Part 5 (2/2)
”What was that?” hissed Zaphod.
”Frogstar Scout robot cla.s.s A out looking for you,” said the man.
”Hey yeah?”
”Get down!”
From the opposite direction came a larger black spider-like object. It zapped past them.
”And that was...?”
”A Frogstar Scout robot cla.s.s B out looking for you.”
”And that?” said Zaphod, as a third one seared through the air.
”A Frogstar Scout robot cla.s.s C out looking for you.”
”Hey,” chuckled Zaphod to himself, ”pretty stupid robots eh?”
From over the bridge came a ma.s.sive rumbling hum. A gigantic black shape was moving over it from the opposite tower, the size and shape of a tank.
”Holy photon, what's that?”
”A tank,” said the man, ”Frogstar Scout robot cla.s.s D come to get you.”
”Should we leave?”
”I think we should.”
”Marvin!” called Zaphod.
”What do you want?”
Marvin rose from a pile of rubble further down the corridor and looked at them.
”You see that robot coming towards us?”
Marvin looked at the gigantic black shape edging forward towards them over the bridge. He looked down at his own small metal body. He looked back up at the tank.
”I suppose you want me to stop it,” he said.
”Yeah.”
”Whilst you save your skins.”
”Yeah,” said Zaphod, ”get in there!”
”Just so long,” said Marvin, ”as I know where I stand.”
The man tugged at Zaphod's arm, and Zaphod followed him off down the corridor.
A point occurred to him about this.
”Where are we going?” he said.
”Zarniwoop's office.”
”Is this any time to keep an appointment?”
”Come on.”
Chapter 7
Marvin stood at the end of the bridge corridor. He was not in fact a particularly small robot. His silver body gleamed in the dusty sunbeams and shook with the continual barrage which the building was still undergoing.
He did, however, look pitifully small as the gigantic black tank rolled to a halt in front of him. The tank examined him with a probe. The probe withdrew.
Marvin stood there.
”Out of my way little robot,” growled the tank.
”I'm afraid,” said Marvin, ”that I've been left here to stop you.”
The probe extended again for a quick recheck. It withdrew again.
”You? Stop me?” roared the tank. ”Go on!”
”No, really I have,” said Marvin simply.
”What are you armed with?” roared the tank in disbelief.
”Guess,” said Marvin.
The tank's engines rumbled, its gears ground. Molecule-sized electronic relays deep in its micro-brain flipped backwards and forwards in consternation.
”Guess?” said the tank.
Zaphod and the as yet unnamed man lurched up one corridor, down a second and along a third. The building continued to rock and judder and this puzzled Zaphod. If they wanted to blow the building up, why was it taking so long?
With difficulty they reached one of a number of totally anonymous unmarked doors and heaved at it. With a sudden jolt it opened and they fell inside.
All this way, thought Zaphod, all this trouble, all this not-lying-on-the-beach-having-a-wonderful-time, and for what? A single chair, a single desk and a single dirty ashtray in an undecorated office. The desk, apart from a bit of dancing dust and single, revolutionary form of paper clip, was empty.
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