Mm hmmm, condown for blast off x minus five four three two x minus
one fire From the far horizons of the unknown come transcribed tales of new dimensions
in time and space. These are stories of the future adventures in which you'll
live in a million, could be years, on a thousand, maybe worlds.
The National Broadcasting Company, in cooperation with Street and Smith, publishers of
Astounding science fiction, presents he he minus minus minus one one The night Story
The Roads Must Roll by Robert Heinlein. Hear them hum Watson run, Oh,
our job is never done? Or roadways rolling along? Why are you
right? While you're blind? We are watching down inside? So your roadways
rolling along? Oh, it's high hidy, the roader men are we Second,
the sector is loud and strong. One two. Anywhere you go,
you about to know that your roadways keep rolling along, keep the rolling that
your roadways keep rolling along. It was in the middle nineteen fifties that the
automotive of age began to die. The traffic engineers had long expected it for
years. They had watched our vast cities sprawl and spread out, spill over
into the countryside, become more and more dependent on motor transportation, and then
finally the inevitable breaking point was reached. The growing flood of cars and buses
and trucks began to swamp the streets and arterial highways. The building of roads
could no longer keep pace. The super highways clogged, congested, They came
packed with cars, stall bumpered of bumpers, and the cities began to die
of slow strangulation, for the traffic could no longer roll. And then the
engineers took over. They banned the automobiles, tore up the super highways,
and in their place they built the rolling roads, mechanized roads that moved like
huge conveyor belts, whirling along on their giant rotors at speeds ranging from five
to one hundred miles an hour, carrying the freight, the food, and
the people from city to city and coast to coast. And no one worried
over the fact that if the road should ever stop, our whole economic life
would stop, for the machinery had never failed yet, But people forgot the
machinery depends on men, the men who run it. Who makes the roads
roll. That's right, The engineers where the brains of the road, and
where with the public bathe. We didn't keep the roads rolling right behind the
eight ball, and everybody knows that. All right, then where the men
who hold the power, and it's time we started using it. We've called
this meeting of the Engineer's Control Committee because that's what we want to do.
Control because I'm tired of taking orders from the Transport Commission, from slick desk
jockeys like Jim Gaines. I don't even know our road up bearing from a
field. All all that gains you am about our duty to the public.
That's a lot of eyewash. We've got the power and were the men that
count. That's time we quit fiddling around and yours a little direct action,
take out what we want German. Mister Jerman, the chair recognizes Brother Harvey
and the Transport Mechanics Unions. Thanks. Thanks, No, I don't really
belong here since I'm no engineer. I'm just here to represent the workers union.
Well, I want to know what's all the shouting for. You engineers
have got better working conditions than we have, and we ain't kicking. You
say the engineers are powerful, You say you can tie up the roads,
but so can any screwball with a jar of Knight for glycerin, and he
wouldn't need no engineer's degree to do it neither. I mean you're speaking for
your union. Hour are you here the stooge for the transport commissions? Listen
van Cleek. I helped fund my union. I let the strike in seventy
five for decent working conditions. Where were you engineers then with the faint brother
Hervey, Brother Harvey. Remember you're only a guest at this meeting. Go
on, man, I listen, man, I'm one of the old engineers
on the roads. You all are work up the hard way. We didn't
go to the fancy technical institutes like those young punk cadet engineers. The commissioner
is training to take over our jobs unless we do something to stop them.
Jim Gaines hasn't been able to fill us full of the old school spirit and
that blooney about how the the roads must roll. It's all right, then,
why don't we get smart for a change. What would happen if the
roads stop rolling? Maybe the country would begin to realize that they can't do
without us. Maybe we'd begin to get the things we want. Who says
the roads must roll? Yes, your wife is calling, mister Gaines,
Jim, I want you to stop off on your way. I'm sorry,
Darling, I can't make it. I know, but Washington called in there,
sending Evans, the Australian Minister at Transport through my sector today. I've
got to show them through personally. I'm chief supervisor. Wouldn't be courteous.
Courtesy begins at home. I've planned this dinner for a week. Honey,
the roads must roll. Oh if you quote that nauseating slogan at me again,
I'll divorce. I can't help it, Darling. I'll meet you at
Stockton at nine and we'll take in a show. Kiss Allen, good night
for me. Well, all right, goodbye, goodbye. Mister Evans is
here show men. Well, good evening, mister Evans. I'm Gaines,
chief engineer. How do you do, mister Gaines? They told me at
the embassy you'd be the man to see. I want to know how the
roads work. I think we can handle that. Well. I'm not a
technical man, mister Gaines. My field is sociology. So suppose you tell
me about the roads as if I were entirely ignorant. Fine, it's nearly
at dinner time. I suppose we run up to Stockton sector for dinner.
It'll take us about an hour on the roads, and you can see them
working excellent. If you'll excuse me a minute sitting Hi, she What can
I do for you? Dave? You're on evening? Watch eh at westvan
Kleek. I'm going up to Stockton for dinner. Anything to report? Okay?
Keep them rolling? All right, mister Evans, let's go. This
is the low speed strip. I've ridden a conveyor before. No, it's
quite simple. Rememble to place the motion of the strip as you get on
there, we'll go right across. Each adjoining strip is a few miles an
hour faster than the one next to it. Brightest carried on the fifty mile
strip. Most passenger traffic on the express strip. All right, now watch
a step there we are the maximum speed one hundred miles an hour. It
doesn't seem possible. This trip makes the round trip San Diego Toreno in twelve
hours. Ready tweet? Who is this the restaurant? Jake Steakhouse, fastest
meal on the road. Who is it really a proper restaurant? One of
the best? Shall we go in? I'm a mister gangs. We don't
see you much out on the road. Busy in the office. Jake two
right this way, let it be your order. I'll how about a steak
two inches thick from a steer that died. Happy, fine, fine,
Uh plug me in the pom with you. There's one right next to you.
Fank too rare, you'll excuse me, mister Evans Dennison. On watch,
here's the chief. I'm a jack steakhouse. You can reach me at
one oh L sixty six six six right now. They can get hold of
me in an emergency. Oh what kind of emergency could there be? Two?
Principally, power failure on the roaders would bring the road to a stand
still. That happened during Russia. We'd have to evacuate millions of people from
the road. As many as that easily. There are twelve million people dependent
on this section abroad games here, Hello, Chief Davidson, just got the
hour of reports in Diego circle bake a field, sectors, docton secutor and
Reno circle all rolling. Oh you didn't have to bother me with the hourly
is Dave. There's a supplementary from Sacramento. Proceed catat Engineer Gunter while on
watch was found playing cards with CJ. Ross, technician on duty. Any
damage one roader running hot but still synchronized. Was Jack down replaced? All
right? Have the plan? Ask to give Ross his time and turn them
over to several authorities place, get that gun through under arrest and bring him
to roadtown central. Yes, sir, all right, keep him rolling.
I was saying there were two possibilities of danger. Can you visualize what would
happen if the strip under us would break? Oh? I haven't thought of
that. You don't realize you're traveling at one one hundred miles an hour.
Well it can't not. Now. The strip has a safety factor of over
twelve to one. It'd take a blowout of several miles of roaders and the
failure of circuit breakers before the strip could part. But it happened once in
the early days on the Philadelphia Jersey City road strip was much more than a
conveyor belt buckle for miles, crushing passengers against the roof forward section in front
of the brakes, filling down under into the roaders and rollers. Oh,
was it very bad. Over three thousand people were killed in that break,
But the roads had to go on. The entire economic system hangs on the
roads. They stopped, now the country would start. Who were Isn't it
possible that you've become too dependent on these roads? I mean, if your
whole economy is geared to the function of one type of machinery, the roads
are fool proof. Now the machinery is interlocked with an enormous safety factor.
Yes, but in the long run, machinery depends on men. What if
you had a strike? We had one back in seventy five. There's not
much danger of that anymore. No, well, why not every cadet that
goes to work on the roads today as a graduate of the United States trans
Board Academy. They're all pick men, screened for emotional stability and trying to
give us the same kind of lovety that Annapolis and West Point developing them.
Men, I see, are you a graduate, mister Gaine. No,
I'm too old for that. The academy wasn't set up till after the striking
seventy five, But it won't be long now, maybe five or ten years
before the oldest engineer on the road, says a man who's been through the
academy. Gain's here, Davidson, there's another trouble report from Sacramento Sector.
Again. What is it this time? What is it? What's happened?
Merchancy? Stop? Hello? Hello, it's everything? Houns her out come
on? Hey, heay? What is it? What's the matter with the
road. Have everybody's stay in the restaurant? What's that? Probably somebody's stepped
on to the next trip. Got cut the Revens. There'll be plenty of
casualties. Chack, why's you getaway? Hats in the pantry? Ook here,
Hunt, I'm going to help those people. I've got the whole road
to think of. Don't bother me. Give me a hat, Jack,
The hatch is stuck right off. If you're coming with me, Miss t
Revens, you've got to move fast. I haven't got any time to waste.
Where where do we know? Freeway on top of the inner road ceiling.
That's the outer shell over us? Are we going outside? No?
There will be an access down manhole over here that's placed every hundred feet there
not the green light. H Just get us down on the north bound road
carefull. Sorry, I'm turn away from the door. Evans. Yes,
but this road is still ruling. And there was only one hundred mile strip
that stopped. That's what I want to phone booth. I got excused,
look out, Hey, hey hey, I'm talking to my wife. What's
Emergency Priority Division Office? Davidson gains here a report? Cheap perner, you've
been have been calling you? Never mind that report? Seven oh nine Consolidate
Attention Reports Strip twenty Sacramento Sector past emergency level interlocks acted and cut the strip
out cause of failure unknown direct communication cut to Sacramentic Control Office. Evacuation of
Strip twenty commenced. No casualties. There are casualties. I saw them put
police in hospital routine into operation. Get me bank quick. I want him
to take off the formtal I report in. Can't reach them, Chief.
Shall I cut out the rest of the road. No, keep those other
strips rolling and we'll have a traffic jam. The devil himself couldn't untangle.
There are five million passengers on the road. Now notify the governor that I
have assumed emergency authority. I'm all cadets available on the white Artist. Shall
I recall technicians on GRGE. This isn't an engineering failure. That whole sector
went out simultaneously. Somebody cut those roaders by hand. I want all available
senior pass cadets to report the stock that subsector office ten with pistols and take
gas. Yes, the governor wants to talk to you. He called in
reform to someone else. I'm busy. I'll get back there. I'm going
down under heavens, heavens. I can't hear you that the noise what on
this helmet? What helmet? Helmet? Oh? Yes, you can't hear
without an anti and noise filler. Come on, what are we looking for?
Ricon car? There should be one. Here are those the roaders and
the big ones are roaders, they drive the road. Little ones are rollers.
They get continuous support. There's a watch gang now jacking down a roader.
Can they hear us? Now? The noise fellow works on a four
foot radius. I'll flash him. He sees the light. Wilson recording to
I want you to ricon car emergency. Yes, sir, right over here,
sir, come on, Evans, I'll get in. But it's so
smooth you'll fit all right. You can take off your noise fellern. Hang
on. She accelerates like a rocket by my stomach. Relay station. This
is Gaines, got me Davidson's senior watch officers. The mayor wants to talk.
I haven't got time. Get me Davidson and leave this circuit hooked into
Davidson's board until I tell you to cut it. Yes, sir, here
is the senior watch officer, Davidson Gaines calling. Have you found out yet
what's stopping the roads? No, sir, it's still a mystery to me.
All right, I'm on my way in a recon car Hold everything till
I get there. Cadet Edmunds reporting, Sir. Three platoons of Cadet engineers
standing by with tumblebug motorcycle, armed pistols and tear gases. Orders. Assistant
Supervisor Van Cleek is calling you on circuit Nincer and Cleek. It's about time
cut me in. Yes, sir, Hello Van, where are you?
Sacramento? Sacramento. That's good report and I'm not your deputy anymore. Game.
What are you talking about? Listen, don't interrupt and you'll find out.
Go through Gains. I haven't picked as director of the Engineer's Control Committee.
We're taking over who you gone off your roller? We stopped Strip twenty
just to give you a taste of what we can do. We're running things
now, and you don't really think you can get away with this. You
can't start Strip twenty until I'm ready to let you. I can stop the
whole road if I have to pick out calling the army. How'd you get
him here? If the roads aren't rolling? Alison Gaines, whoever controls the
roads controls the country right now? That happens to be me? Sign off,
Gains gotta call the White House. You behave yourself and you won't get
hurt. I don't believe it. Who's got a Edmonds? Na win and
blast him outom erect the road? What's your rolling? Tones? Now?
Fifty under evening pison? How about Strip twenty almost evacuated? Listening on this,
Davidson stounding Bajie. I'm going down inside with these cadets. Will work,
not overcoming any resistance that we may meet. The watch technicians and maintenance
crews are to follow behind us. Each order as they come to it is
to be cut out from under Sacramento's control, then hooked into the stock and
control board. Understand, got it? If it works right, we can
move control of Sacramento sector right out on the Avant's feet and he can stay
in his office dead. He is hungry enough to be reasonable. That means
get me a pistol. Yes, a man? He him? What's see?
I haven't got time sector huh? Bring him in? All right?
Easy, mister Harvey from the Mechanics Union, aren't you? I tried to
warn you. They tried to get away. He shot me three times.
Get a doctor, all right, here's the hobby. How long has this
been building up? It's it's the engineers. I told him they re grease
to the road's got a roll? I tried to get away. There he's
bleeding from the mountain. Harvey, Harvey, can you hear me? He's
dead? Mister Gaines better move hey? All right, you men, you
saw Harvey brought in. How many of you want a chance to kill the
last that did it? Very well, you men, turning your weapons and
return to quarters. We've got a job to do to make sure the roads
start rolling again. We haven't got time for infant tyler roics. Anybody who
hasn't got his mind on his job will be in the way. Now here's
the order. We move north, mounted on tumblebugs are going to try to
regain control roller by Roda before Sacramento sector nose. We're moving. We've got
to capture any what person how we run on before they can get word back.
Surprise is vital. You take ass when possible, shoot only when necessary,
but keet them before they can reach a phone jack. Any questions,
no and move out much score Edmunds thirty three prisoners So far nobody kills what
Yes, since I rode one of these tumble bugs, gott how to stare
it. So there's a man ahead there at the road of base set a
phone jacked in orry. He gets word back by sunk. I don't think
he's seen us. I'll dismount him. Get him quick. He sees us
here are you look? God, he's got a gun. I got him
grab his gun. Yes, you got a phone jack in all right,
they got through the sacramental office. It is going to be tough. I
don't know, sir. Maybe you didn't get the call through. Wait a
minute, listen the road. Take off your eye feller. Hey the road
the road is stopping. Halt your man. Hold Hold up there, Hold
up, there's a riconcalk coming up. Relay station. Call from mister Games.
Give it to me. Thanks here Davidson here, Chief. Then Click's
calling you? Who stopped the road? Heat it all right? Cut Bank?
Click? Enemy? You thought I was fooling? Huh, Gains?
What do you think now? All right? Van, the road has stopped.
You won this trick? And why don't you get smart and give up?
You can't win. You forgot something banned. You can't lick the whole
country, Gains. I've got a switch button in my hand. If I
push it, it'll blow three hundred yards straight across the roads. And then,
for good measure, I'll take an axe and wreck the control station before
I leave. That's pretty drastic, man. Yeah. If I blow this
charge in the middle of Sacramento Sector, it'll get an awful lot of people.
There are plenty of shopkeepers still on Strip twenty, and that row of
apartment houses next to the road will gook. Man, you don't want to
blow the road, neither do I Suppose I come up to your headquarters and
talk this over. Two reasonable men are to be able to make a settlement.
Is this some kind of a trick. I'll come alone and unarmed.
My men will stay here. I hi gains, one wrong move and I
blow the road. We've got a hurry, Dave. I take too long,
van Klik will get at you and set off that charge. Failure report
notes one strips must be cross connected with safety interlocks, so that when one
dies, the other slow down. Two the men. I can't understand it.
Pych tests are rigid. We've never had a failure in the Hammad's work
Burton method. And then suddenly a whole sector goes soured. How could van
Clik get a whole crew of psyche cleared men to revolt easy? Dave is
my deputy was ex officio personnel officer for the whole road. He must have
been taking psych records for years and transferring maladjusted men into his sector. I've
got that personnel record, mister gaines Man's record asked introverord imperiority rating seven comment.
Despite a potential instability shown on Wadsworth curve, this officers especially a depth
in handling men. He's a depth door right. I haven't got time for
anymore, Dave. You're not going up to the Sacramento. I've got to
He'll be armed, he'll kill you. I've got to take that chance un
armed. Why don't you call in the army? He won't dare blow the
road, Yes, he would, look at that psych record. He's putting
up a big, brave front, but he's rotten inside. He wants to
be taken seriously. He wants everybody to think he's the most dangerous man in
the country. And if I call the army and he'll try to prove it
by blowing the road, how can you stop in? Mister Gaines? You
have a gun? What do you have? We'll I have only a prayer
and what I know about mister van Cleek? All right, games, Director
Van Cleek will see you now, Hm, Games is here, Director Bank
click, come in. Gaines behaving sensibly at last. You know I've got
you where I want you and there is anything you can do about it.
I searched them. Director, he's unarmed. I want you to sign this
now. It's a declaration of your recognition of the Engineer's Control Committee. You've
got one minute to sign it. Gains. I'll push this button and go
up the whole sector. You better sign, Gains. You hear this Corolla
with the gun? Van Hey, you need to handle one on armed man
alone? All right, Harry out? Yeah, okay, all right,
now sign that's so funny you are. You start a revolution because you think
the engineer should control the road, Then when you've got control, the only
thing you can think of to do is blow it up. Tell me,
why are you so scared? I'm not scared. Yeah, sitting in there,
sweating all over that push button you're holding. Your buddies knew how afraid
you were. They'd probably throw you into the roads. I'm not afraid.
You're afraid of me right now. You're afraid I'll have you on the carpet.
You're afraid the cadets won't saloat you. You're afraid they're laughing at you
behind your back. No, no, I'm not now, now you keep
quiet. I've got a gun. You're afraid of using the wrong fuck at
dinner. You're afraid people are looking at you, laughing at you. I
am not you. You, you dirty, stuck up snob. Just because
you went to a high hat school, you didn't get better than anybody.
You your cribby little doll. Braid that man. You're a pathetic little shrimp.
I understand you perfectly. You're a third rider. All your life,
you've been afraid that someone would say throw you and send you to the foot
of the class. Throw you right out on your ear where you belong.
I don't want to look at you. I'll show you that pop gun before
you hurt yourself. Don't you don't you come bar mer suit? What do
you let me go that pistol? Thanks for not disappointing me, man,
mm hmm h m hm. I don't understand. I thought of I wounded
your little lego, you'd forget to push that button and pull a trigger instead.
I'm afraid you'll never make a good executive man. They have to know
when to push buttons. David James, are you all right? I'm all
right, Attack now and map up all the control room. I've got Van
Klick, and I think his little revolution is just about over. Hear them,
um, watch them run? Oh my job. He's never done for
our wrong ways? A rolling along? Why why? Why why we are
watching down inside? So your roadways keep rolling? Mister gaines Hi, I
forgot about you. Yes, I've been waiting at the sexual office. He's
everything under control rolling. Those are the watch engineers going on of the Czech
Sacramento sector, inch by inch, remarkable organization, remarkable hours in chief.
San Diego Circle Rolling Baker Steeve, Fresno, stock Stockton, Stockton. Oh
no, that's Trump, mister Gaines. Sure is. I promised to meet
my wife at Stockton for a show. She's been waiting there since nine o'clock
last night. Dave, see if you can get up on me. Try
the Sector office, all right, and Dave see if you can calm her
down. Roads must roll. No, No, don't tell her that.
I don't think she had appreciated. She's heard it too often. I better
get going by, Dave. Keep him rolling where you go. You are
about to know that your road go rolling caper, rolling roadways, rolling caper,
rolling roadways rolling. You have just heard X minus one, presented by
the National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Street and Smith, publishers of Astounding science
fiction. Mm hmm, your announcer, Fred Collins. X minus one was
an NBC Radio Network production