CHUTE E37, HAVENI CITY, THE LOWER ELEMENTS
THE unlikely allies took the goblin shuttle up E37. Holly1 was none too pleased. First of all, she was being ordered to work with public-enemy number one, Artemis Fowl2. And secondly3, the goblin shuttle was held together by spit and prayers.
Holly hooked a corn rig over one pointy ear. 'Hey, Foaly? You there?'
'Right here, Captain.'
'Remind me again why I'm flying this old slammer.' LEPrecon pilots referred to suspect shuttles as slammers because of their alarming tendency to slam into the chute walls.
'The reason you're flying that old slammer, Captain, is that the goblins built this shuttle inside the port, and all three of the original access ramps4 were removed years ago. It would take days to get a new rig in there. So, I'm afraid we're stuck with the goblin ship.'
Holly strapped6 herself into the pilot's wraparound seat. The thruster toggles almost seemed to jump into her hands. For a split second, Captain Short's natural good humour returned. She was an ace8 pilot, top of her class in the Academy. On her final assessment9, Wing Commander Vinyaya had written that Cadet Short could fly a shuttle pod through the gap in your teeth. It was a compliment with a sting in the tail. On her first try-out in a pod, Holly had lost control, crash-landing the craft two metres from Vinyaya's nose.
So, for five seconds, Holly was happy. Then she remembered who her passengers were.
'I wonder, could you tell me,' said Artemis, settling into the co-pilot's chair, 'how close the Russian terminal is to Murmansk?'
'Civilians10 behind the yellow line,' growled11 Holly, ignoring the enquiry.
Artemis pressed on. 'This is important to me. I am trying to plan a rescue.'
Holly grinned tightly. 'There's so much irony12 here, I could write a poem. The kidnapper13 looking for help with a kidnapping.'
Artemis rubbed his temples. 'Holly, I am a criminal. It's what I do best. When I abducted14 you, I was thinking only of the ransom15. You were never supposed to be in any danger.'
'Oh really?' said Holly. 'Apart from bio-bombs and trolls.'
'True,' admitted Artemis. 'Sometimes plans don't translate smoothly17 from paper to real life.' He paused, cleaning some non-existent dirt from his manicured nails. 'I have matured, Captain. This is my father. I need all the information I can gather before facing the Mafiya.'
Holly relented. It wasn't easy growing up without a father. She knew. Her own father had passed away when she was barely sixty. More than twenty years ago now.
'OK, Mud Boy, listen up. I'm only saying this once.'
Artemis sat up. Butler stooped as he entered the cockpit. He could smell a war story.
'Over the past two centuries, with the advances in human technology, the LEP have been forced to shut down over sixty terminals. We pulled out of northern Russia in the sixties. The entire Kola peninsula is a nuclear disaster. The People have no tolerance18 to radiation, we never built up a resistance. In truth, there wasn't much to close down. Just a Grade Three terminal and a couple of cloaking projectors19. The People aren't very fond of the Arctic. A bit frosty. Everybody was glad to be leaving. So, to answer your question: there's one unmanned terminal, with little or no above-ground facilities, located about twenty klicks north of Murmansk —'
Foaly's voice blurted20 from the intercom, interrupting what was dangerously close to a civil conversation. 'OK, Captain. You've got a clear run to the subway. There's still a bit of waffle from the last flare21, so go easy.'
Holly pulled down her mouth mike. 'Roger that, Foaly. Have the rad suits ready when I get back. We're on a tight schedule.'
Foaly chuckled22. 'Take it easy on the thrusters, Holly. Technically23, this is Artemis's first time in the chutes, seeing as he and Butler were mesmerized24 on the way down. We wouldn't want him getting a fright.'
Holly gunned the throttle26 quite a bit more than was absolutely necessary. 'No,' she growled. 'We wouldn't want him getting a fright.'
Artemis decided27 to strap5 on his restraining harness. A good idea, as it turned out.
Captain Short gunned the makeshift shuttle down the magnetized approach rail. The fins28 shook, sending twin waves of sparks cascading29 past the portholes. Holly adjusted the internal gyroscopes, otherwise there'd be Mud People vomiting30 all over the cockpit.
Holly's thumbs hovered31 over the turbo buttons. 'OK. Well, let's see what this bucket can do.'
'Don't go trying for any records, Holly,' said Foaly over the speakers. 'That ship is not built for speed. I've seen more aerodynamic dwarfs32.'
Holly grunted33. After all, what was the point in flying slowly? None whatsoever34. And if you happened to terrify a few Mud Men along the way, well, that was just an added bonus.
The service tunnel opened on to the main chute. Artemis gasped35. It was an awe-inspiring sight. You could drop Mount Everest down this chute and it wouldn't even hit the sides. A deep red glow pulsed from the Earth's core like the fires of hell, and the constant crack of contracting rock smacked36 the hull37 like physical blows.
Holly fired up all four flight engines, tumbling the shuttle into the abyss. Her worries evaporated like the eddies38 of mist swirling39 around the cockpit. It was a fly-boy thing. The lower you went without pulling out of the dive, the tougher you were. Even the fiery40 demise41 of Retrieval Officer Bom Arbles couldn't stop the LEP pilots core diving. Holly held the current record. Five hundred metres from the Earth's core before dipping the flaps. That had cost her two weeks' suspension, plus a hefty fine.
Not today though. No records in a slammer. With the g-force rippling42 the skin on her cheeks, Holly dragged the joysticks back, pulling the nose out of vertical43. It gave her no small satisfaction to hear both humans sigh with relief.
'OK, Foaly, we're on the up 'n' up. What's the situation above ground?'
She could hear Foaly tapping a keyboard. 'Sorry, Holly. I can't get a lock on any of our surface equipment. Too much radiation from the last flare. You're on your own. Holly eyed the two pale humans in the cockpit. On my own, she thought. I wish.
PARIS, FRANCE
So, if Artemis wasn't the human helping44 Cudgeon in his quest to arm the B'wa Kell, who was? Some tyrannical dictator? Perhaps a disgruntled general with access to an unlimited45 supply of power cells? Well, no. Not exactly.
Luc Carrere was responsible for selling batteries to the B'wa Kell. Not that you'd know it to look at him. In fact, he didn't even know it himself. Luc was a small-time French private eye, who was well known for his inefficiency46. In PI circles, it was said that Luc couldn't trace a golf ball in a barrel of mozzarella.
Cudgeon decided to use Luc for three reasons. One, Foaly's files showed that Carrere had a reputation as a wheeler-dealer. In spite of his ineptness47 as an investigator48, Luc had a knack49 for laying his hand on whatever it was the client wanted to buy. Two, the man was greedy and had never been able to resist the lure50 of easy money. And three, Luc was stupid. And as every little fairy knows, weak minds are easier to mesmerize25.
The fact that he had located Carrere in Foaly's database was nearly enough to make Cudgeon smile. Of course, Briar would have preferred not to have any human link in the chain. But a chain comprised completely of goblin links is one dumb chain.
Establishing contact with any Mud Man was not something Cudgeon took lightly. Deranged51 as he was, Briar was well aware of what would happen if the humans got wind of a new market below ground. They would swarm52 to the Earth's core like an army of red-backed flesh-eating ants. Cudgeon was not ready to meet the humans head on. Not yet. Not until he had the might of the LEP behind him.
So instead, Cudgeon sent Luc Carrere a little package. First class, shielded goblin mail ...
Luc Carrere had shuffled53 into his office apartment' one July evening to find a small parcel lying on his desk. The package was nothing more than a FedEx delivery. Or something that looked very much like a FedEx delivery.
Luc slit54 the tape. Inside the box, cushioned on a nest of hundred-euro bills, was a small flat device of some kind. Like a portable CD player, but made from a strange black metal that seemed to absorb light. Luc would have shouted to reception and instructed his secretary to hold all calls. If he had had a reception. If he had had a secretary. Instead the PI began stuffing cash down his grease-stained shirt as though the notes would disappear.
Suddenly, the device popped open, clam-like, revealing a micro-screen and speakers. A shadowy face appeared on the display. Though Luc could see nothing but a pair of red-rimmed eyes, that was enough to set goose bumps popping across his back.
Funny though, because when the face began to speak, Luc's worries slid away like an old snakeskin. How could he have been worried?This person was obviously a friend. What a lovely voice. Like a choir55 of angels, all on its own.
'Luc Carrere?'
Luc nearly cried. Poetry.
'Oui. It's me.'
'Bonsoir. Do you see the money, Luc? It's all yours.' Sixty miles below ground, Cudgeon almost smiled. This was easier than expected. He had been worried that the dribble56 of power left in his brain wouldn't be sufficient to mesmerize the human. But this particular Mud Man seemed to have the will-power of a hungry hog57 faced with a trough of turnips58.
Luc held two wads of cash in his fists. 'This money. It's mine? What do I have to do?'
'Nothing. The money is yours. Do whatever you want.'
Now Luc Carrere knew that there was no such thing as free cash, but that voice ... That voice was truth in a micro-speaker.
'But there's more. A lot more.'
Luc stopped what he was doing, which was kissing a hundred-euro bill. 'More? How much more?'
The eyes seemed to glow crimson59. 'As much as you want, Lac. But to get it, I need you to do me a favour.'
Luc was hooked. 'Sure. What kind of favour?'
The voice emanating60 from the speaker was as clear as spring water. 'It's simple, not even illegal. I need batteries, Luc. Thousands of batteries. Maybe millions. Do you think you can get them for me?'
Luc thought about it for about two seconds. The banknotes were tickling61 his chin. As a matter of fact, he had a contact on the river who regularly shipped boatloads of hardware to the Middle East, including batteries. Luc was confident that some of those shipments could be diverted.
'Batteries. Oui, certainment, I could do that.'
And so it went on for several months. Luc Carrere hit his contact for every battery he could lay his hands on. It was a sweet deal. Luc would crate62 the cells up in his apartment and in the morning they would be gone. In their place would sit a fresh pile of bills. Of course, the euros were fake, run off on an old Koboi printer, but Luc couldn't tell the difference. Nobody outside the Treasury63 could.
Occasionally, the voice on the screen would make a special request. Some fire suits, for example. But hey, Luc was a player now. Nothing was more than a phone call away. In six months, Luc Carrere went from a one-room studio to a fancy loft64 apartment in St Germain. So naturally, the Surete and Interpol were building separate cases against him. But Luc wasn't to know that. All he knew was that for the first time in his corrupt65 life, he was riding the gravy66 train.
One morning there was another parcel on his new marble-topped desk. Bigger this time. Bulkier. But Luc wasn't worried. It was probably more money.
Luc popped the top to reveal an aluminium67 case and a second communicator. The eyes were waiting for him.
'Bonjour, Luc. fa ra?'
'Bien,' replied Luc, mesmerized from the first syllable68.
'I have a special assignment for you today. Do this right and you will never have to worry about money again. Your tool is in the case.'
'What is it?' asked the PI nervously69. The instrument looked like a weapon and, even though Luc was mesmerized, Cudgeon did not have enough magic to completely suppress the Parisian's nature. The PI may have been devious70, but he was no killer71.
'It's a special camera, Luc, that's all. If you pull that thing that looks like a trigger, it takes a picture,' said Cudgeon.
'Oh,' said Luc Carrere blearily.
'Some friends of mine are coming to visit you. And I want you to take their picture. It's just a game we play.'
'How will I know your friends?' asked Luc. 'A lot of people visit me.'
'They will ask about the batteries. If they ask about the batteries, then you take their picture.'
'Sure. Great.' And it was great. Because the voice would never make him do anything wrong. The voice was his friend.
E37 SHUTTLE PORT
Holly steered72 the slammer through the chute's final section. A proximity73 sensor74 in the shuttle's nose set off the landing lights.
'Hmm,' muttered Holly.
Artemis squinted75 through the quartz76 windscreen. 'A problem?'
'No. It's just that those lights shouldn't be working. There hasn't been a power source in the terminal since the last century.'
'Our goblin friends, I presume.'
Holly frowned. 'Doubtful. It takes half a dozen goblins to turn on a glow cube. Wiring a shuttle port takes real know-how77. Elfin know-how.'
'The plot thickens,' said Artemis. If he'd had a beard, he would have stroked it. 'I smell a traitor78. Now, who would have access to all this technology and a motive79 for selling it?'
Holly pointed80 the shuttle's cone81 towards the landing nodes. 'We'll find out soon enough. You just get me a live trader, and my mesmer will soon have him spilling his guts82.'
The shuttle docked with a pneumatic hiss83 as the bay's rubber collar formed an airtight seal around the outer hull.
Butler was out of his chair before the seat-belt light winked84 off, ready for action.
'Just don't kill anyone,' warned Holly. 'That's not how the LEP likes to operate. Anyway, dead Mud Men don't rat on their partners.'
She brought up a schematic on the wall-screen. It depicted86 Par7 is's old city. 'OK,' she said, pointing to a bridge across the Seine. 'We're here. Under this bridge, sixty metres from Notre-Dame. The cathedral, not the football team. The dock is disguised as a bridge support. Stand in the doorway87 until I give you a green light. We have to be careful here. The last thing we need is some Parisian seeing you emerging from a brick wall.' , . . 'You're not accompanying us?' asked Artemis.
'Orders,' said Holly, scowling88. 'Apparently89 this could be a trap. Who knows what hardware is pointed at the terminal door? Lucky for you, you're expendable. Irish tourists on holiday, you'll fit right in.'
'Lucky us. What leads do we have?'
Holly slid a disk into the console. 'Foaly stuck his Retimager on the goblin prisoner. Apparently he has seen this human.'
The captain brought up a mugshot on the screen. 'Foaly got a match on his Interpol files. Luc Carrere. Disbarred attorney, does a bit of PI work.'
She printed off a card. 'Here's his address. He just moved to a swanky new apartment. It could be nothing, but at least we have somewhere to start. I need you to immobilize him, and show him this.' Holly handed the bodyguard91 what looked like a diver's watch.
'What is it?' asked the manservant.
'Just a com screen. You put it in front of Carrere's face and I can mesmerize the truth out of him from down here. It also contains one of Foaly's doodahs: a personal shield. The Safetynet. A prototype, you'll be delighted to know. You have the honour of testing it. Touch the screen, and the micro-reactor generates a two-metre diameter sphere of tri-phased light. No good for solids, but laser bursts or concussion92 shocks are OK.'
'Hmm,' said Butler doubtfully. 'We don't get a lot of laser bursts above ground.'
'Hey, don't use it. Do I care?'
Butler studied the tiny instrument. 'One-metre radius93? What about the bits that are sticking out.'
Holly thumped94 the manservant playfully in the stomach. 'My advice to you, big man, is curl up in a ball.'
‘I’ll try to remember that,' said Butler, cinching the strap around his wrist. 'You two try not to kill each other while I'm gone.'
Artemis was surprised. It didn't happen very often. 'While you're gone? Surely you don't expect me to stay behind?'
Butler tapped his forehead. 'Don't worry, you'll see everything on the iris90-cam.'
Artemis fumed95 for several moments, before settling back down into the co-pilot's seat. 'I know. I would only slow you down, and that, in turn, would slow down the search for my father.'
'Of course, if you insist
'No. This is no time for childishness.'
Butler smiled gently. Childishness was one thing Master Artemis was hardly likely to be accused of.
'How long do I have?'
Holly shrugged96. 'As long as it takes. Obviously the sooner the better for everybody's sake.' She glanced at Artemis. 'Especially his father's.'
In spite of everything, Butler felt good. This was life at its most basic. The hunt. Not exactly Stone Age, not with a large semi-automatic weapon under his arm. But the principle was the same: the survival of the fittest. And there was no doubt in Butler's mind that he was the fittest.
He followed Holly's directions to a service ladder, scaling it quickly to the doorway above. He waited beside the metal door until the light above changed from red to green, and the camouflaged97 entrance slid noiselessly back. The bodyguard emerged cautiously. While it was likely that the bridge was deserted98, he could hardly explain himself away as a homeless person, dressed as he was in a dark designer suit.
Butler felt a breeze play across the shaven dome99 of his crown. The morning air felt good, even after a few hours below ground. He could easily imagine how fairies must feel, forced out of their native environment by humans. From what Butler had seen, if the People ever decided to reclaim100 what was theirs, the battle wouldn't last long. But luckily for mankind, fairies were a peace-loving people, and not prepared to go to war over real estate.
The coast was clear. Butler stepped casually101 on to the riverside walkway, proceeding102 west towards the St Germain district.
A riverboat swept past on his right, ferrying a hundred tourists around the city. Butler automatically covered his face with a massive hand. Just in case some of those tourists had cameras pointed in his direction.
The bodyguard mounted a set of stone steps to the road above. Behind him the pointed spire103 of Notre-Dame rose into the sky, and to his left the Eiffel Tower's famous profile punctured104 the clouds. Butler strode confidently across the main road, nodding at several French ladies who stopped to stare. He was familiar with this area of Paris, having spent a month recuperating105 here after a particularly dangerous assignment for the French Secret Service.
Butler strolled along Rue16 Jacob. Even at this hour, cars and lorries jammed the narrow street. Drivers leaned on their horns, hanging from car windows, Gallic tempers running wild. Mopeds dodged106 between bumpers107, and several pretty girls strolled past. Butler smiled. Paris. He had forgotten.
Carrere's apartment was on Rue Bonaparte, opposite the church. Apartments in St Germain cost more per month than most Parisians made in a year. Butler ordered a coffee and croissant at the Bonaparte cafe, settling himself at an outside table. According to his calculations, it gave him the perfect view of Monsieur Carrere's balcony.
Butler didn't have long to wait. In less than an hour, the chunky Parisian appeared on the balcony, leaning on the ornate railing for several minutes. He very obligingly presented front and side views of himself.
Holly's voice sounded in Butler's ear. 'That's our boy. Is he alone?'
'I can't tell,' muttered the bodyguard into his hand.The flesh-tone mike glued to his throat would pick up any vibrations108 and translate them for Holly.
'Just a sec.'
Butler heard a keyboard being tapped, and suddenly the iris-cam in his eye sparked. The vision in one eye jumped into a completely different spectrum109.
'Heat-sensitive,' Holly informed him. 'Hot equals red. Cold equals blue. Not a very powerful system, but the lens should penetrate110 an outer wall.'
Butler cast a fresh eye over the apartment. There were three red objects in the room. One was Carrere's heart, which pulsed crimson in the centre of his pink body. The second appeared to be a kettle or possibly a coffee pot, and the third was a TV.
'OK. All clear, I'm going in.'
'Affirmative. Watch your step. This is a bit too convenient.'
'Agreed.'
Butler crossed the cobbled street to the four-storey apartment building. There was an intercom security system, but this structure was nineteenth century, and a solid shoulder at the right point popped the bolt right out of its housing.
‘I’m in.’
There was noise on the stairs above. Someone coming this way. Butler wasn't unduly111 concerned. Nevertheless he slid a palm inside his jacket, fingers resting on his handgun's grip. It was unlikely he would need it. Even the most boisterous112 young bucks113 generally gave Butler a wide berth114. Something to do with his merciless eyes. Being over two metres tall didn't hurt either.
A group of teenagers rounded the corner.
'Excusez-moi,' said Butler, gallantly115 stepping aside.
The girls giggled116. The boys glared. One, a mono-eyebrowed rugby type, even thought about passing comment. Then Butler winked at him. It was a peculiar117 wink85, somehow simultaneously118 cheerful and terrifying. No comments were passed.
Butler ascended119 to the fourth floor without incident. Carrere's apartment was on the gable end. Two walls of windows. Very expensive.
The bodyguard was considering his breaking and entering options when he noticed the door was open. Open doors generally meant one of two things: one, nobody was left alive to close it, or two, he was expected. Neither of these options appealed to him particularly.
Butler entered cautiously. The apartment walls were lined with open crates120. Battery packs and fire suits poked121 through the Styrofoam packing. The floor was littered with thick wads of currency.
'Are you a friend?' It was Carrere. He was slumped122 in an oversized armchair, a weapon of some kind nestling in his lap.
Butler approached slowly. An important rule of combat is that every opponent is taken seriously.
'Take it easy.'
The Parisian raised the weapon. The grip was made for smaller fingers. A child, or a fairy. 'I asked if you were a friend.'
Butler cocked his own pistol. 'No need to shoot.'
'Stand still,' ordered Carrere. 'I'm not going to shoot you, just take your photo maybe. The voice told me.'
Holly's voice sounded in Butler's earpiece. 'Get closer. I need to see the eyes.'
Butler bolstered123 his weapon, taking a step forward. 'You see, no one has to get hurt here.'
'I'm going to enhance the image,' said Holly. 'This may sting a bit.'
The tiny camera in his eye buzzed, and suddenly Butler's vision was magnified by four — which would have been just fine had the magnification not been accompanied by a sharp jolt124 of pain. Butler blinked back a stream of tears from his eye.
Below, in the goblin shuttle, Holly studied Luc's pupils. 'He's been mesmerized,' she pronounced. 'Several times. You see how the iris has actually become jagged. You mesmerize a human too much and they can go blind.'
Artemis studied the image. 'Is it safe to mesmerize him again?'
Holly shrugged. 'Doesn't matter. He's already under a spell. This particular individual is just following orders. His brain doesn't know a thing about it.'
Artemis grabbed the mike stand. 'Butler! Get out of there. Right now.'
In the apartment, Butler stood his ground. Any sudden movement might be his last.
'Butler,' said Holly. 'Listen carefully. That gun pointed at you is a wide-bore low-frequency blaster. We call it a Bouncer. It was developed for tunnel skirmishes. If he pulls that trigger, a wide arc laser is going to ricochet off the walls until it hits something.'
'I see,' muttered Butler.
'What did you say?' asked Carrere.
'Nothing. I just don't like having my photo taken.'
A spark of Luc's greedy personality surfaced. 'I like that watch on your wrist. It looks expensive. Is it a Rolex?'
'You don't want this,' said Butler, very reluctant to part with the com screen. 'It's cheap. A piece of trash.'
'Just give me the watch.'
Butler peeled back the strap of the instrument on his wrist. 'If I give you this watch, maybe you can tell me about all these batteries.'
'It is you! Say cheese,' squealed125 Carrere, forcing his pudgy thumb into the undersized trigger guard and pumping for all he was worth.
For Butler, time seemed to slow to a crawl. It was almost as though he were inside his personal time-stop. His soldier's brain absorbed all the facts and analysed his options. Carrere's finger was too far gone. In a moment, a wide-bore laser burst would be speeding his way, and would continue to bounce around the room until they were both dead. His gun was of no use in a situation like this. All he had was the Safetynet, but a two-metre sphere was not going to be enough. Not for two good-sized humans.
So, in the fraction of a second left to him, Butler formulated126 a new strategy. If the sphere could stop concussive waves coming towards him, perhaps it could stop them coming out of the blaster. Butler touched the screen of the Safetynet, and hurled127 the device in Carrere's direction.
Not a nanosecond too soon, a spherical128 shield blossomed, enveloping129 the expanding beam from Carrere's blaster: 360 degrees of protection. It was a sight to see, a fireworks display in a bubble. The shield hovered in the air, shafts130 of light ricocheting against the sphere's curved planes.
Carrere was hypnotized by the sight, and Butler took advantage of the distraction131 to disarm132 him.
'Start the engines,' grunted the bodyguard into his throat mike. 'The Surete are going to be all over this place in minutes. Foaly's Safetynet didn't stop the noise.'
'Roger that. What about Monsieur Carrere?'
Butler dumped the dazed Parisian flat on the carpet. 'Luc and I are going to have a little chat.'
For the first time Carrere seemed to be aware of his surroundings.
'Who are you?' he mumbled133. 'What's happening?'
Butler ripped open the man's shirt, placing his palm flat on the Pi's heart. Time for a little trick he'd learned from Madame Ko, his Japanese sensei. 'Don't worry, Monsieur Carrere. I'm a doctor.There's been an accident, but you're perfectly134 fine.'
'An accident? I don't remember any accident.'
'Trauma135. It's quite normal. I'm just going to check your vitals.'
Butler placed a thumb on Luc's neck, locating the artery136. 'I'm going to ask you a few questions, to check for concussion.'
Luc didn't argue. Then again, who'd argue with a two-metre-plus Eurasian with muscles like a Michelangelo statue?
'Is your name Luc Carrere?'
'Yes.'
Butler noted137 the pulse rate. One from the heartbeat, and a second reference on the carotid artery. Steady, in spite of the accident.
'Are you a private eye?'
'I prefer the title investigator.'
No increase in pulse rate. The man was telling the truth.
'Have you ever sold batteries to a mystery buyer?'
'No, I have not,' protested Luc. 'What kind of doctor are you?'
The man's pulse sky-rocketed. He was lying.
'Answer the questions, Monsieur Carrere,' said Butler sternly. 'Just one more. Have you ever had dealings with goblins?'
Relief flooded through Luc. The police did not ask questions about fairies. 'What are you? Crazy? Goblins? I don't know what you're talking about.'
Butler closed his eyes, concentrating on the pounding beneath his thumb and palm. Luc's pulse had settled. He was telling the truth. He had never had any direct dealings with the goblins. Obviously the B'wa Kell wasn't that stupid.
Butler stood up, pocketing the Bouncer. He could hear the sirens on the street below.
'Hey, Doctor,' protested Luc. 'You can't just leave me like this.'
Butler eyed him coldly. 'I would take you with me, but the police will want to know why your apartment is full of what I suspect are counterfeit138 bills.'
Luc could only watch with his mouth open as the giant figure disappeared into the corridor. He knew he should run, but Luc Carrere hadn't run more than fifty metres since gym class in the nineteen seventies, and anyway, his legs had suddenly turned to jelly. The thought of a long stretch in prison can do that to a person.
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holly
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fowl
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secondly
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ramps
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| resources allocation and multiproject scheduling 资源分配和多项目的行程安排 | |
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strap
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strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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assessment
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growled
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| 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 | |
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irony
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13
kidnapper
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| n.绑架者，拐骗者 | |
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14
abducted
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| 劫持，诱拐( abduct的过去式和过去分词 )； 使（肢体等）外展 | |
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15
ransom
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| n.赎金，赎身；v.赎回，解救 | |
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16
rue
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| n.懊悔，芸香，后悔；v.后悔，悲伤，懊悔 | |
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17
smoothly
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| adv.平滑地，顺利地，流利地，流畅地 | |
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18
tolerance
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| n.宽容；容忍，忍受；耐药力；公差 | |
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19
projectors
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| 电影放映机，幻灯机( projector的名词复数 ) | |
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20
blurted
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| v.突然说出，脱口而出( blurt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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21
flare
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| v.闪耀，闪烁；n.潮红；突发 | |
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22
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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23
technically
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| adv.专门地，技术上地 | |
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24
mesmerized
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| v.使入迷( mesmerize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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25
mesmerize
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| vt.施催眠术；使入迷，迷住 | |
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26
throttle
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| n.节流阀，节气阀，喉咙；v.扼喉咙，使窒息，压 | |
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27
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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28
fins
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| [医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌 | |
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29
cascading
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| 流注( cascade的现在分词 )； 大量落下； 大量垂悬； 梯流 | |
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30
vomiting
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| 吐 | |
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31
hovered
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| 鸟( hover的过去式和过去分词 )； 靠近（某事物）； （人）徘徊； 犹豫 | |
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32
dwarfs
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| n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式） | |
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33
grunted
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| （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 | |
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34
whatsoever
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| adv.（用于否定句中以加强语气）任何；pron.无论什么 | |
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35
gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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36
smacked
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| 拍，打，掴( smack的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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37
hull
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| n.船身；(果、实等的)外壳；vt.去(谷物等)壳 | |
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38
eddies
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| （水、烟等的）漩涡，涡流( eddy的名词复数 ) | |
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39
swirling
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| v.旋转，打旋( swirl的现在分词 ) | |
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40
fiery
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| adj.燃烧着的，火红的；暴躁的；激烈的 | |
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41
demise
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| n.死亡；v.让渡，遗赠，转让 | |
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42
rippling
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| 起涟漪的，潺潺流水般声音的 | |
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43
vertical
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| adj.垂直的，顶点的，纵向的；n.垂直物，垂直的位置 | |
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44
helping
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| n.食物的一份&adj.帮助人的，辅助的 | |
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45
unlimited
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| adj.无限的，不受控制的，无条件的 | |
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46
inefficiency
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| n.无效率，无能；无效率事例 | |
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47
ineptness
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| n.荒谬，拙劣 | |
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48
investigator
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| n.研究者，调查者，审查者 | |
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49
knack
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| n.诀窍，做事情的灵巧的，便利的方法 | |
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50
lure
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| n.吸引人的东西，诱惑物；vt.引诱，吸引 | |
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51
deranged
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| adj.疯狂的 | |
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52
swarm
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| n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入 | |
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53
shuffled
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| 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 | |
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54
slit
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| n.狭长的切口；裂缝；vt.切开，撕裂 | |
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55
choir
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| n.唱诗班，唱诗班的席位，合唱团，舞蹈团；v.合唱 | |
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56
dribble
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| v.点滴留下，流口水；n.口水 | |
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57
hog
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| n.猪；馋嘴贪吃的人；vt.把…占为己有，独占 | |
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58
turnips
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| 芜青( turnip的名词复数 )； 芜菁块根； 芜菁甘蓝块根； 怀表 | |
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59
crimson
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| n./adj.深(绯)红色(的)；vi.脸变绯红色 | |
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60
emanating
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| v.从…处传出，传出( emanate的现在分词 )；产生，表现，显示 | |
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61
tickling
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| 反馈，回授，自旋挠痒法 | |
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62
crate
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| vt.(up)把…装入箱中；n.板条箱，装货箱 | |
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63
treasury
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| n.宝库；国库，金库；文库 | |
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64
loft
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| n.阁楼，顶楼 | |
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65
corrupt
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| v.贿赂，收买；adj.腐败的，贪污的 | |
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66
gravy
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| n.肉汁；轻易得来的钱，外快 | |
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67
aluminium
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| n.铝 (=aluminum) | |
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68
syllable
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| n.音节；vt.分音节 | |
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69
nervously
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| adv.神情激动地，不安地 | |
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70
devious
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| adj.不坦率的，狡猾的；迂回的，曲折的 | |
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71
killer
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| n.杀人者，杀人犯，杀手，屠杀者 | |
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72
steered
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| v.驾驶( steer的过去式和过去分词 )；操纵；控制；引导 | |
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73
proximity
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| n.接近，邻近 | |
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74
sensor
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| n.传感器，探测设备，感觉器（官） | |
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75
squinted
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| 斜视( squint的过去式和过去分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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76
quartz
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| n.石英 | |
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77
know-how
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| n.知识；技术；诀窍 | |
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78
traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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79
motive
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| n.动机，目的；adv.发动的，运动的 | |
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80
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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81
cone
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| n.圆锥体，圆锥形东西，球果 | |
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82
guts
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| v.狼吞虎咽，贪婪地吃，飞碟游戏（比赛双方每组5人，相距15码，互相掷接飞碟）；毁坏（建筑物等）的内部( gut的第三人称单数 )；取出…的内脏n.勇气( gut的名词复数 )；内脏；消化道的下段；肠 | |
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83
hiss
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| v.发出嘶嘶声；发嘘声表示不满 | |
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84
winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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85
wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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86
depicted
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| 描绘，描画( depict的过去式和过去分词 )； 描述 | |
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87
doorway
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| n.门口，(喻)入门；门路，途径 | |
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88
scowling
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| 怒视，生气地皱眉( scowl的现在分词 ) | |
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89
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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90
iris
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| n.虹膜，彩虹 | |
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91
bodyguard
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| n.护卫，保镖 | |
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92
concussion
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| n.脑震荡；震动 | |
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93
radius
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| n.半径，半径范围；有效航程，范围，界限 | |
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94
thumped
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| v.重击， （指心脏）急速跳动( thump的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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95
fumed
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| 愤怒( fume的过去式和过去分词 )； 大怒； 发怒； 冒烟 | |
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96
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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97
camouflaged
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| v.隐蔽( camouflage的过去式和过去分词 )；掩盖；伪装，掩饰 | |
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98
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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99
dome
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| n.圆屋顶，拱顶 | |
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100
reclaim
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| v.要求归还，收回；开垦 | |
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101
casually
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| adv.漠不关心地，无动于衷地，不负责任地 | |
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102
proceeding
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| n.行动，进行，(pl.)会议录，学报 | |
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103
spire
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| n.(教堂)尖顶，尖塔，高点 | |
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104
punctured
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| v.在（某物）上穿孔( puncture的过去式和过去分词 )；刺穿（某物）；削弱（某人的傲气、信心等）；泄某人的气 | |
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105
recuperating
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| v.恢复（健康、体力等），复原( recuperate的现在分词 ) | |
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106
dodged
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| v.闪躲( dodge的过去式和过去分词 )；回避 | |
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107
bumpers
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| （汽车上的）保险杠，缓冲器( bumper的名词复数 ) | |
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108
vibrations
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| n.摆动( vibration的名词复数 )；震动；感受；（偏离平衡位置的）一次性往复振动 | |
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109
spectrum
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| n.谱，光谱，频谱；范围，幅度，系列 | |
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110
penetrate
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| v.透(渗)入；刺入，刺穿；洞察，了解 | |
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111
unduly
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| adv.过度地，不适当地 | |
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112
boisterous
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| adj.喧闹的，欢闹的 | |
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113
bucks
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| n.雄鹿( buck的名词复数 )；钱；（英国十九世纪初的）花花公子；（用于某些表达方式）责任v.（马等）猛然弓背跃起( buck的第三人称单数 )；抵制；猛然震荡；马等尥起后蹄跳跃 | |
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114
berth
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| n.卧铺，停泊地，锚位；v.使停泊 | |
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115
gallantly
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| adv. 漂亮地，勇敢地，献殷勤地 | |
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116
giggled
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| v.咯咯地笑( giggle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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117
peculiar
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| adj.古怪的，异常的；特殊的，特有的 | |
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118
simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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119
ascended
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| v.上升，攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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120
crates
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| n. 板条箱, 篓子, 旧汽车 vt. 装进纸条箱 | |
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121
poked
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| v.伸出( poke的过去式和过去分词 )；戳出；拨弄；与（某人）性交 | |
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122
slumped
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| 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] | |
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123
bolstered
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| v.支持( bolster的过去式和过去分词 )；支撑；给予必要的支持；援助 | |
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124
jolt
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| v.（使）摇动，（使）震动，（使）颠簸 | |
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125
squealed
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| v.长声尖叫，用长而尖锐的声音说( squeal的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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126
formulated
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|
| v.构想出( formulate的过去式和过去分词 )；规划；确切地阐述；用公式表示 | |
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127
hurled
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| v.猛投，用力掷( hurl的过去式和过去分词 )；大声叫骂 | |
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128
spherical
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| adj.球形的；球面的 | |
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129
enveloping
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| v.包围，笼罩，包住( envelop的现在分词 ) | |
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130
shafts
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| n.轴( shaft的名词复数 )；（箭、高尔夫球棒等的）杆；通风井；一阵（疼痛、害怕等） | |
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131
distraction
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| n.精神涣散，精神不集中，消遣，娱乐 | |
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132
disarm
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| v.解除武装，回复平常的编制，缓和 | |
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133
mumbled
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| 含糊地说某事，叽咕，咕哝( mumble的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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134
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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135
trauma
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| n.外伤，精神创伤 | |
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136
artery
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| n.干线，要道；动脉 | |
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137
noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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138
counterfeit
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| vt.伪造，仿造；adj.伪造的，假冒的 | |
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