Something to drink? Don supposed that would be polite, but he felt as if he were fixed to the spot. As long as Don stood here and watched the repairman, he was able to maintain some illusion of control. He didn't want to leave Jace alone with the apartment's primary system.

"Ah, h.e.l.l!" Jace exclaimed as he thrust the wire cutters into the enclosed darkness.

"It's late at night.

I've been working for fourteen hours straight. Why don't you make that a beer?"

"A beer?" What was he talking about? How could he drink while he was repairing sensitive electronics?

"I'm sorry--" "Whoops!" Jace called. He shook his head as he looked at Don.

"See what you made me do? I meant to get the next one over, but when you distracted me--" He laughed.

"We'll just have to fix that." He looked at the wire-cutters still in his hand.

"In the wrong hands, this could kill someone."

Now Don was starting to get annoyed.

"What do you mean, I distracted you? I'm not the one who barged into someone's home in the middle of the night--" "Now, now, Don," Jace interrupted.

"I'm here to help you. It pays to be nice to me, you know."

Where did this repairman get off?

"You're paid to fix the d.a.m.n thing. Why don't you do that and get out of here!"

Jace sighed.

"You're not going to get emotional on me, too? Remember how I told you about Mrs. Mac Shea

Do you want me to have to call someone to calm you down, too?"

Don stared at the repairman. Could they do something like that? In his own apartment? Don did want to protect his system. He had to calm down. So Jace didn't have very good people skills. Don should be able to put up with his obnoxious behavior for a few more minutes. It was worth it to fix the system, and get the repairman out of here.

Jace pulled out some kind of small gray cube with a digital display.

Don figured it had to be some sort of diagnostic device. The repairman put both his hands back in the control box. For a moment, he didn't speak.

"There. I've hooked it back together. You won't even know you had a problem. Fourteen hours on the job, you can get a little shaky." He pulled out the small cube.

"What have we got here? Donny boy!

You really like those X-rated files, don't you?"

"What?" Don exploded.

"What are you--" "Not that I'm judging you, Don," the repairman continued.

"A bachelor's got to have a little fun, right? But maybe we can talk about that some other time. I'm on the clock here, in more ways than one.

He reached into his pack again.

"Now we'd better do what I came here for."

He pulled a curved, segmented tube that came to a point at one end. It looked to Don like a wasp cast in metal.

"This baby here will detect any foreign programs or unauthorized codes," Jace said, "and then it will obliterate them." He flicked a small switch on the instrument's side. It made a noise like a dentist's drill.

He plunged it into the open darkness. Another sound came out of the control box, like metal grinding metal.

"Is that thing safe in there?" Don asked.

The repairman winced slightly at the noise, but he kept on smiling.

"Oh, it shouldn't damage anything that's supposed to be in here, so long as I'm careful.

It will purge anything that's not supposed to be in here. though, software or hardware. So how about that beer?"

This was going too far. First this guy looks at his personal files, then he wants to start drinking.

"Look," Don said firmly, "I never agreed to get you a beer- In fact, I don't think it's a very good--" "Some of those files, Don," Jace interrupted smoothly, "they have to do with bondage, don't they?

Some messy forms of discipline, too. I, of course, only take an academic interest in that sort of thing, but if your mother was to find out ..."

"My mother?" Don took a step towards the repairman.

"I think it's time for you to get out of there."

"Oh, Don. I'll be done in just another minute." The noise from inside the control box changed again, this time to a high whine that made Don's teeth ache.

Something popped inside the controls. Sparks shot out past Jace's arms.

The repairman coughed as he waved smoke from his face.

"Oops. Another little accident." His brow furrowed as he peered into the darkness.

"This one might be a little more serious."

Don took a step forward.

"What have you done?"

The repairman froze him with a single glance.

"You don't understand, Don. You wanted to stop my work back there. I can't listen to that sort of thing. It makes me nervous." He smiled again.

"I make mistakes."

Don really had had enough of this.

"You're not going to make any more mistakes here."

Jace shook his head.

"Oh, Don, Don. This has to be done now. Do you want me to have to call in the cavalry? I thought you'd be so much more reasonable than Mrs. Mac Shea You know women, how they get so emotional."

Don took a deep breath. Maybe punching a repairman wasn't the best course of action. If this was almost over, he could get this character out of his life forever.

"How long did you say this was going to take?"

Jace glanced back at the open control grid.

"Not long at all. I'd say, Don, that I'm almost done with you." He poked the wasplike instrument back into the hole. For the moment, it hardly made any noise at all.

"Poor Mrs. Mac Shea Jace continued as he worked.

"She got so very upset. Just because I was a little clumsy with a couple of her family heirlooms.

Hey, pottery was meant to be broken, right? She got worse than you, demanding that I leave before I could finish. Well, I had to get her out of the way, didn't I?

We actually had to bring in two of my buddies. They took her right out of the kitchen and into her bedroom."

He glanced up at Dan and winked.

"They were able to keep her occupied until I finished my work."