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167
The Status Civilization
·
Robert Sheckley
63
Then
he
saw,
sitting
in
a
front
row
seat,
the
girl
who
had
lent
him
her
gun
on
his
first
day
in
Tetrahyde.
She
was
as
beautiful
as
he
had
remembered
her;
but
no
hint
of
emotion
touched
her
pale,
oval
face.
She
stared
at
him
with
the
frank
and
detached
interest
of
someone
watching
an
unusual
bug
under
a
jar.
"Let
the
contest
begin!"
the
loudspeaker
announced.
Barrent
had
no
more
time
to
think
about
the
girl,
for
the
machine
was
rolling
toward
him.
He
circled
warily
away
from
it.
Max
extruded
a
single
slender
tentacle
with
a
white
light
winking
in
the
end
of
it
The
machine
rolled
toward
Barrent,
backing
him
toward
a
wall.
Abruptly
it
stopped.
Barrent
heard
the
clank
of
gears.
The
tentacle
was
withdrawn,
and
in
its
place
appeared
a
jointed
metal
arm
which
ended
in
a
knife-edge.
Moving
more
quickly
now,
the
machine
cornered
him
against
the
wall.
The
arm
flickered
out,
but
Barrent
managed
to
dodge
it.
He
heard
the
knife-edge
scrape
against
stone.
When
the
arm
withdrew,
Barrent
had
a
chance
to
move
again
into
the
center
of
the
room.
He
knew
that
his
only
chance
to
disable
the
machine
was
during
the
pause
when
its
selector
changed
it
from
one
killing
mode
to
another.
But
how
do
you
disable
a
smooth-surfaced
turtle-backed
machine?
Max
came
at
him
again,
and
now
its
metal
hide
glistened
with
a
dull
green
substance
which
Barrent
immediately
recognized
as
Contact
Poison.
He
broke
into
a
spring,
circling
the
room,
trying
to
avoid
the
fatal
touch.
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