Artemis Fowl: Held Captive

Chapter 4: The Great Escape

Dear readers, I regret to inform you that school is starting up again soon and I will unfortunately not be uploading as frequently, but do not fret for I am not giving up Wattpad. Also I have a wedding to go to this Saturday so the next update might be a little late.

Chapter 4: The Great Escape

Annmarie awoke on a cold cement floor. She coughed and sat up, rubbing a hand on the side of her head. She brought it back and found that there was dry blood around her ear.
She stood up and took in her gravely familiar surroundings. The entire room was cement. A cot stood in one corner while the rest of what she could see was empty.
"Good Evening, Miss Wersley. Or should I say, Mrs Fowl." A spine chilling voice called from behind her. She turned around to see a frightening sight. The one person who continuously haunted her dreams now sat before her behind a wall of bars and a door to match it.
"This is new." Annmarie said, referring to the cage like wall and remaining calm. What did she have to worry about? Nothing. Not at the imminent moment.
"I thought I should get an upgrade. After all, it would be absolutely awful to not be able to share this experience with you." He said with a smile.
"So what am I this time?" She said. "Another pawn? Are you going to dump me in another field?"
"No, no, no. Why would I want to do that when I can simply hold you here and watch you suffer?"
"So what now? Is the Red Lion going to make his return to the markets? Reinstate his authority?"
"I could. But right now I must focus on the plan at hand."
"And what is that?" She questioned. "Kill Artemis Fowl? Good luck."
"No. Surprisingly enough, not yet. First, I must watch you both suffer. It's more than perfect that you decided to stay together after the crash."
"How do you know about that?"
"Please, even in prison we get cable. Once I found out about your incident I knew immediately that you had gone after the Vacir Building. A bold move. Of coarse you failed before you even reached the city!" Redalion laughed maniacally.
"Your more insane that I remember." Annmarie stated.
"Well I suppose that's what happens when your locked up for eight years and your entire world is stolen by a merely a teenager."
"Is that what your going to do? Lock me up for eight years then murder me? Maybe you'll even make Artemis watch as you slit my throat."
"That would be nice, but no. Not exactly. I do plan to keep you locked up for some time though." He said. He picked up a bag and began rummaging through it. "Here," he said. "Eat this. I may be keeping you captive but I'm not about to starve you." He threw a lunchable package through the iron bars into the cage. Annmarie stood her ground. "Eat it." He said.
"I don't want it." She retorted.
"Eat it!" He screamed. "Or I shall make you!" He said. He pulled out a wrought iron pipe from his bag that had dried blood and possibly a bit of hair on it, and was slightly dented.
Annmarie nearly flinched, but kept strong as to not look terribly shocked, though that pipe was probably the thing she was most afraid of in the world. Seeing it she remembered eight years before when she had been brutally bludgeoned and traumatized by it. Once and awhile she still woke up from the odd nightmare.
She glared at him and picked up the plastic box, sitting on the cot and ripping it open.
I need to keep up my strength anyway, she thought. I'll need it.
And she began to formalize a simple but hopefully effective plan.

Artemis tapped his foot nervously on the floor, and stared into the air, thinking of where to start. Not even Artemis had ever uncovered Redalion's base, and that was where he expected Redalion to be.
Redalion, now, would not be on the verge of psychosis. He would be completely submerged in the tank of dark waters, and that could be severely dangerous. Especially to Annmarie.
Or would it? Perhaps not. Artemis suspected that Redalion was not preparing for an execution. Rather, he was going to let suffering ensue before he let go so fast. He had sat in prison hiding his true nature and illness for eight years, so it wasn't as if he was about to kill and walk away. His plan would be much more intricate, and assuming that they got cable in prison, the crash would be of no surprise to this enemy, and that would give additional information.
He already knew that they were married, and he would definitely use that to his advantage. However he did not know there was a third in the mix, and that would hopefully remain concealed, or he may use that to his advantage as well.
If Artemis knew Annmarie, which he most definitely did, she had already come up with a plan to escape the grasp of her adversary. The plan would be simple and unseen until the last moment. The plan was not fool proof but it was what could get her out. And also, it was probably violent.
Annmarie's simple plans had proved effective in situations before, such as in one of their schemes where they had found themselves directly behind a rather bulky guard at a very large and intricate government building and she had taken a gold bar and beaten him quite viciously over the head with it.
It was comical, but it had worked.
But even then Artemis didn't even know what city they were located by. He had gone through Redalion's most visited Market Hubs and hadn't concluded anything.
I may not know where Redalion's base is, Artemis thought, but I know of someone who does.
Redalion always traveled with an accomplice. The forty something man clearly could not pull off heists himself, so he would need someone strong and young to help him through.
This person was Eugene Poroski. Poroski was never caught, since he left a little after Redalion had become obsessed with defeating Artemis. The crazed Red Lion was doomed on his own, being suffocated by his own mental malfunction.
Poroski would now be in his early thirties. He would be about ten million times more locatable than Redalion, wether he had conjured a new identity or not, and would know precisely where the Red Lions base was.
It's time for a rode trip, Artemis thought. All I must do now is locate our little friend Poroski.

It took Artemis only about fifteen minutes to find what he was looking for. He located Poroski in Howth. He lived there under the name of Harold Gonlem, which Artemis would refer to him as around any people other than Poroski himself to avoid conflict.
Poroski had never had a particular 'bone to pick' with Artemis. He only went along with the plots against him as an accomplice to Redalion, and soon later quit on account for it and the time being invested in it by Redalion.
Howth was only about thirty minutes away, give or take, so getting there would take no time at all, but would give enough time for Artemis to consider possible scenarios and formalize a plan for each.
He had notified Butler and they had taken off in the Bentley for Howth, and were now almost at the street address.
Butler pulled up to a two-story blue house and parked the car in front.
Artemis wasted no time and exited the vehicle, straightening his tie and striding prominently to the front door step with Butler not far behind him.
Artemis knocked on the front door and heard a dog bark inside. A moment later footsteps were heard approaching the door and it swung open, revealing a man in his thirties with a bewildered look on his face.
"Fowl?" He said, disbelieving. "I have done nothing! I swear! I do not work with Redalion anymore."
"You haven't worked with Redalion for years, Poroski. I am not here no commit a crime. I'm here to save a victim."
Poroski was befuddled at this point. He had a blank expression on his face.
"I want answers, Poroski. And I expect to get them." Artemis said firmly. Suddenly there was a high pitched screeching noise that caused Artemis to flinch. It lasted for about ten seconds and was followed by a few sounds of smashing and bashing about.
"Just one moment, please," Poroski said, scurrying through a hallway. "Danny, what are you doing to your brother?"
"He took GI Joe!"
"I don't care what he did he is two and you are six. You have no reason to be beating him with a colouring book. Put it down now and we will talk later. There are people here to talk to me."
"Who?"
"That doesn't matter."
"But I want to know!"
"You want to know lots of things, but I'm not going to tell you because you don't need to know."
As the conversation continued, a toddler came waddling around the corner. "Hi!" He yelled loudly, laughing and continuing to run around with a GI Joe toy. Poroski came around the corner and picked up the little boy, returning the GI Joe toy to his other son. He came back to the doorway still holding the toddler.
"My apologies. They get wound up easily." He said. "So, if you are not here for me, who are you here for?"
"I am here about Redalion."
"I do not work with him anymore."
"That does not matter. Po- Harold, I am here about Redalion's base. I need to know the exact coordinates."
"You will not let him go after my family and I?"
"No. And he's not going to be able to either way."
"What is wrong? What has that fool done now?"
"It is not of importance."
"Clearly it is, young Fowl, for you are here seeking my help. I might just give you what you ask, with good reason."
"Why must there be a reason?"
"Artemis Fowl, I am trusting your word. Do not make me regret it."
"Fine. My wife is being held captive by the same man that took her hostage eight years ago and nearly killed her. Good?"
Poroski's look softened. "I cannot give you coordinates," he said. "But bring me a map and I can mark it."

Redalion sat in his recliner in front of his security monitors, having the time of his life watching Wersley suffer in the cell. He could be watching this in person, but he needed to keep track of a few other monitors as well. So he had decided to sit down, relax, and have a nice sandwich.
So, he thought, now what? What should we do today? Perhaps we can take our pet for a walk. Redalion laughed. Walk. She won't be seeing the outside world for as long as possible.
He stretched contently in his chair. The girl was laying on her bed staring down the wall. Oh, how this brought back memories. In those times she had been such a good sport. With the pleading, and the crying, at least in the first two days. Then she had decided it wasn't getting her anywhere and she didn't speak at all.
Then that rotten Fowl had to ruin everything, thought Redalion. I knew he'd rescue her, I just thought I'd be around to snipe him when he did. Cocky bastard. Foul Fowl. I was beaten at my own game by a damn chicken. Fowl.
Redalion was fuming to himself when all of a sudden he noticed something suspicious on his other monitors. He and set up a few bugs and wires in some old friends and enemies homes, and it looked like it was paying off.
Poroski's monitor showed him answering the door. And surprise surprise, it's the chicken himself, he thought, seeing Artemis Fowl show up at the front door. What's this guy up to now?
Redalion watched the show, a grimace slowly surfacing as he realized what was happening. The scene ended and he knew it was time to move. If Artemis got the location quick enough he could get to the base in a little over two hours from Howth. Not good. He needed to leave immediately. But in a calm fashion, as to not alarm the girl.

Annmarie stared at the concrete wall, laying on the cot in the corner. She was just waiting for the right moment to execute her plan. All she needed was a aggravated crazy man, and a pipe that he was holding. Simple but effective, just like the gold bar.
She heard the door open and slam shut. Footsteps echoed as who she assumed was Redalion proceeded down the stairs to her unit.
He came up in front of the barred wall.
"Get up." He said. She didn't reply. "Get up." He said again, more assertively. She remained silent, but moved, sitting up with her legs off the cot but still did not look at him. "Get up!" He screamed. She remained still. "If you will not get up," he screamed, "then I will make you!"
He grabbed his pipe and threw open the door, entering the caged area. Annmarie waited until he was at a suitable distance then sprung up. He raised the pipe to bash it over her but she grabbed it and yanked it away, putting both hands on it firmly. She turned and bashed him over the head with it. He fell to his knees screaming and she bashed him again. He was out but she proceeded to hit him violently a few more times.
She stopped herself. She dropped the pipe and ran out the exit, running up the stairs two at a time and throwing open the door. She ran out of the building but she had no idea where she was. It was just a random building in the middle of nowhere. The only thing she had to follow was a grid road, but at least she had a truck to hotwire so she could follow it faster.
Time to go, she thought, proceeding to the vehicle, I have to get out of here, wherever I am.