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[ Team LiB ]

• Table of Contents
• Index
• Reviews
• Reader Reviews
• Errata
Cocoa in a Nutshell

By Michael Beam, James Duncan Davidson

Publisher: O'Reilly
Date
: May 2003
Published
ISBN: 0-596-00462-1
Pages: 566

Cocoa in a Nutshell begins with a complete overview of Cocoa's object classes. It provides developers
who may be experienced with other application toolkits the grounding they'll need to start developing
Cocoa applications. A complement to Apple's documentation, it is the only reference to the classes,
functions, types, constants, protocols, and methods that make up Cocoa's Foundation and Application
Kit frameworks, based on the Jaguar release (Mac OS X 10.2).

[ Team LiB ]
[ Team LiB ]

• Table of Contents
• Index
• Reviews
• Reader Reviews
• Errata
Cocoa in a Nutshell

By Michael Beam, James Duncan Davidson

Publisher: O'Reilly
Date
: May 2003
Published
ISBN: 0-596-00462-1
Pages: 566

Copyright
Preface
What Is Cocoa?
How This Book Is Organized
Conventions Used in This Book
How the Quick Reference Was Generated
Comments and Questions
Acknowledgments

Part I: Introducing Cocoa

Chapter 1. Objective-C
Section 1.1. Objects
Section 1.2. Messaging
Section 1.3. Classes
Section 1.4. Creating Object Instances
Section 1.5. Memory Management
Section 1.6. Deallocating Objects
Section 1.7. Categories
Section 1.8. Naming Conventions

Chapter 2. Foundation
Section 2.1. Data
Section 2.2. Key-Value Coding
Section 2.3. Working with Files
Section 2.4. Bundles and Resource Management
 Section 2.5. Archiving Objects
Section 2.6. User Defaults
Section 2.7. Notifications
Section 2.8. Operating System Interaction
Section 2.9. Threaded Programming

Chapter 3. The Application Kit

Section 3.1. AppKit Design Patterns
Section 3.2. Nibs
Section 3.3. Application Architecture
Section 3.4. Controls
Section 3.5. Menus
Section 3.6. Sheets
Section 3.7. Drawers
Section 3.8. Toolbars
Section 3.9. Event Handling
Section 3.10. Document-Based Applications

Chapter 4. Drawing and Imaging

Section 4.1. The Role of Quartz
Section 4.2. Coordinate Systems
Section 4.3. Graphics Contexts
Section 4.4. Working with Paths
Section 4.5. Drawing Text
Section 4.6. Working with Color
Section 4.7. Working with Images
Section 4.8. Transformations

Chapter 5. Text Handling

Section 5.1. Text System Architecture
Section 5.2. Assembling the Text System

Chapter 6. Networking
Section 6.1. Hosts
Section 6.2. URL Resources
Section 6.3. Rendezvous Network Services
Section 6.4. Sockets
Section 6.5. NSFileHandle

Chapter 7. Interapplication Communication

Section 7.1. NSPipe

Chapter 8. Other Frameworks

Section 8.1. AddressBook
Section 8.2. The Message Framework
Section 8.3. Disc Recording Frameworks
Section 8.4. Third-Party Frameworks

Part II: API Quick Reference

Chapter 9. Foundation Types and Constants
Section 9.1. Data Types
Section 9.2. Enumerations
Section 9.3. Global Variables
 Section 9.4. Constants
Section 9.5. Exceptions

Chapter 10. Foundation Functions

Section 10.1. Assertions
Section 10.2. Bundles
Section 10.3. Byte Ordering
Section 10.4. Decimals
Section 10.5. Java Setup
Section 10.6. Hash Tables
Section 10.7. HFS File Types
Section 10.8. Map Tables
Section 10.9. Object Allocation
Section 10.10. Objective-C Runtime
Section 10.11. Path Utilities
Section 10.12. Points
Section 10.13. Ranges
Section 10.14. Rects
Section 10.15. Sizes
Section 10.16. Uncaught Exceptions
Section 10.17. Zones

Chapter 11. Application Kit Types and Constants

Section 11.1. Data Types
Section 11.2. Enumerations
Section 11.3. Global Variables
Section 11.4. Exceptions

Chapter 12. Application Kit Functions

Section 12.1. Accessibility
Section 12.2. Applications
Section 12.3. Events
Section 12.4. Fonts
Section 12.5. Graphics: General
Section 12.6. Graphics: Window Depth
Section 12.7. Interface Styles
Section 12.8. OpenGL
Section 12.9. Panels
Section 12.10. Pasteboards
Section 12.11. System Beep

Chapter 13. Foundation Classes

NSAppleEventDescriptor
NSAppleEventManager
NSAppleScript
NSArchiver
NSArray
NSAssertionHandler
NSAttributedString
NSAutoreleasePool
NSBundle
NSCalendarDate
NSCharacterSet
NSClassDescription
NSCloneCommand
NSCloseCommand
NSCoder
NSConditionLock
NSConnection
NSCountCommand
NSCountedSet
NSCreateCommand
NSData
NSDate
NSDateFormatter
NSDecimalNumber
NSDecimalNumberHandler
NSDeleteCommand
NSDeserializer
NSDictionary
NSDirectoryEnumerator
NSDistantObject
NSDistantObjectRequest
NSDistributedLock
NSDistributedNotificationCenter
NSEnumerator
NSException
NSExistsCommand
NSFileHandle
NSFileManager
NSFormatter
NSGetCommand
NSHost
NSIndexSpecifier
NSInvocation
NSKeyedArchiver
NSKeyedUnarchiver
NSLock
NSLogicalTest
NSMachBootstrapServer
NSMachPort
NSMessagePort
NSMessagePortNameServer
NSMethodSignature
NSMiddleSpecifier
NSMoveCommand
NSMutableArray
NSMutableAttributedString
NSMutableCharacterSet
NSMutableData
NSMutableDictionary
NSMutableSet
NSMutableString
NSNameSpecifier
NSNetService
NSNetServiceBrowser
NSNotification
 NSNotificationCenter
NSNotificationQueue
NSNull
NSNumber
NSNumberFormatter
NSObject
NSPipe
NSPort
NSPortCoder
NSPortMessage
NSPortNameServer
NSPositionalSpecifier
NSProcessInfo
NSPropertyListSerialization
NSPropertySpecifier
NSProtocolChecker
NSProxy
NSQuitCommand
NSRandomSpecifier
NSRangeSpecifier
NSRecursiveLock
NSRelativeSpecifier
NSRunLoop
NSScanner
NSScriptClassDescription
NSScriptCoercionHandler
NSScriptCommand
NSScriptCommandDescription
NSScriptExecutionContext
NSScriptObjectSpecifier
NSScriptSuiteRegistry
NSScriptWhoseTest
NSSerializer
NSSet
NSSetCommand
NSSocketPort
NSSocketPortNameServer
NSSpecifierTest
NSSpellServer
NSString
NSTask
NSThread
NSTimer
NSTimeZone
NSUnarchiver
NSUndoManager
NSUniqueIDSpecifier
NSURL
NSURLHandle
NSUserDefaults
NSValue
NSWhoseSpecifier

Chapter 14. Foundation Protocols

 NSCoding
NSComparisonMethods
NSCopying
NSDecimalNumberBehaviors
NSKeyValueCoding
NSLocking
NSMutableCopying
NSObjCTypeSerializationCallBack
NSObject
NSScriptingComparisonMethods
NSScriptKeyValueCoding
NSScriptObjectSpecifiers
NSURLHandleClient

Chapter 15. Application Kit Classes

NSActionCell
NSAffineTransform
NSApplication
NSBezierPath
NSBitmapImageRep
NSBox
NSBrowser
NSBrowserCell
NSButton
NSButtonCell
NSCachedImageRep
NSCell
NSClipView
NSColor
NSColorList
NSColorPanel
NSColorPicker
NSColorWell
NSComboBox
NSComboBoxCell
NSControl
NSCursor
NSCustomImageRep
NSDocument
NSDocumentController
NSDrawer
NSEPSImageRep
NSEvent
NSFileWrapper
NSFont
NSFontManager
NSFontPanel
NSForm
NSFormCell
NSGlyphInfo
NSGraphicsContext
NSHelpManager
NSImage
NSImageCell
NSImageRep
NSImageView
NSInputManager
NSInputServer
NSLayoutManager
NSMatrix
NSMenu
NSMenuItem
NSMenuItemCell
NSMenuView
NSMovie
NSMovieView
NSMutableParagraphStyle
NSNibConnector
NSNibControlConnector
NSNibOutletConnector
NSOpenGLContext
NSOpenGLPixelFormat
NSOpenGLView
NSOpenPanel
NSOutlineView
NSPageLayout
NSPanel
NSParagraphStyle
NSPasteboard
NSPDFImageRep
NSPICTImageRep
NSPopUpButton
NSPopUpButtonCell
NSPrinter
NSPrintInfo
NSPrintOperation
NSPrintPanel
NSProgressIndicator
NSQuickDrawView
NSResponder
NSRulerMarker
NSRulerView
NSSavePanel
NSScreen
NSScroller
NSScrollView
NSSecureTextField
NSSecureTextFieldCell
NSSimpleHorizontalTypesetter
NSSlider
NSSliderCell
NSSound
NSSpellChecker
NSSplitView
NSStatusBar
NSStatusItem
NSStepper
 NSStepperCell
NSTableColumn
NSTableHeaderCell
NSTableHeaderView
NSTableView
NSTabView
NSTabViewItem
NSText
NSTextAttachment
NSTextAttachmentCell
NSTextContainer
NSTextField
NSTextFieldCell
NSTextStorage
NSTextTab
NSTextView
NSToolbar
NSToolbarItem
NSTypesetter
NSView
NSWindow
NSWindowController
NSWorkspace

Chapter 16. Application Kit Protocols

NSAccessibility
NSChangeSpelling
NSColorPickingCustom
NSColorPickingDefault
NSComboBoxCellDataSource
NSComboBoxDataSource
NSDraggingDestination
NSDraggingInfo
NSDraggingSource
NSIgnoreMisspelledWords
NSInputServerMouseTracker
NSInputServiceProvider
NSMenuItem
NSMenuValidation
NSNibAwaking
NSOutlineViewDataSource
NSServicesRequests
NSTableDataSource
NSTextAttachmentCell
NSTextInput
NSTextStorageScripting
NSToolbarItemValidation
NSToolTipOwner
NSUserInterfaceValidations
NSValidatedUserInterfaceItem
NSWindowScripting

Method Index
A
 B
C
D
E
F
G
H
I
J
K
L
M
N
O
P
Q
R
S
T
U
V
W
XYZ

Part III: Appendix

Appendix A. Appendix: Resources for Cocoa Developers
Section A.1. Apple Documentation
Section A.2. Related Books
Section A.3. Web Sites
Section A.4. Mailing Lists
Section A.5. Partnering with Apple

Colophon
Index
[ Team LiB ]
[ Team LiB ]

Copyright © 2003 O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.

Printed in the United States of America.

Published by O'Reilly & Associates, Inc., 1005 Gravenstein Highway North, Sebastopol, CA 95472.

O'Reilly & Associates books may be purchased for educational, business, or sales promotional use.
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contact our corporate/institutional sales department: (800) 998-9938 or [email protected].

Nutshell Handbook, the Nutshell Handbook logo, and the O'Reilly logo are registered trademarks of
O'Reilly & Associates, Inc. Many of the designations used by manufacturers and sellers to distinguish
their products are claimed as trademarks. Where those designations appear in this book, and O'Reilly
& Associates, Inc. was aware of a trademark claim, the designations have been printed in caps or
initial caps. The association between the image of an Irish setter and the topic of Cocoa is a trademark
of O'Reilly & Associates, Inc.

Apple Computer, Inc. boldly combined open source technologies with its own programming efforts to
create Mac OS X, one of the most versatile and stable operating systems now available. In the same
spirit, Apple has joined forces with O'Reilly & Associates to bring you an indispensable collection of
technical publications. The ADC logo indicates that the book has been technically reviewed by Apple
engineers and is recommended by the Apple Developer Connection.

Apple, the Apple logo, AppleScript, AppleTalk, AppleWorks, Carbon, Cocoa, ColorSync, Finder,
FireWire, iBook, iMac, iPod, Mac, Mac logo, Macintosh, PowerBook, QuickTime, QuickTime logo,
Sherlock, and WebObjects are trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc., registered in the United States
and other countries. The "keyboard" Apple logo ( ) is used with permission of Apple Computer, Inc.

While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and authors
assume no responsibility for errors or omissions, or for damages resulting from the use of the
information contained herein.

[ Team LiB ]
[ Team LiB ]

Preface
It's practically impossible to know Cocoa inside and out. There was once a discussion between two
programmers about Cocoa's large APIs: one was a veteran Perl programmer, the other a Cocoa
programmer. The Perl programmer grumbled about the intimidating and verbose Cocoa APIs, saying
there was simply too much to remember. Bemused, the Cocoa programmer retorted: "You don't
remember Cocoa; you look it up!"

The point the Cocoa programmer was trying to impress upon the Perl programmer was that
understanding object-oriented programming (OOP) concepts and the architecture of the frameworks is
more important than remembering the wordy and numerous method and class names in the Cocoa
frameworks.

This book is a compact reference that will hopefully grow worn beside your keyboard. Split into two
parts, Cocoa in a Nutshell first provides an overview of the frameworks that focuses on both common
programming tasks and how the parts of the framework interact with one another. The second part of
the book is an API quick reference that frees you from having to remember method and class names
so you can spend more time hacking code. This book covers the Cocoa frameworks—Foundation and
Application Kit (AppKit)—as of Mac OS X 10.2 (Jaguar).

[ Team LiB ]
[ Team LiB ]

What Is Cocoa?
Cocoa is a complete set of classes and application programming interfaces (APIs) for building Mac OS
X applications and tools. With over 240 classes, Cocoa is divided into two essential frameworks: the
Foundation framework and the Application Kit.

The Foundation framework provides a fundamental set of tools for representing fundamental data
types, accessing operating system services, threading, messaging, and more. The Application Kit
provides the functionality to build graphical user interfaces (GUI) for Cocoa applications. It provides
access to the standard Aqua interface components ranging from menus, buttons, and text fields—the
building blocks of larger interfaces—to complete, prepackaged interfaces for print dialogs, file
operation dialogs, and alert dialogs. The Application Kit also provides higher-level functionality to
implement multiple document applications, text handling, and graphics.

Classes are not the only constituents of the Cocoa frameworks. Some programming tasks, such as
sounding a system beep, are best accomplished with a simple C function. Cocoa includes a number of
functions for accomplishing tasks such as manipulating byte orders and drawing simple graphics.
Additionally, Cocoa defines a number of custom data types and constants to provide a higher degree
of abstraction to many method parameters.

The Cocoa Development Environment

Project Builder and Interface Builder are the two most important applications used in Cocoa
development. Project Builder is the interactive development environment (IDE) for Mac OS X used to
manage and edit source files, libraries, frameworks, and resources. Additionally, it provides an
interface to the Objective-C compiler, gcc, and the GNU debugger, gdb.

Interface Builder is used to create GUIs for Cocoa applications by allowing developers to manipulate UI
components (such as windows and buttons) graphically using drag and drop. It provides assistance for
laying out components by providing visual cues that conform to Apple's Aqua Human Interface
Guidelines. From an inspector panel, the behavior and appearance of these components can be
tweaked in almost every way the component supports. Interface Builder provides an intuitive way to
connect objects by letting the user drag wires between objects. This way, you set up the initial
network of objects in the interface. In addition, you can interface without having to compile a single bit
of code.

Interface components are not the only objects that can be manipulated with Interface Builder. You can
subclass any Cocoa class and create instances of the subclasses. More importantly, you can give these
classes instance variables, known as outlets, and methods, called actions, and hook them up to user
interface components. Interface Builder can then create source files for these subclasses, complete
header files, and an implementation file including stubs for the action methods. There is much more to
Interface Builder and Project Builder than we can cover in this book, but as you can begin to imagine,
the tight integration of these two applications create a compelling application development
environment.

Cocoa Design Patterns

Cocoa uses many design patterns. Design patterns are descriptions of common object-oriented
programming practices. Effective application development requires that you know how and where to
use patterns in Cocoa. Cocoa in a Nutshell discusses these patterns in the context in which they are
used. Here is a brief list of the design patterns you will encounter in the book:
Delegation

In this pattern, one object, the delegate, acts on behalf of another object. Delegation is used to
alter the behavior of an object that takes a delegate. The developer's job is to implement any
number of methods that may be invoked in the delegate. Delegation minimizes the need to
subclass objects to extend their functionality.
Singleton

This pattern ensures that only one object instance of a class exists in the system. A singleton
method is an object constructor that creates an instance of the class and maintains a reference
to that object. Subsequent invocations of the singleton constructor return the existing object,
rather than create a new one.
Notification

Notifications allow decoupling of message senders from multiple message receivers. Cocoa
implements this pattern in the notification system used throughout the frameworks. It is
discussed in Chapter 2.
Model-View-Control

The Model-View-Controller (MVC) pattern is used extensively in the Application Kit to separate
an application into logically distinct units: a model, which knows how to work with application
data, the view, which is responsible for presenting the data to the user, and the controller,
which handles interaction between the model and the view. Chapter 3 discusses MVC in more
detail.
Target/action

The target/action pattern decouples user-interface components, such as buttons and menu
items, with the objects (the targets) that implement their actions. In this pattern, an activated
control sends an action message to its target. Chapter 3 discusses this topic further.
Responder chain

The responder chain pattern is used in the event handling system to give multiple objects a
chance to respond to an event. This topic is discussed in Chapter 3.
Key-value coding

Key-value coding provides an interface for accessing an object's properties indirectly by name.
Chapter 2 covers key-value coding more thoroughly.

Benefits
These days, application developers expect a lot from their tools, and users expect a lot from any
application they use. Any application or application toolkit that neglects these needs is destined for
failure. Cocoa comes through grandly by providing the features needed in applications now and in the
future, including:

Framework-based development

Cocoa development is based on its frameworks: the Foundation framework and the Application
Kit. With framework-based programming, the system takes a central role in the life of an
application by calling out to code that you provide. This role allows the frameworks to take care
of an application's behind-the-scene details and lets you focus on providing the functionality that
makes your application unique.
"For free" features

Cocoa provides a lot of standard application functionality "for free" as part of the frameworks.
These features not only include the large number of user-interface components, but larger
application subsystems such as the text-handling system and the document-based application
architecture. Because Apple has gone to great lengths to provide these features as a part of
Cocoa, developers can spend less time doing the repetitive work that is common between all
applications, and more time adding unique value to their application.
The development environment

As discussed earlier, Project Builder and Interface Builder provide a development environment
that is highly integrated with the Cocoa frameworks. Interface Builder is used to quickly build
user interfaces, which means less tedious work for the developer.

Cocoa's most important benefit is that it lets you develop applications dramatically faster than with
other application frameworks.

Languages
Cocoa's native language is Objective-C. The Foundation and Application Kit frameworks are
implemented in Objective-C, and using Objective-C provides access to all features of the frameworks.
Chapter 1 covers Objective-C in depth.

Objective-C is not, however, the only language through which you can access the Cocoa frameworks.
Through the Java Bridge, Apple provides a way to access the Cocoa frameworks using the Java
language. The Java Bridge does not provide a complete solution since many of Cocoa's advanced
features, such as the distributed objects system, are not available with Java. This book will not discuss
Cocoa application development with Java.

Another option for working with Cocoa is AppleScript. AppleScript has traditionally been associated
with simple scripting tasks, but with Mac OS X, Apple enabled AppleScript access to the Cocoa
frameworks via AppleScript Studio. AppleScript Studio provides hooks into the Cocoa API so scripters
can take their existing knowledge of AppleScript, write an application in Project Builder, and use
Interface Builder to give their applications an Aqua interface—all without having to learn Objective-C.
This exposes Cocoa to a completely new base of Macintosh developers, who know enough AppleScript
to build simple task-driven applications for solving common problems. For more information about
AppleScript Studio, see http://www.apple.com/applescript/studio.

[ Team LiB ]
Other documents randomly have
different content
The Project Gutenberg eBook of The Brain
Sinner
This ebook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States
and most other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no
restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
ebook or online at www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the
United States, you will have to check the laws of the country where
you are located before using this eBook.

Title: The Brain Sinner

Author: Alan Edward Nourse

Release date: November 14, 2020 [eBook #63759]

Most recently updated: October 18, 2024

Language: English

Credits: Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed

Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE BRAIN

SINNER ***
THE BRAIN SINNER
 By ALAN E. NOURSE

An invisible network of human minds

lay across the country, delicately tuned,
waiting breathlessly for the first spark
of contact from the unknown ... from
the unpredictable telepathic Alien.

[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from

Planet Stories Spring 1955.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
The ship skimmed down like a shadow from the outer atmosphere
and settled gently and silently in the tangled underbrush of the hill
that overlooked the bend in the broad river. There was a hiss of
scorched leaves, and the piping of a small, trapped animal. Then
there was silence.
Higher up, the sunlight was bright over the horizon; here the
shadows had lengthened and it was quite dark. Far across the hills a
dog howled mournfully; night birds made small rustling sounds
through the scrub and underbrush. The alien waited, tensely,
listening, waiting with his mind open for any flicker of surprise or
wonder, waiting for a whisper of fear or recognition to slip into his
mind from the dark hills around the ship. He waited and waited.
Then he gave a satisfied grunt. Foolish of him to worry. All possible
care had been taken to avoid any kind of alarm. He had landed
unseen from Io.
The alien stretched back against the couch, allowing his long, tight
muscles to relax, as he sent inquiring feelers of thought out from the
ship, probing gently and tentatively, for signs of the psi-presence.
The landing, after all, had been assumed. Already the natives had
convinced themselves that ships such as his were a delusion. Such
simple creatures, to disregard the evidence of their own senses!
There should be no problem here when the invasion began, with the
preliminary studies already completed, the disguising techniques
almost perfected. A primitive world, indeed, but a world with psi-
presence already developing—a possible flaw in the forthcoming
silent conquest.
For psi-presence could detect other psi-presence, always, anywhere,
despite any disguise. The alien knew that. It was the one universal
denominator in all the centuries of conquest and enslavement in his
people's history. Before they could come, they must know the
strength of the psi-presence on this world.
The alien moved, finally, beginning his preparations. In the center of
the cabin an image flickered, swarming flecks of light and shadow
that filled out a three-dimensional form, complete and detailed. The
alien sat back and studied it through hooded yellow eyes—carefully,
oh so carefully, for there must be no mistake, not here, not now.
The scouts had come and gone, bringing back the data and
specimens of the man-things necessary for a satisfactory disguise.
Now the alien stared at the image, regarding the bone structure and
muscle contour critically. Then, slowly, he began work with the
plastiflesh, modelling the sharp angles of his members into neat
curves, skillfully laying folds of skin, molding muscle bulges and
jointed fingers, always studying the strange, clumsy image that
flickered before him.
It was the image of a man. That was what they called themselves.
There were many of them, and somewhere among them there was
psi-presence, feeble and underdeveloped, but there somewhere. He
eyed the image again, and pressed a stud on the control panel, and
another image met his eyes, an electronic reflection of himself. He
studied it, and carefully superimposed the two, adding contour here
and there, yellow eyes seeking out imperfections as he worked.
There must be no mistake. Failure would mean disgrace and death,
horrible, writhing death by dissociation and burning, neuron by
neuron. He knew. He had officiated at executions before; delightful
experiences, but not to be trifled with. He stared at the image again
and then at himself.

The skin tone was wrong. The yellow came through too clearly in
places, and in this strange culture that color was reported to carry
unpleasant connotations. He worked pale, sickly-pink stuff into his
soft, wrinkle-free skin, then molded out the cheeks and forehead.
Hair would be a problem, of course, but then there would be many
small imperfections. He smiled grimly to himself. There were other
ways of masking imperfections.
At last he was satisfied. There was no way to bring the normal
reddish color into the pale green lips; there was no way to
satisfactorily prepare the myriad wrinkles and creases that crossed
the skin of the man-things, but with a little skillful application of
projection techniques it did not matter.
The alien struggled into the tight, restricting clothes that lay in a
bundle, carefully folded and pressed, at his feet. The hard, board-
like shoes cut at his ankles, and the hairy stuff of the red-and-white
checked shirt made him writhe in discomfort, but once outside the
ship he was glad for the warmth. He stepped out onto the ground,
and listened again carefully. Then he made certain arrangements
with wires, and threw a switch on a small black case near the air
lock, and began marching down the hill away from the ship.
He would no longer need the ship. Not now.
The underbrush grew thicker, and he fought his way through the
scrub until he reached a roadway. It was not paved. A flicker of sour
amusement swept through the alien's mind. They had been afraid
that these simple creatures might try to oppose them! Yet the scouts
had said that far to the East were great stone and steel cities—the
places-of-madness, the scout had said. Perhaps. But here there was
no stone and steel, only dust, and the ruts of wagon wheels, and a
howling dog somewhere over the hill.
The alien trudged on for almost an hour, trying to acclimate his legs
to the fierce tug of gravity that pulled at him. And then he stopped
short and listened.
He heard them, then, in the depths of his mind, somewhere on the
other side of the hill. His eyes narrowed. No psi-presence there, but
two of the man-things, beyond doubt. Other whispers, too dull,
stupid, vagrant whispers flickering through his mind. Lower life
forms, no doubt. Possibly a farm with work animals. The scouts had
said there were such. He turned off the road and almost cried out
when the sharp barbs of a fence cut through his tender skin.
A trickle of green dripped down his arm, until he rubbed a poultice
across it, and it became smooth and sickly-pink again. With a vicious
jerk he pulled the fence out, post and all, and left it on the ground,
moving through the woods toward the sounds he had heard.
Soon the woods ended and he saw the dwelling across a broad
clearing. Black dirt lay open in the moonlight. He started across.
There was light inside the dwelling, and the dull, babbling flow of
uncontrolled man-thought struck his mind like a vapor. There were
other buildings, too, dark buildings, and one tall one that had a
spoked wheel on top, and creaked and rustled in the darkness.
He had almost reached the dwelling when a small, four-legged
creature jumped up in the darkness, crying out at him in a horrible
discordant barrage. The creature came running swiftly, and the
alien's mind caught the sharp whine of fear and hate emanating
from the thing. It stopped before him, baring its fangs and snarling.
The alien lashed his foot out savagely; it crunched into flesh and
bone, and the creature lay flopping helplessly, spurting dark wet
stuff, its cry cut off in mid-yelp. The alien stepped onto the porch as
the door opened suddenly, framing a tall, thin man-thing in a box of
yellow light. "Brownie?" he called. "Come here, Brownie! What's the
matter—" His words trailed off when he saw the alien. "Who are
you?"
"A traveller," said the alien, his voice grating harshly in the darkness.
"I need lodging and food—"
The farmer's eyes narrowed suspiciously as he peered from the
doorway. "Come closer, let me get a look at you," he said.
The alien stepped closer, concentrating all his psi-faculties on the
farmer's mind, blurring his perception of the minute imperfections of
his disguise. It required all his power; he had none left to probe the
farmer's mind, and he waited, trembling. That could come later.
The farmer blinked, and nodded, finally. "All right," he said. "We've
got some food on the stove. Come on in."

II

Senatorial Councilman Benjamin Towne slammed his cane down on

the floor with a snarl, and eased himself back down in his seat,
staring angrily around the small Federal Security Commission ante-
room. The American Council attaché standing near the door
retrieved the cane, handing it to the Councilman with a polite
murmur. Instantly he regretted his action when Towne began
slapping the cane against his palm, short staccato slaps that rang
out ominously in the small room.
The Councilman was not in the habit of waiting. He did not like it in
the least, and made no effort to conceal his feelings. His little green
cat eyes roved around the room in sharp disapproval, resting
momentarily on the neat autodesk, on the cool grey walls, on the
vaguely disturbing water-color on the wall—one of those sickening
Psi-High experimentals that the snob critics all claimed to be so
wonderful. The Councilman growled and blinked at the morning
sunlight streaming through the muted glass panels of the northeast
wall. Far below, the second morning rush hour traffic buzzed through
the city with frantic nervousness.
The Councilman tapped his cane on the floor, glancing up at his
attaché. "That Sanders girl," he snapped. "Give me her file again."
The Council attaché opened a large briefcase, and produced a thick
bundle of papers in a manilla folder. Towne took them and glanced
through the papers, lighting one of his long, green-tipped cigarettes
from a ruby-studded lighter. "How about Dr. Abrams? Was he
questioned?"
The attaché nodded in embarrassment. "Nothing doing. He ran us in
circles."
Towne's scowl deepened. "Did you give him the Treatment?"
"He just wasn't having any, sir. Said he'd answer to a Joint Council
hearing, and nothing less."
"Stubborn old goat. He knows I've got nothing that will stand up in a
Council hearing." Towne went back to the papers again, still tapping
the floor with the cane. "Damn that Roberts!"
The attaché glanced down at Benjamin Towne with some curiosity. It
was easy to see how the man drew such powerful support from his
constituents. There was something overwhelming about his
appearance—the heavy jaw and grim mouth line, the shock of sandy
hair that fell over his forehead, the burning green eyes, the stout,
well muscled body. The attaché's eyes drifted down to the withered
left leg and the grotesque twisted foot, and he looked away in
embarrassment. What was so awe-inspiring about a crippled man
who accumulated great power? Towne certainly had done that.
Some said that Ben Towne was the most powerful man in North
America. Some also said that he was the greatest man, but that was
something quite different indeed. And some said that he was the
most dangerous man alive. The attaché shivered. That was none of
his business. If he went probing that line too far they'd be calling
him Psi-High, and he liked his job too much to risk that.
The inner door opened and a tall man with prematurely gray hair
strode in, followed by a girl in her early twenties. "Sorry to keep you,
Councilman," the man said. "No, no, don't get up. We can talk right
here."
Towne had made no effort to rise. He glared at the man, and then
his eyes drifted to the girl and widened angrily. "I said a private
conference, Roberts. I don't want one of these damned brain-picking
snakes in the same room with me."
The man nodded cooly to the girl. "Sit down, Jean. Councilman, this
is Jean Sanders. If you're here about the Alien investigation, I want
her to sit in."
Ben Towne slowly set the papers down on the floor. "Record this,
Roger," he said to the attaché. His eyes turned to Roberts. "I
understand he slipped out of your hands again yesterday," he said
with vicious smoothness. "A pity."
Roberts reddened. "That's right. He slipped out clean."
"No pictures, no identifications, no nothing, eh?"
"I'm afraid not."
Towne's voice was deadly. "Mr. Roberts, an unidentified Alien
creature has been at large in this country for three solid weeks, and
your Federal Security teams haven't even gotten near him. I want to
know why."
"I'd suggest that if you read our reports—"
"Damn you, man, I didn't come here for insolence!" Towne slammed
the cane down with a clatter. "You're answerable to the Joint
Senatorial Council of the North American States for every wretched
thing you do, and I'm ready to bring charges of criminal negligence
against you in this Alien investigation—"
"Criminal negligence!" Roberts jumped up, his eyes blazing. "My
god, Councilman! We've thrown everything we have into this search.
This creature has played us for fools every step of the way! We
didn't even get a look at his ship. It blew up right in our faces! Do
you realize what we're fighting here?"
"I realize quite well," said Towne, frostily. "You're fighting an Alien
who has slipped into our population, somehow, and just vanished.
There's no way to tell what he wants or what he's doing. The
potential danger of his presence is staggering. And you've fumbled
and groaned for three weeks without even turning up a hot trail. You
haven't even a coherent description of him—"
"We're fighting a telepath," Roberts said softly. "An Alien with
telepathic powers like nothing we've ever dreamed of. That's what
we're fighting. And we're losing, too."
The girl across the room stirred uneasily. Ben Towne's green eyes
shot over to her viciously. "And you're using freaks like her to help
him hide, I suppose."
"Jean Sanders is not a freak." Roberts' voice grated in the still air of
the room. "She's Psi-High, and she's the most valuable asset we've
got in this search at the present moment. It's a real pity there aren't
more Psi-Highs that have had her training."
"And you sit there and tell me you'd dare use Psi-Highs in an
investigation as critical as this?"
Roberts sighed in disgust. "Councilman, you don't have any idea
what you're saying."
"I beg to differ," Towne's eyes flashed. "I happen to be aware that
there are a group of individuals wandering around loose who will
have this country in chains in a hundred years if they're allowed to
develop as they please. Psi-Highs are a vicious menace, nothing
more nor less. We can't help it that we have them. The fools in the
government were blind two hundred years ago when they first
started appearing, and psi-factors are gene-controlled. But they can't
use their extra-sensory powers without training."
He picked up the cane and leaned forward at Roberts. "Thanks to
Reuben Abram's meddling over at the Hoffman Center, some of them
are already developing their psi-faculties, learning to use a
treacherous power that has no place in civilized society. Well, I don't
want them working in Security! Is that clear enough?"
Roberts sighed tiredly and leaned back in his chair. "You're confused
a little," he said. "This is not the Rotary Club. It's not a Federal
Isolationist rally, and it's not the Senate floor, either. It's just me
you're talking to. And to my knowledge, you haven't succeeded as
yet in removing all Psi-High rights. You've gotten laws through
Congress to make them take tests and submit to registration; you've
passed laws to prevent them from marrying; you've blocked their
education and hamstrung their training and developement, but you
haven't, as yet, been able to strip them of their citizenship—"
"Not as yet," said Ben Towne.
"And you can't, as yet, dictate the activities of the Federal Security
Commission."
"Not as yet."
Roberts' eyes blazed. "All right. Now you can listen to me for a
minute, Councilman, recording or no recording. We've got an enemy
in our midst—an Alien we've never even seen. We can thank a psi-
positive citizen out in Des Moines for spotting him in the first place.
He had the sense and the loyalty to report it to us. Normal psi-
negative individuals can't see him, can't identify him, can't even get
near him. We haven't tried Psi-High agents against him yet but we're
going to have to, whether you like it or not. Psi-negatives are
strapped. The Alien can run circles around them. Our only hope of
catching him is to use psi-positive agents, the best-trained we can
get our hands on. Like Jean, here. And if you want to stop me you'll
have to reorganize Federal Security to do it."
Towne lurched to his feet, his face white. "I may do that, Roberts."
He reached for his cane. "I may just do that."
"You'll have to throw the Liberal Council out of office first. They're
supporting me, and outvoting your American Council two to one."
Towne gave him a shrewd look. "Better start watching the telecasts,
and newstapes," he said bluntly. "Already there are rumors going
around about a mysterious Alien fugitive. Oh, I know it's top secret,
but you know how news leaks." He gave a nasty smile. "People get
nervous about rumors like that, especially when the Administration
denies them so sharply. You'd better catch him pretty quick." He
nodded to his attaché, and limped to the door. Then he glanced back
over his shoulder. "Be sure to watch the telecasts," he said, and
slammed the door behind him.
Jean Sanders stood up, white-faced and trembling. "What a vicious
man," she murmured. "What did he mean, Bob?"
Robert Roberts shook his head, and fished a cigar from a desk
drawer. "I'm not sure that I know," he said slowly.

III

Paul Faircloth finished reading the teletape briefing just as the little
jet plane slipped down toward the hangar slot in South Chicago. He
slapped the spools into the erasure can and flipped the control
switch to activate the distortion field inside the can. He stretched his
legs, then, wondering vaguely whether he was going to come out of
this whole mess alive.
Jean's parting hug was still warm in his memory, and he
remembered the worry in her big grey eyes as she had kissed him
and said, "Be careful, darling. I wish I could go, too. I couldn't bear
to have anything happen—" It was the first time she had ever
actually spoken that word to him, and he was glad she had. Almost
defiantly glad. She had said it aloud, and she had said so much,
much more without words. Only vague shadows in Faircloth's
untrained mind, but he knew the meaning of those shadows.
A man was waiting down below on the platform for him. The hangar
vault was dark and deserted. He took the agent's card and scanned
it briefly. "Marino? I'm Paul Faircloth. Better give me a late briefing."
Marino nodded. He was small and wiry, with catlike movements and
exceedingly bright eyes under his jet black eyebrows. "We'd be wise
to get on over while we talk," he said.
Faircloth nodded and stepped into the little tube-car that was waiting
at the end of the platform. It was a tight fit for two men, and Paul
ducked by reflex as it gave a lurch and dipped down the chute into a
narrow tunnel, hanging free and speeding ahead on its electronic
guide beam. "Is the Condor Building where he was spotted?"
Marino nodded. "In Center City, Chicago. First thirty-six floors are
commercial, and the twenty above are residential. He's pinned pretty
definitely on the forty-second, in a large residential suite. No idea
why he chose it or how long he's been there—" He turned apologetic
eyes to Faircloth. "I'm Psi-High—I guess you know. We've got him
located and triangulated, and we can keep him pretty well pinned if
he doesn't try to give us a shower. We're pretty sure he knows we're
there."
"Shower?"
Marino nodded, grimly tapping his forehead. "A barrage, the works.
This Alien's got a powerful psi. And I mean powerful. He gave it to
one of our Psi-High men yesterday. It was savage. Nearly ripped him
apart."
Faircloth shivered. "But you can keep track of him."
"Yes." Marino lit a cigarette with nervous fingers. "Roberts put Psi-
Highs out to spot him, but he doesn't want any Psi-Highs in on the
kill." His voice was flat with disappointment. "Political pressure, I
guess. People couldn't bear to give a Psi-High credit for anything—"
He glanced at Faircloth and reddened. "Sorry. No offense. It just
slipped out." He bit his lip. "Anyway, that's what you're here for. Half
a dozen other psi-negatives will help you. I hope God'll be helping
you too."
Faircloth grinned tightly. "Got you nervous?"
"It's got me plenty nervous."
Faircloth nodded again, rubbing a hand across his eyes. "All right. I
want your best men, every one of them, to go in with me. I don't
care whether they're Psi-High or not. Neither does Roberts; he's with
you folks all the way. But we've got to get this creature and get him
cold. He's slick. Is the building sewed up?"
"Tight as a vacutainer."
"Good. Keep it under cover, and try to keep the Psi-Highs from
broadcasting any more than necessary."
Marino gave him a queer look. "They'll do their best, of course."
"Right." Faircloth ran a hand through his brown hair and loosened
his tie a trifle. "As soon as the building is cleared from rush hour, I
want the power shut off all over the building. Elevators, lights,
everything. We'll be on the 41st floor, and a squad will be on the
43rd. We'll close in together."
Marino shook his head. "I hope it works. They had him just as tight
in Des Moines last week, and he slid right through." The man's eyes
were worried. "We just don't know what we're fighting. That's the
whole trouble. Even the Psi-Highs are up a tree."
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