Prologue: Full Recall LEP Interrogation Room, Tara, Ireland, Present Day

"This is just wonderful. Wonderful. I knew something like this was going to happen when you got involved!" Holly glared soundly at the dwarf, who cocked his head and tried looking innocent. Tried being the key word.

"Look, I just did what he said –"

"What he said? And you think that will console me Mulch? Do you really think that'll make things better? You were just doing what he said?"

Holly dropped her head in her hands. Artemis Fowl. On the loose and in the know. Again. Could things possibly be any worse?

Yes, she thought, and knew they would.

Fowl Manor, Dublin, Ireland, a few days before

Artemis Fowl the Second should have been shocked. In fact, he should have been appalled at the little dwarf who turned up so unexpectedly at his bedroom door one day. After all, who in the world could get past Fowl Manor's superb security? But he wasn't. For some odd reason, he was calm. He didn't even call his father, which is what he should have done. He just said "Hello."

The little man looked a bit taken aback at this reaction. "Er, hello, Artemis."

He knew his name. Artemis began to get a little worried. But he still didn't call anyone. "Hello. Who are you?"

"I'm, er, Mulch Duggims."

The sixteen-year-old boy's eyes narrowed in concentration. He knew that name, he knew it from somewhere… where? He managed to keep his composure. "And Mulch Duggims is…?"

The little man sighed deeply. "Ok, so you don't know. I'm here to bring you something." He reached down into his shirt and pulled out a small medallion that was hanging from his neck. "You gave me this three years ago and asked me to bring it back."

Artemis was now completely intrigued. He snatched the medallion from the little man's hands, and was reminded of his father for some reason… he didn't know why. Then what Mulch had said registered. "I gave it to you?"

"Yes. Three years ago. You might wanna take a look at it. There are some CDs in there, I noticed awhile back when I was still in prison."

"Prison," Artemis said, a little amused. Then his eyes narrowed again, this time in suspicion. "How do I know these aren't infected?"

"You don't, I guess. I don't even know. But you gave them to me."

Artemis picked up his laptop and disconnected from all networks. Luckily, all his files were written on a CD, so if these disks were infected he had total backup.

He put the discs in and began to read.

Artemis shut off the computer with the last file. He had begun to remember with the first word, and with the last he knew everything that had happened in the past five years. He rummaged in his closet for his suitcase. And his car keys.

"What are you doing?" asked Mulch bemusedly, watching the human in this very, very rare state of urgency.

"Wait outside, Mulch. We're going to Chicago."