Chapter eight: Betrayal

Fortunately, Butler chose that moment to wake up. Butler leaped and dragged Holly and his employer to safety just as the flames of the explosion ricocheted off the walls. The noise was deafening, like a million explosions in one. Fire bounced around the room like a bouncy ball covered in water, leaving a little of itself wherever it went.

The three of them were able to avoid the flames by a hair. They barely got fried. Opal seeing that her murderous attempt had failed stormed into the now black with ash room to finish them off, carefully dodging the sparks. Holly stood there like an ex-captain should, head held high, fearless and ready for what might happen.

“You avoided me once too often.” Opal fumed. “You won’t this time.”

Calmly, without taking her eyes off her enemy, Holly picked up a piece of her burnt, demolished neutrino. She drew back her arm and threw it as hard as she could at the pixie, which is pretty hard. The metal hit her square on her once pointed ear. Dead bull’s-eye. She fell down unconscious. Artemis just stared wide-eyed. He looked at Holly, then at the fallen pixie, and right back at his friend.

Holly gazed down at her hand. I was red as a strawberry and smoking. She fell to her knees and held her hand in the other. “Ouch,” she said to herself, “it hurts.”

Artemis was focusing on his companion’s hand rather than what was happening. “Artemis…” Butler said.

“Butler,” Artemis replied annoyed. “Can you not tell the captain needs some assistance?”

“But, Artemis,” Butler said again. “It’s Koboi.”

The boy sighed. “What is it?”

“She’s,” Butler said, “not breathing.”

Artemis turned and saw he was right. “Well, at least she’s not going to be trying to take over the world anytime soon.”

“Maybe not her,” another mysterious voice said. This is getting really creepy. Artemis thought to himself. “but she’s not the only one.”

“Who…?”

“Yes, I thought I’d have to tell you,” the voice stated matter-of-factly, “since you believe me dead.”

“Well, hurry up with it. We haven’t got all day.”

“You’re right…because you’re going to die before the sun goes down.”

“As I said,” Artemis said really getting annoyed, “hurry up. Quit the cliché.”

“Alright,” he said, “my name is…” You could almost hear dramatic music playing in the background. “Briar Cudgeon.”

“Cudgeon?” Holly exclaimed, “But you’re dead!”

“Told you so.”

“I can’t believe it!” Artemis said. “It’s simply impossible!”

“Improbable, but not impossible,” Cudgeon reminded him. “Now, enough small talk. It’s show time! Clones, kill them, please.”

Hundred of clones started filling the room from the single door. They lunged at Artemis and Butler. Not Holly, though. She was with them.

Chapter nine: The End…?

Clones of Opal Koboi, Briar Cudgeon, Julius Root, and one Holly Short clawed at the two humans. Their eyes were foggy and distant as if they were being controlled by another. Which they were. Artemis huddled on the floor, hands over his head, and just lay there trembling while Butler held off the clones. He socked them in the face and kneed them in the stomach and threw them at the walls. He picked a Koboi up and threw her. She hit the wall with fatal force. She fell dead to the ground.

Butler kicked a Cudgeon in the jaw. The clone fell back for a moment then stood back up, his mouth was quite a few teeth short. Blood spilled from his jaw. He tackled again. Butler socked him in the stomach which knocked the wind out of the clone. Blood splattered on his shirt. Butler was able to hold them off for a long time but they were still too much for him. He fell to the ground unconscious. Artemis sat there shaking as the clones closed in on him…

“AAAAAAHHHHHH!” Artemis screamed as he sat up quick. His face was damp with sweat. He took a deep breath. Just a nightmare, he tried telling himself, just a nightmare. The communicator on his bedside table rang. “Hello?” he said as he picked up the device.

“Artemis,” Holly said with a bright expression on her face. He’d only seen her like that three times since the Commander’s death.

“Yeah?”

“Great news! You’ll never guess who showed up in my office today!”

“Who?”

She shoved another person in the small screen with her. Commander Root. “Unbelievable, isn’t it?”

“Uh…yeah.” Artemis croaked as his mind said oh,no.

Some other stories by artyfowl3:

• Updates
• Doorway to Cittàgazze
• Early Train
• Like Father, Like Daughter
• Lost Colony Poem

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