. "You know the way," she said.

This time Ronny Bronston pushed open the door to Sid Jakes' office without
knocking. The Section G supervisor was poring over reports on his desk. He
looked up and grinned his Sid Jakes' grin.

"Ronny!" he said. "Welcome back. You know, you're one of the quickest men
ever to return from a Tommy Paine assignment. I was talking to Lee Chang
only a day or so ago. She said you were on your way."

Ronny grunted, his anger growing within him. He lowered himself into one
of the room's heavy chairs, and glared at the other.

Sid Jakes chuckled and leaned back in his chair. "Before we go any
further, just to check, who is Tommy Paine?"

Ronny snapped, "You are."

The supervisor's eyebrows went up.

Ronny said, "You and Ross Metaxa and Lee Chang Chu--and all the rest of
Section G. Section G is Tommy Paine."

"Good man!" Sid Jakes chortled. He flicked a switch on his order box.
"Irene," he said, "how about clearing me through to the commissioner? I
want to take Ronny in for his finals."

Irene snapped back something and Sid Jakes switched off and turned to
Ronny happily. "Let's go," he said. "Ross is free for a time."

Ronny Bronston said nothing. He followed the other. The rage within him
was still mounting.

In the months that had elapsed since Ronny Bronston had seen Ross Metaxa
the latter had changed not at all. His clothing was still sloppy, his eyes
bleary with lack of sleep or abundance of alcohol--or both. His expression
was still sour and skeptical.

He looked up at their entry and scowled, and made no effort to rise and
shake hands. He said to Ronny sourly, "O.K., sound off and get it over
with. I haven't too much time this afternoon."

Ronny Bronston was just beginning to feel tentacles of cold doubt, but he
suppressed them. The boiling anger was uppermost. He said flatly, "All my
life I've been a dedicated United Planets man. All my life I've considered
its efforts the most praiseworthy and greatest endeavor man has ever
attempted."

"Of course, old chap," Jakes told him cheerfully. "We know all that, or
you wouldn't ever have been chosen as an agent for Section G."

Ronny looked at him in disgust. "I've resigned that position, Jakes."

Jakes grinned back at him. "To the contrary, you're now in the process of
receiving permanent appointment."

Ronny snorted his disgust and turned back to Metaxa. "Section G is a
secret department of the Bureau of Investigation devoted