I got the wire and trussed Arena up. I had to clip him twice before I finished. I went through his pockets, looked at things, recovered my souvenirs. I went over to Stenn. He was breathing. Arena was watching. "He's okay, for crissake," he said. "What kind of punch you think I got?" I hoisted Stenn onto my shoulder. "So long, Arena," I said. "I don't know why I don't blow your brains out. Maybe it's that Navy Cross citation in your wallet." "Listen," Arena said. "Take me with you." "A swell idea," I said. "I'll pick up a couple of tarantulas, too." "You're trying for the hack, right?" "Sure. What else?" "The roof," he said. "I got six, eight rotos on the roof. One high-speed job. You'll never make the hack." "Why tell me?" "I got eight hundred gun boys in this building alone. They know you're here. The hack is watched, the whole route. You can't get through." "What do you care?" "If the boys bust in here after a while and find me like this.... They'll bury me with the wires still on, Maclamore." "How do I get to the roof?" He told me. I went to the right corner, pushed the right spot, and a panel slid aside. I looked back at Arena. "I'll make a good sailor, Maclamore," he said. "Don't crawl, Arena," I said. I went up the short stair, came out onto a block-square pad. Arena was right about the rotos. Eight of them. I picked the four-place Cad, and got Stenn tied in. He was coming to, muttering. He was still fighting Arena, he thought. "... I'll hold ... you ... get out...." "Take it easy, Stenn," I said. "Nothing can touch this bus. Where's the boat?" I shook him. "Where's the boat, Stenn?" He came around long enough to tell me. It wasn't far--less than an hour's run. "Stand by, Admiral," I said. "I'll be right back." "Where ... you...." "We need every good man we can get," I said. "And I think I know a guy that wants to join the Navy." EPILOGUE Admiral Stenn turned away from the communicator screen. "I think we'd be justified in announcing victory now, Commodore." As usual, he sounded like a professor of diction, but he was wearing a big grin. "Whatever you say, chief," I said, with an even sappier smile. I made the official announcement that a provisional Congress had accepted the resignations of all claims by former office holders, and that new elections would be underway in a week. I switched over to Power Section. The NCO in charge threw me a snappy highball. Damned if he wasn't grinning too. "I guess we showed 'em who's got the muscle, Commodore," he said. "Your firepower demonstration was potent, Max," I said. "You must have stayed up nights studying the tapes." "We've hardly scratched the surface yet," he said. "I'll be crossing back to _Alaska_ now, Mac," Stenn said.