Chapter 9

They could've freed themselves while they were alone and then forced the attic door open...but the noise on the old rickety floor boards would alert their captors below...and a flurry of gunfire would likely await them when the stairs creaked downward. ''We know they're after a power pack,'' Steve reminded Jaime.

''Seems like...half the world is after...these damn power packs...''

He had to keep her focused! ''Yeah, well, they'll have to untie us - or you, anyway - and lay you out flat before they...uh...start cutting.'' (With the hoods - and the chair - there was simply too much to overcome to allow them any element of surprise while they were both still tied; this had to be the moment!) ''Try to have a picture in your head of where they are, so when that happens you can kick up, hopefully send one into another, then throw off your hood and keep fighting. I'll have freed my legs and my arms if I can - but I might need your help with that. Then...our best weapons are ourselves. We have to concentrate on getting down those stairs, finding Russ and getting out of here.''

''And...securing the...bad guys,'' Jaime reminded him.

Steve was alarmed by the way she sounded like she was getting weaker, but he had no choice except to continue. They were running out of time! ''Ideally, yes; but it's more important to get all three of us out of here in one piece.''

Jaime's fingers gripped his own a little more tightly. ''Steve...they're coming...''

Back in the woods near the river, the search for Jaime and the others had kicked into high gear again. Alerted by the sound of Jaime's (muffled) scream, men had been turned away from the water's edge to run - en masse - in her direction...but her captors had been too quick. The searchers heard the sound of a car starting and then driving away but on foot they simply couldn't get there in time.

''We can't assume she's been taken,'' Oscar transmitted as he was being driven (at his own insistence) to the scene. Privately, he suspected that was the case - and he dreaded the thought of what was happening to his friends - but they had to approach this from every angle. ''They may have hurt her - hurt all of them - or worse...and then taken off. Double up - no, triple up - on the search and keep looking!''

Their tormentors pulled down the old trap door and eased the stairs back into place to make their way up to where Jaime and Steve lay waiting. ''Is the little lady back with us yet? Let's find out!'' With no more of a warning than that, one of the gunmen reached down and slapped Jaime's face, causing a small involuntary cry of pain. ''Good. Nice of you to finally 'join' us,'' he sneered.

Their goal may have been a power pack...but terror was their joy. A power drill was turned on and held menacingly, its awful promise of destruction just inches from Jaime's face, taunting her. She couldn't see it, of course but she could hear it...sense its closeness...and know exactly what it meant. They had accomplished at least one goal; Jaime was terrorized. Steve could feel her body beginning to tremble - and he silently willed her to stay with him and to focus on what they needed to do, which was probably coming up in mere seconds.

''What do you think it will feel like, when this slices into you?'' the terrorist persisted. ''Does Rudy Wells' robot even feel pain?'' He laughed...then went on. ''Yes, I do know that about you. Or at least, I suspect - and will find out for sure, very soon. Perhaps he hasn't gone that far, after all. Perhaps he's developed some sort of...elixir...that gives you such special abilities. What if we cut and there is blood where we expect to find circuits...hmm? That would prove to be painful for you, wouldn't it? Very painful!''

Anger...productive anger and not fear, Jaime told herself...but she teetered dangerously on the edge of sheer panic - and had to choke back a whimper of fear. Even without the benefit of resistance training to call upon, she knew it was vital that they not know they were getting to her. (But they were...in spades!)

''Many would pay a high price for Doctor Wells' miniature power packs,'' the terrorist continued. The drill was still whirring away, as close to Jaime's face as it could get without boring a hole in the hood. ''His development of such devices has been rather common knowledge for years. There was even speculation he might try to implant them into a human subject. Never any confirmation - at least for us - that his research had progressed that far...until now. If it's true, if you are his creation, I suppose you'd fetch an even better price than we could get for just the power pack. But we need one as a prototype, for our own purposes. Money is not our goal. We have plenty of that. We need the technology - and we intend to get it!''

Suddenly, Jaime's body was jolted with horrible pain as the power tool met wires and connections in her leg and sent shock waves through her entire system. They had chosen the leg that was facing upward as she laid on her side...without stopping to untie her first. The spasm caused by the electrical jolt was so violent (and unexpected) that Steve knew exactly what had happened. And he had been wrong. Their plan was in ruins before it had even begun...before they'd even had a chance...