"Good. So as a witch-doctor you're tops in any jungle. But as a physicist, you don't know a gravitino from a vocal fricative."
"Meaning?"
"Meaning that before any judgment is cast, I shall have to see the evidence."
Hanson stood up. "So it's back to the laboratory site."
Maculay nodded, held out an arm which Ava took happily, and then he said: "And from the lab site to the stars, Doc."
Hanson grumbled: "Or total extinction."
Maculay did not hear him. He was looking down at Ava. "Doc," he said slowly, "you'd better come along. Snooky, here, needs to be slowed down to my level and you're the guy to do it."
Hanson did not tell Maculay that Ava's reconversion would take no longer than his own; the doctor wanted to be in at the end of this, good or bad. He merely nodded, then waited while Maculay made arrangements to fly to the laboratory site. His name worked wonders; an official plane was being warmed up by the time they left Larimore's office and headed towards the airport.
Redmond greeted them with a hearty smile. Only Hanson, who had every reason to doubt Redmond's happiness at Maculay's return, saw the falsity of the greeting. Redmond, of course, was on a spot; yet, the man was convinced of his own correct reasoning, and this justified his acts. Redmond's greeting was less hearty to Hanson; obviously Redmond would have preferred to deal with Maculay alone. Having the doctor there might be awkward, for Maculay might be talked into belief, whereas Hanson was more than likely to ignore the words and their import, and deal entirely upon whether the sayer of the words was lying or telling the truth.