Read Online Second Variety and Other Stories by Philip K. Dick - Free Book Online Page A
Authors: Philip K. Dick
Tags: SF
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the side of the ridge, sliding in the soft ash. Across a flat
rock a lizard scuttled. They stopped instantly, rigid.
"What was it?" Klaus muttered.
"A lizard."
The lizard ran on, hurrying through the ash. It was exactly the same color as the ash.
"Perfect adaptation," Klaus said. "Proves we were right. Lysenko, I mean."
They reached the bottom of the ridge and stopped, standing close together, looking around them.
"Let's go." Hendricks started off. "It's a good long trip, on foot."
Klaus fell in beside him. Tasso walked behind, her pistol held alertly. "Major, I've been meaning
to ask you something," Klaus said. "How did you run across the David? The one that was tagging you."
"I met it along the way. In some ruins."
"What did it say?"
"Not much. It said it was alone. By itself."
"You couldn't tell it was a machine? It talked like a living person? You never suspected?"
"It didn't say much. I noticed nothing unusual."
"It's strange, machines so much like people that you can be fooled. Almost alive. I wonder where
it'll end."
"They're doing what you Yanks designed them to do," Tasso said. "You designed them to hunt
out life and destroy. Human life. Wherever they find it."
Hendricks was watching Klaus intently. "Why did you ask me? What's on your mind?"
"Nothing," Klaus answered.
"Klaus thinks you're the Second Variety," Tasso said calmly, from behind them. "Now he's got
his eye on you."
Klaus flushed. "Why not? We sent a runner to the Yank lines and he comes back. Maybe he
thought he'd find some good game here."
Hendricks laughed harshly. "I came from the UN bunkers. There were human beings all around
me."
"Maybe you saw an opportunity to get into the Soviet lines. Maybe you saw your chance.
Maybe you --"
"The Soviet lines had already been taken over. Your lines had been invaded before I left my
command bunker. Don't forget that."
Tasso came up beside him. "That proves nothing at all, Major."
"Why not?"
"There appears to be little communication between the varieties. Each is made in a different
factory. They don't seem to work together. You might have started for the Soviet lines without knowing
anything about the work of the other varieties. Or even what the other varieties were like."
"How do you know so much about the claws?" Hendricks said.
"I've seen them. I've observed them. I observed them take over the Soviet bunkers."
"You know quite a lot," Klaus said. "Actually, you saw very little. Strange that you should have
been such an acute observer."
Tasso laughed. "Do you suspect me, now?"
"Forget it," Hendricks said. They walked on in silence.
"Forget it," Hendricks said. They walked on in silence.
"It's like this all the way," Klaus said.
"In a way I wish you had been in your bunker when the attack came."
"Somebody else would have been with you, if not me," Klaus muttered.
Tasso laughed, putting her hands in her pockets. "I suppose so."
They walked on, keeping their eyes on the vast plain of silent ash around them.
The sun was setting. Hendricks made his way forward slowly, waving Tasso and Klaus back.
Klaus squatted down, resting his gun butt against the ground. Tasso found a concrete slab and sat down
with a sigh.
"It's good to rest."
"Be quiet," Klaus said sharply.
Hendricks pushed up to the top of the rise ahead of them. The same rise the Russian runner had
come up, the day before. Hendricks dropped down, stretching himself out, peering through his glasses at
what lay beyond. Nothing was visible. Only ash and occasional trees. But there, not more than fifty yards
ahead, was the entrance of the forward command bunker. The bunker from which he had come.
Hendricks watched silently. No motion. No sign of life. Nothing stirred.
Klaus slithered up beside him. "Where is it?"
"Down there." Hendricks passed him the glasses. Clouds of ash rolled across the evening sky.
The world was darkening. They had a couple of hours of light left, at the most. Probably not that
rock a lizard scuttled. They stopped instantly, rigid.
"What was it?" Klaus muttered.
"A lizard."
The lizard ran on, hurrying through the ash. It was exactly the same color as the ash.
"Perfect adaptation," Klaus said. "Proves we were right. Lysenko, I mean."
They reached the bottom of the ridge and stopped, standing close together, looking around them.
"Let's go." Hendricks started off. "It's a good long trip, on foot."
Klaus fell in beside him. Tasso walked behind, her pistol held alertly. "Major, I've been meaning
to ask you something," Klaus said. "How did you run across the David? The one that was tagging you."
"I met it along the way. In some ruins."
"What did it say?"
"Not much. It said it was alone. By itself."
"You couldn't tell it was a machine? It talked like a living person? You never suspected?"
"It didn't say much. I noticed nothing unusual."
"It's strange, machines so much like people that you can be fooled. Almost alive. I wonder where
it'll end."
"They're doing what you Yanks designed them to do," Tasso said. "You designed them to hunt
out life and destroy. Human life. Wherever they find it."
Hendricks was watching Klaus intently. "Why did you ask me? What's on your mind?"
"Nothing," Klaus answered.
"Klaus thinks you're the Second Variety," Tasso said calmly, from behind them. "Now he's got
his eye on you."
Klaus flushed. "Why not? We sent a runner to the Yank lines and he comes back. Maybe he
thought he'd find some good game here."
Hendricks laughed harshly. "I came from the UN bunkers. There were human beings all around
me."
"Maybe you saw an opportunity to get into the Soviet lines. Maybe you saw your chance.
Maybe you --"
"The Soviet lines had already been taken over. Your lines had been invaded before I left my
command bunker. Don't forget that."
Tasso came up beside him. "That proves nothing at all, Major."
"Why not?"
"There appears to be little communication between the varieties. Each is made in a different
factory. They don't seem to work together. You might have started for the Soviet lines without knowing
anything about the work of the other varieties. Or even what the other varieties were like."
"How do you know so much about the claws?" Hendricks said.
"I've seen them. I've observed them. I observed them take over the Soviet bunkers."
"You know quite a lot," Klaus said. "Actually, you saw very little. Strange that you should have
been such an acute observer."
Tasso laughed. "Do you suspect me, now?"
"Forget it," Hendricks said. They walked on in silence.
"Forget it," Hendricks said. They walked on in silence.
"It's like this all the way," Klaus said.
"In a way I wish you had been in your bunker when the attack came."
"Somebody else would have been with you, if not me," Klaus muttered.
Tasso laughed, putting her hands in her pockets. "I suppose so."
They walked on, keeping their eyes on the vast plain of silent ash around them.
The sun was setting. Hendricks made his way forward slowly, waving Tasso and Klaus back.
Klaus squatted down, resting his gun butt against the ground. Tasso found a concrete slab and sat down
with a sigh.
"It's good to rest."
"Be quiet," Klaus said sharply.
Hendricks pushed up to the top of the rise ahead of them. The same rise the Russian runner had
come up, the day before. Hendricks dropped down, stretching himself out, peering through his glasses at
what lay beyond. Nothing was visible. Only ash and occasional trees. But there, not more than fifty yards
ahead, was the entrance of the forward command bunker. The bunker from which he had come.
Hendricks watched silently. No motion. No sign of life. Nothing stirred.
Klaus slithered up beside him. "Where is it?"
"Down there." Hendricks passed him the glasses. Clouds of ash rolled across the evening sky.
The world was darkening. They had a couple of hours of light left, at the most. Probably not that
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