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02 - Mr. Spaceship by Philip K. Dick · Mr. Spaceship

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  Speaker 1: Section two of Mister Spaceship by Philip K. Dick. This
• 0:04
  Speaker 1: LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Section two. Before
• 0:09
  Speaker 1: I make my decision, I want to see the papers
• 0:12
  Speaker 1: on this the theory and outline of construction. I'm not
• 0:17
  Speaker 1: sure I like it for reasons of my own, I mean,
• 0:20
  Speaker 1: but I want to look at the material. If you'll
• 0:24
  Speaker 1: do that certainly. Kramer stood up and went to the door.
• 0:28
  Speaker 1: Gross and the two security agents were standing outside, waiting tensely.
• 0:32
  Speaker 1: Gross come inside. They filed into the room. Give the
• 0:36
  Speaker 1: professor the papers, Kramer said, he wants to study them
• 0:39
  Speaker 1: before deciding. Gros brought the file out of his coat
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  Speaker 1: pocket a manilla envelope. He handed it to the old
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  Speaker 1: man on the bed. Here it is, professor. You're welcome
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  Speaker 1: to examine it. Will you give us your answer as
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  Speaker 1: soon as possible. We're very anxious to begin, of course.
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  Speaker 1: I'll give you my answer when I've decided. He took
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  Speaker 1: the envelope with a thin, trembling hand. My decision depends
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  Speaker 1: on what I find out from these papers. If I
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  Speaker 1: don't like what I find, then I will not become
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  Speaker 1: involved with this work in any shape or form. He
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  Speaker 1: opened the envelope with shaking hands. I'm looking for one thing.
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  Speaker 1: What is it? Grosse said, that's my affair. Leave me
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  Speaker 1: a number by which I can reach you when I've decided. Silently,
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  Speaker 1: Grose put his card down on the dresser. As they
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  Speaker 1: went out. Professor Thomas was already reading the first of
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  Speaker 1: the papers, the outline of the theory. Kramer sat across
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  Speaker 1: from Dale, Winter his second in line. What then, the
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  Speaker 1: Winter said, he's going to contact us. Kramer scratched with
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  Speaker 1: a drawing pen on some paper. I don't know what
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  Speaker 1: to think. What do you mean? Winter's good natured face
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  Speaker 1: was puzzled. Look. Kramer stood up, pacing back and forth,
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  Speaker 1: his hands in his uniform pockets. He was my teacher
• 1:59
  Speaker 1: in college. I expected him as a man as well
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  Speaker 1: as a teacher. He was more than a voice, say,
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  Speaker 1: talking book. He was a person, A calm, kindly person
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  Speaker 1: I could look up to. I always wanted to be
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  Speaker 1: like him someday. Now look at me, So look at
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  Speaker 1: what I'm asking. I'm asking for his life as if
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  Speaker 1: he were some kind of laboratory animal kept around in
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  Speaker 1: a cage, not a man, a teacher at all. Do
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  Speaker 1: you think he'll do it? I don't know. Kramer went
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  Speaker 1: to the window. He stood looking out in a way.
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  Speaker 1: I hope not. But if he doesn't, then we'll have
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  Speaker 1: to find somebody else. I know there would be somebody else.
• 2:43
  Speaker 1: Why did the loris have to the vidphone? Rang? Kramer
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  Speaker 1: pressed the button. This is Gross. The heavy features formed.
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  Speaker 1: The old man called me, Professor Thomas. What did he say?
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  Speaker 1: He knew he could already tell by the sound of
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  Speaker 1: Gross's voice. He said he'd do it. I was a
• 3:01
  Speaker 1: little surprised myself, but apparently he means it. We've already
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  Speaker 1: made arrangements for his admission to the hospital. His lawyer
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  Speaker 1: is drawing up the statement of liability. Kramer only half heard.
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  Speaker 1: He nodded wearily. All right, I'm glad. I suppose we
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  Speaker 1: can go ahead. Then you don't sound very glad. I
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  Speaker 1: wonder why he decided to go ahead with it. He
• 3:25
  Speaker 1: was very certain about it. Gros sounded pleased. He called
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  Speaker 1: me quite early. I was still in bed. You know
• 3:32
  Speaker 1: this calls for a celebration, sure, Kramer said, it, sure does.
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  Speaker 1: Toward the middle of August, the project neared completion. They
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  Speaker 1: stood outside in the hot autumn heat, looking up at
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  Speaker 1: the sleek metal sides of the ship. Gros thumped the
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  Speaker 1: medal with his hand. Well, it won't be long. We
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  Speaker 1: can begin to test any time. Tell us more about this,
• 3:56
  Speaker 1: an officer in goldbraid said, it's such an unusual concept.
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  Speaker 1: Is there really a human brain inside the ship? A
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  Speaker 1: dignitary asked a small man in a rumpel suit. And
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  Speaker 1: the brain is actually alive, gentlemen, this ship is guided
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  Speaker 1: by a living brain instead of the usual Johnson relay
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  Speaker 1: control system. But the brain is not conscious. It will
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  Speaker 1: function by reflex only. The practical difference between it and
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  Speaker 1: the Johnson system is this. A human brain is far
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  Speaker 1: more intricate than any man made structure, and its ability
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  Speaker 1: to adapt itself to a situation to respond to danger
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  Speaker 1: is far beyond anything that could be artificially built. Gross paused,
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  Speaker 1: cocking his ear. The turbines of the ship were beginning
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  Speaker 1: to rumble, shaking the ground under them with a deep vibration.
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  Speaker 1: Kramer was standing a short distance away from the others,
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  Speaker 1: his arms folded, watching silently at the sound of the turbans.
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  Speaker 1: He walked quick around the ship to the other side.
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  Speaker 1: A few workmen were clearing away the last of the
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  Speaker 1: waist the scraps of wiring and scaffolding. They glanced up
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  Speaker 1: at him and went on hurriedly with their work. Kramer
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  Speaker 1: mounted the ramp and entered the control cabin of the ship.
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  Speaker 1: Winter was sitting at the controls with a pilot from
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  Speaker 1: Space Transport. How's it look, Kramer asked, all right? Winter
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  Speaker 1: got up. He tells me that it would be best
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  Speaker 1: to take off manually the robot controls. Winter hesitated, I
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  Speaker 1: mean the built in controls can take over let her
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  Speaker 1: on in space. That's right, the pilot said, It's customary
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  Speaker 1: with the Johnson system, and so in this case we should.
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  Speaker 1: And you tell anything yet, Kramer asked no. The pilot
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  Speaker 1: said slowly, I don't think so. I've been going over everything.
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  Speaker 1: It seems to be in good order. There's only one
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  Speaker 1: thing I wanted to ask you about. He put his
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  Speaker 1: hand on the control board. There are some changes here.
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  Speaker 1: I don't understand changes, alterations from the original design. I
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  Speaker 1: wonder what the purpose is. Kramer took a set of
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  Speaker 1: plans from his coat. Let me look. He turned the
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  Speaker 1: pages over. The pilot watched carefully over his shoulder. The
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  Speaker 1: changes aren't indicated on your copy, the pilot said, I
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  Speaker 1: wonder he stopped. Commander Gross said, entered the control cabin, Gross,
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  Speaker 1: who authorized alterations. Kramer said, some of the wiring has
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  Speaker 1: been changed. Why your old friend, Gross signaled to the
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  Speaker 1: field tower through the window. My old friend, the professor,
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  Speaker 1: He took quite an active interest. Gross turned to the pilot.
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  Speaker 1: Let's get going. We have to take this out past
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  Speaker 1: gravity for the test. They tell me. Well, perhaps it's
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  Speaker 1: for the best. Are you ready? Sure? The pilot sat
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  Speaker 1: down and moved some of the controls around. Anytime, go ahead, then, Gros,
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  Speaker 1: said the professor. Kramer began, but at that moment there
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  Speaker 1: was a tremendous roar, and the ship leaped under him.
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  Speaker 1: He grasped one of the wall holes and hung on
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  Speaker 1: as best he could. The cabin was filling with a
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  Speaker 1: steady throbbing, the raging of the jet turbines underneath them.
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  Speaker 1: The ship leaped. Kramer closed his eyes and held his breath.
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  Speaker 1: They were moving out into space, gaining speed each moment. Well,
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  Speaker 1: what do you think, Winter said nervously. Is it time yet?
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  Speaker 1: A little longer? Kramer said. He was sitting on the
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  Speaker 1: floor of the cabin, down by the control wiring. He
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  Speaker 1: had removed the metal covering plate, exposing the complicated maze
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  Speaker 1: of relay wiring. He was studying it, comparing it to
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  Speaker 1: the wiring diagrams. What's the matter? Grose said, these changes,
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  Speaker 1: I can't figure out what they're are. The only pattern
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  Speaker 1: I can make out is that for some reason, let
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  Speaker 1: me look, the pilot said. He squatted down beside Kramer.
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  Speaker 1: You were saying, see this lead here. Originally it was
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  Speaker 1: switch controlled. It closed and opened automatically according to temperature change.
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  Speaker 1: Now it's wired so that the central control system operates
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  Speaker 1: it the same with the others. A lot of this
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  Speaker 1: was still mechanical, worked by pressure, temperature stress. Now it's
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  Speaker 1: under the central master the brain, Gross said, you mean
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  Speaker 1: it's been altered so that the brain manipulates it. Kramer nodded.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe Professor Thomas felt that no mechanical relays could be trusted.
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  Speaker 1: Maybe he thought that things would be happening too fast.
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  Speaker 1: But some of these could close in a split second.
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  Speaker 1: The brake rockets could go on as quickly as hey
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  Speaker 1: winter set. From the control seat, we're getting near the
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  Speaker 1: moon stations. What'll I do? They looked out the port.
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  Speaker 1: The corroded surface of the moon gleamed up at them,
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  Speaker 1: a corrupt and sickening sight. They were moving swiftly toward it.
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  Speaker 1: I'll take it, the pilot said. He eased Winter out
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  Speaker 1: of the way and strapped himself in place. The ship
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  Speaker 1: began to move away from the Moon as he manipulated
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  Speaker 1: the controls. Down below them, they could see the observation
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  Speaker 1: stations dotting the surface, and the tiny squares that were
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  Speaker 1: the openings of the underground factories and hangars. A red
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  Speaker 1: blanker winked up at them, and the pilot's finger moved
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  Speaker 1: on the board in answer. We're past the moon, the
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  Speaker 1: pilot said. After a time, the moon had fallen behind them.
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  Speaker 1: The ship was heading into outer space. Well, we can
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  Speaker 1: go ahead with it. Kramer did not answer. Mister Kramer,
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  Speaker 1: we can go ahead any time. Kramer started, Sorry, I
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  Speaker 1: was thinking all right, thanks, He frowned, deep in thought.
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  Speaker 1: What was it? Gros asked, the wiring changes. Did you
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  Speaker 1: understand the reason for them when you gave the oka
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  Speaker 1: to the workmen. Gros flushed, you know, I know nothing
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  Speaker 1: about technical material. I'm in security. Then you should have
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  Speaker 1: consulted me. What does it matter? Gross grinned wily. We're
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  Speaker 1: going to have to start putting our faith in the
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  Speaker 1: old man. Sooner or later. The pilot stepped back from
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  Speaker 1: the board. His face was pale and set. Well it's done,
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  Speaker 1: he said, that's it, what's done. We're on automatic the brain.
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  Speaker 1: I turned the board over to it to him, I
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  Speaker 1: mean the old man. The pilot lit a cigarette and
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  Speaker 1: puffed nervously. Let's keep our fingers crossed. The ship was
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  Speaker 1: coasting evenly in the hands of its invisible pilot. Far
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  Speaker 1: down inside the ship, carefully armored and protected, a soft
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  Speaker 1: human brain lay in a tank of liquid, a thousand
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  Speaker 1: minute electrical charges playing over its surface. As the charges rose,
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  Speaker 1: they were picked up and amplified, fed into relay systems.
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  Speaker 1: Advanced carried on through the entire ship. Gross wiped his
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  Speaker 1: forehead nervous. So he is running it now. I hope
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  Speaker 1: he knows what he's doing. Kramer nodded enigmatically. I think
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  Speaker 1: he does. What do you mean nothing? Kramer walked to
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  Speaker 1: the port. I see we're still moving in a straight line.
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  Speaker 1: He picked up the microphone. We can instruct the brain
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  Speaker 1: orally through this. He blew against the microphone. Experimentally. Go on,
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  Speaker 1: Winter said, bring the ship around half right. Kramer said,
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  Speaker 1: decrease speed. They waited. Time passed. Gross looked at Kramer.
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  Speaker 1: No change, nothing, Wait slowly, the ship was beginning to turn.
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  Speaker 1: The turbines missed, reducing their steady beat. The ship was
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  Speaker 1: taking up its new course, adjusting itself. Nearby, some space
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  Speaker 1: debris rushed past, incinerating in the blasts of the turbine jets.
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  Speaker 1: So far, so good, Gross said. They began to breathe
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  Speaker 1: more easily. The invisible pilot had taken control smoothly, calmly.
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  Speaker 1: The ship was in good hands. Kramer spoke a few
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  Speaker 1: more words into the microphone, and they swung again. Now
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  Speaker 1: they were moving back the way they had come toward
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  Speaker 1: the Moon. Let's see what he does when we entered
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  Speaker 1: the Moon's pull. Kramer said he was a good mathematician,
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  Speaker 1: the old man. He could handle any kind of problem.
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  Speaker 1: The ship veered, turning away from the Moon. The great
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  Speaker 1: eaten away globe fell behind them. Gross breathed a sigh
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  Speaker 1: of relief. That's that one more thing. Kramer picked up
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  Speaker 1: the microphone, return to the Moon and land the ship
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  Speaker 1: at the first space field. He said into it, good
• 12:46
  Speaker 1: Lord Winter murmured, why are you be quiet? Kramer stood
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  Speaker 1: listening The turbines gasped and roared as the ship swung
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  Speaker 1: full around, gaining speed. They were moving back back toward
• 12:59
  Speaker 1: the Moon again. The ship dipped down, heading toward the
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  Speaker 1: great globe below. We're going a little fast, the pilot said,
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  Speaker 1: I don't see how he can put down at this velocity.
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  Speaker 1: The port filled up as the globe swelled rapidly. The
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  Speaker 1: pilot hurried toward the board, reaching for the controls. All
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  Speaker 1: at once, the ship jerked, the nose lifted, and the
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  Speaker 1: ship shot out into space, away from the Moon, turning
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  Speaker 1: at an oblique angle. The men were thrown to the
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  Speaker 1: floor by the sudden change in course. They got to
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  Speaker 1: their feet again, speechless, staring at each other. The pilot
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  Speaker 1: gazed down at the board. It wasn't me. I didn't
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  Speaker 1: such a thing. I didn't even get to it. The
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  Speaker 1: ship was gaining speed each moment. Kramer hesitated. Maybe you'd
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  Speaker 1: better switch it back to manual. The pilot closed the switch.
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  Speaker 1: He took hold of the steering controls and moved them experimentally. Nothing.
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  Speaker 1: He turned around. Nothing. It doesn't respond. No one spoke.
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  Speaker 1: The end of section two