"It was not expressly forbidden. Tuly, who knows more of psychology and genetics than I, convinced me of three things. One, that with your return the conditioning should be broken. Two, that due to the shortness of your lives and the consequent rapidity of change, you have in fact lost the ability to break it. Three, that all Omans must do anything and everything we can do to help you relearn everything you have lost." "Okay. Fine, in fact. Tuly, take over." "We six will sit all together, packed tight, arms all around each other and all holding hands, like this. You will all stare, not at me, but most deeply into Larry's eyes. Through its eyes and deep into its mind. You will all think, with the utmost force and drive and thrust, of.... Oh, you have lost so _very_ much! How _can_ I direct your thought? Think that Larry _must_ do what the old Masters would have made him do.... No, that is too long and indefinite and cannot be converted directly into sathura.... I have it! You will each of you break a stick. A very strong but brittle stick. A large, thick stick. You will grasp it in tremendously strong mental hands. It is tremendously strong, each stick, but each of you is even stronger. You will not merely _try_ to break them; you _will_ break them. Is that clear?" "That is clear." "At my word 'ready' you will begin to assemble all your mental force and power. During my countdown of five seconds you will build up to the greatest possible potential. At my word 'break' you will break the sticks, this discharging the accumulated force instantly and simultaneously. Ready! Five! Four! Three! Two! One! Break!" * * * * * Something broke, with a tremendous silent crash. Such a crash that its impact almost knocked the close-knit group apart physically. Then a new Larry spoke. "That did it, folks. Thanks. I'm a free agent. You want me, I take it, to join the first team?" "That's right." Hilton drew a tremendously deep breath. "As of right now." "Tuly, too, of course ... and Doctor Cummings, I think?" Larry looked, not at Hilton, but at Temple Bells. "I think so. Yes, after this, most certainly yes," Temple said. "But listen!" Sandra protested. "Jarve's a lot better than I am!" "Not at all," Tuly said. "Not only would his contribution to Team One be negligible, but he must stay on his own job. Otherwise the project will all fall apart." "Oh, I wouldn't say that ..." Hilton began. "You don't need to," Kincaid said. "It's being said for you and it's true. Besides, 'When in Rome,' you know." "That's right. It's their game, not ours, so I'll buy it. So scat, all of you, and do your stuff." And again, for days that lengthened slowly into weeks, the work went on.