us."
"What did Doug tell you?"
"That they had a contract to work on the pipeline and some of the managers were taking bribes."
"Did he tell you what the bribes were for?"
"He didn't know, but maybe they were buying people jobs."
"Who was buying jobs?" White asked quickly.
"Doug didn't know," Joe responded.
"Do you know?"
"No, I don't," Joe said emphatically.
White paused. "Well ... the polygraph says you're not lying. But I'm not so sure."
The sound of human voices drifted into the room. White glanced up and moved quickly to the door, opening it a crack. Men were shouting outside. White slipped out without saying a word.
"Frank, are you okay?" Joe was trying to keep his breathing steady and his mind empty.
Frank nodded.
"Is that a real bomb?" Joe couldn't force himself to look at the lump on Frank's stomach.
Frank nodded again. Joe closed his eyes and tried to smother the panic that had risen, sour-tasting, to his mouth. How much longer could this go on? What would happen when they were done? Would White dare to let them go?
Dimly Joe and Frank heard a now - familiar sound — the whirr of a helicopter. What was going on?
After a loud crash the door flew open. The needle swerved so wildly Joe didn't dare look. But when Frank began mumbling through his gag, his eyes wide with relief, Joe turned to see Virgil and Tanook in the doorway.
"I thought I'd find you in here," Virgil said. "Are you all right?"
Frank nodded his head, which was all he could do. Joe spoke as if he were in a trance.
"We're fine, Virgil, but there's a guy who'll be back any second. Please hurry." Joe was barely whispering.
Virgil looked hard at Joe. "What's wrong with your voice? Have they given you medicine?"
Joe breathed out very loudly. "I'm wired to this machine — "
Virgil nodded. "They were asking you questions to see if you tell the truth — "
"But it's also wired to a bomb on Frank's stomach. If the needle jumps too high, the bomb will explode." Joe's voice was hardly louder than a sigh.
Virgil could barely understand what Joe was saying. "What? Frank is taking the test, too? With a bomb on his stomach?"
Joe closed his eyes. He couldn't afford to get frustrated. "It's no test. If I get upset or excited, the machine will set off his bomb. Do you understand?"
Virgil looked from the bomb to the polygraph. "That bomb—Frank—you had to tell the truth!"
Joe nodded. "Right. Now please cut these wires and get us out of here."
Virgil went to the polygraph and tore out the wires. He unstrapped Joe, who ripped the wires off his own body while Virgil removed the bomb from Frank. They both helped get the tape off Frank's face.
"I'd have been here sooner," Virgil said as he went to work on the tape, "but I had to take care of the dogs, and then round up my friends. I thought there would be more trouble—and I guessed you'd head here and straight into it."
Frank was finally free from all the tape. "Let's get out of here before that creep comes back," he exclaimed, rubbing his face with both hands.
"First we've got to look for Scott," Joe said.
"No," said Virgil. "There's no one else here. I checked. Follow me!" Virgil ran to the door and peered out. "No one."
They tore down a long corridor to the front of the building, where they heard Virgil's friends shouting at the front gate about North Slope being unfair to workers. "That drew all the guards," Virgil said. "One of my friends will bring the chopper in. Stay low."
They crouched at the side of the building, out of sight of the guards and White. Virgil pulled a small walkie-talkie from his jacket and called in the chopper. In less than two minutes it dropped in, low and fast.
When the chopper was ten feet off the ground, they sprang up and sprinted in a zigzag pattern for its open door.
The noise of the blades whipping overhead was deafening, but even it wasn't loud enough to drown out the sound of gunfire. They dove through the door headfirst.
Frank was the last one in,
"What did Doug tell you?"
"That they had a contract to work on the pipeline and some of the managers were taking bribes."
"Did he tell you what the bribes were for?"
"He didn't know, but maybe they were buying people jobs."
"Who was buying jobs?" White asked quickly.
"Doug didn't know," Joe responded.
"Do you know?"
"No, I don't," Joe said emphatically.
White paused. "Well ... the polygraph says you're not lying. But I'm not so sure."
The sound of human voices drifted into the room. White glanced up and moved quickly to the door, opening it a crack. Men were shouting outside. White slipped out without saying a word.
"Frank, are you okay?" Joe was trying to keep his breathing steady and his mind empty.
Frank nodded.
"Is that a real bomb?" Joe couldn't force himself to look at the lump on Frank's stomach.
Frank nodded again. Joe closed his eyes and tried to smother the panic that had risen, sour-tasting, to his mouth. How much longer could this go on? What would happen when they were done? Would White dare to let them go?
Dimly Joe and Frank heard a now - familiar sound — the whirr of a helicopter. What was going on?
After a loud crash the door flew open. The needle swerved so wildly Joe didn't dare look. But when Frank began mumbling through his gag, his eyes wide with relief, Joe turned to see Virgil and Tanook in the doorway.
"I thought I'd find you in here," Virgil said. "Are you all right?"
Frank nodded his head, which was all he could do. Joe spoke as if he were in a trance.
"We're fine, Virgil, but there's a guy who'll be back any second. Please hurry." Joe was barely whispering.
Virgil looked hard at Joe. "What's wrong with your voice? Have they given you medicine?"
Joe breathed out very loudly. "I'm wired to this machine — "
Virgil nodded. "They were asking you questions to see if you tell the truth — "
"But it's also wired to a bomb on Frank's stomach. If the needle jumps too high, the bomb will explode." Joe's voice was hardly louder than a sigh.
Virgil could barely understand what Joe was saying. "What? Frank is taking the test, too? With a bomb on his stomach?"
Joe closed his eyes. He couldn't afford to get frustrated. "It's no test. If I get upset or excited, the machine will set off his bomb. Do you understand?"
Virgil looked from the bomb to the polygraph. "That bomb—Frank—you had to tell the truth!"
Joe nodded. "Right. Now please cut these wires and get us out of here."
Virgil went to the polygraph and tore out the wires. He unstrapped Joe, who ripped the wires off his own body while Virgil removed the bomb from Frank. They both helped get the tape off Frank's face.
"I'd have been here sooner," Virgil said as he went to work on the tape, "but I had to take care of the dogs, and then round up my friends. I thought there would be more trouble—and I guessed you'd head here and straight into it."
Frank was finally free from all the tape. "Let's get out of here before that creep comes back," he exclaimed, rubbing his face with both hands.
"First we've got to look for Scott," Joe said.
"No," said Virgil. "There's no one else here. I checked. Follow me!" Virgil ran to the door and peered out. "No one."
They tore down a long corridor to the front of the building, where they heard Virgil's friends shouting at the front gate about North Slope being unfair to workers. "That drew all the guards," Virgil said. "One of my friends will bring the chopper in. Stay low."
They crouched at the side of the building, out of sight of the guards and White. Virgil pulled a small walkie-talkie from his jacket and called in the chopper. In less than two minutes it dropped in, low and fast.
When the chopper was ten feet off the ground, they sprang up and sprinted in a zigzag pattern for its open door.
The noise of the blades whipping overhead was deafening, but even it wasn't loud enough to drown out the sound of gunfire. They dove through the door headfirst.
Frank was the last one in,
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