Spots 
High-stakes card games lose all randomness when every player can read hands and manipulate physical objects. Wally Wilson balances reading opponent minds against shielding his own straight flush from detection. The intrusion of Tomboy Taylor disrupts the psychological gridlock before bets can be called. Her unannounced arrival forces an immediate showdown among guarded minds.
Part 1
Tomboy Taylor delivers explicit demands from crime boss Joseph Barcelona regarding the upcoming Kentucky Derby. Wally Wilson must guarantee that three substandard racehorses finish in a precise order. The coercion relies on subtle mind-shield lowering to signal physical attraction alongside severe threat. Barcelona expects success precisely because the assignment appears mathematically impossible.
Part 2
Tomboy Taylor uses heavy tobacco smoke as a sensory barrier to block telepathic probes during high-level criminal negotiations. Police Lieutenant Delancey arrives shortly after her departure to investigate rumors surrounding Barcelona. Delancey probes Wally about past illicit operations, referencing past feats of telepathic dice manipulation. Wally maintains a calm, evasive posture despite mounting pressure from both law enforcement and organized crime.
Part 3
Lieutenant Delancey tracks a minor pickpocket named Gimpy Gordon through erratic mental broadcasts about stolen cash and horse bets. The legal definition of horse racing as short-term share purchasing turns bookmakers into investment counselors while leaving race manipulation illegal. Delancey points out that Barcelona's three chosen horses are barely fit for dog food. The police anticipate an elaborate mental scheme to push hopeless runners ahead of legitimate contenders.
Part 4
Delancey challenges Wally to explain how anyone could rig a major event surrounded by professional telepaths and manipulators. Overt methods like pyrotics or electric shocks are easily detected and blocked by track security. Psychological maneuvering remains the only viable route for a successful fraud. Wally insists he knows nothing while carefully studying the officer's accusations.
Part 5
Delancey brings up Wally's ancestral lineage, noting past family members who used pyrotechnic talent and telepathy at race tracks. Legacy psionic abilities often run in families, making Wally a prime suspect for sophisticated race rigging. Court records show a history of legal skirmishes involving telepathic track operations. Wally resists admitting any personal psychic competence despite the officer's persistent pressure.
Part 6
Delancey warns Wally that he will face immediate prosecution if Barcelona's terrible horses finish the race on their feet. Trapped between police surveillance and mob demands, Wally turns to a halluscene broadcast of Tarzan for temporary relief. Sensory leaks from cheap tobacco and alcohol breach the broadcast's immersive jungle environment. The intrusion reveals an uninvited guest waiting inside his living room.
Part 7
Gimpy Gordon sits in Wally's apartment, pleading for money to place bets on Barcelona's three chosen racehorses. Gimpy's severe alcohol abuse leaves his mental shield erratic, making his thoughts function like a scrambled deck of cards. His ability to pick pockets unnoticed relies on his immediate forgetfulness of the crime. Wally realizes this confused thief can serve as an ideal transmitter for spreading rumors.
Part 8
Wally carefully avoids telepathic masking while speaking with Gimpy to let simple logic take hold naturally. Refusing to accept a bet on credit convinces the thief that the long-shot horses are guaranteed winners. A bookmaker would never deny credit on a hundred-to-one shot unless the race were secretly fixed. Gimpy leaves fully persuaded that betting on Barcelona's horses is a flawless opportunity.
Part 9
Wally gives Gimpy a thousand dollars to place bets on the chosen horses through competing bookmakers. Gimpy leaves in an exuberant state, eager to wager the largest sum he has ever held. Returning to his sensory broadcast, Wally discovers Tomboy Taylor relaxing in his apartment halluscene chair. She has adopted an alluring persona that cuts through stale room odors.
Part 10
Tomboy Taylor informs Wally that she will remain in his home until Derby Day concludes. Her presence ensures Wally stays focused on fulfilling Barcelona's impossible demands without defecting. Wally adjusts his home mindwarden settings to account for her entry. The two settle into an uneasy cohabitation marked by mutual telepathic probing.
Part 11
Tomboy explains that Barcelona sent her to gauge Wally's loyalty and catch early signs of resentment. Wally notices a brief crack in her mental shield, exposing an underlying desire for genuine respect. Her habit of smoking cheap cigars acts as a deliberate shield to alienate admirers and maintain professional distance. Removing that barrier reveals a vulnerable person trapped in mob service.
Part 12
Wally offers to call her Nora on the condition that she drops her crude masculine affectations. Nora drops her mental guard momentarily, revealing that Barcelona aims to humiliate Wally publicly in front of her. Barcelona's scheme stems from personal insecurity and a desire to prove dominance over skilled operators. Wally realizes the mob boss uses telepathic noise generators to hide his own tactical vulnerabilities.
Part 13
Barcelona protects himself from telepathic eavesdropping by employing subordinates who broadcast chaotic mental noise. Reading thoughts near him resembles listening to a conversation inside a loud sawmill. Wally waits for a momentary cease-fire in the noise barrage when Barcelona checks in on Nora. Detecting a sudden silence, Wally prepares to strike back mentally.
Part 14
Wally launches a direct telepathic message into Barcelona's mind during the brief break in mental jamming. Barcelona accuses Wally of betting through intermediaries rather than covering mob wagers directly. Wally refuses to fall into the trap of accepting wagers against a race he is ordered to fix. He mockingly promises to defeat Barcelona using the strict rules of the system.
Part 15
Wally informs Barcelona that he will exploit legal loopholes to achieve victory without breaking track laws. Frustrated by Wally's defiance and growing rapport with Nora, Barcelona orders his mental noise squad to shut down communication. Wally turns his attention to Nora, expressing genuine admiration that further infuriates the distant mob boss. The lines of conflict are drawn firmly as race day approaches.
Part 16
Lieutenant Delancey uses an ancient cohabitation law to force Wally and Nora into his official race box. Delancey arrives on Derby morning while Nora cooks breakfast and resets the home security system. The officer threatens arrest unless both agree to attend the event at Churchill Downs under close surveillance. Wally complies, recognizing that track attendance offers the ideal stage for his countermove.
Part 17
Delancey escorts Wally and Nora to his personal sky-buggy for the flight to Kentucky. The lieutenant jokes about legal definitions of marriage and intent while steering toward the track. His official box brings Wally, Barcelona, and police surveillance into immediate physical proximity. The arrangement ensures all key players observe the race's outcome together.
Part 18
Delancey's stadium box holds Wally, Nora, Barcelona, mob bodyguards, and undercover police officers. Gimpy Gordon joins the group, radiating excitement despite the overwhelming telepathic noise generated by Barcelona's entourage. Barcelona expresses supreme confidence that Wally cannot fulfill his demands without getting caught. Wally calmly maintains that the race will yield exact desired results through legal means.
Part 19
Track odds post on the electronic board, placing three top contenders alongside Barcelona's three substandard entries. Wally advises Gimpy Gordon to hold his cash rather than place immediate track bets. As news of Gimpy's thousand-dollar bet spreads among bettors, mass panic buying begins. Spectators flood the betting windows to catch what they believe is a guaranteed fixed outcome.
Part 20
Flying Heels and the other two weak horses drop from hundred-to-one long shots to overwhelming favorites. Wally reveals to a horrified Barcelona that he gave Gimpy a thousand dollars to bet on those exact horses. The public's desire to ride with mob insider tips drives thousands to stake their money on the runners. Barcelona realizes the payout odds have plummeted to nothing while public exposure has maximized.
Part 21
Delancey warns Barcelona that twenty thousand furious gamblers will violently turn on whoever leaked the bad tip when the horses lose. Facing mob lynching from angry bettors, Barcelona panics and begs Wally to fix the situation legally. Wally agrees to solve the crisis on condition that Barcelona admits defeat and forfeits his leverage. Barcelona surrenders all demands, desperate to protect his life from the enraged crowd.
Part 22
Barcelona orders his noisemakers silent and mentally instructs track stewards to scratch his three horses. He broadcasts a public message offering full refunds from his personal funds to pacify the crowd. Wally avoids illegal race fixing entirely, satisfying police scrutiny while earning Nora's lasting affection. As the legitimate race begins, Wally and Nora embrace, having turned mob coercion into complete victory.
Part 23
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Part 24
Mental shields and legal loopholes decide who controls a rigged futuristic horse race.