Who I Am

By: ChocolateEclar

Disclaimer: I don't own Artemis (though I'd like to) or Holly or Foaly or Root or the rest of the LEP or Butler or Juliet or Mulch or… Yeah, you get the idea.

Claimer: I do own wittle Ashling though, so don't steal!

Part 1:

MEMORY

Chapter 1: Divided

Ireland, Fowl Manor

Artemis Fowl the Second's eyes shot open as he awoke from slumbering on his bed. Staring wide-eyed at the canopy above his head, he tried to gather his thoughts. One word sprang to mind. Leprechaun. That made no sense though. What had he dreamed that had fashioned such a random word from the fairy tales of youth?

Glancing at the clock at his bedside, he frowned. It was nearly dawn. There was a stillness in the air that Butler would have said was the "calm before the storm" if he had been in that room. Artemis did not believe in that unpractical nonsense though. There was nothing wrong. It was just another ordinary day in the life of a criminal teenager. That was strange in itself without any more oddities.

Artemis went into the bathroom out of impulse and studied his reflection in the mirror over the sink. Instinct told him something was missing. A gold coin on a cord around his neck appeared in his mind's eye as quickly as it vanished a second later.

Washing his face, the fact that he discovered a mirrored lens in each of his eyes the next instant did not ease his peace of mind any. In reality, he then went to talk with Butler. These were just too many rarities to be normal coincidence, and, besides, no one toyed with Artemis Fowl.

E1 Tara, Shuttle 387; Destination – The Lower Elements, Haven City

No, she didn't care one bit about him. These tears were just for…joy. Oh yeah, that was right. If Captain Holly Short hadn't been in public, she would have thrown something. Instead, she bit her lip and frowned at her boots. D'Arvit. She couldn't deny it. She would miss the People's enemy, Artemis Fowl, but she wasn't about to go against the Council and help the Mud Boy.

"Good riddance," grumbled Holly out loud. She scowled at the strange looks the elfin couple sitting across from her shot her way. Shrugging, she couldn't help but think back.

"If you take away the memories and influences of the People, I might become that person again. Is that what you really want?"

Holly sighed. No, she thought, that's not what I want…

The Lower Elements, Haven City, Police Plaza, Operations Booth

"Genius means little more than the faculty of perceiving in an unhabitual way."

William James stated that. Let us assume he was correct, then what of me? Am I simply just using my brain to come up with more unusual solutions than the norm? Or is he wrong, and I am more unique than he implies?

At times, I doubt that.

Foaly studied the cryptic train of thought. It was a section of what he had copied from Artemis Fowl the Second's head. Munching on a carrot, it both amused and amazed the centaur the way this Mud Boy thought.

Foaly checked the date this thought had been made on the bottom of his computer screen. Nearly choking, Foaly reread the date. The Gnommish calendar was different than the Roman one commonly used by humans. It was composed of still three hundred and sixty five days with twelve months, but instead it had different years because of the age of their civilization. The screen proclaimed: September the 4th, 8079. It was approximately eight years ago, making Artemis only eight-years-old.

Pretty darn advanced for a Mud Boy, thought Foaly.

Haven City, Police Plaza; Two Years and Six Months Later

Commander Julius Root was not pleased. It was mostly because of Mulch Diggums, a convict no more. He had fought to lock Mulch away for a little over two years. And for nothing. The search warrant had been all the evidence Mulch's lawyer had needed to free him of all charges. Now, the dwarf had been free for a month. It should have been long enough for him to get in trouble, but Mulch was being strangely within the law. It did not bode well with Root at all.

Things could be worse, he mused. Artemis Fowl the Second could be broadcasting the existence of faeries on a human morning news show. Instead, according to the latest reports from the Recon captains, Artemis was attending college in between illegal business deals. These were no concern to the LEP. If Artemis wanted to control the human world, it was no problem with the people belowground.

As Foaly reminded Root that morning, "The Mud Boy is sixteen tomorrow, Julius." Root had snapped back, more about being called by his first name than for being informed about an insignificant human.

Insignificant was not the right word to describe Artemis Fowl the Second though. More like, dangerous. If he ever remembered the people, there was sure to be trouble in Haven.

Fowl Manor, Artemis Fowl II's Study

Artemis Fowl felt rather as if he were being haunted. It wasn't by the dead either. Rubbing the bridge of his nose, he winced as Juliet attempted to stop Artemis's two-year-old sister from knocking over one of five of his laptops. The fact that he was having difficulty sleeping did not improve his mood any. If he would allow himself to, he would have pulled at his hair and screamed; instead, he firmly commanded, "Ashling, come here."

Little Ashling Fowl – who was only up to Juliet's knee as she bounced over to her brother – was already on her way to picking up on Artemis's habits. She could lie to their parents instantly and effectively and spoke two common Irish languages – Irish and English – and Spanish in a broken sort of way. Butler, Juliet's older brother and bodyguard of Artemis, could tell it amused his young master when Ashling used both Irish and Spanish in the same sentence.

Otherwise, Ashling was very different than her big brother. She was growing up in a more normal setting than Artemis had. While at age two Artemis had been shunned by his father for delighting in nursery rhymes, Ashling was encouraged and cooed at by both parents. It almost bothered Artemis. Almost.

Ashling came and stood at her full tiny two feet in height before Artemis, whose thoughts were elsewhere. The dreams were making it difficult to concentrate. Redheaded women, hazel eyes, centaurs, trolls, and gold filled his thoughts night and day. What did all of it mean? Was he remembering some tiresome fairy tale his mother had read to him, as a child, even though he had needed no help?

When Ashling leaned on her tiptoes at his right elbow and jabbed him in the forehead, Artemis was forced back into the present. Butler was peering at him strangely. It was not common for the sixteen-year-old to lose focus. Something was wrong.

Artemis pushed down a weary sigh and turned to Ashling. She was not so unlike him in appearance with the same dark hair and blue eyes. "Not to touch the computers, Arty?" queried Ashling.

She was clever. She knew why her brother was annoyed with her, but had difficulty putting it into words still.

Artemis understood though. "Yes, Ashling. Do not touch them."

Ashling nodded and said to Juliet, "We play outside then?"

Giggling, Juliet answered, "Sure, Ling-Ling."

Ling-Ling? Such a nickname for a fellow Fowl exasperated Artemis slightly. Scowling, he turned back to his computer. It was time to get back to work.

Outside Fowl Manor

The following day, Captain Trouble Kelp never wished so much that he wasn't one of the captains assigned to monitor Fowl Manor as on the day of the swelteringly warm summer solstice. It was a relatively dull job, but one that could be dangerous if a two-year-old Miss Fowl was in the front yard with Butler or Juliet hovering at attention nearby. The hyper toddler would run across the lawn, often bouncing a bright red ball that, if you weren't paying attention, could knock you out if you were perched low enough in the sky.

As for little Ashling Fowl's brother, he was rarely found outside. The sixteen-year-old still had a pallid complexion, but his raven-black tresses were a bit longer, curling over his ears and just below the nape of his neck in the back. He was frequently discovered by the LEP in the summer, sitting before a computer, a crisp white shirt on while his blue school jacket had been thrown over the back of another chair.

At times, the teenage criminal could be observed with Ashling dozing in his lap or irritatingly jumping up and down behind him as he sat at his computer. He would rarely raise his voice to the tot when she was being irksome, preferring to ignore her chatter instead.

As for the LEPrecon, there were twelve captains, all of which took turns analyzing Artemis once a week. Captain Holly Short had chosen to be the last of the dozen to visit young Master Fowl each round. It was a peculiar feeling indeed to see Artemis with tiny Ashling, though, Holly reasoned, he also was definitely getting certain memories back. She could tell by the way he seemed to know when she was there. He would pause and glance behind him for no reason and sometimes stared right at where she floated invisibly. All he could see was a faint heat haze, but it was enough to rouse his suspicions.

Holly had a bit of affection for Artemis's little sister. She was about a foot shorter than Holly's three feet and looked very much like a short, female Artemis. Holly would sometimes hover outside the tiny girl's window and watch her play with an assortment of Play Dough and one doll. With the thick Play Dough, she would make little figures and settings – all with her hands and a toothpick. One time, Ashling created a miniature sculpture of Artemis with the substance. It even had his vampire smirk created with orange Play Dough.

The one doll she played with adorned a dress made of fine pink silk and lace with long russet hair that framed her face. Ashling always sat Lunetta down beside her in a wooden chair while she sculpted.

Captain Collins claimed he witnessed Ashling actually tinkering with controls on the back of the toy. When Commander Root asked him why he was observing a child instead of his target watch, Collins replied that Ashling was important to the case.

Trouble, as he hovered in the front yard, had to agree. There was something unique about this human child. Her intelligence was noticeable already and, if he knew anything about siblings, Trouble had a feeling that Artemis Fowl actually cared for his sister.

Just as Trouble began to wonder if the day could get any warmer and why Foaly had given him a suit with the thermal coolers broken, a little Mud Girl's cry rang out, "Can't go, Arty!"

And then, Butler appeared, opening the door for the two young Fowls. Sixteen-year-old Artemis was trailed by a complaining Ashling. "Arrrrrty!" whined little Ashling.

"I'll be overseas for two days," Artemis explained, "surely you can endure that long devoid of me."

Unfazed by the vocabulary of her brother, Ashling huffed, "Then, you better bring me some'in'."

Artemis gave Ashling his vampire smirk. "Of course." He bent down to allow the two-year-old to give him a peck on the cheek before smoothing his tie and climbing into the Fowl's Bentley Arnage Red Label.

Little Ashling watched Butler drive away with sigh. Why did he have to leave on his birthday anyway?

Haven City, Police Plaza, Simulation Chamber 87

It was not uncommon to see Captain Holly Short shooting her Neutrino 3000 – a new gun test model of Foaly's – in the practice room of Police Plaza. Although her aim was one of the best on the force, Holly found more and more it was the only thing to keep her busy. There was no one for her to visit. She had no desire to join Foaly in the Operations Booth just for company. It would only lead to boredom. She also had no girl friends to go to Spud's Spud Emporium with for greasy fries, lumpy milk shakes, and mystery meat. If anything, sometimes the other eleven captains and her had lunch in the Police Plaza cafeteria together or dinner at the Mermaid – a refined restaurant filled with seafood imported from Atlantis.

On Artemis Fowl's birthday, a day that only made Holly irritable at best, she was shooting at a small life-size pixie hologram, darting about. It took one shot to bring the annoying creature down, per usual. Holly pulled off her helmet and said, "End simulation." Her cropped auburn hair was slick with sweat. She had been working in the room for a good six hours, trying to avoid Foaly. She knew he would just remind her of the date. She was adorned in her usual dull-green jumpsuit that zipped up to her chin. It was standard LEP uniform after all.

She glanced at the wall to see a digital display blinking the time back at her. She had fifteen minutes to get to the conference room if she wanted to hear the weekly Artemis Fowl report. "D'Arvit!" she grumbled, hurriedly exiting and rushing down the hallway. The conference room was all the way on the other side of the building. Holly arrived with five minutes to spare. She fixed her helmet under her arm and sat down among ten of the other captains, awaiting Root, Foaly, and the week's reporter, Trouble, to arrive.

All three arrived together. It was obvious from Root's beet red complexion and Foaly's pleased grin that the centaur was pushing the commander's buttons. Trouble rested his helmet on the table. He was directly across from Root at his end of the table. Holly was seated to Root's right, waiting.

"All right, give them the report, Captain Kelp," barked Root. Foaly smirked triumphantly from his position on Root's left. Holly just rolled her hazel eyes at him.

"Two hours before dawn, I arrived at Fowl Manor under cover of shield and darkness," Trouble stated professionally. "The only occupant of the house awake was the target watch, Artemis Fowl the Second. I studied his movements from the window of the room presumed to be his study. He was apparently working on another business deal – this one with the company Microsoft for a program of his creation. It was unclear as to what he was selling them, but I presumed it was another version of his software that diverts funds from any bank.

"At an hour before dawn," Trouble continued, "Ashling Fowl awoke and pestered the target watch about his apparent trip beginning at twenty minutes before dawn. He left as he planned anyway with the bodyguard, Butler."

"Thank you, Kelp," Root boomed. "Any comments, captains? No? Good. Let's discuss more important matters."

Four Miles Outside Dublin, Ireland

All business now, it was hard to believe Artemis was the same person who had allowed his sister to give him a little kiss only a few hours before. Artemis shut his eyes. His composure was flawless and yet, as Butler glanced at his young friend's reflection in his rearview mirror, he could have sworn he saw the faintest fatigue.

Things had been going strangely though. Ever since they had showed an expert on lenses in Limerick the mirrored contact lenses Artemis had found, everything had been like this. The man had claimed Butler himself had requested the creation of the lenses. Impossible unless he somehow had been brainwashed.

Artemis wouldn't admit it, but it was then that the first really tiring dream had occurred. He had seen a woman with auburn hair yelling at him. At first, he had unconsciously smirked before realizing what he was doing. What was so amusing? He didn't even know who this person was!

No matter. He had more important things to ponder, like his latest business deal. Oh, the Patricia Emerald would be simple to pretend to steal. It was too much trouble to steal the big rock. Better to pull a few tricks. The ransom money would pay nicely for Ashling's tuition.

And his future project recovering a certain golden book.

A/N: Please tell me what you think in a review!