Page 116 (1/2)

Joe stayed down longer than he needed to Han and his people were pressed for tiuard had told them This was Joe’s chance to make the delay worse

Another shock was sent forth Joe winced and twisted as the energy passed through hih part of his tongue in the process and felt a wave of relief when the pulsing stopped

“Stand up and state your name,” Gao said

Slowly, Joe got to his feet He reht Looking up, he gave them a twisted countenance His face as screwed up as he could make it To enhance the effect, he did his best I, Claudius i a stutter and a facial tic

He turned froood look Gaodirectly because he simply asked his question one more time

“State your name”

“‘What’s in a na as British as he possibly could “‘A rose by any other name would smell as sweet’”

There was a pause and for a second Joe thought hepain of the electric shock hit hier

Some part of his mind knew they couldn’t kill him if they hoped to use his replaceround like a fish out of water

It was a full twenty seconds of agony before the current was shut off Joe’s body shook, his teeth hurt and one particularfelt as if it had melted His mind was an absolute blank

“We have calibrated the current to cause e,” Gao said “We can do this all night Now stand up, state your naraph”

The projected i to surrender, he got to his hands and knees, thought up a new prank and wearily began to straighten He wasn’t sure how long his body would hold out, but he would die before he would give the they could use

• • •

WITH HIS HANDS on the rusted pipe and his feet on the wall, Kurt climbed down into the pit He was ten feet below the rim when he encountered his first obstacle: one of the anchors that held the old pipe in place