Read Online The Crack In Space by Philip K Dick - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Philip K Dick
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his eye on the TV screen, while his brother dialed the vidphone.
‘All that gabble with Sal Heim,’ Walt grumbled, and then became silent as his brother stuck him with his elbow, signaling that he wanted to listen to the Chicago speech. ‘Sorry,’ Walt said, turning his eye to the vidscreen of the phone.
At the door of their office Thisbe Olt appeared, wearing a fawnskin gown with alternating stripes of magnifying transparency. ‘Mr Heim is back,’ she informed them. ‘To see you. He looks—dejected.’
‘We’ve got no business to conduct with Sal Heim,’ George said, with anger.
‘Tell him to go back to Earth,’ Walt added. ‘And from now on the satellite is closed to him; he can’t visit any of our girls—at any price. Let him die a miserable, lingering death of frustration; it’ll serve him right.’
George reminded him acidly, ‘Heim won’t need us any more, if Briskin is telling the truth.’
‘He is,’ Walt said. ‘He’s too simple a horse’s ass to lie; Briskin doesn’t have the ability.’ His call had been put through on the private circuit, now. On the vidscreen appeared the miniature image of one of Verne Engel’s gaudilyuniformed personal praetorian flunkies, the green and silver outfit of the CLEAN people. ‘Let me talk directly to Verne,’ Walt said, making use of their common mouth just as George was about to address a few more remarks to Thisbe. ‘Tell him this is Walt, on the satellite.’
‘Run along,’ George said to Thisbe. when Walt had finished. ‘We’re busy.’
Thisbe eyed him momentarily and then shut the office door after her.
On the screen Verne Engel’s pinched, wabble-like face materialized. ‘I see you—at least half of you—are following Briskin’s rabble-rousing,’ Engel said. ‘How did you decide which half was to call me and which half was to listen to the Col?’ Engel’s distorted features twisted in a leer of derision.
‘Watch it—that’s enough,’ George Walt retorted simultaneously.
‘Sorry. I don’t mean to offend you,’ Engel said, but his expression remained unchanged. ‘Well, what can I do for you? Please make it brief; I’d like to follow Briskin’s harangue too.’
‘You’re going to require help,’ Walt said to Engel. ‘If you’re going to stop Briskin now; this speech will put him across, and I don’t think even concerted transmissions from our satellite—as we discussed—will be sufficient. It’s just too damn clever a speech he’s making. Isn’t it, George?’
‘It certainly is,’ George said, eye fixed on the TV screen. ‘And getting better each second as he goes along. He’s barely getting started; it’s a genuine spellbinder. Whacking fine.’
His eye on the vidscreen, Walt continued, ‘You heard Briskin come out against us; you must have heard that part—everyone else in the country certainly did. Planet-wetting with Bruno Mini isn’t enough, he’s also got to take us on. Big plans for a Col, but evidently he and his advisors feel he can handle it. We’ll see. What do you plan to do, Engel? At this very crucial point?’
‘I’ve got plans, I’ve got plans,’ Engel assured him.
‘Still no-violence stuff?’
There was no audible answer, but Engel’s face contorted oddly.
‘Come up here to the Golden Door,’ Walt said, ‘and let’s talk. I think my brother and I can see our way clear to make a donation to CLEAN, say in the neighborhood of ten or eleven mil. Would that help? You ought to be able to buy what you need with money like that.’
Engel, white with shock, stammered, ‘S-sure, George or Walt, whichever you are.’
‘Get up here as soon as you can, then,’ Walt instructed him, and rang off. ‘I think he’ll do it for us,’ he said to his brother.
‘A gorp like that can’t handle anything,’ George said sourly.
‘Then for pop’s sake, what do we do?’ Walt demanded.
‘We do what we can. We help out Engel, we prompt him, shove him if necessary. But we
‘All that gabble with Sal Heim,’ Walt grumbled, and then became silent as his brother stuck him with his elbow, signaling that he wanted to listen to the Chicago speech. ‘Sorry,’ Walt said, turning his eye to the vidscreen of the phone.
At the door of their office Thisbe Olt appeared, wearing a fawnskin gown with alternating stripes of magnifying transparency. ‘Mr Heim is back,’ she informed them. ‘To see you. He looks—dejected.’
‘We’ve got no business to conduct with Sal Heim,’ George said, with anger.
‘Tell him to go back to Earth,’ Walt added. ‘And from now on the satellite is closed to him; he can’t visit any of our girls—at any price. Let him die a miserable, lingering death of frustration; it’ll serve him right.’
George reminded him acidly, ‘Heim won’t need us any more, if Briskin is telling the truth.’
‘He is,’ Walt said. ‘He’s too simple a horse’s ass to lie; Briskin doesn’t have the ability.’ His call had been put through on the private circuit, now. On the vidscreen appeared the miniature image of one of Verne Engel’s gaudilyuniformed personal praetorian flunkies, the green and silver outfit of the CLEAN people. ‘Let me talk directly to Verne,’ Walt said, making use of their common mouth just as George was about to address a few more remarks to Thisbe. ‘Tell him this is Walt, on the satellite.’
‘Run along,’ George said to Thisbe. when Walt had finished. ‘We’re busy.’
Thisbe eyed him momentarily and then shut the office door after her.
On the screen Verne Engel’s pinched, wabble-like face materialized. ‘I see you—at least half of you—are following Briskin’s rabble-rousing,’ Engel said. ‘How did you decide which half was to call me and which half was to listen to the Col?’ Engel’s distorted features twisted in a leer of derision.
‘Watch it—that’s enough,’ George Walt retorted simultaneously.
‘Sorry. I don’t mean to offend you,’ Engel said, but his expression remained unchanged. ‘Well, what can I do for you? Please make it brief; I’d like to follow Briskin’s harangue too.’
‘You’re going to require help,’ Walt said to Engel. ‘If you’re going to stop Briskin now; this speech will put him across, and I don’t think even concerted transmissions from our satellite—as we discussed—will be sufficient. It’s just too damn clever a speech he’s making. Isn’t it, George?’
‘It certainly is,’ George said, eye fixed on the TV screen. ‘And getting better each second as he goes along. He’s barely getting started; it’s a genuine spellbinder. Whacking fine.’
His eye on the vidscreen, Walt continued, ‘You heard Briskin come out against us; you must have heard that part—everyone else in the country certainly did. Planet-wetting with Bruno Mini isn’t enough, he’s also got to take us on. Big plans for a Col, but evidently he and his advisors feel he can handle it. We’ll see. What do you plan to do, Engel? At this very crucial point?’
‘I’ve got plans, I’ve got plans,’ Engel assured him.
‘Still no-violence stuff?’
There was no audible answer, but Engel’s face contorted oddly.
‘Come up here to the Golden Door,’ Walt said, ‘and let’s talk. I think my brother and I can see our way clear to make a donation to CLEAN, say in the neighborhood of ten or eleven mil. Would that help? You ought to be able to buy what you need with money like that.’
Engel, white with shock, stammered, ‘S-sure, George or Walt, whichever you are.’
‘Get up here as soon as you can, then,’ Walt instructed him, and rang off. ‘I think he’ll do it for us,’ he said to his brother.
‘A gorp like that can’t handle anything,’ George said sourly.
‘Then for pop’s sake, what do we do?’ Walt demanded.
‘We do what we can. We help out Engel, we prompt him, shove him if necessary. But we
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