Benjamin Tennyson and Artemis Fowl have been through a lot together. But, how did their odd friendship start? Many argue that they were brought together by fate. Others believed that they met in a dire situation and were bonded by trauma. But the truth is, they were really brought together by Master Ron Robert Wagner, also known as Chief-in-Command Bob. It all started with Bob's desire to add Master Fowl II to a multiverse club.
"So, Chief, you want me to go to Fowl Manor and just... give it to him?" Ben asked.
"Correct," Was Ron Robert Wagner's reply.
Ben was rather stunned by this request. "No explanations or anything? Just give it to him? Will he even know what he has?"
"For perhaps two years, no, he won't." Bob understood the oddness of his request. Only when someone was thoroughly shocked would someone question the Chief in Command. And even then, he would be sure that they would thoroughly regret it. "But until then, I suggest you read the Artemis Fowl series and find out as much about him as you can. I have plans for you two in the future, and I have a feeling you two won't get along unless you honestly try."
"Two years!" Ben started. He had only allowed Bob to continue his order because he had been frozen with shock. "I was given an invitation to the club three years before my show started, and I got a thorough explanation immediately."
"I am perfectly aware how you were invited," Chief-in-Command Bob said testily, "I invited you. You were the first member. And to answer your unstated query, I believe Artemis is a little less reckless then you were."
Ben could only stare, angry at Bob for ordering him to do something so careless and yet heavily regretting his outburst.
"Alright," Ben said, "I trust you." Which was a straightforward lie.
Nevertheless, Bob said, "Excellent. I've sent the instructions to your Invitation. Teleport there now."
Ben reluctantly reached down his shirt and pulled out a necklace with a flat disc on the end. Once the flat disc left the skin of his chest, it swelled into a large, glowing blue orb. He placed it in his palm and cradled it as though it held his life force. It of course, did. He then thought, Fowl Manor. An image of the manor instantly popped into his head. His surroundings began to spin until they became a blur of lines, and then darkness.
Inside, he thought. I have to be inside. They won't let me in. I have to be inside already.
And sure enough, the fourteen year-old Tennyson appeared in the study that previously belonged to Artemis Fowl Senior, right in front of twelve year-old Artemis Fowl the second.
"Don't call Butler," Ben warned. The Chief had given him enough information to survive this encounter. At least, Ben hoped he had. "I just want to give you something."
But of course Artemis wouldn't listen to the first warning. Artemis pressed the intercom button. "Butler, we have intruders."
"Intruder," Ben corrected. "And don't bother. My Invitation already turned off the intercom."
"Your what?" Artemis asked. "How did you get in here? The Fowl Manor has some of the most advance securities in-"
"Listen, don't bother, alright?" Ben pulled a necklace, much like his own, out of his pocket. It was gray, and did not glow. "Here," he tossed it to Artemis. It plopped on the table, as a result of the Irishman making no attempt to catch it. "That's called an Invitation. You're being invited to the Multi-Main Club. Don't show it to anyone; only you're supposed to know. Don't try to sell it, either. It's useless to anyone but you and it'll just come back. And don't try to open or dispose of it. It won't open or break, and again, it'll come back. Just put it on, and all of your questions about it, me, and the Club will be answered." He paused. "But of course you're going to ignore all of my warnings. And we invite you to try."
"Just who are you?" Artemis asked. Artemis was not used to being interrupted. This intruder was loud, had a prideful air, and to top it all off, he had only allowed Artemis to say three sentences. No, the boy thought almost angrily. Two and a half.
"Put on your Invitation and find out," Ben said. He grabbed his own invitation. "Oh, and one more thing: once you put it on, don't take it off. And try to put it on at night." And with that, the mysterious boy vanished.
Just as everyone with knowledge of this event had predicted, Artemis quickly told Butler what had happened, then proceeded to ignore almost all of Ben's other warnings. And of course, Ben's predictions were accurate. Every time Artemis tried to sell or dispose of the necklace, it somehow appeared on the pillow of his bed. When he tried to see how it worked or what it did, it wouldn't open–not even budge. It seemed entirely useless.
Later on, he would kidnap elfin Captain Holly Short, followed by multiple adventures with her and the LEP, or Lower Elements Police. Throughout these adventures, Butler put the supposed encounter at the back of his head. Someone breaking into the Manor was serious, true, but the boy had not once returned, and there was no footage of him anywhere. He had been there for less than two minutes, and he caused no damage. Had it not been for the magically returning necklace, Butler might have even dismissed his charge's story as a side effect of stress due to the struggling budget, the loss of his father, and the worsening condition of his mother. Artemis himself had considered this possibility. When the budget grew strong again, they hired private investigators to find more about this boy, but that led nowhere. They had even asked for help of the fairy people, but to everyone's bewilderment, their scientists could find nothing. Foaly himself was the first to inspect the necklace. Artemis gave him the mysterious accessory, only to see Foaly days later wearing a blank expression. He then gave a forced chuckle and claimed that it was nothing more than a useless relic Artemis created to rib him. The young human attempted to argue, but Foaly had convinced himself that it was merely a trick. This made Artemis realize how truly amazing the accessory was.
Eventually, object seemed to haunt Artemis. Every once and a while, the events of the night so long ago would seep into his head, and he would think of the necklace. He would become immensely frustrated and extremely curious. What would happen if he wore the necklace? Should he put it on someone else, as a test? Eventually, some time before the Lost Colony adventure, he finally got too curious to ignore the necklace any longer. He put it on, and was promptly teleported to the Multi-Main Club headquarters.