Part 12 (1/2)
”I had to relieve Harper”
”So I guessed I lared atThat's why I had to send for you”
cuineer, anony armor ”Who'd I draw?”
”Erickson”
”Good enough Squareheads can't go crazy - eh, Gus?”
Erickson looked up momentarily and answered, ”That's your probles turned back to Silard and commented: ”Psychiatrists don't seem very popular around here OK - I relieve you sir”
”Very well, sir”
Silard threaded his way through the zigzag in the tanks of water which surrounded the disintegration room Once outside this outer shi+eld, he divested himself of the cumbersome armor, disposed of it in the locker room provided, and hurried to a lift He left the lift at the tube station, underground, and looked around for an unoccupied capsule Finding one, he strapped hiasketed door, and settled the back of his head into the rest against the expected surge of acceleration
Five eneral superintendent, twenty miles away
The power plant proper was located in a bowl of desert hills on the Arizona plateau Everything not necessary to the immediate operation of the plant - administrative offices, television station and so forth - lay beyond the hills The buildings housing these auxiliary functions were of the enuity could devise It was hoped that, if der tag ever came, occupants would stand approxiara Falls in barrel
Silard knocked again He was greeted by ahis case history Forineers, he had suffered a blanking out of the ability to handle ue, but there had been nothing that the poor devil could do about it - he had been anxious enough with his conscious mind to stay on duty He had been rehabilitated as an office worker
Steinke ushered him into the superintendent's private office Harper was there before hi with icy politeness The superintendent was cordial, but Silard thought he looked tired, as if the twenty-four-hour-a-day strain was too much for him
”Come in, Doctor, come in Sit down Now tell ht Harper was one of my steadiest men”
”I don't say he isn't, sir”
”Well?”
”He ht, but your instruction to ht” The superintendent gave the engineer silent and tense in his chair, a troubled glance, then returned his attention to Silard ”Suppose you tell me about it”
Silard took a deep breath ”While on watch as psychological observer at the control station I noticed that the engineer of the watch seemed preoccupied and less responsive to sti my off-watch observation of this case, over a period of the past seven days, I have suspected an increasing lack of attention For exae, he now occasionally asks for a review of the bidding, which is contrary to his former behavior pattern
”Other similar data are available To cut it short, at 3:11 today, while on watch, I saw Harper, with no apparent reasonable purpose inthe valves of the water shi+eld and approach the trigger I relieved him of duty and sent him out of the control room”
”Chief!” Harper calmed himself somewhat and continued: ”If this witch doctor knerench fro The wrench was on the wrong rack I noticed it, and picked it up to return it to its proper place On the way, I stopped to check the readings!”
The superintendent turned inquiringly to Dr Silard