The Ganymede Takeover by Dick Philip K. & Nelson Ray Faraday

Author:Dick, Philip K. & Nelson, Ray Faraday [Dick, Philip K. & Nelson, Ray Faraday]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Science Fiction & Fantasy, Philip K Dick, High Tech, Science Fiction, Dystopias, Fantasy
ISBN: 9780727816870
Amazon: 072781687X
Goodreads: 226484
Publisher: Severn House Pub Ltd
Published: 1967-01-01T08:00:00+00:00

X

IT HAD BEEN a long climb up to the mountain cave where the most enigmatic of the weapons captured by the Neeg-parts from Gus Swenesgard's excavation had been hidden. Everyone felt acutely tired.

Percy X, seated in the shade, examined a manual which had come with a rather ordinary-looking device, something which resembled a high-frequency oscillator. “Look at this,” he said to a group of his men who lounged near him, staring absently into space.

The 'parts passed the manual back and forth, examining it; then one of them said, “Doctor Balkani.”

Lincoln strolled up and dropped languidly to sprawl beside Percy X; he took the manual and leafed through it. “I didn't want to use this baby,” he said. “There seems to be a good reason why it wasn't used during the war.”

“Those white worm-kissers might have thought it was a good reason,” Percy said broodingly; he wiped sweat from his forehead with the back of his arm.

“Maybe, maybe,” Lincoln said, taking off his battered horn-rimmed glasses and gesturing nervously with them. “I might agree with you about the other gadgets we got in this haul. They've turned out to be useful—but a little scary.”

“Scary?” Percy said with annoyance.

“Well, you know these constructs are supposed to produce illusions.” Lincoln frowned. “But there's something wrong. Did you ever see an illusion that left footprints? That could kill a man?”

“No,” Percy said. “And I never will.”

“That's what you think. I tell you, man, there's something about these weapons that just isn't right; you use one, just once, and you are never quite the same again. You begin to wonder what's real and what isn't, or if anything is real.”

“But you've been using them anyway, right?” Percy said.

“All but this baby; this is something else. The manual says it never got tested, that it couldn't be tested. Nobody, not even the guy who built it, knows exactly what it'll do, but from the looks of what the other constructs do—”

“If I have to use it,” Percy said grimly, “I'll use it. There's no such thing as a weapon that's too powerful.” Even, he thought, if it's one of Balkani's inventions.

It took a while for good-natured, doddering old Doc Burns to locate, by X-ray, the instant kill device which the Gany technicians had inserted under the skin of Gus Swenesgard's arm. But once it had been found, it was quite easily removed.

“That sure is a load off my mind,” Gus said, lighting a cheap grocery-store cigar and inspecting the organic bandage on his arm with interest. “You're sure there isn't another one of those little fellers on me somewhere?”

“Not a chance,” Doc Burns declared as he placed his operating tools in the sterilizer and turned on the heat.

Gus took a long drag on his cigar, trying, without consciously being aware of it, to drown out the hospital smell, the smell of disinfectant that permeated the atmosphere of Doc Burns' operating room. “You know, Doc,” Gus said thoughtfully, “you may not know it but you are looking at a rising star in the political firmament.

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