Napoleon raised an eyebrow. “You sound positively metaphysical,” he said.

“This is the spirit of the machine, and it is not bounded by physical laws.”

“Oh, but it is,” said Illya. “Like any spirit, it’s not much without a body to work. through. All we have to do is capture all of its bodies, which are comparatively valueless, or prevent it from departing the ones we do capture. Remember, you were the one who suggested the metaphor.”

-I’m sorry. But I believe Mr. Waverly hadn’t quite got~ to the core of his story. Thrush Central is as shifty as Percy Blakeney. [X) you mean you have it located?”

“Not exactly. You see, something as large as Thrush Central requires several things in whatever site it may inhabit —besides open space and privacy, there must be electrical power9 supplies of water9 ready access to routes of escape by land, sea or air, and preferably enough innocent citizens coming and going in their immediate vicinity to cloak their own movements…this sort of thing. We had quite a search for qualified locations, and found a few that looked very likely indeed.

“Now I would be the last to demean Thrush security. We could not stake out a location and expect Thrush to move into it; any concealed transmitter would betray itself by its own emissions. Section Eight wasn’t fazed by the challenge, as you might nave guessed —they created a self-contained recording device which was indetectable in operation. totally shielded, signal-activated, with a capacity of nearly 1500 hours in two dozen multiplex channels.

lovely device. There were planted in a number of locations identified as likely sites for Thrush Central, in such ways as to evade detection by sounding. stress analysis. fluoroscopy or magnetic anomaly.

“The recording device was sensitive to speech sounds. of course; it also monitored a wide range’ of frequencies and was designed to pick up certain types of signal flow by induction. The actual detection and storage techniques used are, I am told, quite sophisticated.

“The site was monitored circumspectly, by observation of water and electric power consumption; when both rose significantly to a six-week plateau and then dropped again, we waited a short period and then moved in to retrieve our bug.”

“You mean it has already worked?” asked Illya.

“So far, yes. The original recording has been undergoing extensive analysis for over a month, and our own computer staff now feels capable of establishing cO1T1Tlunication with the Ultimate Computer, given two more things, which we hope you will be able to secure for us.”

“Following which,” said Napoleon. “you expect to be able to tap directly into Thrush’s brain?”

“Literally.”

“I’m staggered,” said Illya. “What is it we need?”

“My decision to act was spurred by the information that the San Francisco Satrap is about to have his obsolescent terminal replaced by a newer model.

With Mr. Stevens’ help, we should be able to divert the old terminal to our own uses. Even so, we will also need one piece of information to go with it. Since all communication is routinely scrambled, an active terminal is maintained in synchronization with the Ultimate Computer. Any attempt to engage through an unsynchronized terminal would set off a flock of alarms and the self-destruct mechanism in the terminal itself. Nevertheless, since humanity is fallible, occasionally interlock is lost. And a provision has been made for such an eventuality: there is a maintenance access code which, properly entered, allows re-establishment of synchronization and identifies its user as a qualified entity for access to operational systems as well as to all data files.”

“You promised.” said Napoleon, “that we wouldn’t have to have anything to do with Ward Baldwin.”

“I said you would not be expected to contact him. Now it is even more imperative that he remain unaware of your presence. In all your activities, wherever you might be observed, avoid attracting any attention.” .

“Of course. All we have to do is hijack his old terminal and run our man on a string into the middle of his operation. I’m even afraid to ride a cable car —I have the feeling the grip-men report to him.”

-I h”ave a false beard you could borrow if it would make you feel any better,”

Illya suggested.

“You would have a false beard,” said Napoleon.

“All your operations will be carried out circumspectly,” Mr. Waverly said.

“You will meet with Dr. Grayson a little later this evening; she will brief you on Mr. Stevens’ current condition and precisely what your job will entail.

She’ll be here at 7:30; we have time for dinner. I’ve taken the liberty of ordering it sent up, since I expect you will want to go over what we’ve already learned from our bug on Central.” He handed each of them a fat manila folder, and they settled back to study.

CHAPTER THREE

“Hold My Hand.”

“First, Mr. Solo, I hope you understand that an individual under a posthypnotic suggestion~ does not necessarily wander about glassy-eyed like a somnambulist. Properly implanted, such a suggestion would not only be indetectible, the subject himself would probably be unaware of its presence.”

“Until it went into effect,. said Napoleon.

“No,” said Dr. Grayson. “Not necessarily even then. The human subconscious is capable of fantastic feats of self-justification. If it lacks a valid reason for a course of action. it can supply a false one so smoothly the conscious mind never notices. Competently handled by a stage hypnotist, a man may feel it is perfectly reasonable to get down on all fours and bray like a donkey.”

She was a handsome woman, perhaps forty, with a gentle throaty voice and short auburn hair. She sat with Napoleon and Illya in a quiet conference room down a side corridor in U.N.C.L.E.‘s San Francisco office, detailing all they would need to know to react appropriately in any situation they might encounter with Harry Stevens. This included an outline of what he could be expected to do.

“About thirty minutes past midnight you will go to a bar in North Beach called ‘The Blue Angel.’ Shortly before one. Harry will come in, wearing a dark brown corduroy jacket. He will go to the last vacant booth on the left.

Do not make any attempt to contact him. At 1:12 by the wall clock he will get up and leave. The gamma laser will be wrapped in two paper napkins, tucked down between the seat and the wall on the side facing the door. If Harry is not being watched. one of you will retrieve the laser rod. the other will follow Harry and cue him into a cooperative state by showing him your U.N.C.L.E. communicator and saying the key word, Basingstoke. Understand. he must be allowed to complete his full program in the bar and leave before you interfere with him; it could be dangerous to break him in the middle of a cycle, even though it is necessary that he be intercepted tonight..

“Basingstoke?” Illya asked.

“A sufficiently uncommon name. especially coupled with the sight of your transceiver. It won’t induce a trance state. but he will become quite docile and suggestible. Bring him to the Pell Street entrance before 1:30. I’ll be waiting there to take him over and implant the suggestion to seek out the specific Maintenance access code Mr. Waverly wants so urgently. I will also see he is returned home safely before dawn.”

“You understand, of course, this will be your action only if you are satisfied he is not under surveillance. If there is any indication he is being followed. you will make no move at all. Mr. Waverly wants him re-programmed as soon as possible, but not to the extent of jeopardizing his cover. We do have an alternate plan, somewhat less graceful. to get to Harry.”

“But we still pick up the laser,” said Illya.