Page 20 (1/2)
PROLOGUE
Excerpt from Artemis Fowl’s diary, disk 2 (encrypted)
For the past two years my business enterprises have thrived without parental interference In this tied and auctioned the Lost Diaries of Leonardo da Vinci, and separated the fairy People froold But my freedom to plot is almost at an end As I write, my father lies in a hospital bed in Helsinki where he is recovering after a two-year imprison his ordeal, but he will awaken soon and retake control of the Fowl finances
With two parents resident in Fowl Manor, it will be ial ventures undetected Previously this would not have been a probleer crook than I, but Mother is deterht
However, there is ti that my mother would not approve of I don’t think the fairy folk would like it much either So I shall not tell them
PART 1
ATTACK
CHAPTER 1
THE CUBE
Knightsbridge, London
Arteed from Helsinki’s University Hospital any day now He hi forward to a delicious lunch at En Fin, a London seafood restaurant, and his business contact was due to arrive at anyto plan
His bodyguard, Butler, was not quite so relaxed But then again, he was never truly at ease One did not becouard
The giant Eurasianthe usual security ite exit routes
“Are you wearing the earplugs?” he asked his employer
Arteh I hardly think we are in danger here It’s a perfectly legal business ht, for heaven’s sake”
The earplugs were actually sonic filter sponges cannibalized from fairy Lower Ele with a treasure trove of fairy technology, when one of Arteainst a fairy SWAT tearown in LEP labs, and had tiny porous membranes that sealed automatically when decibel levels surpassed safety standards
“Maybe so, Arte about assassins is that they like to catch you unawares”
“Perhaps,” replied Arte the menu’s entrée section “But who could possibly have a motive to kill us?”
Butler shot one of the half dozen diners a fierce glare, just in case sheThe wohty
“They ht not be after us Remember, Jon Spiro is a powerful man He put a lot of coht in a crossfire”
Arteht, which explained why they were both still alive Jon Spiro, the A, was just the kind of man who attracted assassins’ bullets—a successful IT billionaire with a shady past and alleged Mob connections Rumor had it that his company, Fission Chips, had made it to the top on the back of stolen research Of course, nothing was ever proven Not that Chicago’s district attorney hadn’t tried Several times
A waitress wandered over, s smile
“Hello there, young man Would you like to see the hildren’s menu?”
A vein pulsed in Artemis’s temple
“No, mademoiselle, I would not like to see the children’s menu I have no doubt that the children’s menu itself tastes better than the meals on it I would like to order à la carte Or don’t you serve fish to minors?”
The waitress’s smile shrunk by a couple of molars Artemis’s vocabulary had that effect on most people Butler rolled his eyes And Artemis wondered ould want to kill him? Most of the waiters and tailors in Europe, for a start
“Yes, sir,” stammered the unfortunate waitress “Whatever you like”
“What I would like is a medley of shark and swordfish Pan seared On a bed of julienned vegetables and new potatoes”
“And to drink?”
“Spring water Irish, if you have it And no ice, please As your ice is no doubt made fro water”
The waitress scurried to the kitchen, relieved to escape from the pale youth at table six She’d seen a vampire movie once The undead creature had had the very sarown-up because he was actually five hundred years old
Artemis smiled in anticipation of his meal, unaware of the consternation he’d caused
“You’re going to be a big hit at the school dances,” Butler commented
“Pardon?”
“That poor girl was almost in tears It wouldn’t hurt you to be nice occasionally”
Artemis was surprised Butler rarely offered opinions on personal matters
“I don’t see myself at school dances, Butler”
“Dancing isn’t the point It’s all about communication”
“Co Master Fowl “I doubt there is a teenager alive with a vocabulary equal to mine”
Butler was about to point out the difference between talking and co when the restaurant door opened A siant Jon Spiro and his security
Butler bent lohisper in his charge’s ear “Be careful, Arte one by reputation”
Spiro wound through the tables ared American, thin as a javelin, and barely taller than Arte
hties, shipping had been his thing; in the nineties, he hadin the stock market Now, it was communications He wore his trade froold-leaf the Taj Mahal
Artereet his associate
“Mr Spiro, welcome”
“Hey, little Artemis Fowl How the hell are you?”
Arteled like a rattlesnake’s tail
“I am well Glad you could come”
Spiro took a chair “Artemis Fowl calls with a proposition, I would walk across broken glass to be here”
The bodyguards appraised each other openly Apart from their bulk, the tere polar opposites Butler was the essence of understated efficiency Black suit, shaven head, as inconspicuous as it was possible to be at almost seven feet tall The newcomer had bleached-blond hair, a cut-off T-shirt, and silver pirate rings in both ears This was not a nored
“Arno Blunt,” said Butler “I’ve heard about you”
Blunt took up his position at Jon Spiro’s shoulder
“Butler One of the Butlers,” he said in a New Zealand drawl “I hear you guys are the best That’s what I hear Let’s hope we don’t have to find out”
Spiro laughed It sounded like a box of crickets “Arno, please We are a friends here This is not a day for threats”
Butler was not so sure His soldier’s sense was buzzing like a nest of hornets at the base of his skull There was danger here
“So,Arte all the way across the Atlantic What have you got for me?”
Artemis frowned He’d hoped business could wait until after lunch
“Wouldn’t you like to see a menu?”
“No I don’t eat much anymore Pills and liquids mostly Gut problems”
“Very well,” said Arte an aluminum briefcase on the table “To business, then”
He flipped open the case’s lid, revealing a blue cube the size of a mini-disk player nestled in blue foam
Spiro cleaned his spectacles with the tail end of his tie
“What a here, kid?”
Arte box on the table
“The future, Mr Spiro Ahead of schedule”
Jon Spiro leaned in, taking a good look “Looks like a paperweight to me”
Arno Blunt snickered, his eyes taunting Butler
“A de up the et purred into life Sections slid back to reveal speakers and a screen
“Cute,” muttered Spiro “I flew three thousand miles for a micro TV?”
Artemis nodded “A micro TV But also a verbally controlled conostic aid This little box can read any inforanic It can play videos, laser disks, DVDs, go online, retrieve e-mail, hack any computer It can even scan your chest to see how fast your heart’s beating Its battery is good for two years, and of course it’s completely wireless”