ag. It's convincing.
All the reports, photographs, films, even air samples. Yet we haven't
seen it for ourselves, not after the first months ..."

"What are you talking about?"

"Nothing." He put the paper down. "I'm leaving early after the next
Sleep Period. Let's turn in."

Mary turned away, her face hard and harsh. "Do what you want. We might
just as well all go up and get killed at once, instead of dying slowly
down here, like vermin in the ground."

He had not realized how resentful she was. Were they all like that? How
about the workers toiling in the factories, day and night, endlessly?
The pale, stooped men and women, plodding back and forth to work,
blinking in the colorless light, eating synthetics--

"You shouldn't be so bitter," he said.

Mary smiled a little. "I'm bitter because I know you'll never come
back." She turned away. "I'll never see you again, once you go up
there."

He was shocked. "What? How can you say a thing like that?"

She did not answer.

* * * * *

He awakened with the public newscaster screeching in his ears, shouting
outside the building.

"Special news bulletin! Surface forces report enormous Soviet attack
with new weapons! Retreat of key groups! All work units report to
factories at once!"

Taylor blinked, rubbing his eyes. He jumped out of bed and hurried to
the vidphone. A moment later he was put through to Moss.

"Listen," he said. "What about this new attack? Is the project off?" He
could see Moss's desk, covered with reports and papers.

"No," Moss said. "We're going right ahead. Get over here at once."

"But--"

"Don't argue with me." Moss held up a handful of surface bulletins,
crumpling them savagely. "This is a fake. Come on!" He broke off.

Taylor dressed furiously, his mind in a daze.

Half an hour later, he leaped from a fast car and hurried up the stairs
into the Synthetics Building. The corridors were full of men and women
rushing in every direction. He entered Moss's office.

"There you are," Moss said, getting up immediately. "Franks is waiting
for us at the outgoing station."

They went in a Security Car, the siren screaming. Workers scattered out
of their way.

"What about the attack?" Taylor asked.

Moss braced his shoulders. "We're certain that we've forced their hand.
We've brought the issue to a head."

They pulled up at the station link of the Tube and leaped out. A moment
later they were moving up at