I hoped the scream was a good one. Honest, it almost scared me. Poor George and Harry: I had killed them off quick enough. Now I had to invent new characters. For a brief moment I wondered what had happened to Clair and Gramps, but then I pushed them out of my mind. I couldn't afford to think of that now.
I let six minutes pass. It was agonizing, but I did it. Then I did my best to invent two new voices.
"So, here's the spot, Mike. Funny, I don't see them."
Mike had a high, squeaky voice. "Hah-hah, don't worry, chief. They'll be around."
"I don't find your humor amusing. So—Mike. Mike! Look...."
I let my voice trail off. If this wasn't so damned serious, it could have been amusing. I was really living the part.
Mike said: "God, chief, both of 'em. Shrivelled up like that, burned to a crisp. Chief—"
"What can you do? I told them not to play games with it until I came, and they just didn't know how to work the damper. Fools, they could have killed us all. Well, suppose we take care of those people in the domes."
"You mean like this, chief?"
"Certainly, like this. No one asked them to butt in here."