"Watch them," Sean said softly, triumph in his voice.
Sean McKenna began to laugh, the deep waves of it pouring up out of his chest, filling the sullen air with its joy. There it was, he thought humbly, the weapon. Laughter!
The two Kraks stood impassive. Their dark eyes were quiet. They were unperturbed.
Sean stopped laughing. His bright green eyes were dull as he turned to Mike O'Hara.
"It doesn't work," he said. They were just words. There was no emotion in them. He might have been talking about the weather. "I was sure this was it. Laughter. David's sling against Goliath."
Then Sean McKenna shrugged. His voice was flippant now. His green eyes stared at Mike's dark ones unblinkingly. He wondered: Are my eyes as blank and dull as Mike's? He said:
"I could think of the worse places for mankind to die—" he swept his left arm encompassing the red sky and black city—"but not many." He laughed again. This time his voice was high-pitched, almost with a note of hysteria in it.
"You were right, Mike, we didn't have much chance against the Universe Champion."
"Wait!" Mike said urgently. "Look!"