Part 11 (2/2)
”d.a.m.n your soul, Kinnison, come out here-I want to talk to you!” Keller roared, and doors snapped open up and down the long corridor.
”Shut up, you G.o.d d.a.m.ned louse!” This from Tugwell, who, black eyes almost emitting sparks, was striding purposefully forward. ”I'll sock you so d.a.m.ned hard that....”
”Pipe down, Tug, I'll handle this.” Kinnison's voice was not loud, but it had then a peculiarly carrying and immensely authoritative quality. ”Verbally or physically; however he wants to have it.”
He turned to Keller, who had jumped backward into the hall to avoid the young Siberian.
”As for you, Keller, if you had the brains that G.o.d gave b.a.s.t.a.r.d geese in Ireland, you would have had this conference in private. Since you started it in public, however, I'll finish it in public. How you came to pick me for a yes-man I'll never know-just one more measure of your stupidity, I suppose.”
”Those sh.e.l.l are perfect!” Keller shouted. ”Tell Drake here to pa.s.s them, right now. If you don't, by G.o.d I'll....”
”Shut up!” Kinnison's voice cut. ”I'll do the talking-you listen. The spec says quote shall be free from objectionable cavitation unquote. The Line Inspectors, who know their stuff, say that those cavitations are objectionable. So do the Chemical Engineers. Therefore, as far as I am concerned, they are objectionable. Those sh.e.l.l are rejected, and they will stay rejected.”
”That's what you think,” Keller raged. ”But there'll be a new Head of Inspection, who will pa.s.s them, tomorrow morning!”
”In that you may be half right. When you get done licking Black's boots, tell him that I am in my office.”
Kinnison re-entered his suite. Keller, swearing, strode away with Piddy. Doors clicked shut.
”I am going to quit, Uncle Ralph, law or no law!” Tugwell stormed. ”They'll run that bunch of c.r.a.p through, and then....”
”Will you promise not to quit until they do?” Kinnison asked, quietly.
”Huh?” ”What?” Tugwell's eyes-and Celeste's-were pools of astonishment. Celeste, being on the inside, understood first.
”Oh-to keep his nose clean-I see!” she exclaimed.
”Exactly. Those sh.e.l.l will not be accepted, nor any like them. On the surface, we got licked. I will get fired. You will find, however, that we won this particular battle. And if you boys stay here and hang together and keep on slugging you can win a lot more.”
”Maybe, if we raise enough h.e.l.l, we can make them fire us, too?” Drake suggested.
”I doubt it. But unless I'm wrong, you can just about write your own ticket from now on, if you play it straight.” Kinnison grinned to himself, at something which the young people could not see.
”You told me what Stoner and Black would do to us,” Tugwell said, intensely. ”What I'm afraid of is that they'll do it to you.”
”They can't. Not a chance in the world,” Kinnison a.s.sured him. ”You fellows are young-not established. But I'm well-enough known in my own field so that if they tried to black-ball me they'd just get themselves laughed at, and they know it. So beat it back to the Nine, you kids, and hang red tickets on everything that doesn't cross-section up to standard. Tell the gang goodbye for me-I'll keep you posted.”
In less than an hour Kinnison was called into the Office of the President. He was completely at ease; Black was not.
”It has been decided to ... uh ... ask for your resignation,” the President announced at last.
”Save your breath,” Kinnison advised. ”I came down here to do a job, and the only way you can keep me from doing that job is to fire me.”
”That was not ... uh ... entirely unexpected. A difficulty arose, however, in deciding what reason to put on your termination papers.”
”I can well believe that. You can put down anything you like,” Kinnison shrugged, ”with one exception. Any implication of incompetence and you'll have to prove it in court.”
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