The Defenders (short story) by Philip K. Dick "No weapon has ever been frightful enough to put a stop to war — perhaps because we never before had any that thought for themselves." Total nuclear war between the United States and the Soviet Union has succeeded in sterilizing the surface of the Earth. No living creature can now exist there, and all humans on both sides have fled to hives built miles below the surface. They work constantly to produce the war materials necessary to maintain the battle. For 8 years the fighting between these super-powers has been conducted by robots known as Ledeys. They are the Defenders, standing between the underground combatants and their ultimate victory, or defeat. Published January 1953 ~ Galaxy Science Fiction