50*Voicemail Transcription*
M: Hello, this is Minerva Paradizo. If your problems have to absolutely intrude upon mine, leave me a message with your name and number and I will get back to you as soon as humanly possible. Au Revoir!
*beep*
F: Minerva?! Yes, this is Foaly. Listen…I uh….I heard through the grapevine that you and your fiancé were here in Las Vegas to witness our heist going down and…I ran into a snag. I was wondering if y-you could h-help me out..-with uh, with a technical problem I've been encountering with one of my assignments.
*Las Vegas, Nevada, Holiday Inn Hotel*
Foaly was loosing his damn centaur mind. Both his hair and his hotel room were in a similar disheveled state. The opening night was 1 and a half days away, and he STILL couldn't figure out why he couldn't reprogram the shuffle machines for the Black Jack table. He had only one job, and he was screwing it up, BIG TIME!
When in doubt, call an expert; and although it pained Foaly's ego way down to it's core, he only knew of one other person that could help him on the side. He definitely wasn't telling Artemis - Gods know that Foaly wouldn't hear the end of his relentless teasing. This fear of future tomfoolery from his friends also held him back from asking the others for help (on top of the fact that no one else besides Arty and him would have the technical capacity to handle the project).
Foaly's anxiety ran rampant to the point where he had to hold back tears as he finished leaving his message for Minerva; sweat dripping out of every pour. The room was filled with pieces of shuffle machines, broken memory boards, wires, and all sorts of other junk. Foaly stared out of the window where the gleaming sunlight almost blinded him. In his mind, he deserved a little bit of punishment.
"Oh," Foaly continued as he left his voicemail. "And I was wondering if we could keep this on the down-low…you know, away from Arty and the rest of the guys…that I'm….y-y-you know…a-a-asking you for h-help…so…um…..call me when you get this, ok?…..please help….bye."
The minute Foaly disconnected the call, he began weeping out of frustration. Just what in Frond's name was he going to do? _
*Las Vegas, The Bank Hotel and Casino. Ground floor*
Billy Bank was making his rounds at the Future Gaming Expo which he was hosting on the ground floor of his hotel. Gambling freaks and addicts were surrounding multiple booths and tables to get a glimpse of how their money would be stolen in their near future. Billy Bank stifled a chuckle begrudgingly. He loved this business; it was literally taking candy from babies.
All of a sudden, Billy Bank could've sworn he saw something. No, not something; someone. Maybe all the jealousy of Jon Spiro's escalating press coverage was finally going to Bank's head, causing him to hallucinate and manifest the Chicago tycoon into reality.
Before Billy Bank could accurately take-in the situation and investigate even further - someone else caught his eye.
To anyone else who wasn't a music geek, the man Billy spotted wouldn't even enter the ballpark of noteworthiness. He seemed like a young-adult hippie/punk. With a good pair of salvage jeans, a flannel shirt, a Death Grips t-shirt and several articles of male jewelry including a rock n' roll skull ring and peace medallion necklace; he just seemed like your typical college proto-hipster.
However, if you were a music geek, you knew the 22 year old right away as Ethan Teel; a multi-instrumentalist who founded his Alternative Rock group "The Owl-Eyes," back in 2014 (before the great techno crash). He was the frontman, guitarist, and primary songwriter for his group. What made "The Owl-Eyes," so significant was they were one of the few music groups not to suffer due to the great Techno crash. Why? Simply put, they made radio rock with an artistic edge, which meant that not only did their singles due well as radio re-emerged, but their album sales went through the roof because people began buying albums again, and The Owl-Eyes had always remained an album band. Imagine if Fugazi made a band with Weezer and the group tried making Frank Zappa style tunes - that was "The Owl-Eyes."
While Billy Bank wasn't necessarily the biggest fan of "The Owl-Eyes," Billy's daughter was a rabid fan. Much to Billy's luck, he caught eyes with the young musician (who was standing with who appeared to be his body guard) and the 22 year old musical psycho began trudging his way over to Billy Bank. Billy smiled, 'Time to work that legendary charm,' he though to himself.
" ?" Ethan Teel asked as he approached the man with an outstretched hand.
" ," Billy stated as he grabbed Ethan's hand and firmly shook it. "I gotta tell you, I caught your live show on AXS TV, it was phenomenal."
Ethan's eyes dilated a tiny bit and his mannerism seemed like he was almost embarrassed by Bank's comment. "Really?"
"Yeah man," Billy Bank replied. "You're one of the few acts that my daughter listens to consistently….in fact-"
Ethan Teel cut Billy Bank off before he could finish his sentence. "You'd like a few tickets for your daughter?" Ethan answered, finishing Billy Bank's sentence.
"You took the words right out of my mouth," Billy replied. The two then shared a quick laugh before Ethan Teel made a proposition.
"I'll do you one better, what's your daughter's name and email?" Ethan asked.
"Her name is Sherry," Billy Bank responded. "And her email is…"
About 5 minutes later, Ethan Teel had sent Sherry Bank and email informing her that she had received a backstage pass for the entire tour cycle that The Owl-Eyes was currently on. Whatever show she could attend, she was given free access and a backstage pass for her exclusively. Billy Bank was somewhat astounded by Ethan Teel's generosity. 'This seems like the type of guy who may go broke,' Billy Bank thought. 'But at least you like hanging around him and could have a good time.'
As Ethan placed his phone back into his pocket, he shook Billy Bank's hand one more time. "Congratulations on your momentous business success. I'm honored to have met you."
Billy Bank smiled smugly. "Ethan, the honor was all mine."
"Much love and respect, dude," Ethan stated as he gave Billy Bank a goodbye fist-bump. "Peace."
And with that, Ethan Teel walked away and disappeared into the crowd of people weaving in-and-out of the slot machines.
Just then, a few seconds later, a somewhat dazed and stupefied Billy Bank heard something that caught his ear. It sounded like barking (in the business sense) and Billy knew that by making an appearance at any one of the booths at the Gaming Expo, it would add significant amounts of favorable opinions when it came to his reputation.
He decided to follow the voice as it lead him to Nuff Said: Casino Dominos.
"Ladies and Gentleman," Mulch announced in his human form to the crowd of people gathered around his booth. "Allow me to introduce to you, the greatest advancement in gaming!"
Billy Bank eyed the oddball character for a moment as he made his speech. He was tiny man in size, but his stature seemed very bulky in a muscular sense. He sported a long brown beard and an orange leisure suit that was so gaudy and outlandish, it would make any fashionista barf. His jaw was firmly square, and his eyes were lit up with excitement.
"Forget boring cards or tired dice," Mulch proclaimed with great enthusiasm. "It's electrifying, it's exciting…it's 'Nuff Said." The audience around Mulch chuckled lightly at his charming grin as he finished his speech.
Suddenly, Mulch and Billy Bank made eye contact.
Mulch acted like he almost dropped a loaf in his pants at the site of the Casino owner. "Oh my god, Mr. Billy Bank, Ladies and Gentlemen!" Mulch announced the owner's presence with an almost carney-like tone."It's an honor sir," Mulch added as he shook his hand, intentionally boosting Bank's ego for the kill that was about to happen. "May I give you a demonstration of Casino Domino's?"
Billy Bank shrugged. "Whatchya got?"
"Something very enticing," Mulch responded as he clapped his hands together happily. "House dealer keeps 13% of total daily winnings."
This definitely caught Bank's attention. "Is this documented?" Billy Bank inquired with a corked brow.
"Well of course," Mulch responded with a warm smile. "All of the action gives the player the feeling that they have a fighting chance, if you know what I'm saying."
Billy Bank nodded lightly at this comment, whilst Mulch brought more attention to the meeting taking place.
"Gather around people," Mulch exclaimed. "Billy Bank is going to give a young an upcoming gamer, a fighting chance. Give him a round of applause!"
The audience gave a quick round of applause as Bank made his way closer to the table and Mulch.
"Alright," Billy Bank responded with a charismatic grin. "Make it quick."
"Thank you sir," Mulch began. "Now… , first round of betting the next-" Mulch lightly smacked the table with his fist, adding dynamics to his speech. "Dominos! Second round of betting: upcoming community dominos. Mr. Bank, if a player wins a multiple of 5 on the first spin, he or she is a winner: pay out is 5-1."
Mr. Bank looked somewhat dismayed by this comment, until Mulch broke it down.
"But get this," the serum-disguised Mulch added. "They're already laying 11-1…so when a player wins …we win. 'Nuff said." Mulch finished with with an almost shit-eating grin as the audience around him gave forth 'oohs' and 'ahs.'
Billy Bank was obviously impressed by this knowledge as he sported a shit-eating grin as well.
"That sounds very nice," Billy Bank exclaimed. After a few seconds of silence, Mr. Bank laid-out his proposition to Mulch.
"I tell you what," Billy Bank said. "How about…you send me some of your literature, and we'll see what we can do."
Mulch responded by shaking his head in a mockingly disappointed matter.
"Literature, Literature, Literature," Mulch responded they way most people say 'tsk, tsk, tsk.' Mulch upped his ante with the next statement. Across the room, Mulch noticed Jon Spiro approaching the table. The set-up was finishing its…set-up. Now it was time to rope Bank into the trap.
"You don't need no literature," Mulch responded. "All you got to do is feel it!"
"Well, I feel it," Bank replied. "It's just, I don't know if it's bankable."
A few seconds of tension filled silence occupied the air…then, all of a sudden…
"I'd like to place this game in one of my casinos," Jon Spiro announced as the audience in front of him parted like the red see. He sported a fancy white suit, a glass of Jameson, and a large, lit-up cigar. Mulch had to contained a laugh as he saw the seething anger spread across Billy Bank's eyes.
"Now that's what I just like to hear," Mulch stated to his audience. "That's progressive thinking right there. That's what we call taking the initiative, ladies and gentlemen."
Jon Spiro quickly darted his eyes towards Bank's without turning his face, and then quickly focused back on Mulch. The purpose was to break Bank a little more psychologically; it was working like a charm.
"And I embrace the fact that Nuff Said Casino Dominos might grow a whole new segment in my Hotels," Jon Spiro stated.
"Hello!" Mulch screamed as he rose the excitement levels up in the crowd. The crowd also responded with moans of excitement that sounded like the auditory version of someone drunkenly slurring 'oh shit,' in amazement.
"And," Jon Spiro continued. "I would like to lock this down now." He stared Billy Bank in the eyes as he stated his next bit. "Exclusive rights," Spiro added. Then he went back to looking at disguised Mulch. "And I would be ecstatic if I could place this table in our Tunica location."
Mulch had a look on his face as if all his dreams had just came true. What really sold his awe-struck look was the way Mulch placed his hands to his lips as though he was praying, along with the fact that he produced a few tears. Not a whole lot, as he made sure to fight the tears for added effect.
Billy Bank finally had enough of the bullshit displayed in front of him. Just who the hell did Jon Spiro think he was? Stumbling into the gaming expo that Bank was hosting, and now he was publicly stepping on the hotel owner's toes.
This would no longer stand.
"Mississippi?" Billy Bank responded with a quirked brow. "That's where games go to die, isn't it?"
"Stay out of this Bank," Spiro responded. "You've already passed."
"Oh, have I?" Billy Bank responded in a mimicking sing-song voice. Then, the bombshell was dropped.
"I'll make you an offer," Billy Bank told Mulch; unaware of Jon Spiro winking at Mulch, as their assignment for the heist had proven to be successful with Billy Bank's next sentence. "Prime placement in my hotel, center room, tomorrow night; opening night."
Jon Spiro had to hold back his grin as Billy Bank fell for the trap beautifully right in front of their faces.
*Las Vegas, Nevada, Holiday Inn Hotel.*
The first thing Foaly noticed when Minerva arrived a day later to the holiday inn hotel room, was that Minerva was pregnant. From his calculation, it would appear that Minerva was 2 months pregnant.
"Part of the reason why we came out to Vegas," Minerva informed the centaur. "I wanted to travel as much as I possibly could before the 3rd trimester began."
Approximately 30 minutes later, Foaly had laid out the details of his problems to Minerva while the two looked over a pulled-apart shuffle machine, along with a print-out of it's blueprints.
Meanwhile, around them, things were shaping up for opening night, which was just 8 hours away. Mulch, Doodah Day, and No.1 had already packed their bags and made their way to the Bank hotel earlier in the morning. For Mulch's character, it would be his first time purchasing a room at The Bank. For No.1 and Doodah Day, they simply went to the hotel room they had previously purchased under the disguises of Mr. Fredrickson and his long nosed assistant Lenny Pepperidge.
Qwan was currently with Juliet in the drill, holding place for Trouble and Grub as they made their way across the desert in the delivery truck. The brothers had two jobs to do before they could assist Juliet in the drill. Qwan also was waiting for a particular phone call before he performed his last undercover role for the mission.
Butler was currently waiting at his post in The Bank hotel, still under the disguise as the 5-diamond award judge. Jon Spiro, for being a good-sport through out the whole heist, was given front row seats to Billy Bank's destruction as Artemis Fowl the 2nd offered Jon Spiro his villa, along with a computer set-up where the monitors displayed, not only all the security cameras in The Bank Hotel and Casino, but also displayed every single audio and video feed from the crews' lapel cameras as well.
Artemis Fowl, Holly, Timmy and Angeline had packed themselves into a Cadillac Escalade, as they drove outside of Las Vegas, to meet up with a very important asset. Everyone's assignment was going smoothly…
…all except for Foaly's assignment. He was still back at the same position he was in a few weeks ago when the machine went haywire right in front of Mulch's and Doodah Day's faces.
Minerva continuously studied the circuit board she was presented with. Her face contained a very focused expression. Foaly had just finished his explanation and was waiting patiently (but with much anxiety) for Minerva to react in some way. Did she understand how to fix the situation? Was Foaly fucked?
Just then, Minerva giggled out of surprise, and with much humor ever-present on her face, she placed her hand to her mouth in order to contain the giggles, as to not harm Foaly's pride.
Unfortunately, she was too late.
"What's so damn funny?" Foaly asked out of frustration.
"I'm sorry," Minerva responded as she wiped away a few tears in her eyes. "But, seeing as how Fairy technology and human technology are very different, I can see how you could miss how to invert the machine."
Foaly was confused. "What are you talking about?"
Minerva grabbed a screw driver and made her way over the the machine's circuit board, laying to the left of the dismantled machine. She placed on magnifying goggles and placed the machine back-together without placing on the covers. This machine ended up looking very similar to a steamboat's wheel-paddle.
"Follow me," Minerva commanded as she demonstrated the situation to Foaly. "You have a central processor that's distributing the cards in a random pattern: a logic board that cannot be overridden"
Then she placed the screwdriver to a point on the circuit board, causing the wheel to slightly tilt back. "But with a little shlang here," she then turned another screw. "And a little shlang there…"
She looked at Foaly with a victorious look on her face as the reality of the situation began to set in for Foaly; eyes glowing wide with excitement.
"You're in override-mode," Minerva concluded. "& Bob's your uncle."
"WOW!" Foaly stated in amazement. "I can't believe it was that simple all along!"
"Yeah, well, you know," Minerva stated nonchalantly as she made her way around the table. "Shouldn't be that difficult then for you to reprogram 128 machines in 8 hours."
..oh shit, Foaly thought to himself as a cold sweat began to burst out over his forehead. The Centaur was filled with so much intense fear, that he almost peed himself a little. Somehow, such a task, even for Foaly's advance intellect, was almost virtually impossible. He would have to find a way to replace all 128 machines in one go, as there would not be enough time to have all the machines ready before the blackjack tables had a changeover.
Minerva clapped a hand on Foaly's shoulder. "Don't worry though, Donkey-Boy." Minerva stated the nickname with a bit of playful maliciousness in her voice. "30 minutes ago, it was completely impossible."
Minerva made her way to the door when the lightbulb went off in Foaly's head.
"Wait, Minerva," Foaly announced. "I have an idea!"
Minerva curiously approached Foaly as he whispered the idea in the french girl's ear. Moments later, she pulled back with a very interested 'hmmm' emanating from her vocal chords.
"That's not a bad idea," she answered. "It takes care of having all the machines ready for tonight. I'll just need your room key so i can head back and finish the task."
Foaly reached into his shirt pocket and pulled out his key card as he handed it over to Minerva. "You got it dude!" Foaly stated happily.
"There's only two things that concern me about this plan," Minerva added. "For one, Billy Bank is going to be on high alert, so he's definitely going to check the F.B.I. database."
"As long as I'm out of The Bank at the desired time, I should be able to take care of that in the drill." Foaly responded with much enthusiasm.
"Two," Minerva continued. "Why don't you want to tell Artemis? It seems to me that if you're going to help the crew out after you pull your little sketch, it entirely defeats the purpose of keeping it a secret in the first place."
"The purpose of keeping it a secret," Foaly responded, "is to make Bank think I acted alone the entire time. We don't want to raise awareness towards the group, just myself."
Minerva sighed. "Men; nothing effects them more emotionally than noble sacrifice."
"It's not even sacrifice," Foaly stated. "I'm never returning to the surface once this is over….though I do say, I did enjoy my time here."
"Yes," Minerva replied as she made her way towards the door, getting ready to leave. "I certainly hope my child enjoys this plane of existence as well." As Minerva opened the door and stood in the doorway, a though appeared, making her pause for just a few seconds, before turning back around and addressing this thought to Foaly.
"Oh, by the way," Minerva began. "I was thinking about the exit strategy recently." There was a slight pause as Minerva began her next sentence. She spoke with at least 5% fear evident in her voice. "Did you ever possibly consider that it could trigger a real earthquake?"
Foaly seemed surprised by this statement.
"…well…should that even be on the table?"
"Oh, I definitely think it should be on the table," Minerva responded. "In fact, I think you should move the Lazy Susan to one side and put this problem smack dab in the middle of the table." There was a momentary pause as Minerva stared off into space in deep thought. "…of course, I'm not Artemis, so i could be wrong."
And with that, Minerva left Foaly with a happy goodbye as the centaur began to go to work furiously on every single machine. One down, 127 to go.
*Boulder City, Nevada. On route to Stan's Family Diner Car*
Timmy felt great in the oddest of ways.
For one, although not to the same level of intensity as his son, both now shared a commonality in that they both resurrected themselves from the dead. Secondly, what better way to commemorate such a significant event than to be surrounded by family, all while plotting the downfall of the man who almost killed you in the first place? It was baseline revenge at it's best, but it felt so good to Artemis Fowl the I.
Still, Timmy had reservations about why he took so much pleasure in destroying Billy Bank's career. Granted, Billy almost killed him; and even after a fond friendship developed at Saint Bartleby's - the man wasn't morally above pushing Timmy under the bus, just so Billy could retain all the attention, glory, and credit. However, the more Timmy found himself smiling, the more he could feel his old-urges from the glory days of his criminal career start to rumble. He vowed for the family to never live a life of crime again. He promised that the Fowl empire would be in full compliance with the law. He wanted to set an example for his son, and currently Timmy felt in someways hypocritical for acting as part of the heist against Billy.
Speaking of Artemis Fowl the II, he was currently situated in the backseat of the Cadillac Escalade that Timmy was currently driving. Holly Short sat by his side, in full human form. Angeline sat in the passenger seat, her wandering eyes gazing out at the post-apocalyptic Nevada landscape. The sparkle in her eyes showed that she was feeling the same second-thoughts that Timmy was currently experiencing. Those who were performing their heist-duties in the Casino Playroom (or Ground Zero, as the team referred to it) had to be low-key as possible. The Fowl's + Holly arriving at the event wouldn't strike an Onlooker as anything more than a family of whales gathering for a fun night of Vegas extravagance. However, they were on route to pick up a very important guest: Fredrick Wallace.
And whilst the family traveled down historic route 66 to the location Fredrick Wallace reported to them earlier in the day, second thoughts began stirring amongst everyone in the car. Although maybe not conscious, the feelings were definitely ruminating within the subconscious.
Timmy was the first to address this and broke the silence by asking his wife, "Everything ok, dear?"
Angeline sighed, "It just…it's been reoccurring in my thoughts lately…that…I don't know if we're the good guys in this situation."
Artemis Fowl the II supplied his two cents with, "Well, we're certainly not the bad guys. That title is exclusively reserved for Billy Bank for this occasion."
"Absolutely," Holly responded.
"Still," Timmy interjected, "It doesn't change the fact that this is my first criminal activity that I actively participated in since…..oh lord, I can't even remember the last time I dedicated my life to something illegal." Timmy let out a sigh that reeked of existential stress. "Ever since that botched deal with the Russians, I promised when I got back that I would move my family and the family business as far away from that lifestyle as physically possible…only for me to participate in a revenge heist planned out by my son."
For a moment, Artemis Fowl the Second was flabbergasted. "Wait, what? So would you like it if we let Billy free? I call up everyone and inform them that my father called an audible? Pardon me if this statement sounds indignant and or hateful, but you do know what all we went through just to get to this point, right?!"
"I do son," Timmy replied. "But do you not recognize the moral dilemma we face here?" There was a brief pause, and in that momentary silence, a sense of dread filled the air as Timmy's energy displayed a darken vibe. When he began to speak, everyone immediately understood as to why Timmy seemed so gloomy.
He shot Holly Short a glance through the rear-view mirror, and asked, "Holly, did Angeline or Arty ever tell you about my biological father?"
Holly felt a tiny ping of doom begin to weigh down her heart. "The first day when everyone arrived at Fowl manor," Holly began, "Artemis informed me of what you had to go through as a child."
"Then you must also know how Billy played a roll in forcing that terrible monster out of my life," Timmy stated in a matter-of-fact tone. He licked his dry lips, a nervous habit, and continued with his point… "My father was a terrible man a-"
…Before being cut-off by his son. "And now Billy is a terrible man." Artemis Fowl the II responded. The GPS quickly remind everyone in the Cadillac that their desired destination would be on their left, coming up in 2 miles.
"Look," Artemis Fowl the 2nd began. His voice was stilted to the point that his speech seemed dignified to an almost presidential level. "Time changes people, but it will never change our feelings towards them. There still is some respect reserved for that man deep down in your heart, father. I don't believe you could be considered human if you didn't have some reservations about what we're doing with this heist…." Artemis carefully leaned forward so that his face laid above the Cadillac's console. "However, it's pretty obvious that Billy doesn't respect those feelings back. Like you said, 'there's a code amongst men who shake Sinatra's hand,' and Billy broke that code."
Timmy hummed in agreement.
Suddenly, an object began to reveal itself behind the fake-horizon-line provided by the many hilly areas in the Nevada desert. A diner-car, with a brownish-tan exterior that was reminiscent of the white fluffy hot-dog buns served there, appeared to the group's left. A small dirt path lead into the parking lot. When Timmy finally placed the car in parked, the GPS went into shut-down mode as it exclaimed, 'You have arrived.'
"At the end of the day, I also don't want to live an entire life of crime. I've seen some pretty intense…things - for the 21 years I've been on this earth," Artemis then placed out his hand towards his father, waiting for it to be shaken, symbolizing Timmy's understanding of Arty's words. "For tonight, let's make this the last crime the Fowl empire ever commits…ever; and let's do it together, like father and son."
Timmy shook the hand and responded, "What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas," and all four present exited the vehicle.
When they entered Stan's Family Diner Car, they found Frank Wallace at a both - casually sipping on coffee. When he spotted Artemis Fowl the Second, the man straightened up in acknowledgement.
Holly had to stifle a chuckle. Leave it to Arty to create a relationship based out of 20% and 80% tinkering of someone's baseline greed.
Fredrick Walace, the sticky-fingered pit-boss, announced to the Fowl family - "Nuff Said?"
Arty nodded his head in acknowledgment, and responded with, "Nuff said."
Had a show on January 14th, ended up getting sick with a virus for the week afterwards. Please forgive me.