"Answer me, please. I'm worried."
"So am I. Something—"
"Tell me first, from what source does Venus Equilateral get its fresh air?"
"From the air plant. And that is—"
"There must be more than one," said Burbank thoughtfully.
"There's only one."
"There must be more than one. We couldn't live if there weren't," said the Director.
"Wishing won't make it so. There is only one."
"I tell you, there must be another. Why, I went into the one up at the axis day before yesterday and found that instead of a bunch of machinery, running smoothly, purifying air, and sending it out to the various parts of the station, all there was was a veritable jungle of weeds. Those weeds, Mr. Channing, looked as though they must have been put in there years ago. Now, where did the air-purifying machinery go?"
Channing listened to the latter half of Burbank's speech with his chin at half-mast. He looked as though a feather would knock him clear across the office.