Vulcan's Hammer

Vulcan's Hammer Read Free Page A

Book: Vulcan's Hammer Read Free
Author: Philip K. Dick
Tags: Fiction, Science-Fiction, Artificial intelligence, Dystopias
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children’s alert response. “And now perhaps someone can tell me about the Lisbon Laws of 1993.”
    The classroom was silent. A few pupils shuffled in their seats. Outside, warm June air beat against the windows. A fat robin hopped down from a branch and stood listening for worms. The trees rustled lazily.
    “That’s when Vulcan 3 was made,” Hans Stein said.
    Mrs. Parker smiled. “Vulcan 3 was made long before that; Vulcan 3 was made during the war. Vulcan 1 in 1970. Vulcan 2 in 1975. They had computers even before the war, in the middle of the century. The Vulcan series was developed by Otto Jordan, who worked with Nathaniel Greenstreet for Westinghouse, during the early days of the war . . .”
    Mrs. Parker’s voice trailed off into a yawn. She pulled herself together with an effort; this was no time to be dozing. Managing Director Jason Dill and his staff were supposed to be in the school somewhere, reviewing educational ideology. Vulcan 3 was rumored to have made inquiries concerning the school systems; it seemed to be interested in knowing the various value biases that were currently being formulated in the pupils’ basic orientation programs. After all, it was the task of the schools, and especially the grammar schools, to infuse the youth of the world with the proper attitudes. What else were schools for?
    “What,” Mrs. Parker repeated, “were the Lisbon Laws of 1993? Doesn’t anybody know? I really feel ashamed of you all, if you can’t exert yourselves to memorize what may well be the most important facts you’ll learn in your entire time of school. I suppose if you had your way you’d be reading those commercial comic books that teach adding and subtracting and other business crafts.” Fiercely, she tapped on the floor with her toe. “Well? Do I hear an answer?”
    For a moment there was no response. The rows of faces were blank. Then, abruptly, incredibly: “The Lisbon Laws dethroned God,” a piping child’s voice came from the back of the classroom. A girl’s voice, severe and penetrating.
    Mrs. Parker awoke from her torpor; she blinked in amazement. “Who said that?” she demanded. The class buzzed. Heads turned questioningly toward the back. “Who was that?”
    “It was Jeannie Baker!” a boy hollered.
    “It was not! It was Dorothy!”
    Mrs. Parker paced rapidly down the aisle, past the children’s desks. “The Lisbon Laws of 1993,” she said sharply, “were the most important legislation of the past five hundred years.” She spoke nervously, in a high-pitched shrill voice; gradually the glass turned toward her. Habit made them pay attention to her— the training of years. “All seventy nations of the world sent representatives to Lisbon. The world-wide Unity organization formally agreed that the great computer machines developed by Britain and the Soviet Union and the United States, and hitherto used in a purely advisory capacity, would now be given absolute power over the national governments in the determination of top-level policy—”
    But at that moment Managing Director Jason Dill entered the classroom, and Mrs. Parker lapsed into respectful silence.
    This was not the first time she had seen the man, the actual physical entity, in contrast to the synthetic images projected over the media to the public at large. And as before, she was taken by surprise; there was such a difference between the real man and his official image. In the back of her mind she wondered how the children were taking it. She glanced toward them and saw that all of them were gazing in awe, everything else forgotten.
    She thought, He’s actually not so different from the rest of us. The highest ranking human being . . . and he’s just a plain man. An energetic middle-aged man with a shrewd face, twinkling eyes, and a genial smile of confidence. He’s short, she thought. Shorter than some of the men around him.
    His staff had entered with him, three men and two women, all in the businesslike

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