 By what were Grannie Annie and Billy-boy being watched?
The rule that no females could pass its portals was strictly enforced. There she stood before a frantically gesticulating desk clerk, leaning on her faded green umbrella. In the grille an equally astonished waiter served us—me a lime rickey and Grannie Annie her usual whisky sour—I waited until she had tossed the drink off at a gulp before I set off a chain of questions: "What the devil are you doing on Venus? Pure fiddle-faddle, that's what they are. But to me she was still Grannie Annie, as old-fashioned as last year's hat, as modern as an atomic motor. If she cooked up a feud between two expeditions on Callisto, she went to Callisto. Grannie spilled a few shreds of Martian tobacco onto a paper and deftly rolled herself a cigarette. Grannie Annie hailed a hydrocar. It read: ONE NIGHT ONLY DOCTOR UNIVERSE AND HIS NINE GENIUSES THE QUESTION PROGRAM OF THE SYSTEM As we strode down the aisle a mangy-looking Venusian began to pound a tinpan piano in the pit. On the right were nine visi sets, each with its new improved pantascope panel and switchboard. Before each set stood an Earthman operator. I will only say that on this stage are nine visi sets, each tuned to one of the nine planets. For every question missed, the sender will receive a check for one thousand planetoles . Questions from Mars, from Earth, from Saturn flowed in the visi sets. They applauded as before but they did so only at the signal of Doctor Universe.
 Hunter-bird
 Ezra Karn, an old prospector  Hunter-bird  a drone  By Venusians