Peterson - The Psilent Partner

He had never cast his consciousness so far before. Itfloated high above New York, perceiving in the noonday sky thethin, faint crescent of a waning moon. He wondered if one day hemight cast his mind even to the moon, knew with a mountingexultation that his powers were already great enough.

Yet he was as afraid to launch it on that awesome transit ashe still was to send it delving into the tight subway tunnels inthe rock of Manhattan. Phobias were too real now. Perhaps it wouldbe different later .

He was young, as a man, younger as a recognized developingpsi. As his consciousness floated there above the bustling city,exultant, free, it sensed that back where his body lay a bell wasringing. And the bell meant ithis consciousnessmust return now tothat body .

Dale V. Lawrence needed a lawyer urgently. Not that he hadn't ascore of legal minds at his disposal; a corporation president mustmaintain a sizable legal staff. You can't build an industrialempire without treading on people's toes. And you need lawyers whenyou tread.

He sat behind his massive mahogany desk, a stocky,slightly-balding, stern-looking man of middle age who waspsychosomatically creating another ulcer as he worried about thebusiness transaction which he could not handle personally becauseof the ulcer operation he was about to have. Neither the businesstransaction nor the operation could be delayed.

He needed a particularly clever lawyer, one not connected withthe corporation. Not that he had committed or that he contemplatedcommitting a crime. But the eyes of the law and the minds of thepsis of the government's Business Ethics Bureau were equally keen.Anyone in the business of commercially applied atomics wasautomatically and immediately investigated in any proposedtransaction as soon as BEB had knowledge thereof. There was stillthe fear that someone somewhere might attempt, secretly, to build awar weapon again.

Lawrence had an idea, a great, burning, impossible-to-discardidea. Lawrence Applied Atomics, Inc., had been his first greatideathe idea that had made him a multi-millionaire. But throughsome devious financing he had lost control of the corporation. Andalthough his ideas invariably realized millions, the other majorstockholders were becoming cautious about risking their profits.Overly cautious, he thought. And on this new idea he knew theywould never support him. They'd consider it a wild risk. He couldblame BEB with its psis for that. BEB was too inquisitive. Abusiness man just couldn't take a decent gamble any longer.

The real estate firm in Los Angeles was secretly securingoptions from individual landowners. Fortunately the firm employed apsi, one of the few known psis not in government service. Lawrencehad wondered why this psi was not working for the government, butdecided the 'why' didn't matter if there were positive results.

Lawrence knew a little about psis. He knew, of course, what wascommonly knownthat they possessed wide and very varied talents,that they were categorized as plain psis, psi-espers, esper-psis,telepaths and other things. They weren't numerous; the BusinessEthics Bureau which employed at least sixty percent of the knownpsis showed thirty on the payroll for this fiscal year.

Despite their rumored emotional instability, he knew that theywere clever and he would steer clear of them in the present stagesof his transaction. Although his idea wasn't unethical, the so farclosely kept secret would be out if BEB investigated. Then anybodycould cut in. BEB advertised whatever it did on its video show,"Your Developing Earth."

So, he needed a lawyer who could act for him personally, now,and steer his project clear of the government service psis. Butwhere to find a psis .

Of course! Bob Standskill! Standskill had helped him once yearsbefore when he had had that trouble with the Corporation StockControl Board over a doubtful issue of securities he had floated tobuild Mojave City out of desert wastes. Without Standskill'stechniques he never would have put that issue across. Standskillcould handle this if anyone could.

Lawrence reached to the visiphone, punched the button sequenceof Standskill's office number. The bell rang interminably before arather bored young voice said, "Offices of Standskill and Rich,Attorneys-at-Law."

"I know," Lawrence said harshly. "I don't button wrong numbers.Is Standskill there? And where's your courtesy? There's novisual."

The picture came in then. Lawrence caught a flash of long,skinny legs going down behind the desk at the other end of thecircuit; then he saw a most remarkable thingthe open collar of theyoung man's shirt seemed suddenly to button itself and the knot ofthe gaudy tie to tighten and all the while the fellow's hands werelying immobile on the desk!

Impossible! Lawrence thought. I'mcracking up! Too many worries about the psis I think I seethem everywhere!

As the youth gulped as though the tie was knotted too tightly,Lawrence was sure that he saw the knot relax itself!

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lawrence, Mr. Standskill's on vacation and Mr.Rich is in court. May I help you, sir, or take a message?"

Undoubtedly the fellow had recognized him from news fotos.

"Well, who are you, the office boy?"

A frown of annoyance crossed the young man's thin, darkfeatures. He snapped, "Are corporation presidents exempt fromcommon courtesy? My name is BlackMartin J. Black. I'm notconnected with this firm. I answered as a courtesy. Shall wedisconnect?"

Lawrence was silent for a moment. He thought of the shirt-tiebusiness and said, "You're a trainee psi, aren't you? A prospectiveservice psi?"

"I'm afraid so. I wish I weren't. It's not a pleasantprospect."

"What do you mean?"

"Would you like to probe minds for a living? And it has itsother drawbacks. You can't live normally and you'll have very fewfriends. Unfortunately no two psis are alike, which makes the jobmore complicated. I'm un-normal, abnormal, subnormal or some othernormal they haven't prefixed yet."

"Any special talents?"

"I'm afraid so."

"Rather young," Lawrence mused. Then said, "Are you economicallystable?"

The young man hesitated, then said hastily, "Oh, yes, of course.Economically, yes. Somewhat more stable than most, I think. I'm infinal training now. The legal phase comes last, you know."

"Then you're not committed yet? You've not taken the Oath ofAnterhine?"

"No. I won't until the training is done. Wish I didn't have tothen."

"And your training?"

"Complete except for criminal psychology."

"Would you like to make a hundred thousand dollars?"