eading desk with its softly
glowing lamp and the small stack of volumes on the rack left by previous
users. Absently he stared for a long time at the volume Gordon had given
him as if seeing it for the first time. Then with a deliberate effort he
opened it and thumbed through slowly only half seeing its pages. _The
Journal of Botanical Research._

The pages in the _Journal_ were like a look through an open window.
Outside of classified projects in "harmless" fields of research the work
of science went on, papers were published, reputations were made,
freedom still existed. He remembered Gordon's sleek smile and advice
to relax and read in other fields. This stupid useless advice still
rankled. Of course, he probably was stale, but to read junk like this!

Silently and in his mind, he cursed the day he had studied physics,
better archeology or zoology, anything. Suddenly he stopped riffling the
pages and leaned forward, rapidly turning back to something that had
caught his eye. It was a three and one-half page paper on "The
Statistical Probability of Chromosome Crossover" written in neat
sections with several charts and references. It was by M. Mason.

Something clicked in Collins' mind--read the journals--Mason's unconcern
with security, the botany books on his desk the night before. It didn't
make sense, but it added up to something. Mason knew something and so
did Gordon. He half rose. He had to get to the bottom of it. Clutching
the bound _Journal_ Collins turned and weaved through the stacks and out
of the library waving the protesting librarian aside and strode down the
corridor toward the laboratories.

* * * * *

The door to Mason's lab was partially open, and he looked up quizzically
from taking an instrument reading as Collins burst in.

"Mason, I--" he planked the bound volume of the _Botanical Journal_ on
the lab bench beside the instrument ignoring Mason's wince as the
instrument needle quivered with the jar. "Did you write this?" His
finger jabbed at the open page.

Mason glanced at Collins, removed a pair of glasses from his white lab
coat pocket, and putting them on leaned forward and studied the page for
a moment.

"Yes. Not bad either though I shouldn't say it. I didn't know you were
interested in Botany." His voice was casual with a slight questioning
note.

Collins suddenly felt ridiculous. What was he accusing the man of? Mason
had a right to publis