Page 46 - Three Adventures

Deflator Mouse

today is...” Lampson consulted his desk pad calendar.
“...polyunsaturated.”
“Right. Proceed, Captain Lampson.”
“You said you would play psychologist, look for some obsession or
motivational pattern. Well, I think I’ve got one for you. Nuclear
destruction.”
“What?”
“Listen. The cartoons, the poster, even the memo. What is he
trying to say? That this project is going to result in atomic warfare,
that’s what. But it isn’t, right?”
“Well, not in a strict sense. It’s supposed to follow a thermonuclear
exchange, not lead to one. So what? Everyone here knows that’s what
it’s for.”
“Exactly my point, Doctor. If Deflator Mouse has got it wrong,
that means he has an excessively strong fear of atomic bombs. Like
this is his thing, and he’s totally irrational about it.”
Beveledge was silent for a moment. “I hate to admit it, Jack, but
you’ve just made a very interesting observation—I mean, I wish I’d
made it myself, several days ago. What time is it? Four-fifteen.
Damn! Come down to my office and we’ll go through the personnel
records one more time; bring all that FBI material with you.
Something’s got to fall out of it.”

* * * * *

“Are there any more questions before we begin?” asked Beveledge,
lacing his fingers into a Cheshire cat’s cradle.
“Uh, yes, Director.” A boyish congressional aide bobbed out of his
seat, apple-faced. “I see in the brochure you gave us that a brief talk
on mechanical reliability factors vis-à-vis the environmental
constraints of nuclear winter would be presented by Dr. Ralph
Wolfe; but he appears to be absent.”
I’m ready for this one, you little twit, Oscar smirked internally.
“Oh, I should have mentioned that Dr. Wolfe had a personal
emergency this morning and wouldn’t be able to attend the
demonstration. If there are any specific issues you would like him to
address, please submit them in writing. Is that acceptable to you?”
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