…And now I'm on my Artemis Fowl obsession! It never ends…but it's a fun idea to toy with. Especially in the shower. And for future reference, 2 hours of swim team practice after a whole summer without swimming is exhausting and inspiring…and this is after the ending of Lost Colony. Because it made me squee so much! And if you don't know what happens in it, tough luck.
SUMMARY: Danny Fenton, Tucker Foley, and Sam Manson are a team of three and always have been. So when Valerie is kidnapped, how far will they go for her? And after the adventure with Hybras, Holly is just about ready to settle down for a bit. But then she is called for an above-ground mission even though Artemis Fowl hasn't done anything.
DISCLAIMER: I do not own Danny Phantom. Butch Hartman does. While we're at it, I also do not own the ingenious Artemis Fowl series created by the Irishman Eoin Colfer. Both rock my socks.
RATED: T for mild violence. And fairy swearing.
Chapter 1
"Genevieve Malain"
Excerpt from Daniel Fenton's diary, book 1
Dammit Jazz…
This Irish genius came to Amity City for some stupid lecture…Artemis Fowl, I think. Named after a girl and a chicken. And Jazz being Jazz, she went. Go figure. And Jazz still being Jazz, she taped it so she could revel in his genius-ness for years to come.
So she replays the tape for me (oh the fun) and I notice this shimmer beside him at one point in the lecture. I replay that part and show it to Jazz. And sure enough, it's a shimmer, like the heat over the roads on a hot summer day.
I called Sam up and it turns out she's seen the Fowl kid around her mansion-house quite a lot. And she's noticed the shimmer too.
It doesn't really help that we're all thinking of geniuses named after goddesses and chickens while Valerie has been kidnapped. I know she's been kidnapped because her father is hysterical. And Sam says she's seen Valerie with the Fowl kid and his bodyguard in their car.
I don't care if Fowl took her…I still blame you for bringing him up in the first place, Jazz!
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Valerie was in her room strapping her backpack on to see how it fit and if any of the weaponry would make noises or go off even with the safety on. But then someone knocked on the front door and she rushed to the living room.
"I got it!" she said, her father retreating back into the kitchen to prepare dinner.
When she opened the door the last thing she was expecting to see was a fancy kid about her own age with an enormous bodyguard who looked like he was too old for his job in the old rinky-dink Elmerton building.
"Ah, hello Miss Malain," said the boy. Valerie stared at him, trying to process the words.
"Who the hell are you?" she said bluntly.
"Please, Miss Malain, walk with us for a few seconds."
"Not 'til I know who you are."
"Well, I shouldn't have expected less from you," he said. "I am Artemis Fowl, pleasure to meet you." He held out a hand for her to shake. Valerie didn't touch it.
"You're the kid Jazz keeps talking about. And who's he?" she said, motioning to the tall man.
"He is Butler, my bodyguard."
"Bodyguard?"
"It's only for safety reasons; my parents insist upon him escorting me everywhere I go." Butler stood still with his hands behind his back as if he was waiting for a package to be delivered. "But please, Miss Malain, we need to speak with you."
"About what?" Artemis kept a straight face even though he was getting the tiniest bit frustrating. Genevieve was proving to be a tough case…
"A certain man has requested your presence at a meeting and has asked us to fetch you."
"Oh, Vlad!" she said. "Okay, I'll come." She called out to the kitchen: "Dad! I'm going to Danny's for a bit. I'll call you when I come home!"
"Okay, honey, just be careful!" was the reply.
Valerie stepped out and followed behind the kid, examining him. His hands were a bit weird, and she felt strange looking at his eyes. If she needed to she could defend herself; she was, after all, a ninth degree black belt supplied with weapons of mass destruction.
"What is it you wanted to talk about?"
"Ah, yes, of course," said Fowl, clearing his throat. "Mr. Masters is holding a meeting in Wisconsin and has requested that you arrive for the meeting." He already knew of Vlad Masters. He was named American billionaire and a business tycoon.
"What's the meeting about?" Fowl cleared his throat again.
"The briefing will be in the car."
The exited the building and right outside of it was a sleek black car. Valerie could only gawk; if there was one thing in this scene that was out of place, it was the car. It was simply too high-class for a lowlife area like Elmerton.
"Please, Miss Malain, come." Valerie raised an eyebrow at the name; was that another pronunciation of 'Gray?' She stepped into the car with Fowl following her. Butler sat in the front seat and started the car up.
"Um…okay. But you can call me Valerie."
"Valerie…indeed an interesting name. Pardon me if I call you Genevieve."
"I won't." Valerie slumped back in the seat, making sure her weapons didn't rub against anything.
"Hmmm," said the boy. He looked towards Valerie and began speaking again. "Now, Genevieve—"
"Valerie."
"Genevieve, Mr. Masters has asked you to come for ideas in technology development. He has told me that it is much too confidential for me to inform you of the entire meeting. When we arrive, he will tell you himself and we will be off."
"What about getting home?" Valerie already knew what he wanted her for. To design more weapons to hunt down that damn Phantom kid.
"Mr. Masters will arrange that with you in private."
The rest of the ride was silent. When they arrived at the airport, Butler stepped out and ushered the two out of the car. They walked past the tickets and went straight to check their luggage.
"The plane should be here in fifteen minutes," said Butler, his voice somewhat booming. It was the first time Valerie heard him speak.
Then they approached baggage checking. Valerie's face paled. She didn't know if her weapons would make it past security. But she put it in anyway.
She walked through the gate and was cleared. Her shoes made it through fine. But, as expected, her bag presented a problem.
"Miss…?" asked the guard.
"Malain," replied Fowl. Valerie glared at him before turning back to the guard.
"Yes?"
"Your bag has…attracted attention."
Fowl raised his eyebrow and sighed. "My stepsister here is quite attached to her jewellery."
"I suppose so…she has some bizarre jewellery. But I suppose it's designer…?" asked the guard with a wink. Fowl sighed.
Some of these people were so desperate. But as long as it got him past the radar, he was fine. Fowl took out a crisp 100-dollar bill and discreetly passed it to the guard.
The rather corrupt guard took the money and quickly checked it to make sure it was real. He then grinned. "Designer it is, then. You're free to go."
Fowl grinned. "I'm glad you understand how much the jewellery means to her." Fowl picked up the backpack, lagging under its weight for a second. It was much heavier than expected. What did Genevieve have in there?
"Here, Miss Malain." Valerie snatched the bag and pulled it on.
"Stepsister?" asked Valerie in a quiet rage.
"Yes," replied Fowl. "We have our own registered aircraft, but some people do not recognise it. We end up sliding past security like this. You'll have to get used to this. We might cover a few more times like this."
"Don't you have anything to say about this?" Valerie turned to Butler.
"No, he makes the covers liable. I will be a child, he will be my father. I will be a chess prodigy, he will escort me. Right now, he is our recently remarried father. You are his stepdaughter and my stepsister."
Valerie crossed her arms and continued walking with them. They headed past everything else and went up to gate 54, strolling past security.
"I'm a security guard, I'm just checking the craft to make sure it's in perfect working order," said Butler. The young lady behind the desk nodded and then pointed to the children.
"We're his apprentices. We're training in law enforcement," said Fowl. Valerie nodded along as the three walked past and entered the aeroplane.
"All right, buckle in, you two, I'm starting the plane," said Butler from the pilot's seat.
"Well, where's the pilot?" asked Valerie.
"He is the pilot," replied Fowl. They were sat down in a small booth facing each other, separated only by a small table. Valerie lifted her eyes from the table and looked up at Fowl.
"Hey!" she said. "What happened with your eyes?" Fowl's eyebrows furrowed.
"What are you talking about?"
"Your eyes! One is hazel, one is blue!"
"Oh. I suppose one of my contacts fell out."
"You wear glasses?"
Fowl nodded. "Yes. But Butler's sister, Juliet, was sent to get them, and she got them in the wrong colour. It makes no difference, though, they work just as well."
Valerie nodded and looked away.
"So how do you know Mr. Masters?" she asked.
"My father knew him before he went to Russia."
"Huh?"
"It's a long and boring story, Genevieve. But I have recovered him, so it does not matter." Fowl waved his arm to motion that it wasn't important. Valerie sulked further into her seat; she hated when adults did that to her. And now it was a kid her own age!
"How old are you, anyways?"
"Hmm," he seemed to be in thought. Hybras had really messed with his aging. Physically he was fourteen, but technically he was seventeen. So what was he to answer? Seventeen might bring up further questions. "I am fourteen."
"You're my age."
"Of course I am, Genevieve."
"Quit calling me that!" she howled. "I'm Valerie! Not Genevieve, not Miss Malain! I'm Valerie! Valerie Gray!"
"Of course," said Fowl in the sort of way that actually meant, "Of course not."
"You suck," she muttered.
Hours passed in which Valerie tried sleeping, was checking her backpack, and glaring at Fowl, who spent his time reading several books and constantly going to the pilot and co-pilot seat. At one point Butler came out and sat.
"Hey Butler," said Valerie, bored. Then she looked up. "Hey! If you're not flying the plane, then…who is?" she said. Her eyes widened and before Butler could answer she sprinted towards the pilot area.
She expected to see an empty seat, beckoning her to save the day, but instead she saw the fourteen-year-old supposed prodigy sitting there.
"…Oh," she squeezed out.
"Yes, Genevieve?" said Fowl, his body unmoving with the exception of his arms.
"No. Nothing."
After that, there was no more excitement. The rest of the ride to Wisconsin was bland and boring and—
"Hey! How long does it take to get to Wisconsin, anyway?" shouted Valerie. Fowl stepped out of the pilot's area as Butler took his spot and sat across from Valerie again, a strange smile on his face that she didn't like. At all.
"Congratulations, Genevieve Malain." The plane began to descend. "And Butler and I welcome you to Fowl Manor."
Chapter 1
Chapter 2: later
Okay…that was bizarre. And too bad you don't understand some of these things if you haven't read Lost Colony. There were some…pleasant changes in the end of the book. Oh yes, things like stolen magic, demons (with a bonus of t e s t o s t e r o n e and e n d o r p h i ns), time travel, and a crush!
Huge-ass spoilers in this story. But a bit later.