AllFreeNovel
Share Us
His eyes flashed hot, then chilled. “You’ve had a very difficult day, so I’ll take that into consideration. The filter needed to be tested, the program isolated and analyzed.”
“With sims, with computer runs, with—”
“You’re not an e-man,” he interrupted. “You may be in charge of the investigation, but what goes on in the lab is beyond your scope.”
“Don’t you tell me what’s beyond my scope.”
“I am telling you. I could spend the next hour explaining the technical ins and outs of the thing to you, and you wouldn’t understand the half of it. It’s not your field, but it’s one of mine.”
“You’re a—”
“Don’t you toss that civilian bullshit at me, not over this. You wanted my help, so I’m part of this team.”
“I can take you off the team.”
“Aye, you could.” He nodded, then reached out, fisted a hand in her shirtfront and pulled her across the desk. “But you won’t, because the dead mean more to you than even your pride.”
“They don’t mean more than you.”
“Well, damn it.” He released her, jammed his hands in his pockets. “That was a low blow.”
“You had no right to risk yourself. Not even to tell me. You went around me on this, and that pisses me off. You took a chance with your life that I find unacceptable.”
“It was necessary. And it wasn’t some blind leap, for Christ’s sake. I’m not a fool.”
He thought of the weapon he’d secreted just in case. And the small gray button he’d rubbed like a charm before he’d begun the work.
No, he wasn’t a fool, but he’d felt a bit like one.
“There were four e-men in that lab who agreed the step had to be taken,” he continued. “I was monitored, and the exposure was limited to ten minutes.”
“The filter blew.”
“It did, yes. Blew to hell in just over eight minutes. Jamie has some ideas on that I think are sound.”
“How long were you exposed without a shield?”
“Under four minutes. A bit closer to three, actually. No ill effects,” he added. “But for a little nagging headache.”
He grinned when he said it, and she wanted to strangle him. “That’s not funny.”
“Maybe not. Sorry. My medicals are clear, and we have a partial picture of the infection. It required a human operator, Eve, one who knows his way inside a computer, and who knows the tricks and blocks a good programmer employs. If I hadn’t done it, Feeney would have.”
“Is that supposed to make me feel better? Why didn’t he?” she demanded. “He wouldn’t have just passed this to you.”
“We decided it logically. We flipped a coin.”
“You—” She broke off, rubbed her hands roughly over her face. “Somebody implied today I chose to act or think like a man. Boy, was she out of orbit on that.”
She dropped her hands. “Whether or not the electronics lab is out of my scope, it is under my authority. I expect and insist on being informed and consulted before any step is taken that carries personal risk to any of my team.”
“Agreed. You’re right,” he said after a moment. “You should’ve been informed. It can be a tricky balancing act. I’m sorry for my part in cutting you out of the loop.”
“Accepted. And though I’ve about hit my quota of apologizing today, I’ll add one more for bringing your dick into the argument.”
“Accepted.”
“I need to ask you a question.”
