Astounding British Edition, May 1953 — page 20: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

would be ready to invite inspection. One of his manipulations several pages back turned out to be in error. He retraced slowly through the maze. A little after three there came a knock. = looked up in irritation as Dykstra walked a Nagle! I’m glad you’re in. I tried and couldn’t find you yesterday.” “I took a day off for fishing. Can I help you?” Dykstra slid into the chair on the other side of the desk with an almost furtive motion. Mart frowned. “I have something of extreme importance to discuss regarding the project,” said Dykstra. He leaned forward confidentially, his eyes squinting a little behind the owlish glasses. “Do you realize,” he said, “that this entire project is a fraud?” “Fraud! What are you talking about?” “I have been over the Dunning house, so called, with a fine toothed comb. I proved to you in our last seminar that the postu- late of equivalence ‘denied the possibility of any such device as this Dunning is supposed to have invented. Now, I can assure you that Dunning never existed! We are the victims of a base fraud.” He clapped the palms of his hands upon the top of the desk in triumphal finality and leaned back. “I don’t understand,” murmured Mart. “You shall. Go over that laboratory. There is no consistency. Examine the shelves of reagents. Ask what possible chemical en- deavor could be carried out with such a random selection of materials. The elec- tronics section is as hodgepodge as the corner television shop. The computers have never been used in the room they are in. And that library—it is obvious what an in- tellectual packrat’s rest that is! “No, Dr. Nagle, for some inconceivable reason we are the victims of a base fraud. Antigravity! Do you suppose that anyone here actually thought they could make us believe it? “Now, what I want to know is why we have been sent on this fool’s errand when the nation needs the talent of each one of us so badly?” Mart felt a faint sickness in the pit of his stomach. “Ill admit there are strange things about this presentation. If what you “ASTOUNDING SCIENCE FICTION = = Soar be two or three days before he say be true, how can the eyewitness accounts be explained?” “Perjury!” snapped Dykstra. “I can hardly imagine a member of the JCS involved in such. I am sorry, but I do not share your opinion. As a matter of fact, I have done a good deal of work toward our goal. “As of this moment, I am prepared to say definitely that the postulate of equivalence is not going to hold.” Red-faced, Dykstra stood up. “I'm ex- tremely sorry you hold such views, Dr. Nagle. I had always believed you a young man of great promise. Perhaps you shall yet be when proper light is thrown upon this abominable fraud perpetrated upon us, Good day!” Mart didn’t bother to rise as Dykstra stomped out of the door. The visit bothered him. Absurd as the accusations were, they threatened the foundation upon which he worked. If he could be sure that Dunning’s device had performed as described he was subject to the buffeting of all his prior assur- ance that antigravity was nonsense. But the JCS involved in a reasonless and silly fraud as Dykstra proposed—! He turned back to his sheets of computa- tions with almost frantic energy. When it was almost time that most of them would be leaving he reached for the phone and called Jennings. The man was.an able mathematician and could work this through if any one could. It was not as far along as Mart would have liked it, but he had to know if he were at the entrance to a blind alley. “Can you come over for a moment?” he said. “I’ve got something I’d like to show you.” In a few moments Jennings appeared. As he came in the door he gave Mart the momentary impression of an _ old-time country preacher ruffled with righteous in- dignation at the sins of his congregation. He blurted out before Mart had a chance to speak. “Did you see Dykstra this after- noon running around with some cock and bull story about the project being a fraud?” Mart nodded. “Why Keyes ever let an old fool like him in here— Dyk has been a fine man. But he’s shot his wad. I called Keyes at once.” “I guess all of us have had natural suspicions like Dykstra’s,” said Mart, “but not enough to go completely overboard as he has.” ECoORnmiclaoolkS,ec)