“I’m ready to negotiate,” Eric answered, turning his head away as he saw Nicole’s arms and legs stiffen and then start to tremble violently. “But I’m coming out to do it. Tell your men to hold their fire. If my thumb is knocked off this button, all negotiations will be over. There’s no way to reverse that then.”

Almost instantly, loudspeakers all over the building screamed out, “Hold your fire! Hold your fire!”

“Rod, clear me a way through to the door,” Eric called, concentrating on uncoiling the wire carefully so as not to look in Nicole’s direction.

“There’s nothing to talk about!” Travis screamed. “Surrender or we’ll terminate Nicole. We’re not playing anymore, Eric.”

“You’re a real sweetheart, Travis. Major, I’m coming out.” He stepped out of the door and into the hallway, tensing for the unseen blow. But the hallway was empty, and then a moment later, Travis and the Major stepped into view about thirty feet away.

Eric held up the box and uncoiled another foot or two of wire. “It’s rather a bitter irony, isn’t it?”

“What’s that?” the Major said, searching Eric’s face for any sign of surrender.

“You have a destructive device planted at the spine of something I treasure very much—” he paused long enough to note Travis’s look of fury—”and I have a destructive device planted at the heart of something you treasure very much.”

The Major’s nod was barely perceptible.

“I have a suggestion. Why don’t we trade boxes?”

The Major gave a short, humorless laugh. “I must admit, Eric, you don’t give up easily.”

Travis held up a black panel with a dial on the face of it for Eric to see. “Tell your men to throw down their weapons and come out now, Eric.” His hand went up to the dial. “Now, or Nicole begins screaming again.”

Eric’s eyes remained riveted to the Major’s face. “You see, Major, I am willing to trade victory for Nicole, but you haven’t offered me that yet.”

“That’s exactly what I am offering you.”

“No. If we surrender, she will either be executed or at least put through a repeat of Cliff Cameron’s ordeal. I’d just as soon see her dead.”

The Major’s eyes narrowed, and Eric knew he believed him.

“Suppose I promise you I won’t do either.”

“Sorry, Major. Trust is not the going commodity today.”

“Suppose I promise nothing more than implantation. You know I’m a man of my word, just as you are.”

“Death is preferable to implantation,” Eric roared, suddenly angry.

“He’s bluffing!” Travis’s fingers flicked up and rested on the dial. “Tell them to come out, Eric. Now!”