William Nolan

US author, zejména sci-fi.

Logan`s Run [75]

“I sympathize with unhappy men.” She placed a soft hand on his waist and pressed lightly.

You never find the people that you go to meet in dreams…..

..and the black eyes of a hunting cat.

Guns. Only a DS man could carry a Gun. Each weapon was coded to the operative’s hand pattern, set to detonate on any other human contact.

 Already the sense of power was building in him as he held the Gun,..

Logan felt a reluctant admiration for this man.

Sipping the iced drink, Logan stared at his palm, at the blinking crystal flower. Lastday. Twenty-four hours in which to live. Then his flower would go black and it would be time to turn himself in for Sleep. Twenty-four hours.

“The boy seeks, the man finds.

The flower blinked warmly in palmflesh. He could feel its heat against his fingertips.

He could feel its heat against his fingertips.

It was one of the big brutes,..

Mary-Mary. “The bad people are there and they chase..

“She seems to be self-sufficient.”..

“No, no I wasn’t happy.” Her voice trembled. “I accepted everything then, without questioning but I was never happy there.”..

She looked at him coldly. “You’re a monster. You’ve chased and killed people like my brother, whose only sin was wanting to live another day.”..

..his face old leather..

Logan felt the brass taste of fear in his mouth.

..wind’s hammer, Logan’s clothing was gauze.

..there for a reason,” Warden went on. “He ain’t..

..dandelion yellows..

So this was Box: an insane half-man living in a self-created world of fantasy.

“I feed the soul, not the body. Art before hunger!”..

..great birds on my granite shoulders,..

Logan took the girl clumsily into his arms. “No, no, no,” complained Box. “With emotion. With feeling. She is your love, your life.” To the girl, he said, “Mold yourself to his strong body. Look into his eyes.”..

There was a reality here, a meaning. Forget everything else; forget the twisted man-thing carving the ice; forget the Hell-huddle of convicts; forget Francis and Ballard and the maze and Sanctuary. But let this moment last.

..world. The world was reborn in a voice that said, “Torture is also a fine art and I am its master. Your death; my lady, shall be exquisite.”..

Obsessed by his vision,..

(Graygirl was the exception. She wore no makeup; only her eyes were striped in black. She was starkly beautiful.)..

The first orgasm was good. The second was all right. The third orgasm was bad. The fourth orgasm was painful. The fifth orgasm was agony. The sixth orgasm was damnation.

..foam—padded mittens which were necessary in an Omnite..

..the fallen Gun in the root grass with the golden mech..

Logan displayed his right palm. “Perhaps you could help me?” “Pleased to help any citizen on Lastday,” said the lawman.

President Curtain had stressed the severity of the food shortage, as world population spiraled toward six billion. He called upon the young to exercise self-control in this crisis. But the sight of the fat, overfed President standing in living units across the country, talking of duty and restraint, had a negative effect on his audience. And the well known fact that Curtain had fathered nine children made a showdown inevitable.

By morning, half of Washington was in flames. Senators and congressmen were dragged in terror from their homes and hanged like criminals from trees and lampposts. The police and National Guard units were swept away in the first major wave of rioting. Buildings were set afire and explosives used. During the confusion an attendant at the Washington Zoo released the animals to save them from flames. The beasts were never recaptured.

The majority of the nation’s armed forces were under the age of twenty-one, and their sympathies lay with the rebels. There were massive defections from all the services; abandoned uniforms were strewn along the length of Pennsylvania Avenue.

..by becoming the first to publicly embrace..

One thing the young were sure of; they would never again place their fate in the hands of an older generation.

Jess did not stir. He held the Gun, set at needler.

..his breed, might be upon them. The growl..

..jungle which surrounded it: vines had woven their..

..weapon… He looked about wildly. Tool crib..

Living is better than dying, Francis. Dying young is a waste and a shame and a perversion. The young don’t build. They use. The wonders of Man were achieved by the mature, the wise, who lived in this world before we did. There was an Old Lincoln after the young one…..

<2020>