Paycheck
- by Philip K. Dick
- Novelette
- Science Fiction
- Adults
- Definite Time Travel
- English
- “Paycheck” by Philip K. Dick, Imagination, June 1953.
Apparently, Jennings agreed to work as a specialized mechanic for two years at Rethrick Construction, having his memory wiped at the end in return for 50,000 credits—except instead of a bag full of credits, the memory-wiped Jennings is left holding a bag of seven trinkets and no idea why he would have agreed to such a thing.
—Michael Main
But the big puzzle: how had he—his earlier self—known that a piece of wire and a bus token would save his life? He had known, all right. Known in advance. But how? And the other five. Probably they were just as precious, or would be.
Tags
(10)
- Time Periods
- Unspecified Future Year: Clues indicate late 20th or early 21st century.
- Timeline Models
- Foretold or Seen Future Is Inevitable: The things that Jennings (in the past) saw were exactly what happened to Jennings on the run.
- Single Consistent Timeline: Overall, we believe that there is one timeline only. Jennings must have seen himself using the trinkets, after which he made certain those trinkets were available to his future self.
- Time Travel Methods
- Chronoscopes: The time scoop acts mostly like a chronoscope . . .
- Time Retrievers: . . . but it can also scoop up small items!
- Themes
- Causal Loops: Through the time scoop viewer, Jennings sees what he uses to succeed, and this causes him to give himself exactly those things. At one point, it appears that Jennings (on the run) thinks that Jennings (in the past) had worked out exactly what he would need, but that appears to be a red herring.
- Classified Ad: Adventurers Wanted: Mechanic wanted
- Fictional Tags
- Dystopian World: An odd police state where the police must respect an immunity from search within corporate walls.
- Groupings
Variants
(1)
- “Paycheck” by Philip K. Dick, Imagination, June 1953.
- “La clause du salaire” [The salary clause] by Philip K. Dick, in Le grand O (DenoëlMay 1988).
- “La clause de salaire” [The salary clause] by Philip K. Dick, in Paycheck et autres récits (Gallimard, February 2004).
- “Zahltag” [Payday] by Philip K. Dick, in Kolonie (Haffmans, 1999).
- alternative title of “Zahltag.”
“Paycheck: Die Abrechnung” [Paycheck: The accounting] by Philip K. Dick, in Paycheck: Die Abrechnung (Heyne, February 2004). - “Previdenza” [Retirement provision] by Philip K. Dick, in Le presenze invisibili, vol. 1 (Interno Giallo, June 1994).
- ペイチェック [Paycheck], as by フィリップ・K・ディック, in 変数人間 ( 早川書房, November 2013).
- “Wypłata” [Payment] by Philip K. Dick, in Krótki szczęśliwy żywot brązowego oksforda (Dom Wydawniczy Rebis, 2014).
- “O pagamento” [The payment] by Philip K. Dick, in Pago para esquecer (Editorial Presença, August 2004).
- “O pagamento” [The payment] by Philip K. Dick, in Realidades adaptadas: os contos de Philip K. Dick que inspiraram grandes sucessos do cinema (Editora Aleph, August 2012).
Translations
(9)
- “Paycheck” by Philip K. Dick, Imagination, June 1953.
- French.
“La clause du salaire” [The salary clause] by Philip K. Dick, in Le grand O (DenoëlMay 1988). - French.
“La clause de salaire” [The salary clause] by Philip K. Dick, in Paycheck et autres récits (Gallimard, February 2004). - German.
“Zahltag” [Payday] by Philip K. Dick, in Kolonie (Haffmans, 1999). - German: alternative title of “Zahltag.”
“Paycheck: Die Abrechnung” [Paycheck: The accounting] by Philip K. Dick, in Paycheck: Die Abrechnung (Heyne, February 2004). - Italian.
“Previdenza” [Retirement provision] by Philip K. Dick, in Le presenze invisibili, vol. 1 (Interno Giallo, June 1994). - Japanese.
ペイチェック [Paycheck], as by フィリップ・K・ディック, in 変数人間 ( 早川書房, November 2013). - Polish.
“Wypłata” [Payment] by Philip K. Dick, in Krótki szczęśliwy żywot brązowego oksforda (Dom Wydawniczy Rebis, 2014). - Portuguese.
“O pagamento” [The payment] by Philip K. Dick, in Pago para esquecer (Editorial Presença, August 2004). - Portuguese.
“O pagamento” [The payment] by Philip K. Dick, in Realidades adaptadas: os contos de Philip K. Dick que inspiraram grandes sucessos do cinema (Editora Aleph, August 2012).
Derived Works
(1)
- Paycheck by Dean Georgaris, directed by John Woo (25 December 2003).