Disclaimer: Um... nothing mentioned in this chapter belongs to anyone else. It's all mine! ALL MINE!!! Muah HA ha AHHHAAAh! No, actually, the wonderful Holly Short has a moment of screen time here. And the whole idea of the fairy Underground belongs to Eoin Colfer and publishers, of course.
Author's Note: I'm sorry this took so long but I've been trying to create the background and also work out the sequence of events that are to happen in this little ficcy of mine. Loads of things have to happen and I had to fit them all in one chapter.
India and Pakistan are currently very agro about who owns Kashmir and this is what I've based some… stuff on. At the end of last year a group of Pakistani separatists did barge into India's parliament and while nobody died, some were injured. They almost went to war after that but they "Stuck together for the sake of Cricket." I've taken this event and twisted it to suit my purposes for this fic.
Thanks for reviewing since last major update go to Lady Game x3 (who also stayed awake when I was trying to explain my plot to her. She is completely inhuman.), Eleida x2 (I love quotes. I've got all these Terry Pratchett ones which I've been trying to put in here somewhere.), AnimeFanatic07 (great to see you writing your own stuff now.), Ivycreeper x2 (again I say: "YOU CAN QUOTE ME!!!!"), Karita-chan (joke. joke.), Kitty Rainbow (Hey, I already replied to this.), glitter kitty (what is with all the kitties here at AF. The Yetia nd the Walrus might decide to have a Kitty soufflé sometime. ::grin::) , Paige Turner (I love your name.), Skye Firebane (What is with everyone loving Quentin. I personally feel like having him hung, drawn and quartered.), corpal grub (Thanks for the encouragement, anything's appreciated by sad folk like me.), Stardust Firebolt x3 (I've been trying to make this real for the current political situation. I'm glad you appreciate that.), Eleida again (you're… you're… babbling.), lishyu (Thanks.), Darth gryph (I hope you've read some more stories by now. And I was the main protester for Big Friendly Walrus rights. I almost regret that now), polyjuicepotion (I appreciate you pointing out mistakes like that. I'm an Aussie and we have 13 years for Kindie to year 12 so I really don't know what I'm talking about. I based it all on Hogwarts.) Miriam (Well, I'm giving him a first name! Whether he likes it or not.)
Chapter Three
The Colour of Magic
"The good, the bad, and the blur in between."
- Dark Angel
Just under a year ago two things happened. The first was insignificant in comparison to the second, but it still happened and it still effected how things might turn out in the long run. Liam Brambling started to write. This began as an exercise but it soon became something more as people listened to and heeded what he said. About the political situation or the way the world seems to work compared to the way it actually does work and even an article about the psychological when it comes to IRA members.
The second event was much more noticeable. On a hot stifling morning in January a trio of Pakistani separatists, said to be funded by the Pakistani government, barged into India's parliament house in New Delhi and started shotting. Well, not quite barged, but the effect was the same: the Leader of the Opposition, one Samuel Harash, the most probable Prime Minister for the future, was dead.
* * * * *
The thick smog that hung over the three men as they skulked in the dark is not there simply for the purpose of hiding their doings from the rest of the world as is expected in stories and Hollywood. The smog existed because New Delhi is generally a smoggy and polluted place and this is a constant cover for the numerous cutthroats and petty thieves that make a living by hiding in the shadows. But these three Pakistani men with cloth wound around their heads were much more important than any thieves. Although they are in the business of thievery, they deal in stealing lives away from their owners.
They were standing just outside the shadows of a huge pair of wrought iron gates that were the only entrance into the complex. The walls were thick and made of stone with a high parapet decorating the top. The ancient features to stop intruders - such as impregnable high stone walls - were still in place but for those that really needed to get in unnoticed, a section of the eastern wall which backed onto an unsavoury alley was decrepit enough to allow people to clime. The alley's entrance was held by a thief who changed a high fee for anyone to get in but for these three men it would all be worth it.
The leader of the group - Mohammed - gave a small gesture with his right hand and the two trained rebels, Jahanjir and Kamerr, came up beside him with soundless footsteps. A guard was seen slowly moving past the lighted area around the parameter of their object. The man halted in the shadows next to the building and didn't come out after a minute. The three watchers saw the tinny flicker of a match as the guard stopped for a roll-your-own cigarette. Mohammed nodded to Kamerr on his left and took point as the trio moved slowly around the side towards the famous alleyway. They passed the man with a nod and he backed away to hide in the shadows; these weren't the usual type he had to deal with.
Then Kamerr took of his jacket and was halfway up the fallen wall before either of the other men could blink. When he established himself at the top he slowly unwound a light-weight rope from around his waist, tied an end to a convenient hook in the stone and let the loose end slide down the wall to rest at Mohammed's feet. Jahanjir stepped forward and quickly and silently secured the rope to a heavy bag that had been slung over his shoulder. He gave two tugs to check that it was secure and then Kamerr noiselessly pulled it up, his muscles bulging as he did so. After a minute the rope slid down again and Mohammed gestured for Jahanjir to take it first and he shimmied up just like they had done in training. The rope came back down and Mohammed grasped a hold of it, pulling himself up hand over hand.
At the top of the wall they had a short rendezvous before jumping down on the other side. They crept along the side of the main building always staying in the shadows, only stopping once to wait for a guard to pass. They found the basement window that their inside man had left open and quickly slipped inside. Here they first distributed the contents of Jahanjir's shoulder bag and then split up - Mohammed taking the path to the east gallery in the main hall, Jahanjir finding a place behind the organ-pipes and Kamerr going to the northern end behind a large ornamental and elevated fountain. In about 5 hours this hall would be filled with all the important officials and deputies that littered the failing Indian Federal Government.
The cleaners came in after about an hour and the caterers about an hour after them. The three Pakistani's crouched in their spots and waited. Mohammed absent-mindedly was polishing the device beside him. The first of the officials made their way into the hall about 30 minutes before schedule. 15 minutes later most of the hall had been filled except for the really important members and the Prime Minister who could arrive late if he really wanted to and nobody would be able to do anything about it. They had to hold their positions until the main target was there.
Mohammed saw their inside man on the floor and gave a curt nod. The man, who was holding a platter of expensive and minuscule food, met his eye then quickly turned to a Jaipur man in a tailored suit. He was once again watching the main doors when gun shots from the northern end brought his attention round. Kamerr's position behind the fountain had been compromised and already the security forces were spreading out and making their way towards him. Mohammed saw the slight glint of Jahanjir's barrel from behind the pipes, he nodded then stood with his own gun resting on his shoulder. He, unlike the panicking Kamerr, was taking the time to aim and swiftly took down a security officer with a shot to the knee and another with a bullet in his right hand. One of the others was taken down by a lucky shot from Kamerr and the last by Jahanjir's carefully aimed sniper-shot.
To say that there was pandemonium was an understatement. All the high and mighty politicians were creeping low underneath the seats and the entire room was in shambles by all the people rushing for an exit. New security officers were running into the room and taking aim at the exposed figure of Kamerr. He shot one in the shin but the man still got off a shot that landed in his Kamerr's belly. Mohammed could see the pain of his face as he toppled over; it was being too optimistic to think that he might live.
Already the other guards were scanning the galleries to see where the other shots were coming from. He quickly shot at the closest guard before moving in a crouching run towards his left. Most of the guards were now firing at the place where he had just been but one of the men was shotting slowly in a row towards where he was now crouched. He had to move again. He did so but in getting up he stood just a fraction too high so that the tip of his head was showing above the low barrier. The guard who had been tracking him saw and took aim at the spot exactly where Mohammed now was. On impulse, he gripped the out-dated Pakistani Military dog-tags that still hung around his neck and tried to breathe through the fear that had a hold on him.
Just as the man was raising his rifle onto his shoulder with an inhuman precision of movement he fell forward onto his knees with Jahanjir's second shot between his shoulder blades. Mohammed let his breath out.
The other guards saw where the shot must have come from and turned to fire upon the organ at the other end of the room. The bullets spun, rebounding off the pipes and Mohammed could see movement from his high vantage point as one refracted inwards and inevitably caught his fellow in the torso.
Mohammed leapt to his feet and began firing on anything that moved without caring about taking cover. He gave some possibly fatal shots to the shotting security men and then turned his attention towards the civilians that were huddled in one corner away from the action. If he was going to go he may as well go out with a bang. He landed one in a woman's back and another hit a tall man in a dark brown suit. He dimly felt a bullet land in his side but he had known it would happen. Then he saw him. A man, who while not being the target, was almost as good. They would not be able to complete their mission but he could try to make as much impact as was possible. He took aim and with a steady arm shot the man between his brows. The man slowly fell without so much as a look of surprise.
Mohammed followed soon after.
* * * * *
The stars were bright, cheerfully twinkling in the cold sky while William Wattle shivered beside his twin sister. They were standing around the ceremonial funeral pier of Cypress Lake who had died in a lab accident only a few days ago. It was a sad thing to happen because he had been doing last minute work on a modified orchid before going to his own surprise birthday party. They had sat together in the dark for an hour until they knew that something had definitely gone wrong. William rubbed the shoulders of his sister and tried to think of something - anything - else.
Willow leaned into his body to find warmth and blinked back tears. Basil Rune, Cypress' (she shuddered) lover, picked up a fallen twig from the cypress trees that surrounded the clearing and blue sparks fired up its length as he payed homage to his … friend. He walked over to the Lake family and one by one each member touched it and lent some of their own magic to farewell Cypress. Willow gave a week smile as even his baby sister's hand was placed around the twig and pale sparks moved along. Little Petal probably didn't even know what had happened.
Basil then approached her with the now shining twig. She reached out a hand but she could barely draw her magic to her. If she gave her magic that would mean that he was really gone and she didn't know what she would do if that happened. He couldn't be gone because then… then… He couldn't be gone. He was going to love her, and marry her. He couldn't be dead. The bright sparks seemed stilted as they flowed from her fingers onto the wood. And there they stayed; moving up and down the length of the wood - dancing with the magic of everyone else who was going to miss him. The stick then moved onto William and then to the Tumbleweeds and the Dominguez family.
Once everyone present from the youngest to the eldest had lent a small part of themselves - of their magic - to pass Cypress onto the next life Basil slowly lowered the stick onto the pier. It landed across the layed out body of Cypress and the sparks leapt off and ran across the forgotten corpse. It was strange: all magic was blue when seen as running and jumping sparks, but each person's was a particular shade of blue and that was never repeated - even amongst a father and son, or like with Willow and William, between twins. William's magic was bright and vibrant while Willow's was almost indigo. Cypress' magic had always been the most pale, being almost white. It was that colour of magic that spread from his body, drawn out by the dancing spectacle of everyone else's magic. As the magic left, the body collapsed in on itself until there was nothing under the sparks other than a pile of dust which was caught up in the wind and carried away. The cloud of blue sparks spread out and as magic touched a fairy it would disappear into that body and make it their own. Willow watched as a cluster of magic made it's way towards her and she could spot individual particles that were Cypress' paleness mixing with her own magic, which was by far the darkest of the group.
The sparks descended to rest upon her shoulders and entered herself. It was almost as if Cypress was still here and laughing about her overly expressive emotions. Pointing out that he wasn't even going to kiss her once because then Basil would feel that he had been rejected for a female. It was their joke that had carried on from childhood when they had been so convinced they would grow up to marry that they had already decided on names for their kids. The first girl would be called Marigold and the first boy was going to be named after his father. It was a sweet thing to do when you're young, but not so great when you still held the hope in your seventies when the man of your dreams was gay.
Willow wiped her eyes on her shirt and blinked, as the clearing suddenly became darker when the last of the sparks had settled on Baby Petal's head. She gripped the hand of her brother as Cypress' father stepped forward to speak. She could hardly hear his voice over the sound of her own thoughts that were cluttering her brain. She leaned into her brother and gasped as a dome coloured dark purple formed over the congregation's head. They were in trouble.
* * * * *
Any Mud Man who heard of a science lab being a standard feature of a florist would think that of course there had been some mistake since florists were ditzy hippies with bottled red hair. But the Mud Men have never tried to have flowers flourish underground without light or natural air. The air of the Underground was much cleaner but it was still radically different from that above. The trouble was that plants were not built to survive conditions such as these, while at the same time The People were not built to survive without nature. It was considered a type of doom when the fairies had moved their homes Underground because without plants the rights of naming and death and even marriage would be broken, which had the possibility of destroying The People.
Naturally they had done everything they could to improve the longevity of flowers once they had been taken from the surface - magical energy and strange potions which preserved the characteristics and properties of some of the most common plants. A true revolution came with the idea of genetically mutating the plants so they could survive in Underground conditions. The original Flora Biochemist, of about 100 years ago, actually derived his idea and practises from the art of Alchemy and some common medical practises of the time. He was exceptionally bad at creating a durable flower, and still is, but the idea had sparked a chain of curious experiments, which led a young sprite named Sam to start experimenting with his chemistry set.
Twenty years later he was hard at work peering under a microscope with a bottle of a clear liquid held tightly in his hand. He moved the small specimen of Bougainvillea to the right and dropped a tiny amount of the liquid onto the slide. The flower puffed up slightly at the places where the liquid had touched it, but after a few seconds it gave a soft pop and shrivelled up. Sam let out a howl of frustration and with a great sweep of his arm slid all his experiments into one huge garbage bag and kicked it into the bin.
Inside the bag as the fat scientist lugged it up the stairs from his cellar laboratory the bottle of liquid slowly dripped onto a pile of half-crushed flowers. Most shrivelled and died almost instantly but a lily at the very bottom of the bag glowed a faint mauve before the liquid stained it purple and caused small welts to appear along the length of the petals. The bag dropped onto the ground and was given a rough kick, by coincidence, tore the bag open before Sam moved away disgruntled with yet another failed attempt.
Later that afternoon a blind cat with a bright blue collar smelt the decomposing flowers and decided to investigate. After he decided that the bag wasn't very interesting after all he was about to move away when the smell of sour Chinese take away tempted him and he moved further into the alley to find and devour the snack.
It was about this time that Cypress Lake and the Wattle twins came looking for William's cat, by name of Pebbles. They were about to by pass the alley entirely when Cy heard a rustling in the garbage layed out on the side of the wall. He, being the eldest at almost 9, called the twins over and began to organise the capture of the beast, commonly and mistakenly known as a cat. Willow animatedly refused to walk through the rubbish to look for William's stupid cat and stood back as the boys attacked the trash pile with vigour. Just as they were reaching the top and about to climb over to the other side a tabby cat that was most definitely not Pebbles shot out of a garbage bag and escaped down the alley. William swore at their wasted effort and scrambled back down the rubbish pile but Cy wasn't following him because he had caught sight of the hideously purple lily that was lying in front of his foot, waiting for him to pick it up. He did.
That one lily changed history because it inspired Cypress to listen in his biology lessons and later become the most prominent of biochemists this side of the ground. And that lily became a gift that lasted 4 years before it wilted - cementing Willow's love for her friend. It is strange how one event can change the course of the world so easily.
* * * * *
The Tumbleweed parents immediately hugged their four children close and Basil looked up from the grass with a look of distress and fear upon his face. William dropped Willow's hand and began to run towards the patch of sky where the purple light was strongest. Soon they could see a fairy of the LEP moving towards them. The fairy disabled their shield while still in flight, zooming towards the group of stunned mourners who were milling about in disorientated confusion. The fairy took charge and began to gather the group into a tight circle giving small spheres to 4 fairies that stood at the edge of the grouping. He began to take a fifth device from his pack but then shook his head and moved to help Harold Tumbleweed activate the device that lay in his hands. When the sphere was opened it emitted a small but excruciating light. The LEP officer activated each of the devices inturn and once they were all glowing he began to shuffle the four light-bearers into position so they formed a perfect square. At one point one of the younger children made to run out of the rough barrier but the fairy deftly caught the pixie and handed her back to her mother.
The fairy flew upwards and gestured for Harold to move an inch over to the right. Suddenly a strange and indescribable feeling filled all the fairies present. Willow's stomach felt like it had taken a trip to visit her heart and her head was filled with the weirdest feeling - as if it was so heavy that it had suddenly become lighter than air. Within seconds the feeling had passed and she was looking into the face of the LEP officer who had landed, turned off her wings (which were of a very old style) and pulled off her helmet. It would have been quite appropriate if tumbling locks of hair had fallen down her back as she slowly raised her helmet but this wasn't the case as her auburn hair was cut shorter than most males and was only slightly ruffled by the experience of the helmet.
"Hello, my name is Captain Holly Short and listen up because I'm about to explain what happened. One of our security patrols noticed a Mud Men military platoon on a mission in the area. They were heading in this direction when the alarm was sounded. We should have compensated for event this because the Mud Men of this area between the two countries of Pakistan and India are on the edge of war. Those fairies higher up should never have authorised this area for ceremonial usage, but the idiots did. The purple dome you saw is only visible to one of the People and the situation has been dealt with. You are currently under the protection of a Shielding Dome and I would ask you to not move outside the line of our four wonderful volunteers who will also not move because then we will be dead." The youngest of the sphere bearers looked nervously towards his family and then towards the Captain and swallowed hard. "Any questions? Good."
Nobody spoke as they just looked at each other. Many clearly had questions they wanted answered. Holly did a quick head count, checking it beside a list she pulled from her pocket. She cleared her throat and the mumbled sounds that had just been starting up stopped immediately. "Who's not here. Can everyone check that his or her families and friends are inside the dome, we have someone missing. It's no need to panic but I need to know."
Willow put up her hand as if she was back in primary school. "It's my brother, William Wattle. He's a security officer specialising in defence against Mud Men. His men were part of the patrol."
Holly nodded silently and made some quick notes on her paper. "You shall all remain inside this dome until an escort to the shuttle arrives. This really could have been avoided – let alone the fact that it's almost a false alarm anyway." She replaced her helmet and pulled the cord to start the engine of her petrol-powered wings. As an after thought as she was about to enable her shield she said, "I am very sorry for your loss." And flew into the night.
* * * * *
Not terribly far away the cloak that had been layed out to hold Cypress' body fluttered and rose with the wind.
* * * * *
Only about a week after the funeral Willow had talked herself into going through Cypress' things. His family and Basil had the personal items and so the only things left to Willow were anything related to his work. The florist hadn't been open in over a week and a layer of underground dirt had settled over everything. The only thing that looked any different than it had when Cy was still alive was the yellow LEP barrier that segregated a devastated corner of the lab behind the florist.
Willow was placing the papers and screens from his desk into an old plastic crate and slowly tiding up all that remained of Cypress in her life. The Bonsai Morten Bay Figs he had been working on had looked very promising and Willow was quite certain that by herself she would never be able to perfect them enough for sale. She would send them to another Biochemist who might have a chance – but nobody would ever be able to equal Cypress. He had been the best of the best. She moved the files and workings for the Bonsai's to one side and slowly picked up the hand-scribbled notes underneath.
She didn't know how long she stared at the paper without really seeing them but when William tapped her on her shoulder she spun around instantly defensive and pulled the papers to her chest. "Sorry bro, you shocked me something terrible. You shouldn't do that."
"Sorry. Have you found something interesting there?" he asked, pointing at the papers she was hugging tight.
"Oh, it's not really anything. It's just some of Cy's sideline work - the theoretical stuff, which wouldn't come to anything. I…"
"What, sis?"
"I hope it's theoretical."
And she slowly handed the papers over to her brother.
* * * * *
William scanned the papers concerning the development of a biological weapon for the fifth time that evening. He didn't understand what was actually written down because it was all concerning HydroChloric Acid and Sulfuric Whatismacallit's. Willow had explained some of the symbols and now she was just sitting in a corner trying to find a hole in the formula to ensure it wouldn't work. She hadn't found anything yet.
William put the sheets down and moved to kneel beside Willow, gripping her in a fierce hug. "What are you going to do with this?"
"I don't know. I mean he would never… He couldn't… He was probably doing this for the Council or something - it's like a biobomb crossed with a DNA cannon. It's a biological weapon that can be targeted to a specific race or person, while still being very deadly if not specified to anyone. It would be very useful in reducing innocent casualties in situations like that Artemis Fowl debacle because they could have taken down Fowl without worrying about that kidnapped officer. But… how could Cy have created something like this? It's so very, very… evil. I'm going to burn these papers, or bury them, or, or something! The plans for this thing can't exist. Nobody can know that my Cypress wasn't the best fairy that ever lived. No one can know that he did this."
She jumped to her feet and began to build a pile of coal in the oven grate. Her movements were hurried and frantic, not noticing when a rock rolled out to land on the floor. She grasped a box of matches from the stool beside the oven and strove to strike one. Her hands were trembling too much to get an even stroke and the matches broke on the first try. She threw the box into the grate in frustration and angrily shook a fist at the oven making the coal suddenly burst into flame. She then made a grasp for the papers her brother still held in his hands. "Bill… I can't let this happen. Nobody can know how Cy did this horrible thing. What would his mother, what would Elaine say if she ever knew. We can't let anyone ever know."
"But Willow, what if it was for the Council or something? They'll want this research for themselves because they will need someone else to continue this."
"No fairy could ever be as good a biochemist as Cy." Willow said proudly. "He was the best and nobody would ever be able to match his work or would be able to continue it. Why did he have to die, Bill? What if it was because of this and so someone exploded the lab?"
"That was only an accident. He could have happened to anyone. The Ancients wanted his company and so they took it." His voice was soothing and had the tiniest hint of the mesmer.
"Cy was better than that. He was better than doing this." She said with a wave at the papers. "Whoever wanted it probably blackmailed him so he would do it and then he was noble and didn't let them have it so they killed him and now they'll want the papers and so we can't let them have it. I won't let them take it from me because then what Cypress did was all for nothing and I can't let his memory become so ashamed. He's probably looking down at me from the table with the Ancients, trying to tell us what to do. Remember how we promised to be bestest friends for all eternity but now he's gone away again. He never loved me, did he?" Her voice was losing its mad edge and settling down to be filled with pain and sorrow. "I miss him, Bill."
William bit his lip as his sister snuggled up to him with a sigh. He used a full layer of mesmer this time as he said. "Cypress loved you dearly. He misses you too. Go to sleep and dream of the children you would have had if he hadn't sacrificed himself for the good of the People."
As her breathing immediately slowed William shifted her body so that her head was lying on a pillow. He slowly picked up all the pages of scientific working and tip-toed to his bedroom where he opened his old school trunk, burying to the very bottom before careful placing the sheets down. There they should be safe. He only wished that the same could be said about his sister.
* * * * *
Almost four months later, circumstances were such that William Wattle felt a decisive urge to dig down to the very depths of his old school trunk. For a reason we shall not divulge just yet he felt the need for the most horrible weapon imaginable to be in his possession. The desire for control over others and revenge for wrongs was coursing through his veins. Again we see the events that take place because of one simple thing that many would brush off as insignificant. It is like how the love for one woman caused the fall of Troy and a war that lasted for decades. Hopefully this one won't last for quite so long…
* * * * *
Ashfaq Sameer was completely out of the loop when it came to the war effort of his fellow Pakistanis. He didn't know anybody fighting, nor did he know anyone who was slightly higher up in the chain of command. He was the typical image any military man would get when forced to define 'civilian'. He was a respectable person with a higher level of income than most his countrymen, slightly good looks and a very esteemed reputation with any Pharmaceutical company world-wide. A Muslim man who had not gotten himself extremely worked up about the reaction (or events) of September the 11th which had only served to made him interested in all things political. Pretty much average if you compared him with any Western civilisation. Which was the reason that he was so surprised when the following happened.
After finishing reading through a political essay by a fellow who called himself 'Taliesin' in an effort to look mysterious and unbribable, Ashfaq closed the Internet display box with a thinly veiled snort of disgust. Imagine thinking a simple man who didn't even tell people his name could dictate or even understand what was really happening in the big wide world that he watched from his computer swivel chair.
After he closed the window he opened up another and clicked on his favourite list bringing up a list of medical sites and a few porn ones. He clicked on one of the later and waited for it to load. He drummed his fingers on the desktop as the main image slowly came into view. Then just when the image's breasts were about to load a pop-up box obscured his view. Ashfaq gave a low growl and his clicked on the close button on the "Wild Wonder's Online Casino". It left the screen and he could see the start of the woman's tattoo that rested above her navel.
Another box popped up. This time with a flashing sign on a dull grey background simply saying: "I have a proposition for you." He clicked it close. Another one immediately took its place with a modest message, "I'm serious and I'm not a corporation, Mr Sameer." Ashfaq breathed deeply before clicking the x on this one as well. Another window came up. "I wish to have your help with a little project I have up and running. The rewards will be great, Mr Ashfaq Sameer, married to Nasween Sameer with two daughters and living in Pakistan. In the city of Maltan. Do you really want to know how much I know about you? I might decide to do something… wrong, to your daughters." Ashfaq was visibly shaking as he closed down the box. Another took it's place but this one was an (and this image came to his mind completely unbidden) angry deep maroon. "I'm getting impatient, Mr Sameer." The image only lasted for a few seconds then the 'Find Out More!' box began to get larger every time he blinked until it filled the entire window.
Ashfaq closed his eyes and clicked on it.