Railton's face turned white. "Well—" He made futile noises deep in his throat. "Well, you may be right. Because, well—if Garth has discovered atomic power—it—it doesn't mean much to him. He isn't interested in it. He isn't working on it. He's working on something else, something bigger, and atomic power is just one of the little things he needs to reach the goal he wants...."
Railton's voice trailed off. He was a slickie, a smoothie. He knew all about electricity, and the power industry. He knew all about uranium 235, and why it wouldn't work. He knew what atomic power would do to the power industry. He was wondering if Garth was crazy. Or what was Garth trying to do? What purpose was so vast that atomic power was only incidental to it?
There was silence in the room. The clamor of traffic outside did not penetrate here. The only sound was the soft whisper of a fan pushing cool air through the conditioning apparatus.
Tompkins cleared his throat. "Thank you. You may go."
"You mean—that's all?"
"That's all."
"But what do you think?"
Tompkins stirred restlessly. "I don't know what to think."
Railton left.
Tompkins sat without moving. Garth, Lee Garth. Atomic power. He didn't dare take a chance. Too much was at stake. He had to know. He picked up the phone. His secretary got the connection for him.