nyhow."

"But you just said--"

Malone picked up the phone, got Long Distance and motioned Boyd to
silence in one sweeping series of moves. The Long Distance Operator
said: "Yes, sir? May we help you?"

"Give me Operator Nine," Malone said.

There was a buzz, a click and a new voice which said: "Operator Ni-yun.
May we help you?"

"All nine of you?" Malone muttered. "Never mind. This is Kenneth Malone.
I've got a call from Dr. Thomas O'Connor at Yucca Flats. Please connect
me."

There was another buzz, a click and an ungodly howl which was followed
by the voice of Operator Ni-yun saying: "We are connecting you. There
will be a slight delay. We are sor-ree."

Malone waited. At last there was another small howl, and the screen lit
up. Dr. O'Connor's face, as stern and ascetic as ever, stared through at
Malone.

"I understand you called me," Malone said.

"Ah, yes," Dr. O'Connor said. "It's very good to see you again, Mr.
Malone." He gave Malone a smile good for exchange at your corner
grocery: worth, one icicle.

"It's good to see you, too," Malone lied.

"Mr. Burris explained to me what it was that you wanted to talk to me
about," O'Connor said. "Am I to understand that you have actually found
a teleport?"

"Unless my theories are away off," Malone said, "I've done a lot better
than that. I've found eight of them."

"Eight!" Dr. O'Connor's smile grew perceptibly warmed. It now stood at
about thirty-four degrees Fahrenheit. "That is really excellent, Mr.
Malone. You have done a fine job."

"Thanks," Malone muttered. He wished that O'Connor didn't make him feel
quite so much like a first-year law student talking to an egomaniacal
professor.

"When can you deliver them?" O'Connor said.

"Well," Malone said carefully, "that depends." O'Connor seemed to view
the teleports as pieces of equipment, he thought. "I can't deliver them
until I catch them," he said. "And that's why I wanted to talk to you."

"Some slight delay," Dr. O'Connor said, "will be quite understandable."
His face left no doubt that he didn't like the necessity of
understanding anything that was going to keep him and the eight
teleports apart for even thirty seconds longer, now that he knew about
them.

"You see," Malone said, "they're kids. Juvenile delinquents, or
something like that. But they are teleports, that's for sure."

"I see," Dr. O'Connor said.

"So we've got to nab them," Malone said. "And for that I need all the
infor