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Chapter 4: The Secret Unveiled

Artemis, Holly, and Root glanced around them. Nobody had seen them duck into the bushes. They were safe... for the moment. Artemis leaned over to Holly.

"Okay, come with me. When I give you the thumbs up, stay back and wait. Maybe I can get my butlers back with as little conflict as possible." Artemis looked hopefully up at the tall warehouse. It looked like a hopeless situation, especially if all those cars parked out front belonged to GP's men. He shuddered at the thought of all those people waiting for him in that building. Finally, he took a deep breath and led the way out of the bushes.

One guard stood barring the entrance. Artemis hung back. Good, no security cameras there. He approached the tall man, who was at least the size of Butler. Artemis cleared his throat. The man turned, and was about to raise his weapon.

"Stop, Mud Man. Drop your weapon. Turn around and walk to your car. Get in and drive away. Go home. Enjoy your life." Holly layered her voice with the mesmer. The man obeyed her command and handed Holly his weapon without a word. Holly raised her brows. That had been way too easy.

Artemis checked that the guard was safely gone, and then he opened the door quietly. There was no one inside. He motioned for the others to follow him. Stepping inside, he noted that the door locked from the inside. He locked it behind him. There would be no one getting in through that door. He didn't want GP calling for reinforcements. Artemis slinked silently down the hallway, sticking to the shadows and checking for cameras every few meters.

"Shh," Root warned. "I thought I heard voices." They all stopped and listened intently. Sure enough, there were voices coming from a few doors down. One voice was gruff, and sounded commanding. The other was rather whiny and high-pitched.

"But-" The second voice whimpered. "How can you be sure that Fowl will come today? Don't you think he has better things to worry about than two household servants? Why would he care so much?"

"Shuttup. I have been watching Fowl. He is very attached to this man. They are like brothers. Fowl will come." The gruff voice made a coughing sound to silence the other. The second man took the hint. Artemis heard him grumble something and then walk slowly away.

"Argndkf!!!" A new voice was heard. It was muffled.

"Shuttup, prisoner. When all this is over, you'll have yourself to thank for not shutting up. We didn't have to gag you, you know. There are worse ways to silence a man." Artemis heard the man crack his knuckles and laugh.

"It's Butler!" Artemis mouthed to the other two behind him. They nodded. "Stay back. I'm going in. There's only two people in there. I think."

He finished. The elves nodded again and cloaked themselves. They remained hidden, as Artemis slowly opened the door and snuck in.

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The man with the gruff voice was Geoffrey Peters, a British gangster. He was the leader of the most feared gang in England. He had recently escaped a near capture by the police, and was forced to go into hiding in Ireland, until the hubbub died down some. While in Ireland, he had heard of Artemis Fowl the Second, a young teenage boy who was a Criminal Mastermind. Peters wanted Fowl for reasons unknown. He had quietly worked on something in his office and was often found in the mock lab, experimenting. One day, he emerged from the lab covered in grime.

"Contact Fowl," He had said. His men did not question this odd comment, but did as they were told. All the secrecy was about to be unveiled though.

"Jennings," Peters turned to the whiny man. "Please go and see what that noise was. I thought I heard something." Jennings nodded his head frantically, and scurried off to the door. He found it open slightly, but thought nothing of it.

"The wind sir." He explained. Peters looked suspicious. He looked up and said loudly:

"FOWL, I KNOW YOU ARE HERE."

"You are correct in your theory." Came a voice nearby. "And I have come regarding the ransom for my Butler." A small figure emerged from the darkness. It was Artemis.

"Mpph!" Butler choked out. His eyes widened.

"Keep your mouth closed, Butler." Said Peters, coolly.

"I have the money, as you asked," Artemis said. He slowly drew out the briefcase.

"Money? Oh, yes, the RANSOM." He laughed heartily. "Do you really think this is about money, Fowl. I had thought you brighter than that."

"As I thought, it is not about money, so I'll just put this away. Now, what do you really want, eh, I didn't catch your name..."

"Peters. That is all you need to know." He flashed a toothy grin. "What I want------ is your intellect, Artemis."

"What?!?" Even Artemis was caught off-guard by the question. His eyes darkened, and he took a step backwards.

"I have created a device that can suck the knowledge out of a man, and render him useless. I have searched for the brightest minds, and slowly sucked their life away, until they have the intellect of a toddler. And now, Fowl, I have found my best test subject yet. I will be the most brilliant man on the planet. Do you doubt me? Haven't you listened to the news? I have already had three other brilliant thinkers put in hospitals.... you can come willingly or fight, but the odds are against you." Peters paused and looked at Artemis, who was staring in disbelief at him. Artemis swallowed.

"Do you really think I will come willingly?" He finally said. Peters smiled. Finally. A challenge.

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What about it? Only a few more chapters to go! Please review! Thanks!

~Maika =) i know its short but its just the way i write this story since it will be really short.

I had hardly any reviewers! How am I supposed to make my work better if people don't review!? i need reviews, but I'm gonna go ahead and write the next chapter. But please READ AND REVIEW! thank you.

**I don't own Artemis Fowl or any of the other characters. Ok thats all. Now you can't accuse me of cheating and stealing Eoin Colfer's characters. So there!

Thanks to:

~ Kelaal-- Here's the next chapter, so don't go insane! LOL! Thank you!

~ Maiden Genisis-- OK keep laughing and thanks for the review!

~ The Reviewer-- How do you know that Foaly won't come in later? I'm not saying he is, but keep reading and find out! =) Thanks for the review!

~ Citrusy Snicket-- Thank u!!

**~ need another reviewer!!!