I was surprised to find almost everybody was in. I slipped into my place and upped with my feet and then took a look around. Every sandal showed except the pair that should have been opposite me, so I settled back and shut my eyes. That was where the _Trib_ man should have been parked, and I certainly couldn't talk without my opposition being there to contradict me. The _Post_ said: "What makes, Carmichael?" I said: "Ho-hum--" The _Post_ said: "Don't sleep, baby, there's big things cookin'." The _Ledger_ said: "Shuddup, you know the rules--" He pointed to the vacant segment of table. I said: "You mean the law of the jungle." The _Record_, who happened to be the _Ledger's_ opposition, said: "Old Bobbus left. He ain't coming in no more." "How come?" "Got a Stereo contract. Doing comedy scenarios." I thought to myself: "Oi, that means another wrestling match." You see, whenever new opposition reporters get together, they're supposed to have a symbolic wrestling match. I said supposed. It always turns into a brawl with everybody else having the fun. "Well," I said, "this new Hogan probably doesn't know the ropes yet. I guess I'll have to go into training. Anybody seen him? He look strong?" They all shook their heads and said they didn't know him. "O.K., then let's gab without him--" The _Post_ said: "Your correspondent has it that the pot's a-boilin'. Every bigwig in town is in there." He jabbed his thumb toward the main offices. * * * * * We all gave the door a glance, only, like I always did, I tried to knock it in with a look. You see, although all of us came down to the Prog Building every day, none of us knew what was inside. Yeah, 's' fact. We just came and sat and listened to the big shots and went away. Like specters at the feast. It griped all of us, but me most of all. I would dream about it at night. How there was a Hyperman living in the Prog Building, only he breathed chlorine and they kept him in tanks. Or that they had the mummies of all the great men of the past which they reanimated every afternoon to ask questions. Or it would be a cow in some dreams that was full of brains and they'd taught it to "moo" in code. There were times when I thought that if I didn't get upstairs into the Prog Building I'd burst from frustration. So I said: "You think they're going to fill up the Mediterranean again?" The _Ledger_ laughed. He said: "I hear tell they're going to switch poles. North to south and vice versa." The _Record_ said: "You don't think they could?" The _Ledger_ said: "I wish they would--if it'd improve my bridge." I said: "Can it, lads, and let's have the dope." The _Journal_ said: "Well, all the regulars are in--controller, vice con and deputy vice con. But there also happens to be among those present--the chief stabilizer." "No!" He nodded and the others nodded. "Fact. The C-S himself. Came up by pneumatic from Washington."