"I should have had my manbot take this from you…" Rawlins grabbed at her watch and ripped it from her wrist. Laurie realized he thought her "reaching" was through her transmitter.

"Now, Ms. Scott, I want you to tell me about your bionics……." The man leaned down and grasped her face in his hand.

"I don't know what you're talking about! I'm not bionic…no!" Laurie cried out as he released her face and backhanded her.

"You can't lie to me, there's no way you could have disarmed my manbot in Anchor Bay any other way!" he snarled, then went over to Rudy and pulled out a scalpel.

"Now, maybe you'll tell me what parts of your little friend here are bionic, or I'll start cutting. You'll never be able to work again….or maybe…" he crossed to Laurie and leveled the knife at her neck.

"She's telling the truth, she's not bionic, not one bit….don't hurt her, please!" Rudy shouted, and Laurie suddenly saw a chance to get loose. Tightening her hand and wrist, she managed to slip her arm out of the straps while Rawlins was listening to him, then swung her hand as hard as she could against his hand, causing him to drop the knife, then caught him in the lower groin with her fist.

"Ugh!" The ex-con dropped to the floor, writhing, then Laurie called to Rudy, "Hurry, over here!" At once he rocked his chair over to her and held still as she fumbled with the rope holding him fast. Just then Rawlins tried to get up and Rudy kicked him in the stomach.

"Wells, stop them!" he yelled, and the faceless manbot came into the room. Rudy finished getting loose, and as he stood up, the robot dove at him, knocking him to the ground.

"Steve, hurry!" Laurie "called out", then a blur went by and the manbot went flying, crashing against the wall. As Steve advanced toward Laurie, the robot rebounded sharply, picking up and swinging a chair with deadly force at Steve. Fortunately it missed him as Laurie caught sight of an electrical switch on the panel near the doorway. "Rudy, is that the power supply?" she called, still trying to get free. The doctor nodded his head and somehow stood up, then looked at what she was staring at. "I'll take care of that!"

A moment later sparks flew as Steve threw the dead weight of the Wells manbot off him,

frozen in one position without any power. He dragged a swearing Rawlins off the floor, holding him up with one hand. "All right, where's Russ?"

"Down the hall, damn it, how did you track us here? ….I thought she wasn't bionic!" the ex-con shouted.

Rudy looked up from unbuckling the straps from Laurie, then grinned.

"She's not, Rawlins, just very special."

"I'll say!" Steve helped Laurie sit up, then gave her a hug as she leaned against him, exhausted.

"Only with help." Laurie said, a relieved smile on her face.

"My fierce girl." Rick said, holding his wife tightly in his arms. He felt her relax against him as she whispered, "Like I said, only with help, love.

I couldn't have helped stop those monsters without Steve and Rudy. I just wish I knew why I dreamt about them now."

"Well, why don't we talk to your dad and Rudy about it when they come for lunch, and speaking of which…." Rick heard a knock on the back door and went to answer it.

A moment later, Laurie heard Rick yell, "What the….", then silence.

"Rick?"

A cold feeling came over her, and she rushed out of the room, only to stop in horror.

Rick was lying unconscious on the kitchen floor, his head bleeding.

"Rick! Oh, darling, no!" Laurie looked wildly around the room to see if someone had attacked him. Grabbing the phone with one hand and a towel with the other, she dropped to her knees next to him and made a compress, while trying to dial.

She had just gotten a response from 911, when a voice ordered her "Drop the phone."

Raising her eyes, she saw a thin man with salt and pepper hair, holding a gun.

"Who are you? Why did you hurt my husband?" she cried, then flung herself over Rick's body as the intruder pointed the weapon at him.

"Drop the phone and get up, now! Or I'll kill him."

"Please, don't…I'll do anything…" Laurie put the phone face down, praying he didn't notice it was on, then stood up. Immediately he grabbed her by the arm, forcing her against the wall, then tied her arms together. At once she knew he was going to take her away, and she started to protest, "Why are you doing this?"

""Not another sound, or I'll shoot him where he lays." He turned her around, then ordered, "Open your mouth."

With a sinking heart, Laurie did so, and a gag was forced into her mouth and tied tightly around her head. Once she was silenced, he called, "Wells!"

Heavy footsteps sounded, then a horrible sight met Laurie as the stuff of her nightmares came through the back door. She couldn't breath, she felt dizzy and sick as she stared at a faceless "manbot"!