"What have you done with Artemis!" Holly shouted. She had ran after Opal's voice through a small room and an open door to her right. Now she was now face to face with Past Opal. She had not realized that the door behind her had swung shut.

"Artemis Fowl is dead." Opal and Holly were at a stand still, each aiming a gun strait at the other. Holly's gun shook slightly in her grip, the finger that rested on its trigger had a noticeable scar around the base, it tingled. "For all intensive purposes, at least." Opal smiled.

"For all intensive purposes?" Holly raised an eyebrow, "Who's purposes are we talking about?" Opal snickered,

"Why your's Capitan Short." She laughed again, "Bonded by trauma remember? But that's only a memory dear and memories don't always… last." Her smile disappeared for a moment. "They do however, define us." A door opened behind Opal and she began to back away through it.

"They don't define you! You don't have memories of me or Artemis but you still hate us and what revenge." Holly snarled.

"I do have memories of Fowl. As for you Short, I don't need memories of you." explained Past Opal. "You carry them for me." Her smile returned. It seemed so familiar to Holly and then she realized, Opal had his smile. Opal had Artemis's vampire smile. Without even thinking Holly's finger reflexively pulled the trigger on her neutrino. It was too late. The door had closed in front of Opal and the shot just left a scorch mark in the metal. Holly could have screamed.

A moment went by with Holly just standing there but then another door opened. This one was in the floor. Holly walked over to it and peeked down. It was a dark set of stairs.

Marvelous, though Holly. Just D'Arveting MARVELOUS. What the hell was Opal on about about memories!? She's always been off her rocker… I really shouldn't go along with this but I need to find Artemis.

Holly mentally kicked herself as she began to descend the stairs.

~A Few Minutes Later~

Artemis opened his eyes, and then immediately shut them. What he had seen confused him.

Where am I? He thought. What am I doing here? Who am I?

These mental questions were more interrogative impressions than coherently formulated articulations. It was all very confusing, not to mention that Artemis was in a great deal of pain.

He heard a gasp and opened his eyes. He was looking at a girl.

"Artemis!" Holly Short dropped to her knees and put her hand on Artemis's forehead. His eyes widened and he tried to get up. As soon as this happened a shooting pain shot through his leg and down his back. He let in a sharp intake of breath, then closed his eyes. "Stop! Your leg!" Holly went pail as she surveyed the damage. "Heal." She whispered.

Nothing happened.

"Who… where?" Artemis was breathing heavily. He tried again, "I don't under…stand."

Holly came to the conclusion that Foaly's medication had finally worn off and that Artemis was, again, in the depths of his Atlantis Complex.

"Artemis, your sick remember? It's Holly, your friend. Opal brought you and your father here. I'm going to get us out." She paused and briefly looked at the room not really seeing anything. "Don't try to move, your hurt too."

"Who is Opal?" Asked Artemis softly. Holly did a double take.

"Uhh, O-Opal is a bad person." She replied, failing to come up with a better answer.

"What makes someone bad?" another question.

"What makes…?" Holly started, "She hurts people, Artemis." Holly said a bit testily.

"What's Artemis?" Artemis coughed before continuing, "You keep saying that." His voice was hoarse. Holly let out an odd noise before answering,

"You're Artemis." Holly's eyes began to water.

"What makes me Artemis?"

"You're a good person." Holly whispered.

"Oh." There was a pause, "So, dose that mean I don't hurt people?"

"It means you help people."

"Who are you, H-H-" Artemis's eyes were still shut, his voice was getting weaker.

"Holly. I'm Holly Short. Captain Holly Short of the L-E-P recon. I'm also your friend." A tear slid down Holly's face and she looked up away from Artemis. That's when she saw it, the mind wipe equipment. Not that she needed proof, Holly had understood what had happened by now. "Artemis?" asked Holly. There was a long pause and Holly held her breath.

Artemis opened his eyes and looked at her. "Oh, thats me, isn't it?" Holly just nodded. Artemis put on a puzzled look. "Your face is wet, Holly." The name felt strange on his tongue like a word he'd never used before.

"Yes." Holly wiped her eyes and smiled at Artemis to hide her anger and disappointment.

Was Opal right? Is it our memories that make us who we are? Is Artemis technically dead?

"Why?" He asked.

"It's not important." Holly stood up as she said this, and began walking toward a white spot on the wall. The room was dark but for this screen embedded in what Holly suspected to be a door.

"Where are you going?!" Squeaked Artemis as soon as he realized Holly was not in his line of sight. Holly jumped in fright.

"Nowhere! I'm right here. I'm not going to go anywhere without you." Holly had been startled into giving babbled reassurance. She had never heard fear like that in anyone's voice before. It was as if she had taken away everything he had ever known.

Everything he had ever know… Oh!

"Artemis?" Holly said softly and she hoped sweetly, "What's the last thing you remember?"

"You." Said the bod shakily, Holly was still out of his sight-line.

"What about me?" prodded Holly.

"I-I, umm, I" Artemis seemed to be thinking out loud. "Arrived."

"Arrived where?"

"Here. I was here but before I wasn't."

Uh oh.

"Where were you Artemis? Before you were here?" asked Holly a little more urgently.

"I wasn't. I-I just wasn't!" Artemis must have picked up the urgency in Holly's voice, he sounded nervous. "Is that bad! Dose that make me a bad person." Holly was aghast.

"Shhh! No no! It's okay, everything is okay." Holly put her hand on Artemis's face and felt that is was wet. She looked closer at him. There was blood on his face from cuts on his cheek, but he also had tears coming from his eyes.

Artemis was like a child laying there.

Of course he's like a child he doesn't know anything. He has no experiences at all! Except, Holly looked at Artemis's leg, pain.

What little light came from the screen behind them flashed causing Holly to get up again and examine it. It read:

Have you figured it out?

"Yes. You erased his memories." Holly spat. "I will make sure you pay for this Opal."

All Holly could hear as the door slid open was a maniacal cackle.