ARTEMIS leaned back in the study's leather swivel chair, smiling over steepled fingers. Perfect. That little explosion should cure those fairies of their cavalier attitude. Plus there was one less whaler in the world. Artemis Fowl1 did not like whalers. There were less objectionable ways to produce oil by-products.
The pinhole camera concealed2 in the locator had worked perfectly3. With its high-resolution images he had picked out the fairy's tell-tale breath crystals.
Artemis consulted the basement surveillance monitor. His captive was sitting on the cot now, head in hands. Artemis frowned. He hadn't expected the fairy to appear so ... human. Until now, they had merely been quarry4. Animals to be hunted. But now, seeing one like this, in obvious discomfort5, it changed things.
Artemis put the computer to sleep and crossed to the main doors. Time for a little chat with their guest. Just as his fingers alighted on the brass6 handles, the door flew open before him. Juliet appeared in the doorway7, cheeks flushed from haste.
'Artemis,' she gasped8. 'Your mother. She ...'
Artemis felt a lead ball drop in his stomach.
'Yes?'
'Well, she says, Artemis ... Artemis, that your ...'
'Yes, Juliet. For heaven's sake, what is it?'
Juliet placed both hands over her mouth, composing herself. After several seconds she parted spangled nails, speaking through her fingers.
'It's your father, sir. Artemis Senior. Madam Fowl says he's come back!'
For a split second, Artemis could have sworn his heart had stopped. Father? Back? Was it possible? Of course he'd always believed his father was alive. But lately, since he'd hatched this fairy scheme, it was almost as if his father had shifted to the back of his mind. Artemis felt guilt10 churn his stomach. He had given up. Given up on his own father.
'Did you see him, Juliet? With your own eyes?'
The girl shook her head.
'No, Artemis, sir. I just heard voices. In the bedroom. But she won't let me through the door. Not for anything. Not even with a hot drink.'
Artemis calculated. They had returned barely an hour since. His father could have slipped past Juliet. It was possible. Just possible. He glanced at his watch, synchronized11 with Greenwich Mean Time by constantly updated radio signals. Three a.m. Time was ticking on. His entire plan depended on the fairies making their next move before daylight.
Artemis started. He was doing it again, pushing family to one side. What was he becoming? His father was the priority here, not some money-making scheme.
Juliet was still in the doorway, watching him with those enormous blue eyes. She was waiting for him to make a decision, as he always did. And for once, there was indecision scrawled12 across his pale features.
'Very well,' he mumbled13 eventually. 'I had better go up there immediately.'
Artemis brushed past the girl, taking the steps two at a time. His mother's room was two flights up, a converted attic15 space.
He hesitated at the door. What would he say if it was his father miraculously16 returned? What would he do? It was ridiculous dithering about it. Impossible to predict. He knocked lightly.
'Mother?'
No response, but he thought he heard a giggle17 and was instantly transported into the past. Initially18 this room had been his parents' lounge. They would sit on the chaise longue for hours, tittering like school children, feeding the pigeons or watching the ships sailing past on Dublin sound. When Artemis Senior had disappeared, Angeline Fowl had become more and more attached to the space, eventually refusing to leave altogether.
'Mother? Are you all right?'
Muffled20 voices from within. Conspiratorial21 whispers.
'Mother. I'm coming in.'
'Wait a moment. Timmy, stop it, you beast. We have company.'
Timmy? Artemis's heart thumped22 like a snare23 drum in his chest. Timmy, her pet name for his father. Timmy and Arty. The two men in her life. He could wait no longer. Artemis burst through the double doors.
His first impression was light. Mother had the lamps on. A good sign surely. Artemis knew where his mother would be. He knew exactly where to look. But he couldn't. What if ... What if ...
'Yes, can we help you?'
Artemis turned, his eyes still downcast. 'It's me.'
His mother laughed. Airy and carefree. 'I can see it's you, Papa. Can't you even give your boy one night off? It is our honeymoon24 after all.'
Artemis knew then. It was just an escalation25 of her madness. Papa? Angeline thought Artemis was his own grandfather. Dead over ten years. He raised his gaze slowly.
His mother was seated on the chaise longue, resplendent in her own wedding dress, face clumsily coated with make-up. But that wasn't the worst of it.
Beside her was a facsimile of his father, constructed from the morning suit he'd worn on that glorious day in Christchurch Cathedral fourteen years ago. The clothes were padded with tissue, and atop the dress shirt was a stuffed pillowcase with lipstick26 features. It was almost funny. Artemis choked back a sob27, his hopes vanishing like a summer rainbow.
'What do you say, Papa?' said Angeline in a deep bass28, nodding the pillow like a ventriloquist manipulating her dummy29. 'One night off for your boy, eh?'
Artemis nodded. What else could he do?
'One night then. Take tomorrow too. Be happy.'
Angeline's face radiated honest joy. She sprang from the couch, embracing her unrecognized son.
'Thank you, Papa. Thank you.'
Artemis returned the embrace, though it felt like cheating.
'You're welcome, Mo Angeline. Now, I must be off. Business to attend to.'
His mother settled beside her imitation husband.
'Yes, Papa. You go, don't worry, we can keep ourselves amused.'
Artemis left. He didn't look back. There were things to be done. Fairies to be extorted31. He had no time for his mother's fantasy world.
Captain Holly32 Short was holding her head in her hands. One hand to be precise. The other was scrabbling down the side of her boot, on the camera's blindside. In actuality her head was crystal clear, but it would do no harm for the enemy to believe her still out of action. Perhaps they would underestimate her. And that would be the last mistake they ever made.
Holly's fingers closed around the object that had been digging into her ankle. She knew immediately by its contours what was concealed there. The acorn33! It must have slipped into her boot during all the commotion34 by the oak. This could be a vital development. All she needed was a small patch of earth, then her powers would be restored.
Holly glanced surreptitiously around the cell. Fresh concrete by the looks of it. Not a single crack or flaky corner. Nowhere to bury her secret weapon. Holly stood tentatively, trying out her legs for stability. Not too bad, a bit shaky around the knees, but otherwise sound enough. She crossed to the wall, pressing her cheek and palms to the smooth surface. The concrete was fresh all right, very recent. Still damp in patches. Obviously her prison had been specially35 prepared.
'Looking for something?' said a voice. A cold, heartless voice.
Holly reared back from the wall. The human boy was standing36 not two metres from her, his eyes hidden behind mirrored glasses. He had entered the room without a sound. Extraordinary.
'Sit, please.'
Holly did not want to sit please. What she wanted to do was incapacitate this insolent37 pup with her elbow and use his miserable38 hide for leverage39. Artemis could see it in her eyes. It amused him.
'Getting ideas, are we, Captain Short?'
Holly bared her teeth, it was answer enough.
'We are both fully40 aware of the rules here, Captain. This is my house. You must abide41 by my wishes. Your laws, not mine. Obviously my wishes do not include bodily harm to myself, or you attempting to leave this house.'
It hit Holly then.
'How do you know my -'
'Your name? Your rank?' Artemis smiled, though there was no joy in it. 'If you will wear a name tag ...'
Holly's hand unconsciously covered the silver tag on her suit.
'But that's written in -'
'Gnommish. I know. I happen to be fluent. As is everyone in my network.'
Holly was silent for a moment, processing this momentous42 revelation.
'Fowl,' she said with feeling, 'you have no idea what you've done. Bringing the worlds together like this could mean disaster for us all.'
Artemis shrugged43. 'I am not concerned with us all, just myself. And believe me, I shall be perfectly fine. Now, sit, please.'
Holly sat, never taking her hazel eyes from the diminutive44 monster before her.
'So what is this master plan, Fowl? Let me guess: world domination?'
'Nothing so melodramatic,' chuckled46 Artemis. 'Just riches.'
'A thief!' spat47 Holly. 'You're just a thief!'
Annoyance48 flashed across Artemis's features, only to be replaced by his customary sardonic49 grin.
'Yes. A thief if you like. Hardly just a thief though. The world's first cross-species thief.'
Captain Short snorted. 'First cross-species thief! Mud People have been stealing from us for millennia50. Why do you think we live underground?'
'True. But I will be first to successfully separate a fairy from its gold.'
'Gold? Gold? Human idiot. You don't honestly believe that crock-of-gold nonsense. Some things aren't true, you know.'
Holly threw her head back and laughed.
Artemis checked his nails patiently, waiting for her to finish. When the gales51 had finally subsided52, he shook his index finger.
'You are right to laugh, Captain Short. For a while there, I did believe in all that under-the-rainbow crock-of-gold blarney, but now I know better. Now I know about the hostage fund.'
Holly struggled to keep her face under control.
'What hostage fund?'
'Oh, come now, Captain. Why bother with the charade53? You told me about it yourself.'
'I-I told you!' stammered54 Holly. 'Ridiculous!'
'Look at your arm.'
Holly rolled up her right sleeve. There was a small cotton pad taped to the vein55.
'That's where we administered the sodium56 pentathol. Commonly known as truth serum57. You sang like a bird.'
Holly knew it was true. How else could he know?
'You're mad!'
Artemis nodded indulgently. 'If I win, I'm a prodigy58. If I lose then I'm mad. That's the way history is written.'
Of course, there had been no sodium pentathol, just a harmless prick59 with a sterilized60 needle. Artemis would not risk causing brain damage to his meal ticket, but nor could he afford to reveal the Book as the source of his information. Better to let the hostage believe that she had betrayed her own people. It would lower her morale61, making her more susceptible62 to his mind games. Still, the ruse63 disturbed him. It was undeniably cruel. How far was he prepared to go for this gold? He didn't know, and wouldn't until the time came.
Holly slumped64, momentarily defeated by this latest development. She had talked. Revealed sacred secrets. Even if she did manage to escape, she would be banished65 to some freezing tunnel under the Arctic Circle.
'This isn't over, Fowl,' she said at last. 'We have powers you can't possibly know about. It would take days to describe them all.'
The infuriating boy laughed again. 'How long do you think you've been here?'
Holly groaned66; she knew what was coming. 'A few hours?'
Artemis shook his head. 'Three days,' he lied. 'We've had you on a drip for over sixty hours ... until you told us everything we needed to know.'
Even as the words came out, Artemis felt guilty. These mind games were having an obvious effect on Holly, destroying her from the inside out. Was there really a need for this?
'Three days? You could have killed me. What kind of ...'
And it was that speechless quality that sent the doubt shooting through Artemis's brain. The fairy thought him so evil, she couldn't even find the words.
Holly pulled herself together.
'Well then, Master Fowl,' she spat, heavy on the contempt, 'if you know so much about us, then you know what happens when they locate me.'
Artemis nodded absently. 'Oh yes, I know. In fact, I'm counting on it.'
It was Holly's turn to grin.
'Oh really. Tell me, boy, have you ever met a troll?'
For the first time, the human's confidence dropped a notch67.
'No. Never a troll.'
Holly showed more teeth.
'You will, Fowl. You will. And I hope I'm there to see it.'
The LEP had established a surface Op's HQ at E1:Tara.
'Well?' said Root, slapping at a paramedic gremlin who was applying burn salve to his forehead. 'Leave it. The magic will sort me out soon enough.'
'Well what?' replied Foaly.
'Don't give me any of your lip today, Foaly, because today is not one of those Oh-I'm-so-impressed-with-the-pony's-technology days. Tell me what you found on the human.'
Foaly scowled68, securing his foil hat on his head. He flipped70 the top on a wafer-thin laptop.
'I hacked71 into Interpol. Not too difficult, I can tell you. They might as well have put out a welcome mat ...'
Root drummed his fingers on the conference table. 'Get on with it.'
'Right. Fowl. Ten-gigabyte file. In paper terms that's half a library.'
The commander whistled. 'That's one busy human.'
'Family,' corrected Foaly. 'The Fowls72 have been subverting73 justice for generations. Racketeering, smuggling74, armed robbery. Mostly corporate75 crime last century.'
'So do we have a location?'
'That was the easy bit. Fowl Manor76. On a two-hundred-acre estate on the outskirts77 of Dublin. Fowl Manor is only about twenty klicks from our current location.'
Root chewed his bottom lip.
'Only twenty? That means we could make it before first light.'
'Yep. Sort out this whole mess before it gets out of hand in the rays of the sun.'
The commander nodded. This was their first break. Fairies had not operated in natural light for centuries. Even when they had lived above ground, they were essentially78 night creatures. The sun diluted79 their magic like bleaching80 a photograph. If they had to wait another day before sending in a strike force, who knew what damage Fowl could achieve?
It was even possible that this whole affair was media-oriented, and by tomorrow evening Captain Short's face would be on the cover of every publication on the planet. Root shuddered81. That would spell the end of everything, unless the Mud People had learned to coexist with other species. And if history had taught him any lessons it was that humans couldn't get along with anyone, even themselves.
'Right. Everyone, lock and load. V flight pattern. Establish a perimeter82 inside the Manor grounds.'
The Retrieval Squad83 roared military-type affirmatives, coaxing84 as many metallic85 noises from their weapons as possible.
'Foaly, round up the techies. Follow us in the shuttle. And bring the big dishes. We'll shut down the entire estate, give ourselves a bit of breathing room.'
'One thing, Commander,' mused30 Foaly.
'Yes?' said Root impatiently.
'Why did this human tell us who he was? He must have known we could find him.'
Root shrugged. 'Maybe he's not as clever as he thinks he is.'
'No. I don't think that's it. I don't think that's it at all. I think he's been one step ahead of us all the way, and this is no different.'
'I don't have time for theorizing now, Foaly. First light is approaching.'
'One more thing, Commander.'
'Is this important?'
'Yes, I think it is.'
'Well?'
Foaly tapped a key on his laptop, scrolling86 through Artemis's vital statistics.
'This criminal mastermind, the one behind this elaborate scheme ...'
'Yes? What about him?'
Foaly looked up, an almost admiring look in his golden eyes.
'Well, he's only twelve years old. And that's young, even for a human.'
Root snorted, jacking a new battery into his tri-barrelled blaster.
'Too much damned TV. Thinks he's Sherlock Holmes.'
'That's Professor Moriarty,' corrected Foaly.
'Holmes, Moriarty, they both look the same with the flesh scorched87 off their skulls88.'
And with that elegant parting riposte, Root followed his squad into the night air.
The Retrieval Squad adopted the V goose formation with Root on point. They flew south-west, following the video feed e-mailed to their helmets. Foaly had even marked Fowl Manor with a red dot. Idiot-proof, he'd muttered into his mouthpiece, just loud enough for the commander to hear him.
The centrepiece of the Fowl estate was a renovated89 late-medieval/early-modern castle, built by Lord Hugh Fowl in the fifteenth century.
The Fowls had held on to Fowl Manor over the years, surviving war, civil unrest and several tax audits90. Artemis did not intend to be the one to lose it.
The estate was ringed by a five-metre crenellated stone wall, complete with the original guard towers and walkways. The Retrieval Squad put down just inside the boundary and began an immediate14 scan for possible hostiles.
'Twenty metres apart,' instructed Root. 'Sweep the area. Check in every sixty seconds. Clear?'
Retrieval nodded. Of course it was clear. They were professionals.
Lieutenant91 Gudgeon, Retrieval Squad's leader, climbed a guard tower.
'You know what we should do, Julius?'
He and Root had been in the Academy together, brought up in the same tunnel. Gudgeon was one of perhaps five fairies who called Root by his first name.
'I know what you think we should do.'
'We should blast the whole place.'
'What a surprise.'
'The cleanest way. One blue rinse92 and our losses are minimum.'
Blue rinse was the slang term for the devastating93 biological bomb used on rare occasions by the force. The clever thing about a bio-bomb was that it destroyed only living tissue. The landscape was unchanged.
'That minimum loss you're talking about happens to be one of my officers.'
'Oh yes,' tutted Gudgeon. 'A female Recon officer. The test case. Well, I don't think you'll have any problem justifying94 a tactical solution.'
Root's face took on that familiar purple hue95.
'The best thing you can do right now is stay out of my way, or else I may be forced to ram45 that blue rinse straight into that morass96 you call a brain.'
Gudgeon was unperturbed. 'Insulting me doesn't change the facts, Julius. You know what the Book says. We cannot under any circumstances allow the Lower Elements to be compromised. One time-stop is all you get, after that ...'
The lieutenant didn't finish his statement. He didn't have to.
'I know what the Book says,' snapped Root. 'I just wish you weren't so gung-ho about it. If I didn't know you better, I'd say there was some human blood in you.'
'There's no call for that,' pouted97 Gudgeon. 'I'm only doing my job.'
'Point taken,' conceded the commander. 'I'm sorry.'
You didn't often hear Root apologizing, but then it had been a deeply offensive insult.
Butler was on monitors.
'Anything?' asked Artemis.
Butler started; he hadn't heard the young master come in.
'No. Nothing. Once or twice I thought I saw a flicker99, but it turned out to be nothing.'
'Nothing is nothing,' commented Artemis cryptically100. 'Use the new camera.'
Butler nodded. Only last month, Master Fowl had purchased a cine-camera over the Internet. Two thousand frames a second, recently developed by Industrial Light and Magic for specialized101 nature shoots, hummingbird102 wings and such. It processed images faster than the human eye could. Artemis had had it installed behind a cherub103 over the main entrance.
Butler activated104 the joypad.
'Where?'
'Try the avenue. I have a feeling visitors are on the way.'
The manservant manipulated the toothpick-sized stick with his massive fingers. A live image sprang into life on the digital monitor.
'Nothing,' muttered Butler. 'Quiet as the grave.'
Artemis pointed106 to the control desk.
'Freeze it.'
Butler nearly queried107 the order. Nearly. Instead he held his tongue and pressed the pad. On screen, the cherry trees froze, blossoms trapped in mid-air. More importantly, a dozen or so black-clad figures suddenly appeared on the avenue.
'What!' exclaimed Butler. 'Where did they spring from?'
'They're shielded,' explained Artemis. 'Vibrating at high speed. Too fast for the human eye to follow ...'
'But not for the camera,' nodded Butler. Master Artemis. Always two steps ahead. 'If only I could carry it around with me.'
'If only. But we do have the next best thing ...'
Artemis lifted a headset gingerly from the workbench. It was the remains108 of Holly's helmet. Obviously, trying to cram109 Butler's head into the original helmet would be like trying to fit a potato into a thimble. Only the visor and control buttons were intact. Straps111 from a hard hat had been jury-rigged to fit the manservant's cranium.
'This thing is equipped with several filters. It stands to reason that one of them is anti-shield. Let's try it out, shall we?'
Artemis placed the set over Butler's ears.
'Obviously with your eye span, there are going to be blind spots, but that shouldn't hamper112 you unduly113. Now, run the camera.'
Butler set the camera rolling again, while Artemis slotted down one filter after another.
'Now?'
'No.'
'Now ..."
'Everything's gone red. Ultraviolet. No fairies.'
'Now?'
'No. Polaroid, I think.'
'Last one.'
Butler smiled. A shark that's spotted114 a bare behind.
'Gottem.'
Butler was seeing the world as it was, complete with LEPretrieval team sweeping115 the avenue.
'Hmm,' said Artemis. 'Strobe variation, I would guess. Very high frequency.'
'I see,' fibbed Butler.
'Metaphorically116 or literally117?' smiled his employer.
'Exactly.'
Artemis shook himself. More jokes. Next thing he'd be wearing clown shoes and turning cartwheels in the main hall.
'Very well, Butler. Time for you to do what you do best. We appear to have intruders in the grounds ...'
Butler stood. No further instructions were necessary. He tightened118 the hard-hat straps, striding brusquely to the door.
'Oh, and Butler.'
'Yes, Artemis?'
'I prefer scared to dead. If possible.'
Butler nodded. If possible.
LEPretrieval One were the best and the brightest. It was every little fairy's dream that one day he would grow up to don the stealth-black jumpsuit of the Retrieval commandos. These were the elite119. Trouble was their middle name. In the case of Captain Kelp, Trouble was actually his first name. He'd insisted on it at his manhood ceremony, having just been accepted into the Academy.
Trouble led his team down the sweeping avenue. As usual, he took the point position himself, determined121 to be the first into the fray122 if, as he fervently123 hoped, a fray developed.
'Check in,' he whispered into the mike that wound snake-like from his helmet.
'Negative on one.'
'Nothing, Captain.'
'A big negatori, Trouble.'
'We're in the field, Corporal. Follow procedure.'
'But Mummy said!'
'I don't care what Mummy said, Corporal! Rank is rank! You will refer to me as Captain Kelp.'
'Yessir, Captain,' sulked the corporal. 'But don't ask me to iron your tunic125 any more.'
Trouble zeroed in on his brother's channel, shutting out the rest of the squad.
'Shut up about Mummy, will you? And the ironing. You're only on this mission because I requested you! Now start acting126 like a professional or get back to the perimeter!'
'OK, Trubs.'
'Trouble!' shouted Captain Kelp. 'It's Trouble. Not Trubs, or Trub. Trouble! OK?'
'OK. Trouble. Mummy's right. You're only a baby.' Swearing very unprofessionally, Captain Kelp switched his headset back to the open channel. He was just in time to hear an unusual sound. 'Arrkk.'
'What was that?'
'What?'
'Dunno.'
'Nothing, Captain.'
But Trouble had done a Sound Recognition in-service for his captain's exam, and he was pretty sure the 'Arrkk' had been caused by someone getting a chop across the windpipe. More than likely his brother had walked into a shrub127.
'Grub? Are you all right?'
'That's Corporal Grub to you.'
Kelp viciously kicked a daisy.
'Check in. Sound off in sequence.'
'One, OK.'
'Two, fine.'
'Three, bored but alive.'
'Five approaching west wing.'
Kelp froze. 'Wait. Four? You there, Four? What's your situation?'
'.................' Nothing except static.
'Right. Four is down. Possibly an equipment malfunction128. Still, we can't afford to take any chances. Regroup by the main door.'
Retrieval One crept together, making slightly less noise than a silk spider. Kelp did a quick head count. Eleven. One short of a full complement129. Four was probably wandering around the rose bushes, wondering why nobody was talking to him.
Then Trouble noticed two things - one, a pair of black boots was sticking out of a shrub beside the door, and two, there was a massive human standing in the doorway. The figure was cradling a very nasty-looking gun in the crook130 of his arm.
'Go silent,' whispered Kelp, and immediately eleven full-face visors slid down to seal in the sounds of his squad's breathing and communications.
'Now, nobody panic. I think I can trace the sequence of events here. Four is skulking131 around outside the door. The Mud Man opens it. Four gets a whack132 on the noggin and lands in the bushes. No problem. Our cover is intact. Repeat intact. So no itchy fingers, please. Grub ... Sorry, Corporal Kelp, check Four's vitals. The rest of you make a hole and keep it quiet.'
The squad stepped back carefully until they were standing on the manicured grassy133 verge134. The figure before them was indeed impressive, without doubt the biggest human any of them had ever seen.
'D'Arvit,' breathed Two.
'Maintain radio silence, except in emergencies,' ordered Kelp.' Swearing is hardly an emergency.' Secretly, however, he concurred135 with the sentiment. This was one time he was glad to be shielded. That man looked as if he could squash half a dozen fairies in one massive fist.
Grub returned to his slot. 'Four is stable. Concussed, I'd guess. But otherwise OK. His shield's off though, so I stuffed him in the bushes.'
'Well done, Corporal. Good thinking.'
The last thing they needed was for Four's boots to be spotted.
The man moved, lumbering136 casually137 along the path. He may have glanced left or right, it was difficult to tell beneath the hood120 pulled over his eyes. Odd for a human to wear a hood on such a fine night.
'Safety catches off,' ordered Trouble.
He imagined his men rolling their eyes. Like they hadn't had their safeties off for the last half an hour. Still, you had to go by the book, in case of a tribunal later on. There was a time when Retrieval blasted first and answered questions never. But not any more. Now there was always some do-gooder civilian138 banging on about civil rights. Even for humans, would you believe it?
The man mountain stopped, right in the middle of the squad. If he had been able to see them, it would be the perfect tactical position. Their own firearms were virtually useless, as they would probably do more damage to each other than the human.
Fortunately the entire squad was invisible, with the exception of Four, who was safely secreted139 in what appeared to be a rhododendron.
'Buzz batons141. Fire 'em up.'
Just in case. No harm in being cautious.
And when the LEP officers were switching weapons, right at that moment when their hands were fumbling142 with holsters, that's when the Mud Man spoke143.
'Evening, gentlemen,' he said, sweeping back his hood.
Funny that, thought Trouble. It was almost as if ... Then he saw the makeshift goggles144.
'Cover!' he screamed. 'Cover!'
But it was too late. No option but to stand and fight. And that was no option at all.
Butler could have taken them from the parapet. One at a time with the ivory hunter's rifle. But that wasn't the plan. This was all about making an impression. Sending a message. It was standard procedure with any police force in the world to send in the cannon145 fodder146 first before opening negotiations148. It was almost expected that they would meet with resistance, and Butler was happy to oblige.
He peeked149 out through the letter box and, oh happy coincidence, there was a pair of goggled150 eyes peeking151 right back at him. It was just too fortuitous to pass up.
'Bed time,' said Butler, heaving the door with a mighty152 shoulder. The fairy flew several metres before alighting in the shrubbery. Juliet would be devastated153. She loved rhododendrons. One down. Several to go.
Butler pulled up the peaked hood on his field jacket, stepping into the porch. There they were, spread out like a squadron of Action Men. If not for the array of very proficient-looking weaponry hanging from each belt, it would have been almost comical.
Sliding his finger casually under the trigger guard, Butler strode into their midst. The bulky one at two o'clock was giving the orders. You could tell from the heads angled his way.
The leader gave a command and the squad switched to close-quarters weapons. It made sense, they'd only cut themselves to pieces with firearms. Time for action.
'Evening, gentlemen,' Butler said. He couldn't help it, and it was worth it for that one moment of consternation154. Then his gun was up and blazing.
Captain Kelp was the first casualty, a titanium-tipped dart155 puncturing156 the neck of his suit. He went down sluggishly157, as though the air had turned to water. Two more of the squad were dropped before they had any idea what was going on.
It must be quite traumatic, thought Butler dispassionately, to lose an advantage that you've held for centuries.
By now, the remains of Retrieval One had their buzz batons fired up and raised. But they made the mistake of hanging back, waiting for a command that was not forthcoming. This gave Butler an opportunity to take the fight to them. As if he needed another advantage.
Even so, for a second the manservant hesitated. These beings were so small. Like children. Then Grub clipped him on the elbow with his buzz baton140 and 1,000 volts158 spread across Butler's chest. All sympathy for the little people vanished instantly.
Butler grabbed the offending baton, swinging weapon and bearer like a set of bolas. Grub squealed159 as he was released, his new-found momentum160 carrying him directly into three of his comrades.
Butler continued the swinging motion, driving punishing punches into the chests of two more fairies. Another clambered on to his back, stinging him repeatedly with the baton. Butler fell on him. Something cracked and the stinging stopped.
Suddenly there was a barrel under his chin. One of Retrieval had managed to get his weapon cocked.
'Freeze, Mud Boy,' droned a helmet-filtered voice. It was a serious-looking gun, liquid coolant bubbled along its length. 'Just give me a reason.'
Butler rolled his eyes. Different race, same macho clichés. He slapped the fairy open-handed. To the little man it must have been like the sky falling on his head.
'That reason enough for you?'
Butler scrambled161 to his feet. Fairy bodies were scattered162 around him in various stages of shock and unconsciousness. Scared definitely. Dead, probably not. Mission accomplished163.
One little chap was faking though. You could tell by the way his tiny knees knocked together. Butler picked him up by the neck, finger and thumb easily meeting around the back.
'Name?'
'G-Grub ... er, I mean Corporal Kelp.'
'Well, Corporal, you tell your commander that the next time I see armed forces coming in here, they'll be picked off by sniper fire. No darts164 either. Armour-piercing bullets.'
'Yessir. Sniper fire. Got it. Seems fair.'
'Good. You are, however, permitted to remove your injured.'
'Most generous of you.'
'But if I see so much as the twinkle of a weapon on any of the medics, I might be tempted165 to detonate a few of the mines I have planted in the grounds.'
Grub swallowed, his pallor increasing behind the visor.
'Unarmed medics. Crystal clear.'
Butler set the fairy down, brushing his tunic with massive fingers.
'Now. Final thing. Listening?'
Furious nods.
'I want a negotiator. Someone who can make decisions. Not some no-ranker who has to run off back to base after every demand. Understood?'
'Fine. That is, I'm sure it will be fine. Unfortunately I'm one of those no-rankers. So, you see, I can't actually guarantee it will be fine ...'
Butler was sorely tempted to drop-kick this little fellow back to his camp.
'Very well. I understand. Just ... shut up!'
Grub almost agreed, then he clamped his mouth shut and nodded.
'Good. Now, before you go, collect all weapons and helmets and make a little pile right there.'
Grub took a deep breath. Ah well, may as well go out a hero.
'I can't do that.'
'Oh, really? And why not?'
Grub drew himself up to his full height. 'An LEP officer never relinquishes166 his weapon.'
Butler nodded. 'Fair enough. Thought I'd ask. Off you go then.'
Hardly able to believe his luck, Grub scurried167 back towards the command tower. He was the last fairy standing. Trouble was snoring in the gravel168 but he, Grub Kelp, had faced down the Mud Monster. Wait until Mummy heard about this.
Holly sat on the edge of her bed, fingers curled around the metal base. She lifted slowly, taking the weight on her arms. The strain threatened to pop her elbows from their sockets169. She held it for a second, and then slammed the frame into the concrete. A satisfying cloud of dust and splinters swirled170 around her knees.
Holly eyed the camera. Doubtless they were watching her. No time to waste. She flexed172 her fingers, repeating the manoeuvre173 again and again, until the steel base left deep weals in her finger joints174. With each impact more and more splinters popped from the fresh floor.
After several moments, the cell door burst open and Juliet fell into the room.
'What are you doing?' she panted. 'Trying to knock the house down?'
'I'm hungry!' shouted Holly. 'And I'm fed up waving at that stupid camera. Don't you feed your prisoners around here? I want some food!'
Juliet's fingers curled into a fist. Artemis had warned her to be civil, but there was a limit.
'No need to get your knick ... or whatever in a twist. So what do you fairies eat?'
'Got any dolphin?' Holly asked sarcastically175.
Juliet shuddered. 'No, I don't, you beast!'
'Fruit then. Or vegetables. Make sure they're washed. I don't want any of your chemical poisons in my blood.'
'Ha ha, you're a riot, you are. Don't worry, all our produce is grown naturally.' Juliet paused on her way to the door. 'And don't you go forgetting the rules. No trying to escape from the house. And there's no need to break up the furniture either. Don't make me demonstrate my full nelson.'
As soon as Juliet's footsteps had faded, Holly began smashing the bed into the concrete. That was the thing about fairy bonds. The instructions had to be given eye to eye, and they had to be very precise. Just saying there was no need to do a thing wasn't specifically forbidding an elf to do it. And another thing, Holly had no intention of escaping from the house. That wasn't to say that she didn't mean to get out of her cell.
Artemis had added yet another monitor to the bank. This one was linked to a camera in Angeline Fowl's attic room. He spared a moment to check on his mother. Sometimes it bothered him having a camera in her room; it seemed almost like spying. But it was for her own good. There was always the danger that she could hurt herself. At the moment she was sleeping peacefully, having swallowed the sleeping pill that Juliet had left on her tray. All part of the plan. A vital part, as it happened.
Butler entered the control room. He was clutching a fistful of fairy hardware and rubbing his neck.
Artemis looked up from the monitor bank.
'Any problems?'
'Nothing major. These little batons pack quite a punch though. How's our prisoner?'
'Fine. Juliet is getting her something to eat. I'm afraid Captain Short is going a bit stir-crazy.'
On the screen, Holly was smashing her cot into the concrete.
'It's understandable,' noted177 the manservant. 'Imagine her frustration178. It's not as if she can tunnel her way out.'
Artemis smiled. 'No. The entire estate is built on a bed of limestone179. Not even a dwarf180 could tunnel his way out of here. Or in.'
Wrong, as it happened. Dead wrong. A landmark181 moment for Artemis Fowl.
The LEP had procedures for emergencies like this one. Admittedly these did not include the Retrieval Squad getting hammered by a lone182 enemy. Still, that just made the next step all the more urgent, especially with the faintest of orange tinges183 creeping into the sky.
'Are we good to go?' roared Root into his mike, as though it wasn't whisper-sensitive.
Good to go, thought Foaly, busy wiring the last dish on a watchtower. These military types and their catchphrases. Good to go, lock and load, I don't know but I've been told. So insecure.
Aloud he said, 'No need to shout, Commander. These headsets could pick up a spider scratching in Madagascar.'
'And is there a spider scratching in Madagascar?'
'Well ... I don't know. They can't really -'
'Well, stop changing the subject, Foaly, and answer the question!'
The centaur184 scowled. The commander took everything so literally. He plugged the dish's modem185 lead into his laptop.
'OK. We're ... good to go.'
'About time too. Right, flip69 the switch.'
For the third time in as many moments, Foaly gritted186 his horsy teeth. He was indeed the stereotypical187 unappreciated genius. Flick98 the switch, if you don't mind. Root didn't have the cranial capacity to appreciate what he was trying to do here.
Stopping time wasn't just a matter of pressing the on button: there was a series of delicate procedures that had to be performed with utmost precision. Otherwise the stop zone could end up as just so much ash and radioactive slop.
While it was true that fairies had been stopping time for millennia, these days, with satellite communication and the Internet, humans were liable to notice if a zone just dropped out of time for a couple of hours. There was an age when you could throw a blanket stoppage over a whole country and the Mud People would simply think the gods were angry. But not any more. Nowadays the humans had instruments for measuring anything, so if there was any time-stopping to be done, it had better be fine-tuned and precise.
In the old days, five elfin warlocks would form a pentagram around the target and spread a magic shield over it, temporarily stopping time inside the enchanted188 enclosure.
This was fine as far as it went, provided the warlocks didn't have to use the bathroom. Many a siege was lost because an elf had one glass of wine too many. Warlocks tire quickly too, and their arms get sore. On a good day, you had maybe an hour and a half, which was hardly worth the trouble in the first place.
It was Foaly's idea to mechanize the whole procedure. He had the warlocks do their thing into lithium batteries, and then he set up a network of receiver dishes around the designated area. Sounds simple? Well, it wasn't. But there were definite advantages. For one thing there were no more power surges. Batteries didn't try to show off to each other. You could calculate exactly how many power cells were needed, and sieges could be extended for up to eight hours.
As it happened, the Fowl estate was the perfect location for a time-stop - isolated189 with a definite boundary. It even had elevated towers for the dishes, for heaven's sake. It was almost as if Artemis Fowl wanted time stopped ... Foaly's finger hesitated over the button. Could it be possible? After all, the human youth had been one step ahead throughout this whole affair.
'Commander?'
'Are we on-line yet?'
'Not exactly. There's something -'
Root's reaction nearly blew out the woofers in Foaly's earpiece.
'No, Foaly! There isn't something! None of your bright ideas, thank you very much. Captain Short's life is in danger, so push the button before I climb that tower and push it with your face!'
'Touchy,' muttered Foaly, and pushed the button.
Lieutenant Gudgeon checked his moonometer.
'You have eight hours.'
'I know how much time I have,' growled190 Root. 'And stop following me. Don't you have work to do?'
'Actually, now that you mention it, I have a bio-bomb to arm.'
Root rounded on him. 'Don't annoy me, Lieutenant. Having you pass comments at every turn is not improving my concentration. Just do whatever it is you feel you have to do. But be prepared to back it up at tribunal. If this one goes wrong, heads are going to roll.'
'Indeed,' muttered Gudgeon under his breath. 'But mine is not going to be one of them.'
Root checked the sky. A shimmering191 azure192 field had descended193 over the Fowl estate. Good. They were in limbo194. Outside the walls, life continued at an exaggerated pace, but if anyone were to somehow gain access to the manor in spite of the fortified195 walls and high gate, they would find it deserted196, all occupants trapped in the past.
So for the next eight hours, it would be twilight197 on the Fowl estate. After that, Root could not guarantee Holly's safety. Given the gravity of the situation, it was more than likely that Gudgeon would get the go-ahead to bio-bomb the whole place. Root had seen a blue rinse before. No living thing escaped, not even the rats.
Root caught up with Foaly at the base of the north tower. The centaur had parked a shuttle by the metre-thick wall. Already the work area was a mess of tangled198 wires and pulsating199 fibre optics.
'Foaly? Are you in here?'
The centaur's foil-capped head emerged from the belly200 of a disembowelled hard drive.
'Over here, Commander. You've come to push a button with my face, I presume.'
Root almost laughed. 'Don't tell me you're looking for an apology, Foaly. I've already used my quota201 for today. And that was to a lifelong friend.'
'Gudgeon? Forgive me, Commander, but I wouldn't waste my apologies on the lieutenant. He won't be wasting any on you when he stabs you in the back.'
'You're wrong about him. Gudgeon is a good officer. A bit eager, certainly, but he'll do the right thing when the time comes.'
'The right thing for himself maybe. I don't think Holly is at the top of his priority list.'
Root didn't answer. He couldn't.
'And another thing. I have a sneaking202 suspicion that young Artemis Fowl wanted us to stop time. After all, everything else we've tried has played straight into his hands.'
Root rubbed his temples. 'That's impossible. How could a human know about time-stoppage? Anyway, this is no time for theorizing, Foaly. I have less than eight hours to clean up this mess. So what have you got for me?'
Foaly clopped over to an equipment rack clamped to the wall.
'No heavy armament, that's for sure. Not after what happened to Retrieval One. No helmet either. That beast of a Mud Man seems to collect them. No, to show good faith, we're going to send you in unarmed and unarmoured.'
Root snorted. 'What manual did you get this from?'
'It's standard operating procedure. Fostering trust speeds communication.'
'Oh, stop quoting and give me something to shoot.'
'Suit yourself,' sighed Foaly, selecting what looked like a finger from the rack.
'What's that?'
'It's a finger. What does it look like?'
'A finger,' admitted Root.
'Yes, but not any ordinary finger.' He glanced around to make sure that no one else was watching. 'The tip contains a pressurized dart. One shot only. You tap the knuckle203 with your thumb and someone goes sleepy-bye.'
'Why haven204't I seen this before?'
'It's a covert205 kinda thing ...'
'And?' said Root suspiciously.
'Well, there have been accidents ...'
'Tell me, Foaly.'
'Our agents keep forgetting they have it on.'
'Meaning they shoot themselves.'
Foaly nodded miserably206. 'One of our best sprites was picking his nose at the time. Three days on the critical list.'
Root rolled the memory latex on to his index finger, where it immediately assumed the shape and flesh tone of the host digit105.
'Don't worry, Foaly, I'm not a complete idiot. Anything else?'
Foaly unhooked what appeared to be a false bottom from the equipment rack.
'You're not serious! What does that do?'
'Nothing,' admitted the centaur. 'But it gets a great laugh at parties.'
Root chuckled. Twice. That was a major lapse207 for him.
'OK, levity208 over. Are you going to wire me?'
'Naturally. One iris-cam. What colour?' He peered into the commander's eyes. 'Hmm. Mud brown.' He selected a small vial from the shelf and removed the electronic contact lens from a fluid capsule. Plucking Root's eyelid209 with thumb and forefinger210, he slotted in the iris-cam. 'That might irritate you. Try not to rub or it could end up in the back of your eye. Then we'd be looking into your head, and there's nothing interesting in there, heaven knows.'
Root blinked, resisting the urge to knead his watering eye.
'That's it?'
Foaly nodded. 'That's all we dare risk.'
The commander agreed reluctantly. His hip19 felt very light without a tri-barrelled blaster dangling211 from it.
'OK. I suppose this amazing dart finger will have to do. Honestly, Foaly, if this blows up in my face, you'll be on the next shuttle back to Haven.'
The centaur snickered. 'Just be careful in the toilet.'
Root didn't laugh. There were some things you didn't joke about.
Artemis's watch had stopped. It was as though Greenwich wasn't there any more. Or perhaps, mused Artemis, we're the ones who have disappeared. He checked CNN. It had frozen. A picture of Riz Khan jittered212 slightly on the screen. Artemis could not hold back a satisfied smile. They had done it, just like the Book said. The LEP had stopped time. All according to plan.
Time to check out a theory. Artemis wheeled over to the monitor bank and punched up the Mam Cam on the seventy-centimetre main monitor. Angeline Fowl was no longer on the chaise longue. Artemis panned around the room. It was empty. His mother had gone. Disappeared. His smile widened. Perfect. Just as he'd suspected.
Artemis switched his attention to Holly Short. She was banging the bed again. Occasionally she would rise from the mattress213, pounding the wall with her bare fists. Maybe it was more than frustration. Could there be method in her madness? He tapped the monitor with a slim finger.
'What are you up to, Captain? What's your little plan?' He was distracted by a movement on the avenue monitor.
'At last,' he breathed. 'The games begin.' A figure was advancing down the avenue. Small, but imposing214 nonetheless. Unshielded too. Finished playacting then.
Artemis punched the intercom button.
'Butler? We have a guest. I'll show him in. You get back here and police the surveillance cameras.'
Butler's voice came back tinny through the speaker.
'Ten four, Artemis. On my way.'
Artemis buttoned his designer jacket, pausing at the mirror to straighten his tie. The trick to negotiation147 was to hold all the cards going in and, even if you didn't, to try to look as though you did.
Artemis put on his best sinister215 face. Evil, he told himself, evil but highly intelligent. And determined, don't forget determined. He put a hand on the doorknob. Steady now. Deep breaths, and try not to think about the possibility that you have misjudged this situation and are about to be shot dead. One, two, three ... He opened the door.
'Good evening,' he said, every inch the gracious host, albeit216 a sinister, evil, intelligent and determined one.
Root stood on the doorstep, palms up, the universal gesture for Look, I'm not carrying a big murderous weapon.
'You're Fowl?'
'Artemis Fowl, at your service. And you are?'
'LEP Commander Root. Right, we know each other's names, so could we get on with this?'
'Certainly.'
Root decided217 to chance his arm. 'Step outside then. Where I can see you.'
Artemis's face hardened. 'Have you learned nothing from my demonstrations218? The ship? Your commandos? Do I need to kill someone?'
'No,' said Root hurriedly. 'I only -'
'You only meant to lure219 me outside, where I could be snatched and used to trade. Please, Commander Root, raise your game or send someone intelligent.'
Root felt the blood pump through his cheeks.
'Now you just listen to me, you young ...'
Artemis smiled, in command again. 'Not very good negotiation techniques, Commander, to lose your cool before we even get to the table.'
Root took several deep breaths.
'Fine. Whatever you say. Where would you prefer to conduct our talks?'
'Inside of course. You have my permission to enter, but remember, Captain Short's life is in your hands. Be careful with it.'
Root followed his host down the vaulted220 hallway. Generations of Fowls glared down at him from classical portraits. They passed through a stained-oak doorway to a long conference room. There were two places set at a round table, complete with pads, ashtrays222 and water jugs223.
Root was delighted to see the ashtrays and immediately pulled a half-chewed cigar from his vest.
'Maybe you're not such a barbarian224 after all,' he grunted, exhaling225 a huge cloud of green smoke. The commander ignored the water jugs, instead pouring himself a shot of something purple from a hip flask226. He drank deeply, belched227 and sat.
'Ready?' Artemis shuffled228 his notes, like a newsreader. 'Here is the situation as I see it. I have the means to expose your subterranean229 existence, and you are powerless to stop me. So, basically, whatever I ask for is a small price to pay.'
Root spat out a shred230 of fungus231 tobacco. 'You think you can just put all this information out over the Internet.'
'Well, not immediately, not with the time-stop in effect.'
Root choked on a lungful of smoke. Their ace9 in the hole. Rumbled232.
'Well, if you know about the time-stop, you must also know that you are completely cut off from the outside world. You are, in effect, powerless.'
Artemis jotted233 a note on the pad. 'Let's save some time here. I grow weary of your clumsy bluffs234. In the case of an abduction, the LEP will first send a crack Retrieval team to get back what has been lost. You have done so. Excuse me while I titter. Crack team? Honestly. A Cub-Scout patrol armed with water pistols could have defeated them.'
Root fumed235 silently, taking out his anger on the cigar butt110.
'The next official step is negotiation. And finally, when the eight-hours' time limit is about to run out, and if no solution can be reached, a bio-bomb is detonated, contained by the time-field.'
'You appear to know an awful lot about us, Master Fowl. I don't suppose you'll tell me how?'
'Correct.'
Root mashed236 the remains of his cigar into the crystal ashtray221.
'So let's have it, what are your demands?'
'One demand. Singular.'
Artemis slid his notepad across the polished table. Root read what was written there.
'One tonne of twenty-four-carat gold. Small unmarked ingots only. You can't be serious.'
'Oh, but I am.'
Root sat forward in his chair. 'Don't you see? Your position is untenable. Either you give us back Captain Short or we will be forced to kill you all. There is no middle ground. We don't negotiate. Not really. I'm just here to explain the facts to you.'
Artemis smiled his vampire237 smile. 'Oh, but you will negotiate with me, Commander.'
'Oh, really? And what makes you so special?'
'I am special, because I know how to escape the time-field.'
'Impossible,' snorted Root. 'Can't be done.'
'Oh yes it can. Trust me, I haven't been wrong yet.'
Root tore off the top page, folding it into his pocket.
'I'll have to think about this.'
'Take your time. We have eight hours ... excuse me, seven and a half hours, then time's up for everybody.'
Root said nothing for a long while, tapping his nails on the tabletop. He took a breath to speak, then changed his mind and stood abruptly238.
'We'll be in touch. Don't worry, I'll see myself out.'
Artemis pushed his chair back.
'You do that. But remember this, none of your race has permission to enter here while I'm alive.'
Root stalked down the hallway, glaring back at the oil paintings. Better to leave now and process this new information. The Fowl boy was indeed a slippery opponent. But he was making one basic mistake - the assumption that Root would play by the rules. However, Julius Root hadn't got his Commander's bars by following any rule book. Time for a bit of unorthodox action.
The videotape from Root's iris-cam was being reviewed by experts.
'You see there,' said Professor Cumulus, a behavioural specialist. 'That twitch239, he's lying.'
'Nonsense,' huffed Doctor Argon, a psychologist from below the United States. 'He's itchy, that's all. He's itchy so he scratches. Nothing sinister in it.'
Cumulus turned to Foaly.
'Listen to him. How can I be expected to work with this charlatan240?'
'Witch doctor,' countered Argon.
Foaly raised his hairy palms.
'Gentlemen, please. We need agreement here. A concrete profile.'
'It's no use,' said Argon. 'I can't work in these conditions.'
Cumulus folded his arms. 'If he can't work, neither can I.'
Root strode through the shuttle double doors. His trademark241 purple complexion242 was even rosier243 than usual.
'That human is toying with us. I will not have it. Now, what did our experts make of the tape?'
Foaly moved slightly to the side, allowing the commander a clear run at the so-called experts.
'Apparently244 they can't work in these conditions.'
Root's eyes narrowed to slits245, bringing his prey246 into sharp focus. 'Excuse me?'
'The good doctor is a halfwit,' said Cumulus, unfamiliar247 with the commander's temper.
'I-I'm a halfwit?' stuttered Argon, equally ignorant. 'What about you, you cave fairy? Plastering your absurd interpretations248 on to the most innocent of gestures.'
'Innocent? The boy is a bag of nerves. Obviously lying. It's textbook.'
Root slammed a clenched249 fist on to the table, sending a spider's web of cracks scurrying250 across the surface.
'Silence!'
And silence there was. Instantly.
'Now, you two experts are on handsome retainers for your profiling work. Correct?'
The pair nodded, afraid to speak in case that broke the silence rule.
'This is probably the case of your lives, so I want you to concentrate very hard. Understood?'
More nods.
Root popped the camera out of his weeping eye.
'Fast-forward it, Foaly. Towards the end.'
The tape hopped251 forward erratically252. On screen, Root followed the human into his conference room.
'There. Stop it there. Can you zoom253 in on his face?'
'Can I zoom in on his face?' snorted Foaly. 'Can a dwarf steal the web from under a spider?'
'Yes,' replied Root.
'That was a rhetorical question actually.'
'I don't need a grammar lesson, Foaly, just zoom in, would you?'
Foaly ground his tombstone teeth.
'OK, boss. Will do.'
The centaur's fingers prodded254 the keyboard with lightning speed. Artemis's visage grew to fill the plasma255 screen.
'I'd advise you to listen,' said Root, squeezing the experts' shoulders. 'This is a pivotal moment in your careers.'
'I am special,' said the mouth on the screen
收听单词发音 |
1
fowl
|
|
| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
2
concealed
|
|
| a.隐藏的，隐蔽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
3
perfectly
|
|
| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
4
quarry
|
|
| n.采石场；v.采石；费力地找 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
5
discomfort
|
|
| n.不舒服，不安，难过，困难，不方便 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
6
brass
|
|
| n.黄铜；黄铜器，铜管乐器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
7
doorway
|
|
| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
8
gasped
|
|
| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
9
ace
|
|
| n.A牌；发球得分；佼佼者；adj.杰出的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
10
guilt
|
|
| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
11
synchronized
|
|
| 同步的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
12
scrawled
|
|
| 乱涂，潦草地写( scrawl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
13
mumbled
|
|
| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
14
immediate
|
|
| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
15
attic
|
|
| n.顶楼，屋顶室 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
16
miraculously
|
|
| ad.奇迹般地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
17
giggle
|
|
| n.痴笑，咯咯地笑；v.咯咯地笑着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
18
initially
|
|
| adv.最初，开始 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
19
hip
|
|
| n.臀部，髋；屋脊 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
20
muffled
|
|
| adj.（声音）被隔的；听不太清的；（衣服）裹严的；蒙住的v.压抑，捂住( muffle的过去式和过去分词 )；用厚厚的衣帽包着（自己） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
21
conspiratorial
|
|
| adj.阴谋的，阴谋者的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
22
thumped
|
|
| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
23
snare
|
|
| n.陷阱，诱惑，圈套；（去除息肉或者肿瘤的）勒除器；响弦，小军鼓；vt.以陷阱捕获，诱惑 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
24
honeymoon
|
|
| n.蜜月（假期）；vi.度蜜月 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
25
escalation
|
|
| n.扩大，增加 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
26
lipstick
|
|
| n.口红，唇膏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
27
sob
|
|
| n.空间轨道的轰炸机；呜咽，哭泣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
28
bass
|
|
| n.男低音(歌手)；低音乐器；低音大提琴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
29
dummy
|
|
| n.假的东西；(哄婴儿的)橡皮奶头 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
30
mused
|
|
| v.沉思，冥想( muse的过去式和过去分词 )；沉思自语说（某事） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
31
extorted
|
|
| v.敲诈( extort的过去式和过去分词 )；曲解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
32
holly
|
|
| n.[植]冬青属灌木 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
33
acorn
|
|
| n.橡实，橡子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
34
commotion
|
|
| n.骚动，动乱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
35
specially
|
|
| adv.特定地；特殊地；明确地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
36
standing
|
|
| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
37
insolent
|
|
| adj.傲慢的，无理的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
38
miserable
|
|
| adj.悲惨的，痛苦的；可怜的，糟糕的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
39
leverage
|
|
| n.力量，影响；杠杆作用，杠杆的力量 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
40
fully
|
|
| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
41
abide
|
|
| vi.遵守；坚持；vt.忍受 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
42
momentous
|
|
| adj.重要的，重大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
43
shrugged
|
|
| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
44
diminutive
|
|
| adj.小巧可爱的，小的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
45
ram
|
|
| (random access memory)随机存取存储器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
46
chuckled
|
|
| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
47
spat
|
|
| n.口角，掌击；v.发出呼噜呼噜声 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
48
annoyance
|
|
| n.恼怒，生气，烦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
49
sardonic
|
|
| adj.嘲笑的，冷笑的，讥讽的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
50
millennia
|
|
| n.一千年，千禧年 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
51
gales
|
|
| 龙猫 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
52
subsided
|
|
| v.（土地）下陷（因在地下采矿）( subside的过去式和过去分词 )；减弱；下降至较低或正常水平；一下子坐在椅子等上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
53
charade
|
|
| n.用动作等表演文字意义的字谜游戏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
54
stammered
|
|
| v.结巴地说出( stammer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
55
vein
|
|
| n.血管，静脉；叶脉，纹理；情绪；vt.使成脉络 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
56
sodium
|
|
| n.（化）钠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
57
serum
|
|
| n.浆液，血清，乳浆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
58
prodigy
|
|
| n.惊人的事物，奇迹，神童，天才，预兆 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
59
prick
|
|
| v.刺伤，刺痛，刺孔；n.刺伤，刺痛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
60
sterilized
|
|
| v.消毒( sterilize的过去式和过去分词 )；使无菌；使失去生育能力；使绝育 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
61
morale
|
|
| n.道德准则，士气，斗志 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
62
susceptible
|
|
| adj.过敏的，敏感的；易动感情的，易受感动的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
63
ruse
|
|
| n.诡计，计策；诡计 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
64
slumped
|
|
| 大幅度下降，暴跌( slump的过去式和过去分词 )； 沉重或突然地落下[倒下] | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
65
banished
|
|
| v.放逐，驱逐( banish的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
66
groaned
|
|
| v.呻吟( groan的过去式和过去分词 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
67
notch
|
|
| n.(V字形)槽口，缺口，等级 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
68
scowled
|
|
| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
69
flip
|
|
| vt.快速翻动；轻抛；轻拍；n.轻抛；adj.轻浮的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
70
flipped
|
|
| 轻弹( flip的过去式和过去分词 )； 按（开关）； 快速翻转； 急挥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
71
hacked
|
|
| 生气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
72
fowls
|
|
| 鸟( fowl的名词复数 )； 禽肉； 既不是这； 非驴非马 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
73
subverting
|
|
| v.颠覆，破坏（政治制度、宗教信仰等）( subvert的现在分词 )；使（某人）道德败坏或不忠 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
74
smuggling
|
|
| n.走私 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
75
corporate
|
|
| adj.共同的，全体的；公司的，企业的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
76
manor
|
|
| n.庄园，领地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
77
outskirts
|
|
| n.郊外，郊区 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
78
essentially
|
|
| adv.本质上，实质上，基本上 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
79
diluted
|
|
| 无力的，冲淡的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
80
bleaching
|
|
| 漂白法，漂白 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
81
shuddered
|
|
| v.战栗( shudder的过去式和过去分词 )；发抖；（机器、车辆等）突然震动；颤动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
82
perimeter
|
|
| n.周边，周长，周界 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
83
squad
|
|
| n.班，小队，小团体；vt.把…编成班或小组 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
84
coaxing
|
|
| v.哄，用好话劝说( coax的现在分词 )；巧言骗取；哄劝，劝诱；“锻炼”效应 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
85
metallic
|
|
| adj.金属的；金属制的；含金属的；产金属的；像金属的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
86
scrolling
|
|
| n.卷[滚]动法，上下换行v.（电脑屏幕上）从上到下移动（资料等），卷页( scroll的现在分词 )；（似卷轴般）卷起；（像展开卷轴般地）将文字显示于屏幕 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
87
scorched
|
|
| 烧焦，烤焦( scorch的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（植物）枯萎，把…晒枯； 高速行驶； 枯焦 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
88
skulls
|
|
| 颅骨( skull的名词复数 )； 脑袋； 脑子； 脑瓜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
89
renovated
|
|
| 翻新，修复，整修( renovate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
90
audits
|
|
| n.审计，查账( audit的名词复数 )v.审计，查账( audit的第三人称单数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
91
lieutenant
|
|
| n.陆军中尉，海军上尉；代理官员，副职官员 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
92
rinse
|
|
| v.用清水漂洗，用清水冲洗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
93
devastating
|
|
| adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
94
justifying
|
|
| 证明…有理( justify的现在分词 )； 为…辩护； 对…作出解释； 为…辩解（或辩护） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
95
hue
|
|
| n.色度；色调；样子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
96
morass
|
|
| n.沼泽，困境 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
97
pouted
|
|
| v.撅（嘴）( pout的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
98
flick
|
|
| n.快速的轻打，轻打声，弹开；v.轻弹，轻轻拂去，忽然摇动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
99
flicker
|
|
| vi./n.闪烁，摇曳，闪现 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
100
cryptically
|
|
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
101
specialized
|
|
| adj.专门的，专业化的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
102
hummingbird
|
|
| n.蜂鸟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
103
cherub
|
|
| n.小天使，胖娃娃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
104
activated
|
|
| adj. 激活的 动词activate的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
105
digit
|
|
| n.零到九的阿拉伯数字，手指，脚趾 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
106
pointed
|
|
| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
107
queried
|
|
| v.质疑，对…表示疑问( query的过去式和过去分词 )；询问 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
108
remains
|
|
| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
109
cram
|
|
| v.填塞，塞满，临时抱佛脚，为考试而学习 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
110
butt
|
|
| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
111
straps
|
|
| n.带子( strap的名词复数 )；挎带；肩带；背带v.用皮带捆扎( strap的第三人称单数 )；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
112
hamper
|
|
| vt.妨碍，束缚，限制；n.(有盖的)大篮子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
113
unduly
|
|
| adv.过度地，不适当地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
114
spotted
|
|
| adj.有斑点的，斑纹的，弄污了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
115
sweeping
|
|
| adj.范围广大的，一扫无遗的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
116
metaphorically
|
|
| adv. 用比喻地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
117
literally
|
|
| adv.照字面意义，逐字地；确实 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
118
tightened
|
|
| 收紧( tighten的过去式和过去分词 )； （使）变紧； （使）绷紧； 加紧 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
119
elite
|
|
| n.精英阶层；实力集团；adj.杰出的，卓越的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
120
hood
|
|
| n.头巾，兜帽，覆盖；v.罩上，以头巾覆盖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
121
determined
|
|
| adj.坚定的；有决心的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
122
fray
|
|
| v.争吵；打斗；磨损，磨破；n.吵架；打斗 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
123
fervently
|
|
| adv.热烈地，热情地，强烈地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
124
winced
|
|
| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
125
tunic
|
|
| n.束腰外衣 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
126
acting
|
|
| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
127
shrub
|
|
| n.灌木，灌木丛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
128
malfunction
|
|
| vi.发生功能故障，发生故障，显示机能失常 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
129
complement
|
|
| n.补足物，船上的定员；补语；vt.补充，补足 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
130
crook
|
|
| v.使弯曲；n.小偷，骗子，贼；弯曲(处) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
131
skulking
|
|
| v.潜伏，偷偷摸摸地走动，鬼鬼祟祟地活动( skulk的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
132
whack
|
|
| v.敲击，重打，瓜分；n.重击，重打，尝试，一份 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
133
grassy
|
|
| adj.盖满草的；长满草的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
134
verge
|
|
| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
135
concurred
|
|
| 同意（concur的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
136
lumbering
|
|
| n.采伐林木 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
137
casually
|
|
| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
138
civilian
|
|
| adj.平民的，民用的，民众的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
139
secreted
|
|
| v.（尤指动物或植物器官）分泌( secrete的过去式和过去分词 )；隐匿，隐藏 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
140
baton
|
|
| n.乐队用指挥杖 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
141
batons
|
|
| n.（警察武器）警棍( baton的名词复数 )；（乐队指挥用的）指挥棒；接力棒 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
142
fumbling
|
|
| n. 摸索,漏接 v. 摸索,摸弄,笨拙的处理 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
143
spoke
|
|
| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
144
goggles
|
|
| n.护目镜 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
145
cannon
|
|
| n.大炮，火炮；飞机上的机关炮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
146
fodder
|
|
| n.草料；炮灰 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
147
negotiation
|
|
| n.谈判，协商 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
148
negotiations
|
|
| 协商( negotiation的名词复数 )； 谈判； 完成（难事）； 通过 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
149
peeked
|
|
| v.很快地看( peek的过去式和过去分词 )；偷看；窥视；微露出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
150
goggled
|
|
| adj.戴护目镜的v.睁大眼睛瞪视， （惊讶的）转动眼珠( goggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
151
peeking
|
|
| v.很快地看( peek的现在分词 )；偷看；窥视；微露出 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
152
mighty
|
|
| adj.强有力的；巨大的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
153
devastated
|
|
| v.彻底破坏( devastate的过去式和过去分词)；摧毁；毁灭；在感情上（精神上、财务上等）压垮adj.毁坏的；极为震惊的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
154
consternation
|
|
| n.大为吃惊，惊骇 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
155
dart
|
|
| v.猛冲，投掷；n.飞镖，猛冲 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
156
puncturing
|
|
| v.在（某物）上穿孔( puncture的现在分词 )；刺穿（某物）；削弱（某人的傲气、信心等）；泄某人的气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
157
sluggishly
|
|
| adv.懒惰地；缓慢地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
158
volts
|
|
| n.（电压单位）伏特( volt的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
159
squealed
|
|
| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
160
momentum
|
|
| n.动力，冲力，势头；动量 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
161
scrambled
|
|
| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
162
scattered
|
|
| adj.分散的，稀疏的；散步的；疏疏落落的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
163
accomplished
|
|
| adj.有才艺的；有造诣的；达到了的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
164
darts
|
|
| n.掷飞镖游戏；飞镖( dart的名词复数 )；急驰，飞奔v.投掷，投射( dart的第三人称单数 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
165
tempted
|
|
| v.怂恿（某人）干不正当的事；冒…的险（tempt的过去分词） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
166
relinquishes
|
|
| 交出，让给( relinquish的第三人称单数 )； 放弃 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
167
scurried
|
|
| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
168
gravel
|
|
| n.砂跞；砂砾层；结石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
169
sockets
|
|
| n.套接字，使应用程序能够读写与收发通讯协定(protocol)与资料的程序( Socket的名词复数 )；孔( socket的名词复数 )；（电器上的）插口；托座；凹穴 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
170
swirled
|
|
| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
171
grunted
|
|
| （猪等）作呼噜声( grunt的过去式和过去分词 )； （指人）发出类似的哼声； 咕哝着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
172
flexed
|
|
| adj.[医]曲折的，屈曲v.屈曲( flex的过去式和过去分词 )；弯曲；（为准备大干而）显示实力；摩拳擦掌 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
173
manoeuvre
|
|
| n.策略，调动；v.用策略，调动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
174
joints
|
|
| 接头( joint的名词复数 )； 关节； 公共场所（尤指价格低廉的饮食和娱乐场所） （非正式）； 一块烤肉 （英式英语） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
175
sarcastically
|
|
| adv.挖苦地，讽刺地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
176
tricky
|
|
| adj.狡猾的，奸诈的；(工作等)棘手的，微妙的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
177
noted
|
|
| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
178
frustration
|
|
| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
179
limestone
|
|
| n.石灰石 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
180
dwarf
|
|
| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
181
landmark
|
|
| n.陆标，划时代的事，地界标 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
182
lone
|
|
| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
183
tinges
|
|
| n.细微的色彩，一丝痕迹( tinge的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
184
centaur
|
|
| n.人首马身的怪物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
185
modem
|
|
| n.调制解调器 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
186
gritted
|
|
| v.以沙砾覆盖（某物），撒沙砾于( grit的过去式和过去分词 )；咬紧牙关 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
187
stereotypical
|
|
| n.常规 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
188
enchanted
|
|
| adj. 被施魔法的，陶醉的，入迷的 动词enchant的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
189
isolated
|
|
| adj.与世隔绝的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
190
growled
|
|
| v.（动物）发狺狺声， （雷）作隆隆声( growl的过去式和过去分词 )；低声咆哮着说 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
191
shimmering
|
|
| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
192
azure
|
|
| adj.天蓝色的，蔚蓝色的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
193
descended
|
|
| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
194
limbo
|
|
| n.地狱的边缘；监狱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
195
fortified
|
|
| adj. 加强的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
196
deserted
|
|
| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
197
twilight
|
|
| n.暮光，黄昏；暮年，晚期，衰落时期 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
198
tangled
|
|
| adj. 纠缠的，紊乱的 动词tangle的过去式和过去分词 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
199
pulsating
|
|
| adj.搏动的，脉冲的v.有节奏地舒张及收缩( pulsate的现在分词 )；跳动；脉动；受（激情）震动 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
200
belly
|
|
| n.肚子，腹部；(像肚子一样)鼓起的部分，膛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
201
quota
|
|
| n.（生产、进出口等的）配额，（移民的）限额 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
202
sneaking
|
|
| a.秘密的，不公开的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
203
knuckle
|
|
| n.指节；vi.开始努力工作；屈服，认输 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
204
haven
|
|
| n.安全的地方，避难所，庇护所 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
205
covert
|
|
| adj.隐藏的；暗地里的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
206
miserably
|
|
| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
207
lapse
|
|
| n.过失，流逝，失效，抛弃信仰，间隔；vi.堕落，停止，失效，流逝；vt.使失效 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
208
levity
|
|
| n.轻率，轻浮，不稳定，多变 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
209
eyelid
|
|
| n.眼睑，眼皮 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
210
forefinger
|
|
| n.食指 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
211
dangling
|
|
| 悬吊着( dangle的现在分词 )； 摆动不定； 用某事物诱惑…； 吊胃口 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
212
jittered
|
|
| v.紧张不安，战战兢兢( jitter的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
213
mattress
|
|
| n.床垫，床褥 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
214
imposing
|
|
| adj.使人难忘的，壮丽的，堂皇的，雄伟的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
215
sinister
|
|
| adj.不吉利的，凶恶的，左边的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
216
albeit
|
|
| conj.即使；纵使；虽然 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
217
decided
|
|
| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
218
demonstrations
|
|
| 证明( demonstration的名词复数 )； 表明； 表达； 游行示威 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
219
lure
|
|
| n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
220
vaulted
|
|
| adj.拱状的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
221
ashtray
|
|
| n.烟灰缸 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
222
ashtrays
|
|
| 烟灰缸( ashtray的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
223
jugs
|
|
| （有柄及小口的）水壶( jug的名词复数 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
224
barbarian
|
|
| n.野蛮人；adj.野蛮(人)的；未开化的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
225
exhaling
|
|
| v.呼出，发散出( exhale的现在分词 )；吐出（肺中的空气、烟等），呼气 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
226
flask
|
|
| n.瓶，火药筒，砂箱 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
227
belched
|
|
| v.打嗝( belch的过去式和过去分词 )；喷出，吐出；打（嗝）；嗳（气） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
228
shuffled
|
|
| v.洗（纸牌）( shuffle的过去式和过去分词 )；拖着脚步走；粗心地做；摆脱尘世的烦恼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
229
subterranean
|
|
| adj.地下的，地表下的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
230
shred
|
|
| v.撕成碎片，变成碎片；n.碎布条，细片，些少 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
231
fungus
|
|
| n.真菌，真菌类植物 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
232
rumbled
|
|
| 发出隆隆声，发出辘辘声( rumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 轰鸣着缓慢行进； 发现…的真相； 看穿（阴谋） | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
233
jotted
|
|
| v.匆忙记下( jot的过去式和过去分词 )；草草记下，匆匆记下 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
234
bluffs
|
|
| 恐吓( bluff的名词复数 )； 悬崖； 峭壁 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
235
fumed
|
|
| 愤怒( fume的过去式和过去分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
236
mashed
|
|
| a.捣烂的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
237
vampire
|
|
| n.吸血鬼 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
238
abruptly
|
|
| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
239
twitch
|
|
| v.急拉，抽动，痉挛，抽搐；n.扯，阵痛，痉挛 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
240
charlatan
|
|
| n.骗子；江湖医生；假内行 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
241
trademark
|
|
| n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
242
complexion
|
|
| n.肤色；情况，局面；气质，性格 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
243
rosier
|
|
| Rosieresite | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
244
apparently
|
|
| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
245
slits
|
|
| n.狭长的口子，裂缝( slit的名词复数 )v.切开，撕开( slit的第三人称单数 )；在…上开狭长口子 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
246
prey
|
|
| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
247
unfamiliar
|
|
| adj.陌生的，不熟悉的 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
248
interpretations
|
|
| n.解释( interpretation的名词复数 )；表演；演绎；理解 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
249
clenched
|
|
| v.紧握，抓紧，咬紧( clench的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
250
scurrying
|
|
| v.急匆匆地走( scurry的现在分词 ) | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
251
hopped
|
|
| 跳上[下]( hop的过去式和过去分词 )； 单足蹦跳； 齐足（或双足）跳行； 摘葎草花 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
252
erratically
|
|
| adv.不规律地，不定地 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
253
zoom
|
|
| n.急速上升；v.突然扩大，急速上升 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
254
prodded
|
|
| v.刺，戳( prod的过去式和过去分词 )；刺激；促使；（用手指或尖物）戳 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
|
255
plasma
|
|
| n.血浆，细胞质，乳清 | |
参考例句： |
|
|
|
| 欢迎访问英文小说网 |