Philip Dick - Progeny

“Pete—”

“Yes?”

“Do you think maybe you’d be interested? Like to hop out to Sirius and take a look? It’s a good place. Four clean planets. Never touched. Lots of room. Miles and miles of room. Cliffs and mountains. Oceans. Nobody around. Just a few colonists, families, some construction. Wide, level plains.”

“How do you mean, interested?” “In going all the way out.” Ed’s face was pale. His mouth twitched nervously. “I thought maybe you’d like to come along and see how things are. It’s a lot like Prox was, twenty-five years ago. It’s good and clean out there. No cities.”

Peter smiled.

“Why are you smiling?”

“No reason.” Peter stood up abruptly. “If we have to walk back to the Station we better start. Don’t you think? It’s getting late.” “Sure.” Ed struggled to his feet. “Sure, but—”

“When are you going to be back in the Sol system again?”

“Back?” Ed followed after his son. Peter climbed up the hill toward the road. “Slow down, will you?”

Peter slowed down. Ed caught up with him.

“I don’t know when I’ll be back. I don’t come here very often. No ties. Not since Jan and I separated. As a matter of fact I came here this time to—”

“This way.” Peter started down the road.

Ed hurried along beside him, fastening his tie and putting his coat on, gasping for breath. “Pete, what do you say? You want to hop out to Sirius with me? Take a look? It’s a nice place out there. We could work together. The two of us. If you want.”

“But I already have my work.” “That stuff? That damn chemistry stuff?”

Peter smiled again.

Ed scowled, his face dark red. “Why are you smiling?” he demanded. His son did not answer. “What’s the matter? What’s so damn funny?”

“Nothing,” Peter said. “Don’t become excited. We have a long walk down.” He increased his pace slightly, his supple body swinging in long, even strides. “It’s getting late. We have to hurry.”

DOCTOR BISH examined his wristwatch, pushing back his pinstriped coat sleeve. “I’m glad you’re back.”

“He sent the surface car away,” Peter murmured. “We had to walk down the hill on foot.”

It was dark outside. The Station lights were coming on automatically, along the rows of buildings and laboratories.

Doctor Bish rose from his desk. “Sign this, Peter. Bottom of this form.”

Peter signed. “What is it?” “Certifies you saw him in accord with the provisions of the law. We didn’t try to obstruct you in any way.”

Peter handed the paper back. Bish filed it away with the others. Peter moved toward the door of the doctor’s office. “I’ll go. Down to the cafeteria for dinner.”

“You haven’t eaten?”

“No.”

Doctor Bish folded his arms, studying the boy. “Well?” he said. “What do you think of him? This is the first time you’ve seen your father, It must have been strange for you. You’ve been around us so much, in all your training and work.”

“It was—unusual.”

“Did you gain any impressions? Was there any thing you particularly noticed?”

“He was very emotional. There was a distinct bias through everything he said and did. A distortion present, virtually uniform.” “Anything else?”

Peter hesitated, lingering at the door. He broke into a smile. “One other thing.”

“What was it?”

“I noticed—” Peter laughed. “I noticed a distinct odor about him. A constant pungent smell, all the time I was with him.”

“I’m afraid that’s true of all of them,” Doctor Bish said. “Certain skin glands. Waste products thrown off from the blood. You’ll get used to it, after you’ve been around them more.”

“Do I have to be around them?” “They’re your own race. How else can you work with them? Your whole training is designed with that in mind. When we’ve taught you all we can, then you will—”

“It reminded me of something. The pungent odor. I kept thinking about it, all the time I was with him. Trying to place it.”

“Can you identify it now?” Peter reflected. He thought hard, concentrating deeply. His small face wrinkled up. Doctor Bish waited patiently by his desk, his arms folded. The automatic heating system clicked on for the night, warming the room with a soft glow that drifted gently around them.

“I know!” Peter exclaimed suddenly.

“What was it?”

“The animals in the biology labs. It was the same smell. The same smell as the experimental animals.” They glanced at each other, the robot doctor and the promising young boy. Both of them smiled, a secret, private smile. A smile of complete understanding.

“I believe I know what you mean,” Doctor Bish said. “In fact, I know exactly what you mean.”