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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- 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."

299 Doctor Fox, sitting opposite him, opened a fresh bottle of beer.

300 "You did it yourself, Chris," he said. "You got the decapitator."

301 "And you took it to Miller's chief. I could not do it without you."

302 They sat a few minutes in silence.

303 "The important thing now," said Christian, "is to find the Brains. We must get one of those crystals."

304 "I don't see, how you can do that," said Fox. "You can't catch people who disappear into thin air."

305 "We must try. We must catch one of them before he has time to use his decapitator or touch his crystal. If we work fast, we can do it. And then we'll separate. I'll take the prisoner to a hiding-place which will be prepared - and you will take the crystal somewhere else."

306 Fox laughed: "First catch your Brain."

Christian smiled.

307 "We'll make a trap," he said. "We can publish an article in the newspapers that some scientist has found out the mystery of the Brains. The newspaper article will mention the place where this scientist works - and it will be our hiding-place! I am sure the Brains will come to that place at once!"

The doctor thought.

308 "Maybe it will work," he said.

309 "I am sure it will work," said Christian. "One of them will come and we'll catch him. And I'll make him talk."

"Shall we ask the Old Man to help?"

310 "No! This is my show. Afterwards, if we do it, we'll tell him the good news. But I want to do it myself."

He took a note-book and began to write a plan.

311 "We shall need two fast cars and an empty house in some isolated place. Then two separate hiding places."

312 Christian worked out the details of his plan.

313 "Where do they come from?" he asked suddenly. "I don't agree with your theory that they come from interplanetary space. A spaceship large enough to carry fifty Brains cannot be hidden. The astronomers have searched the sky with their telescopes and found nothing. There must be some other explanation. But what?"

- 20 -

314 The house stood on a high hill. There were no houses or trees around. In a large room on the ground floor Fox and Christian sat in opposite corners; both were armed. Fox held one end of a nylon cord in his left hand. The cord was connected with a net, which was hanging from the ceiling. One pull - and the net would fall.

315 If only one Brain appeared, they were planning to try to take him alive; more than one - and they would open fire immediately.

316 They were sitting and waiting. They were sure that the Brains would learn of the supposed threat to their safety. Not only newspapers published the story, but radio and television had broadcast it, too; and people were talking in the streets...

317 Outside the house, in the garage, two cars stood ready. Two hiding-places were prepared. One was an underground laboratory - Fox was going to use it to investigate the crystal. The other was the cellar of an empty house - and Christian was going to take the prisoner there and question him.

318 Suddenly a Brain appeared in the room. Christian recognized him by the scar on his nose: it was Waldo. He was alone and armed with a decapitation. He saw Christian and raised his hand with the weapon at the moment when Fox pulled the cord.

319 The net fell. Waldo tried to touch the black crystal on his belt, but could not do it because of the net. Christian jumped at Waldo and hit him heavily with his automatic gun. The Brain fell on the floor. Christian unfastened the Brain's belt with the crystal and gave it to Fox.

320 "Go!" he said. "I'll take care of Waldo."

321 Doctor Fox put the belt with its black crystal into a metal box and locked the box. Then he quickly left the room.

322 Christian lit a cigar. Then he lifted Waldo from the floor, threw him over his shoulder and went out. He saw Fox's car in the distance. Reaching the garage, he put Waldo into the other car, got in himself, started the engine and drove off.

Waldo spat.

323 All the way to the hiding-place he spat and cursed Christian - and there were some words in his speech, which Christian did not understand. These words sounded English, but he did not know them.

324 The cellar of the house where Christian brought Waldo was empty. In the middle was a big barrel filled with water. It was very heavy, and Christian tied Waldo to it. In one corner of the cellar there were stone steps, which led to a massive door. Christian had locked this door, and the key was in his pocket.

325 The Brain's decapitator was pushed under Christian's belt. He looked at his prisoner, holding his automatic in his hand.

326 "Listen," he said. "You are going to answer my questions. We are quite alone, and I shall make you talk."

Waldo spat again.

327 Christian lit a cigar and held it close to Waldo's face.

328 "You will be sorry, Christian," said Waldo. "You will answer for it."

329 "Answer me!" said the captain. "I'm losing patience... Where do you come from? How many of you are there? How do your crystals work?"

330 He received no answer. He raised his hand and struck Waldo a heavy blow on his face.

"Talk, I tell you!"

331 He took the Brain's weapon from under his belt and pointed it at him.

332 "I am giving you three minutes," he said. "If you don't speak and answer my questions, I'll use your weapon on you. I'll decapitate you."

333 The telephone began to ring.

334 Christian was surprised. Only Fox knew that he was there. He took the receiver.

"Chris? Fox here. The crystal has disappeared. I kept looking at the box all the way here, and when I unlocked the box just now, it was empty. There was nobody near me. But the belt with the crystal has disappeared!"

- 21 -

335 Somewhere in the south of England a conference was taking place. A group of scientists were sitting and standing round the laboratory table. On the table there were parts of the weapon, which Christian had seized from the Brains and sent to Military Intelligence.

336 The Minister of War was looking at the parts of the weapon attentively.

337 "The weapon worked on quite a new principle," said the leader of the research group. "By some method - we don't understand it - power is taken directly from the atmosphere and changed into heat energy. This heat energy is emitted in a concentrated ray, which annihilates any material form."

The Minister of War thought.

338 "Can we make such a weapon?" he asked.

339 Outside the laboratory there was a strong guard of soldiers. They were ready for a possible attack of the Brains.

340 Suddenly the guard commander saw a great cloud of flame and smoke rising over the laboratory. A few minutes later nothing remained of the laboratory and the people who were inside it.

341 The guard commander sent a telephone message to Downing Street.

- 22 -

342 The Prime Minister looked tired. There were dark circles round his eyes, and his face was pale.

343 "It's a bad business," he said, "and I can't see the end of it."

The Old Man was sitting at the table opposite the Prime Minister.

344 "Our only hope is Captain Christian, sir," he said. "If his plan works, we may get useful information."

345 "True," sighed the Prime Minister. "And meanwhile the decapitations continue. We are losing the best men every day, and it's the same all over the world."

346 The Old Man said nothing, because he did not know what to say.

347 "And now the Minister of War," continued the Prime Minister. "It seems impossible! Only yesterday I spoke to him -"

348 "I am sorry," said the Old Man. "I know he was a personal friend of yours."

There was a short silence.

349 "I am waiting for news from New York," said the Prime Minister. "As you know, the United Nations are holding an emergency meeting now..."

- 23 -

350 The Secretary-General called again for order. "Gentlemen, please, the delegate from Great Britain has the floor."

351 It was noisy in the great hall. Delegates jumped from their seats and cried. Everybody accused everybody. The Asian Federacy accused Britain. The United States accused Russia. It seemed that the delegates would begin fighting any moment.

352 At last the British delegate was able to speak.

353 "This is no time for quarrelling among ourselves," he said. "An invasion from space is threatening us-"

There was a great noise again.

354 "- an invasion from space," continued the British delegate. "Our civilization is in danger. We must co-operate-"

355 It was useless. All the delegates were shouting again, and the Secretary-General declared the meeting closed.

- 24 -

356 A man was decapitated in New South Wales, three in Yucatan, four in Quebec. The murders continued in Africa, Pakistan and Denmark. Scientists who did original research were murdered all over the world.

357 And only one man had a contact with the enemy.

358 Christian put down the receiver, walked up to the Brain, stopped in front of him and raised the decapitator.

"Wait," said Waldo.

359 "No, I won't wait," said the captain. "Speak, or I'll shoot."

360 "Don't shoot! I'll answer your questions. We come from-"

361 Suddenly they were not alone. About ten Brains were standing around Christian, grey, dwarf-like figures, each armed with a decapitator.

Waldo laughed.

362 "That's the end, Captain..." He gave a command: "Take him alive - I want him alive!"

363 The next moment Christian was seized by a lot of hands, something heavy struck him on the head, and he fell on the floor.

364 "You interfered and spoiled our plans," said Waldo. "And for this you must die. But it will not be a pleasant death - I've something special for you. I am taking you back with me."

365 He took a belt with a black crystal from one of the Brains and fastened it round Christian's waist.

366 "Very soon all your questions will be answered..."

367 Waldo touched the crystal on Christian's belt, and laughed loudly.

"See you later, Captain Christian!"

368 The cellar disappeared. Christian was in complete darkness. It seemed to him that he was hanging in some empty place, between the stars - only there were no stars.

369 At last Christian saw a bright light and knew that he had arrived.

- 25 -

370 The Old Man and Doctor Fox were standing in the cellar.

371 "Are you sure it was Waldo and not another of the Brains?" asked the head of Military Intelligence.

372 "Yes. It was easy to see. I had seen him at the Fair, and recognized him by the scar on his nose."

373 "And after you seized Waldo, Captain Christian brought him here, and you took the crystal to a different hiding-place?"

374 "That's right," said the doctor, "And when I opened the box, it was empty."

375 "Scientists are studying your box," said the Old Man, "But I don't think they will learn anything from it."

376 "What do you think: is Christian still alive?" asked Fox. "Yes, I believe so," said the Old Man. "Up to now they have always left the decapitated bodies of their victims. So I think they have not killed Captain Christian. Evidently they have taken him with them - alive. But why? And where?"

Fox felt better.

377 "Then there is a chance," he said: "If Christian is alive, maybe he will escape and bring us the information that we need."

"I hope so," said the Old Man.

- 26 -

378 Christian was in a very large hall with a high ceiling and no windows. He had an impression that he was deep underground.

379 In the walls of the hall there were some doors through which he could see long corridors. The central part of the hall was occupied by a big construction with ladders and balconies. Two Brains stood near a large switchboard with red and green lights. The sides of the construction were covered with black crystals.

380 The crystals were placed in pairs. From time to time a Brain appeared from nowhere and put his black crystal into the construction, and then a red light on the switchboard turned into green. Sometimes another Brain took the crystal from the construction and fastened it to his belt. Then he touched the crystal and disappeared.

381 Christian understood that this construction was a kind of transmitter, with the help of which the Brains got to the earth and disappeared from it.

382 He wanted to jump to his feet and break the machine... but two Brains armed with decapitators were guarding him. The crystal, with the help of which he had got into that hall, was taken from his belt and put into the transmitter.

He began to wonder where he was.

383 Was he still on the earth but underground? Or was it another planet? Or maybe, he was on board a spaceship?

He decided that he must wait and learn all he could.

384 A woman came from one of the corridors. It was a very strange woman. She had long blond hair and was very beautiful. But she was at least nine feet tall.

385 She came up to Christian and said something very quickly, but Christian did not understand her. A Brain answered her, and she laughed. Then she bent and easily lifted Christian with one hand. She looked at him a few seconds, then lost interest and dropped him to the floor, like a child drops a doll.

She turned away and left the hall.

Christian stood up.

"We meet again, Captain Christian..."

386 It was Waldo's voice. And, indeed, the Brain was standing near Christian.

387 "Do you begin to understand now?" asked Waldo. "No? Well, it doesn't matter. You will never leave this place. You will die, but not easily..."

388 He called two other Brains who came up and stood on both sides of Christian, holding their decapitators ready.

389 "Follow me," said Waldo and went along one of the corridors.

Christian walked after him.

- 27 -

390 They walked along the corridor, sometimes crossing other corridors. On the side of the corridor there were cells in which Christian saw Brains and giant women. Finally they stopped near an empty cell.

391 "You can live here for some time," said Waldo. "Food will be brought to you. You are free to go anywhere, except back to the transmitter hall. If you try to get there, you will be immediately killed. I shall return later."

392 Christian was left alone in the cell. The cell was about ten feet in diameter. There was a chair and a low table. Christian sat down. The chair was very comfortable.

393 In a few minutes a giant woman brought a tray with food and water. The food was not very tasty, but Christian was hungry and ate it all.

394 He tried to speak to the giant woman, but she did not answer him.

395 Some other giant women come to look at him. They pointed at him and laughed, but the look in their eyes told Christian that they had very little intelligence.

396 In the days that followed Christian walked along the corridor, where he sometimes met Brains and giant women. He noticed that they spoke a language, which was very much like English, but still it was very difficult for him to understand them. Sometimes he tried to ask them where he was, but they never answered him.