one? What about the workers?"

"Shielded. All ten thousand of them. Of course I haven't checked all
of them yet, but--"

"Do it," Nagor said grimly. "We've got to find out what that weapon
is. Or else get out of this solar system."

Riuku sighed. "I'll try," he said.

* * * * *

Someone put another dollar in the juke box, and the theremins started
in on Mare Indrium Mary for the tenth time since Pete Ganley had come
into the bar. "Aw shut up," he said, wishing there was some way to
turn them off. Twelve-ten. Alice got off work at Houston's at twelve.
She ought to be here by now. She would be, if it weren't Thursday.
Shield boosting night for her.

Why, he asked himself irritably, couldn't those scientists figure out
some way to keep the shields up longer than a week? Or else why didn't
they have boosting night the same for all departments? He had to stay
late every Friday and Alice every Thursday, and all the time there was
Susan at home ready to jump him if he wasn't in at a reasonable
time....

"Surprised, Pete?" Alice Hendricks said at his elbow.

He swung about, grinned at her. "Am I? You said it. And here I was
about to go. I never thought you'd make it before one." His grin faded
a little. "How'd you do it? Sweet-talk one of the guards into letting
you in at the head of the line?"

She shook her bandanaed head, slid onto the stool beside him and
crossed her knees--a not very convincing sign of femininity in a woman
wearing baggy denim coveralls. "Aren't you going to buy me a drink,
honey?"

"Oh, sure." He glanced over at the bartender. "Another beer. No, make
it two." He pulled the five dollars out of his pocket, shoved it
across the bar, and looked back at Alice, more closely this time. The
ID badge, pinned to her hip. The badge, with her name, number,
department, and picture--and the little meter that measured the
strength of her Mind Shield.

The dial should have pointed to full charge. It didn't. It registered
about seventy per cent loss.

Alice followed his gaze. She giggled. "It was easy," she said. "The
guards don't do more than glance at us, you know. And everyone who's
supposed to go through Shielding on Thursday has the department number
stamped on a yellow background. So all I did was make a red
background, like yours, and slip it on in the restroom at Clean-up
time."

"But Alice...." Pete Ganley swallowed his beer and signaled for
another. "This is seri