“Good question,” the Major said. “Do we let him play it out and learn his lesson, or do we just assume now that we have failed with him, drop him to a Stage Three implantation, and send him to Serenity?”

“No,” Nicole blurted, and then flushed slightly at her vehemence. “Stage Three is so—” she paused, groping for a sufficient word. “So final.” She didn’t like Eric and his mocking arrogance, but to make him little more than a functioning vegetable? The thought made her shudder. “If we can’t use him in the Guardians, can’t he just be left at Stage Two?”

The Major was watching her, his eyes thoughtful.

“No, Nicole,” Travis said gently. “He’s at Stage Two now, and here we sit worrying about what he’s up to. Stage Two is obviously not enough for Eric.”

“Aren’t we jumping the gun a little?” Clayne mused, half to himself. “We’re basically acting on my hunch that he’s going to go for it, and it is only a hunch at this point. Let’s play it out. Knowing Eric, he may have to test the system once to really believe he has no options.”

“I agree,” said Travis. “We have got to prove to him that our option is the only way to escape implantation. Let’s allow him to bump his nose once, then if he doesn’t change…”

The Major nodded slowly, then turned to Nicole. “You’re his Monitor. What do you say?”

“I agree. If he weren’t implanted…But obviously he can’t do anything too drastic.”

“All right. That seems to be a consensus.” The Major leaned forward, his expression hardening. “But that doesn’t mean we just sit back and let him have a free hand. Nicole, I want a ‘tickle’ notice put into the tracking computer. Anytime he heads for either the library or the museum, I want that computer to start buzzing. Also if he heads for anyplace that has chemicals. Tell all the Monitors to call you immediately, day or night. Put a blow-up floor plan of both buildings in the tracking center so we can see exactly where he is when he’s inside either one.”

He turned to Travis. “Also, I want a TV camera put in the World War Two Room and a link-up to the screen in the Monitoring Center. Make it as inconspicuous as possible, but I want a clear shot of that one case.”

Clayne straightened and spoke. “Is access to the inside of the case difficult?”

“Well, yes and no,” Travis responded. “Since it’s a permanent display, the back is hinged across the bottom but clamped shut at the top. You’d need a screwdriver and about five minutes to undo the clamps.”

“Good. Mount the camera so we can see the back of the case. Travis, I want a twenty-four-hour monitor on his family. Anything suspicious there and I want to know instantly.”