Rodney snorted. “A preposterous ideal Captain, I don’t think I’m called on to put up with this.”
Lazarus stared coldly. “It was preposterous the first time, but-but it happened. The burnt child is likely to be skittish.”
“Just a moment, both of you,” ordered King. “Ralph, how about it? Could you have been taken in by a put-up job?”
Schultz thought about it, painfully. “I don’t think so.” He paused. “It’s rather difficult to say. I couldn’t tell from appearance of course, any more than our own Members could be picked out from a crowd of normal persons.”
“But you are a psychologist. Surely you could have detected indications of fraud, if there had been one.”
“I may be a psychologist, but I’m not a miracle man and I’m not telepathic. I wasn’t looking for fraud.” He grinned I sheepishly. “There was another factor. I was so excited over being home that I was not in the best emotional condition to note discrepancies, if there were any.”
“Then you aren’t sure?” -‘
“No. I am emotionally convinced that Miles Rodney is telling the truth-”
“Lam!”
“-and I believe that a few questions could clear the matter up. He claims to be one hundred and five years old. We can test that.”
“I see,” agreed King. “Hmm . . . you put the questions, Ralph?”
“Very well. You will permit, Miles Rodney?”
“Go ahead,” Rodney answered stiffly.
“You must have been about thirty years old when we left Earth, since we have been gone nearly seventy-five years, Earth time. Do you remember the event?”
“Quite clearly. I was a clerk in Novak Tower at the time, I in the offices of the Administrator.”
Slayton Ford had remained in the background throughout the discussion, and had done nothing to call attention to himself. At Rodney’s answer he sat up. “Just a moment, Captain-”
“Eh? Yes?”
“Perhaps I can cut this short. You’ll pardon me, Ralph?” He turned to Terra’s representative. “Who am I?”
Rodney looked at him in some puzzlement. His expression changed from one of simple surprise at the odd question to complete and unbelieving bewilderment. “Why, you . . . you are Administrator Ford!”
Chapter 7
“ONE AT A TIME! One at a time,” Captain King was saying. “Don’t everybody try to talk at once. Go on, Slayton; you have the floor. You know this man?” Ford looked Rodney over. “No, I can’t say that I do.”
“Then it is a frame up.” King turned to Rodney.”Suppose you recognized Ford from historical stereos-is that right?” –
Rodney seemed about to burst. “No! I recognized him. He’s changed but I knew him. Mr. Administrator-look at me, please! Don’t you know me? I worked for you!”
“It seems fairly obvious that he doesn’t,” King said dryly.
Ford shook his head. “It doesn’t prove anything, one way or the other, Captain. There were over two thousand civil service employes in my office. Rodney might have been one of them. His face looks vaguely familiar, but so do most faces.”
“Captain-” Master Gordon Hardy was speaking. “If I can question Miles Rodney I might be able to give an opinion as to whether or not they actually have discovered anything new about the causes of old age and death.”
Rodney shook his head. “I am not a biologist. You could trip me up in no time. Captain King, I ask you to arrange my return to Earth as quickly as possible. I’ll not be subjected to any more of this. And let me add that I do not care a minim whether you and your-your pretty crew ever get back to civilization or not. I came here to help you, but I’m disgusted.” He stood up.
Slayton Ford went toward him. “Easy, Miles Rodney, please! Be patient. Put yourself in their place. You would be just as cautious if you had been through what they have been through.”
Rodney hesitated. “Mr. Administrator, what are you doing here?”
“It’s a long and complicated story. I’ll tell you later.”
“You are a member of the Howard Families-you must be. That accounts for a lot of odd things.”
Ford shook his head. “No, Miles Rodney, I am not. Later, please-I’ll explain it. You -worked for me once-when?”