“This trick, with the defense we intended to reveal,” the general added, “should mean that a very nasty weapon won’t ever be used, either to start or end a war.  Maybe the war won’t occur because we’ve said there are monsters who fly around in space ships.”

Lockley had a confused impression that he was dreaming this.  It was not the way things should happen!  This was not true!  When he squeezed or released the improvised switch in his hand, the rocket behind him would disappear in a monstrous flame, and he and the three men who faced him would, vanish, and there would be an explosion crater here and a shattered mass of wrecked cars—­

“It was an interesting job,” said Vale.  “The Army dumped a hundred tons of high explosive into the lake.  The two radars that reported a ship in space were arranged to be operated by two special men, who got their orders directly from the President.  We picked a day with full cloud cover; the radar operators inserted their faked tapes and made their reports; and the Army set off the hundred-ton explosion in the lake.  From there on, it was just a matter of using the terror beam.”

“I mention,” said the general mildly, “that not one human being has been killed by anything we’ve done.  Would you expect traitors to be so careful?  Or spies?”

Lockley said thickly, “You stand there arguing.  You’re trying to make me believe you.  But there’s Jill!  What’s happened to her?  How did you make her record that tape?  Where’s Jill?  She won’t tell me it’s all right!”

Headlights swept up to the floodlit space.  The car stopped.

Jill came into view.  She saw Lockley, standing against the rocket’s base.  She ran.

She stood beside the general and Vale and Sattell.  She looked worn and desperately anxious.

“What have they done to you?” demanded Lockley fiercely.

She shook her head.

“N-nothing.  I couldn’t stay at the camp when I was so sure you’d come to try to help me.  So I came here.  I don’t know what they’ve told you yet, but it’s all right.  We were fooled as the world has to be.  Believe it!  Please believe it!”

“What have they done to you?” he repeated terribly.

“What have they done to the world?” demanded Jill.  “They’ve made every nation look to us as the defender of their freedom.  And we are!  They’ve made everybody ready to fight against more monsters if they come, and to fight against men if they try to enslave them with the terror beam or anything else!  Would traitors have done that?”

Lockley knew that he had to decide.  It was an unbearable responsibility.  He was not convinced, even by Jill.  But he was no longer certain that he’d been right.

“Why didn’t you kill me?” he demanded.  “I could have been shot down from a distance.  You didn’t have to come close to talk to me.  If the rocket blew, what would it matter?”

“You’ve got a protection against the terror beam,” said the general matter-of-factly.  “So have we.  But ours weighs two tons.  Yours can be carried without being a burden.  And—­” his eyes went to the unlikely cheese grater over Lockley’s shoulder—­“and yours detonates explosives.  If we can equip the world with those, Lockley, we’ll have peace!”