toco-exist right in the middle of the asteroid, naturally everythingvaporized. Mars was saved.
So was Willy.
So was I.
Goil? Well, I nailed him right away; confessed my duplicity in thecourse figures and tapes, and explained that I needed the time to letthings happen the way Willy's influence makes them happen. I don'tthink Goil was totally convinced. But he must have been partly, atleast, for with all the system's experts arguing about just exactlywhat made the ship explode, and with no two experts agreeing on anexplanation, he might have given some benefit of the doubt to Willy.Anyway, he was so relieved that his interests in Mars were saved thathe smiled for the next three days, dismissed me as an incurablevisionary or some other sort of nut, and chewed Willy out for twohours, then seemed to forget the matter.
Me? An appropriate length of time before the ship was abandoned, Iradioed to a stock broker friend of mine on Earth and put every dimeplus that I had into the mightily fallen stocks on Mars. Goil and Iare now both big holders in the company.
Willy? He never suspected his part in the episode. Last time I heard,he was working on some fabulous government project as fifteenthassistant engineer. I guess the government had heard about himsomehow. It seems that the fabulous project has working for it anegghead whose brainpower is such a necessity that he is hired eventhough he is a notorious accident prone. Willy, of course, neutralizeshim so work can progress at normal rate.
THE END
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Jack of No Trades Page 6