"You're being awfully helpful," Glenn said.

"Hey man, I just work here. This is my kid's first Christmas, and I only took this job because it seemed like a nice quiet way to earn a little extra cash. Most of these buildings are empty. The last thing my wife told me was that she'd kill me if I got shot. If you think I'm gonna trade that to bust a couple college kids."

"You really want to help, tell us how to get out of here," Geoff said.

"You can't. All the exits are covered."

"If we did get out, could we get to my car?" Geoff asked.

"I wouldn't. They've got it."

Geoff took a couple steps back. "Get his handcuffs, and lock him to the door."

"Won't we need him?" Glenn asked, as the guard walked in front of her.

"I'd rather not do that if we can help it," Geoff said.

"Thanks, man," the guard said, and Glenn was struck by the youthfulness of his voice. As she secured one cuff to the door handle, he said, "You don't look like such bad ass perpetrators. What did you do? Feds down there are real serious."

"Feds?" Geoff asked.

"Yeah, not to mention us campus guys."

"Damn," Geoff said.

"I told you," Glenn said. "They're never going to let us leave this place alive."

"Come on," the guard said. "What did you do?"

"Don't you know? What did they tell you?" Geoff asked.

"Nothing. I'm nobody."

"You want me to cuff..." Glenn began, then jumped at a sudden blurt of radio static.

"Answer it," Geoff said, waving the gun at the guard. "No heroics." Geoff leveled the pistol at him, and cocked the hammer.

"Unit Seven reporting. Spotted them on the fourth floor. Repeat. All units to the fourth floor."

"That's a copy, Unit Seven."

"That'll keep them off the roof for a few minutes," Unit Seven told them.

Glenn said, "It's a trick. He's playing us."

"Probably." Geoff stared at her for a full five seconds. "You know? In this light...I wonder if that would work? Get undressed."

"What?" Glenn asked.

"Not you," Geoff said. "You, guard, take off your uniform. Hurry up, we've wasted enough time. Shirt first, then you cuff him."

The guard started unbuttoning his shirt.

Glenn said, "You can't fit into his uniform. He's shorter than you."

"But you can," Geoff said. "Give me your coat."

Unit Seven stripped to his skivvies, Glenn slipped his khaki uniform over her clothes, and Geoff orchestrated everything wearing her overcoat.

"The waist is too big," she said.

"Tighten the belt."

"It's as tight as it goes."

"Then tie it, don't buckle it."

"The holster weighs a ton. I'll never be able to keep these pants up."

"Could you just stop whining for one second?" Geoff asked. "Put the cap on. Let him keep his jacket. You can wear mine. It looks the same in the dark and, well, if they spot that much we're doomed anyway. Here," Geoff said, to Unit Seven. "It's too cold out here to leave you naked. You have to promise not to call for help."

"I can't do that. You'll have to knock me out."

"Don't make me do that. Just promise."

Unit Seven stood up straight, and looked Geoff in the eye. "It's my job to stop you. I'm going to scream my lungs out as soon as you're gone. I have to."

"Not if I put a bullet in your throat."

Glenn rolled her eyes. "Men! You're worse than freaking dogs." Glenn pulled the clip-on tie off her uniform, wadded it up, and shoved it into the guard's mouth. "Why don't you just piss on each other, and have done with it?"

Unit Seven made a muffled sound, and they looked at him. He reached into his jacket pocket, and jangled his keys. Geoff took them. "Where are you parked?" The guard pointed west. "You going to tell them about this, too?"

Unit Seven nodded. Geoff stared at him for a moment, then lifted the gun, and cracked the guard on the left temple. His eyes rolled back in their sockets, and he sat down.

"Why'd you do that?" Glenn asked.

"Am I the only one who noticed? His right hand was free. As soon as we left, he'd pull the gag out of his mouth, and yell."

"You really are a bad ass, aren't you?"

"You want to hang around here rearranging the cuffs, be my guest."

Geoff secured the door behind them. A bare low watt bulb lighted the stairway. He braced his feet against the wall on either side of the steps and shimmied up. He looked down at her.

"That come with a flashlight?"

She felt along her holster, and nodded. "It's a damn utility belt, Batman. Got everything."

Geoff unscrewed the bulb, and darkness was immediate.

"Should I get it out?"

"Not yet," Geoff said, piloting her down the stairs.

They were going around the third floor landing, and she was thinking how acute her senses were becoming, how she could smell the paint on the walls, and then she tripped. There was the sound of metal skidding across tile and voices from the floor below. Geoff felt around the floor with his toe.

"Wait," he said. "Paint cans." He pulled Glenn down with him. "Under here."

The canvas tarp was heavy with the odor of latex and turpentine. She wriggled underneath.

"This will never work," she said.

Geoff held the gun in both hands, steadying it between his knees. Footsteps arrived and departed, going upward. Glenn stirred, but Geoff checked her with an elbow jab. Voices rose in volume as they returned.

"Where'd we lose them?"

"I didn't see anything. What happened to the lights?"

"We cut off all escape routes. They must be on the fourth floor."

"Let's go. Be careful. Better assume they're armed."

"They're just kids."

"Tell that to Lou when he gets out of the emergency room. Thosekids busted his nose."

"Let's hope we don't have any heroes here tonight. Why couldn't they just come in? I hate when these situations become uncontained."

Glenn felt Geoff wither beside her. His arms relaxed and he uncovered his head.

"Get me to a phone," she said. "There's someone I can call."

"Then, you're going to tell me what you had to do with my brother's death."

"First things first. We have..."

"Thatis first. That is everything."

They made it down the stairs so simply she began thinking it was a trap. When they rounded the last landing she saw a uniformed officer. The guard heard them, and turned, but they retreated without being seen. Geoff tilted against the wall, and stared at the ceiling. Glenn chewed on her lip.

"Time to try out that uniform."

"Won't he notice I'm a girl?" Glenn asked.

"Not if it's dark. Fuse box is in the student lounge. Behind the Pepsi machine. All we have to do is walk across this end of the lobby. You can make it."

"What do I know about fuses? Why don't you use one of those fancy karate moves on him."

"You might think I'm Superman, but I am not faster than a speeding bullet. Make a run for it." The radio squawked. "Get to the fuse box. I'm going on the air. Don't stop for anything. Black out all the lights, and run for the door there. Got your flashlight? I'll meet you outside."

She took a deep breath. "I can't, I can't."

"Just keep moving. Scoot."

Geoff shoved her between the shoulder blades. She sucked in enough air to swim underwater; thinking that perhaps holding her breath would somehow make her invisible. Her feet slapped every step, echoing into infinity. Sneakers were supposed to be, well, sneaky. She zigged over the last step and zagged to the left. She saw the officer out the corner of her eye. He started toward her. She waved, and kept moving. Her cap caught a sudden updraft, and peeled back from her forehead. She jammed it back on her head, and slid into the student lounge.

The Pepsi machine was on the far wall. She had room enough to squeeze between it and the wall. The fuse box was held shut by a pincer mechanism that she pulled with a jerking motion. There were a dozen switches in the ON setting. By putting her finger on the outside, and sliding them toward the center of the box she reset them to OFF. She heard each distinct snap. The next to the last one plunged her into darkness. She scrambled from the corner, and felt for her flashlight. Pointing it at the ground she made a dash to the lobby where she collided with the guard.

"Starsky?" the guard asked.

Glenn shone the flashlight in his eyes. He flinched, held up his hand, and swatted the light away.

The radio blurted, and an excited voice yelled, "They're on the roof. All units respond."

"What's happening up there?" The guard went toward the staircase.

Glenn ran for the door, crashed into it, and felt the rush of cold wind on her face. Her exit alerted another guard. He was fifty yards away, heading her way.

"Who's there?" he called. "Who is that?"

Aclank signaled that someone had followed her out. She looked over her shoulder, and a whisper asked, "What's your name?"

"Unit Seven," she whispered back.

"No, yourname ?"

She felt the nametag on her uniform, and ran the light over it. "What do you know? Starsky. That's my name."

The officer was coming toward her, and she pointed the light at him, stopping his advance. Geoff crept behind her, and held her hand steady. He put his cheek next to hers.

"Starsky! It's Starsky, Unit Seven."

"Get that light out of my face, you moron."

Glenn saw the guard put his hand on the handle of his revolver as Geoff lowered the light to his neck. "Sorry," Geoff said. "They're on the roof."

"I heard. What are we supposed to do?"

"Stay here," Geoff said.

Glenn looked at him over her shoulder.

"Where're you going, Starsk?" the guard asked.

"Feds got me running errands. Don't want to share the glory."

"What's going on up there?" The guard relaxed his gun hand, but was advancing again.