Suddenly Charlie gave a little cry of dismay and released his hold on the fence. “No! Don’t turn it off. Don’t!” It was almost a sob, as from a child deprived of a favorite toy. Then he leaped at Clayne like a clawing tiger. Eric ducked into a half crouch, looking for a clear shot with the stun gun, but Clayne saw him and shouted, even as he spun Charlie around and flung him off his shoulders. “No, Eric! Don’t!”

Charlie bounced off the fence and lit on his feet, quick as a cat. He launched himself again, his fists flailing, but this time Clayne was waiting for him. He side-stepped the rush, then swept up Charlie from behind in his massive arms.

“Get the cuffs, Eric,” he grunted, trying to hold himself clear from the kicking feet. “They’re in the glove box.”

In a moment they had Charlie’s arms pinned behind him and the cuffs on. The fight went out of him, and he wept quietly.

“All right, Charlie,” Clayne said gently, “it’s all over.” He brought him back to the car and gently pushed him into a halfsitting position on the fender. “Just stay right there for a minute, then we’ll take you home.”

He jerked his head at Eric. “Watch him for a minute. I think he’ll be okay now.” He slid into the driver’s seat and picked up the mike.

Ten minutes later, as Eric watched the ambulance drive away with Charlie Bird, Clayne turned to him. “Well, Mr. Lloyd, that’s more excitement than I’ve had on shift for months. Welcome to your first night as a Guardian.”

“I don’t understand,” Eric said. “How can he attack you like that?”

“Oh, he was infuriated that we turned off his pain. He’s not a bad kid, just a very sick one.”

“No, that’s not what I mean. How can he do that with implantation?”

“Oh, I see. The MCs have their implantation removed.”

“They do?”

“Sure. Otherwise they could constantly create pain for themselves deliberately. With their problem, you want to avoid any and all pain. That’s why I didn’t want you to use the stun gun.”

“And why you can’t use the Punishment Mode in his wrist computer.”

“Exactly. That’s what makes them such a challenge to handle.” Suddenly Clayne brightened. “Tell you what. Since I did all the work on this one, I’ll let you buy me a malt to celebrate. Okay?”

Eric laughed. “All right, you’re on.” Then gradually the smile on his face died away, and he looked upward. The clouds were scattered and broken now, and the stars glittered with startling clarity through the gaps in them. Finally, he turned back to Clayne. “I’ll only say this once, then I’ll drop it.”

Clayne sighed. “All right. Say it.”