ut? The remnants of the great technical army could
hardly serve what was left. Each passing year these silent, useless
hulks became more numerous. The specter of famine was stalking amid
the dusty pipes and empty vats of the chemical plants; the horrors of
darkness lurked amid the tarnished compression spheres and the long,
hooded monstrosities of the power plants, inadequately served by
harassed and overworked technies.

In the middle of his office Mich'l found the telucid counterpart of
Mila, sister of Nida Mane. She was younger than Nida, hardly more than
sixteen. Her eyes were wide with terror as she sought Mich'l. Her
cheeks were wet with tears, and her silken brown hair fell in careless
disarray.

"Mich'l!" she cried, as soon as she saw him. "Lane Mollon has taken
Nida!"

"Taken her!"

"And Father is under arrest. Lane came this morning, crazy with
merclite gum. He had four or five soldiers with him. When Nida refused
to see him they broke down the door and went to her room. They dragged
her out to Lane's car, and he took her to his warren near the
Presidential quarters."

"She there now?"

"Yes. Father followed Lane's car. Guards kept him out of Lane's
warren, so he went to see Mollon. That devil only laughed at him,
offered to call another Referendum. Father had a small pocket
needle-ray and--"

"Good! He killed Mollon?"

"No. But he managed to burn a hole through his arm. He was rushed off
to one of the cells. And Mollon says he will call a Referendum to
decide Father's fate."

"It would be just like that devil's sense of humor to let the people
decree their only friend's death."

* * * * *

"They'll do it, too!" Mila exclaimed tragically. "Oh, how I wish
Mother were alive!"

"And each one will feel deep within him that he has done a great,
commendable and original thing!" Mich'l added, with keen insight.

Mila sank to the floor.

"Go to your room," Mich'l said, gently stern. "Mollon and his gang
have reckoned without the technies." A woman's image appeared,
stooping commiseratingly over Mila--a friend of the family. Mich'l
ordered her to care for Mila. Then, he took a deep breath. Gone was
his feeling of helpless sorrow, leaving only an overwhelming,
steadying, satisfying anger. He flung the telucid switch, barked
cracking orders.

In half an hour every technical man of Subterranea was in a large
storeroom near Mich'l's office. They were mostly young, keen