"How much time do I have?" he asked.
"Before you decide?"
"Yes."
"Very little. Jacob's ship is on its way. It'll be here—well, you can't tell about these things. Two or three Earth days, maybe even tomorrow. It'll stay in Hoover City long enough to discharge and load cargo. Then it'll stop here for us and return to—to our new base."
"What do you think Jacob would do if I didn't want to go with him?"
She shook her head. "You asked me that before. I said I didn't know."
Ben thought, I know a lot about you, Jacob. I know you're based on an asteroid. I know how many men you have, how many ships. I know where this dome is. I know you have men planted in the I. B. I. Would you let me go, knowing these things? How great is your immunity from the law? Do you love freedom so much that you'd kill to help preserve it?
Fear crawled through his mind on icy legs.
"Maggie," he said, "what would Jacob do if he were me?"