by Mark Clifton
standardsubjects--every Operative has to know them. What's so tough aboutthat?"
"Nothing," Donegan said. "Nothing at all--except for Fredericks. He'sbeen beaten on your ground, and on his own. Now he _knows_ he'slicked. Standard operating procedure."
"I guess so," the Operative said.
"And after all," Donegan said, "now that you're going up a grade--"
"Now that I'm what?"
"That," Donegan said, "was your promotion test, friend. And youpassed."
There was a second of absolute silence. Then the Operative said: "Andit was all so simple."
"Sure," Donegan said. "Simple enough so that you get a promotion outof it--and Fredericks gets sixty days for attempted assault."
"Not ADW--assault with a deadly weapon--because we've got to keep upthe myth," the Operative said. "Psi Operatives are untouchable. Nosuch thing as a deadly weapon for a Psi Operative."
"Which is nonsense," Donegan said, "but necessary nonsense. I wonderif Fredericks will ever figure out how you got him."
"I wonder," the Operative said. "He'll know about karate, of course."
"Karate's hand-to-hand fighting." Donegan said. "That was _his_ field.No, I mean _our_ field. Psi."
"It makes a nice puzzle for him, doesn't it?" the Operative said, andgrinned. "After all, I didn't touch him--couldn't, in any way. He'dshielded himself perfectly from any telekinetic force--and I had noweapons. I couldn't even get to him barehanded because of his shieldand the binder field. He had me located--no tomfoolery about that. Hefired six shots at me, point-blank at can't-miss range."
"But you got him," Donegan said.
"Sure," the Operative said. "Simplest thing in the world."
"All you had to do--" Donegan began.
"All I had to do," the Operative finished for him, "was use my mind tomove the bullets--as he fired them."
* * * * *
