down." She pushed at his hand, her ardor cooling. "We really do need to go check the power."
"Later."
"What about Ander? He"
"He's fine. Forget about him."
This didn't sound like Raj. "Where is he?"
"In the lab. I turned him off." He rubbed her breast again. Hard. Then he pressed her against the wall. "We can leave him. Hell, he sleeps in that chair."
This was a new side of Raj, one she didn't like. Megan pushed against his shoulders. "Why is he turned off? We can't leave him pinned there."
"He'll be fine." Raj pulled her nightshirt to her waist, leaving her lower body bare.
"Stop it!" She shoved at his hand.
"Why?" Bending his head, he spoke near her ear. "We work like maniacs all the time. It's time we played."
"What's wrong with you?" She tried again to push him away.
Raj slid his hand along her thigh. "Come on, Megan. You know you want it."
"Let go of me!"
He was silent for so long, she feared he would refuse. Then he let go and spoke tightly. "I'll check the power room."
She slid along the wall. "I'll be in the lab."
"Fine." Anger edged his voiceand something else. Apprehension?
After he left, she sagged against the wall. For a moment she had thought he meant to force her. Could she have been that mistaken about Raj? She had thought Richard Kenrock misjudged him, but now she wondered. What had just happened would make it hard for them to work together. They had no choice, however. She should have been more careful about what she wished for; attracting his interest had caused a mess.
Megan found her flashlight, then made her way to the lab, lighting her path with a sphere of light. It took only minutes to reach the catwalk above the bay. She opened the emergency panel and pressed several switches. To her surprise, it took no more than that; lights flashed on in the lab with jarring brightness, along with the returning hum of the air-conditioning.
She squinted against the glare, trying to make out Ander in the lab below. When her vision adapted, she saw that a man was indeed trapped in the chair.
Raj.
*8*
Rapscallion
Nylon ropes bound Raj to the chair, and the cloth belt from an orange coverall gagged his mouth. His hair curled in even more disarray than usual, as if he had been struggling. He had on Ander's coverall, wrinkled and off kilter, zipped halfway up his chest. It looked as if someone had put it on him in a rush. A robot arm hung above him, its lights blinking. As he stared up at her, his face flushed, the arm began to descend.
"God Almighty ." Megan ran along the catwalk. "Arm Two, stop program!"
The arm continued on, probing Raj's shoulder with its multijointed fingers.
What had happened to the lab sensors that were supposed to pick up her voice? Without her palmtop, she had no other way to communicate with the robot arm until she reached the consoles. What if it tried to run diagnostics on Raj ? Its safeties should keep it from tearing apart a human, but they should have also kept it from coming at him at all.
At the elevator, she threw open the gate and ran inside. As the car descended, Raj made a muffled protest. With dismay, Megan saw the robot arm probing the back of his neck. Had Ander been in the chair, it would have already jacked into him.
The elevator descended with maddening slowness. The entire time, Megan had to watch while the robot searched for a way to open Raj. He struggled with his bonds, fighting to free himself.
As the elevator neared the ground, Megan slammed open the gate and jumped to the floor. "Stop!" she shouted as she ran. "End diagnostic!" She passed an LP, but it made no move to help.
With a chilling snick, the robot arm extended the blade it used to cut cables. Cold light glinted off the honed metal.
"Stop program." Damn Ander! Had he done this on purpose, knowing the robot would finish its diagnostics when the power came back on?
Raj continued to struggle, his hair falling into his face. He pulled his head away from the robot, but it moved
"Later."
"What about Ander? He"
"He's fine. Forget about him."
This didn't sound like Raj. "Where is he?"
"In the lab. I turned him off." He rubbed her breast again. Hard. Then he pressed her against the wall. "We can leave him. Hell, he sleeps in that chair."
This was a new side of Raj, one she didn't like. Megan pushed against his shoulders. "Why is he turned off? We can't leave him pinned there."
"He'll be fine." Raj pulled her nightshirt to her waist, leaving her lower body bare.
"Stop it!" She shoved at his hand.
"Why?" Bending his head, he spoke near her ear. "We work like maniacs all the time. It's time we played."
"What's wrong with you?" She tried again to push him away.
Raj slid his hand along her thigh. "Come on, Megan. You know you want it."
"Let go of me!"
He was silent for so long, she feared he would refuse. Then he let go and spoke tightly. "I'll check the power room."
She slid along the wall. "I'll be in the lab."
"Fine." Anger edged his voiceand something else. Apprehension?
After he left, she sagged against the wall. For a moment she had thought he meant to force her. Could she have been that mistaken about Raj? She had thought Richard Kenrock misjudged him, but now she wondered. What had just happened would make it hard for them to work together. They had no choice, however. She should have been more careful about what she wished for; attracting his interest had caused a mess.
Megan found her flashlight, then made her way to the lab, lighting her path with a sphere of light. It took only minutes to reach the catwalk above the bay. She opened the emergency panel and pressed several switches. To her surprise, it took no more than that; lights flashed on in the lab with jarring brightness, along with the returning hum of the air-conditioning.
She squinted against the glare, trying to make out Ander in the lab below. When her vision adapted, she saw that a man was indeed trapped in the chair.
Raj.
*8*
Rapscallion
Nylon ropes bound Raj to the chair, and the cloth belt from an orange coverall gagged his mouth. His hair curled in even more disarray than usual, as if he had been struggling. He had on Ander's coverall, wrinkled and off kilter, zipped halfway up his chest. It looked as if someone had put it on him in a rush. A robot arm hung above him, its lights blinking. As he stared up at her, his face flushed, the arm began to descend.
"God Almighty ." Megan ran along the catwalk. "Arm Two, stop program!"
The arm continued on, probing Raj's shoulder with its multijointed fingers.
What had happened to the lab sensors that were supposed to pick up her voice? Without her palmtop, she had no other way to communicate with the robot arm until she reached the consoles. What if it tried to run diagnostics on Raj ? Its safeties should keep it from tearing apart a human, but they should have also kept it from coming at him at all.
At the elevator, she threw open the gate and ran inside. As the car descended, Raj made a muffled protest. With dismay, Megan saw the robot arm probing the back of his neck. Had Ander been in the chair, it would have already jacked into him.
The elevator descended with maddening slowness. The entire time, Megan had to watch while the robot searched for a way to open Raj. He struggled with his bonds, fighting to free himself.
As the elevator neared the ground, Megan slammed open the gate and jumped to the floor. "Stop!" she shouted as she ran. "End diagnostic!" She passed an LP, but it made no move to help.
With a chilling snick, the robot arm extended the blade it used to cut cables. Cold light glinted off the honed metal.
"Stop program." Damn Ander! Had he done this on purpose, knowing the robot would finish its diagnostics when the power came back on?
Raj continued to struggle, his hair falling into his face. He pulled his head away from the robot, but it moved
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