The Robot Brains.

by Sidney J. Bounds

  Christian looked round.

  "I don't see the Brains," he said. "I suppose they eat something."

  "Not with us," said Jo with contempt. "they are too high to mix with the rest of us. They are not true dwarfs, not like Mabel and me."

  "If the Brains are not dwarfs," said Christian, "what are they?"

  "I don't know. None of us like them very much. They never leave their trailer, except for their act. But they are clever… and cruel!"

  She shuddered.

  "I wonder if they went out last night," said Christian.

  "I don't think so," said Jo. "It seems that they are afraid of the dark - at least they keep the door of their trailer locked all night, and the lamps burning."

  Soon Christian said good-night to Jo and walked to the trailer where he and Miller slept. When he came, Miller was preparing to go out

  "I'll come late," Miller said. "But don't worry, I shan't make noise."

  Christian was glad to hear it, because he wanted to go out himself to watch the Brains; so he would not have to explain anything to Miller.

  - 9 -

  Christian spent almost all night watching the Brains' trailer, but in vain: they did not leave it.

  In the evening of the next day, when the show was over, Christian was standing at the back of the large tent and waiting for the Brains. It was cold and it was raining. When they came out, he said:

  "Typical English weather, this."

  The Brains did not answer. Christian tried again.

  "I suppose," he said, "the climate is warm in the place you come from."

  When they were standing close to him, he could see individual differences in them. One had a more pointed chin than the others; the second had his ears flat against the skull; the third had a scar on his nose.

  "It is true that we are used to an even temperature," said the Brain with the scar.

  He spoke with a strange accent.

  "What country it is?" asked the captain.

  He received no answer. All three Brains were silent. Looking down at them, Christian saw that each had a belt at his waist; and in each belt there was a large black crystal with some strange engraving on it.

  He stretched out his hand to touch the nearest crystal and exclaimed: "I've never seen anything like these before!"

  Their reaction was immediate. All three Brains jerked away from him, as from something dangerous.

  "Keep your hands off," one of them said angrily. "You must not touch!"

  "Sorry," said Christian. He was intrigued.

  They looked at him a moment, then quickly walked to their trailer. The captain remained standing there, wondering: what the devil was that all about?

  - 10 -

  Kurt Lawrence looked at the clock again. It was now past midnight, and Grace was not yet home. He thought: "She's seeing too much of Stacey…"

  He tried to concentrate on his work. He was a tall man with brown hair, younger than he looked. His work was nearly finished. He had worked out a new method of launching rockets. It was a big step forward.

  He looked at the clock again. Twenty minutes past midnight. Where was Grace now? He decided that in future he would devote more time to his wife.

  He returned to his table to work out final details. When at last he finished, it was one o'clock. He heard someone at the door of the house. He opened the door of his room and went along the corridor, calling:

  "Grace? Is that you, Grace?"

  Kurt Lawrence did not know it then, but his worries were almost over…

  - 11 -

  Three cars stopped at the entrance to the Burkholder Fair. Four men in plain clothes got out of each car. They found Burkholder and explained what they wanted. The owner of the Fair did not like the idea, but he had no choice.

  In ten minutes, everyone who worked at the Fair, was inside the large tent. The men in plain clothes were questioning them. Meanwhile, other men were searching the tents and trailers.

  Christian was questioned, too. Miller, to his surprise, was with the people who asked the questions.

  Afterwards, Miller took Christian aside and said "I must now introduce myself."

  He showed Christian his card; very simply it said that he was an operative of Military Intelligence.

  "So you see," said Miller, "that we haven't ignored the theories of your friend Fox. Now we have something important to discuss. I know that you have been watching the Brains. Well, did you see them yesterday between midnight and two a.m.? Did they leave their trailer?"

  "Another murder?" asked Christian.

  "Yes, the seventh - a man named Kurt Lawrence. He worked with rockets. He was murdered, and some important papers disappeared at the same time."

  "I can't help you," Christian said slowly. "I watched their trailer again, but I didn't see the Brains at all. A lamp was burning in the trailer - I think they were inside."

  "H-m." Miller sat down on a chair and waved a large hand. "Make yourself comfortable - nobody will disturb us."

  The captain sat down and put a cigar between his lips.

  "The trouble is," said Miller, "that now I have declared my position. So I can't remain here." He looked thoughtfully at Christian. "Will you stay on here? They don't suspect you - and I shall be glad if you help."

  "I'll do anything I can," said the captain.

  "I'd like to see the murder weapon," said Miller. "Do you know the strangest thing about the Brains? They have no past!"

  "What do you mean?"

  "I mean that the Brains appeared suddenly, out of nowhere. Before that, no one had seen or heard of them. They have no past. Maybe they just dropped from the sky…"

  Christian thought of Fox's theory.

  - 12 -

  It was a few days later, in the evening, when the show was over and the public had gone. It was late, the stars were shining brightly in a frosty sky. Christian was alone. He was doing some work on the territory, when he heard a loud scream from the direction of the Brains' trailer. He ran.

  He came to where the Brains' trailer stood, and in the light of the moon saw the Brains and Jo. They had the dwarf-woman between them. The Brain with the flat ears held her by her dark long hair; the second Brain held a piece of cloth to her mouth; and the third cruelly twisted her arms.

  Still running, Christian shouted: "Stop that, you devils - leave her alone!"

  The Brains were too busy to hear him. He seized one of them - the one with the scar on the nose - and threw him aside.

  The other two Brains turned to him, releasing Jo, who fell to the ground. The Brain with the scar stood up and ran up to Christian. He was shaking with rage.

  "I'll teach you to interfere!" he shouted.

  He was ready to attack Christian, when Victor, the Brain with the flat ears, who seemed to be their leader, said quietly:

  "Waldo!"

  This one word sounded as a command. The Brain with the scar stopped at once. All three looked coldly at the captain, then turned and marched into their trailer.

  Christian bent over Jo and said:

  "It's all right, Jo, they've gone."

  She opened her eyes.

  "Hello, Sailor! It's good that you came. Thank you!"

  Christian helped her to get up. Her face was pale. She laughed.

  "That's what I get for not minding my own business," she said. "Seeing that they know all the answers, I decided to ask them who did the murders. They did not answer me; just stood there and looked at me as if I were some insect. I did not like their look. Then one of them seized me by the hair. 'Little girls must not ask questions,' he said, 'we'll have to teach you a lesson.' Waldo started twisting my arm, and I screamed. Then you came up."

  She smiled a little.

  "Thanks again."

  Christian walked with her to her trailer. At the door he stopped and said: "Jo, you must not go near the Brains. They are dan
gerous. And don't ask any more questions."

  She looked up at him.

  "And you? They won't forgive you for stopping them. You must be careful. They'll do something horrible."

  "I can take care of myself," said the captain. "Do you feel all right now?"

  Jo nodded.

  "I'm fine… Good night, Sailor."

  Christian went to his own trailer. He was sure that the Brains would not forget him.. When he was in the trailer, he took his automatic gun out of his bag and checked its mechanism. He thought a little, then he decided that he would not need it that night.

  He put the gun under his pillow and went out. He went to the Cross Keys, a fine of old pub where he and Miller had agreed to meet.

  - 13 -

  When the captain came up to the old pub, he saw Miller's car standing at the entrance. It was late, and the door was locked. He went round the house to the back door which had been left open for him, and entered the house. It was dark and still inside. A light burned somewhere above.

  He began climbing the stairs. Then, suddenly, breaking the silence of the house, came a gunshot. Christian jumped forward, to the top of the stairs. He found himself in a short corridor with a door at the end. The door was a little open, and light was coming from inside.

  He ran to the door and went in. Miller lay on the carpet. On his shirt there was blood. An automatic gun lay beside him, and there was no one else in the room.

  Christian bent over Miller. The man was dead. He looked at the gun… it was very much like his own. He took it to read the number - and did not believe his eyes: it was his own gun.

  Christian stared at the gun and then at Miller. He could not understand it. He knew that he had left his gun -

  The door behind him closed softly and a key turned on the outside. Christian jumped to the door and pulled it, but in vain. He was locked in.

  By now the old pub was coming to life. He heard movement and voices and steps in the corridor.

  Someone knocked on the door and shouted: "Mister Miller, are you all right?"

  Christian answered: "Open this door - Miller is dead, and his murderer is running away!"

  There was a pause; then the key turned and the door opened. The red-faced owner of the pub stood there with a heavy stick in his hand. He was looking at Christian who was still holding the gun, and at Miller's body

  "Let me go out," said Christian

  "Not so fast - you will have to explain something"

  "Listen, I was working with Miller. He was waiting for me. Someone shot him and-"

  "Maybe," said the red-faced man. He stepped back, quickly closed the door and locked it again. "You will stay here till I bring the police," he said.

  For the first time Christian realized his own position. He had been found, alone, in a looked room, with a dead man, holding the gun - his own gun. It would be difficult to convince the police that he was not the murderer.

  And how had his gun got here from the trailer?

  But now, Christian understood, there was no time for thinking about that. He opened the window. Looking down, he saw Miller's car.

  He jumped out of the window, ran to the car and got in. The red-faced owner of the pub came out, shouting and waving his stick. Christian started the car and drove away at full speed.

  - 14 -

  He drove back to the Fair. He was determined to find the Brains and speak to them. Instinct told him they were responsible; they knew, that Miller had been watching them, and so they killed him. And they killed Miller with Christian's gun because they wanted to take revenge on him: they had not forgotten that he had interfered when they were speaking with Jo.

  When he came to the Fair, he parked the car and got out of it. It was dark. Only one light was seen in the distance - it came from the Brains' trailer. Christian walked towards it.

  The door was locked. The captain took a piece of wire out of his pocket, worked with it a little, and the door opened. The captain stepped in, holding his gun ready.

  He stopped, disappointed. The trailer was empty.

  Christian looked angrily around. Where were the Brains now? He could not wait for them. He was sure that the owner of the Cross Keys had raised an alarm and the police were looking for him. And the first place where they would come would be the Fair.

  He had to get away before the police came. It was absolutely necessary for him to remain in freedom until he could prove his innocence. There was nothing else to do, Christian decided: he must disappear.

  He went quickly and silently to his own trailer and packed his bag. He looked under the pillow where he had left his gun: as he expected, there was nothing there. There was no doubt that the Brains had framed him for Miller's murder.

  He was thinking where to go. He could not go to his yacht: he was sure that the police would visit it. He could not go to Fox - the police knew that they were friends, so, of course, they would come to Fox's place, too. He had friends who would be ready to hide him, but he wanted to remain near the Fair - that was his only chance to get at the Brains. And the Fair was leaving for Cambridge in the morning - Burkholder had decided to find a new place for it after the visit of Military Intelligence.

  So Christian decided to go to Cambridge and hide there, waiting for his chance.

  He took his bag and left his trailer. He went to the kitchen. There he took an empty bag and put into it some foodstuffs which he could find. Putting the bag on his shoulder, he left the kitchen.

  The police knew the number of Miller's car, so he could not use it. He walked quickly along the path. In the bright light of the moon he saw a workman's bicycle near the fence. Without hesitation he got on it and, leaving the Fair, rode off in the direction of Cambridge.

  He travelled the whole night, and with the first light of day he decided to stop and find a place to hide. He stopped at a deserted crossroads and looked around. Through the trees growing along the road he saw a field and a river in the distance. Near the river he noticed the ruins of a descrted boat-house.

  He lifted his stolen bicycle on his shoulder and crossed the field to the river. He approached the ruins of the boathouse. Tall grass growing around the door showed that nobody was using the house.

  He opened the door and frightened away a rat, which quickly ran into the darkness. He saw a flight of stairs which led to a loft, and he climbed up carrying the bicycle with him. He found himself in a small room with a little window, which gave him a clear view of the approaches to the house. So if some people were coming to the house, he would see them.

  Christian was satisfied. He sat down on the floor and ate some cold bacon and bread and cheese. The whole morning he was looking out of the window, but saw nobody. In the afternoon he slept a few hours.

  When night fell, he set off again, and in the morning he was near Cambridge.

  On the wall of a newspaper stall there was a newspaper. Christian stopped his bicycle and looked through the front page. There was a photograph of him and a text under it:

  The police are looking for Captain Arthur Christian to interview him in connection with the shooting at Reading.

  Christian is tall, blond, blue-eyed, with a short beard.

  He is armed. The police think he may be near Cambridge.

  Christian was alarmed. He decided that he must find a hiding-place at once. He could not remain in the streets during the day.

  He rode on again. Soon he saw a large poster:

  BURKHOLDER'S FAIR

  There was a picture of the Brains and a text in red letters:

  Five pounds will be given to anyone who asks a question which the Brains cannot answer.

  Below the poster gave the address of the place where the Fair was located.

  Christian looked around. There was a long, partly broken fence along one side of the street. Behind the fence he saw a garden and an old shed. The garden was grown with weeds, and it was clear t
hat it was not used. Christian looked around again to make sure that nobody saw him, then took his bicycle and got into the garden through a crack in the fence.

  There was a lock on the door of the shed, but Christian easily broke it and got inside. He sat down on the floor and ate some food which still remained in his bag.

  During the day he slept. In the evening, when it was dark, he left the shed and rode to the place where the Burkholder Fair was located.

  - 15 -

  Jo came out of the kitchen after a late supper and walked towards her trailer. There was no moon, and the stars were covered with clouds. There was nobody around.

  Then she heard a soft voice: "Jo."

  She recognized Christian's voice and stopped.

  "It is not safe for you here," she said in a whisper. "The whole area is watched by plain-clothes men."

  Christian smiled.

  "I know." He looked down at the dwarf-woman. "Jo, I didn't kill Miller."

  "Of course, you didn't," she said quickly. "I never believed that for a moment. Tell me how I can help. Doctor Fox was here this morning I know where he is now. But the police are watching him."

  Christian pointed to a light which was coming from one of the trailers

  "Are the Brains at home?"

  "I think they are," she answered. "What are you going to do?"

  "I am going to speak to them," he said. "I am sure that they murdered Miller"

  "Be careful, Sailor!"

  Christian pressed her hand.

  "Don't go near the Brains," he said. He turned and walked to the Brains' trailer

  He noiselessly approached the door of the trailer, put his piece of wire into the lock and opened the door.

  And again - he saw nobody!

  Christian stepped inside and locked the door after himself. He sat down, looking at the door and holding his automatic gun ready. This time he was going to wait till the Brains returned.

  Minutes passed. Christian thought about Fox and Jo: they both believed in him and were ready to help. It was good indeed to have such good friends. Then he thought about the Brains. Maybe now, just at this moment, they were murdering another man, and soon they would return with their murder weapon..