DISCLAIMER:

** Cmdr. Root is my friend,

He's such a patient soul, (ha, ha)

But no, he's not my property,

After all, he's a little too old!!**

Chapter 4: Memories and Mindwipes

Holly woke up slowly in a cement cell.  A very familiar cement cell. 

            "Bad dream." she murmured as she looked around the room blearily.  "Please, let this be a very bad dream."

            "I'm afraid that's not possible."

            Holly scanned the room for the voice, and was disappointed to see no person, only a speaker and a camera.  The voice was highly distorted; she couldn't tell if it was Artemis or Butler. 

            "Look," she said, standing up, "you don't understand.  This is not a good idea."

            "I disagree."

            "Why, listen up, you slimy little Mud Boy.  I can't believe you pulled this again!  How could you even think of-"

            "Again?"

            Holly froze.  Oops.  Wrong thing to say.  "I, um…"

            Before she could say anything else, the door to her cell swung open.  Framed in it stood a very smug, very memorable Mud Boy.  He was wearing mirrored sunglasses. 

            "Thank you for keeping our guest occupied, Butler." Artemis Fowl said smoothly. 

            Holly stared at him.  Before she could straighten out her thoughts completely, she spoke.  "I am going to kill you."
            Artemis raised an eyebrow.  "Pardon?"

            The fairy yanked off her helmet and dropped it to the ground.  Shaking out her red hair, she bared her teeth at the boy.  "I said, I am going to kill you.  Did you really have to kidnap me?  Again?  Was it some cruel trick of fate, or were you specifically out for me?"

            Artemis stared at the elf.  Not male, like he had thought, but female.  She was short, with auburn hair, dark skin and an apparently short temper.  And she looked…so…familiar…

            And with that thought, the memories trapped in Artemis's mind were yanked free.

"Stay back, human.  You don't know what you're dealing with."

                        "Getting ideas are we, Captain Short?"

                        "Oh really.  Tell me, boy, have you ever met a troll?"

"That's right, rich boy.  You're on your own this time."

"Really, Holly, is that necessary?"

"Holly.  Holly, speak to me.  Your finger.  Is it okay?"

"Do I look like a flyboy to you, Fowl?"

"Don't think I'm getting chummy, or anything.  It's just that when I give my word, I stick to it."

"I…I made a mistake."

"No, you keep it, to remind you."

"To remind me?"

"To remind you that deep beneath the layers of deviousness, you have a spark of decency.  Perhaps you can blow on that spark occasionally."

           

             Holly watched as Artemis jerked his head to one side, closing his eyes in apparent pain.  "Holly…" he whispered.  "Captain Holly Short of the Lower Elements Police…"

            Holly gasped when she heard that phrase.  Her tag had her name and rank on it, yes, but nothing about the LEP.  That meant he had to remember it.  Her hand flew up to her mouth.  Somehow, she had triggered a recall of Artemis's memories.  Maybe it just wasn't total.  She could always hope, right?

            After another minute, Artemis relaxed slightly, turned back to Holly and calmly removed his sunglasses.  His eyes flickered in recognition and slight amusement.  She closed her eyes and sighed.  There went any hope of salvaging the situation.

            Artemis walked over to the camera in the corner and flipped it off.  Then he turned back to the Captain.  

            "Hello, Holly." the Mud Boy deadpanned.  "Did you miss me so much you decided to let yourself get captured?"

            A fist crashed into his jaw as an answer. 

            Artemis rubbed his cheek calmly.  "All right, I deserved that." he admitted.

            "You certainly did!" Holly snapped, anger chasing all reason out of her mind.  "I thought you had changed.  I thought that we could mindwipe you and go back to our old lives and everything would be the same again.  But no, the all mighty Artemis had to go and try to kidnap a fairy AGAIN!  And it had to be me!  For heaven's sake, Mud Boy, are you trying to make me hurt you?"

            "I suppose you wouldn't believe me if I said no."

            Holly bit down on her lip hard, trying to contain the scream of pure fury.  Why was he more infuriating now than before?

            "What exactly do you remember?" she asked.  The smirk she received was more than enough of an answer.  The elf moaned quietly and bent her head.  Root was going to kill her.  Heck, he wasn't just going to kill her; he would mutilate her. 

            "Holly," Artemis said, bending down to her level, "Just how much trouble is this going to cause?"

            "Enough that I'm trying to decide how guilty I would feel if I shot you here and now."

            Artemis gestured to her belt with a blank expression.  "You could try…"

            Holly looked down to see her equipment belt missing.  She clenched her hands into fists and imagined wringing the boy's neck.  "Fowl…"

            "You being here is a complete accident, Holly."

            "An accident!"  Holly stood and began pacing, still talking.  "It was just an accident you knew of the fairies at all; it was just an accident Butler shot me; it was just an accident you kidnapped me.  Again, might I add?!"  She spun.  "Tell me, what made you think of a kidnapping so soon and how did you get ready so quickly?  Before, you told me it took ages to find the Book."

            Artemis brushed the bangs out of his face.  "Let's just say I had another copy lying around."

            Holly stared at him for a second.  "Another copy." she echoed.

            "Yes."

            She threw her hands in the air.  "I cannot believe you!" the elf exploded.  "You told us we had gotten all the files you had on fairies!  You told us!"

            "Root didn't believe me." he said mildly, not meeting the furious fairy's eyes.

            "I did!"

            Artemis looked up with a momentary flash of surprise in his eyes and stared at Holly openly.  She glared back at him for a second, and then froze when what she said finally sank in.

            "Um…"

            "You believed me?" Artemis echoed. 

            "To an extent." Holly admitted.  "You said that we had gotten everything when I had mesmerized you, so I assumed you were telling the truth."  She stopped as Artemis looked down.  Even while looking away, he could sense her growing suspicions, and underneath, her anger.  "I did mesmerize you, didn't I?"

            "To an extent."

            Holly flopped back onto the bed, all her anger totally spent.  "I hate you." she muttered. 

            "I believe it." Artemis replied, rubbing his jaw. 

            "Okay, fine.  You have your memory back, which is what you wanted all along; though I know you didn't remember it until now.  So, can I go?"

            "Actually…"

            Holly sat back up again.  Artemis was standing at the edge of the bed, looking a little nervous.  This made perfect sense, because Holly was planning to rip his head off. 

            "What do you mean, 'actually…'?" the elf asked slowly.

            "I want you to answer a question."

            "What question?" Holly responded.  Artemis looked her straight in the eye. 

            "If I let you go, would you inform Root and Foaly that I had regained my memory?"

            Holly blinked.  "I, I have to.  It's required."

            "Even if I was certain you would have nothing to fear from me?"

            "The last time I trusted you, you lied to me." Holly snapped.  "Why should I believe you now?"

            "Holly…I don't want to use you as leverage with the LEP."

            "WHAT!" Holly yelled.  "Are you threatening to hold me hostage if Root decides you need mindwiped again?"

            "No," Artemis said coolly.  "Just informing you of the remote possibility."

            Holly lost it.

            "I cannot believe I actually regretted mindwiping you!" she shouted.  "You don't deserve one ounce of my sympathy!"

            Artemis was floored by this statement, though he didn't show it.  "You regretted mindwiping me?" he echoed. 

            Holly reddened slightly.  "No.  Whatever gave you that idea?"

            "Why, Holly.  I didn't know you cared."  The smirk on Artemis's face was enough to wipe away any embarrassment Holly may have felt.

            "I don't." she snapped. 

            It was then that Butler walked in on the scene with his mirrored sunglasses.  He was panting slightly, having hurried down after Artemis had turned the camera off.  If the fairy had tried anything, he would rip the individual limb from limb.  Even if it took all his strength. 

"Artemis, you have spent a very long time down here with the prisoner.  Is something wrong…?"

            He stopped.  The prisoner was standing with her hands on her hips, yelling furiously at Butler's charge.  Artemis, on the other hand, was totally at ease with the situation, and had his arms crossed causally over his chest.  A slight smirk was on his face.  The entire scene was so…familiar…

"Sooner or later, Spiro will find out about the People.  And if that happens, I can't see a man like him just allowing us to live in harmony."

"Remind you of anyone?"

"I am nothing like Jon Spiro.  He's a cold-blooded killer!"

"Give yourself a few years.  You'll get there." 

"My advice to you, big man, is to curl up in a ball."

            "I'll try to remember that.  You two try not to kill each other while I'm gone."

"Evening, gentlemen."

            "Well, Corporal, tell your Commander that the next time I see armed forces coming in here, they'll be picked off by sniper fire."

           

            "Butler, we have a guest."

            "Yeah, yeah.  Real scary.  Now just back out of the door and I won't have to cut you into little pieces."

                        "Thank you, Artemis.  We were in trouble there for a moment.  If it hadn't been for the captain…"

            "Yes.  I saw.  Healing, one of the fairy arts.  I wonder why she did it."

            "I wonder too.  We certainly didn't deserve it."

"Fairy, I know you're there.  Unshield or I start shooting."

            "Listen, Foaly.  Time is of the essence.  Mister Fowl's life could hang in the balance.  Now get to the point before I start breaking things."

            Holly glanced back at the bodyguard and did a double take.  He was staring straight ahead at nothing.  His eyes were blank.  Then Butler grimaced and jerked his head to one side.  "I…know you." he whispered.

            Panic washed through Holly.  "No," she said.  "Nonononono."  The smirk on Artemis's face widened.  This was starting to become…interesting. 

            Holly could see her career dwindling away, along with her life span.  The one good thing was that the situation would probably trigger Root's perpetually impending heart attack.  Maybe she could get him before he got her. 

            Butler blinked and looked up.  "I remember." he said, glancing over at Holly and Artemis.  "I remember…everything."  A look of horror crossed his face.  "Did Mulch really donate that fat?" 

            Holly put her head in her hands.  "Dead.  I am so dead."

AN: Very long chapter that stops abruptly, because…well, I decided to stop it there.  Anyway, thanks so much to everyone who has reviewed; I love hearing about what you think should happen next.  Compliments are always nice, too.  Next chapter may not be for a couple days.  Sorry in advance.