The second Holly unshielded to fire, Artemis scrolled out a perspex keyboard from the C Cube’s base and began to type. In seconds, he had hacked into Spiro’s bank accounts – all thirty-seven of them, in institutions from the Isle of Man to the Caymans. The various account numbers locked into place. He had access to each secret fund.
The Cube quickly ran a tot on the total funds: 2.8 billion US dollars, not counting the contents of various safety deposit boxes, which could not be touched over the Net. 2.8 billion dollars. Plenty to restore the Fowl’s status as one of the top five richest Irish families.
Just as he was about to complete the transaction Artemis remembered his father’s words. His father, returned to him by the fairy folk…
‘… And what about you, Arty? Will you make the journey with me? When the moment comes will you take your chance to be a hero?…’
Did he really need billions of dollars?
Of course I need it. aurum potestas est. Gold is power.
Really? Will you take your chance to be a hero? To make a difference?
Because he could not groan aloud, Artemis rolled his eyes and gritted his teeth. Well, if he was going to be a hero, he would be a well paid one. He quickly deducted a ten per cent finder’s fee from the 2.8 billion, then sent the rest to Amnesty International. He made the transaction irreversible, in case he weakened later on.
Artemis wasn’t finished yet. There was one more good deed to be attended to. The success of this venture depended on Foaly being too busy watching the show to notice Artemis hacking into his system.
He brought up the LEP site and set the code breaker working on a password. It took ten valuable seconds per character, but he was soon flying around LEP micro-sites. Artemis found what he needed on Perp Profiles. Mulch Diggums’s complete arrest record. From there, it was a simple matter to follow the electron trail back to the original search warrant for Mulch’s dwelling. Artemis changed the date on the warrant to read the day after Mulch’s arrest. This meant that all subsequent arrests and convictions were null and void. A good lawyer would have him out of prison in a heartbeat.
‘I have not finished with you yet, Mulch Diggums,’ he whispered, logging out and clipping the Cube on Holly’s belt.
Juliet came through the door so fast her limbs were a blur. The jade ring trailed behind her like a fishing lure on the end of a line.
Butler would never take chances like this, she knew. He would have some perfectly practical, safe plan – which was why he had his blue diamond tattoo and she didn’t. Well, maybe she didn’t want a tattoo. Maybe she wanted a life of her own.
She quickly assessed the situation. Holly’s aim was true. The two gorillas were rubbing their scorched hands and Spiro was stamping his feet like a spoiled child. Only Blunt was on the floor, going for his gun.
Even though the bodyguard was on his hands and knees, he was still almost at her eye level.
‘Aren’t you going to give me a chance to get up?’ he asked.
‘No,’ said Juliet, whipping the jade ring around like the stone that felled Goliath. It impacted on the bridge of Blunt’s nose, cracking it and effectively blinding him for a couple of minutes. Plenty of time for the Chicago Police to get down the shaft.
Blunt was now out of the game. Juliet had expected to feel some satisfaction, but all she felt was sadness. There was no joy in violence.
Pex and Chips felt they should do something. Perhaps disabling the girl would earn them a bonus from Mister Spiro? They circled Juliet, fists raised.
Juliet wagged a finger at them. ‘Sorry, boys. You have to go to sleep.’
The bodyguards ignored her, tightening the radius of their circle.
‘I said go to sleep.’
Still no response.
‘You have to use exactly the words that I mesmerized them to respond to,’ said Holly in her ear.
Juliet sighed. ‘If I must. OK, gentlemen; Barney says go to sleep.’
Pex and Chips were snoring before they hit the ground.
That just left Spiro, and he was too busy gibbering to be any threat. He was still gibbering when the SWAT team put the cuffs on him.
‘I’ll talk to you back at base,’ said the SWAT captain sternly to Juliet. ‘You’re a danger to your comrades and yourself.’
‘Yessir,’ said Juliet contritely. ‘I don’t know what came over me, sir.’
She glanced upwards. A slight heat haze seemed to be drifting towards the lift shaft. The principal was safe.
*
Holly holstered her weapon, buzzing up her shield.
‘Time to go,’ she said, the volume on her PA turned to minimum.
Holly wrapped the cam foil tightly round Artemis, making certain no limbs were peeking out. It was imperative they leave while the lift was empty. Once forensics and the press got there, even a slight shimmer in the air might be caught on film.
As they flew across the room, Spiro was being led from the lab. He had finally managed to calm down.
‘This is a set-up,’ he proclaimed in his best innocent voice. ‘My lawyers are gonna rip you guys apart.’
Artemis could not resist speaking as they floated past his ear.
‘Farewell, Jon,’ he whispered. ‘Never mess with a boy genius.’