She nodded contritely. "I know. I'm sorry. Sometimes a person can get too near a problem." She smiled. "Thanks for the new perspective, Brian. I'll go back to work and see if I can't look at it a little more clearly." * * * * * In the White House, Senator Mikhail Kerotski was facing two men--James Bandeau, the Secretary of Space, and the President of the United States. "Mr. President," he said evenly, "I've known you for a long time. I haven't failed you yet." "I know that, Mike," the President said smoothly. "Neither has your Society, as far as I know. It's still difficult for me to believe that they get their information the way you say they do, but you've never lied to me about anything so far, so I take your word for it. Your Society is the most efficient espionage and counterespionage group in history, as far as I know. But this is different." "Damned right it's different!" snapped Secretary Bandeau. "Your own Society, senator, admits that we've stirred the Soviets up with this space lift thing. They've got ships of their own going out there now. According to reports from Space Force intelligence, Chinese Moon cars have been prowling around Moonbase One, trying to find out what's going on." "More than that," added the President, "they've sneaked a small group aboard the old _Lunik IX_ to see what they can see from up there." Secretary Bandeau jerked his head around to look at the President. "The old circumlunar satellite? Where did you hear that?" The President smiled wanly. "From the S.M.M.R.'s report." He looked at Kerotski. "I doubt that it will do them any good. I don't think they'll be able to see anything now." "Not unless they've figured out some way to combine X rays with radar," the senator said. "And I'm quite sure they haven't." "Senator," said the Secretary of Space, "a lot of money has been spent and a lot of risks have been taken, just on your say-so. I--" "Now, just a minute, Jim," said the President flatly. "Let's not go off half-cocked. It wasn't done on Mike's say-so; it was done on mine. I signed the order because I believed it was the proper, if not the _only_ thing to do." Then he looked at the senator. "But this is the last day, Mike. Nothing has happened. "Now, I'm not blaming you. I didn't call you up here to do that. And I think we can quit worrying about explaining away the money angle. But we're going to have to explain _why_ we did it, Mike. And I can't tell the truth." "I'll say you can't!" Bandeau exploded. "That would look great, wouldn't it? I can see the headlines now: _'Fortuneteller Gave Me Advice,' President Says_. Brother!" "Jim," the President said coldly, "I said to let me handle this." "What you want, then, Mr. President," Kerotski put in smoothly, "is for me to help you concoct a good cover story." "That's about it, Mike," the President admitted. Kerotski shook his head slowly. "It won't be necessary."