rocket race dissolving. When at last the problem of balanced
shift-populations for Santa Fe was worked out, it took him and
the other traffic men only a few minutes to apply their
tables and reschedule traffic to co-ordinate with the popula-
tion changes.
Disgusted, Conrad walked over to the Tennis Club and had
lunch.
There were still two hours of his rest day left when
Conrad Manz realized that Bill Walden was again forcing an
early shift. Conrad was in the middle of a volley-tennis game
and he didn't like having the shift forced so soon. People
generally shifted at their appointed regular hour every five
days, and a hyperalter was not supposed to use his power to
force shift. It was such an unthinkable thing nowadays that
there was occasional talk of abolishing the terms hyperalter
and hypoalter because they were somewhat disparaging to
the hypoalter, and really designated only the antisocial power
of the hyperalter to force the shift.
Bill Walden had been cheating two to four hours on Con-
rad every shift for several periods back. Conrad could have
reported it to the Medicorps, but be himself <vas guilty of a
constant misdemeanour about which Bill had not yet com-
plained. Unlike the sedentary Walden, Conrad Manz enjoyed
exercise. He overindulged in violent sports and put off sleep,
letting Bill Walden make up the fatigue on his shift. That
was undoubtedly why the poor old sucker had started cheat-
ing a few hours on Conrad's rest day.
Conrad laughed to himself, remembering the time Bill Wal-
den had registered a long list of sports which he wished Con-
rad to be restrained fromrocket racing, deepsea exploration,
jet-skiing. It had only given Conrad some ideas he hadn't
had before. The Medicorps had refused to enforce the list on
the basis that danger and violent exercise were a necessary
outlet for Conrad's constitution. Then poor old Bill had writ-
ten Conrad a note threatening to sue him for any injury
resulting from such sports. As if he had a chance against the
Medicorps ruling!
Conrad knew it was no use trying to finish the volley-tennis
game. He lost interest and couldn't concentrate on what he
was doing when Bill started forcing the shift. Conrad shot the
ball back at his opponent in a blistering curve impossible to
intercept.
'So long,' he yelled at the man. 'I've got some things to
do before my shift ends.'
He lounged into the locker rooms and showered, put his
clothes and belongings, including his pharmacase, in a ship-
ping carton, addressed them to his own home and dropped
them in the mail chute.
He stepped with languid nakedness across, the hall, pressed
