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….Then his back began to itch. He really didn't want to touch his back ever again; he didn't even want to look at what they'd done to him. But the itching was so terrible, he simply had to scratch. He gasped when something hard and rough peeled away underneith his fingernails. Brown, flakey scabs fluttered away from his fingertips. He shuddered with disgust.

Suddenly there was a loud, mechanical rumbling sound above him. Two long, snake-like metallic arms came down from compartments in the ceiling. Bobby jumped to his feet, whirling around to look at them. Sharp, metal claws, splayed out from the tips of the arms and reached for him. Crying out, he dodged.

With a whipping sound, the arms followed his every move as he dashed about the room, trying to avoid them. He knocked over a metal strattle-chair and pivoted as the claws just missed his throat. Grabbing the chair, he lifted it over his head and swung it at one of the arms. It became entangled with the chair, and with a powerful jerk, Bobby yanked the arm out of its socket in the ceiling. The metal snake twitched as it died, sparks flickering from its torn end. The other arm reached for him.

"NO!" Bobby roared, grabbing the arm. He toar it out of the ceiling and ripped it to bits. His heart beat wildly, as adrenaline coursed through him. Such power bubbled within his veins that he'd never felt before. He'd always been strong, but never this fast before. And never this alert.

Suddenly, and enormous screen appeared before him on a moniter attached to a metal snake. His reflexes now tweaked, he swung two punches at it. And it lay crumpled at his feet before he realized Doctor Jitt's face was on the screen, and she was beginning to say,

"Robert! What's happened, sir?"

Oops. He'd just trashed an intercom. He stood panting among the mess of wires and crushed machinery, his heartbeat slowing.

Almost immediately the door flew open and Jitt rushed in. She surveryed the mess with wide, fluttering eyes, her hands over her mouth. "What's happened?"

"These two snake things just came out of nowhere and attacked me!" Bobby panted.

"What? You mean the encoder-links? Oh my goodness… Did you do this?"

Bobby didn't know how to respond.

"They weren't ….snakes," said Jitt, repeating the word as if it were from a foreign language. "They were probes. Encoder links. I had you scheduled to be uploaded into the database. These probes were just trying to plug into your PAK….Oh my goodness, my poor equipment!"

"You mean…they're just extension cords?" asked Bobby.

"Yes. Oh, this is a terrible misunderstanding. The Deputy's going to kill me…"

"I'm so sorry, I-I didn't know," said Bobby, embarrassed. "I just thought…Are you going to get into trouble?"

"Well, I'd most likely get into more trouble if I don't get you set and uploaded by the end of the day…" Poor Jitt sighed, rubbing her forehead. Today was a very tiresome day indeed. "Come with me, sir, and we'll get your PAK plugged in through the main computer."

Bobby meekly followed the tiny doctor out the door, glancing back at the mess he'd just made.

"Guess I don't know my own strength…heheh…"