literature

CaseClosedxArtemisF - Intrigue

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Lizeth's avatar
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Literature Text

Author's Note: Read Espionage before reading Intrigue.

Artemis Fowl the Second, criminal mastermind extraordinaire, was only slightly perturbed when the video feed of a third of his monitors cut out and he was left with the faint buzz of unintelligible static in his ear. The silence would undoubtedly alarm Conan and Conan's unease would alert Butler. Artemis did not have long.

Turning to his remaining screens, he set to locating the source of the electronic disruption.

Thus far, events had been taking place within his calculations. After all, the same circumstances that made this particular day ideal for Conan's investigation also made it ideal for breaking and entering.

In other words, Artemis thought with satisfaction as he removed the headset from his ear, the thief has taken my bait.

Not more than ten metres from the western border of Sir Adam's estate, someone was jamming electronic transmissions, severing Artemis covert conversation with Conan and effectively ending all cell phone calls within a five kilometre radius; it was highly likely that the landlines to the estate would be severed as well.

In approximately five minutes, the culprit would reach the house proper and then…

And then we shall see how effective Sir Adam's security truly is.

Artemis allowed himself a grim smile, stood, and straightened his blazer.

It was rather fortunate that Artemis' own technology was on the cutting edge of development. For his plan to succeed, it was absolutely necessary for the thief complete his heist without incident. For that purpose, the young prodigy had spent the last week slowly, slowly infiltrating and undermining Sir Adam's security system. Not enough to raise any flags – the changes he had made were always minor and randomly spaced throughout the week – just enough to raise, but not ensure the probability of infiltration. After all, it was best when incidental pawns believed in their own autonomy.

If the thief was caught, then and there, the thief would be more incompetent than Artemis had assessed… But if the burglar was arrested, there would be no guarantee that the stolen figurines would be recovered. No, Artemis needed the thief to succeed. The last Pendragon would be his bait and his lead.

Taking Sir Adam's security system into account, Artemis had approximately forty minutes to locate the burglar's vehicle and bug it with a long-range tracker. Even with the security cameras disabled and all the foreseeable witnesses occupied in Lovat's cottage, land transportation left distinctive tire tracks. If the thief was meticulous, the vehicle would abandoned at the first opportunity. However, there was the probability that somewhere on that vehicle, there would be something that Artemis could mark that the thief would then carry with him to his base of operations. When the thief exchanged the figurine for payment, Artemis wanted to be there. With that, Artemis would be able to discern the identity of the thief's patron, retrieve the stolen figurines… and perhaps due compensation as well.

No one stole from a Fowl.

Swiftly, Artemis gathered his equipment. The radio-jammer being used was powerful and could be easily traced with a hand-held device. His own customized RFID tracker would be dormant and therefore inconspicuous until the jammer stopped its broadcast.

Ideally, of course, the tracker would be placed on the figurine itself, but timing was essential. With Butler keeping both Conan and Lovat occupied, Artemis could not enter the main house without risking a chance encounter with the thief. Although the security system could be circumvented, going after the Pendragon would be unwise.

The vehicle would have to do.

The teen opened the door of the van and stepped down into the light.  Instantly, moist soil moulded itself to Artemis' formerly immaculate shoes and refused to be dislodged. The ground squelched, then somehow seemed to swallow another centimetre of black leather. (Somewhere, far away in Sicily, Juliet was no doubt laughing.)

Fighting a grimace, Artemis checked his watch. There wasn't a minute to lose.

So Artemis Fowl the Second, criminal mastermind extraordinaire, took a deep breath of fresh country air, squared his shoulders and squelched – awkwardly – forward.
Small continuation of my CaseClosed/ArtemisFowl plunny found here: Espionage

The Fowl's Pendragon figurine was stolen some time ago (apparently Fowl Senior was feeling charitable, and had sent it off with a number of other artworks to some small museum... their security was not up to par).

Still needs some tweeking though. Hmm...
Does Arty's plan make sense? I actually had to put a lot of thought into this, so I need to know if it payed off.

Conan's bit coming up next. He is Not Happy and quickly Drawing Conclusions of his own.
© 2009 - 2024 Lizeth
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lu40953's avatar
can't wait for the next one! :) amazing job so far. I love it!