THE COSMIC COMPUTER

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downing it with the audible satisfaction of a thirsty horse at a trough.
Then he looked around accusingly.

"Somebody's been talking!" he declared. "I've had all the news services
on the planet on my screen today; they all want the story about what's
happening here. They've heard we know where Merlin is; that Conn Maxwell
found out on Terra."

"They just put two and two together and threw seven," Conn said. "A
/Herald-Guardian/ ship-news reporter interviewed me when I got in, and
found out I'd been studying cybernetics and computer theory on Terra.
What did you tell them?"

"Complete denial. We don't know a thing about Merlin. Naturally, they
didn't believe me. A bunch of them are coming out here tomorrow. What
are we going to tell them? We'll all have to have the same story."