ed
the button on his desk again.

Once more, the clerk stood in the doorway.

"This file seems to be satisfactory," he was told. "You may bring in the
correspondence now."

The correspondence was no heavier than usual. Morely flipped through the
routine matter, occasionally selecting a report or letter and
abstracting data. Tomorrow, he could check performance by referring to
these. At last, he turned to the separate pile of directives, production
and man-hour reports, and other papers which demanded more attention
than the routine paper.

He worked through the stack of paper, occasionally calling upon his
clerk for file data, sometimes making a communicator call. At last, he
pushed away the last remaining report and leaned back. He spun his chair
about, activated the large entertainment screen, and spent some time
watching a playlet. At the end of the play, he glanced at his watch,
then turned back to his desk. He leaned forward to touch a button on his
communicator.

As the viewsphere lit, he flicked on the two-way video, then spoke.

"Get me Sector Leader Bond." He snapped the communicator off almost
before the operator could acknowledge, then spun about, switching his
entertainment screen to ground surface scan. A scene built up, showing a
view from his estate in the hills.

* * * * *

There were some buildings on the surface--mostly homes of upper grade
citizens, who preferred the open air, and could afford to have a surface
estate in addition to their quarters in the groups. These homes, for the
most part, were located in wooded areas, where their owners could find
suitable fishing and hunting.

Most of the traces of damage done by the bombings of the Nineties were
gone from about the estate areas by now, and the few which remained were
being eliminated. Morely increased the magnification, to watch a few
animals at a waterhole. He could do a little hunting in a few weeks.
Take a nice leave. He drew a deep breath.

Those years after the end of the last war had been hectic, what with new
organizational directives, the few sporadic revolts, the integration of
homecoming fighters, and the final, tight set-up. But it had all been
worth it. Everything was running smoothly now.

The second- and third-class citizens had learned to accept their status,
and some few of them had even found they liked it. At least, now they
had far more security. There was subsistence in plenty for