Artemis Fowl: A Call for Help

Chapter 21

Lower Elements
"We need a search warrant for Koboi Labs." Root said.
"I can manage that." Foaly replied. With a few clicks of his keyboard, a document slid out of the printer. "Will that suffice?"
Root retreived the document. "Yep. That'll do just fine."
An hour later, Root, Holly, Trouble, and Foaly had arrived at Koboi Labs. They were talking to a security gaurd.
"We have a search warrant. You have no power to stop us." Root said.
"I'm not gonna to let you through just because you have a fancy document." the gaurd replied.
"Do I need to dumb this down for you?" Root asked. "I'll say it slowly. We-are-members-of-the-LEP-police-force. Under-law-you-are-required-to-let-us-in-the-building." Root ennunciated every word carefully, as if talking to an elderly gnome.
"That's an insult, isn't it?" the gaurd asked.
"Maybe." Foaly cut in. "It doesen't matter though. Just let us into the building."
"Fine. But Miss Koboi isn't going to be happy about this." the guard grumbled.
Once inside the building, they were escorted to a small office. The plaque on the door read: Assistant to Opal Koboi, Merval.
"Talk to him. He's second in charge." the guard said, turning and walking away.
Root opened the door, not bothering to knock.
"Who are you?" the pixie, presumably Merval, asked.
"We are officers of the LEP police." Root said, his colleagues filing through the door. "We have a search warrant."
Merval paled as he saw Holly and Trouble enter the office. "I c-can't allow you to d-do that w-without Miss K-Koboi here." Merval stammered.
"Yes, you can. Opal Koboi is currently in Police Plaza, being interrogated for a crime that we believe involves you." Root said. "If you cooperate, you might get a lesser sentence."
"W-what do you want?" Merval asked.
"We just want to search the building for anything revelant to a specific case that involves your employer." Foaly answered.
"F-fine." Merval fished through a desk drawer, pulling out an acess card. "I'll escort you t-to w-wherever you need to g-go."
They searched the main level, finding nothing. Then the second floor, and the third. Nothing. Finally, they searched the basement labs. They came to the door at the end of the hallway.
"I can't get in there." Merval said apologetically.
"Why not?" Root demanded.
"B-because it's Miss Koboi's p-private lab." Merval stammered.
"I see that it is a retina and fingerprint scanner combo. It should be no problem to hack into and disarm the lock." Foaly muttered.
Foaly pulled his laptop from the backpack he had been carrying. He typed rapidly with one hand, holding the computer with the other.
"This better work." Root threatened.
"It will. Just give me a minute." Foaly pouted.
A minute passed. And then two. The group began to get impatient. Merval just looked uncomfortable.
"Hurry up, Foaly!" Holly exclaimed.
"This is difficult! Would you like to try to hack into the second most technology savy fairy's system?" Foaly retorted.
"Fine, you win. Take your time." Holly conceded.
Foaly grinned smugly. Another minute passed. Finally, Foaly stopped typing.
"Got it!" he exclaimed.
Root yanked the door open. Stepping inside the lab.
"Nice work, Foaly." Holly said.
"Thank you, Holly. At least someone appreciates my genius." Foaly said, directing the comment at Root.
This lab was the largest of all the other downstairs labs. Not to mention the most technologically advanced one.
Opal had not even tried to hide what she was working on. Why would she? After all, no one else was supposed to be able to gain access to her lab. So much for that.
Evidence was littered all around the room. Opal was to be convicted. There was no doubt about it. The least sentence she could get would be two-hundred years in Atlantis Maximum Security Prison.