…Minus 096 and COUNTING… They called the A’s for the physical

The physical examinations begin almost at once as applicants whose names start with A file through a marked door. Ben Richards estimates that, because the staff calls a new letter about every fifteen minutes, his turn will not come until around quarter to nine.

While waiting, Richards watches the Free-Vee news restlessly, hearing reports of worsening fighting in Ecuador, cannibal riots in India, and a baseball score. When the evening's big-money games begin, Richards loses interest and goes to the window, while many other applicants watch Fun Guns with frightened fascination because they may soon be contestants themselves.

Looking down at the city at dusk, Richards sees commuters, entertainment-seekers, a Certified Pusher, and a laughing man with two women. The sight triggers a painful longing for Sheila and Cathy, and Richards wishes he could call home, but doubts it is allowed.

Richards knows he can still leave, as some men have already done through the door marked to the street. He rejects the thought because returning without money would mean facing Cathy still feverish and helpless in the flat.

Richards sits again as Dig Your Grave begins. An anxious applicant beside him asks whether many men fail the physical and reveals that he has bronchitis and a family; Richards offers no reassurance and withdraws into silence. As the evening drags on and darkness settles outside, Richards feels the wait stretch unbearably long.