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We all stood in silence for a few moments. Then, I finally spoke: "I got us into this mess, I have no choice but to try and get us out,"
Walking over to the package, I slowly remove it's wrapping and set the black box on the bed. The note was right: there are 3 wires, a green, red and blue. On the face of the box is something that Lao neglected to mention - a clock counting down to the time before detonation. It read 7:00 and was quickly counting down.
"Ladies, please stay over there. I'm going to try and figure this thing out and I don't want you near the impact in case it goes off. In fact, crouch behind that counter over there," I said. Lucy & Zhang followed my advice and quickly moved behind the mini-bar and kneeled down, watching me.
6:00....
I stared carefully at the box, tracing the wires. The red and blue were on the same side of the box, but each came out of a separate hole and looped to the top of the box, where they reentered it. The green wire on the other hand, ran from the right side of the box over it vertically and connected inside below where the red and blue wires protruded from. It was quite confusing to look at and became tricky to trace where a wire started and a wire ended.
5:00....
Reaching into my pants, I pulled out my pocket knife and a small pen light that I had received as a gift back when I was still a child. Turning on the light, I shone it into each of the holes. The red and blue wires appeared to connect to a smaller black box inside, which lay just below the timer. The inner walls of the box were tightly packed with a gray, clay like substance that I could only guess were the explosives. I felt a shiver run down my spine as I recognized them. Rotating the box towards me, I shone my light into the hole where the green wire came out. It connected also to a small box, but where the red & blue wires ends disappeared, the green one's went into another box, as if in a loop.
2:30....
Lucy and Zhang had come to stand behind me now, despite my instructions. When they glanced down at the timer, they began to panic. Screaming and yelling things frantically, Zhang began jumping up and down. Lucy tried to calm her down but quickly became upset herself. They began pacing back and forth behind me and I tried my best to ignore them. I think that brings this now back to where we started.
Glancing down at the timer, it read 1:15 and the seconds seemed to be screaming by like a train. Picking up my pocket knife, I had to decide what to do. The green wire seemed to be the obvious choice, but it seemed almost TOO obvious. And yet, between red and blue, which was the better pick? I decided to go with green.
27 seconds.....
My hand shaking almost uncontrollably, I took the green wire in my hand and slowly began to rub it back and forth against the knife.
14 seconds....
The plastic cut away and I cringed a little as the knife made contact with the wire. Flinching and tightening up my shoulders a little as I cut, I gave it one final tug and felt the blade cut through the wire.
My heart going a mile a minute, nothing happened. I slowly opened my eyes and glanced down at the clock - :08 seconds left. I relaxed for just a moment before suddenly the package began to beep rapidly. Running for cover, I dove behind the counter (Lucy and Zhang had already moved there, my guess is when I began cutting the wire). The package continued to beep but nothing happened.
Then, not a moment later and much to our surprise, the door to the room burst open and in walked Lao.
"Ahh, Mr. Simonds. Congratulations! You truly are a man of integrity. A lesser, cowardly man would have gone to the police right away. But you sir are a true warrior, willing to sacrifice yourself if needed," Lao said, vigorously shaking my hand.
"Now, let us go celebrate our new partnership. Zhang may of course stay with you, as I am now sure she is in, how do you say, good hands. But we must make everything official with a celebration, come come!" Lao said, walking out the door. I glanced at Lucy & Zhang. They shrugged their shoulders at me and followed Lao out.
Catching my breath and trying not to have a heart attack from the fact that I almost got blown up, I put my knife back in my pocket and went to join the celebration. And what a celebration it was - Lao was a much more caring and fair man than I had first thought. True, he did have shady ties, but winning his respect meant the world to him and he now felt I was in his good graces.
Closing the hotel door behind me as I left the room on my way out towards said celebration, the package continued to beep incessantly, it's clock frozen at :08.
CHAPTER 19: Halle Berry
