It’s almost unheard of for a modern company, but at Madhouse, the rule is that once you’ve gone home, you’re done for the day, except in dire em...rgencies. And around here, things are crazy enough that a chemical spill does not qualify as a dire emergency. ‘I guess I’ll have to see what I can do tomorrow afternoon then.’ ‘Pepper’s still in.’ ‘Oh yeah?’ ‘Yeah. Go talk to her—we need the numbers she has, anyway.’ ‘Sure thing.’ Daph leaned in a little closer, whispering even though there wasn’t. It won’t take but a few seconds, then he can wipe the drives, but really wiping them will take time. Time is all he needs, but he should be able to hack it. Even without Rachel, how hard would it really be to jawbone out a couple of Quantico fresh-outs?But before his upload finishes, the screens go black. It takes him a moment before he realizes that the power in the whole house has likely gone out. He waits a few seconds before the generators kick in. Screw the backup, he’ll just have to kick. “Weak? Submissive? Insert simultaneously misogynist and homophobic slur here?” “Yeah,” he said. “That.” “Look,” I said, “normally I reject labels and roles. But since it's just us girls: Out here I may run your shit, but in the bedroom I'm definitely the bottom in this relationship. I fuck you sometimes, but it's what, four to one? Five?” “Nights?” he said. “Or... um... fuckings? You fuck me like once a week, I guess? But you count weekends, I gotta be working that ass better'n once a day.. Especially an older man, who may never give you complete satisfaction.”“Would you really? Lucien, you make me wish we were the same age. I’d love to go out with you. I can tell, just by looking at you and listening to you, you could give a young teacher like me, more satisfaction, than she’s ever given herself ... I meant ... gotten with someone else.”“Maybe we could uh ... No, that would never work.”“What? Please tell me what you were about to say.”“I hope you’re not offended, but I almost.