They reached the head of the stairs, where the warden released his grip. Willard shoved her forward, and the two of them descended with breakneck lack of balance. At the bottom, they paused for the warden to catch up. Maria seized the chance to kick Willard in the shin. He turned white, but urged her on as the warden led the way through a barred door into an open courtyard. They crossed the courtyard by fits and starts, with Maria expressing her opinion in words she had never before uttered. The meaning of certain of them still eluded her, but Willard seemed to understand the general drift. The warden spoke to a guard, ordering him to open the main gate. Willard boosted her through with a knee in the behind. The massive portal swung to with a thud, leaving them out in the street. "I'll be damned if I go to any prison farm!" Maria shouted in his ear. "I demand to see the Terran consul! This is an outrage!" Willard glared at a passing Greenie who seemed disposed to look on. He tightened his grip on Maria's arm, the better to tow her twenty feet down the street away from the gate. There, he backed her roughly against the blank granite wall. "If you don't shut your face," he growled between set teeth, "I'll _really_ belt you one!" Maria gasped in a breath and looked at him. It was easy, since he had thrust his face to within a few inches of hers. Little droplets of perspiration stood out on his forehead. He looked scared. SEVEN Westehvelt was still sitting with Joe Rosenkrantz in the communications room when Colborn's call came through. He looked over Joe's shoulder as the operator swiveled to face his telephone viewer. "How come you remembered the number?" he greeted Colborn. "Did the elevator doors close on you?" "Very-funny-ha-ha!" retorted Colborn. "Look, Joe--have you got power?" Westervelt peered closer, thinking that the redhead looked unusually concerned. Rosenkrantz seemed not to have noticed. "Power?" he said. "Have I got power! I can pull in stations you never heard of, just on willpower! _You_--you poor slob--you don't even remember if you're on your way home or coming to work! What is it now?" "I'll tell you what it is," shouted Colborn. "It's a power failure! They don't even have any lights out in the street. I nearly got trampled to death getting back in the lobby to phone you." Westervelt and Rosenkrantz looked at each other. "Come to think of it, Charlie," said the operator, "the lights did blink a minute ago. I wonder if that was our own power taking over for the whole floor?" They saw Colborn turn his head, and heard him expostulating with someone who plainly was impatient to get into the phone cubicle. "I'll go check the meters," said Rosenkrantz. "Watch the space set for me, Willie!" "Whuh-wh-wha?" stuttered Westervelt, groping after him. "Charlie! He went away! What do I do if a call comes in?"