Transcriber's Note:
This etext was produced from If Worlds of Science Fiction November 1954. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.
THE VERY SECRET AGENT
BY MARI WOLF
Illustrated by Ed Emsh
Poor Riuku!... Not being a member of the human race, howwas he supposed to understand what goes on in a woman's mindwhen the male of the same species didn't even know?
n their ship just beyond the orbit of Mars the two aliens sat lookingat each other.
"No," Riuku said. "I haven't had any luck. And I can tell you rightnow that I'm not going to have any, and no one else is going to haveany either. The Earthmen are too well shielded."
"You contacted the factory?" Nagor asked.
"Easily. It's the right one. The parking lot attendant knows there's anew weapon being produced in there. The waitress at the Jumbo BurgerGrill across the street knows it. Everybody I reached knows it. Butnot one knows anything about what it is."
Nagor looked out through the ports of the spaceship, which didn't inthe least resemble an Earth spaceship, any more than what Nagorconsidered sight resembled the corresponding Earth sense perception.He frowned.
"What about the research scientists? We know who some of them are. Thesupervisors? The technicians?"
"No," Riuku said flatly. "They're shielded. Perfectly I can't makecontact with a single mind down there that has the faintest inkling ofwhat's going on. We never should have let them develop the shield."
"Have you tried contacting everyone? What about the workers?"
"Shielded. All ten thousand of them. Of course I haven't checked allof them yet, but—"
"Do it," Nagor said grimly. "We've got to find out what that weaponis. Or else get out of this solar system."
Riuku sighed. "I'll try," he said.
omeone put another dollar in the juke box, and the theremins startedin on Mare Indrium Mary for the tenth time since Pete Ganley had comeinto the bar. "Aw shut up," he said, wishing there was some way toturn them off. Twelve-ten. Alice got off work at Houston's at twelve.She ought to be here by now. She would be, if it weren't Thursday.Shield boosting night for her.
Why, he asked himself irritably, couldn't those scientists figure outsome way to keep the shields up longer than a week? Or else why didn'tthey have boosting night the same for all departments? He had to staylate every Friday and Alice every Thursday, and all the time there wasSusan at home ready to jump him if he wasn't in at a reasonabletime....
"Surprised, Pete?" Alice Hendricks said at his elbow.
He swung about, grinned at her. "Am I? You said it. And here I wasabout to go. I never thought you'd make it before one." His grin fadeda little. "How'd you do it? Sweet-talk one of the guards into lettingyou in at the head of the line?"
She shook her banda