One of the two shrugged.
The Boss said, “You can, ah, hedge your bets, by co-operating with us. It might make the difference between a year or two in prison—and life.”
One of them grinned and then yawned. “I doubt it,” he said.
The Boss tried a slightly different tack. “You have no reason to maintain a feeling of obligation to Voss and the others. You have obviously been abandoned. Had they any feeling for you there would have been more efficacious arrangements for your escape.”
The more articulate of the two shrugged again. “We were expendable,” he said. “However, it won't be long before we're free again.”
“You think so?” Ruthenberg grunted.
The revolutionist looked at him. “Yes, I do,” he said. “Six months from now and we'll be heroes since by that time the Movement will have been a success.”
The Boss snorted. “Just because you deranged the Records? Why that's but temporary.”
“Not so temporary as you think,” the technician replied. “This country has allowed itself to get deeply enmeshed in punch-card and tape records. Oh, it made sense enough. With the population we have, and the endless files that result from our ultra-complicated society, it was simply a matter finally of developing a standardized system of records for the nation as a whole. Now, for all practical purposes, all of our records these days are kept with the Department of Records, confidential as well as public records. Why should a university, for instance, keep literally tons of files, with all the expense and space and time involved, when it can merely file the same records with the governmental department and have them safe and easily available at any time? Now, the Movement has completely and irrevocably destroyed almost all files that deal with the social-labels to which we object. An excellent first step, in forcing our country back into judgment based on ability and intelligence.”
“First step!” Larry blurted.