over. Just deliver your father intact."

"If we can," Rick said slowly. "Steve, suppose the enemy activates
their machine when they hear the plane? Suppose they suspect he's
getting away and turn on the mind reader?"

"We'll have to chance it. Best thing is to move fast. Get your father
in with Mike, and let them clear out. I'll tell Mike to put distance
between him and you as fast as he can."

"All right, Steve." There seemed to be no other way.

Rick turned to his father and Winston, and repeated the conversation.

"He's right, Hartson," Winston said. "You're in good enough shape to
travel. Better get packed." The cyberneticist looked at Rick. "What
did you call the enemy gadget? A mind reader? That's an odd name."

"I didn't think about it," Rick told him. "The name just popped into
my mind. But doesn't the enemy machine read the patterns in peoples'
minds, then erase them?"

"As good a name as any, I guess," Winston agreed. "Well, let's tell
the others. Then you have work to do getting ready for the plane,
Rick."

Mrs. Brant, after making sure that her husband was no more than
slightly dazed, had been forced to turn her attention to Barby and
Jan. The two girls were on the verge of sheer hysteria with fear for
their fathers. Scotty had joined Mrs. Brant, in an effort to soothe
the girls' frayed nerves. Now, as Rick opened the library door, he
could see that the two pretty young faces were tear-streaked, but as
calm as could be expected under the circumstances. Scotty looked worn
out. Rick could only marvel at his mother. She could always be relied
upon in a crisis.

Mrs. Brant listened to her son's report, then nodded firmly. "Steve
is wise to insist, Rick. I'll help your father pack."

Rick beckoned to Scotty. "We have work to do. Let's start with the
lab."

On the way, he filled Scotty in on the details of what had happened in
the library. Then he asked, "How did you get the girls calmed down?"

Scotty shook his head wearily. "It wasn't fun. The poor kids are
scared stiff. Remember they haven't been exposed to stuff as we have.
To them, our stories are just exciting fun, because we leave out the
rough parts. Now they're getting a taste of this business the way it
really is."

"Did you say that?"

"That, and a thousand other things. Nothing did much good, and Mom
couldn't make any headway, either. Another ten minutes of tears and
the island would have been under water, honest. Finally I got rough