Short Circuit by Christopher Priest

Author:Christopher Priest [Priest, Christopher]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Action & Adventure, Fiction, Movie Novelization
ISBN: 0722170351
Publisher: Sphere
Published: 1986-06-15T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

As soon as they had definitely located Number Five, Crosby and Chigger went into serious action, all banter forgotten.

Parked a safe distance from the target truck, they took up a well-rehearsed defensive position behind the armoured walls of their own van. Chigger took the hand-held remote control unit and guided Number One down the ramp to the ground. He began running test routines against it, making sure it was completely serviceable.

Meanwhile, Crosby tried to make contact with Number Five. He used a portable computer terminal that operated on a tight-beam frequency with Number Five’s own inboard computer… at this short distance there was no possibility he could not make contact. He too began with preliminary routines, establishing the terminal-to-terminal handshake protocols that would log him on directly to Number Five’s central processing unit.

They were both absorbed in this preparation, and were slightly startled when a tall young woman with striking black hair came sauntering over to them.

‘Gee, you got more of them!’ she said.

Crosby looked up. She was standing beside Number One, admiring him.

‘Who the hell are you?’ he said.

‘Stephanie Thurber. I’m the one who found your robot.’ She was crouching down, examining Number One’s mechanical hands with an interest that appeared to reveal more than just passing curiosity. ‘How many more of these little guys do you have anyway?’ she said.

Chigger briefly left his control unit, went to her and pulled her into the shelter behind the truck.

‘Look Miss —’

‘Stephanie.’

‘Look, Stephanie,’ he said. ‘Would you stay behind the van, please? The walls are armoured, and provide perfect safety.’

‘There’s no danger!’ Stephanie said, surprised.

‘Just leave all that to us,’ Crosby said. ‘I want to know why you didn’t stay put, after you called the office.’

‘Me? Talk to your robot about that… he did the driving.’

Cosby stared at the ground, counted to three.

‘Right,’ he said. ‘Let’s try again. You’re not dealing with minor league here, Miss —’

‘Stephanie,’ said Stephanie.

‘Okay, okay. Why did you drive like crazy over here?’

‘You think I drive like that?’

While they were talking, Chigger had brought Number One around into the shelter of the van’s armoured side.

Stephanie said to it, ‘How ya doing? Your kid brother’s hiding inside my truck.’

Crosby glanced down at his computer screen, where at last contact had been made with Number Five. The screen said:

NUMBER FIVE…

  ALIVE…

    LIVING…

CONTINUE…

  ENDURE…

    SURVIVE!

‘Hey, Chigger, will you look at this crap?’

As Chigger went to read the screen, Stephanie said, ‘Who’s this Mr Personality?’

‘Uh, this is Dr. Crosby,’ Chigger said. ‘The robot’s his baby.’

‘Yeah? Well, Dr. Crosby, you should take better are of him. You shouldn’t let him go wandering around. He doesn’t know what he’s doing. Almost got me killed.’

In spite of the fact that Stephanie was standing right beside him, saying all this intently into his face, Crosby had hardly been listening. The screen messages were… confusing.

He put the computer on hold, and looked up at the young woman.

‘I’m getting nowhere with this,’ he said. ‘Tell me… what was he doing when you found him?’

‘I didn’t find him… he found me!’

‘All right.

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