"Alright, whether it's Clay, Jack, or Jim (Aubrey), technically, I can't order any of you to stay here," Dana Morge said, her tone serious.
"No need," Aubrey immediately volunteered. "She's one of us, so I'm staying willingly."
"Honestly, I was hoping one day someone here might join our Major Fugitives Task Force," Jack added, half-serious, half-joking. He turned to Alice with a slight smile. "Hannah might've mentioned it to you before, Alice. When this is over, do you think you'll have the courage to head to Quantico and train as a field agent?"
Alice looked up in surprise, her tearful eyes wide with disbelief. The shock quickly gave way to a mix of determination and emotion as tears welled up again—but this time, they were tears of gratitude.
Clenching her fists tightly, she nodded resolutely. "If I survive this, nothing in this world will ever scare me again."
"Deal," Jack said, pleased to see the spark of courage return. He pulled Dana aside to quietly report what he had found during his preliminary inspection.
"The detonation mechanism is incredibly complex. There are multiple detonators inserted into the C4, some real and some fake. It's almost impossible to disarm them all quickly. There are two trigger mechanisms: the countdown timer and a remote-controlled receiver attached to the bomb."
Dana's sharp instincts caught the critical detail. "So, there's a suspect nearby, observing the building?"
Jack nodded. "They're likely within a kilometer. These receivers are modified from civilian-grade walkie-talkies, which have limited range. To monitor the building's entrances and exits, the suspect wouldn't be far."
"We used radio jammers in the Emma Kane case. Couldn't we use them again here?" Dana asked, her eyes lighting up.
Jack hesitated. "We could, but I'd advise against it for now."
Dana frowned in confusion, and Jack elaborated, "The timer and keypad are designed to make us believe releasing Vargas is the only way to stop the bomb. The remote trigger is a failsafe. If we jam the signal, the suspect could easily notice the disruption by checking their phone. At that point, we'd lose our chance to use the remote to disable the countdown."
After a moment of thought, Dana seemed to reach a decision. "Alright, I'll leave this to you. Hannah and several field agents who weren't in the building are en route. Jubal and the operations center will coordinate with them to locate the suspect."
The sharp clicks of Dana's heels echoed at an unprecedented speed as she left the lobby. Jack returned to Alice's side, where Aubrey was inexplicably telling her an FBI joke.
"One day, a teacher ran into a former student, now an FBI agent named Brian. The teacher complained about his current students' behavior: 'I asked them who wrote Uncle Tom's Cabin, and every single one said, "Not me."'
Brian confidently replied, 'Leave it to me.' A week later, he came back and said, 'It's solved! Henry confessed—it was him!'"
Despite her dire situation, Alice chuckled through her tears at the absurd joke. Clearly, Aubrey was trying to keep her calm and distracted from the ticking bomb strapped to her. For her part, Alice was doing her best to cooperate, focusing on the humor instead of the deadly device or Clay's meticulous inspection of the collar.
"How's it looking?" Jack asked Clay directly, making no attempt to shield Alice from the conversation. Skirting the issue would only amplify her fear and undo Aubrey's efforts to keep her composed. Besides, Jack trusted Clay's expertise.
Clay glanced at Alice and then back at Jack, understanding his intention to keep things transparent. "Each C4 block has four electric detonators. Some are dummies, but at least two are connected internally by fine copper wires. Removing them would trigger detonation."
He paused, then added, "Disarming all of them would take at least 40 minutes. Whoever rigged this is an expert."
Jack glanced at the timer. They had 25 minutes left. But he knew better than to trust the timer. Unlike in movies, there was no guarantee the countdown was accurate—it was just a visual cue, not a rule.
"What about removing the collar directly?" Jack asked. "I can pick the mechanical lock easily, but I suspect it's a trap."
Clay lifted Alice's hair to reveal the back of the collar, where a mechanical lock was visible. "I checked. The lock itself isn't tampered with, but see this small plastic tube here? It's disguised with metallic paint."
Jack's mind flashed to his bomb disposal training in Virginia Beach, and realization dawned. "A mercury switch?"
Clay nodded. "Exactly. The tube is filled with mercury, keeping the circuit complete. If the collar is damaged and the mercury spills, breaking the circuit, the bomb will detonate."
Jack understood Clay's plan. The key was to locate the two ends of the mercury switch, bridge them with a wire to maintain the circuit, and then carefully unlock the collar. But to safely handle the mercury, it needed to be solidified first.
At that moment, several FBI agents arrived with boxes of equipment from the bomb squad's supplies. Inside were tools, various kits, and two bomb disposal suits that looked like astronaut gear.
"We need dry ice or liquid nitrogen—preferably liquid nitrogen. Also, bring some silicone sheets and modeling clay," Jack instructed.
The silicone sheets would protect Alice's neck from frostbite, while the clay would secure the wire bridge in place.
"One more thing," he added. "Notify the NYPD to prepare a vehicle with an explosion containment unit and park it a block away on standby."
"So… you can remove this thing, right?" Alice asked, her voice trembling as she sat stiffly. She had worked at the FBI long enough to pick up on the gist of their conversation, even if she didn't grasp all the technical details.
When Clay and Jack initially mentioned the lack of time, despair had clouded her face. But as their discussion progressed, her hope rekindled, swinging her emotions wildly like a rollercoaster.
"Of course. Piece of cake," Jack replied with a confident smile. He and Clay helped each other into the bulky bomb suits.
"Are we starting now?" Clay whispered as he adjusted Jack's helmet.
Jack leaned closer, speaking quietly. "In ten minutes. Let's get everything prepped first. Hannah's team is searching for the suspect. If we can retrieve their remote trigger and disable the countdown, that's the safest route. Forced disarming is a last resort."
(End of Chapter)
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