ous. You've got to keep the shields up. The
enemy is everywhere. Why, right now, one could be probing you."

"So what? The dial isn't down to Danger yet. And tomorrow I'll just
put the red tag back on over the yellow one and go through Shielding
in the same line with you. They won't notice." She giggled again. "I
thought it was smart, Petey. You oughta think so too. You know why I
did it, don't you?"

Her round, smooth face looked up at him, wide-eyed and full-lipped.
She had no worry wrinkles like Susan's, no mouth pulled down at the
corners like Susan's, and under that shapeless coverall....

"Sure, baby, I'm glad you did it," Pete Ganley said huskily.

Riuku was glad too, the next afternoon when the swing shift started
pouring through the gates.

It was easy, once he'd found her. He had tested hundreds, all
shielded, some almost accessible to him, but none vulnerable enough.
Then this one came. The shield was so far down that contact was almost
easy. Painful, tiring, but not really difficult. He could feel her
momentary sense of alarm, of nausea, and then he was through,
integrated with her, his thoughts at home with her thoughts.

He rested, inside her mind.

"Oh, hi, Joan. No, I'm all right. Just a little dizzy for a moment. A
hangover? Of course not. Not on a Friday."

Riuku listened to her half of the conversation. Stupid Earthman. If
only she'd start thinking about the job. Or if only his contact with
her were better. If he could use her sense perceptions, see through
her eyes, hear through her ears, feel through her fingers, then
everything would be easy. But he couldn't. All he could do was read
her thoughts. Earth thoughts at that....

_... The time clock. Where's my card? Oh, here it is. Only 3:57. Why
did I have to hurry so? I had lots of time...._

"Why, Mary, how nice you look today. That's a new hairdo, isn't it? A
permanent? Yeah, what kind?" _... What a microbe! Looks like pink
straw, her hair does, and of course she thinks it's beautiful...._
"I'd better get down to my station. Old Liverlips will be ranting
again. You oughta be glad you have Eddie for a lead man. Eddie's cute.
So's Dave, over in 77. But Liverlips, ugh...."

She was walking down the aisle to her station now. A procession of
names: _Maisie, and Edith, and that fat slob Natalie, and if Jean
Andrews comes around tonight flashing that diamond in my face again,
I'll--I'll kill her...._

"Oh hello, Clinton. What do you mean, l