People passing No, 33rd lane in Wellawatte would have been quite surprised to see a tall dark boy lying on the road. But these things were quite common in Colombo because everybody knows it’s famous for its abundance of beggars. So no one bothered to look at the boy because they never thought anything but “Oh! He must be a beggar”. But one girl stirred the unconscious boy and gave him some water to drink. She was tall, though shorter than the boy, slim fair complexioned and had a kind and motherly look in her hazel nut eyes. After the boy woke up she said “Hey, are you okay?” The boy groaned and rubbed his head and said “Yeah I’m fine………. just got a throbbing headache.” The girl then helped him onto his ‘feet and said, “My name is Vereesa and let me escort you to your home, just in case you faint again.” “That is if you have a home” she said carefully just in case he was a beggar. She did not wish to offend him. “Yeah I do have a home. It’s just that I don’t remember where it is. Come to think of it I don’t remember anything except yesterday” he said shakily panic and fear creeping into his voice. “I remember my name is Arthas Fowl and I remember…………. My parents were strapped to chairs and…… and there was a doctor who had only one eye standing above next to them. Then suddenly I experience a sharp on my head and that’s it” he said eyes wild with terror, the colour draining from his face. “Ok its ok” said Vereesa quickly scared that he might faint again. “NO, it’s not ok and just leave me alone” Arthas said angrily and ran down the road and disappeared in the next turn.
Arthas ran until his legs were cramping and there was a stitch in his side. He didn’t know where he was running too or what direction he was running in. It helped him reduce the panic wildly churning in his stomach. Why couldn’t he remember anything? Was it amnesia? Or was this caused by the shot to the back of his head? He winced. His head was swollen and the throbbing headache was almost unbearable. He was just turning around the road he vaguely remembered as Havelock Road when he saw them. A pair of men dressed in black suits with black sunglasses and hats were walking along the road. If they thought they were blending in with the crowd they were very wrong. There fine tailored expensive looking suits themselves gave away their identity. They looked like they were searching for something because they were showing a piece of paper at everybody and asking them something. Arthas looked to see what it was. His heart missed a beat. On the picture was a picture of him. Why were these men searching for him? That’s when they turned around and looked at him.
He was now running in the opposite direction. They started to give chase. Arthas knew that there was something wrong with these men. Just then he had a thought. What if these were the men who kidnapped his parents? Arthas saw a bicycle, took it, and fled down Pamankada Road. He was not a kid who steals but extreme situations calls for extreme measures. Arthas was pedaling as fast as he can. He turns around and checks whether the men were following. Suddenly a black Honda Insight was coming fast towards him. Inside the car where the men. He was sure now they would catch up on him. A savage smile spread on Arthas’s face. “Unless I can do something about it” he thought.
Arthas raced down the wide two-sided road that was called as Pamankada road on his bicycle. There was little traffic on the side that Arthas went but the other side was almost packed. Arthas looked back again. The Honda Insight was almost upon him. He quickly went close to the island of the road. He suddenly put the brakes and lifted the bicycle onto the island. The men were surprised by this and kept going straight forward at a high speed. Unfortunately for them they crashed onto a car in
front of them and were toppled upside down in front of a mall. The last thing the men remembered before fading off into unconsciousness was Arthas looking at them with a savage grin on his face.
Vereesa on the other hand was having a very puzzling day. After she had finished her tuition which lasted for three boring hours she was going home. She was passing a shop when the television inside it was showing a breaking new. It showed of an accident that happened in Pamankada road. There was a black Honda Insight toppled over in front of the Crescent mall. A witness of the accident scene said the men were in a hurry that they didn’t see the car in front of them. Vereesa was looking at the scene when suddenly her heart froze. On one corner of the accident picture was a boy on a bicycle on the island in the road. It was the kid who she had woken up. “Arthas Fowl” she remembered.
Arthas was racing down a lane in his bicycle (actually the bicycle he stole). He had read the board which said that this lane was called Hampden lane. Arthas didn’t care where he was going. For him just escaping from the crime scene was the most important thing. If the police found him near it he might be proclaimed as a suspect and get into big trouble. He was ravenously hungry too. He was passing a lane when a delicious aroma hit him. He searched for the place and found it. It was some eating place called KFC. He went in and bought some food for himself. Lucky he at least had some money. He was full after the meal. He had to admit the food was delicious. After he finished eating he got on his bike and went cycling down the 33rd lane. Wasn’t this the lane that the girl had found him in? “What was her name again? Hmmmmmm. Vereesa” he thought finally remembering the name. Vereesa. What a queer name. He was looking inside a shop where a television was showing the “accident” that happened which had involved him. He was so absorbed in the television to see whether there were any signs of him, that he didn’t see a figure looming behind him. “So, Arthas we meet again” said a rough male voice.
Arthas turned to check who it was. It was Vereesa. The girl who had woke him up.
“You” he said sighing in relief.
“Well who did you expect?” she said laughing at me.
“I heard a man’s voice” he said looking suspiciously all around.
“It was me, I was mimicking for fun but boy, did you jump out of your skin!” she said again laughing.
“Well if you had been through what I had been, everything won’t be fun” Arthas retorted angrily, ashamed that he had been tricked by a girl.
“Trust me I know” she said grave all of a sudden pointing at the television. “Just who are you?”
“That’s what I don’t know. Who I am? Why were those men chasing me? Where are my parents? What happened to them? I don’t know the answers for all these questions but I am going to find out” Arthas said.
“You know Arthas if you want any help I will do it. My parents died in a car accident. So, I know how it feels” she said her face becoming sad and miserable.
“Just inform me if you ever see men in black clothes, sunglasses and hats. I think they are somehow connected to all these incidents. I will be waiting in this lane, so if you want to tell me just come here
immediately. If I am not here that means that I have either gone in search of them or I have been kidnapped” Arthas said.
Vereesa nodded gravely. “I can do what you asking me to do Arthas,” she said. I nodded grateful for her help. That is when her eyes widened her body started shaking and she gasped “Arthas, look behind you.” Two men identical in every way to the men who had been chasing me were coming out of a flat and were heading right for us.
When the men saw us they started to run. Arthas was dumbfounded for a bit before he quickly got on to the bike. He urged Vereesa to get on the bicycle too. “Vereesa now that they saw you with me you will also be in trouble” he said. So, she too got onto the bicycle and Arthas started pedaling fast as he could. One of the men seeing this shouted “Hey kid, stop or I’ll shoot” he threatened Arthas. But Arthas took this as just an empty threat and kept pedaling. But then the man took out a pistol from his trouser pocket took aim for a moment and shoot.
Next thing Arthas knew was he was bleeding. Blood was pouring from his back to the front of his shirt. But he didn’t feel any pain. Anyway he kept pedaling because he wanted to at least get Vereesa out of harm’s way. He kept pedaling fast and soon he had left the men far behind. He went in different, different directions so the men want know where he went. Finally he got down from the bicycle and looked behind at Vereesa to see if she was ok. His heart froze. Vereesa had a hole on her shoulder and blood was gushing from it. It wasn’t he who was shot. It was Vereesa. Know he understood why he didn’t feel any pain. Vereesa had prevented the bullet form hitting him by using her body. Vereesa was now fading fast and if he didn’t do anything about it she would lose her life.
He hid Vereesa in a place where anybody won’t find her. He then went to a nearby pharmacy and bought some things. Arthas bought bandage, pair of forceps, water bottles, pain killers, cotton and a big tube of beta -dine. The pharmacist was a little puzzled at the items Arthas was buying but he didn’t ask anything. Arthas quickly came back. He first gave Vereesa a lot of water to drink just in case she might get dehydrated because of the loss of blood. Then he gave her painkiller pills and injections. He waited for fifteen minutes for the painkillers to take effect. He then got onto work. He firstly cleaned the wound with bandage and water. Then he took the pair of forceps and put it inside the wound. He knew that he has to remove the bullet if the wound can heal completely. He had just inserted the forceps an inch inside when suddenly he felt something. The bullet. He tried to pull it out. It was stuck in. He tried again using more power and the bullet dislodged and came off. Vereesa gave one high scream and fell silent again. During the operation she was only semi-conscious. He then applied beta- dine over the wound and bandaged it heavily to stop the bleeding. HE then washed his hands with water. Then he sat next to her and relaxed a bit. She would live. HE looked at her again. He saw that she was not breathing. He tried CPR on her but still she wasn’t breathing. Arthas then checked her pulse. No pulse. She was dead. She was dead. After all he had done he couldn’t save her. She had done so much for him and still he couldn’t save her. Suddenly Arthas experienced a pain in his head and his vision went black.
Arthas was laying on the ground writhing in agony. His head felt like it was about to burst. What was happening? Had somebody ambushed him from behind? He couldn’t even move. He was on the ground for about five minutes before the pain faded. He opened his eyes and looked at the evening sky. What had just happened to him? At least thank goodness his friend Christian hadn’t seen………. How had he known that? How did he remember his friend’s name was Christian? Suddenly
memories came flooding inside him. Arthas playing cricket with his friends in school, Arthas breaking his face while playing football, the first time he had become rank one in his class etc. He remembered everything. All his lost memories were coming back. All of a sudden everything was clear for him. When Vereesa had died the shock was too much for him. It must have somehow triggered his memories. Even in death Vereesa had helped him in an indifferent way. He turned and looked at her. He would never forget her in his life. Arthas knew Vereesa was a Christian by the cross chain she wore around her neck. He wanted to at least give her a proper burial. He dug a grave for her and put her body inside and buried her. He placed flowers and stones on her grave to honour her. Tears were now freely falling off Arthas’s eyes. He looked at her grave one last time before turning and heading the opposite direction. Now that he had got his memories back he remembered everything that had happened. He had to save his parents from the person who was behind all this. Dr Genmo. If he wanted to rescue you his parents from the person who kidnapped them, he needed help. But he didn’t want to ask that person. He would have preferred to ask anybody else. But as Arthas knew he would be the only person Arthas can ask help from.
Arthas had lived with his parents in a flats in Arethusa Lane called as Maruthi Court. They had lived a peaceful and joyous life. Arthas’s father was Mr. Lenoir Fowl. He was a tall dark man with a goatee and a fierce temper that can match a tempest storm. He had astonishing red eyes. I know what you are thinking that he is a vampire from Twilight, but he is not. He was an IT engineer. He was very intelligent and was also very rich but had never spoilt his son by buying him everything he needs. His mother Tabitha Fowl is a sweet woman with kind blue eyes. She was exactly the opposite of Lenoir but still she loved him very much. She was always kind to Arthas but she gets really angry if Arthas doesn’t show respect to elders. She was also the only person that Mr. Lenoir isn’t stern at. Arthas goes to this school in Havelock Road called Logos College. He is in Grade 09. Even though he is a very intelligent student he is equally proud and arrogant. This has got him in trouble with the teachers a lot. He usually comes home and plays then studies and goes to bed. He stays for cricket though on Thursday. Arthas also is very intelligent in IT and technology possibly a gene passed from his father to him. Life has always been good until the day they met him. Dr Genmo Ukitake.
They first met him in a shopping mall. Arthas saw him staring at his father. He was a very remarkable looking man with big side burns and a crazy smile on his hawk like visage. He had only eye. The socket in which he didn’t have an eye was covered with a patch similar to those worn by pirates. He came and introduced himself to Arthas’s dad as an eye specialist. He commented on Mr Lenoir’s eyes which he said were very unique and comes only once in a two lifetimes. He said that it is believed that people with red eyes are very intelligent and have really good eye power. Then suddenly he just ran off saying to Arthas’s dad and said that they will meet again.
They meet again when Mrs. Tabitha Fowl when to get an eye-check up. The eye specialist there was Dr. Genmo. After the eye check-up Arthas’s parents were talking with him. He the said that if Mr Lenoir took part in an experiment, he will be payed handsomely. But Mr Lenoir sensing something wrong refused the offer downright. The doctor tried to be very persuasive but Mr Lenoir was firm. The doctor then snapped. He shouted at us if he cannot have what he wanted he will take it forcibly. Arthas’s dad just took this as an empty threat and left the vicinity immediately. He was very wrong to take it lightly.
One night around twelve o’ clock in the night the Fowls had just come back from a party when the security guard of their flats phoned them through the intercom and said that three men were downstairs and wanted to meet Mr. Lenoir. Mr Lenoir was shocked. Who would want to meet them at this time? When he called the security guard there was no answer. Thinking that the men had gone Mr. Lenoir went. Suddenly the front door was hit hard. Again and again the door was assaulted. Somebody was trying to get in forcibly. The door could only withstand a few more shots after which it came off its hinges. There were three men outside. They quickly came inside and covered Arthas and his parents’ mouth and nose with handkerchief. Knowing that this would be some kind of anesthetic Arthas held his breath. His parents quickly slumped to floor in unconsciousness. Arthas too acted as if he was unconscious. The men carried the whole family downstairs into a black jeep. The security guard downstairs too was unconscious. Arthas knew they were being kidnapped but he couldn’t do anything about it. He just sat and watched where they were headed for. It would be useful if he knows the place. He was cautious though. He was surprised when the jeep turned in Fusels lane. It was quite close to his house, within walking distance. The jeep stooped in the entrance of a flat called Kingston court. The men carried the family inside the flat. They went to a house on the fifth floor. The men opened the door and kept the family in and closed the door. Arthas opened his eyes and looked. There was only one person inside the house. The person behind all this. Dr Genmo.
He looked at me. He was surprised that I was awake.
“Ah, my boy so you are awake?”
“What do you want with us, Dr Genmo?”
“Nothing boy, I just want your fathers’ eyes that’s it”
“What, are you insane?”
“That’s what they all tell me.”
“What is the true reason behind this?”
“Ok boy, as I said Arthas your father’s eyes are very unique and some people will pay a lot of money for it. So I just want his eyes” Dr. Genmo said as if he didn’t bother what happened to Mr. Lenoir
“You can’t do that; you can only do that with my father’s agreement”
“Boy, ever heard of the word illegal? Huh?”
“Please don’t do this doctor. Just let us go and this will all be over”
“Boy, you are in no position to bargain”
“Then what did you want with my mother and me?”
“No, nothing at all just that I was scared that maybe your mother would find out it is me and gets me into trouble”
“No, I won’t let you do this” Arthas said getting ready to fight.
“I had enough of this, Dispose of him.” He said waving his hand.
Then Arthas suddenly felt a pain in his back and his vision blacked out. That was all he remembered. He had arrived at the house of the “person”. It was in Madangawattha. Arthas rang the bell twice. After about one minute the door opened. The person who opened the door was around twenty years old with a shock of black hair falling over his handsome face. His eyes shined through his hair. He body was bulky and had rippling muscles that would equal to any wrestler or boxer. He was surprised to see Arthas. “It’s a surprise to see you, Arthas” he said. “Yes, it has been a long time brother.”
Arthas and his brother Krasus were sitting inside drinking hot coffee. Krasus’s eyes were fixed onto Arthas like a predator carefully watching its prey. He had a mocking smile on his face. Krasus was Arthas’s older brother. They had a difference of age by five years. When they were young Krasus and Arthas had been really close together. But when Krasus grew into a young man their parents had shown less and less affection towards Krasus. Once after a fight with Mr. Lenoir, Krasus was forced to leave home. He had never talked to them ever again. When Krasus had bought a house he had given them his address but they never ever visited him. So now Arthas visiting him was a big joke to Krasus.
“So how have you been brother?” Arthas asked.
“Better, after mom and dad had sent me out of our house” he said.
“Brother, let me get straight to the point. I need your help. Something had happened..................................................... (Arthas told everything that had happened)” Arthas said.
When Arthas had begun the story Krasus looked surprised but as he continued he face became impassive again. “So?” he asked.
“So, I want you to help me rescue them, please” Arthas said pleadingly.
“NO” Krasus simply replied.
“What?” Arthas was taken by surprise.
“No, I won’t help them” he repeated.
“Why?” Arthas asked lamely.
“Why? You want to know why? Because when I was barely nineteen year old they let me on the streets and even after I bought a house and gave them the address they never visited. They always hated me Arthas. You can always visit me and be welcome but they will never be. If you ask any other help that that, I will gladly help you” he said his face a mask of pain and sorrow.
Arthas was silent for a moment before he replied. He remembered that Krasus used to work as a bodyguard when his parents sent him out of the house. So he must still be having the body guard equipment. If wanted to survive against Dr.Genmo he needed those equipments. So he asked “Brother can I have any of your bodyguard equipment needed to rescue them?”Krasus was silent for
am moment before going inside his house. He came out with a big box. He took some equipment out and placed them on the table. He took one object and kept it in his hand.
Then he started to talk. “Ok, first of all here is a stun gun which can be used to stun a person unconscious. Secondly here is a bullet proof jacket. Just because it is bullet proof don’t get cocky. Sometimes in a very close range it can penetrate the jackets so don’t take any chances. Here is a PSP. It is installed with some spy technology. It has software that can detect human heat signatures for 500m in any direction. It can also record conversations and videos at around 50m. Also I am giving you this object but don’t use it unless under extreme circumstances. Also if something happens don’t use it for revenge. I am trusting you with this.” He gave me the object in his hand. It was a pistol.
Arthas waited till around midnight at his brother’s house. Krasus agreed it was better if he goes in midnight when nobody was there. It would be better to keep this whole affair unknown. The brothers talked until midnight. At midnight Arthas took his bicycle and went cycling to Fusels lane. He was a brave boy so he wasn’t spooked about going somewhere alone in the middle of the night. He went near the flats. The security guard was asleep so he quietly opened the door went close to him and stunned him. The guard writhed for a second before falling silent. He took his PSP out and checked if there were any heat signatures. There were three in the fifth floor. It must be Dr. Genmo and his parents he thought. He went up the stairs since they had switched off the elevator. He reached the fifth floor and went quietly upstairs. He went to the only house in the whole apartment to be lit. He slowly opened the door and quickly went in. A sight that met him horrified him to the core.
It wasn’t Dr Genmo and his parents’ heat signatures. It was actually Dr.Genmo and the two men who had chased him and Vereesa. On the ground his parents were laying, dead. HE looked at Dr.Genmo too horrified to even utter a single syllable. Finally he managed to say,
“Are they dead?”
“Yes boy, they are dead and all of it their own fault too, darn them” he said cursing them.
“What happened?” Arthas asked feebly. His head was swimming and he couldn’t focus.
“Well, I was trying to remove your father’s eyes when suddenly your mom jumps on me, even though I have no idea how after I strapped her to a chair. And the instrument I was holding went into your father’s eye and he died because of that. The moment your mom had jumped everything went wrong. Anyway one of your dad’s eyes was spoilt and it was no use trying to sell only one eye. I got into such a fury I bashed your mother to death. Little spoilt idiot” he said in a fury spitting at my mother.
He was not the only one who was having a tantrum. Arthas got into such a fury that he took out the gun. Dr.Genmo and his minions were very surprised and even scared. Arthas’s brother’s warning was like a little candle compared to the inferno of rage and fury he was feeling towards Dr. Genmo. First of all Vereesa and now they claimed his parents. He couldn’t bear it. No matter what happened to him he was having revenge for them. For everyone dear to him who was dear to him. He aimed the gun at Dr. Genmo.
“Whoa, now wait a minute kid don’t take any rash decisions” he said scared all of a sudden.
“I told you that if you let my family go it would all be over, but you never listened” Arthas shouted angrily.
“Ok, I will give you as much money as you want but please don’t kill me” he begged.
“Can you bring all the dear ones that I have lost back? Can you? Can you?”
At this moment on the men lunged to get the gun from Arthas. But Arthas was ready for this and shoots the man right in the forehead. One moment he jumps and next moment he is lying on the floor dead. Then the other guy tries to run away. But Arthas shoots him in his chest. He lay on the ground gasping for breath for a few moments before he too died. Then Arthas again pointed the gun at Dr.Genmo, took aim and shot. Again he shot at his stomach. This time he shot at his shoulder. Again he shot at Dr.Genmo’s chest where his wicked heart would be hiding. DR. Genmo came for and tried to choke Arthas. But Arthas kicks him on his stomach hard so that he falls to the ground gasping. After a few minutes he too died. HE looked at the gun and remembered what his brother said. Know it made a lot of sense. Well one more shot won’t matter. Anyway he didn’t wish to continue. He pointed the gun to his temple and shot. The last thing he thought before dying was that Vereesa was a good girl.