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Jack Ravenhurst took in the whole thing with wide-eyed interest.

“Is the brain activated, Mr. Midguard?” she asked.

“Oh, yes. We’ve been educating him for the past month, pumping information in as rapidly as he could record it and index it. He’s finished with that stage now; we’re just waiting for the selection of a test pilot for the final shakedown cruise.” He was looking warily at Jack as he spoke, as if he were waiting for something.

Evidently, he knew what was coming. “I’d like to talk to him,” Jack said. “It’s so interesting to carry on an intelligent conversation with a machine.”

“I’m afraid that’s impossible, Miss Ravenhurst,” Midguard said rather worriedly. “You see, McGuire’s primed so that the first man’s voice he hears will be identified as his master. It’s what we call the ‘chick reaction’. You know: the first moving thing a newly-hatched bird sees is regarded as the mother, and, once implanted, that order can’t be rescinded. We can change McGuire’s orientation in that respect, but we’d rather not have to go through that. After the test pilot establishes contact, you can talk to him all you want.”

“When will the test pilot be here?” Jack asked, still as sweet as sucrodyne.

“Within a few days. It looks as though a man named Nels Bjornsen will be our choice. You may have heard of him.”

“No,” she said, “but I’m sure your choice will be correct.”

Midguard still felt apologetic. “Well, you know how it is, Miss Ravenhurst; we can’t turn a delicate machine like this over to just anyone for the first trial. He has to be a man of good judgment and fast reflexes. He has to know exactly what to say and when to say it, if you follow me.”

“Oh, certainly; certainly.” She paused and looked thoughtful. “I presume you’ve taken precautions against anyone stealing in here and taking control of the ship.”

Midguard smiled and nodded wisely. “Certainly. Communication with McGuire can’t be established unless and until two keys are used in the activating panel. I carry one; Colonel Brock has the other. Neither of us will give his key up to anyone but the accredited test pilot. And McGuire himself will scream out an alarm if anyone tries to jimmy the locks. He’s his own burglar alarm.”

She nodded. “I see.” A pause. “Well, Mr. Midguard, I think you’ve done a very commendable job. Thank you so much. Is there anything else you feel I should see?”

“Well–” He was smilingly hesitant. “If there’s anything else you want to see, I’ll be glad to show it to you. But you’ve already seen our … ah … piece de resistance, so to speak.”

She glanced at her wrist. It had been over four hours since we’d started. “I am rather tired,” Jack said. “And hungry, too. Let’s call it a day and go get something to eat.”

“Fine! Fine!” Midguard said. “I’ll be honored to be your host, if I may. We could have a little something at my apartment.”

I knew perfectly well that he’d had a full lunch prepared and waiting.

The girl acknowledged his invitation and accepted it. Brock and I trailed along like the bodyguards we were supposed to be. I wondered whether or not Brock suspected me of being more than I appeared to be. If he didn’t, he was stupider than I thought; on the other hand, he could never be sure. I wasn’t worried about his finding out that I was a United Nations agent; that was a pretty remote chance. Brock didn’t even know the United Nations Government had a Secret Service; it was unlikely that he would suspect me of being an agent of a presumably nonexistent body.

But he could very easily suspect that I had been sent to check on him and the Thurston menace, and, if he had any sense, he actually did. I wasn’t going to give him any verification of that suspicion if I could help it.