Attack
– What are your next plans?
Rejthnov looked at the rover, the repair of which he started this morning attack- he stood with the engine disassembled, and the generator lay on the table.
– I would like to finish the repair, – he said. , Will you help?
The question was rhetorical on a larger scale and was left unanswered – all three loved to work with their hands. In addition, it was simply vital to continuously maintain the equipment attack in working order, and everyone understood this. Barney already went to the table and began to turn the generator in his hands in search of external defects, but immediately postponed this occupation.
– It’s dusky, – he said, glancing at the porthole.
A storm raged outside , And from this it was too dark in the hangar, even though several lamps were switched on. Rejthnov went to the power shield and switched all the switches to ON, thereby igniting the remaining lamps.
– It’s better this way, “Barney nodded affirmatively and again began to consider the generator.
The external inspection of defects did not reveal, therefore the generator had to be disassembled. A few hours later, the repair was completed and the engine was installed back on the rover. After making sure that all the graphs show green values, Gordon unhooked the sensors from the engine and waved his hand to Reitnov sitting inside – he drowned the rover and went outside.
– Good work, guys, – he said, wiping his sleeve with sweat From the forehead – I need to inspect the second rover, too, but personally I would at first chew something. What do you think?
The guys, especially Barney, were not at all against such a development of events and headed for the transition. Reutnov followed them and, already approaching the effervescent door, suddenly stopped, hearing an unpleasant sound – as if the wire was somewhere short. He turned around and looked around the hangar for a source. After going a little deeper, he listened again – no, the sound definitely came from the side of the rover. Reithnov turned his head a little more, and then looked up and saw a red emergency lamp that did not work. It seems that the regular warning system has tried to ignite it without success, thereby creating this short sound.
But why did the system work?
Gordon was already standing next to Raytnev and looking up too, and Barney looked around. He for a long time detained a look at the outer door through which their rover entered the day before inward, and then said:
– Do you see it?
Reitnov distracted from the lamp, traced the directions of Barney’s gaze and opened wide Eyes with surprise. He could not believe that he had not noticed it himself: an inscription burned over the door:
== “Attention! Nearby titanium! “==
A hologram was immediately displayed in front of the door, which showed all the hulls of the military base and the surrounding neighborhoods. The image was not schematic – it was carefully detailed and represented a reduced copy of the base, and just next to the hangar was walking a small titan. Reitnov was surprised at the striking similarity between the real titans and their smaller virtual copies.
“It can not be,” he said, pointing with his finger at the hologram, “that’s exactly what they look like.
Barney peered through the porthole, But to no avail – the storm was too dense, and further than ten meters there was nothing to see. Judging by the numbers above his head, Titan was ninety meters from the hangar, but gradually approached.
Reitnov could not take his eyes off the hologram and continued to be amazed at the highest degree of detail. He seemed to have once again got to Alpha on the day of the attack – so great was the similarity. And the main question stirred the mind of Reitnov – how can this be?
Apparently, he was not the only one who asked this question – Gordon also looked at the hologram or the warning sign over the door. Barney alone held himself in his arms and went to the power shield to check what each switch was responsible for, but near the far right, the switch was neither labeled nor labeled. Barney switched it to the opposite state, and the hologram, along with the warning inscription, disappeared, like a short sound.
The boys looked at each other in bewilderment, and for a moment silence reigned in the hangar, which was then interrupted by Reitnov:
– It turns out … the existence of the Titans is not at all a discovery?
Barney leaned his hand against the wall and looked at the blank display above the door.
– Moreover, he added, It is known even during the construction of this base.
“And that was more than fifty years ago,” finished the Reithnov thought, resting his hands on his hips.
Gordon raised his right hand to his chin, as he always did in moments of thought, and asked a reasonable question:
– Was this known to the doctor?
This question also remained unanswered – suddenly hissed the door to the dining room, and the remaining three members of the group emerged from it. Angus went at the head. “It’s easy at the moment,” thought Rejthnov, and began to worry that the doctor would beat this situation by his own hand. But the doctor, like Isaac and Emilia, looked absolutely calm, as if nothing had happened, only with a smile were directed towards Raithnova and the two pilots.
– We conducted some studies, the doctor said, and now we can Make some adjustments to the data regarding the structure of their larynx!
He was, as usual, inspired.
– We are not finished yet, but decided to break off for dinner, – added Emilia, – will you join?
“Yes, of course,” Ryutnov replied, “but we need a little more time to repair, so start without us.
“Oh, Alex, did you repair the rover?” – asked the doctor, coming to the car and passing his hand over the body – he pulled us out of Alpha and deserves the best service! I believe that only you guys can give it to him.
He looked around at the “repairmen” who were standing where the hologram had been projected a minute earlier. Reitnov did not smile very naturally and put his hand on Gordon’s shoulder.
– If it were not for Gordon, we would have repaired him for a long time. He is a master in this!
Reitnov met his gaze with a friend and realized that he also could not wait to see the doctor leave the hangar. The doctor looked at them with a smile for a while, but then said, as if reading through their thoughts:
– Well, since you need a little more time, we will not detain you. Isaac, Emilia, dine and continue research?
They turned around and headed for the crossing, and Reitnov quickly glanced over his shoulder to the porthole. The red sheet of sand and dust still covered everything around, so he immediately turned away and continued to accompany the doctor with a glance. However, Barney looked at the porthole more closely and suddenly began to notice the silhouette of the titan. He glanced at Raithnov – he had already turned away and could not see it, but the titanium was getting closer.
Rejthnov moved closer to Gordon and started to say something in his ear, but Barney took them both in an armful and dragged him away from the walls. Most likely, the hangar will withstand the impact of the titanium – it’s not for nothing that such a layer of armor was hung on it, but it’s never superfluous to insure yourself once again.
– Titan is already there, – Barney whispered to Gurdon’s dumb question.
They moved away from the wall for several meters, waiting for the strike, but still they shuddered from a deaf but powerful sound. One of the lamps illuminating the hangar, for a moment, went out, and then again it caught on fire. Angus, already approaching the transition door, ducked from surprise and turned sharply in search of a source of noise.
– What was that? He asked in a high voice, “Is that titanium?”
Rejtnov again turned over his shoulder and glanced at the porthole, and this time he wore a huge and powerful paw that, through Second disappeared. The doctor, apparently, also noticed this, because the corpses were white, settled in place and raised a hand, pointing ahead. Apparently, he wanted to say something, because his lips were erratic, but his tongue did not obey.
Isaac proved to be more agile.
– Will the walls stand? He asked, heading straight for the porthole.
“I’m sure it is,” Barney answered, also coming up to him.
Emilia began to calm the doctor, and Reitnov whispered to Gordon standing next to him:
– Damn! I would prefer that the doctor does not know that local radar installations have long known about the titans. More precisely, we know this.
“On the other hand,” he replied, “it will be interesting to see his reaction and listen to what he will say.
Rejthnov shrugged his shoulders and looked at Angus – he was still in a strained semicircle with his left hand, As though defending themselves from something. Emilia was saying something to him, and he nodded vigorously, but there was no horror in his eyes-rather, there was some confusion and uncertainty. Rejtnov noticed that he was pressing the edge of his spectacles against the skull with his right hand finger, and sometimes he was tapping it like it was some kind of device that had begun to fail, and only a light blow could bring it back to working condition.
– Why … it does not go away? – whispered the doctor, being in some kind of trance.
– What? – did not understand Emilia.
The doctor did not answer, but for a while stopped knocking on the arch. Isaac, meanwhile, drew attention to the open shield of electricity and headed for him. Noticing that the rightmost switch is in a different state than the rest, he switched it. Again, an unpleasant, short sound sounded, and a hologram was displayed. Reutnov continued to watch Angus closely – he, without a doubt, looked at the hologram, but in his gaze there was no surprise what Reitnov had expected. The indignation in the doctor’s gaze slowly turned into anger, and he continued nervously applying his finger to the shackle of the glasses again and again. Emilia opened her mouth in surprise and slowly looked from the hologram to the doctor and back.
– It turns out, – said Isaac, – about their existence was known long before our arrival?
Isaac had an amazing Ability to analyze first, and only then to be surprised even by the most strange things. However, his completely confused look was tightly chained to the hologram.
– How is this possible? “He added in a low voice.
Emilia left the doctor and also approached the hologram, filled with curiosity. In the meantime, the titan, judging by the radar’s data, has slightly bypassed the hangar and is now preparing for a new strike. Again a dull sound sounded, but this time none of the lamps went out – the hangar’s armor was coping well with its duties. Titan did not hurry to get quiet, and the second immediately followed the third blow, but again to no avail.
The doctor finally regained his composure and approached the others.
– How could they leave us here, Knowing that the titans exist? “He almost whispered,” what is the real purpose of the expedition?
Raithnov looked up at him, but could not find the answer. However, the answer to the last question he was going to get just from Angus. For some time everyone was silently watching the virtual model of titanium on the hologram, and at one point he spread his paws to the sides and opened his mouth.
– Probably he growls, – said the doctor, – he also spread his paws and took a step Forward, when growling then on Alpha.
Titan, meanwhile, again turned sideways to the body, preparing for another blow. But then suddenly he turned around and began to slowly move away from the hangar, and the number above it began to grow slowly. When the value reached one hundred meters, the warning sign above the door and the hologram disappeared.
– Yeah, – said Isaac, – an unexpected development of events.
“Yes, more than that,” agreed Rejthnov.
Everyone continued to stand in a semicircle, although the hologram was no longer there. Barney looked between people, but saw nothing but confusion in his eyes.
– Maybe we’ll eat? He finally asked, with hope in his voice, “and then we’ll put everything in order.”
Ten minutes later everyone was sitting at the dinner table. The meal was in silence – everyone tried to structure thoughts in his head and did not know where to start. Reitnov, taking a sip of his standard cappuccino and staring at the porthole, said:
– The storm is weakening. If lucky, it will pass in a couple of hours, which will allow us to inspect the damage before dawn.
Gordon took a big sip of black tea and was about to say something, but choked on the drink and coughed. Barney, who was sitting next to him, patted him on the back and said:
– Most likely, Gordon wanted to say: “Let’s take a look at what we now have.”
The latter, without ceasing to cough, Just pointed a finger at Barney and nodded affirmatively. Rejthnov smiled, looking at the amazing mutual understanding of the two pilots.
– Let me sum up, – Angus said to all, in a serious tone.
“Of course,” agreed Rejtnov, slightly surprised.
The doctor stood up from the table and began to pace the space next to him.
– Do not pay attention to me, it’s easier for me to think. The first and most important point – the existence of the Titans was known long before the arrival of our expedition.
“I would even say, long before planning our expedition,” Gordon clarified, finally ceasing to cough.
“True,” agreed Angus, “even so.
– And what is the second moment? Asked Isaac.
– The second point is that the underground cave near Alfa does not seem to have anything to do with it.
Reitnov met with Barney’s eyes – they have long made such a conclusion, but is it worth talking about this now? Barney rested his chin on the palm of his hand and shook his head, giving Reutnov a dumb sign. Instead he said:
– There is also a third point.
Everyone looked at him questioningly. Barney looked around, stood a short pause and continued:
– We assumed that titans are dangerous only when darkness sets in. But what is darkness? In fact, there is no such thing, because darkness is simply the absence of light. Consequently, in the conditions of the storm, and in the conditions of cloudy weather, we experience this most in the absence of light. In other words, we now know that titans are dangerous not only after sunset, but at any time when its direct rays do not fall to the ground.
The doctor slightly raised his eyebrows – apparently did not expect from a simple military such a thin Notes. Barney noticed this and said:
– My profession implies not only the ability to shoot, but to foresee and analyze.
The doctor immediately looked down and answered, adjusting his glasses:
– I’m sorry, Barney. Yes, this is a very subtle and weighty remark.
“So we have three points to consider,” Gordon summed up.
Reitnov rose from his seat and said:
– We need to investigate the remaining corps. Angus and I were in the laboratory and the medical corps, but we need to study them in more detail. Gordon, Barney – remember those two corps that are marked on the map, but whose purpose is not specified? I want to find together with you how to get there – suddenly we will find there some answers?
“It sounds reasonable,” agreed Gordon.
Isaac also got up from the table and said:
– Guys, I have one more question. Angus, I think you will also be interested in him.
Catching five pairs of interested eyes, he continued:
– Does it make sense to continue researching the Titans?
Angus scratched the back of his head , Trying to formulate a better idea, and replied:
– I think so. Of course, we can no longer rely on the data that is in our tablets for this planet – they are knowingly wrong, now we know for sure. But since we ourselves do not know anything about titans, it is useful to study them, if only to be able to surpass them and survive.
Rejtnov again looked in the porthole – the storm was definitely on the decline. He looked at his watch and said:
– It’s now fourteen hours and twenty minutes. I have every reason to believe that after a few hours the storm will subside. Perhaps this will happen before dawn – in that case, I intend to go outside and inspect the damage received by the hangar. Are there any interested?
– I! Isaac with Emilia exchanged glances, and the latter answered for two:
– Yes, we would also be interested.
] Ruitnov’s glance slid to the pilots.
– I suppose you should not even be asked?
They both nodded, not even looking at each other. Райтнов еле заметно подмигнул им и продолжил:
– В таком случае я в ангар, нужно завершить некоторые работы.
– Отлично, – сказал Ангус, бросая взгляд на Айзека и Эмилию, – а я все же намерен завершить исследования касательно записей с вашего ровера. Ребята, вы со мной?
Ребята положительно закивали.
– Вот и хорошо, – закончил Райтнов, – я найду вас, когда соберусь выйти наружу.
С этими словами он направился в ангар. Гордон и Барни встали и направились за ним. Когда они втроем уединились в ангаре, Райтнов задал вопрос:
– Вы заметили, как странно доктор себя вел во время нападения титана?
– А то! – отозвался Барни, – я все время за ним наблюдал. Он только и делал, что нервно тыкал пальцем в дужку своих очков.
– Я тоже заметил это, – согласился Гордон, – странно как-то это все. Думаете, это просто нервный тик, или очки и правда непростые?
– Что-то мне подсказывает, что второе, – хмуро ответил Райтнов, – я еще запомнил его взгляд, когда он впервые увидел голограмму. В нем не было ни грамма удивления, лишь какая-то злость, а еще эти нервные постукивания по дужке…
– Как будто что-то пошло не так, и эти постукивания могли что-то изменить, – закончил мысль Гордон.
– М-да, – только и ответил Райтнов, а затем подошел к иллюминатору и снова начал смотреть на улицу.
– Думаешь, буря утихнет до темноты? – спросил его Барни.
– Вполне возможно. В любом случае, давайте проверим еще раз наше оружие, вдруг придется выйти. Я бы предпочел быть готовым к любой ситуации.
Барни улыбнулся и нащупал рукой плазменный пистолет на своем поясе – он носил его с собой все то время, что пребывал на военной базе.
– В нашем ровере три автомата и четыре… три пистолета, – сказал Гордон, глядя на пояс товарища, – один пистолет у Барни на поясе.
– А почему только три автомата? – спросил Райтнов.
– Я же бросил один, когда мы застряли по пути сюда, – напомнил ему Барни.
– Ах, да, точно! Ну что ж, а в моем ровере полный комплект – четыре автомата и четыре пистолета. Давайте же проверим их.
Барни достал пистолет из кобуры на своем поясе и начал вертеть его в руках. Затем вытащил обойму и проверил плазменный генератор – никаких внешних дефектов не было. Наконец, Барни вставил обойму обратно и перевел рычажок предохранителя в режим с маркировкой “СД”, что означало “самодиагностика”. Опустив ствол вниз, он спустил курок – пистолет еле уловимо загудел и слегка завибрировал, а затем отобразил на маленьком дисплее надпись: “ОК”. Аналогичным образом было проверено все остальное оружие – как и ожидалось, проблем выявлено не было.
– Кстати, – сказал Барни, кладя последний проверенный им автомат на стол и ставя его на предохранитель, – мы же хотели продиагностировать второй ровер, так?
Ребята подключили провода к двигателю ровера, а затем провели диагностику ходовой на подъемнике, однако и здесь никаких проблем выявлено не было. Гордон удовлетворительно кивнул – ему определенно был по душе тот факт, что все оружие и оба транспортных средства находятся в рабочем состоянии.
– А вот еще такой момент, – сказал Барни, опираясь плечом на ровер, – где вы видели, чтобы включение и выключение радарной установки регулировалось переключателем в электрическом щитке? Раньше мысли были заняты более важными вещами, а вот сейчас я что-то задумался.
– Да, действительно, – согласился Гордон, – обычно такие вещи регулируются более централизованно. И, судя по всему, тревога сработала только в ангаре, а не во всех корпусах.
Райтнов задумчиво посмотрел в иллюминатор.
– Думаю, в закрытых корпусах что-то вроде пункта управления. Мы определенно должны там что-то найти.
Он взглянул на часы – они показывали половину шестого вечера, и буря на улице уже практически стихла, уступая место лучам заходящего солнца.
– Ну что, – сказал он, – можно уже выйти наружу? Ветерок незначительный.
– Пожалуй, – согласился Гордон, – я схожу за остальными.
Он вернулся спустя несколько минут и привел с собой остальных.
– Сейчас самое время, чтобы выйти наружу и осмотреться, – сказал Райтнов, – буря утихла, и незначительный ветер нам уже не помешает. Я предлагаю всем вооружиться перед выходом.
– Доктор, вы не против, если я возьму ваш автомат? – спросил Барни, – а то я был настолько неаккуратен, что потерял свой.
Ангус быстро закивал головой:
– Да-да, конечно, Барни. От меня все равно мало толку – я не умею стрелять.
Дождавшись, пока каждый, кроме доктора, вооружится и еще раз проверит свой автомат, Райтнов нажал на кнопку открытия дверей и скомандовал:
– Гордон, Барни – давайте осмотрим те места, к которым приложился титан. Остальные – можете попробовать отыскать его следы, если они остались. Идет?
Двери открылись, и они аккуратно вышли наружу. Ветер все еще поднимал клубы песка и пыли, но с ног не сбивал и обзору на ближние дистанции не мешал. Райтнов и пилоты сразу же начали обходить ангар по периметру в поисках внешних повреждений и скоро скрылись за углом, а доктор с двумя помощниками принялись искать следы. Задача была весьма сомнительная, потому что ветер давно уже уравнял песчаную поверхность, но попробовать все равно стоило. В поисках следов они отошли чуть поодаль, и внезапно доктор воскликнул:
– Нашел! Вижу следы!
Айзек и Эмилия подошли к нему и тоже начали их рассматривать. Следы были видны очень отчетливо, что немного смущало. Если следы отчетливые, значит они были оставлены совсем недавно, к тому же, они были слишком маленькие для того, чтобы принадлежать титану. Айзек быстро все понял и сработал оперативно – он повернулся в сторону, куда ушли Райтнов и ребята и крикнул:
– Ребята, тут волк!
– Айзек! – услышал он голос Эмилии.
Он повернулся и увидел грозный силуэт в пыли, постепенно приближающийся к ним. Силуэт был бы едва заметен, если бы не два красных глаза, горящих, словно огни. Айзек и Эмилия вскинули автоматы и попятились назад, готовясь выстрелить, но доктор остался на месте и не шевельнулся. Он лишь снова начал прикладывать палец к дужке очков. Волк понял, что его заметили, поэтому перестал красться, встал на задние лапы и побежал на Ангуса, и спустя секунду уже был на расстоянии прыжка.
– Черт! – выкрикнул доктор и пригнулся.
Айзек и Эмилия выстрелили одновременно. Два плазменных заряда попали в волка, когда он уже находился в полете – его туша перелетела через Ангуса и обрызгала его струей крови.
– Вы слышали это? – спросил Барни, – я слышал крик, а затем выстрелы автомата.
Он быстро направился к углу ангара, чтобы поймать доктора и его помощников в поле зрения. Гордон последовал за ним. Райтнов в последний раз окинул стены ангара, и, так и не найдя внешних повреждений, опустил взгляд вниз и тоже направился к углу. Внезапно взгляд его наткнулся на свежий след на песке – след, который определенно не мог принадлежать титану.
– Дьявол, – выругался он, – тут волк!
Гордон обернулся, услышав его, а затем крепче сжал автомат и приготовился. Барни уже повернул за угол и не слышал предупреждение Райтнова, но, тем не менее, уже держал автомат наперевес и был готов выстрелить в любое мгновение. Сначала он поймал в поле зрения доктора и тут же заметил тушу волка рядом с ним. Барни резко прицелился, но сразу же понял, что волк уже мертв, поэтому на мгновение расслабился и продолжил всматриваться в пыль в поисках силуэтов Айзека и Эмилии.
А затем что-то сбило его с ног, и чья-то кровь начала заливать ему глаза, придавая окружающему пейзажу уже знакомый красный отлив, словно на Марсе. Почему-то Барни подумал, что это его собственная кровь.
Райтнов и Гордон уже подходили к углу, когда заметили лежащий в песке автомат Барни, а также лужицу крови и характерную борозду. Гордон проследил, куда она ведет и крикнул, указывая стволом автомата направление:
– Смотри!
Райтнов проследил направление и тоже прицелился, однако стрелять не стал. Не стал стрелять и Гордон – силуэт убегающего волка был слишком размыт в пыли, и была ненулевая вероятность задеть Барни, которого тот утащил с собой.
