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the other.
    The captain planted his feet and twisted his arm. Instead of ripping his elbow free, greater pain flared. The stubby fingers had tightened their hold, surprising Maddox with their unusual strength.
    “You must come with me,” the man said, pushing harder, causing Maddox to stumble forward once more.
    The captain glanced back. The squat man or android wore a stylish suit at odds with his girth. Maddox recognized it as a Woo Tower casino uniform. The pusher didn’t seem fat but powerful. The face seemed wider than any norm Maddox knew about, although the man lacked any blemishes. That upped the chances he—it—was an android.
    The man glanced up at him before looking away. “This isn’t my preference, believe me,” the man said. “I simply don’t know how else to convince you.”
    “Try explaining it to me,” Maddox said.
    “I will explain, but not just yet.”
    “Do you have a reason for the delay?”
    “Yes.”
    “Would you care to share it with me?”
    “No, as that would invalidate the reason for waiting.”
    “Of course,” Maddox said. “That’s logical.”
    The man didn’t reply to that.
    “Still,” Maddox said, “I’m afraid I insist we stop.”
    “You are not in a position to insist. Thus, your statement is illogical, likely driven by emotive needs.”
    Maddox twisted back to see if the other grinned or if a shine of delight twinkled in the eyes. The face was impassive, the eyes inert and the pace growing more relentless.
    The eyes darted upward to look at him again. Maddox quickly faced forward before their gazes met. He’d just spied something most interesting and didn’t want the other knowing that he—Maddox—knew. It would be the captain’s hole card.
    Maddox gauged his options given the new facts. His choices had grown less than he’d believed. Clearly, the man marched him to a place of restraint, one that would limit the captain’s options even further.
    Just as Maddox readied himself to make another attempt at escape, the man halted, jerking the captain to an abrupt stop.
    Voices drifted up the corridor. Did the man not like that?
    Maddox inhaled, getting ready to shout for help.
    “No,” the squat man said. With amazing arm-strength, he threw Maddox against the wall while keeping hold of the elbow.
    The captain smashed against the hard surface, his face whipping against steel.
    The man ran forward, pushing a stunned Maddox, who almost tripped as his feet shuffled faster. Then it became too much. The captain did trip, beginning to fall, but the man easily held him up. That indicated greater than normal mass as well as power.
    There was a faint click behind the captain. A hatch slid up in front of him. The man pushed the captain into the chamber. It was a stainless steel kitchen with pots, pans and knives magnetized to the walls. With Maddox ahead of him, the man hurried down an aisle.
    This isn’t a spaceship. It’s —
    Maddox realized this must be a hotel or a casino’s underground kitchen area. They must still be in Shanghai, maybe even close to Woo Tower.
    The man headed for a pair of swinging doors. He was detouring around the voices. That seemed obvious.
    Maddox did not inhale this time. The man seemed attentive, able to catalog the signs. The captain practiced deception, seemingly keeping himself in the exact stunned state as seconds ago.
    Then, Maddox’s right arm whipped out in a lighting move. He ripped a knife from the wall, twisted in the man’s grip and stabbed with force. He expected the weapon to sink past the man’s ribs. Instead, the tip of the blade sank two inches before snapping off in Maddox’s hand. It left a small piece of steel lodged in the man’s flesh.
    The man did not cry out, although his eyes shined angrily. The fingers of his left hand tightened their grip.
    At the pain, Maddox’s air expelled from his lungs. It might have dropped him to his knees. With iron determination, as he attempted to ignore the agony, the captain