2. Red Iris
Usually, Artemis wouldn't have given the pop-up message about his e- mail any thought because of the other much more important things that he had to take care of, but today, he checked his mail.
He double- clicked the little e icon on his start menu, and proceeded to read his mail. One message stood out the most it said:
Artemis Fowl,
I am in need of your services. I am willing to pay basically any price. If you are interested, please respond. Thank You.
Red Iris
Artemis' fingers started up; clicking and clacking their way through the large expansive internet. He may not have been the most athletic boy in Ireland, but he was probably the fastest typist out of all of them.
He ran a couple of searches on the web on Red Iris and tried to trace the e- mail back to the source with no avail. The usual results included sales on Irises and many gardening websites. Later, he used an Asian search engine. This "Red Iris" character seemed to be the owner of a successful company called Intrapace Industries.
The strange thing was that no pictures could be found on this Red Iris lady, assuming that it was a lady... For all Artemis knew, she could be some assassin, who worked for the mob living in an apartment in the middle of Chicago. She might not even be a "she".
Artemis's thought train was disturbed by a light tap on his shoulder. "A breakthrough?" Butler questioned.
"No... I'm afraid not, but this 'Red Iris' person's has me puzzled. I can't seem to figure out exactly who she is. All the Internet has been able to provide is that they're the owner of the company Intrapace Industries, which makes laptops and that the base of the company is in Japan," Artemis drummed his fingers across his desk. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to send a response... And in the meantime Butler, see if you can find anything out,"
"Red Iris",
I am presuming you know who I am, but who are you? And what exactly do you need my services for?
Artemis Fowl Tokyo Japan, Intrapace Industries 77th floor
"Ah yes, it's here," the small figure, perched on a blue velvet chair said. The circular room was of glass and the only thing that occupied it was a mahogany desk, computer, and the velvet chair. The figure spun its chair around and started to read the e-mail, then proceeded to type.
A faint bleep sounded from the computer and the figure sighed. This was going to take longer than they thought.
Fowl Manor
Artemis sank back into his chair and prepared to attempt one of the few tasks that he had failed over and over. To make a sandwich. He walked over to the kitchen, opened the large stainless steel refrigerator which most of the Fowls seldom laid a finger on, and stared at its contents. He gingerly lifted out a slab of turkey breast, some lettuce, tomatoes, a small jar of mustard, and imported French bread.
Artemis carefully sliced the tomatoes and started spreading the mustard on the bread and layering his sandwich. When he was done, he took a few steps back to catch a glance at his "sandwich". It looked more like a battered Leaning Tower of Pisa, in sandwich form. Never the less, he disregarded that fact and put it on a plate. After all, these results were much better than the last try...
"You may want to see this," Butler lead Artemis back up the stairs to Artemis's laptop. Except, the laptop's screen seemed to be malfunctioning. The screen had turned a deep red and a flower began to bloom. A red iris. Artemis tried tampering with the keyboard, but nothing seemed to do the trick. Suddenly, words started to spill out on the screen.
Jeez. You'd think it'd be easier to get into some Irish kid's laptop, but no, you just had to install all those security precautions didn't you? Almost brought down my computer...
The letters spelled out. The person on the other side seemed to be a rather fast typist and perhaps a bit grouchy or just sarcastic. Artemis sat himself down and continued to stare at the screen.
Hmm. Well, I no one could exactly call you "just some Irish kid" could they? No. They couldn't, Artemis Fowl. (
Words continued to spill out and reorder themselves on Artemis's computer screen.
"I suppose I'll answer back..."
"Be careful. You still don't know who they are or what they are up to," Butler reminded him.
Hello.
Hello. I've finally got your attention, no?
Yes.
So, Arty. What's with all the firewalls (quite the annoyance) and such? Like I said, you almost took down my computer and I can tell you that that would be quite the feat.
Just precautions.
For what?
It's a secret.
OK.
I suppose you'd welcome a guest to your house, this being the same with a laptop, if you knew who that person or thing is. So who are you?
Guess. (
That statement caused a smile to form on Artemis's pale face; now that was a rare accomplishment not repeated very easily. This "hacker" was probably merely an adolescent like himself, except perhaps with a lower IQ or just a more cheerful outlook on everything. She actually seemed rather amusing.
Comon' guess!
Fine. I see you aren't responding, so I'll just have to tell you. ( Ruin my fun.
Red Iris... Now do you know?
Yes, but what do you want?
You're help.
Why?
Sigh. ( And I thought you were supposed to be some blossoming genius.
I am.
Sure.
Fairy, troll, dwarf, underworld, wizard, magic, underground, centaur. I hope that got your attention because I have to go... bye! ( And good luck arty. ^_^
The Red Iris and Red screen disappeared and Artemis's laptop simultaneously restarted itself.
"I presume you have a plan,"
"Yes indeed I do,"
Underground, LEP, Foaly's Office
Foaly spun around in his chair. It seemed like the first time in centuries that he'd finally had some free time to himself. Working for the LEP wasn't as great as he pictured it would be, but never mind that... it paid the bills.
He sighed, stuffed yet another carrot into his mouth and started chewing. This would be strange behavior for a human, but Foaly wasn't one and he'd probably be offended if you mistook him as one. Being a centaur, he didn't have many special powers except perhaps for his powerful legs and his over active brain.
He started up one of the computers. "Access all Artemis Fowl Files," They were all voice activated of course and only of the latest technology, designed by none other than himself. For the past month of so, Foaly had been monitoring Artemis's computer, and laptop usages, making sure that the young Fowl didn't find himself associating with the People again. Foaly was actually quite certain that Fowl had found a way to restart what he had done before he was mind wiped; now Foaly just had to find out what.
"Report all movements or activities regarding the People," only one window presented itself to be inspected. It was probably one of Arthur Rackham's works of art. Artemis seemed to have recently developed an interest in them. Although Rackham's work was of fairies and other magical creatures, but didn't pose an imminent threat.
What caught Foaly's eye was the number of strange assorted things that shouldn't be attached to Artemis's laptop. First of all, there were a number of messages left by a person called "Red Iris" and it seemed as if the laptop had recently been broken into.
"How peculiar," he mumbled and continued to explore.
The centaur began to reach for anther carrot and stuffed it into his mouth. As he began to chew, he spotted the words: Fairy, troll, dwarf, underworld, wizard, magic, underground, centaur. The carrot fell of Foaly's mouth and onto the floor. That was perhaps one of the first times he had ever wasted food, especially a carrot, but he was still too surprised to glance ruefully at the now dirty piece of orange nutrition.
The Red Iris figure was going to have to be investigated. Foaly had to admit that he was just a tad bit amused and pleased that Artemis might be able to gain his knowledge of the People back again and this Red Iris might just be the person to help the Fowl. He missed actually having someone who could understand his intellectual lectures and the equipment and inventions he used the millions poured into his department to make.
The centaur sighed and got to work again. Before he could even swallow down the carrot he was currently chomping on, he had traced Red Iris to a computer in Tokyo. That's extremely fast, considering how many carrots an average centaur can belt down in a few seconds.
The message originated from a computer on the 77th floor of a company called Intrapace Industries. This company manufactured laptops. Nothing very interesting so far, but Foaly wasn't one of the many people who would give up so easily. He continued to pour through information and in a matter of a few minutes, had a profile of this "Red Iris" and knew that they were contacting Artemis for help.
But how did she know about the People? Or was it a mere coincidence? He would just have to do more research.
Usually, Artemis wouldn't have given the pop-up message about his e- mail any thought because of the other much more important things that he had to take care of, but today, he checked his mail.
He double- clicked the little e icon on his start menu, and proceeded to read his mail. One message stood out the most it said:
Artemis Fowl,
I am in need of your services. I am willing to pay basically any price. If you are interested, please respond. Thank You.
Red Iris
Artemis' fingers started up; clicking and clacking their way through the large expansive internet. He may not have been the most athletic boy in Ireland, but he was probably the fastest typist out of all of them.
He ran a couple of searches on the web on Red Iris and tried to trace the e- mail back to the source with no avail. The usual results included sales on Irises and many gardening websites. Later, he used an Asian search engine. This "Red Iris" character seemed to be the owner of a successful company called Intrapace Industries.
The strange thing was that no pictures could be found on this Red Iris lady, assuming that it was a lady... For all Artemis knew, she could be some assassin, who worked for the mob living in an apartment in the middle of Chicago. She might not even be a "she".
Artemis's thought train was disturbed by a light tap on his shoulder. "A breakthrough?" Butler questioned.
"No... I'm afraid not, but this 'Red Iris' person's has me puzzled. I can't seem to figure out exactly who she is. All the Internet has been able to provide is that they're the owner of the company Intrapace Industries, which makes laptops and that the base of the company is in Japan," Artemis drummed his fingers across his desk. "I suppose it wouldn't hurt to send a response... And in the meantime Butler, see if you can find anything out,"
"Red Iris",
I am presuming you know who I am, but who are you? And what exactly do you need my services for?
Artemis Fowl Tokyo Japan, Intrapace Industries 77th floor
"Ah yes, it's here," the small figure, perched on a blue velvet chair said. The circular room was of glass and the only thing that occupied it was a mahogany desk, computer, and the velvet chair. The figure spun its chair around and started to read the e-mail, then proceeded to type.
A faint bleep sounded from the computer and the figure sighed. This was going to take longer than they thought.
Fowl Manor
Artemis sank back into his chair and prepared to attempt one of the few tasks that he had failed over and over. To make a sandwich. He walked over to the kitchen, opened the large stainless steel refrigerator which most of the Fowls seldom laid a finger on, and stared at its contents. He gingerly lifted out a slab of turkey breast, some lettuce, tomatoes, a small jar of mustard, and imported French bread.
Artemis carefully sliced the tomatoes and started spreading the mustard on the bread and layering his sandwich. When he was done, he took a few steps back to catch a glance at his "sandwich". It looked more like a battered Leaning Tower of Pisa, in sandwich form. Never the less, he disregarded that fact and put it on a plate. After all, these results were much better than the last try...
"You may want to see this," Butler lead Artemis back up the stairs to Artemis's laptop. Except, the laptop's screen seemed to be malfunctioning. The screen had turned a deep red and a flower began to bloom. A red iris. Artemis tried tampering with the keyboard, but nothing seemed to do the trick. Suddenly, words started to spill out on the screen.
Jeez. You'd think it'd be easier to get into some Irish kid's laptop, but no, you just had to install all those security precautions didn't you? Almost brought down my computer...
The letters spelled out. The person on the other side seemed to be a rather fast typist and perhaps a bit grouchy or just sarcastic. Artemis sat himself down and continued to stare at the screen.
Hmm. Well, I no one could exactly call you "just some Irish kid" could they? No. They couldn't, Artemis Fowl. (
Words continued to spill out and reorder themselves on Artemis's computer screen.
"I suppose I'll answer back..."
"Be careful. You still don't know who they are or what they are up to," Butler reminded him.
Hello.
Hello. I've finally got your attention, no?
Yes.
So, Arty. What's with all the firewalls (quite the annoyance) and such? Like I said, you almost took down my computer and I can tell you that that would be quite the feat.
Just precautions.
For what?
It's a secret.
OK.
I suppose you'd welcome a guest to your house, this being the same with a laptop, if you knew who that person or thing is. So who are you?
Guess. (
That statement caused a smile to form on Artemis's pale face; now that was a rare accomplishment not repeated very easily. This "hacker" was probably merely an adolescent like himself, except perhaps with a lower IQ or just a more cheerful outlook on everything. She actually seemed rather amusing.
Comon' guess!
Fine. I see you aren't responding, so I'll just have to tell you. ( Ruin my fun.
Red Iris... Now do you know?
Yes, but what do you want?
You're help.
Why?
Sigh. ( And I thought you were supposed to be some blossoming genius.
I am.
Sure.
Fairy, troll, dwarf, underworld, wizard, magic, underground, centaur. I hope that got your attention because I have to go... bye! ( And good luck arty. ^_^
The Red Iris and Red screen disappeared and Artemis's laptop simultaneously restarted itself.
"I presume you have a plan,"
"Yes indeed I do,"
Underground, LEP, Foaly's Office
Foaly spun around in his chair. It seemed like the first time in centuries that he'd finally had some free time to himself. Working for the LEP wasn't as great as he pictured it would be, but never mind that... it paid the bills.
He sighed, stuffed yet another carrot into his mouth and started chewing. This would be strange behavior for a human, but Foaly wasn't one and he'd probably be offended if you mistook him as one. Being a centaur, he didn't have many special powers except perhaps for his powerful legs and his over active brain.
He started up one of the computers. "Access all Artemis Fowl Files," They were all voice activated of course and only of the latest technology, designed by none other than himself. For the past month of so, Foaly had been monitoring Artemis's computer, and laptop usages, making sure that the young Fowl didn't find himself associating with the People again. Foaly was actually quite certain that Fowl had found a way to restart what he had done before he was mind wiped; now Foaly just had to find out what.
"Report all movements or activities regarding the People," only one window presented itself to be inspected. It was probably one of Arthur Rackham's works of art. Artemis seemed to have recently developed an interest in them. Although Rackham's work was of fairies and other magical creatures, but didn't pose an imminent threat.
What caught Foaly's eye was the number of strange assorted things that shouldn't be attached to Artemis's laptop. First of all, there were a number of messages left by a person called "Red Iris" and it seemed as if the laptop had recently been broken into.
"How peculiar," he mumbled and continued to explore.
The centaur began to reach for anther carrot and stuffed it into his mouth. As he began to chew, he spotted the words: Fairy, troll, dwarf, underworld, wizard, magic, underground, centaur. The carrot fell of Foaly's mouth and onto the floor. That was perhaps one of the first times he had ever wasted food, especially a carrot, but he was still too surprised to glance ruefully at the now dirty piece of orange nutrition.
The Red Iris figure was going to have to be investigated. Foaly had to admit that he was just a tad bit amused and pleased that Artemis might be able to gain his knowledge of the People back again and this Red Iris might just be the person to help the Fowl. He missed actually having someone who could understand his intellectual lectures and the equipment and inventions he used the millions poured into his department to make.
The centaur sighed and got to work again. Before he could even swallow down the carrot he was currently chomping on, he had traced Red Iris to a computer in Tokyo. That's extremely fast, considering how many carrots an average centaur can belt down in a few seconds.
The message originated from a computer on the 77th floor of a company called Intrapace Industries. This company manufactured laptops. Nothing very interesting so far, but Foaly wasn't one of the many people who would give up so easily. He continued to pour through information and in a matter of a few minutes, had a profile of this "Red Iris" and knew that they were contacting Artemis for help.
But how did she know about the People? Or was it a mere coincidence? He would just have to do more research.