Artemis Fowl and the Master Experimentation

Chapter 4

"Butler!" shouted Artemis, "get your coat! We're going to Dublin!"

Artemis went down to the car and climbed in, shortly followed by the ever faithful man-servant. He got int the front and backed the car from the garage, then sped down the driveway and out the large wrought iron gates. 

"Is there any reason?" asked Butler as they sped along.

"The girl, Faylinn, is in danger, I must find her and the most likely place would be in Dublin."

They sped on in silence, Butler worrying about his ward, he'd never seen Artemis with such fire in his eyes, except when the search for his father had begun many years ago now.  

Artemis sat there all day, not leaving the place once, intent on not missing Faylinn if she came by. Even when the light began to fade, Artemis waited outside this little cafe on the main street. It was around eight, when the crowds of shoppers where nearly gone, that Faylinn came along. She walked slowly as though floating through a dream and she looked insubstantial, like a ghost. 

Artemis stood and came towards Faylinn, who stopped and looked at Artemis with distant eyes. He looked at her fore-arm and saw how it was stitched together and dribbled with blood slowly, down her arm and covered her hand, dripping from the finger tips. Her other hand had blood on her fingertips, where she'd tried to staunch the flow.

"Faylinn," said Artemis softly to her, "we need to know exactly where you are in order to rescue you."

52° 27' N / 0° 40' E - she mouthed, then repeated it again and again until it span around Artemis's head like an angry wasp.

"Latitude and longitude," he said quietly, "I'm coming, Faylinn, you have nothing to fear."

She smiled to him and her image was gone. With his heart in his throat Artemis turned to Butler behind him. 

"Phone ahead, get them to ready the jet. We're going to find Faylinn."

52° 27' N / 0° 40' E, Artemis thought as he sat in the jet with a glass of crystal clear water. It was Latitude and Longitude, he knew, so where would it take them? He had given it to the pilot who was taking them across the Irish sea, in towards Wales. Artemis placed the cut crystal glass down and sat on the floor, crossing his legs and going into a meditative state, just as Butler had taught him many years ago. As Artemis stayed like this they flew over Shrewsburry, then inland England over Birmingham towards Peterbourough and finally coming in to land at Norwich Air Port. Butler stepped from the jet and helped Artemis down, then they both set off towards the main terminal. They waited as Butler phoned an old friend who flew helicopters, asking if he would be willing to help them, for a substantial sum.

"Tell him we will pay extrordinarily well," said Artemis urgently, "we have to get to her, as quickly as we can."

Sensing Artemis's distress Butler bargained with his friend and they waited in the terminal for half an hour. Artemis drummed his fingers in a manor very foreign to him and felt something knot itself in his stomach that he could no longer deny feeling. He was scared, worried. When the helicopter arrived Artemis could hardy get on it any quicker, he had to get to her.

"Where are we going?" asked the pilot.

" 52° 27' N / 0° 40' E," said Artemis, "as fast as you can."

The pilot nodded and tapped it into his GPS system, then they took off into the air, flying above Norwich. They flew over many small villages and plenty of countryside taking them to their destination.

"How much further?" shouted Artemis down his mike, trying to make himself heard over the great rotating blades above him.

"Five minutes!" the pilot shouted back.