Artemis Fowl and the Master Experimentation

Chapter 15

Ok, guys and girls, quick time placement for where this is in the books. I have shifted the times a bit, so Holly is at Section 8 for a year or two before 'the lost colony'. Artemis is 15. 

Artemis awoke with a start, sitting bolt upright and staring around the room frightfully. The walls were pastel green and had gold patterns on them. There was a dark wood chest of draws and a large wardrobe. The curtains were drawn across the window, but nothing could stop the flashes of lightning stretching across the sky, followed by the roar of thunder. But that wasn't what had awoken him. It was the soft persistent voice of Orion, muttering away. 
"What do you want?" hissed Artemis, putting his head in his hands.
"Me? I want nothing. I'm just here, as I forever will be," muttered Orion.
"Why?" he groaned.
"You took me into yourself, through your own goodness."
"I'm not good. I'm cold hearted, hard."
"Oh, Artemis, I am telling you nothing you don't already know."
Artemis swung his legs over the day-bed he was asleep in and stood up. The wood floor was cold, but it was a welcome feeling. It felt real, solid. He blocked out all of the voices and padded through the dark house. Faylinn's mother had been very hospitable, giving him a t-shirt and jogging bottoms to change into for bed. He smiled and shook his head. Never did he picture himself in these. Ever. He went across the landing and down the old oak stairs that creaked a little under his feet. The room he'd been allowed to stay in was Faylinn's, she'd offered it to him in place of the sofa. Although Artemis had spent all his life sleeping in his own room with no-one near-by, he now felt lonely and, god forbid he ever admit it, frightened on his own. 
 He went into the living room and sat at the foot of the sofa Faylinn was laying on, on the cold stone floor. The fire had dyed down now, but he was greatful for what warmth it did give on this cold night. 
He put his arms around his knees and his chin on his arms, holding himself together.
What had he been thinking? Did he want to run away with Faylinn? Could he?
"Of course you do, of course you can." murmured Orion.
But mother, father, they needed him here. He couldn't just disappear on the, so soon after they got his father back. Or could he? Surely they'd just move on with their lives. They could have more children. They didn't need to worry about him. He was an adult. Almost. Would they be able to get away from the Master enough? And how the hell did he keep managing to find them?
Artemis shook his foggy head. Then the answer struck him and he felt a cold, hard lump in his stomach. How did he not guess? He'd been under the Masters thumb and unconscious for long enough. They had expected him to escape, so they would need a sure fire way of knowing they would be able to get him back. They had planted a tracker on him.
He stood up and ran his hands up each of his arms, not feeling anything but smooth, pale skin. He pulled his top off quickly, dropping it to the floor. He ran his hands over his neck, trying to still his shaking fingers. His fingers traveled over his thin chest and then to his stomach where, on the right hand side, just beneath his ribcage, he felt a small, hard lump that was alien to his body. His heart leaped into his throat and he ran to the kitchen. He had to get it out of him, before the Master found them again. He searched through all of the draws until he found the cutlery draw, pulling out a small, sharp knife. He rinsed it under the tap and with shaking hands that he forced to steady, he brought it to the pale bit of flesh above where he knew the tracker was. 
A flit of a thought crossed his mind that perhaps he ought to ask someone else to do this, but he banished it. It had to be him. For once, he had to do something to protect someone else and he was damn well doing it by his own hand.
Biting back the pain he sank the knife into his own flesh, making a small incision. He yelped and pulled the knife away, tears forming in his eyes. Blood oozed sluggishly from the cut as he felt around the area and squeezed the tracker, forcing it to the incision. He gasped as he saw the tip of it poking from his skin. He felt tears tumbling down his cheeks as he grasped the end of the thing and pulled it out. 
Panting, he slid to the floor. He looked at the small, inoffensive object in his palm, knowing that is the thing that had brought so much pain to Faylinn and him. He looked down at his stomach, which was stinging, but before his very yes blue and gold sparks danced across his skin, knitting his skin back together. He sighed in relief and stood, going to the sink and rinsing the small, bloodied tracker beneath the faucet. He raised it to eye level and twisted it this way and that. It was the size and shape of a pill, all in grey. He clasped it in his hand and made a hasty decision.
He closed his eyes and concentrated on a place in Italy, a place where his parents owned a villa. Then he let go. He fell backwards into the Void and was lost in the darkness, resurfacing in the cool evening air of Italy, filled with the scent of olives and warmth. He was outside the villa in the sweeping lawns on the hillside. He jogged to the building and beneath the window shoved the tracker into the ground beneath it. He turned and lost himself in the darkness once more. 

"We have them," said the sprite, pointing to the screen with a green finger. 
The Master pushed the Sprite from the chair and glared at the screen. They had landed close to where Faylinn was picked up. He grinned.
"Set course," he snapped to the sprite getting to his fet.
"Yes, sir," muttered the sprite darkly, hurrying off.
An hour passed and they were gaining on the blip on the radar, then it disappeared. The Master hit the console, roaring in frustration. All engines were switched off and they waited. He was certain the signal would be picked up again soon. For four hours they waited and just as he was about to give the order to return to base, an elf shouted to him.
"Sir! We have a hit! South of Italy! It's on the Fowl Villa!"
"We return to base and get a shuttle from there. Go!" snapped the Master.

"Artemis!" said Faylinn, flinging herself at the teen who was stood, bemused, in the kitchen.
Sh buried her head in his neck.
"I was so worried," she whispered against his skin, "there was blood and a knife and you were gone."
"It's all alright," he said, wrapping his arms about her, "I took the tracker from my skin, I went to Italy, I hid it. We're safe, now."
The fear she'd felt building in her subsided and she sighed. They were safe. For now. She reveled in this feeling of safety in his arms, of pure serenity. He made her feel like nothing would ever hurt them. She never wanted to let him go. Ever.
"Oh, Faylinn," he sighed.
"Artemis," she murmured.
 They looked to each other at the same moment, their eyes meeting and they stood, captivated in one anothers gaze. Faylinn felt the longing for him to kiss her, but he pulled his gaze from hers and turned away, detanggling himself from her arms. She felt a stab of rejection in her gut as she looked at his thin, pale back. He ran a hand through his hair and she watched him hungrily. She would easily admit that she had deep feelings for him, but if he felt the same way was an entirely different story. 
"What's wrong?"  she asked.
He turned back to her, his face stony and expressionless.
"It's nothing, Faylinn."

Liar, hissed Orion.
Artemis willed him to be silent, but it just wouldn't work.
You have feelings for her, you love her, yet you will never admit it to yourself or to her, because you're a weak idiot. You won't let yourself feel things because you're afraid to open yourself to another so much and allow them in. You don't want to get hurt.
Artemis turned away from Faylinns worried look. He never would love, ever, because he wasn't open to it. He never wanted that distraction. He didn't need that now. He needed his wits about him and he had too many voices in his mind and too many people jostling for his attentions. That included Faylinn. She was a distraction. That's all. 
And, if she had never walked uninvited into his life, he wouldn't be in this mess. But he knew that wasn't true, the Master would have come after him either way. To use him. He went back into the living room and sat heavily on the sofa, staring into the glowing ashes. Faylinn followed him through and sat beside him, resting her head on his shoulder hesitantly. He made no move to shrug her off, because he slightly liked the way it felt to have her there. 

When Artemis awoke in the morning he panicked. He was in a strange place with arms wrapped around him and his arms about the person holding him. He struggled free and fell to the floor, gasping as the cold stone touched his back. He grabbed his shirt which was discarded by the side of the sofa where he'd left it the night before. When it was on he looked around properly and every memory of the night before came back to him. 
He looked at Faylinn who was stirring in her sleep, but settled after a moment. He sat cross legged on the floor and watched her sleep for a moment or two, even though he felt that it was slightly creepy. She looked so sweet, so serene in her sleep. He closed his eyes and fought the feelings he felt towards her that grew in his chest. 

Sorry for the wait. Sorry it's not very long. Just sorry all round XD
Tell me what you think, I implore you!!!
~Stripey xxx