I decided to update once a week or every other week. Please keep reviewing, I've only been getting a couple, I want to know how I'm doing and any mistakes or something like that. Thank you to refloc and notyouraverageblond for your reviews.
Chapter 3: Reunited
Fowl Manor
Artemis sat in his study, printing off blueprints to a certain exhibit in England. As it was printing, Artemis noticed the small container on one of his bookshelves. It contained the lenses that he had planted in his eyes five years previously when he had been mind wiped. He had spent many weeks trying to discover what they were but with little success, he had eventually just put them there, only occasionally thinking about them. Now he knew what they were and how they had come to be. He smiled at the ironic thought that he was to smart for himself sometimes.
There was a knock at the door to his study. "Come in."
Mulch walked in, and took a seat on one of the chairs. It had been three months since the two of them had teamed up and they had hit many museums, banks, and even very rich houses. Artemis came up with the plans and Mulch could get into any building. Needless to say, Artemis' bank accounts have increased quite a bit more.
"Any news?" Artemis asked Mulch as he began going through the printed blueprints.
"Plenty. Apparently our LEP friends are having some problems down below." Artemis looked up from the papers.
"Such as...?"
"From what I hear, seven LEP officers and five others have gone missing."
"Missing? How? Anyone I know?"
"I don't think so. I had a list of names but I didn't recognize any of them."
Artemis allowed himself a quick sigh of relief, although he wasn't sure why he was suddenly so concerned. For a brief second he had been worried that Holly was one of them, or Root. He quickly banished those thoughts and concentrated back on Mulch who was still talking.
"...they've just been disappearing. They're not being taken from their homes either, apparently only when they're out and about are they being taken. The latest one gone missing was last seen walking into an alley with two others and hasn't been seen since. Oh, and here's the best part."
Artemis waited for Mulch to continue. "Evidently the council and quite a few others are blaming the whole thing on you." Artemis was not surprised. After all the trouble he had caused the People, he couldn't expect them to just forget about him. They had suspected him to be the one trading with the goblins in the Goblin uprising and if fairies were getting kidnapped, then they would think it was right up his alley. He leaned back into his chair and sighed.
"I wonder if they'll be able to get through this one without our help." Mulch said and chuckled, but Artemis remained silent. Whoever was behind it was either getting revenge, trying to take over, or just insane/cruel hearted (which amazingly were very similar), it was always the case. Unfortunately, the People could consider Artemis to be in any of those three categories, making him the most probable suspect.
"Yes, especially if they are going to blame me. They'll just waste to much time accusing me while whoever is really behind it continues with their plans."
Mulch nodded. "So what do we do?"
Artemis was silent again and then said, "Nothing. Leave the People's affairs to the People. We'll continue on with our plans in London. This may prove to be our hardest job yet, which will only make it more interesting. Nevertheless, I'll have Butler keep an eye on the security cameras. We may be getting a visitor soon." Mulch nodded again and turned to leave the room, leaving Artemis alone.
He needed to clear his mind to concentrate on the upcoming job. It would be in the Museum of World History and from what Artemis had seen, it had the most complex security system yet. All though, no where near as bad as the Spiro Needle. It should prove to be no big deal for Mulch though. Artemis planned on waiting outside using his laptop, He had recently developed a few new gadgets that, once hooked up to the system, would enable Artemis to control the whole buildings security from his laptop. All he would have to do is guide Mulch through the building using small headsets. Mulch had the more difficult job though. He needed to reach a security box to hook up Artemis' invention, after that, it should be a lot easier. Putting aside all fairy-related matters, Artemis focused on fine-tuning his plan.
Ireland
Corporal Bough was flying over Ireland. It had taken him two hours before he had finally gotten above ground, and was now excited and nervous. This was his first big mission. He had been above ground a few times before, and was surprised to see how much it had changed, since the last time he had been here fifty years ago. He headed in the direction he thought was Dublin and Fowl Manor. It was only a minute later when he heard Root's voice come from his helmet.
"Bough! Where do you think you're going?"
"Uh, to Fowl Manor sir."
"Fowl Manor is the other way, Corporal."
The Corporal's face turned a deep red and he turned around to fly in the opposite direction. He could hear Foaly laughing through the speaker, Root chuckling, and heard someone else groan. He picked up the speed to make up for lost time and soon saw Fowl Manor looming in the distance. An involuntary shiver ran along his spine at the sight of it. He had never actually seen Artemis Fowl, but everyone knew of him. Even though the Mud Boy had helped them with the goblin uprising, that still didn't mean he was trustworthy. He was still considered an active threat to the People, although not as great. Foaly's voice cut through the speaker.
"Okay, you're going to want to stay away from the manor but not to far away. Find a tree or something where you can hide to watch. You're shield is useless here."
"What do you mean useless?"
"Fowl and his pet gorilla constructed lenses from a LEP helmet so they can see through fairy shields." The Corporal gulped and quickly picked a tree that gave him a good view of the manor. It was now evening and it looked as though there weren't any lights coming from inside the manor. Only the security lights surrounding it. Bough did a quick thermal scan and found the manor to be empty with an exception of a few insects.
"Nobody's home." He said into his mike. The commander's voice cracked through the speaker in reply.
"Affirmative. Keep hidden and alert."
"Yes sir." The Corporal unshielded, making sure he was still completely hidden by the branches and leaves. He unshielded because it used up magic and because he was vibrating at such a large frequency, it was rustling some of the leaves and might draw attention. It was sometime after midnight when he finally spotted a black car pulling up to the front gate. He quickly informed Foaly and the Commander and then shielded again, just in case.
Fowl Manor
Artemis and Mulch sat in the back of the car while Butler drove. Mulch was holding onto the large duffel bag containing the item they had stolen. The Museum of World History had proven to be a cinch. Artemis yearned to find a place that would actually prove a challenge for them. Between Mulch's skill and Artemis' brains and new inventions, they were done quicker than expected.
As they drove towards the Manor, Artemis turned his attention to outside the car. It was dark but the many security lights illuminated the grounds. A tree they were driving by caught Artemis' interest. He smirked slightly.
"Butler, pull around back. We seem to have an intruder in the grounds and I think Mulch should remain hidden." Butler just nodded, not bothering to ask questions. Mulch, however, looked at him curiously.
"LEP?"
Artemis nodded slightly. "I presume so," was all he said. Mulch had learned that Artemis always told them anything they needed to know when he thought the time was right. And if Artemis Fowl thought the time was right, well then, it usually was.
Butler parked the car in the back of the Manor by the kitchen, where all delivery trucks came. Butler got out first and did his usual check of the area before opening the kitchen door and then ushered Artemis and Mulch inside the Manor. Once inside, Butler went straight to the monitors. Artemis followed him and showed him where he knew the fairy was. Because the fairy was invisible, Butler had to freeze the camera and then he zoomed into the tree. Sure enough, there was a single fairy, dressed in the LEPrecon jump suit, standing on a branch. Butler grinned. They had him. He unfroze the camera, waited a few seconds, and then froze it again. The fairy was gone.
"He's more than likely checking around the manor." Butler said and Artemis nodded.
"Yes, why don't you escort our fairy friend in here?" Butler got up and left the room. Artemis sat down in a chair and watched the monitors. This was turning out to be quite a night.
Bough watched the car disappear behind the Manor and waited a few minutes before leaving the tree. He cautiously flew around back and spotted the parked car. No one there.
He landed onto the ground and turned off his wings, making sure to stay invisible. He walked over to a window, hoping to get a glimpse of anything that may prove useful. He was able to see a single short figure rustling through the refrigerator but Bough couldn't see who it was.
He was to preoccupied with watching the window that he didn't hear or see somebody come up behind him. It wasn't until Butler cleared his throat that the Corporal turned around. He didn't even have a chance to utter, D'Arvit before a massive hand came down on his head, knocking him out.
Operations Booth
Holly had just been about to leave Ops when Bough announced a car was pulling up. Holly quickly sat back down to watch the screen projecting the live video feed from the Corporal's helmet. Foaly sat at his computers while Root stood next to the mike to talk to Bough. Holly sighed impatiently. She was a field agent. She shouldn't be sitting in here all night. She should be up at Fowl Manor right now, trying to discover what was happening to all the missing fairies.
They watched as the Corporal went around the Manor, and as he stood at the window, Holly groaned. He was leaving himself vulnerable to attack. Somebody could easily sneak up on him and he wouldn't have even known until it was to late. Root realized what Holly had and was just about to shout into the mike when they heard someone clear their throat. They watched as Bough turned around and was immediately knocked out.
"D'Arvit!" Root swore. His face was now extremely red and Holly feared he was about to explode.
"Corporal Bough is out but we should still have sound and video." Foaly informed them while typing furiously on his keyboard. Root took a few deep breaths before turning to Holly.
"Alright Captain, here's your chance. You don't have time to get a team together but I think you'll be fine. I'll have Kelp and his boys at the chutes just in case."
"Yes sir, thank you sir." Holly got up and was about to leave when Root added, "Be careful Holly. We don't know what Fowl's like anymore."
Holly nodded. "I will." She grabbed her helmet and a pair of wings and then disappeared out the door. Root shook his head and sat down.
"Don't worry Julius. She can look after herself." said Foaly.
Root decided to ignore the 'Julius' part this once, as he was to weary to argue. "I know she can. She's one of my best officers. But what does worry me is the trouble her and Fowl will either cause or get into."
Foaly chuckled. "More than likely it'll be both," and went back to his computers.
Fowl Manor
Bough opened his eyes and immediately closed them again. He had a terrible headache and wherever he was at really bright, or that could have just been because of the headache. He tried opening his eyes again and had to blink a few times to focus his eyes. He was in some sort of study. There were numerous computers set up all around the room. The lights were also on, causing Bough to wince when he looked up. He didn't like light. The few times he had been aboveground had been at night. He quickly checked the window and saw it was still dark out. Good, he couldn't have been out to long then.
He then realized that his helmet wasn't on and he didn't have his wings, Neutrino, or his buzz baton. The last thing he noticed was a pale Mud Boy sitting behind a desk and Mud Man the size of a mountain blocking the door. The giant must be Butler, the Mud Man who defeated a whole Retrieval squad and the only person to take on a Troll and win. The Mud Boy must be Artemis Fowl, although he could hardly be called a mud boy anymore. Artemis sat there, with his cool composure and the Corporal couldn't help but think that the Mud Boy scared him just as much as his bodyguard.
Trying to speak with more courage than he felt, he said "Where are my things?"
"Your helmet, wings, and weapons? They'll be returned to you shortly, you have my word." Artemis said calmly. Bough doubted it, but he didn't say anything out loud. He could trust the boy and his bodyguard about as far as he could throw them. Before he could ask any questions, Fowl spoke again. "Now, to save us some time, let's get straight to the point. Why were you trespassing?" Artemis already knew the answer but wasn't quite ready to show that. Better to let the LEP think they have the upper hand. The Corporal stayed silent, just glaring defiantly at Artemis. Artemis sighed. This officer was obviously a rookie. "It's quite pointless to remain silent. The faster we get this over with the faster you can leave." Bough still didn't say anything. Finally he looked at Artemis curiously.
"How did you know I was here? You're not supposed to know about the People anymore either."
"Technically I asked you a question first, meaning you should answer first." Artemis sighed. "Very well, even though it is against my nature to be treated in such a way, I shall only say that I noticed movement in the tree and I was expecting someone from the LEP."
Bough's attention perked. If Fowl was expecting someone, that meant that more than likely he had the missing fairies. Otherwise how else would he have known about the People again or why he was sent?
"Now, Mister Bough, or Corporal Bough if you prefer, let's get back to the matter at hand. You were caught trespassing-"
"How did you know my name?"
Artemis glared at the Corporal, but his poised mask quickly returned. "You are trying my patience you know."
"Awe, is Master Fowl getting frustrated? We can't have that now can we?" A sarcastic voice came from the window and they all turned towards it. Bough looked over in surprise but Artemis merely smirked.
"If it isn't Captain Short. So lovely of you to join us. Please, come in. Your previous invitation still stands, but just in case, you are allowed to enter." Artemis gestured to a chair. "Please, sit."
"I'm fine right here, thank you." She still stood, leaning against the wall on the windowsill.
Artemis shrugged. "Suit yourself. Now may I inquire as to the occasion in which I find you two here?"
Holly snorted. "As if you didn't know."
"Being blamed for something else now am I? I must say that I'm beginning to feel insulted. Very well, what must I do to prove to you that I don't have those fairies?"
"If you didn't do it, than how do you know about the fairies?" Holly raised an eyebrow.
"I have my sources. I am not without contacts you know." Artemis replied calmly.
"Then let me search the manor. If I don't find any signs of the missing fairies then you may be innocent. But I doubt I won't find anything."
Artemis thought for a moment. He had nothing to hide except for Mulch, who was wondering around the Manor somewhere. He'd rather not let the LEP know that he was there or what they had been up to. Unfortunately, Artemis wouldn't have to worry about that, because Mulch chose that moment to burst into the room.
"Hey Arty guess what? I just got some great offers on that piece we got tonight. Apparently they are willing to give us...Oh. This was probably a bad time." Mulch froze when he saw Holly in the window and Bough sitting in the chair silently. Artemis glared at Mulch.
"Yes, this would be a bad time." Artemis said dryly, trying to regain his calm composure.
"Diggums! What are you doing here?" Holly hissed. She turned to Artemis again. "What are you two up to?"
"I find that none of your business Captain."
Holly growled. "Fowl..." She took a couple of deep breaths and counted to ten to calm herself. "Okay Fowl, you better explain quickly, because I'm very tempted to shoot you right now and drag Diggums back underground with me. Now do you have those fairies or not?"
"No, I do not. You are free to search the Manor for any signs of them if you want. The only thing that had been holding me back before was Mulch and it seems pointless now." He glanced over at Mulch and Mulch smiled innocently. Holly thought a moment.
"Fine. Corporal, I want you to remain here and keep an eye on these two." She said to Bough. Bough nodded.
"Yes Captain, but they took my weapons."
Holly looked over to Artemis, who looked calmly back. "I can assure you that you won't be needing them. But I will return them to you on good faith. Butler." Butler went over to a safe near the door and opened it up. He handed all of the Corporal's things back to him.
Then Holly disappeared to do her search of the manor. It was quite pointless because she had already done a thermal scan and had determined there had only been four beings in the Manor. Of course at the time she hadn't known who the fourth one was, but now she realized it was Mulch. As she quickly did her search of the Manor, she wondered what Fowl and Diggums were up to. It was clear that there were no fairies here, but that didn't mean that they weren't being held elsewhere. Mulch didn't strike her as the type to become involved in kidnappings, even though he was a criminal. For some reason she hoped it wasn't Artemis, and part of her actually believed it wasn't. She returned to the study and found everyone still there. Butler had moved over next to Artemis and Mulch was sitting in a chair by the desk. Bough was watching them all. Artemis watched her enter.
"Well?"
"You're not off the hook yet. You could still be hiding them elsewhere." Holly pointed out. Artemis nodded.
"It's possible. What else must I do to prove to you that I'm innocent? I have some affairs that I need to attend to once you and your Corporal are gone."
Holly was silent, thinking. Bough finally spoke up.
"Captain? Why don't you mesmerize him?"
Artemis frowned. This was beginning to become a nuisance.
"Now really, I must protest."
"I thought you didn't have anything to hide?" Holly challenged, smiling slightly.
Artemis glared at her again. "I don't. But I must say that I don't trust you."
Holly laughed. "Likewise." Artemis' expression softened just a little bit as he thought.
"Alright, as long as you don't mind wipe me while I'm out." He turned to Butler. "Butler, I suggest you put your sunglasses on and if she tries anything funny, you know what to do." Butler nodded and smiled slightly at Holly. Holly watched with an amused expression but nodded that she wouldn't mind wipe him.
She spoke into her mike. "Foaly, you might want to record all this."
"Already am Holly." Came the reply. Holly nodded and walked over to Artemis. She removed her helmet and positioned it on the desk so it was still facing Artemis. She then started to massage the tips of her ears to get the circulation going. When she spoke again, her voice was layered with the mesmer. Artemis' eyes drooped a little and his forehead was erased of all creases from thinking.
"Okay Artemis. Do you have anything to do with our missing LEP officers and the missing civilians?"
Artemis shook his head. "No."
"Then how did you know about it?"
"Mulch told me. He has contacts everywhere." Mulch had started to sweat a little, fearing that Artemis was about to tell Holly that he had a contact in the LEP. Luckily though, Artemis didn't mention it and Holly didn't pursue that particular matter.
"How did you get your memories back?"
"Mulch."
Holly thought a moment before asking one last question.
"Artemis? Are you still a threat to the People?"
Artemis smiled slightly, "No. The People don't have to worry about me anymore."
Holly nodded. Root's voice crackled over the speaker in her helmet, from the desk.
"Mud Boy's innocent then. I suggest you mind wipe him and bring the convict back with you."
Butler tensed and Mulch sat up, ready to make a run for it. Holly turned to the helmet. "Sir? I promised Artemis that we wouldn't wipe him. If he's innocent, we should just leave. As for Mulch, as far as we know, he hasn't done anything." She could just imagine Root fuming over this. She heard a muffled conversation coming from the speaker and she knew that Root and Foaly were talking. She couldn't make out everything that was being said, only bits and pieces of it, such as: "Foaly..." in a warning tone and then "...helped last time..." but that was all she could make out. Eventually the conversation ceased and Root's defeated voice spoke again.
"Alright, wake the Mud Boy up." Holly grinned slightly and did as she was told. Artemis sat up, confused for a second before getting his bearings. "Alright Fowl. Here's your chance to prove that you are no longer a threat to us." Root started.
"You want my help?" Artemis asked, trying not to sound to arrogant. He could just imagine Root's complexion over having to say all this and Artemis forced himself not to grin. Instead, he kept his calm composure. Root muttered something inaudible and Foaly spoke up this time.
"That was a yes."
"Foaly?" Artemis inquired.
"Hey Mud Boy. Glad to see you back." Artemis couldn't tell if it was sarcastic but then he heard the Commander shout 'Foaly!' and then Foaly reply 'What? I was just being polite.' Artemis waited patiently for them to stop their bickering. He glanced at Holly with an amused expression. She grinned back and mouthed 'They are like this all the time.' Finally, Root's voice came through the speaker.
"So?" Artemis knew he was asking whither or not he would help. He was silent while thinking. If he helped the People, it would show that he was going soft. But on the other hand, he couldn't leave the People to face what ever it was that was after them this time. Even if they all wouldn't admit it, they needed his help. Artemis almost scowled. He was going soft. But was that such a bad thing? Everyone was watching him, waiting for an answer. Mulch had relaxed a little, and was sitting there watching him, wondering if Artemis' previous comment on "leave the People's affairs to the People" still stood. Butler was also watching him and Artemis knew that he thought that they should help. After all, Artemis did have his family and his new attitude thanks to the People. Holly's face was impassive, not revealing anything and Bough's face was curious. Artemis sighed, defeated.
"I will. But on two conditions."
Holly glared at him. "I should have known. Artemis Fowl does nothing for nothing." She said, disgusted. Artemis ignored her, and faced the helmet. Root's weary voice spoke through.
"What do you want this time Fowl?"
"Merely that Mulch is left alone. He has been cleared of all charges if I am told correctly and he hasn't done anything illegal to the People."
Steam seemed to be rising out of the helmet. Mulch grinned and was just about to pass a comment to Root but Artemis sent him a glance to quiet him. After what seemed like minutes, Root said, "What else Fowl?"
"Only that I am able to keep my memories." More steam.
"Fowl, basically you're asking me to let you two continue with whatever schemes you've been pulling and not let me do anything about it. Diggums is a convict and he was warned that if he started pulling anything than I would have him right back into his cell."
"Those are my conditions. Accept them or don't, but you need me and I won't help unless those conditions are filled."
"That's blackmail."
Artemis shrugged. "Call it whatever you like, but I consider it peaceful negotiations."
Root started mumbling again. 'Peaceful negotiations my...' Luckily Mulch chose that moment to interrupt.
"Come on Julius. You know you need us. If it weren't for me and Artemis and Butler here, how would you have defeated that pixie Koboi?"
"Convict, you forget that Holly, Foaly and I were apart of that too." Root growled but he already knew it was a lost cause.
"Yeah, but without us, you three wouldn't have been able to get into Koboi labs."
"We could do this without you!" Root's tried to sound as if he was merely stating a fact, but Artemis could detect a hint of uncertainty.
"Alright. Go ahead." Mulch said calmly, but grinning.
"Fine." Root grunted. Artemis and Holly had had enough of the bickering as it was getting them nowhere. They were just about to say something when Mulch spoke again. He was obviously enjoying this very much and was overly confident in himself.
"How about this? Let's make a bet or a deal. Whoever discovers who's behind this and is able to defeat them first, wins. We split up into two teams. Artemis, Butler, and I. You, Holly, and Foaly and whoever else you may need."
"Mulch..." Artemis warned.
Root chuckled. "You're kidding right? I have a genius and all of the LEP force on my side and you have just two Mud Men. This should be a cinch."
"Julius, you're forgetting that Arty is a genius."
"What do you think Foaly is?"
"Artemis has outsmarted all of you, including donkey boy, numerous times now. Butler has also taken on a troll, and defeated a whole Retrieval team. I think he's worth more than fifty of your officers."
Butler, who had remained silent throughout this whole meeting, now pulled Artemis to the side.
"Artemis, I don't like where this is going. You know as well as I do that the only reason we were able to defeat Koboi and Cudgeon because it was all of us working as a team. If we split up, it could be just what whoever it is behind this is waiting for."
"I know old friend. I have no intentions of partaking in this ridiculous contest, but the Commander and Mulch seem to be nonstop. I'm afraid we'll have no choice if they gain support from Holly and Foaly. We need to help them however that may be."
"Don't worry. I think this whole thing is pointless too." Holly had snuck up next to them while Root and Mulch were still going at it. "But the problem is that Foaly never turns down a good challenge and Root has the power to order me around." She pointed out. Artemis and Butler nodded. They turned back to the conversation.
"So is it a deal?" Mulch asked.
"Yes. We win, you get arrested and Fowl is mind wiped. You win and you're free to go from now on." Root agreed smugly, apparently thinking that he was going to win.
"Now really!" Artemis protested. "Don't we get a say in this?"
"No." Root stated. Artemis glowered. "You agreed to help the People. Competing with us will, in a way, be helping us."
"We already came to an agreement and I see no reason to jeopardize my memories of the People because of some absurd competition between you and Mulch."
"What's the matter Fowl? Afraid you're going to loose?"
"No, that's not the case at all. I have full confidence that I could defeat you and on any other day I would love a good competition. But that's not the point of the matter. I think we would be more successful working together and not competing."
"With all do respect Commander, he's right. We should all be working together, not competing. That could prove to be a costly mistake. It'll seem like we are taking this whole matter lightly when we have fairies missing, possibly dead." Holly said.
"I know the situation Captain! But I want to prove to Diggums that he's not as important as he seems to think he is."
"Okay but as much as I don't like to admit it either, we do need Fowl."
Root was about to protest when Artemis spoke up again.
"Commander Root, you don't have any clue as to who is behind this. If you did, you would never have sent someone here in the first place. Foaly obviously hasn't found anyone either. As much as you may not like it or not want to admit it, you won't get anywhere without my help, or Butler's or Mulch's for that matter. I refuse to participate in this challenge."
"I'm with him on this one Commander." Holly stated firmly.
"Short, I could have your badge for disobeying a direct order!" Root threatened, but even to himself it sounded like an empty threat. He had no grounds on which to prove that matter. Refusing to make deals with convicts didn't exactly qualify as a reason to fire someone. Everyone in the room and in Ops knew it.
Corporal Bough had been watching the whole thing rather amusedly. He had never seen anyone oppose the Commander before, and here were two Mud Men, a convict, and a LEP captain, all arguing with him! Bough had to admit that Fowl didn't seem to be so evil. His appearance and his looks were enough to send chills down anyone's back, but he wasn't acting like a cruel evil genius at the moment. Bough was utterly confused by now.
"Fine. I can see when I'm defeated. Especially when Short and Fowl actually agree on something." Root sighed. "Captain, you and Corporal Bough are to bring Fowl, Butler, and Diggums down here tomorrow."
"Tomorrow sir?" Holly asked.
"Yes, tomorrow. The next shuttle isn't until tomorrow afternoon and we need time to clear out that area. I don't want everyone knowing that we brought two mud men down again. I think it would be wise to keep this just between us. So you two are going to have to stay there until then. That okay with you Fowl?"
Artemis nodded. "Certainly."
"Alright then. I'm going to get some sleep while I can." Root cut the connection, leaving the two LEP officers, Mulch, Butler and Artemis sitting there.
"Well, Butler, why don't you have two more rooms prepared for our guests then." Artemis then turned to Holly and Bough as Butler left the room. "Can I interest you in anything to eat?" Holly shook her head no but Bough nodded yes.
Mulch on the other hand, said, "I'll take you up on that offer too."
Artemis turned and glared at him. "Mulch, if you are already hungry again, you can fix yourself something. And show Corporal Bough where the kitchen is and get something for him as well." He said coldly.
Mulch went away pouting, muttering, "Just trying to have a bit of fun." Holly smirked as she watched them go. She turned back around to find Artemis shaking his head as he sat down again in his chair. Regaining his calm composure, in which it had disappeared in the last hour, he turned to Holly.
"Well Captain, we haven't had time to properly greet each other. How have you been the past five years?" Artemis' attempt at a decent conversation failed as they both knew that it wasn't Artemis. Holly started laughing.
"It's okay Artemis. The polite host doesn't suit you."
"Now honestly. I think I've been every inch the gracious host this evening. I'm letting you and your Corporal stay here tonight as guests."
Holly put on a fake look of surprise. "Can it be that the criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl has changed?"
"Yes, well, it's a recent development. Very recent, I'd say in the last three months."
"I take it you haven't changed so much as to have gone straight?"
"No." Artemis admitted. "Not quite."
"So what were you and Mulch up to tonight?" Holly then added, "Don't worry. I won't tell anybody. What you two do to humans doesn't concern the People."
Artemis considered it and finally shrugged. "We broke into the Museum of World History and stole a very expensive and important artifact. We planned on selling it and when Mulch burst in here earlier, my guess is he was offered quite a bit."
"I'm not even going to ask what the artifact was. But I thought you said you were going straight after the Spiro incident?" Holly raised an eyebrow.
"Well, I did say that, but shortly after, I was mind wiped. So I couldn't remember ever making that promise." Artemis managed to sounded accusing, hurt, and as if it should have been obvious, all at the same time. Holly looked away, feeling guilty. "After I was mind wiped, I did return to being that monster, although not quite as bad. But I had no qualms with bankrupting other people or stealing. I did all this behind my parent's back because they were determined that we all go straight." Holly was surprised to hear regret in his voice and that only made her feel even more guilty. She listened as he continued. "After Mulch returned my memories to me, I wasn't quite as bad anymore, but I also saw no reason to quit stealing. So we formed an alliance."
Holly nodded. "Foaly suspected as much. He pointed out what an unstoppable team you two would make and how well you got along. I take it, it was you that cleared Mulch?"
Artemis tried his best to look innocent but failed. He finally just grinned. "But I'm not admitting anything Captain, so I'm afraid that you can't get me in trouble."
Just then Butler came back in and announced that Holly's and Bough's rooms were ready. Artemis thanked him and Holly followed the manservant out of the study. As they reached the staircase, Mulch and Bough came out of the kitchen and followed them upstairs. Mulch disappeared into his room as Holly and Bough were showed into their own rooms.
As Holly shut her door, her mind went over everything that had just happened. When she had first arrived at the Manor and landed in the window, she had been surprised at how much Artemis had changed physically. He had grown up quite a bit and was no longer just a pale Mud Boy. Granted he was still pale and didn't seem to have any muscles at all on his body, he was now almost able to be considered a Mud Man. Holly was instantly ashamed and appalled that she found him sort of attractive now. Not only had he changed physically, but after talking to him, she had seen that he had changed in other ways as well. He definitely wasn't that cold monster that had originally kidnapped her. He seemed to be experiencing more emotions. When he had told her that he had reverted back to being a monster, she had felt guilty, even though it hadn't been her decision to wipe him, she still felt some of the blame. Suppose Mulch hadn't returned his memories to him? What would he be like now? Holly shuddered at that thought. He had been bad enough as a evil Mud Boy, but now that he was older, he had a lot more power. But she had seen the change mostly when she had been talking to him alone and when he had refused to take part in that competition. The old Artemis would have in a heartbeat, she knew that for sure. But he actually seemed to care more about helping the People more than proving he was more capable than Root and Foaly. Holly had no doubt that if they had been forced to do that silly competition, Artemis, Butler and Mulch would have won it. Even if Root, Holly and Foaly had the help of the whole LEP force on their side. They would simply be no match for the boy genius, his mountain body guard, and Mulch Diggums. Another thing that had surprised Holly had been when Artemis had only asked that he keep his memories and Mulch went free. She had been expecting him to demand gold or something of that such.
Holly sat down on the huge bed after taking off her helmet and wings. She had to admit to herself that she had kind of missed the Mud Boy. With him around, things were never boring. Holly forced herself to think that was the only reason that she missed him. Sighing at the headache coming on, she laid back onto the bed and closed her eyes.