e made connections with
flexible cables and tucked the cable out of sight. He plugged in for
power and began to make adjustments.

The small scientist asked curiously:

"What are you preparing, Sergeant?"

"These two'll unscramble that broadcast," said Sergeant Bellews, with
tranquil confidence. "Al's learned how to make a tape and switch
frequencies expert. Gus, here, he's a unscrambler that can make any
kinda scanning pattern. Together they'll have a party doing what they're
special trained for. We'll hook 'em to Betsy's training-terminals."

He regarded the two machines warmly. Connected, now, their standby
lights flickered at a new tempo. They synchronized, and broke synchrony,
and went back into elaborate, not-quite-resolvable patterns which were
somehow increasingly integrated as seconds went by.

"Those lights look kinda nice, don't they?" asked the sergeant
admiringly. "Makes you think of a coupla dogs gettin' acquainted when
they're goin' out on a job of hunting or something."

But Lecky said abruptly, in amazement:

"But, Sergeant! In the Pentagon it takes days to unscramble a received
broadcast such as Betsy receives! It requires experts--"

"Huh!" said Sergeant Bellews. He picked up the two machines. "Don't get
me started about the kinda guys that wangle headquarters-company jobs!
They got a special talent for fallin' soft. But they haven't necessarily
got anything else!"

* * * * *

Lecky followed Sergeant Bellews as the sergeant picked up his new
combination of devices and headed out of the Rehab Shop. Outside, in the
sunshine, there were roarings to be heard. Lecky looked up. A formation
of jets swam into view against the sky. A tiny speck, trailing a
monstrous plume of smoke, shot upward from the jet-field. The formation
tightened.

The ascending jet jiggled as if in pure exuberance as it swooped
upward--but the jiggle was beautifully designed to throw standard
automatic gunsights off.

A plane peeled off from the formation and dived at the ascending ship.
There was a curious alteration in the thunder of motors. The
rate-of-rise of the climbing jet dwindled almost to zero. Sparks shot
out before it. They made a cone the diving ship could not avoid. It sped
through them and then went as if disappointedly to a lower level. It
stood by to watch the rest of the dog-fight.

"Nice!" said Sergeant Bellews appreciatively. "That's a Mahon jet all by
itself, training