Dreamer scowled.  Couldn't that asshole just cooperate for a change?  True, cooperating at this point would mean death for Lanner and his men... but they couldn't know that, could they?<br/><br/>He was seriously starting to regret allowing Kitten to come with him.  The young man had certainly given Lanner and his men an extra target, but Dreamer didn't want to see him get killed... and now he'd gone and let Lanner's men disarm him, despite that he'd been holding an automatic handgun as opposed to their blades.  One of the men now had the gun trained on Dreamer... one more potentially dangerous weapon, even to him.<br/><br/>There was also no way he was going to let Lanner open the safe.  The items inside would only make matters worse for Maeve's rescue.  If they left now, Lanner would eventually get the safe open and get the items anyway... no better.<br/><br/>He had several options now... none of them safe ones.  He could let Maeve tell Lanner the code and attack him while he was concentrated on opening the safe... but Lanner would probably have one of his men do that.  He wasn't stupid.<br/>On the other hand, he could repeat his order to Maeve to open the safe despite Lanner's insistence.  Would Lanner open fire over that?  He might... he might, and while Dreamer wasn't too worried for his own safety, Maeve's was another matter.<br/><br/>As for the third option... Dreamer could open the safe himself.  His fist would... probably... manage it, but it would be risky and take time.  However, he would be better just to enter the code himself...<br/><br/>Maeve had pressed three buttons on the digital keypad before Lanner had made her stop, and her quivering finger had been heading for the fourth... and he had realized what she was entering.  It was a date... the day, and the month, she had first met him... which left only the year... last year...<br/><br/>He took a deep breath.  He reached out with his left arm and pressed the last three digits on the pad.  The safe clicked... he'd been right.  "Lanner," he said, his tone irritated, "you really need to learn to trust people.  I'm a human, not a damn animal."  He shifted, allowing Maeve to slide off his shoulder and down his arm.  He crouched just a bit, allowing her to fall about a foot to the floor.  She hit the ground with a gasp of pain, but he was already turning to stare right at Lanner and took one step forward.  For all his cunning, Lanner instinctively raised the SMG away from Maeve to point it at the immediate threat: Dreamer.  "I've already told you that you can keep any money or valuables in there.  Now let me do my JOB, damn it!"<br/><br/>He turned partway to the safe, watching in case Lanner decided to fire at Maeve's prone form.  If he did, Dreamer would shield her with his body before the first bullet left the weapon.<br/><br/>He pulled open the safe, looked inside for just a second, and nodded.  "My things are all there.  Good."  He reached inside... "what the hell is this?  A bodysuit?  you keep your bedclothes in your SAFE?"  He looked down at Maeve incredulously before pulling out a thin, black bodysuit.  He flopped it on top of her where she lay, deliberately covering her head and torso.  "That's what you wanted me to wear?  Perverted, even for a cow."<br/><br/>He hoped she remembered what the suit was... and that she was able to use it despite her weakened state...<br/><br/>He reached into the safe despite Lanner's mounting anger at being defied, and he took hold of a wad of cash with his left hand.  He pulled it out slowly, so Lanner wouldn't shoot.  "Told you, this is all yours.  Unless your men want it?  They're cooperating more than you are."  He waved it a few times, making sure they knew what it was, then tossed the bundle partway across the room, toward Kitten's guards.<br/><br/>It was more money than any of these humans could possibly have ever seen in their lives... he just hoped they were smart enough to realize it... and stupid enough to let themselves get distracted as he reached into the safe with his right hand, his left hand also going to the gun still at the small of his back.<br/><br/>It was now or never.  As he moved with inhuman speed, he hoped it would be enough to save Maeve and Kitten... and maybe even himself.