Drake shrugged. “Ah, you think it would give us world peace. Good luck on that one. It’s what they said after the first photos of Earth were taken from space.” The bill arrived. Priscilla reached for it, but he waved her off. “I’ve got it,” he said. “Can’t allow a beautiful woman to buy her own salad.”
* * *
THEY CAME OUT of the restaurant into the concourse. Music, laughter, and the sounds of lasers in a gaming room. Priscilla accompanied Drake as far as the connecting tube, which would take him down to the boarding platform. He was about to start down when the public address system activated: “Everyone please stay in your quarters until otherwise notified. There is no reason for alarm. But in the interests of caution—”
“No reason for alarm,” said Priscilla. She couldn’t think of a better way to induce panic.
The message kept running. “. . . keep everyone informed as the situation develops . . .”
A burst of noise erupted behind them, frightened shouts, raised voices, people all talking at once, one child in tears. “I think the commotion’s coming from the Skyview,” said Drake.
Priscilla stopped one of the women. “What’s going on?” she asked.
The woman was so rattled she could barely speak. She looked at Priscilla with bleak eyes. “A bomb,” she said. “There’s a guy in there with a bomb.”
The Skyview also had long windows that fronted on the concourse. She and Drake hurried back to look. Most people in the restaurant were out of their chairs, backing up against the bulkheads. All were focused on the blond young man who’d looked lost minutes ago. He was about twenty-five, wearing gray slacks and a white pullover. Average size, with blue eyes. There was something in his hand. He was speaking but she couldn’t hear anything through the Plexiglas. The diners had gotten as far from him as they could.
Other than Frank, who hadn’t moved except to activate his link so security would be able to overhear everything.
Priscilla called her office. The AI responded. “Yes,” she said. “There is a threat at the Skyview. The subject is talking with Security now. We’re getting it here. Do you want the feed?”
“Please.”
“—calm. If any of you get in the way, everybody’s going to be dead.” He lifted his right hand, the one that held the device. It looked like a phone. The voice was cold and angry, and loud enough that everyone in the restaurant could undoubtedly hear whatever he decided to say. They were in tears, begging the bomber not to hurt the children, asking what they’d ever done to him. They were holding up hands, standing in front of children, hoping to shield them.
“All right, sir.” One of the security people on the link. His voice would have been coming into the restaurant through loudspeakers. “Don’t get upset. We don’t want anyone getting hurt here. What is it that you need?”
“Just so you know,” said the blond man, “it’s a dead man’s switch.” He waved the thing that looked like a phone. “If I let go of it, it’ll go off.”
That caused a fresh wave of hysteria in the Skyview, more screams, kids bursting into tears, people falling down. A couple of them got out the door.
“Hey,” he said, “you guys told me you’d locked the doors. Do it now. Anybody else goes out, I’m blowing this thing. Now do it.”
“Sorry,” said the other voice. “We couldn’t locate the code. We’ve got it now.”
“You’re funny,” said the bomber.
“My name’s Abel, sir. We’re trying to do everything you ask.”
“Yeah. Try to be a little quicker about it. And keep the security guys outside.”
And, finally, Frank got to his feet. “What’s your name, sir?” he asked.
“What’s it matter? Who are you?”
“My name’s Frank. I work here. And I’ll help you if I can. We just don’t want anybody getting hurt.”
The blond man stared at him. “I’m James Addison.”
“Is it okay if I call you James?”
“Maybe you better get over near the wall, Frank. With the rest of these people.”
Someone yelled, “Get over here!”
Frank smiled. “James, would it be all right with you if we let these people leave? I’ll stay with you, and we can talk this—”
“No! Nobody goes anywhere.”
“All right. What can we do for you? What do you need?”
James was waving the device. “Just back off, okay?”
“We’re doing that. No problem. What else?”
James began talking into his link again. But Priscilla wasn’t getting the transmission. “He switched channels,” said the AI. “Security says he’s talking to somebody off station.”
One of the women, with a child in tow, was edging toward the door.
Then James was back: “Don’t do it,” he said. “Nobody moves. If anybody tries to go out, I’ll set it off.”
“Sure, pal,” said Frank. “We’re going to close up, to make sure no one gets out, okay?”
“That’s what I told you to do—”
Emergency doors slid into place, sealing off all entrances. If he set off the bomb, the effects, hopefully, would be contained.
“Okay,” said Frank. “It’s all right. I’m sure we can reach an understanding.” Security guards moved into position outside the doors. “Now, what’s the problem? And what can we do to make it right?”
“I want some airtime.” James’s voice was crisp, sharp. “I want HV coverage. I have something to say to the country.”
“HV coverage?” More security people were arriving, fanning out. “We can’t do that, James. We don’t have the connections.”
“Don’t try to play me. You can do whatever you want. Get me the media people.”
“We can’t manage that, sir. You have to be reasonable.”
He smiled pleasantly. “No, I don’t. I don’t have to be reasonable at all. And it would be a good idea if you didn’t lie to me. I know you can make it happen. If I’m wrong about that, if you really can’t, everybody in here is dead.”
That drew more gasps and pleas. “Don’t.”
“My kids.”
“Please don’t do this.”
Somebody in the concourse began screaming that her daughter was inside.
“You have three minutes,” James said, “to make it happen. I have friends on the ground who will let me know when it does.”
“Okay,” Frank said. “We’re trying. We’re working on it. But you have to give us some time. You have to—”
“No, I don’t,” he said. “I don’t have to do anything. Just get it done.”
“All right. We’re doing everything we can. May I ask what this is about?”
“I’ll tell you in a minute. As soon as the hookup is complete.”
“Okay. Listen, can we make an arrangement?”
“What did you have in mind, Frank?”
“I’d appreciate it if you’d allow the people to leave the restaurant. There’s no need for them—”
“Forget it. I don’t want to hurt anybody. But I’ll get a lot more attention if things stay as they are.”
Drake moved in close to her. “If he sets the bomb off in there, Priscilla, none of them will survive. What happened to security? How’d he get a bomb up here?”