Artemis Fowl_ The Opal Deception - Eoin Colfer [87]
Opal watched delightedly as Holly and Artemis were driven into the river by a pack of slobbering trolls. She oohed and aahed as they took refuge on the tiny island of corpses. Her tiny heart beat faster as they scaled the temple scaffolding. She was about to instruct Mervall to fetch her some chocolate truffles from the booty box to go with the movie, when the cameras blacked out.
“Mervall,” she squealed, wringing her delicate fingers. “Descant! Get in here.”
The Brill brothers rushed into the lounge, handguns drawn.
“Yes, Miss Koboi?” said Scant, laying the shaped charges down on a fur-covered lounger.
Opal covered her face. “Don’t look at me!” she ordered.
Scant lowered his eyes. “Sorry. No eye contact. I forgot.”
“And stop thinking that.”
“Yes, Miss Koboi. Sorry, Miss Koboi.” Scant had no idea what he was supposed to be thinking, so he tried to blank out everything.
Opal crossed her arms and tapped her fingers on her forearms until both brothers were bowed before her.
“Something has gone wrong,” she said, her voice trembling slightly. “Our Temple of Artemis cameras seem to have malfunctioned.”
Merv backed the footage up to the last image. In it the trolls were advancing on Artemis and Holly across the temple roof.
“It looks like they were done for anyway, Miss Koboi.”
“Yep,” agreed Scant. “No way out of that one.”
Opal cleared her throat. “Firstly, yep is not a word, and I will not be spoken to in slang. New rule. Secondly, I assumed that Artemis Fowl was dead once before, and I spent a year in a coma as a result. We must proceed as though Fowl and Short have survived and are on our trail.”
“With respect, Miss Koboi,” said Merv, directing the words at his own toes. “This is a stealth shuttle; we didn’t leave a trail.”
“Moron,” said Opal casually. “Our trail is on every television screen aboveground, and doubtless below it. Even if Artemis Fowl were not a genius, he would guess that I am behind the Zito probe. We need to plant the final charge now. How deep is the probe?”
Scant consulted a computer readout. “One hundred miles. We have ninety minutes to go to the optimum blast point.”
Opal paced the deck for a few moments. “We have not picked up any communication with Police Plaza, so if they are alive they are alone. Best not to risk it. We will plant the charge now and guard it. Descant, check the casings again. Mervall, run a system’s check on the shuttle. I don’t want a single ion escaping through the hull.”
The pixie twins stepped backward, bowing as they went. They would do as they were told, but surely the boss was being a bit paranoid.
“I heard that thought,” screeched Opal. “I am not paranoid!”
Merv stepped behind a steel partition to shield his brain waves. Had Miss Koboi really intercepted the thought? Or was it just the paranoia again? After all, paranoid people usually believe that everyone thinks they are paranoid. Merv poked his head out from behind the partition and beamed a thought at Opal, just to be sure.
Holly Short is prettier than you, he thought as loudly as he could. A treasonous thought, to be sure. One Opal could hardly fail to pick up on if she could indeed read minds.
Opal stared at him. “Mervall?”
“Yes, Miss Koboi?”
“You’re looking directly at me. That’s very bad for my skin.”
“Sorry, Miss Koboi,” said Merv, averting his eyes. His eyes happened to glance through the cockpit windshield, toward the mouth of the chute. He was just in time to see an LEP shuttle rise through the holographic rock outcrop that covered the shuttlebay door. “Em, Miss Koboi, we have a problem.” He pointed out the windshield.
The shuttle had risen to thirty feet and was hovering above the Italian landscape, obviously searching for something.
“They’ve found us,” said Opal in a horrified whisper. Then she quelled her panic, quickly analyzing the situation.