Card Sharks

'We arrived at Fuller Lodge a little later. Rudo pulled into the parking space beside us.

''I'll go inside with you,' Scott said, 'see you checked in.'

''Thanks,' I told him, and we got out of the cars. 'You going to join us for lunch?' I asked then.

''I've already eaten,' he replied, 'and I've got to get back to work. Tell you what. I'll come by around six-thirty and have dinner with you.'

''Sounds good to me,' I said, and Rudo nodded.

'We began walking toward the Lodge.

''Are there any restrictions if I just want to take a walk?' I asked.

''No,' he answered, 'and you've got passes giving you a right to be here. Walk around. Go anywhere you want. If you get too near something that's off-limits, someone will just tell you. Oh, and don't take any pictures.'

''Didn't even bring a camera,' I said. 'But tell me, how would the people at an off-limits place know that I wasn't supposed to be there?'

''You need an access badge to enter secure facilities,' he said. 'If I were to get you one, it would be too easy to trace back to me. Sorry. My hands have to stay clean. I can't afford to leave any tracks on this matter.'

''No problem,' I told him.

'We entered, got checked in, and he bade us good afternoon. We went to our room then and washed up. Afterwards, we headed for the dining room for our late lunch.

'On the dining room wall, to the side of the archway, was a framed newspaper clipping with a photo. Curious, I wandered over and read it after I'd ordered.

'The photo was of a man, a scientist, named Klaus Fuchs, who had once worked here. The story, which I remembered from the previous year, told how Fuchs had given key hydrogen bomb secrets to a Soviet agent — 'in the interest of world peace,' as Fuchs had put it — the actual communication of this information having taken place on the Castillo Street Bridge in Santa Fe, over which I'd passed the previous night when walking out Canyon Road way. I remembered the story as I read it. At the bottom of the piece, in red ballpoint, was written, 'Security is Everybody's Business,' and it was signed by Scott Swensen. I tried to figure how observation of that injunction could have stopped Mr. Fuchs, but I failed. Could I get this sort of press, I wondered, and be hung here?

'After a comprehensive lunch I stretched and told Rudo, 'I think I'll take a walk now.'

''I'll join you,' he said.

''You don't really want to,' I said, exerting my new power for the first time. 'What you really want is to take a nap, since you've gotten so sleepy.'

'Immediately, he began to yawn.

''You're right,' he said. 'I am tired. What I really want is to go back to the room and stretch out and go to sleep.'

''Do it, then,' I told him. 'Do it now.'

'He got to his feet. 'Have a good walk,' he said, and he departed the dining room.

'After I'd settled up, I stepped outside and sniffed the air. A great day for walking. I headed back down Jemez Road in the direction from which we had come.

'When I came to the place where the shoulder of land continued out past the end of the canyon and led to the gate of the DP Site, I took that route. As I approached the gate two armed guards approached it from the other side.

''Hey, buddy,' one of them called out. 'This place is off-limits unless you're authorized personnel.'

''I am authorized personnel,' I told him. 'I'm a general — three stars. You can see them now. You can also see my badge and my pass. I'm here to make a special inspection; You want to open the gate for me so I can do that.'

''Just a minute, sir,' the nearer one said. 'Sorry I didn't recognize you. That bright sunlight at your back….'

'He hurried to unlock the gate.

'As I entered, he said, 'The sign-in sheet's in the first building, sir.'

''Take me there.'

'I followed him inside and glanced at the form he placed on a desk before me. For a moment, I was tempted to sign Swensen's name. But I didn't want to get the man in trouble just to be cute. I touched the pen to the form and handed it back to the guard.

''There, I signed it,' I told him. 'You saw me do it.'

''Yes, sir,' he replied. 'Thank you. What is it you would like to inspect, sir?'

''The plutonium storage place,' I said. 'Take me there.'

''Right this way, sir.'

'He opened the door for me, followed me outside and led me to another, similar looking green shack. Two other guards passed near, casting curious glances our way. They must have assumed everything was in order since I was escorted, and they continued past us. I called them over, though.

''This is a special inspection,' I told them. 'We need you to accompany us into the plutonium sector.'

'They followed me into the building, where the first guard led me back to a rack which held a number of small gray containers. He stopped before it and looked at it.

''That's the stuff?' I asked him.

''Yes, sir,' he replied.

'I studied them long and hard — size, texture, shape. Finally, I reached out and hefted one, held it a moment, replaced it. I wiped it carefully with my handkerchief then and nodded.

''Everything is in order,' I announced. 'Let's go back outside.'

'We departed the building and I halted to study it and its position in relation to the other buildings.

''Good,' I stated. 'The inspection is finished. You men are doing a fine job. I am going to sign out now and then I am going to leave.'

'I returned to the first building where I repeated my sign-in procedure. Then I had all of them accompany me to the gate.

''This inspection was so secret,' I told them, 'that you are going to forget it occurred. As soon as that gate closes behind me I will begin walking. As soon as I am out of sight you will forget that you ever saw me. This inspection will not have happened. Open the gate.'

'They swung it wide before me and I stepped through and headed back to the Lodge. I picked up some magazines, went back to the room and read them while Rudo slept.

'At a little after six, I roused him and suggested he get ready for dinner. He did that, and Swensen proved punctual. We had an enjoyable meal, Swensen having a collection of jokes I hadn't heard, which kept me chuckling through dessert.

'Over coffee, he said, 'I guess you'll be about your business soon. Good luck.'

''It is finished,' I said. 'I know what I need to know now. Thanks.'

'He stared at me. 'How could you have?' he asked.

''It was easier than you might think. We'll be leaving in the morning.'

'He shook his head.

''I'm not sure whether to believe you,' he said.

'I smiled.

''It doesn't matter,' I said. 'Doesn't matter at all.'

'We departed the following morning, making it back to La Fonda in time for lunch. I'd explained to Rudo that I had to know the appearance and physical location of something in order to teleport it, and that I had succeeded in zeroing in on the plutonium in this fashion. Now the only thing that I needed was the ability to teleport. Not to the minimal extent I'd possessed it that day I'd walked into his office holding my water, but a bit more heavy-duty and longer-range — a thing I had had experience with in the past. Rudo seemed confident this could be achieved with another bout of dauerschlaf. After all, he had a perfect batting average — with Bogie, and this time around with my appearance and the hypnotic persuasive ability. So I told him to make me a teleporter, and he said 'No problem.' and we repaired to our room after dinner.

'Only one thing seemed slightly strange that afternoon. When Rudo opened a drawer to get out his medical kit with the dauerschlaf drugs, I caught a glimpse of a large photo lying beside it. I would