This is a bit of a T-rated chapter for the first section... Only a little, though. (; I'll mention at the end what I mean by that in case it's not as obvious as it feels like to me.
Disclaimer: The characters, much of the dialogue, and sadly, even the plot are not mine; they all belong to Eoin Colfer.
Pages: (jump forward to) 340 – 342, (jump back to) 317 – 320
Chapter 31: Seeds of Mistrust
" – accompany – " Holly began.
" – you?" finished young Artemis, narrow blue eyes slightly wider than usual.
Holly and young Artemis's reactions to the older Artemis's pronouncement were strangely similar.
"Absolutely not," said Butler.
"But Artemis – " said Holly, forcing herself to forget her embarrassment enough to turn back to her partner, craning her neck to look up into his face.
"Take me with you?" repeated little Artemis, mouth tight with suspicion. "What purpose would that serve?"
The older Artemis shrugged slightly. "When we return, there will be something that we have to take care of, and my plan for dealing with it requires you."
Closing his eyes, he breathed deeply, remaining silent a moment. No one interrupted his thoughts, simply waiting for what he would say. At last his eyes slid open again, and he began calmly, "From the beginning, I noticed many aberrations on this trip, things that did not fit together. For instance, I believed for some time that I must have been the one to have infected mother, as I had been the only one to have used magic on her in recent times."
Artemis's gaze flickered down to Holly for a second, then returned to little Artemis and Butler.
"However, if that were the case, I found many slight incongruities, lingering questions for which I could not discern answers. For instance, if I really carried the disease, why was I myself not ill, nor Holly, who had used her magic on me multiple times in the past, nor Butler who has been healed with magic even more often than I? And is it a coincidence that it was my mother to fall ill among so many other people who have had magic used on them in the past year? I think not."
Holly felt a tingle at the base of her neck.
"What are you saying, Artemis?" she asked, though she wasn't entirely sure she wanted to hear the answer.
Artemis's eyes were steely with certainty and determination. "I am saying that someone deliberately caused Mother's illness, with the express intent that we would travel back in time to rescue this lemur – Jayjay – and take him back with us to the present."
Holly was silent for half a second. "Wait a minute, hold on," she said suddenly. "I'm sorry, Artemis, but that makes no sense. Who would be in the position to do something like that, or even have a reason in the first place?"
Artemis's face was deadly serious. "Have you forgotten who else wanted Jayjay?"
At these words, Holly's blood froze, despite the beams of warm summer sunlight filtering in through the window. "But that's impossible," she said, with a definite note of forcefulness now. The horror of the thought was enough to shove momentarily from her mind thoughts about the discomfort of holding onto Nº1's spark. Or perhaps the worst of the pain of it had simply receded for the time being, though she was too preoccupied to notice.
"What's impossible?" little Artemis asked impatiently, reminding Holly just a bit of his future self when they had been back in Angeline's room, when she and Foaly had realized what the disease must be.
Perhaps Artemis had a bit of sympathy for his younger self because, unlike his fairy friends, he turned his eyes to the boy and answered immediately. "After I fell into the flame pit at the Extinctionists' compound," he said, "I discovered there was another fairy who desired the silky sifaka lemur, for the purpose of bringing her powers to a whole new level. She is a pixie named Opal Koboi, a genius and megalomaniac that Captain Short and I have had some dealings with before in the past – future, in your case."
Little Artemis was quiet, thinking. "I see," he said. "So that's it. I understand."
Holly was glad someone did, because she sure didn't. She found her eyes automatically going to Artemis for further explanation, but before she could open her mouth to ask he answered he question.
"In other words," he said grimly, "when we return to the future, the Opal from this time will already be there waiting for us."
The cold in Holly's veins seemed to only solidify further, choking the beating of her heart and stopping her lungs from taking in enough oxygen. The fairy who had murdered Julius Root and very nearly destroyed half of Haven – coming to their time?
"Opal," Artemis continued, "will, as soon as we leave, enter the stream after us through the hole we leave behind, pursue us to the future, then drop out of the stream before we do, which will give her time to set up the scheme of infecting Mother or else feigning the effects of the disease in order to instigate our return to the past. She went to the future because of us; we came back here because of her. It's a loop – A 'time paradox.'"
"Ah, okay," said Holly, not entirely sure she got all of it, but understanding enough to know that it meant bad news for them. Her tone gained more authority as she took the conversation back into an area she was comfortable with: taking action. "Then we have to stop her," she said. "If we leave right now, the hole may have closed before she can get here. Or we can have Butler stand here as a guard."
Artemis shook his head. "None of that will work. This has already happened, so we cannot prevent it. That's the nature of the paradox. We will have to deal with Opal in our own time."
Holly pursed her lips. She wanted to argue, but, though she hated to admit it, the insanity was actually starting to make sense to her, and it seemed like Artemis could very well be right. So instead, Holly deflated slightly and groaned. "Great," she muttered. "So much for finally getting a chance to relax."
Artemis smiled slightly. "Not just yet, friend."
"You couldn't have mentioned this sooner by any chance," she said, annoyed. "Is there really anything we can do if she's already set up camp and is just sitting in your manor waiting for us? It sounds to me like a couple of mice going back to the den only to find a big snake already there waiting for them."
"I didn't want to worry you," he said, smile still tugging at his lips. "But rest assured, at the very least this mouse in particular does have a plan."
When he turned his head back to little Artemis, his expression was sober again. "And that is where you come in. I will need you to distract Opal, put her off her guard while I move to take care of her personally. Will you agree to come?"
"Yes," said the younger Artemis, without hesitation. "Of course."
"Hold on a minute," said Butler again, stepping forward. He did not look happy. It was all Holly could do to keep from shrinking back a step.
"However," young Artemis continued, addressing his future self without looking at his bodyguard, "I have a request."
His blue eyes were cold and certain, and Holly had the distinct sense that, whatever he was about to say, it would be better for them not to refuse, the way one didn't refuse the request of a well-known local mob boss. But, she reminded herself, that intimidation was just part of his projected persona. Still, even if he wasn't as evil as she had thought, that didn't mean they didn't still need to be careful.
"You have told me much concerning these secrets about fairies," he said, "and I have a sneaking suspicion that this magic you told me about extends to memory manipulation, is that correct? After all, that is the only conceivable way that it would be possible for these creatures' existence to be kept such a secret all this time. So, I merely ask that you leave my mind intact when I am sent back to this time. It is my mind and my memories which make up who I am, so I would prefer no one tamper with them. After all, I have no doubt these memories will greatly contribute to who I become."
Artemis didn't blink. "Very well," he said. "I agree to those terms."
"Wha – " spluttered Holly, whirling to stare up at her friend as though he was out of his mind, then regretting it as she put a hand back to her chest, feeling the pressure of the fading spark return with a vengeance. "Artemis, you can't be serious," she blurted, though her tone was strained. "You know what he is."
"Yes, thank you for that," he said, smiling a little. "But we do require his assistance for the plan." His eyes were solemn as they met hers, the mismatched colors mirrored back at her own as ever. "Just trust me."
Holly huffed slightly and looked away. "I really shouldn't." However, she found herself remembering again the moral relapse the boy had had when his memories had been erased before. And this time, he had already started to change even in just these few days, going from kidnapping her to going out of his way to save her. Strangely, apparently he wasn't a difficult person to influence for the good, but it was such a delicate thing, and only too easily destroyed. Holly had the briefest thought that maybe leaving these new memories where they were was for the best after all.
As she was thinking, Holly's eyes fell on the ten-year-old Artemis, who was silently watching her. His lips were slightly upturned at the corners and his eyes glittered. From the expression on his face, he might have been the younger in a pair of siblings who had just won an argument, and gotten the parent to ground the older one to boot.
…No, she thought, slash that. He was still Artemis Fowl. Whatever Artemis age fourteen thought, that promise was way too rash in the extreme. They would all live to regret this.
Galled by the look, Holly ignored the boy and turned back to the Artemis from her time.
"In this plan, Artemis," she said, "if you're right about this, what should I do? Maybe you'd better leave Opal to me. The physical isn't exactly your area of expertise, in case you've forgotten."
"No," said Artemis decisively, shaking his head. "It must be me. First of all, Opal will likely have hijacked the Fowl security system. Though there is no camera in my personal study, she will no doubt monitor us through the cameras placed elsewhere if we leave it, and I am the only one who knows how to navigate the manor without being picked up on surveillance."
Butler frowned very distinctly at this. He probably didn't much appreciate hearing someone say there was a hole in his security, even if it came from a future version of his master.
"Secondly, Opal is only expecting one Artemis Fowl to emerge from the time stream. If she believes you and I are both accounted for, she will let her guard down – That is essential to the plan. Opal's overconfidence is her downfall."
"And so, you want me to..." Holly prompted.
"Remain behind in the study to inform Foaly and Nº1 of my theory. Leave the rest to us."
Holly nodded, but inwardly she realized she felt a bit shut out.
Little Artemis was looking at her again. "So, you're a fairy," he commented. "And you have actual magic."
"That's what we said," replied Holly.
"So it was magic you used to heal him – " he gestured at his elder self – "at Rathdown Park after he was nearly dismembered by the troglodytes gorilla." His face was thoughtful. "We wondered about that." A moment later, his small, thin lips curled again in that way that never failed to get under her skin.
"And you're a captain of some type of fairy police force," he added in a falsely innocent tone. "You seem very, ah, relaxed for someone of that level of responsibility."
Holly raised an eyebrow and cocked her head, for a second not sure what he was getting at. Then she made the connection to his earlier comment about Rathdown Park, and the color rose in her face until it was an ugly shade of puce. Oh, he was so dead.
Butler edged closer until he half blocking Holly's view of the boy, flexing threateningly as he glared down at the new diminutive threat to his principle. The elder Artemis meanwhile rubbed his temples and said, "Holly... I understand how you feel, but I hope you will keep in mind that if you cause a paradox here, it will likely mean the end of the universe as we know it. But even if not, I would like to point out I would in fact still like to exist beyond ten years of age."
"Nothing permanent then," said Holly very calmly as she imagined all the most satisfying methods of torture she could think of. "Nothing that can't be fixed."
"How's Nº1's spark?" Artemis asked to distract her. "Can we still enter the stream?"
"Yes," said Holly, not distracted, despite the mounting pressure in her chest, and for some reason not pacified by the way the boy was continuing to smirk at her from around where he stood safely behind his bodyguard. "Well?" she demanded of the ten-year-old, suddenly aggressive. "If you're coming, off with your clothes. Unless you want to be wearing that suit for the rest of your life."
Young Artemis's smile flickered, and for a moment he looked disconcerted. Then his composure was back, but he still eyed her suspiciously, similar to the way one might survey a suspected child molester.
"I would remind you, even if my intellect surpasses that of most adults by far, I am still physically ten years old right now," he said as he went over to the wardrobe and began carefully removing his suit jacket and unbuttoning his white shirt.
Holly was doubled over again, keeping Nº1's spark up until the very last moment, both hands clutched over her heart. Yet still her eyes remained fixed on a point between the small shoulder blades.
"Just close your eyes and count to ten," advised Artemis the elder, noticing her expression. "It is a simple exercise, but surprisingly effective. You don't want to be in the state when you enter the stream. You won't make it."
"I think I really just need to hit something good and hard," muttered Holly, narrowed eyes still boring a hole into the obnoxious ten-year-old. "Maybe you should volunteer. Seeing as how you're technically the one grinding my last nerve."
Artemis sighed, though he held Jayjay a little closer to his chest as though for protection. "It's at times like this I miss having Mulch Diggums around. I do prefer when he takes the brunt of these things."
Despite herself, Holly had to bite her lip to keep from grinning.
Little Artemis finished hanging up his suit and turned back to the group. He looked a lot less dignified standing in a pair of dark blue boxer shorts with vertical gray pinstripes, though admittedly they were better than the elder Artemis's red ones.
Holly held out a hand, palm up. "Come here," she said.
Again little Artemis looked at her dubiously, and approached with caution.
As soon as he came within range, Holly seized the boy's wrist, squeezing tighter than she probably needed to, at which young Artemis again looked decidedly disturbed.
"We need skin-to-skin contact," she explained so he would stop looking at her like that, though she was positive he was just doing it to annoy her. "Suck it up."
"Now wait just a minute."
Butler, it seemed, though he had stayed quiet for some time, was not yet convinced. "I can't allow this," he said sternly. "Artemis, it's my job to make sure you're safe. Your parents charged me to take care of you; I don't know about this time-travel business, but if you go wherever it is without any protection and don't make it back – "
Young Artemis turned to stare back at his bodyguard, looking grave.
"It's my mother, Butler," he said softly. "I must save her."
His voice rose a little and turned brisk as he added, "Now I charge you to stay by her side until I return. Anyway," he added smugly, "how could they hope to succeed without me?"
"How indeed," was Holly's sarcastic input. Then, at long last, she closed her eyes and opened herself up to Nº1's magic.
The relief of no longer having to keep track of that tiny, waning bit of power while also keeping the stream closed was immediate. She drew in a deep breath of air and then let it out a again, letting the ease wash over her. It didn't last long however as she felt something like a tug from a long way off, connecting with the spark of the demon magic lying deep in her chest.
"Oh, and Butler," the older Artemis called. "You should probably go to Mother immediately once we are gone. I guarantee you will not want to be here when Opal shows up."
Holly was busy watching young Artemis. He paled as the portal to the time stream opened wide before them, the vaguely trapezoidal, dark purple shape seeming to pulse like a fluctuating world of poisonous mist. The sound of a billowing gale was in their ears and sparks of crimson electricity crackled in the depths of the void, until it rushed forward and swallowed them whole.
Just before their bodies were dismantled into little more than strings of data, young Artemis, not looking quite so cocky as before, met Holly's eye for a split second. She suddenly grinned back at him – like a cat grins at a goldfish.
"Chin up, Mud Boy," she said with a bit of a wink. "And watch out for quantum zombies."
The trip through the flowing insubstantial river of the time stream was, if possible, even harder than the last time.
At first Holly felt all right. Good even, finally safe for the first time in three days of being drugged, kidnapped, and nearly killed several times over, even if it was just for a little while. They had saved Jayjay and so completed their mission. Artemis's mother would be saved and no one else would have to fear that they or their loved ones would fall prey to the vicious fairy plague.
However, as the immediate sense of physical danger eased, the relief she had unwittingly been enjoying from other sources of stress crept back to the forefront of her consciousness, and suddenly a multitude of conflicting emotions were pulling and tearing at her being.
Irritation over the deceit Artemis had used to manipulate her suddenly flared to life and for a moment it seized hold of her again. This time Holly's resolution on what to do about it came much more swiftly, and she felt immediately better as she conjured a mental image of herself, once the mission was over and everyone was for certain all right, giving Artemis a good, much-deserved sock in the jaw. Julius, she thought, would understand just this bit of immaturity from his officer; in fact, he would probably be cheering her on.
However, beneath the anger she also felt a twisting pain and regret digging into her chest like claws. The humiliation of what she had done in that silly unguarded moment still burned with an unbelievable intensity. She felt vulgar, degraded, as though she had wallowed in mud until the it had been caked on her face and arms, clinging to her legs torso. And in a certain sense, that was exactly what she had done.
However, even beyond those feelings, it was the lingering sense of betrayal that continued to hang in her mind most of all. The betrayal was not so clean-cut a pain as the others. Splinters of different emotions and threads of hurt of which she could not quite pinpoint the source seemed scattered inside her, so many different shards of pain that had to be found and dug out piece by piece, if they ever were all found at all. It was a messy wound, and even if she doubted it could ever be nearly as painful as having one's heart actually broken, it was the kind of injury she couldn't know would ever heal properly, and if it did, it would still leave an ugly scar of suspicion and mistrust.
First and foremost, it was not what Artemis had actually done exactly that bothered her. She understood that it had all been for his mother and she accepted that. But he had been so utterly convinced that he had no other choice than to lie to her. If it had absolutely had to happen to save Angeline, that was one thing, but had it? He had had a choice: he could have trusted her enough to come with him without his resorting to such dirty tactics, but he didn't.
Holly did not think she would ever forget this feeling, of going along so naïvely for so long, honestly believing that they were both being completely open about information. She had trusted him, despite her better judgment, almost without even thinking about it, and so, when it had finally come, the ugly truth had hit her with the force of a ten-ton truck. She knew now: they were allies, friends, but that was not enough for him to consider her a real partner, an equal. He would deceive her in order to move her on his chess board just as soon as he would any of their enemies.
Perhaps she should just accept that, and she would feel better. However, at the moment the injury was still too fresh for that. She was helpless to do anything but stew over the events, how Artemis had misjudged her, how he had failed to trust her to make her own decision.
Yet at the same time Holly could feel a kind of cold logic creeping in and permeating all these wounded, angry thoughts. A nagging voice whispered incessantly to remind her how dead-set against the plan she'd been at the start. A memory gnawed at the back of her head, a memory of the underlying terror she had felt at the idea of doing something so outlandish and dangerous as going back to change history. Her own words drifted forward.
"We cannot interfere, Artemis," she had said. "Humans must be allowed to live their lives."
Again it flashed through her thoughts of just how well Artemis knew the people around him. He always seemed to know what they were thinking, to the point where he could predict what what they would and wouldn't do, and know exactly what was needed to motivate them. She was one of those individuals he knew so well, with thoughts that could not be hidden.
So was it possible that, in that moment, Artemis had known her better than she had known herself? Had his intellect been right in telling him that manipulating her was really the only way to to take away her uncertainty and grant her the strength she needed to be able to agree to his audacious scheme? Even now, Artemis had never withdrawn his assertion, his belief that she would not have come willingly if he had not coerced her. Artemis had not said, "I made a mistake. I should have trusted you, Holly." He had said, "I did what I had to do. And I would do it again."
A hard knot formed in her chest then, a thorn she knew would probably forever hold a place there. This view on the events was no better than the first. Because, no matter which it was, it still amounted to the same thing: No matter how she looked at it, she knew without a doubt that either Artemis had failed her, or she had failed Artemis. The seeds of mistrust between them were sown, the beginnings of weeds that would grow until at last they stunted and choked out the growth of their friendship.
All these thoughts soon petered out however, the weight of the stream around her making it hard for thoughts of any kind. Like a drug, the thoughts and emotions within the flow around them seemed to drag her mind down until her thoughts felt slow and muddled, and continuing to push through the stream felt like she was up to her neck slogging her way through a bog, her lungs unable to take in enough air, her feet heavy with the thick mud that stayed suckered to them with each step.
Foreign thoughts from the eyes of a thousand other consciences and nature herself crowded their way into her head, so overwhelming that they nearly crowded out everything else. It would be easy to lose herself in those other thoughts, to forget all about Holly Short, first female Recon officer, top of the class in the academy in flight instruction. To forget about the fairy who had broken down and cried bitterly by her mother's bedside as nurses came in to pull the sheet up over the vacant face, and again when she had seen her commanding officer murdered right before her eyes. To forget the young elfin officer who cracked smart jokes at every opportunity, but was absolutely focused and serious when it came to carrying out her obligations, who had such a mind of her own, often going against orders, and risking her own life and career for the sake of others' lives.
For a moment, it was as though she could see from a perspective outside herself of all who she was. As a disinterested third party, looking on the worries of that other life with emotional impunity, she could see directly the insignificance of that existence in the great scheme of things. From afar the image of the jungle dwelling of that life came to her, its walls now so overrun by dark green vines and expansive leaves that blocked out the sunlight. The mere memory of any occupation of that place was already faded and dim, so far in a distant past that it did not seem to matter very much. If that fairy disappeared from that world, she could exist here instead, peacefully drifting along for all eternity. What was to stop her, when that other world had already passed her by anyway?
All these thoughts tried to worm their way into her mind and latch onto her consciousness like parasites. However, Holly continued to hold desperately onto her own spark of determination, of resolve to make it back to where she belonged. Her very atoms seemed to want to pull apart from each other like magnets of the same charge, and in her sluggish, dreamlike state, she felt began to feel a certainty that in giving in and allowing herself to be absorbed into the stream this dark place would be transformed, that it would shine with a divine light, and the confusion of the thoughts and feelings that now oppressed her would reveal themselves as joyful spirits that lived in the stream. Spirits that, if she gave in, would would welcome her with warmth and smiles, drawing her into them until all the anxieties of her former life were drained away, replaced only by an all-encompassing sense of belonging and eternity.
However, as they drew closer to their destination on the other end, Holly noticed the feeling of Nº1's presence in the stream with them and she felt sudden strength surge through her. The sleepy lethargy in her mind receded and she felt the tug of the little demon's magic guiding them through, as though she was tethered to a crimson cord of magic, and all the others were tethered to her. As Holly became more aware again, she noticed dark shapes like strange little creatures moving at the corner of her vision. However, she tried to ignore them and keep her focus on continuing to exist, on the thread of Nº1's magic dragging them ever forward.
As she recovered the energy to focus on things outside just keeping her being from being sucked out into the vast abyss of the stream outside the pathway, she also became aware of the emotions of the others around her, of Jayjay and the two Artemises. Jayjay was remarkably the most composed of any of them, moving calmly through the stream like he did it everyday, but the older Artemis seemed to be having it even rougher than Holly. From what she had heard, every time an individual moved through the stream, that being's 'data' or the particles that composed their essence became more disconnected, making it easier to fall apart or be reassembled on the other side with things missing. However, because the time stream was in part a magical construct, it was safer for a fairy than a human to travel in, so, although she and Artemis had both been in the stream the same number of times, it was obvious that he was suffering a great deal more. If he allowed his concentration to waiver even for a moment, he would be completely broken down and lost in the stream forever.
It was an impressive effort. Holly could almost feel his will and determination as a physical force as he tore ahead through the flow.
His younger self, meanwhile, who had never been in a dimensional tunnel before and so not had his particle structure compromised, was having a much easier time of things. He was busying himself near as Holly could tell by taking advantage of the sort of 'mind syncing' that took place in the stream, in order to pick through the older Artemis's brain for any new bits of fairy-related knowledge.
In addition, as his older self continued to fight the barrage of emotion that bore down on him, battling for his very existence, the younger Artemis would occasionally pester him with little snide remarks, like some kind of pesky kid brother. Holly could sense vaguely Artemis's irritation.
If we all make it out, she thought as she turned her mind back to following the path left for them by the little demon, I really hope he learns something from this.
They all landed in a heap on the floor of Artemis's study.
Nº1, showing absolutely no sensitivity whatsoever in light of the ordeal they had just undergone, welcomed them back by saying in a tremulous, spooky voice, "See any zombies?"
In this newly acquired penchant for dropping witty comments at the most inappropriate times, Holly wondered vaguely whether the little demon had been spending time with Mulch Diggums.
Artemis was, amazingly, the first to recover of any of them. Though her mind was still somewhat clouded by the stream, Holly sensed him climb to his feet beside her, setting Jayjay down and striding over to the wardrobe to get some clothes. She could see immediately he was back to his usual height and hairstyle.
"Thank the gods," said Foaly's voice from the TV screens in the study, breathing a huge sigh of relief, a more welcome first response than Nº1's had been. "That was the longest ten seconds of my life. Did you get the lemur?"
Jayjay hopped out from behind Holly to give Foaly a friendly lick, but got a spark on his tongue for his trouble. He darted back, giving the centaur a reproachful look.
"One lemur," he noted. "No female?"
Holly came out of her daze, and directed her eyes up to the screen. "No," she said. "No female. You'll have to clone him." But that was what they had been expecting anyway, so she didn't consider that the most pressing issue at the moment.
Artemis was of course already long gone and on his way to the command center on the lower level, and Foaly's gaze fell on young Artemis, his pale, exposed torso and thin limbs shivering, still under the effects of the journey through the tunnel.
"I see we have an – " Foaly began, but Holly cut him off.
"Let's talk about that later," she said quickly. When it came to curiosity and having his questions answered, Foaly was almost as bad as Artemis and they didn't have time to waste. "For now we have work to do."
"I'm guessing, from the look of things, that Artemis has a plan of some sort," said Foaly, eyebrows raised. "Is that going to be a problem for us?"
Holly was genuinely surprised by the question. She kept forgetting that the People had no reason to believe that all of Artemis's plans would be for the good of everyone.
"Only if we try to stop it," Holly replied.
Meanwhile, the younger Artemis was looking better by now. He picked up Jayjay and stroked the animal gently, making soothing noises.
Though she was mostly recovered, Holly still felt a bit jittery from the time stream trip, and it took her a moment to remember the most important thing, at least as far as she was concerned. Holly forced herself to her feet and half staggered over to the wardrobe, door still left ajar from when the older Artemis had used it a few minutes ago.
She straightened up, then stared into the mirror on the door. A deep sigh of relief escaped her as she was greeted by the familiar face, the high angular cheekbones, the tiny scars evidencing her time with the LEP scattered here and there all over on her exposed skin, the harder, slightly stockier build that came with better physical training.
Holly had the momentary urge to throw up her arms and exclaim, "I'm cured!" However, she didn't know how she would explain herself afterward, and as being called 'crazy' after having just returned to sanity did not particularly appeal to her, she settled for turning and putting on her best cocky smile. Captain Short was back – Now all she needed was her gear and she would be complete.
Young Artemis appeared at her elbow a second later. "You look different," he commented curiously. "So did my other self."
"Those were side effects of the time stream," said Holly smugly, repeating the comment Artemis had made when they had first arrived in the past. "Accelerated aging for him. I guess... de-aging for me."
"I see," said young Artemis, probably not fooled concerning which part was his older self's analysis and what was her addition. "That would explain a great deal."
Holly somehow knew exactly what he was getting at with this remark, perhaps because of the snide tone with which he said it. She wondered if he actually wanted to get hit.
Little Artemis continued on unconcernedly without giving her a chance to reply. "Though in that case my older self appears too young now, if this is really eight years into the future."
Holly decided to ignore the earlier comment and had to concede, if just to herself, that the boy was sharp as always. So this really was Artemis Fowl.
"Long story," she said tersely.
"You can tell me about it later, then," he said as he looked through the wardrobe for clothing that would fit.
Holly wasn't about to make any promises. She turned back to Foaly and asked, "What about my suit?"
"I imagine that our enemy would have already procured your equipment," said young Artemis before Foaly could open his mouth. "That is what I would do."
Holly frowned slightly. He was right, but didn't that mean she was going to be the only one still sitting around under-dressed?
The boy found a suit and pulled it out. "Time to see Mother," he commented. "How much fluid should I administer?"
Foaly was the one to answer this question. "It's powerful stuff," he warned. "Two CC's. No more." He told little Artemis about the syringe gun in Holly's medi-kit, which Artemis had not locked up with Holly's other equipment as she had been in the midst of using it to examine Mrs. Fowl.
Artemis reached down and Jayjay promptly climbed up the offered arm, settling onto the boy's shoulders, before Artemis went over to the bedside table to retrieve the medi-kit. "Very well," he said, slipping the kit into his suit pocket. "I shall go in alone. I do hope Mother recognizes me."
He said it lightly, but Holly could detect the real apprehension behind the boy's words. And strangely, despite all the things the little mini-monster had put them through, she found herself wanting to say something to cheer him up a little.
"So do I," Holly said, straight-faced as she closed the wardrobe. "Or she may object to lemur brain juice being injected into her by a total stranger."
Little Artemis, for the first time since this whole ordeal began, gave her the ghost of a genuine smile.
"Quite the attitude you have," he said dryly. "Take care of things here while I'm gone, would you fairy?"
"Attitude, is it? You're the last one I want to hear that from, Mud Boy," said Holly. She added warningly, "And don't order me around." Yes, nothing like a bit of verbal sparring to bolster his confidence and settle his nerves a bit – He hadn't changed.
The boy was smug. He said airily, "I suppose I'll just have to give it a few years then."
With that, he was gone with the lemur perched atop his shoulder, closing the door behind him.
There was a moment of silence.
"Hasn't changed much, has he?" Foaly commented.
Holly growled and ground her teeth in response. "Evidently not, Foaly. Evidently not."
A/N: So, here it is. Another painful chapter... after this, I think I should make a resolution never to write internal monologues again. (They always seem like a good idea when I'm first writing them, but by the time it comes time to post... Well.)
But anyway, so, we're getting very close now. (: There are either going to be three or four chapters left, depending on whether I decide to combine the last two chapters into one. I really want to finish everything before the last book comes out; I won't force it if they aren't ready, but I'm going to try to work out a rough schedule anyway to try to shoot for, which I'll probably put up in my bio if I get around to it. Though if some of you are really excited about getting to the next part, I might try to work faster than that. (; (But if you like this slower pace, we can stick to that too.)
Oh, and before I forget, what I mentioned about the rating at the top had to do with the 'child molester' thing. X3 Sorry, I know, but I couldn't help it because it seemed so just like little Artemis to stick it to people with the worst kind of insults just so he can look smart. :p
So, in other news, I've now officially had the privilege of being a beta for the first time! :D I worked on chapter 12 of Holiday Boredom's Resurrecting Annie, which a lot of you probably already know about. The writing is superb, the characters are deep and in-character, and there are lots of clever canonical twists on canon, so if you like that sort of thing, definitely go check it out! (; (But yeah, I should probably warn you that, unlike this story, there's a lot of content meant for older teen audiences, including language, violence, alcohol, and sexual content, though no actual sex. And the drama is really built up in a powerful way, to the point of being so intense some of it is almost hard to stomach – which can either be a bad thing or a good thing depending on how you look at it, eheh.) If you do wander over there, be sure to leave a review! (;
Anyway, thank you so much for reading and for your wonderful reviews last chapter! Please leave a comment and tell me what you thought this time, and I'll see you next chapter. (;
Posted 5/16/12 (My sister had her one AP test for the year today :O!)