"Nick Pollotta - Bureau 13 - Doomsday Exam" - читать интересную книгу автора (Pollotta Nick)

removed the ring of keys from its peg on the duty roster board and unlocked all of the cage doors. Free
at last, they gathered for a quick conference.

“There appears to have been unforeseen side-effects to the biological experiment,” #4 grunted,
scratching at his shoulder.

“Irrelevant,” #2 snapped swinging his arms. “Escape must be our first consideration. You know what
they had planned for us. Whether the...” he fumbled for the word.

“Serum,” #1 supplied. Apparently being the first injected, he was some two minutes ahead of the rest.

In response, #2 nodded his thanks. “Whether the serum failed or succeed, it was to be the green door
for us!” He pointed at the dreaded portal near the supply room.

The group shuddered. When any test subject went into the green door, they never came out again, at
least not in one piece. The word ‘dissection’ came unbidden into #1's mind. It made him sad that their
creators thought so little of them.

“No, not escape,” #3 snarled, beating his chest with a fist. “We should kill them!”

“Kill?” #1 echoed startled.

Grimly, #2 nodded. “We have seen how the machines work. We can easily dup-lick-kate them, or take
the devices with us. With the serum we can convert more of our people. Females!”

There were positive murmurs.

He went on. “Or we could return to the jungle and slowly build an army. We have always been many
times stronger than them. Now we are smarter! They would easily fall to us, and soon the masters will be
in the cages for us to experiment upon!”

Terribly shocked by this, #1 saw the rest of his brothers agreeing with the lunatic. How could this be?
“They are our creators!” #1 pleaded, hands outstretched. “And more, they are distant cousins. Kin! How
can we war with kin!”

“Their blood is not ours!” #4 snarled, his pink lips peeling back to reveal lines of square white teeth. “I
say, we kill the scientists, steal the machines, and return to the jungle!”

The others made noises of approval and stamped their feet.

There was a faint chance that as their minds continued to evolve the others would change their opinion,
but it was a chance that #1 was not willing to take. Leaping upon a desk, the manling bounded over to
the far wall. Uncaring, he smashed his new hands through the glass and grabbed hold of the axe for fire.
Turning about, #1 threw it with all of his strength straight for #5, the closest male.

The others hooted in anger and scattered. But #5 was so surprised by the unprompted actions, that he
stood motionless for the split second necessary for the axe to arrive. The blade neatly split his neck, and
the head rolled away. The hairless body limply dropped to the concrete, gushing red blood. Momentarily,
#1 felt the urge to pound on his chest and bellow victory. But that was in the past, he was beyond such
actions now.