at his wristwatch, leaned back and smiled. His offer was not characteristic of him, but an editorial in the Terrestrial Post that morning had referred to him as "a consummate politician, the most skilled in the International Congress" and the glow that that had roused within him still lingered.
"It is a mistake," he said, "to suppose that the public wants the environment protected or their lives saved and that they will be grateful to any idealist who will fight for such ends. What the public wants is their own individual comfort. We know that well enough from our experience in the environmental crisis of the twentieth century. Once it was well known that cigarettes increased the incidence of lung cancer, the obvious remedy was to stop smoking, but the desired remedy was a cigarette that did not encourage cancer. When it became clear that the internal-combustion engine was polluting the atmosphere dangerously, the obvious remedy was to abandon such engines, and the desired remedy was to develop non-polluting engines.
"Now then, young man, don't ask me to stop the Pumping. The economy and comfort of the entire planet depend on it. Tell me, instead, how to keep the Pumping from exploding the Sun."
Lamont said, "There is no way, Senator. We are dealing with something here that is so basic, we can't play with it We must stop it."
"Ah, and you can suggest only that we go back to matters as they were before Pumping."
"We must"
"In that case, you will need hard and fast proof that you are right."
"The best proof," said Lamont, stiffly, "is to have the Sun explode. I suppose you don't want me to go that far."
"Not necessary, perhaps. Why can't you get Hallam to back you up?"
"Because he is a small man who finds himself the Father of the Electron Pump. How can he admit his child will destroy the Earth?"
"I see what you mean, but he is still the Father of the Electron Pump to the whole world, and only his word would carry sufficient weight in this respect."
Lamont shook his head. "He would never give in. He would rather see the Sun explode."
The senator said, "Then force his hand. You have a theory but a theory by itself is meaningless. Surely there must be some way of checking it. The-rate of radioactive breakdown of, say, uranium depends on the interactions within the nucleus. Has that rate been changing in a fashion predicted by your theory but not the standard one?"
Again, Lamont shook his head. "Ordinary radioactivity depends on the weak nuclear interaction, and unfortunately, experiments of that sort will yield only borderline evidence. By the time it showed sufficiently to be unmistakable, it would be too late."
"What else, then?"
"There are pion interactions of a specific sort that might yield unmistakable data now. Better still there are quark-quark combinations that have produced puzzling results recently that I am sure I can explain - "
"Well, there you are."
"Yes, but in order to obtain that data. I must make use of a large proton synchrotron on the Moon, sir, and no time on that will be available for years - I've checked - unless someone pulls the strings."
"Meaning me?"
"Meaning you, Senator."
"Not as long as Dr. Hallam says this about you, son." And Senator Hurt's gnarled finger tapped the piece of paper in front of him. "I can't get out on that limb."
"But the existence of the world - "
"Prove it."
"Override Hallam and I'll prove it."
"Prove it and I'll override Hallam."
Lamont drew a deep breath, "Senator! Suppose there's just a trifling chance I'm right. Isn't even that trifling chance worth fighting for? It means everything; all mankind, the entire planet - "
"You want me to fight the good fight? I'd like to. There's a certain drama in going down in a good cause. Any, decent politician is masochistic enough to dream now and then of going down in flames while the angels sing. But, -Dr. Lamont, to do that one has to have a fighting chance. One has to have something to fight for that may - just may - win out. If I back you, I'll accomplish nothing with your word alone against the infinite desirability of Pumping, Shall I demand every man give up the personal comfort and affluence he has learned to get used to, thanks to the Pump, just because one man cries 'Doom' while all the other scientists stand against him, and the revered Hallam calls him an idiot? No, sir, I will not go