"E. C. Tubb - Dumarest 26 - The Coming Event" - читать интересную книгу автора (Tubb E. C)

The aide could anticipate what the decision would be, Elge
knew, but as his was the final responsibility his must be the
deciding voice.

He turned, tall, thin, the scarlet robe shielding the taut lines
of his body, maintained at optimum efficiency and carrying no
surplus fat. To Elge as to all cybers food was to be used as fuel,
eaten from necessity not pleasure. Training and an operation
performed at puberty on the cortex had rid them of the capacity
for emotion.

Jarvet fell into step behind him as Elge moved to a passage
where a moving way carried them to a laboratory in which
technicians worked over the freed ovoids. Many lay open to
reveal their contents and Elge looked dispassionately at the
convoluted brains rested beneath transparent covers amid their
attendant mechanisms. Components designed never to fail. And
they had not failedтАФthe fault lay within the brains themselves.

But the fault was yet to be determined.

"Nothing, Master." Icelus gave his report. "No trace of any
foreign bacteria or virus. No radiation-scarring or isotopic
accumulation. No discernible tissue decay. No aggravated
pressure zones. The Homochon elements are enlarged but only
within anticipated parameters. No change in the cortex. Nothing
can be discerned in the physical condition which could account
for the aberration." He added, "The conclusions are as before."
 At that time units had been sterilized with flame and reduced
to their component atoms for fear of contamination, and
examinations had been conducted in isolated areas by
technicians who still remained isolated on distant worlds. Entire
banks of machinery had been volatilizedтАФElge knew the details.

"Is there any traceable pattern?"

"No. The brains are old and that is the only thing we can be
sure of."

"Any correlations?"

"None." Icelus was definite. "The thing seems to strike at
random. These units are younger than the last yet older than the
ones before. There is no similarity as to location or apparent
vulnerability. These are from Bank 8 Tier 5. Those before came
from Bank 3 Tier 9."

Different caverns and different positionsтАФdiversifying the
units was an elementary precaution against total loss by