"You seem to be doing pretty well," he said. "We were thinking of looking in the lab for something to cut the latch with, but it might have been waste motion. They should be getting the power on any minute now."
"I think...." Lydman began.
"Oh, I guess we could find something in the lists," pursued Smith. "If you'd rather we look...?"
"I have several things we could use," said Lydman.
He walked into the office proper and looked about for a chair. Westervelt stepped back of the center desk and brought him the chair of the vacationing secretary. Lydman sat down beside the partition screening the active files opposite Simonetta's desk.
"In fact," continued the ex-space, "I got them out when I was trying to figure how much that door would stand. Then I decided that would only raise a commotion."
Westervelt watched him with growing interest. Now that he had the man at closer range, he was sure that it was a tremendous effort of will that kept Lydman so relatively calm. The man seemed to be seething underneath his tautly controlled exterior.
"What did you think of doing?" asked Smith carefully.
"Oh, I dug out a better gadget, one that would do me more good, anyhow," said Lydman. "It's a little rocket gun attached to a cannister of fine wire ladder."
"Wire ladder?" repeated Smith.