Win the first chapter of TLC! - 12/07/2006

[Matt]

Yes, you read it right, exclusively here at AFC, you have the chance to knab yourself a preview chapter of TLC, delivered directly to your e-mail inbox! All you have to do is write a 'fan-fiction' style paragraph(S) that precedes the following extract from TLC:

YOUR PART HERE

And suddenly Artemis froze. In the middle of a heaving intersection.

Butler glowered at the three lanes of city traffic, a hundred impatient drivers leaning on their horns.

'I feel something,' breathed Artemis. 'Electricity.'

'Could you feel it on the other side of the road?' asked Butler.

Artemis stretched out his arms, feeling a tingle on his palms.

'He's coming after all, but several metres off target. Somewhere there is a constant that is not constant.'

A shape formed in the air. From nothing came a cluster of sparks and the smell of sulphur. Inside the cluster a grey-green thing appeared with golden eyes, chunky scales and great horned ears. It stepped out of nowhere and on to the road. It stood erect, five feet high, humanoid, but there was no mistaking this creature for a human. It sniffed the air through slitted nostrils, opened a snake's mouth and spoke.

'Felicitations to Lady Heatherington Smythe,' it said in a voice of crushed glass and grating steel. The creature grasped Artemis's outstretched palm with a four-fingered hand.

'Curious,' said the Irish boy.

Butler wasn't interested in curious. He was interested in getting Artemis away from this creature as quickly as possible.

'Let's go,' he said brusquely, laying a hand on Artemis's shoulder.

But Artemis was already gone. The creature had disappeared as quickly as it had come, taking the teenager with him.

Just post your paragraph in this thread, the best will be selected by a panel of judges who DIDN'T enter the competition. You have until the 16th of July to post your entries, and the winner will receive the prize on the 20th of July.

EDIT: We do NOT accept anonamous entries.

[Sorcha]

This is probably the last time I will ever post a written work of mine again [s]the humiliation is too much to bear, but I'll do anything for Artemis Fowl.[/s] I think I got a little carried away but oh well...

Artemis glanced at his watch, then impatiently looked around. The cars on the road before him were at a standstill; caught up in the usual morning traffic. Butler stood next to his employer, alert. His soldier's intuition warned him to be on watch, especially here. For some reason, he was nervous. They'd been here for quite a while, but after all, this was an experiment. He ventured a question.

"Artemis, are you sure this is the place?"

"He will turn up somewhere within the vicinity" the boy replied with certainty, though he was just as tense as his manservant. He was sure that the demon would appear here. There hadn't been a hitch so far, which meant that a problem would arise in the near future. To supress his doubt, he checked his calculations again and again. They were accurate; he was sure of that. But there was still something bothering him...

At that moment, his head snapped up as he felt a jolt. He realised the flaw in his equation. Excitement built up in his chest and without another thought, he ran onto the road. Butler gave an exclamation of surprise and chased after his charge.

"Artemis!" Butler yelled. The warning was lost on him, however. Butler increased his speed, he was close now.

[PinkAngel]

Hi, I'm new but here goes.

Artemis could feel the trill of triumph tingle all through his body as his cranium sparked off the place where this new creature would appear. He could taste sweet victory as he and Butler made their way to the place. They were on a crowded street, surrounded by cars and people all in a rush and could smell the sent of coffee from a nearby cafe. The cars weren't moving, they were all jampacked in the usual traffic jams but hardly any of this registered to Artemis. He gazed around absently, searching the crowds for what he fervently hoped would appear. He knew he was correct in his equations but he still felt uneasy, that there was something wrong. His brow creased as it usually did when he was contemplating something. He knew what he was about to witness could change history for mankind, the importance of the creature that would appear, but Artemis was merely interested in what this creature knew.

'If my calculations are correct, Butler, the demon should appear on the pavement any minute now,' said Artemis, checking his watch for the fifth time that hour.

'I'm sure you are correct,' replied Butler, an uncharacteristic smile playing on his lips. It didn't happen very often that his charge was wrong about things, but that was mainly the problem. Over the past few years, Artemis' ambitions had become more pronounced, which had landed him in more than one tight spot but still Artemis insisted on including these situations, even though there was no doubt that he was smart enough to avoid them.

While Butler was thinking this, Artemis had realised there was an error in his calculations, and that they were in the wrong place, but he knew where they were supposed to be. Then, like a bolt of lightning, Artemis dashed into the road as fast as his stubby limbs could carry him.

'Artemis!' called Butler but he didn't here him. He raced after his employer, glaring at the cars as he went. He had known where the creature was supposed to appear but Artemis had gone straight onto the road, ignoring the traffic, and had gone too far from where it was supposed to appear.

[h_short]

will,heres mine its not much..but its good..i think at least..



Cars,filled the street,people filled the sidewalk,talking to each other,or on their cellphones speaking with their friends or bosses,and the smell of coffee filled the air...


Artemis,had this feeling..the feeling that something was coming.He stoped at the side of a road and pointed out.

"there"he said to his bodyguard,Butler,who was right beside him.

Butler had a bad feeling,about this,and when he had a bad feeling about anything,he was right.

"Artemis,are you sure about this?"Butler asked his employer.

Artemis didnt answer,he just checked his watch for the third time,and then,it hit him.He could feel the engry flow threw his arms once again!

Butler taped Artemis' sholder,and pointed to the road.As Artemis looked up,there,he saw a huge cloud form,and out of it jumped a huge creature,and the first thing Artemis noticed about it was its golden glowing eyes,and with that it landed in the road,on top of a car,causeing the car to sink in.

Then,the creature had its attention on Artemis,it got off the car and grab Artemis by the arm.

Butler instantly got protective over Artemis,and knew he had to get him out of there,but before Butler,could say anything,or grab his charge,and get him to safty,the creature picked artemis up and ran,away with the teenager.

[Firey]

I'll have a go. XD

-----------------------

It was a typical morning rush hour. Businessmen and women packed the streets. And this being one of those tediously long one month school holidays, teenagers flocked along the boulevard as well: chattering, flirting and doing whatever young people of their age did.

That meanderingly slow morning, was about to be changed.

For a boy genius who had reinstated the wealth of the Fowl Clan, cheated the Fairy People and triumphed over death several times on particularly dangerous encounters, Artemis Fowl was a surprisingly un-spottable figure; an ordinary adolescent among the many teenagers who crowded the busy streets. He fingered the collar of his T-shirt uncomfortably as he eyed the neverending drove of man with distaste.

The mobs took no notice of the Fowl heir.

His manservant, however, was another case: Domovoi Butler seemed to tower over the heaving mass of humanity. Butler did not need to have a loud ensemble of attire to be noticeable: instead, he wore a simple business suit, much like the ones that his fellow adults wore. With his threatening size, a single raised eyebrow was all it took to instill fear. The heaving horde of humanity took this in. They kept well away from the odd twosome.

Artemis appeared not to notice of Butler's soundless warnings; there were greater things to be concerned about at hand. If his careful deliberations had proved themselves right... He would be the observer of a phenomenal happening.

A magical happening, to be precise.

Just then, something occured to Artemis. An error.

---------------------------

Butler was unsettled. Yes, he had made his charge dress accordingly to blend in, but things...happened around Artemis. You never knew what would come next, with the young Fowl.

Butler had been keeping a sharp lookout for threats, when suddenly Artemis stepped forward onto the road. And went on walking.

The Butlers had been trained for combat. They had been tested in weapons. They had even been grilled in experimental torture-chambers. They had not, however, been taught what to do if their Principal just upped and walked right onto the road in the midst of heavy traffic.

"Artemis..." the shocked manservant choked.

--------------------------------------

Artemis strode on, his forehead wrinkled in concentration, too absorbed in his thoughts to notice that Butler was hurrying right after him. The cars honked, a deafening blast of sound, that almost jerked him out of an intricate web of thought. The teenager's only reaction was to increase his pace...

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Done! Phew. -wipes sweat away-

[colfergeek]

Short but sweet...(I hope)

Artemis ground his teeth in frustration, pacing to and fro across the sidewalk.

“He should be here by now, Butler.” he muttered. Was it possible that his calculations had been incorrect? He dismissed the thought quickly. It wouldn’t help to have doubt on his side.

Butler’s piercing gaze moved across the columns of automobiles like a spotlight. There was nothing. Nothing but the furious blare of car horns.

Then Artemis remembered something which Kronski had said, “As soon as they materialize they are subject to the boundaries of the physical world.”

Artemis had the answer. He chuckled to himself. It was so simple.

He stepped off of the curb and began weaving his way between the rows of angry drivers...

[michelle439731]

They left the theatre by the back entrance. The demon, Artemis had so surely predicted would turn up, had not appear. Butler could tell the boy was upset. One of the variables was not behaving as it should, apparently. Artemis had explained to Butler that the demon should have turned up at precisely 7:43 and it was pointless waiting around as the chances of the equations being wrong by two minutes were about the same as being wrong by two time zones and ten years.

Butler had not really understood. However, he knew was the demon had not turned up and he was profoundly glad of this development. Kidnapping a fairy, used to avoiding detection in the presence of humans, in the middle of the Irish country side was one thing. Capturing a time travelling demon, who had no clue what century this was, in the middle of a busy theatre, was quite another.

The first adventure with the fairy had turned out bad enough. Butler felt it was a decidedly good thing the demon had not materialised.

They crossed a busy square of theatre goers and tourists to the road. Artemis was engrossed in his own thoughts, trying to find the flaw in his equations no doubt. Butler guided his young charge though the crowd of people with a hand on his shoulder. It wasn’t that Butler worried that the young master might slip away. Artemis could get so wrapped up in himself recently that he didn’t look where he was going. The boy was becoming far too much like a normal teenager.

Butler help up a giant had to stop the traffic at the crossing and steered Artemis on to the road. He walked into the traffic dragging his feet. The boy didn’t even seem to notice the horns.

[Hannah]

There are many things to be said for a teenager who, among many other more dastardly accomplishments, has patented twenty-seven inventions, forged a dozen Impressionist paintings, and composed an opera that could have caused Mozart to turn in his grave to claim ownership to. His extrapolations and deductions were now opening the way to the location of a Periphery. At the moment, however, all the intellectual faculties in the world, and possibly underneath it, couldn’t suddenly endow the mighty Artemis Fowl with the legs and lung capacity conducive to the manic rate at which he was running. Running for the portal, or something that was an extraordinary facsimile of it, at any rate. Perhaps a crucial step towards a battle that could now be averted, or at the least, won.

He had to find it. Never mind that he almost ritualistically ran every scenario before him a cold analysis; his exceptional brain clung to a singular thought: Feel for it. Though Artemis had little doubt that demons were at least good with coordinates, too. Artemis dashed around the poplar trees lining the immaculate boulevards, down cobbled sidewalks, between confused and harried passersby, his arms stretched out expectantly before him and his face the quintessence of ardent concentration. Butler loped alongside his Principal, simultaneously scanning the crowds for any would-be assassins, avoiding plowing over crotchety old French ladies walking their poodles, and trying to be as discreet as possible. Well, as much as a hulking seven-foot-man chasing an Armani-suit-clad adolescent apparently running from an invisible foe could be. The manservant, for a moment, realized both the marvel and hilarity in seeing his young charge having abandoned the last remnants of his normally icy composure. A scene he himself rarely witnessed of Artemis Fowl the Second.

Butler relayed his attention back to the pursuit. Artemis suddenly slowed to a walk on the boulevard, his upheld fingers trembling, a mix of trepidation and discovery playing across his flushed face. “Butler, I think it’s…” Artemis stopped, not daring to breathe…and his face dropped. He had lost it. But he had felt the pulse of a peculiar, fuzzy energy in his fingertips, for a fleeting moment. Brushing locks of his dark hair from his eyes, Artemis suppressed a huff of frustration. Butler knew it was dangerous to say, but… “Artemis, they made no guarantee for their cooperation. What if they ––” Artemis didn’t hear a word of it. He wasn’t giving up now. Bracing himself, he turned on his heel and bolted off the walkway, onto the path of many, many motor vehicles. Butler, ever the professional, resisted the urge to groan, and ran after him.

[Ferill]

I have to admit, that I’m not a native speaker of English. So, I hope you won’t mind my language- and grammar mistakes…

A Monday-morning rush hour in the city is actually something people try to avoid. If they have the possibility to do so. But the working person’s majority is doomed to wait in a line of cars which moves at a snail’s pace. Exhaust fumes and the sound of horns is filling the air as well as the voices of swearing drivers.
The traffic jams in the city…actually an unfavourable place for pedestrians. But this special morning, two human beings made their way through the city, across congested streets and intersections: a pale irish boy and a giant Eurasian.

Butler was anything but relaxed. Sure, he never was while being on the way with his principal. But today he was even more on one’s guard. The crowded streets were an ideal place for a trap and you never knew who was sitting in that cars. If he had his way, they would have left the inner city, the sooner the better. But Artemis Fowl had no intention in leaving. All in all, a bodyguard’s nightmare. To say nothing of the plan the boy had in mind…
“Are you sure about this, Artemis?”, he asked his employer, “The situation might become extremely dangerous.” “Yes Butler, I am sure. Just trust me.” Another day, Butler would have stopped asking now, but today, his soldier’s sense warned him. This was no ordinary Monday morning. Something was just…wrong. So, against his habits, he tried again to put Artemis off his plan: “I really don’t like it. We shouldn’t do that.” “Don’t worry Butler.” The boy’s voice had an impatient and annoyed intonation. “We have almost reached our destination. According to my calculations…”

[isagllamr]

Hmm english isn't my first language, but I decided to give it a try...


This was a bodyguard’s nightmare. Dozens of cars, full with impatient drivers going to work or taking their kids to school, along with hundreds of pedestrians walking freely beside the principal. Not that the principal was noticing any of this, as his look was wandering the street they were in. Butler, however, was fixing his gaze on anything that could be a threat. But it was he, by far, the most menacing person in sight.

“Something’s wrong”, said Artemis, abruptly. He could be distinguished by his St. Bartleby’s uniform, which was where both of them were supposed to be at that moment.

“What it is?”, asked Butler, thinking that this whole situation was wrong. Artemis was once again meddling with the fairy’s world, something he should’ve known better by now.

“I’m not sure”, admitted the boy, slowly reaching his hand as to grasp something that wasn’t there.

And suddenly, to Butler’s horror, Artemis jumped in the middle of the road, completely ignoring the three cars that could’ve run over him.

“Artemis.”, pleaded the bodyguard, immediately jumping in after him and stopping the traffic.

“Wait, I know he’s coming”, answered the boy.

[Midil]

Ok, here goes... I apologize all grammar and spelling mistakes, I'm not a native english speaker either

Domovoi Butler had experienced lots of difficult and dangerous situations in his life. He had faught with the deadliest men and women on earth, he had been involved with the mob... and that was only the beginning. While serving young Master Fowl, he has faught with the deadliest elfs, trolls and goblings in earth, he has been shot at and he even has been dead once. He didn't have a problem with all this, no sir - why would he? These were the things he could handle.

But a demonhunt? Well, that he most sertanly couldn't handle.

But there he was. Sitting behind the steering wheel in the usual London traffic, sweating because of the +34'C heat. And he was hunting a demon. Yes, something like that could definately make you sweat.

The boy sitting on the backseat, on the other hand, didn't look anxious at all. He played with his hair and stared absent-mindedly out of the car's window, not attaching his gaze into anything.

"Are you sure you did the calculation right Artemis?" Butler asked, even he knew that the question was pointless and would just annoy his employer. It would be the first time in the history of Artemis if he had made an error in calculation.

And annoyed frown did appear on Artemis's forehead.

"Yes, Butler I'm sure I did the calculation right. Trust me."

Butler sighed. Trust Artemis. Sure, right after he stopped getting himself in danger. Wich was probably not going to happen any day soon. Butler sighed again. He almost missed the days when Artemis cared no one but himself. If he would have been the same boy he was four years ago, they wouldn't be hunting a demon right now and Butler's job would be a bit easier.

But he wasn't the same boy and today, they were there bacause Artemis did care.

They still couldn't catch the demon, if they were trapped in the traffic. The task would be easier, if they supervised the area from a café or some sort. Butler just managed to open his mouth to tell Artemis about it, when he heard the car's backdoor open. Then he saw his protegé, running in the middle of hundreds of cars and angry drivers.

Butler stared thunderstruck for a moment, not really believing what he saw. Then he got of the car faster than a lightning and ran after his ravenheaded charge.

Oh, yes. Artemis definately made the job difficult.

[Matt]

This competition has ended, the winner will be announced soon.

[EvilGenius93]

Congrats Firey! Good job! But then again, everyone did a good job!