The Project Gutenberg EBook of Second Variety, by Philip Kindred Dick

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Title: Second Variety

Author: Philip Kindred Dick

Illustrator: Alex Ebel

Release Date: April 17, 2010 [EBook #32032]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SECOND VARIETY ***

Produced by Greg Weeks, Barbara Tozier and the Online
Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net

This etext was produced from Space Science Fiction May 1953.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U.S.
copyright on this publication was renewed.

[Illustration]

SECOND VARIETY

BY PHILIP K. DICK

ILLUSTRATED BY EBEL

The claws were bad enough in the first place--nasty, crawling
little death-robots. But when they began to imitate their
creators, it was time for the human race to make peace--if it
could!

The Russian soldier made his way nervously up the ragged side of the
hill, holding his gun ready. He glanced around him, licking his dry
lips, his face set. From time to time he reached up a gloved hand and
wiped perspiration from his neck, pushing down his coat collar.

Eric turned to Corporal Leone. "Want him? Or can I have him?" He
adjusted the view sight so the Russian's features squarely filled the
glass, the lines cutting across his hard, somber features.

Leone considered. The Russian was close, moving rapidly, almost
running. "Don't fire. Wait." Leone tensed. "I don't think we're
needed."

The Russian increased his pace, kicking ash and piles of debris out of
his way. He reached the top of the hill and stopped, panting, staring
around him. The sky was overcast, drifting clouds of gray particles.
Bare trunks of trees jutted up occasionally; the ground was level and
bare, rubble-strewn, with the ruins of buildings standing out here and
there like yellowing skulls.

The Russian was uneasy. He knew something was wrong. He started down
the hill. Now he was only a few paces from the bunker. Eric was
getting fidgety. He played with his pistol, glancing at Leone.

"Don't worry," Leone said. "He won't get here. They'll take care of
him."

"Are you sure? He's g