Chapter Five

"Is he...bionic?" Oscar gasped.

"There's no neck pulse, either," Rudy told him. "Guard! Bring me a razor blade!" Upon seeing Oscar and Hansen's shocked faces, he shrugged. "No pulse means no blood – and we have to know what we're dealing with." He glanced at 'Michael'. "You'll probably have to sit on him to hold him still." When the guard returned, he helped Hansen and Oscar wrestle the still-marching man to the floor...and they sat on him. 'Michael' didn't struggle or try to throw them off, but his feet never ceased their strange, frenzied movements.

Working quickly, Rudy cut open the index finger on each hand. "My God..." he whispered. "Wires...!" He made a larger cut, further up the arm where a bionic power pack would be located, then sat back on his heels. "There's no power pack here – and these circuits aren't bionic. They're robotic. Oscar, when you hit him, the fall – or the punch – must have loosened a circuit and that's why he....I mean it is like this. The workmanship here is amazing!" Rudy exclaimed, the scientist in him taking over. "Simply fascinating!"

Oscar was neither amazed nor fascinated. "Where's the real Marchetti?" he asked in a dark, somber voice. "He could be a victim, too, I suppose – but my guess is he made this....thing -"

"He would definitely have the know-how and talent to do that," Rudy agreed.

"We need to find Austin and Sommers!" Hansen concluded.

Oscar nodded. "Before Michael does."

- - -

It took Jaime most of the morning to convince Steve that her leg was in good enough shape for a walk on the beach. "Besides," she pointed out, "it's cloudy today, so we don't hafta worry about half-tans or crowds or...anything. We can just enjoy the day."

"Jaime, I love you," Steve said softly – and relished finally being able to give voice to his emotions with her. "I don't think we should take chances."

"You're worse than Rudy," she pouted. "It doesn't hurt, I can walk just fine – and if I do fall, I have every hope that the most handsome man on the planet will catch me."

Steve had to admit it; she had a point. "Alright, but I may just have to pick you up and carry you into the surf for a first-class dunking."

"You haven't dunked me since we were kids," she laughed, wondering idly where that memory had suddenly come from.

"Exactly. You're long overdue." Steve took Jaime's hand and helped her to her feet. She seemed steady enough to reassure him. "Let's go, then."

They were already in the elevator and halfway to the lobby when the phone rang...

- - -

"Dammit – where are they?" Oscar fretted, taking it out on the phone by slamming down the receiver.

"We've got a nation-wide APB out on Marchetti," Hansen said, rejoining him. "And I sent an alert to Interpol. We'll find him, Oscar."

Rudy wasn't far behind. "We did a scan," he announced. "There were power sources in the forehead and the chest. We've got the thing neutralized."

"How did it answer our questions, Rudy?" Oscar wondered.

"There was no tape player on it, but I did find a speaker and several powerful long-range transmitters, so when we heard Michael's voice...it was Michael speaking. God knows from where, but it was him; it had to be. Utterly fascinating piece of equipment."

"Can you track the transmitters?" Hansen asked.

"No. They'd already been powered down when we neutralized the robot. Michael must have realized something was wrong and shut down the system."

Oscar grimaced with the realization of just how dangerous Michael had become – especially to Jaime and Steve.

- - -

"In you go!" Steve chortled, dangling Jaime playfully over the water.

"Steve! It's probably freezing!"

"Let's find out," he said, diving under with Jaime firmly in his arms. "Now comes the fun part," he told her when they surfaced. "I'll have to warm you up."

"Ooh...I like that part!"

With Jaime still cradled in his arms (and up to his waist in the surf), Steve kissed her long and hard....until neither of them felt cold any longer.

- - - - -