Chapter One:

Alex had heard about Artemis Fowl: who hadn't? The Irish, juvenile criminal genius. He'd gone quiet during his mid-teens, but returned, with more henchmen, more of a tendency to violence, and with more appetite for gold and power than ever before. Fowl had been the bane of MI5 for years, and thousands of rumours sprung up in both of the services around the boy. He was the son of the ex-head of the Russian mafia. He'd orchestrated the theft of the Crown Jewels from the comfort of his own home. He was evil. The spawn of Satan. Inhuman. Unnatural. Magic.

Alex was more than aware that anyone who could have got the hardened officers of '5 and '6 so worked up had to be someone extraordinary. And now, staring into those icy, calculating eyes, he understood. Fowl was something else.

Fowl was still smiling at him serenely.

Alex ignored him.

"Come now, Alex, don't be like that. All I want is a one word. Just so I know that Flash hasn't destroyed your vocal chords when he brought you in. He's rather unpredictable, like that," Fowl added sadly, "but his creativity simply can't be beaten. And he's a rather good shot." Alex stiffened, remembering Wolf's blood on the pavement. Fowl noticed. Alex got the impression that nothing got past him. "Yes, I'm sorry about your friend, Jonathan, wasn't it? As I said, Flash has the tenancy to get a little carried away. He was really only after you, you know."

"Jonathan?" Alex gasped out, his voice cracking due to the lack of moisture in his mouth.

"Oh, goodness me! I'm being so terribly rude, refreshment?" Fowl snapped his fingers at the door, not taking his eyes from Alex's face, and lifted the plastic cup of water that was brought to Alex's mouth. "Go on," Fowl said, sounding amused, "It's not poisoned. Cross my heart."

Alex gave in, and gulped down the liquid, knowing he wouldn't be able to last much longer without it.

"So, back to business. Jonathan White, or didn't you know his name? Wolf then. I do apologise for that, again."

"Apologise? Apologise?" Now he could think clearly once more, Alex was seething, straining futilely against the binds holding him.

"Now, now." Fowl stayed as close as before, smiling up into Alex's eyes. "I wouldn't want you to hurt yourself."

Alex spat, directly between Fowl's eyes. "Fuck you."

The smile dropped. "Try to refrain from doing that in the future. It would be in your interests to do so." With that, Fowl left, and Alex was in darkness once more.

He was allowed to sleep, he wasn't sure for how long, but he was woken up when five men unlocked him, and dragged him to the floor. They didn't tie him down, merely held his hands and feet in firm grips. The open door provided Alex with enough light to see that one of the men was holding a long stick of some kind, shaped like a baseball bat. The man stepped back, then brought the bat down on Alex's right leg.

Alex cried out, knowing instantly that at least one bones was broken, in all likelihood, more. The men left him then, curled up in a ball on the floor.

When he woke up, someone was dabbing a cool, damp cloth over his face. It was Fowl. Alex wanted to scrabble away, and tried, but shooting pains shot up and down his leg when he tried to move it.

Fowl looked at Alex, eyes glittering, but not with malice. The genius seemed to be more... interested. "Does it hurt?"

"Of course it fucking hurts. Want me to have my cronies bash in your leg and see how you feel!"

Fowl's face split into a wide smile. "Hush, now. Go to sleep. You'll have food when you wake up, since you've been good now. If you keep being so good then you'll be able to go home soon, and we can put all this unpleasantness behind us."

Alex fell back, the fight going out of him. He was suddenly very tired. "What does being 'good' entail, exactly?"

"Doing as I say, of course." Fowl laughed a little. before his expression suddenly became serious again. "You can start by telling me where they're holding my manservant."

Alex stared. "Y...your manservant? This is because of a manservant?"

"And the briefcase said manservant had in his possession, yes. You needn't look quite so stunned, Alex."

"Stop calling me Alex."

Fowl tilted his head, and said quietly, "I don't think it's really up to you dictate what I call you, do you?"

Alex turned his head away from Fowl's knowing gaze, and tried to block out the pain from his leg. Fowl left.

A/N: i'm literally desperate for a review here, please?