"What do you care?" Harker demanded. "Are you getting paid by the week or by the amount of publicity you send out?" Mitchison grunted something but made no intelligible answer. They pulled up at the road-block and Harker got out at the right; the guards nodded curtly to him this time but made no attempt to interfere as he headed toward the administration building. Mitchison took his car to the parking-area. Knocking at Raymond's door, Harker said, "You there, Mart?" The door opened. A diminutive hatchet-faced man peered up at him. "Hello, Harker." Taken off balance, Harker blinked a moment, then said, "Hello. I don't think we've met, have we?" "You've seen my name. At the bottom of your check. I'm Barchet. Administrator of the Beller Fund." Harker smiled at the little man and looked past him to Raymond. He shook his head. "It's no go, Mart. The Father says the Church will oppose us." Raymond shrugged. "We could have figured on that, I guess. What's the next step?" Harker nodded. "I see Winstead on Friday. I hope for better luck there." "Doubtful," Barchet snorted. His voice was an annoying saw-edged whine. Harker wondered whether the little man was going to be around the Litchfield labs very often; he had a deep dislike for moneymen. Ignoring Barchet's comment, Harker said to Raymond, "Mart, how solid is the tenure of the people in this organization?" "What do you mean?" "Do all the affiliated men have verbal contracts like me, or are some inked in black-and-white?" "Most of the research men have verbal agreements." "How about Mitchison?" Barchet turned to peer at Harker. Raymond frowned and said, "Why Mitchison?" "I'll be blunt," Harker said. "I'd like to bounce him. He does not seem very capable and he's awfully trigger-happy about releasing data on the project. If it's okay with you, I'd like to bring in a couple of the boys who handled my gubernatorial campaign. They--" Interrupting icily, Barchet said, "It seems to me we have more than enough people of radical political affiliation working for us now. Anyone who handled a Nat-Lib campaign would be no asset to our work." Harker goggled. "_I_ was a Nat-Lib Governor! You hired me, and you think that two press-agents--" "I might as well tell you," Barchet said. "You were hired over my positive objections, Mr. Harker. Your party happens to be the one in power, but it definitely does not represent the main ideological current of American enterprise. And if we succeed in our aims, I like to think it will be _despite_ your presence on our team, not because of it." "Huh? Who the hell--" "Wait a minute, Jim," Raymond cut in. "And you too, Simeon. I don't want any fighting in here!" "I'm simply stating views that I expound regularly at our meetings," Barchet said. "For your information, Mr. Harker, Cal Mitchison is the best publicity agent money can buy. I will not consent to his dismissal."