"Just what are you using in this super weapon, chum?" Franks explained. "Mind if I put in an oar?" asked Channing. "Not at all. So far we might be able to fry a smelt at twenty feet, or we could cook us a steak. But I haven't been able to do a thing yet. We had it working once, and I think we heated a meteor somewhat, but the whole thing went blooey before we finished the test. I've spent the last week and a half fixing the thing up again, and would have tried it out on the next meteor, but your message brought a halt to everything but cleaning up the mess and making ready just in case we might think of something practical." "I'll put in my first oar by seeing the gadget. Wait till I find my pants, and I'll go right along." Don inspected the installation and whistled. "Not half bad, sonny, not half bad." "Except that we haven't been able to make it work." "Well, for one thing, you've been running on the wrong track. You need more power." "Sure," grinned Walt. "More power, he says. I don't see how we can cram any more soup into this can. She'll melt." "Walt, what happens in a big gun?" "Powder burns; expanding products of combustion push--" "Functionally, what are you trying to accomplish? Take it on the basis of a solid shot, like they used to use back in the sailing ship days." "Well," said Walt thoughtfully, "I'd say they were trying to heave something large enough to do damage." "Precisely. Qualifying that statement a little, you might say that the projectile transmits the energy of the powder charge to its objective." "Right," agreed Walt. "And it is possible to transmit that energy mechanically. I think if we reason this idea out in analogy, we might be able to do it electrically. First, there is the method. There is nothing wrong with your idea, functionally. Electron guns are as old as radio. They--" The door opened and Arden entered. "Hi, fellows," she said, "What's cooking?" "Hi, Arden. Like marriage?" Walt asked. "How long do people have to be married before people stop asking that darn fool question?" asked Arden. "O.K., how about your question?" "I meant that. I ran into Warren, who told me that the brains were down here tinkering on something that was either a brilliant idea or an equally brilliant flop--he didn't know which. What goes?" "Walt has turned Buck Rogers and is now about to invent a ray gun." "No!" "Yes!" "Here's where we open a psychopathic ward," said Arden sadly. "So far, Venus Equilateral is the only community that hasn't had a village idiot. But no longer are we unique. Seriously, Walt?" "Sure enough," said Channing. "He's got an idea here that may work with a little tinkering." "Brother Edison, we salute you," said Arden. "How does it work?" "Poorly. Punk. Lousy."