Chapter Three

"Will she be out long?" Steve asked softly, guilt sweeping over him as he watched Jaime sleep. What if these were truly the last two days of life as they knew it...?

"It was only a short-acting sedative," Rudy explained, "but I have more if she needs it."

"It had to be done, Pal," Oscar told him, sensing Steve's pain. "If she ran off like that – in a blind panic – it would only serve to bolster Spencer's case against both of you. Maybe we shouldn't have told her..."

"Then what?" Steve asked with a bitter shake of his head. "We just show up two days down the road and say 'Sorry, your life is over; your own government says you've a robot now'? That's unacceptable."

"This whole situation is unacceptable," Rudy agreed.

"So what do we do?" Steve repeated. "I'm sure Jaime'd feel a lot better if we at least had a firm course of action when she woke up."

Oscar looked at his watch. "I've got a meeting with the Secretary in half an hour."

"Ok," Steve said, nodding. "And when Jaime wakes up, we'll start working on a plan, too -"

"Which hopefully won't involve running," Oscar told him.

"Even Jaime knows that would be pointless."

Rudy checked Jaime's vital signs, eyed her sadly and then turned to Oscar. "You can tell the Secretary that I won't do it. And there is no one else, so -"

"They have an official order, Rudy," Oscar replied. "Which I'll do everything in my power to see rescinded, but -"

"I don't care about their damned order!" Rudy fumed. "It's a piece of paper!"

"They can put you in jail – or in the Hole," Oscar pointed out.

"Let them! I still won't do it – it's inhumane!" Rudy looked at Steve, who was sitting on the edge of Jaime's bed as she was just beginning to stir. "This is what they need to see – what they don't see!"

"I'll do what I can," Oscar promised, heading for the door. "Take care of her in the meantime, alright?"

"We will," Steve affirmed, sweeping a loving hand across Jaime's cheek and forcing a smile as she opened her eyes. "Hi, Sweetheart," he whispered.

Jaime looked around with unfocused eyes. "It...wasn't a dream...was it?"

"I'm sorry," Steve said, confirming her fears.

Jaime looked at Rudy banefully. "You....drugged me."

"I had to; what you were about to do could've hurt you badly – and made everything that much worse."

"Couldn't get much worse than it is," Jaime said in a tiny, miserable voice. She took Steve's hand and held it tightly. "They can't do this! I mean, you're an astronaut – a hero! – if people knew...." Suddenly, Jaime's eyes lit up and she swung her legs over the side of the bed, barely able to control her excitement. "That's it!"

"Ya lost me, Sweetheart," Steve said, getting a funny feeling in his stomach nonetheless.

'We let people know! The government wants to put an American Hero – and a tennis pro, although I doubt that's important – to sleep....the public will be outraged! There's no way Hansen and Spencer can win! We need to call a press conference!"

Steve grabbed her before she could get to the phone. "And expose bionics to the world? Not really a good idea -"

"So we don't tell them that part!"

"Jaime -" Rudy cautioned.

"It could work! It will work, 'cause I'm gonna do it!"

"The rest will come out, Jaime," Steve argued gently. "Those reporters will start digging around in our pasts, and -"

"So what if it does?" she challenged. "Why protect the secrets of the people who wanna kill us?"

"Not kill us, exactly -"

"Pretty much!"

Steve turned to Rudy with a look that said help me out here!

"Honey," Rudy began (even though arguing with Jaime never turned out well), "I don't think you realize how much danger you – and Steve – would be in if bionics were exposed to the world."

"And we aren't in danger now?" she shot back. "I'm gonna do it – it's our only chance!" With one unexpected, wrenching motion, she broke away from Steve and – before either man could stop her – was out the door and gone.

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