[Illustration]

THE VARIABLE MAN

BY PHILIP K. DICK

ILLUSTRATED BY EBEL

He fixed things--clocks, refrigerators, vidsenders and destinies. But he had no business in the future, where the calculators could not handle him. He was Earth's only hope--and its sure failure!

Security Commissioner Reinhart rapidly climbed the front steps and entered the Council building. Council guards stepped quickly aside and he entered the familiar place of great whirring machines. His thin face rapt, eyes alight with emotion, Reinhart gazed intently up at the central SRB computer, studying its reading.

"Straight gain for the last quarter," observed Kaplan, the lab organizer. He grinned proudly, as if personally responsible. "Not bad, Commissioner."

"We're catching up to them," Reinhart retorted. "But too damn slowly. We must finally go over--and soon."

Kaplan was in a talkative mood. "We design new offensive weapons, they counter with improved defenses. And nothing is actually made! Continual improvement, but neither we nor Centaurus can stop designing long enough to stabilize for production."

"It will end," Reinhart stated coldly, "as soon as Terra turns out a weapon for which Centaurus can build no defense."

"Every weapon has a defense. Design and discord. Immediate obsolescence. Nothing lasts long enough to--"

"What we count on is the _lag_," Reinhart broke in, annoyed. His hard gray eyes bored into the lab organizer and Kaplan slunk back. "The time lag between our offensive design and their counter development. The lag varies." He waved impatiently toward the massed banks of SRB machines. "As you well know."

At this moment, 9:30 AM, May 7, 2136, the statistical ratio on the SRB machines stood at 21-17 on the Centauran side of the ledger. All facts considered, the odds favored a successful repulsion by Proxima Centaurus of a Terran military attack. The ratio was based on the total information known to the SRB machines, on a gestalt of the vast flow of data that poured in endlessly from all sectors of the Sol and Centaurus systems.

21-17 on the Centauran side. But a month ago it had been 24-18 in the enemy's favor. Things were improving, slowly but steadily. Centaurus, older and less virile than Terra, was unable to match Terra's rate of technocratic advance. Terra was pulling ahead.

"If we went to war now," Reinhart said thoughtfully, "we would lose. We're not far enough along to risk an overt attack." A harsh, ruthless glow twisted across his handsome features, distorting them into a stern mask. "But the odds are moving in our favor. Our offensive designs are gradually gaining on their defenses."

Table of contents (by pages)

• 1: The Variable Man by Philip K. Dick
• 2: Reinhart snapped on his vidscreen
• 3: Hedge developed a valid ftl drive
• 4: Hedge had found his ftl drive and his counterprinciple
• 5: I've drawn up the data for the SRB machines
• 6: Reinhart held himself in check with great effort
• 7: Histo research regrets this incident
• 8: You better come up to the SRB office
• 9: He was bent over his whetstone
• 10: Cole collected everything that remained
• 11: Reinhart shot him a cold glance
• 12: And on the SRB machines' readings the whole war depended
• 13: Cole halted the Fixit cart and leaped down onto the pavement
• 14: Cole pulled himself onto the cart
• 15: Reinhart snapped the screen off
• 16: Cole got unsteadily to his feet
• 17: Reinhart reached out and cut the screen
• 18: Cole looked around at the children
• 19: Steven felt his way carefully along
• 20: III Eric Reinhart examined the vidsender box carefully
• 21: Reinhart waved his hand impatiently
• 22: Reinhart cleared the police aside
• 23: But this man is beyond all prediction
• 24: You're sure it was the man from the past who rewired this
• 25: Cole hurried away from the fire
• 26: Cole shook his head wearily and said nothing
• 27: Reinhart arranged what you're seeing on the screen
• 28: The SRB machines only describe
• 29: Toward the heart of Proxima Centaurus
• 30: This is what will slow him down when he's inside Centaurus
• 31: Reinhart will kill you instantly
• 32: Suddenly Reinhart stopped pacing
• 33: Reinhart peered cautiously out
• 34: Reinhart signalled to his police
• 35: Reinhart and his police retreated
• 36: Reinhart threw himself into motion
• 37: Small robot guns appeared everywhere
• 38: Reinhart advanced quickly into the room
• 39: The big chamber where Icarus himself rose
• 40: They raised their blasters and fired point blank
• 41: He and Reinhart climbed the side of a demolished hill
• 42: Reinhart coughed and bent over to see
• 43: A few moments later he entered the SRB room
• 44: Icarus was launched toward the star Centaurus
• 45: Margaret Duffe eyed Reinhart coldly
• 46: Then it'll be possible to build ftl ships
• 47: Reinhart sailed against the wall
• 48: Icarus Icarus went as expected
• 49: He was bent over the schematics