Cocoon

By Keith Laumer

Two Billion Years ago, a unit of life had the urge to climb out of the sea. It died. But that didn’t count. The urge to climb out was the thing—greater in its force than a million suns to keep the urge is the measure of man. Before becoming a science fiction writer Laumer was an officer in the United States Air Force and a diplomat in the Foreign Service, adding a note of realism to many of his stories. One of science fiction’s true luminaries

• Language: English
• Publisher: Wilder Publications, Inc.
• Release date: May 29, 2020
• ISBN: 9781515444282

Keith Laumer

John Keith Laumer (June 9, 1925 – January 23, 1993) was an American science fiction author. Prior to becoming a full-time writer, he was an officer in the United States Air Force and a diplomat in the United States Foreign Service. His older brother March Laumer was also a writer, known for his adult reinterpretations of the Land of Oz (also mentioned in Laumer's The Other Side of Time). Frank Laumer, their youngest brother, is a historian and writer.

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Cocoon

by Keith Laumer

©2020 Positronic Publishing

Cocoon is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, organizations, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, locales or institutions is entirely coincidental.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner without written permission except for brief quotations for review purposes only.

ISBN 13: 978-1-5154-4428-2

Table of Contents

Cocoon

Cocoon

Two Billion Years ago, a unit of life had the urge to climb out of the sea. It died. But that didn’t count. The urge to climb out was the thing—greater in its force than a million suns to keep the urge is the measure of man.

Sid Throndyke overrode his respirator to heave a deep sigh.

Wow! he said, flipping to his wife’s personal channel. A tough day on the Office channel.

The contact screens attached to his eyeballs stayed blank: Cluster was out. Impatiently, Sid toed the console, checking the channels: Light, Medium and Deep Sitcom; auto-hypno; Light and Deep Narco; four, six, and eighty-party Social; and finally, muttering to himself, Psychan. Cluster’s identity symbol appeared on his screens.

There you are, he grieved. Psychan again. After a hard day, the least a man expects is to find his wife tuned to his channel—

Oh, Sid; there’s this wonderful analyst. A new model. It’s doing so much for me, really wonderful....

I know, Sid grumped. "That orgasm-association technique. That’s all I hear. I’d think you’d want to keep in touch with the Sitcoms, so you know what’s going on;