Part 20 (1/2)
”If you're implying that we censored certain information, that's quite true. In the public interest.”
”To keep scientific information out of Russian hands?”
”In this case, no. The astronaut fell victim to a psychological stress that was unforeseen. What he sent made no sense whatever. We blame the medical men for not finding the flaw in his psyche.”
”And I would be entirely out of line in a.s.suming he did discover hostile foreign bodies and was destroyed by them?”
”Entirely,” Porter snapped.
Brent Taber's eyes were stony. ”But I _am_ to a.s.sume that you're asking for my resignation.”
Now Porter shrugged. ”If that is the way you see it, I can, of course, only tender my regrets.”
”Well, you won't have to. I'm not resigning.”
The sharp declaration made Porter blink. ”It's rather unusual that a man, after a vote of no confidence--”
”To h.e.l.l with that. If a tape got out of my office, it's my fault. I'll grant that. But there's more to this. I'm willing to bet the man who told you was the same one who engineered the steal.”
”That's ridiculous! Are you accusing Senator Crane of--?”
”I'm accusing an opportunist-demagogue of playing fast and loose with national safety to further his own ends and salve his ego. I'm accusing the men above me of being too weak-kneed to back their own against outside interference.”
”I'll stand for no insults from you, Taber!”
”You'll take it and like it,” Brent Taber said savagely. ”You'll take it because you can't knock me out of my office overnight. It will take time. You've got to go up through the command and you'll have to go pretty high before you'll find anyone who'll do it with the stroke of a pen. n.o.body wants to stick their neck out.”
”Of course,” Porter replied icily, ”if you care to keep functioning as a discredited person--”
”I can. And I will. I'd be a coward if I didn't.”
Porter was obviously disappointed but he shrugged. ”That's your privilege. You, of course, will not be taken off the payroll.”
”The payroll be d.a.m.ned. Send my checks to the Red Cross!”
And Brent Taber strode out of Porter's office, a man who stood alone in the Was.h.i.+ngton jungle of clas.h.i.+ng ambitions, of purposes and cross-purposes--but a man who had no thought of quitting.
After Brent left, Porter put through a call to Senator Crane's office.
” ... so, while severing Brent Taber from official activity would be rather difficult, Senator, I have, in the interests of efficiency, withdrawn most of his facilities.”
”A wise move, Porter. A very wise move.”
”By the way, Senator, that hydroelectric project on the Panamint River your Conservation people have in the works. I'm quite interested in it.”
”Is that so?” Crane asked guardedly.
”Yes. Perhaps because of my experience along those lines in South America. I consider it a great opportunity to serve and I understand the administrator's post is still open.”