* * * * *
"Looking for something?" asked Don. Arden turned from the window and
faced him.
"I was trying to see Niagara Falls," she smiled. "I've heard that you
could see 'em from Buffalo."
"What do you want to see Niagara Falls for, anyway? Just a lot of water
falling over a cliff at two pints to the quart."
"If you recall, chum, we went to Mars, not Niagara. There wasn't two
pints of water on the whole planet, let alone a thing like Niagara."
Don nodded. "At the risk of offending a lot of Buffalonians, I'm
beginning to dislike the place."
"It isn't the people," said Arden. "It's the position we're in. Bad,
huh?"
"Not going too good at all. Kingman slips in a sly dig every now and
then. Frankly, I am getting worried. He's got a few points that really
hit close to home. If he can sell the judge on a couple more of them,
we'll be under the sod."
"You won't be out entirely, will you?"
"Not entirely. He'll have to use the beams of Venus Equilateral to
operate, but he'll be collecting all the real gravy. We'll just be
leasing our beams to him."
"Well, don't go down without a fight, chum."
"I won't. I really hate to see Kingman get ahead of this, though."
Don stretched, took another look out across the city of Buffalo, and
then said: "We'd best be getting back. We'll be late.... He said ten
minutes."
They went down the staircase slowly, and at the courtroom door they met
Keg Johnson. The latter smiled wearily. "Not too good?"
"Nope."
"Don, if you lose, then what?"
"Appeal, I guess."
"That isn't too good. Judges do not reverse lower courts unless a real
miscarriage of justice takes place."
"I know, but that's our only chance."
"What would you advise me to do?"
"Meaning?" asked Don.
"Interplanet. We'll be run right out of business if this thing goes
over to Kingman and that bunch."
"I know."
"Look, Don, have you tried living matter?"
"Plants go through with no ill effects. Microscopic life does, too.
Animals we have tried died because of internal disorders--they move
while being scanned, and their bodies come out looking rather ugly. An
anaesthetized mouse went through all right--lived for several hours.
Died because the breathing-function made a microscopic rift in the
lungs, and the beating heart didn't quite meet true. We must speed up
the scanning-time to a matter of microseconds and then we can send
living bodies with no harm."
"That would clean out the space lines," said Keg. "I think I'll offer
that bird a slice of Interplanet for an interest if he wins. We've got
to have it, Don."
"I know, Keg. No hard feelings."
"Of course," said Keg wistfully. "We'll be across a barrel if you win,
too. But the barrel will be less painful with you holding the handles
than if Terran Electric holds them. The same offer goes for you, too."
"O.K.," nodded Channing. He turned and entered the courtroom.
Tinken called Don Channing to the stand as his first witness. Don
explained the function of Venus Equilateral, the job of interplanetary
communications, and their work along other lines of endeavor. Then
Tinken said to the judge:
"I have here a glass cube, three inches on a side. This cube was
transmitted from Venus Equilateral to the Lunar Station. I offer it as
exhibit A. It was a test-sample, and as you see, it emerged from the
test absolutely perfect."
The judge took the cube, examined it with some interest, and then set
it down on the desk.
"Now," said Tinken, "if you do not object, I should like to present a
demonstration of the matter transmitter. May I?"