The Robot Brains [with w_cat] | страница 24

385 She came up to Christian and said something very quickly, but Christian did not understand her. A Brain answered her, and she laughed. Then she bent and easily lifted Christian with one hand. She looked at him a few seconds, then lost interest and dropped him to the floor, like a child drops a doll.

She turned away and left the hall.

Christian stood up.

"We meet again, Captain Christian..."

386 It was Waldo's voice. And, indeed, the Brain was standing near Christian.

387 "Do you begin to understand now?" asked Waldo. "No? Well, it doesn't matter. You will never leave this place. You will die, but not easily..."

388 He called two other Brains who came up and stood on both sides of Christian, holding their decapitators ready.

389 "Follow me," said Waldo and went along one of the corridors.

Christian walked after him.

390 They walked along the corridor, sometimes crossing other corridors. On the side of the corridor there were cells in which Christian saw Brains and giant women. Finally they stopped near an empty cell.

391 "You can live here for some time," said Waldo. "Food will be brought to you. You are free to go anywhere, except back to the transmitter hall. If you try to get there, you will be immediately killed. I shall return later."

392 Christian was left alone in the cell. The cell was about ten feet in diameter. There was a chair and a low table. Christian sat down. The chair was very comfortable.

393 In a few minutes a giant woman brought a tray with food and water. The food was not very tasty, but Christian was hungry and ate it all.

394 He tried to speak to the giant woman, but she did not answer him.

395 Some other giant women come to look at him. They pointed at him and laughed, but the look in their eyes told Christian that they had very little intelligence.

396 In the days that followed Christian walked along the corridor, where he sometimes met Brains and giant women. He noticed that they spoke a language, which was very much like English, but still it was very difficult for him to understand them. Sometimes he tried to ask them where he was, but they never answered him.

397 One day he was standing in the corridor near his cell waiting for the giant woman who always brought him food. Suddenly he saw another woman who was running very quickly towards him. Some other women were running after her and beating her with metal whips.

398 The woman jumped into Christian's cell and stopped at the far wall. At that moment Waldo appeared in the corridor.