Free The Book of Philip K Dick (1973) by Philip K. Dick Page B

coming as quickly as they can. Again I urge you to go back down.” The leady surveyed the three human beings. “There is no way you can meet the conditions up here. Even we survive with some trouble, ourselves. How can you expect to do it?” The leader approached Franks.
    “This astonishes and perplexes us,” it said. “Of course we must do what you tell us, but allow me to point out that if you remain here—”
    “We know,” Franks said impatiently. “However, we intend to remain, at least until sunrise.”
    “If you insist.”
    There was silence. The leadies seemed to be conferring with each other, although the three men heard no sound.
    “For your own good,” the leader said at last, “you must go back down. We have discussed this, and it seems to us that you are doing the wrong thing for your own good.”
    “We are human beings,” Franks said sharply. “Don’t you understand? We’re men, not machines.”
    “That is precisely why you must go back. This room is radioactive; all surface areas are. We calculate that your suits will not protect you for over fifty more minutes. Therefore—”
    The leadies moved abruptly toward the men, wheeling in a circle, forming a solid row. The men stood up, Taylor reaching awkwardly for his weapon, his fingers numb and stupid. The men stood facing the silent metal figures.
    “We must insist,” the leader said, its voice without emotion. “We must take you back to the Tube and send you down on the next car. I am sorry, but it is necessary.”
    “What’ll we do?” Moss said nervously to Franks. He touched his gun. “Shall we blast them?”
    Franks shook his head. “All right,” he said to the leader. “We’ll go back.”
    He moved toward the door, motioning Taylor and Moss to follow him. They looked at him in surprise, but they came with him. The leadies followed them out into the great warehouse. Slowly they moved toward the Tube entrance, none of them speaking.
    At the lip, Franks turned. “We are going back because we have no choice. There are three of us and about a dozen of you. However, if—”
    “Here comes the car,” Taylor said.
    There was a grating sound from the Tube. D-class leadies moved toward the edge to receive it.
    “I am sorry,” the leader said, “but it is for your protection. We are watching over you, literally. You must stay below and let us conduct the war. In a sense, it has come to be our war. We must fight it as we see fit.”
    The car rose to the surface.
    Twelve soldiers, armed with Bender pistols, stepped from it and surrounded the three men.
    Moss breathed a sigh of relief. “Well, this does change things. It came off just right.”
    The leader moved back, away from the soldiers. It studied them intently, glancing from one to the next, apparently trying to make up its mind. At last it made a sign to the other leadies. They coasted aside and a corridor was opened up toward the warehouse.
    “Even now,” the leader said, “we could send you back by force. But it is evident that this is not really an observation party at all. These soldiers show that you have much more in mind; this was all carefully prepared.”
    “Very carefully,” Franks said.
    They closed in.
    “How much more, we can only guess. I must admit that we were taken unprepared. We failed utterly to meet the situation. Now force would be absurd, because neither side can afford to injure the other; we, because of the restrictions placed on us regarding human life, you because the war demands—”
    The soldiers fired, quick and in fright. Moss dropped to one knee, firing up. The leader dissolved in a cloud of particles. On all sides D- and B-class leadies were rushing up, some with weapons, some with metal slats. The room was in confusion. Off in the distance a siren was screaming. Franks and Taylor were cut off from the others, separated from the soldiers by a wall of metal bodies.
    “They can’t fire back,” Franks said calmly. “This is another bluff.