ARTEMIS tried the doorknob and got a scorched palm for his trouble. Sealed. The fairy must
have blasted it with her weapon. Very astute. One less variable in the equation. It was exactly what
he himself would have done.
Artemis did not waste any time attempting to force open the door. It was reinforced steel and he
was twelve. You didn't have to be a genius to figure it out, even though he was. Instead the Fowl
heir apparent crossed to the monitor wall and followed developments from there.
He knew immediately what the LEP were up to - send in the troll to secure a cry for help,
interpret it as an invitation, and next thing you know a brigade of goblin stormtroopers were taking
the manor. Clever. And unanticipated. It was the second time he'd underestimated his opponents.
One way or another, there wouldn't be a third.
As the drama below unfolded on the monitors, Artemis's emotions jumped from terror to pride.
Butler had done it. Defeated the troll, and without a single plea for aid passing his lips. Watching the
display, Artemis appreciated fully, perhaps for the first time, the service provided by the Butler
family.
Artemis activated the tri-band radio, broadcasting on revolving frequencies.
'Commander Root, you are monitoring all channels I presume ...'
For a few moments nothing but white noise emanated from the micro speakers, then Artemis
heard the sharp click of a mike button.
'I hear you, human. What can I do for you?'
'Is that the commander?'
A noise filtered through the black gauze. It sounded like a whinny.
'No. This is not the commander. This is Foaly, the centaur. Is that the kidnapping lowlife
human?'
It took Artemis a moment to process the fact that he'd been insulted.
'Mister ... ah ... Foaly. You have obviously not studied your psych texts. It is not wise to
antagonize the hostage-taker. I may be unstable.'
'May be unstable? There's no may about it. Not that it matters. Soon you'll be no more than a
cloud of radioactive molecules.'
Artemis chuckled. 'That's where you are mistaken, my quadrupedal friend. By the time that
bio-bomb is detonated, I will be long gone from this time-stop.'
It was Foaly's turn to chuckle. 'You're bluffing, human. If there was a way to escape the field, I
would have found it. I think you're talking through your -'
Thankfully it was at that moment Root took over at the microphone.
'Fowl? This is Commander Root. What do you want?'
'I would just like to inform you, Commander, that in spite of your attempted betrayal, I am still
willing to negotiate.'
'That troll had nothing to do with me,' protested Root. 'It was done against my wishes.'
'The fact is that it was done, and by the LEP. Whatever trust we had is gone. So here is my
ultimatum. You have thirty minutes to send in the gold, or else I will refuse to release Captain
Short. Furthermore, I will not take her with me when I leave the time-field, leaving her to be
disintegrated by the bio-bomb.'
'Don't be a fool, human. You're deluding yourself. Mud technology is aeons behind ours. There is
no way to escape the time-field.'
Artemis leaned in close to the mike, smiling his wolfish smile.
'There's only one way to find out, Root. Are you willing to bet Captain Short's life on your
hunch?'
Root's hesitation was highlighted by the hiss of interference. His reply, when it came, was tinged
with just the right note of defeat.
'No,' he sighed. 'I'm not. You'll have your gold, Fowl. A tonne. Twenty-four carat.'
Artemis smirked. Quite the actor, our Commander Root.
'Thirty minutes, Commander. Count the seconds if your clock's stopped. I'm waiting. But not for
long.'
Artemis terminated the contact, settling back in the swivel chair. It would seem as though the
bait had been taken. No doubt the LEP analysts had discovered his 'accidental' invitation. The fairies
would pay up because they believed the gold would be theirs again as soon as he was dead.
Vaporized by the bio-bomb. Which, of course, he wouldn't be. In theory.
Butler put three rounds into the door frame. The door itself was steel and would have sent the
Devastator slugs ricocheting straight back at him. But the frame was the original porous stone used
to build the manor. It crumbled like chalk. A very basic security flaw, and one that would have to be
remedied once this business was over.
Master Artemis was waiting calmly in his chair by the monitor bank.
'Nice work, Butler.'
'Thank you, Artemis. We were in trouble for a moment there. If it hadn't been for the captain ...'
Artemis nodded. 'Yes. I saw. Healing, one of the fairy arts. I wonder why she did it.'
T wonder too,' said Butler softly. 'We certainly didn't deserve it.'
Artemis glanced up sharply. 'Keep the faith, old friend. The end is in sight.'
Butler nodded; he even attempted a smile. But though there were plenty of teeth in the grin,
there was no heart.
'In less than an hour, Captain Short will be back with her people and we will have sufficient funds
to relaunch some of our more tasteful enterprises.'
'I know. It's just ...'
Artemis didn't have to ask. He knew exactly what Butler was feeling. The fairy had saved both
their lives and yet he insisted on holding her to ransom. To a man of honour like Butler, this was
almost more than he could bear.
'The negotiations are over. One way or another she will be returned to her kind. No harm will
befall Captain Short. You have my word.'
'And Juliet?'
'Yes?'
'Is there any danger to my sister?'
'No. No danger.'
'The fairies are just going to give us this gold and walk away?'
Artemis snorted gently. 'No, not exactly. They're going to bio-bomb Fowl Manor the second
Captain Short is clear.'
Butler took a breath to speak, but hesitated. Obviously there was more to the plan. Master Fowl
would tell him when he needed to know. So instead of quizzing his employer, he made a simple
statement.
'I trust you, Artemis.'
'Yes,' replied the boy, the weight of that trust etched on his brow. 'I know.'
Gudgeon was doing what politicians did best: trying to duck responsibility.
'Your officer helped the humans,' he blurted, mustering as much indignation as possible. 'The
entire operation was proceeding exactly as planned, until your female attacked our deputy.'
'Deputy?' chortled Foaly. 'Now the troll's a deputy.'
'Yes. He is. And that human made mincemeat of him. This entire situation could be wrapped up
if it wasn't for your department's incompetence.'
Ordinarily, Root would have blown his top at this point, but he knew that Gudgeon was grasping
at straws, desperately trying to save his career. So the commander just smiled.
'Hey, Foaly?'
'Yes, Commander?'
'Did we get the troll assault on disk?'
The centaur heaved a dramatic sigh. 'No, sir, we ran out of disks just before the troll went in.'
'What a pity.'
'A real shame.'
'Those disks could have been invaluable to Acting Commander Gudgeon at his hearing.'
Gudgeon's cool went out the window. 'Give me those disks, Julius! I know they're in there! This
is blatant obstruction.'
'You're the only one guilty of obstruction around here, Gudgeon. Using this affair to further your
own career.'
Gudgeon's face took on a hue to match Root's own. The situation was slipping away from him
and he knew it. Even Chix Verbil and the other sprites were sidling out from behind their leader.
'I am still in charge here, Julius, so hand over those disks or I will have you detained.'
'Oh, really? You and whose army?'
For a second Gudgeon's face glowed with the old pomposity. It evaporated the moment he
noticed the conspicuous lack of officers at his shoulders.
'That's right,' snickered Foaly. 'You ain't Acting Commander any more. The call came through
from below. You've got an appointment with the Council, and I don't think it's to offer you a seat.'
It was probably Foaly's grin that drove Gudgeon over the edge.
'Give me those disks!' he roared, pinning Foaly to the operation's shuttle.
Root was tempted to let them wrestle for a while, but now wasn't the time to indulge himself.
'Naughty naughty,' he said, pointing his index finger at Gudgeon. 'No one beats Foaly but me.'
Foaly paled. 'Careful with that finger. You're still wearing the -'
Root's thumb accidentally brushed his knuckle, opening a tiny gas valve. The released gas
propelled a tranquillizer dart through the latex fingertip and straight into Gudgeon's neck. The
Acting Commander, soon to be Private, sank like a stone.
Foaly rubbed his neck. 'Nice shot, Commander.'
'I don't know what you're talking about. Total accident. I forgot all about the fake finger. There
are several precedents, I believe.'
'Oh, absolutely. Unfortunately Gudgeon will be unconscious for several hours. By the time he
awakens, all the excitement will be over.'
'Shame.' Root allowed himself a fleeting grin, then it was back to business. 'Is the gold here?'
'Yep, they just inserted it.'
'Good.' He called to Gudgeon's sheepish troops. 'Get it loaded on a hover trolley and send it in.
Any trouble and I'll feed you your wings. Understood?'
No one actually replied, but it was understood. No doubt about it.
'Good. Now hop to it.'
Root disappeared into the operation's shuttle, Foaly clopping behind him. The commander shut
the door firmly.
'Is it armed?'
The centaur flicked a few important-looking switches on the main console.
'It is now.'
'I want it launched as soon as possible.' He glanced through the laser-proof refractor glass. 'We're
down to minutes here. I see sunlight poking through.'
Foaly bent to his keyboard in earnest. 'The magic is breaking up. In fifteen minutes we're going to
be in the middle of overground daytime. The neutrino streams are losing their integrity.'
'I see,' said Root, which was basically a lie again. 'OK, I don't see. But I do get the fifteen
minutes bit. That gives you ten minutes to get Captain Short out of there. After that we're going to
be sitting ducks for the entire human race.'
Foaly activated yet another camera. This one was linked to the hovertrolley. He ran a finger
experimentally across a trackpad. The trolley shot forward, almost decapitating Chix Verbil.
'Nice driving,' muttered Root. 'Will it get up the steps?'
Foaly didn't even look up from his computers.
'Automatic clearance compensator. One-point-five metre collar. No problems
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