"(novel) (ebook) - Perry Rhodan 0009 - (1c) The Wasp Men Attack" - читать интересную книгу автора (Perry Rhodan)1/ THE HIDDEN CAVERN
IT WAS TIME—the end of hours of concentrated work in locked seclusion.Perry Rhodan depressed the purplish knob with its strange white engraving. The etched symbol reminded him of a letter in the old German runic alphabet; however, today its origin didn’t matter. It was enough to know that it indicated the switch for cutting off power to the super positronic Brain.A monotonous vibration which he had only been subconsciously aware of ebbed away. The magic eye scales dimmed out and the sonic diaphragms became rigid and still. The largest, most versatile and powerful positronic brain ever to be stationed in the solar system registered zero activity. Rhodan leaned back, exhausted. The dialogue with the almost omniscient machine was over with. The vast silence that was just settling in the subVenusian mountain cavern was suddenly ruptured by a repeated buzzing sound. Rhodan manipulated the intercom unit. "Who’s there?" "It’s me!" Reginald Bell’s husky voice left no doubt as to who was behind this anonymous "me".From his table, Rhodan activated the door lock release. "Come in, Bell!" "What the devil, Perry!" Bell exclaimed as he came in. "You worry me! For more than 24 hours now you’ve barricaded yourself in this spooky cave. One would think that you were on the trail of the greatest secret in the world!" "We’re always on that trail, my friend, but if in spite of it all we still keep bungling, it must mean that the secret is very far off." "I’m willing to bet you haven’t eaten a bite during all this time." "Correction! I had some dry food rations. I can’t afford to make even little mistakes any more." "Nevertheless I consider it misdirected ambition if you…" "Even misdirected ambitions are a luxury I cannot afford. None of us can." "Last night I rang your bell, this morning I tried three times, and right now I have been at your door exactly two hours trying to get in. Why didn’t you answer?" "I’ve heard rumours that you have recently made a number of adjustments on the Brain. Is that correct?" "What do you mean? Could you be more specific?" "Khrest referred to your brainwave pattern. He insists that, perhaps, you know the exact structure of your own personal vibrations." "Go on. Up to now you haven’t told me anything. Are you trying to accuse me?" "I am sure nobody has any intention of doing that." "Of course not—that’s because they are afraid of me. Nevertheless, I think they are jealous. Am I right?"Bell tried to avoid Rhodan’s penetrating eyes. He regained his composure somewhat. "There is always some envy involved. But everybody believes in you. They know you are the boss and they are grateful, too, that they can always come to see you when they can no longer face their own problems." "OK." Perry Rhodan nodded his head. "I do know my own vibrations. And this robot brain is tuned in on me, too. Never before have I encountered such a vast accumulation of knowledge ready to be divulged to me. And still the problem is not solved. I think in the same manner as an Arkonide, as far as that is possible for a person born on Earth. I think as the builders of this machine think, even though I have semantic difficulties. Unfortunately it is impossible for us to learn to translate the scientific material of the Arkonides in a matter of days. We lack the background of the Arkonide. Don’t envy me, Bell. A conference with the Brain lasting 24 hours is mentally and physically fatiguing." "But was it worth it?" There was both curiosity and expectation in Bell’s voice. Perry Rhodan nodded his head. "They have hidden hangars deep inside this mountain. The Brain mentioned 6 spaceships." "That’s more than the Arkonides can use. Thora and Khrest need only one spaceship to return home in. I don’t think you are elated with these developments, are you?" "I must find those spaceships." "But you are secretly hoping you will not find them, either—I know exactly what you are thinking, Perry. We need Thora and Khrest. We need them on Earth, and also in the solar system, but not 34,000 lightyears away from here. You should keep quiet about the existence of these spaceships." "Do you want me to use deception? Do you expect me to go behind the back of these Arkonides to whom Terra owes her political unity and betray them? Do you want me to repay their friendship by treating them like captives? I don’t believe that such conduct would be conducive to the understanding between our two races." |
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