ng to make an industrial civilization accept something it
didn't want--a technical improvement in a standard electronic device.
He'd gotten partly out of trouble by giving his jailers what they
definitely desired--the sight of him apparently a suicide in the cell in
the Detention Building. He'd come out of the Embassy, again, by giving
the watchers outside a view they urgently desired--a figure secretly
descending the Embassy wall. He'd indulged himself at the ambuscade, but
the way to get back into the Embassy....

* * * * *

It was not far from Nedda's house to a public-safety kiosk, decoratively
placed on a street corner. He entered it. It was unattended, of course.
It was simply an out-of-door installation where cops could be summoned
or fires reported or emergencies described by citizens independently of
the regular home communicators. It had occurred to Hoddan that the
planetary authorities would be greatly pleased to hear of a situation,
in a place, that would seem to hint at his presence. There were all
sorts of public services that would be delighted to operate impressively
in their own lines. There were bureaus which would rejoice in a chance
to show off their efficiency.

He used his microwave generator--which at short enough range would
short-circuit anything--upon the apparatus in the kiosk. It was
perfectly simple, if one knew how. He worked with a sort of tender
thoroughness, shorting this item, shorting that, giving this frantic
emergency call, stating that baseless lie. When he went out of the kiosk
he walked briskly toward an appointment he had made.

And presently the murmur of the city at night had new sounds added to
it. They began as a faint, confused clamor at the edges of the city. The
uproar moved centralward and grew louder as it came. There were clanging
bells and sirens and beeper-horns warning all nonofficial vehicles to
keep out of the way. On the raised-up expressway snorting metal monsters
rushed with squealing excitement. On the fragrant lesser streets, small
vehicles rushed with proportionately louder howlings. Police trucks
poured out of their cubbyholes and plunged valiantly through the dark.
Broadcast-units signaled emergency and cut off the air to make the
placid ether waves available to authority.

All these noises and all this tumult moved toward a single point. The
outer parts of the city regained their former quiet, save that there was
less mu