Velikof lifted the top aluminum plate and set the sample on the laminated end of the electromagnet. With the top plate back in place, the sample could be seen through the coils of the glass spiral.
"Now!" said Velikof sharply. He thrust in a small switch on the instrument panel.
There came a faint sizzle of corona and the top circular plate showed a few leakage-spikes from some sharp edges. There was a general, but very gentle tugging at iron-containing items in the pockets; the sample moved a bit.
A meter moved swiftly up the scale towards a red line and as it reached the line, the coils of glass flared with blinding brilliance and a faint, metallic 'Ting!' rang from the equipment.
Velikof laughed. "I know best of all that we should not look at it," he said; "but even I cannot avoid it."
Mangler looked towards the ceiling. There was a spiral image that moved with his eyes, a scintillating retained impression that changed in color from flaming green to beautiful blue to blood red, then white, then blue, then green again. It faded slowly; it appeared in changing color behind the closed eyelids, it became bright again and died again and faded away to return. Looking at the sample, the retained color in the eye-image matched the equipment and registered with the glass spiral and made it look as though it were still glowing.
Velikof lifted the top plate and took the sample out with his bare hands. He handed it to Mangler and said: "Test it!"
It was dead.
Mangler looked at it, then looked at the equipment. "This I've got to inspect," he said in a low voice.