"Kenneth Robeson - Doc Savage 044 - South Pole Terror" - читать интересную книгу автора (Robeson Kenneth)

But very few knew that Doc Savage was financially able to buy some nations outright.

Doc Savage was known more for his fabulous mental ability, his uncanny mastery of electricity, chemistry,
surgery, and other professions. Doc Savage was recognized as one of the most skilled in, not one of these
professions, but a number of them.

Doc SavageтАЩs physical development came in for attention, as well.

The eighty-sixth floor of one of New YorkтАЩs most impressive midtown skyscrapers was the site of Doc
SavageтАЩs headquartersтАФhis library, laboratory and trick reception room. Laboratory and library were both so
complete that scientists frequently came from abroad to examine them. The place was replete with scientific
contraptions.

The telephone robot was one of the contraptions. It was put on the telephone wire when Doc Savage was not
there. You called up, and a mechanical voice told you that the bronze man was not there, and that any
message you cared to give would be recorded for Doc SavageтАЩs attention when he returned.

This device was merely an adaptation of the dictaphone, phonograph and vacuum tube amplifier, all built as
one instrument.
DOC SAVAGE spent the afternoon delivering a lecture to an eminent group of paleontologists, leaving the
group amazed at some of his research work on the subject. Then Doc returned to his headquarters and found
the following conversation recorded on the telephone robot.

"This is Velma Crale," a rather pleasant voice had said. "Something awful is happening, and your help is
needed. Later in the afternoon, you will receive a package. Please examine the contents and use your own
discretion about what to do."

At the end of this brief advice, the robot had automatically recorded the following words, taken off a
mechanical clock which gave the time vocally: "This message was received at 3:10 this afternoon."

Doc Savage played the message back at a quarter to six.

Doc Savage called the package receiving room of the skyscraper. Sure enough, there was a package,
addressed to Doc. He had it sent up.

The package was not quite a foot square, wrapped in brown canvas and tied with a copper wire. It was very
heavy.

Doc Savage was a cautious individual. Otherwise, he would have died long ago. He put the package under an
X-ray machine, to see if it contained a bomb. He switched the X-ray machine on.

There was a stabbing flash, a terrific concussion, and the entire top of the skyscraper seemed to fly to
pieces.

Chapter II. THE "REGIS" MENACE
DOC SAVAGEтАЩS headquarters had been the scene of violence on other occasions, so newspaper reporters
had learned to keep an eye on the place. Half of Manhattan Island heard the explosion, and a goodly number
even saw smoke shoot out of the top of the skyscraper, and saw brick and glass fall to the street. Luckily, no
one was injured seriously by the falling d├йbris.