MONOPOLY
By Vic Phillips and Scott Roberts
Sheer efficiency and good management can
make a monopoly grow into being. And once
it grows, someone with a tyrant mind is
going to try to use it as a weapon if he can—
[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Astounding Science-Fiction April 1942.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
"That all, chief? Gonna quit now?"
Brian Hanson looked disgustedly at Pete Brent, his lanky assistant.That was the first sign of animation he had displayed all day.
"I am, but you're not," Hanson told him grimly. "Get your notesstraightened up. Run those centrifuge tests and set up the still so wecan get at that vitamin count early in the morning."
"Tomorrow morning? Aw, for gosh sakes, chief, why don't you take a dayoff sometime, or better yet, a night off. It'd do you good to relax.Boy, I know a swell blonde you could go for. Wait a minute, I've gother radiophone number somewhere—just ask for Myrtle."
Hanson shrugged himself out of his smock.
"Never mind Myrtle, just have that equipment set up for the morning.Good night." He strode out of the huge laboratory, but his mind wasstill on the vitamin research they had been conducting, he barely heardthe remarks that followed him.
"One of these days the chief is going to have his glands catch up withhim."
"Not a chance," Pete Brent grunted.
Brian Hanson wondered dispassionately for a moment how his assistantscould fail to be as absorbed as he was by the work they were doing,then he let it go as he stepped outside the research building.
He paused and let his eyes lift to the buildings that surrounded thecompound. This was the administrative heart of Venus City. Out here,alone, he let his only known emotion sweep through him, pride. He hadan important role in the building of this great new city. As head ofthe Venus Consolidated Research Organization, he was in large partresponsible for the prosperity of this vigorous, young world. VenusConsolidated had built up this city and practically everything elsethat amounted to anything on this planet. True, there had been others,pioneers, before the company came, who objected to the expansion of themonopolistic control. But, if they could not realize that the company'sregime served the best interests of the planet, they would just have tosuffer the consequences of their own ignorance. There had been rumorsof revolution among the disgruntled older families.
He heard there had been killings, but that was nonsense. VenusConsolidated police had only powers of arrest. Anything involvingexecutions had to be referred to the Interplanetary Council on Earth.He dismissed the whole business as he did everything else that did notdirectly influence his own department.
He ignored the surface transport system and walked to his ownapartment. This walk was part of a regular routine of physical exercisethat kept his body hard and resilient in spite of long hours spent inthe laboratory. As he opened the door of his apartment he heard thewater running into his bath. Perfect timing. He was making that walkin precisely seven minutes, four and four-fifths seconds. He undressedand climbed into the tub, relaxing luxuriously in the exhilaration ofirradiated water.
He let all the problems of his work drift away, his mind was a peacefulblank. Then someone was hammering on his head. He struggled reluctantlyawake. It was the door that was being attacked, not his