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

any effect on him. They could have tried to stop a moving tractor with about
as much success. Then one of them pushed his companion aside and discharged
the whole magazine at Utms head at close range. The brightly lit hall of the
substation rang with the resound of gunshots.
Utm staggered. The ebonite shell of the right acoustics receptor
shattered in thousand pieces. Curved sonar array broke off and was hanging
limp by the wire. Broken ceiling glass jingled.
Utm had never been attacked before. He had no self-preservation
instinct or experience in fighting humans. But Utm could compare facts, make
logical conclusions, and choose a line of actions providing maximal level of
protection. All these mental calculations took him a split second. The very
next moment he turned around and moved towards the men stretching his
frightening claws menacingly.
The security guards separated. One ran behind the switch-board, the
other vaulted behind the massive steel casing of the nearest transformer
hurriedly recharging his gun.
"Sidorenko! Run for the officer on duty, raise an alarm!" he yelled.
But Sidorenko couldnt reach the door no matter what. Utm moved much
faster than a person, and as soon as the guard stuck his head out from
behind the switch-board Utm would be right in front of him in a second. The
men decided to run out simultaneously. They failed as Utm moved from the
switch-board to the transformer and back with a speed of an express train.
The switch-board cracked in the middle from Utm's clumsy push, wind
swished through the bullet holes in the windows and glass ceiling.
Utm finally got bored of this game and decided to leave the men be. He
suddenly stopped in front of the transformer and determinedly plunged his
hands under the casing. Security guards took advantage of this and ran
headlong for the security station. At the same moment a deafening bang
resounded, everything around was lit up by a blinding blue flash, and the
light went off. Sharp smell of burning metal, smoke, hot polish gushed forth
out of the room. Stunned and crestfallen security guards did not immediately
realize what happened. And then the security station shook from the heavy
steps and a harsh voice uttered in the darkness, "Hello, how are you?"
The lock clicked. The door opened with a creak, for a second the heavy
outline of the steel monster took shape in the gloomy gap, and the door
closed again.
Utm walked through the institute grounds getting stuck in snow and
lifting his legs high. The institute was immersed in darkness, and in this
darkness even Utm's infrared vision was of little help. He could only
discern a feeble glow from his abdomen and legs, on which snowflakes melted
and evaporated. Several faint glowing figures dashed between buildings. Utm
paid them no attention. He walked figuring out his bearing by the readings
of the sonar even though one of the sonar arrays was shattered by a bullet
and it was impossible to tell the distance correctly.
Utm became interested in far-off lights of the village, barely visible
through the blizzard. Then bright blue beams of searchlights flashed there.
He reached a wall, hesitated, and turned left. He knew well that all walls
have doors. And soon he reached the gates. The gates were big metal ones.
Tense voices could be heard behind them, as bright blue light oozed through
a gap.