When the door had dosed behind them in the Agent's office, the little man's appearance changed subtly. His drooping shoulders were suddenly squarer, and his pale eyes seemed to darken to the color of the granite blocks of the floor.
"Randall is my name, Mr. Andrews. Willard Randall," he said, and his thin, colorless voice seemed to have gained the depth and assurance of a man who is confident of his ability to meet any situation.
Andrews' jaw sagged, and a startled ejaculation burst from his lips.
"You--Randall? I--" The Agent paused, then recovered his usual composure and apologized. "I'm sorry, Mr. Randall. I guess I had expected a--well, a larger man," he completed lamely.
"I understand," Randall said, smiling at Andrews' evident embarrassment. "I don't look exactly like the popular conception of an International Investigation Agent, you mean. But, you see, the less we look like IIA's, the more likely we are to catch someone off-guard."
"That's probably true," Andrews agreed doubtfully, "but--"
"But can I deliver the goods?" Randall completed with a smile. "That's what's worrying you, isn't it?"
Without waiting for an answer from the embarrassed Andrews, Randall continued, "Now, about your trouble. If you'll please outline the whole affair. Absolutely everything you know about it, whether it seems relevant or not."
The Agent for Earth-Tube, Inc. hesitated a moment, then began.
"As you probably know, it was in 1996 that the International Federation of Nations was formed, supplanting the United Nations. At that time all countries were consolidated under a single unified government.
"Because the consolidation definitely obviated the possibility of war, and because the economic situation necessitated a governmental boost, the leaders conceived the idea of utilizing the excess man-power in sinking a huge shaft to investigate the hypothesis that the Earth's core is a vast treasure house of metal.
"The results of the gargantuan undertaking were, from one standpoint, considerably less than miraculous. After penetrating almost four thousand miles to the very center of the Earth, it was found that the major part of the core was metal, alright, but only nickel-iron, which could be mined much more cheaply nearer the Earth's surface.