"'Just a minute, sir,' the nearer one said. 'Sorry I didn't recognize you. That bright sunlight at your back….'
"He hurried to unlock the gate.
"As I entered, he said, 'The sign-in sheet's in the first building, sir.'
"'Take me there.'
"I followed him inside and glanced at the form he placed on a desk before me. For a moment, I was tempted to sign Swensen's name. But I didn't want to get the man in trouble just to be cute. I touched the pen to the form and handed it back to the guard.
"'There, I signed it,' I told him. 'You saw me do it.'
"'Yes, sir,' he replied. 'Thank you. What is it you would like to inspect, sir?'
"'The plutonium storage place,' I said. 'Take me there.'
"'Right this way, sir.'
"He opened the door for me, followed me outside and led me to another, similar looking green shack. Two other guards passed near, casting curious glances our way. They must have assumed everything was in order since I was escorted, and they continued past us. I called them over, though.
"'This is a special inspection,' I told them. 'We need you to accompany us into the plutonium sector.'
"They followed me into the building, where the first guard led me back to a rack which held a number of small gray containers. He stopped before it and looked at it.
"'That's the stuff?' I asked him.
"'Yes, sir,' he replied.
"I studied them long and hard — size, texture, shape. Finally, I reached out and hefted one, held it a moment, replaced it. I wiped it carefully with my handkerchief then and nodded.
"'Everything is in order,' I announced. 'Let's go back outside.'
"We departed the building and I halted to study it and its position in relation to the other buildings.
"'Good,' I stated. 'The inspection is finished. You men are doing a fine job. I am going to sign out now and then I am going to leave.'
"I returned to the first building where I repeated my sign-in procedure. Then I had all of them accompany me to the gate.
"'This inspection was so secret,' I told them, 'that you are going to forget it occurred. As soon as that gate closes behind me I will begin walking. As soon as I am out of sight you will forget that you ever saw me. This inspection will not have happened. Open the gate.'
"They swung it wide before me and I stepped through and headed back to the Lodge. I picked up some magazines, went back to the room and read them while Rudo slept.
"At a little after six, I roused him and suggested he get ready for dinner. He did that, and Swensen proved punctual. We had an enjoyable meal, Swensen having a collection of jokes I hadn't heard, which kept me chuckling through dessert.
"Over coffee, he said, 'I guess you'll be about your business soon. Good luck.'
"'It is finished,' I said. 'I know what I need to know now. Thanks.'
"He stared at me. 'How could you have?' he asked.
"'It was easier than you might think. We'll be leaving in the morning.'
"He shook his head.
"'I'm not sure whether to believe you,' he said.
"I smiled.
"'It doesn't matter,' I said. 'Doesn't matter at all.'
"We departed the following morning, making it back to La Fonda in time for lunch. I'd explained to Rudo that I had to know the appearance and physical location of something in order to teleport it, and that I had succeeded in zeroing in on the plutonium in this fashion. Now the only thing that I needed was the ability to teleport. Not to the minimal extent I'd possessed it that day I'd walked into his office holding my water, but a bit more heavy-duty and longer-range — a thing I had had experience with in the past. Rudo seemed confident this could be achieved with another bout of dauerschlaf. After all, he had a perfect batting average — with Bogie, and this time around with my appearance and the hypnotic persuasive ability. So I told him to make me a teleporter, and he said 'No problem.' and we repaired to our room after dinner.
"Only one thing seemed slightly strange that afternoon. When Rudo opened a drawer to get out his medical kit with the dauerschlaf drugs, I caught a glimpse of a large photo lying beside it. I would have sworn it was a picture of Klaus Fuchs.
"And so, I stretched out on the bed, as he directed, and he administered the first of the drugs. As the world began to swim away, I realized that I was happy. Rudo began speaking to me softly. His voice was a distant thing…
"This one was different. There was the long dark time I always know. But it seemed that at some point I awoke briefly, did something, and went back to sleep again, visions of the gray containers dancing momentarily behind my eyes.
"When the real awakening occurred it was more than a little traumatic. Someone had hold of my shoulder and was shaking me, shouting at me.
"'Wake up, you bastard! You're under arrest!' a large, uniformed individual was calling, as I tried to focus my eyes.
"I groaned, then, 'Awright! Awright!' I said. 'What's going on?'
"I was dragged to my feet, supported there, still trying to throw off the effects of my long sleep. I saw another cop then — much shorter, mustached — over by the dresser. He was holding one of the gray containers from the DP Site. Another still rested on the dresser.
"'… The stuff is even labeled as property of the Lab,' he was saying.
"'Get dressed, Fuchs — or is it Crenson?' the larger one said. 'That the name you're using this time? And if you so much as breathe a suspicious breath I might get very nervous.' He patted his sidearm.
"'I'll hold my breath,' I said, patting my pants as I donned them, to be sure the wallet was still there, if Rudo hadn't run off with the money. I'd had a lot in it, and I wanted it near.
"'Why are you arresting me?' I asked.
"'If you don't know that you're stupider than you look,' the big one answered.
"'Tell me anyhow,' I said. 'Okay? Who said I did whatever I'm supposed to have done?'
"He shrugged.
"'We had a telephone tip that you were here. He didn't give his name. We're just going to hold you for the feds. They'll be up from Albuquerque in the morning to pick you up.'
"It was dark outside the window. I could hear a car passing on the street below. They let me put on my socks and shoes before they handcuffed me. I tried to figure what might have happened. All I could see was that Rudo had set me up. He'd kept his hypnotic control — maybe by means of post-hypnotic suggestion — when I'd come out of dauerschlaf. Then he'd told me to teleport the plutonium containers here, as he knew I'd planned, and I'd done it. Then he'd put me back to sleep, leaving the evidence in plain sight, had cleared out, had made that phone call. The only thing I couldn't see in it was why? But if I needed any evidence of such intent — or of his twisted sense of humor — I got it as the cops hustled me out. I caught a glimpse of myself in the dresser's mirror as I passed by. I was a dead ringer for the man in the photograph, Klaus Fuchs. Security is everybody's business….
"They drove me over, though the station was only two blocks away. There, I surrendered my wallet, which they said they'd keep safe for me. I was able to determine on handing it over that my money was still in it. I hoped it would stay there. I was conducted back to a cell then and locked up. I might have made a break on the way over, or even there in the station before they locked me up. But I was still disorganized, and I wanted a little time to think.
"So all I did was watch which key it was on his chain that my jailer used to lock my cell. As he turned away, I already had hold of it with my mind. I teleported it into my right hand and put it in my pocket. I went and sat down on my bunk. I'd been in better jails and I'd been in worse. At least I knew where this one was located in relationship to everything else in the area, from my walk the other night. There was no point in escaping unless you knew where you were going and what you were going to do.