Graham walked to his desk and picked up the two headbands.

"They're a little rough-looking, sir," he apologized. "But they work."

Bond tossed his head back with a little laugh. "They do look a little
rugged, don't they?" he chuckled. "Well, we'll worry about appearance
later. Right now, I'm curious. I want to see what these things do."

Graham handed over one of the bands and slowly adjusted the other to his
head. For a moment, he looked searchingly at the sector leader, then his
face relaxed into a relieved expression.

"_Hear me?_"

Bond had been examining the device in his hands. He looked up, puzzled.

"Of course I hear you," he said. "I'm not deaf."

Graham smiled a little, then placed a hand tightly over his mouth.

"_Still get me?_"

Bond cocked his head to one side, looked down at the device in his
hands, then looked up again. "Well," he commented. "So that's the way
they work. I thought you spoke."

Graham shook his head. "_Didn't have to. Try it on._"

Bond shrugged. "Well, here we go." He pulled off his cap, tossed it to a
chair, and replaced it with the headband. For a moment, he looked around
the apartment, then he glanced at Mrs. Graham. He blinked, ducked his
head, and looked more closely at her.

"_Ow! Nobody could be as bad as that!_" He looked at Graham. "_What do
you think?_"

"_There's one outside._" Graham inclined his head a little.

Elaine Graham sprang to her feet. "I'm terribly sorry," she apologized
contritely. "It's just that I--"

Bond took off the headband abruptly. "I'm sorry, too," he said. "I was
prying." He looked down at the device. "I'm not too sure about this
thing," he added. "It works. I can see that much. But I'm almost afraid
it works too well. What's it going to cause?"

Graham pulled off his own headband and extended his hand for the other.
"I'm not sure," he admitted. "I'm not sure of anything at all." He
frowned. "Wish I hadn't--" He looked at the sector leader quickly.

"I'm sorry, sir," he apologized. "Forgot my training, I guess."

Bond waved a hand. "Look," he said, "there are times, and there are
places. Right now, I'm in your home, and I'm just as worried about this
as you are. I'm just another person." He looked down at his neat
uniform.

"Once," he mused, "we were all just people. Now--" He shrugged. "And
then, these things come along." He looked at the two headbands, then at
the man holding them.

"Wonder how many people feel like that?"