Weldon nodded. "He does, naturally. But he's under a parallel
disadvantage there--he can't be certain what the traps are. You don't
realize yet how elaborate our precautionary measures have been." Weldon
indicated the small door in the wall beyond Dr. Lowry. "The reason I
use only that private conduit to come here is that I haven't stepped
off a security island for almost three years! The same has been true
of anyone else who had information we had to keep from the rogue ...
including incidentally Mr. Green, whose occasional 'public appearances'
during this critical period have been elaborately staged fakes. We
communicate only by viewphone; in fact, none of us even knows just
where the others are. There is almost no chance that he can do more
than guess at the exact nature of our plans."
"And with all that," Lowry said slowly, "you expect he will still go
ahead and make a bid for the projector?"
"He will because he must!" Weldon said. "His only alternative
would be to destroy this security island with everything on it at
the last moment. And that is very unlikely. The rogue's actions
show that in spite of his current troubles with us he has a vast
contempt for ordinary human beings. Without that feeling, he would
never have permitted the diex projector to be completed. So he will
come for it--very warily, taking every precaution, but confident of
out-maneuvering us at the end."