21.

  The interesting recordings ended there; they followed the periodic attempts of Hut, Robin and Zeld to use the powerful instrumentation of the ship to contact whoever other it was ready to listen, but the ship always refused to collaborate.

  I verified the equipments looking for damages, again, but again the system communicated that it was everything to place. I connected me to the central computer and sciorinai the whole interface on the screen: there was an about ten menù of bars, every with sottomenù and sottosottomenù and so street, with maddish nestings. The performances of the ship were completely configurabili; with work I found the part that interested me and I clarified once and for all the matter: the activation of the system of communication of long distance had not been cliccata. Someone had better, provveduto to disable the hardware. For strength the astronauts didn't succeed in transmitting, the electronics was all out. To their insaputa, obviously.

  I relighted the system, then I looked for other data on Lidya and Benson: I knew where the others were here three but these you/they had disappeared to the sudden one during the access to the station of sieve. Anybody trace of the shuttle, any recorded transmission. It was a damned problem.

  «Be'» I told me. «For first the things that I can resolve.»

  The material of the database that I had fished taken back, rearranged and viewed; I eliminated the a little important parts as the trip of the five astronauts toward Mars, that is the big one of the trash that I was me sciroppato. You/he/she had not been useless entirely, in reality: I had learned to know the people that I tried to help. Inside of me I passed the data to the process of transmission I pour the Earth, to the normal speed, removing the dead times. The trial would have lasted many minutes but the center of control to New Sealon would have had the same picture of the situation that I had me. Now it was time that I/you comforted some that three poor thing; I calculated that they were imprisoned in the mine from three days and six hours, firm to suck oxygen from a taking for earth. Without water neither food, thinking about being in procinto to die of difficulties. Unless you/they had not absurdly tried to run away racing over the robot placed waiting for to bomb them of rocky fragments. Then yes, that would be dead.

  «Here Angel» I said, amplifying my signal to be sure to make to feel me. «Here Angel. You answer, boys.»

  There was an instant of silence; I imagined their incredulity after the hundred frustrating attempts that you/they had accumulated for times and times. I felt a fruscìo.

  «Robin» it said the female voice that I had learned to know. It was tired and tried, now. «I am Robin. For love of God, tell me that you are real. With that name, Angel.»

  I would have smiled, if I/you had been able.

  «Here Angel. Solid I am real and beautiful» I said. He/she didn't know how much. «They are on your ship.»

  A choir of it howls they interrupted my sentence. I left that they discharged him: they had to have more enough to be down there himself/herself/themselves of it.

  «We are hungry» it said Zeld. «And we die of thirst.»

  «Hands us a pair of chickens roast and a frozen beer» it said Hut panting.

  «Is calm» I said me. «You withstand another po', of accord? I come to take you more in hurry that I am able.»

  «Thanks» it said Robin. «Who are? And how much?»

  «I come from New Sealon as you» I said. «Now no questions. I am busy mine for helping you.»

  «As you want you, Angel» it said Robin.

  They started to chiacchiericciare between them, electrified to the idea to have saved. Resistetti to the temptation to listen and I delayed some second, uncertain on the to make himself/herself/themselves.

  Did I have to go to them, but as? I didn't have vehicles, except the ship; I had checked what there was in endowment to the five poverettis and studied the ship and his/her abilities. The tracked one and the dragonfly existed, only the ship I could not move her/it of there because I would not have known whether to do. I am not a pilot. I could learn, perhaps, but wanted us time. I tried to communicate with the centralina of the two light vehicles: of the dragonfly there was not trace, as you/he/she had disappeared from the face of Mars; the tracked one responded to the appeal, instead, communicating me his/her coordinates. It was in the beautiful mean of the before field the mine, where the astronauts had left him. It was perfectly operational, but I was not able teleguidarlo up to me, you/he/she had not been done for that. I would have had to go afoot, with everything that that it behaved. The guy from the beautiful footsies would certainly be made alive, I felt him/it to me, and for some you/he/she would also have been able to suit me: you/he/she damnedly stirred in hurry. But I didn't know what you/he/she would have combined once reaches the mine. Definite to risk. It didn't seem me to have a lot of choice. If nothing else, I was almost certain to be able to maintain a conscience as the last time.

  There was not a lot of that I/you could go behind, anything would have slow down me. Tells a last look the instrumentation, then I went me to the principal porthole. I opened: the elastite was disclosed. The invisible diaphragm revealed its presence in the bronzy reflexes, sporadic, that sent forth waving under the hits of the breezes Martian. I bathed me in the elastite surpassing the protected passage. I was me over, on the threshold of entry; the elastite enveloped me completely creating a sort of sphere adherent to my body. I made a footstep and that lengthened, he stretched and it finally detached him from the rest of the membrane. The barrier was restored oscillating, while the translucent material that covered me lost adherence; with a hand I picked up him/it and I tore him/it to me of back. I was out. Anybody trace of the old storm, saw well in all the directions: a sea rugginoso was from now on to me. The exabyte marked me the run to follow for the mine; I opened a window and I underlined the layout that untied him between dunes and rocky prospicienze. Placed the window in low to the right and I started to walk: I was enough quick, but not as my friend wag. I didn't know how to make the wheel, but I succeeded to corricchiare from good stool. The hands jumped on the undulated and uneven ground, grains of sand slipped me among the fingers. I started to hope that my alter ego jumped out, two rapid calculations and with that rhythm I esteemed in a hour the necessary time to reach the three in difficulty.

  I had been being to pisticciare for a few minutes there when I felt a light gradual change of humor.

  "Eccheddiavolo!" I told me.

  There was no reason to try that sorrowful feeling of urgency. The would have had to be proud to find me on Mars to help. I would have had to feel me pleased to do him/it, yes, and of done I started to warn that a knot of tension me it loosened him inside. Here it was this cheerfulness to put me on the notice. I looked for of. to undouble me: The starteds to parallel trial to the principal course of the thoughts; to secondary trial, contemplative, where the myself rational you/he/she could keep on existing. I attributed him certain resources in exclusive way, those deeper than I was able: the access to the database, for example.

  I did as soon as in time. Later it was immediately as to transfer a fluid from a bottle to another,: I slipped, almost, among the folds of my conscience, relegating me in a fireside under the pressure of other predominant trials that you/they didn't belong me. I observed them be born impotent.

  Happiness spread among the sands of Mars.

  «Pepperepèèèè!» peperonai.

  I fear I transmitted the cry of war to the three astronauts. I imagine he/she wanted to be the ring of trumpet of the position of the seventh troopers against the wild redskins; I/you/they have always been impassioned of western.

  «Who. it is?» one of the men said.

  «Ours arrive! That is, yours!» gridolai.

  «Who speaks? Angel?» it made Robin.

  My body now stirred fast; I was on the ridge of an uphill street sandy hill and my legs they fell under me all speed: if I/you had been of biological material, some tendon I would have gotten torn. I took only this way
me a content fear.

  «I could call. Anchise» The sing-songeds. «It is the only name that is well us.»

  «What?» it said Robin, puzzled.

  «Anchise has the stiff hip, boys» I announced, aware of I strive him/it which was submitting my legs.

  With a pinch of horror I understood that I was given me that alone name for euphony.

  «But what happens? Who is on-line?» it repeated Robin.

  «Your cavalier servente, madams.»

  Slipping on the slopes of the dune taken away the to the great one; I stretched my bracciogambes and I assumed the aspect of a polpetto numbed by the terror. I began to rivolvere around the capoccione, fast. I sheltered me everything in the contemplative trial; I maintained so the full lucidity, but I didn't have some control of my body anymore.

  «Ooooh!» it said Anchise, enthusiastic of the ruddy color of the outskirtses. «The red goes a lot of, this year!»

  Anchise made a pirouette, it slightly reverted on the sand crooked, imprudent and as died.

  «Anda and it recalls sooner or later for this moor he skids!» he/she ascertained Anchise.

  I could feel the three astronauts that discussed among them on me, dismayed. Poor thing. If I were human beings, I would have blushed, closing eyes and ears to ignore those foolish humorous remarks. I felt me in guilt: they were so confused!

  «Bruised Siam, doesn't excuse him. Nothing abuses to closed eyes!» it said Anchise.

  I was amazed: you/he/she had felt me, you/he/she had felt what I had thought. My trial and his they were not so independent as I believed.

  The minutes that passed counted, bewaring the strip of the run of to cover, more and more short. If nothing else me and. Anchise, had the same destination and, The hopeds, the same intention. But this didn't have a lot of sense: a sciroccato as Anchise you/he/she would not have felt like helping anybody, unless you/he/she had not englobed in itself a discreet part of myself. Perhaps we was not so distant two.

  We quickly came in sight of the mine.

  There was the tracked one, down there, abandoned in the center of the principal square. There was no soul long live there around. I saw a robot proper to the entry of the mine, immovable on his/her zampacces, with the ready pneumatic hammer to smash all to the appearance of human beings. You/he/she had been for me, I would have shown some prudence, but Anchise was not of this notice: it continued the run crossing the square of sbieco, it made a rapids turn around the tracked one, all speed it was projected to toward the robot; that didn't show to have seen us, he/she was immovable in the position of attended. For a moment temetti the impact, but Anchise knew her/it long: with perfect mastery of itself it inserted him among the legs of the robot and it passed him under. The automaton didn't show any reaction.

  I was in the mine, now. I studied the to make himself/herself/themselves without succeeding in directing me in the maze of corridors. Anchise if it got by better than me: it continued the run rolling as a top and showing to know well that labyrinth. It raced grazing the prominences of the rocks, in suit scorn of the danger.

  I crossed a second robot, Anchise jumped him first on the hammer and then on the flat cervix, therefore zompò on the other side and it continued within a long tunnel; that, thought, that the three astronauts had not been able to face: it was rectilinear and you/they would have been visible to the eyes of the robot and the numerous present sensors. This meant that they was not distant. In fact, Anchise brusquely steered and made few leaps, he stopped entirely. In front of me. that is, to us, there were three people in spatial overall, semisdraiati for earth.

  «Papparaparaparapààà!» giubilò Anchise.

  Frankly, giubilai with him. The three was alive, even if tried. They slowly stirred, I surprised by the sight of that thick sphere but suspended draft to of the gambottes of spider.

  I noticed that the hands fixed me: for them it had to be paradoxical that a small robot as me made show of artificial hands but from the almost human aspect.

  «This. thing is?» it said Hut fixing me frightened. He/she perhaps thought that I was some new devilry sent by their mysterious antagonists.

  «But cooome?» Anchise exclaimed, putting himself/herself/itself in laying. «You don't recognize me? I am your castigamatti as well as devoted beau for the attractive lady!»

  Zeld was the first one to recover himself/herself/themselves.

  «Angel. That is Angel» it said with uncertain voice. «A robot, a damned mechanical marionette.»

  «Marionette a pair of cionfolis!» Anchise exclaimed, cross. «I am the nicest ragnetto of the lawn, ugly cercopiteco leccachiappe!»

  «It is all right, it is all right» Robin intervened. «You six Angel, the voice is that. Can you help us?»

  «Not that cosos there. That can be him of it to succhicchiare oxygen until it doesn't burst.»

  Anchise alluded to Zeld. The man, that was already rather pale, became waxen.

  «It allows to lose Zeld» it said Robin immediately entering the correct spirit. The eye squeezed me. «He likes anybody, but we loves him the same. As we will want to you some, when you will have saved there. I know him/it that you are smart.»

  Anchise rubbed the legs on the ground as a bashful child.

  «It is nice?» it chewed.

  «Also nice. It is obvious» it said Robin smiling.

  It had to cost her quite a lot that smile: it had an aspect everything anything else other than florid. Zeld looked at her/it without understanding, scandalized. Hut had only a lean air and kept on staring at me.

  «Of accooordo» it made condescending Anchise.

  It was not to think of us on. It departed good and ripercorse the street line that the three astronauts had done when you/they were escaped to the first robot; we came, him and I, to the terminal gut, the last front of I dig him/it. We had the destroyer robot in front of us; it was firm as a statue, obviously. Anchise climbed him above climbing himself/herself/itself on the arm bennato; from the bucket it jumped on the armored head. Anchise grabbed on to the neck and made a whole turn around the foreman cubic. I knew what it looked for: a street of access to the brain of the automaton. If he/she didn't know her/it to extract, this time, with his/her only strengths. I could not boss body and arts, and not even all the output devices toward the external world of which I prepared, but I could access memories and database: I opened a window making to start Anchise, that for nothing of the kind was not waited. Him the windows you/he/she could observe only her.

  I looked for in the exabyte that, encyclopedic as it was, it contained a lot of information on the mine and his/her equipments. There was a chapter on the robots, wide in impressive way. I scooped out in face to Anchise the system of opening; all it took is crossing with a finger a quarter of neck of the giant. Anchise was not to become enraged: it had the information and it used her/it. One hand of mine rubbed that ferraglia and a mechanism it went off bringing the content of the skull in before, on a kind of metallic tray. Normal procedure for the maintenance. Anchise he rubbed the hands. Again I knew, that he/she wanted to do: to now take the control of the car that this was immovable and vulnerability.

  But, again it didn't have idea of as to do.

  There was luckily the exabyte. I flowed the procedures of diagnostic on the robot that you/they used to complete in the laboratories on the Earth: there was a fotoaccoppiatore which we could transmit and an emitter led from which to receive. An ancient and elementary system, that however it didn't ask for some physical contact with the robot. I examined the documentation of the interface, twelve paragraphs, contemporarily reading all of them. It was not difficult: the robot used a protocol handshaking of base, very diffused in the simple cars. The probability of an error of transmission was damped by a certain redundance, even pompous, but irrelevant if absurd performances were not pretended in speed. The led I could read him/it, but I didn't have tools able to send forth in the field of the visible one to act on the fotoaccoppiatore. Patience. Str
appar needed by that component simulating the operatività of it; I would have had to take a spezzone of thread - and there in that skull there was the embarrassment of the choice, - to act on the point in which the emitter of the fotoaccoppiatore was connected: I had to put him/it in contact with the source of feeding, and therefore to disconnect him/it, to high speed, simulating the sequence of zero and one foreseen by the protocol. A damned job. I hoped that my hands were able to work so quick. I put together ten trials to do everything this; I had to memorize the protocol, to form the laces of bit to transmit, to codify and to insert you the data that I wanted to send. I also had to ready the system of receipt, with the decoding and the interpretation of the data that the robot led would have rebroadcasted away me. The only doubt: Anchise would have operated the hand as I told him? I organized every thing: I opened a new window, beautiful big, to I shift of misunderstandings.

  "This is important, Anchise" I thought.

  I drew an image of my hand from the exabyte, therefore I modified her/it with a graphic utility. Here: I had two images, one with the hand that brought in contact the input circuits with the feeding, the other that brought them to mass. The one and him zero. I tried to show a sequence to Anchise, slowly. Anchise stared at her/it without doing nothing. I repeated her, anchor, anchor, and still. Finally Anchise understood that it was to him: moved the fingers in that way, gesture for gesture. I repeated the fast sequence and then fast. Anchise followed my movements to the letter, precise. Its mechanical mastery was dreadful. I repeated another time, now so in hurry that a normal man would not even have noticed the movement of the hands on the screen. But Anchise repeated to the perfection, in less than a tenth of according to. It was time to give us inside.

  «Hey, Angel, where are you ended?» it said Zeld.

  I ignored him/it.

  I showed to Anchise where and as to act, in the brain robotico; by now you/he/she had understood. In a battibaleno Anchise grasped a conductor and tore him/it from the optic sensors of the automaton. They didn't serve anymore: there was me to see to his/her place.

  It fixed the hand with precision, using another of it to sustain astride himself/herself/themselves stable of the monster. It was ready.

  Ten trials: a true hell.

  Procedure of reset, indeed. I had to cancel his/her fool planning. I analyzed the circuits and I did very soon. I tore the chip (I said to Anchise to do him/it, obviously) that you/he/she had been inserted to beautiful mail and I restarted the primitive brain: the robot sent me a lace you date. Was it an application of operational procedures; as to say: thing you want that face? I produced the lace of answer and I transmitted her/it to him through the hand of Anchise. Beh, our hand. The robot stirred, rattling. I had to drive well it for; luckily it was slow, I had the necessary time to communicate, to elaborate and to say to Anchise as to use the fingers.

  We walked some halfhearted ones, but he went. The robot had a program to compensate the losses of equilibrium. I left him/it operational. The right shoulder started to rub on the scabrous walls of the mine removing pebbles and dust.

  A small adjustment and we proceeded on-line straight line until it was possible.

  There was a curve, now, and then the along rectilinear.

  I chatted a lot with the robot, and that steered in the correct direction, almost cleverly. I crossed a beautiful portion of tunnel, then I turned for reaching the three battered astronauts.

  «Aaah!» it howled Hut when he/she saw to arrive the robot.

  Then it also noticed me to cavaceccio of the giant and it reduced the exclamation to a smothered rattle.

  «Saaalve boys. Son returned armed. You missed son?» Anchise all happy exploded.

  «You have him under control you?» he/she asked Robin noticing my handlings on the uncovered head.

  «Be'» Anchise responded. «I check him/it up to the marrow and I don't release him/it.»

  «I imagine that I/you/he/she am a yes» it said Robin, lifted.

  «We go to play out there» it made Anchise. «I have brought the ball.»

  It alluded to itself same, I believe. However I grabbed the allusion. I made to do a behind-front to the robot and I began to slowly walk, peering at back for seeing what they were astronauts. Those, after an instant of hesitation, they detached the pipes of the respirator from the takings on the ground and them riagganciarono to his/her own reservoirs. They got up standing, with some complaint, and they followed us.

  We introduced there in the long astute tunnel and we were sighted by the second robot; the astronauts were behind of me, the robot could not see them but the sensors on ceiling and walls they transmitted him images and other data profits to identify them as human: the automaton started to do a lot of noise. We approached us, but the three and they was stopped to safety distance; Anchise and I continued with the usual cautious and heavy footstep. We reached the other robot: an industrial quantity of deposits started to strike us, but being that that we were the thing told not us thought. We lifted the arm with the pneumatic hammer and we approached us to the brain of the mechanical miner; we aimed the extremity of the hammer at him and we activated him/it. To the beginning it seemed nothing not to happen, then a well perceptible trembling crossed the limbs of our robot and we braked the skull of the other without effort. The fused rests and fumanti of its head sizzled and they fell to the ground.

  The poor man beheaded monster slightly oscillated, in unbalanced position still in before; it leftly squeaked, then it fell to the ground lifting a cloudlet of dust rugginosa.

  The astronauts took back to advance whiffs of carbonic anhydride that turned him into ice to thin grains puffing. The ground was filled with greyish beads. I taken the street of access of the mine, toward the last one of the robots that it blocked us the footstep. That had already started to martorizzare the time of entry with his/her hammer, since we were not taken there he/she intrigues her/it to demolish all the sensors that we met. I felt only at first the din of it, then I was me in front of him in time to see to collapse him I set the whole curved wall.

  The sudden yelding took us of surprise: I felt Zeld that cursed and Robin that murmured something less minced.

  The robot, covered with rocks and pebbles, it didn't stir more: he/she saw only a leg, that appeared on the surface among the rocks it sprinkled everywhere.

  The collapse had closed the exit, but it was not a problem. I made to rotate the left shoulder and I inserted the bucket. It was a voluminous and heavy utensil; I stuck out from now on it to our automaton and I balanced the weight bringing back the right arm to the. I inserted the bucket in the uproar of deposits and I began to dig: stones, pebbles or it sand-blasts that were, I removed, I lifted and I unloaded from a side having care not to do too spicinìo not to create problems to the overall of the human ones.

  With that mean I didn't put big there that to free the exit. We returned to see the sky of Mars and we left the mine. I felt many sighs of satisfaction. The astronauts raced toward the tracked one and me I followed them with calm without abandoning the robot: you/he/she had been a very useful mean.

  Robin climbed on board of the vehicle, followed by the others two.

  I reached them and the tracked one cooperated I.

  «It jumps on, Angel» it said Robin making me sign with the hand. «That robots it doesn't serve you more.»

  I was reluctant: without the robot I was an iron palletta in balìa of the events. Luckily Anchise agreed with me, even if for different motives.

  «It is a toy fantasticissimo» he whined toddling. «Let's bring him/it with us.»

  «You/he/she has been useful» Zeld stuck. «You/he/she could still serve.»

  «Yes» it said Hut. «Let's load him/it on board.»

  Robin nodded and made me sign with the finger.

  «Load him/it on a train of wheels, Angel. We will use the others to go to the ship» it said.

  I moved the robot, I put a foot of it on the ship boy of a big wheel
and I hoisted him/it on the track; to be certain that it didn't fall I inserted the bucket in the track. Satisfied, Anchise and I jumped on board inserting us in the cabin with the others. Robin closed the doors and turned on the motor. The tracked one departed with a notable resumption sending to beat me against Zeld.

  «Hey!» the man complained him pushing me without grace. «You see to be me distant, nanerottolo.»

  I am a patient type, but Anchise heard again him; he defended his/her own ego in maniacal way. It slowly drew near to Zeld and it fixed the hard face of it behind the roundness of the helmet. Zeld reciprocated the look.

  «Copròlito» it said plain Anchise.

  I didn't know this word. Robin yes, because it started laughing.

  «What?» it said Zeld.

  «Copròlito» it repeated Anchise.

  «It would be to say?» he/she asked suspicious Zeld.

  Robin, snickering, it stuck out him toward the frowning face of the man.

  «Be', it would be. material fecale hardened in the intestinal light, says.»

  «Merda dries» it specified Hut, him laughing also.

  Zeld became as a pepper red. It was not in a the correct mood for the offenses, even if I had saved him the skin. The man did for pushing he anchors me, but Anchise lifted a leg fast. Zeld interrupted him, amazed.

  «You have heard?» Anchise hooted.

  The three looked him. Then a slipped crepitìo and unequivocal spread in the overall. Anchise pointed out Zeld without uncertainties.

  «Puzzetta. Shame, Zeld» it said.

  «Aaah!» it did strong Zeld, annoyed and without words.

  «Polluzione?» it said Anchise. «This time the overall washes alone her to you.»

  Robin openly laughed; Zeld observed me with disappointment but without understanding. Anchise loved giocar of lexicon in childish way and resulted incomprehensible to Zeld. Robin followed very well instead it.

  «Accidental Eiaculatio» he/she explained her.

  «Unintentional orgasm» it immediately translated Hut, expressionless. It had a good time, but it didn't intend to make to realize him/it to the big man.

  «Small bastard robot.» it murmured Zeld.

  «I don't believe» it said Robin, again serious.

  «Thing?» it said Zeld.

  «I want to say. The don'ts believe that I/you/he/she robot am. Too much skilled, of initiative.»

  Anchise removed him from Zeld and ciampicò on the zampucces, strutting himself/herself/itself in mincing way.

  «You are right» it said Hut. «Dev'essere a terminal, with someone that he/she pilots him/it to distance.»

  «According to me it is not even this» it said thoughtful Robin.

  This time surprised Anchise me and it didn't say anything: until it evidently received compliments there was no need to add other.

  «It is too much skilled. It is not easy to drive an apparatus in at all remote, and we have seen him make complex things.»

  For Robin I was a puzzle; it drove for a bit in silence and every now and then it detained him to peer at me with perplexed air. Anchise drew near to the woman to look better at her and the it supported him to a leg.

  «You seem really a good kitten, Angel. Thank you for having helped us» it said her with sweet voice.

  «Ragnetto» it said Anchise, everything sugar and honey.

  «A good ragnetto, then.»

  Now all observed me with curiosity, also Zeld.

  I am be liked to assist another po' to that absurd scene but the mental work that I had actually completed to that moment and the stress of the last events they made him feel; not only on me, Anchise also seemed tried: I could perceive not the his/her thoughts but the structures of his/her identity that cracked him. Now Anchise was a trial that had the tendency to fall through, as mine. Its weakness was mine, mine was his. I knew that you/he/she was gotten tired quite a lot in to pilot our hardware. It was not what from not too long. He and I were everything one, both we needed rest. We abandoned us on the seats releasing the skeletal legs.

  «What happens him now?» he/she asked Zeld.

  I heard him/it, however the voice came me.

  «What will happen not to us as soon as we will touch the berths» Robin answered. «At least I believe.»

  The world gradually extinguished him.