Artemis didn't like being back at Fowl Manor, or what was left of it. The fire had stopped, and now all that was left- barring the rooms protected by the forcefield- was smouldering rubble. Artemis stood amongst its ruins, looking into the early morning sky, watching the heat haze from the white-hot debris weave its way up through the sky. Fowl Manor had been something great, something to be proud of. Now it was a husk of its former glory. But even so, Fowl Manor had been expendable; Artemis had brought the battle into Fowl Manor for that very reason, and because he could use his knowledge to his advantage. The thing that wasn't replaceable was laying within the ruins. He would never be able to get his father back, not now he knew he was dead. Losing him a second time was worse than losing him the first time.

It hadn't been necessary for Artemis to go outside, but he had to see what had become of Fowl Manor for himself. One thing that was most remarkable was the stasis field containing the entire structure; Artemis hadn't been certain it would work, being experimental technology, but the entirety of Fowl Manor had been kept in a perfect stasis bubble since he had left. It was something similar to what had been used the first time he met The People, but this one he had developed himself. This one could last indefinitely. What it also did was obscure the goings on inside the stasis field, so to any outsider it would look as if Fowl Manor was still in perfect working order, which stopped any emergency services from stopping by and checking out the inferno. He didn't need that on top of everything else.

Having managed to get his need to see the wreckage out of the way, Artemis set about waking up Butler. It was a testament to the DNA bomb that Butler was still out cold, along presumably with everyone else locked in the vault. But one swift punch to the gut with a shovel was enough to snap Butler straight out of his resting state – it did, however, come with Butler automatically trying to fight back, something that Artemis had to dodge for just long enough that Butler realised who he was trying to fight.
"This is not where I remember being" Were Butler's first words, followed by a visual sweep over the entire room. He narrowed his eyes as they looked over every crack and corner and then, satisfied, he looked at Artemis.
"I have an explanation."
"One day I'd love to hear it" Butler replied, standing up. He automatically went for his gun, which wasn't there, but it made Artemis laugh. Butler still didn't know they were no longer in a fight.
"If you're looking for this" Artemis said, handing Butler back his handgun, "You don't need to worry. The battle has already been won. It's morning, by the way, in case you were wondering."
"We were cornered, and then Holly appeared" Butler said, putting the pieces back together. "And then... So whatever Holly was holding knocked me cold?"
"Right" Artemis said. "DNA bomb of sorts, I made sure it only knocked everyone out though because I wasn't about to commit mass murder. Everyone else is locked in the vault and still unconscious, and they can stay there until this is all over. But right now, I need you."
"So things have been happening whilst I've been gone" Butler said. "And you're planning something else if you woke me up early. You found him, didn't you? Wyatt. You found him."
Artemis nodded.
"And now you want to walk into the hornet's nest and kill him yourself. Noble. Also, very stupid."
Butler looked at his gun before cocking it back.
"My first concern is, and always will be, your safety" Butler continued. "But, as I have come to realise, there is nowhere truly safe whilst he is around. As far as I'm concerned, Wyatt Munroe is going to get what's coming to him. Bring it on."
"We're meeting the others there in an hour or so" Artemis said. "Gives me time to bring you fully up to date on everything before we begin the assault."
Butler scanned the room again.
"Where is Holly?"
"Back in Haven. It's too dangerous for her to come with us."
"That hasn't stopped her before."
"She didn't have a choice this time. I may have handcuffed her to her bed to dissuade her from leaving."
"Riiiight" Butler said, "Are you purposefully trying to torpedo your relationship now or has this become normal for you both?"
"Oh don't worry, she'll find a way to come and join us, I'm sure of it. I just hoped this would show her just how much I don't want her to come with us."

Once Artemis had run through everything with Butler, they began to kit up and prepare to go through the teleportation ring. Butler still looked confused 10 minutes after Artemis had finished talking.
"I've seen military operations less organised than this" he said. "Someone went through a lot of effort to make sure every detail of this was perfect, and perfectly hidden. I can't shake the feeling Wyatt Munroe might not be endgame here."
"I've had similar thoughts" Artemis said. "Wyatt could certainly pull something like this off, but it feels far too militaristic. Wyatt was always more of a loose cannon whilst he was in the FRA. It could have easily been a persona to blend in but even so, the thought that stopping him might not stop the conspiracy unnerves me."
"One step at a time" Butler said. "From what you've told me, Haven will still be reeling from Markin Rose's revelations and the fact he blew up a significant section of Police Plaza. That's the second time in a few months. If we stop Wyatt, at least in the immediate that should bring some stability to Haven."
"You're starting to think like me" Artemis said. "It suits you. But if our theory is correct and Wyatt isn't top of the pyramid, whoever is top has concealed themselves incredibly well. A little too well for my liking. Taking Wyatt out of the equation in that scenario may do more harm than good, because we would be completely in the dark."
"So we extract as much information out of him as possible first before we take him out."
Artemis smiled.
"That is exactly what we're going to do."

Just Outside of Glasgow, Scotland

The other members of the FRA were already on site when Artemis and Butler materialised. They were concealed by a row of trees, but still had a view towards the entrance of the old refinery.
"Nice of you to finally join us" Masek said jokingly, offering his hand out to Artemis as they walked over. The clouds above were, to say the least, threatening. Artemis just hoped it didn't rain, because rain helped nobody.
"Initial thoughts?" Artemis asked, briefly and sharply shaking Masek's hand.
"Ghost town" Masek replied. "This is definitely the place we traced the excursion back to, but so far it looks as abandoned as it should do. Nothing here to suggest it's been taken over as a base of operations of any kind."
"This is just the exterior" Artemis reminded Masek. "Appearances can be deceiving. Wyatt is trying to lure us into a false sense of security. If there were big cameras out or guard posts or anything of that kind, we would be less likely to stage an assault. He wants us to go inside. In there, that is his dominion."
Masek glanced across at Artemis.
"So it's a trap. But how would he have known we were coming? We're the only people that knew."
"Everything that's happened so far has been carefully considered. Every little detail. Wyatt would have known when he took Jenna out of the teleportation stream that we would try to track him down. And it's not unreasonable to guess he knew when you finally tracked him down. He's waiting for us."
"I don't like the sound of any of this" Cable said, speaking up. "The last trap resulted in us losing... losing... I just think it's too risky."
"In some respects" Artemis said. "I agree."
"You do?" Butler asked, quizzically.
"This setup is incredibly laid back. It's possible Wyatt knew we were coming and moved his base of operations but that's not his style. He wants us to go in there because he knows he has the advantage. I do not know how big that advantage is and that is what troubles me."
"This might be our only chance" Masek said. "We thought we killed him once and he seems to have survived. If he pulls another disappearing act, that spells trouble for everyone."
"But if we go in there, I can't guarantee that we won't all be killed before we get anywhere near him. I don't want anybody else to die unnecessarily because of me."
"With all due respect" Masek said. "I didn't come here just to run away. I took an oath, we all did, to help and protect the Lower Elements along with the rest of humanity. If killing Wyatt Munroe stops an interspecies war, then I'll damn well put my body on the line to make that happen."
Artemis looked over at Cable.
"He killed Jenna" Cable said, a layer of acceptance in his voice. "He has to be stopped before he kills anyone else."
"It's settled then" Artemis said. "We're going in. Stay close, and check your corners at all times. Radios on permanently, that's external and internal. Everyone needs to be reachable at a moment's notice, is that understood?"
Everyone nodded. Artemis sighed quietly.
"We all know what happened last time."