Mrs. Wilkins said briskly, "Doctor, I'll watch Washington, D. C."
"Yes, Mrs. Wilkins. You're the only one who has been tested, even in reverse. So you guard Washington; it's of prime importance."
"No, no, that's not why. It's the city I can see best."
Andrews said, "She's got something, Prof. I pick Seattle."
By midnight Reynolds had his charges, twenty-six by now, tucked away in the officers' club. Hammond and he took turns at a switchboard rigged in the upper hall. The watch would not start until shortly before deadline. Fatigue reduced paranormal powers, sometimes to zero; Reynolds hoped that they were getting one last night of sleep.
A microphone had been installed in each room; a selector switch let them listen in. Reynolds disliked this but Hammond argued, "Sure, it's an invasion of privacy. So is being blown up by an A-bomb." He dialed the switch. "Hear that? Our boy Norman is sawing wood." He moved it again. "Private ‘Two-Gun' is stilt stirring. We can't let them sleep, once it starts, so we have to spy on them."
"I suppose so."
Withers came upstairs. "Anything more you need?'
"I guess not," answered Reynolds. "How about the bomb mock-up?"
"Before morning."
"How authentic is it?"
"Hard to say. Their agents probably rigged firing circuits from radio parts bought right here; the circuits could vary a lot. But the business part—well, we're using real plutonium.
"Good. We'll show it to them after breakfast."
Two-Gun's door opened. "Howdy, Colonel. Prof—it's there."
"What is?'
"The bomb. Under Seattle. I can feel it."
"Where is it?"
"It's down—it feels down. And it feels wet, somehow. Would they put it in the Sound?"
Hammond jumped up. "In the harbor—and shower the city with radioactive water!" He was ringing as he spoke. "Get me General Hanby!"
"Morrison here," a voice answered. "What is it, Hammond?"
"The Seattle bomb—have them dredge for it. It's in the Sound, or somewhere under water."
"Eh? How do you know?"
"One of Reynolds' magicians. Do it!" He cut off.
Andrews said worriedly, "Prof, I can't see it—I'm not a ‘seeing-eye.' Why don't you get one? Say that little Mrs. Brentano?"
"Oh, my God! Clairvoyants.—we need them, too." Withers said, "Eh, Doctor? Do you think—"
"No, I don't, or I would have thought of it. How do they search for bombs? What instruments?"
"Instruments? A bomb in its shielding doesn't even affect a Geiger counter. You have to open things and look."
"How long will that take? Say for New York!"
‘‘Hammond said, "Shut up! Reynolds, where are these clairvoyants?"
Reynolds chewed his lip. "They're scarce."
"Scarcer than us dice rollers," added Two-Gun. "But get that Brentano kid. She found keys I had lost digging a ditch. Buried three feet deep—and me searching my quarters."
"Yes, yes, Mrs. Brentano." Reynolds pulled out a notebook. Hammond reached for the switchboard. "Morrison? Stand by for more names—and even more urgent than the others."
More urgent but harder to find; the Panic was on. The President urged everyone to keep cool and stay home, whereupon thirty million people stampeded. The ticker in the P.I.O. office typed the story: "NEW YORK NY—TO CLEAR JAM CAUSED BY WRECKS IN OUTBOUND TUBE THE INBOUND TUBE OF HOLLAND TUNNEL HAS BEEN REVERSED. POLICE HAVE STOPPED TRYING TO PREVENT EVACUATION. BULLDOZERS WORKING TO REOPEN TRIBOROUGH BRIDGE, BLADES SHOVING WRECKED CARS AND HUMAN HAMBURGER. WEEHAWKEN FERRY DISASTER
CONFIRMED: NO PASSENGER LIST YET—FLASH—GEORGE WASHINGTON BRIDGE GAVE WAY AT 0353 EST, WHETHER FROM OVERLOAD OR SABOTAGE NOT KNOWN. MORE MORE MORE—FLASH—
It was repeated everywhere. The Denver-Colorado Springs highway had one hundred thirty-five deaths by midnight, then reports stopped. A DC-7 at Burbank ploughed into a mob which had broken through the barrier. The Baltimore-Washington highway was clogged both ways; Memorial Bridge was out of service. The five outlets from Los Angeles were solid with creeping cars. At four A.M. EST the President declared martial law; the order had no immediate effect.
By morning Reynolds had thirty-one adepts assigned to twenty-four cities. He had a stomach-churning ordeal before deciding to let them work only cities known to them. The gambler, Even-Money Karsch, had settled it: "Doc, I know when I'm hot, Minneapolis has to be mine." Reynolds gave in, even though one of his students had just arrived from there; he put them both on it and prayed that at least one would be "hot." Two clairvoyants arrived; one, a blind news-dealer from Chicago, was put to searching there; the other, a carnie mentalist, was given the list and told to find bombs wherever she could. Mrs. Brentano had remarried and moved; Norfolk was being combed for her.
At one fifteen P.M., forty-five minutes before deadline, they were in their rooms, each with maps and aerial views of his city, each with photos of the mocked-up bomb. The club was clear of residents; the few normals needed to coddle the paranormals kept careful quiet. Roads nearby were blocked; air traffic was warned away. Everything was turned toward providing an atmosphere in which forty-two people could sit still and think.
At the switchboard were Hammond, Reynolds, and Gordon McClintock, the President's assistant. Reynolds glanced up. "What time is it?"
"One thirty-seven," rasped Hammond. "Twenty-three minutes."
"One thirty-eight," disagreed McClintock. "Reynolds, how about Detroit? You can't leave it unguarded."
"Whom can I use? Each is guarding the city he knows best."
"Those twin girls—I heard them mention Detroit."
"They've played everywhere. But Pittsburgh is their home."
"Switch one of them to Detroit."
Reynolds thought of telling him to go to Detroit himself. "They work together. You want to get them upset and lose both cities?"
Instead of answering McClintock said, "And who's watching Cleveland?"
"Norman Johnson. He lives there and he's our second strongest operator."
They were interrupted by voices downstairs. A man came up, carrying a bag, and spotted Reynolds. "Oh, hello, Doctor. What is this? I'm on top priority work—tank production— when the F.B.I. grabs me. You are responsible?"
"Yes. Come with me." McClintock started to speak, but Reynolds led the man away. "Mr. Nelson, did you bring your family?"
"No, they're still in Detroit. Had I known—"
"Please! Listen carefully." He explained, pointed out a map of Detroit in the room to which they went, showed him pictures of the simulated bomb, "You understand?"
Nelson's jaw muscles were jumping. "It seems impossible."
"It is possible. You've got to think about that bomb—or bombs. Get in touch, squeeze them, keep them from going off. You'll have to stay awake."
Nelson breathed gustily. "I'll stay awake."
"That phone will get you anything you want. Good luck." He passed the room occupied by the blind clairvoyant; the door was open. "Harry, it's Prof. Getting anything?"
The man turned to the voice. "It's in the Loop. I could walk to it if I were there. A six-story building."
"That's the best you can do?"
"Tell them to try the attic. I get warm when I go up."
"Right away!" He rushed back, saw that Hanby had arrived. Swiftly he keyed the communications office. "Reynolds speaking. The Chicago bomb is in a six-story building in the Loop area, probably in the attic. No—that's all. G'by!"