Wow. Thank you guys for your overwhelming feedback and support. I really appreciate it. I didn't expect so much after being gone for so long haha! So here we have chapter three. The story is progressing well. It's funny, but what I had planned for Zippy turned into the idea for one of the characters in my book. They aren't exactly the same, but the roots are there. The next chapter will hopefully be up soon, though I need to do one for Fullmetal Thunder next, an will be from Holly's perspective. I hope you continue to enjoy!
Artemis scrubbed and scrubbed, the blood underneath his fingernails remaining stubborn half-crescents of color. The feeling of hot water rushing over his hands was a soothing balm to his frayed and tired mind, lulling him into an almost meditative state, as was the endless attempt to return his hands to their previous virgin state of cleanliness. Despite over five minutes of washing, every so often a small pink rivulet of tainted water would detach itself from his skin and swirl away down the depths of the drain.
Everything seemed to turn over and over itself in his mind, all that he had discovered being neatly cataloged and shelved in the spaces of his massive brain. Magic was real. He had a living, breathing fairy in his house to study at his leisure. They were bound by some rule that required permission to enter a domicile. What more was there still to be discovered, lying patiently in wait for Artemis's questing mind to uncover? He smiled sharply to himself, meeting his own eyes in the mirror and observing the predatory gleam reflected in their depths. In the eternal words of Arthur Conan Doyle, the game was afoot. All he needed now was to take his present situation and use it to his advantage. It seemed to him like everything else had simply, by pure chance, fallen right into his hands.
Giving up on the state of his fingernails as a lost cause for now, Artemis turned off the tap before patting his hands dry on a nearby towel. It had the consistency of soft cotton fluff, and he relished the feeling. Pausing for a split second to run his fingers through his hair, trying to tame the mess it had become in the excitement to a more presentable appearance, he left the bathroom and walked briskly down the hallway. There were a million things to do, and Artemis Fowl the Second did not feel like he had nearly enough time available to him to accomplish them all.
The question of the fairy's survival was now a less precarious one, her wound having been sewn and bandaged by his inexpert hands. However inexperienced he may be, his knowledge of medical procedure had allowed for at least a mediocre job, and the bleeding had been stemmed with little fuss. The fairy was now carefully ensconced in the Master bedroom on the second floor, a room with unopenable, old-fashioned windows and a heavy lock on its sturdy wooden door. Barring any extraordinary abilities that might manifest themselves in due time, the accommodations should more than hold the creature if it awoke before expected. To be doubly sure, he had posted Juliet on the outside as a sentry, not only keep the fairy from exiting but also to bar others from entering before he had time to speak with his new… guest. After all, he had been the one to save the creature's life. He should be the one with the first opportunity to speak with it.
Juliet, foolish and sentimental as she was, had insisted on cleaning and bathing the creature, as well as providing her with a clean set of clothes. Artemis had scoffed but eventually agreed, and clothes suited for her size were scrounged up from various places in the house. He had instructed her firmly that in every circumstance where she was to interact with the creature, she must wear her mirrored filter sunglasses at all times. He had discovered that this ability to become invisible to the naked eye was achieved by vibrating at high enough speeds that the human brain could simply not track the movement. He was not sure if this was a technological ability or an innate one, but to be safe the glasses would stay on for the duration of the creature's stay. It wouldn't do to have her suddenly vanish into the nether after he had only just caught- saved her.
Before she woke, however, he would have to inform the others. He knew there were risks to this venture, and would not bow to them, but the others deserved a fair chance to back out now if that is what they wished. So, at the crack of dawn, he had roused them all and brought them to the main computer room where Yuki had already been working diligently through the night. She was oddly nocturnal, and therefore tended to take most of the shift that went late into the night or early morning. None of the others had any complaints. What she wasn't willing to take was divided evenly amongst the other members.
It was this room he walked into now, hearing the gentle chatter that had been drifting through the partly ajar door come abruptly to a stop as he entered. This room was in the deepest levels of the Manor, built into the foundation with a base of solid concrete. He had, at one point, had aspirations to turn it into a detaining cell of sorts, but at the beginning of the crisis it had quickly become absorbed by a rapid influx of technology. It was a middling sized room by his standards, fifteen yards by ten, lit by the harsh glow of florescent light fixtures attached to the ceiling. The floor was sealed concrete, as were the walls. The light fixtures hung glumly from a bare concrete ceiling. This was not a room made for comfort in any sense of the word, nor aesthetic taste. It was a purely functional dwelling for a sprawling mass of screens, wires, and metal boxes that took up two-thirds of the available area. At one corner of the room the stack of interlinked processors reached nearly to the ceiling. LED lights flashed, computers hummed, and cooling fans cheerily whirred away. It was a small piece of techno heaven.
Artemis, a half a year into this venture, had offered to refurnish the space and make it seem less like an atrocious concrete box. But, by that point it would have been too time-consuming to disassemble and reassemble the set-up they had created, not to mention what would happen if a cyber attack occurred while their systems were down. The results could be catastrophic. So, it stayed how it was, the space becoming more and more filled as they were forced to expand their system over the years.
They were all seated and waiting for him there, comfortably ensconced mostly in plush office chairs pushed around one small, rickety table. Butler was the first one he saw. Being by far the biggest person in the room wherever he went he did have a tendency to draw the eye. He was seated uncomfortably on a small poof stool that had been dragged there from an adjacent room. The chairs were simply not meant to hold a man of his muscular bulk, so he did not ever deign to try. The poof creaked ominously whenever he moved, and he has positioned himself to be as far away from the technology sprawled across the room as he feasibly could be. One false swing of his elbow and most of their hard work would literally come crashing down around their ears.
Zepino was sitting at one of the sides of the small, square table, swinging back and forth gently in his swivel chair. He was of lower middling height, shorter than Artemis by just a couple of centimeters. Artemis, however, had the advantage of continued growth while Zippy was at his full adult growth. He made up for his short stature with a boundless fount of energy, seeming as if his personality had been compacted and intensified by being stuck in so small a space. His sandy hair was short and bristly, gelled a bit in a manner Juliet had called 'cute' on several occasions. He was very, very skinny, with a compact chest and narrow hips. It was odd, seeing as he ate like a horse on steroids. Artemis suspected a thyroid condition, but said nothing. It wasn't his business.
Spry was sitting across from him in a spare folding chair, hunched over the tabletop as he tinkered with a metallic something that was now spread in pieces across the surface. His face was aged and weathered, hair grey and hanging loosely around his face. His eyes were laser sharp though as he picked up a cog, scrutinizing it closely before sliding it into an empty slot in the contraption before him. He wore a plaid button down, as was his custom.
Yuki, the last person he spotted, was off in the corner, watching the monitors and typing some command into the main interface they had set up. Her black hair was pulled back into a tight bun, her face blank and expressionless as her fingers blurred across the keypad. An empty mug sat nearby, most likely filled with some sort of caffeinated beverage. It was probably coffee, a vice she had acquired while away at American college. As far as he knew, Yuki had been up all night and must have been near dropping from exhaustion at this point. She showed no sign of it, though, except for a few minute creases of tension around the corners of her almond-shaped eyes.
Minerva was currently not in the Manor, having gone for the week to visit her parents back in France. She was young, after all, and it was difficult for her to be away from home for such long periods of time. Artemis wondered if it wouldn't be a good idea to send a quick message to her parents requesting she stayed where she was until this whole mess was resolved. No need for more people than necessary to be put in the crosshairs while the situation was being sorted.
At the sound of his entrance, all four of them looked up and in his direction, faces eager and anxious all at the same time. Well, Zippy's was eager, Spry's was anxious, and Yuki's was its usual blank nothing. Wordlessly, Artemis stalked over to the one remaining chair at the table and seated himself, folding his hands in front of him with his elbows rested on the table. He propped his chin up on fingers in a casual gesture he wouldn't have dreamed of four years ago, eyes traveling over the faces beyond. Yuki turned so she could watch the monitor from the corner of her eye and face him at the same time. All was deathly quiet as they waited for him to speak.
Clearing his throat gently, Artemis opened his mouth and began. "Last night, around three o'clock in the morning, there was a break-in of sorts on my third story balcony. A wounded fairy alighted there, clearly having just been in some sort of altercation judging from her injuries. I tried to engage her verbally, with limited success, but was not able to say much before she passed out and fell to the ground below," he said, his cultured voice calm and assured. He needed to seem as in control of the situation as he could in order to reassure the others and increase the likelihood of them capitulating to his demands. "Butler and I rushed down, bringing her into the house and tending to her wounds with Juliet's assistance. With any luck her life is no longer in danger, and she is now residing within the confines of the Manor. Juliet is standing guard as we speak, though the creature is still unconscious and will likely remain so for a little while longer." He stopped, feeling the stunned silence in the air and giving them the time they needed to process his words.
After a long moment, Zippy closed the jaw that had dropped open during Artemis's little speech. He opened it as if to say something, but nothing came out. Clearing his throat and trying again, he said weakly, "You mean to say that- that you have a live fairy under this very roof?" He sounded incredulous as if even saying the words aloud he did not quite believe them. "Is that what you're trying to tell us?"
"That is correct," Artemis said smoothly, his voice firm with confidence. Zippy scrutinized it for a second, trying to judge whether or not this whole thing was no more than an elaborate prank. Seeing the seriousness written all over Artemis's face he leaned back and gave an impressed whistle.
"Holy hell," Zippy breathed in a wondrous voice. "A real live fairy, right in the Manor. As I live and breathe, Art, you certainly have some balls on you."
"It's Artemis, Zippy. Not Arty, not Art. Artemis," he replied in exasperation, four years of this treatment turning the annoyance in his voice to something more akin to wearied resignation.
"This is a disaster!" exclaimed Spry, throwing his unoccupied hand up in the air. Clutching the metal construction so tightly in his fist that Artemis could see the whites of his knuckles, Spry made a violent slashing gesture with his hand. "What the hell have you done, boy? You're gonna bring the wolves right to our bloody front door!"
"Calm yourself Argus," Artemis said firmly, causing the older man to shoot him a scathing look mixed with deep anxiety. "If they do, they will find our door well-fortified indeed. However, for the moment I don't have many worries about an imminent invasion. Why would a lone fairy show up our doorstep? Her injuries were genuine, and no others appeared on our surveillance throughout the course of the night. If it was a trap, they had plenty of time to spring it when Butler and I were outside of the house. In addition, new information has come to light that will make them entering my home a tad more… difficult than I previously anticipated." Artemis drew in a deep breath and shook his head, continuing. "No. While there is always the chance of a deeper plot, my guess is that she was alone. And as you know," he said with a dangerously shark-like grin, "My guesses are usually excellent. Now, this doesn't mean she may not be noticed to be missing and subsequently tracked here, but for the moment I don't think the cavalry will be coming our way."
"It is sound logic," came Yuki's cool voice from over by the monitors. Her voice was lower for a female, a smooth husky alto made chilly by the hardness of her tone. She was impassive as she addressed Spry, seemingly indifferent as she said, "There's no cause for alarm. Yet."
"Yet," grumbled Spry as he sank into a more relaxed position in his chair, "Is not forever. We are playing a long game here, ladies and gentlemen, and I don't see why we should screw the pooch so thoroughly when we can't even see the goal posts yet." The ex-convict was twitchy still, but seemed less likely now to fly into some panic-induced rage.
"I agree, Argus," said Artemis, sitting up straighter and putting his folded hands onto his lap. Showtime. "Our best solution to this problem is to turn it over to the global authorities and let them deal with the issue. However, I would like to wait a bit before letting them know of this new acquisition."
"And why the hell would we do that?" asked Zippy, raising an eyebrow. "The only thing that keeping this fairy around sounds like is trouble, mate. What reason could we have to keep her here?"
Artemis smiled, this time a hungry look in his eye. "Knowledge," he said baldly, a covetous thread flowing through his voice. "Knowledge is the reason." At the other's expressions which ranged from cool regard to outright skepticism, Artemis raised a forestalling hand and said, "No, hear me out. While I'm sure the government would find their uses for such a specimen, what we could learn from her while she resides here could be essential for us to understand what it is we are truly facing. Think about it. An entirely new, never before seen species, all ours to investigate at our leisure. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity. Also," he said, turning to face Yuki more directly for this comment, "This fairy could have the key to us cracking their servers wide open."
Yuki pursed her lips. As Yuki was their best offensive hacker (except for maybe Artemis, but the two had never had the opportunity or inclination to directly test their skills against each other), it had been mainly her responsibility to spearhead the efforts in trying to break through the fairy's cyber security and into their mainframe. From there, demolishing their defenses would be child's play. But, even after four years, the answer had been stubbornly eluding them all. Yuki had taken this as a personal affront on her intelligence, spending extra hours trying everything she could think of in the hopes of cracking through. Either the fairies were just too good, thought too differently for them to figure out how their system worked, or there was some key component that could be used to have the whole thing make more sense. For their sake, Artemis hoped the last option was the case.
"As part of this team, I thought it prudent to run this decision by you. After all, you are residents of this house, and should be aware of any inherent risks. So, I am asking you: for the good of our cause, no, for all of humankind, can you keep this secret? Not forever, just for the meantime."
"How long?" asked Spry suspiciously, eye narrowed at him.
"Two weeks at a maximum," said Artemis without a pause. He met Argus's gaze without blinking. "After that, we can alert the authorities and turn her over to the dubious hands of the government. You have my word." The moment stretched on, thick with tension like pulled taffy, the air between them sticking uncomfortably to everyone's skin. Finally, Spry blinked, looking down and away.
"Fine. Two weeks and no more," he said roughly, pushing his chair back violently and rising to his feet. He swept all of the metals bits roughly into a pouch that hung from his hip. "But I hope for all our sakes that this doesn't turn into trouble." And with that, he stalked from the room, leaving the door ajar behind him.
"Whew! That was dramatic," commented Zippy, rising to his feet and stretching his arms behind his head. Looking at Artemis, he said easily, "I'm in Arty, but you better keep a weather eye for trouble. Either from these fey folk or from Spry. He isn't too happy with the whole situation, being forced to be here and all. Makes him a tad grumpy." He laughed, clasping Artemis roughly on the back before turning to Yuki and saying, "How about you darlin'? Gonna head for the hills now that the fun's just beginning?"
"I have no intention of leaving," said Yuki blandly as she rose elegantly from her seat and brushed down the front of her grey pencil skirt. "I agree with Mr. Fowl in his assessment of the fairy's potential use. I would like to see her for myself sometime in the near future, if at all possible," she said in Artemis's direction.
"Of course," said Artemis with a smooth nod. "I will let you know when she wakes. Her condition is still delicate, however, so it may be a few days before visiting is possible." He lied casually, so smooth that it would have taken a professional to notice. He searched Yuki for signs that she'd detected his ruse, but if she did nothing in her face gave her away. She was, as usual, a perfect marble statue.
"Understood," she said with a brisk nod, making for the door and ignoring Zippy completely. "I look forward to the experience. Good day, gentlemen." And with that, she too disappeared from sight.
"God, she is lovely," said Zippy in a fervent tone of voice. Then turning and plopping himself in the recently vacated chair, he said cheerfully, "Well, it's my turn to keep an eye out. I'll let you know if something devastating comes up."
"Thank you, Zepino," said Artemis serenely, rising from his seated position with as much grace as his overly-lanky body could muster. Damn growth spurts. "I wish you luck with your shift."
"Sure thing, boss!" Zippy called without looking, already entranced with the information flowing like water across the many screens. Artemis weaved through the mess of computers and wires with the ease of long practice, exiting the room with Butler close on his heels. The corridor outside was empty. Yuki and Argus must have already retired to elsewhere in the house.
Artemis smiled to himself, triumphant. They'd taken the bait, all of them, as he'd known they would. Now, he had time, time he desperately needed in order to carry out his plan.
The two men walked in silence, up the stairs and through the rest of the house. The grandness of their surroundings was summarily ignored, and neither of them ventured to speak before they were in the more secure location of Artemis's room. With so many strangers having the run of the house they never knew who might be listening. Finally, they reached the somewhat mangled door of Artemis's bedroom. Laboriously, Butler managed to close it behind him after they'd passed through, entering a cocoon of silence in the more fortified quarters. Alone now, both relaxed a fraction and Artemis ran a hand through his slightly messy hair. It had been a taxing twenty-four hours.
"Well old friend, what do you think?" he asked with a sigh, seating himself on the edge of his unkempt bed. Butler 'hmmed' softly, face still tense but thoughtful.
"I don't like it on principle, simply because this puts you in additional danger," said Butler finally after he'd had a moment to gather his thoughts. "This is a risky plan, Artemis. Who knows what this fairy is capable of, even in this wounded state? Plus, where one comes, others will follow. We learned that well in the military." Butler stopped, meeting Artemis's gaze with an intense look. "We may not have two weeks before they realize she's gone and come looking for her. That suit looked military to me, and the military doesn't take too kindly when you snatch one of their own. They've been known to raise hell over it, in fact," Butler said with a rueful twist of his lips.
"Then I will need to work as quickly as I can," said Artemis darkly as he removed his shoes and socks, dropping them to the floor with a muffled thump. "It is important to make the most of the time I can get. I should rest while the fairy is still unconscious. Please wake me at the first sign of consciousness, Butler."
"What's up with you?" asked Butler abruptly, an uncharacteristically blunt question for him to ask of his employer. He was staring intently at Artemis, who met his gaze squarely with a guarded expression. "Normally you don't make gambits this risky. Unless…" Butler had a flash of dreadful realization go through him. "It's not going well, is it?" he asked with a growing sense of horror as Artemis tensed and looked towards the wall. Bingo. "The coding or what have you. I'm no shakes at computers, not the way you are, but I recognize a losing fight when I see one. They're gaining on us, aren't they?"
Artemis was silent for a long minute, staring blankly at the wall with a tense expression on his face. Then, he said in a quiet, dark voice, "Yes." Butler watched him slump down and curl a fraction inwards, a defeated pose Butler almost never saw Artemis take on. Artemis's hands curled into fists, balled tightly near his knees. "Lately, something had changed. I don't know what it is, but the person seems to have gotten…smarter, for a lack of a better word. More efficient. More complex. Before, we were just barely holding our ground. But now…" Artemis broke off, teeth grinding as he looked down and to the side. His fringe draped over his eyes, cutting them off from Butler's line of sight. "It won't take long for the others to realize," he said in a quiet voice, filled with some rabid mix of desperation and determination. "By my calculations, at this rate we don't have long. Maybe a couple months. Maybe even as little as a couple of weeks."
Such bleak statistics from a boy who was normally so arrogantly confident send ice rushing through Butler's veins. "Surely, if you had more people, more resources-?" he began, but Artemis cut him off.
"It might help, but only in the short-term," said Artemis, shaking his head. "Everyone in this house is the best in the world at what they do. We were what they were relying on. If we can't do it, then no one else stands a chance."
There was silence in the room as the two of them considered this grim possibility. Finally, Butler asked hesitantly, "What happens when they get control?"
"Maybe nothing," said Artemis wearily, rubbing the bridge of his nose to try and relieve some of the tension in his aching head. "Maybe everything. Once they've broken through, all of the world's secrets will be theirs to do with as they will. Missile codes, launch sequences, all of it will be theirs. They could wipe us all off the face of the planet with the push of a button. I don't know enough about them to be able to extrapolate how likely this might be, but one thing's for sure: that much power in one person's hands is never a good thing."
Coming from Artemis, with his constant desire for more power, this was quite a statement. The gravity of the situation hit Butler then like the force of a speeding train. It was almost over. Everything they had, life as they knew it, could be erased by an inhuman finger pushing a planetary reset button. Who knows? Maybe they would be glad to be rid of the human race, the interlopers who had so blatantly challenged their claim for the planet. All of this, in the span of a couple of months. It had been a gold fall for the fairy to drop in on them at this particular moment, suspiciously so, but Butler now saw it was a chance they had no choice but to seize tightly with both hands.
"We'd better not let them win then," said Butler gravely. Artemis sighed, lying back on the bed and closing his weary eyes.
"I won't," he said, the weight of all the genius's determination echoing behind his words. Then in moments Artemis was asleep, a small frown still gracing his features even in unconsciousness. Butler took a moment to look at his charge, grown up now in so many ways, before exiting the room as silently as he was able. He had a suspicion they would all need their rest for the hard days ahead.
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