"I know. It's not near my friends."
"Write an application for a change. If there are no further questions—"
"Question!" Harvey was on his feet. "What's this you said about oxygen packs?"
"I said they'd be issued at the main door. Anything else?"
"Why—why do we need oxygen packs?"
"To breathe," Carsing said sourly. "I should think that would be obvious."
"You mean ..." Harvey's heart pounded. "You mean there's no oxygen out there?"
"The oxygen content of our atmosphere is seven percent," Carsing said, his voice falling to a weary monotone. "Seven percent is equivalent to the oxygen content you find when you travel 27,000 feet above Earth. You know you can't exist at 27,000 feet unless you have an artificial supply of oxygen. Very well. The same condition applies here—on the ground. You will wear your oxygen packs at all times. The only exception is this building. We have oxygen pumped into it."
"What's this all about?" shouted Red Brace. "Are you kidding us or something?"
Carsing's mouth formed a crumpled smile. "If you think I'm joking you can take a walk outside and see." He turned his eyes away from Brace. "The packs are small and light. The outlet cup covers only the nose. There is no interference with speech. You can thank Colonel Baker for sponsoring the research that produced these lightweight packs."