Griffin carefully hoisted Lucy down through the hole in the ceiling into Rufus and Ethan's waiting arms. Rufus gently laid Lucy on the kitchen countertop. Ethan found a pair of scissors and cut her gag off. Lucy gratefully sucked in air. Next, they worked on her bindings. Once freed, Lucy stretched her arms and legs, pointing her toes until her muscles quit cramping. She climbed off the counter, crying while the others took turns hugging her. "I am so lucky to have you all as my family."
"How did you find her?" Everyone seemed to ask Griffin at once.
Griffin's flushed at all the attention being focused on him. "At home in my closet there is an access panel to the attic. I wondered if there was one here too. I found it in their bedroom." He gestured toward the twin sisters.
"Brilliant!" Rufus slapped Griffen on the back. Griffen smiled shyly at the compliment.
Kate returned without Rudy. She was followed into the room by The Guard, their weapons drawn.
"Hold on a second, please?" Kate asked The Guard when they moved to arrest Sybil and Vera. "Why did you take Lucy? What were you going to do with her?"
Vera just stared blankly into space, it was Sybil who answered. "We wanted her to separate us." She said simply.
"But I can't do that!" Lucy shook her head. "How? Which..?"
"I think you can." Sybil was blunt.
"Alright! What is going on here? I can't really just drop everything, every time you kids get up to something." Mr. Christie blustered into the room. Len Green followed much more quietly.
"What's this mess? Clean it up immediately." He waved in the direction of the tiles on the floor. "And you've damaged the ceiling! Good Lord."
"Sir?" The one, softly spoken word from Len Green drew everyone's attention.
"Right." Mr Christie straightened his jacket. "You two," He pointed at Vera and Sybil. "Go with The Guard. We will decide later what your punishment is to be. And mark my word, you will be punished. This kidnapping nonsense will not be tolerated."
The twin sisters did not seem repentant as they marched out of the pod surrounded by The Guard.
Kate watched, waiting for Len Green to follow them out. He didn't. Although she'd known him for her entire life, she was scared.
"Now, this girl seems to be the cause of most of the trouble." Mr Christie pointed at a wide eyed Lucy.
"Hey, whoa, she had nothing to..." Rufus jumped to her defense. Even Georgie looked ready to argue.
"Silence!" Patience was never Mr Christie's strong suit, and his patience was at an end.
""You, what's your name again?"
"Lucy, sir, Lucy Fang." Her voice was strong, her body had a little buzz to it. Rufus smiled at her bravery.
"Yes, well, Lucy Fang, as I was saying." He threw a stern look in the boy's direction. "You need protection. Kate, see to it immediately."
"Yes, sir."
"All right, then. I'm done here." Mr Christie announced without really having done anything. "Clean this mess up." He turned and left.
"Where did Edgar and Allen go?" Ethan asked Len Green.
Len Green patiently explained that the brothers were safely ensconced in a different pod where no one was going to bully them. He seemed embarrassed that he had so badly misread Sybil and Vera's desperation and their cruel streak.
They all waited anxiously for Len Green to tell them why he was there.
"Len?" Kate hated the tremor in her voice. She knew what Rudy had done was dangerous, but she hoped their long history with Len Green would save him from too drastic a punishment. She had left Rudy in the garden, his head hanging dejectedly, embarrassed and a little frightened. The mayhem he could have inflicted was very real.
Len Green smiled gently at the red headed woman that he still imagined as a scared little girl. "It's okay. Rudy slipped. It's understandable. He will be fine." Kate sighed aloud, her shoulders slumped. She realized she was exhausted, they all must be.
"Everybody has had a very long day. I'm sure you are all tired and hungry."
"Got that right."Rufus smiled.
Kate smiled back. Rufus' carefree spirit combined with Rudy's safely lifted her mood. "Then, let's get back and have something to eat."
They hadn't gotten two paces when Len Green silently raised his hand halting them. Again, they waited, curious, and a little frightened.
"Anne, may I speak with you, please?"
"No!" No one was more surprised at Ethan's outburst than he was. "I mean, you can't have her. I mean, she hasn't done anything wrong."
"It's okay." Anne stepped forward.
"May I speak in front of the others or would you rather we went somewhere private?" Len Green asked.
"No, it's fine. These are my friends, my family." She choked a little on the last word.
Len nodded kindly. "I think it would benefit you to have a little time off and quite a bit more training. I fear for your well-being otherwise." Kate put her arm around the younger girl. It seemed to Len Green that the entire group moved closer to Anne.
"Unfortunately, the only way to do that is for you to come with me. Move away from your pod."
Several of her friends gasped.
"For how long?" Anne knew better than anyone how fragile her mind was. That she needed help.
"A year, two?" Len shrugged. He had no crystal ball that would tell him how long it would take to toughen up her mind, if it was even possible. But after Bradley Jones had snapped, it became apparent that much more needed to be done to protect the minds of the Precogs in the Hive. He had set a special pod aside and was bringing them in, one by one.
Ethan was ready to argue. Anne turned to him and gently hugged him. She gave him a sweet kiss on the cheek. "I don't want to leave, but I have to."
Anne straightened her shoulders, showing them the bravery and inner strength that had saved her time after time in the real world, long before she entered the Hive. She took in each of their faces. "You are my family. I will be back."