The Project Gutenberg eBook, Summit, by Dallas McCord Reynolds,
Illustrated by Freas

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Title: Summit

Author: Dallas McCord Reynolds

Release Date: December 1, 2007 [eBook #23669]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ISO-646-US (US-ASCII)

***START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK SUMMIT***

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Transcriber's note:

This etext was produced from _Astounding Science Fiction_,
February, 1960. Extensive research did not uncover any
evidence that the U.S. copyright on this publication was
renewed.

SUMMIT

by

MACK REYNOLDS

Illustrated by Freas

[Illustration]

_Almost anything, if it goes on long enough, can be reduced to, first a
Routine, and then, to a Tradition. And at the point it is, obviously,
Necessary._

Two king-sized bands blared martial music, the "_Internationale_" and
the "Star-Spangled Banner," each seemingly trying to drown the other in
a _Goetterdaemmerung_ of acoustics.

Two lines of troops, surfacely differing in uniforms and in weapons, but
basically so very the same, so evenly matched, came to attention. A
thousand hands slapped a thousand submachine gun stocks.

Marshal Vladimir Ignatov strode stiff-kneed down the long march, the
stride of a man for years used to cavalry boots. He was flanked by
frozen visaged subordinates, but none so cold of face as he himself.

At the entrance to the conference hall he stopped, turned and waited.

At the end of the corridor of troops a car stopped and several figures
emerged, most of them in civilian dress, several bearing brief cases.
They in their turn ran the gantlet.

At their fore walked James Warren Donlevy, spritely, his eyes darting
here, there, politician-like. A half smil