llars' worth of power
breaking loose again," chortled Kendall. "We missed the atomic energy,
but, sweet boy, what an accumulator we stubbed our toes on! I wondered
where in blazes all that power went to. That's the answer. I'll bet I
can tell you right now what happened. We built that mercury up to a new
level, and that transitional stage was the red, crystalline metal. When
it reached the higher stage, it was temporarily stable--but that
projector over there that we designed for the purpose of holding open
electric and magnetic fields just opened the door and let all that power
right out again."

"But why isn't it atomic energy? How do you know that no more than your
power that you put in is coming out?" demanded Devin.

"The arc, man, the arc. That was a high-current, and low-voltage arc.
Couldn't you tell by the sound that no great voltage--as atomic voltages
go--was smashing across there? If we were getting atomic voltage--and
power--there'd have been a different tone to it, high and shriller.

"Now, did you take any readings?"

"What do you think, man? I'm human. Do you think I got any readings with
that thing bellowing and shrieking in my ears, and burning my skin with
ultra-violet? It itches now."

Kendall laughed. "You know what to do for an itch. Now, I'm going to
make a bet. We had those points separated for a half-million volts
discharge, but there was a dust-cover thrown over them just now. That,
you notice, is missing. I'll bet that served as a starter lead for the
main arc. Now I'm going to start that projector thing again, and move
the points there through about six inches, and that thing probably won't
start itself."

* * * * *

Most of the laboratory staff had collected at the doorway, looking in at
the white-hot tungsten discharge points, and the now silent "atomic
engine." Kendall turned to them and said: "The flop picked itself up.
You go on back, we seem to be all in one piece yet. Douglass, you didn't
get any readings, did you?"

Sheepishly, Douglass grinned at him. "Eh--er--no--but I tore my pants.
The magnetic field grabbed me and I jumped. They had some steel buttons,
and a lot of steel keys--they're kinda' hard to keep on now."

The laboratory staff broke into a roar of laughter, as Douglass, holding
up his trousers with both hands was beheld.

"I guess the field worked," he said.

"I guess maybe it did," adjudged Kendall solemnly. "We have some rope