we've got is a Swiss army knife." He glanced upward. "Of course, there will be a big hole in the ceiling in a few hours."
They all stared up at the bomb. "He didn't even leave the ladder in here."
"It's getting late now," Chet pointed out. "Our folks will start missing us. Maybe people will come looking."
"Sure," Joe snorted. "And the first place they'll look is the third subbasement of the mall after hours."
"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea, keeping this search a secret," Callie said quietly. "My folks won't suspect anything till morning, when they find the pillows I stuck under my bed covers. "
"There's got to be a way out of this," Joe said, stalking back and forth. "If only we could knock that door down."
"Actually, there is a way." Frank stared at the top of the pillar. "We could blow the door down."
The others followed his gaze to the bomb. "Use that?" Chet said. "How will we get to it? What if it goes off?"
"We'll have to form a human pyramid." Frank's eyes were still on the bomb. "And if it goes off, well, it just happens a little earlier."
"Okay," said Joe. "Chet and I will be the bottom, Tony and Callie the middle, and my brother the electronics genius will be the top, Come on."
He and Chet bent over, leaning against the pillar. Tony and Callie stepped on their shoulders.
"Oooohhh," said Chet as he felt Callie's weight. "I don't know what they put in those darts, but the aftereffects - " "I don't want to hear about them until Frank is done," Joe snapped.
Callie and Tony were in position, and Joe climbed onto their shoulders. He carried his trusty knife, a couple of pieces of wire, and the roll of duct tape. "Is that enough to do the job?" Callie asked.
"I hope so," Frank answered. "It's all we've got. "
Frank tried not to look at the numbers flickering away as he examined the timer.
"Come on," came a gasping entreaty from the bottom of the pyramid. "Pull the thing loose."
"It's not that simple," Frank said, frowning as he began to trace wires. "These things are booby-trapped to keep people from tampering with them." "Now he tells us," Chet groaned. "Frank can handle it," Joe answered. "Otherwise, it's just sooner instead of later."
"Sneaky," Frank muttered. "Lots of circuits going to the plastique. Some real, some dummies. Some with the detonators hidden." He removed the timer housing, forcing his fingers to keep steady as he probed the innards of the machine. "Yow! Look at all these connections." He extended his knife blade to pry at some wires when the pyramid shifted beneath his feet. He snatched the knife away. "How's it going?" Joe called up.
"Like brain surgery on a trampoline, except that the medical risk is ours." Frank looked down. "Rest time."
It soon turned into a routine-a few terrifying seconds as Frank disconnected circuit after circuit, followed by ever longer rest periods, while pyramid members flopped on the floor. "Almost there," Frank said during the ninth rest period. "I've taken out all but three circuits. They're connected to detonators in the plastic explosive. If I can dig them out, that plastique can stay up there forever. But they're tricky ... "
"Oh, great," Chet muttered. His face was a mild green, with big droplets of sweat standing out.
"Hey," Frank said. "I haven't blown us up yet. "
"Yet," Chet repeated.
"I've got to get these circuits all in one go," Frank said. "And I need to have everything as steady as possible. Understand?"
They formed the pyramid again, and Frank climbed to the top. He'd gained a new tool, one of Callie's plastic barrettes for digging through the plastique. It wasn't safe to push metal in there. He scraped into the stuff like a kid playing with Silly Putty. Hidden in the explosive clay were three final circuits-buried detonators. If he could find them, they had a fighting chance.
Frank cleared a wire. He traced it through the plastique to a walnut-sized lump-the detonator. Working very carefully, he dug out the second cap, leaving it
They all stared up at the bomb. "He didn't even leave the ladder in here."
"It's getting late now," Chet pointed out. "Our folks will start missing us. Maybe people will come looking."
"Sure," Joe snorted. "And the first place they'll look is the third subbasement of the mall after hours."
"Maybe it wasn't such a good idea, keeping this search a secret," Callie said quietly. "My folks won't suspect anything till morning, when they find the pillows I stuck under my bed covers. "
"There's got to be a way out of this," Joe said, stalking back and forth. "If only we could knock that door down."
"Actually, there is a way." Frank stared at the top of the pillar. "We could blow the door down."
The others followed his gaze to the bomb. "Use that?" Chet said. "How will we get to it? What if it goes off?"
"We'll have to form a human pyramid." Frank's eyes were still on the bomb. "And if it goes off, well, it just happens a little earlier."
"Okay," said Joe. "Chet and I will be the bottom, Tony and Callie the middle, and my brother the electronics genius will be the top, Come on."
He and Chet bent over, leaning against the pillar. Tony and Callie stepped on their shoulders.
"Oooohhh," said Chet as he felt Callie's weight. "I don't know what they put in those darts, but the aftereffects - " "I don't want to hear about them until Frank is done," Joe snapped.
Callie and Tony were in position, and Joe climbed onto their shoulders. He carried his trusty knife, a couple of pieces of wire, and the roll of duct tape. "Is that enough to do the job?" Callie asked.
"I hope so," Frank answered. "It's all we've got. "
Frank tried not to look at the numbers flickering away as he examined the timer.
"Come on," came a gasping entreaty from the bottom of the pyramid. "Pull the thing loose."
"It's not that simple," Frank said, frowning as he began to trace wires. "These things are booby-trapped to keep people from tampering with them." "Now he tells us," Chet groaned. "Frank can handle it," Joe answered. "Otherwise, it's just sooner instead of later."
"Sneaky," Frank muttered. "Lots of circuits going to the plastique. Some real, some dummies. Some with the detonators hidden." He removed the timer housing, forcing his fingers to keep steady as he probed the innards of the machine. "Yow! Look at all these connections." He extended his knife blade to pry at some wires when the pyramid shifted beneath his feet. He snatched the knife away. "How's it going?" Joe called up.
"Like brain surgery on a trampoline, except that the medical risk is ours." Frank looked down. "Rest time."
It soon turned into a routine-a few terrifying seconds as Frank disconnected circuit after circuit, followed by ever longer rest periods, while pyramid members flopped on the floor. "Almost there," Frank said during the ninth rest period. "I've taken out all but three circuits. They're connected to detonators in the plastic explosive. If I can dig them out, that plastique can stay up there forever. But they're tricky ... "
"Oh, great," Chet muttered. His face was a mild green, with big droplets of sweat standing out.
"Hey," Frank said. "I haven't blown us up yet. "
"Yet," Chet repeated.
"I've got to get these circuits all in one go," Frank said. "And I need to have everything as steady as possible. Understand?"
They formed the pyramid again, and Frank climbed to the top. He'd gained a new tool, one of Callie's plastic barrettes for digging through the plastique. It wasn't safe to push metal in there. He scraped into the stuff like a kid playing with Silly Putty. Hidden in the explosive clay were three final circuits-buried detonators. If he could find them, they had a fighting chance.
Frank cleared a wire. He traced it through the plastique to a walnut-sized lump-the detonator. Working very carefully, he dug out the second cap, leaving it
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