The door swung open to reveal Rod Loopes with a rifle pointing directly at the Major’s chest. Eric was standing next to Nicole, holding her by the arm. Her face was chalky white, and the Major could see that she was leaning on Eric for support. Clayne was next to him and Chet Abernathy behind them.

“You can watch from there, Major,” Eric called, “but if you try to come in—” He left it unfinished. “What have you decided?”

As Travis moved up to stand next to him, the Major nodded. “All right, we agree.”

“Good.” Eric turned. “Chet, you and Nicole go first, Dick and Clayne next. Rod and I will bring up the rear so the Major can see me and the box clearly.” He looked up. “Is the way to the exit cleared, Major?”

“Yes.”

“Okay, let’s move out,” Eric said. “Keep together.”

As they moved toward the door, he stopped next to the dark form on the floor. He dropped to one knee and turned the body halfway over. “Major, will you give this man a decent burial? We are obviously in no position to do it.”

“Of course.”

“Thank you. I’m going out now. You and Travis move around to the side hallway where we can watch each other.”

As they backed out into the hallway, Eric moved out of the Monitoring Room through the side door, unreeling the wire. “I might suggest, Major, that even though I can’t see into the room now, if someone slips in and cuts the wire, you’ll have the automatic detonation.”

“I won’t run that risk,” the Major said evenly. “We’ll play it your way.”

Eric backed up the hallway as swiftly as he could unreel the spool, following the others. When he ran out of wire, he was about five feet short of where the hallway turned the corner and went out the door. He stopped. “Clayne,” he called, “are you at the door?”

“Roger. We’re set to go out.”

Eric returned slowly, coiling the wire in big loops, and approached the two men. Halfway down the hall, the Major stepped forward to meet him. Five feet away from each other they both stopped. The Major studied Eric for a moment.

“Well, it comes to this, I guess,” he said.

Eric nodded. “Yes.”

“I thought I had planned so carefully, considered every factor. I was so sure that I finally had a foolproof system for creating the ideal society.”

Eric shook his head. “This time you captured the wrong fools.” He held out his hand with the box and the wire.

“You know we can’t let you get away,” the Major said, extending his own hand with the transmitting controls.

“I know,” Eric responded. “But once we’re clear of this building, we’ve got a chance. Out in the open, so far we’ve held our own pretty well.”