The RCA Teletype terminal stands in Delta Five with the equipment door open.
“You tell that to the taxpayers!” says the Senator from Vermont in voiceover.
“These were highly trained electronics men, Senator, looking for an electronic fault,” says Robertson. “The trouble was purely mechanical, of the simplest kind. But for them, it was like trying to see an elephant through a microscope. The sliver had peeled from the roll and wedged between the bell and striker, preventing the bell from ringing.”
In the ward room outside the cafeteria, Dutton is drinking a nutrient “meal.” Hall enters through sliding glass doors.
“I’m convinced we are being held incommunicado,” says Dutton.
“Very flattering,” replies Hall. “We don’t know much more than when we got here.”
“We know about Scoop now,” says Dutton. “It’s possible what Scoop found was no accident. I suspect they were looking for the ultimate biological weapon.”
“Sounds like you’re getting a little paranoid in this funhouse, ” says Hall. “What does Stone think — about the ultimate weapon, I mean?”
Stone and Leavitt enter the wardroom. “We’ve isolated the organism!” announces Stone. “It’s in microchemistry – – we’ll show you.”