"Henry Kuttner (as Lewis Padgett) - The Twonky UC" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kuttner Henry)

Kerry blinked. УWhat it said?Ф He hesitated. УСPsychology pattern checked and noted,Т or something like that. I thought IТd tuned in on some station and got part of a quiz program or something. You meanЧФ
УWere the words easy to understand? Good English?Ф
УNo, now that I remember it,Ф Kerry scowled. УThey were slurred quite a lot. Vowels stressed.Ф
УUh-huh. Well, letТs get on.Ф They tried a word-association test.
Finally Fitzgerald leaned back, frowning. УI want to check this :sthff with the last tests I gave you a few months ago. It looks funny to
meЧdamned funny. IТd feel a lot better if I knew exactly what memory was. WeТve done considerable work on mnemonicsЧartificial memory. Still, it may not be that at all.Ф
УEh?Ф
УThatЧmachine. Either itТs got an artificial memory, has been highly trained, or else itТs adjusted to a different milieu and culture. It has affected youЧquite a lotФ
Kerry licked dry lips. УHow?Ф
УImplanted blocks in your mind. I havenТt correlated them yet. When I do, we may be able to figure out some sort of answer. No, that thing isnТt a robot. ItТs a lot more than that.Ф
Kerry took out a cigarette; the console walked across the room and lit it for him. The two men watched with a faint shrinking horror.
УYouТd better stay with me tonight,Ф Fitzgerald suggested.
УNo,Ф Kerry said. He shivered.

The next day Fitzgerald looked for Kerry at lunch, but the younger man did not appear. He telephoned the house, and Martha answered the call.
УHello! When did you get back?Ф
УHello, Fitz. About an hour ago. My sister went ahead and had her baby without meЧso I came back.Ф She stopped, and Fitzgerald was alarmed at her tone.
УWhereТs Kerry?Ф
УHeТs here. Can you come over, Fitz? IТm worried.Ф
УWhatТs the matter with him?Ф
УI . . . I donТt know. Come right away.Ф
У0. K.,Ф Fitzgerald said, and hung up, biting his lips. He was worried. When, a short while later, he rang the Westerfield bell, he discovered that his nerves were badly out of control. But sight of Martha reassured him.
He followed her into the living room. FitzgeraldТs glance went at once to the console, which was unchanged; and then to Kerry, seated motionless by a window. KenyТs face had a blank, dazed look. His pupils were dilated, and he seemed to recognize Fitzgerald only slowly.
УHello, Fitz,Ф he said.
УHow do you feel?Ф
Martha broke in. УFitz, whatТs wrong? Is he sick? Shall I call the doctor?Ф
Fitzgerald sat down. УHave you noticed anything funny about that iadio?Ф
УNo. Why?Ф
УThen listen.Ф He told the whole story, watching incredulity struggle with reluctant belief on MarthaТs face. Presently she said, УI canТt quiteЧФ
УIf Kerry takes out a cigarette, the thing will light it for him. Want to see how it works?Ф
УN-no. Yes. I suppose so.Ф MarthaТs eyes were wide.
Fitzgerald gave Kerry a cigarette. The expected happened.
Martha didnТt say a word. When the console had returned to its place, she shivered and went over to Kerry. He looked at her vaguely.
УHe needs a doctor, Fitz.Ф
УYes.Ф Fitzgerald didnТt mention that a doctor might be quite useless.
УWhat is that thing?Ф
УItТs more than a robot. And itТs been readjusting Kerry. I told you whatТs happened. When I checked KerryТs psychology patterns, I found that theyТd altered. HeТs lost most of his initiative.Ф
УNobody on earth could have made thatЧФ
Fitzgerald scowled. УI thought of that. It seems to be the product of a well-developed culture, quite different from ours. Martian, perhaps. ItТs such a specialized thing that it naturally fits into a complicated culture. But I do not understand why it looks exactly like a Mideastern console radio.Ф
Martha touched KerryТs hand. УCamouflage?Ф
УBut why? You were one of my best pupils in psych, Martha. Look at this logically. Imagine a civilization where a gadget like that has its place. Use inductive reasoning.Ф
УIТm trying to. I canТt think very well. Fitz, IТm worried about Kerry.Ф
УIТm all right,Ф Kerry said.
Fitzgerald put his fingertips together. УIt isnТt a radio so much as a monitor. In this other civilization, perhaps every man has one, or maybe only a fewЧthe ones who need it. It keeps them in line.Ф
УBy destroying initiative?Ф
Fitzgerald made a helpless gesture. УI donТt know! It worked that way in KerryТs case. In othersЧI donТt know.Ф

Martha stood up. УI donТt think we should talk any more. Kerry needs a doctor. After that we can decide upon that.Ф She pointed to the console.
Fitzgerald said, УItТd be rather a shame to wreck it, butЧФ His look was significant.
The console moved. It came out from its corner with a sidling, rocking gait and walked toward Fitzgerald. As he sprang up, the whiplike tentacles flashed out and seized him. A pale ray shone into the manТs eyes.