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After a thorough search of the enclosure, and a lot of useless straining to reach the keys through the grating, Major resorted to using the tongue of his belt buckle to try to pick the lock on the gate. Backwards.

Jeff and Tammy clustered close to him, what was left of their minds working overtime as they watched his hands with fascination. One of them gurgled at him.

Major had had just about enough of being locked in with these two and their complete lack of brains. "Yeah?" he snapped. "You got any better ideas?"

From upstairs came the sound of footsteps, and Major's heart leaped. "Liv? Please let me out! I'm sorry!" He couldn't believe it—she was back. She hadn't left him after all. She had seen the light, and was coming to tell him she loved him and wanted to stay with him and never wanted to go back to New Seattle. She—

… was Russ Roche. Of all people. As if this day hadn't been bad enough.

"Sorry's not gonna cut it," Roche said as his boots hit the basement floor. He stepped into the light. His skin was pasty, his eyes reddening. He was days, if that, away from going where Jeff and Tammy had gone. And he had never been any too stable to begin with. "Thought I smelled a rat down here," he added. "Look at Major Lilywhite now. They put you in here for ass kissing?"

Major kept his mouth shut. He had nothing to say to the man before him, and no reason to piss him off, either, given that he was still locked in a cage.

Roche's eyes turned to Jeff and Tammy. "First time seeing rotters in the flesh."

Jeff and Tammy hissed at him. Even Romeroed, they had good taste in people.

"Less drool than in the movies," Roche said. Then his eyes fell on the pile of brain tubes at Major's feet, and they lit up like Christmas morning. "Give me those tubes."

Major looked down at the tubes, then back up at Roche. "I'd rather not."

Roche pulled his gun, loading it. "You remember Monty Hall? Let's Make a Deal?"

"You know, I don't believe I've ever missed an episode."

"Then you know how this works. I've got six bullets here, and you can buy my bullets for one brain tube each. And that'll be one less bullet I put in you."

On the one hand, Major didn't much want to die. On the other hand, he really didn't want to give Roche his brain tubes at all. Not that he would need them if he was dead, but he suspected he wouldn't be dead. Just very, very injured. Russ enjoyed playing with his toys too much to kill Major straight off. And if Major could string this out long enough, Russ might just be desperate enough to come in after the tubes, giving Major the chance to get the hell out of this cage.

"Young man," he said jauntily, "if I'm going to die, I'd rather die knowing you starved."

Predictably, Roche took the bait. "Who said anything about you dying?" And he shot Major in the stomach.

It hurt. It hurt pretty damned bad. Major dropped like a stone, clutching his stomach and crying out with the pain.

"Five more to go, pretty boy!" Roche shouted.

It didn't hurt badly enough for Major to give him a brain tube, that was for sure. Next to him, Jeff snarled at Roche. He could tell who was a friend, Major thought affectionately.

The snarl got to Roche. "What's that, laddie, you want to play, too?" He shot Jeff between the eyes.

Major felt a stab of grief on Tammy's behalf, since she was no longer capable of feeling it. At the same time, he counted bullets. Four left. One spent on Jeff rather than on Major, which, with all due respect to Jeff, was probably good for both of them.

"Give me the tubes, Major," Roche demanded.

Not gonna happen. Major shook his head grimly.

Suddenly the lights went out. "Who's there?" Roche shouted. He shot the gun wildly in the direction of the stairs, once and then twice. In the darkness, Major heard someone groan in pain. Then the lights came on again and he looked up to see the fire poker sticking out of Roche's forehead, having been shoved through from behind. Roche fell forward, and with relief, Major saw Liv standing behind him.

She looked past Major at Tammy. "Sorry about your husband, dear."

Major got to his feet, still holding his stomach. "Look, you want my keys, they're yours, all right? Just let me out."

Liv was bending over Roche's body, searching for something. Major's heart sank when he realized that now she had Roche's car keys and no longer needed his. She waved the keys in the air mockingly. "'Fix my drinks.' 'Do my dishes.' 'Rescue me.' Try taking care of yourself for once, darling."

That was at least as much about the brain couple as it was about them, but it still stung that any part of her thought that about him.

He clutched the grate as she stomped up the stairs. "Olivia. No." But it was too late. She was gone, again. He had failed to save her, again.