Same thing happened. So sorry.
Disclaimer: Not mine, it's Eoin Colfer's. I just wish I'd thought of it.
APERFECTATITTUDE: (love your name) Why do you like it?
chocolate smudge: It's not so wonderful as it sounds. Editors and agents are too picky.I love your writing (when are you going to update?); you really ought to consider writing something full length for the fun of it.
Sgarecool321: Again, why do you like it?
Artemis was interrupted twenty-nine equations later, by Juliet's frantic pounding on the door.
He sighed. There were times Juliet was her brother's facsimile. Now, unfortunately, was not. "I'm busy Juliet. I'm sure you can handle it."
"If you don't come out of there Arty, I will—"
Artemis swung the door open with a resigned sigh, to be confronted by a small, muddy blob, followed by suspiciously dirty carpet. Juliet was next to hysterical. Definitely not her brother tonight.
Artemis leaned closer, slowly distinguishing rather smudged features behind the mask.
"Who— no, what are you?"
"You said to give this to you when I got out." The voice was surprisingly rough for something so little, and a grubby hand opened, showing an equally soiled medallion.
Artemis fished it out with cautious disdain. "I think not, small one. Else I would remember?"
"No you wouldn't, Foaly mindwiped you. Oh bother, you don't remember anything…"
Artemis glanced up at Juliet, who had finally managed to stand still. "Er… Juliet?"
"Fairy," She sputtered.
"I beg your pardon?"
She motioned distractedly towards the thing on the carpet. "It's a… a fairy. Mu… Mul…"
"Mulch," prompted the figure in question. "And I'm a dwarf if you don't mind. Foaly probably didn't erase as cleanly on you. Of course I wasn't listening, but it makes sense."
Artemis scowled. "If you wish. Juliet, would you please, take this thing… somewhere else, and… and watch it? Preferably where it can't burrow more holes in the foundation?"
Mulch hurriedly searched his pockets for the paper and C-cube. "You'll need this too…"
Artemis eyed the box distrustfully. "What is it?"
"A C-cube. You invented it. They're supposed to be destroyed, except Foaly was curious, and left one lying around after looking at it. I took it. It's a computer you said. It… renders all technology obsolete. Yes, that was it. Your exact words too."
Artemis's scrutiny became slightly curious now, despite his misgivings. "If that is true, why don't I recall anything—"
Mulch stomped a foot. "Because Foaly mindwiped you. Just take it and figure it out. You're the genius. All I know, because of course no one ever tells me, is that the medallion isn't real gold, it's a computer disk. Which was really quite cheap of you."
Artemis waved a hand. "Very well. Juliet, get rid of our intruder. For the moment. I may want him for later. He interests me. And clean up the carpet when you get a chance."
Juliet led the way down the hall, half forgetting the little thing, that was luckily happy to oblige, and murmuring agitated words and phrases to herself repeatedly.
Artemis shook his head, returning to the forgotten math problem with all intent to finish it. The gifts, however, intrigued him, despite the fact they could very well detonate some kind of weapon.
For a long time, he sat, pencil in hand, staring dejectedly at his paper. It was no use, he realized. He might as well die satisfying his curiosity, or something equally pleasant.
Perhaps this was the beginning of something. Something that roused the dust shrouded longing for danger in the far corner of Artemis's mind. A challenge.
Holly Short glanced up at Foaly in exasperation. He had picked now, of all times to come in. When she had three people on the line, mountains of fresh papers, the computer was beeping like crazy, and when she had just spilled her coffee across the floor.
Foaly smiled saucily at her. "Hey Holly?"
She gestured angrily towards the door, trying to listen over the noise in the hall.
Foaly shut it, and leaned against the desk, waiting impatiently for her to get off the phone.
When she was finally off, he took his slow, deliberate time about announcing the news.
First one thing, then the other.
Holly gritted her teeth. "Fine Foaly. Whatever. Now what are you really in here for?"
Foaly analyzed a carrot, once again drawing it out. "Well…"
"What?"
He grinned. "They're making Julius district commander. Which… would mean—"
Holly's eyes widened in excitement. "That he'd move across the building, and I wouldn't be responsible to him anymore… or even to Atlantis if there was a position…"
Foaly nodded calmly. "And, then too, that leaves an open commander's post."
Holly looked away. "He won't give it to me Foaly. You know that. But Trouble or Vein might— anyone's better than Julius. I hope Trouble gets it though. He's nice to me."
Foaly smirked. "How much is nice?"
She glowered at him. "Don't you dare go there Foaly! We're friends, and that's all."
Foaly straightened with a shrug. "You never know Holly. You got onto Retrieval."
Holly shut her eyes. "By accident Foaly. And because Trouble helped me. By I can't expect him to help me again. He already had the same job. He could afford to help me. But I can't ask him to help me with this. He wants so bad to prove himself Foaly."
"He wants so bad to prove himself Foaly," mimicked the centaur with glee. "Oh yes Holly. You would know that. You would."
He quickly clopped out of fist rang. Holly appeared rather irritated by that last remark.
Holly pointed at the door. "Out."
Foaly set his hand on the door. "Just one more thing; Julius must test the top five, and you're number four. Don't let your number slip, and you'll at least have that."
"Out."
Foaly got out.
Trouble knocked an hour later.
"Did Foaly tell you yet, Short?"
Holly forced a tired smile. "Yeah, he told me. I hope you get it."
Trouble sat down. "What's the matter? Julius has to test you too. Didn't you know that?"
Holly dropped her pen, watching it roll through the papers. "I know. But he won't pass me. Not for his life. You know that Trouble. He hates me."
"He doesn't hate you, he only—"
"He hates me. He'll figure it all out. Something to make me look like a fool. An idiot. I'm going to opt out of testing. It doesn't matter. He's already crossed me off the list."
Trouble didn't answer. He knew it was true. He watched Holly instead. She looked so tired. Small, and old, and fragile.
"You're going dead, aren't you Holly? You haven't got any fight left."
Holly shut her eyes. Finally she shook her head, fighting back tears. "No." She whispered.
"Holly?"
"What?" She set her head on her desk, feeling one tiny tear trickle down onto a paper.
"Will you just try? If it's not for me, and only to spite Julius, will you please try?"
Silence. Just as he was about to get up, Holly's mouth moved. "Maybe."
He nodded slightly, relieved. "Take a day off if you can. Go up top. You don't look so good."
Holly waited until he was gone, and then burst into silent sobs. There was only one thing to console herself with. No matter how hard she cried, her face never turned an ugly, swollen red. No patches, no gobs of snot. Other people wouldn't know she'd cried.
No one should ever know that Holly Short cried into her pillow at night. For so many things. For her father, and mother, and because she was scared, and because she did dream about being commander. Things like that. But she couldn't be.
She couldn't be those things she wanted to be. So that she could prove to herself that she was good. So that she could please Julius. She wanted to be good enough for him. If it was just once. Just for a few moments. But she couldn't please him.
Because she was a girl.
Artemis Fowl had rediscovered the world of C-cube, and brought back quite a lot of memories, which no doubt raised his IQ even higher. He had, of course, been clever enough to record a full map of Foaly's security on the disk, and had plenty of ideas.
Once again, he had to bow to the intellect of his younger self. Think of the five years wasted while he had lived in ignorance. He could have been exploiting fairies. But far greater was the horror having never found them again. All that gold that needed keeping…
At three in the morning, he woke up Juliet, insisting that she fetch Mulch up to his rooms. Right away; no exceptions, no excuses.
Artemis Fowl wanted to be updated, and he wanted to bounce a few plans off of everyone else.
Already the ideas attacked with increasing number. So much to steal. Who knew how long?
No doubt the fairies and Captain Short had forgotten him. That was to their disadvantage. No doubt they thought him changed. He had been, but he was better now. No doubt they thought him harmless amusement after unlocking the secrets of the C-cube. He would change that.
And soon. Artemis Fowl was not one to wait.
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