{"id":8051,"date":"2026-03-15T17:34:11","date_gmt":"2026-03-15T21:34:11","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/lecturia.org\/?p=8051"},"modified":"2026-03-17T23:17:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-18T03:17:20","slug":"philip-k-dick-colony","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/short-stories\/philip-k-dick-colony\/8051\/","title":{"rendered":"Philip K. Dick: Colony"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Synopsis:<\/strong> \u201cColony\u201d is an unsettling science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick, published in Galaxy Science Fiction<\/em> in 1953. A group of explorers arrives on a planet that appears perfectly suited for colonization, with conditions ideal for human life. However, what initially seems like a paradise soon turns into a deadly trap when they discover an unsuspected threat that endangers not only their lives, but the survival of all humanity. To prevent the danger from spreading beyond the planet, they must make extreme decisions and fight for their lives against an invisible and terrifying enemy.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\n
\"Philip<\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

Colony<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Philip K. Dick
(Full story)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Major Lawrence Hall bent over the binocular microscope, correcting the fine adjustment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cInteresting,\u201d he murmured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIsn\u2019t it? Three weeks on this planet and we\u2019ve yet to find a harmful life form.\u201d Lieutenant Friendly sat down on the edge of the lab table, avoiding the culture bowls. \u201cWhat kind of place is this? No disease germs, no lice, no flies, no rats, no \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo whiskey or red-light districts.\u201d Hall straightened up. \u201cQuite a place. I was sure this brew would show something along the lines of Terra\u2019s eberthella typhi. <\/em>Or the Martian sand rot corkscrew.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut the whole planet\u2019s harmless. You know, I\u2019m wondering whether this is the Garden of Eden our ancestors fell out of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWere pushed out of.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall wandered over to the window of the lab and contemplated the scene beyond. He had to admit it was an attractive sight. Rolling forests and hills, green slopes alive with flowers and endless vines; waterfalls and hanging moss; fruit trees, acres of flowers, lakes. Every effort had been made to preserve intact the surface of Planet Blue \u2014 as it had been designated by the original scout ship, six months earlier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall sighed. \u201cQuite a place. I wouldn\u2019t mind coming back here again some time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMakes Terra seem a little bare.\u201d Friendly took out his cigarettes, then put them away again. \u201cYou know, the place has a funny effect on me. I don\u2019t smoke any more. Guess that\u2019s because of the way it looks. It\u2019s so \u2014 so damn pure. Unsullied. I can\u2019t smoke or throw papers around. I can\u2019t bring myself to be a picnicker.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThe picnickers\u2019ll be along soon enough,\u201d Hall said. He went back to the microscope. \u201cI\u2019ll try a few more cultures. Maybe I\u2019ll find a lethal germ yet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cKeep trying.\u201d Lieutenant Friendly hopped off the table. \u201cI\u2019ll see you later and find out if you\u2019ve had any luck. There\u2019s a big conference going on in Room One. They\u2019re almost ready to give the go-ahead to the E.A. for the first load of colonists to be sent out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPicnickers!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friendly grinned. \u201cAfraid so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The door closed after him. His bootsteps echoed down the corridor. Hall was alone in the lab.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He sat for a time in thought. Presently he bent down and removed the slide from the stage of the microscope, selected a new one and held it up to the light to read the marking. The lab was warm and quiet. Sunlight streamed through the windows and across the floor. The trees outside moved a little in the wind. He began to feel sleepy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, the picnickers,\u201d he grumbled. He adjusted the new slide into position. \u201cAnd all of them ready to come in and cut down the trees, tear up the flowers, spit in the lakes, burn up the grass. With not even the common-cold virus around to \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stopped, his voice choked off \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Choked off because the two eyepieces of the microscope had twisted suddenly around his windpipe and were trying to strangle him. Hall tore at them, but they dug relentlessly into his throat, steel prongs closing like the claws of a trap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Throwing the microscope onto the floor, he leaped up. The microscope crawled quickly toward him, hooking around his leg. He kicked it loose with his other foot, and drew his blast pistol.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The microscope scuttled away, rolling on its coarse adjustments. Hall fired. It disappeared in a cloud of metallic particles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood God!\u201d Hall sat down weakly, mopping his face. \u201cWhat the \u2014 ?\u201d He massaged his throat. \u201cWhat the hell!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The council room was packed solid. Every officer of the Planet Blue unit was there. Commander Stella Morrison tapped on the big control map with the end of a slim plastic pointer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis long flat area is ideal for the actual city. It\u2019s close to water, and weather conditions vary sufficiently to give the settlers something to talk about. There are large deposits of various minerals. The colonists can set up their own factories. They won\u2019t have to do any importing. Over here is the biggest forest on the planet. If they have any sense, they\u2019ll leave it. But if they want to make newspapers out of it, that\u2019s not our concern.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked around the room at the silent men.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s be realistic. Some of you have been thinking we shouldn\u2019t send the okay to the Emigration Authority, but keep the planet our own selves, to come back to. I\u2019d like that as much as any of the rest of you, but we\u2019d just get into a lot of trouble. It\u2019s not our <\/em>planet. We\u2019re here to do a certain job. When the job is done, we move along. And it is almost done. So let\u2019s forget it. The only thing left to do is flash the go-ahead signal and then begin packing our things.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHas the lab report come in on bacteria?\u201d Vice-Commander Wood asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re taking special care to look out for them, of course. But the last I heard nothing had been found. I think we can go ahead and contact the E.A. Have them send a ship to take us off and bring in the first load of settlers. There\u2019s no reason why \u2014\u201d She stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A murmur was swelling through the room. Heads turned toward the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commander Morrison frowned. \u201cMajor Hall, may I remind you that when the council is in session no one is permitted to interrupt!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall swayed back and forth, supporting himself by holding on to the door knob. He gazed vacantly around the council room. Finally his glassy eyes picked out Lieutenant Friendly, sitting halfway across the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome here,\u201d he said hoarsely.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMe?\u201d Friendly sank farther down in his chair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMajor, what is the meaning of this?\u201d Vice-Commander Wood cut in angrily. \u201cAre you drunk or are \u2014 ?\u201d He saw the blast gun in Hall\u2019s hand. \u201cIs something wrong, Major?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Alarmed, Lieutenant Friendly got up and grabbed Hall\u2019s shoulder. \u201cWhat is it? What\u2019s the matter?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome to the lab.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDid you find something?\u201d The Lieutenant studied his friend\u2019s rigid face. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCome on.\u201d Hall started down the corridor, Friendly following. Hall pushed the laboratory door open and stepped inside slowly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat it is?\u201d Friendly repeated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMy microscope.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour microscope? What about it?\u201d Friendly squeezed past him into the lab. \u201cI don\u2019t see it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s gone.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGone? Gone where?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI blasted it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou blasted it?\u201d Friendly looked at the other man. \u201cI don\u2019t get it. Why?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall\u2019s mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre you all right?\u201d Friendly asked in concern. Then he bent down and lifted a black plastic box from a shelf under the table. \u201cSay, is this a gag?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He removed Hall\u2019s microscope from the box. \u201cWhat do you mean, you blasted it? Here it is, in its regular place. Now, tell me what\u2019s going on? You saw something on a slide? Some kind of bacteria? Lethal? Toxic?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall approached the microscope slowly. It was his all right. There was the nick just above the fine adjustment. And one of the stage clips was slightly bent. He touched it with his finger.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Five minutes ago this microscope had tried to kill him. And he knew he had blasted it out of existence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou sure you don\u2019t need a psych test?\u201d Friendly asked anxiously. \u201cYou look post-trauma to me, or worse.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe you\u2019re right,\u201d Hall muttered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The robot psyche tester whirred, integrating and gestalting. At last its color-code lights changed from red to green.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell?\u201d Hall demanded.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSevere disturbance. Instability ratio up above ten.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s over danger?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. Eight is danger. Ten is unusual, especially for a person of your index. You usually show about a four.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall nodded wearily. \u201cI know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf you could give me more data \u2014 \u201c<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall set his jaw. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you any more.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s illegal to hold back information during a psyche test,\u201d the machine said peevishly. \u201cIf you do that you deliberately distort my findings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall rose. \u201cI can\u2019t tell you any more. But you do record a high degree of unbalance for me?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a high degree of psychic disorganization. But what it means, or why it exists, I can\u2019t say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThanks.\u201d Hall clicked the tester off. He went back to his own quarters. His head whirled. Was he out of his mind? But he had fired the blast gun at something. <\/em>Afterward, he had tasted the atmosphere in the lab, and there were metallic particles in suspension, especially near the place he had fired his blast gun at the microscope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But how could a thing like that be? A microscope coming to life, trying to kill him!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Anyhow, Friendly had pulled it out of its box, whole and sound. But how had it got back in the box?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stripped off his uniform and entered the shower. While he ran warm water over his body he meditated. The robot psyche tester had showed his mind was severely disturbed, but that could have been the result, rather than the cause, of the experience. He had started to tell Friendly about it but he had stopped. How could he expect anyone to believe a story like that?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He shut off the water and reached out for one of the towels on the rack.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The towel wrapped around his wrist, yanking him against the wall. Rough cloth pressed over his mouth and nose. He fought wildly, pulling away. All at once the towel let go. He fell, sliding to the floor, his head striking the wall. Stars shot around him; then violent pain.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sitting in a pool of warm water, Hall looked up at the towel rack. The towel was motionless now, like the others with it. Three towels in a row, all exactly alike, all unmoving. Had he dreamed it?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He got shakily to his feet, rubbing his head. Carefully avoiding the towel rack, he edged out of the shower and into his room. He pulled a new towel from the dispenser in a gingerly manner. It seemed normal. He dried himself and began to put his clothes on.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

His belt got him around the waist and tried to crush him. It was strong \u2014 it had reinforced metal links to hold his leggings and his gun. He and the belt rolled silently on the floor, struggling for control. The belt was like a furious metal snake, whipping and lashing at him. At last he managed to get his hand around his blaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At once the belt let go. He blasted it out of existence and then threw himself down in a chair, gasping for breath.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The arms of the chair closed around him. But this time the blaster was ready. He had to fire six times before the chair fell limp and he was able to get up again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He stood half dressed in the middle of the room, his chest rising and falling.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt isn\u2019t possible,\u201d he whispered. \u201cI must be out of my mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Finally he got his leggings and boots on. He went outside into the empty corridor. Entering the lift, he ascended to the top floor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commander Morrison looked up from her desk as Hall stepped through the robot clearing screen. It pinged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re armed,\u201d the Commander said accusingly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall looked down at the blaster in his hand. He put it down on the desk. \u201cSorry.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat do you want? What\u2019s the matter with you? I have a report from the testing machine. It says you\u2019ve hit a ratio often within the last twenty-four hour period.\u201d She studied him intently. \u201cWe\u2019ve known each other for a long time, Lawrence. What\u2019s happening to you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall took a deep breath. \u201cStella, earlier today, my microscope tried to strangle me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her blue eyes widened. \u201cWhat!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen, when I was getting out of the shower, a bath towel tried to smother me. I got by it, but while I was dressing, my belt \u2014\u201d He stopped. The Commander had got to her feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGuards!\u201d she called.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWait, Stella.\u201d Hall moved toward her. \u201cListen to me. This is serious. There\u2019s nothing wrong. Four times things have tried to kill me. Ordinary objects suddenly turned lethal. Maybe it\u2019s what we\u2019ve been looking for. Maybe this is \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYour microscope tried to killed you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt came alive. Its stem got me around the windpipe.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a long silence. \u201cDid anyone see this happen besides you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat did you do?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI blasted it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAre there any remains?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNo,\u201d Hall admitted reluctantly. \u201cAs a matter of fact, the microscope seems to be all right, again. The way it was before. Back in its box.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see.\u201d The Commander nodded to the two guards who had answered her call. \u201cTake Major Hall down to Captain Taylor and have him confined until he can be sent back to Terra for examination.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She watched calmly as the two guards took hold of Hall\u2019s arms with magnetic grapples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSorry, Major,\u201d she said. \u201cUnless you can prove any of your story, we\u2019ve got to assume it\u2019s a psychotic projection on your part. And the planet isn\u2019t well enough policed for us to allow a psychotic to run loose. You could do a lot of damage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The guards moved him toward the door. Hall went unprotestingly. His head rang, rang and echoed. Maybe she was right. Maybe he was out of his mind.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They came to Captain Taylor\u2019s offices. One of the guards rang the buzzer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho is it?\u201d the robot door demanded shrilly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCommander Morrison orders this man put under the Captain\u2019s care.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a hesitant pause, then: \u201cThe Captain is busy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is an emergency.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The robot\u2019s relays clicked while it made up its mind. \u201cThe Commander sent you?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes. Open up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou may enter,\u201d the robot conceded finally. It drew its locks back, releasing the door.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The guard pushed the door open. And stopped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the floor lay Captain Taylor, his face blue, his eyes gaping. Only his head and feet was visible. A red-and-white scatter rug was wrapped around him, squeezing, straining tighter and tighter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall dropped to the floor and pulled at the rug. \u201cHurry!\u201d he barked. \u201cGrab it!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The three of them pulled together. The rug resisted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHelp,\u201d Taylor cried weakly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re trying!\u201d They tugged frantically. At last the rug came away in their hands. It flopped off rapidly toward the open door. One of the guards blasted it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall ran to the vidscreen and shakily dialed the Commander\u2019s emergency number.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Her face appeared on the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSee!\u201d he gasped.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She stared past him to Taylor lying on the floor, the two guards kneeling beside him, their blasters still out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat \u2014 what happened?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA rug attacked him.\u201d Hall grinned without amusement. \u201cNow who\u2019s crazy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll send a guard unit down.\u201d She blinked. \u201cRight away. But how \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTell them to have their blasters ready. And better make that a general alarm to everyone.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall placed four items on Commander Morrison\u2019s desk: a microscope, a towel, a metal belt, and a small red-and-white rug.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She edged away nervously. \u201cMajor, are you sure \u2014 ?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThey\u2019re all right, now. <\/em>That\u2019s the strangest part. This towel. A few hours ago it tried to kill me. I got away by blasting it to particles. But here it is, back again. The way it always was. Harmless.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Captain Taylor fingered the red-and-white rug warily. \u201cThat\u2019s my rug. I brought it from Terra. My wife gave it to me. I \u2014 I trusted it completely.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They all looked at each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe blasted the rug, too,\u201d Hall pointed out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen what was it that attacked me?\u201d Captain Taylor asked. \u201cIf it wasn\u2019t this rug?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt looked like this rug,\u201d Hall said slowly. \u201cAnd what attacked me looked like this towel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commander Morrison held up the towel to the light. \u201cIt\u2019s just an ordinary towel! It couldn\u2019t have attacked you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOf course not,\u201d Hall agreed. \u201cWe\u2019ve put these objects through all the tests we can think of. They\u2019re just what they\u2019re supposed to be, all elements unchanged. Perfectly stable non-organic objects. It\u2019s impossible that any <\/em>of these could have come to life and attacked us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut something did.\u201d Taylor said. \u201cSomething attacked me. And it if wasn\u2019t this rug, what was it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lieutenant Dodds felt around on the dresser for his gloves. He was in a hurry. The whole unit had been called to emergency assembly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhere did I \u2014 ?\u201d he murmured. \u201cWhat the hell!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For on the bed were two <\/em>pair of identical gloves, side by side.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dodds frowned, scratching his head. How could it be? He owned only one pair. The others must be somebody else\u2019s. Bob Wesley had been in the night before, playing cards. Maybe he had left them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vidscreen flashed again. \u201cAll personnel, report at once. All personnel, report at once. Emergency assembly of all personnel.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll right!\u201d Dodds said impatiently. He grabbed up one of the pairs of gloves, sliding them onto his hands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As soon as they were in place, the gloves carried his hands down to his waist. They clamped his fingers over the butt of his gun, lifting it from the holster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019ll be damned,\u201d Dodds said. The gloves brought the blast gun up, pointing it at his chest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The fingers squeezed. There was a roar. Half of Dodd\u2019s chest dissolved. What was left of him fell slowly to the floor, the mouth still open in amazement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corporal Tenner hurried across the ground toward the main building as soon as he heard the wail of the emergency alarm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the entrance to the building he stopped to take off his metal-cleated boots. Then he frowned. By the door were two safety mats instead of one.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, it didn\u2019t matter. They were both the same. He stepped onto one of the mats and waited. The surface of the mat sent a flow of high-frequency current through his feet and legs, killing any spores or seeds that might have clung to him while he was outside.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He passed on into the building.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A moment later Lieutenant Fulton hurried up to the door. He yanked off his hiking boots and stepped onto the first mat he saw.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mat folded over his feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHey,\u201d Fulton cried. \u201cLet go!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He tried to pull his feet loose, but the mat refused to let go. Fulton became scared. He drew his gun, but he didn\u2019t care to fire at his own feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHelp!\u201d he shouted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Two soldiers came running up. \u201cWhat\u2019s the matter, Lieutenant?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGet this damn thing off me.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The soldiers began to laugh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s no joke,\u201d Fulton said, his face suddenly white. \u201cIt\u2019s breaking my feet! It\u2019s \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He began to scream. The soldiers grabbed frantically at the mat. Fulton fell, rolling and twisting, still screaming. At last the soldiers managed to get a corner of the mat loose from his feet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Fulton\u2019s feet were gone. Nothing but limp bone remained, already half dissolved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNow we know,\u201d Hall said grimly. \u201cIt\u2019s a form of organic life.\u201d Commander Morrison turned to Corporal Tenner. \u201cYou saw two mats when you came into the building?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYes, Commander. Two. I stepped on \u2014 on one of them. And came in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou were lucky. You stepped on the right one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ve got to be careful,\u201d Hall said. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to watch for duplicates. Apparantly it, <\/em>whatever it is, imitates objects it finds. Like a chameleon. Camouflage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTwo,\u201d Stella Morrison murmured, looking at the two vases of flowers, one at each end of her desk. \u201cIt\u2019s going to be hard to tell. Two towels, two vases, two chairs. There may be whole rows of things that are all right. All multiples legitimate except one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s the trouble. I didn\u2019t notice anything unusual in the lab. There\u2019s nothing odd about another microscope. It blended right in.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commander drew away from the identical vases of flowers. \u201cHow about those? Maybe one is \u2014 whatever they are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s two of a lot of things. Natural pairs. Two boots. Clothing. Furniture. I didn\u2019t notice that extra chair in my room. Equipment. It\u2019ll be impossible to be sure. And sometimes \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vidscreen lit. Vice-Commander Wood\u2019s features formed. \u201cStella, another casualty.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWho is it this time?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAn officer dissolved. All but a few buttons and his blast pistol \u2014 Lieutenant Dodds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat makes three,\u201d Commander Morrison said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf it\u2019s organic, there ought to be some way we can destroy it,\u201d Hall muttered. \u201cWe\u2019ve already blasted a few, apparently killed them. They can <\/em>be hurt! But we don\u2019t know how many more there are. We\u2019ve destroyed five or six. Maybe it\u2019s an infinitely divisible substance. Some kind of protoplasm.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnd meanwhile \u2014 ?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMeanwhile we\u2019re all at its mercy. Or their <\/em>mercy. It\u2019s our lethal life form, all right. That explains why we found everything else harmless. Nothing could compete with a form like this. We have mimic forms of our own, of course. Insects, plants. And there\u2019s the twisty slug on Venus. But nothing that goes this far.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt can be killed, though. You said so yourself. That means we have a chance.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf it can be found.\u201d Hall looked around the room. Two walking capes hung by the door. Had there been two <\/em>a moment before?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He rubbed his forehead wearily. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to try to find some sort of poison or corrosive agent, something that\u2019ll destroy them wholesale. We can\u2019t just sit and wait for them to attack us. We need something we can spray. That\u2019s the way we got the twisty slugs.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commander gazed past him, rigid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He turned to follow her gaze. \u201cWhat is it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI never noticed two briefcases in the corner over there. There was only one before \u2014 I think.\u201d She shook her head in bewilderment. \u201cHow are we going to know? This business is getting me down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou need a good stiff drink.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She brightened. \u201cThat\u2019s an idea. But \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t want to touch anything. There\u2019s no way to tell.\u201d She fingered the blast gun at her waist. \u201cI keep wanting to use it, on everything.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPanic reaction. Still, we are being picked off, one by one.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Captain Unger got the emergency call over his headphones. He stopped work at once, gathered the specimens he had collected in his arms, and hurried back toward the bucket.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was parked closer than he remembered. He stopped, puzzled. There it was, the bright little cone-shaped car with its treads firmly planted in the soft soil, its door open.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unger hurried up to it, carrying his specimens carefully. He opened the storage hatch in the back and lowered his armload. Then he went around to the front and slid in behind the controls.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He turned the switch. But the motor did not come on. That was strange. While he was trying to figure it out, he noticed something that gave him a start.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A few hundred feet away, among the trees, was a second bucket, just like the one he was in. And that was <\/em>where he remembered having parked his car. Of course, he was in the bucket. Somebody else had come looking for specimens, and this bucket belonged to them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unger started to get out again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The door closed around him. The seat folded up over his head. The dashboard became plastic and oozed. He gasped \u2014 he was suffocating. He struggled to get out, flailing and twisting. There was a wetness all around him, a bubbling, flowing wetness, warm like flesh.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGlub.\u201d His head was covered. His body was covered. The bucket was turning to liquid. He tried to pull his hands free but they would not come.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And then the pain began. He was being dissolved. All at once he realized what the liquid was.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Acid. Digestive acid. He was in a stomach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDon\u2019t look!\u201d Gail Thomas cried.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d Corporal Hendricks swam toward her, grinning. \u201cWhy can\u2019t I look?\u2019<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBecause I\u2019m going to get out.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sun shone down on the lake. It glittered and danced on the water. All around huge moss-covered trees rose up, great silent columns among the flowering vines and bushes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gail climbed up on the bank, shaking water from her, throwing her hair back out of her eyes. The woods were silent. There was no sound except the lapping of the waves. They were a long way from the unit camp.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen can I look?\u201d Hendricks demanded, swimming around in a circle, his eyes shut.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSoon.\u201d Gail made her way into the trees, until she came to the place where she had left her uniform. She could feel the warm sun glowing against her bare shoulders and arms. Sitting down in the grass, she picked up her tunic and leggings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She brushed the leaves and bits of tree bark from her tunic and began to pull it over her head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the water, Corporal Hendricks waited patiently, continuing in his circle. Time passed. There was no sound. He opened his eyes. Gail was nowhere in sight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGail?\u201d he called.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It was very quiet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGail!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

No answer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Corporal Hendricks swam rapidly to the bank. He pulled himself out of the water. One leap carried him to his own uniform, neatly piled at the edge of the lake. He grabbed up his blaster.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGail!\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The woods were silent. There was no sound. He stood, looking around him, frowning. Gradually, a cold fear began to numb him, in spite of the warm sun.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGAIL!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And still there was only silence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commander Morrison was worried. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to act,\u201d she said. \u201cWe can\u2019t wait. Ten lives lost already from thirty encounters. One-third is too high a percentage.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall looked up from his work. \u201cAnyhow, now we know what we\u2019re up against. It\u2019s a form of protoplasm, with infinite versatility.\u201d He lifted the spray tank. \u201cI think this will give us an idea of how many exist.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s that?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cA compound of arsenic and hydrogen in gas form. Arsine.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat are you going to do with it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall locked his helmet into place. His voice came through the Commander\u2019s earphones. \u201cI\u2019m going to release this throughout the lab. I think there are a lot of them in here, more than anywhere else.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThis is where all samples and specimens were originally brought, where the first one of them was encountered. I think they came in with the samples, or as the samples, and then infiltrated through the rest of the buildings.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commander locked her own helmet into place. Her four guards did the same. \u201cArsine is fatal to human beings, isn\u2019t it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall nodded. \u201cWe\u2019ll have to be careful. We can use it in here for a limited test, but that\u2019s about all.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He adjusted the flow of his oxygen inside his helmet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s your test supposed to prove?\u201d she wanted to know.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf it shows anything at all, it should give us an idea of how extensively they\u2019ve infiltrated. We\u2019ll know better what we\u2019re up against. This may be more serious than we realize.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow do you mean?\u201d she asked, fixing her own oxygen flow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere are a hundred people in this unit on Planet Blue. As it stands now, the worst that can happen is that they\u2019ll get all of us, one by one. But that\u2019s nothing. Units of a hundred are lost every day of the week. It\u2019s a risk whoever is first to land on a planet must take. In the final analysis, it\u2019s relatively unimportant.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCompared to what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf they are <\/em>infinitely divisible, then we\u2019re going to have to think twice about leaving here. It would be better to stay and get picked off one by one than to run the risk of carrying any of them back to the system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She looked at him. \u201cIs that what you\u2019re trying to find out \u2014 whether they\u2019re infinitely divisible?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m trying to find out what we\u2019re up against. Maybe there are only a few of them. Or maybe they\u2019re everywhere.\u201d He waved a hand around the laboratory. \u201cMaybe half the things in this room are not what we think they are\u2026 It\u2019s bad when they attack us. It would be worse if they didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWorse?\u201d The Commander was puzzled.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTheir mimicry is perfect. Of inorganic objects, at least. I looked through one of them, Stella, when it was imitating my microscope. It enlarged, adjusted, reflected, just like a regular microscope. It\u2019s a form of mimicry that surpasses anything we\u2019ve ever imagined. It carries down below the surface, into the actual elements of the object imitated.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou mean one of them could slip back to Terra along with us? In the form of clothing or a piece of lab equipment?\u201d She shuddered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe assume they\u2019re some sort of protoplasm. Such malleability suggests a simple original form \u2014 and that suggests binary fission. If that\u2019s so, then there may be no limits to their ability to reproduce. The dissolving properties make me think of the simple unicellular protozoa.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you think they\u2019re intelligent?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know. I hope not.\u201d Hall lifted the spray. \u201cIn any case, this should tell us their extent. And, to some degree, corroborate my notion that they\u2019re basic enough to reproduce by simple division \u2014 the worse thing possible, from our standpoint.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHere goes,\u201d Hall said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

He held the spray tightly against him, depressed the trigger, aimed the nozzle slowly around the lab. The commander and the four guards stood silently behind him. Nothing moved. The sun shone in through the windows, reflecting from the culture dishes and equipment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After a moment he let the trigger up again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI didn\u2019t see anything,\u201d Commander Morrison said. \u201cAre you sure you did anything?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cArsine is colorless. But don\u2019t loosen your helmet. It\u2019s fatal. And don\u2019t move.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They stood waiting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For a time nothing happened. Then \u2014<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cGood God!\u201d Commander Morrison exclaimed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the far end of the lab a slide cabinet wavered suddenly. It oozed, buckling and pitching. It lost its shape completely \u2014 a homogeneous jellylike mass perched on top of the table. Abruptly, it flowed down the side of the table on to the floor, wobbling as it went.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cOver there!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A bunsen burner melted and flowed along beside it. All around the room objects were in motion. A great glass retort folded up into itself and settled down into a blob. A rack of test tubes, a shelf of chemicals\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLook out!\u201d Hall cried, stepping back.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A huge bell jar dropped with a soggy splash in front of him. It was a single large cell, all right. He could dimly make out the nucleus, the cell wall, the hard vacuoles suspended in the cytoplasm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pipettes, tongs, a mortar, all were flowing now. Half the equipment in the room was in motion. They had imitated almost everything there was to imitate. For every microscope there was a mimic. For every tube and jar and bottle and flask\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the guards had his blaster out. Hall knocked it down. \u201cDon\u2019t fire! Arsine is inflammable. Let\u2019s get out of here. We know what we wanted to know.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They pushed the laboratory door open quickly and made their way out into the corridor. Hall slammed the door behind them, bolting it tightly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs it bad, then?\u201d Commander Morrison asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe haven\u2019t got a chance. The arsine disturbed them; enough of it might even kill them. But we haven\u2019t got that much arsine. And, if we could flood the planet, we wouldn\u2019t be able to use our blasters.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSuppose we left the planet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe can\u2019t take the chance of carrying them back to the system.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf we stay here we\u2019ll be absorbed, dissolved, one by one,\u201d the Commander protested.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe could have arsine brought in. Or some other poison that might destroy them. But it would destroy most of the life on the planet along with them. There wouldn\u2019t be much left.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen we\u2019ll have to destroy all life forms! If there\u2019s no other way of doing it we\u2019ve got to burn the planet clean. Even if there wouldn\u2019t be a thing left but a dead world.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They looked at each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m going to call the System Monitor,\u201d Commander Morrison said. \u201cI\u2019m going to get the unit off here, out of danger \u2014 all that are left, at least. That poor girl by the lake\u2026\u201d She shuddered. \u201cAfter everyone\u2019s out of here, we can work out the best way of cleaning up this planet.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019ll run the risk of carrying one of them back to Terra?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan they imitate us? Can they imitate living creatures? Higher life forms?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall considered. \u201cApparently not. They seem to be limited to inorganic objects.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Commander smiled grimly. \u201cThen we\u2019ll go back without any inorganic material.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut our clothes! They can imitate belts, gloves, boots \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not taking our clothes. We\u2019re going back without anything. And I mean without anything at all.\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall\u2019s lips twitched. \u201cI see.\u201d He pondered. \u201cIt might work. Can you persuade the personnel to \u2014 to leave all their things behind? Everything they own?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIf it means their lives, I can order <\/em>them to do it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen it might be our one chance of getting away.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The nearest cruiser large enough to remove the remaining members of the unit was two hours\u2019 distance away. It was moving Terraside again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commander Morrison looked up from the vidscreen. \u201cThey want to know what\u2019s wrong here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet me talk.\u201d Hall seated himself before the screen. The heavy features and gold braid of a Terran cruiser captain regarded him. \u201cThis is Major Lawrence Hall, from the Research Division of this unit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCaptain Daniel Davis.\u201d Captain Davis studied him without expression. \u201cYou\u2019re having some kind of trouble, Major?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall licked his lips. \u201cI\u2019d rather not explain until we\u2019re aboard, if you don\u2019t mind.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhy not?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCaptain, you\u2019re going to think we\u2019re crazy enough as it is. We\u2019ll discuss everything fully once we\u2019re aboard.\u201d He hesitated. \u201cWe\u2019re going to board your ship naked.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Captain raised an eyebrow. \u201cNaked?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThat\u2019s right.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI see.\u201d Obviously he didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhen will you get here?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIn about two hours, I\u2019d say.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s now 13:00 by our schedule. You\u2019ll be here by 15:00?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAt approximately that time,\u201d the Captain agreed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll be waiting for you. Don\u2019t let any of your men out. Open one lock for us. We\u2019ll board without any equipment. Just ourselves, nothing else. As soon as we\u2019re aboard, remove the ship at once.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Stella Morrison leaned toward the screen. \u201cCaptain, would it be possible \u2014 for your men to \u2014 ?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll land by robot control,\u201d he assured her. \u201cNone of my men will be on deck. No one will see you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThank you,\u201d she murmured.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNot at all.\u201d Captain Davis saluted. \u201cWe\u2019ll see you in about two hours then, Commander.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLet\u2019s get everyone out onto the field,\u201d Commander Morrison said. \u201cThey should remove their clothes here, I think, so there won\u2019t be any objects on the field to come in contact with the ship.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall looked at her face. \u201cIsn\u2019t it worth it to save our lives?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Lieutenant Friendly bit his lips. \u201cI won\u2019t do it. I\u2019ll stay here.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou have to come.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut, Major \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall looked at his watch. \u201cIt\u2019s 14:50. The ship will be here any minute. Get your clothes off and get out on the landing field.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cCan\u2019t I take anything at all<\/em>?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cNothing. Not even your blaster\u2026 They\u2019ll give us clothes inside the ship. Come on! Your life depends on this. Everyone else is doing it.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Friendly tugged at his shirt reluctantly. \u201cWell, I guess I\u2019m acting silly.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The vidscreen clicked. A robot voice announced shrilly: \u201cEveryone out of the buildings at once! Everyone out of the buildings and on the field without delay! Everyone out of the buildings at once! Everyone \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cSo soon?\u201d Hall ran to the window and lifted the metal blind. \u201cI didn\u2019t hear it land.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Parked in the center of the landing field was a long gray cruiser, its hull pitted and dented from meteoric strikes. It lay motionless. There was no sign of life about it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A crowd of naked people was already moving hesitantly across the field toward it, blinking in the bright sunlight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s here!\u201d Hall started tearing off his shirt. \u201cLet\u2019s go!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWait for me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThen hurry.\u201d Hall finished undressing. Both men hurried out into the corridor. Unclothed guards raced past them. They padded down the corridors through the long unit building, to the door. They ran downstairs, out onto the field. Warm sunlight beat down on them from the sky overhead. From all the unit buildings, naked men and women were pouring silently toward the ship.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat a sight!\u201d an officer said. \u201cWe\u2019ll never be able to live it down.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cBut you\u2019ll live, at least,\u201d another said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLawrence!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall half turned.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cPlease don\u2019t look around. Keep on going. I\u2019ll walk behind you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cHow does it feel, Stella?\u201d Hall asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cUnusual.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIs it worth it?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI suppose so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cDo you think anyone will believe us?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI doubt it,\u201d she said. \u201cI\u2019m beginning to wonder myself.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAnyhow, we\u2019ll get back alive.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI guess so.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall looked up at the ramp being lowered from the ship in front of them. The first people were already beginning to scamper up the metal incline, into the ship, through the circular lock.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cLawrence \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There was a peculiar tremor in the Commander\u2019s voice. \u201cLawrence, I\u2019m \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou\u2019re what?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI\u2019m scared.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cScared!\u201d He stopped. \u201cWhy?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI don\u2019t know,\u201d she quavered.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

People pushed against them from all sides. \u201cForget it. Carry-over from your early childhood.\u201d He put his foot on the bottom of the ramp. \u201cUp we go.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI want to go back!\u201d There was panic in her voice. \u201cI \u2014\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall laughed. \u201cIt\u2019s too late now, Stella.\u201d He mounted the ramp, holding on to the rail. Around him, on all sides, men and women were pushing forward, carrying them up. They came to the lock. \u201cHere we are.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The man ahead of him disappeared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hall went inside after him, into the dark interior of the ship, into the silent blackness before him. The Commander followed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At exactly 15:00 Captain Daniel Davis landed his ship in the center of the field. Relays slid the entrance lock open with a bang. Davis and the other officers of the ship sat waiting in the control cabin, around the big control table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWell,\u201d Captain Davis said, after a while. \u201cWhere are they?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The officers became uneasy. \u201cMaybe something\u2019s wrong.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cMaybe the whole damn thing\u2019s a joke?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They waited and waited.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But no one came.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

THE END<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cColony\u201d is an unsettling science fiction short story by Philip K. Dick, published in Galaxy Science Fiction in 1953. A group of explorers arrives on a planet that appears perfectly suited for colonization, with conditions ideal for human life. However, what initially seems like a paradise soon turns into a deadly trap when they discover an unsuspected threat that endangers not only their lives, but the survival of all humanity. To prevent the danger from spreading beyond the planet, they must make extreme decisions and fight for their lives against an invisible and terrifying enemy.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":15908,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_kad_blocks_custom_css":"","_kad_blocks_head_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_body_custom_js":"","_kad_blocks_footer_custom_js":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[559],"tags":[572,577,552,570],"class_list":["post-8051","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-short-stories","tag-horror-en","tag-philip-k-dick-en","tag-science-fiction","tag-united-states","generate-columns","tablet-grid-50","mobile-grid-100","grid-parent","grid-33"],"acf":[],"taxonomy_info":{"category":[{"value":559,"label":"Short stories"}],"post_tag":[{"value":572,"label":"Horror"},{"value":577,"label":"Philip K. Dick"},{"value":552,"label":"Science fiction"},{"value":570,"label":"United States"}]},"featured_image_src_large":["https:\/\/lecturia.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/Philip-K.-Dick-Colonia.webp",1024,1024,false],"author_info":{"display_name":"Juan Pablo Guevara","author_link":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/author\/spartakku\/"},"comment_info":"","category_info":[{"term_id":559,"name":"Short stories","slug":"short-stories","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":559,"taxonomy":"category","description":"","parent":0,"count":419,"filter":"raw","cat_ID":559,"category_count":419,"category_description":"","cat_name":"Short stories","category_nicename":"short-stories","category_parent":0}],"tag_info":[{"term_id":572,"name":"Horror","slug":"horror-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":572,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":127,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":577,"name":"Philip K. Dick","slug":"philip-k-dick-en","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":577,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":15,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":552,"name":"Science fiction","slug":"science-fiction","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":552,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":121,"filter":"raw"},{"term_id":570,"name":"United States","slug":"united-states","term_group":0,"term_taxonomy_id":570,"taxonomy":"post_tag","description":"","parent":0,"count":294,"filter":"raw"}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8051","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=8051"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/8051\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/15908"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=8051"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=8051"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lecturia.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=8051"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}