Artemis Fowl_ The Opal Deception - Eoin Colfer [61]
Chix hovered even higher for a long moment, his wings whipping the air into currents. Then he settled back down to earth and sat in the room’s second chair. “No. I don’t believe it. Not for a second. Julius Root was like a father to Holly. To all of us.” He covered his face with his hands, afraid to hear the answer to his next question. “So, Diggums. Why are you here?”
Mulch leaned in close. “Is this being recorded?”
“Of course. Standard operating procedure.”
“Can you switch off the mike?”
“I suppose. Why should I?”
“Because I’m going to tell you something important for the People’s survival. But I’ll only tell you if the mikes are off.”
Chix’s wings began to flap once more. “This better be really good. I better really like this, dwarf.”
Mulch shrugged. “Oh, you’re not going to like it. But it is really good.”
Chix’s green fingers tapped a code into a keyboard on the table. “Okay, Diggums. We can talk freely.”
Mulch leaned forward across the desk. “The thing is, Opal Koboi is back.”
Chix did not respond verbally, but the color drained from his face. Instead of its usual robust emerald, the sprite’s complexion was now pasty lime green.
“Opal has escaped, somehow, and she has set this big revenge thing in motion. First General Scalene, then Commander Root, and now Holly and Artemis Fowl.”
“O . . . Opal?” stammered Chix, his wounded wing suddenly throbbing.
“She’s taking out anyone who had a hand in her imprisonment. Which, if memory serves, includes you.”
“I didn’t do anything,” squeaked Verbil, as though protesting his innocence to Mulch could help him.
Mulch sat back. “Hey, there’s no point telling me. I’m not out to get you. If I remember correctly, you were on all the chat shows spouting how you personally were the first member of the LEP to come into contact with the goblin smugglers.”
“Maybe she didn’t see that,” said Chix hopefully. “She was in a coma.”
“I’m sure someone taped it for her.”
Verbil thought about it, absently grooming his wings. “So what do you want from me?”
“I need you to get a message to Foaly. Tell him what I said about Opal.” Mulch covered his mouth with a hand to fox any lip-readers who might review the tape. “And I want the LEP shuttle. I know where it’s parked. I just need the starter chip and the ignition code.”
“What? Ridiculous. I’d go to jail.”
Mulch shook his head. “No, no. Without sound, all Police Plaza are going to see is another ingenious Mulch Diggums’s escape. I knock you out, steal your chip, and tunnel out through the pipe behind that water dispenser.”
Chix frowned. “Go back to the ‘knock me out’ part again.”
Mulch slammed one palm down on the table. “Listen, Verbil, Holly is in mortal danger right now. She may already be dead.”
“That’s what I heard,” interjected Chix.
“Well, she will definitely be dead if I don’t get down there right now.”
“Why don’t I just call this in?”
Mulch sighed dramatically. “Because, moron, by the time Police Plaza Retrieval team gets here, it will be too late. You know the rules: no LEP officer can act on the information of a convicted felon unless the information has been verified by another source.”
“No one pays any attention to that rule, and calling me moron isn’t helping.”
Mulch rose to his feet. “You are a sprite, for heaven’s sake. You are supposed to have this ancient code of chivalry. A female saved your life and now hers is in danger. You are honor bound, as a sprite, to do whatever it takes.”
Chix held Mulch’s gaze. “Is all of this true? Tell me, Mulch, because this will have repercussions. This isn’t some little jewelry heist.”
“It’s true,” said Mulch. “You have my word.”
Chix almost laughed. “Oh, whoopee. Mulch Diggums’s word. I can take that to the bank.” He took several deep breaths and closed his eyes. “The chip is in my pocket. The code is written on the tab. Try not to break anything.”
“Don’t worry, I’m an excellent driver.”
Chix winced in anticipation. “I don’t mean the shuttle, stupid. I mean my face. The ladies like me the way I am.”
Mulch drew back