The Robot Brains [with w cat]
Шрифт:
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.
247
Дверь сарая был закрыта, но Кристиан легко сломал ее и вошел внутрь. Он сел на пол и немного поел, из своих запасов.
248
В течение дня он спал. Вечером, в темноте он покинул сарай и пошел к Ярмарке Буркхолдера.
"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.
249
Джо
250
Затем она услышала мягкий голос - Джо.
251
Она узнала голос Кристиана и остановилась.
252
Здесь не безопасно - прошептала она.
– Все под наблюдением полиции в штатском.
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.
253
– Я знаю.
– Он наклонился к карлице.
– Джо, я не убивал Миллера.
254
– Конечно, - сказала она быстро.
– Я не верила этому ни минуту. Скажи, чем я могу помочь. Доктор Фокс был здесь утром, я знаю, где он сейчас. Но полиция следит за ним.
255
Кристиан указал на свет, который шел от одного из трейлеров.
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.
256
– Умники дома?
257
– Думаю, да - ответила она - Что ты хочешь делать?
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.
258
– Я собираюсь поговорить с ними - ответил он - Я уверен, что они убили Миллера.
259
– Будь осторожен, Моряк!
260
– Кристиан пожал ее руку.
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...
261
–
262
Он бесшумно приблизился к двери трейлера, вынул кусок проволоки и открыл дверь.
– 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?"
263
И опять он не видел никого!
264
Кристиан вошел внутрь и закрыл дверь за собой. Он приготовил пистолет, и уселся, глядя на дверь. Это время он решил провести в ожидании возвращения Умников.
265
Бежали минуты. Кристиан думал о Фоксе и Джо, они оба верили в него и были готовы помочь ему. Как хорошо, что у него есть такие друзья. Затем он подумал об Умниках. Может быть сейчас, в этот самый момент, они убивают другого человека, и скоро они вернуться с их орудием убийства..
266
Он не заметил, как глаза закрылись. Послышалось движение, и он открыл глаза. Умники стояли перед ним - но он был уверен, что дверь не открывалась. Некоторое время Умники и Кристиан смотрели друг на друга, затем Кристиан направил пистолет на них.
267
– Вы знаете, зачем я здесь - сказал он - Говорите, но помните, что я могу выстрелить.
– Внезапно Виктор, лидер Умников поднял руку. В его руке было орудие убийства...
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.
268
Кристиан вскочил на ноги, с быстротой молнии он схватил Виктора за руку и сжал ее. Оружие упало на пол, и Кристиан пнул его под кровать. Он направил пистолет на Умников опять.
269
Умники стояли и смотрели на него. Затем Виктор сказал тихо - Мы должны уходить.
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..."
270
– Вы не уйдете...
– Кристиан не успел закончить.
271
Каждый Умник прикоснулся к черному кристаллу на своем поясе, и... все исчезли. Капитан был в трейлере один, он не верил своим глазам. Это же невозможно...
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."
272
Фокс был прав. Это не люди.
273
Он достал из-под кровати оружие Умников. Оно было сделано из какого-то твердого металла.
274
Было очень важно отправить оружие шефу Миллера, как можно быстрее. МИ-6 должна узнать, что их враги могут исчезать в никуда. Но поверят ли ему...