Books Should Be Free Loyal Books Free Public Domain Audiobooks & eBook Downloads |
|
Final Weapon By: Everett B. Cole (1918-1977) |
---|
![]()
FINAL
WEAPON BY EVERETT B. COLE Man has developed many a deadly
weapon. Today, the weapon most
effective in destroying a man's
hopes and security is the file
folder ... and that was the weapon
Morely knew and loved. But there
was something more potent to come. Illustrated by Leydenfrost
District Leader Howard Morely leaned back in his seat, to glance down at
the bay. Idly, he allowed his gaze to wander over the expanse of water
between the two blunt points of land, then he looked back at the
skeletonlike spire which jutted upward from the green hills he had just
passed over. He could remember when that ruin had been a support for one
of the world's great bridges. Now, a crumbling symbol of the past, it stubbornly resisted the attacks
of the weather, as it had once resisted the far more powerful blasts of
explosives. Obstinately, it pointed its rusty length skyward, to remind
the observer of bygone conflict and more. Together with the tangled cables, dimly seen in the shoal water, the
line of wreckage in the channel, and the weed covered strip of torn
concrete which led through the hills, it testified to the arrival of the
air age. Bridges, highways, and harbors alike had passed their day of
usefulness. Not far from the ruined bridge support, Morely could see the huge, well
maintained intake of one of the chemical extraction plants. He shook his
head at the contrast. "That eyesore should be pulled down," he muttered. "Should have been
pulled down long ago. Suggested it in a report, but I suppose it never
got to the Old Man. He depends on his staff too much. If I had the
region, I'd " He shook his head. He was not the regional director yet. Some day, the
old director would retire. Then, Central Coördination would be examining
the records of various district leaders, looking for a successor. Then He shrugged and turned his attention to his piloting of the borrowed
helicopter. It was a clumsy machine, and he had to get in to Regional
Headquarters in time for the morning conference. There would be no sense
it getting involved in employee traffic not if he could avoid it. The conference, his informant had told him, would be a little out of the
ordinary. It seemed that the Old Man had become somewhat irritated by
the excess privileges allowed in a few of the eastern districts. And he
was going to jack everyone up about it. After that would come the usual
period of reports, and possibly a few special instructions. Some of the
leaders would have pet projects to put forward, he knew. They always
did. Morely smiled to himself. He'd have something to come up with, too. And this conference might put a crimp in Harwood's style. Morely had
carefully worded his progress report to make contrast with the type of
report that he knew would come from District One. George Harwood had
been allowing quite a few extra privileges to his people, stating that
it was good for morale. And, during the past couple of months, he'd
seemed to be proving his point. Certainly, the production of the
employees from the peninsula had been climbing. Harwood, Morely decided
would be the most logical person after himself for the region when the
Old Man retired. In fact, for a time, it had looked as though the
director of District One was going to be a dangerous rival. But this conference would change things. Morely smiled slowly as he
thought of possible ways of shading the odds. He looked ahead. Commuters were streaming in from the peninsula now, to
make for the factory parking lots. His face tightened a little. Why, he
wondered, had the Old Man decided to call the conference at this hour?
He could have delayed a little, until commuter traffic was less heavy.
He'd been a district leader once. And before that, under the old
government, a field leader. He should know how annoying the employee
classes could be. And to force his leaders to mingle with commuting
employees in heavy traffic! For that matter, everyone seemed to be conspiring to make things
uncomfortable today... Continue reading book >>
|
Genres for this book |
---|
Fiction |
Literature |
Science |
eBook links |
---|
Wikipedia – Everett B. Cole |
Wikipedia – Final Weapon |
eBook Downloads | |
---|---|
ePUB eBook • iBooks for iPhone and iPad • Nook • Sony Reader |
Kindle eBook • Mobi file format for Kindle |
Read eBook • Load eBook in browser |
Text File eBook • Computers • Windows • Mac |
Review this book |
---|