byThe visitor arriving at General Atomic Research climbed a broad flight of stairs and then encountered a sort of plaza presided over by a rare combination of brains and beauty. Here the visitor inspected the beauty while the brains inspected the visitor’s credentials. After which mutual inspection the visitor stepped into the exact center of a long corridor and turned either to the right or to the left, depending upon which of the two main offices he was to visit.
At one end was the office of Doctor Howard Mangler, Director of Research; at the other end of the corridor was the office of Phillip Newton, Director of Operations. Between the two was the corridor called “The Battlefield” by the clerks, stenographers, and office boys.
Up and down the silent battle raged, its casualties mutely
