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

"We have to do something quick or it'll damage itself," Ryabkin said
anxiously.
Without warning, Piskunov started climbing the bulldozer tread, but
Ryabkin grabbed him and pulled him back down.
"What's the matter?" Piskunov asked with annoyance.
Ryabkin said, "You are the only person who knows Utm in all the
smallest details. If it smacks you--this thing can stretch into several
months. Somebody else should go."
"Exactly," Nikolai Petrovich said hastily. "I'll go."
One of the workmen surrounding the engineers interrupted, "Maybe you
should choose one of us? We are younger, more agile..."
"It will be me," Kostenko said glumly.
"This will never do," Nikolai Petrovich said. "Don't let Piskunov go."
He threw off his fur coat and started climbing on top of the bulldozer.
Then Piskunov tried to break off from Ryabkin's grasp.
"Ryabkin, let me go."
Ryabkin did not reply. Kostenko came up to Piskunov from the other side
and took him firmly by the shoulders.
In the meantime Utm raged with fury. The lower part of his body was
firmly clamped between the bulldozers, but the upper part could move freely.
He turned from side to side with a lightning speed, hitting the plows with
the full swing of his steel fists. Steam wisps were swirling over him in the
snow gloom. "Hit force three hundred kilos," Kostenko recalled.
Nikolai Petrovich sat hunched over at Utms feet with his teeth clenched
and waited for the right moment. His ears were aching from the clanking and
roar. He knew that Utm noticed him - from time to time the glass eyes turned
toward him shimmering watchfully.
"Shhh, calm down," Nikolai Petrovich mouthed. "Utm, dear, calm down!
Calm down, you bastard!"
A new sound began with each hit. Something had cracked - either one of
Utms steel arms or the bulldozers plow. There was no more time to waste.
Nikolai Petrovich dived under Utms fist and hugged his side. Then once
again, Utm surprised everyone. His hands fell. The clanging stopped and one
could again hear the howl of the storm over the field and the snorting of
bulldozer engines. Nikolai Petrovich, pale and drenched in sweat, stood up
and reached for Utms chest with his hand. A sharp click sounded. Green and
red lights on Utms shoulders went off.
"Done," Piskunov said and closed his eyes.
People immediately commenced talking in an exaggeratedly loud manner;
laughter and jokes could be heard. Drivers helped Nikolai Petrovich to get
out from under Utm and escorted him back down on the ground. Piskunov hugged
and kissed him.
"And now," he said abruptly, "take it to the Institute, well work on
it. If need be - a week, a month... We should beat that foolishness out of
it and make it what its supposed to be - Universal Task Machine."
"So what did happen to Utm?" Kostenko asked. "And what is this
spontaneous reflex?"
Nikolai Petrovich looked tired and haggard after the sleepless night.
He said:
"See, Utm is developed on the grant from the Committee on