Сидней Баундс - The Robot Brains [with w_cat]

"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.

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.

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.

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.

397 One day he was standing in the corridor near his cell waiting for the giant woman who always brought him food. Suddenly he saw another woman who was running very quickly towards him. Some other women were running after her and beating her with metal whips.

398 The woman jumped into Christian's cell and stopped at the far wall. At that moment Waldo appeared in the corridor.

399 "You are a fool to interfere," he said to Christian. "Let them do what they like." He looked around the cell. "Do they give you enough food? Are you all right?" he asked.

"I am all right." replied Christian.

400 Waldo rubbed his hands and smiled. "Excellent, excellent," he said. "Not long now, you won't have long to wait..."

401 He walked away. His smile reminded Christian of a cat playing with a mouse.

402 The giant woman brought Christian his food. When she saw the woman in his cell, she said something to her and called her "Alma." Then she went away.

403 Alma quickly took some food from the tray and ate it.

404 "You can eat all of it if you like, Alma," said Christian, and she ate some more and drank the water. Christian tried to speak to her, but she did not answer, and soon ran out of his cell and along the corridor.

Все ребята, как сказал инспектор в первой главе "Show out", я думаю, вы убедились, что язык книги очень простой, и надеюсь, далее моя помощь вам не потребуется.

Ну, я то знаю, что будет дальше, интересно, догадались ли вы, где находится Кристиан, а ему предстоит еще много приключений, ведь это только половина книги.

Успехов!

w_cat.

Christian thought about Alma. It was clear that she was very hungry and afraid. But why? Why did the other women run after her and beat her?

He decided to walk along the corridors in the direction in which Alma had run away.

As he was walking, the corridor was getting wider and wider. At last he could not see the walls. It was already not a corridor, but a large underground cave.

Everywhere there was tall grass. It was hot and wet. The grass was becoming thicker and taller, it was like a grass jungle.

Suddenly Waldo walked up to him.

"A man can hide here," said the Brain.

"Or a woman..."

"Or a woman," Waldo agreed and laughed. "You are quite right, Captain - Alma is somewhere here."

Christian did not want to talk to him and walked away, back to the corridor.

When he was going along the corridor in the direction of his cell, he noticed that many Brains were standing at the walls of the corridor and looking at him. Instinct told him that his time was running out...

He saw a group of giant women walking towards him. They were all carrying metal whips with which they had attacked Alma. One of them gave a command, and they ran to him with loud shouts, waving their metal whips.

Christian turned and ran. The Brains were standing along the walls and laughing. He ran as fast as he could. He reached the grass jungle and ran into the tall grass.

He was running through the thick tall grass and heard laughing and shouting behind him.

He was breathing hard. He began to understand how an animal feels during the hunt. He was running and changing directions, but he heard that the Brains were surrounding him on all sides. He stumbled and fell. When he raised his head, he saw Waldo standing over him.

"You were running well, Captain," said the Brain, "but this is the end!"

He raised his weapon -

Something lifted Christian. He looked up and saw a giant figure. Alma! She threw him over her shoulder and jumped into the green jungle. She did it so quickly, that Waldo had no time to shoot.

Alma was running very fast, and soon the cries of the hunters died away.

She stopped near a huge old tree, about twenty feet across, and put Christian down on the grass.

"We can hide inside this tree," she said. "Get in."

Christian got after her into the hollow trunk. Alma sat down on the grass that was on the bottom.

"You are safe here," she said.

"Thanks," said Christian. "Thanks for saving my life."

He was looking at her and thinking what questions to ask her.

Suddenly Alma said: "Why do you use the archaic language?" Can't you speak properly?"

"Archaic?"

"Yes, archaic. Don't think I am a fool. I am intelligent."

She looked at him.

"You are not one of us - your body is too big and your head is too small. Where are you from?"

"From Earth," Christian said. "Earth is the third planet revolving round -"

"Do you take me for an idiot?" said Alma angrily. "I know that."

Christian looked at Alma in silence. He did not know what to say. Finally he asked: "What planet is this?"