"That's another one. They're making two of those super bombs. I didn't think they had the materials and the technical know-how to make even one! This doubles the problem, and more than doubles the urgency. We'll have to guard the skyways from all directions, including straight up. Damn it, West!" Zen slapped his fist into his open palm to emphasize his feeling of urgency. "Look again, colonel," the craggy man invited. On second look Zen saw something that he had missed before. "Those are Americans! We're building that bomb!" His words were little gusts of explosive sound in the quiet room. "Right," West said. His voice was very grim. "Then it's a race to see which side gets its bomb built first?" Zen asked. He did not know whether or not he liked what his eyes were seeing and the interpretation his mind was giving him. "I am afraid that is true," West reluctantly agreed. "But doesn't that change the picture, colonel?" "How?" Zen demanded. "We're going to win a war. We've got to win it." The words were firmly spoken but somewhere a lingering doubt remained as if some point had not been considered. "The other side also thinks it has to win," West pointed out. "To hell with what they think. They started it. We didn't. Man, you don't intend to tell me that you are going to sit right here and watch two nations frantically try to destroy each other--and maybe the Earth with them--when you have the means to stop it in your hand?" Horror exploded in Zen's words. "I am going to do just that," West stated. His voice was as firm and as solid as the granite core of a mountain. "But you can't!" Zen expostulated. "Why can't I?" West demanded. "I am not a citizen of either country and I owe nothing to any nation." "Even if you are not a citizen of either country, you're still a human being. You owe loyalty to your own race," Zen said. The craggy man showed faint signs of discomfort. But when he spoke, his voice was still imperturbable. "Granting your statement, what do you propose I do?" "Stop the Asians," Zen answered promptly. "Give us complete information on the location of their super-bomb. We'll make certain we get ours finished first and we'll use it to blow their installation out of existence." At the moment, his plan seemed feasible. "That would create the very danger you are trying to avoid, would it not?" West pointed out. "Both super bombs would explode simultaneously. Do you think the Earth would remain in its orbit if this happened?" "I don't know," Zen answered. "That would be up to the astronomers and the astronomical physicists to decide. In any case, if the danger is too great, we'll use ordinary weapons to touch off their super bomb. Well get the job done before they finish." "They are working underground, in a cavern at least three thousand feet deep," West pointed out. "Do you have a weapon that will penetrate to this depth?" "We'll build one!" "You talk very glibly, colonel."