Artemis Fowl and the Dawn Pursuit

Chapter 7: Control

Finch smiled as they secured it in the back of the truck, hearing the sound of Aurora as she came to and began shouting through the tape.

He turned to Nexxio. "Get that stupid elf and let's go."

*********

Artemis brushed non-existent lint off his suit as he checked his appearance for the final time in the bathroom of the shuttle. His hands were trembling as he did up the bottom button of his suit jacket, and he forced himself to take a deep breath.

Butler had finished cleaning his guns and was busily holstering them in the various places he kept weapons on his person, Matt watching in fascination.

Holly and Foaly looked up from where they were going over the logistics of the plan when Artemis emerged from the bathroom.

"Are you ready?" Holly asked softly.

Artemis nodded.

"Why can't I go?" Matt pouted.

"Are you the heir to a fortune?" Artemis snapped. "Do you have enough money to buy a human?"

Matt shrunk a little under the Irish teen's glare. "Well, no. But at least I care about Rory."

"I care about Aurora," Artemis growled. "That's why I'm doing this."

The two boys began sizing each other up- Artemis looking murderous, while Matt looked like he was ready to flatten the Irish boy.

"Artemis, you need to be down there in ten minutes, so I suggest you leave now," Holly said, jumping in to prevent a fight.

Artemis nodded. "Well, wish me luck," he said, straightening his tie and nodding at Butler as they exited the shuttle.

Butler had arranged for a hire car to be dropped off around the corner from where the shuttle had been hovering for the past fourteen hours, and while it was a short walk to the meeting place, Artemis needed to look as though he had travelled.

"Are you going to be okay?" Butler asked as they drove to the abandoned warehouse that Finch had chosen on the very outskirts of the London industrial area. Large concrete and brick structures that had fallen into disrepair over the years of neglect passed them by, surrounded by chainlink fences with worn-out security signs zip-tied to them.

"If we don't get her back..." Artemis began uncertainly but shook his head as if to dislodge the thought that had been there. "When we get her back, it's more how I'm going to explain to my parents where the money disappeared to."

Butler smiled. "She will be fine."

"That's not what I said, Butler," Artemis replied.

Butler smirked. "I know."

*********

Aurora lay on the floor of a cage in the dark. She knew it was a cage because whoever was driving couldn't drive well, and every corner she was flung into the bars of the opposite side.

Initially, she had thought she was blindfolded but had then realised that it was just dark when she couldn't feel anything over her face. The vehicle turned abruptly, slamming her into the bars again, then the driver hit the brakes as hard as possible.

After a minute, the sound of muffled yelling grew clearer when a sliver of light appeared under the sheet covering the cage. She felt the cage lift as it was removed from whatever had been transported in before it was being rolled across smooth concrete floors. The cage lifted again, and the sheet was ripped off, causing Aurora to blink multiple times as her eyes adjusted to the sunlight pouring in through the skylights of the huge abandoned warehouse.