“I imagine I’m supposed to be pleased,” said Montgomery sarcastically. “I want back what I had before. I may have been a four-flusher, but at least I got along and did a job. You took away that ability. You’ve got to give it back!”
Wolfe was shaking his head very slowly and smiling faintly. “There’s a fundamental principle inherent in the Mirror,” he said. "It holds up an image, but it does not force you to look. You see nothing but what you are willing to see. There is only one answer for you now: go back and look again and ask yourself why you had to be content with the character of a phony big shot instead of being a productive individual in your own right.”
Montgomery knew that unaccountably he was going to do it. He must have known the moment he decided to come back. The Mirror was hypnotic — or narcotic — in its effect. He had to come groveling back and see if there was any answer to the question of his inability to be an engineer honestly without the false front of his uniform and R&D assignment.
Don Wolfe accompanied him back to the room. He saw that the damage of his burst of anger had been repaired. Wolfe made no mention of it.
“I’m going to wait for you in my office. Will you come over when you’re through?”
Montgomery nodded mechanically, as if in a daze. His hands were trembling faintly as he sat down and put on the headpiece. Like a hophead, he thought. You hate the stuff and can’t leave it alone. How can I ever get away from this thing now?
Wolfe observed him for a moment with a slightly worried frown. “I can turn down the fear-level control a bit, if you want me to,” he said. “Since your own acceptance point is so high, it might be easier on you —”
Montgomery waved him away. “Leave it alone. I want to know what goes on — I’ve got to find out.”
He settled back and closed his eyes as Wolfe closed the door behind him. A feeling of peace and serenity began to flow through him and he knew he should have stayed that morning without breaking off in anger as he had done. He should have seen it through then.
It was strange, though, that he could regard himself almost happily now, recognizing full well the phoniness that had adorned his entire career. After the initial panicky confusion it seemed almost a relief to feel it being stripped away. It was a relief — and now he saw why.