He pressed the key vigorously, and a simultaneous flash went off, taking his picture for history. Somewhere in the country, well hidden and removed from danger to the populace, the control rods moved, and a flow of neutrons started to pass upward through the great pile of uranium and moderator. The nerves of the men present twitched. Strain. Those who held fear of reprisals were half expecting something dire to happen simultaneously with the start of the pile. Those who had no fear felt the surge of exultation as they took their first real step towards world domination. It grew warm in the room, but nothing happened. Then as the first report came in that the uranium pile was working, Hohmann dismissed the audience with a grand promise for the future. * * * * * Führer Hohmann faced General Unger with fury. "You must be more careful!" exploded Hohmann. "But I am careful," returned the general. "Then why do I receive a letter that is radioactive?" demanded Hohmann angrily. "Feel it--it is warm!" Unger felt the letter but felt nothing untoward. "I feel nothing," he said. Hohmann opened a cabinet and removed a counter. He held the letter to it and the counter clicked in rapid succession. "See?" stormed Hohmann. "Now, before you find yourself removed from public--and private--life, tell me how and why this must happen?" "If it actually happened, it is an error, and some underling will be treated severely--" "The head will be treated severely as a warning," shouted Hohmann. "Pass no buck, Unger. Your men are responsible to you--but you are equally responsible for them. Me--I think I will kill you myself! You might have deprived our people of a leader!" Hohmann advanced toward the general, who faded back away from him. Across the vast office went the two of them, slowly and stalking, catlike. The general backed up, his face contorted with fear. "Yesterday I start our pile," stormed Hohmann, "and this morning I get a radioactive letter! Twenty-four hours! Have you no shielding around that pile?" Hohmann grinned wolfishly. "Seems to me that I should lock you up in your own office over at the laboratory. Then you'd find that shielding is desirable, you idiot. Radiating like this--to render hot a letter, or pile of paper from which this letter came. Bah!" He went forward again, and General Unger felt the dilemma he was in. He could not strike back; to kill this leader would bring about his own very slow and very painful death. To submit was death, but Hohmann was a good pistol shot and it would be quick. Yet to prolong life for another few precious moments, Unger retreated before the blazing eyes of his leader. He backed, and felt the filing cabinets block his further retreat. He had crossed the vast office, backwards. He pressed back against the cabinets and felt a warm wave of fear flush up through him. It rose and rose, and he pressed harder and harder back against the cabinets--