The Robot Brains [with w_cat] - [13]

Christian turned and ran. The Brains were standing along the walls and laughing. He ran as fast as he could. He reached the grass jungle and ran into the tall grass.

He was running through the thick tall grass and heard laughing and shouting behind him.

He was breathing hard. He began to understand how an animal feels during the hunt. He was running and changing directions, but he heard that the Brains were surrounding him on all sides. He stumbled and fell. When he raised his head, he saw Waldo standing over him.

"You were running well, Captain," said the Brain, "but this is the end!"

He raised his weapon -

Something lifted Christian. He looked up and saw a giant figure. Alma! She threw him over her shoulder and jumped into the green jungle. She did it so quickly, that Waldo had no time to shoot.

Alma was running very fast, and soon the cries of the hunters died away.

She stopped near a huge old tree, about twenty feet across, and put Christian down on the grass.

"We can hide inside this tree," she said. "Get in."

Christian got after her into the hollow trunk. Alma sat down on the grass that was on the bottom.

"You are safe here," she said.

"Thanks," said Christian. "Thanks for saving my life."

He was looking at her and thinking what questions to ask her.

- 29 -

Suddenly Alma said: "Why do you use the archaic language?" Can't you speak properly?"

"Archaic?"

"Yes, archaic. Don't think I am a fool. I am intelligent."

She looked at him.

"You are not one of us - your body is too big and your head is too small. Where are you from?"

"From Earth," Christian said. "Earth is the third planet revolving round -"

"Do you take me for an idiot?" said Alma angrily. "I know that."

Christian looked at Alma in silence. He did not know what to say. Finally he asked: "What planet is this?"

"Why, Earth, of course!"

"If this is Earth," said Christian, "it is certainly not the Earth which I know. We are underground, I suppose?"

"Of course. No one lives on the surface now... it is forbidden."

"Now?"

Alma answered nothing. She was just sitting and looking at him. It seemed to Christian that she was losing interest.

He said:

"The Brains brought me here using a black crystal. I arrived in the hall where there was a giant machine with a lot of such crystals. Do you know anything about this machine?"

Alma nodded. Christian saw that she was falling asleep.

"Do you know how this machine works? Or what it is?"

"Oh, some kind of transmitter..."

"What kind of transmitter?"

Alma lay down and prepared to sleep.

"What kind of transmitter?" he repeated.

Alma was almost sleeping now.

"A time machine..."

- 30 -

Christian woke up. Alma was sitting near him and looking at him.

"I know who you are," she said. "You are from the past - a prehistoric man."

Christian began to understand. A time machine... and he was somewhere in the future.

"How far in the future?" he asked.

But Alma was not interested. She climbed out of the hollow trunk of the tree and Christian followed her She walked through the tall grass, then sat down and began eating some leaves.

"It was nineteen hundred and sixty-six when Waldo fastened a crystal on me and brought me here," he said. "What year is this?"

"I don't know," said Alma.

Christian felt very sad. Brains and blond giant women - this is what mankind came to in the end!

"Are there no other people?" he asked.

"There is no one else."

"And on the surface?"

"It is forbidden," said Alma.

"I want to reach the surface," said Christian. "It there a way? Can you show me?"

"It is forbidden," Alma repeated. "It is too cold there, and there are the Watchers and others..."

"What others?"

"Insects"

"And men?"

"No men - only the Watchers."

"I must see for myself," said Christian. "Show me the way, Alma."

She stood up and walked. Christian followed her. They walked a long time. Suddenly Alma said: "The Watchers will help you if you can reach them."

They came to a high metal wall.

"There is a door in this wall," said Alma. "I don't know what is on the other side of the door, but legends say that there is a moving room there that rises to the surface."

Soon they saw the door. There was a button in the wall near the door. Christian pressed the button and the door opened. And just at that moment they heard shouts behind their backs.. There was a flash of a decapitator, and Alma fell dead. Somebody's hands caught Christian from behind. He turned and hit the Brain with all the weight of his body. The Brain slipped on the wet grass and fell, and in falling dropped his decapitator. Christian seized the weapon and, quick as lightning, jumped inside. The door closed behind him.

It was a lift, and it went up as soon as the door closed.

- 31 -

The lift stopped, and the door opened. Christian saw a black sky and the ground on which nothing grew. It was very cold.

He stepped out of the lift cabin.

The sun was huge, an orange-red disc which hung low on the horison. He could see not a house, not a tree: all around him was desert.

Christian looked at the world's end and felt very sad.

Then he turned and walked towards the bloody-red disc of the sun. There was only sand around. An icy-cold wind was blowing. Who were the Watchers? Perhaps only a legend from the long dead past...