A/N: Big thanks to the incredible comic panel artwork done by the S-tier, Iesnoth. It's worth the effort to copy/paste this link! Trust me! i i li . i o / XW zIi N . j pg [delete the spaces]
3 Weeks Before
The Black Alley
Phobos Tower, 14th Floor
Artemis ran a hand through the hairs on his jaw as he examined the holo-screen hovering in front of him. He'd been holed up in Phobos' operations booth for the past several hours, eagerly passing judgment on the flow of cleaned funds that would run through the company with the Council's permission. He glanced over at Meowington, ever a loyal companion, blissfully snoozing on a cooling fan beside the scanners. Artemis smiled and turned back to the screen. His pale skin glowed like bleached sand from the screen's harsh light after hours of managing accounts and finances. But, despite it all, he was determined to earn his own money, the way his father challenged him to.
His hands stuffed his pockets as he mulled over his earlier conversation with his mother. Did they really want him back? All of this, this clean business and moral high ground, stemmed from his father. Would Artemis Sr be pleased? Would he take him back? And not as a tolerable clone, but as Artemis? As his son?
"Hey."
Artemis looked over his shoulder towards the smooth voice behind him, unsurprised to find Keni in the doorway.
"Hey," Artemis replied casually, turning briefly back to the screen to close his accounts and power down the system. "It's 18:00 already?"
"Mhm," Keni murmured, leaning against the doorframe. "You said to get you, remember?"
"I know," he said, shutting off the main screen to gather his tablet and phone. He moved over to Meowington, waking him up with a gentle chin scratch. When Keni cleared her throat, he reassured her, "I'm coming, Kens. Hold on."
"Oh really now?" she grinned at him, twirling a navy curl in her finger. He shot her a warning look and she cackled. "Oh, lighten up. I'm joking." He made to pass her but she stretched a sturdy arm across the door, slitted eyes like a predator on its prey. "Don't be like that."
"Like what?" He raised an impatient brow at her. "I thought you were rushing me."
"We don't have to rush."
He realized what she wanted and let out a hefty sigh. "Keni… I can't." He didn't say anything else, but his stern expression told her enough.
"Aw." Keni released her grip, dropping her arm to let him pass. "Fine. It was worth a shot." She strolled in front of him down the hall, Meowington trotting beside him. "Are our funds cleared?"
"Yes."
"And you cleaned them?"
"Obviously," Artemis scowled. "It's in progress."
"Good."
They took the stairs to the next floor as she led the way to his office. She halted outside the door, a palm pressed against the wood. "The Company doesn't know why you met with the Council yet, right? You haven't told them?"
Artemis nodded firmly. "I don't plan on telling them either. It's vital that they don't know." He noticed a twist at the corner of her lips and he flashed a cocky grin at her. "You don't trust me?"
Keni rolled her eyes at him. "Not really. But what choice do I have?"
"Pfft. You've always had a choice."
"Oh, you threatening to expose my club never happened then?"
Artemis almost replied, then closed his mouth, thought on it, and smirked, "Well, I don't remember saying I would explicitly expose you-"
"Oh, shut up." She noticed the tuxedo cat weaving between his legs and arched a brow at Artemis. "Your cat can't come in."
He tried to ignore her and open the doors but Keni slid in front of him. "Why not?" he frowned.
"He's distracting, and an attention whore. We need everyone focused."
"Mleh."
"See?"
Artemis looked between her and Meowington, coming to a shrug. "Fine. Can we start the meeting, then?"
"Of course, Lil Boss," Keni jabbed with a sweet grin, sliding over to allow him into the dim office. Artemis entered, focused on straightening his tie as he stepped forward.
"Evening, gentlemen. I believe we've had quite the victory today-" His eyes popped up and he froze upon realizing he was speaking to an empty room.
Oh no.
Artemis spun around but Keni was closing the door behind them. He held his palms up at her. "Kens, let's talk abo-" was the last thing that escaped his lips before Meatball whacked him in the back of the skull. Artemis' eyes rolled back and he sank to the carpet with a thump.
"Sorry, Artemis," Keni muttered. Her dangerous, indigo eyes flicked to Meatball. "I'll never understand how you hit that high."
"I can hit higher," he grinned, winking and flexing a beefy bicep at her. "That's not even my max, babe."
"Mhm. Whatever. Get him up there." She motioned to the armchair behind his desk. She crossed her arms and sauntered over slowly, watching Meatball struggle to lug Artemis' scrawny frame into the chair. "Need some help? I can call Pauly for you."
"This guy's like, 6 feet tall, babe," Meatball grunted, heaving Artemis upright in the chair. "Gimme a break."
"He is not that tall." Keni shoved Meatball out of the way. "Move." She pressed her palms against Artemis' chest, pushing him back in the seat as she straddled his lap. She trailed a fond finger across his cheek. "It's a shame I have to do this to you, Artemis. I actually liked you."
"Oh, please. How many guys have you said that to now?" Meatball grunted, crossing his arms as he jealously scrunched his face.
Keni sucked in a breath, resisting the urge to snap at him. "Just do as you're told and keep quiet," she said with a sultry smile, batting her lashes at him. "M'kay, cutie?" As soon as he gave her a desperate nod she turned her attention back to Artemis. "Case."
Meatball fumbled through his pockets and slipped out a contact lens case and held it out on his palm. Keni gently opened Artemis' right eyelid instead, examining it for the supposed contact lens. Her client had promised he'd have them in, despite Keni never catching him with them herself. She felt almost betrayed knowing he'd hidden them from her. Had he not trusted her?! She rolled her eyes at the thought. Too late now.
She pressed a careful fingertip to his iris, popping the clear contact out. She blinked at it in awe. It was true, then. She placed it in the case and repeated the process with his other eye. As Meatball closed the case and tucked it away, Keni examined the wound on the back of Artemis' head. She nearly growled when she pulled back blood-soaked fingers.
"You fucking idiot. I said be gentle."
"Do it yourself next time, then," Meatball said gruffly. He ducked down a little to get a better angle of the wound, wiping it clean with a rag. "Head wounds bleed a lot. He'll be fine. I'm only a pixie, you know. Besides, you own a whole ass fight club. Aren't yo-"
"Can you shut up?" Keni wheeled on him with wild eyes. "I need peace and quiet so I can focus." With Meatball silent, Keni turned back to Artemis. She pressed an innocent kiss to his forehead, weak blue sparks dancing around the impact. It was no elf healing, but it would save him from a concussion at the very least.
After a minute of waiting, Artemis' eyes fluttered, the woes of consciousness seeping back into his mind. His head pounded and he felt a weight on his chest. When he tried to gather his bearings his hair was yanked back, holding him in place. He winced, barely able to see through heavy lids. "Wha-?"
"Artemis. Look at me."
What happened? Where am I? Artemis forced his eyes open through the searing pain in his skull, blinking at the pretty pixie on top of him. "Keni?" And then he remembered - this was a trick. He jolted up to push her off but she shoved him back down, her grip tight on his hair. His wide eyes met hers, pleading with her. "Don't-"
"Shhh, Artemis. It's okay," Keni sang to him, her voice layered with the hypnotic mesmer. "You're okay." She stroked his temple gently as she captured his fearful gaze, gold pools swirling in indigo eyes as her mesmer bewitched his mind, strumming his will like a melody.
Meowington unleashed muffled yowls from the hallway, even banging his round body into the door. The kitty's desperation snapped Artemis back to Earth. He tried to resist Keni's charm, but his eyelids felt so heavy, and that siren song was so sweet, so tempting. "W-why-" he mumbled when she pressed a finger to his lips.
"Give in to my voice, Artemis. Get lost in my eyes, look for yourself in my spell," Keni pushed into him, feeling her magick spear through his spirit, his expression numb and stale. "Good pet."
Keni patted him fondly, ignoring Meowington's incessant cries from the door. "Now, I need you to listen closely. Ignore the cat for now. Listen to me - only me." Artemis nodded, eyes empty like a corpse. She leaned in so their noses brushed.
"In three weeks time, Palo will drop off a cigar at your desk. You will smoke it, no questions asked. You won't become suspicious. You won't fight back. You will be taken, is that clear?" Another solid nod. "Give your phone to Palo when he gives you the cigar. Do not resist. Understand?" A final nod. "You won't check the cameras. You will never recall this encounter. Repeat after me. This never happened."
"This never happened."
"Nothing odd happened today."
"Nothing odd happened today."
"Now, sleep. Sleep, my human pet. And when you awaken, you will feel anew."
Artemis' head lolled forward and Keni settled him back in the chair, as if she were tucking him into bed. "It's a shame. I really do think he's a good boss." Unfazed, she snapped her fingers at Meatball. "Case."
"So why're we fucking him over again?" Meatball asked, handing her the lens case.
"I don't like this whole clean thing, and I don't trust him ratting us out to the Council," Keni explained as she delicately popped the contacts back into Artemis' eyes. "Plus, he's been outbought. Top Dog offered us a better deal, and they want Artemis in exchange."
"Who is it?"
"I dunno," she shrugged, swinging off Artemis's lap to stroll towards the exit. "They stayed anonymous. But whoever they are, they meant serious business. The kind we can't ignore."
The instant Keni threw open the doors, Meowington dashed through their legs into the office. The nefarious pixies left the hallway, leaving Meowington to cry with concern on Artemis' chest. And when he didn't awaken, he sadly curled onto Artemis' lap in defeat, building up the energy to try again in a few hours.
3 Weeks Later - Now
Phobos Tower, 15th Floor
12:05
The day had been like any other normal day - at least, what was considered normal for Haven. The cavern air was always muggy and stale, in spite of Foaly's state-of-the-art air purifiers installed into the rock to keep the air fresh and recycled, it couldn't compare to the actual surface. The Alley was even worse. Wedged beside the hot spring left the air sweltering, but that was what the fairies liked. Artemis, on the other hand, was finding it barely tolerable.
Nimble fingers flew across the holo-screen as he ran numbers through his head and updated their finances. He loosened his tie and fanned his dress shirt, a bead of sweat dripping down his temple as his eyes darted around the screen. He barely noticed the office door creaking open, a green-skinned sprite slipping through.
"'Ay, Boss!" Palo grinned, his wings fluttering as he hovered towards Artemis with a fancy wooden box between his fingers. He opened it on the desk, revealing a thin cigar lounging on crushed red velvet. "Got this bad baby imported from Atlantis today, fresh off the roller! Lemme know how you like it, yeah?"
"Uh-huh," Artemis nodded. Despite barely noticing Palo, he handed over his Faetek phone without a care in the world.
"Um… boss?"
Palo's uneasy tone gripped Artemis' attention. "What is it?"
"Uh…" Palo shuffled a bit in the air, but shook his head, bleached braids whipping side to side. "Nevermind. Just… lemme know, alright?"
"Sure," Artemis shrugged, turning back to the tabs on his screen. When he heard the door close, his fingers stopped strumming the keyboard and he ran them down his face instead. He fell back into his armchair with a sigh. He couldn't help a small smile as he gazed at the ceiling, closing his eyes to freeze the moment for just a second.
Things had been good lately, and he meant actually good. Regulating The Black Alley had been a massive success thus far, and within a three week span, Artemis was pulling in so many alums and gold, he'd almost forgotten what it was like to be a millionaire.
And Holly was an absolute joy to be around. He wasn't sure he'd ever laughed so much in his life as he did with her. She was adorably goofy the more comfortable she became over time, and he wouldn't trade the late-nights staying up with her, sharing stories and board games for anything else in the world… except maybe an entire empire powered by artelite. But even then, artelite couldn't smile at him the way she did.
Artemis cracked an eye open, glancing at the cigar on his desk. Perhaps his rare good mood called for a celebration? He leaned forward, plucking the cigar from its velvet clutches. His father smoked Cuban cigars with his whiskey from time to time. Artemis recalled one instance many years ago on a rough, stormy night.
"Why do you insist on smoking such atrocities, Father?" 8-year-old Artemis asked with a wrinkled nose beside his father's desk. "They are terrible for your respiratory system. Your risk of certain cancers is 15 to 30 times more likely than if you were to resist such indulgences."
Artemis I smiled at his son, a rare display of levity. "You're correct, as always. But, I cannot explain such indulgences to a child."
"Why not?" Little Artemis challenged. "I do not lack comprehensive skills as most children do. I fail to see how my age is of any relevance."
"It's not your comprehension, Artemis. It's about experience, through time, with age." Fowl Senior took another drag off the fat cigar. "One day, you'll understand."
Artemis realized he was smiling at the memory, not just because he greatly appreciated any warm moments he had with his father, but he remembered it. He could actually see it, replay it in his mind. He was real, then? This was really real, wasn't it? His spirit, his soul, his mind.
He was real.
"I'm still not sure I understand your habits, Father," he whispered, rolling the cigar between his fingers. "But I'll indulge one last time. Let's hope it's not green."
He took the gold lighter beside the box, flicking it and lighting the tip of the cigar. It sparked on impact, fizzling as a tiny stream of grey smoke snaked from the end. Artemis inhaled, the aroma of warm vanilla and burnt rubber wafting past his nose. He leaned back in his chair, watching neon lights from the Alley dance on the ceiling as he exhaled. Grey smoke billowed around his head, trailing through the air like a twisting river.
Things were alright, then. The Company was going well. Holly was well. His mind felt more stable. Everything was just fine.
Except for how damn hot it was in Haven. Artemis kept at his smoking as he sat up, loosening his tie and slipping it off his neck. His skin stuck to his white dress shirt, and he wiped another bead of sweat off his temple with the release of more smoke. Was it suddenly getting warmer? Was the air conditioning broken?
Artemis peered at the cigar between lithe fingers - he'd nearly finished it now. His throat burned from the smoke and a numbness began to tickle the roof of his mouth, but he assumed it was a symptom of whatever he was smoking. Artemis lifted the cigar between his eyes, examining it curiously. What was it, anyway?
It was fine. Everything was fine.
He squinted closer. No. Something isn't right. But he couldn't pinpoint what. What was it?
Artemis shrugged it off and took another drag, the cigar a mere stub now. He exhaled, watching the grey smoke swirl and spiral.
Oh.
He sat up straight in realization, but sluggish, like being underwater. Was he even moving? But that wasn't what struck him - the smoke was grey. The smoke was grey, colorless, translucent, normal. The smoke was normal smoke - and fairies didn't have normal smoke.
As soon as the realization seeped in, whatever he'd smoked decided to take its hold of him. Warm euphoria crept into his chest and held him like a comforting hug. Artemis fell back into his chair, eyes struggling to stay open. It was fine. It was all fine.
No. It isn't.
Artemis couldn't hear his own thoughts anymore. He couldn't visualize any equations he tried to conjure up - he could barely think in Gnommish. Holly. Call Holly. His fingers fumbled with the sapphire ring, popping the comm open. Holly answered something in Gnommish, but his brain was too scrambled to translate.
"Holly," Artemis blurted in English, propping himself up with his elbows on the desk. "I've been drugged."
Lower Elements Police Grounds
Shuttle Bay, E3
12:31
Holly Short blinked at the Irish voice from her comm. "What?" she chuckled in English, unsure how to react. She stepped away from Chix and the shuttle, a nervous smile pasted on her face. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, I-I've been drugged."
Holly blinked again, shaking her head in confusion. "Uh, okay. Are you-? Do you need help? Are you, like, having a fun time?"
"Holly, please. Please. I-I think- I-I-"
"Artemis?" Holly froze. Oh, shit. "Where are you?"
"P-Phobos. Top floor."
"Oh shit," Holly gasped. "OH, SHIT!"
Phobos Tower, 15th Floor
12:32
Artemis was completely sprawled out over his desk, feeling very much like melted paint at this point. Despite the panic in his chest, his mind insisted he was fine. He felt so good - very similar to when he'd tried Keni's green smokes. He could tell that whatever it was had just started working through his system, and the more seconds that crept by, the heavier and heavier he felt.
"Holly," he rasped weakly. "What do I do?"
"Is the door locked?"
Artemis glanced up slowly. It wasn't. He groaned, heaving himself off the desk and to his feet. The world was topsy turvy and he nearly toppled over, leaning into the desk for support. "Okay. Just a few steps," he assured himself under his breath, trudging like a corpse to the door. He fumbled with the lock, clicking it closed, and he fell against the wall. "Okay. Locked. Now what?"
"Can you escape through another door?"
"No."
"Is there anything you can hide in, Arty? Just until I get there?"
Artemis scanned his office. There was a private bathroom but the room was mostly barren, save a couch and closet on the far wall. "There's a closet. I'm- I'm not sure I fit."
"Hide in the closet. Go, now!"
Artemis took a big breath to prepare himself for the trek across the room. He forced his eyes wide open, hoping that would help him stabilize the wobbly world as he took a few steps forward. His balance adjusted to the sensation and he clambered into the closet, ducking behind the rack of tiny suits. He closed the door, save a tiny crack to peek through. "Okay. I'm in."
"Stay there. Do not move."
Outside, the office's door handles jiggled alongside three hefty knocks. "Boss? Boss, you in there?"
Artemis paled, clutching the comm for life. "Holly, they're calling for me. What should I do?"
"Be as quiet as you can."
"B-but what-what if they find me-"
"Artemis, shh. Be quiet or they will!"
The doors burst open then, crashing into the adjacent wall. Meatball and Pauly Sow stormed into the center of the office, spinning in confused circles. "Where's he at?"
"Holly," Artemis whispered, eyes glued to the pixies through the crack. "Holly, they're here."
"D'arvit. Okay, um…" She went silent and Artemis could hear intense rummaging from the comm.
"Holly, please hurry-"
"Sorry. Okay. What are they doing?"
"Looking. For me."
"Okay, wait for an opening then slip out."
Artemis grimaced at the comm as if she could see him. "What? I-I can't do that!"
"Artemis, you have to or they will find you," she hissed. "Look for an opening."
Artemis opened the crack a little more, peering outside. Pauly lifted into the air and flew towards the desk while Meatball made for the private bathroom. Holly had too much faith in him. He couldn't sneak around on his own regardless, especially not while under the influence of a mystery drug. "They're going to catch me-"
As if by some miracle, Sir Meowington strolled into the office, trotting to the corner of the room to give a pronounced, "Waaaow!"
Pauly and Meatball spun around, investigating the yowling tuxedo cat. "Aw," Pauly cooed, pressing his palms to his cheeks. "What's wrong, lil guy?"
Artemis didn't know if Meowington was that intuitive, or if it was sheer, dumb luck, but the kitty's body lurched, hacking from his throat, dry heaving dramatically above the floor.
"No! No! Don't do that!" Meatball shook his palms at Meowington, rounding on Pauly desperately. "Gods damn, help me here!"
Artemis grit his teeth. Now or never. He slowly pushed the closet door aside, silently removing himself from the rack of clothes. He tiptoed to the office door, his loafers light on the soft carpet. He spared a glance at the chaos.
"Hm?" Pauly snapped up, looking over his shoulder. But Artemis was nowhere to be found.
Artemis nearly tripped over his own feet in the hallway, wildly darting around for a place to hide.
"Artemis? Did you make it?" Holly's voice asked in midair.
"Meowington. He saved me," he breathed, blinking dazed at the walls. There was a large window at the end of the hall. Or were there two? Were there six doors? Weren't there supposed to be three? And, why was one pink? "Oh dear. That's not right."
"Where are you?"
Artemis nearly answered when voices from the office grew closer and louder. He dashed towards a door but smashed face first into the wall instead.
"Hellfire," he swore, rubbing his nose. Another hallucination then. Which door was real? He couldn't contemplate it, there wasn't time. He placed his palms to the wall, dragging himself down the hall until he felt the cool wood of a real door, throwing himself inside. It closed shut as Pauly and Meatball stepped back into the hall.
Artemis breathed heavily, head in hands. His skin was ablaze, heart thumping slowly, drunken and sluggish like the time around him. "Holly?"
Holly Short didn't know what was faster: her thoughts, or the speed at which she threw on a pair of Dragonfly wings and raced out of Chute E3. What was the fastest way into the Alley? Should she shield? Would anyone care or notice? How could she get inside Phobos without a card? And worst of all, who was trying to take Artemis, and why? Was Phobos trying to get rid of him? What if it was the Council? There were so many options, and the more options Holly pondered, the more it dawned on her that she didn't know where solace would be found. He couldn't go back to her home, and she couldn't risk taking him to the LEP. Could she take a shuttle to the surface? What could she do?!
"Gods fucking dammit," she swore to herself, weaving through dank stalactites. She studied the map on her visor, realizing that a small tunnel to her right forked up a few hundred feet, right into a derelict shuttle chute beside K-Club. "Yes!" Holly flew through, soaring in a corkscrew through the chute.
"Holly?" Artemis' voice snapped her out of her thoughts.
"I'm here, Arty," she replied, flying in spirals as her speed climbed faster and faster.
"Holly, how-" Was he giggling? "How did I manage that?"
"What, Artemis?"
"How- how," he kept chittering to himself in amusement. "How did I sne-sneak around them? How- How did I do that?!"
Oh, Frond. The drug was intensifying. There was no telling what state he'd be in when she finally reached him. All she could do was keep him calm and focused for now. "I don't know, Artemis-"
"I-I can't do that!" he cackled, followed by a thump.
"Artemis?!"
"Sorry. I hit my head."
Holly couldn't help but smile under her helmet. "Gods dammit, Astroboy. Don't scare me like that."
"Sorry."
"Can you tell me where you are now?
He lifted his head off the wall, his eyes barely adjusting to the environment. "It's dark. I- I think aaaaaa utility closet?" he rambled on, leaning his forehead against another wall. "Yes. That seems right."
"Same floor?"
"Affirmative, Commodore, Sir," he giggled softly under his breath.
Oh gods. "Okay, I'll be right there. Don't. Make. A. Peep."
Holly soared through the abandoned canyon, streamlining against the charred rock wall. The chute had been abandoned during the Pixie Crusades of Era 18 Year 71, when it caved in during an terrorist attack on a shuttle. Since then, the Underground below Haven and its network of chutes had been largely left to ruin and dust - that was, until The Black Alley was formed. The chutes themselves were unused by the LEP, but Holly had always suspected there were a few off-grid tunnels that criminals smuggled goods from.
She weaved through the ruins when the air turned sour, fragrant of fungus cigars and stale barbecue. She passed a rusted traffic sign overhead, orange heat marks flashing brightly on her visor. She was approaching life.
The chute lifted the surrounding earth into a plateau, the collapsed remains of an old terminal scattered across the rock like a wasteland. Holly followed the orange signatures on her thermal radar until she hit a clearing, electronic music booming deep within the rock. She flew out of the hangar, recognizing the druzy tunnel system before her. They were the same tunnels the fairies used to travel from K-Club to The Black Alley.
"Holly?"
"I'm here, Arty. I'm almost there."
"I'm sorry, Holly. I'm sorry."
Holly cracked her neck side to side. Her magick wasn't as hot as she'd like it, but it was all she had. She switched on her shield as she merged into the Alley's entrance, the hustle and bustle deafening her speakers, magenta and cyan lights streaking across her visor. "Why are you sorry? Are you okay?"
"You warned me. I-I didn't listen." He sounded so frail and small. "It's my fault."
"It's okay, Artemis," Holly said through ground teeth, zipping past steel towers and blinding advertisements. "I'm nearly there. Top floor, right?"
"Hmhm."
Holly didn't answer, pressing her lips into a tight line. This was bad. Even when she got to him, how would she get him out? She couldn't take down the whole Alley by her lonesome. Getting Artemis out through the front doors would lead to a firefight, and that wasn't ideal for either of them. Her wings were made for speed and agility, not draftwork. She was sure her combined weight with Artemis would be too much, no thanks to the Council for banning moonbelts in the last decade. Her options were dwindling the more she dwelled on it, so she set her sights on the massive, iridescent tower ahead of her. She'd have to wing it then, but that was how she pulled off most things, anyway.
"Top floor," she reassured herself. "I'm coming, Arty."
Artemis took a deep breath, sweat rolling off his forehead as he smeared it across the wall. You need to find your composure. Determine what you've inhaled.
This wasn't as simple as the green fae cigar he'd smoked weeks ago, and it nagged him that he couldn't pinpoint the side effects of the mystery substance. He'd hallucinate, but then there were moments where he didn't; one moment he felt like spilled concrete on a sidewalk, then he'd snap out of it and feel sober for a few seconds, only to fall back into delirium. It was as if whoever drugged him layered the cigar with several substances, each of them activating one after the other like dominos.
Artemis closed his eyes, concentrating on the symptoms at hand: delirium, serotonin-induced euphoria, and hallucinations pointed to a psychedelic; drowsiness, reduced motor function, dissociation, and body warmth indicated a tranquilizer. But both drugs pointed to one question: what kind?
"Fe'poyt could alf be?"
Artemis' eyes broke open, his brow furrowing in concentration. He could only make out some of the muffled Gnommish coming from the other side of the door. He was sure it was Pauly's gravely tones, and Artemis most definitely didn't need the beefiest fairies in the Company on the hunt for him. Oh, how nice it would've been to shield right about now.
Fine. Everything is fine. You will be taken.
Artemis shook the foreign words from his head. Where had they come from? Was this fine? It couldn't be. He groaned in frustration, slamming his fist into the wall. Why couldn't he think straight?! What was happening to him?!
"Fe'tot was that?"
Artemis froze - his fist had been loud enough to alert them. You absolute buffoon. He backed up until he hit the wall, eyes fearfully glued to what little he could see of the door. This was it. He didn't know what it was, but they'd definitely heard him.
"Sorry, Holly," he muttered in defeat. His thumb traced the sapphire comm.
"I'm almos-"
But he didn't hear her. He shut off the comm and closed his eyes, accepting his fate.
Good pet.
No!
His eyes snapped open again, but he wasn't met with darkness. He was greeted by two grinning fairies blocking the door, light bursting in from around their silhouettes.
"Ai, p'fret dui Boss. Or do you need me to use my gift of tongues now?" Pauly switched to English, crossing his arms beside Meatball.
"Sorry, pretty boy," Meatball goaded, jamming his fist into his palm. "Playtime's over. It's time to come with us."
Artemis gathered what confidence he could and narrowed his eyes at them. "No."
Meatball and Pauly both halted, blinked, looked at each other and broke into howling laughter. "No?! Wha-whaddya mean no?!"
"You're being taken, Fowl. Now, don't make me break your arms," Meatball huffed, advancing into the closet.
But he never made it. There was a sharp crash like shattering glass and then Meatball was launched backwards, sent skidding down the hall.
"E d'arvit?!" Pauly felt a breeze blow by him and he whipped right, only to be sucker-punched across the cheek and careened into the wall.
Artemis blinked at the heat shimmer in the doorway when a winged LEP officer materialized in front of him. "H-Holly?" he croaked, unable to believe his eyes. "Is that really you?"
Holly couldn't help herself, throwing her arms around his neck and pulling him into her embrace. "It's me, Arty. I'm here."
"You're real?" he questioned, oh so comforted by her friendly face. "You're really here?"
"I'm really here." She squeezed him tightly before pulling back, hands on his shoulders. "Let's get you out of here, okay?"
"You're real," Artemis repeated with a stupid smile painted to his clammy face. "Oh, please be real."
"I am. Now, come on!" she gripped his left hand, pulling him out of the closet with her. "Can you walk?"
"Sometimes. Maybe?" Artemis shuffled forward, nodding. "I can move like this."
"Okay. Tell me if you can't walk anymore, alright?" Holly pulled his hand along the length of the hallway. She glanced at the kidnappers' as they strode past, her visor reading ' Unconscious, Stable Condition' above their heads. Exactly how she wanted it.
Thankfully for Holly, Phobos' building layout had been scanned and uploaded into her maps following Artemis' arrest, providing her a limited view of the floor on the corner of her visor. There was a stairwell by the window she'd crashed through, and an elevator through the lobby, a bit further down the hall.
Holly weighed her options quickly, looking Artemis over. "Can you take the stairs?" He nodded and she gripped his arm, throwing it around her shoulders and leaning his weight against her. Her wings couldn't carry them both, but they could certainly help prop him up.
They made for the staircase as quickly as Holly could move them, Artemis shuffling his shoes against the carpet until they broke through the door, entering a dimly lit, concrete stairwell. Holly peered over the edge, gulping as she looked down.
"Okay, Arty. Fifteen floors is a lot. Are you sure you can make it?"
Artemis shook his head to clear his mind. His brain felt like it was layered in cellophane, fogging his ability to think. But thinking - planning - was his specialty. He wouldn't allow a few fairies to outsmart him. "H-Holly, where are we going?"
Holly's eyes met his, worry creasing in the lines around her lashes. "I… I don't know. Anywhere but here."
"What if we go up?"
Holly arched a brow at him. "Up? What do you mean, 'up?'"
Artemis rested his other arm against the concrete block. "I mean, up. Into Haven. Instead of going down to go up, why don't we just go up?"
"Artemis, we don't have time for cryptic-"
"The ducts, Holls," he continued. Though he was clearly intoxicated, his thick brows remained determined and firm. "The air recyclers- they- they travel down here and disperse"- he flayed out his hands as if to provide an example -"Haven's air. I'm quite positive there's one- on- um…" he pressed a delicate finger to his forehead, closing his eyes, thinking hard. "Fourteen. Fourteenth floor. It-"
"-Connects to the server room to cool it. Yeah, I see it on my maps," she breathed. "Okay. So. How do we go up a vertical vent, Arty?"
Artemis thought on it for a moment, but when nothing came to mind, he uttered a single, "Feck."
Holly gaped at him. "Did you just say feck?"
Artemis' eyes were half-lidded, his face deadpan. "...Yes."
"Say it again."
"Feck."
"Ahh!" Holly shook her head, recollecting herself. Despite the chaos and danger to his life, hearing his Irish accent was so damn cute.
"Okay. This isn't going to work. Do you have another plan?"
Artemis jammed his finger into his forehead again, thinking hard while Holly checked thermals on the stairwell. "There… there's an elevator at theee place next door," he scrambled, closing his eyes shut as he swayed side to side. "Fish. Yes. Fish." A cute little goldfish swam over Holly's helmet and he giggled again, staring in awe. "Fish."
A door slammed open several floors below, loud voices booming around the stairwell. Holly leaned over the balcony. There were two signatures on her thermal overlay on the ninth floor - and they were moving fast.
"We've got to move now." She yanked Artemis' hand and draped him over her shoulders, her wings lifting her off the ground and propping him up. She eased him down one flight of stairs as quickly as she could. He stumbled down the second to last step but Holly leaned against him, pulling him up. "Come on, Arty! We have to go!"
Artemis grunted in confusion, the stairwell's LED bulbs disorienting in the dim light like twinkling stars.
Stars.
His eyes widened in fear and he backed up into the wall. "No. No, please," he pleaded into the air. And as soon as the panic had taken hold of him, it was gone. He slumped forward as he lost his balance but Holly caught him, heaving him up. Work with her. "Sorry," he said huskily as he stumbled at her side.
"Where's he at?!" Bones' taunts echoed from below, much closer than before.
Holly ground her teeth as she checked the thermals of the fourteenth floor. Clear. She swung the metal door open, throwing them both into the hall. "Hold on, Arty," she muttered, grabbing her Neutrino from the holster at her hip and flicking the setting to scorched . Red and blue sparks flew as the concentrated beam welded the metal door frame shut. She whirled around in the air, dragging Artemis through the hall to the elevator. They passed door after door to their left and right, eyes locked on the rusty contraption ahead when the light above the chute glowed.
Ding!
Holly had no hesitation as she swerved them hard into the first room she saw, shutting the door as the elevator's grate lifted. They clambered through the rectangular room for the exit on the other side when Holly halted them in front of the door, holding a clenched fist to Artemis' face. Bones must've discovered Holly's work on the stairwell door because chaotic gunfire erupted down the hall. Holly waited, watching as their pursuers' heat signatures rushed by in favor of the ruckus.
And she was out through the door with Artemis, racing for the elevator as the fairies fixated on Bones' outburst. Holly slapped the button, throwing them into the rusty, industrial contraption. The elevator dinged again and the fairies in the hall spun around, eyes wide and furious. "HEY!"
Pauly and Meatball were close behind and reaching out to stop the elevator, but before Pauly could zip through, the rusted contraption closed shut, plunging Artemis and Holly into the depths of the tower below.
They panted heavily against each other, grateful for the small break amidst the chaos. Holly readjusted her fingers on the Neutrino's grip, blowing out a quick breath. She watched the elevator count down the floors, mere moments between 11, 10, 9. She observed Artemis closely, watching as his eyes glazed over and his lids struggled to stay open; he was totally out of it.
"You okay?" she asked sweetly, intertwining their fingers over her shoulder. He nodded. "So, where do we go from here?" she asked, readjusting his weight.
8. 7. 6.
"Er," Artemis gulped, the lines under his eyes creased in concentration. "Left. Café, on left," he managed to force out. His tongue felt like a numb sock in his mouth, despite his taste buds on fire. He could taste every grain of salt from the sweat on his face, the stale cavern air, and the metallic rust of the elevator walls. The dragging metal of the elevator chute screeched in his ears, and his skin felt boiled by the superheated air. To add to it all, his drowsiness slipped away and he was left more… was it stimulated now?
5. 4.
He shook his head in frustration, smacking himself with his free hand. "Stim- stimul- amph-" he stammered, trying to convey the analysis in his mind but the words just wouldn't come out. He was worse than a babbling toddler. "Feck!"
3. 2.
"Artemis, relax. We're here," Holly reassured him, her sights ready to scan the ground floor any moment now.
1.
Three, glowing orange coronas greeted them on her motion sensor and as the grate lifted, three, rifle-armed fairies grinned at them from the other side.
"Move!" she instructed, separating from Artemis. Holly shoved him into the opposite side of the elevator, ducking for cover when a hail of gunfire buzzed around their heads, blast after blast melting a hole in the back of the cab.
"Stay back!" she shouted at Artemis while peeking around the corner. Her visor locked onto one target and she followed suit with her Neutrino, putting three bursts into his chest. He flew back into a wall as she blasted another assailant, clipping him in the leg and skull. She fired off another round and struck his ribs, sinking him to the floor. A laser beam whizzed past her cheek and she fell back, using the half-second to check on Artemis. He was tucked into the corner by the buttons, hiding his face with his arms. He was alright, and that was all Holly needed to focus on the last shooter.
She shielded and whipped her head around the corner, the pixie's heat signature locked on. She couldn't shoot yet, though. The pixie was hidden behind a marble column, firing random shots off into the air. Pfft. Amateur.
"You know," Holly called out, fulfilling the age-old tradition of gunfight banter with an impish grin. "You can shoot as many times as you want, but that won't make your aim any better. I'd hold onto your ammo with that sorta skill, if I were you."
The pixie jumped out of cover to throw a nasty grimace at her, but Holly got him right where she wanted him. She blew several slugs into his chest before his finger hit his trigger, blowing him backwards across the sleek marble floor.
Holly wasted no time as she reached for Artemis, throwing his arm over her shoulders and gliding out into the lobby. The floor was clear on her visor, but Holly knew his goons would be bursting through the stairwell door any moment. She hated this. She was throwing them right out into the open, exposed to every hit-fairy, any cop-killer with some vengeance to fulfill. But it was all they could do.
Without another choice, she heaved them through the glass double-doors and right into the hustle and bustle of The Black Alley. Excited chatter and fairy techno deafened their ears, eyes blinded by the iridescent strobes of light from the towers and advertisements overhead.
"There. It's that one," Artemis said, his voice clear and alert. He lifted a finger and pointed left at a corrugated metal shack, a lime green fish sign hung over the rusty door, LED letters spelling out The Rusty Pelican.
A few fairies laid suspicious eyes on the pair, a few able to see through her shield, unsettled by her uniform. She moved on with haste. "I hope you know where you're going."
"I do. It leads to the Market District."
"Not exactly safe," Holly grunted. She shielded and gripped her Neutrino tightly, ready for anything. But before she reached the bronze handles that'd allow them entry, Artemis straightened against her, slamming his side into the door.
The musk of day-old shellfish assaulted their noses, dozens of ravenous pixies scattered the nautical-themed restaurant, too busy stuffing their faces to notice the bizarre human. Artemis pushed through the narrow foyer urgently, almost leaving Holly behind in the air. "Hey!" She reached out, grabbing his hand tightly. "Don't let go. I can't lose you," she whispered into his ear.
"I feel a bit more stable at the moment and I'd like to use the opportunity to escape as quickly as possible," he said from over his shoulder. He couldn't exactly see her, but he offered her a tight-lipped smile anyway, interlocking their fingers. "Please." And then he whipped around, dragging her through the air as he wove around tables, ignoring the fairies as much as they ignored him, desperate to reach the back of the restaurant.
"Here!" Artemis led her to a silver elevator at the end of a bathroom hallway, tapping the red button urgently. "This'll take us into Happy as a Clam, a dive bar."
"It stinks in here."
"Yes," Artemis chuckled, feeling a little woozy. "Hence why this isn't my preferred entrance, but I digress."
"Fuck it."
"Yeah."
Artemis felt Holly surge in front of him when the elevator light dinged, casting a red glow in the hall. He could see the doors slide apart through her slight shimmer, but their escape route was clear and Holly tugged him into the metal box with her, smashing the singular button to bring the doors to a close. The elevator hummed and whirred to life, slowly scaling its way through the obsidian cavern, into Haven above.
Holly unshielded beside Artemis, examining his face closely. "You seem more like yourself now. Any idea what they gave you?"
Artemis nodded, gazing at her hazel eye through the golden visor. "I suspect it's a mixture of several things, however, they were smoked one after the other in a particular order, rather than mixed all together at once." He furrowed his brow at the elevator door, disdain washing over his features. "Whoever drugged me certainly knows what they're doing - and it's not fairy."
This piqued Holly's interest and she raised a brow at him. "Not fairy?"
"It was regular smoke. I'm not certain, but fae smokes are always colored. I can also tolerate what I'm currently intoxicated with to an extent. This leads me to believe I've been drugged by human narcotics. Which variety - I am unsure." His stomach felt like it'd been punched through the lining and he doubled over, clenching his abdomen in pain. "Aaand now I'm incredibly nauseous."
"Here." Holly released his hand, smoothing his sweaty bangs back. She pressed light fingertips to his forehead and whispered, "Heal."
But instead of recovering, Artemis felt his knees buckle and his mind go blank. He slumped forward when Holly caught him, heaving his arm around her shoulders again.
"Woah! What's wrong?"
But he wasn't sure. His stomach no longer ached but he felt as though her magick had tranquilized him- "That's it!" he cried out, trying to regain his bearings against Holly. "The drugs- they're- your magick-"
Holly understood, her eyes widening. "My magick makes you worse."
Ding.
If Holly thought The Rusty Pelican smelled awful, she couldn't have imagined the stench of week-old fish as the silver doors slid open, revealing the Happy as a Clam dive bar on the other side. It was deserted, unlike its busy counterpart below, but Holly's visor revealed several signatures on her motion sensor, and they were headed their way.
"Gotta go!" She lifted Artemis a few inches off the ground and made a break for it, speeding towards the entrance, barreling through the wooden door into the Lower Level's Market District.
Market District, Haven City
12:59
There were tons of shady districts scattered around Haven's Lower Levels, sure. But if you were unaware of The Black Alley's existence, you'd probably assume that no other area of Haven compared in its sheer criminal to civilian ratio of the Market District. There was a goblin gang fight (complete with arson, of course) nearly once a day, and though the area was littered with fish-lens cameras tucked into every nook and stalagmite, the shadiest of the shady weren't deterred from doing what they wanted, or paying off who they needed to.
Holly took a narrow, cobblestone street into an even tighter alley, winding past run-down storefronts straight into a wide clearing. Fairies called out bargains from their white tents that lined the plaza, the marketplace lively and vibrant with goods and wares. Holly pushed through the crowd, shifting Artemis so he was closer to her. But she couldn't shake the feeling that they were being followed. Her eyes trickled over her shoulder through her visor, but there were too many heat sources, too many people. Even without her thermal scanner on, she could hardly tell the sheer mass of her people apart.
"Hey! Isn't that Fowl?!"
She blinked sweat from her eyes and gritted her teeth in determination. She needed them out of the public eye now.
"Hold on," she muttered to Artemis, lifting him a little more to whiz by the hectic crowd. She zoomed over the fairies, making sure Artemis didn't bump and shove every person in their way. And finally they broke from the chaos, merging onto the sidewalk before the Stick's travelator. Holly wasted no time, barely giving Artemis room to gather his steps as she jerked them onto the conveyor track, glancing over her shoulder to check for pursuers.
Her instincts were right, of course. Elfin instincts always were. Four burly pixies stepped onto the Stick a dozen or so feet behind them. Although their faces were hidden under dark hoods, Holly made out a devious, sharp grin. "Fuck," she uttered, whipping back around to focus ahead. She couldn't have a shootout here, not like this. Her eyes darted around the exits that whizzed by, settling on the next one coming up.
Holly bolted them off the Stick, hauling Artemis under an rocky archway, swiftly swerving right onto the street. Her eyes landed on a flickering neon sign: Murdock's Motel and Overnight Stay. Good enough.
She trudged them along, holstering her Neutrino and throwing the wooden door open. The motel was built of bare boards and plain walls, the only decór being the old magazine rack, stuffed with articles about celebrities and adult stars. Holly wrinkled her nose in disgust. At least there was no one at the front desk.
"Let's move," she said quietly, dropping Artemis gently so he was on his feet. She took his hand in hers and moved him along slowly, striding towards the hallway.
"What's our plan, Holls?" Artemis asked suddenly, his voice a little clearer now.
Holly looked back at him in surprise. "Oh. I never thought you'd ask me that."
"Yes, well," Artemis smiled, a playful subtlety on his lips as he allowed her to lead him into the dim hallway. A flickering lamp glowed overhead, flooding the hall with sickly green light. "I'm not functioning well at the moment. So, when duty calls."
"Oh. So I'm the plan-maker now?"
"Mastermind, yes. You're my brain at the moment."
"Ohhh , so you trust me enough to be your brain, huh?"
"I trust you to keep me alive so, yes."
"You sound just fine to me, Astroboy," Holly cackled, whipping back around. She plucked her mother's omnitool from her thigh, using her motion sensor to find them an empty room. "I'm sure you'd manag-" She didn't get to finish her sentence though, because a motel room door to their right slammed open into the wall, two jumbo pixies grinning sharp smiles at them from the doorway.
"Hey, hot chocolate. You don't mind me calling you that, right?" a goon winked at her, sweeping a heated leer over her from head to toe. "'Cause you're hot, and you're dark. Get it?"
"You've got to be fucking kidding me," Holly groaned, lips curled in repulsion.
"Extremely distasteful, I must say," Artemis commented, eyes narrowed at the pixie thug. "If my knees were more stable, I may have actually struck you."
Holly caught several more fairies appearing in her peripheral vision. It seemed their pursuers had caught up with them, blocking the end of the hall, trapping her and Artemis into a corner. Her eyes flitted around the hall and she tightened her grip in Artemis' fingers, tugging him as she scurried away from the assailants.
She slammed her side into the first clear door she saw, sliding her omnitool into the lock and wrenching it open, flinging her and Artemis inside. The room was incredibly dark and tight, neither escapee having their own space, pressed up against each other. The walls hummed and a gentle breeze of stale air cooled their foreheads. Holly wasted no time trading out her omnitool for her Neutrino, welding the door's lock shut. It'd hold them off, for now.
"This isn't a motel room," Artemis said gruffly, shifting uncomfortably against the wall.
"Sorry. It was the first thing I saw." Holly shut down her wings, her boots light on the ground. She used her visor to peer around the tiny utility closet, barely able to move against Artemis. The closet had two tiers, the lowered backspace used as drain storage for mop buckets. But directly above her sat a fat vent, air fogging her visor. "Yes!" Holly exclaimed, shoving Artemis back so she could get hold of the vent's grate.
"Uh?" Artemis mumbled as she flattened him between her and the wall, blinking down at her. "I-I can't move."
Holly ignored him and the fairies' yells and pounds at the door, grabbing hold of her omnitool once more. She unscrewed one screw but it jammed, locking in place. "Ah fuck." She pulled on it, jerking against Artemis.
Artemis was startled by the motion, his eyes craning downwards. Holly had her, well, rump pressed up against his… well… and her movements weren't slowing down. Artemis squirmed, trying to wiggle away but his arm bumped the parallel wall, locked in. "H-Holly, you're, well-"
"Artemis. Shh."
"No, er- Holly, you're… um-"
Holly stopped tugging on the screw, angrily tilting her head to glare up at him. "Artemis!" she hissed with seething rage, turning back to the jammed screw. "Be! Qui-et! I! Am! Trying! To! Get! Us! Out!"
Artemis realized her reaction wasn't from irritation, but fear. She's claustrophobic, he remembered. He didn't want to stress her further, but her movements would soon cause his body to betray him. Artemis covered his beet-red face with his hands, hiding his embarrassment from the inevitable.
Holly finally freed the jammed screw, letting out a frustrated yelp as she chucked it at the floor. "Fucking. Stupid. Fucking. Thing. Stupid. Small. Room-" She froze, eyebrows furrowed.
What… What was that? Holly shimmied her hips side to side, feeling the mysterious, intrusive object. Her mouth gaped open, slowly craning her head to stare wide-eyed at Artemis. "Arty…
"I tried to tell you!" he insisted, his cheeks flustered and ripe against pale skin. "It can't be helped, Holly. It's an involuntary physiological reaction to physical stimulation-"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah! Oookay," she teased doubtfully, going back to removing the screws.
"It-it's true!"
"Uh-huh." An elfish grin stretched across freckled cheeks. "Maybe Minerva wasn't overdoing it after all," she remarked with a casual shrug.
Artemis rolled his eyes, his turn to smile now. "Oh, come on now-"
The closet door pounded so hard it nearly burst at the seams, the nails in the frame threatening to give way.
Holly got the last screw out and ripped the grate off the vent. She took two steps to her right, her back against the door and tugged Artemis across her, towards safety. "Climb! Go up, now!"
He was tucking his last leg into the air duct when the door burst open, smashing into the wall beside Holly. A pixie tried to take a few steps inside but was wacked between the eyes byHolly's fist, sending him flying into another thug. She grabbed the grate off the floor and dove into the duct, slamming it down from inside. Before another pixie could grab her, Holly whipped out her Neutrino, searing the red hot metal against the grate, welding them in and their pursuers out.
"Go, go, go!" Holly rushed Artemis, spinning round, crawling on her hands and knees through the air duct. "Go, Arty!"
"Holly, please." Artemis lay ahead of her, panting between elbows. "This is very difficult for me. It's ridiculously hot. I'm slipping on my own perspiration. It's hard to breathe-"
"I know. I fucking know," Holly pleaded from her throat, her eyes on fire, glaring at his suit jacket. "Please don't stop until we're out. Please."
That's right. Her fear. Artemis crawled forward immediately, determined not to place her under any more duress than the tiny vent was causing her. But he still felt disoriented and it was so dark he couldn't tell up from up from down from left to right. He felt like he was crawling in a black hole through time, or in an underwater cavern where it was slippery and sluggish and hard to breathe. But as they crawled for what felt like eternity, golden light glowed from the other side of the duct: a true light at the end of the tunnel.
Artemis wasted no time, gathering his limbs beneath him and worming his way through, an enthusiastic smile growing across flushed cheeks. "Yes! We're almost ther-"
The duct narrowed and closed in on him, as if sucking on his broad shoulders, but refusing to release him from its clutches. He tugged back on his shoulders, but they wouldn't give. He pushed forward, against the vent, but they wouldn't give.
Holly bumped into his behind, her head popping up in irritation. "The hell, Arty?!" she whined, shoving his butt forward. "Keep going! We're almost there!"
"Holly, stop!" Artemis yelped, unable to advance despite her shoves. "I'm stuck."
Holly froze her efforts, blinking rapidly. "You're what?"
"I'm stuck," he said, blinking sweat from damp bangs. "I'm actually, quite literally, stuck."
Holly blinked twice more, nodding with forced calm. "Okay. Okay. We'll figure something out. Um-" She felt around the metal vent, using her visor to scan the walls. But there was no other way to go, they had to go back, or forward. Artemis had no choice. "Arty, we have to keep going."
"Holly, I can't. This isn't about will. I cannot physically move," he insisted, gritting his teeth as the pressure started to build and pulse in his shoulders.
"Are you in pain?"
"It's becoming sore, yes." Artemis sucked on a breath between his teeth, closing his eyes. "I'd suggest using your Neutrino to heat the air and expand the metal, but there is too little ventilation, ironically-" he grunted, rolling his eyes, "-and we could bake ourselves alive. So, with that in mind-" He tried to shift again but got sucked in deeper, his sockets threatening to pop out. "I don't know what to do."
Holly shoved against his behind again, pushing harder but he cried out. She couldn't do this to him. She felt her heart thump wildly in her chest, threatening to burst out and leap away. She considered their options. They weren't good.
"Artemis," she started, gentle hands on his calves. "You're not going to like this…" He was silent, letting her continue. He knew as well as she did. "I think… I think we need to dislocate your shoulders."
"Right," he scoffed. "That's ideal. But-" he grunted, forcing out a breath as his shoulders squeezed tighter. "You and I both know the pressure of the duct and the force applied by your wings will collapse and shatter my clavicle, and then my shoulders. W-we have to crush my shoulders."
He didn't intend to sound so fragile, but he couldn't deny that he was past the point of exhaustion. Even so, his mind remained overstimulated. His skin and brain sparked like a thousand crackling fireworks, but his perception, his reality, felt more and more like he was sinking into a vast, inky abyss, flitting on the edge between life and eternal sleep. He despised all of it.
They panted together in silence for a full thirty seconds, the reality of what they were about to do seeping in. Holly patted Artemis' back affectionately, guilt taking its heavy hold of her heart. "Damn. The one time those broad shoulders worked against you, huh?" He released a throaty chuckle. That was good enough for her. "Okay. Are you sure you can do this?"
"We have to," he said, his voice strong and firm suddenly. But they both knew it was a farce. His breath was shaky, limbs jittery with nerves. Artemis was petrified. But there was no other choice. "We're nearly there. Just-" He closed his eyes, clenching his jaw tight. "Make it fast, please."
"I'll heal you," Holly assured, rubbing his back gently. "I can't risk fusing your bones in here, but as soon as we're out." She pressed her lips together, keeping her composure. She flattened her palms against his back, closing her eyes.
"Heal." Loving, nurturing sparks spiraled down her arm, embracing Artemis' figure like a warm hug. He slumped over instantly, her magick tranquilizing him like before. "Sorry. I thought this would make it easier for you."
Though she couldn't see him, Artemis nodded slowly, feeling very much like a cloud. His mind drifted off, leaving the muggy, cramped duct, suddenly teleported to a time, long, long ago when Commander Root had broken his own ribs, also at the hands of Holly. Artemis might have chuckled had his throat not already had bile in it.
Holly gripped her wing's throttle, taking a few breaths to steady herself when a series of bangs echoed down the ventilation system, their pursuer's movements reverberating off the metal walls. Holly narrowed her eyes in disbelief down the vent. "...No fucking way."
She caught a stray comment much closer than she liked and whipped around, lodging her shoulders against Artemis' behind. "Okay go Arty! Go go go!" Holly slid the throttle up on her wings, releasing them at full-speed. The mechanical contraption crashed and clanged around the vent, the impulse of the engine alone jolting Holly forward against Artemis. His shoulders resisted, failing to give way just yet.
Artemis clamped his teeth down, nauseous terror building as his shoulders popped and buckled, still dragging against the air duct. He gasped, tears welling in his eyes. "Ahh- fu-" He couldn't complete the sentence, letting loose an involuntary scream as tendons ripped, joints twisted and his collarbone shattered. His shoulders cracked inwards as Holly's wings accelerated, propelling them forward as his arms dragged along the walls of the vent.
"I'M SORRY!" Holly shouted over her spluttering wings and Artemis' wails of agony. But as much as she felt for him, she shoved him as hard as she could, her wings sputtering and thrashing in the too-tiny space.
Despite the sedation from Holly's magick, Artemis couldn't fathom the searing pain as his humerus bones snapped in half, dragging uselessly along the walls like nails on a chalkboard. He felt damp, unsure if it was from excessive sweating or blood loss by this point. He was sure he'd lose consciousness any moment. He forced himself to squint through blurred eyesight, the beacon of light enveloping him like a cocoon. And then it was over. Holly had done it.
Artemis popped out of the vent, dropping several feet, smashing his shoulders into the cobblestone alley below. The fall was too much for his body to handle, and the world went cold and dark, ripped away into a tunnel of its own.
Holly dropped to her feet, dashing to his side. "Heal!" Magic welled up inside her, a thousand pins and needles racing beneath her skin as she grabbed his shoulders. Her palms sunk into a pool of blood and she released a current of cerulean sparks to embrace Artemis, embalming his torso in a halo that electrified his skin and hair.
It was all she could do for now as her magick waned, thinning out between her veins. She had to save some for emergencies, and running dry was the last thing they needed right now. She pressed a bloody hand to his cheek, controlling shaky breaths to calm her nerves. "Arty. Arty, can you hear me?" she asked, gliding her thumb gently across his cheekbone. His brows stirred slightly, bunching together as consciousness found him once more. "Are you in pain?"
Artemis blinked, his vision dark, as if still trapped in the clutches of sleep. The first thing he noted was that he was light-headed and his mind felt foggy. He couldn't tell if it was pain, but there was an immense pressure on his shoulders, crushing him down like a giant squashing a bug. Artemis was that bug, obviously.
"Artemis? Arty." Holly's voice was so far-off, so distant. Was she really that far away? "We need to go. You need to get up." Her voice was so tranquil. So serene. His eyes fluttered in their sockets, barely catching a glimpse of the gorgeous creature above him.
"An angel," Artemis murmured, dozing off as suddenly as he came to. With this beautiful woman holding him, what could possibly go wrong? He let himself drift off but was jolted upward by a hard yank on his shirt. She was shouting at him. What was she saying?
"GET. UP!" Holly roared, doing her best to heave him up to his knees, her fists clenching his shirt. "Please, Artemis! They're here!"
Artemis stared at her, a loopy, enamored smile stretching his cheeks. He couldn't understand. Why was she so upset? It was so warm, so lovi-
"Snap out of it!" Holly yelped, using all of the strength in her biceps to drag him to his feet. Without warning, a dozen rounds fired over her head, ricocheting around the tight alleyway. "Fuck." Holly dropped him, moving to cover his crumpled form with her readied Neutrino. She waited, her nerves electric with fear, training overriding any panic, calm washing over her with every steadying breath. She was a quick-shot, a hot shot, and she wouldn't let them have Artemis. Ever.
An orange signature flashed on the thermals and she raised her aim slightly to the left, waiting ever so patiently. A pixie with a gold pistol rounded the corner and Holly blasted him in the forehead with a single shot - she only needed one. He sank to the floor as several others appeared on her helmet's display, blasting each intruder until she had a heaping pile of unconscious fairies at her feet. But they were already healing, a network of weak sparks siphoning off each fairy to the next.
Holly whipped around, forcing an incoherent Artemis to stand. She glanced over her shoulder, grimacing at the destroyed machinery. She'd have to escape their pursuers by foot. Where to, she still didn't know. "Let's go!" she ordered, grasping his hand tightly once more as they sprang into a dark alley ahead.
She didn't know where they were, who was after him. She had so many things to worry about, she couldn't even break to think about where to take him. He wobbled along as she pivoted a tight corner, bumping into the wall, taking off into the narrowest alley yet. Artemis smashed into the wall behind her but was thrust sideways into the alley with Holly, mindlessly following along to the best of his ability.
Holly emerged from the alley, whipping right through another corridor when two thugs stepped out from behind a brick wall, a sniper rifle aimed right for Holly's chest.
"D'arvit!" she shouted, ramming her elbow into Artemis' arm, sending him flying out of the way. Holly was quick, but not quick enough as the silver bullet zipped by her, clipping her arm and wheeling her backwards. Magick swirled the wound on her bicep but didn't close her bleeding flesh, turning grey and sickly. Holly felt it jolt in her chest. Her magick… It was draining from her core. Holly's hand flew to her wound, eyes wide in realization as she looked down the barrel of the sniper: whatever the bullet was made of was disintegrating her magick, literally ripping it from her soul and spirit. She couldn't believe it. She'd lost her wings, her powers. This was it. She'd lost. She'd failed.
The jumbo pixie sported a broken-toothed grin at her, his finger tight on the rifle's trigger. "Don't worry, hot chocolate. This won't kill ya. But, it'll hurt a bit." His finger twitched, pressing the trigger down. Before she could quip his tasteless flirting, another bullet was hurtling its way towards her shoulder.
Except it never came. Holly was knocked out of the way, thrown to the floor, the shot echoing off above her. Her eyes shot up, sweeping the cobblestone street for what happened. Artemis!
Holly blinked, shaking her head. Just like Tokyo. "No!"
The pixie's grin fell, his buddy punching his chest. "Idiot! You weren't supposed to hit him!"
Holly used the distraction to fire her Neutrino, blasting one in the head and blowing a charred hole into the other's chest. She wasted no time throwing herself to Artemis' side, urgent eyes scanning him. There - a hit to his right shoulder, a stream of blood blooming on his dress shirt. "Gods dammit, Artemis. You need to stop doing this."
"I-I couldn't-" he stammered, his eyes unfocused and dazed. "I couldn't let them-"
"Shhh. It's okay," Holly calmed him, gently stroking the dark hair along his jaw. "It's okay." She pressed her hands to the wound on his right shoulder, clamping down on her teeth in hesitation. The thug had said it wouldn't kill them, and healing Artemis again would render him even more useless. No. She couldn't risk him dying.
"Heal," she whispered, feeling the last of her magick wither away as she gave everything she had to Artemis. She couldn't help but lift her visor, pressing their clammy foreheads together. "Arty," she said sweetly, moving her hands under his arms. "We have to go, okay? I know you can hear me. You have to use your legs, okay? We have to go." She tugged upwards, hefting the stunned genius to his feet again. "C'mon."
Artemis swayed in place, glassy eyes trying to take in his environment. Gold signs beamed down from the stalactites above, steam rising from the obsidian vents that ran alongside a small stream. It was familiar, but he couldn't tell now. Holly was trying to wrench him along, forcing him into a shambling run. He tried to gather his feet beneath him but Holly was too frantic, racing off hand-in-hand.
He tripped over his own feet and his knees buckled, ramming Artemis into the cobblestone street.
"Oh! Sorry!" Holly slid under him, helping him up on her back. "Sorry, Arty. You have to run, okay? We have to go!"
The mercenaries groaned from their pile, a weak healing glow threatening to wake them at any moment, free to strike again.
Holly held Artemis' hand more firmly. "We. Have. To. Go. Now!" And she was off, jolting Artemis along as they disappeared through a narrow passage along the hot spring below.
Saw District, Haven City
13:20
They swerved another corner, Holly's hand tight in Artemis' as he staggered along. She felt the desire to panic now, uncertainty claiming her. It dawned on her that she couldn't get Artemis to safety if the paparazzi found them, so where would she take him? Where was she even going?
That doesn't matter. Your first priority is to lose the assailants.
They twirled around a sharp turn, greeted by a dead end. Holly crashed into the railing, slamming into the rusted metal first, the old barrier taking her weight just fine. But then Artemis slammed against it and from one blink to the next, he was gone over the edge, their fingers still intertwined, dragging her down with him.
"Wings!" she yelped instinctually, but the crumpled wings flopped around the motor on her back, rendered completely useless. They were going to die.
Luckily, Holly had the reflexes of a cat. She grasped Artemis with both hands, kicking her legs at anything around her. Her left foot caught the railing, their combined weight ripping it from the platform with her until it shuddered to a halt, leaving them dangling in mid-air.
Holly grit her teeth as she dissected the scene: they were suspended over the spring, the rusted railing torn halfway off the ledge, her boot the sole thing preventing them from dropping to their painful, boiling deaths. She momentarily imagined her skin melting off her bones but shook herself out of it.
They must've looked insane, draped over the edge of Haven City's Lower Levels, dangling over the enticing hot spring only a dozen feet away. Stalactic skyscrapers and glaring neon lights surrounded them, fairy citizens completely oblivious to the chaos unfolding in the seedy underbelly of the Saw District.
Artemis' sweaty hands were slipping through her gloves and she readjusted her grip on him, each hand intertwined. But his raw weight was tugging on her arms, threatening to pop her shoulders out of their sockets. She couldn't risk them getting hurt; her magick was dry. She didn't know what to do. Her eyes darted around desperately: the hot spring was an ethereal blue beneath the powdery blue sim-sky, the sparkle of Haven's metropolis glittering off the water's surface. They were going to die.
Focus.
Holly glanced at Artemis, wincing as she realized how his dangling form must be sore on his poor shoulders. But he looked barely conscious, losing his grip again as the drug's hold on him grew ever stronger, and him weaker. She grinded her teeth together as he started to slip through her fingers.
"Damn it, Arty! I hope you have a plan," she grunted, trying to keep her breath consistent and calm. "Grab me, Artemis! Climb me!" But his glazed eyes were fluttering, obviously losing his fight to the tranquilizer. Even when he tried to regain his grip he was too clumsy, his right arm collapsing at his side.
The railing groaned above them, giving way a tiny bit more. Artemis mulled over his options, determined to at least use the last of his consciousness for something. But, like Holly, he found himself unable to create a realistic plan. He was too weak and too pathetic physically. He'd finally met his final death, hadn't he? He'd almost gone over the ledge before. Maybe that had been a sign this was the only option. At least this way, Holly still had a chance at life, and that meant more to him than anything.
Artemis loosened his grip on his left hand, the only thing attaching him to his best friend. But both of her hands flew to his left, one intertwined in his fingers, the other pressed firmly onto his wrist.
"Artemis! Climb!" Holly demanded hoarsely, constantly readjusting her ever-failing hold on him. "Come on! Climb!"
"Holly…" He had to do this. It was the only way to save her. He let go.
But Holly refused. "N-No!" She tightened the vice grip around his wrist, sweat dripping inside her helmet, blurring her vision. "What are you doing?!"
Artemis took her features in, memorizing them for the last time. He gave her a fond smile, but his eyes were weary and heartbroken. "You have to let me go," he said, his voice gentle.
No. Holly felt her heart crack in two. He couldn't be serious. "Are you crazy?!" she shook her head stubbornly. "I- I can't do that!"
"You have to, Holls. Or you will fall and die too."
"No! No!" she gasped, tears welling in her eyes. She stared at her best friend's peaceful face, imagining she'd never see him again. She imagined his sweaty hand slipping through her fingers, watching him fall through the air as he smiled at her for the last time.
Holly blinked, and suddenly they weren't dangling over Haven's hot spring anymore. They were in the hills in Ireland, it was dark, and Artemis was smiling at her. A much younger, much simpler Artemis, a green corona imprisoning his body. She reached out, she couldn't even hear her own screams, but he was gone, falling through her fingers, falling through the air, falling through time. He was dead. Her best friend was dead.
She blinked again, and her sight was fixed on piercing, blue eyes. He was going to die.
"NO!" Holly broke, thrashing her head wildly side to side as tears streamed her cheeks. "No! No! No!" she repeated over and over, her screams hoarse and desperate. "Help! Please! Someone-" she gasped a breath as she screeched, "ANYONE! PLEASE!"
"Holly-" Her grip was weakening. She was going to lose him.
"No! No! Please! Please!" Holly wept, her voice cracking and small as she pleaded with him. "Please. I-I can't-" Her eyes widened as she imagined him dying again, colliding with the sparkling waters, watching him burn and melt away forever. She screamed at the top of her lungs, feeling her own shoulders threatening to pop from his weight. "PLEASE!"
Artemis frowned, his chest crackling with pain and guilt as she broke before him. You weren't supposed to break her. You're not just hurting her.
A tear rolled off her visor, dropping through the air like a feather when it landed on his cheek, rolling a clean path down muddy, blood-soaked skin. You're killing her.
Anguished eyes suddenly widened. He absorbed her sobs of despair, her distressed brow, her wet cheeks. She wouldn't let him go. She couldn't. She didn't say it, but he saw it in her eyes - she needed him as much as he needed her. He couldn't let that go. So, Artemis set his jaw, blowing out a determined breath.
For you, Holly. And for me, too.
It took everything inside him to gather the strength to lift his right arm, grabbing onto Holly's wrist. His sudden grasp was a shock, breaking her out of her daze. It took a mere second to register what had happened but she returned the strong hold on his right hand, a brilliant smile filling flushed cheeks.
"Yes! That's it, Artemis! Climb! Climb me!"
It was possibly the hardest, most athletic thing he'd ever done. He didn't weigh much, thankfully, but there was so little to grab onto, using Holly's belt, holster, even her helmet to heave himself up another few feet. "Sorry," he sputtered, grabbing hold of her thigh next. The railing yawned and groaned, threatening to give way. He stopped, glancing at it fearfully.
"I DON'T CARE! CLIMB!" Holly encouraged, lugging his thigh upwards, over her. "You can do it!"
She was right. Artemis had to do this. They had no other choice - and it all depended on him. His teeth clamped down on his lip as he pulled himself up her body, finally facing the twisted mesh of railing above them. This was it. All he had to do was grab it and climb. Like a ladder. Don't think. Just do it. Artemis nodded at the sentiment and reached out, sweat blinding his vision. Right there, slightly out of reach was Holly's boot trapped inbetween the rails. He reached past her, his fingers brushing the rusted steel.
"Yes!" Artemis grumbled, reaching out just a little further. But if Artemis Fowl was anything in his life, he wasn't known for being able-bodied. His sore muscles, his beaten, lanky limbs couldn't handle it anymore. His arm gave out and he slipped, tripping over Holly, crashing back into her. The impact dislodged her boot from the rail and they were gone - tumbling through the air like droplets of water.
You've killed her. "Holly!" Artemis shouted, reaching out to grasp her hand.
Mismatched eyes met blue, the world held still. Holly's fingers speared the air, reaching out for him, but she never made it. Time restored around them and they plunged into the shimmering waters, sinking into its fatal depths.
A/N: Thank you everyone for reading and make sure to leave a review with your thoughts! Make sure to check out my AO3 for commissioned art and playlists!