Before Sportacus could blink he saw Robbie striding towards him faster than he'd ever seen the man move before, shoulders low and arms swinging high like a deadly pendulum in a violent motion.
Left, right, left, right, left, right.
Kit jumped from the bench and broke into a run.
Several of the patrolling Network men stopped dead in their tracks as they saw the scene unfolding before them. Sportacus stood stiff as a statue in the doorway to his house, Kit running towards him and Robbie's relentless stride with his arms swinging with the same level of violence that existed in every footstep.
Left, right, left, right, left, right.
Frantic, he'd started to run. He couldn't let Robbie reach Sportacus but he was much closer to him than he was. Running as fast as he could he made to jump the low wall separating the town square from his house but misjudged it and caught his foot on the edge of the wall as the rest of him was over it. Landing heavily on the ground, stunned from the fall he could only shout for Sportacus to move.
Unaware of what was happening outside until she heard Kit shout and saw Sportacus almost leap back into the house, Robyn stood up from the sofa. She watched as Sportacus tried to close the front door but was thwarted by Robbie barging his way through it, pushing Sportacus out of the way and slamming the door behind him.
"Daddy!" She shouted out of pure instinct, frightened.
"Don't daddy me!" Robbie yelled with a vehemence Robyn had never thought him capable of, "What the hell is he doing here?"
Robyn was stung badly, tears flowed down her cheeks. "We were talking," she sobbed.
Robbie's eyes narrowed, he was too angry to see Robyn's pain. All he could see was betrayal, her betrayal.
"Talking?" He hissed with venom.
Robyn could only stand dumb, sobbing. She saw Robbie's eyes move from her to Sportacus, back to her and finally coming to rest on the coffee table that two cups sat on before returning to her with such intense anger that she felt as though she'd just been slapped around the face.
"And having a tea party behind my back! First you choose Lily over me and now you want to choose him over me? After everything he's done to you, to us, you bring him here, into my house? You know what? I'm sick of you, I'm sick of your lies! Get out! Get out of here!" Robbie roared as he threw open the door and swung his arm in an unmistakeable gesture for Robyn to leave quickly.
Tears blurring her vision and violent sobs rocking her body, stealing every breath she took so she couldn't exhale, Robyn was frozen to the spot but suddenly burst through the front door when Robbie took a threatening step towards her. Sportacus went to make after her, ignoring his obvious peril from Robbie but was intercepted by Langford who grabbed Robyn with one hand and held up his other hand to Sportacus, palm turned outward, telling him not to interfere.
Langford kept a tight hold on Robyn who was struggling against him, trying to break free as two of his men separated Robbie and Sportacus. One pulled Sportacus from the house and began to walk him back to his car as another man pushed Robbie further inside and closed the door behind him.
Robyn's struggles were beginning to weaken Langford's grip on her and two more of his men stepped forward to assist him but he shook his head. Readjusting his grip on the hysterical girl he picked her up off the ground, her legs kicking in the air as she tried to fight her way back to her house. He began to walk with her, his gait awkward in compensation for the struggling of Robyn. Every now and again he would set her back on her feet momentarily to readjust his grip then sweep her up again as he made his way to his car. When he got to it he set her on her feet once more so that he could reach in his pocket for his keys.
As one of Langford's hands dropped from her, Robyn surged forward. She had to get back to the house, she had to see Robbie, she had to explain. Langford's other hand was pulled from her as she made the sudden movement but was suddenly replaced by both of his hands as he regained his clamp like grip on her.
"No! No! No!" Robyn screamed as Langford bundled her into the back of his car, the door held open by another of his men.
Langford took hold of the car door and closed it tightly, safe in the knowledge that it could only be opened from the outside and quickly got into the driver's seat. Without fastening his seat belt his started the engine and sped off, passing Sportacus as he stood against his car, Robyn gazing at him from over the back seat.
Sportacus sunk to the ground at the sight that bore incredible similarity to the day that Mr Snail had come to take Robyn away to the orphanage.