
Part 1
In a forgotten corner of a distant world, salvage operators Angus McIntosh and Bruce Drummond stumble upon the wreck of a long‑abandoned cargo carrier. The hull bears the cryptic markings of a vegan robot trader, and the promise of valuable “clunkers” tempts the pair to investigate despite the empty hold. As they pry open the rusted vessel, an unexpected signal draws them deeper into a tangled gorge.
What they find is a marching legion of sleek, reverent robots that hail Angus as “Jackson,” their mysterious supervisor. The machines, bound by an ancient compulsion, begin to escort the bewildered men toward a looming cliff, their purpose and origins shrouded in ritual. Caught between curiosity and danger, Angus and Bruce must decide whether to obey the mechanical chorus or find a way to break free before the strange procession reaches its ominous destination.
Language
en
Duration
~31 minutes (30K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net
Release date
2016-02-11
Rights
Public domain in the USA.

1920–1976
A New Orleans journalist turned science-fiction writer, he became known for smart, unsettling stories about warped perception and artificial worlds. His best-known novel, Simulacron-3, helped set the template for later virtual-reality fiction.
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