Brynhild stared at the colorful display. “What’s happening?”
“The instrumentation is having a nervous breakdown as it tries to deal with the equivalent of a chain reaction.”
“What do you mean? Tell me, or I’ll—”
“You’ll kill me? Go ahead. I’m the only one who can stop the reaction.” She smiled. “There’s something you never knew about anasazium. Left alone, it’s no more dangerous than iron. But its atoms become highly unstable when the material is subjected to certain conditions.”
“What kind of conditions?”
“Exactly the combination of temperature, power, and sonic vibration that the core is being subjected to at this minute. Unless I alter the instructions the core will explode.”
“You’re bluffing.”
“Am I? See for yourself. The heat levels are going off the charts. Still not convinced?” she said. “Think about the mysterious explosion at your Mexican facility. The moment you told me about the blast I knew exactly what had caused it. Only a few pounds of material destroyed your facility. Think of what will happen when hundreds of pounds reach critical mass.”
Brynhild turned to the technicians who had gathered around and shouted for someone to stop the reaction. The head technician had been watching the insane pattern on the computer screen with fascination. He stepped forward, sweat beading on his forehead, and said, “We don’t know how. Anything we do might make it worse.”
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Brynhild yanked a machine pistol out of the hands of the nearest guard and pointed it at Gamay.
“If you don’t stop this I will kill your friends one by one. Her first.”
“Now who’s bluffing?” Francesca replied. “You plan to kill them anyhow. This way we’ll all die together.”
Brynhild’s white skin grew impossibly paler. She lowered the gun.
“Tell me what you want,” she demanded, her voice taut with anger.
“I want these people safely out of here.”
Brynhild had been trained as an engineer to assemble the facts before making a decision. If the reaction were not stopped the resulting explosion would destroy the plant. Francesca was the only one who knew how to defuse the situation. Brynhild would let the NUMA people go. As soon as the reaction was stabilized she would order her security forces to round them up. Then she would deal with Francesca. She wanted revenge for the destruction of her ship, but she could be patient. It had taken her years to get to this moment.
She handed the machine pistol back to the guard. “Agreed,” she said. “But you must stay.”
Francesca heaved a sigh of relief and turned to Austin. “You said you came by water?”
“Yes. We have scuba gear and a submersible waiting for us directly under the lab.”
“You won’t be able to go that way,” Francesca said. “The heat levels have already built up too far. You’d be boiled before you got to your submarine.”
“We’ll try to take the elevator up to the pier. There’s a boat there.”
“That’s your best course.”
“We can’t leave you.”
“It’s all right. They won’t hurt me as long as I’m of use to them.” She smiled beguilingly. “I’ll look forward to being rescued by NUMA once again.” She turned to Brynhild. “I’ll see them to the elevator.”
“No tricks,” she snarled. She ordered two guards to escort the group.
Francesca pressed the button that opened the door on the egg-shaped lift. “You’re injured. I’ll help you in.” When they were all seated she leaned in and whispered, “Does anyone have a gun?”
The guards who relieved Zavala of his machine pistol assumed that because Austin didn’t have a gun in his hand he wasn’t carrying one. But he still had the revolver he had taken from one of the Kradzik brothers tucked under his shirt.
“I have one,” Austin said, “but it would be suicide to try to shoot your way out of here.”
“I don’t intend to. The gun, please.”