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<v Speaker 1>Section four of Second Variety by Philip kay Dick. This

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<v Speaker 1>LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Tasso did not answer.

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<v Speaker 1>She glanced up at him, her eyes bright in the firelight.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix examined his arm. He could not move his fingers.

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<v Speaker 1>His whole side seemed numb down inside him was a dull,

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<v Speaker 1>steady ache. How do you feel, Tasso asked, My arm

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<v Speaker 1>is damaged? Anything else internal injuries? You didn't get down

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<v Speaker 1>with the bomb with off? Hendrix said nothing. He watched

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<v Speaker 1>Tasso pour the coffee from the cup into a flat

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<v Speaker 1>metal pan. She brought it over to him thanks. He

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<v Speaker 1>struggled up enough to drink. It was hard to swallow,

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<v Speaker 1>his insides turned over, and he pushed the pan away.

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<v Speaker 1>That's all I could drink. Tasso drank the rest. Time passed,

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<v Speaker 1>the clouds of ash moved across the dark sky above them.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix rested his mind blank. After a while, he became

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<v Speaker 1>aware that Tasso was standing over him, gazing down at him.

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<v Speaker 1>What is it? He murmured? Do you feel any better?

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<v Speaker 1>Some you know major? If I hadn't dragged you away,

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<v Speaker 1>they would have got you. You would be dead like Rudy.

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<v Speaker 1>I know, do you want to know why I brought

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<v Speaker 1>you out. I could have left you. I could have

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<v Speaker 1>left you there. Why did you bring me out? Because

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<v Speaker 1>we have to get away from here? Tasso stirred the

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<v Speaker 1>fire with a stick, peering calmly down into it. No

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<v Speaker 1>human being can live here. When their reinforcements come, we

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<v Speaker 1>won't have a chance. I have pondered about it while

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<v Speaker 1>you are unconscious. We have perhaps three hours before they come,

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<v Speaker 1>and you expect me to get us away. That's right.

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<v Speaker 1>I expect you to get us out of here. Why me?

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<v Speaker 1>Because I don't know anyway. Her eyes showed at him

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<v Speaker 1>in the half light, bright and steady. If you can't

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<v Speaker 1>get us out of here, they'll kill us within three hours.

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<v Speaker 1>I see nothing else ahead. Well, Major, what are you

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<v Speaker 1>going to do? I've been waiting all night while you

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<v Speaker 1>were unconscious. I sat here waiting and listening. It's almost dawn.

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<v Speaker 1>The night is over. Hendrix considered. It's curious, he said,

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<v Speaker 1>at last, curious that you should think I can get

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<v Speaker 1>us out of here. I wonder which you think I

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<v Speaker 1>can do? Can you get us to the boon base,

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<v Speaker 1>the moon base? How that must be some way? Hendrix

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<v Speaker 1>shook his head. No, there's no way that I know of.

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<v Speaker 1>Tasso said nothing. For a moment, her steady gaze wavered.

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<v Speaker 1>She ducked her head, turning abruptly away. She scrambled to

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<v Speaker 1>her feet. More coffee, No, sooot yourself, Tasso drank silently.

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<v Speaker 1>He cannot see her face. He lay back against the ground,

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<v Speaker 1>deep in thought, trying to concentrate. It was hard to think,

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<v Speaker 1>his head still hurt, and the numbing days still hung

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<v Speaker 1>over him. There might be one way, he said, suddenly. Oh,

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<v Speaker 1>how soon is dawn? Two hours? The sun will be

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<v Speaker 1>coming up shortly. There's supposed to be a ship near here.

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<v Speaker 1>I've never seen it, but I know it exists. What

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<v Speaker 1>k of a ship? Her voice was sharp, A rocket cruiser?

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<v Speaker 1>Will it take us off to the moon base it's

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<v Speaker 1>supposed to in case of emergency? He rubbed his forehead.

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<v Speaker 1>What's wrong my head? It's hard to think. I can hardly,

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<v Speaker 1>hardly concentrate the bomb? Is the ship near here? Tasso

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<v Speaker 1>slid over beside him, settling down on her haunches. How

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<v Speaker 1>far is it? Where is it? I'm trying to think.

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<v Speaker 1>Her fingers dug into his arm near by. Her voice

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<v Speaker 1>was like iron. Where would it be? Would they store

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<v Speaker 1>it underground, hidden underground, Yes, in a storage locker. How

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<v Speaker 1>do we find it? Is it marked? Is it a

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<v Speaker 1>code marker? To identify it? Hendrix concentrated. No, no markings,

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<v Speaker 1>no code symbol. What then, a sign? What sort of sign?

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix did not answer In the flickering light, his eyes

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<v Speaker 1>were glazed two sightless orbs. Tasso's fingers dug into his arm.

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<v Speaker 1>What sort of sign? What is it? I I can't think?

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<v Speaker 1>Let me rest, all right? She let go and stood up.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix lay back against the ground, his eyes closed. Tosso

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<v Speaker 1>walked away from him, her hands in her pockets. She

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<v Speaker 1>kicked a rock out of her way and stood staring

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<v Speaker 1>up at the sky. The night blackness was already beginning

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<v Speaker 1>to fade into gray. Morning was coming. Tasso gripped her

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<v Speaker 1>pistol and walked around the fire in a circle, back

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<v Speaker 1>and forth on the ground. Major Hendrix lay his eyes closed, unmoving.

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<v Speaker 1>The grayness rose in the sky, higher and higher. The

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<v Speaker 1>landscape became visible. Fields of ash stretching out in all directions,

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<v Speaker 1>Ash and ruins of buildings, a wall here and there,

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<v Speaker 1>heaps of concrete, the naked trunk of a tree. The

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<v Speaker 1>air was cold and sharp. Somewhere a long way off,

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<v Speaker 1>A bird made a few bleak sounds. Hendrick stirred. He

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<v Speaker 1>opened his eyes. Is it dawn already? Yes? Hendrick sat

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<v Speaker 1>up a little. You wanted to know something, you were

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<v Speaker 1>asking me. Do you remember now? Yes? What is it?

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<v Speaker 1>She tensed? What she repeated sharply, A well, A ruined well.

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<v Speaker 1>It's in a storage locker, under a well a well.

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<v Speaker 1>Tussl relaxed. Then we'll find a well. He looked at

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<v Speaker 1>her watch. We have about an hour, major. Do you

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<v Speaker 1>think we can find it in an hour? Give me

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<v Speaker 1>a hand up, Hendrick said. Tasso put her pistol away

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<v Speaker 1>and helped him to his feet. This is going to

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<v Speaker 1>be difficult, Yes, it is. Hendrick set his lips tightly.

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<v Speaker 1>I don't think we're going to go very far. They

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<v Speaker 1>began to walk. The early sun cast a little warmth

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<v Speaker 1>down on them. The land was flat and barren, stretching

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<v Speaker 1>out gray and lifeless as far as they could see,

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<v Speaker 1>a few birds sails silently far above them, circling slowly.

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<v Speaker 1>See anything, Hendrick said, any claws? No, not yet. They

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<v Speaker 1>passed through some ruins upright, concrete and bricks, a cement

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<v Speaker 1>foundation rats scuttled away. Tasso jumped back, warily. This to

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<v Speaker 1>be a town, Heindrix said, a village, a provincial village.

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<v Speaker 1>This was all grape country once where we are now

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<v Speaker 1>they came on to a ruined street, weeds and cracks

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<v Speaker 1>crisscrossing it. Over to the right, a stone chimney stuck up.

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<v Speaker 1>Be careful, he warned her. A pit yawned, an open basement,

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<v Speaker 1>ragged ends of pipes jutted up, twisted and bent. They

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<v Speaker 1>passed part of a house, sa bathtub turned on its side,

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<v Speaker 1>a broken chair, a few spoons, and bits of china dishes.

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<v Speaker 1>In the center of the street, the ground had sunk away.

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<v Speaker 1>The depression was filled with weeds and debris and bones.

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<v Speaker 1>Over here, Hendrix murmured. This way to the right, they

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<v Speaker 1>passed the remains of a heavy duty tank. Hendrix's belt

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<v Speaker 1>counter clicked ominously. The tank had been radiation blasted. A

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<v Speaker 1>few feet from the tank, a mummified body lay sprawled

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<v Speaker 1>out mouth open. Beyond the road was a flat field,

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<v Speaker 1>stones and weeds and bits of broken glass. There, Hendrix said,

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<v Speaker 1>a stone well jutted up, sagging and broken. A few

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<v Speaker 1>boards lay across it. Most of the well had sunk

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<v Speaker 1>into rubble. Hendrix walked unsteadily toward it. Tasso beside him.

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<v Speaker 1>Are you certain about this? Tasso said, this doesn't look

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<v Speaker 1>like anything. I'm sure. Hendrix sat down at the edge

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<v Speaker 1>of the well, his teeth locked. His breath came quickly.

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<v Speaker 1>He wiped perspiration from his face. This was arranged so

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<v Speaker 1>the senior command officer could get away if anything happened.

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<v Speaker 1>If the bunker fell, that was you. Yes, where is

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<v Speaker 1>the ship? Is it sure? We're standing on it? Hendrix

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<v Speaker 1>ran his hands over the surface of the wellstones. The

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<v Speaker 1>eye lock responds to me, not to anybody else. It's

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<v Speaker 1>my ship, or it was supposed to be. There was

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<v Speaker 1>a sharp click. Presently they heard a low grating sound

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<v Speaker 1>from below them. Step back, Hendrix said. He and Tasso

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<v Speaker 1>moved away from the well. A section of the ground

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<v Speaker 1>slid back. A metal frame pushed slowly up through the ash,

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<v Speaker 1>shoving bricks and weeds out of the way. The action

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<v Speaker 1>ceased as the ship nosed into view. There it is,

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix said. The ship was small. It rested quietly, suspended

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<v Speaker 1>in its mesh frame like a blunt needle. A rain

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<v Speaker 1>of ash sifted down into the dark cavity from which

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<v Speaker 1>the ship had been raised. Hendrix made his way over

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<v Speaker 1>to it. He mounted the mesh and unscrewed the hatch,

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<v Speaker 1>pulling it back inside the ship. The control banks and

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<v Speaker 1>the pressure seat were visible. Tasso came and stood beside him,

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<v Speaker 1>gazing into the ship. I'm not accustomed to rocket piloting,

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<v Speaker 1>she said. After a while Heindrick's glanced at her. I'll

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<v Speaker 1>do the piloting, will you. There's only one seat, Major,

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<v Speaker 1>I can see it's built to carry only a single person.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix's breathing changed. He studied the interior of the ship intently.

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<v Speaker 1>Tasso was right. There was only one seat. The ship

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<v Speaker 1>was built to carry only one person. I see, he

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<v Speaker 1>said slowly. And the one person is you. She nodded.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course. Why you can't go. You might not live

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<v Speaker 1>through the trip. You're injured, You probably wouldn't get there.

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<v Speaker 1>An interesting point, but you see, I know where the

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<v Speaker 1>moon base is and you don't. You might fly around

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<v Speaker 1>for months and not find it. It's well hidden. Without

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<v Speaker 1>knowing what to look for, I'll have to take my chances.

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<v Speaker 1>Maybe I won't find it, not by myself, but I

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<v Speaker 1>think you'll give me all the information I need. Your

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<v Speaker 1>life depends on it. How If I find the moon

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<v Speaker 1>basin time, perhaps I can get them to send the

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<v Speaker 1>ship back to pick you up if I find the

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<v Speaker 1>basin time. If not, then you haven't a chance. I imagine

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<v Speaker 1>that our supplies on the ship they will last me

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<v Speaker 1>long enough. Hendrix moved quickly, but his injured arm betrayed him.

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<v Speaker 1>Tasso ducked, sliding littley aside. Her hand came up lightening fast.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix saw the gun butt coming. He tried to ward

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<v Speaker 1>off the blow, but she was too fast. The metal

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<v Speaker 1>butt struck against the side of his head, just above

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<v Speaker 1>his ear. Numbing pain rushed through him, pain and rolling

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<v Speaker 1>clouds of blackness. He sank down, sliding to the ground. Dimly,

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<v Speaker 1>he was aware that Tasso was standing over him, kicking

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<v Speaker 1>with her toe. Major wake up. He opened his eyes, groaning,

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<v Speaker 1>listen to me. She bent down the gun pointed at

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<v Speaker 1>his face. I have to hurry. There isn't much time left.

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<v Speaker 1>The ship is ready to go, but you must tell

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<v Speaker 1>me the information I need before I leave. Hendrix shook

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<v Speaker 1>his head, trying to clear it. Hurry up. Where is

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<v Speaker 1>the moon base? How do you find it? What do

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<v Speaker 1>I look for? Hendrix said nothing, answer me, Sorry, Major,

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<v Speaker 1>The ship is loaded with provisions. I can coast for weeks.

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<v Speaker 1>I'll find the base eventually, and then a half hour

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<v Speaker 1>you'll be dead. Your only chance of survival. She broke

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<v Speaker 1>off along the slope by some crumbling ruins. Something mood

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<v Speaker 1>something in the ash. Tasso turned quickly, aiming. She fired

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<v Speaker 1>a puff of flame, leaped, something scuttled away, rolling across

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<v Speaker 1>the ash. She fired again. The claw burst apart, wheels

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<v Speaker 1>flying see. Tasso said, a scalt. It won't be long.

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<v Speaker 1>You'll bring them back here to get me, Yes, as

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<v Speaker 1>soon as possible. Hendrix looked up at her. He studied

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<v Speaker 1>her intently. You're telling the truth. A strange expression had

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<v Speaker 1>come over his face, an avid hunger. You'll come back

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<v Speaker 1>for me. You'll get me to the moon base. I'll

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<v Speaker 1>get you to the moon base. But tell me where

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<v Speaker 1>it is. There's only a little time left, all right.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrick picked up a piece of rock, pulling himself to

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<v Speaker 1>a sitting position. Watch. Hendrix began to scratch in the ash.

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<v Speaker 1>Tasso stood by him, watching the motion of the rock.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix was sketching a crude lunar map. This is the

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<v Speaker 1>Apennine range. Here is the crater of Archimedies. The moon

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<v Speaker 1>base is beyond the end of the Apennine, about two

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<v Speaker 1>hundred miles. I don't know exactly where. No one on

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<v Speaker 1>Terror knows. But when you're over the Apennine, signal with

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<v Speaker 1>one red flare and a green flare followed by two

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<v Speaker 1>red flares in quick succession. The base monitor will record

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<v Speaker 1>your signal. The base is under the surface, of course,

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<v Speaker 1>They'll guide you down with magnetic grapples, and the controls

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<v Speaker 1>can I operate them. The controls are virtually automatic. All

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<v Speaker 1>you have to do is give the right signal at

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<v Speaker 1>the right time. I win. The seat absorbs most of

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<v Speaker 1>the take off shock, hair and temperature are automatically controlled.

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<v Speaker 1>The ship will leave Terra and pass out into free space.

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<v Speaker 1>It'll lined itself up with the Moon, falling into an

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<v Speaker 1>orbit around it about a hundred miles above the surface.

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<v Speaker 1>The orbit will carry you over the base. When you're

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<v Speaker 1>in the region of the Apennine, release the signal rockets.

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<v Speaker 1>Tasso slid into the ship and lowered herself into the

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<v Speaker 1>pressure seat. The armlocks folded automatically around her. She fingered

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<v Speaker 1>the controls. Too bad, You're not going Major, all this

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<v Speaker 1>put here for you, and you can't make the trip.

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<v Speaker 1>Leave me the pistol. Tasso pulled the pistol from her belt.

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<v Speaker 1>She held it in her hand, weighing it thoughtfully. Don't

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<v Speaker 1>go too far from this location. It'll be harder to

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<v Speaker 1>find you as it is. No, I'll stay here by

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<v Speaker 1>the well. Tasso gripped the take off switch, running her

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<v Speaker 1>fingers over the smooth metal. A beautiful ship, Major, well built.

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<v Speaker 1>I admire your workmanship. You people have always done good work.

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<v Speaker 1>You build fine things. Your work, your creations are your

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<v Speaker 1>greatest achievement. Give me the pistol, Hendrix said, impatiently, holding

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<v Speaker 1>out his hand. He struggled to his feet. Good bye. Major.

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<v Speaker 1>Tasso tossed the pistol past Hendrix. The pistol clattered against

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<v Speaker 1>the ground, bouncing and rolling away. Hendrix hurried after it.

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<v Speaker 1>He bent down, snatching it up. The hatch of the

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<v Speaker 1>ship clanged shut, the bolts fell into place. Hendrix made

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<v Speaker 1>his way back. The inner door was being sealed. He

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<v Speaker 1>raised the pistol unsteadily. There was a shattering roar. The

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<v Speaker 1>ship burst up from its metal cage, fusing the mesh

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<v Speaker 1>behind it. HENDRICKX cringed, pulling back. The ship shot up

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<v Speaker 1>into the rolling clouds of ash, disappearing into the sky.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrick stood watching a long time until even the streamer

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<v Speaker 1>had dissipated. Nothing stirred. The morning air was chill and silent.

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<v Speaker 1>He began to walk aimlessly back the way they had come.

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<v Speaker 1>Better to keep moving around. It would be a long

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<v Speaker 1>time before help came, if it came at all. He

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<v Speaker 1>searched his pockets until he found a package of cigarettes.

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<v Speaker 1>He lit one grimly. They had all wanted cigarettes from him,

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<v Speaker 1>but cigarettes were scarce. A lizard slithered by him through

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<v Speaker 1>the ash. He halted rigid. The lizard disappeared above. The

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<v Speaker 1>sun rose higher in the sky. Some flies landed on

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<v Speaker 1>a flat rocked to one side of him. Hendrix kicked

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<v Speaker 1>at them with his foot. It was getting hot. Sweat

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<v Speaker 1>trickled down his face into his collar. His mouth was stry. Presently,

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<v Speaker 1>he stopped walking and sat down on some debris. He

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<v Speaker 1>unfastened his medicine kit and swallowed a few narcotic capsules.

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<v Speaker 1>He looked around him, where was he? Something lay ahead,

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<v Speaker 1>stretched out on the ground, silent and unmoving. Hendrix drew

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<v Speaker 1>his gun quickly. It looked like a man. Then he

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<v Speaker 1>remembered it was the remains of Klaus, the second variety,

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<v Speaker 1>where Tasso had lasted him. He could see wheels and

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<v Speaker 1>relays and metal parts strewn around on the ash, glittering

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<v Speaker 1>and sparkling in the sunlight. Hendrix got to his feet

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<v Speaker 1>and walked over. He nudged the inert form with his foot,

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<v Speaker 1>turning it over a lit He could see the metal hull,

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<v Speaker 1>the aluminum ribs and struts. More wiring fell out like visherra,

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<v Speaker 1>heaps of wiring, switches and relays, endless motors and rods.

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<v Speaker 1>He bent down. The brain cage had been smashed by

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<v Speaker 1>the fall. The artificial brain was visible. He gazed at it,

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<v Speaker 1>a maze of circuits, miniature tubes, wires as fine as hair.

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<v Speaker 1>He touched the brain cage, It swung aside. The type

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<v Speaker 1>plate was visible. Hendrix studied the plate and blanched IVV

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<v Speaker 1>dash I V. For a long time he stared at

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<v Speaker 1>the plate. Fourth variety, not the second. They had been wrong.

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<v Speaker 1>There were more types, not just three, many more, or

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<v Speaker 1>perhaps at least four, And Klaus wasn't the second variety.

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<v Speaker 1>But if Klaus wasn't the second variety, Suddenly he tensed

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<v Speaker 1>something was coming walking through the ash beyond the hill.

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<v Speaker 1>What was it? He strained to see figures, figures coming

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<v Speaker 1>slowly along, making their way through the ash, coming toward him.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix crouched quickly, raising his gun. Sweat dripped down into

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<v Speaker 1>his eyes. He fought down, rising panic as the figures neared.

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<v Speaker 1>The first was a David. The David saw him and

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<v Speaker 1>increased its pace. The others hurried behind it, A second David,

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<v Speaker 1>a third, Three Davids, all alike, coming toward him silently

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<v Speaker 1>without expression, their thin legs rising and falling, clutching their

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<v Speaker 1>teddy bears. He aimed and fired. The first two Davids

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<v Speaker 1>dissolved into particles. The third came on and the figure

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<v Speaker 1>behind it climbing silently toward him. Across the gray ash

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<v Speaker 1>a wounded soldier towering over the David, and and behind

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<v Speaker 1>the wounded soldier came two Tassos walking side by side,

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<v Speaker 1>heavy built, Russian army pants, shirt, long hair, the familiar

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<v Speaker 1>figure as he had seen her only a little while before,

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<v Speaker 1>sitting in the pressure seat of the ship. Two slim,

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<v Speaker 1>silent figures, both identical. They were very near the David.

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<v Speaker 1>Bent down suddenly dropping its teddy bear. The bear raced

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<v Speaker 1>across the ground automatically, Hendryx's fingers tightened around the trigger.

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<v Speaker 1>The bear was gone, dissolved into mist. The two Tasso

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<v Speaker 1>types moved on, expressionless, walking side by side through the

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<v Speaker 1>gray ash. When they were almost to him, Hendrix raised

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<v Speaker 1>the pistol waist high and fired. The two Tassos dissolved,

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<v Speaker 1>but already a new group was starting up the rise.

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<v Speaker 1>Five or six tasos, all identical, a line of them

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<v Speaker 1>coming rapidly toward him, And he had given her the

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<v Speaker 1>ship and the signal code. Because of him, she was

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<v Speaker 1>on her way to the moon, to the moon base.

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<v Speaker 1>He had made it possible. He had been right about

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<v Speaker 1>the bomb. After all, it had been designed with knowledge

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<v Speaker 1>of the other types, the David type and the wounded

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<v Speaker 1>soldier type, and the Klause type. Not designed by human beings.

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<v Speaker 1>It had been designed by one of the underground factories,

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<v Speaker 1>apart from all human contact. The line of Tassos came

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<v Speaker 1>up to him. Hendrix braced himself, watching them calmly, the

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<v Speaker 1>familiar face, the belt, the heavy shirt, the bomb carefully

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<v Speaker 1>in place, the bomb as the Tassos reached for him,

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<v Speaker 1>a last ironic thought drifted through Hendrix's mind. He felt

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<v Speaker 1>a little better thinking of it. The bomb made by

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<v Speaker 1>the Second Variety to destroy the other varieties made for

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<v Speaker 1>that end alone. They were already beginning to design weapons

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<v Speaker 1>to use against each other. End of Section four. End

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<v Speaker 1>of Second Variety by Philip K. Dick. The story recorded

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<v Speaker 1>by phil Schever in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, in January of

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<v Speaker 1>two thousand thirteen.