During the next month, he heard not a whisper from Harry Trent or Stunning Stories. At the end of the month, the patent attorney called. “They’re moving unbelievably fast on this. Normally we’d have six months or a year, but it looks like they’ll finish up in another month or less. And the rumor is that they’re going to reject your application,” he told Bill.

“Why? It should be patentable.”

“I know, I agree with you. There’s something funny going on, and I’m trying to find out what. Anyway, there’s even worse news.”

“There is? Worse?”

“You know that once you file, your claim is public record, and anybody can get a copy? Well, the Patent Office has been deluged by requests for your application. And a buddy in the electronics industry has told me there’s been a run on the components of this thing. It looks like everyone has been building them on the strength of the rumor. As soon as it’s rejected, they can legally use them, and you can bet they will!”

Finally, after a second month had passed with still no word from Stunning Stories, Bill got another call from his attorney. “Bill,” he said, “your application has been rejected. Plain, flat, rejected. The examiner has labeled your machine totally unpatentable.”

“Is there anything we can do? Anything at all?”

“Probably not. An appeal would cost ten, twenty, thirty thousand, and would lose. The grapevine says that the fix is in on this one, we can’t beat it.”

“Huh? What do you mean, the fix?”

“Look, don’t spread it around, but the examiner’s boss moonlights as an author. He’s afraid if this one goes through, you’ll have a monopoly and he won’t sell any more stories. But we can’t prove it, and I won’t even try. Trying and failing would mean my job.”

As the attorney hung up, Bill was in a state of shock. He didn’t know what to do. Finally he decided he had better push his story before everyone else got their machines running. He quickly printed out another copy of his story and grabbed the train for the city.

.