A Pittsburgh real estate tycoon leans heavily, via political cronies, to make his brat-daughter's release a top-priority, but Horst Cali refuses to appreciate being owed a favor. Deputy Chief Abrami plans to have Cali replaced, or at least suspended, by an FBI negotiator, after a failure. Wolf actually agrees to release hostages on humanitarian grounds for favors, but he refuses to include the youngest, computer whiz kid Robby Sabian, and threatens to execute someone unless electrical power, which Horst had ordered cut as pressure, is restored within an hour. Giving in to save a life is considered unforgivable to Abrami.