J's face got even redder at that charge, but he fortunately couldn't find his voice. That gave Blade his chance. He'd have liked to wait until he knew a little more about what had really happened, but didn't think he had time. The two men needed a peacemaker right now.

«I think that's a rather wild accusation itself, if you don't mind my saying so,» said Blade. He looked at Leighton in a way which clearly showed he didn't care if Leighton minded or not. This got Leighton's attention long enough for J to catch his breath and recover his voice.

«I agree,» he said. «Blackmailing you never entered my mind. I admit that our man was overzealous-«

«Overzealous!» exploded Leighton. His eyebrows and hair were bristling as if they were charged with electricity.

«That damned young puppy has made it impossible for me to trust-«

«What is all the fuss about, sir?» asked Blade. He hoped this pretense of innocence would fool Leighton, and perhaps diffuse the volatile situation.

Leighton sighed. «I suppose I'd better go back and tell Richard exactly what's happened. I imagine you've already given him your version, J. Now it's my turn. With your permission?» he added sarcastically.

J nodded. «Be my guest.»

Before long, Blade was so interested in Leighton's ideas about the computer's electrical field that he was forgetting to be angry over the scientist's bad manners to J. No doubt about it-Leighton had conceived a brilliant theory. If it worked out in practice, it might be the biggest breakthrough in the history of the Project.

Would it work out in practice, though? Or would it become another KALI computer? They couldn't be sure without a full-scale test, and J was apparently in no mood to permit that. He thought Leighton was trying to sneak a major change in the Project past him. Leighton thought J was trying to take over the scientific part of the Project.