Back at the telephone, I had trouble finding my voice. "How long?" I croaked.
"It was triggered when you entered the vault," Kayle said. "There's a time mechanism. It's irreversible; you can't force anyone to cancel it. And it's no use your hiding in the outer passages.
"The whole center will be destroyed in the blast. Even it can't stand against a bomb buried in its heart. But we'll gladly sacrifice the center to eliminate you."
"How long!"
"I suggest you come out quickly, so that a crew can enter the vault to disarm the bomb."
"How long!"
"When you're ready to emerge, call me." The line went dead.
I put the phone back in its cradle carefully, like a rare and valuable egg.
I tried to think. I'd been charging full speed ahead ever since I had decided on my scheme of action while I was still riding the surf off the Florida coast, and I'd stuck to it. Now it had hatched in my face—and the thing that had crawled out wasn't the downy little chick of success. It had teeth and claws and was eyeing me like a basilisk....
But I still had unplayed aces—if there was time.