"We are willing to make a deal with you for your cooperation," Nero said. "If you help us, then in return we will reward you with the diadem."
Artemis nodded. "We are willing," Artemis said. "But if you do not uphold our bargain then Foaly will release the coordinates of H.I.V.E. on the Internet."
"Sounds fair," Otto murmured to nobody in particular.
"Very well," Nero said smoothly. "Now, I recommend Mr. Foaly prepares a few files for you to read, Mr. Malpense, and you can share the important information with the rest of us."
Otto nodded, and went to the computer at the side of the room, where Foaly brought up a number of files.
"Whoops," he said. "You need English, don't you?"
"No," Otto said, flicking through the pages. It took a matter of minutes for Otto to become fluent in Gnommish, as he had already spent his childhood comprehending Egyptian hieroglyphics. Even Foaly was impressed with his skill.
"You read awfully fast," he said suspiciously.
Otto shrugged. "One of the many perks of being me, I'm afraid."
He failed to mention much of his own personal history in that session. He was unready to tell his best friend the truth about his past—complete strangers were out of the question.
While Otto became an expert on fairy lore and Opal Koboi, being careful not to overstep the boundaries again, the adults studied their assets. If Raven and Nero were surprised to be working with a fairy, they showed no sign of it. Diabolus had been initially shocked, but as a supervillain, he was used to facing the strange and absorbing it into his plans.
For once in his life, Artemis Fowl found himself in a situation where he was being treated like a child. Perhaps not a child, but an equal to the other teenagers that surrounded him and thus a subordinate to the adults.
"So," he said casually to the red haired girl. "Your name is Laura, yes?"
"Indeed, sir," she replied, smiling.
"You go to a school for villains, then?"
She glanced over at her teachers, who were not paying attention. "The Higher Institute of Villainous Education," she said. "It's a little odd at first, but it comes to feel like home eventually."
"I'm not sure I could ever become accustomed to a jumpsuit," Artemis said apologetically. "However dashing I may look in black."
Laura giggled.
"They're not all black, you know." She explained, "H.I.V.E. teaches four main areas—ours are black because we're Alphas. We're being trained to be the leaders of tomorrow."
Artemis looked around, where Juliet was teaching Shelby a few wrestling moves. Since Juliet had lent Shelby a lovely shade of nail polish and Juliet had learned Shelby was the infamous jewel thief known as the wraith, they had become fast friends.
"I'll bet you are," Artemis said, half to himself.
"Laura!" Otto exclaimed. "You have to come see these diagrams for their Neutrinos! They're spectacular!"
"Oh, go on," Foaly, their author, said. He was already growing fond of the white-haired boy. Laura stood, coming over and immediately gasping, and immediately said something in techno-babble.
"I hope you speak Nerd, Artemis!" Shelby yelled. "They're never going to stop now."
Artemis smiled, coming over and easily engaging in their conversation. They all seemed to share a passion for technology, and the way Otto and Laura fluently understood what they were looking at and how it worked offered Artemis company he rarely got to enjoy.
He almost liked it.
Sebastian Trent took a deep breath, knowing very well this could go very well or very badly. Opal was temperamental—if he wasn't receiving such a valuable sum from their partnership he would have her executed. She was that dangerous.
"You wanted to see me, Sebastian?" Opal asked, coming in.
"Yes," Sebastian smiled. "Our audience awaits us."
Opal frowned. "They're so annoying," she grumbled.
"Indeed," Trent said. "But I would hate to disappoint them when they've been waiting to meet death for too long."
"So true," Opal sighed. "I can't wait to crush them."
For a fairy, Trent reflected, she was also rather violent.
"Will we be leaving soon?" Opal asked, straightening her outfit.
"Not yet, I'm afraid," Trent said. "My team is loading up as we speak, we should leave in perhaps half an hour.
"Good," Opal said, quite satisfied. Trent looked at her, standing, and went to the door. "Where are we going?"
Trent didn't turn around.
"Tell me, Ms. Koboi. What would it take to buy a wish?"
At long last Raven felt satisfied, and she called over the students.
"Put these on," she ordered, kicking at the bullet-proof vests, clips, and firearms piled up for them. Artemis stared uncertainly at the equipment he was expected to don, more accustomed to wearing the suit and letting Butler do the hard work.
"Need a hand?" Wing asked. He showed Artemis how to pull on the body armor, and made sure the grappler was set up correctly on his arm.
"Usually I'm the overseer," Artemis muttered quietly, almost embarrassed.
Wing raised his eyebrows by a fraction. "In our experience, the overseer performs better when he understand his workers."
Artemis nodded. It was the truth, although not a truth he lived by.
"So, how do we get them?" Juliet asked, straightening her helmet.
"I'm afraid we must wait for the fight to come to us," Nero said. "Both Trent and Koboi are shielded from us right now, according to Foaly."
"And when they come?" Shelby prompted.
"We make them wish they had never met," Butler replied, fingering his Sig Sauer. "Drive them back, then escape."
"No," Otto and Artemis said in unison.
"We're listening," Nero said. Artemis gestured for Otto to go first.
"It's not only that we need to escape," Otto said. "We need to destroy their alliance."
"Exactly," Artemis agreed. "They're doing this for personal benefit. I imagine your Trent would drool to acquire some fairy technology. Particularly the weaponry."
"And Ms. Koboi would like to have a little more free access in the human world without losing her magic," Otto added.
"How do you suggest we stop them, then?" Nero asked.
"Opal abhors people who do not value her beauty and, ah, infinite wisdom," Artemis said. "If we can get Trent to say something rude to her then she might flip."
"Trent wouldn't be caught off guard like so," Raven said. "He would know Koboi needs to be fondled."
"True, but he doesn't know her well," Artemis said.
"Koboi is a spoiled little girl," Otto thought aloud. "And eventually Trent won't be able to stand her any longer. Perhaps they just need to be forced to work together for a little too long."
Nero nodded. "Very well," he said. "But we will still need to hurry. If we don't choose our positions for battle now, they will."
Otto looked to the door, sensing the approach of foreign technology.
"I'm afraid it's too late for that," he said. "They're here."