Purgatory

Chapter One: The Nut

The front entrance of Haven City's J. Argon Clinic was buzzing with reporters, their cameras trained on the gnome of the hour, Doctor Argon himself. Network News reporters jostled past the PPTV crews, vying for the best angle as the doctor took his place on the clinic's front steps for the weekly briefing. A scattering of LEP officers kept watch – there had already been two brawls between the various station staffers. One had begun when a burger from Spud's Spud Emporium – someone's midday snack – had gone flying into another reporter's camera lense, smudging it past repair. The injured party had announced that it was sabotage and a skirmish had started from there.

Some four years ago this same clinic had been the site of another media frenzy when Opal Koboi had been there. The clinic was now host to a new celebrity patient who, much like Opal herself, had spent his fair share of time as public enemy number one. Three months after his admittance to the clinic, interest in Artemis Fowl's case remained keen. After all, unlike Koboi he was not comatose, which made for much better footage.

"Good to see you all again," Argon greeted the assembled reporters. "I'm happy to report that Artemis is doing well this week and we're seeing some very nice results with the insulin shock therapy treatments."

"Have you got clips for us this week, doc?" one of the PPTV reporters called out. The others joined him in clamouring their agreement. Doctor Argon's video clips had been the highest rated thing on network television since the B'wa Kell trials.

Argon hummed and hawed for a moment but then typed a few commands into the computer clutched in his palm and called up a video file on the monitor set up to his right for the briefing. "I do have a little something."

Artemis Fowl appeared on the screen. He was garbed not in his typical Armani suit, but in an ochre-coloured prison jumpsuit. He appeared to be in the clinic's common room. A gaunt pixie sat in a chair in one corner, rocking back and forth, drooling slightly while nearby an elf busied herself with an energetic game of cards with her three imaginary friends, all of whose cards she played in turn, smiling and nodding at each of them and laughing at their witty banter. As for Artemis, he was brandishing what appeared to be a pole made of five or six drinking straws glued together and was engaged in a lively duel with a sprite, similarly equipped and hovering two feet off the floor in order to be at an even level with him.

"On guard, my worthy foe!" shouted Artemis Fowl – or rather his alter ego Orion, who had become a great favourite among Haven City's viewing audience. Orion leaped forward with his sword of straws while his opponent parried, flitting away for a moment and diving towards Orion. Displaying excellent footwork, Orion managed to dance away from his opponent's attack and strike back at his foe so that the tip of the straw met with the fairy's chest. "You are vanquished!" he announced.

The tips of the sprite's wings drooped but he saluted with his straws and then retired to one of the common room chairs, where he proceeded to begin counting the tiles on the floor.

The camera swivelled towards the common room entrance and focussed on a figure dressed in a blue LEP uniform with captain's acorns on the lapels. Captain Holly short stared across the room, her brow crinkling into a frown. She groaned and looked like she was about to back out of the common room when Orion spotted her.

"Ah! My lady!" exclaimed Orion, bounding towards her with an air which would have been familiar to anyone who had ever been in the presence of a golden retriever. "How fare you on this gorgeous day?"

The captain's frown deepened into a scowl. "We're underground. There's no weather here. How can it be a gorgeous day?"

Orion beamed at her. "Why it is gorgeous, of course, due to your radiant presence. Would that I had the words to describe it."

Captain Short held her face in her hands and groaned.

The smile on Orion's face was well nigh beatific. "Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate. Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May."

"I'm going to shake you, Orion, if you don't cut that out," snapped Captain Short.

Argon stopped the clip there and smiled contentedly; the crowd was in stitches. He waited for the laughter to die down before he spoke again. "As you can see, the alter ego Orion continues to play-act the role of noble hero in the tradition of Mud Man literature from the past millennia. While Artemis himself struggles to reconcile his guilt over his past crimes with his newfound attempts at heroic action, the conflict has moved him from stage one symptoms such as obsessions – which are easily controlled through a finely-tuned regiment of medication – to stage two. Notions of heroism, idealism, and moral goodness are intolerable to Artemis in the face of his own guilt. As a result they've been relegated to this secondary personality, a personalty which Artemis does not think highly of at all. That said, he's stable with the stage one and two symptoms and there's no sign of them worsening. Still, I think it's fair to say that we're making solid progress. I'm confident that we'll see a complete or nearly complete recovery given another year or two of intensive treatment."

Argon straightened and cast his gaze over the crowd of reporters. "Questions?" As the reporters proceeded to shout their questions, Argon drew in a long breath and smiled a smile of deep and utter satisfaction.

ooo

Though the Argon clinic's main entrance was currently swarming with media, its little used delivery entrance to one side of the building was quite free. While the video clip played for the assembled reporters, the same elf in the same blue uniform hovered by the service door, her features alternating between anger, affront, and abashment.

Holly had already had words with Trouble today before she'd left Police Plaza. When he saw this latest clip on the news... Well, she supposed she'd never really been a career officer anyway.

With a sigh, she flashed her identification and made her way into the clinic, navigating its halls with the ease that came of three and a half months of regular visits, mulling over Argon's briefing as she walked. He made it sound so simple, as if Artemis's recovery were a foregone conclusion.

Holly had done some research of her own on the Atlantis Complex. Argon had glossed over some details when he'd explained it to Artemis's family – perhaps because of the way Butler had been glowering down at him. The Atlantis Complex was treatable, curable even. However, in cases that went untreated, consequences were serious. The original personality could be completely and permanently submerged by an alter ego. In the final stage, even the alter ego could be swept away as the mind collapsed in on itself, leaving the sufferer comatose, a vegetable, the original personality irretrievable.

Giving herself a shake, Holly hit the open button to Artemis's room. It was not, however, Artemis whom she found there, but a certain Mud Person she'd not seen in several weeks.

"Hello there fairy-girl," Juliet greeted her. "I hear you're a big tv star now," she added with a nod towards a screen on the wall that was displaying a live feed of Argon's news briefing.

Holly groaned. "Once Artemis is better... I'm going to kill him."

Juliet appeared to consider this for a moment. "I'm not sure how well that'll go over with Dom. Maybe you could just shoot him again instead? He'd probably let you get away with that – since it's you and all."

A smile quirked Holly's lips. "I'll keep that in mind." And then, after a moment's hesitation, "So if you're here does that mean..."

Juliet nodded. "Yeah, Mrs. Fowl is here to visit Artemis again."

Until a few years ago no human had ever set foot in Haven City. And then Artemis and Butler had come along, but all they'd seen had been the inside of an interrogation room at Police Plaza when they'd been questioned regarding the B'wa Kell. Now it was a whole other matter.

When Artemis had come down with Atlanis Complex, Argon had been anxious to have him checked in to his clinic. Butler had then demanded that Angeline Fowl be allowed to visit her son who was, after all, a minor. And when Butler insisted, things happened. Trouble's condition, though, was that any Mud People admitted to Haven be sedated for the trip down and that they not be allowed outside of Argon's facility. Butler, Juliet, and Angeline, had all finally had to return to the surface once it was clear that Artemis's stay would be more than temporary, and Holly had had to promise to keep a close eye on him. Not that she would have done otherwise.

Holly ran her fingers through her hair, a habit she'd developed since growing her hair out from the crewcut she'd sported for so many years. "I'll come back later, then."

"After braving that hoard outside you're going to run away from Angeline?" There was a smirk on the girl's face, but before Holly had the chance to deliver a proper comeback Juliet added, "Besides she's not with Artemis now. She needed to freshen up after the trip. Come on."

Holly followed Juliet down the halls until they reached the clinic cafeteria. In theory it was reserved for staff members, a place for them to eat without having to worry about an irate patient insisting the kelp and nettle side dish resembled the image of King Frond. Today, however, the tables and chairs had been pushed to the sides of the room, leaving the middle area free for use as a makeshift exercise room. Butler's hulking form would have nearly reached the ceiling had he been standing straight, but at present he remained hunched over as he held a block of padding (possibly from one of the clinic's rooms) as an improvised punching bag. And there, standing before him, was a pale, ungainly young man in an ochre jumpsuit, attempting to strike the padding with his clenched fists.

Holly halted in the doorway, eyebrows raised. "Now there's something I thought I would never see. That's Orion I guess?"

"Guess wrong. That's Artemis. Dom told me he started doing some work in the dojo before he got sick."

"The... dojo?" Holly repeated. "But why? I mean after all these years..."

Juliet shrugged. "Probably the same reason any teenage boy goes to the gym." And then, when Holly stared blankly at her, "To impress a girl."

Holly's eyes shifted from Juliet to watch Artemis as he lunged towards the pad, almost tripping himself up as he did. She winced; his fist made contact but by the angle of his strike, she was almost certain that, had he been facing a real opponent, he would have broken his wrist. And possibly several fingers. Butler proceeded to correct him and encouraged him to try again.

"He's not very impressive, is he?" Holly said.

Juliet shrugged. "It's the thought that counts, right fairy-girl? Love the new hair by the way," she added before crossing the floor to go join her brother and his charge.

Artemis dabbed at the sweat on his brow with a handkerchief when he saw them approaching. "Ah Holly, I was hoping to see you today. I'm afraid I missed your visit yesterday."

She rolled her eyes. "Yes, I noticed."

"Doctor Argon wanted to do some work with Orion and proceeded with insulin shock therapy to bring him to the fore."

"Either that or he just wanted some good sound clips for his briefing," Juliet suggested.

Artemis appeared pained as he glanced at Juliet and then back to Holly, and she was once again torn between the desire to comfort him... and to shake him. He rubbed his as temples as if they ached and finally the former impulse won out. Holly squeezed his arm. "Just don't watch the evening newscasts for tonight, all right?"

"Butler," Artemis said, "would shooting me be an option? For the good of the many, you understand."

Butler appeared bemused at the question. "I'm afraid not. I'd never be able to work again once word got out."

"I suppose in that case I shall have to continue to endure this humiliation," Artemis said with a sigh.

Holly smiled and punched him in the arm. "It could be worse. They could have locked you up in the Deeps with Opal, you know. The clinic's a resort compared to that place." She was glad to see him attempting levity – that was a good sign. Some days he seemed so dispirited that she could not help but be anxious for him.

Artemis nodded. "I was hoping to speak to you about–"

"Oh Arty, there you are!"

The open space of the cafeteria gave Angeline's voice a tinny resonance. Holly sighed. It had been nice for a while there when Artemis's overanxious mother had returned to the surface to spend time with her husband and the twins. It had been quiet.

"I just got off my shift," Holly said. "I'm going to get something to eat. I'll catch up with you later when things have settled down."

And then she greeted Angeline politely and made her way out.

ooo

Some while later, after a meal at a nearby eatery that served very lovely chestnut and leek tarts, Holly made her way back to the clinic and slipped in the side entrance once again. This time when she arrived at Artemis's room, she found the door shut. She rapped on it and, tapping her foot on the floor, was waiting to be admitted when a voice came through the room's intercom. "I'm not decent."

"Artemis, I've seen you in your underwear before. Open up."

"Yes but... Oh very well."

The door slid open and Holly stared.

"Shut the door before anyone else sees me like this," Artemis snapped.

Unable to tear her eyes away from the spectacle before her, Holly reached backwards to hit the door's button. Fumbling for a moment, she finally heard it slide closed. "Artemis..."

"Yes," he said with a sigh. "I'm aware."

His legs were encased in dark blue denim, tailored to his measurements so as to be neither baggy nor too snug. His torso was covered by a brown T-shirt on which was a cartoonish image of a Mud Boy with no neck and three fingers on each hand. Scrawled across Artemis's collar bone in a neon green graffiti-style font was the word "Randomosity."

She had to bite her lip so as not to laugh. Artemis scowled. "My mother's birthday present, which she finally brought down to me. Apparently my regular attire is intimidating to other adolescents – particularly girls, I'm told – and my mother saw fit to remedy the situation."

Holly rolled her eyes. "Oh yes, you're much more approachable now. I'm sure the girls will be flocking to you. She even went to the trouble of coordinating with your eye colours," she added with a smirk.

Artemis's hand darted to his left cheekbone, just beneath the eye he had switched with Holly when they'd been in the time stream, leaving them each with a mismatched blue and hazel pair. "Yes, very thoughtful of her. I'm sure soon she'll be signing me up for hip hop dance lessons so I can have 'moves.'" His lip curled at the word.

At this a laugh did indeed escape Holly. Artemis glowered at her.

"I'm sure your mother means well, Arty. This is just her way of coping."

His shoulders slumped, sending a ripple through the cartoon boy on his shirt. "She would like us to be a normal family. Normal," he repeated, shaking his head. "That is something I will never be."

His arm was getting more and more difficult to reach what with his recent growth spurt so she reached out instead for his hand, squeezing his fingers. "Right now, all you need to do is work on being healthy again."

"Yes. Healthy. Of course." He flopped down onto the hospital bed, which was the only fixture in the room apart from a bedside table and one chair, and glared at the pulsing mood lights on the floor. The screen, originally used to display Opal's vital signs when this had been her room, was off and she dearly hoped Artemis had not seen the endless replays of Orion's latest antics.

As she perched on the chair next to the bed, she noted the objects on his bedside table. A collection of books, miniature computer, and cell phone had been ordered from largest to smallest and set equidistant from each other and aligned with the edges of the table. "I was feeling a bit uneasy earlier," he explained when he noticed the direction of her gaze. "Just before my medication was to be administered. I'm fine now." And to make his point he reached for one of the objects and removed it, thus breaking the painstakingly created grid. He held it up for her to see, a sleek black phone with a very large screen. "I decided to take a preemptive approach and make a specific request for my Christmas present. It's not the equal of my customized phone, of course, but it's sufficiently trendy, what with that new videoconferencing capabilities, that it was enough of a request to satisfy my mother."

Holly nodded. "Your mother came by to deliver your present?"

"Yes. Since I won't be able to spend the holidays with my family, this is our early Christmas."

"Your father still thinks you're in Switzerland?"

"He does. I spoke to him only a few days ago."

"We've got Solstice coming up tomorrow so I expect things will be busy. I may not be able to drop by for a few days. There are always fairies who manage to sneak to the surface and get into trouble on holidays."

"In that case, I'd like to show you something while you're here." He reached over to the table to retrieve what looked very much like a ballpoint pen.

"A primitive writing tool?"

"Yes, Holly, by all means, mock the madman. He's certainly deserving of your scorn."

She snorted. "Come off it, Artemis. No pity from me until I can visit you without being ambushed by Orion."

"Very well. I asked Butler to bring it for me. This," he said holding up the pen – but he got no further than that before the door slid open and a hairy creature with tombstone teeth sauntered into the room as if it were his own apartment.

"Hello there," Mulch greeted them. "Sorry to barge in on your alone time together."

"Mulch," Holly said in a tone that quickly made Mulch turn his attention to Artemis.

"Nice outfit. Planning to start a band? Artemis and the nutters?"

"More mockery," Artemis sighed. "Just what a recovering mental patient needs."

"Recovering. Of course, silly me. Been giving Argon some trouble, though, haven't you? You know I hear you're a tough nut to crack."

"It's been over three months. Will you never let that go?"

Mulch flashed a grin that showed off his overlarge teeth to good effect. "When I have such good material?"

Artemis straightened. "I would like to see you attempt to outwit a giant squid in his own lair while simultaneously struggling with an obsessive compulsive disorder."

"I'm sure I'd just crack under the pressure."

"Mulch, cut it out," Holly jumped in. "And Artemis, stop acting your age, would you?"

"It's quite all right," Artemis said, slumping back against his pillows. "I've come to accept that I am in purgatory, burning off the taint of my past crimes. I'm sure all this will come to an end. Eventually."

The despondency that crept into his tone on that last word made Holly want to cradle his face in her hands, look into those mismatched eyes, the twin to her own, and assure him that it would be all right. But with Mulch there this would only entail more teasing, and besides that Artemis had developed a habit of shrugging off words of comfort, as if he did not want them... or felt he did not deserve them.

His shiny new Christmas present cut through the silence with an incongruously cheerful ringtone. Artemis grimaced and answered, holding the phone away from himself as it indicated there was a video signal along with the audio.

Artemis's eyes widened as the screen lit up to display the image of the caller, and the word that fell from his lips chilled Holly's blood. "Kong."