02523cam a22003733u 4500 60421 UtSlPG 20260610134407.0 m cr n 260607r2019||||utu|||||o|||||||||||||| d UtSlPG en iso639-1 PS Walton, Bryce, 1918-1988 Security Salt Lake City, UT : Project Gutenberg, 2019 1 online resource : multiple file formats text txt rdacontent computer c rdamedia online resource cr rdacarrier Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, December 1957 Release date is 2019-10-04 Produced by Greg Weeks, Mary Meehan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net "Security" by Bryce Walton is a science fiction short story written in the late 1950s. The narrative explores themes of paranoia, isolation, and the psychological impacts of extreme secrecy in a military context. The story centers around characters grappling with the consequences of their work on a high-security project during a war, raising questions about sanity and humanity in a world where personal relationships and communication are stifled. The plot follows Sam Lewis, an engineer entrenched in a categorized project that has rendered its brilliant thinkers into shadows of their former selves. The deteriorating conditions lead to a chaotic party atmosphere where intoxication is a coping mechanism for the scientists' frustrations and ennui. Sam's interaction with Betty Seton, a fellow scientist, culminates in a desperate escape attempt when he realizes the enormity of their confinement and loss of purpose. The climax builds as Lewis takes radical action to free himself and his colleagues from the clutches of the oppressive security state, ultimately learning that the outside world they feared has significantly changed — the war they thought was ongoing had actually ended years prior, leaving them disconnected from reality and their true selves. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Original publication data not identified Science fiction Short stories Scientists -- Fiction United States -- Fiction Secrecy -- Fiction Produced from Worlds of If Science Fiction, December 1957 https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/60421 101247 101247