"War's over, dope," said the other. "Nothin' behind the curtain now but a nice assortment of bomb craters. All sizes." "Go on, Joe," ordered the guard. "You heard something. Give." "Well ... I heard that fat general say something about wanting the warden outa here in a hour." The typewriters stopped their clacking for a bare instant, then started up again, more slowly. The guard frowned, then said, "On your way, Joe." He hesitated, then, "No use to tell you to button your lip, I guess." "I'm not causing any trouble," Mario said, as the guard opened the door and stood aside for him to pass into the corridor. O.K.'d for entrance into the hospital wing, Joe Mario stood outside the railing that cut Dr. Slade's reception area off from the corridor that led to the wards. An inmate orderly sat behind the railing, writing a prescription for a slight, intelligent-looking man. Mario heard the orderly say, "All right, Vukich, get that filled at the dispensary. Take one after each meal and come back to see us when the bottle's empty. Unless the pain gets worse, of course. But I don't think it will." "Thanks, doc," the patient drawled. Both men looked up then and saw Mario. "Hi, Joe," the orderly smiled. "What's wrong with you? You don't look sick!" "Nothin' wrong with me that a day outside couldn't cure." "Or a _night_," laughed Vukich. Mario ran a hand over his sleek, black hair. "Better a night, sure," he grinned back. Then he sobered and said to the orderly, "Warden wants to see the doc. Right away." "Mr. Halloran sick?" "Naw ... it's business. Urgent business." "Real urgent, Joe? The doc's doing a pretty serious exam right now." Mario paused, then said, "You guys might as well know about it. There's a general and a civilian in the warden's office. They're talkin' about something outside. Warden wants the doc in on it." Sudden tension flowed out between the three men. Down the hall, a patient screamed suddenly in the psycho ward. The three of them jerked, then grinned feebly at each other. Vukich said slowly, "Well, you don't start playing catch with atom bombs without dropping a few. Wonder what it's like ... out there?" "We haven't _heard_ that it's any different," the orderly's voice lacked conviction. "Don't be silly," Vukich said flatly. "Ever since they moved the dames from Tehama into C block we've known _something_ happened." "Get the doc," Mario said. "I've got to be on my way." "Me, too." Vukich's thin, clever face looked thoughtful. The others stared blankly at him and said nothing. * * * * * As Alfred Court, captain of the prison, strode down the flower-bordered path that led from the shops unit past A block to the administration building, a side door in A block clanged open and a sergeant came out. The sergeant turned without seeing his superior and walked hurriedly toward the administration wing. "Hey, sarge!" Court called. "What's the hurry?"