"The electronic charge is so great that a heavy active atom such as bromine will, under the positive charge, lose enough of the outer ring electrons as to inhibit the formation of the more complex atoms, while under the negative charge there will be such an excess of electrons that a heavy element of the zero group, such as xenon, will actually be forced to accept an additional planetary electron and will then combine with some of the more active elements. So when xenon bromide forms, we know we're highly electronegative, while the chemical dissolution of tetrachlorodibromomethane indicates a hellishly high positive charge. When we approach the station, we use a little gadget known as an electrostatic gradient indicator which is useful over short distances, and with which we adjust our charge-difference to a sane value. Pluto and the solar system in general can thank their stars that the carbon-chain molecules that go into the human system are stable enough to resist dissolution. We are able to maintain the lens on less than enough charge to kill us all, though the boys in the odd-numbered stations report a lower metabolism than those in the even numbered ones." McBride paused. "And if you're worried about that space-warp-wrecked can of yours, I'll be more than glad to give you a receipt for it. Coming? I've got to go." Sandra Drake was still skeptical, but she followed in spite of it. John McBride was met at the space lock of Station 1 by one of the lesser casualties from 3, Douglas Whitlock. McBride said: "How's the arm, Doug?" "Broken, but on the mend. Doc will put a stader on it in a couple of days and I'll be able to use it again." "How's 3?" "Not too bad. But, brother, there's a million miles of loose wire floating around the place. Tonk and Harry are rewinding the alphatron leader-coils which developed a shorted turn down near the core." "How are they doing that?" asked McBride. "It was tricky, all right. And this'll slay you. They're using the nine-inch lathe!" "Huh?" McBride was thunder-struck. "Well, as Tonky said, it was an emergency. So they used the acetylene torch to cut the lathe bed off right before the headstock. They moved the rest of the bed back about twelve feet and welded it to one wall of the room. Now, there's room to get that big core in the lathe. The lathe is ruined, of course, or rather the bed is, but the alphatron will be ticking them off in another couple of hours." Whitlock looked at the girl and asked McBride: "Where did you find her?" "This," said McBride, "is Miss Sandra Drake." "Oh yes," said Whitlock brightly, "Drake, the human cannon ball ... or is it screwball?" "And what happened to you?" asked Sandra caustically. "Did you step into an open port in the dark?" "Frankly, I was hit by a falling busbar--" "Probably the real cause of this whole failure."