Grub Kelp
Cadet
"You shut up. You were supposed to look out for me. Mommy said!"[M:0]
Posts: 98
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Post by Grub Kelp on Feb 18, 2007 23:21:06 GMT -5
This is just a little fanfic I was inspired to write. The title for chapter one is kind of corny, but I had a brain fart and couldn't think of anything better. Anyway, this one's for you, brother!
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Chapter 1 - Sleepless Under Seattle
Police Plaza
Holly Short reported in for work at her usual time and entered Police Plaza. As she entered along with other officers working the same shift, others headed in the opposite direction, retiring from the nightshift. Among these were the Kelp brothers, Captain Trouble and Corporal Grub.
“Morning, Holly,” Trouble nodded as he passed her, “You’re looking bright-eyed and bushy-tailed.”
“I wish I could say the same for you two,” Holly smirked, glancing at Grub as he looked like he might collapse in exhaustion at any moment, “Rough night?”
“That could be an understatement,” the captain replied, catching his brother by the elbow before he could hit the ground, “The B’wa Kell triad is at it again. We had riots all night long. We’ve been on our feet for 12 hours straight.”
“I’ve got a blister to prove it,” Grub whined, blinking heavily in an effort to stay alert.
“I’m so sorry,” Holly tried to sound sympathetic in the face of Grub’s petty complaints, “Well, here’s hoping you boys can head home and get some rest. You deserve it.”
“Thanks,” Trouble smiled wearily, “Good luck on your shift, Holly. Come along, Grub.”
Holly shook her head, an amused smile playing on her bowed lips as she watched the brothers trudge away in a sleep-deprived stupor. Switching from day- to nightshifts is never easy. She knows. She’s been there before.
“Short! Get in here!”
The voice of Commander Julius Root bellowing from his office was enough to make Captain Short cringe. No doubt, he had been supervising the nightshift and was just as sleep-deprived--if not more so--than the Kelps. Everyone knows Root is cranky enough on a normal day, let alone a day following a completely sleepless night.
“Yes sir?” Holly cautiously poked her head in the commander’s office.
“Ah, so good to see a pair of wide-open eyes,” Root growled, rubbing his own bloodshot eyes, “Last night was torture. Every officer on the shift is run ragged. Verbil show up yet?”
“I haven’t seen him, sir,” Holly answered with a shrug, “You know how Chix is. He’d be late for his own funeral."
The commander didn’t laugh at her little joke. “It’s going to be his funeral if he doesn’t show up in the next five minutes. I’ve got dog-tired officers waiting to be relieved.”
“Hey, what are you doing on Friday?”
Root ground his fungus cigar between his teeth, knowing that voice could only belong to one sprite--a certain sprite he would like to strangle.
“Verbil! Get in here!”
Chix flitted into the room, a beaming and flirtatious grin on his green face. A grin Commander Root would love to slap right off, but he sticks to verbal aggression--for now.
“Where have you been?”
“Oh, uh...yes sir,” Chix stammered, his cheesy grin staying in place, “I was just out...patrolling the area...sir.”
“Yeah, for girls,” Root grumbled, drumming his fingers on his desk, “I don’t have time for this, Verbil, and neither do you. Both of you, check in with Foaly and get to your patrol--on the double!”
“Who spit in his coffee?” Chix muttered to Holly as they left the office together.
“Don’t push things, Chix,” Holly warned him, “This is not the time to be fooling around. The B’wa Kell is stirring up again. The commander has been up all night overseeing everything and I’m sure he’s in the perfect mood to smear you all over a wall if you get on his bad side.”
In a rare stroke of wisdom, Chix decided not to pursue any further smart comments. They continued the rest of their walk to the Operations Booth in silence.
“What have you got for us today, Foaly?” Holly asked after a quiet knock on the open door. Foaly was sitting in his custom swivel chair, equine legs folded neatly under him, his tail draped over one side of the chair and twitching in a definite sign of annoyance.
“Enough work to make you want to exchange this job for what’s behind door number two,” the centaur sighed as he swiveled around to face the elf and sprite, “This is absolutely ridiculous. Just when we think we have everything under control, something else happens.”
“That bad, eh?” Chix asked, removing his cap to run his fingers through his green-hued hair, “Man, you look about as beat as ol’ Beetroot in there.”
“We’re all exhausted. It’s nice to see some fresh, wide awake faces in here though. Gives everybody some hope, I think.”
“Well, let’s get down to business then,” Holly replied, strapping on her helmet, “Where are we positioned? I’m sure the officers we’re replacing are more than ready to drop.”
“You’ve got that right,” Foaly groaned as he stood up and stretched all four legs in turn, “You’ll be staking out the southwest perimeter today. Trouble and Grub held that position all night. I called them out and sent them home already, so all you have to do is go in. The pod is already stationed there.”
Suited up and helmets strapped on, Captain Short and Private Verbil headed out to their station. Holly was dreading this shift with Chix as her pod-mate and after last time, who could blame her? Chix, like many sprites, was an obnoxious flirt and spent more time trying to impress Holly than he did actually doing his job.
“How’s the wing?” Captain Short asked at length, referring to the injury Chix had taken on as the first casualty in the original uprising of the B’wa Kell.
“Healing up okay,” Chix replied, twitching his wings behind him and causing a snappy buzzing sound to result, “Wanna see the scar?”
“No thanks,” Holly rolled her eyes.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, I’m positive. You know, if you’d spent more time doing your job and less time trying to impress me, you’d be a lot better off.”
Chix ignored her and dared to test his wings. He hovered a moment and made a quick loop, then alighted on the ground again.
“Still smarts a little,” he winced, but maintained his flirty grin, “Nothing I can’t handle though.”
Holly heaved an exasperated sigh as she entered the pod and took her seat at the control panel, flipping the monitors and radars on. Chix immediately powered up the two-way radio and toggled it to pick up human radio waves above ground. The captain rolled her eyes as some rock and roll blasted from the speakers. This was going to be a long shift.
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Post by Holly Short on Feb 19, 2007 20:25:30 GMT -5
Very good. I'm glad someone else wrote a story. ;D
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Grub Kelp
Cadet
"You shut up. You were supposed to look out for me. Mommy said!"[M:0]
Posts: 98
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Post by Grub Kelp on Feb 20, 2007 2:32:11 GMT -5
Thanks. How is your story coming along? Here's chapter 2 from mine.
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Chapter 2 - Terror Underground
Haven City
Unbeknownst to Holly and Chix, disaster was about to strike the heart of Haven City. The most elusive of the B’wa Kell triad had hidden themselves well in various places throughout the underground metropolis. They were surprisingly well organized and poised to attack specified targets--one of which being Howler’s Peak.
“We have to free the others,” a goblin known as Grunge barked at his comrades as they hid in a cramped room under an old warehouse on the outskirts of Haven, “The LEP has cramped our style long enough. It’s time to teach them a lesson.”
“How do we do that?” asked another goblin.
“Oh, there are lots of ways,” Grunge replied, licking his eyeballs thoughtfully, “We could lock them up in Howler’s Peak...maybe kill a few of them as an example to the rest of the officers.”
“Kill them? How?”
“With the softnoses, stupid,” Grunge growled, pounding a scaly fist on the table, “We shoot ‘em up.”
“Where do we start?” another goblin inquired.
“Howler’s Peak, idiot,” Grunge hissed, “Where else?”
Police Plaza
Chix was snapping his fingers and bobbing his head to some bizarre music--much to Holly’s disdain--when Foaly’s voice cut into the radio waves, an alarm going off that signaled a high alert.
“Holly? Chix? You there? Come in.”
“I read you, Foaly,” Holly answered in a level, but concerned tone, “Go ahead.”
“We have a situation up at Howler’s Peak,” the centaur sounded extremely edgy as his fingers pounded away at his keyboard, “Looks like an organized group of the B’wa Kell. They’ve laid siege to the prison and already subdued several officers. They need backup--bad. How fast can you be there?”
“We’re on it, Foaly,” Holly answered, “We’ll be there before you can swat a fly.”
Holly shifted the pod into motion and turned them toward Howler’s Peak, a look of grim determination etched in her features. Naturally, Chix failed to see the seriousness of the matter. He was lost in his own little world of rock and roll.
“Will you turn that blasted thing off?!” Holly snapped, flipping the switch to put the radio back on the two-way line.
Howler’s Peak
Holly parked the pod a safe distance away from Howler’s Peak. They would continue on foot. Securing her Neutrino in its holster and flipping the visor down on her helmet, she emerged from the pod and beckoned Chix to follow. The sprite exited the pod and hovered a few inches off the ground--a definite sign that he was nervous.
“Problem, Chix?” Holly asked smugly.
“Problem? Who’s got a problem? Not me. I’m problem-free, babe.”
“Call me that again and you will have a problem,” the captain growled, her firing hand automatically straying to her Neutrino, “Now get your head on straight. This is no place to fool around.”
As they climbed the peak, they could just make out wisps of smoke snaking out of various openings in the prison building. Several windows were broken and small fires crackled in random spots.
“Proceed with caution, Private,” Holly told Chix through her helmet microphone, “We want to get this under control with as little resistance as possible.”
“Roger that, Cap’,” Chix replied.
Just as they topped the rise, an explosion sounded from inside the building. Holly gave the order and she and Chix ran in, weapons drawn. Inside, thousands of goblins were loose and reeking havoc on everything they touched. Some of the prison guards were already wounded or unconscious.
“We need backup,” Holly panted, Neutrino drawn as she hunkered down with her back pressed against a wall, “Foaly, this is a disaster area. We need help up here, pronto!”
“Trouble is on his way,” Foaly’s voice replied in an even tone as he tried to keep Holly calm, “Hold them off as best you can, sweetheart.”
“Trouble?” Chix questioned, “I thought he was off for the day.”
Holly just shrugged and trained her weapon on a goblin attempting to torch the bars of a cell. She fired, stunning the scaly creature into unconsciousness. Across the hall with his back pressed to the wall, Chix mirrored her moves. It seemed like an eternity before Trouble showed up.
“I’ve got you covered,” he panted as he slid into a defensive position in another corridor.
Suddenly, another explosion rocked the building and ceiling tiles began to crack and rain down on them. It didn’t look good.
“Retreat!” Trouble shouted, “Everybody get out of here--now!”
The word “retreat” was rarely ever heard coming out of Captain Trouble Kelp’s mouth, so when this order came, it was clear that the situation was dire. Chix was the first to get out on the north side of the building. He was nearly bowled over by a frantic Grub Kelp.
“My brother! Where is he?” the corporal asked, shaking Chix as though that might get the answer out of him faster.
“He’s still inside.”
Grub didn’t wait for further details. Snapping his visor shut, he charged into the fiery crumbling building. At that same moment, Holly and Trouble raced out to meet Chix.
“Did Grub show up yet?” Trouble gasped, “He was supposed to bring in the heavy artillery.”
“He just ran into the building looking for you,” Chix answered.
“What?” Trouble resisted the urge to swear as he turned on his heels and ran back into the quaking inferno, calling his little brother’s name, “Grub! Grub, where are you?”
By now, the building was full of smoke that was so strong, it was even seeping through the air purifiers in the LEP helmets. Trouble flicked on his high beams, trying to locate his brother in the dark building. The power was long gone and no lights were working. At last, he spotted it--a glimmer from Grub’s own high beams.
“Grub, over here!” he shouted, trying to guide is brother, who was obviously disoriented in the smoke and darkness. To his relief, Grub caught sight of him and started moving in his direction.
At the moment when the brothers had nearly reached each other, another ground-shaking explosion rang out and the battered building gave way under the force. The walls began to crack as the ceiling came down on them. There was nothing either of them could do. In the blink of an eye, the Kelps were enveloped in an avalanche of falling plaster, concrete, rock, and steel.
* * *
Outside, Holly and Chix waited for Trouble and Grub to return. They could hear Trouble’s voice crackling in and out on the radio wired in their helmets. Holly was about to charge in herself when Chix caught her arm and pulled her back. At that same moment, an explosion shook the foundation of the prison and a blast of fire shot from the roof.
“She’s goin’ down!” Chix shouted, dragging Holly with him as he dove behind a dumpster for cover. The elf and sprite crouched together, braced for falling debris as the entire prison came crashing to the ground.
When the noise ceased, Holly stood and peaked up over the top of the dumpster, followed by Chix as he took to hovering once again.
“Oh no,” gasped Holly. What lay before them was a leveled Howler’s Peak...and absolutely no sign of life.
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TaRa NoVa
Cadet
Avatar created by Chix Verbil
Posts: 32
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Post by TaRa NoVa on Feb 20, 2007 23:24:47 GMT -5
Bravo! Great story so far. Please continue!
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Post by Holly Short on Feb 28, 2007 22:06:47 GMT -5
Really good. Keep writing that story.
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Grub Kelp
Cadet
"You shut up. You were supposed to look out for me. Mommy said!"[M:0]
Posts: 98
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Post by Grub Kelp on Mar 1, 2007 0:05:01 GMT -5
You want more, you've got it! Chapter 3 for your reading pleasure!
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Chapter 3 - Deep Trouble
Howler’s Peak - Ground Zero
Trouble opened his eyes--or at least, he thought he had opened his eyes. It was hard to tell in the blackness of his surroundings. His high beams had shorted out in the collapse and he was engulfed in total darkness. When his head cleared sufficiently, his first thoughts were of his little brother.
“Grub?” he called, coughing as he choked on smoke and dust. No answer. Trouble’s heart sank and he felt sick inside. What if Grub had been killed?
He couldn’t let himself think about that. He had to keep trying. Until a body was found, Grub could not be presumed dead. There was still a chance.
“Grub!” he called louder. He tried to move, but found his leg was pinned under a block of concrete--a big block of concrete. No doubt, his leg was crushed. A few blue sparks played around the limb, but they quickly fizzled out, reminding him that he had failed to complete the Ritual. He cursed himself inwardly.
Once again, he called his brother’s name. Still no answer. No doubt, if Grub wasn’t dead, he was probably unconscious. Trouble reached around to try and push the concrete off his leg, but the attempt was futile. He didn’t have the strength to move it. Tears of frustration welling in his eyes, the captain slammed his fist against the concrete and collapsed, helpless to stop the blackness from rolling in again.
* * *
On top of the wreckage, a Retrieval Team was scouring the rubble, looking for survivors. Though she was not a part of Retrieval, Holly was with them and searching every bit as hard.
“Trouble! Grub!” she shouted, digging through the crumbled steel and concrete frantically with bare hands, ignoring the blisters and cuts she was gaining in the process. The blue sparks were taking care of those for her anyway.
“Help me, please!”
Holly felt a leaping in her heart and followed the choked voice. It wasn’t far below the surface. She began digging like a maniac only to find...a goblin. Sneering with disgust, she briefly entertained the thought of bashing the ugly creature’s head in with a block of concrete. Instead, she dug him out and turned him over to the medics. He would be taken into custody as soon as his wounds were taken care of.
“Come on, Trouble, where are you?” Holly growled as she continued searching and calling, “Trouble! Grub! If you can hear me, please answer!”
She waited. No answer came. She felt a sinking sensation as she thought of the grim possibility that both of them could already be dead--killed instantly in the collapse...or even the explosion that had preceded it. However, the same thought occurred to her that had occurred to Trouble regarding his brother: they could not be presumed dead until bodies were found to prove it to be true.
* * *
Corporal Grub awakened to a world of pain and restricted breathing. Barely a whimper could escape his lips. What had happened? Why was everything so dark? Then he remembered. Howler’s Peak had collapsed on him...and his brother. Trouble! Where was he?
“Trub?” Grub wheezed with what little breath he could inhale, “Trub, where are you?”
No answer. Grub was already afraid, but now the fear was even more intense. No answer could mean that his brother was no more.
“Trub!” he called again--louder this time. Still no answer came. He tried to move, but it felt as though an elephant were holding him down. He had no way of knowing that a steel beam lay across his back, pinning him face down under several feet of rubble. Tears of pain cut clean streaks down his ash-covered face.
“Trub, I need you...”
* * *
“Trub, I need you...”
The words cut through Trouble’s unconsciousness, calling him back to the waking world through a fog of pain and blackness. At first, he thought it was a dream, but that voice...it sounded like...Grub.
“Grub?” he asked, his heart beating faster with hope, “Grub, can you hear me?”
“Trub, is that you?” came the small reply. The voice sounded awfully close.
Trouble reached out in the direction of the voice and was surprised when his hand made contact with is brother’s arm. He took hold of it firmly, as though afraid the darkness might steal his little brother away.
“Grub, are you okay?” Trouble asked, unable to hide the emotion in his voice.
“I don’t know,” Grub whimpered, “It’s hard to breathe. Are you all right, brother?”
“I’m okay,” Trouble answered, “My leg is caught, that’s all.”
“I’m scared, Trub..."
“I know you are,” the older Kelp replied with compassion accompanied by the tone of a confident captain, “But be strong, Corporal. We’ll be okay. We have each other.”
* * *
“Find anything yet?” Commander Root asked once he reached ground zero at Howler’s Peak and met up with an exhausted Holly Short.
“Just a few goblins,” Holly sighed regretfully, “No sign of the brothers.”
“They could be dead down there,” Root said grimly as he lit up a cigar, “Foaly is on his way up with some of his technology to see if we can locate some life down there. Apparently, the trackers are all shorted out. No locator, no vitals, nothing.”
“No vitals could mean...”
“They’re dead,” Root finished for her, “But dead or alive, they have to be recovered. Keep looking, Captain.” Root laid a gentle hand on her shoulder. “I’m going to scan the rubble on the west side.”
“I won’t give up, sir,” Holly answered firmly. She could sense Chix’s presence when he silently alighted behind her.
“Any luck?” he asked, handing her a bottle of water.
Holly popped the top and drank like a dehydrated camel, then poured what was left over her sweaty head and face.
“None,” the elf shook her head, “Commander is assuming they could be dead.”
“I’ll help you look,” Chix replied kindly, “They don’t need me back in Police Plaza for a few hours anyway.”
* * *
At least 50 feet below, Trouble was sweating profusely. The air was thin and hot under the rubble, no doubt because of the fires still burning in various areas. He twisted around and reached for a hydrosion shell fastened to his belt. Carefully popping the cap on the fizzer, he poured a little in his hand and splashed it against his face, then he groped around in the dark, trying to locate Grub once again. He had ordered him to rest and stay calm as it was hard enough for him to breathe already.
“Drink some water,” the captain suggested, that being more of a warning than an actual suggestion as he grabbed his brother by the chin and poured some water into his mouth.
Grub spluttered and tried to resist, but quickly found it was a waste of energy to do so.
“Thanks, brother,” he croaked, coughing.
“We have to stay hydrated,” Trouble replied, chugging down a few swallows of water himself, “I have two more fizzers on me. We’ll have to ration it out and make it last until someone finds us.”
“Do you think anyone will be able to rescue us?”
“I’m sure they’re searching right now. If we can just hang on, I know they’ll find us and get us out of here.”
Though he spoke with confidence, Trouble felt a worm of doubt snaking around the back of his mind. What if they never got out of here alive? He couldn’t let his mind wander there. He had to be strong. He was the captain and one of his officers was depending on him, but not just any officer. This one was his own flesh and blood--the little brother he had promised to protect.
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Post by Holly Short on Mar 1, 2007 21:11:48 GMT -5
Good. Keep up the good work. You know Colfer's work very good. Complex wordplay and storg sentence structure.
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Grub Kelp
Cadet
"You shut up. You were supposed to look out for me. Mommy said!"[M:0]
Posts: 98
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Post by Grub Kelp on Mar 1, 2007 23:08:47 GMT -5
Wow, thanks, Holly. That means a lot. Are you still working on your story?
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Chapter 4 - Desperate Measures
LEP Headquarters
Foaly had called an emergency meeting with the council to introduce a plan to locate their missing officers. He looked as exhausted as everyone else as he made his presentation. No one had slept much since the collapse of Howler’s Peak. Those who weren’t directly involved with the search and rescue were busy keeping the rest of Haven under control or, in Foaly’s case, wracking their brains for answers.
“I’ve installed super-sensitive heat seeking technology in our latest helmets,” he explained, passing out the helmets to anyone there who was dedicated solely to the search and rescue efforts, “They’re designed to pick up the heat generated by living creatures.”
“How deep can they go?” Holly asked, “The Kelps could be buried under anything from 10 to 50 feet of rubble.”
“Thirty feet is the best I can do for now.”
“One problem with your little plan, Donkey-boy,” Root interrupted, “What if the Kelps are dead--stone cold? These stinking helmets aren’t going to pick up cold dead officers, are they?”
“Well...no,” Foaly admitted, “But I’m working on something. The next release will have the technology designed to detect any magical being--dead or alive.”
“What if the subject is drained of magic?” asked Holly, “Will it still detect them?”
“Uhh...”
“Oh, forget this,” Root scoffed, tossing the helmet aside, “Foaly, you’re as dead on your feet as the rest of us.”
“A magic detector of some sort might be just the thing though, Commander,” Holly replied thoughtfully, “Something that will detect any fairy-like creature.”
“Yeah, and just where are we going to come up with this technology, Short?” Root asked impatiently, his abnormally pale face going a shade or two darker, “Foaly is in no condition to rig anything up. All of us are running on raw nerves.”
“Maybe Foaly is too tired to invent the right thing,” Holly winked, “But I know someone who might be rested and smart enough to come up with something.”
“Don’t tell me...”
“Artemis Fowl.”
Fowl Manor
With permission from Commander Root, Holly went topside at the first magma flare to hit the chutes. Lives were at stake and she wasn’t about to waste any time. Upon reaching Fowl Manor, she unshielded. After all, she was here for an urgent reason and she wanted to be seen.
She flew low and picked up a handful of stones from the gravel driveway, then circled the house, peering into each window she passed, looking for Artemis. She found him in the study and quickly tossed a pebble at the window pane. After the third stone, Artemis noticed her and turned from his computer to open the window.
“Captain Short?” he asked, admittedly surprised, “What are you doing here?”
“There’s trouble underground, Fowl,” Holly explained bluntly, “We need your help.”
“What’s going on?”
“Another goblin rebellion. They broke into our maximum security prison and literally tore it apart. The whole building collapsed. Two members of LEP are trapped somewhere in the rubble. We have to find them, but it’s impossible as things are. No one in Police Plaza has slept and Foaly can’t think straight to come up with some technology to locate the missing officers. I thought maybe you’d have some ideas.”
Artemis didn’t say anything for a while, obviously digesting this information and making calculations in his mind. Finally, he spoke.
“What are you willing to pay for my services?”
Holly couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “Why, you selfish little Mud Maggot! There are lives at stake down there and all you can think of is your payment? How’s this for payment--help us and I won’t bust your face in?”
“Calm yourself, Captain,” Artemis smirked, almost amused, “Face it, you have asked for my help before and I gave it to you--risked my life, in fact.”
“I helped you get your father back,” Holly reminded him, “So your services did not go unpaid for.”
Artemis had forgotten this small fact. Holly and Root had indeed put their own lives on the line to help him rescue his father from the Russian Mafiya. What right did he have? For a fleeting moment, a look of remorse passed over his pale features.
“All right, Holly,” he sighed, “It’s a deal. I’ll see what I can do.”
“Good. Now get Butler. You’ll follow me back to Haven.”
Operations Booth
A few hours later, Holly returned with the two humans in tow. They gathered in the Ops Booth to meet with Foaly and Commander Root for a briefing on the situation at hand.
“We’ve got two officers trapped under at least 50 feet of concrete and steel,” Root explained, “If they’re still alive, we don’t have much time to get them out. No doubt, oxygen is limited down there and if they don’t suffocate, they will die of thirst.”
“So what are you expecting of me?” Artemis asked.
“We need some kind of technology that will detect a magical creature whether it’s dead or alive,” Foaly answered slowly, cradling his head in his hands in exhaustion, “Because they have to be recovered one way or another. I have heat-sensitive trackers, but the problem is they only register so far down and they will only pick up a warm body. If they’re already dead and have been so for a while, their bodies will be cold and the trackers won’t find them. It’s also confusing because the trackers end up picking up small fires. You have no idea how frustrating it is when you get a reading and you think it’s your missing guys, only to find it’s just a fire.”
Butler nodded silently in understanding, then glanced at his young charge expectantly, knowing it was only a matter of moments before Artemis came up with a plan.
“Well, Mud Boy?” Root prompted impatiently.
“Master Artemis is thinking,” Butler answered with a gesture for the commander to hold his tongue a bit longer.
“I can come up with something,” Artemis replied at last, “But I will need access to your raw technology, Foaly. I intend to create a device from scratch.”
“You’ll do this work supervised, Mud Boy,” Root interrupted, slamming his fist on the desk, “We don’t need you ripping us off or stealing our technology for your own weasel-nosed purposes.”
“Understood, Commander,” Artemis nodded.
“Holly, I’m leaving you in charge here,” Root turned to the female officer, “Foaly can’t baby-sit alone--not as tired as he is.”
“Yes, sir.”
“I’m heading back to ground zero to help continue the rescue efforts. Keep in touch.”
“I will, sir.”
* * *
As Holly waited for Artemis to finish inventing the contraption he’d been asked to build, she tried to get Foaly to relax. The centaur was more paranoid than usual with two humans having access to his precious technology. Holly practically had to tie him to his chair to get him to stop pacing.
“Cool it, Foaly,” she said gently, patting his equine shoulder, “Everything is under control. Why don’t you get a little rest while you have the chance?”
“Rest?” Foaly asked incredulously, his eyes wide and bloodshot, “How can I rest at a time like this? The biggest threat to the existence of the People is sitting here with full access to my technology and you’re suggesting I take a nap? Perish the thought!”
“Almost done,” Artemis announced, “I only need one more component and I’m sure you can supply it for me, Holly.”
The captain looked at him, head tilted quizzically.
“I need a few sparks of magic,” Artemis explained, “That will give the tracker all the information it needs.”
“No tricks, Artemis.”
“No tricks.”
Trusting him as much as she dared, Holly placed her hands on the small handheld computer and willed a few blue sparks into the feed slot. Artemis turned it on and it immediately tracked Holly herself, broadcasting her exact location in proximity with that of Artemis.
“That’s it,” the boy smiled triumphantly, “Shall we see if it can find your friends now?”
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TaRa NoVa
Cadet
Avatar created by Chix Verbil
Posts: 32
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Post by TaRa NoVa on Mar 2, 2007 8:43:19 GMT -5
"Selfish little mud maggot", lol. I like Foaly's little paranoid outburst there too. ^__^
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Post by Holly Short on Mar 2, 2007 21:17:15 GMT -5
Still good. You should get it published by Colfer himself. I'm not done with chapter four just yet, I just started that chapter. I'm not a fast typer for long stories.
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Grub Kelp
Cadet
"You shut up. You were supposed to look out for me. Mommy said!"[M:0]
Posts: 98
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Post by Grub Kelp on Mar 3, 2007 0:42:51 GMT -5
Thanks for the comments, guys. Can't wait to see the continuation of your story, Holly.
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Chapter 5 - My Brother’s Keeper
Howler’s Peak - Ground Zero
Trouble was never one to lie about and patiently wait for help. He was bull-headed enough to take matters into his own hands and push himself as far as he could. In this case, the captain was sick and tired of being unable to move due to his leg being pinned under several crushing pounds of concrete. In between rest periods, he had been digging away at the chunks of broken concrete around his leg. If he couldn’t lift the block off, maybe he could widen a gap just enough so that he could slip the leg out.
In front of him and slightly to his left, Trouble could hear Grub’s labored breathing. In a way, it both comforted and disturbed him. It was comforting to hear his brother breathing as it was a definite sign he was still alive. In the same moment, it was disturbing because he knew it had to be painful for Grub.
“You all right, Corporal?” Trouble asked, reaching out to touch his brother’s arm.
In the dark, Grub’s eyelids barely opened and he nodded feebly, a motion that would barely be detected in broad daylight, let alone the inky blackness here. Grub seemed to realize this and he forced two words. “Affirmative, Captain.”
“Don’t lie to me, Grub,” Trouble replied in a warning tone, “I know you’re scared and you’re in pain. You can’t fool me.”
“I know,” Grub sighed shakily, his breath catching in his throat as he stifled a whimper of pain, “I’m just following orders.”
“What orders? I didn’t order you to lie to me.”
“You told me to be strong...Captain.”
Trouble felt a burning behind his eyes as a gentle smile took up residence on his face. Of all the times his little brother had to pick to truly behave like a soldier, it had to be now. Captain Kelp couldn’t help but feel pride for him.
* * *
On top of the rubble, Commander Root was sweeping the area with the Retrieval Team. They had recovered a few more live goblins, but still no sign of the officers missing in action. Even Root was beginning to lose hope. His heart felt heavier with every rescue they made in which the victims were neither Trouble nor Grub.
“Commander, he’s done it!”
Root looked up, wiping sweat from his brow with a damp cloth. He saw Holly, Artemis, and Butler approaching on the hazy horizon. They looked hopeful...or maybe it was his own wishful thinking.
“We have a working magic tracker,” Holly panted, “It’ll pick up magic signals from a distance up to 100 feet.”
Root didn’t celebrate immediately. He was skeptical. “Wait one minute. If it’s in magical hands and surrounded by magical creatures up here, how is it going to detect the magical beings we’re looking for?”
“It’s quite simple, Commander,” Artemis explained, “I’ve adjusted it to the ‘underground’ setting. Any magic buried somewhere under you is the only magic that will be detected--like a metal detector.”
“You’re better at explaining these contraptions than Foaly is,” Root muttered, taking the tracker and fastening the headset over his ears, “Captain Short, you come with me. The Mud Men will stand by until something comes up.”
For what seemed like an eternity, Root and Holly swept the entire area in a grid search pattern, the detector giving off a steady blip most of the time--until they passed over an area just about in the center of what used to be Howler’s Peak. They instantly got a series of frantic beeps.
“Hold your ground, Captain,” Root barked, unable to keep the excitement from his voice, “I’m locked on something here.”
“You found them?”
“Don’t get too excited. It could have picked up another goblin or it may be malfunctioning...”
“How deep is the signal?”
“We’re reading approximately 50 feet. If it’s our boys, they’re buried deep. No telling whether or not they’re still alive. It’s been 24 hours. Get Retrieval over here. We need to start digging.”
* * *
Fifty feet below, Trouble was back to trying to free his leg. Perhaps if he could get loose, he could do something about Grub’s predicament. He was making progress. He was able to wiggle his leg just a little, which was more than he could do before. Every few minutes, he would stop and listen, checking to be sure Grub was still breathing and the rate had not changed. He was relieved to find things stayed fairly consistent...until another hour passed.
“Captain...is it cold down here to you?” Grub asked.
“Cold?” Trouble asked incredulously, “Are you kidding? It’s sweltering down here.”
“I’m f-f-freezing,” Grub whimpered, his teeth chattering as though he were in a sub-zero climate, “Trub, what’s happening to me?”
Trouble got a sickening feeling in his stomach. He knew Grub was in the first stages of shock. Why it had held off this long, he had no clue. All he knew was that now things were taking a turn for the worse.
“You’re okay,” he reassured his brother, his voice nearly betraying him as the fear tried to surface there, “Just stay calm and keep talking to me, understand?”
Now it was even more important that Trouble get his leg free. His brother needed him and the captain was bound and determined to somehow get the steel beam off Grub’s back.
“I’m really thirsty,” Grub muttered, sounding disoriented, “Are you thirsty, brother?”
“Definitely shock,” Trouble growled under his breath, digging frantically at the rubble around his leg. He mumbled a few choice words at the block pinning it down, silently praying he could somehow get loose.
As though in answer to his prayer, the concrete gave way and the block slid an inch or two backward, tipping up off his leg. Trouble lost no time yanking it out and, dragging it uselessly behind him, he crawled over to his brother. He put a hand to Grub’s forehead and found him cold to the touch, but drenched in sweat.
“You still with me, Grub?” he asked, propping Grub’s head up with one hand while he reached for another hydrosion shell on his belt. He felt Grub twitch his head in a feeble nod. “Good. I’m giving you some water. Just take it easy.”
He popped the cap on the fizzer and pressed it between Grubs chattering teeth, sending a small amount down his throat.
“Grub, talk to me,” the captain ordered, firmly tapping his brother’s face, “What are you feeling?”
“Cold...pain...fear,” Grub breathed in a shudder that rattled his entire body, “Are you hurt, Trub?”
“I’m all right. I’m just worried about you.”
“Brother...if I don’t make it out of here...” said Grub in barely a whisper, “Tell Mommy I love her...please?”
“Shh...let’s not talk like that now,” Trouble sighed shakily, squeezing his brother’s cold hand, “Just hang on, Grub...just a little bit longer. We’re going to walk away from this. You’ll see.”
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TaRa NoVa
Cadet
Avatar created by Chix Verbil
Posts: 32
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Post by TaRa NoVa on Mar 3, 2007 8:34:22 GMT -5
Oh, now you've got me on the edge of my seat! Post the next chapter quick!
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Post by Holly Short on Mar 11, 2007 20:17:55 GMT -5
Great story. Poor Grub, I feel bad for him.
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Grub Kelp
Cadet
"You shut up. You were supposed to look out for me. Mommy said!"[M:0]
Posts: 98
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Post by Grub Kelp on Mar 12, 2007 1:03:37 GMT -5
Thanks. ;D Here's the next part.
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Chapter 6 - More Desperate Measures
Howler’s Peak - Ground Zero
Root supervised the Retrieval Team as they began digging by hand to start the process of getting down to whoever was trapped 50 feet below--hopefully the missing Kelp brothers. Work was long and hard and backbreaking, but they all worked diligently, never once complaining. Even Butler and Artemis pitched in to relieve members of the team who looked like they could use a few minutes’ rest.
“Good work, boys,” Root commended everyone gruffly, “Keep going. We’re making progress.”
Suddenly, the ground began to quake under them. Root swore and looked around, thinking it was the ground collapsing under the weight of the rubble, but his eyes alighted on something he did not want to see this early in the cleanup process. On the horizon stood a squatty, crippled gnome. Beside him towered a multimixer the size of a bull troll. In it’s cab sat Chix Verbil himself.
“Ark Sool?” Holly asked incredulously.
“Verbil?” Root growled, his face turning a shade darker as he strutted up to the two, “Verbil, just what do you think you’re doing? Get your green behind out of there on the double!”
“Save your breath, Julius,” the gnome, Ark Sool, interrupted, “Verbil is under my command at this time.”
Chix shrugged helplessly, his usual happy-go-lucky expression now one of intense regret as he had somehow fallen under Sool’s command by no fault of his own.
“What do you think you’re doing here?” Root demanded of Sool, jabbing the gnome in the chest with his finger.
“Cleaning up this whole mess,” Sool replied, sticking Root in the gut with his cane, “Haven knows you’ll never get it done.”
“You’re not bringing that thing in here,” Root snarled, gesturing toward the multimixer, “I’ve got officers buried down there.”
“Indeed. Officers you will probably never recover. Verbil, fire up that thing and get to work.”
“Yes, sir.” Chix reluctantly inserted the ignition chip and the multimixer roared to life, moving in on the rubble and grinding it up to spout out blocks of building material from its opposite end.
“You can’t do this, Sool,” Root fumed, “I will not see my boys end up being a piece of Howler’s Peak when we rebuild it!”
“Then don’t look,” Sool smirked, striding away with his bulbous gnome nose pointed in the air.
“We have to get them out now,” said Root to Holly, “It’s only a matter of time before that contraption goes right over the Kelps. We need to get digging and get to it now.”
Commander Root and Captain Short returned to the site of the possible location of Trouble and Grub and they began digging and urging the Retrieval Team to put forth an extra effort.
“Never send an elf to do a dwarf’s job,” a familiar voice chuckled.
Root’s head snapped up and he glowered around, his narrowed eyes coming to rest on Mulch Diggums, the kleptomaniac dwarf. Immediately an idea struck the commander like a ton of gold bricks.
“Get over here, convict,” the commander ordered gruffly, “I’ve got a job for you.”
“Oh no,” Mulch balked, “I’ve gotten caught up in too many of your problems already, Julius. I’m not about to do it a third time here.”
Mulch unhinged his jaw and prepared to make his departure, but Holly was on him like a flea under a dog’s collar. She leaped and tackled Mulch, zapping him with her buzz baton for good measure.
“Ow! Hey, watch it!” Mulch whined.
“No, you watch it, Mulch. The commander gave you an order and you are not weaseling your way out of it. This is a life and death situation here.”
“So what else is new?”
“Listen, convict,” Root snarled, huffing cigar smoke in Mulch’s face, “Two of my boys are trapped down there and some moron gnome has a multimixer already on the scene. There’s no way we can get them out fast enough. I need your special--if not disgusting--talents if we’re ever going to keep them from becoming permanent fixtures in Howler’s Peak, understand?”
Mulch knew arguing would be futile. Besides, all this appeared to be was a simple rescue mission. What could go wrong? All he would have to do is tunnel down to them and then leave. Simple as that.
“All right, I’ll do it. Where are they presumed to be?”
Root showed Mulch how the magic detector was picking up strong signals from near the center of the building site. Reluctant to munch on concrete, Mulch resentfully unhinged his jaw and unsnapped his bum flap. In a matter of seconds, he was gone down a tunnel in the rubble.
* * *
In the dark below, Trouble was doing his best to keep Grub conscious and talking. Several times, he had to go so far as to shake his little brother harshly to get a response. He felt bad hurting Grub, but it was a matter of life and death. If he succumbed to the exhaustion now, he might never wake up again.
“Grub, talk to me,” the captain spoke firmly in a tone that threatened bodily harm if his brother did not comply.
“I’m so sleepy, brother,” Grub whined, sounding as tired as he felt.
“I know you are, but you can’t sleep now. It’s important for you to stay with me now--that’s an order, Corporal.”
“I can’t fight it anymore, Trub.”
“You’d better!” Trouble barked, giving Grub a firm shaking, “Listen to me, if you give in and fall asleep now, there’s a good chance you’ll never wake up again. Do you want to break Mommy’s heart by making me have to tell her you died in this wretched place?”
“No,” Grub whimpered at the thought of upsetting their poor mother, “I’ll try, Captain...I promise.”
“Good,” Trouble sighed, knowing on the rare occasions when Grub made a promise, he tried his hardest to be an elf of his word. He opened his mouth to say something else, but whatever it was died in his throat as he heard an ominous rumbling above and he felt the earth tremble beneath him. Chunks of loose concrete tumbled down from up above and the captain dove to shelter his brother from the falling debris.
He listened intently, fear wrapping cold fingers around his heart as he knew the sound could only be one thing.
“Oh no,” he breathed, “They’re sending in a multimixer. They must think there’s nothing left of us down here. Grub, we have to get out--now! I know you’re tired and I know you’re in pain, but we have to try and get you free so we can get out from under here, otherwise we’ll be ground to bits.”
Trouble braced himself against the beam holding Grub down and he heaved with all his might. Unfortunately, it wasn’t enough. Even with overwhelming fear driving him, Trouble was not strong enough to free his brother on his own.
* * *
Up above, Root and Holly were busy taping off a perimeter around where the Kelps were presumed to be. They knew Chix would avoid the area anyway, but the tape was up to ward off Sool and keep him off the private’s back for the time being.
“I wonder if Mulch has reached them yet,” Artemis mused as he and Butler stood by with Root and Captain Short.
“He would let us know,” Root replied, “I sent him down with a helmet. He’ll let us know the minute he finds something.”
“Do you think they’re still alive, Commander?”
Root shrugged and avoided eye contact with the Mud Boy, focusing his gaze on the hole Mulch had disappeared into. He only looked up when Chix pulled up and shut down the multimixer in order to speak with the group.
“Find ‘em yet, sir?”
“Nothing yet. Just keep that thing away from this area, Private.”
“Yes, sir,” Chix saluted and restarted the machine before Ark Sool could catch him and chew him out.
* * *
About 30 feet down, Mulch was chewing away and hating every moment of it. Concrete was not one of his favorite things to recycle. It was hard and dry and not very appetizing to any dwarf.
He chewed down another ten feet and paused, listening. He thought he heard voices, but he wasn’t sure. He’d been expecting to be recovering two dead elves, but perhaps there was a chance that one or both could still be alive. Mulch refastened his jaw.
“Anybody down there?” he shouted, then paused to listen.
Ten feet below Mulch, Trouble was certain he’d heard someone call out. He had been down there a long time. Perhaps his mind was beginning to play tricks on him, but one look at his rapidly fading brother and the captain wasn’t about to miss any chances.
“Yes, hello?” he called back frantically, “Is someone up there?”
Mulch didn’t answer. He activated the microphone in his helmet and contacted Root immediately.
“Julius.”
“Don’t call me Julius!”
“Sorry. Commander...I think I've found them.”
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Post by Holly Short on Mar 15, 2007 22:26:28 GMT -5
You've still got it. I think you should get your story published.
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