Artemis fowl: Conviction

Prologue

Artemis sat in his bed thinking about his life and where it was all leading he had done all kinds of dangerous and exciting things with his friends, but it was the last adventure they had gone through that he continued to go back to, he had changed so much and did not know what to do.

When he was a child his father had raised him to care for the family business and to follow the family motto no matter what, his father had raised him to use his intellect against others to get what he wants and to understand their strengths and weaknesses and turn them against his foe. His father neglected him and believed that he was his business partner and not his son, he was made to become emotionless and to be cold to others for then they know fear, true fear of a mere child and as he got older more and more people began to fear him and to hate him.

Artemis did not care whether they liked him or not but to see someone be a afraid of a teenager was amusing, he had been told once by one of his business associates that he was able to generate an energy a power about him that could make anyone be afraid of him, Artemis did not care whether you feared him or not he just remained focused on the plan and the goal he could reach by following it.

Artemis turned to face the clock on the unit beside his bed it was six o'clock, he sighed and pulled the cover away from him and stood up, he began to wonder whether his life had changed for the better, yes he had friends and a family but there was something missing something that he longed to do again. Artemis walked toward his wardrobe and pulled one of his Armani two piece suits out of the wardrobe and placed on his bed, he grabbed a pair of boxers, socks and his favourite shoes and then looked at the uniform that he laid neatly on his bed.

The uniform Artemis continued to stare at used to mean something he would dress presentably when he was in meetings or plotting criminal schemes it felt weird for him to wear the suit when it no longer held a purpose, he would wear the suit to make it be known that he was a business men a man that didn't come to chat but to work and to show superiority to those he was working with.

Artemis slowly got dressed as he looked around the room, his laptop sat upon the fine wooden furnished desk that had been placed near the window which looked out to a wonderful view, he gazed at the bed that was placed in the middle of the room next to the decorative wall which at numerous unusual patterns upon it and then he turned to see the wardrobe and the clean warm red carpet, a strange feeling began to creep along his body and it was uncomfortable almost painful, he had never felt this way before, everything in the room seemed normal and familiar, nothing in the room was different nothing was out of place.

The answer eventually his Artemis with a blinding force that made him sway back and forth, he was eighteen years old and he was a having a mid life crisis, how the hell do you have a mid life crisis when you aren't even middle aged thought Artemis as he sat on the bed to put on his shoes.

He didn't know what to do with his life, there were only four things he actually enjoyed doing, the first was stealing and plotting, the second helping his friends save the world, third spending time with friends and family and finally the fourth working alongside the arts and making creative melodies and pictures that could put Mozart and Da Vinci to shame. Artemis laid back and sighed yet again as rolled over so that he was on his stomach, and looked at the communicator and wondered whether he should give Holly a call but even as he thought about doing such a thing he stopped himself, Holly was probably occupied with work or Trouble, since they had been going out he had felt a strange gut wrenching feeling and he despised Trouble even more for he know that the reason why he felt that way was that he was going out with his best friend in the world, well his only best friend for that matter, look at what he had become in some ways his emotions were controlling him and he did not like it, logic was the way but his emotions for Holly seemed to block his logic and all reasoning, he did not know what to say to such feelings.

Chapter one

Holly sat in the office cubicle trying to do her paper work when she heard Trouble shout her name; damn it thought Holly even when she was going out with him he still had to be a pain in the arse. So she got up from her desk and walked into Troubles office to see him typing furiously on the keyboard of his computer.

"What's wrong trubs" said Holly slightly confused.

"Holly how many times do I have to tell you when where at work you have to call me by rank" asked Trouble.

Holly rolled her eyes and replied "I'm sorry commander Trouble".

"Good, now you and I need to go see Foaly".

"Why, but you said once I finished my paperwork I could go see Butler and Artemis" moaned Holly.

"Do not worry you will still be able to go, but Foaly said it was an emergency his called in mulch and Doodah as well as No1 and Qwan.

"Is it opal" asked Holly slightly worried for Artemis's safety.

"I don't know I don't know replied Trouble who seemed quite troubled.

Both Trouble and Holly walked down the corridor to Foaly's op booth at a brisk pace, the doors opened as they walked near them and they rushed through to find their friends standing around them with worried expressions on their faces.

Foaly swivelled in his chair has they came through the door.

"What's wrong Foaly" said Holly slightly concerned by looks of everyone else in the room.

"It has something to do with are human friend up on the surface" said foaly looking at Holly.

"Why what has Arty done now, has he kidnapped another fairy or is he planning on taking over the world replied Holly desperate for information.

"No, no Holly it isn't either of those, even though I wish it was responded Foaly and turned back to his computer screen, I do not believe he could have done this or why".

"Done what, are you going to tell me or am I going to have to punch" growled Holly making her way over to Foaly.

"Foaly hurry up and tell us I have a lot of work to do and not enough time to do it in" yawned Trouble rubbing his eyes.

Foaly hands began to fly over the keyboard as he spoke "fine I will do as you ask, but I still don't believe he did this".

Holly was about to ask Foaly what he was blabbing about, when she saw a paused video come up on the screen, it looked like the kitchen of some ones house and in the kitchen stood Artemis holding a gun in his hand, foaly played the video, Artemis was walking silently without making a sound as he walked through the kitchen but just as he walked past the kitchen table someone opened the door and walked, Holly stared in shock and horror as Dr Argon's wife walked into the room and Artemis raised the gun and fired, the bullet went straight into her chest making her fall to the floor, Holly could tell that the bullet didn't kill her but it was fatal as the women crawled across the floor leaving a blood trail behind her.

Artemis laughed cruelly as she tried to get away from him, Artemis's laugh send cold shivers done her spine she remembered that laugh and she hated it, Holly wanted to look away from the screen but she couldn't do it, the screen switched to another camera in the house as Mrs Argon crawled through the hallway crying in pain as blood continued to gush out of the wound on her chest, Artemis walked slowly not worrying about being discovered and enjoying the sight of her in pain, they could hear someone shouting from upstairs and Holly watched in disgust as a young elfin boy ran down the stairs and began to cry as he ran to Mrs Argon and tried to help her up while Artemis stood there cold and emotionless like he had been when Holly first met him, he raised the gun again and killed the young boy in cold blood.

Holly looked away from the screen as she began to cry from what she had just seen and fell to the floor shaking, Artemis never would have done something like that why would he thought Holly. Mulch and Trouble came forward to help Holly get back on her feet, "are you all right Holly" Asked Trouble concerned.

Holly looked up at Trouble and wiped the tears from her eyes, "yeah I …. I'm fine stuttered Holly.

Foaly removed the video from the screen as it went back to the screensaver of his wife, "I don't think Artemis could have done this even when the evidence it stacked against him murmured foaly.

"Of course Artemis wouldn't do that he wouldn't shoot anyone, what reason did he have to go kill them?" cried Holly looking around the room hoping for answer.

"Are sure Holly you don't really know what Artemis is capable of, you haven't seen him for months and nobody now what Fowl plans until he acts it out" argued Trouble.

Holly backed away from trouble and looked toward Mulch and foaly, "the both of you know Artemis as well as I do, you know he wouldn't do something like that" said Holly who started to cry again.

"You are right to say that Artemis wouldn't have done that, but Trouble is also right Artemis likes to keep his secrets and he doesn't exactly express his emotions" replied Foaly while Mulch nodded in agreement.

"No now your accusing him not defen…"

"Holly I am not accusing Artemis of anything but you need to take a step back and look at the evidence responded Foaly, Artemis's fingerprints are all over the place, the home security cameras shows Artemis killing Mr and Mrs Argon as well as there grandson and the bullets that came from the gun are the same ones that Butler uses for his gun.

"But even with the evidence staked against him I don't think he did, someone is trying to setup Arty" retorted Holly wiping away her tears for a second time.

"I know but we have no proof that this is a setup and if Artemis runs when Lep retrieval arrests him then it will make him look guilty".

"wait minute you have already send retrieval after him, why you should have send me, I could of gone to Fowl manor and brought him down here" shouted Holly pointing Foaly in the chest.

"I didn't" said Foaly shaking his head sadly.

"But I did" replied Trouble looking at Holly as he took as sit next to No1.

"But you said that you didn't know what was going on" hissed Holly staring at Trouble in disbelief.

"Yes I send them, when I got a message from Foaly telling me that we have a problem with Artemis I told retrieval to bring the Mud man and that seen as he is an enemy of the people he should be shot if he tries to run" explained Trouble.