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.

---

222 When he came to the Fair, he parked the car and got out of it. It was dark. Only one light was seen in the distance - it came from the Brains' trailer. Christian walked towards it.

223 The door was locked. The captain took a piece of wire out of his pocket, worked with it a little, and the door opened. The captain stepped in, holding his gun ready.

224 He stopped, disappointed. The trailer was empty.

225 Christian looked angrily around. Where were the Brains now? He could not wait for them. He was sure that the owner of the Cross Keys had raised an alarm and the police were looking for him. And the first place where they would come would be the Fair.

226 He had to get away before the police came. It was absolutely necessary for him to remain in freedom until he could prove his innocence. There was nothing else to do, Christian decided: he must disappear.

He went quickly and silently to his own trailer and packed his bag. He looked under the pillow where he had left his gun: as he expected, there was nothing there. There was no doubt that the Brains had framed him for Miller's murder.

He was thinking where to go. He could not go to his yacht: he was sure that the police would visit it. He could not go to Fox - the police knew that they were friends, so, of course, they would come to Fox's place, too. He had friends who would be ready to hide him, but he wanted to remain near the Fair - that was his only chance to get at the Brains. And the Fair was leaving for Cambridge in the morning - Burkholder had decided to find a new place for it after the visit of Military Intelligence.

So Christian decided to go to Cambridge and hide there, waiting for his chance.

He took his bag and left his trailer. He went to the kitchen. There he took an empty bag and put into it some foodstuffs which he could find. Putting the bag on his shoulder, he left the kitchen.

The police knew the number of Miller's car, so he could not use it. He walked quickly along the path. In the bright light of the moon he saw a workman's bicycle near the fence. Without hesitation he got on it and, leaving the Fair, rode off in the direction of Cambridge.

He travelled the whole night, and with the first light of day he decided to stop and find a place to hide. He stopped at a deserted crossroads and looked around. Through the trees growing along the road he saw a field and a river in the distance. Near the river he noticed the ruins of a deserted boat-house.

He lifted his stolen bicycle on his shoulder and crossed the field to the river. He approached the ruins of the boathouse. Tall grass growing around the door showed that nobody was using the house.

He opened the door and frightened away a rat, which quickly ran into the darkness. He saw a flight of stairs which led to a loft, and he climbed up carrying the bicycle with him. He found himself in a small room with a little window, which gave him a clear view of the approaches to the house. So if some people were coming to the house, he would see them.

Christian was satisfied. He sat down on the floor and ate some cold bacon and bread and cheese. The whole morning he was looking out of the window, but saw nobody. In the afternoon he slept a few hours.

When night fell, he set off again, and in the morning he was near Cambridge.

On the wall of a newspaper stall there was a newspaper. Christian stopped his bicycle and looked through the front page. There was a photograph of him and a text under it:

The police are looking for Captain Arthur Christian to interview him in connection with the shooting at Reading.

Christian is tall, blond, blue-eyed, with a short beard.

He is armed. The police think he may be near Cambridge.

Christian was alarmed. He decided that he must find a hiding-place at once. He could not remain in the streets during the day.

227 He rode on again. Soon he saw a large poster:

BURKHOLDER'S FAIR

228 There was a picture of the Brains and a text in red letters:

Five pounds will be given to anyone who asks a question which the Brains cannot answer.

Below the poster gave the address of the place where the Fair was located.

Christian looked around. There was a long, partly broken fence along one side of the street. Behind the fence he saw a garden and an old shed. The garden was grown with weeds, and it was clear that it was not used. Christian looked around again to make sure that nobody saw him, then took his bicycle and got into the garden through a crack in the fence.

There was a lock on the door of the shed, but Christian easily broke it and got inside. He sat down on the floor and ate some food, which still remained, in his bag.

During the day he slept. In the evening, when it was dark, he left the shed and rode to the place where the Burkholder Fair was located.

- 15 -

229 Jo came out of the kitchen after a late supper and walked towards her trailer. There was no moon, and the stars were covered with clouds. There was nobody around.

230 Then she heard a soft voice: "Jo."

231 She recognized Christian's voice and stopped.

232 "It is not safe for you here," she said in a whisper. "The whole area is watched by plain-clothes men."

Christian smiled.

233 "I know." He looked down at the dwarf-woman. "Jo, I didn't kill Miller."

234 "Of course, you didn't," she said quickly. "I never believed that for a moment. Tell me how I can help. Doctor Fox was here this morning I know where he is now. But the police are watching him."

235 Christian pointed to a light, which was coming from one of the trailers.

236 "Are the Brains at home?"

237 "I think they are," she answered. "What are you going to do?"

238 "I am going to speak to them," he said. "I am sure that they murdered Miller"

239 "Be careful, Sailor!"

240 Christian pressed her hand.

241 "Don't go near the Brains," he said. He turned and walked to the Brains' trailer.

242 He noiselessly approached the door of the trailer, put his piece of wire into the lock and opened the door.

243 And again - he saw nobody!

244 Christian stepped inside and locked the door after himself. He sat down, looking at the door and holding his automatic gun ready. This time he was going to wait till the Brains returned.

245 Minutes passed. Christian thought about Fox and Jo: they both believed in him and were ready to help. It was good indeed to have such good friends. Then he thought about the Brains. Maybe now, just at this moment, they were murdering another man, and soon they would return with their murder weapon..

246 He didn't notice how his eyes closed. He heard some movement and opened his eyes. The Brains were standing before him - but he was sure that the door had not opened. For a long moment the Brains and Christian looked at each other.

Christian pointed his gun at them.

247 "You know why I am here," he said. "Speak - and remember that I can shoot you."

Suddenly Victor, the leader of the Brains, raised his hand. He was holding his murder weapon in it..

248 Christian jumped to his feet, quick as lightning, caught Victor by his hand and pressed it hard. The weapon fell to the floor, and Christian kicked it under the bed. He pointed his automatic at the Brains again.

"All right-speak!"

249 The Brains were standing and looking at him. Then Victor said quietly: "We must leave."

250 "You are not going to leave..." Christian did not finish.

251 Each Brain touched the black crystal at his waist - and disappeared. The captain was alone in the trailer, not believing his eyes. It was impossible...

252 Fox was right. They could not be human.

253 He put his hand under the bed and took out the weapon of the Brains. It was made of some hard metal.

254 It was very important to send the weapon to Miller's chief as quickly as possible. Military Intelligence must understand who their enemies were: beings who could disappear into nothing. But he did not know if the people in Military Intelligence would believe him...

255 Christian walked up and down the trailer, thinking. Then he sat down at the table and wrote an account of what had happened at the Cross Keys, how he had got the Brains' weapon, and how the three Brains had disappeared before his eyes.

256 He smoked one of his black cigars while he was reading what he had written. Then he put his account and the weapon into a cardboard box and left the trailer. In the darkness of the night he walked noiselessly to Jo's trailer. He knocked, and Jo opened the door.

257 "Can you take this package to Fox?" he asked in a low voice. "Tell him to send it to Miller's chief. Tell him also that I shall be hiding at Girton: he knows that I have friends there.

258 "I'll go now," said Jo. "Good luck, Sailor."

259 Christian went to the place where he had left his bicycle and rode off. Early in the morning, when it was still dark, he arrived at the village of Girton.

260 He got into his friends' house through the back door. It was quiet in the house, and breakfast was prepared on the table. Christian ate, then lay down on the bed which had been prepared for him.

261 It was late when he woke. Bright sun was shining in through the window.

On the table there was a newspaper. He read:

DECAPITATION AT CAMBRIDGE

262 The headless corpse of Professor Duval was found early this morning in his private study. Duval, one of the world's famous mathematicians and a lecturer at the University of Cambridge, was working on a new theory of the space-time continuum. His papers have been lost...

- 16 -

263 "Come in," the Old Man said. "Please sit down, Doctor Fox."

264 Fox looked with interest at the chief of Military Intelligence. The Old Man pushed a box of cigarettes towards him.

265 "Help yourself, Doctor. First of all I must thank you for bringing us the weapon -"

266 Fox interrupted:

267 "Christian got that weapon for you. Don't you think it is time to clear him of the suspicion of the murder?"

268 "That is really a matter for the police, but I believe his story. I think I will be able to help." The Old Man looked through some papers. "I have here a report on this weapon. It is a decapitator; and a new kind of energy is used in it. I have no details, but a group of scientists are working on it. The fingerprints on the weapon show that it has been used by somebody with very small hands."

269 "The Brains!" exclaimed Fox.

270 "Probably. As you know, the Brains have disappeared completely - my men are watching the Fair, and they haven't seen them. I don't think they will come to the Fair again."

271 "We must get one of those crystals," said Fox. "Lawrence worked with rockets. Duval worked out a new theory for the space-time continuum. Do you see what we are up against? These murders aren't going to stop - you can be sure that the Brains have more than one decapitator. It is an interplanetary affair. The earth is fighting for the right to go out into space..."

272 The Old Man looked grim.

273 "If you are right," he said, "the position is serious. What have we got? An invasion by beings from another world who can disappear at will and who have a deadly weapon - deadlier than ours. We must find them. If only we knew where to start looking -"

274 "They have a spaceship which is hidden somewhere," said Fox. "Find the ship and you will find the Brains. I advise you to check all unidentified flying objects which appear in the sky."

275 "I'll do that. Now, if you'll excuse me, I must see the Prime Minister immediately."

276 Fox said quickly: "And Christian? Will you clear him?"

277 "Yes. I'll speak with the Home Secretary. Later, I should like to meet the captain personally."

278 Fox walked along the corridor and left the building of Military Intelligence. He heard the voice of a newsboy:

279 "Another decapitation! The maniac strikes again! Special!"

280 Fox bought a newspaper. It told of an Italian scientist who had been found dead in his laboratory. Fox had a feeling that the real trouble was only just starting. First Britain, now Italy...

Where next? He wondered.

- 17 -

281 From the window of his office on the sixty-fourth floor Michael Brant had a very good view of downtown Manhattan. But he was not looking through the window. He was sitting with his back to the window. He was a fat man with rings on his fingers and a big cigar between his teeth.

282 "It is interesting," he said slowly. "Of course, it is interesting, but where is money in it? You agree that it will take a lot of money to make something practical out of this model of yours, don't you?"

283 He was looking at the inventor who was standing in front of him.

284 "I haven't the money to do it myself," said the inventor. "That's why I came to you. I need a research laboratory. But I am sure that you will get your money back in the end."

285 "In the end!" Brant smiled cynically. "Listen, Marten, I am a financier, not a philanthropist. I want results - now. All right," he went on, "I'll give you five thousand."

"Ten," said Marten.

286 At this moment, though the door was locked, a dwarf-like figure, dressed in grey, suddenly appeared in the room. The man raised his hand and pointed a strange-looking gun at Marten. A bright ray appeared from the gun.

287 The next moment Marten's headless corpse fell on the floor. The weapon turned to Brant...

288 Afterwards the man in grey turned the ray on Marten's invention, and then disappeared.

- 18 -

289 In South America five men died.

290 In Africa and Mexico, in Sweden and Madagascar, the decapitations continued. Reports from behind the Iron Curtain said that this process was now world-wide. Brains were seen in Berlin, Hawaii, and other places. More and more people were murdered, and all of them were scientists - until the incident in Caribou City.

291 Caribou City was a small town on the banks of the Peace River in Canada. Uranium had been discovered there, and a group of scientists were doing some research work. One night a scientist was decapitated there in the presence of a large group of people, but this time the Brain who had decapitated him did not escape.

292 The scientist's assistant had a gun and shot the Brain through his heart.

293 There was a full hour of triumph in Caribou City. Then the revenge came. There appeared a lot of Brains in the town. They used the weapons, which were of the same type as the decapitators, but much bigger and more powerful. Whole buildings were burned to the ground. In a short while Caribou City was completely destroyed...

294 After that the Brains returned to their practice of killing the world's scientists. Every day reports of new decapitations came from different parts of the world: from Athens and Tokyo, Lisbon and Vienna. Newspapers attacked the governments for doing nothing.

295 The British Prime Minister declared a state of emergency.

296 The police and Military Intelligence were looking for the Brains' base, but could not find anything. The Brains simply appeared, killed, and disappeared again.

- 19 -

297 Sitting in an armchair in the cabin of his yacht, Captain Christian raised his glass.

298 "It's nice to be a free man again. Thanks, Doc."