Alternate ending to Artemis Fowl- chapter 4: Reunions
Disclaimer: I don't own the Artemis Fowl series.
Fowl Manor
Juliet gasped. How could it be? He was supposed to be dead, but there he stood, so clearly alive. "How?", she asked. Artemis just stood there dumbfound, but recovered rather fast. "The clone, whatever happened to Haven, it must have survived it, which takes me to the question at hand, whatever happened?"
Juliet briefly filled Artemis in on the events that took place and how she had seen how everybody was taken away from Haven, or more like the ones who had survived. How she had seen her brother being taken away, just like the Fowls and how she had to watch as they lit up Fowl manor. Throughout the listening, Artemis stayed surprisingly calm, observing.
Then Juliet showed Artemis her "shelter", the room, that had once been the basement of Fowl manor. Artemis saw that Juliet had tracked her brother down in Israel on one laptop and then turned to look at her. "Why didn't you try to rescue Butler?", he asked accusing, but Juliet wasn't offended, not in the least.
"I want to, but I neither got a plan nor the money to do it. All the money's gone, Artemis. Fowl manor is a mess and Opal has her spies everywhere. I'm lucky, that she hasn't found me yet despite the fact that she thinks I'm dead, but you're one to sound reproachful, you just dropped out of life and let us to our fates." "It's not like I had a choice, Juliet." Artemis sighed loudly, looked away for a second and then asked. "What about the others? What about my family? Or Holly? Or Foaly? Or even Mulch? Could you track them done?" Juliet shook her head.
Artemis went out of the damaged house and to the barn which was not badly destroyed. In the middle of the barn Artemis kneed and pushed straws to the side until a trapdoor could be seen. He yanked it open and climbed down the ladder, Juliet following curiously and peering down from the edge.
"What is that?" Artemis head emerged from down there for a second in order to lay five bundles of money on the floor in front of Juliet's feet. "That's a secret basement I had made in for bad times like this. I wrote that down somewhere in my now not anymore existing study. In there is money, clothes, food and some, I don't approve of, but Butler insisted, weapons."
After some time carrying money to the surface, Artemis emerged with a suit hanging from his arm and in his hands as much money as he could carry. He carefully handed Juliet the suit then let the money drop as if it wasn't important at all."Juliet, you carry the rest out while I go change." With that Artemis retook the suit from Juliet and went to change.
When he came back, there was a small humble of money on the floor and he felt much more comfortable in his usual attire. Juliet sat on the floor counting the money, but Artemis decided that they didn't have time for that and just blurted out that it had to do for now. Juliet had even carried up the weapons. "So", Artemis began, "first things first: getting Butler out off there and letting Opal know who she's dealing with."
Juliet protested. "Why should we let Opal know? It's not safe." "Leave the thinking to me, Juliet" The next few hours Artemis sat alone in the barn looking out of the little window at the top, meditating until he had the bulletproof plan he needed.
Israel, two days later:
Butler felt exhausted. For how much longer he could hold on, he didn't know. It felt like he was in the wrong movie. In one of these gladiator movies, where there were slaves who fought daily. That was, what Butler felt like, a slave. The armed guards came back and Butler could see the sun was about to set. The guards handcuffed Butler and also the others and together they were dragged back to the basis.
At the gates an echoing scream set all the guards on high alert. Butler rolled his eyes. "Probably only a prisoner trying to escape this hell.", he thought. Butler knew better. He himself had tried once. He had gotten himself captured, because he had gotten a little bit out of shape to his great dismay.
They had tortured him. The only good that came out of it all, was that Opal had visited especially for that. Butler wasn't happy about the fact that she had visited, to be honest, that was the least of his wishes, but leastways like that he couldn't forget the face of the enemy he hated the most and could dream on about every way he could kill her.
Butler and some others stepped to the side to see better and were promptly pushed back. In that moment a guard on the left side of the gates was thrown over the wall and landed with a thud on the ground. The gates were opened and all the prisoners were ushered inside. While Butler went through the gates, troops stormed the wall.
Butler turned his head to see who had been there, but the troops met on one point and nobody was found. The attacker of the guard had disappeared. Now who ever that was, Butler was alarmed and impressed. Whoever that was, was not only trained well, but had a plan. Or the guard had just been stupid and had fallen off the wall, but how likely would that be?
Everyone was led to the middle of the camp, Butler and the others stood in the middle of the place lined up, while some guards stood behind them fully armed and only the commanding officer stood in the front. His voice boomed: "You have worked well today, for that you get to sleep earlier than usual."
He kept on talking and a man, Butler had been talking to for the last months leaned over: "I bet on tomorrow's breakfast ration that it has something to do with the attack from earlier." "Deal", Butler whispered, because he had the feeling he wouldn't be there for breakfast. The officer in front of them still talked as a boy not older than seventeen ran up to him and handed him a phone.
Suddenly the officer who had turned his back to them, turned the phone on speaker and over the whole place a voice could be heard, Butler had been sure he would never hear again. " Tell Opal Koboi the hunter hunts again.", a cold voice, that undoubtedly belonged to none other than Artemis Fowl said and like that the line went dead. Butler could almost see the boy smile his trademark vampire smile on the other side of the line.
The officer turned around, looking perplexed, staring at the phone. When he lifted his head he went pale. Only then did Butler notice that all the guards behind him and around him, lay on the flour, unconscious. Only a girl stood there. Her blond hair worn back and a jade ring woven in. She smiled: "Hello Dom!"
Sorry that it took so long, but I ran out of ideas how to write this chapter …
Hope you like it
