of anger.
"How dare you! You kidnapped me, you should be punished for what you've done, Mud boy!" Holly appears out of nowhere, her face a mixture of shock and anger.
"Ah, Holly. How pleasant to see you again." I stretch my hand, but she doesn't shake it. I'm not surprised; she still has a grudge for me kidnapping her. Elves are such an emotional species. Holly scowls.
"Don't think I'm here because I want to, Mud boy. Commander Root instructed me."
"Julius, how is he? Hasn't died from a heart attack, I suppose? Shame."
"You'd better respect him, Artemis. Or you know what'll happen." I can feel the barrel of a gun on my neck.
"I'm no longer Mud boy, am I? Interesting."
Holly scowls. Spoils her pretty face, I note.
"Haven't been up to any mischief, have you? You'd better not be. Right now, Foaly's charging up his mind wipe machine."
I try to look innocent. "I'd hardly call it mischief, Holly. I just do what I need to. Not because I want to."
She scoffs. "Yeah, right, Mud boy. You may have half the world fooled, but you don't fool me. I highly doubt the money you're making is going towards searching for your father."
This wounds me, but despite my rising anger, I remain calm. "Oh, the money goes towards it Holly, have no doubt about that. I will find my father."
HOLLY'S P.O.V
I'm unsure what to do next. This chatty conversation has got to end. But how? My mind is racing. I could knock him out, but what good will that do? I could mesmerise him. But Artemis knows of the Mesmer. He could resist. Strong minds are hard to manipulate. In the end, I just opt for a typical swing kick, movie style. It'll keep him knocked out for a couple hours, which in that time Foaly can mind wipe him. Simple.
"Sleep tight, Artemis."
I jump up, swing around and kick Artemis in the face. He didn't even have time to react. There's a crunch of bones as my boot collides with his face, but nothing a little magic can fix. I kneel down by the unconscious Mud boy, take a deep breath and whisper the words.
"Heal." I feel the magic flowing through my veins, pin pricks on my fingertips as I release the magic. It takes only a minute to heal Artemis's broken bones. I lift the Mud boy up onto my shoulder, (not an easy task) and head for the shuttle. On my way, I command Butler to follow me. Once we're inside the shuttle, I mesmerise Butler to sleep. I'm exhausted, but there's a job to do. I know what I look like. Grim determination.