each slagger turned, as if circling a coin, in clankingrhythm to it.
"The three hundred and sixty degree turn. Next, making a box on thePlaza floor...."
The voice stopped, appalled.
* * * * *
An avalanche of metal slid down one side of the pile and the crowdgasped. The downward movement viscously slowed; then the metal,suddenly alive with the capacity to defy gravity, circled upward.Jagged limbs started flailing about.
"Disintegrator attack!" screamed the loudspeakers. "Attack!"
The maneuvers stopped. For one brief moment prior to changeover thePlaza was dead still, except for the deafening rumble in the pile. Theslaggers broke the spell, rushing full speed toward the pile,evaporator beams working.
One by one they faltered and were sucked into the destructive pyre.
The crowd fell further back. The whole pile came alive like a mineraloctopus. Then the squirming thing collapsed, every makeshift circuitirreparably broken and dead. Everything had been happening too fastfor any pronounced reaction to accompany it; but now the world wentcrazy.
"Stand firm!" pleaded the loudspeakers. "We will get reinforcements assoon as celebrations are finished elsewhere."
A barrage of enormous boos came from the disintegrating mob. "Neveragain! Fakes! It's finished, done for!"
"Stand firm!"
But the breakup down side avenues continued. "I don't understand,"Marie shuddered. "Everything's crazy. We've been deceived, Wendell.Who's been deceiving us?"
"Nobody--unless it's ourselves."
"I don't understand that either." Saucer-eyed she watched a greatclump of disgruntled people push past. "I _have_ to think!"
Suddenly, as they came around a corner, they were facing Burnett.
Hart tried to disregard him but the group leader would have none ofthat. He rushed up to Hart. "Good to see a friendly face. Shockingdevelopments!" His face was grim, but tiny wrinkles at the corners ofhis eyes betrayed an amusement that could only be discovered by thosewho looked for it.
"Mr. Burnett," he explained to Marie. "A librarian at the mainbuilding. Mr. Burnett, my wife Marie."
"I am most happy to meet you, Mrs. Hart. Have you heard the latest?"
"No, Mr. Burnett."
"The same things have been happening _everywhere_! They announced iton the radio and they're saying it's due to anti-social elements.Shocking!"
She shook her head stubbornly. "I don't know what to think. Maybe weshouldn't be shocked, maybe we should be. I just don't know, Mr.Burnett. I came to enjoy myself and look how it's ended." She bravelyheld back a sob, "Maybe we'd have been better off if we've never heardabout High Holy Days!"
Burnett looked about with feigned apprehension. "You have to be carefulwhat you say. The government says there's even talk--subversivehandbills--about trying to rehabilitate some of the stuff in the piles."
"The government ought to keep quiet!" she exploded. "They said thiscouldn't happen. You can't believe anything they say any more. The_people_ decide and the government will have to listen, that's what Isay! And I'm a pretty typical person, not one of your intellectualkind. No criticism of present company intended."
"None taken, Mrs. Hart. Our human future," said Burnett, exchanging agrin with his aide, "remains, as it always has really been.Interesting--to say the least!"
END
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