Simmons handed Lucy a cup of tea. "I'm sorry. I was wrong. We'll get your friend back, I promise." She'd been making similar such statements to each of us since we arrived.
Now we all sat in Simmons's office, each of us with a black IPI mug in our hands. Luke looked about ready to pass out. Darren and Drake sat as far away from each other as possible, both looking miserable. Robyn and Norm held hands, as did Greg and Gary. Mary sat off by herself, and Lucy had been surprised by how unassuming she'd been on this trip. Toby sat with Father Patrick, who'd flown back to the island with Simmons. A few agents stood behind the group.
Hunter sat next to Lucy, and she desperately wanted to hold his hand, but not with this weird version of Simmons standing over her.
Lucy knew Simmons was lying.
Simmons wasn't sorry. She wanted to blow up all those kids and Sam.
Lucy just couldn't figure out why. Hunter had told her the bomb was for destroying the facility after everyone had been rescued.
"No," she'd told him. "Simmons wanted me to arm it with all the kids still inside."
He'd shaken his head. "You must have misunderstood her. Simmons wouldn't do that."
"Really?"
"She practically took me in. She wouldn't kill the kids."
And yet she had given the command. Hunter was blind when it came to Simmons, and Lucy wondered if the lead agent had taken him in for selfish reasons none of them new about.
Simmons moved on, offering sweet words to everyone as she gave them their tea. "It'll be okay... you did your best... we'll get Sam and your baby back, Drake."
She got to Luke last. "I heard about what you did with the helicopter. Let me tell you, that was the most impressive display of power any of our agents have ever seen." All the agents were talking about Luke like he was a hero.
He didn't look happy, though, just sad and tired. He nodded and drank his tea.
Simmons walked to the head of the room, in front of her board, just like before. "We need a new plan."
"We need to go on the offense, now." Lucy set down her cup. "The man with the black tattoos, Beleth, warned me that Steele would eliminate the children in a few days."
Simmons nodded.
Lucy hated agreeing with the damn woman, but they had to act fast, before Sam was... no, Sam would be okay. Drake had told her that Steele had plans for Sam. That made her shiver.
Norm raised his hand, then lowered it awkwardly. "What haven't we tried?"
The room filled with a long silence. No one had an answer.
Hunter pulled something from his pack—something small, round and silver.
No freaking way.
He held up Lucy's sphere. "We haven't tried this."
Lucy stood up and stared down at him, hands on her first. "You dug it up?"
Hunter lowered his eyes, too ashamed to make eye contact with her. "It's years ahead of our time. I knew it could be useful in the right hands."
Ah, of course! "But not my hands, apparently."
Simmons took her notebook and slapped it against the desk. "Stop! Agent Riley, is that...?"
He nodded. "NA-1."
Simmons took the sphere from Hunter, admiring it as though it were the greatest treasure ever. "This is what we need. Luke, you can use this."
He crossed his arms over his chest. "I don't want to."
"It will enhance your powers," said Hunter. "I held it briefly, while I fought Beleth. My strength must have risen ten-fold."
Luke chuckled, probably at the fact that Hunter finally admitted to having para-powers, at least to Luke.
Simmons held the sphere in front of Luke. "You can use this to defeat Steele."
Luke sipped his tea. "If we infiltrate the facility again, go after Steele directly, sure I'll use it."
"No." Simmons stared at the sphere, then looked up at us again. "We have no time for that. We need to target the facility itself."
Luke bristled. "Excuse me?"
"You tore apart the helicopter. Tear apart the buildings. Crush Steele under his own devices."
"And everyone else in there." Luke stared at her. "I won't do that."
Father Patrick interrupted. "We cannot condemn all those children. And what about Sam and Ana?"
Simmons snapped and paced the floor, tossing the sphere back and forth between her hands. "If we don't act now, Steele will become the most powerful paranormal ever. Then we will never stop him."
"I still won't do it," said Luke.
Simmons sighed. "You have no choice." She motioned to her agents. "Take them away. They have all disobeyed orders, endangering this operation."
The room became charged with tension and Hunter stood. "You can't."
Gary held out his hand over a metal desk. "Don't come closer, or I'll—" his face fell and he shook his hand as if it was defective.
Oh, God. Oh, shit. Oh no! I turned to Luke. "Lie to me."
"I love Simmons."
Nothing. No buzz, and that was most assuredly a lie. Luke tried to push his hand through his chair, and instead smacked it against the metal.
Lucy looked down at her tea and dropped the mug onto the floor, where it shattered.