Secret Agent Sterling Silver pressed his ear against the floor to better hear the conversation beneath him.

“No one will ever find it,” said the woman’s voice.

“It won’t matter of they do,” said the man.  “They couldn’t stop it anyway.  Did you put it where we discussed?”

“Yes, it’s room 412.  But instead of putting it….I put it under the…”

Sterling strained to hear, but still some words were lost.

“That will do.  It is set for four o’clock?”

“Yes.”

“She should be…in plenty of time.”

Sterling Silver had heard enough.  It was clear there was a bomb, and it was already set.  Quietly he stood up and slipped out the door.  It was important that the conspirators did not know they had been discovered.  They might set it off early, and who knows how many people would be killed.  Four o’clock.  That was the time that the queen would be giving her speech in the lobby of the prestigious St. Anne’s Hotel.  That could only mean that Room 412 was in that same hotel.  He had just enough time to get there.

Fortunately, his top secret super speed spy car was waiting for him by the back door.  He sped along, taking the corners at high speed, using one hand to call up the the floor plan of the St. Anne.  Just as he suspected, Room 412 was directly over the lobby.  Skidding to a stop in a side alley, Sterling swung up onto the window ledge of the second floor.  He knew there would be dozens of guards around the hotel to watch over the queen, and he didn’t have time to explain to them why he needed to get to the fourth floor.  Pulling a tool from his back pocket, he pried open the window and slipped inside.  In moments he was opening the door to room 412.

Now he only had to find the bomb.  He checked his spy watch.  Ten minutes until four o’clock.  There was no time to waste.  What was it that the woman had said.  It was under something.  What could it be under?  Quickly he checked the bed, the chairs, the end tables.  Nothing.  Now it was only five minutes until four.  Sterling stood perfectly still and used all his spy senses.  Time passed, but he forced himself to be still and listen.  Was that a noise he heard?  The slightest little ticking coming from behind the curtains…under the window!  In a flash Sterling was throwing back the drapes and dropping to his knees in front of the small bomb.

A clock counted down the time until the explosion.  There was only one minute left.  Sterling pried the cover off and studied the cords underneath.  There was a red one, a black one, a green one, and a yellow one.  Every spy knows that you have to cut the correct wire if you are going to stop a bomb from exploding.  Cut the wrong one and the whole thing blows up.  But Sterling Silver did not get to be the number one secret agent in the country by cutting the wrong wire.  Without hesitation, he cut the red wire.  The countdown on the bomb stopped.

Then behind him he heard a quiet click.  Slowly he turned.

A man was standing between him and the door, holding a gun in his hand.  It was pointed at Sterling.  “Now you will turn around,” said the man.  “And you will replace that red wire with the one I am holding out to you.”

Sterling watched the man take a new red wire out of his pocket.

“Move slowly and make no sudden moves, or I will shoot you.  Do not stop, or I will shoot you.  Have the bomb working again in three minutes, or I will shoot you.  Take the cord now.”

“I don’t think so.”  Quick as lightening, Sterling grabbed the cord and yanked, causing the man to stumble forward.  There was a bang! as the gun went off, but the bullet went through the window.  Sliding forward, Sterling knocked the man’s legs from under him, then whipped around and snatched the gun from his hand.  In less than thirty seconds, the man was tied up and laying on the bed.

Downstairs the queen was beginning her speech.  No one had any idea of the catastrophe that Sterling had just averted, and they never would.  It was important that it be kept a secret how close the queen had been to danger.  He smiled to himself as he cleaned up the mess and prepared to take the gunman down to the police station.  Secret was just the way Sterling Silver liked it.