Chapter 15:
The Master Plan of the Master Race
The pain in Artemis' head was excruciating. He out a long, slow groan, and opened his eyes. His vision was blurred, but it soon came into focus, and the view was probably the last thing he wanted to see, if he knew what he was seeing. He was strapped into some kind of fleshy chair, which faced a large console and screen. The screen looked as if it was metal welded onto flesh, and the console was a strange combination of keyboard, touch screen, and organelles.
The room that Artemis and his console were situated in was on an odd curvature. The walls were some sort of metal, but they seemed to have tubes running through them, as if they were veins. The ceiling had a long rod running across the middle, as if supporting the weight. Like a spine.
''Like Jonah and the whale'', thought Artemis. He considered what he just thought. ''…Oh god, please tell me I'm not in the belly of some beast.''
''Not exactly, my young genius'' came a voice in his head. Artemis jerked his head left and right, but to the center of him, a door opened with a wet sliding sound. From it slid Davros, his face contorted in a twisted smile, his black teeth glistening.
''Welcome, Artemis Fowl the Second'' he announced in a grandiose tone, raising his one arm to the air. ''How lovely that I finally have the privilege of meeting you face to face.''
''The same cannot be said for me'' Artemis thought. But as the thought passed through his mind, a searing pain enveloped his cortex. He writhed and screamed for a few seconds, and then the pain faded away.
Davros chortled like he had just heard a funny joke, and then slid up to his captive. With his one arm, he reached up and patted Artemis on the back of his head. The boy realized there was something attached to the base of his skull. Davros grabbed hold of it, and brought it to the boy's face. It was a long, pink, fleshy tube, with veins running up and down it. Davros waggled it in front of Artemis' face, all the while still laughing.
''My, my, Artemis. Is that any way to treat your host?''
Artemis wheezed in and out. ''What the… what the hell did…did you do to me?'' Davros let go of the tube, and grabbed the side of the chair. He twisted it as he slid on the ground, turning it so Artemis faced the screen and console.
''What I have done, boy,'' said Davros, ''is merely out of necessity. You are the unchanging variable of my plan, and I will not let you, your friends, or that despicable Doctor deny me the fruits of my labour.''
''What do you mean, 'unchanging variable'?'' Artemis asked, pain still throbbing in his brain.
''Ahhhhhh'' Davros sighed. ''True. You don't know your importance to me. Shall I tell you? As a sort of…down payment for your services?''
Artemis still felt the pain in his head, so he merely gave a quick nod.
''Humans pride themselves on their technology; you're such a pompous race. Your 'internet' is millennia behind the information processing of even the lowest species. But even the obsolete can yield results. Specifically…'' Davros pointed to Artemis, "the Interpol ten-gigabyte file on the proclaimed genius Artemis Fowl the 2nd.''
Artemis rolled his eyes, causing another quick jolt to go down his cortex.
Davros tsk-ed. ''Even in defeat, you must be so defiant. No matter.'' The man slid to the dashboard, and clicked a few buttons. The screen flickered, and numbers began running up and down the length of the glass. Diagrams shifted and changed, and graphs began rapidly fluctuating.
Artemis' eyes widened. ''Incredible. What is this?''
''The genius resurfaces'' Davros chuckled. ''Which is exactly what my Daleks and I need.'' Davros pressed another button on the dashboard, and Artemis' hands were suddenly free.
''You will solve these equations. Once the final equation has been solved, you will have served your purpose. Now get to work, my young friend. My plan depends on your genius, but time is a factor that I do not have control of. Not yet.'' He pressed another button, then spun and slid out the door, which sealed with a pneumatic sucking sound.
Artemis felt the base of his neck tingle. ''Not again. Please'' he thought. But instead of pain, he felt an immense calm. Like a pressure had been lifted from his chest. He looked straight at the screen. The equations; all that mattered now was the equations.
Artemis Fowl put his hands on the fleshy keyboard. It reacted like an organ being poked, but the boy didn't mind. He couldn't mind. All he saw were the equations. Graphs diagrams numbers the equations sequences locks gates Gallifrey relations quadratics 4th dimensional energy signatures The War The Time Lords Elysium differentials decimals radiation spikes Rassilon's Decree temporal rifts The Void Boahiem's Theorem codes ciphers codex Medusa Cascade moderationals ghost signatures The Horde.
Artemis Fowl went to work.