"The glass read my finger and palm prints and the computer analyzed the pitch and pronunciation of my voice, thus clearing us for Group entrance. It's a security device of bio-mechanical engineering," Mendenhall explained. "If one thing didn't come back as kosher, the computer with the sexy female auditory system would have rendered us senseless with a two-thousand-volt shock." He smiled as he said the last statement.

"Nice, so when do we meet Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock?" Collins asked, not returning the smile. He waited a moment, then turned to the sergeant. "Listen, uh, Sergeant Mendenhall, is it?"

"Yes, sir."

"I am well aware of the capabilities of the A2-6000 Kendall Encoded Bio Engineered Security System. It's a nice advantage to have, but I could have shorted the entire system out one minute after I walked into the pawnshop. The entire electrical hard line for the security gate is fed in from the Las Vegas power grid. Your backup generator is in plain sight in an unsecured cage just to the left of the back door, which I heard clearly kicking on and charging batteries just before I entered the building. Don't be too proud of something that isn't being utilized in a secure manner."

The door closed and the elevator moved quickly and silently down its hydraulically controlled shaft. Mendenhall was quiet, not knowing exactly how to take this man who obviously knew his security systems. As he looked the man over, he noticed small scars here and there on his exposed skin.

The elevator movement was whisper quiet, and the only way the major knew it was an elevator at all was because his stomach was still in the pawnshop. Collins mumbled something under his breath.

"What was that, sir?" Mendenhall asked, turning to face Collins.

"Awful lot of James Bond crap."

"Yes, sir, it is."

The elevator door slid open and the three men stepped out onto a concrete platform, and Collins was surprised to see it was a train tunnel. The track was different from any he had seen outside of Disneyland, as it only had one rail and that was made from what looked like concrete. It was a single track that ran down the tunnel and had only a metal strip on its left side.