one of the coveralled figures approached them, a thick-thewed man whose muscular strength couldn't be hidden by the baggy clothing. not as tall as steve or the woman, he was broad of shoulder and thick through the chest. he had a dark face and deep-set black eyes, and a thin scar ran the length of his right cheek, from eye to chin. "yes, captain?"

"stedman here is new. he questions my authority. i wondered if you'd like to work him over some—"

"a pleasure," growled the stocky, gnarled frenchman, and swung his right fist up in a quick, blurring motion.

steve didn't have time to parry it. the blow caught him flush on the mouth and jarred his teeth, sent him crashing back against the wall where he slid down slowly until he was sitting on the floor. groggily, he got to his feet, wiping his bloody lips with the fingers of one hand. leclarc, chuckling, hit him once more before he could quite pull himself together. the right hand slammed against his stomach this time, driving the wind from his lungs.

he started to fall, but he clawed at leclarc's middle as he went down, and held on. still chuckling, leclarc cuffed him about the ears almost playfully, but the open-palmed blows stung him and sent wild rage coursing through his blood. clearly, that was the idea. leclarc was enjoying himself—but leclarc wanted him to fight back.

steve got a hand up in front of his body, palm up, and drove it against the frenchman's chin. he felt the neck snap back sharply, heard the sudden click as leclarc's teeth met with savage force. bellowing, the frenchman came at him again, fighting southpaw and bringing a roundhouse left from back behind his body.

but steve's wind had returned and now he sobbed air in great gulps. he ducked the wild swing and found the frenchman wide-open, pounded lefts and rights to the man's midsection. leclarc, stunned now, brought his guard down. steve was in no hurry. he chased the dazed leclarc around an ever-widening circle, was dimly aware that the other technicians had stopped their work to watch. he jabbed with his left hand, covering the olive face with purple welts. he held the right cocked but did not throw it. soon, though, he could hear the other technicians—who probably liked a good brawl—muttering. the idea, as they saw it, wasn't to cut leclarc up completely but instead, to win swiftly.

shrugging, steve realized that the anger he felt for the woman had blinded him, and after that, he unleashed his right hand, felt the searing contact with leclarc's jaw, saw a couple of teeth clatter off the wall as the frenchman's mouth flew open. sagging first at the knees, then the waist, leclarc fell to the floor and huddled there inertly.

steve turned to the woman, spoke out of fast-swelling lips. "you're the captain and i only work here, teejay," he made the initials sound like a name. "so i'll take your orders—provided they make sense. that one about the cap didn't. if you want it picked up, you'd better stoop for it yourself."

not looking back, he climbed the stairs toward the second level, wiping his bloody lips with a handkerchief.