"Frank Herbert - Destination Void 2 The Jesus Incident" - читать интересную книгу автора (Herbert Brian & Frank)

sensor scratched as it adjusted to his arm. He felt the stainless-steel nose
sniff out a suitable vein. There was the tingling prick of the test probe, then
the release of the sensor.

Some of the shiptits extruded plaz tubes to suck on, but this one was programmed
to fill a container behind a locked panel -- elixir, measured and mixed to his
exact needs.

The panel opened!

Oakes grinned at an astounded Lewis.

"Well," Oakes remembered saying. "The ship finally realizes who's the boss
here." With that, he drained the container.

Horrible!

His body was wracked with vomiting. His breath came in shallow gasps and sweat
soaked his singlesuit.

It was over as quickly as it began. Lewis stood beside him in dumb amazement,
looking at the mess Oakes had made of the corridor and his boots.

"You see," Oakes gasped. "You see how the ship tried to kill me?"

"Relax, Morgan," Lewis said. "It's probably just a malfunction. I'll call a
med-tech for you and a repair robox for this . . . this thing."

"I'm a doctor, dammit! I don't need a med-tech poking around me." Oakes held
the fabric of his suit away from his body.

"Then let's get you back to your cubby. We should check you out and . . ."
Lewis broke off, looking suddenly over Oakes' shoulder. "Morgan, did you summon
a repair unit?"

Oakes turned to see what had caught Lewis' attention, saw one of the ship's
robox units, a one-meter oval of bronze turtle with wicked-looking tools
clutched in its extensors. It was weaving drunkenly down the corridor toward
them.

"What do you suppose is wrong with that thing?" Lewis muttered.

"I think it's here to attack us," Oakes said. He grabbed Lewis' arm. "Let's
back out of here . . . slow, now."

They retreated from the shiptit station, watching the scanner eye of the robox
and the waving appendages full of tools.

"It's not stopping." Oakes' voice was low but cold with fear as the robox
passed the shiptit station.