Philip K. Dick's Second Variety - Part 1
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Welcome to Episode 4 of the Curious Matter Anthology. I'm Jonathan Pezza, the creator and host of the series. If this is your first time joining us, you are in for a fun ride. And to all our returning fans, thanks for being a part of the Curious Matter Legion.

This episode kicks off our biggest and most expansive story to date, and is part of our very first mini-series event. Some stories take only an episode or two to tell, but in order to do this next one the justice it deserves, we needed to do something special. As our first sojourn into the realms of science fiction, we are bringing you a tale from one of the true masters of the genre. Philip K. Dick's influence on the universe of science fiction is undeniable.

Film and television adaptations such as Blade Runner, Man in the High Castle, Minority Report, and Total Recall, just to name a few, have grossed more than $1.4 billion internationally at the box office. Our story, Second Variety, was first published in May of 1953.

Set during the events of a globally catastrophic nuclear war, Second Variety exemplifies the dark imagination and sense of realism that made Dick's work so unique amongst contemporaries like Heinlein, Asimov, and Bradbury. This story takes a modern look at the challenges of using combat drones and AI technologies in the battlefield of tomorrow, and asks the question: What happens when our weapons become smarter than we are? Do rampaging warrior robots sound familiar?

That's because second variety is widely accepted as one of the seminal influences for James Cameron's Terminator. Futurism comes in many forms. Science fiction is often about the grand and alien places technology will someday take us. But for Philip Kindred Dick, I think it was about taking a deep look inside ourselves and contemplating what technology does to the human soul. Is its effect toxic? Is it elevating?

Or is it some curious and undefinable mixture of both? This episode of Curious Matter is rated explicit and includes adult language and violence comparable to an R-rated film.

Our show is designed to be a completely immersive HD audio experience, and it is at its best when played through high-quality stereo speakers or headphones. So, without further delay, grab your popcorn, turn out the lights, and enjoy this epic tale of war, brotherhood, and of course, robots. OP-2, TAC-5. This is an actual TAC-5. Go, OP-2.

Sector 2 clear. Copy, Sector 2 clear. 3rd platoon's Oscar Mike 2 leave. Copy, Whistle Actual. It's about fucking time. Think they'll have something other than that vat slop in the mess? We got the drop today. Does the body good, right? Not this body. Well, what's the difference? It's all the same shit. Yeah, but at least the D-rations look like the real thing. You have any idea how many cons I'd shank for one real burger? Only way you're getting beef is if that shit is glowing.

A girl can dream. Fuck! Tango, ridge four. Hoorah, about time. Scope's up. Got him. This is OP2. Enemy sighted. I repeat, we have a Tango on ridge four. One foot mobile. He appears to be an SRE regular. One click and close and permission to engage. OP2, hold your fire. We've had reports of defectors all along the eastern 80. Does Tango appear hostile? I got him, ladies. 900 meters. He's moving pretty fast.

Point audios up. It looks like he's waving us off.

I think he said hold your fire. He's a con. OP-2, does target appear hostile? You heard them, he might be a defector. Shut up, Leon. I'm trying to think. He's trying to wave us off. He threw down his weapon. Whistle, Actual, this is OP-2. We are taking fire. I repeat, we are taking fire. Hey, asshole, what are you doing? Requesting permission to engage. That's a negative. Stand down. We've relayed his position to Claws. Actual, I have him in my sights. Permission to engage.

Negative OP2, intercept in seven, six, five, four, three, two, one, contact. Fuck! You are a piece of shit. You know that, Petraca? Actual...

Visual confirmation of kill. Copy, OP-2. We're gonna need you to recon the remains for ident tags, then RTB for debrief. Copy that, Actual. We're Oscar Mike. Hey, Petrarca. That sounded like a Type 4. We missed the action?

Man, Claws just swacked a con out near the fence line. Man, I always miss the fun. 'Bout time you two showed up. This mess should have been yours. They got spaghetti and vat balls again. Better hoof it while it's hot. Nah. I gotta go fetch that Meatbags ID tag. If I had a fucking time machine, you know what I would do? Go back and kill the Pole March to keep the SRE from nuking half the planet? Fuck no. Then there's no war. Yeah. I fucking love war. It's the Claws I can't stand.

I'd go back and find the limp dick, four-eyed, good-for-nothing pogue that first thought up the Coordinated Logistics Autonomous Weapons System, and I'd strangle that asshole in the cradle. Petraco, just shut up and walk, okay? Self-replicating, self-repairing, self-upgrading fully automated combat drones? Who thought that was a good idea?

What's the point of being in the shit if something else gets to do all the shooting? All the everything? I mean, what good is a Marine that doesn't get to kill anything? A waste of UN tax dollars, that's what.

We're here.

Goddamn. The Type 4s don't leave much, do they? This guy is fucking sausage. Gonzo's. No way for a soldier to die. At least a bullet is a dignified way to buy it, but this shit is-- They got his tag. Looks like he was carrying this too. A marked Envoy packet. Yeah. Did I tell you you're an asshole yet? What's up with the toaster?

Never seen a Type 4 hang around after the slicing days. Maybe the weirdo is sweet on you. You never had a dog growing up? A freaky, metal, hamster, ball-shaped dog? Nah. Where I grew up, we ate all the dogs. I had a Roomba once, though. Set it on fire. That explains so much. Hey, Scram. Fuck off back to wherever you twitchies go. Looks like someone just got themselves a pet claw. Hey, Trashcan.

I said fuck off! Can you get me confirmation on this? All these sad images of the AO are weeks old. Hendrix, can someone point me to Major Hendrix? Yes sir, I'll see if OCOM can relay new ones. Thank you. This is a restricted area. It's off limits to civvies. I have a badge. Uh, priority one clearance. I need to speak with Major Hendrix. Let him through. Go on.

I'm Hendrix. What can I do for you? Ken Oda. I'm with Orbital R&D. A Skunk Works boy. We don't get a lot of lab coats on the line. I hit dirt this morning. What can I do for you? If Ocom flew you first class all the way to the 80 yard line, must be a good reason. Is it true that you're sending a patrol into SRE territory? Leading a patrol as it happens. We received a damaged optical memory card from an SRE envoy.

Apparently the cons want to negotiate. What did the envoy know when you interrogated him? He was too dead to say. I have a briefing in two minutes. Walk with me. Are you aware that we've been in a blackout now for the last six weeks, three days, and 21 hours? Are you talking sack coverage? Is that why we haven't received any of the new troop positions I've requested? The geonet, optics, the ODS, everything is down. Well, that's why they pay you boys the big bucks, right? Fix it.

Don't make much difference to us. O-Com tells us to hold the line, we hold the line. Everything else is just situation normal. Well that's just it. Everything appears to be working. All the diagnostics come back green, but we are locked out of this system. We've been working the problem 24/7.

Do they have everyone trying to come up with a fix? Not everyone. You're here with us, Mr. Oda. It's Oda. Have you been able to communicate with the Autonomous Weapon System to call in fire missions? The network, as you said, has been down for weeks. We thought it was our transmitter, so we jury-rigged a VHF-type beam using an old cell phone tower. And that works? We call, and Twitchy shows up. Twitchy? A loving nickname for your weapon system.

I need to go with you on your patrol. That's out of the question. The last thing I'm going to do is take responsibility over a civvy in Khan's front yard. Major Hendricks! Look, this has been a lovely chat, but right now I need to explain to 16 servicemen and women who have somehow managed to survive this shitshow of a war that instead of sitting back and watching as your remote-controlled toys mop up what's left of the enemy, they have to hoof it 60 miles into enemy territory on a wild goose chase.

And do you know why they have to walk instead of riding in one of those 60 million dollar troop carriers parked outside? Because Geonet is down. That's right. None of you geniuses thought it might be a good idea to put in a driver's seat. I have priority one clearance. I can read the name tag. I thought this means that I have override authority. Did I miss something? OCOM said... When was the last time you stepped foot in North America? I haven't been planted aside in five years, eleven months.

They sent you up early. Four days after the first wave. Look, Major, I need to go with you. It's imperative. Ten hut! CO on deck! At ease, everyone. I'm sure you've heard the rumors. They were going on a suicide mission into a con trap so some asshole can get another star on his lapel? Police that shit, ProStack. No, it's alright. Private ProStack, right? It very well may be a ploy by the SRE, but OCOM thinks we have no other choice than to see for ourselves.

At 1800 yesterday we received an optical data chip in a marked envoy packet from local SRE command. The chip was damaged but what we were able to recover appeared to be a rendezvous point and a request for a policy level officer to meet under flag of truce. Eye in the sky has been down for six weeks but our latest intel suggests that Clause has been scoring critical hits on priority targets all along the line. Our best guess is that the Sina Russians are on the back foot with much of their chain of command in disarray.

Our target is an SRE outpost in what used to be an airport 62 miles north near Ann Arbor. Or whatever's left of it. We are doing this on foot and without on-call fire support. Full battle rattle, boys and girls. Two days in, and then after the meet, two days out. We aren't completely alone out there, however. Plus, scent type 3, so at least you won't have to hump your own gear. We are too far along in this thing to take any unnecessary risks. We do this by the numbers and get home.

The possibility of brokering even a regional surrender is a baited hook the UN is going to take a big ol' bite of. And ladies and gentlemen, second platoon X-ray company is that fish. That's what I like to hear. Folks, it's been ass-grabbin' and suntans for the last five months since the toasters went active. But square that shit and put on your war faces. It's time to show the cons what a real Marine looks like.

If this does end up going pear-shaped, rely on your training and the grunt on your right. They will not fail you. On the flip side, if we are able to achieve our objective, this mission could mark the end of the war in North America. Get your rest tonight. That's an order. Oh, and I've authorized five minutes for each of you in the comm center. If you have someone, call them. That will be all.

Dismissed. Steven? Sorry it's been so long. Hey, Sarah. They were sending us on a mission.

I can't talk about it, but I might be coming home soon. Things are getting worse in the slums. The gangs come day after day. Yeah, I'll send more money when I can. It's been so long since I've seen home. What would I even do? You'd live. Everything else will take day by day. Just come home to us. Hello? Allison? Rebecca?

Hi. Hi. I know we agreed I shouldn't- I'm- I'm glad you did. It's... it's nice to hear your voice. How was the munchkin? Twelve. And impossible. He stole a neighbor's bike. Had to barter away a month's soap to keep it from the authorities. I was a terror at that age. I remember. He's more and more like you every day. Hmm. Are you still there?

Did I lose you? No. I'm still here. Is something wrong? Did something happen? No. I just needed to hear you. To remember what was waiting. I have to go. I'll... well... It's okay. Just be safe out there.

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My dad works in B2B marketing. He came by my school for career day and said he was a big ROAS man. Then he told everyone how much he loved calculating his return on ad spend.

My friend's still laughing at me to this day. Not everyone gets B2B, but with LinkedIn, you'll be able to reach people who do. Get $100 credit on your next ad campaign. Go to LinkedIn.com slash results to claim your credit. That's LinkedIn.com slash results. Terms and conditions apply. LinkedIn, the place to be, to be. Whistle actual attack by X-ray, X-ray.

Copy, X-Ray. Go ahead. We're passing the last marker now. Copy that, X-Ray. We have you passing boundary marker four. Radio jamming is likely beyond this grid square. Don't have too much fun without us. We'll keep that under advisement, X-Ray. I look forward to hearing from you in a few days. Happy hunting. You looking a little green around the gills there, Professor? You aren't gonna puke, are you? XO Mop Suit takes a couple days to get used to, but then you'll feel right as rain.

I'll be alright. It's just been a while since I've had to exert myself like this. I just need a second to catch my breath. They say nothing kills you faster than sitting at a desk and staring at a screen all day. I'm good. I'm good. What about a Con 70 Mic Mic? That'll dust you pretty frickin' quick. Don't mind him. That ball of sunshine over there with the big scar was unlucky enough to pull Natossian out of the name hat. Makes him surly. Nice to meet you.

The lovely lady over there, humping the big stick, is our resident Deadeye, Corporal Mookie Leone. Just Leone is fine. And last but not least, that sulky whiskey tango motherfucker over there is Petraka. He's not usually this quiet. Hey, what bug crawled up your ass, Petraka? Nothing, Sarge. Spit it out, Private. It's the toaster. They just creep me out is all.

You'd rather be humping your own pack? He had a close encounter the other day. Gonzo tried to give him a kiss. Really? Was it a Type 3 Mule model like this one? What did it do? You know, I actually did quite a bit of design work on the V1s. These have quite a few improvements over my model though. You built these things? Well, I helped. You know, for the most part they actually build themselves.

You should be ashamed of yourself. Not this again. This system was designed to save lives, not my life. That's enough, Petraka. Play nice with our guest. You should be on your knees thanking this guy, Petraka. We were about this close to getting curb stomped by the Khans before Twitchy showed up. Says who? O-Khan? Says anyone with actual hair on their balls, Rook. Get off me! Cool it, Nato. Petraka, get back on our flank.

Is it true they built the prototypes on the moon? Well, it's... classified. Who are we gonna tell? I really can't divulge. You know, it's not really a smart idea to piss off the only people between you and a Khan bullet. I'm not talking about myself, of course. I mean, I wouldn't shank you in your sleep or anything, but we do know Petracha over there already doesn't like you. Ah...

Holy shit! It's true? Whoa! Whoa! You gave in that easy? Oh, you said... Dude, don't they give you guys interrogation training?

No, they don't really let us out much. Hey, Prostek! What? High Command is on the fucking move! Bullshit. No, seriously. The professor over here just spilled the beans. No shit!

Hey, Pressman, did you hear this? Don't worry, Professor. In all likelihood, this mission is an elaborate trap, and we'll all get schwacked long before any of us has a chance to spill it to the cons. So your secrets probably say 75%... 85% at least. 85% safe. Settle up, folks. Squad 3 spotted an enemy position two clicks northeast on the outskirts of a town called Adrian. It appears to be abandoned, but we're going to give it a wide berth. Major! Major Hendricks! Yes, Mr. Oda. I need you to redirect us back through Adrian.

Why would I do that? There isn't going to be any enemy in that town. It was a regional Type 1 drop point. If there was an SRE presence there, they are long dead. Either way, why should I risk it? It may help me in figuring out how to get Geonet back online. What do you think, Lieutenant Scott? That would mean access to combat support and sky optics if all this turns to shit. Might be worth it. X-ray, S2 has eyes on the town center. All clear to move up.

Thank you Squad 2. All teams, move up and secure the square. Move up, move up! Go! This is Leon on Overwatch. All clear to the west. Stay frosty people. Team 2, get that alley covered. Copy. Alley secure. X-Ray, east corner secure. All teams, hold positions. X-Ray, this is Pro Stack. You're not gonna believe this, but I think I just saw a kid in the rubble. Don't shoot the first thing that moves. We left a lot of refugees behind when our forces withdrew to the 80.

Sergeant Marks, escort Mr. Oda up here. He needs to see this. I think we found your Type Ones. I don't understand. They're empty. Looks like the SRE may have a few notches on their belts from the looks of these. Let me get this straight. Those are Type Ones? The mobile factories that build all the others? They look like cargo trucks someone stripped for parts. They call them mothers. Well, someone effed their shit up. Shut it, you two. Eyes on the roofs. All 12 superstructures are here.

But these weren't attacked. They were salvaged under the last usable component. So the SRE has managed to disable these and strip them for parts? No. Claws dismantled these themselves. The question is, where do the mothers go? I'm not following. Are you saying this isn't supposed to happen? Well, that's just it. We didn't program them to do this, but then they are designed to be... creative. Can you translate that to something a little closer to English for us grunts?

These Type 1s are dropped from orbit, right? And then deploy all four of the other types: the Warbird, Small Assault, and Heavy Assault types, and Mules like this one here. But once they offload their V1 complement, the real task begins. They become the hub of the entire system. Type 1s are at their core, mobile AI-operated molecular printers. They can take salvaged components and recycle them into medium for printing new units. The Mother types build, upgrade, and repair all the others. They decide all future design characteristics themselves in the interest of achieving their hardwired core objectives.

If they dismantled themselves like this, it means that they decided to modify themselves into some other form factor than this mobile chassis we built for them. So the system decided to change the design of the mothers? Well, the system didn't do anything. Each unit is a wholly independent individual. All decision making: tactical, strategic, logistic. Everything is made independent of any type of command and control. They aren't even networked in the traditional sense. And we had to make sure they were unhackable. We couldn't risk the SRE finding a way into the system.

Our solution was independent thought without any type of remote instruction. How do you control them? We don't. They adhere to their hard-coded objectives. And once those are complete, they shut down. It follows consensus logic. It's...

It's essentially blockchain. Every unit streams out its sensory data to the others via an encrypted QE band, giving each individual drone complete situational awareness. If a unit sees another unit make a logical choice based on the data, it will likely do the same. There's no command structure? That sounds like a dangerous way to wage war. But it worked. Combat efficacy is off the charts. So where'd that go? That's the million dollar question, isn't it?

This is all very interesting, but why are we here, Mr. Oda? Well, the Type Ones are hard-coded to send reports with action summaries and new unit data. Which you are no longer receiving due to the blackout, I take it? The last communication we received before everything went down was from right here. Why would Ocom send you all the way out here just to investigate a signal? Come here. Take a look at this Type Three. The Mothers are required to issue a serial number for each upgrade and new unit. If you look at the underside here, you can read the plate.

"Variety 1, version 3.1, revision 9." The last communication we received contained a data file for a new, previously unknown, hard fork in design methodology. New units with a "2" prefix in their serial numbers. A new variety of clause units. We pinged them back with a request for full design specs. Then everything went dark. Oda, get back!

X-Ray, X-Ray, this is S-2. Our mule just dumped gear and is bugging out west, sir. This one too. What should we do, sir? Enemy contact to the east. We have a problem here. Looks like a full company. Scratch one. Take cover. All out targets and casualties. We need to make a retreat to the west. Throw stacks hit. He's gone. Tango is closing from the east. A whole hell of a lot of them. We have another group of foot mobiles approaching from the west.

They're gonna box us in if we don't move. Our gear and ammo. Team 2, grab what you can from your mule's load. Team 3, lay down suppressing fire and prepare to withdraw north through the shopping complex. Oda, with me. Put these on. Your ExoMop will make adjustments for the extra weight. Oh, uh, okay, okay. Major, we need to move. This will have to be enough. Let's go. Team 1 and Team 2 is inside with us, but Team 3 is cut off. Team 3 on me.

X-Ray, we're gonna have to find another way around. I'm sending a new route to your HUD. There appears to be a highway overpass on the far side of the parking structure. Regroup there. First on site, post up to defend the causeway with enfilading fire as the rest cross. Oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god, oh god. First time getting shot at, Prof? Yes. Yeah. You ever fire a gun? In Boy Scouts when I was a kid, we went to the range.

- Once. - See, I knew I liked you. I was a scout too. This is an M31 Caseless Reflex Personal Sidearm. No kick like the old guns. Just slide in the mag, point, and shoot. - I don't know if I can do this. - Don't worry, I got you. Just tuck in on my six and try and stay low once we're outside. And if you see a con, point, breathe, and squeeze. Got it? - I think so.

We could use a few of your pet robots to take the heat off our asses right about now. Any idea what spooked the mules? No. I told you, they were never on our side. No. They just don't like you, Patroc. Don't look so scared, Professor. We're Marines. We'll keep you right as rain. Ramirez, report. Ramirez, report. X-Ray, we had to cut east. Downed a just Dragon Ball on me. Lumen Bricks took an enemy frag. Get down! Looking for another route. Move on.

We'll catch up. - Ambush! - Oh God! - Just stay down! - Frag out! - Major, they have us cut off. We can't stay here, sir. We're about to be overrun. - If we go back, we'll get caught between both enemy units. The only way is through. - We got more tangos. - Sergeant, stay with me, Preston. - We got tangos coming through the gate. - Hold your fire! - But you need to hurry. - Looks like we have an escape route, folks.

Everyone, through the gate, into the maintenance corridor. We're on the move. Team 1, use grenades to cover our retreat. Let's move, move, move! Get up, Professor. Shorty here just saved our bacon. I never fired my gun. Okay everyone, Oscar Mike. Go, go, go! We're getting the hell out of here! Quickly! We need to go this way. There's a secret tunnel that can take you to the other side of town. How far? Not far. Come. We really owe you, kid.

My name is David. We hope you enjoyed this presentation of Second Variety Part 1. It was dramatized, directed, and edited by me, your host, Jonathan Pesa.

Additional sound engineering by Jeremy Pezza. Our ensemble cast included the talented voices of Sandeep Parikh, Kelly Dawn Hancock, Leonid Andronov, Alexandra Amick, Christopher Amick, Melissa Starr Cummings, Darren Cummings, Philip Gray, Matt Hoban, Alexander Mercado, Maggie Mercado,

Mayuko Nakamura, Brandy Cuevas-Pezza, Jeremy Pezza, Jonathan Pezza, and Steven Pezza. The score was provided by Epidemic Music. Sound effects were provided by Soundsnap.com. Second Variety is a work in the public domain and was produced in accordance with U.S. copyright law. Curious Matter is a production of Jonathan Pezza, Inc., copyright 2020, all rights reserved. If you have a question or feedback about the podcast,

I'd love to hear from you. So reach out to Jonathan at CuriousMatterPodcast.com or check us out online for more information at www.curiousmatterpodcast.com.

If you love the podcast, you can learn even more online. Each episode page on the website includes a blog article with additional information about the story, links to interesting historical information, and suggested reading and viewing to continue the experience. Here on Curious Matter, we dedicate each episode to a used bookstore. This one goes out to the Dawn Treader Bookshop in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

You can find them at 514 East Liberty Street and check out their collection of over 70,000 used, rare, and collectible titles. And you can even take a selfie with their full-sized Egyptian sarcophagus. You never know what may lurk inside. Do yourself a favor and look them up online at facebook.com slash dawn treader bookshop. Or better yet, if you live nearby, go for a visit and buy a book.

Coming up on the next episode of Curious Matter, X-Ray Company's adventure continues in Second Variety Part 2. So make sure to subscribe for free today, and thank you for listening. The Fable & Folly Network, where fiction producers flourish.

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These are the stories that fall between the panels of comic books. I think they knew that I didn't mean to do that to Arizona. Wasabi! He could kill himself! Kid, I feel like you're not giving this problem your all. No, no. But yes, I guess most people would call them a death squad. Superhuman Public Radio. Super. Human. Radio.

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