" Perry Rhodan 0031 - (3c) Robot Threat New York" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)

the more present when you read the newspapers, Mr. Rhodan." "OK! Tell me
about it, Freyt. Forget our conversation! We are alone and can speak
openly." "I doubt that we are alone, sir." "Now don't be neurotic, colonel!
I've yet to know you to suffer from hallucinations, so don't start now." "I
mean it just like I told you, sir. It is definite that the agents exist but no
living being on Earth can be identified as one of them. You yourself saw the
failure of the Mutant Corps..." "Don't remind me of my failures. We know more
today. Cadet Tifflor has found out that the mysterious agents are our own
robots-or at least some of them are. Col. Freyt stared at his boss. "Our
robots," he stammered. "That is..." "...neither impossible nor unbelievable,
Freyt. It is the only explanation and Tifflor is quite positive. He did not
simply put two and two together, he listened in on our enemies. And the
explanation is plausible. Everyone knows, for example, how difficult it is for
our telepaths to read the thoughts of robots. The process of thinking occurs
within a different frequency range than that of natural people. Furthermore,
artificial cell reactions are substantially more primitive and crude than in
our brains. So you may rest assured that my explanation is reliable." Freyt
suddenly seemed transformed. His bearing displayed the optimism so typical of
him. "But then everything is all right, sir! We cut off the robots' energy
and bring them all in for a general overhaul." "I already made that decision
8 hours ago," Rhodan countered. "But I do hope that you are able to imagine
what it would mean if we were to inactivate all the work robots at 3 in the
afternoon. Our plants are operating at top capacity. Elimination of a few
thousand supervisory attendants would cause indispensable reactions to cease.
Just imagine that a blast furnace tap-off were neglected or that the graphite
control of a reactor wasn't checked or... Col. Freyt raised his hand in
protest. "Of course I understand, Mr. Rhodan. Our industry is inconceivable
without the constant service of robots. It would be a catastrophe..." "We are
slaves of our technology," Bell completed his line of reasoning. "A crazy
situation: the enemy is our own personnel and when we switch it off our entire
city will blow up the same day! This dilemma is a task for you,
Perry." Rhodan proceeded to demonstrate that the problem was not as difficult
as they imagined. However, it would require a desperate expenditure of energy
on the part of the human inhabitants of Terrania. "We have 7 hours in which
to prepare the campaign. At 10 p.m. the last shift in normal industries
returns home and by that time 90% of our plants are shut. So we only have to
bother with the remaining 10% that work day and night. The power plants, the
general control stations, hospitals, police units, the strategic surveillance
service and so on... By 10 p.m., gentlemen, all of these positions must have
been inconspicuously taken over by people. At 10:10 the energy for all robots
will be switched off." "For all work robots, Perry," Bell interjected. "Don't
forget that the combat robots are individually operated and are not dependent
on the central computer." "That's a risk we will have to take," Rhodan
declared. "You can't achieve everything with one campaign. But the work robots
do make up 80% of our entire stock. With them out of action at least the major
risk is removed. -Round up the immediate staff, Colonel! I want to speak to
them in a half hour." Instantly Terrania went into a flurry of action such as
it had seldom seen. Under most stringent secrecy and telepathic control,
Rhodan's closest co-workers were given their instructions. They then issued
orders to their various subordinate branches. The uninitiated observer would