The Robot Brains [with w_cat] - [20]

Paul shook his head.

"No, Captain, I will not interfere. The people of your time are not ready for such a weapon. But my apparatus is nearly ready - the Brains will not bother you any longer."

Paul connected his apparatus to the energy source. A high-pitched sound came from the little box. It was getting higher and higher. It was resounding in the captain's head. Christian felt that he wanted to scream. The sound was getting still higher... higher... then Christian could not hear it any more. But the needle moving across the dial on the machine told him that the sound was still coming from the little box.

Paul explained: "I have built a high-frequency oscillator. It broadcasts sound waves which cannot be heard by a human ear. The sound is continuous and will last indefinite time."

"Well?"

"The structure of the Brains' ear is different from yours. -They will hear the sound, and it is impossible for them to stop it. From this moment they will always have this noise in their heads. I don't think they will be able to stand it for a long time.. and to escape from this noise, they must return to the future."

Christian shuddered.

"For me a few seconds were enough!" he said.

"Quite so," said Paul. "So the Brains will have to return to their time. When they return, I shall destroy their time machine, and you can live in peace."

Christian went up on deck and lit a cigar. He was sure that the Brains would strike back. He only hoped that Paul's energy barrier would be effective enough to hold out against their attack.

- 46 -

Waldo trembled and screamed and held his big head with his small hands. That high-pitched note was sounding in his head without stopping. He felt sharp pain, a red curtain was hanging before his eyes. He could not think clearly

The Brains suffered greatly. Their science could find nothing to stop that terrible noise in their heads. They could not stand that noise any longer. Some of them went mad and killed each other.

Where was the source of the noise? If the Brains knew where the noise was coming from, they could try to stop it. Waldo was sure that it was the Watcher's work. But where was the Watcher?

This was all Christian's fault, Waldo thought; Christian brought the Watcher here - and suddenly Waldo understood. The Watcher and his terrible transmitter were on the captain's yacht.

He turned to the other Brains and shouted:

"The yacht! The noise is coming from the yacht! We must attack at once. We must go there and destroy the transmitter - or perish!"

The grey dwarfs seized their weapons.

"Destroy the transmitter, Christian and the Watcher!" shouted Waldo. Every weapon must be used on the yacht!"

"But the energy barrier," said one of the Brains. "How can we break the Watcher's energy barrier?"

"We shall overload it. We shall use all the power of our weapons, and the barrier will collapse."

- 47 -

Christian was sitting in his chair in the cabin and smoking his cigar. Paul was lying on the bed and reading.

Suddenly a brilliant flash lit the cabin, and the yacht shook

"They are here," said Paul and stood up. "They will try to break the energy barrier. But don't worry - we are safe here."

"I am going on deck," said Christian

"Put on your dark glasses to protect your eyes," said Paul

Christian put on a pair of sun-glasses and went up the steps. Now he could see the energy barrier - a sphere of light, fifty yards across

He was surrounded by bright light. It seemed that a thousand lightnings were flashing outside the energy barrier at the same time. The air was filled with loud roar, the energy barrier was shaking as the Brains were trying to break it with their heat weapons. The water in the Thames was boiling hot, the yacht began going down and soon settled on the dry river-bed

The attack stopped, and the Brains disappeared

"I don't think they will try again," said Paul

"We must get out of here and go to a high place on the bank of the river," said Christian. "The water will come here soon."

"We'll go at once," said Paul

Together they left the yacht and went up to the high bank - and then the water came in a great wave that completely covered the yacht

"I shall visit my own time," said Paul, "to make sure that the Brains have returned there."

He touched the crystal at his belt and disappeared. In a few minutes he was standing near Christian again.

"Only a few of the Brains have returned," he said, "and Waldo is not among them. I don't know where the other, are... in another time, I suppose."

So it was not the end, Christian thought sadly.

"Have you are idea where they can be?" he asked.

Paul sighed unhappily.

"No. I suspect that they are preparing some new attack in another time. But where? It is clear that they are trying to change the course of history and become the only masters of Earth. And if they manage to change history, then, of course, our race will diappear."

The captain tried to remember all that he knew about the Brains. The Brains had decided to stop all progress by murdering research scientists. Then they concentrated on the satellite bases. Evidently, Fox was right, that the main task of the Brains was to prevent mankind from flying into space.