ou cannot have any
real idea of conditions up there. It has become difficult for any moving
object to survive for long. There are many kinds of projectiles
sensitive to movement. The new mine not only reacts to motion, but
continues to pursue the object indefinitely, until it finally reaches
it. And the radiation is everywhere."

"I see." Franks turned to Moss, his eyes narrowed oddly. "Well, that was
what I wanted to know. You may go."

The machine moved back toward its exit. It paused. "Each month the
amount of lethal particles in the atmosphere increases. The tempo of the
war is gradually--"

"I understand." Franks rose. He held out his hand and Moss passed him
the package. "One thing before you leave. I want you to examine a new
type of metal shield material. I'll pass you a sample with the tong."

Franks put the package in the toothed grip and revolved the tong so that
he held the other end. The package swung down to the leady, which took
it. They watched it unwrap the package and take the metal plate in its
hands. The leady turned the metal over and over.

Suddenly it became rigid.

"All right," Franks said.

He put his shoulder against the wall and a section slid aside. Taylor
gasped--Franks and Moss were hurrying up to the leady!

"Good God!" Taylor said. "But it's radioactive!"

* * * * *

The leady stood unmoving, still holding the metal. Soldiers appeared in
the chamber. They surrounded the leady and ran a counter across it
carefully.

"Okay, sir," one of them said to Franks. "It's as cold as a long winter
evening."

"Good. I was sure, but I didn't want to take any chances."

"You see," Moss said to Taylor, "this leady isn't hot at all. Yet it
came directly from the surface, without even being bathed."

"But what does it mean?" Taylor asked blankly.

"It may be an accident," Franks said. "There's always the possibility
that a given object might escape being exposed above. But this is the
second time it's happened that we know of. There may be others."

"The second time?"

"The previous interview was when we noticed it. The leady was not hot.
It was cold, too, like this one."

Moss took back the metal plate from the leady's hands. He pressed the
surface carefully and returned it to the stiff, unprotesting fingers.

"We shorted it out with this, so we could get close enough for a
thorough check. It'll come back on in a second now. We had better get
behind