he shirt-tie business
and said, "You're a trainee psi, aren't you? A prospective service
psi?"

"I'm afraid so. I wish I weren't. It's not a pleasant prospect."

"What do you mean?"

"Would you like to probe minds for a living? And it has its other
drawbacks. You can't live normally and you'll have very few friends.
Unfortunately no two psis are alike, which makes the job more
complicated. I'm un-normal, abnormal, subnormal or some other normal
they haven't prefixed yet."

"Any special talents?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Rather young," Lawrence mused. Then said, "Are you economically
stable?"

The young man hesitated, then said hastily, "Oh, yes, of course.
Economically, yes. Somewhat more stable than most, I think. I'm in
final training now. The legal phase comes last, you know."

"Then you're not committed yet? You've not taken the Oath of
Anterhine?"

"No. I won't until the training is done. Wish I didn't have to then."

"And your training?"

"Complete except for criminal psychology."

"Would you like to make a hundred thousand dollars?"

Black said, "Your firm bought out Black Controlled Atomics, remember?
That was my dad, and that was the end for him." He hesitated. "Let's
say I'm vaguely interested. What's your proposition?"

Lawrence was silent for a moment. At length he said, "Being a psi your
ultimate destiny is to aid in the development of the world whether you
like to look forward to it or not. But would you not like to see
desert areas developed through applied atomics as Mojave City, Sanup
Plateau City and Quijotoa City were?"

"Certainly," Black said quickly. "It's in my blood. The old man did
well at such developments; in fact, he started Quijotoa. Sometimes I
wish Standskill hadn't liquidated our estate, but my mother's will
made it mandatory."

"How much do you know about Standskill's techniques?"

"I'm a psi," Black said. "I can find out anything I want to know."

"Where _is_ Standskill?"

"Paris. His first vacation in years. Going to be away quite a while."

"Will you come to my office?"

"Why?"

"I'd like to discuss a business proposition."

"What's wrong with doing it over the visiphone?"

"This is confidential," Lawrence said.

"Something not exactly legal?" Black asked. "Big deal, eh? The Control
Board again--oh, oh! You'd better see Standskill!"

Lawrence felt uneasy. "Are you--are you reading my mind?" he
stammered.

"Sorry," the young man said, smiling faintly. "