Jack volunteered to take the group to Susan's favorite restaurant of choice for dinner. They had more than enough to drink with their meal and came ba...k to her apartment just a little tipsy. Susan assessed the situation. "Why don't you boys go take a nap and sleep off the liquor for awhile while Kelly and I have a little privacy. And I am locking my door so you pervs don't get any ideas about watching."They all laughed and the men headed for the spare room and locked their own door. They. Quadros all had a similar appearance, but this particular individual came from a genetic line that had wandered in the direction of intelligence, memory and even something that approached scientific observation. It had accumulated a wealth of information about its environment, with a particular focus on the flora and the fauna. Quadros led solitary lives and avoided each other, so they had very little in the way of communication abilities, but they had the ability of passing a portion of their. In the middle of the circular floor was a raised circular platform some fifteen feet in diameter. Mounted above it was a radial arm supporting something that looked vaguely like a satellite dish, pointed downwards at the platform. To the left, against the curved wall, was a set of lit panels containing electronic controls of some kind. One panel had a keyboard and monitor inset, and a telephone handset next to it. Amber lights from this setup gave the room its only real light apart from our. "Can we go now?" I begged, more eager than ever to leave all this behind.She nodded, still smiling up at me."Oh, I was on my way to the restroom - if I can find it." They're in the lobby, just past the elevators," she offered. "I'll wait for you here."There was no sign of Stephan. I didn't ask.When I returned, she had vanished. After a stroll through the spacious lobby, I went back to the lounge. She was at the bar, chatting with K.C. I watched from under the archway, my guts churning like a.