Nothing happened.
“All right— do something,” Collins said, feeling definitely let down. The Utilizer only continued to hum softly.
Well, he could always pawn it. Honest Charlie would give him at least a dollar for the metal. He tried to lift the Utilizer. It wouldn’t lift. He tried again, exerting all his strength, and succeeded in raising one corner an inch from the floor. He released it and sat down on the bed, breathing heavily.
“You should have sent a couple of men to help me,” Collins told the Utilizer. Immediately, the hum grew louder and the machine started to vibrate.
Collins watched, but still nothing happened. On a hunch, he reached out and stabbed the red button.
Immediately, two bulky men appeared, dressed in rough work-clothes. They looked at the Utilizer appraisingly. One of them said, “Thank God, it’s the small model. The big ones is brutes to get a grip on.”
The other man said, “It beats the marble quarry, don’t it?”
They looked at Collins, who stared back. Finally the first man said, “Okay, Mac, we ain’t got all day. Where you want it?”
“Who are you?” Collins managed to croak.
“The moving men. Do we look like the Vanizaggi Sisters?”