Plot so far: Alex Rider is sent to investigate the mysterious Alec Rider. Upon arrival, he discovers the Alec Rider MI6 was talking about is dead and his son now owns everything his father owned. He stumbled upon a time machine where he was thrown back two years ago, where twelve year old Artemis Fowl and his bulky manservant Butler are trying to discover information about the People. Alex is caught spying on the youth and overhears a phone conversation between Artemis and Alec Rider the First. Alex, Artemis, and Butler are now on their way to the Rider Manor of two years ago, finally having the chance to meet this mysterious individual . . .

Oshawa, Canada, The Rider Manor

Zoey Rider drove the three guests to the Rider household. Butler and Artemis were in the back, Alex deciding to ride in the shotgun seat, not in the mood to sit beside the massive manservant again. Butler felt nervous as they were driving in an ordinary looking car, hoping a gunman wouldn't take this chance to take out Artemis.

Artemis could sense his bodyguard's unease. "Don't you worry, old friend. There's a very low possibility someone followed us across the ocean when they could've killed us before we boarded the plane. Besides, if there was a gunman, chances are they would aim for Mrs. Rider instead of us in this situation as she's more popular in this area of the world."

The woman laughed, a nervous tone beginning to coat her voice. "Perhaps. Fortunately, every inch of this car is bulletproof. My husband built it and tested it so there are no worries."

Butler grunted and relaxed slightly, still staying alert. Alex watched the cars and buildings go by, not having a part in the conversation at hand.

"So, Alex," Zoey said, trying to converse with the boy, "How do you know Master Fowl? You don't seem to be of Irish descent. And I don't think Arty is the type to have friends - no offense."

"My father calls me Arty," Artemis mumbled, irritated, before Alex could speak. He smiled his vampire smile before continuing, "And he was spying on us. He claimed to have met Mr. Rider so we brought him along."

Alex clenched his teeth. Artemis knew he was lying.

"You've met my husband?" Zoey asked, glancing at Alex through the corner of her eye. When Alex didn't reply, she added; "What's your surname?"

"Rider," Alex mumbled.

The woman seemed to grip the wheel tighter. "Home country?"

"England."

The car went silent as Zoey thought. Then she eventually asked; "What's your father's name?"

"John Rider . . ."

Artemis broke up the line of questioning with a question of his own. "Do you perhaps know something about Alex here? You seem insistent to put the pieces together."

Zoey hesitated before answering, "Maybe. I'll ask my husband once we arrive. It shouldn't be long now."

Alex released a breath he hadn't realized he'd been holding and sunk back in his chair.

-x-

When the group arrived at the Rider Manor, Artemis let his eyes graze around the area, seeming pleased with what he saw.

"Our visit seems promising. It seems our search may be over," he said, stepping out of the car. The rest stepped out as well, shutting the car doors behind them and looking at the area. Alex noticed one thing that struck him as odd.

Everything looked eerily similar to his time. From the variety of flowers in the garden up against the house to the length of the grass.

"Please, go right in! I'll get your bags, okay?" Zoey gave them a warm smile and pushed the gate open effortlessly. "Many things here are finger or hand-sensitive. Take this gate for example. Unless it's unlocked from the control panel, it couldn't be opened by anyone that doesn't have their fingerprint input into the device."

Alec must've unlocked it for me then, Alex thought, remembering the first time he came here. This place had tight security after all.

Zoey returned to the car as the trio walked up the path to the house. Butler led the way, keeping his senses alert who was followed by Artemis, curious about his new surroundings. Alex followed behind, noticing how similar things were in the time span of two years.

The group stopped at the door, the porch creaking slightly beneath them. Alex noticed the porch was made from a white, old-looking wood.

It must be a way to know the presence of visitors before they actually knock, the boy deduced, knowing this family had a way of doing that as Alec had found him through only footsteps. He glanced at Artemis who seemed to find the old porch out of place in a modern-looking house.

Before anyone had the chance to ring the doorbell or knock, the door swung open and a twelve year old Alec stood there, holding a gun. The same looking gun he pointed at Alex two years from now.

Except then his smile was less threatening.

"Ha! Thought you could invade, didn't you?" Alec said, a cocky grin spreading on his face. Butler instinctively kicked the gun out of the boy's hands, forcing him to stumble back with a look of astonishment.

"Hey, Alec, treat our guests with respect," said a voice from within. Alec turned to see a man with short blond hair. He looked to be in his thirties or younger and was slightly built under his clothes. He and Alec shared several similarities in physical appearance such as eyes and facial structure. He seemed to be at least half a foot taller than Alec, if not more.

"D-Dad . . ." Alec stammered, backing off. He gave the three at the door a look of apology and looked over his guests, smiling awkwardly at Butler as he took an extra step back.

The man gestured for everyone to come in and spoke to Alec as they did. "Sorry, I forgot to tell you about them." He looked at his guests, Butler glancing around, alert, Artemis examining the lobby, and Alex looking at his host. He already knew who this man was.

"Wonderful you could make it safely, Master Fowl," the man said, looking directly at Artemis, "I am Alec Rider the First. Of course, you have already met my wife, and this here is my son, Alec Rider the Second. I apologize for the little mix-up. Maybe he's been trained too well."

Alec shrugged and Alex couldn't help but notice how much his appearance didn't change in two years. His hair was the exact same shade of blue and was still- or, already spiked. It seemed the only thing that changed was his cheery personality.

Artemis took his eyes off his surroundings and eyed Mr. Rider. "If I may ask, how did you know I was the one you summoned here?"

Alec Senior smiled. "Firstly, I knew from the start Artemis Fowl the Second was still only a boy. Secondly, you wear a suit while the other teenager's outfit is normal."

With this, Alex noticed how different he and Artemis were physically. Artemis wore a suit and was thin and pale while he himself seemed more . . . normal for his age.

Mr. Rider continued. "Next, your bodyguard is sticking closer to you, completely alert. And finally, you resemble your father."

Artemis blinked, shocked. "You knew my father?"

"Of course," he replied, "I worked with him a few times. He's missing now, correct?"

Artemis nodded before smiling slightly, impressed. "Your deduction skills are phenomenal."

Mr. Rider laughed, "Oh, detective is just one of my past times. Crimes scenes have always interested me. But enough about that. Alec, help your mother fetch the luggage."

The boy nodded and slipped out of the house, seeming to be much more serious than the Alec Alex knew. If his father is really dead in the future, you would think he would act like this in the future and more carefree now . . .

Artemis's voice interrupted Alex's train of thought. "Well, this is my bodyguard Butler and this here is Alex Rider. But you too are acquainted already, right?"

Alex found himself holding his breath as Mr. Rider studied his face curiously. If he said no, he would be doomed. Would he let Butler snap him in half inside his own house . . . ?

After what felt like eternity, Alec Senior smiled and said, "Ah, Alex! You've grown since I last saw you! How's your uncle?"

Artemis kept himself from scowling. He didn't expect this. He was so sure Alex was lying! It wasn't possible . . .

"He's fine," Alex mumbled, completely relieved. Wait, why did he say uncle? Wouldn't the normal response be "How are your parents"? Unless . . .

He couldn't actually know his uncle, could he?

"That's good. Now, how about I give you three a tour? I can tell you're curious about this building and what makes it tick."

For the next while, Alec Rider the First gave the three a tour of the manor. Artemis looked and listened attentively while Butler kept an eye out for anything potentially harmful. Meanwhile, Alex couldn't help but notice how similar every damn detail was. Like nothing changed for two whole years.

Eventually they reached the guest rooms. Upon entering one of them, Mr. Rider sat down on the Queen-sized bed and gestured for the others to sit somewhere. Artemis pulled out the chair from a desk and Alex sat on the arm of one of the sofas. Butler preferred to stand.

"Since I'm sure you three would like to return to your homes, I suppose I should actually get to the reason why you're here," he said, glancing over at Artemis.

"I agree," Artemis said, becoming business-like. Alex had never seen someone so young act so mature.

"Now, have you told Alex anything about your reason for coming here?"

Alex looked up. "Not particularly, no," Artemis said, unable to bring himself to care about the boy's significance.

Before anyone could continue, the door swung open and Alec walked in with everyone's luggage. There wasn't too much but Alex was surprised he could carry all of it. He set it all down and collapsed on the bed beside his father.

"So," he said, sitting up, "What did I miss?"

"Nothing much," his father said, "Though you might not want to stay. You never did like fairy tales that much."

Alec let out a short laugh and sat back. "Well, I'm sure little Arty and pals didn't come halfway across the world for a fantasy. This oughta be good. Continue."

Artemis twitched slightly. "Mr. Rider, must these two listen in on this? This is a matter between you and I plus Butler."

"You brought Alex here so he deserves to know," the man chuckled, "And my son won't believe any of it anyways. Magic isn't his thing."

Magic? Alex thought, Is that what this is about?

When Artemis couldn't think of a suitable argument, he stayed quiet and let Mr. Rider speak.

"Let me start from what we both know so everyone in the room can be on the same page. Basically, there's an ancient race that has co-existed with humans for thousands of years. These creatures are called the People, or commonly known as fairies."

"I thought we were the people," Alec mumbled, not seeming very interested.

Mr. Rider ignored his son. "These fairies are extremely wealthy in gold and are said to live deep below ground, past the Earth's crust and deep into the magma.

"Now, each fairy carries their own bible of sorts called The Book. It contains many rules each fairy must follow. Unfortunately for us, if someone touches The Book without the owner's permission, it will spontaneously combust. It's also written in the fairy language."

"Well that's stupid!" Alec exclaimed, "What's the point of making it explode if the damn thing isn't even in English?"

"Through careful analysis," Artemis said, annoyed with the boy already, "it could probably be deciphered."

Alec rolled his eyes and his father continued, "Exactly. And of course, you want to steal some fairy gold."

Artemis nodded as Alex took this all in. Fairies? It seemed like he landed in a bad fanfic.

"Now, I heard this from an old client in Vietnam. I'll get in contact with him later if you want to speak with him. Anyways, the fairies are-"

Alec Senior stopped talking when he saw his wife enter the room with a pale face. She was holding a phone in her hand, seeming really on edge about something.

"Honey . . ." she said, her voice shaky, "Someone really needs to speak with you . . ."

Mr. Rider nodded and took the phone. He looked at Artemis, who frowned at the interruption. "Sorry. One minute, please." He left the room and shut the door behind him. Zoey sank down on the bed and stared at the ground. Alec looked at her with concern all over his face.

"Mom . . . ?" he said, "Mom, who was it?"

"No one you need to worry about," she said quietly, her face white, "Let your father take care of it . . ."

Before Alec could protest, his father walked back in, his face serious.

"I'm really sorry, Master Fowl," the man said, "But this will have to wait until tomorrow. My wife and I need to go somewhere right now. Please make yourself at home; there are two guest rooms, the other identical to this one. The sofa folds out to a bed as well. Alec, make sure our guests don't leave with any casualties, alright?"

"Yes, sir!" Alec said, standing up while grinning, as if this was a good thing.

Alec Senior smiled back as she and Zoey left the room. "That's my boy," he said, closing the door behind him.

Everyone was silent for a moment. Alex stood up and headed for the door. "I'll be right back." He shut it behind him before he could get a reply.

Alex ran down the stairs and after Mr. Rider, who had just opened the front door. He turned and looked at him in confusion. "Yes, Alex?"

"How do you know my uncle?" he asked, getting straight to the point.

Mr. Rider smiled again. This family seemed to do it way too much in the darkest situations. "I worked with him and your father at times. He often spoke about you. How old were you again? Twelve? Fourteen? You're growing up to be just like him."

"I see," Alex said, letting the man work out his age for himself, "Well, sorry for bothering you." He began to return upstairs to the guest room, growing curious about what Alec's parents were up to. He could hear the front close as he opened the door to the guest room once again. Artemis and Alec were conversing while Butler stood alert, watching Alec, who was aware of his gaze.

"So fairies, huh?" Alec said, "What next? Demons and vampires?"

"Don't be ridiculous," Artemis said, "Vampires don't exist. Although, demons-"

"I don't wanna hear it!" Alec announced, rolling his eyes, "I'm going to my room. If you are in any danger, guns are hidden in every vase in this house."

The boy gestured to a vase on the table beside the bed and left the room, closing it behind him. Artemis stood up and peered into the vase.

"I don't think he particularly likes us," Artemis said, sitting on the bed with a victorious smirk.

"Maybe it's you he doesn't like," Alex said, glancing at the vase, "This whole fairy thing has messed on his take of reality. And mine, to tell the truth." He sighed. "How do you know these fairies actually exist?"

Artemis smiled his vampire smile at him. "I've done my research. If you had done yours, little spy, you would agree as well."

"Right," Alex sighed, suddenly feeling tired. He didn't really feel like sleeping in the same room as a lethal weapon and his tiny fairy-believing master. So he walked out the room and headed to the other guest room across the hall. He popped open the door and let it shut behind him. He lied down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, thinking about the recent events. Eventually, he got bored and turned on the TV with the remote on the table beside him. The TV came out of the wall and hung in the air a couple meters from Alex, a random channel flickering before his eyes.

Alex blinked. Sometimes it was nice to be in the presence of a rich possible-criminal family.

-x-

After hours of late night comedies and action shows, Alex felt thirsty. He stood up and crept towards the door, carefully opening it and stepping outside. He began to walk towards the stairs when he stopped in his tracks.

Alec was standing at the top of the stairs, staring down at the main floor. He still hadn't changed out of his clothes from earlier and seemed tense. Alex followed his gaze and was completely shocked at what he saw.

On the main floor were the pale corpses of Mr. and Mrs. Rider, side by side. There was no blood and in the dark, there seemed to be no wounds. Sitting where the pulse on Mr. Rider's neck would be was a large blue and black fuzzy tarantula, almost as if it was claiming the kill for itself.

MI6 was dead wrong. Alec Rider the First really was dead.

Well, there goes the info about the fairies. Who murdered Alec's parents? Tune in next time to see how everyone reacts to this predicament! Thanks for reading!