an looked from one to the other
apprehensively, licking his lips.

"It's all right; we're not going to hurt you, Russ," Cardon assured
him. "We just want a few facts. Beside rigging that business with
Bayne, and almost killing Chet Pelton, and forcing Claire to blow her
cover, how much did you have to do with this business?"

"And who put you up to it?" Prestonby wanted to know. "My guess is
Joyner and Graves. Am I right?"

"Graves," Latterman said. "Joyner didn't have anything to do with it;
didn't know anything about it. He's in charge of the Retail
Merchandising section, and any action like this would be unethical,
since Pelton's is a client of the Retail Merchandising section. All
Graves told me to do was fix up a situation, using my own judgment,
that would provoke a Literate strike and force either Claire or Frank
here to betray Literacy. But I had no idea that it would involve a
riot like this. If I had, I'd have stood on Literates' ethics and
refused to have any part in it."

"That's about how I thought it would be," Cardon nodded. "Graves
probably was informed by Literates with the Independent-Conservatives
that this riot was planned; he wanted to get our people out of the
store. Unfortunately for him, he wasn't present at the extemporary
meeting that reversed Bayne's action in calling the strike." He handed
the rifle back to Latterman. "I just took this in case you might get
excited, before I could explain. And you can forget about the
Graves-Joyner opposition to Pelton. We had a meeting, right after
noon. Lancedale gained the upper hand; Joyner and Graves are
co-operating, now; the plan is to support Pelton and get on the inside
of the socialized Literacy program, when it's enacted."

"I still think that's a suicidal policy," Latterman said. "But not as
suicidal as splitting the Fraternities and trying to follow two
policies simultaneously. I wonder if I could put a call through to
Literates' Hall without some of these picture-readers overhearing me."

"You've been out of touch, down in the cellar, Russ." Prestonby told
him. "Our telephone line's cut, and the radio is smashed." He told
Latterman about the rocket attack on the control tower, which also
housed the store's telecast station. "So we're sandwiched, here; one
gang has us blocked at the twelfth floor, and another gang's up on the
roof, trying to get down at us from above, and we've no way to
communicate with the outside. We can pick up the reg