- •It is up to me, Artemis realized. To rebuild our fortune and find Father.
- •Vinyaya’s pupils contracted in the light from the projectors. “This is all very pretty, Fowl, but we still don’t know the point of this meeting.”
- •I am losing my composure, he thought with quiet desperation. This disease is winning.
- •Vinyaya drummed the table with her fingers. “No more delays, human. I am beginning to suspect that you have involved us in one of your notorious plans.”
- •Vinyaya interrupted the science lovefest. “Let me see if I’ve got this straight: you shoot these wafers into the clouds and then they come down with the snow?”
- •Vinyaya laughed humorlessly. “Less than forthcoming? I think you’re being a little gentle on yourself, for a kidnapper and extortionist, Artemis. Less than forthcoming?
- •It seemed as though the Icelandic elements held their breath for Artemis’s demonstration. The dull air was cut with a haze that hung in sheets like rows of laundered gauze.
- •Vinyaya snapped her fingers. “Quiet, children. Contain your natural disruptive urges. I am most eager to see these nano-wafers in action before taking a shuttle closer to the warm core of our planet.”
- •Immediately, Holly mounted the crate and apparently punched it into sections.
- •Vinyaya scowled, and her annoyance seemed to ripple the air like a heatwave.
- •Vinyaya paused on her way to the shuttle gangway. She turned, a sheaf of steel hair escaping her hood. “Death? What’s he talking about?”
- •I can’t reach him from this rooftop. Artemis is going to die, and there’s nothing I can do but watch.
- •I’m coming, Juliet, he thought, squeezing the steering wheel as though it were a threat to his little sister somehow. I’m on my way.
- •In trouble, Domovoi. Come alone.
- •It’s been too long since I’ve seen you, little sister.
- •If I have to wear a mask, Juliet had reasoned, it might as well be good for my skin.
- •I think we’re going to make it, he thought in a rare moment of optimism.
- •It doesn’t matter, he realized. We could both be dead long before that happens.
- •I care. Desperate situations call for desperate solutions.
- •I am still healing. I shouldn’t be moving. Gods know what damage I will do myself.
- •It’s almost comical. Almost.
- •I need to breach the line unnoticed. Their default sensor is heat. I’ll give them a little heat to think about.
- •I don’t care what Foaly says. If one of those red-eyed monsters comes anywhere near me, I’m going to find out what a plasma grenade does to its innards.
- •I’m a tree, thought Holly, without much conviction. A little tree.
- •It occurred to her that the flares were lasting well, and she really should congratulate Foaly on the new models, at which point they inevitably began to wink out.
- •I think.” a sudden idea cut through her confusion. “How many fingers am I holding up?”
- •I hope nothing breaks; I have no magic left to fix it.
- •I hate the cold. I really hate it.
- •I would prefer to be with Mulch Diggums.
- •It took Foaly a moment to realize what was happening, but then he too was jubilant.
- •I made them, thought Artemis. I should know.
- •I know that smell, Butler realized, holding on grimly. Dwarf.
- •It was the helmet Butler was after, not the meaty noggin inside.
- •It took mere moments for Mulch to get control of the flight systems and drop the gyro down to scoop up Juliet.
- •Vatnajokull; Now
- •It was true: the increased density seemed to have no effect on the probe’s laser cutters.
- •It went against Holly’s instincts to run. “I feel like we’re deserting those people down there.”
- •It was a tough choice, but there was no time to agonize over it. She felt for a squat metal cylinder in one of the rings on her belt and pulled it out.
- •It’s not actually blurry. My eyesight’s fading.
- •It will be nice for the captain to have friends around him in a time of crisis, he reasoned.
- •If he ever shows the smallest sign of disloyalty, I will have to put him down like a dog. No hesitation.
- •Vishby wanted to be terrified, to take some radical action, but the rune on his neck forbade any emotion stronger than mild anxiety. “Please, Turnball, Captain. I thought we were friends.”
- •It is important because I set it as my ring tone for Mother. She is calling me.
- •If you even think the phrase goodly beast, I am going to kick you straight in the teeth.”
- •I am fifteen now; time to behave maturely.
- •I believed that my own baby sister was in danger. Artemis, how could you?
- •I will not be beaten by this so soon.
- •I can never go back to The Sozzled Parrot again, he realized. And they served great curry. Real meat too.
- •If someone else had said this, it might be considered a joke to lift the atmosphere, but from the mouth of Artemis Fowl it was a simple statement of fact.
- •Venice, Italy; Now
- •It won’t be long now before I am counting my words again.
- •If I get out of this, I will start thinking about girls like a normal fifteen-year-old.
- •I manage to survive a giant squid attack, and now I’m worried about hissing fours. Great.
- •I’ll just fix Artemis quickly. Maybe lie down for a minute, then get back to work.
- •If any of them act up, then use the shocker feature at your own discretion, Turnball had said. And if they try to shoot their way out, make sure we get that on video so we can have a good laugh later.
- •If Butler had been equipped with laser eyeballs, Bobb Ragby would have had holes bored right through his skull.
- •I could undo the spell, he thought. But it would be delicate work to avoid brain damage, and there would definitely be sparks.
- •I am not in pain, thought Artemis. They must have given me something.
- •I can’t even remember normal, thought Butler.
If you even think the phrase goodly beast, I am going to kick you straight in the teeth.”
Artemis slapped the buckle on his chest, opening the harness, stretching his hand out farther.
“I am sorry about all of that, Foaly. But I’m fine now. It’s me, Artemis.”
Now Foaly accepted the steadying hand. “Oh, thank the gods. That other guy was really getting on my nerves.”
“Not so fast,” said Holly, appearing fully conscious between the two.
“Whoa,” said Foaly, rearing. “Don’t you moan and groan a bit when you regain consciousness?”
“Nope,” said Holly. “LEP ninja training. And this guy isn’t Artemis. He said Mum. I heard him. Artemis Fowl doesn’t say Mum, Mummy, Mom, or Momsy. This is Orion trying to pull a fast one.”
“I realize how it sounded,” said Artemis. “But you have to believe me. My mother extorted that term of endearment from me.”
Foaly tapped his long chin. “Extorted? Endearment? It’s Artemis, all right.”
“Thanks for shooting me the second time,” said Artemis, touching the burn marks on his neck. “The charge set me free from the fours, for the time being. And I’m sorry about all that rubbish Orion was spouting. I have no idea where that came from.”
“We need to talk about that at great length,” said Holly, brushing past him to the dashboard. “But later. First, let’s see if I can raise Haven.”
Foaly tapped a button on his phone’s screen. “Already on it, Captain.”
After all the drama of the previous few hours, it seemed impossible that they could simply phone Haven and get a connection just like that, but that’s exactly what happened.
Commander Trouble Kelp picked up on the first ring, and Foaly put the video call on speaker.
“Holly? Is that you?”
“Yes, Commander. I have Foaly with me, and Artemis Fowl.”
Trouble grunted. “Artemis Fowl. Why am I not surprised? We should have sucked that Mud Whelp’s brain out through his ear when we had the chance.”
Trouble Kelp was famous for his gung-ho attitude— that and the fact that he had chosen Trouble as his graduation name. There was an honest-to-gods true story going around the Academy that, as a lowly street cop, young Officer Kelp drove his riot scooter down an alley in Boolatown during the solstice and PAed to a dozen or so scrapping goblins the immortal line: If you’re looking for trouble, you’ve come to the right place. After the goblins had finished laughing, they gave Trouble a hiding he did not soon forget. The scars made him a little more cautious, but not much.
Trouble sat at his desk in Police Plaza, ramrod straight in his blue commander’s jumpsuit, acorn cluster glittering on his chest. His dark hair was close-cropped over impressive pointed ears, and deep purple eyes glared out from under brows that jinked like lightning bolts as he spoke.
“Hello, Commander,” said Artemis. “Nice to be appreciated.”
“I appreciate armpit lice more than I’m ever likely to appreciate you, Fowl. Get over it.”
Artemis could think of half a dozen withering responses to this comment off the top of his head, but he kept these put-downs to himself for the greater good.