"Edmond Hamilton - The Futuremen Collection" - читать интересную книгу автора (Hamilton Edmond)

under the Brain's direction.
But toward Otho, the android, Grag is deeply jeal-
ous. For the robot's great desire is to be thought of as
human or near-human. Grag has always been angry
when anyone has referred to him as a machine, or au-
tomaton. He feels that he is just like other humans, ex-
cept that his body is made of metal instead of flesh.
But Otho, who was also created by Captain Future's
father and the Brain, likes to taunt the big robot on that
point. Long ago Otho found out that the great, simple-
minded robot was most sensitive about his unhuman
appearance, and ever since then Otho has gibed about
it.
CAMARADERIE
Grag invariably becomes furious at these taunts. Yet
the bickering between these two comrades of Captain
Future is at bottom one of mischievous camaraderie.
Each of them has saved the life of the other, more than
once, in a tight spot.
Grag has been able to extricate his comrades from
more than one perilous situation, through his great
strength or through his special capabilities. One of the
2
No. 1
THE METAL ROBOT
THE FUTUREMEN: No. 1 - The Metal Robot
most valuable of the robot's abilities is that he requires
no breathing apparatus.
This has enabled him to go where neither Captain
Future nor Otho could venture.
One time on Venus, when Curt and Otho and Simon
Wright were all trapped in deadly peril, and could not
be reached in any other way, Grag had walked days un-
der an ocean, over the sea-floor, to reach the island
where they were imprisoned. The robot was nearly lost
many times in that perilous traverse, in constant danger
of sinking into the ooze at the bottom of the sea, but he
finally made it and brought help to his trapped com-
rades.
CAST ADRIFT
Another time, Grag was cast adrift in space when
outlaws destroyed the little space-flier in which he was
trying to reach his master on Saturn.
The great robot floated in space for many days,
helpless and yet still living, needing no food or a air,
and finally was picked up by Curt Newton. Only the
robot could have survived such an experience.
There is a great weld-scar down the back of Grag's
metal back, which tells a tale of an adventure that nei-
ther he nor his master will ever forget.