‘And then what? You may live another fifty - if you have regular supply service. How do you prefer to die - starvation or thirst?
‘Water is no problem,' Waldo said thoughtfully; ‘as for supplies, I suppose I could use hydroponics a little more and stock up with some meat animals-
Grimes cut him short with a nasty laugh. ‘Proved my point. You don't know how to avert it, so you are figuring some way to save your own skin. I know you. You wouldn't talk about starting a truck garden if you knew the answers.
Waldo looked at him thoughtfully. ‘That's not entirely true. I don't know the solution, but I do have some ideas about it. I'll bet you a half interest in hell that I can crack it. Now that you have called my attention to it, I must admit I am rather tied in with the economic system down below, and' - he smiled faintly - ‘I was never one to neglect my own interests. Just a moment - I'll call your friend.
‘Not so fast. I came along for another reason, besides introducing Jimmie to you. It can't be just any solution; it's got to be a particular solution.
‘What do you mean?
‘It's got to be a solution that will do away with the need for filling up the air with radiant energy.
‘Oh, that. See here, Uncle Gus, I know how interested you are in your theory, and I've never disputed the possibility that you may be right, but you can't expect me to mix that into another and very difficult problem.
‘Take another look. You're in this for self-interest. Suppose everybody was in the shape you are in.
‘You mean my physical condition?
‘I mean just that. I know you don't like to talk about it, but we blamed well need to. If everybody was as weak as you are - presto! No coffee and cakes for Waldo. And that's just what I see coming. You're the only man I know of who can appreclate what it means.
‘It seems fantastic.
‘It is. But the signs are there for anybody to read who wants to. Epidemic myasthenia, not necessarily acute, but enough to raise hell with our mechanical civilization. Enough to play hob with your supply lines. I've been collating my data since I saw you last and drawing some curves. You should see ‘em
‘Did you bring them?
‘No, but I'll send ‘em up. In the meantime, you can take my word for it.' He waited. ‘Well, how about it?
‘I'll accept it as a tentative working hypothesis,' Waldo said slowly, ‘until I see your figures. I shall probably want you to conduct some further research for me, on the ground - if your data is what you say it is.
‘Fair enough. G'bye.' Grimes kicked the air a couple of times as he absent-mindedly tried to walk
Stevens's frame of mind as he waited for Grimes is better left undescribed. The mildest thought that passed through his mind was a plaintive one about the things a man had to put up with to hold down what seemed like a simple job of engineering. Well, he wouldn't have the job very long. But he decided not to resign - he'd wait until they fired him; he wouldn't run out
But he would damn well get that vacation before he looked for another job
He spent several minutes wishing that Waldo were strong enough for him to be able to take a poke at him. Or kick him in the belly - that would be more fun! He was startled when the dummy suddenly came to life and callcd him by name. ‘Oh, Mr Stevens.
‘Huh? Yes?
‘I have decided to accept the commission. My attorneys will arrange the details with your business office.
He was too surprised to answer for a couple of seconds; when he did so the dummy had already gone dead. He waited impatiently for Grimes to show up
‘Doc!' he said, when the old man swam into view. ‘What got into him? How did you do it?
‘He thought it over and reconsidered,' Grimes said succinctly. ‘Let's get going.
Stevens dropped Dr Augustus Grimes at the doctor's home, then proceeded to his office. He had no more than parked his car and entered the tunnel leading towards the zone plant when he ran into his assistant. McLcod seemed a little out of breath. ‘Gee, chief,' he said, ‘I hoped that was you. I've had ‘em watching for you. I need to see you.
‘What's busted now?' Stevens demanded apprehensively.. ‘One of the cities?
‘No. What made you think so?
‘Go ahead with your story.
‘So far as I know ground power is humming sweet as can be. No trouble with the cities. What I had on my mind is this: I fixed my heap.
‘Huh? You mean you fixed the ship you crashed in?
‘It wasn't exactly a crash. I had plenty of power in the reserve banks; when reception cut off, I switched to emergency and landed her.
‘But you fixed it? Was it the deKalbs? Or something else?
‘It was the deKalbs all right. And they're fixed. But I didn't exactly do it myself. I got it done. You see-
‘What was the matter with them?
‘I don't know exactly. You see I decided that there was no point in hiring another skycar and maybe having another forced landing on the way home. Besides, it was my own crate I was flying, and I didn't want to dismantle her just to get the deKalbs out and have her spread out all over the countryside. So I hired a crawler, with the idea of taking her back all in one piece. I struck a deal with a guy who had a twelve-ton semitractor combination, and we-
‘For criminy's sake, make it march! What happened?
‘I'm trying to tell you. We pushed on into Pennsylvania and we were making pretty fair time when the crawler broke down. The right lead wheel, ahead of the treads. Honest to goodness, Jim, those roads are something fierce.
‘Never mind that. Why waste taxes on roads when ninety per cent of the traffic is in the air? You messed up a wheel. So then what?
‘Just the same, those roads are a disgrace,' McLeod maintained stubbornly. ‘I was brought up in that part of the country. When I was a kid the road we were on was six lanes wide and smooth as a baby's fanny. They ought to be kept up; we might need ‘em someday.' Seeing the look in his senior's eye, he went on hastily: ‘The driver mugged in with his home office, and they promised to send a repair car out from the next town. All told, it would take three, four hours - maybe more. Well, we were laid up in the country I grew up in. I says to myself, "McLeod, this is a wonderful chance to return to the scenes of your childhood and the room where the sun came peeping in the morn." Figuratively speaking, of course. Matter of fact, our house didn't have any windows.
‘I don't care if you were raised in a barrel!
'Temper ... temper-' McLeod said imperturbably. ‘I'm telling you this so you will understand what happened. But you aren't going to like it.
‘I don't like it now
‘You'll like it less. I climbed down Out of the cab and took a look around. We were about five miles from my home town - too far for me to want to walk it. But I thought I recognized a clump of trees on the brow of a little rise maybe a quarter of a mile off the road, so I walked over to see. I was right; just over the rise was the cabin where Gramps Schneider used to live.
‘Gramps Snyder?
‘Not Snyder - Schneider. Old boy we kids used to be friendly with. Ninety years older than anybody. I figured he was dead, but it wouldn't hurt any to walk down and see. He wasn't. "Hello, Gramps," I said. "Come in, Hugh Donald," he said. "Wipe the feet on the mat." ‘I came in and sat down. He was fussing with something simmering in a stewpan on his base-burner. I asked him what it was. "For morning aches," he said. Gramps isn't exactly a hex doctor.
‘Huh?
‘I mean he doesn't make a living by it. He raises a few chickens and garden truck, and some of the Plain People -House Amish, mostly - give him pies and things. But he knows a lot about herbs and such
‘Presently he stopped and cut me a slice of shoo-fly pie. I told him danke. He said, "You've been up-growing, Hugh Donald,' and asked me how I was doing in school. I told him I was doing pretty well. He looked at me again and said, "But you have trouble fretting you." It wasn't a question; it was a statement. While I finished the pie I found mysel
f trying to tell him what kind of troubles I had
‘It wasn't easy. I don't suppose Gramps has ever been off the ground in his life. And modern radiation theory isn't something you can explain in words of one syllable. I was getting more and more tangled up when he stood up, put on his hat and said, "We will see this car you speak about." ‘We walked over to the highway. The repair gang had arrived, but the crawler wasn't ready yet. I helped Gramps up on to the platform and we got into my bus. I showed him the deKalbs and tried to explain what they did - or rather what they were supposed to do. Mind you, I was just killing time
‘He pointed to the sheaf of antennae and asked, "These fingers - they reach out for the power?" It was as good an explanation as any, so I let it ride. He said, "I understand," and pulled a piece of chalk out of his trousers, and began drawing lines on each antenna, from front to back. I walked up front to see how the repair crew were doing. After a bit Gramps joined me. "Hugh Donald," he says, "the fingers - now they will make." ‘I didn't want to hurt his feelings, so I thanked him plenty. The crawler was ready to go; we said goodbye, and he walked back towards his shack. I went back to my car, and took a look in, just in case. I didn't think he could hurt anything, but I wanted to be sure. Just for the ducks of it I tried out the receptors. They worked!
‘What!' put in Stevens. ‘You don't mean to stand there and tell me an old witch doctor fixed your deKalbs.
‘Not witch doctor - hex doctor. But you get the idea.
Stevens shook his head. ‘It's simply a coincidence. Sometimes they come back into order as spontaneously as they go out.
‘That's what you think. Not this one. I've just been preparing you for the shock you're going to get. Come take a look.
‘What do you mean? Where?
‘In the inner hangar.' While they walked to where McLeod had left his broomstick, he continued, ‘I wrote out a credit for the crawler pilot and flew back. I haven't spoken to anyone else about it. I've been biting my nails down to my elbows waiting for you to show up.
The skycar seemed quite ordinary. Stevens examined the deKalbs and saw some faint chalk marks on their metal sides - nothing else unusual. ‘Watch while I cut in reception,' McLeod told him
Stevens waited, heard the faint hum as the circuits became activized, and looked
The antennae of the deKalbs, each a rigid pencil of metal,were bending, flexing, writhing like a cluster of worms. They were reaching out, like fingers
Stevens remained squatting down by the deKalbs, watching their outrageous motion. McLeod left the control saddle, came back, and joined him. ‘Well, chief,' he demanded, ‘tell me about it. Whaduh yuh make of it?
‘Got a cigarette?
‘What are those things sticking Out of your pocket?
‘Oh! Yeah - sure.' Stevens took one out, lighted it, and burned it halfway down, unevenly, with two long drags
‘Go on,' McLeod urged. ‘Give us a tell. What makes it do that?
‘Well,' Stevens said slowly, ‘I can think of three things to do next-
‘Yeah?
"The first is to fire Dr Rambeau and give his job to Gramps Schneider.
‘That's a good idea in any case.
‘The second is to just wait here quietly until the boys with the strait-jackets show up to take us home.
‘And what's the third?
‘The third,' Stevens said savagely, ‘is to take this damned heap out and sink it in the deepest part of the Atlantic Ocean and pretend like it never happened!
A mechanic stuck his head in the door of the car. ‘Oh, Dr Stevens--
‘Get out of here!
The head hastily withdrew; thc voice picked up in aggrieved tones. ‘Message from the head office.
Stevens got up, went to the operator's saddle, cleared the board, then assured himself that the antennae had ceased their disturbing movements. They had; in fact, they appeared so beautifully straight and rigid that he was again tempted to doubt the correctness of his own senses. He climbed out to the floor of the hangar, McLeod behind him. ‘Sorry to have blasted at you, Whitey,' he said to the workman in placating tones. ‘What is the message?
‘Mr Gleason would like for you to come into his office as soon as you can.
‘I will at once. And, Whitey, I've a job for you.
‘Yeah?
‘This heap here - seal up its doors and don't let anybody monkey with it. Then have it dragged, dragged, mind you; don't try to start it - have it dragged over into the main lab.
‘OK.
Stevens started away; McLeod stopped him. ‘What do I go home in?
‘Oh yes, it's your personal property, isn't it? Tell you what, Mac - the company needs it. Make out a purchase order and I'll sign it.
‘Weeell, now - I don't rightly know as I want to sell it. It might be the only job in the country working properly before long.
‘Don't be silly. If the others play out, it won't do you any good to have the only one in working order. Power will be shut down.
‘I suppose there's that,' McLeod conceded. ‘Still,' he said, brightening visibly, ‘a crate like that, with its special talents, ought to be worth a good deal more than list. You couldn't just go out and buy one.
‘Mac,' said Stevens, ‘you've got avarice in your heart and thievery in your fingertips. How much do you want for it?
‘Suppose we say twice the list price, new. That's letting you off easy.
‘I happen to know you bought that job at a discount. But go ahead. Either the company can stand it, or it won't make much difference in the bankruptcy.
Gleason looked up as Stevens came in. ‘Oh, there you are, Jim. You seemed to have pulled a miracle with our friend Waldo the Great. Nice work.
‘How much did he stick us for?
‘Just his usual contract. Of course his usual contract is a bit like robbery with violence. But it will be worth it if he is successful. And it's on a straight contingent basis. He must feel pretty sure of himself. They say he's never lost a contingent fee in his life. Tell me - what is he like? Did you really get into his house?
‘I did. And I'll tell you about it - sometime. Right now another matter has come up which has me talking to myself. You ought to hear about it at once
‘So? Go ahead.
Stevens opened his mouth, closed it again, and realized that it had to be seen to be believed. ‘Say, could you come with me to the main lab? I've got something to show you.
‘Certainly.
Gleason was not as perturbed by the squirming metal rods as Stevens had been. He was surprised, but not upset. The truth of the matter is that he lacked the necessary technical background to receive the full emotional impact of the inescapable implications of the phenomenon. ‘That's pretty unusual, isn't it?' he said quietly
‘Unusual! Look, chief, if the sun rose in the west, what would you think?
‘I think I would call the observatory and ask them why.
‘Well, all I can say is that I would a whole lot rather that the sun rose in the west than to have this happen.
‘I admit it is pretty disconcerting,' Gleason agreed. ‘I can't say that I've ever seen anything like it. What is Dr Rambeau's opinion?
‘He hasn't seen it
‘Then perhaps we had better send for him. He may not have gone home for the night as yet.
‘Why not show it to Waldo instead?
‘We will. But Dr Rambeau is entitled to see it first. After all, it's his bailiwick, and I'm afraid the poor fellow's nose is pretty well out of joint as it is. I don't want to go over his head.
Stevens felt a sudden flood of intuition. ‘Just a second, chief. You're right, but if it's all the same to you I would rather that you showed it to him than for me to do it.
‘Why so, Jimmie? You can explain it to him.
‘I can't explain a damn thing to him I haven't already told you. And for the next few hours I'm going to be very, very busy indeed.
Gleason looked him over, shrugged his shoulders, and said mild
ly, ‘Very well, Jim, if you prefer it that way.
Waldo was quite busy, and therefore happy. He would never have admitted - he did not admit even to himself, that there were certain drawbacks to his self-imposed withdrawal from the world and that chief among these was boredom. He had never had much opportunity to enjoy the time-consuming delights of social intercourse; he honestly believed that the smooth apes had nothing to offer him in the way of companionship. Nevertheless, the pleasure of the solitary intellectual life can pall
He repeatedly urged Uncle Gus to make his permanent home in Freehold, but he told himself that it was a desire to take care of the old man which motivated him. True - he enjoyed arguing with Grimes, but he was not aware how much those arguments meant to him. The truth of the matter was that Grimes was the only one of the human race who treated him entirely as another human and an equal - and Waldo wallowed in it, completely unconscious that the pleasure he felt in the old man's company was the commonest and most precious of all human pleasures. But at present he was happy in the only way he knew how to be happy - working
There were two problems: that of Stevens and that of Grimes. Required: a single solution which would satisfy each of them. There were three stages to each problem; first, to satisfy himself that the problems really did exist, that the situations were in fact as they had been reported to him verbally; second, to undertake such research as the preliminary data suggested; and third, when he felt that his data was complete, to invent a solution
‘Invent', not ‘find'. Dr Rambeau might have said ‘find', or ‘search for'. To Rambeau the universe was an inexorably ordered cosmos, ruled by unvarying law. To Waldo the universe was the enemy, which he strove to force to submmiit to his will. They might have been speaking of the same thing, but their approaches were different
There was much to be done. Stevens had supplied him with a mass of data, both on the theoretical nature of the radiated power system and the deKalb receptors which were the keystone of the system, and also on the various cases of erratic performance of which they had lately been guilty. Waldo had not given serious attention to power radiation up to this time, simply because he had not needed to. He found it interesting but comparatively simple. Several improvements suggested themselves to his mind. That standing wave, for example, which was the main factor in the co-axial beam - the efficiency of reception could be increased considerably by sending a message back over it which would automatically correct the aiming of the beam. Power delivery to moving vehicles could be made nearly as efficient as the power reception to stationary receivers
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