Chapter Two:
~Fowl Manor, Dublin, Ireland~
A few hours previously, before Claws had even begun his daring mission, Artemis Fowl the Second had just finished his newest plan. After recovering almost fully from the LEP mind-wipe which occurred only a short while ago, a group of four sat in a lavishly decorated room in soft leatherette chairs, discussing a new venture. Butler was the first to speak up against Artemis' scheme. 'Artemis, I thought you promised.' he stopped for a moment to re-think his words, 'You said you wouldn't do this anymore.' he trailed off, his cold stare darted to Mulch Diggums who was pulling the gold lining out of the chair he was sitting in. Mulch looked up, grinned stupidly and sat still.
'Yes, Butler, I know I said I was going to give up, now that my father is back in charge of the Fowl estate.' He retorted, he looked sinister as he peered around the room, 'But now my memory is no longer failing me on so many accounts I wish to continue in my ventures with the People.' Butler nodded, he knew not to argue with Artemis, his keen intellect only baffled some who's IQ was left than one-fifty. Juliet was next to talk. 'Yeah, Dom. let him have this one, besides, its not like he can be hurt in this one, is it? I mean, the whole thing is being done by me and you and stink-boy here.' She gestured to Mulch, 'Artemis knows the LEP well by now and we can all rest assured that they wont let Fairy technology be used for human gain.' 'Again' laughed Mulch Artemis sighed; this was not the way he intended this to go, muttering between them. 'Yes, all right, we have established that I will not be in any danger. Now, can we please get back to business?' he asked, feeling rather annoyed. 'Sure' 'Yeah.' 'Yes, Artemis' He nodded, clearing his throat. 'Now, to reiterate my plan, just so everybody knows and understands my idea.' he looked at Mulch especially, 'I have acquired some new fairy technology from a contact.' he smiled, 'I bought an old US Navy helicopter.' he said, Butler grinned, 'Put them together and we have the newest and best advancement in military history.' He looked round, everybody was nodding in agreement.
'It was activated yesterday and it seems an LEPrecon Agent has already been sent to recapture the technology' Juliet said, looking at a small computer screen in front of her. 'Arty, where did you get the fairy technology again?' Mulch asked in a falsely sweet voice 'It doesn't matter where.' He snapped. Butler leaned over to look at Juliet's screen. 'Come on, Artemis, we might need to know in case of future 'purchases'' said Juliet, looking up at Artemis with a smile. 'There wont be any 'future purchases'. this is my last chance to establish contact with the People. Holly left her helmet under my bed.' he said with a sigh, everyone else gasped. 'That means. she wanted to stay in contact. she.' Butler could not find the words; he was both happy and bewildered. 'She left me the technology so I could contact her, not so I could use it to trick them again. If I ever meet her again she wont be happy.' said Artemis.
He had longed to see Holly's face again and to hear her voice. Artemis had become attached to Holly in the time they spent together. Artemis' first plan was to link up the technology with his own computers and establish a communications link with Holly but then he realised a greater plan. Capture another fairy and take all of its technology. He could then set it free and leave it to get home.
~Cuban waters, West Cuba~
Butler, Juliet and Mulch had flown in the Lear Jet to a Cuban Airport. Butler had contacts in Cuba; no one would dare arrest two elite bodyguards and their hairy midget friend.
Their first sight of the three helicopters was late that night, two of them were firing weapons at the other which seemed to be in pretty bad shape. Butler nodded to Juliet who then used her cell phone to call Artemis who was waiting impatiently back at Fowl Manor.
'Artemis, we've found them, bang on time' she said, a crackle over the airwaves meant Artemis was doing something with his computer. 'Thanks Juliet, I'll make the arrangements on out end right away.' Butler followed the aircraft with his binoculars until the third helicopter was no- where to be seen though a pile of burning wreckage was falling towards the ocean surface. Butler hoped the elf was safe. Juliet powered up the boat, Mulch looked oddly seasick in the night air and butler took a seat next to the unwitting Dwarf. The fire loomed closer; Juliet reduced speed slowly and surveyed the wreckage. She spotted the little fairy, floating upside-down in the water. She leaned down to pick it up when the other two helicopters burst into life from the sky above and rained bullets down on them. Butler pulled his sister back, sending the elf flying into the water. Juliet grunted and tried to get up and fetch the floating fairy but it was nowhere to be seen. Mulch grabbed the boat controls and turned them sharply back towards land. Butler and Juliet lay on the deck breathing deeply.
Feeling angry with himself and the US Navy, Butler sank into a seat beside Mulch who was busy playing with all the knobs and buttons on the control panel. Juliet sat, almost crying, on the floor, her knees hugged up to her chest. Butler leaned down to speak to his sister. 'Hey, don't worry.' he said softly, 'I tagged the little guy with a tracker' he grinned and Juliet lunged a playful punch at him. Butler laughed, Juliet laughed and Mulch crashed the boat into the beach.
~Norse Wren Hotel, Cuba~
The next day was uneventful. Mulch played chess with Juliet and ended up eating her queen. Butler read through Artemis' briefing twice and noticed that he had added the comment 'It had better not be Holly.' The next morning, Butler ushered Juliet and Mulch out the door and into their newly rented Mercedes 4x4 without so much as a word. His pocket was beeping and Juliet knew why. Their target was on the move over the Cuban island, they only had a few minutes in which to catch the fairy before he went underground and they would not catch him. Butler accelerated quickly, the Mercedes groaning under the pressure he was putting into it, over bump and mounds and ditches. Above them, the shielded fairy was blissfully unaware that they were following him; after all, he was shielded. Butler didn't know they were right underneath the fairy either, he just knew he was close to his target. The fairy took a dive, Butler swerved to miss a tree. The fairy landed next to the shuttle terminal. He looked around just in time to see a shiny new Mercedes 4x4 screech towards him. Butler blinked and missed the shimmer of light in front of him, Juliet didn't. She shouted and pulled Butler's arm, though the new dent in the front of the Mercedes was going to be costly.
A few hours previously, before Claws had even begun his daring mission, Artemis Fowl the Second had just finished his newest plan. After recovering almost fully from the LEP mind-wipe which occurred only a short while ago, a group of four sat in a lavishly decorated room in soft leatherette chairs, discussing a new venture. Butler was the first to speak up against Artemis' scheme. 'Artemis, I thought you promised.' he stopped for a moment to re-think his words, 'You said you wouldn't do this anymore.' he trailed off, his cold stare darted to Mulch Diggums who was pulling the gold lining out of the chair he was sitting in. Mulch looked up, grinned stupidly and sat still.
'Yes, Butler, I know I said I was going to give up, now that my father is back in charge of the Fowl estate.' He retorted, he looked sinister as he peered around the room, 'But now my memory is no longer failing me on so many accounts I wish to continue in my ventures with the People.' Butler nodded, he knew not to argue with Artemis, his keen intellect only baffled some who's IQ was left than one-fifty. Juliet was next to talk. 'Yeah, Dom. let him have this one, besides, its not like he can be hurt in this one, is it? I mean, the whole thing is being done by me and you and stink-boy here.' She gestured to Mulch, 'Artemis knows the LEP well by now and we can all rest assured that they wont let Fairy technology be used for human gain.' 'Again' laughed Mulch Artemis sighed; this was not the way he intended this to go, muttering between them. 'Yes, all right, we have established that I will not be in any danger. Now, can we please get back to business?' he asked, feeling rather annoyed. 'Sure' 'Yeah.' 'Yes, Artemis' He nodded, clearing his throat. 'Now, to reiterate my plan, just so everybody knows and understands my idea.' he looked at Mulch especially, 'I have acquired some new fairy technology from a contact.' he smiled, 'I bought an old US Navy helicopter.' he said, Butler grinned, 'Put them together and we have the newest and best advancement in military history.' He looked round, everybody was nodding in agreement.
'It was activated yesterday and it seems an LEPrecon Agent has already been sent to recapture the technology' Juliet said, looking at a small computer screen in front of her. 'Arty, where did you get the fairy technology again?' Mulch asked in a falsely sweet voice 'It doesn't matter where.' He snapped. Butler leaned over to look at Juliet's screen. 'Come on, Artemis, we might need to know in case of future 'purchases'' said Juliet, looking up at Artemis with a smile. 'There wont be any 'future purchases'. this is my last chance to establish contact with the People. Holly left her helmet under my bed.' he said with a sigh, everyone else gasped. 'That means. she wanted to stay in contact. she.' Butler could not find the words; he was both happy and bewildered. 'She left me the technology so I could contact her, not so I could use it to trick them again. If I ever meet her again she wont be happy.' said Artemis.
He had longed to see Holly's face again and to hear her voice. Artemis had become attached to Holly in the time they spent together. Artemis' first plan was to link up the technology with his own computers and establish a communications link with Holly but then he realised a greater plan. Capture another fairy and take all of its technology. He could then set it free and leave it to get home.
~Cuban waters, West Cuba~
Butler, Juliet and Mulch had flown in the Lear Jet to a Cuban Airport. Butler had contacts in Cuba; no one would dare arrest two elite bodyguards and their hairy midget friend.
Their first sight of the three helicopters was late that night, two of them were firing weapons at the other which seemed to be in pretty bad shape. Butler nodded to Juliet who then used her cell phone to call Artemis who was waiting impatiently back at Fowl Manor.
'Artemis, we've found them, bang on time' she said, a crackle over the airwaves meant Artemis was doing something with his computer. 'Thanks Juliet, I'll make the arrangements on out end right away.' Butler followed the aircraft with his binoculars until the third helicopter was no- where to be seen though a pile of burning wreckage was falling towards the ocean surface. Butler hoped the elf was safe. Juliet powered up the boat, Mulch looked oddly seasick in the night air and butler took a seat next to the unwitting Dwarf. The fire loomed closer; Juliet reduced speed slowly and surveyed the wreckage. She spotted the little fairy, floating upside-down in the water. She leaned down to pick it up when the other two helicopters burst into life from the sky above and rained bullets down on them. Butler pulled his sister back, sending the elf flying into the water. Juliet grunted and tried to get up and fetch the floating fairy but it was nowhere to be seen. Mulch grabbed the boat controls and turned them sharply back towards land. Butler and Juliet lay on the deck breathing deeply.
Feeling angry with himself and the US Navy, Butler sank into a seat beside Mulch who was busy playing with all the knobs and buttons on the control panel. Juliet sat, almost crying, on the floor, her knees hugged up to her chest. Butler leaned down to speak to his sister. 'Hey, don't worry.' he said softly, 'I tagged the little guy with a tracker' he grinned and Juliet lunged a playful punch at him. Butler laughed, Juliet laughed and Mulch crashed the boat into the beach.
~Norse Wren Hotel, Cuba~
The next day was uneventful. Mulch played chess with Juliet and ended up eating her queen. Butler read through Artemis' briefing twice and noticed that he had added the comment 'It had better not be Holly.' The next morning, Butler ushered Juliet and Mulch out the door and into their newly rented Mercedes 4x4 without so much as a word. His pocket was beeping and Juliet knew why. Their target was on the move over the Cuban island, they only had a few minutes in which to catch the fairy before he went underground and they would not catch him. Butler accelerated quickly, the Mercedes groaning under the pressure he was putting into it, over bump and mounds and ditches. Above them, the shielded fairy was blissfully unaware that they were following him; after all, he was shielded. Butler didn't know they were right underneath the fairy either, he just knew he was close to his target. The fairy took a dive, Butler swerved to miss a tree. The fairy landed next to the shuttle terminal. He looked around just in time to see a shiny new Mercedes 4x4 screech towards him. Butler blinked and missed the shimmer of light in front of him, Juliet didn't. She shouted and pulled Butler's arm, though the new dent in the front of the Mercedes was going to be costly.