ike his working
super mech. Waide and Myham, the first tall and once-handsome, and the
latter, bony and scarred, were both paralytics.

Duggan's share of the attendants' salary amounted to another fifty
dollars monthly. He was not growing too wealthy!

"And how do you like it after three weeks, Al?" Rusche demanded from
where he balanced on the cushioned sleeping plate.

Duggan stretched cramped limbs and turned his sightless face toward
Rusche's voice.

"Seems good to be working again, Ted," he said.

"This's your last day with us, Al. Orders from Short. He's transferring
you. Office work I guess, or maybe he's making you a foreman."

Rusche's voice was curious.

"He musta found out something about you, Al. S'funny but you look awful
familiar to me too. And you know more about tunnels than you let on. How
about leveling with a guy?"

"Not now." Duggan was thinking of the other listening men. "After we've
cleaned-up and eaten. See you in the park outside the hostel."

"Right."

Duggan's thoughts were muddled. Fingerprints probably; at every super
mech hostel all guests were printed and taped, and possibly through his
similar name. Short must have been suspicious from the first. And if he
had come to the hostel to see Duggan's mentrol-hooded face, while Duggan
worked, his identification must have been sure.

Short knew that he was Merle Duggan, and before too long Janith, and all
his friends--if he had any left now--would know he had been in hiding
here.

He hurried to eat and get ready for another period under the mentrol's
hooded probes.

Less than half an hour later he strode out of the hostel, his super mech
gleaming and clean and his jacket and shorts newly pressed. He met
Rusche in the park and they headed for the lift to the upper level.

En route to the 10th Level he explained.

"I thought you looked like somebody I should know." Rusche scrubbed at
his pseudo beard's coarseness. "Accident left you sort of psychoed, huh?
So you was scared of the levels? Had to try coming back with a false
name?"

Duggan gulped. It made a believable sort of yarn. He hadn't taken time
to concoct a story.... Why not?

"Something like that. I guess I was badly shook, Ted."

"So now you go back to being engineer at a thousand or so, and I'm still
a rock hog." Rusche shrugged. "Less headaches anyhow."

They stepped off the lift at the 10th Level and took the high speed
strip toward the business section. Duggan h