"Eric Frank Russel - Mechanistria" - читать интересную книгу автора (Russell Eric Frank)

water-world of Varga, which is our home planet. Our people have resisted with some success but
occasionally some of us are captured, brought here and dissected.тАЭ
тАЬThey are only machines, though?тАЭ
тАЬThey are machines of a large number of functional types, all kinds of warriors, all kinds of
workers, even experts and specialists. . But they are machines.тАЭ He stopped, shocked us to the
marrow by suddenly pointing an accusative claw at the silently watching Jay Score. тАЬJust as he is a
machine ! He is made of metal and his mind remains closed to us! We do not like him!тАЭ
тАЬJayтАЩs a hell of a lot more than a mere machine,тАЭ declared McNulty in open indignation. тАЬHeтАЩs
got something no stinking gadget ever had. I canтАЩt explain what it is, but ... well ... heтАЩs a person.!
A low murmur showed that he had expressed the irrational but nonetheless convinced opinion of
his crew.
тАЬWhat IтАЩve got is no more than the general complaint,тАЭ suggested Jay, unsmiling. тАЬIтАЩve got
independence. That makes me a candidate for the butchers along with the rest.тАЭ He sighed, added, тАЬ
I suppose IтАЩll go the way of all flesh.тАЭ
Grinning at this pessimistic sally, McNulty said to the abashed lobster-things, тАЬIf you are
sensitive to the thoughts of our kind you might be able to tell us whether you can detect any human
emanations from elsewhere. A few of my men are missing and IтАЩd like to know whether theyтАЩre
still alive.тАЭ
The pair of strange creatures from Varga went quiet while their antennae trembled as if
delicately searching a portion of the ether beyond our range and comprehension. Something
rumbled noisily along the corridor and passed our door without stopping, but they took no notice of
this diversion.
After a while one of them-or both-said, тАЬOur range is short, exceedingly short. We can tell you
that a mind like yours has just gone away, gone forever. It petered out even as we were conversing.
There are no other minds of your type within receptive distance.тАЭ
тАЬOh,тАЭ said McNulty, disappointed.
They pointed claws toward the roof and went on, тАЬBut up there, there are other minds far
stranger than yours, far different from ours. They are unique. We would not have thought them
possible. Unbelievable as it may be, they can concentrate upon two subjects at one and the same
time.тАЭ
тАЬEh? тАЬ said McNulty, scratching his head. He could make nothing of this information.
тАЬTwo subjects at once! Most remarkable! They are high up in the air but descending toward the
roof. One of them is thinking of an array of little gods on a square composed of coloured squares
and is also thinking of ... you!тАЭ
тАЬWhat? тАЬ McNulty shouted.
I saw Steve GregoryтАЩs scalp swallow his eyebrows as he followed the skipperтАЩs example and
stared wildly upward. We all looked pop-eyed at the roof. Next instant came a tremendous thump
that shook the place from end to end and a huge dent appeared in the curve of the roof. Some-thing
hammered violently on the metal plates, other things created an uproar in the corridors beyond the
door. The combined noises were awful; I felt like a bug in a boiler with half a dozen riveters at
work on the seams.
Our unofficial spanner-bearer was one guy with observation and initiative. HeтАЩd noticed that the
door opened inward. With his hefty four-foot instrument still in one fist, he crammed his other
hand into a back pocket, felt around, proved himself tough enough to think nothing of sitting on
two short, thick screwdrivers and a small lump of metal shaped like an axe-head. These items he
walloped into the base of the door, performing the task with some difficulty, but finally managing
to wedge the thing good and tight. HeтАЩd barely finished when the row in the corridor increased and
a great weight made the door groan.
It looked as though our time had come, delayed a few precious minutes by the fastened door.
Those clanking enormities outside were thirsty for samples to slice apart. Our much-prized