"H. Beam Piper - Day of the Moron" - читать интересную книгу автора (Piper H Beam)

"Well, our man Koffler says you have some girl there to give the tests," Crandall accused.

"I suppose he means Dr. Rives," Melroy replied. "I can assure you, she is an extremely competent
psychologist, however. She came to me most highly recommended by Dr. Karl von Heydenreich, who is
not inclined to be careless with his recommendations."

"Well, Mr. Melroy, we don't want any more trouble with you than we have to have," Crandall told him,
"but we will insist on reviewing any dismissals which occur as a result of these tests."

"You can do that. I'd advise, first, that you read over the contract you signed with me. Get a qualified
lawyer to tell you what we've agreed to and what we haven't. Was there anything else you wanted to talk
about?... No?... Then good morning, Mr. Crandall."

He hung up. "All right; let's get on with it," he said. "Ben, you get them into the lunch room; there are
enough tables and benches in there for everybody to take the written test in two relays."

"The union's gotta be represented while these tests is going on," the union steward announced. "Mr.
Crandall says I'm to stay here an' watch what you do to these guys."

"This man working for us?" Melroy asked Puryear.

"Yes. Koffler, Julius. Electrical fitter; Joe Ricci's gang."

"All right. See to it that he gets placed in the first relay for the written test, and gets first turn for the orals.
That way he can spend the rest of his time on duty here for the union, and will know in advance what the
test is like." He turned to Koffler. "But understand this. You keep your mouth out of it. If you see
anything that looks objectionable, make a note of it, but don't try to interfere."

The written tests, done on printed forms, required about twenty minutes. Melroy watched the process of
oral testing and personal interviewing for a while, then picked up a big flashlight and dropped it into his
overcoat pocket, preparatory to going out to inspect some equipment that had been assembled outside
the reactor area and brought in. As he went out, Koffler was straddling a chair, glowering at Doris Rives
and making occasional ostentatious notes on a pad.




For about an hour, he poked around the newly assembled apparatus, checking the wiring, and peering
into it. When he returned to the temporary office, the oral testing was still going on; Koffler was still on
duty as watcher for the union, but the sport had evidently palled on him, for he was now studying a comic
book.

Melroy left the reactor area and returned to the office in the converted area. During the midafternoon,
somebody named Leighton called him from the Atomic Power Authority executive office, wanting to
know what was the trouble between him and the I.F.A.W. and saying that a protest against his alleged
high-handed and arbitrary conduct had been received from the union.

Melroy explained, at length. He finished: "You people have twenty Stuart tanks, and a couple of
thousand soldiers and cops and undercover-men, here, guarding against sabotage. Don't you realize that