A/N- right... last time I gave you a list of things that would, or wouldn't, be in the story. Only know have I realised what a tall order I have set myself oh well, I hope the ideas floating around fit together or you might find I write myself into a corner and you all hate me for leaving the story to go cold… so! Story! Right…
The Best Laid Plans Of Dwarfs And Artemis.
As Artemis had been failing to comfort Holly, Butler had been getting on with something useful. He had let Mulch in, given him food, collected the required documents for the brief, fed Mulch, answered some important phone calls, fed Mulch. I think you spotted the pattern. Dwarfs like food, but their favourite food is of course free food.
Once documents had been collected, dwarfs given a suitable amount of food to last the half hour meeting and the same dwarf been given the help to carry the three plates into the briefing room, Butler called Artemis over the inter-house intercom.
"Artemis, we're all ready and waiting for you." He said clearly down the microphone.
"Yes, I'll be there in a minute." The reply came through. Butler closed the connection and walked into the briefing room. It was arranged very carefully. There was one big rectangular able in the middle, for this meeting there were four seats, one at the head of the table, two on the left and one on the right. Apart from that there were also three computer screens with webcams positioned in front of all four real people. They were for some of the more special members of the meeting who couldn't obtain an above ground pass without eyebrows being raised. The computer screens were positioned with two on the right and the last one on the left. Butler sat on the only chair on the right whilst Mulch had taken residence in the second chair to the left. A couple of minute's later Holly walked in and sat on the first left chair.
Artemis opened the double doors to the conference room and walked in, taking his seat at the head of the table. Once he was ready he pressed two buttons on the table in front of him, at the pres the two screens on the right came on showing Foaly and Vinyáya.
"Good, we are all here. Know as I have come to understand a troll has been seen in tunnel… G7?" Artemis started.
"Yes, it's not a major tunnel but we use it for importing sensitive material." Vinyáya replied.
"By sensitive material you mean?" Artemis enquired.
"Well anything from material to weapons, sometimes even prisoners." Foaly said.
"Are we sure this troll is a troll? It could just be someone trying to get their hands on some of that stuff. I've only seen a few of you guns and they are nothing small." Butler pointed out.
"We thought about that so we sent down a probe to check it out. Its definitely a troll, the probe was thrown nearly a mile back down the tunnel with holes in it. Nothing else can do that except machinery that wouldn't fit down there." Holly said.
"Well I think it would be easiest to follow the route drawn on the map I gave each of you? Right follow that red line and if we find a troll use this." And so saying Artemis held up a desert eagle.
"Artemis what are you saying? We shoot it. Even that thing won't kill a troll and if we killed it there would be mountains of complaints. We can't kill one of the people."
"Kill? I think not. This thing has been customised. Remember the cube? Well I put some similar technology in this. It will fire a beam of electricity at the troll, all we have to do is get a lock on its head for a second and it will automatically adjust the beam to knock the troll out." Artemis said only a tiny bit smugly.
"Foaly is telling the truth?" Vinyáya asked.
"Yeees, as far as I can make out." The centaur replied.
"Then why haven't we got one of these? I thought you were a genius!" the sector eight commander asked.
"I can sell you the design." Artemis said.
"So much for changed! How much?" Vinyáya asked.
"Well… I simply want permission to customise any fairy technology I get hold of. Not to sell, just for my own personal curiosity."
"And will we be able to stop you if we say no?" Foaly asked.
"Probably not, here are the designs" Artemis said, pushing a little button on the table again and hearing a quiet beep from Foaly's screen indication he had received them.
"Are we agreed into the mission then?" Vinyáya asked looking around at the other members of the meeting.
"No you bloody well are not! Vinyáya I want a word with you this is completely illegal!" a voice issued from the blank screen. As the voice spoke the face of ex-commander Sool. "You can't hunt down a troll let alone get a mud man to help. If the council found out they would have your job…"
"And give it to you?" Vinyáya finished, "you think they would ever give you a job again after what happened last time. Trying to wipe out the eighth family. I think not. Good bye Sool." And with that Foaly typed quickly and Sools screen was turned off. But Artemis had noticed something.
'Interesting…' Artemis thought.
"Right to finish this little gathering Holly, you have any of the sector eight armouries you can carry, Butler you too. Artemis talk to Foaly, he has some suits for all of you. Mulch you don't really need anything but if you want some weapons take what you want. Is there anything else?" Vinyáya asked.
"No that should be all." Artemis answered.
"Good, see you when you have the troll" Vinyáya said then ended her transition.
"There is a shuttle waiting at Stonehenge, a little unorthodox I know but we have to be careful. It's leaving in about five hours and coming directly to the sector eight headquarters. Good luck and I'll se you in a little bit!" Foaly said before ending his transition as well.
"Okay everyone, if there is anything you desperately need from here go and get ready, we leave in one hour. Butler, make sure the jet is ready." Artemis said as he stood to leave.
A/N- So to Stonehenge it is! What is Sool up to? Should I start doing sneak peaks at the end of a chapter or reminders at the beginning? These are all questions you can find out the answers to if you review!