WEBVTT

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<v Speaker 1>Section two of Second Variety by Philip Kaydick. This LibriVox

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<v Speaker 1>recording is in the public domain. A tall figure came

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<v Speaker 1>out on the ridge above him, cloak flapping, gray green.

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<v Speaker 1>A Russian behind him, A second soldier appeared another Russian.

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<v Speaker 1>Both lifted their guns. Amy Hendrix froze. He opened his mouth.

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<v Speaker 1>The soldiers were kneeling, sighting down the side of the slope.

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<v Speaker 1>A third figure had joined them on the ridgetop, a

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<v Speaker 1>smaller figure in gray green, a woman. She stood behind

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<v Speaker 1>the other two. Hendrix found his voice stop. He waved

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<v Speaker 1>at them frantically, I'm The Two Russians fired behind Hendrix.

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<v Speaker 1>There was a faint pop. Waves of heat lapped against him,

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<v Speaker 1>throwing him to the ground. Ash tore at his face,

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<v Speaker 1>grinding in to his eyes and nose, choking. He pulled

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<v Speaker 1>himself to his knees. It was all a trap. He

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<v Speaker 1>was finished. He had come to be killed like a steer.

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<v Speaker 1>The soldiers and the woman were coming down the side

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<v Speaker 1>of the ridge toward him, sliding down through the soft ash.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix was numb. His head throbbed awkwardly. He got his

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<v Speaker 1>rifle up and took aim. It weighed a thousand tons

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<v Speaker 1>he could hardly hold it. His nose and cheeks stung.

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<v Speaker 1>The air was full of the blast smell, a bitter,

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<v Speaker 1>acrid stench. Don't fire, the first Russian said in heavily

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<v Speaker 1>accented English. The three of them came up to him,

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<v Speaker 1>surrounding him. Put down your rifle, yank, the other said.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix was dazed. Everything had happened so fast. He had

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<v Speaker 1>been caught, and they had blasted the boy. He turned

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<v Speaker 1>his head. David was gone. What remained of him was

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<v Speaker 1>strewn across the ground. The three Russians studied him curiously.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix sat wiping blood from his nose, picking out bits

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<v Speaker 1>of ash. He shook his head, trying to clear it.

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<v Speaker 1>Why did you do it, he murmured thickly. The boy. Why.

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<v Speaker 1>One of the soldiers helped him roughly to his feet.

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<v Speaker 1>He turned Hendrix around. Look. Hendrix closed his eyes. Look.

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<v Speaker 1>The two Russians pulled him forward. See hurry up, there

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<v Speaker 1>isn't much time to spa yank. Hendrix looked and gasped. See. Now,

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<v Speaker 1>do you understand from the remains of David a metal wheel,

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<v Speaker 1>rolled relays, glinting metal parts wiring. One of the Russians

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<v Speaker 1>kicked at the heap of remains. Parts popped out, rolling away,

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<v Speaker 1>wheels and springs and rods. A plastic section fell in half, charred.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix bent shakily down. The front of the head had

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<v Speaker 1>come off. He could make out the intricate brain, wires

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<v Speaker 1>and relays, tiny tubes and switches, thousands of minute studs,

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<v Speaker 1>a robot. The soldier holding his arm said, we watched

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<v Speaker 1>it tagging you, tagging me. That's their way. They tag

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<v Speaker 1>along with you into the bunker. That's how they get in.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix blinked, dazed, But come on. They led him toward

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<v Speaker 1>the ridge. We can't stay here. It isn't safe. There

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<v Speaker 1>must be hundreds of them all around here. The three

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<v Speaker 1>of them pulled him up the side of the ridge,

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<v Speaker 1>sliding and slipping on the ash. The woman reached the

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<v Speaker 1>top and stood waiting for them the forward command, and

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix muttered, I came to negotiate with the Soviet. There

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<v Speaker 1>is no more forward command. They got in. We'll explain.

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<v Speaker 1>They reached the top of the ridge. We're all that's left.

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<v Speaker 1>The three of us. The rest were down in de buncer.

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<v Speaker 1>This way down this way. The woman unscrewed a lid

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<v Speaker 1>a gray manhole cover set in the ground. Get in.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix lowered himself. The two soldiers and the woman came

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<v Speaker 1>behind him, following him down the ladder. The woman closed

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<v Speaker 1>the lid after them, bolting it tightly into place. Good thing,

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<v Speaker 1>we saw you, One of the two soldiers grunted. It

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<v Speaker 1>had tagged you about as far as it was going

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<v Speaker 1>to give me one of your cigarettes. The woman said,

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<v Speaker 1>I haven't had an American cigarette for weeks. Hendrix pushed

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<v Speaker 1>the pack to her. She took a cigarette and passed

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<v Speaker 1>the pack to the two soldiers. In the corner of

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<v Speaker 1>the small the lamp gleamed fitfully. The room was low, ceilinged, cramped.

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<v Speaker 1>The four of them sat around a small wood table.

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<v Speaker 1>A few dirty dishes were stacked to one side. Behind

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<v Speaker 1>a ragged curtain. A second room was partially visible. Hendrix

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<v Speaker 1>saw the corner of a cut some blankets, clothes hung

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<v Speaker 1>on a hook. We were here, the soldier beside him said.

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<v Speaker 1>He took off his helmet, pushing his blonde hair back.

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<v Speaker 1>I'm Corporal Rudy Maxum Polish, impressed in the Soviet Army

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<v Speaker 1>two years ago. He held out his hand. Hendrix hesitated

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<v Speaker 1>and then shook Major Joseph Hendrix Klaus Epstein, the other

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<v Speaker 1>soldier shook with him, a small dark man with fitting hair.

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<v Speaker 1>Epstein plucked nervously at his ear. Austrian impressed, God knows

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<v Speaker 1>when I don't remember. The three of us were here,

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<v Speaker 1>Rudy and I with Tusso he indicated the woman. That's

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<v Speaker 1>how we escaped. All the rest were down in the bunker,

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<v Speaker 1>and and they got in. Epstein lit a cigarette first,

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<v Speaker 1>just one of them, the kind that tagged you. Then

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<v Speaker 1>let others in. Hendrix became alert. The kind or there

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<v Speaker 1>more than one kind? The little boy David, David holding

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<v Speaker 1>his Teddy Bear. That's variety three, the most effective. What

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<v Speaker 1>are the other types? Epstein reached into his coat. Here

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<v Speaker 1>he tossed a packet of photographs onto the table, tied

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<v Speaker 1>with a string. Look for yourself. Hendrix untied the string.

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<v Speaker 1>You see, Rudy Maxer said, that's why we wanted to

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<v Speaker 1>talk terms the Russians. I mean, we found out about

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<v Speaker 1>a week ago, found out that your claws were beginning

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<v Speaker 1>to make up new designs on their own, new types

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<v Speaker 1>of their own, better types down in your underground factories,

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<v Speaker 1>behind our lines. You let them stamp themselves, or a

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<v Speaker 1>pair of themselves, make them more and more intricate. It's

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<v Speaker 1>your fault this has happened. Hendrix examined the photos. They

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<v Speaker 1>had been snapped hurriedly. They were blurred and indistinct. The

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<v Speaker 1>first few showed David David walking along a road by himself,

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<v Speaker 1>David and another David. Three Davids, all exactly alike, each

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<v Speaker 1>with a ragged teddy bear, all pathetic. Look at the others,

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<v Speaker 1>Tasso said. The next picture, taken at a great distance,

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<v Speaker 1>showed a towering wounded soldier sitting by the side of

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<v Speaker 1>a path, his arm in a sling, the stump of

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<v Speaker 1>one leg extended a crude crutch on his lap. Then

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<v Speaker 1>two wounded soldiers, both the same, standing side by side.

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<v Speaker 1>That's a variety. One the wounded soldier, Klaus, reached out

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<v Speaker 1>and took the pictures. You see, the claws were designed

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<v Speaker 1>to get to human beings, to find them. Each kind

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<v Speaker 1>was better than the last. They got farther closer, passed

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<v Speaker 1>most of our defenses into our lines. But as long

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<v Speaker 1>as they were merely machines, metal spheres with claws and

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<v Speaker 1>horns and feelers, they could be picked off like any

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<v Speaker 1>other object. They could be detected as lethal robots as

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<v Speaker 1>soon as they were seen. Once we caught sight of them,

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<v Speaker 1>Variety one subverted our whole north wing. Rudy said, it

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<v Speaker 1>was a long time before anyone caught on. Then it

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<v Speaker 1>was too late. They came in wounded soldiers, knocking and

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<v Speaker 1>begging to be let in. So we let them in,

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<v Speaker 1>and as soon as they were in they took over.

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<v Speaker 1>We were watching out from machines. At that time it

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<v Speaker 1>was thought there was only one type. Klaus Epstein said,

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<v Speaker 1>No one suspected there were other types. The pictures were

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<v Speaker 1>flashed to us when the runner was sent to you.

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<v Speaker 1>We knew of just one type, Variety one. See big

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<v Speaker 1>wounded soldier. We thought that was all. Your line fell

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<v Speaker 1>to two. Variety three David and his spare That worked

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<v Speaker 1>even better. Klaus smiled, bitterly, soldiers or suckers for children.

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<v Speaker 1>We brought them in and tried to feed them. We

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<v Speaker 1>found out the hard way what they were after. At

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<v Speaker 1>least those who were in the bunker. The three of

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<v Speaker 1>us were lucky. Rudy said, Klaus and I were were

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<v Speaker 1>visiting Tasso when it happened. This is her place. He

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<v Speaker 1>waved a big hand round this little cellar. We finished

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<v Speaker 1>and climbed the latter to start back from the ridge.

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<v Speaker 1>We saw there they were all around the bunker. Fighting

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<v Speaker 1>was still going on, David and his bare, hundreds of them.

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<v Speaker 1>Klaus took the pictures. Klaus tied up the photographs again,

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<v Speaker 1>and it's going on all along your line. Hendrick said, yes,

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<v Speaker 1>how about our lines? Without thinking, he touched the tab

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<v Speaker 1>on his arm. Can they they're not bothered by your

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<v Speaker 1>radiation tabs. It makes no difference to them, Russian, American, Pole, German.

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<v Speaker 1>It's all the same. They're doing what they were designed

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<v Speaker 1>to do, carrying out the original idea. They track down

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<v Speaker 1>life wherever they find it. They go by warmth. Klaus said,

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<v Speaker 1>that's the way you constructed them from the very start.

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<v Speaker 1>Of course, those you designed were kept back by the

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<v Speaker 1>radiation tabs. Where now they've got around that. These new

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<v Speaker 1>varieties are lead lined. What's the other variety, Hendrix asked,

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<v Speaker 1>the David type, the wounded soldier. What's the other? We

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<v Speaker 1>don't know. Klaus pointed up at the wall. On the

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<v Speaker 1>wall were two metal plates ragged at the edges. Hendrix

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<v Speaker 1>got up and studied them. They were bent and dented,

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<v Speaker 1>the one on the left came off a wounded soldier.

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<v Speaker 1>Rudy said, we got one of them. It was going

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<v Speaker 1>along toward our old bunker. We got it from the

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<v Speaker 1>ridge the same way we got the David taking you.

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<v Speaker 1>The plate was stamped I dash V. Hendrix touched the

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<v Speaker 1>other plate and this came from the David type. Yes,

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<v Speaker 1>the plate was stamped III dash V. Klaus took a

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<v Speaker 1>look at them, leaning over Hendrix's broad shoulder. You can

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<v Speaker 1>see what we're up against. There's another type. Maybe it

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<v Speaker 1>was abandoned, maybe it didn't work, but there must be

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<v Speaker 1>a second variety. There's one and three. You were lucky,

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<v Speaker 1>Rudy said. The David tagged you all the way here

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<v Speaker 1>and never touched you. Probably thought you'd get into a

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<v Speaker 1>bunker somewhere. One gets in and it's all over. Klaus said,

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<v Speaker 1>they move fast. One lets all the rest in. They're

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<v Speaker 1>inflexible machines with one purpose. They were built for only

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<v Speaker 1>one thing. He rubbed sweat from his lip. We saw

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<v Speaker 1>they were silent. Let me have another cigarette. Yank Tasso said,

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<v Speaker 1>they are good. I almost forgot how they were. It

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<v Speaker 1>was night, The sky was black, No stars were visible

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<v Speaker 1>through the rolling clouds of ash. Did the lid cautiously

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<v Speaker 1>so that Hendrix could look out. Rudy pointed into the

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<v Speaker 1>darkness over that way or the bunkers, where we used

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<v Speaker 1>to be, not over half a mile from us. It

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<v Speaker 1>was just chance. Klaus and I were not there when

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<v Speaker 1>it happened. Weakness saved by our lusts. All the rest

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<v Speaker 1>must be dead, Klaus said in a low voice. It

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<v Speaker 1>came quickly this morning the Politburo reached their decision. They

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<v Speaker 1>notified us for the command. Our runner was set out

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<v Speaker 1>at once. We saw him start toward the direction of

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<v Speaker 1>your lines. We covered him until he was out of sight.

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<v Speaker 1>Alex Raviisky, we both knew him. He disappeared about six o'clock.

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<v Speaker 1>The sun had just come up about noon. Klaus and

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<v Speaker 1>I had an hour relief. We crept off away from

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<v Speaker 1>the bunkers. No one was watching. We came here. They

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<v Speaker 1>used to be a town here, a few houses a street.

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<v Speaker 1>This cellar was part of a big farmhouse. We knew

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<v Speaker 1>Tasso would be here, hiding down in her little place.

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<v Speaker 1>We had come here before, others from the bunkers came

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<v Speaker 1>here to day. Happened to be our turn, so we

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<v Speaker 1>were saved Klaud said, chance, it might have been others.

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<v Speaker 1>We we finished, and then we came up to the

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<v Speaker 1>surface and started back along the ridge. That was when

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<v Speaker 1>we saw them. The Davids. We understood right away. We

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<v Speaker 1>had seen the photos of the first variety, the wounded soldier.

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<v Speaker 1>Our commissar distributed them to us with an explanation. If

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<v Speaker 1>we had gone another step, they would have seen us.

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<v Speaker 1>As it was, we had to blast two Davids before

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<v Speaker 1>we got back. There were hundreds of them all around

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<v Speaker 1>like ants. V took pictures and slipped back here, bolting

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<v Speaker 1>the lid tight. They're not so much fin you catch

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<v Speaker 1>them alone. We moved faster than they did, but they're inexorable,

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<v Speaker 1>not like living things. They came right at us and

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<v Speaker 1>we blasted them. Major Hendrix rested against the edge of

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<v Speaker 1>the lid, adjusting his eyes to the darkness. Is it

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<v Speaker 1>safe to have the lid up at all? If we're careful?

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<v Speaker 1>How else can you operate your transmitter? Hendrix lifted the

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<v Speaker 1>small belt transmitter slowly. He pressed it against his ear.

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<v Speaker 1>The metal was cold and damp. He blew against the mic,

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<v Speaker 1>raising up the short antenna. A faint hum sounded in

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<v Speaker 1>his ear. That's true, I suppose, but he still hesitated.

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<v Speaker 1>We'll pull you ONREI if anything happens, Klaus said, thanks.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix waited moment, resting the transmitter against his shoulder. Interesting,

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<v Speaker 1>isn't it? What this? The new types, the new varieties

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<v Speaker 1>of clause. We're completely at their mercy, or aren't we?

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<v Speaker 1>By now they've probably gotten into the un lines too.

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<v Speaker 1>It makes me wonder if we're not seeing the beginning

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<v Speaker 1>of a new species, the new species evolution, the race

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<v Speaker 1>to come after man. Rudy grunted, there is no race

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<v Speaker 1>after men? No, why not? Maybe we're seeing it now,

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<v Speaker 1>the end of human beings, the beginning of the new society.

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<v Speaker 1>They're not a race that are mechanical killers. You made

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<v Speaker 1>them to destroy. That's all they can do. They're machines

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<v Speaker 1>with a job, so it seems now, But how about

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<v Speaker 1>later on, after the war is over, Maybe when there

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<v Speaker 1>aren't any humans to destroy, their real potentialities will begin

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<v Speaker 1>to show. You talk as if they were alive, aren't they?

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<v Speaker 1>There was silence, their machines, Rudy said. They look like people,

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<v Speaker 1>but their machines use your transmitter. Major Klaus said, we

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<v Speaker 1>can't stay up here, forever. Holding the transmitter tightly, Hendrix

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<v Speaker 1>called the code of the command monker. He waited, listening,

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<v Speaker 1>no response, only silence. He checked the leads carefully, everything

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<v Speaker 1>was in place, Scott, he said into the mic, can

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<v Speaker 1>you hear me? Silence? He raised the gain up full

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<v Speaker 1>and tried again, only static. I don't get anything. They

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<v Speaker 1>may hear me, but they may not want to answer.

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<v Speaker 1>Tell them it's an emergency. They'll think I'm being forced

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<v Speaker 1>to call under your direction. He tried again, outlining briefly

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<v Speaker 1>what he had learned, but still the phone was silent.

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<v Speaker 1>Except for the fate static radiation pools killed most transmissions,

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<v Speaker 1>Klaus said, after a while, maybe that's it. Hendrix shut

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<v Speaker 1>the transmitter up. No use, no answer, radiation pools. Maybe

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<v Speaker 1>or they heard me but won't answer. Frankly, that's what

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<v Speaker 1>I would do if a runner tried to call from

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<v Speaker 1>the Soviet lines. They have no reason to believe such

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<v Speaker 1>a story. They may hear everything I say, or maybe

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<v Speaker 1>it's too late. Hendrix nodded. We'd better get the lid down.

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<v Speaker 1>Rudy said nervously. We don't want to take unnecessary chances.

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<v Speaker 1>They climbed slowly back down the tunnel. Klau spolted the

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<v Speaker 1>lid carefully into place. They descended into the kitchen. The

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<v Speaker 1>air was heavy and close around them. Could they work

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<v Speaker 1>that fast? Hendrix said, I left the bunker this noon,

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<v Speaker 1>ten hours ago. How could they move so quickly? It

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<v Speaker 1>doesn't take them long. Not after the first ones get in,

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<v Speaker 1>it goes wild. You know what the little claws can do.

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<v Speaker 1>Even one of these is beyond belief, raises each finger, maniacal.

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<v Speaker 1>All right, Hendrix moved away impatiently. He stood with his

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<v Speaker 1>back to them. What's the matter, Rudy said, the moon base. God,

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<v Speaker 1>if they've gotten there, the moon base. Hendrix turned round.

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<v Speaker 1>They couldn't have got to the moon base. How could

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<v Speaker 1>they get there? It isn't possible. I can't believe it.

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<v Speaker 1>What is this moon base? We've heard rumors, but nothing definite.

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<v Speaker 1>What is the actual situation? You seem concerned. We're supplied

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<v Speaker 1>from the Moon. The governments are there under the lunar's surface,

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<v Speaker 1>all our people and industries. That's what keeps us going.

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<v Speaker 1>If they should find some way of getting off terror

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<v Speaker 1>on to the Moon, it only takes one of them.

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<v Speaker 1>Once the first gets in, it admits the others hundreds

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<v Speaker 1>of them, all alike. You should have seen them identical,

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<v Speaker 1>like ants. Perfect socialism, Tasso said, the ideal of the

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<v Speaker 1>communist state, all citizens, interchangeable. Klaus grunted angrily. That's enough,

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<v Speaker 1>Well what next? Hendricks paced back and forth around the

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<v Speaker 1>small room. The air was full of smells of food

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<v Speaker 1>and perspiration. The others watched him presently. Tasso pushed through

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<v Speaker 1>the garden into the other room. I am going to

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00:20:56.799 --> 00:21:01.279
<v Speaker 1>take a nap. The curtain closed behind her. Rudy and

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<v Speaker 1>Klaus sat down at the table, still watching Hendrix. It's

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<v Speaker 1>up to you, Klaus said, We don't know your situation.

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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix nodded, it's a problem. Rudy drank some coffee, filling

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<v Speaker 1>his cup from a rusty pot. We're safe here for

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<v Speaker 1>a while, but we can't stay here forever. Not enough

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<v Speaker 1>food or supplies. But if we go outside, if we

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00:21:26.599 --> 00:21:30.960
<v Speaker 1>go outside, they'll get us, or probably they'll get us.

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<v Speaker 1>We couldn't go very far. How far is your command

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<v Speaker 1>bunker major? Three or four miles? We might make it

289
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<v Speaker 1>the four of us. Four of us could watch all sides.

290
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<v Speaker 1>They couldn't slip up behind us and start tagging us.

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<v Speaker 1>We have three rifles, three blast rifles. Tasso can have

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<v Speaker 1>my pistol. Rudy tapped his belt. In the Soviet Army,

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<v Speaker 1>we didn't have shoes always, but we had guns. With

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<v Speaker 1>all four of us on, one of us might get

295
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<v Speaker 1>to your command bunker preparably, you Major, What if they're

296
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<v Speaker 1>already there, Klaus said. Rudy shrugged, Well, then we come

297
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<v Speaker 1>back here. Hendrix stopped pacing. What do you think the

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<v Speaker 1>chances are they're already in the American lines? Hard to say,

299
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<v Speaker 1>fairly good. They're organized, they know exactly what they're doing.

300
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<v Speaker 1>Once they start, they go like a horde of a locus.

301
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<v Speaker 1>They have to keep moving and fast. It's secrecy and

302
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<v Speaker 1>speed they depend on surprise. They pushed their way in

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<v Speaker 1>before anyone has any idea. I see, Hendrix murmured. From

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<v Speaker 1>the other room, Tasso stirred. Major Hendrix pushed the curtain back.

305
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<v Speaker 1>What Tasso looked up at him lazily from the cot

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<v Speaker 1>Have you any more? American cigarettes left? Hendrix went into

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<v Speaker 1>the room and sat down across from her on a

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00:23:03.359 --> 00:23:09.480
<v Speaker 1>wood stool. He felt his pockets. No, all gone too bad?

309
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<v Speaker 1>What nationality are you, Hendrix asked, after a while, Russian?

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<v Speaker 1>How did you get here here? This used to be France,

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<v Speaker 1>This was part of Normandy. Did you come with the

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<v Speaker 1>Soviet Army? Why? Just curious? He studied her. She had

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<v Speaker 1>taken off her coat, tossing it over the end of

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<v Speaker 1>the cot. She was young, about twenty, slim, her long

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<v Speaker 1>hair stretched out over the pillow. She was staring at

316
00:23:39.400 --> 00:23:45.079
<v Speaker 1>him silently, her eyes dark and large. What's on your mind?

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<v Speaker 1>Tasso said nothing. How old are you? Eighteen? She continued

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<v Speaker 1>to watch him, unblinking, her arms behind her head. She

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<v Speaker 1>had on Russian army pants and shirt, great green, thick

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<v Speaker 1>leather belt with counter and cartridges, medicine kit. You're in

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<v Speaker 1>the Soviet Army. No where did you get the uniform?

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<v Speaker 1>She shrugged? It was given to me. She told him.

323
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<v Speaker 1>How old were you when you came here? Sixteen? That young?

324
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<v Speaker 1>Her eyes narrowed. What do you mean, Hendrix rubbed this jaw.

325
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<v Speaker 1>Your life would have been a lot different if there

326
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<v Speaker 1>had been no war sixteen. You came here at sixteen

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<v Speaker 1>to live this way. I had to survive. I'm not moralizing.

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<v Speaker 1>Your life would have been different, too, Tasso murmured. She

329
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<v Speaker 1>reached down and unfastened one of her boots. She kicked

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<v Speaker 1>the boot off onto the floor. Major, do you want

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<v Speaker 1>to go in the other room? I'm sleepy. It's going

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<v Speaker 1>to be a problem the four of us here. It's

333
00:24:58.839 --> 00:25:01.359
<v Speaker 1>going to be hard to live in the quarters. Are

334
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<v Speaker 1>there just the two rooms? Yes? How big was the

335
00:25:05.960 --> 00:25:09.400
<v Speaker 1>cellar originally? Was it larger than this? Are there other

336
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<v Speaker 1>rooms filled up with debris? We might be able to

337
00:25:12.240 --> 00:25:17.160
<v Speaker 1>open one of them? Perhaps? I really don't know. Tasso

338
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<v Speaker 1>loosened her belt. She made herself comfortable on the cot,

339
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<v Speaker 1>unbuttoning her shirt. You're sure you have no more cigarettes?

340
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<v Speaker 1>I only had the one pack. Too bad. Maybe if

341
00:25:28.880 --> 00:25:30.799
<v Speaker 1>we get back to your bunker we can find some.

342
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<v Speaker 1>The other boot fell. Tasso reached up for the light cord.

343
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<v Speaker 1>Good night, you're going to sleep, that's right. The room

344
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<v Speaker 1>plunged into darkness. Hendrix got up and made his way

345
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<v Speaker 1>past the curtain into the kitchen and stopped. Rigid. Rudy

346
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<v Speaker 1>stood against the wall, his face white and gleaming. His

347
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<v Speaker 1>mouth opened and closed, but no sounds came. Klaus stood

348
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<v Speaker 1>in front of him, the muzzle of his pistol in

349
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<v Speaker 1>Rudy's stomach. Neither of them moved. Klaus his hand tight

350
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<v Speaker 1>around his gun, His features set, Rudy pale and silent.

351
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<v Speaker 1>Spread eagled against the wall. What Hendrix muttered, but Klaus

352
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<v Speaker 1>cut him off. Be quiet, Major, Come over here your gun.

353
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<v Speaker 1>Get out your gun. Hendrix drew his pistol. What is it?

354
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<v Speaker 1>Cover him? Klaus motioned him forward beside me. Hurry. Rudy

355
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<v Speaker 1>moved a little, lowering his arms. He turned to Hendrix,

356
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<v Speaker 1>licking his lips. The whites of his eyes shone wildly.

357
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<v Speaker 1>Sweat dripped from his forehead down his cheeks. He fixed

358
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<v Speaker 1>his gaze on Hendrix. Major, he's gone insane. Stop him.

359
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<v Speaker 1>Rudy's voice was thin and hoarse, almost inaudible. What's going on?

360
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<v Speaker 1>Hendrix demanded, without lowering his pistol. Klaus answered, Major, Remember

361
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<v Speaker 1>a discussion the three varieties. We knew about one and three,

362
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<v Speaker 1>but we didn't know about two. At least we didn't

363
00:27:08.839 --> 00:27:13.920
<v Speaker 1>know before. Klaus's fingers tightened around the gun. But we

364
00:27:14.200 --> 00:27:19.240
<v Speaker 1>didn't know before, but we know now. He pressed the trigger.

365
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<v Speaker 1>A burst of white heat rolled out of the gun,

366
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<v Speaker 1>licking around Rudy. Major, this is the second variety. Tasso

367
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<v Speaker 1>swept the curtain aside Klaus. What did you do? Klaus

368
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<v Speaker 1>turned from the charred form gradually sinking down the wall

369
00:27:40.680 --> 00:27:46.000
<v Speaker 1>onto the floor. The second variety, Tasso. Now we know

370
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<v Speaker 1>we have all three types identified. The danger is less I.

371
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<v Speaker 1>Tasso stared past him at the remains of Rudy, at

372
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<v Speaker 1>the blackened, smoldering fragments and bits of cloth. You killed

373
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<v Speaker 1>him him? It you mean I was watching? I had

374
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<v Speaker 1>a feeling, but I wasn't sure. At least I wasn't

375
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<v Speaker 1>sure before, But this evening I was certain. Klaus rubbed

376
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<v Speaker 1>his pistol butt nervously. We're lucky, don't you understand? Another

377
00:28:21.200 --> 00:28:26.079
<v Speaker 1>hour and it might you were certain. Tasso pushed past

378
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<v Speaker 1>him and bent down over the steaming remains on the floor.

379
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<v Speaker 1>Her face became hard major siphy yourself, bones, flesh. Hendrix

380
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<v Speaker 1>bent down beside her. The remains were human remains, seared flesh, charred, bone, fragments,

381
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<v Speaker 1>part of a skull, ligaments, fischera blood, blood forming a

382
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<v Speaker 1>pool against the wall. No wheels, Tusso said, calmly. She

383
00:28:55.519 --> 00:29:00.759
<v Speaker 1>straightened up. No wheels, no parts, no relays, not a claw,

384
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<v Speaker 1>not the second variety. She folded her arms. You're going

385
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<v Speaker 1>to have to be able to explain this. Klaus sat

386
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<v Speaker 1>down at the table. All the color drained suddenly from

387
00:29:14.799 --> 00:29:17.640
<v Speaker 1>his face. He put his head in his hands and

388
00:29:17.799 --> 00:29:21.799
<v Speaker 1>rocked back and forth. Snap out of it. Tusso's fingers

389
00:29:21.839 --> 00:29:25.559
<v Speaker 1>closed over his shoulder. Why did you do it? Why

390
00:29:25.599 --> 00:29:30.480
<v Speaker 1>did you kill him? He was frightened. Heinbrook said, all this,

391
00:29:30.960 --> 00:29:35.000
<v Speaker 1>the whole thing building up around us. Maybe what then?

392
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<v Speaker 1>What do you think I think he may have had

393
00:29:37.799 --> 00:29:42.480
<v Speaker 1>a reason for killing Rudy, A good reason? What reason?

394
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<v Speaker 1>Maybe Rudy learns something. Hendrix studied her bleak face about

395
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<v Speaker 1>what he asked about him about Klaus end of Section two.