He flipped the paper over, noting the details of the determination of responsibility.
As he examined the payroll data, he nodded. It all balanced out nicely. They’d get several years of production out of the man for bare subsistence.
“Very neat,” he told himself.
He closed the folder and handed it back to the clerk.
“All right, that’s all I need.” He glanced at the clock.
“Guess I’ll check out for lunch.”
He walked out of the office. This one, he thought, could be broken wide open by a Guard investigation. Sornal would get his freedom, and there might be sizable damages.
“Now it would be nice,” Stan muttered, “if I could work out something for myself.”
The Guard sergeant was an old-timer—and a methodical man. He listened impassively, then reached under his desk. For a few seconds, his hand was hidden, then he picked up a pen.
“Now, let’s get this straight. What did you say your name was?”
“Graham. Stanley Graham. I—”
The sergeant had pulled a form to him. He bent over, writing slowly.
“Graham, Stanley. All right. Now, where do you live?”
One by one, he went through the maze of blanks, insisting on getting no other information than that called for by the specific space he was working on. Finally, he put down the pen and leaned back.
“All right, now how about this other man you mention?” He pulled another form to him.
Stan was becoming a trifle impatient. He answered the questions on Sornal, managing to furnish information for most of the blank spaces on the sergeant’s form.
The man dragged a still different form to him.
“All right, now what’s this exact complaint?”
Stan went through Sornal’s history, quoting figures and dates from the Personnel files he had read. The sergeant listened noncommittally, stopping him frequently to get repetitions.
At last, he looked up.
“Got any documents to back up this story?”
Stan coughed impatiently.
“No, of course not. I can’t pull a file out of Personnel and just carry it up here. It’s on file, though. I just got through reading the working file and there’s a private file on the guy, too, that would really bust things wide open.”
The sergeant smiled sourly.
“Maybe it would. I suppose they’d pull it right out and hand it over, too.”
He spun his chair around and fished a book from a shelf behind his desk.
“Here.” He put the book on the corner of the desk. “Here is the regulation on this sort of situation.”
He pointed out words, one at a time.
It was a long regulation, filled with complex terminology. It forbade seizure of records in any manner not definitely authorized by local statute. The sergeant went through it, getting full value from each word.
At last his finger came away from the page.
“Those are private records, you’re talking about. On this planet, the law protects corporate records to the fullest extent. We’d have to have positive evidence that an incriminating document was in existence. We’d have to define its location and content within fairly narrow limits. Then we’d have to go before a local determinator and request authority for an examination of that document.”
He slammed the book shut.
“And if we failed to find the document in question, or if it wasn’t actually incriminating, the injured corporation could slap us with a juicy damage claim.” He looked at Stan coldly.
“If you want, I can get the local statute and let you look that over, too.” He paused briefly and non-expectantly.
“On the other hand, we are obligated to protect the interests of galactic citizens.” He looked pointedly at the insigne on Stan’s pocket, then held out a tablet.
“Here. Suppose you sit down over there at that table and write out the complaint in your own handwriting. I’ll pass it along.”
Stan looked at the tablet for a moment.
“Oh—Suppose I manage to get copies of the records on this. Do you think you could do anything then?”
“If you can bring in documentary evidence, that’ll make a case; we’ll take action, of course. That’s what we’re here for.” The sergeant tapped impassively on the tablet.
“Want to make a written statement?”
“Skip it,” Stan told him wearily, “I don’t want to waste any more time.”
As he turned away, he thought he noticed a faint flicker of disappointment on the sergeant’s face before the man bent over his desk.
He hardly noticed his surroundings as he walked back into the Personnel building.
At first, there was a dull resentment—a free-floating rage—which failed to find focus, but sought for outlet in any direction.
The trouble was, he thought, in the formal way of doing things. It didn’t really matter, he told himself, whether anything really got done or not—so long as an approved routine was followed.
Only the wrong people used direct, effective methods.
The anger remained nondirectional, simply swelling and surging in all directions at once. There were too many targets and it was a torturing pressure, rather than a dynamic force.
He thought of his brief explosion, then grunted in self-ridicule. He’d implied he could just pick up Sornal’s record file, bring it in, and throw it before that sergeant. And for just a flash, he’d really thought of it as a simple possibility.
“Maybe,” he told himself, “one of those Special Corpsmen could do something like that, but I don’t see any of them around, trying it.”
He looked around, startled. Somehow, he had passed the gate, identified himself, parked the skip-about, and come inside—all without remembering his actions.
“Well,” he asked himself, “what do I do now? Just become some sort of thing?”
He walked into the outer office and a clerk looked up at him.
“Oh, Mr. Graham. The chief wants to see you.” She touched a button and a gate opened.
“You know the way.”
“Yes. I do. Wonder what he wants.”
The woman shook her head and returned to her work.
“He didn’t say. Just said to tell you to see him when you came in.”
Stan walked through the short corridor, stopping in front of a door. Down in the corner of the pebbled glass, neat, small letters spelled out the name—H. R. Mauson.
He tapped on the glass.
“Come in.” The Personnel chief glanced up as the door opened.
“Oh, Stanley. Sit down.”
Stan lowered himself to the padded seat, then leaned back. It was one of those deep armchairs which invite relaxation.
The official touched a button, then leaned forward.
“Tell me, Stanley,” he said gently, “what were you doing in the Federation Building a few minutes ago?”
Stan tried to lift a hand in a casual gesture, but it seemed stuck to the chair. He exerted more force, then twisted his body. But his arms and legs refused to move away from the upholstery. Mauson smiled.
“Just a little precaution, Stanley. A gravito unit, you see. It may be unnecessary, but you do have a reputation for a certain—shall we say, competence. Although you have never demonstrated your abilities here, I see no reason for taking foolish chances.” His smile faded.
“Now, suppose you tell me all about that visit you made to the Federation Building.”
Stan forced himself to relax. Have to be careful, he thought. He forced a grin to his face.
“Lunch,” he said casually. “The Interstellar Room has a reputation all over Talburg, you know.” He laughed easily.
“Truth is, I got sort of homesick. Got a sudden urge to have a good dish of delsau. It’s a sort of preserve we really enjoy at home.”
“Now, now.” Mauson closed his eyes. “Try again. You should be able to do better than that.” He tapped at some notes.
“You were assigned to straighten out that man, Sornal, weren’t you?”
“Yes. I was, and I did.” Stan found he had enough freedom to move his head. “He was just suffering from—”
Mauson coughed dryly. “I have a report on that, too. You fed him some tea, talked for a while, then left him.”
Again, he tapped at his notes.
“Then you came here and demanded the man’s Personnel file. You read that and went directly to the Federation Building. Now, I’m not a completely stupid man. Don’t try to make me believe you just wanted some exotic food.”
He poked a switch.
“Wizow, will you step in here, please?”
“Yes, Mauson?” The blocky production chief loomed through a door.
He glanced at Stan.
“Oh. You got him in here, then?”
“Yes. Oh, he came in by himself. But now, he’s trying to be a little coy. Suppose you reason with him.”
“Pleasure.”
Wizow strode forward to stand over the chair. He struck one hand into the palm of the other, twisting his wrist at each blow. For the first time since Stan had known him, he had a faint smile on his face.
“I don’t like you, Graham,” he said. “I didn’t like you the first time I saw you, and you haven’t done a thing to change that first impression.
“Thought you had something funny about you, the way you’ve always coddled the workmen. Looked as though you were running some sort of popularity contest.” Again, he punched his palm.
“And then, there were those suggestions of yours. Smart words—always pushing the wrong people off balance, like other staffmen.” The smile became one-sided.
“You know, you haven’t made yourself too popular around here. Not with the people that count. I’ve been getting complaints.
“A good staffman doesn’t act the way you do. Good man sees to it the workers work. They don’t have to like him—they just get on the job when he’s around. Know what’ll happen if they slack off.
“And a good staffman leaves the thinking to guys that get paid to do it. He follows established procedure.”
He leaned close to Stan, frowning.
“What are you? Some kind of Federation plant?”
Abruptly, his right hand flashed out, to crash against Stan’s cheek. A heavy finger trailed across one eye, bringing a sudden spurt of tears. The hand moved back, poised for a more solid blow.
Stan’s head bounced back against the chair, then forward again.
And the diffuse fury in him coalesced and burst into novalike flame. It had a single target. It fo-
cused. He glared at the big man.
“Those hands,” he snapped. “Get them to your side!
“Now, get over into that corner. Move when I tell you!”
For an instant, Wizow stood immobile. The frown faded, leaving the heavy face empty.
He tried to raise his hand again, then gave a little sob of hopeless rage and moved back, one slow, reluctant step at a time, until he was wedged into a corner of the room.
“That’s good,” Stan told him. “Now stay there. And keep quiet.”
He turned toward Mauson.
“You. Turn off that gravito unit. Then sit still.”
He pushed himself out of the chair as the constraining force was removed.
“Now,” he growled, “you can kick it in again. Give it a little power, too, while you’re at it.” He wheeled around.
“All right,” he snapped at Wizow, “turn around. Get into that chair.”
He watched as the big body was pressed into the cushions. Wizow’s face showed strain. Stan went around Mauson’s desk.
“I said a little power.” He reached down and gave the gravito control an abrupt twist.
Wizow’s mouth popped open, agony showing in his eyes. Stan grinned tightly and eased off on the knob.
“I really should spin this thing up to a proof load,” he said. “Might be interesting to see what kind of an assembly job they did on you. But we’ll just leave you this way. All you’ve got to do is keep quiet. You’re deaf, dumb, and blind, you understand?” He turned on Mauson.
“Now, for you—” His voice trailed off.
The man was sitting like a puppet whose controlling strings had been cut. Stan’s blazing fury started to burn down.
These minds, he suddenly realized, had been virtually paralyzed. He didn’t need anything to tie them down. All he had to do was point his finger. They’d jump. He shook his head.
“Funny,” he told himself. “All you have to do is be a little forceful. Why didn’t somebody tell me about this?” He looked calculatingly at Mauson.
“Tell you what we’re gonna do,” he said rhythmically. “Get your car over here. You know, the shielded job. We don’t want anyone snapping at us with flashers.” His voice hardened.
“Come on,” he ordered, “get on that box. Tell ’em you want that car.”
As the car rolled down the street, he leaned forward a little.
“All right, driver,” he said peremptorily, “when we get to the Federation Building, swing into the official driveway.”
The driver moved his head slightly. Stan sat back, waiting.
He looked at the building fronts as they swept past. When he’d first come here, he’d noticed the clean beauty of the city. And he’s been unable to understand the indefinable warning he’d felt. But now—he’d looked beneath the surface.
The car slowed. A guard was flagging them down at the building entrance. Stan touched a window control.
“Stand aside, Guardsman,” he ordered. “We’re coming in.” He flicked the window control again.
“Keep going, driver,” he ordered. “You can let us out inside. Then find a place to park, and wait.”
Another guard came toward them as the car rolled to a stop.
“Hey,” he protested, “this is—”
Stan looked at him coldly.
“Which way to the Guard commander’s office?”
The man pointed. “Elevator over there. Fifth floor. But—”
“I didn’t ask for a story. Get our driver into a parking space and keep him there.” Stan turned to Mauson.
“All right. Get out.”
He shepherded the man into the elevator and out again. In the hall, he glanced around, then walked through a doorway.
A middle-aged guardsman looked at him inquiringly.
“Can I do something for you gentlemen?”
“Yes. We want to see the commander.”
The guardsman smiled. “Well, now, perhaps—”
Stan looked at him sternly.
“I’ve had my quota of runarounds today. I said we want to see the commander. Now, all you have to do is take us to him. Move!”
The smile faded. For an instant, the man seemed about to rebel. Then he turned.
“This way,” he said evenly. He led the way through a large room, then tapped at a door on the other side.
“Yes?”
The voice was vaguely familiar to Stan. He frowned, trying to place it.
“Two men to see you, sir. Seems a little urgent.”
“Oh? Well, bring them in.”
Stan relaxed. This was getting easier, he thought. Now he could get these people to take Mauson before a determinator. His statements would furnish plenty of evidence for a full search of Janzel’s Personnel files.
He jerked his head at Mauson.
“Inside.”
He waited as the man stepped through the door, then followed.
A slender man was standing behind a wide desk.
“Well,” he said calmly. “Welcome home, Graham. Glad you could make it.”
“Major Michaels!” Stan forgot everything he had planned to say.
The other smiled. “Let’s say Agent Michaels,” he corrected. “Special Corpsmen don’t have actual Guard rank. Most of us got thrown out of the Academy in the first couple of years.”
He glanced at the guardsman, then flicked
a finger out to point at Mauson.
“Take this down and put it away somewhere till we need it, deSilva. Graham and I have some talking to do.”
“Yes, sir.” The middle-aged man turned toward Stan.
“Congratulations, sir.” He jerked a thumb at Mauson.
“Come on, you. March.”
Michaels held up a hand as Stan opened his mouth.
“Never mind,” he said quietly. “DeSilva is quite capable of handling that one. Take care of three or four more like him if he had to. Pretty good man.” He reached for a box on his desk.
“Here,” he said. “Light up. Got a few things to talk about.”
“But I’ve got—”
“It can wait. Wall put the whole story on the tape when you were talking to him downstairs. We’ve been sweating you out.”
“You’ve been sweating me out? I had to practically force my way up here.”
“That you did.” Michaels took a cigarette from the box, started to put it in his mouth, then pointed it at Stan.
“That’s normal procedure. You’ve heard of the Special Corps for Investigation, I presume?”
“Yes. But—”
“Ever think of being a corpsman yourself?”
“Of course. You know that—we’ve talked about it. But I never could—”
“That’s right.” Michaels waved the cigarette. “We don’t have recruiting offices. All our people have to force their way in. Tell me, do you know anything about the history of this planet?”
Stan clenched his teeth. Somehow, he had lost the initiative in this interview. He took a deep breath.
“Look,” he said decisively, “I—”
“Later.” Michaels shook his head. “You are familiar with this culture by now, then?”
“Well . . . yes. I’ve read some history . . . a little law.”
“Good. Saves me a lot of talk. You know, sometimes we run into a situation that can be corrected by a single, deft stroke. Makes things very pleasant. We send in an agent—or two or six. The necessary gets done, and somebody writes up a nice, neat report.” He toyed with the cigarette lighter.
“But this thing isn’t like that. We’ve got a long, monotonous job of routine plugging to do. We’ve got to bust a hard-shelled system without hurting too many of the people within it. And we’ve been at it for a while. We think we’ve made some progress, but we’ve still got a lot of snakes to kill.
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