On the third day of his consciousness, I fell asleep on the hospital bed, while my father did his walking exercises. I woke to find him regarding me thoughtfully.
“Shall I tell you something, Arty?”he said.
I nodded, unsure what to expect.
“While I was a prisoner, I thought about my life, how I had wasted it gathering riches whatever the cost to my family and others around me. In a man’s life, he gets few chances to make a difference. To do the right thing. To be a hero, if you will. I intend to become involved in that struggle.”
This was not the kind of wisdom I was accustomed to hearing from my father. Was this his natural personality, or the fairy magic? Or a combination of both?
“I never got involved before. I always thought the world could not be changed.”
Father’s gaze was intense, burning with new passion.
“But things are different now. My priorities are different. I intend to seize the day. Be the hero that every father should be.”
He sat on the bed beside me.
“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?”
I couldn’t respond. I did not know the answer. I still do not.
Fowl Manor
For two hours Artemis locked himself in his study, sitting cross-legged in the meditative position taught to him by Butler. Occasionally, he would voice an idea aloud, to be picked up by a voice-activated digital recorder placed on the mat before him. Butler and Juliet knew better than to interrupt the planning process. This period was crucial to the success of their mission. Artemis had the ability to visualize a hypothetical situation and calculate the likely outcomes. It was almost a dream state, and any disturbance could send the thread of his ideas flying like vapors.
Eventually Artemis emerged, tired but satisfied. He handed the team members three writable CDs.
“I want you to study these files,” he said. “They contain details of your assignments. When you have memorized the contents, destroy the disks.”
Holly took the disks. “A CD. How quaint. We have these in museums.”
“There are several computers in the study,” continued Artemis. “Use any terminal you wish.”
Butler was empty-handed. “Nothing for me, Artemis?”
Artemis waited until the others had gone. “I needed to give you your instructions verbally. I don’t want to risk Foaly’s picking them up from the computer.”
Butler sighed deeply, sinking into a leather armchair by the fireplace.
“I’m not going with you. Am I?”
Artemis sat on the chair’s arm. “No, old friend. But I have an important task for you.”
“Really, Artemis,” said Butler. “I’ve skipped right over my midlife crisis. You don’t have to invent a job just to make me feel useful.”
“No, Butler. This is of vital importance. It concerns the mind wipes. If my plan succeeds, we will have to submit to them. I see no way to sabotage the process itself, so I must ensure that something survives Foaly’s search. Something that will trigger our memories of the People. Foaly once told me that a strong enough stimulus can result in total recall.”
Butler shifted his position in the chair, wincing. His chest was still giving him trouble. Not surprising, really. He had been alive again less than two days.
“Any ideas?” Artemis asked.
“We need to lay a couple of false trails. Foaly will be expecting that.”
“Of course. A hidden file on the server. I could send an e-mail to ourselves, but not pick it up. Then the first time we check our mail, all this information will come through.”
Artemis handed the bodyguard a folded sheet of paper. “No doubt we will be mesmerized and questioned. In the past we have hidden from the mesmer behind mirrored sunglasses. We won’t get away with that on this occasion. So, we need to come up with something else. Here are the instructions.”
Butler studied the plans. “It’s possible. I know someone in Limerick. The best man in the country for this kind of specialized work.”
“Excellent,” said Artemis. “After that, you need to put everything we have on the People on a disk. All documents, video, schematics. Everything. And don’t forget my diary. The whole story is there.”
“And where do we hide this disk?” asked the ex-bodyguard.
Artemis untied the fairy pendant from around his neck.
“I’d say this was about the same size as a laser disk. Wouldn’t you?”
Butler tucked the gold medallion into his jacket pocket.
“It soon will be,” he said.
Butler prepared them a meal. Nothing fancy. Vegetarian spring rolls, followed by mushroom risotto with crème caramel to finish. Mulch opted for a bucket of diced worms and beetles, sautéed in a rainwater-and-moss vinaigrette.
“Has everybody studied their files?” Artemis asked, when the group had adjourned to the library.
“Yes,” said Holly. “But I seem to be missing a few key pieces.”
“Nobody has the entire plan. Just the parts concerning them. I think it’s safer that way. Do we have the equipment I specified?”