Сидней Баундс - The Robot Brains [with w_cat]

• Название: The Robot Brains [with w_cat]
• Автор: Сидней Баундс
• Жанр: Героическая фантастика

Вниманию читателей предлагается книга Сидней Джеймса Баундса "The Robot Brains".

Каждый абзац текста, на английском языке, снабжен ссылкой на перевод.

Книга предназначена для учащихся старший классов школ, лицеев и гимназий, а также для широкого круга лиц, интересующихся английской литературой и совершенствующих свою языковую подготовку.

***

По Англии прокатилась волна убийств - жертвы, ведущие ученые, способ убийств одинаков и очень не аппетитен (подробности в тексте). Как всегда, полиция идет неверным путем, за расследование берутся профессор Фокс и капитан Кристиан. Убийцы найдены, "осиное гнездо" растревожено, убийства распространились на весь мир... все оказалось намного сложнее... Как принято, главному герою надо спасти мир.

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107 "Stay where you are," he said loudly. "I can see you."

108 The figure was in shadow, but Thurston noticed the gleam of metal. He raised the poker and said:

"Throw it down!"

109 The figure moved forward. The strange weapon pointed at him...

110 There was a brilliant flash of light in his face, one terrible moment of great heat, then nothing...

111 The murderer stepped past the headless body of Gilbert Thurston and went to the study. There he destroyed the manuscript.

- 7 -

112 Next morning Christian came to the Burkholder Fair with a bag over his shoulder. He was wearing a pair of trousers and a dark blue jersey. He looked like an ordinary sailor looking for work. He was walking about the place, looking around with interest. He saw men feeding animals, workers cleaning the territory, some children playing and a man shaving in the open.

Someone shouted at him:

113 "You there! Are you looking for a job?"

114 A tall man with a long moustache, well-dressed, came up to him. Christian understood that he was Burkholder.

115 "Yes, sir," he said. "I have missed my ship. I could work for a few weeks."

116 Burkholder looked at the captain attentively and saw a strong man with a blond beard and clear blue eyes.

117 "All right," he said. "You will do everything that is needed."

"Yes, sir."

118 "Have you had breakfast?"

"Not yet."

"Miller!" shouted Burkholder.

119 A very big man came up to them.

"What is your name?" Burkholder asked the captain.

"Christian, sir."

120 Burkholder turned to Miller.

121 "Christian will live in your trailer. Show him where it is and take him to the kitchen. Then go back to work."

122 Burkholder went away. The big man led the captain to a small trailer. Inside there were two beds.

123 "Leave your bag," said Miller, "and I'll show where to eat."

124 "Have you been working long here?" asked Christian.

125 "I started yesterday."

126 So the big man could not tell him much, Christian thought. Well, at least he was here: now he must see what he could discover.

127 He did not see the Brains until evening. In the evening they came from a large trailer. They were all dressed in grey. They moved without paying attention to the people around. They had small bodies and very big heads. They were short: not more than four feet in height. They looked very unpleasant.

128 Looking at the Brains, he decided: "Fox must be right, after all."

- 8 -

129 At around 10 o'clock the show was over, and the public left the Fair. Christian went to the kitchen, took his supper and sat on one of the benches.

130 Soon two small girls came in. One of them sat down beside Christian and began to talk.

131 "You are new, aren't you?"

132 "Started today, miss." Only now Christian realized that she was not a child, but a very small grown-up woman.

133 "I'm Jo," she said, laughing. "You need not feel awkward. We are different only outside; inside we are just like anybody else"

134 She had soft dark hair and wore a pink dress.

135 "You are a sailor, aren't you? Tell us about the sea - I'm sure you've had lots of adventures."

136 "You won't believe me," replied Christian. "Once I was shipwrecked on a rock in the middle of the ocean, and every night mermaids brought me food and sang me to sleep. Another time I was swallowed by a whale, but I had my knife with me, so I cut a hole in the side of the whale and escaped."

Jo laughed.

137 "Don't tell me about the sharks," she said. "I shan't believe that if you don't show me your wooden leg!"

138 Christian looked round.

139 "I don't see the Brains," he said. "I suppose they eat something."

140 "Not with us," said Jo with contempt. "they are too high to mix with the rest of us. They are not true dwarfs, not like Mabel and me."

141 "If the Brains are not dwarfs," said Christian, "what are they?"

142 "I don't know. None of us like them very much. They never leave their trailer, except for their act. But they are clever... and cruel!"

143 She shuddered.

144 "I wonder if they went out last night," said Christian.

145 "I don't think so," said Jo. "It seems that they are afraid of the dark - at least they keep the door of their trailer locked all night, and the lamps burning."

146 Soon Christian said good-night to Jo and walked to the trailer where he and Miller slept. When he came, Miller was preparing to go out.

147 "I'll come late," Miller said. "But don't worry, I shan't make noise."

148 Christian was glad to hear it, because he wanted to go out himself to watch the Brains; so he would not have to explain anything to Miller.

- 9 -

149 Christian spent almost all night watching the Brains' trailer, but in vain: they did not leave it.

150 In the evening of the next day, when the show was over, Christian was standing at the back of the large tent and waiting for the Brains. It was cold and it was raining. When they came out, he said:

151 "Typical English weather, this."

152 The Brains did not answer. Christian tried again.

153 "I suppose," he said, "the climate is warm in the place you come from."

154 When they were standing close to him, he could see individual differences in them. One had a more pointed chin than the others; the second had his ears flat against the skull; the third had a scar on his nose.

155 "It is true that we are used to an even temperature," said the Brain with the scar.

156 He spoke with a strange accent.

157 "What country it is?" asked the captain.

158 He received no answer. All three Brains were silent. Looking down at them, Christian saw that each had a belt at his waist; and in each belt there was a large black crystal with some strange engraving on it.

159 He stretched out his hand to touch the nearest crystal and exclaimed: "I've never seen anything like these before!"

160 Their reaction was immediate. All three Brains jerked away from him, as from something dangerous.

161 "Keep your hands off," one of them said angrily. "You must not touch!"

162 "Sorry," said Christian. He was intrigued.

163 They looked at him a moment, then quickly walked to their trailer. The captain remained standing there, wondering: what the devil was that all about?

- 10 -

164 Kurt Lawrence looked at the clock again. It was now past midnight, and Grace was not yet home. He thought: "She's seeing too much of Stacey..."

165 He tried to concentrate on his work. He was a tall man with brown hair, younger than he looked. His work was nearly finished. He had worked out a new method of launching rockets. It was a big step forward.

166 He looked at the clock again. Twenty minutes past midnight. Where was Grace now? He decided that in future he would devote more time to his wife.

167 He returned to his table to work out final details. When at last he finished, it was one o'clock. He heard someone at the door of the house. He opened the door of his room and went along the corridor, calling:

168 "Grace? Is that you, Grace?"

169 Kurt Lawrence did not know it then, but his worries were almost over...

- 11 -

170 Three cars stopped at the entrance to the Burkholder Fair. Four men in plain clothes got out of each car. They found Burkholder and explained what they wanted. The owner of the Fair did not like the idea, but he had no choice.

171 In ten minutes, everyone who worked at the Fair, was inside the large tent. The men in plain clothes were questioning them. Meanwhile, other men were searching the tents and trailers.

172 Christian was questioned, too. Miller, to his surprise, was with the people who asked the questions.

173 Afterwards, Miller took Christian aside and said, "I must now introduce myself."

174 He showed Christian his card; very simply it said that he was an operative of Military Intelligence.

175 "So you see," said Miller, "that we haven't ignored the theories of your friend Fox. Now we have something important to discuss. I know that you have been watching the Brains. Well, did you see them yesterday between midnight and two a.m.? Did they leave their trailer?"

176 "Another murder?" asked Christian.

177 "Yes, the seventh - a man named Kurt Lawrence. He worked with rockets. He was murdered, and some important papers disappeared at the same time."

178 "I can't help you," Christian said slowly. "I watched their trailer again, but I didn't see the Brains at all. A lamp was burning in the trailer - I think they were inside."

179 "H-m." Miller sat down on a chair and waved a large hand. "Make yourself comfortable - nobody will disturb us."

180 The captain sat down and put a cigar between his lips.

181 "The trouble is," said Miller, "that now I have declared my position. So I can't remain here." He looked thoughtfully at Christian. "Will you stay on here? They don't suspect you - and I shall be glad if you help."

182 "I'll do anything I can," said the captain.

183 "I'd like to see the murder weapon," said Miller. "Do you know the strangest thing about the Brains? They have no past!"

184 "What do you mean?"

185 "I mean that the Brains appeared suddenly, out of nowhere. Before that, no one had seen or heard of them. They have no past. Maybe they just dropped from the sky..."

Christian thought of Fox's theory.

- 12 -

186 It was a few days later, in the evening, when the show was over and the public had gone. It was late, the stars were shining brightly in a frosty sky. Christian was alone. He was doing some work on the territory, when he heard a loud scream from the direction of the Brains' trailer. He ran.

187 He came to where the Brains' trailer stood, and in the light of the moon saw the Brains and Jo. They had the dwarf-woman between them. The Brain with the flat ears held her by her dark long hair; the second Brain held a piece of cloth to her mouth; and the third cruelly twisted her arms.

188 Still running, Christian shouted: "Stop that, you devils - leave her alone!"

189 The Brains were too busy to hear him. He seized one of them - the one with the scar on the nose - and threw him aside.

190 The other two Brains turned to him, releasing Jo, who fell to the ground. The Brain with the scar stood up and ran up to Christian. He was shaking with rage.

191 "I'll teach you to interfere!" he shouted.

192 He was ready to attack Christian, when Victor, the Brain with the flat ears, who seemed to be their leader, said quietly:

"Waldo!"

193 This one word sounded as a command. The Brain with the scar stopped at once. All three looked coldly at the captain, then turned and marched into their trailer.

194 Christian bent over Jo and said:

"It's all right, Jo, they've gone."

She opened her eyes.

"Hello, Sailor! It's good that you came. Thank you!"

195 Christian helped her to get up. Her face was pale. She laughed.

196 "That's what I get for not minding my own business," she said. "Seeing that they know all the answers, I decided to ask them who did the murders. They did not answer me; just stood there and looked at me as if I were some insect. I did not like their look. Then one of them seized me by the hair. 'Little girls must not ask questions,' he said, 'we'll have to teach you a lesson.' Waldo started twisting my arm, and I screamed. Then you came up."

She smiled a little.

"Thanks again."

197 Christian walked with her to her trailer. At the door he stopped and said: "Jo, you must not go near the Brains. They are dangerous. And don't ask any more questions."

198 She looked up at him.

199 "And you? They won't forgive you for stopping them. You must be careful. They'll do something horrible."

200 "I can take care of myself," said the captain. "Do you feel all right now?"

Jo nodded.

"I'm fine... Good night, Sailor."

201 Christian went to his own trailer. He was sure that the Brains would not forget him.. When he was in the trailer, he took his automatic gun out of his bag and checked its mechanism. He thought a little, then he decided that he would not need it that night.

202 He put the gun under his pillow and went out. He went to the Cross Keys, a fine of old pub where he and Miller had agreed to meet.

- 13 -

203 When the captain came up to the old pub, he saw Miller's car standing at the entrance. It was late, and the door was locked. He went round the house to the back door which had been left open for him, and entered the house. It was dark and still inside. A light burned somewhere above.

204 He began climbing the stairs. Then, suddenly, breaking the silence of the house, came a gunshot. Christian jumped forward, to the top of the stairs. He found himself in a short corridor with a door at the end. The door was a little open, and light was coming from inside.

205 He ran to the door and went in. Miller lay on the carpet. On his shirt there was blood. An automatic gun lay beside him, and there was no one else in the room.

206 Christian bent over Miller. The man was dead. He looked at the gun... it was very much like his own. He took it to read the number - and did not believe his eyes: it was his own gun.

207 Christian stared at the gun and then at Miller. He could not understand it. He knew that he had left his gun -

208 The door behind him closed softly and a key turned on the outside. Christian jumped to the door and pulled it, but in vain. He was locked in.

209 By now the old pub was coming to life. He heard movement and voices and steps in the corridor.

210 Someone knocked on the door and shouted: "Mister Miller, are you all right?"

211 Christian answered: "Open this door - Miller is dead, and his murderer is running away!"

212 There was a pause; then the key turned and the door opened. The red-faced owner of the pub stood there with a heavy stick in his hand. He was looking at Christian who was still holding the gun, and at Miller's body.

213 "Let me go out," said Christian.

214 "Not so fast - you will have to explain something"

215 "Listen, I was working with Miller. He was waiting for me. Someone shot him and-"

216 "Maybe," said the red-faced man. He stepped back, quickly closed the door and locked it again. "You will stay here till I bring the police," he said.

217 For the first time Christian realized his own position. He had been found, alone, in a looked room, with a dead man, holding the gun - his own gun. It would be difficult to convince the police that he was not the murderer.

218 And how had his gun got here from the trailer?

219 But now, Christian understood, there was no time for thinking about that. He opened the window. Looking down, he saw Miller's car.

220 He jumped out of the window, ran to the car and got in. The red-faced owner of the pub came out, shouting and waving his stick. Christian started the car and drove away at full speed.

- 14 -

221 He drove back to the Fair. He was determined to find the Brains and speak to them. Instinct told him they were responsible; they knew, that Miller had been watching them, and so they killed him. And they killed Miller with Christian's gun because they wanted to take revenge on him: they had not forgotten that he had interfered when they were speaking with Jo.