"Arkadi and Boris Strugatski. Spontaneous Reflex (англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

retained the correlation of this Masters gesture with sudden inability to
move. No sooner had Piskunovs fingers touched the switch had Utm sharply
turned. His armored hand swiftly went above Piskunovs head who barely had
time to duck, and Utm casually went back along the road. Nikolai Petrovich
was the first one to come to his senses.
"Hey, guys!" He shouted. "Position the bulldozers on his left and
right! Cut off his access to the gates... Piskunov! Hey, Piskunov!"
But Piskunov wasn't listening. While the bulldozers were spreading out
on both sides of the road plunging into snow clouds, he ran after Utm.
"Utm, stop!" he shouted in his high failing voice. "Stop, you beast!
Back! Back!"
He choked. Utm was walking faster and the distance between them
gradually increased. Finally Piskunov stopped, thrust his hands into his
pockets, pulled his head in and just watched Utm. Nikolai Petrovich and
Ryabkin ran up to him. Kostenko came last.
"Well, what the heck were you doing?" Korolev said angrily. Piskunov
did not answer. "It doesnt respond to commands," he said. "Do you
understand, Kolya? Doesnt respond. Clearly its the spontaneous reflex."
Nikolai Petrovich nodded, "I guessed as much."
"No wonder!" Ryabkin exclaimed. "You could have let the train cars
choose their own time and direction with just as much success."
"What is it, this spontaneous reflex?" Kostenko asked timidly. No one
replied.
"Still, regardless, this is wonderful," Nikolai Petrovich blew his nose
and shoved his handkerchief in his inside pocket. "It doesnt respond.
Wow..."
"Let's go," Piskunov said firmly.
In the meantime the bulldozers grouped in a semi-circle and began to
tighten the loop around Utm who was walking along the road in no hurry. One
of the bulldozers crawled out onto the road in front of him with its back to
the gates, another was catching up from behind, and the remaining three were
approaching from the sides - two on the left and one on the right. Utm of
course had long noticed he was being surrounded, but evidently disregarded
that fact. He continued moving along the road until his chest touched the
first bulldozer. He pushed, causing the bulldozer to move a little, as the
driver grabbed the levers with a strained face. Utm moved away and with a
running start hit the machine. Steel clanked against steel and under the
direct headlights bright sparks could be seen through the whirling snow.
At the same moment the plow of a bulldozer from behind came to Utms
back. Utm froze in place. Only his head slowly revolved like a school globe.
Two more bulldozers approached from left and right and they cut off his last
paths for escape. Utm was fenced in.
"Comrade engineers! Comrade Piskunov! What do we do next?" the driver
of the first bulldozer yelled.
"Comrade Piskunov is not here, can I take a message?" said Utm.
He swung back his arm and hit the plow. Then again and again. He was
hitting rhythmically like a boxer in training with a clang, slightly leaning
away at each hit, as clusters of sparks flew from under his bat-like arms.
Piskunov hurried towards him, accompanied by Nikolai Petrovich, Ryabkin, and
Kostenko.