Lucy fidgeted as she leaned into Rory, her anxiety hovering over her like her own personal demon for the entire car ride.

Today she was returning to the containment facility for the first time since the mall.

If she was honest with herself, her anxiety had been high recently anyway.

Ever since the press conference, their mail unit had filled daily despite not having placed a single order. Then, within a day or so of that, all of her husbands decided to change their contact information when the calls wouldn't stop even late into the evening.

The General had specifically told the public that all communications were being monitored and managed, and that they couldn't reach Lucy by those means... yet, it seemed that was taken as a challenge rather than a warning. Thankfully the men weren't being harassed at work, but nobbles tended to wait outside their offices for them. Lucy had finally activated the security arrangement for all of them yesterday when one of them tried to sneak into Evan's work truck.

They'd noticed that even within the secured housing community, a few people had walked past their house trying to sneak a peek of them at home. So, now they even had to keep the curtains of the house closed on the front side.

Which was extra irritating since everyone that lived in the community was in a similar situation.

There was also the fact that the hacker had broken into the computer system every day and stolen anything documented on her sessions. It shouldn't have been possible, but after yesterday evening when all the new security modifications made no difference - they agreed they had to stop formally documenting the results of Lucy's sessions.

At least for now.

Add to that that Lucy hadn't really come up with anything new with regards to her mom or the system, and she wasn't sure what to do next since she couldn't enroll this semester so she couldn't get access to the university's resources like she planned...

Yeah, her anxiety was already high before worrying about going back to that horrible place.

"Lucy?" Rory's voice pulled her from her thoughts, drawing her gaze up into his perfect, green eyes, "Are you okay?"

"I'm just nervous," Lucy sighed, blushing at the sound of her name coming from Rory's deep voice.

She leaned into him to hide her own reactions a bit, slightly embarrassed at how intense of a reaction she had to him even after all this time.

Rory wrapped his arm around her, tugging her close with a small smile even as her nervousness concerned him.

"I will be with you the entire time," he assured her, rubbing her arm gently, "I will not let them turn you into a lab rat."

He remembered her fears from her early thoughts, and while he didn't fully understand the origins he did understand that she felt she had a duty to push through it. He couldn't help the immense pride and awe he had when he remembered her thoughts about her responsibilities to a world that wasn't hers and a species seen as second-class.

He was determined to make her feel as safe as possible as she faced her fears.

"Uh... Rory?" Lucy's nervous voice pulled his attention back to the present, and he followed Lucy's gaze as the car slowed to a stop in front of the containment unit building.

"Damnit," he growled, eyeing the crowd clearly waiting for them.

He quickly tapped a few buttons on his watch, holding Lucy close as people swarmed toward them. The building was heavily secured and government funded, but not on base... and somehow the fact that they were coming today had clearly been leaked.

"How... how did they know?" she muttered, her brow furrowing.

"I have no idea," he admitted lowly, "but I've already messaged the doctor. They have security inside and at the door, and Stanley's SUV is right behind us. We'll wait for them to arrive and escort us inside."

This did not bode well, but they waited inside the car ignoring the taps on the window as people attempted to shout questions and snap pictures of them. Thankfully the windows were treated to prevent the invasion the crowd was hoping for - all the cameras would capture would be black glass - but it didn't stop them from trying.

They didn't have to wait long before several armed security guards rushed from the front doors just as Stanley, Mark, and Sebastian all arrived and began to push the crowd away from the vehicle.

"Hold on tight," Rory said, scooping Lucy into his arms suddenly and opening the door in a swift movement.

Lucy tucked her head into his chest and held on to his neck for dear life as Rory walked quickly toward the building, the security around them creating a bubble of space and carving a path through the group with ease. The flashing lights and shouts from the crowd had her tightening her hold even as they rush inside and away from the madness.

The moment the doors closed behind them the sounds faded away, and Lucy dared to peek out and look around at the entrance of the building she had visited her second day in her life as Rachel.

She hadn't missed it.

"Mrs. Morgan," Dr. Roshur rushed forward, his face grim and clear frustration in his gaze as his eyes flicked to the crowd beyond the glass, "I... I don't have an explanation for the reporters... but I've notified the General of the situation."

She nodded seriously as Rory placed her gently on her feet, keeping him between her and the doors at her back.

"There will always be factors beyond our control, doctor," she sighed in frustration, "but we can't let them hold us up. Let's-"

Lucy's words faltered as a man walked toward them in a white coat, stopping beside Dr. Roshur. He had cut his white hair since she held him in her arms on her last visit, but the face of the young man was one she couldn't forget. He looked better, less gaunt and skinny, but it was undeniably the white tiger she had saved that was standing before her.

"Mrs. Morgan," Dr. Roshur's voice softened in a way she had never heard before as he gestured to the young man beside him, "this is... Dr. Roshur... my son."

"Son," she whispered, her eyes going wide as she stared at the doctor she'd never learned a thing about in all their time together.

She didn't even realize he had a primary, though it had never occurred to her to ask. Looking at them, though, she clearly saw the resemblance. Since every man she'd met had hybrid features and white ears weren't exactly uncommon, she had no idea when she was here last that this shared feature between them was because they were related. Looking at them side by side, beyond the white ears that matched between them, they had the same sharp eyes and wide nose - though his son wore no glasses.

It wasn't hard to tell they were father and son.

"I... hello," she said softly, studying the man before her, "It's nice to meet you... again."

The young doctor nodded at her in acknowledgement, his face unreadable as he held her gaze.

"Come," Dr. Roshur said, clearing his throat as his eyes flicked toward his son beside him, "If you are ready, we have already set everything up for you."

The young man beside him stared at Lucy in fascination, stepping to the side as she followed Dr. Roshur forward. Her eyes lingered on him, holding his gaze as she passed before she finally fell in step behind the doctor.

He had never mentioned that the white tiger she saved that day was his son. In fact, beyond knowing he had stabilized she hadn't heard anything about him since. She looked up to Rory curiously, and he simply shrugged as if to say 'I didn't know either.'

They walked in silence to the elevator, piling in and traveling down with nothing more than a few awkward coughs and darting glances between each other.

Except the young Dr. Roshur, whose eyes seemed fixed on Lucy.

The moment the elevator dinged and the doors opened Lucy flinched, the eruption of sounds around her as they walked through the sterile entry space toward the secured doors startling her the same way they had the last time they were down here.

"When you were here last," Dr. Roshur Sr. began, his robotic voice returning to its usual tone, "I selected a mutated hybrid that had been mutated for around a year. You were able to revert him in just under seven minutes of an embrace, and while his corruption remained quite high - likely because you lost consciousness soon after - he remained stable after the reversion. Today, the hybrid we have selected has been mutated for two years."

He scanned his card, leading the group through the door and past the containment units Lucy had seen last time.

Each containment unit's occupant tracked their movements - some silent, some with desperate pleas for freedom, and some with violent threats to anyone that dared get too close.

All of them were shrouded in black mist.

"Last time you had just cleansed a freshly mutated hybrid," he continued, leading them down the hallway and past what could only be compared to a nursing station before he turned and led them down another hallway, "whom you had embraced for quite some time while you waited for the unit. That hybrid's corruption was far lower, indicating you had cleansed him even after his reversion. Between those two cleansing sessions, you had pushed yourself to the limit."

Lucy felt sadness making its way to her face as they walked past hybrid after hybrid in various stages of grotesqueness, clearly indicating various lengths of time since they lost the battle with corruption.

"Today, we will focus on only this one. The goal is to revert and cleans him to baseline, if possible, and monitor it as you do so. The monitors in place are very similar to the ones we used earlier this week, although the cells have additional equipment that will provide scans as you cleanse."

They had moved past containment units and into what appeared to be more like a doctor's office as he finished speaking, and the moment they walked inside the room where various instruments and medical supplies surrounded a patient's chair Lucy stiffened.

"No samples," Lucy immediate said, her voice firm, "Only monitors. Correct?"

"Correct," he confirmed, with a nod, "We are simply here to place the monitor on you. The hybrid we have selected is just down the hall. When you are finished, we will return you here to rest."

He turned and looked at her for a moment before adding, "I'm afraid we aren't able to accommodate you with a customized room like we can at the hospital. There are strict protocols for this facility. However, I assure you that no samples or procedures are intended for you. This room is simply where you can leave your belongings and return to rest when we are done."

Young Dr. Roshur moved forward, gliding in a way that nearly hypnotized Lucy, and gestured toward a small bin on the counter.

"When you return," he said, his voice melodious and calm - nothing like his father's, "the same water and nutrition packs you are used to are here."

Lucy nodded, taking a deep breath and trying to shake the nerves. Stanley stood nearby and frowned slightly when he noticed how uncomfortable she was.

He had become more and more protective of Lucy, and it bothered him immensely to see how much she clearly didn't want to be here. He stopped himself from asking her about it, though, knowing he could ask her another time.

"Mark, Sebastian," Rory barked, his voice firm as usual, "you will remain outside the door of every space Lucy enters to ensure no one beyond this team enters. Stanley, you will accompany myself and Rachel directly."

"Only Rachel will enter the room with the mutant," Dr. Roshur corrected, holding his hand up before Rory could argue when his brow furrowed, "you will see why when we arrive. You will never lose sight of her."

"Now wait a minute," Stanley immediately stepped forward, his frown deepening, "You're going to send her into the containment unit alone? Absolutely not."

"It is what we must do," Dr. Roshur insisted, raising an eyebrow at the man, "and what was done the last time she was here. You will see. She is in no danger."

"No, I-" Rory began, but Lucy placed her hand on his arm and met his gaze.

"Trust me," she said simply, smiling at him warmly, "I got this."

"Rachel..." Rory hesitated, wrapping his arm around her waist protectively.

"Don't worry," she chuckled, standing up on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek, "I'm not dumb. I don't want to get mauled any more than you. Just wait. You'll see."

Rory's face morphed into one of anxiety and worry, but he held his tongue - much like Stanley, who stood nearby with clear dislike of the plan. They had received their commands from the primary, but they both clearly wanted nothing more than to pick her up and leave right then to keep her safe.

"Mrs. Morgan," Dr. Roshur Sr. said, nodding respectfully, "Your monitor."

She nodded, stepping forward and allowing him to fix the band around her arm as usual. Her eyes traveled to the young Dr. Roshur, who was still openly staring, and she smiled awkwardly.

"Have... have you been... well?" she asked, trying to not sound as awkward as she felt.

"I have, thank you," he confirmed nodding, "I... I don't remember much, if I'm honest. I do remember you, though. Or at least... the warmth of you."

Lucy blushed furiously, blinking at his words as he continued to study her.

She wasn't quite sure how to respond to that.

"I... never did thank you," Dr. Roshur Sr. admitted quietly, his voice sounding far more human than before, "for saving him."

"You don't need to," she said just as quietly, looking at the man that made her incredibly uncomfortable... and suddenly seemed far less off-putting, "I'm glad I could help."

"It's important to remain... objective," he explained, his hands freezing mid-action, "to remain... removed... from the work. From the subjects."

His eyes darted up to hers for a brief moment before he finished fixing the band.

"But... he is my only son."

He stood, his face morphing back to its usual neutral state as he stepped away - yet, for the first time since meeting the man, Lucy understood that it was nothing more than a mask.

She nodded at him knowingly, stepping back into Rory's arms.

"Come," Dr. Roshur said robotically, stepping past Rory and Lucy and leading the way into the hallway.

--

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