A young man, nearly thirty years younger than Atherton, Buher had made no secret of the fact that he wanted Atherton's job. But that wasn't what bothered Atherton. He was immune to company politics. He had kept his job by doing his work well, and he knew that Richard Thorn, who was one of his oldest and dearest friends, was not the kind of man to be swayed by any Machiavellian maneuverings. What bothered Atherton was that the more he got to know Buher, the more he found him ruthless and unprincipled. Buher's way of operating was bad for the company image, and, what was even more important, it was likely to get Thorn Industries into serious trouble, particularly if Buher was given any more responsibility than he already had.

All of this was running through Atherton's mind as he crossed the lobby with Richard Thorn and headed for the revolving doors. They were on their way to a meeting scheduled by Buher to check out a special, agriculturally—oriented plant that Buher wanted Thorn Industries to buy.

Atherton had made a point of getting to work early enough that morning so that he could share some of his thoughts about Buher with Thorn before they got to the plant. Once they got there, he knew he'd have no chance.

Thorn was his usual diplomatic self. 'I'm the first to admit Paul's difficult to get along with,' he said, as the two men reached the revolving doors, 'but it took us three years to find a man with his qualifications.'

'I'm not questioning his qualifications,' Atherton said. 'It's-'

'- his manner.' Thorn finished the sentence for him as they moved through the doors and out onto the sidewalk. The limousine was there, waiting for them.

Atherton shook his head in disagreement. 'I can even cope with his manner,' he said. 'I've met and dealt with every kind in my day. No. I don't like what he's proposing. It sticks in my craw, and I don't intend to hide my feelings.'

'You're worried that it could make trouble for us with the Justice Department,' Thorn said.

'Well, he's dealing with some very touchy issues...'

As they approached the limousine, Murray got out and opened the door for them.

'Let's hear him out,' Thorn said as they climbed into the back seat. 'All I'm asking is that you couch your objections a little more... delicately... than usual.'

Murray closed the door on Atherton's appreciative laugh.

***

At the Academy, the Bradley Platoon was in the process of meeting their new leader, one by one. They stood quietly in the corridor outside his office, anxiously awaiting their turn to be called in.

Teddy lounged against one wall, affecting an air of supreme boredom. It was very important to him that he appear totally unafraid of this man who had humiliated him, not once but twice, before the other cadets.