Alice: The Girl From Earth - Булычев Кир - Страница 37

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“Oh, all right.” Alice agreed.

“How’s it coming with the metal detector?” I asked Poloskov, who was sitting in the ATV.

“I don’t understand it..” He answered. “For some reason its not working. It’s never misbehaved before, now it’s not working.”

The All Terrain Vehicle drove slowly through the mass of bushes, bouncing through the rough spots and easily rolling down the hills. The bushes vanished in front of the ATV and popped up again behind us after we had passed. I was thinking how fine it would be to catch one of those birds. I had learned they were called Crockadees back in Palaputra. I really wanted to get one of those monsters for the Zoo, but I understood we would hardly be able to transport it back to Earth on the Pegasus. On the other hand, if we could find one of their nests, I could obtain a fledgling. The nests must be somewhere off in the high mountains none of the trees could withstand the weight of that bird!.

I turned toward the distant mountains. My road was crossed by procession of long-legged, yellow reptiles. In front, picking his way slowly, came the tallest; each succeeding reptile was shorter and shorter…. I counted all of twenty three. The last of the reptiles was very tiny. I could have caught him, but did not bother. First we would have to determine just what, exactly, they, and see if it was possible to transport them back to

A crockadee bird fly overhead, far high above us. It had set course for the mountains. Most likely the birds nested there.

I launched an automatic net and caught a blue butterfly with meter long wings with it. While I was using the robot arms to free the butterfly and place it in the ATV’s lockers without damaging its wings the videophone’s screen lit up showing Poloskov, a look of concern on his face.

“Listen,” he said. I just launched the metal detector satellite.”

“Great.” I said. “Give me a moment. I’m trying to disentangle this butterfly..”

“But the link with it has been cut off.”

“With the metal detector?”

“Yes. This has never happened before. I checked everything out myself. There minutes after launch, the metal detector went dead.”

“Which means you’ll have to go up in the cutter, catch the darned thing, and fix it.” I said, carefully placing the butterfly into a container.

“That was what I wanted to tell you. I’m setting off now; you should return to the ship. I really don’t like this planet.”

“You’re wrong, Gena.” I said. “The planet is tremendous. I’m glad we came here.”

“And what if the Second Captain really died here?”

“You believe that?”

“I don’t know. But if such an experienced explorer could be killed here, that means this planet is hiding some truly horrendous danger about which we do not even suspect.”

“And what if his engines just failed. That happens with even the best of ships. Or what if he was killed by one of the local animals. For example, the Crockadee. Did you get a look at the claws on that thing?”

“I most certainly have.”.

Poloskov turned off the screen.

Still another bird flew past overhead, headed for the mountains, and I committed its line of flight to my memory. Most certainly that was where they nested. We would most definitely have to visit there. Sunset came quickly. I headed back to the ship.

I parked the ATV right at the base of the steps and, in darkness and went up the steps to the bridge. The first thing I did was determine where my companions were. Zeleny was in the machine ship performing miracles with his tools. Alice called out from her cabin. She said she was reading. Then I contacted Poloskov.

“How’s it going.” I asked.

“I’’ve finally located where the recognizance satellite is.” Poloskov said. “I’ll catch up with it momentarily. Don’t go off-line.”

I sat down by the port and listened while Poloskov kept muttering things to himself while trying to corner the errant machine. The short night came to an end. I looked outside at the forest, the mountains, and considered what route I would take tomorrow. Along the river for a while, then up into the hills… I would hae to take Alice. Nothing could threaten her in the ATV…

“Caught it!” Poloskov declared victory. “Putting it into the hold and coming back now.”

At that moment I saw Alice and go out onto the field in front of the Pegasus. She was walking carefully, on tiptoe, looking up at the ports, but she did not notice me.

It was cool and humid and Alice had put on her fluffy yellow jumper. It was evident she was planning to go somewhere far off. But more remarkable was the Blabberyap bird pacing back and forth in front of her on the grass. He was tied to a long chain; Alice kept the other end of the chain in her hands. She said something to the Blabberyap bird and the bird bounded into the air. Alice let the chain out as far as she could so as not to interfere with the bird’s flight. He beat his wings slowly, as though he understood that Alice could not fly, and headed toward the forest.

At that point I came to my senses.

I turned on the loud-speaker and shouted to the entire forest:

“Alice, have you gone out of your mind? Come back at once!”

But then I was afraid she could not hear me and I ran down the landing steps to grab her and return her to the ship.

When I made it to the airlocks Alice was already at the edge of the forest.

And cruising overhead was an enormous Crockadee.

“Alice!” I shouted.

But she was too far off and did not hear my cries.

I was unarmed; I didn’t have anything at all in my hands.

What can I do?

Without any real thoughts or plans in my head I ran down the steps.

Alice had caught sight of the descending bird and, from terror, let go of the chain. The frightened Blabberyap bird darted for the trees.

I ran toward Alice and saw the Crockadee reach out with its white claws, catch hold of the fluffy yellow figure, and, gaining speed, beat its wings back into the sky.

I kept running, watching them grow smaller and smaller, the ascending bird beat its wings in giant sail sweeps…

Ten minutes later Poloskov landed beside the Pegasus. By then Zeleny ad I were ready to go on the chase. We were unloading the smaller landing boat.

“Where are you off to?”

“A Crockadee took Alice!” Zeleny shouted. I said nothing. The fear and pain had taken away my gift of speech.

“Jump up here!” Poloskov ordered. He brought his cutter down low enough for me.

I jumped up, caught the lower edge of the opened lock, and climbed aboard.

Poloskov immediately shot the boat into the sky.

“Which way did it go?” He shouted over the hum of the motors.

“That way, toward the mountains.” I answered. “That’s where the nest will be.”

It only took a few minutes for us to reach the mountains, but finding the right nest wold not be so easy. Thousands of single, sharply pointed peaks rose over the plateau, and we spent more than an hour cruising overhead, finding nothing. And with every minute that passed there were fewer and fewer chances we would find Alice alive

It was the Crockadee bird itself that helped us. We caught sight of it cruising over the mountains.

“After her.” I said.

“Hold on.” Poloskov answered. “We’ll frighten her and she’ll never show us where her nest is.”

Poloskov cut back on the cutters speed and we hung over the mountains. The bird was flying toward the highest peaks, where he had yet to check. Once there the bird descended in circles and landed. Poloskov immediately headed for that mountain, gaining height as we went.

Once we had reached the mountains five or six birds rose into the sky. They viewed our cutter as an unknown flying enemy. The birds threw themselves at us heroically, and Poloskov was forced to remember his best fighter pilot skills in order to avoid colliding with the enraged birds.

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