For the good of the Nation

Tony Stark didn't like it from the start, already when a notification flashed on his watch about an email that came from a computer from an untraceable IP address. However, he had little choice. Either he shows up to the meeting held at the Kobrick Cafe on March 20th or all of his electronics will be disabled, including the Iron Man suit. As evidence of this threat, his watch shorted immediately after reading the message. Under other circumstances, he would have suspected S.H.I.E.L.D., or Banner, of something like this. He barely knew anyone else who had the means or the smarts to figure out how to hack into his systems. But this time he didn't even have to suspect anyone, which was a good thing because he would obviously be wrong. The culprit and blackmailer immediately admitted to his act in his unconventional invitation to the meeting. It was Artemis Fowl.

Tony had heard the name before. He was a boy who had a number of inventions to his credit, including the jets that served as his initial inspiration and the first prototype for the ones that now powered his armor. At one time there was even talk that this Irishman could overtake him one day, which would not be a good thing. It was practically an open secret that the Fowls were involved in illegal business, although no one could prove anything to them. Be that as it may, Artemis never overtook Stark because he mysteriously disappeared eight years ago. So Tony was quite surprised and horrified when the missing genius criminal called him and forced a meeting together. But at the same time, he was incredibly curious. How did he manage to hack into Jarvis? Where was the Irishman all these years that everyone thought he was dead? So the superhero decided to show up at the cafe, however he wasn't going to do so without the rest of the Avengers covering his back.

So when he arrived at the agreed place, he had a sensor with him to quickly summon his suit, and Natasha and Clint discreetly stood at the bus stop across from the cafe.

Fowl was already sitting at the table. It wasn't hard to recognize him. Tony had googled a photo of him before the meeting, and while it was nine years old and Artemis had obviously grown and matured over the years, he was still an unhealthy pale, black haired man dressed formally as if he was going to a funeral. In addition, a bodyguard towered next to him, who could hardly be missed.

"Good day, Mr. Stark," he greeted him and shook his hand. "I'm so glad you decided to come here."

"You didn't give me much choice," Tony grunted at that, but Fowl didn't let that put him off.

"Yes, sorry about that. "I thought you would otherwise ignore my invitation, and that would be rather unkind to me and to the party I represent," said the Irishman, gesturing for him to sit down.

So Stark settled into one of the chairs, but he didn't like the words one bit. "The party I represent," that sounded like something a mob lawyer would say.

"Who do you represent?"

"That isn't important. Importantly, the events that took place on May 4 last year in New York deeply disturbed us all," Artemis said.

"That must have disturbed a lot of people," Tony commented, thinking sarcastically that there was hardly anyone in the entire world who wasn't disturbed about an alien invasion. He himself was actually completely shocked, terrified, although he was one of the ones who finally managed to turn her away.

"You are right," the Irishman nodded his head. "Do you think similar incidents will happen again?"

"I really hope not. We might not survive another one. But what about the sudden interest in our planet, Fowl? Did you calculate that, aliens would be harder to rob?" Tony teased him.

Artemis sighed melodramatically. "I have always been interested in our planet," he pointed out, wisely passing over the allusion to his illegal activities. "Moreover, I would say that the threat to our dear Earth is the concern of all its inhabitants. Those, I represent, have decided that if another such danger loomed, it would be wise to intervene."

Tony grimaced, not forgiving another biting remark: "Well, sure, because it will be just great if gangs, mobsters and hitmen, or whoever you're friends with, join the defense of our world."

Fowl smiled his vampish grin at that, giving the skeptical superhero goosebumps. "In fact, it would be an elite police force with both magic and first-class technology that you, Stark, could only dream of," he said, pulling something that looked like an acorn-shaped tie clip out of his pocket.

However, Tony could already see from afar that this was a sophisticated communicator. The device contained a microphone, a camera with 8K resolution, but also a telephone, an Internet connection, sensors for measuring vital functions and many other gadgets. Naturally, he couldn't find out all this by looking, but as one of the best designers, developers and inventors, he was able to determine when a miracle of modern technology was placed in his hands. He took the tie clip with bated breath. The subject drove all sarcastic remarks out of his mind, including the ones about magic and policemen working for Fowl.

"It is voice controlled and only you can activate it. Detects the color, pitch of the given voice and its authenticity," Artemis explained and Tony nodded in understanding. Iron Man's armor worked on a similar principle. "When aliens appear, or some other similar threat that the Avengers might not be able to handle, say: run the LEPReko code. And that's about all you need to know. I believe that you will find out the rest of the control and use yourself. Just please, for the good of the Nation and the Earth, don't take it completely apart, you wouldn't be able to put it back together, and then in a moment of crisis it could become a fatal mistake," the Irishman warned him, standing up, adjusting his black suit, and was about to leave. However, Stark stopped him with a gesture.

Fowl stopped and raised one of his black eyebrows. His large bodyguard tensed.

"Why? Why are you giving me something like this? Why would you, or the people you act for, need any signal - call for help? Why would you need my cooperation when you can hack into my systems and own technology that is decades ahead of anything I've ever seen?"

"Because it is rude and illegal to enter people's dwellings without invitation. Also, I'm not here as your philanthropist, businessman, or criminal. I met with you as a diplomat. The Nation is peaceful, take it as a sign of good will. There's no need to start a conflict with an invasive act. There is no need for us, the inhabitants of this planet, to be ragging when there is a much greater danger lurking outside. But now I have to go. My wife is a cop, she has handcuffs and a gun. Forgetting an anniversary is a crime, if you know, what I mean," said Fowl, giving Stark his hand. Fowl said goodbye, shaking Stark's hand.

As one would expect from a scientist and inventor of Tony's fame, he disobeyed the young Irishman. It was too much of a temptation for him to find out as much as possible about the communicator. In his arrogance, he took apart the miraculous technology and it happened exactly what Artemis had warned him about. He couldn't put it together. In the following years, he reproached himself for this act several times. He blamed himself, for most of the calamities that came. He couldn't say that he trusted Fowl, but after all, with the horror in Sokovia, or the problem with Thanos, the help would be damn useful.

The end

I read the Artemis Fowl book series in my native language (ie Czech), where the community of fairy-tale creatures is simply referred to as "NĂ¡rod" (ie "Nation" in English). However, I could not find out if it was the same in the original work or not.