"Artemis Fowl 02 - The Arctic Incident" - читать интересную книгу автора (Colfer Eoin)

Root scratched his square jaw. 'What about the big one? He could have been the go-between.'
'Did him already with the Retimager. Nothing. Face it, the LEP have pulled in the wrong Mud Men. Wipe 'em and send 'em home.'
Holly nodded. The commander didn't.
'Wait a minute. I'm thinking.'
'About what?' asked Holly. 'The sooner we get Artemis Fowl's nose out of our business, the better.'
'Maybe not. Since they're already here ..."
Holly's jaw dropped. 'Commander. You don't know Fowl like I do. Give him half a chance and he'll be a bigger problem than the goblins.'
'Maybe he could help us with our Mud Man problem.'
'I have to object, Commander.These humans are not to be trusted.'
Root's face would have glowed in the dark.
'Do you think I like this, Captain? Do you think I relish the idea of crawling to this Mud Boy? I do not. I would rather swallow live stink worms than ask Artemis Fowl for help. But someone is powering the B'wa Kell's arms, and I need to find out who. So get with the programme, Holly. There's more at stake here than your little vendetta.'
Holly bit her tongue. She couldn't oppose the commander, not after all he'd done for her, but asking Artemis Fowl for help was the wrong course of action whatever the situation. She didn't doubt for a minute that the human would have a solution to their problem, but at what cost?
Root drew a deep breath. 'OK, Foaly, bring him round. And fit him with a translator. Speaking Mud Man gives me a headache.'


*


Artemis massaged the puffy skin beneath his eyes.
'Sedative in the seals?' he said, glancing at Foaly. 'Micro-needles?'
The centaur was impressed. 'You're pretty sharp for a Mud Boy.'
Artemis touched the crescent-shaped nodule fixed above his ear.
'Translator?'
Foaly nodded at the commander. 'Speaking in tongues gives some people a headache.'
Artemis straightened his school tie. 'I see. Now, how can I be of service?'
'What makes you think we need help from you, human?' growled Root around the butt of his cigar.
The boy smirked. 'I have a feeling, Commander, that if you did not need something from me, I would be regaining consciousness in my own bed, with absolutely no memory of our encounter.'
Foaly hid his grin behind a hairy hand.
'You're lucky you're not waking up in a cell,' said Holly.
'Still bitter, Captain Short? Can't we wipe the slate clean?'
Holly's glare was all the answer he needed.
Artemis sighed. 'Very well. I shall guess. There are humans trading with the Lower Elements. And you need Butler to track these merchants down. Close enough?'
The fairies were silent for a moment. Hearing it from Fowl suddenly brought the reality home to them.
'Close enough,' admitted Root. 'OK, Foaly, bring Mud Boy up to speed.'
The consultant loaded a file from the LEP central server. A series of Network News clips flashed up on the plasma screen. The reporter was a middle-aged elf with a quiff the size of a Honolulu roller.
'Downtown Haven,' crooned the reporter. 'Another contraband seizure by the LEP. Hollywood laser disks with an estimated street value of five hundred gold grams. The B'wa Kell goblin triad is suspected.'
'It gets worse,' said Root grimly.
Artemis smiled. 'There's worse?'
The reporter appeared again. This time flames billowed from the windows of a warehouse behind him. His quiff looked a bit crispy.
'Tonight the B'wa Kell has staked its claim to the East Bank by torching a warehouse used by Koboi Laboratories. Apparently the pixie with the golden touch refused to pay the triad's protection fee.'
The flames were replaced by another news bite, this time featuring an angry mob.
'Controversy today outside Police Plaza as the public protest at the LEP's failure to deal with the goblin problem. Many ancient houses have been put out of business by the B'wa Kell's racketeering. Most heavily targeted has been Koboi Laboratories, which has suffered six counts of sabotage in the past month alone.'
Foaly froze the image. The public did not look happy.
'The thing you have to understand, Fowl, is that goblins are dumb. I'm not insulting them. It's scientifically proven. Brains no bigger than rats.'
Artemis nodded. 'So who's organizing them?'
Root ground out his cigar. 'We don't know. But it's getting worse. The B'wa Kell has graduated from petty crime to an all-out war on the police. Last night we intercepted a delivery of batteries from the surface. These batteries are being used to power outlawed Softnose laser weapons.'
'And Captain Short thought that I might be the Mud Man on the other end of the deal.'
'Can you blame me?'muttered Holly.
Artemis ignored the comment. 'How do you know the goblins aren't just ripping off wholesalers? After all, batteries are rarely under guard.'
Foaly chuckled. 'No, I don't think you understand just how stupid goblins are. Let me give you an example. One of the B'wa Kell generals, and this is their top fairy, was caught trying to pass off forged credit slips by signing his own name. No, whoever is behind this would need a human contact to make sure the deals weren't fouled up.'