He came in, rubbing his hands, and gave Dan a queer look. "Everything
under control, Dan?"
Dan nodded. He told Carl about Tyndall's proposition. Carl gave a wry
grin. "He hasn't changed a bit, has he?"
"Yes, he has. He's gotten lots stronger."
Carl scowled, and slapped the desk with his palm. "You should have
stopped him, Dan. I told you that a long time ago--back when I first
came in with you. He was aiming for your throat even then, trying to
use me and what I knew about Dad to sell the country a pack of lies
about you. He almost did, too. I hated your guts back then. I thought
you were the rottenest man that ever came up in politics, until you
got hold of me and pounded sense into my head. And Tyndall's never
forgiven you that, either."
"All right--we're still ahead of him. Have you just finished with the
ad-men?"
"Oh, no. I just got back from a trip south. My nose is still cold."
Dan's eyebrows went up. "And how was Dr. Aviado? I haven't seen a
report from Antarctica Project for five years."
"Yes you have. You just couldn't read them. Aviado is quite a
theoretician. That's how he got his money and his Project, down there,
with plenty of room to build his reflectors and nobody around to get
hurt if something goes wrong. Except a few penguins. And he's done a
real job of development down there since his rejuvenation."
"Ah." Dan glanced up hopefully.
"Now there," said Carl, "is a real lively project. Solar energy into
power on a utilitarian level. The man is fanatic, of course, but with
his plans he could actually be producing in another five years." He
lit a cigarette, drew on it as though it were bitter.
"Could?"
"Seems he's gotten sidetracked a bit," said Carl.