Chapter Two

Now my veins are pumping

Scraped my knees, bruised my heart

It's where you end, not where you start

Higher – The Score

It was as if the universe was awaiting the warning from the blonde because as soon as Alex silenced down, the atmosphere of the high-end, tranquil restaurant drastically changed. Loud, ear-shattering bangs echoed the room, followed by the shattering sounds of not only the windows but also a chandelier that found itself pummelling down onto, thankfully, an empty table. In a mass of panic and chaos, diners rushed out of their seats, too fast to be properly registered. Screams of women and children fuelled the situation.

Another round of shots was fired. Alex flung himself out of his seat, just as the burly man opposite of him pushed his charge under the table to try and provide him safety. Artemis protested and attempted to crawl out; however, Butler glared at him before turning away to scan the restaurant and the danger around them. Alex noticed how Artemis sunk further under the table. His phone was still in his hands, surprisingly undamaged. His blue eyes locked onto the brown ones of Alex. Alex noticed that even though Artemis appeared to be calm and collected, he really wasn't. Maybe it had to do with the fact that his bodyguard was in danger. They did seem to be close. Alex turned away from the younger one. His eyes scanned the room, looking for the culprit. They pinpointed onto the target; Alex couldn't stop the gasp that escaped from his lips.

Something he had glanced at not long ago that looked so in place was currently sticking out like an overwrapped injury. Still in their perfectly tailored suits and not a scratch on their skin, stood the family of four from earlier. An arrogant grin, similar to that of Artemis Fowl, rested on their tanned faces. In their hands were guns with smoke still trailing out of the barrel. The objects were reloaded as the four figures slowly crept forwards, expertly dodging the scurrying humans. Butler nudged Alex behind him as the others stopped in front of them. The older two were in front, and the younger two flanked either side. The older man, who appeared to be the head of the family with his slicked-back brown hair and crystal blue eyes, sized up Butler and Alex. He tsked with disapproval as he gestured to the blonde spy. In a spur of the moment, Alex found himself yanked from behind Butler, arms trapped, with a gun pressed to his forehead. He wanted to struggle from the person's grasp, but having been out of training for a few years, he was uncertain of how to approach the situation. It sucked on Alex's end. Showing weakness in front of the Fowl-Butler pair wasn't on his to-do list at all.

The older assailant seemed to be conversing with the Fowl bodyguard. A sickly grin was still plastered on his face. Alex was uncertain as to what was being said, but looking down at Artemis, who was still hiding, he was quick to realise that the four were after the Fowl man. It made a great deal of sense considering that after all, Artemis did call Alex here to ask for help in protecting him and his family. Alex turned away from the Fowl man. He couldn't give away his location. Instead, he opted to listen in on the conversation the two older men were having in front of him.

"It's not that hard," the man in the suit started with an obnoxiously posh accent. "You hand over the Fowl kid. I give you the blonde one. No harm is done."

"He's not here," Butler responded. "Even if he was, you would never have him. Therefore, you let the boy go, and we all walk out here in one piece."

"That's not going to happen," the assailant scoffed. "You're outnumbered and outwitted."

At this, Alex couldn't help but snort. He felt his capturer tighten their grip on his arms. He recognised the sensation of nails digging through his blazer sleeve, just resting on his skin. So, the one holding him capture was the older female. It took Alex far too long to pick that up considering the body he was forced against was slightly larger and softer in the chest area.

"What's the point?" Alex suddenly asked.

The men turned to look at him, one with disgust, and the second with nothing. Not even a glimpse of emotion. The first one, the assailant, moved his calculating eyes downwards than upwards, noting everything about Alex, which made the one being examined uncomfortable.

"You realise that your approach isn't working, right?" Alex continued. "I don't know about you, but if I was in your position, I'd take the three C's approach." He noted the confused expressions. "Cool, calm and collected." His brown eyes focused on the two teenagers. "Take those two. This whole time they've been distant, and if you paid attention, you'd see that their hands are shaking. The gun's safety is even on. As for the woman holding me, well, she's still got the gun against my forehead, yes, but I'm not dead yet. You told her to take me hostage, but what does it achieve?" Alex gestured in Butler's direction. "They don't know me. I don't know them. They'd let me die."

"That's not true," the brown-haired assailant spat. "Why would you be with them then?"

"Because he's just a pawn in this all," Butler spoke up, a little too quickly. "There were plans for him to be exchanged to save the Fowl family."

If Alex wasn't worried before, he was most certainly now. He felt his heartbeat quicken, and his body trembled. There was no way he was ever going to be used as a pawn in anyone's game. Not even to help a male who was younger than him. Alex felt stupid. Surely this was the Fowl boy's plan all along? Once he got Alex to trust him, he'd just break it by using him to gain safety. The blonde male made a quick decision. He needed to get himself out of this situation. In a flying blur of elbow nudges, feet stomping and a soft wail filling his eardrums, Alex found himself free of the woman, who was slumped against a chair with unconsciousness. Her gun rested in Alex's hands, and it was currently aimed at the older assailant. His teenage children weren't paying much attention to what was happening. It was fine to Alex. It meant that it was two fewer people he had to deal with. Alex turned to Butler; a look of disgust written all over his face.

"Seriously?" he spat. "Was that your idea or Fowl's?"

Butler shook his head. "Not right now, Rider," he stated. "Let's neutralise the threat before we talk it through."

"If you say so," Alex snapped. "So, what other brilliant plan do you have, other than trading me, of course?"

Butler rolled his eyes. "More escape, less talk," he barked at the younger one. "Just trust me on this."

Alex Rider was never one to trust people, especially not someone who had just said he was a pawn to be used and abused. At first, he just continued pointing the gun at the assailant, with no attempt to help the bigger man, but something didn't add up in what was happening. For example, why would he have been called in for a meeting with one Irish noble seeking help, if all they were going to do was throw Alex into the deep end as a hostage? Artemis never said that, and he certainly didn't hint at it either. Unless it was Butler's plan, of course, that would have made sense; however, Butler was asking him to help deal with the trouble in front of them, instead of pawning Alex off. The young male's head bloomed with little thumps of pain as he did the one thing he could think of.

Alex Rider shot the assailant in the foot.

Just as this happened, Butler was seen whipping an object from his pocket and flinging it at the off-guarded family.

In the next few moments, there was a flash of blinding white light, and the smell of smoke drifted to Alex's nostrils. He was yanked upwards by the back of his blazer, alongside another figure, which Alex quickly recognised as Artemis. They were rushed out of the restaurant, finding themselves in an alleyway. A black Bentley was parked in front of the trash bins. Butler deposited the two boys behind the car, before pulling his Sig Sauer out (a small, slightly short handgun that looked to have a manual safety option). It was a good thing that someone still had a weapon, considering Alex dropped the gun he took when the explosion went off. The woman that held Alex captive from earlier flung herself out of the smoking restaurant. Her suit was torn, and her hair was covered in soot. With the speed of a cheetah, she leapt at the bigger man. While the two of them tackled one another, Alex reached over to grab Artemis's hand. The Irish nobleman was trembling with fear as his blue eyes glued onto Butler and the crazy woman. Alex squeezed his hand, accepting the object that Artemis passed to him. Upon further examination, Alex noticed the object to be a tranquiliser. His brown eyes locked onto Artemis once again. He knew what the smaller one was implying to.

Could Alex do it though? What if he shot the wrong person?

Better yet, should Alex do it, despite having so little faith in the Butler-Fowl duo?

Shaking the nerves from his mind, Alex put the object to his lips. He focused on the figures darting in front of his eyes. Catching the pattern of the woman, Alex blew into the tranquiliser launcher, releasing the contents. It whizzed past Butler and sunk itself into the female's leg just as she was able to strike the bodyguard. She slumped to the ground, Butler completely ignoring her as he stodged over to his charge.

Artemis Fowl looked like a whole different person than the before. Gone was the terrified, shaking young man. He had shielded this with his usual, slightly arrogant facade. The Irish man pulled his hand out of Alex's, stood up, then dusted himself off. He grabbed the weapon from the spy and placed it back into a hidden pocket under his suit. After sighing, and a once-over from his bodyguard, the Fowl, ran a hand through his hair.

"Why must the suit always get damaged?" he muttered to himself. "This is utterly outrageous."

Artemis wasn't wrong. His pristine, black suit was torn in places. The fabric around his knees was shredded, and after a long glance, a slight trickle of dark red liquid became noticeable to the eyes. The white shirt underneath was smudged with soot.

Artemis reeked of smoke, which was a pet peeve of his. Smoking contributed to pollution and body damage, and he was very distasteful of what had occurred at one of his favourite French restaurants in England. Sure, it was the third most expensive eatery in the world, but they lived to expectations. Maybe, just maybe, they'd come to realise that they were overpricing their goods after the incidence that just occurred.

The Irish man examined his knees, finally noticing how much they stung after his adrenaline declined. After determining the wound to be a graze, he ignored the tingling sensation. There were other matters at hand that were significantly more important than the prosperity of grazed knees. He turned to Alex Rider, another one older than him, even if it was only by about five and a half months. His blue eyes glazed over the man's body, observing for any injuries. Alex Rider seemed to be unscathed, the only thing of majority was the soot smudges in his clothes alongside the smoke infusion.

Butler took the liberty of interrupting the staring contest amongst Rider and Fowl. He had been searching the car for any signs of danger. The two boys were aware of it, and they were grateful for Butler's thorough check as they climbed into the backseat of the Bentley.

Once buckled in, Artemis turned to Alex. "It is unfortunate those events transpired," he stated. "Normally, I am much more prepared for sudden attacks, and I should not have treated today as any different." He massaged his forehead. "If you don't trust us, Mr Rider, I understand, certainly after the stunt, Butler pulled, but I would be grateful if you could consider my proposition."

The blonde ran a hand through his hair as he let out a snorted chuckle. "Are you telling me that your bodyguard pulled a spur of the moment stunt when he said I was a hostage?" Alex asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Artemis admitted. "Butler is usually very compliant with my orders, but if he thought it was a potential protective mannerism, then he is allowed to sidestep them."

Alex made a spur of the moment decision, and before he could stop himself, he agreed with the Fowl man, and said, "I'll accept your proposition for now, but first, I need to go home."