n and women, waiting to
catch a glimpse of two of the greatest things the country had heard of
in the century--Arcot's molecular motion machine and the Air Pirate!

The landing was made safely in the circle of Air Guardsmen. There was a
small hospital plane standing beside it in a moment, and as Arcot's ship
released it, and then hung motionless, soundless above it, the people
watched it in wonder and excitement. They wanted to see Arcot perform;
they clamored to see the wonderful powers of this ship in operation. Air
Guardsmen who had witnessed the flying game of tag between these two
super-air machines had told of it through the press and over the radio.

* * * * *

Two weeks later, Arcot stepped into the office of Mr. Morey, senior.

"Busy?"

"Come on in; you know I'm busy--but not _too_ busy for you. What's on
your mind?"

"Wade--the pirate."

"Oh--hmm. I saw the reports on his lab out on the Rockies, and also the
psychomedical reports on him. And most particularly, I saw the request
for his employment you sent through channels. What's your opinion on
him? You talked with him."

Arcot frowned slightly. "When I talked to him he was still two different
identities dancing around in one body. Dr. Ridgely says the problem's
settling down; I believe him. Ridgely's no more of a fool in his line
than you and Dad are in your own lines, and Ridgely's business is
healing mental wounds. We agreed some while back that the Pirate must be
insane, even before we met him.

"We also agreed that he had a tremendously competent and creative mind.
As a personality in civilization, he'd evidently slipped several cogs.
Ridgely says that is reparable.

"You know, Newton was off the beam for about two years. Faraday was in a
complete breakdown for nearly five years--and after his breakdown, came
back to do some monumental work.

"And those men didn't have the help of modern psychomedical techniques.

"I think we'd be grade A fools ourselves to pass up the chance to get
Wade's help. The man--insane or not--figured out a way of stabilizing
and storing atomic hydrogen for his rockets. If he could do that in the
shape he was then in...!

"I'd say we'd be smart to keep the competition in the family."

Mr. Morey leaned back in his chair and smiled up at Arcot. "You've got a
good case there. I'll buy it. When Dr. Ridgely says Wade's got those
slipped cogs replaced--offer him a job in your lab staff.