GIB: Operation Artemis Fowl.
Well, here is chapter two. I dreamt the equivalent of three chapters in one night, so there you are. I only dreamt about the GIB members mentioned, so those who are left out, BEAR WITH ME, I will find a way to get you in!! PROMISE! Once I have done those chapters I dreamt. Thanks Ev for inspiration. This very long chapter For me.
Onward, then..
Harry woke at 5 in the morning, two nights after the attack on Fowl Manor. She had had difficulty sleeping, as she had a horrible feeling something would happen before they could return to the safety of France. She examined the three lights upon her arm. They were the trackers. They worked by range: One flash of light a second if the person was within 2 metres, one every two seconds within 50 metres, ! every 5 for a kilometre, one every ten for 10 kms, one every 15 for twenty.. you get the picture. They were colour coded as well.. The one nearest the wrist was yellow, for artemis, then green for alex, then Pink for Butler. Well. Why not? They had been installed on the right arm and could never be removed.
Harry was becoming slightly perturbed by the flashing She counted them and came up with the following conclusion:
Yellow: Artemis: 50 kms away
Green: Alex : 50 kms.
Pink : Butler: 20 kms.
Harry started, and double checked her Butler reading. Now it was 15 kms. Uh Oh.
Harry woke up Ant to check the readings. Well. Tried to.
"MUMPH? Go away harry, im having a nice dream.. "
Harry surveyed the sleeping Bundle with distaste. Ant had a tendancy to talk in her sleep, and the number of times Harry, as an insomniac, had sat through her talks about the latest spy mikes and such made her wary.
Still. In an emergency, Harry was aloowed to use whatever technique she wanted. And "accidentally" Helping Ant fall out of bed seemed like a good idea.
Ten minutes later, Ant had verified that the reading could mean that butler was heading their way, and the others had been woken up. Ever was watching the flashes intently, as in missions it was normally Ant as tecchie, Sherbet as medic and Harry and Ever as field agents. No one in the group really fancied their chances against Butler. Five kms. They still had no plan. At 1 km, Harry broke out into a cold sweat. She did not really like tension, and she could guess why Butler had come. THAT made her scared.
50 metres..
The tension built..
Harry looked out of the window and, yes, she saw Butler walking toward the Hotel. She didn't know how he had found them , as the trackers were one way, but she did not think he was coming for anyone else. Quickly she had a thought. She had already got dressed.. all of them had.. so she left the room, wiring herself. Her last words to the group were:" Please. Trust me. Run if I tell you." She left.
She walked into the corridor.. and almost straight into Butler. She was lucky that they had had a mad hair curling session the night before.. she was unrecognisable. She commanded in a caommanding voice.. "AND JUST WHERE DO YOU THINK YOU ARE GOING YOUNG MAN???" The corridor was poorly lit, and Harry had just fallen over something. HER FLUTE? Harry thought quickly, and realised that in this light she probably looked like a crabby old Woman.. and she could probably act it as well. She picked up her tiny flute and brandished it as though it were a weapon, and began shouting at Butler. Her voice was trembling because she was actually terrified, but it seemed to make the impression better. "Creeping round, disturbing the peace, who gave you permission, HMMm??"
God, she was terrified.
Butler raised himself to his full height, and sasid in a terrifying voice.. "I AM THE BODYGUARD OF ARTEMIS FOWL THE SECOND AND HAVE COME TO KILL THOSE WHO HAVE ATTACKED HIM, WHO ARE IN THE ROOM YOU HAVE JUST LEFT!!!"
Harry trembled, but she had been expecrting this, and had an answer" OH, My granddaughters y'mean. You ain't a very good bodyguard, are ya? Fer all ye know they could be away, attacking him again! " The terror had made her talk in that terribly fake accent which did not suit her, but through the intercom the others had heard, and were playing along. From inside you could hear..
Ever" Come on Ev, one small cut to the jugular..
Ant:" I DON'T CARE WHAT HE LOOKS LIKE! KILL HIM!!"
That last caused Butler to look uncertain and go back down the corridor, muttering to himself. Harry waited until the tracker said he was a km away, then started to open the door..
And fainted.
I dreamt that. I remember it well. I woke in a cold sweat. But that is by no means the end of the chapter...
Harry woke, ten minutes later, to a splash of cold water. Thank you Ever. The others were huddled in a corner, counting flashes. Ant turned to Harry and said: "Harry. They're coming back." Harry still hadn't completely recovered from the terror of being so close to Butler, but she had a thought." THEY? Artemis and Alex as well?" "Alex and Artemis, Hars" Ever interjected. "whatever" Chorused Ant and Sherbet.
Harry sat up. She was still thinking slowly. "Where's Henry?" She asked. The others looked at her as though she had lost her mind. "WHERE"S HENRY??" Harry shouted, clearly distressed. Sherbet came forward, slightly distrustful, and took her hand as a consellour would. "Harry.. none of us are called Henry. Do you remember me? Im Sherbet. This is Ever. Over there is.." "SHUT UP! " saidHArry angrily. "I know you, for heaven's sake. Im not an idiot. I'm only asking where Henry is." Ever stepped in.." Harry.. who's Henry?" HARry looked at her as though She were the mad ion. "Henry? MY FLUTE????" "OH!" Cried the others, all hurrying to get"HENRY", Ant muttering that Ferdinand would be a better name for a flute. NOT SO!
Harry thought. "How's about we meet them? Outside. Pretend to be walking out." "1km" Ant called out. Ever snorted. "Yea. You can introduce us, like this: Hey, alex, im the one who broke you arm, Remember? These are my friends. " Harry grinned and exited the room, having simply said:"Ok". The others all began to stare at her while following. SHE WOULDN'T.. would she?
Harry walked out, emboldened by the prospect of a mad plan behind her. She carried Henry and played as she walked. She had grabbed her jester's hat as she had exited the room so she would be noticed by everyone. She spotted Alex Rider, tugging at Artemis's sleeve and pointing in her direction. No doubt Butler had gone to attack them in the apartment, but as Harry knew by the singing behind her, they were not there. She skipped by them, and lowered her flute to say:" Quarry ahead, unprotected. Lets divide them: Sherbet Ever for Alex, Ant me for Artemis." With that she skipped off, playing a very odd version of wonderwall on her flute with Ant skipping behind her, singing along. When she had skipped past them, she saw that they had raided her hat collection: Sherbet had taken her Robin Hood hat, as she called it, Ant.. well, let us just say that the Chinese hat did not go with the hawaian t-Shirt, and Ever could not bring her own hat for some reason, so had taken Harry's starry Witchy one. Ah, the beautiful weirdness.
The group skipped straight toward the two lads, and in sibnging secondfs had divided them.. eah grouplet going to different doors of the same place, but dividing the boys. What fun.
Harry and Ant grabbed a Fowl arm each, Harry putting away Henry as they entered W. H. Smiths. Harry stopped just inside the door, turned toward their victim and bowed. "Maybe I should introduce us. Harry, Leader of GIB Special Operations Unit, and Breaker of a certain Alexander Rider's Arm. This is Ant, tecchie and field agent at times for GIB. Sherbet and Ever have taken the aforesaid Rider elsewhere, but do not worry, only I enjoy breaking arms. The others have other specialities." Not that Ever would actually dream of hurting the aforesaid Rider, but what was a white lie between friends? Actually Harry was getting an earache from Ever about her never wanting to hurt little alex, so she switched off her gib intercom. Stuff that for a game of cowboys.
Harry brought Artemis to the teenage section of the bookstore. She sincerely doubted he had ever actually been to a bookshop. He probablyt did all his shopping on the internet, and even then he would never have read any teenage books. She picked up ARTEMIS FOWL: THE ARTIC INCIDENT Hardback edition book, and opened it to reveal a picture of Eoin Colfer. She turned back to Artemis , who was staring at the series of books with his name upon the covers. She showed him the picture. Artemis gaped" T-That's Butler!!!" He gasped. Harry nodded. "I thought so too. " She looked at him. "Now then Artemis.. read these books. Do you remember everything that happened to you?" Artemis looked at her straight in the eye. " I remember that I should remember something but I didn't know what. And Butler DID say he thought he used to be a children's writer.." He looked thoughtful and Ant whispered: "Aha. Hence the supernaturalist."
Harry decided that enough time had been spent on the books. She nodded at Ant, who had already put in the specuial design of Mikes, and then proceeded to create an Argument. It was very simple. All she said was "So, what kind of a bodyguard IS that Butler? Leaving you two all alone, he can be so stupid cant he- ARK!"
Harry ran out of the bookshop, Ant in hysterics. Ok, she had meant to create an argument, but she had not exactly expected to nearly lose her neck to strangulation in the process!
Harry ran back to their room and entered. She discarded Henry and the Hat on the table, and switched on the television. She plugged something into the back, adjusted the volume, then sat back on her bed to watch some exciting Tele.
In the bookshop, Ant , Ever and Sherbet felt their cameras spring into life. Ant had brought Artemis over to see Alex, who had been introduced to his own series of books.. and he too knew the author.
" I always knew Alan Blunt was up to something.." Harry watched him say to Artemis.. " But I never guessed that he had published my missions under the pseudonym of Antony Horowitz. Kinda like you with Butler, innit?" harry was getting a good view from the camera from Ever. The cameras were placed strategically, and as the screen split (sort of) between them, Harry could watch. The sound was pretty good actually. " Yes," sighed Artemis "And, by the way, would you help me kill that leader of theirs? She is a pain the the neck." Alex grinned."I wouldn't exactly say in the neck" He brandished his plastered arm" But I agree. Do lets."
Harry was slightly saddened by the fact that Artemis appeared to hate her, but at least she knew about this plan. She rewired herself to the Gib connection. This enabled her to communicate with the Gang, instead of the one way surveillance she had before. "Kindly inform these young gentlemen that I do not particularl;y enjoy being plotted against, no matter how much I may be in love with one of the plotters."Ever grinned at Ant's camera, knowing that Harry must be watching. "Shall I tell Ant to wire the lads?" She asked the camera. Artemis and Alex turned to look at Ever, who appeared to be talking to Ant's giant pink flower on the right side of her distasteful hawaian shirt.
Harry snorted. Ant huffed:" Ive already done that. I merely need to activate them. NEVER UNDERESTIMATE ME!!" Ever and Sherbet rolled their eyes at Ant's camera. The fact that they were synchronised made Harry laugh. The two boys, arms around each other's shoulders( The unbroken one in Alex's case) Stared at the camera, or rather at the flower, unaware that Harry was on the other side. Ant marched up tyo them and tweaked their ears, left ones. That was it. Their mikes were activated. Oh, but they were not just mikes. Harry giggled as all of Artemis and Alex's thoughts entered her mind. The mikes could read thoughts.
It would be wise to note that the boys could not hear Harry's thoughts, and harry was getting a real kick out of hearing these weird male thoughts. Alex Rider, for example, was thinking about how the trip the lads had planned to Dublin as a romantic Gay sejour had turned into a trip to a bookstore with a bunch of weird hat-ed girls. Artemis was wondering how come Butler had not returned from his secret mission which he would tell no one about. Harry thought that this was too funny for her alone. She said, through the Gib intercom "Bring them up. We can test all the mikes out" , took out her own earpieces , switched off the Tele, and began to laugh insanely.
Harry turned the tele back on to find the group entering the coridoor leading to the room.
She grabbed her hat and out it on. She loved that hat. As the lads entered, she began playing a weird tune on Henry. (Henry is a Japanese choroi wood flute, and does not have a full scale. This is why everything he plays comes out weird.) Immediately the two boys put their hands to their ears ( a hilarious sight when you think of Alex's broken arm). Harry wired into the mikes that gave her their thoughts.. and actually, it was pretty much the same. "What a racket!" was from artemis. Alex was about the same with a few choice swear words thrown in. (sorry ever!) Harry disconnected the Thought mikes. She gave them back to Ant, who was watching Ever trying to put her arm around Alex, who kept dodging. Quite funny, even I must admit.
Harry actually thought that Ever's behaviour would give her an opportunity to do a bit of pick-pocleting. She came beside Ever, and subsequently behind Artemis. The two looked at each other and nodded. One.. Two.. at three! The two jumped on the lads, giggling fiercly. Ever was just laughing, but Harry had taken Artemis's phone from his shoulder holster (if that's the name for it). He hadn't noticed. Good. Alex was swearing rather violently at the attack, but Artemis just glared at Harry. "Ms.." His face became more and ore blank as he realised he did not know how to address Harry. Harry grinned elvishly back. "Trying to be formal, Fowl? Don't bother. We have no second codenames. It is Harry, to you, and no formalisation is allowed. Now then. Your question?" Artemis's face turned a dark shade of purple, but he had been beaten. "well then, HARRY" He spat out the name, and Harry'sd heart twinged, but she kept her impish expression. "Why did you attack me just then?"Artemis demanded. Harry grinned back. : "because I just happen to be madly in love with you, and not ashamed to admit it." Artemis looked slightly surprised. Supposedly he had guessed, but was not expecting her to admit it out loud. "ant." Harry looked at her tech girl. "Wire as we had planned". Ant took off her hat. The others did the same. Ant ointed everyone to a seat around the coffee table. Artemis took the head seat on one side, Sherbet the heads on the other. On sherbet's right side was Ever.. on Ever's right side Alex. Maybe a bit too tempting for Ever.. we would have to see. On sherbet's left was Ant, and on Ant';s left HArry. This meant that Harry would be on Artemis's right. She did not mind. No, not at all.
Harry and Ant remained standing. Basically, Ant wired them so that:
Alex could hear Shebet's thoughts.Artemis could hear Ant's thoughts. Ant could hear Sherbet's thoughts. Sherbet could hear both Alex and Artemis's thoughts, but artemis could not hear hers. Ever could hear Alex's thoughts, but not artemis. Artemis could hear Harry but could not reply. Harry could hear Artemis and Ant's thoughts.
The ensueing chaos was such that Harry was able to disconnect herself and slip away without anyone noticing. She went into the coridoor and took out Artemis's phone. It was a sonyericson. YUK. Those were hard to operate. She searched his phone list. Only two contacts. ARTEMIS SN. And B. B? Butler, maybe. She phoned, and stuck it to her ear.
A voice replied, "Artemis? Where are youy?"
Yep. Ity was butler.
" This is not Artemis. This is the leader of Gib Special Operations Unit. Worry not, Fowl and Rider are unharmed. Fortunatly, so are we. "
Harry heard Butler paused. "hold on a second.. aren't you that old woman?"
Harry grimace4d. "Yes and no. I was pretending to be an old lady. It worked. Did it not?"
"How did you get out? I had come to kill you."
Harry roared into the tiny phone "WHO DO YOU TAKE US FOR, BUTLER? SOME AMATEUR ORGANISATION?? WE KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING, AND WE KNOW HOW TO SENSE DANGER. IF YOU WANT FOWL AND RIDER, COME BACK TO OUR ROOM. NOW."
Harry switched off the phone, grinning. She loved shouting. She just hoped Butler didn't snap her neck when he got there.
Harry walked back into the room and threw something at artemis. She said :"Back in a minute!" and exited again. The look on Artemis's face told her he had heard her shouting. Good.
"OW!" She heard Artemis exclaim. Hmm. Maybe she had thrown the phone a little hard.
Harry stood in the corridor, waiting for Butler. WHAT THE HELL WAS SHE DOING?? Waiting for he giant that was "eoin Colfer" to come and snap her neck? Was she ma- AAH?
Harry felt herself be lifted up into the air by something. Once again, her thoughts had been so loud she had not been able to hear the danger coming. She would have screamed, only she was in massive shock, and it wasn't just the surprise of being crept up on. Butler let her down carefully and Harry opened the door. Butler stayed in the shadows, waiting for her to announce him.
Harry poked her head through the door. She looked as though she had seen a ghost.. only she was not afraid of ghosts, .. what could it mean? The room turned silent. Ant asked the question that everyone wanted to ask:" Are you all right, Harry? What happened?" Harry shook her head, unable to speak. The group watched as she forced herself to smile, and turned to the figure in the shadows. "You may come in". She was picked up again as Butler went through the door. Harry looked at Artemis, a mixture of fear, Shock and pleading in her eyes. Artemis got at least part of the message. "Put the girl down, Butler. She is supposed to be our enemy, after all." Harry smiled ever so slightly. If he knew! She thanked artemis silently as she was put down. Immediately Sherbet came yto her and began treating her for shock. The two began to have a conversation, but keeping it low. Ant and Ever were watching the two have their conversation, and knew by the height of Sherbet's eyebrows that it had to be serious. Alex and Artemis were not watching, however. They were having a conversation of their own, which Harry heard a little of..
Butler:" So, Artemis, I come to try and kill these girls, then get called by one of them and find you with them! What does this mean?
Artemis:" You were coming to kill them? Why not inform me? And anyway, they are so mentally deficient that they are actually rather entertaining. Do you not agree, Alex?"
Alex:" Actually I am rather sick of hearing this lot's thoughts. Ant, is it?" Ant raised her head." Kindly unwire us. I think we are leaving soon."
Ant went to unwire the lads, and Sherbet was annoying Harry slightly by saying;" Harry, whatever you do, don't faint now. It would be seeen as most impolitre to faint, and I am sure that Butler would not take it well.." At the word "Butler" Harry closed her eyes in partial shock and fright. She would never get over it. And she wanted to faint. She had a right to, didn't she? After all, she thought he had been out to kill her, not to..
Harry had a thought. The boys, including Butler, were standing by the door, about to leave. Harry raised her head."one question before you leave, lads. How did you find us?"
Artemis looked thoughtful. "I didn't. Nor did alex. Butler? You were the one who tried to kill them, after all.." Butler looked proudly at Harry. "The trampoline." He started- to be cut off by Alex and Artemis. "What Trampoline?" Butler glared at them, then returned to his smiling pose to talk to Harry. " It had a note on it. :To be used only in operations from GIB SOU. By order of Harry, also memyselfiamweird." Harry blanched. She thoiught she had taken that off. "So I searched memyselfiamweird and I got a link to do with "her GIB stories..?" and I read. " He grinned at her. "You write oddly, Harry. I do like your dramatisation of how you broke Rider's arm. That is how I knew it was you." Harry stiffened, then shook her head. "Still. I made no remark as to the hotel we were staying in. How?" Butler grinned again and explained :" I traced from where it was updated. Turns out there is a computer desk in the lobby here, right? So I call in and ask for GIB. The receptionist gave me your room, saying that a DAWN NILA MIRAL.. a name yuou have used in other GIB series, had checked in with some friends that she had jokingly called GIB. " Harry leaned back, thinking that Butler on his own was no man to be trifled with. As if she didn't know that already. Butler continued. "Now I have a question for YOU, Ms. Miral." Artemis glared at her over Butler's shoulder,a s he had not known he could address her oin that way. Harry stuck her tongue out at him momentarily, and went back to Butler. "Continue." Butler looked at her straight in the eye. "What does Gib stand for?"
Harry laughed. "You have not read the series attentively, Butler. It says many times.. Girls in Black. Melodramatic, is it not?" Butler looked at her and said:"please. Call me Domovoi." Artemis gasped. Harry wondered why for a moment, but then she remembered that he had been mind-wiped and did not remember Butler nearly dying and giving her his name. Well, so long as he read the series, all would be fine. "Domovoi.." she continued.." One last thing. Do not chase us back into France. In Ireland, we are fair game. But in France, let us be. Deal?" She looked up at Butler, who replied.. "as if I would attack you now, Harry" . Harruy could almost feel Ant and Ever's eyes boring into her back as they wondered what was going on. With that, Butler and co left.
Harry lean5tt back, and looked at Sherbet. "Can I faint now, please?" Sherbet nodded, but Ant and Ever shouted out :"NO! Tell us why you were so pale? What happened?" Harry looked at them in the eye. "Believe me, if you had been kissed on the lips by Butler, you would be pale."
And with that, she fainted.
THAT IS LONG FOR ME!! I swear!!
Kallessinreddragon