Artemis Fowl: Opal's Revenge

Chapter Five

Everybody jumped at the sound of the knock.

Butler drew his Sig Sauer while Artemis tapped a button on the keyboard, bringing up the security cameras.

"It's a friend," he said smiling.

Butler opened the door.

"Guess who?"

No1 came in. "Foaly got the email about Artemis possessed early this morning and sent me over on a shuttle as quickly as possible."

"I thought you were at your moon camp, or something," said Holly.

"I'm on break," said No1. "So, Opal is in Artemis. I'm assuming that's why he's hand cuffed?"

"Yes," said Artemis. "We can't risk Opal taking me over. I've-I've already tried to kill Holly twice."

"Opal," said Holly. "Not you."

"Right, yes, well, she's lethal," said Artemis. "Can you get her out of me, with your magic?"

"I can try," said No1. He walked up to Artemis. "Close your eyes and relax your mind."

Artemis did so, praying this would work.

No1 placed his hands on Artemis's head and focused for a moment. In a few seconds, he was inside Artemis mind.

Memories of Artemis's life flashed by. They were all tinged with something black. No1 frowned. Opal's memories were in here too. She seemed to be resting at the moment, but her conscious quickly reared up when No1 intruded.

"Get out!" she snarled. "Get out, or I swear I'll kill you."

"Empty threat," thought No1. Her soul, with its black magic, was trying to twine deeper with Artemis. His conscious and memories were tinged with blackness, as Opal tried to tighten her control. No1 could feel the black magic's presence, and it was growing stronger. This was not good. If Opal's magic was growing, she would be able to do anything soon, possibly even break from any restraints that Butler could put on Artemis.

No1 tried to pick apart the memories from the black magic, trying to siphon it off, to where he could disperse it safely, thus weakening Opal. It would be difficult to extract her soul from Artemis.

"STOP IT!" shouted Opal.

There was a black spark, and a fizz, and No1 felt an intense pain in his head.

"Nnnugg."

Holly and Butler started at No1's moan. His eyes were closed, and his face was scrunched up, like he was in pain.

The pain intensified.

"Yes!" breathed Opal. "This is just what I needed!"

Blue sparks were popping. They turned black almost as quickly as they appeared.

No1 could feel as if something was being sucked from him-his own magic. That's what the blue sparks were. Opal was sucking them out and her corrupt presense was turning the magic black. She was gaining power.

"NO!" shouted No1 trying to draw it back, but he couldn't. He got out of Artemis's mind and jumped backwards, the pain his head making him pass out, landing with a slight thump carpet, twitching slightly. After a few seconds, his stumpy tail gave a last twitch, and he was still, breathing steadily.

Holly and Butler tensed. Artemis blinked, and smiled his vampire smile.

"Thanks," he said in Opal's voice.

Artemis had felt Opal taking over, when No1 let go. He tried to fight it of course, but he couldn't. He was still conscious and aware of everything around him, but he wasn't calling the shots anymore.

"Yes," said Opal, jumping over No1's prone form.

Holly raised the Neutrino and fired it. Artemis jumped out of the way. He almost got hit, but he ran for the open door, slipping out before Butler could grab him.

Opal focused hard, breaking the hand cuffs. It was hard, breaking a sold object, her magic wasn't enough yet, it would grow, but she needed time, and to get away. Where should she go?

She sprinted across the hall, running faster than what Artemis could usually go, being rather uncoordinated.

"Opal, where are you going?" snarled Artemis in his head.

"Away."

Butler darted into the main hall after Artemis and chased him down the stairs. Artemis was out the front door in a flash, heading for the barn. She knew, by sifting through Artemis's memories, there were some weapons hidden in the barn.

Artemis ran into the barn and found a box hidden in a corner. He punched in the pass code and opened it, revealing a Neutrino and a Sig Sauer.

"Sweet," muttered Opal. "Mommies got some weapons now."

Artemis picked up the guns and wrapped his hands around the Neutrino and the Sig Sauer. Butler and Holly came bursting into the barn.

Butler was breathing hard, his own Sig Sauer aimed and ready.

"Put the gun down," Butler warned. "I'll shoot you."

"Oh, really?" crooned Opal. "You would hurt your own principle just to get at me? You would kill him? Remember, you kill me, he dies, too."

"A shot in the leg won't kill you, but it will hurt."

A look flashed in Artemis eyes. Opal wouldn't like being shot in the leg. She shot the Sig Sauer at Butler, who dodged, but the bullet hit his own gun, knocking it out of his hand. He was weaponless now. He ducked and rolled, darting in a zigzag motion toward Artemis. Artemis tried to fire again, but missed, and those crucial seconds, Butler had disarmed Artemis.

Opal focused, spreading the magic in the body she was using, and threw a punch at Butler. The magic acted as electricity at her will, shocking Butler slightly. The punch did little to harm him, Artemis always being unfit.

Butler flat handed Artemis a little too hard, sending him smashing into the wall. Artemis cried out as he felt one of his ribs snap. Opal screamed too, but more out of frustration. She lunged forward, somehow ignoring the pain. Artemis yelled for Opal to stop, the pain in his rib getting to him.

Butler flipped Artemis as he came forward, sending and electrified punch to Butler's crotch. Butler doubled over in pain.

Artemis jumped up and backwards. "Ooh, I'm sorry; it is against the rules to hit below the belt?" Then he dodged a blast aimed by Holly from the Neutrino.

Opal thought fast and had an idea. She brought forward as much magic as possible and created a shield in front, when Holly shot again. The Neutrino's blast split and ricocheted off. One of the blasts hit Holly, sending her flying backwards, dazed, into a wall. She slid down and slumped on the floor. The other blasts hit the guns, destroying them, and the last one left a smoking hole in the barn wall.

Butler body slammed Artemis. Opal, not thinking fast enough, had released the shield, and used a lot of magic creating it in the first place. She didn't know what more she could do.

Artemis was more focused on the pain that he felt when slammed with Butler's bulk. As his body crashed to the ground, he was pretty sure another rib snapped, and the right side of his body was in pain. Butler roared as picked Artemis up by throat and flung him onto a mat meant for training.

Butler felt awful at what he was doing. He was hurting his principle, his friend. He was supposed to protect Artemis, and here he was, flinging him through the air like a piece of trash. But if he did nothing, Opal would make Artemis kill them both. The only way to protect Artemis was to hurt him enough, to where maybe Opal would retreat, at least for a while. Butler still felt sick though, wishing he could suffer the pain in Artemis's place.

Artemis felt his body land safely on the mat. Opal snarled and sifted quickly through Artemis memories for something that would help her.

"Ah!" Artemis heard Opal's little gasp. Butler had tried teaching Artemis how to fight. He had taught Artemis some moves, as well as put the little gym here in the barn, so Artemis could practice the moves against the leather punching bag. Artemis of course, not being physically inclined to such activities, had ignored the weights and the punching bag, and spent his time building a solar powered plane. Artemis couldn't fight to save his life, but Opal, searching through the memories, found the moves Butler had taught him, and could use them, or at least try, seeing as Artemis's body wasn't very strong.

She moved into a fighting stance. Butler advanced warily, not knowing what Opal would do next. It was eerie, watching his principle readying himself to fight Butler, smiling evilly.

"Come on, big man," purred Opal.

Butler went to punch Artemis, hoping to knock him out in one blow, and end the fight, for now. Opal dodged and punched Butler in the stomach. The blow did little. Opal pulled up what little magic she had left and electrified the punch.

"Stop it, Opal!" shouted Artemis. "You'll only make Butler hurt us, including you."

"Shut up, Mud Boy!"

Artemis grunted as Butler grabbed his arm and bent it backwards, snapping it at the elbow. Artemis screamed in pain, rather wishing now that this episode had been like the first, when he hadn't been aware of what was going on. The feel of his arm breaking was agonizing.

"If I must suffer, you should too," Opal spat.

Butler heard Opal scream through Artemis's mouth. Butler winced as he heard the bone snap, and felt guilty for causing Artemis such pain as well.

"I'm sorry, Artemis," he yelled over the screaming.

Artemis heard Butler apologized through the haze of pain, and wished Opal would retreat.

Butler aimed a kick at Artemis's side, knocking him down.

Rib number three, cracked.

Opal was trying to get up, pushing Artemis's body to do her bidding.

Butler suddenly remembered the cabinet stored up against the wall, with some old chemicals and things stored in it from Artemis's lab. He wretched the door open, and found what he needed.

Grabbing some cotton wadding, he opened a bottle and soaked the cotton in the liquid. Whirling around, he lunged for Artemis, who had gotten to his feet. Wincing as another electrified punch, weaker this time, hit him in the gut, he grabbed Artemis by the broken arm and spun him around and drew him close. He wrapped his arm around Artemis body, holding him close.

Artemis screamed as he felt more pain jump through his broken arm, and again as Butler drew his close, his muscular arms squeezing his torso, making the broken ribs hurt worse.

In the next instant, the soaked cotton wadding was up against Artemis's face.

"What-" begin Opal, cut off as the cotton pressed against her mouth, gagging the mouth.

"What is this foul stuff?" she thought.

Bad as the fumes were, Artemis was rather glad to smell it.

Chloroform.

"It stinks!" screeched Opal.

The chloroform would soon render Artemis's body unconscious. Artemis could already feel his body weakening, much as Opal tried to make it thrash, but with broken ribs and a broken arm, she couldn't escape the iron tight grip of Butler.

Butler, racked by guilt, felt Artemis's struggles growing weaker. He knew he should continue until they stopped completely, but he removed the cotton.

"Artemis," he whispered.

Opal, having a fit of rage, retreated quickly, shouting and cursing. She quieted after a moment, leaving Artemis back in control.

"B-Butler," Artemis managed to get out, feeling extremely weak and woozy from the chloroform. He gasped in a few breaths of fresh air, the effect causing pain to surge through his broken ribs.

"You're back," said Butler, releasing his grip. He dropped the chemical soaked wadding, and gently lowered Artemis onto his back on the mat.

Artemis tried to say something, but couldn't think through the chemical haze, and the pain in his body. He moaned as his arm shifted suddenly, sending a shot of pain through it.

He tried to stay conscious, but the chemical effect and the agony was too much. His eyelids fluttered shut. The pain stopped as he mercifully fell into unconsciousness.