"What will you do?" cried Lansing.
"Go out and talk to them, of course," replied Halloran. He arose from his desk, a calm, unhurried man.
"Look," growled Knox, "you get me through to the town. Some of our people are still there. I'll order out as many soldiers as you want. I'll see to it that they get here—on the double!"
Halloran flushed. "Would it ease your conscience, general," he grated, "if you killed off my men instead of leaving them—behind! Now, you will please keep quiet. You'll be perfectly safe!"
"What will we do with them, sir?" Court gestured at Lansing and Knox.
Halloran strode from behind his desk to the opposite end of the room. As he twirled the dials of a wall safe he said, "They'll have to remain here, for now. The men have got between this building and the gate office." The safe swung open and he reached far inside and took out a submachine gun. "Here," he held the weapon out to Court. "If I don't come back, use this to get them to the gate office."
"Didn't know you had an arsenal in here!" cried Slade.
"No one else did, either, except Alfred. Now Doc, think you and Pete had better stay here."
Slade and Goldsmid pulled themselves out of their chairs as one man. Their timing was perfect.
"No, you don't, hero!" growled Slade.