Paycheck

by Philip K. Dick

Release: June 1953
Format: Novelette
Genre: Science Fiction
Audience: Adults
Content: Definite Time Travel
Original Language: English

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.

DEBUT

“Paycheck,” Imagination, June 1953.

VARIANTS

1 English variant

TRANSLATIONS

French translation:
[ex=bare]“La clause du salaire” | The salary clause[/ex], in Le grand O (DenoëlMay 1988).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Philip K. Dick
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . narrated by Pierre-Paul Durastanti
French translation:
[ex=bare]“La clause de salaire” | The salary clause[/ex], in Paycheck et autres récits (Gallimard, February 2004).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Philip K. Dick
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . narrated by Hélène Collon
German translation:
[ex=bare]“Zahltag” | Payday[/ex], in Kolonie (Haffmans, 1999).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Philip K. Dick
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . narrated by Walter Grossbein
German translation: Alternative title of “Zahltag”.
[ex=bare]“Paycheck: Die Abrechnung” | Paycheck: The accounting[/ex], in Paycheck: Die Abrechnung (Heyne, February 2004).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Philip K. Dick
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . narrated by Walter Grossbein
Italian translation:
[ex=bare]“Previdenza” | Retirement provision[/ex], in Le presenze invisibili, vol. 1 (Interno Giallo, June 1994).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Philip K. Dick
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . narrated by Vittorio Curtoni
Japanese translation:
[ex=bare]ペイチェック | Paycheck[/ex], in 変数人間 ( 早川書房, November 2013).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Philip K. Dick as by フィリップ・K・ディック
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . narrated by 浅倉久志
Polish translation:
[ex=bare]“Wypłata” | Payment[/ex], in Krótki szczęśliwy żywot brązowego oksforda (Dom Wydawniczy Rebis, 2014).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Philip K. Dick
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . narrated by unknown persons
Portuguese translation:
[ex=bare]“O pagamento” | The payment[/ex], in Pago para esquecer (Editorial Presença, August 2004).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Philip K. Dick
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . narrated by Saul Barata
Portuguese translation:
[ex=bare]“O pagamento” | The payment[/ex], in Realidades adaptadas: os contos de Philip K. Dick que inspiraram grandes sucessos do cinema (Editora Aleph, August 2012).
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . written by Philip K. Dick
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . narrated by Ludimila Hashimoto

9 translations

DERIVATIVE WORKS

Paycheck by Dean Georgaris, directed by John Woo, (at movie theaters, USA, 25 December 2003).

TAGS(SPOILERS!)

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 Static 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

Imagination (periodical): June 1953
Cited in Time Machines by Paul J. Nahin ()

TIME TRAVEL ITINERARY (SPOILERS!)

From Rethrick’s office, near the end of the story ⋙ to the time scoop lab, before the start of the story. Note: The time scoop grabs one small item from out of Kelly’s hand.