i_ phenomenon at all.
Studies in that area belong to the field of mob psychology; they are
not properly in my scope." He looked vastly superior to anything and
everything that was outside his scope. Malone concentrated on looking
receptive and understanding.

"Yes?" he said.

O'Connor gave him a look that made Malone feel he'd been caught
cribbing during an exam, but the scientist said nothing to back up the
look. Instead, he went on: "I will grant that there may be an
amplification of the telepathic faculty in the normal individual in
such cases."

"Good," Malone said doubtfully.

"Such an amplification," O'Connor went on, as if he hadn't heard,
"would account for the apparent ... ah ... mental linkage that makes a
mob appear to act as a single organism during certain periods of ...
ah ... stress." He looked judicious for a second, and then nodded.
"However," he said, "other than that, I would doubt that there is any
psionic force involved."

Malone spent a second or two digesting O'Connor's reply. "Well," he
said at last, "I'm not sure that's what I meant. I mean, I'm not sure
I meant to ask that question." He took a breath and decided to start
all over. "It's not like a mob," he said, "with everybody all doing
the same thing at the same time. It's more like a group of men, all
separated, without any apparent connections between any of the men.
And they're all working toward a common goal. All doing different
things, but all with the same objective. See?"

"Of course I do," O'Connor said flatly. "But what you're suggesting--"
He looked straight at Malone. "Have you had any experience of this ...
phenomenon?"

"Experience?" Malone said.

"I believe you have had," O'Connor said. "Such a concept could not
have come to you in a theoretical manner. You must be involved with an
actual situation very much like the one you describe."

Malone swallowed. "Me?" he said.

"Mr. Malone," O'Connor said. "May I remind you that this is Yucca
Flats? That the security checks here are as careful as anywhere in the
world? That I, myself, have top-security clearance for my special
projects? You do not need to watch your words here."

"It's not security," Malone said. "Anyhow, it's not only security. But
things are pretty complicated."

"I assure you," O'Connor said, "that I will be able to understand even
events which you feel are complex."

Malone swallowed again, hard. "I didn't mean--" he started.

"Please, Mr. Malon