Travis paced back and forth nervously, his mind racing. When the door opened, he spun around. Then, without waiting for the Major to take a chair, he began giving him the report.

When he was finished the Major frowned. “The central computer banks. Then we were right. As much as he hates me, he hates what I have done even more.”

“Exactly. That’s why he’s got Rod Loopes and Nicole with him. He’s going for the heart of the system.”

“Well,” the Major said, “he’ll never make it. We’ll cut them down like young wheat in a hailstorm.”

“Where?” Travis asked slowly.

“Where? Anywhere. In the city, at the outskirts. What do you mean where?”

“I have a suggestion.”

“What?”

“Suppose we let Eric take Central Control.”

The Major shot up out of his chair. “What? Are you crazy?”

Travis went on. “Maybe, but think about it for a minute. We both know that Eric is coming here, but Shirley didn’t know exactly when or from which direction. Evidently Joe can’t get away or get a radio to tell us what’s happening. But we both know that Eric has the sympathy and support of many of the citizens. If we start moving men—the numbers of men it will take to trap him—somebody will see it. Maybe they’ll warn him. Eric could slip away from us again.”

The Major nodded. “Go on.”

“Even if we let him come to Alliance Square and try to take him in the central quad, we still stand a good chance of some of them slipping away. Perhaps even Eric himself. But Central Control is like a fortress. Besides the front entrance, there are only two ways in or out—the fire doors on the north and the south sides. They’re heavy metal and locked. He’d have to blow them off to get in that way.”

As the Major sat down slowly, Travis went on.

“Eric knows there’s a skeleton shift at night, only one man at the front desk. So let’s let him take his whole team inside, where we’ll have two squads of men set up, one hidden in the cafeteria, the other in the main conference room. Once Eric and his people are inside, we’ll have them trapped. And there won’t be any citizens around to help him escape.”

For a few seconds the Major was silent, considering the proposal. “With explosives, we’re taking a tremendous risk. What if something goes wrong?”