"Keith Laumer - Bolos 6 - Cold Steel" - читать интересную книгу автора (Laumer Keith)

he was afraid of. You can't make a house pet out of a trained attack dog, and you can't turn a Bolo
into a mining machine. This thing could go on a rampage if he didn't get it calmed down. "It's just
thunder. Natural, atmospheric, electrical discharges. It's no threat to us."
On the hull behind him the pilot's hatch, as thick and heavy as a vault door, swung smoothly
open with a whir. "Commander, I suggest you enter the control room and prepare for combat."
"It's thunder, I tell you. Power down now! That's an order!"
"Negative."
Tyrus cursed. He had to talk to Dyson. Maybe he had an override code or something that
would shut this beast down. He could use his wristcom, but the Bolo would be listening, and
somehow, that didn't seem like a good idea. He was suddenly aware that he was standing on the
tracks. If the machine decided to move, he could be pulped before he had time to scream.
He scrambled down from the side of the mining machine and headed toward the side door of
the maintenance area, wiping grease off his hands as he ran. He reached the shops at the edge of
the hangar just as an explosion rocked the far end of the hangar. Mechanics and operators were
suddenly shouting, running everywhere.
"Full Combat Reflex Mode activatтАФ" the Bolo's beamed voice was suddenly cut off. His first
instinct was that the Bolo had gone rogue and fired off one of its weapons. But the big machine
seemed inert, and he couldn't imagine that they'd left it with functional weapons. He realized he
could still hear distant gunfire and explosions. They were under attack! The aliens he'd been told
about must have somehow taken out the colony defenses without a shot, without setting off the
general alarm. But how could a bunch of jungle savages know how to sabotage screen generators
and autoturrets?
He spotted a rack of pulse rifles on an office wall and grabbed one of them. Just in time, as a
furry, goggle-eyed humanoid giant rounded the corner and swung some kind of sword at him.
Instinctively he swung the barrel around, his finger squeezing on the trigger into full auto mode.
The first shot took the sword weapon off at the handle. The second tore a hunk out of the side of
the alien's neck, the third ripped a hole in its right shoulder, sending a spray of something dark,
wet, and hot across his face.
It fell, but two more appeared behind it shouting and clicking loudly. He took them down
almost as easily as the first.
Another one. This one had something small and metal held awkwardly in its hand. A violet
laser flash sent him scrambling behind a desk. A hole appeared in the plastic kick panel a few
inches from his head, as the alien fired blindly.
Tyrus tightened his grip on the rifle, tried to imagine where the alien might have gone since
he last saw it, and sprang from behind the desk already firing. The alien was standing no more
than a meter from him. They were both caught by surprise, but the alien was dead, his chest
exploding like a ripe melon.
Tyrus retched at the smell of burned hair and sweet smell of roasted alien flesh. He spotted
the hand weapon on the floor where the alien had dropped it. Hoping he didn't accidentally
activate it, he shoved the weapon in his pocket.
He put his back against the office wall, watching the door, and tried his wristcom. It didn't
work. Maybe they were jamming, or had disabled the relay towers. He had to figure some way to
get home, defend the kids. His own ground-car was parked at the far end of the hangar, but he
spotted a man-door in the office wall behind him that probably led outside. There might be
company vehicles there that would respond to his employee unikey. He scooted to the door,
opened it a crack to make sure things were clear, and stepped outside. What he saw nearly tore
him apart.
The colony was located in a small valley, with the hangar on high ground at the south end. He
could look down on at least half the structures there. Everywhere he looked there were flames,
explosions, and laser flashes.