The Thinking Machine Affair - Bernard Joel (читаем книги онлайн .txt) 📗

"Regardless of whether there is a self-destruction Unit or not, I am against a special task force being sent to the Professor's villa," the Executive Council's chairman declared. "I want the operation to be smooth and unnoticed. I want no disturbance that might alert Government Security forces. I propose that we use the information we have from the Ultimate Computer and carry out the operation smoothly."

"I'm not with you, sir," the Chief Organizing Officer said uneasily. "I have no knowledge of this Ultimate Computer data."

"You can't have it because I haven't made it known to anyone yet," the other replied sharply. "It would have been premature. But now, in the light of this important development, the time has come when all members of the Executive Council must know the facts to enable us to arrive at the appropriate solution for the problem."

The eyes of the assembled men were now fixed on the speaker.

"The information from the Ultimate Computer is as follows," the Chairman continued. "Professor Karel Novak's wife Dana was killed in a road accident in 1946 and left him with their five-year-old daughter Vlasta. He brought up the girl, whom he loves more than anything in the world. Here is the means of getting at the Professor and his apparatus without creating any special disturbance. Bring his daughter here, and the rest will be simple."

"This solution is doubtless best," the Deputy Chair man seconded after a moment. "I suggest it be accepted unanimously."

"There's only one thing to be considered and it is that, despite his great love for his daughter, the Professor might not after all be persuaded to come over to us with his apparatus." This was the opinion of the Chief of the Special Tasks Department. He liked the initial proposal made by the Chief Organizing Officer because it gave him the chance of displaying the efficiency of his Task Force section. "We mustn't overlook the fact," he added, "that Professor Novak is one of the most devoted of Czech Government scientists. Because of this, he might put his country before his love for his daughter..."

"I don't think we need worry about that. We know from experience how well the hostage method works," the Deputy Chairman insisted. "However, should it turn out to be a futile modus operandi in this case, we can then switch to the Special Tasks Force for assistance."

It was unanimously moved by THRUSH'S Executive Council that Vlasta Novak be brought to their European Center E.

"This, I think, concludes our extraordinary meeting," declared the Executive Council Chairman. "All other matters can be dealt with at the next extraordinary meeting when the Professor's daughter has been brainwashed and conditioned for our plans."

"There is one thing that, I think, should be decided at this meeting," the head of the Technical Department intervened.

"What is it?" the Chairman inquired.

"We have learned from the tape that Professor Novak is faced with stalemate in the development of his apparatus, and from what we've heard it seems unlikely that he and his daughter will quickly stumble on the solution to this vital problem."

"I am confident that, aided by you and with the help of your assistants, Professor Novak and his daughter will certainly solve that problem, once he and his apparatus are safely here," the Chairman cut in.

"That may be, but I'm afraid there's not much chance of us being successful, because none of us here have the slightest knowledge of this thought vibration transference business." The Head of the Technical Department looked wry. "By trial and error we might of course solve the problem sooner or later; but I consider it my duty to point out to the Executive Council that it may take a very considerable time before Professor Novak can achieve his goal."

"Have you any constructive idea on the subject?" the Chairman enquired.

"I have, but this entails overcoming enormous difficulties."

"We are used to overcoming such difficulties," the Chief Organizing Officer remarked smugly.

"Let's hear your idea and decide whether it is acceptable," said the Chairman.

"My idea," the Head of the Technical Department announced, "is to strike first at U..N.C.L.E. because I believe that U.N.C.L.E. is our principal antagonist and must be wiped out before they can interfere with us."

"What has U.N.C.L.E. to do with Professor Novak solving the problem of long-range thought transference?" the Chief Organizing Officer demanded.

"My idea is to overcome Professor Novak's stalemate by linking his apparatus to an electronic beam transmitter and thus attacking the target," the technical expert explained. "But this is where the enormous difficulty comes in. My idea can only work if we can install special electronic beam receivers in the electronic communications circuits inside U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters. To do this, one of our people must penetrate U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters, and that, you will agree, is certainly a great task."

"If this is all that's worrying you, put your mind at rest, for it can be done!" the Chief of the Special Tasks Department exclaimed. "The only difficulty would be the actual installation of your special electronic beam receivers within the electronic communications circuits at U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters."

"The installation of such gadgets shouldn't be difficult, for they are so tiny that they can be fixed anywhere along the circuits. As they are equipped with magnetic claws, no complicated fixing is required," the technical expert elucidated. "The man who has to install the beam receivers must of course know where to find the electronic communications circuits at U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters, but once he knows the layout and penetrates U.N.C.L.E.'S stronghold, everything else will be simple."

"Under the circumstances," said the Chairman, "I invite the Executive Council to move that 'Operation U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters', as we may as well call it, commences immediately, to make ready for thought transference to U.N.C.L.E. as soon as Professor Novak and his apparatus arrive here."

This motion was approved, then before adjourning, the meeting proposed that the three chiefs involved should meet to finalize the details of 'Operation U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters'.

Ten minutes later the Head of the Technical Department and the Chief of the Special Tasks Department met the Chief Organizing Officer and were discussing the problems before them.

"To eliminate all possibility of failure, it is imperative to know every detail of the U.N.C.L.E. Headquarters," said the Chief Organizing Officer. "If you agree, I propose to feed all the relevant questions into the Ultimate Computer to obtain the necessary data."

Following this, questions were fed into the Ultimate Computer, and soon this information began to stream out.

The U.N.C.L.E. Organization (United Network Command of Law and Enforcement) is centered in a row of buildings in New York City, a few blocks from the United Nations Building. Starting from the south end, this row consists of a three-storied whitestone which appears fairly new in comparison to the brown stone buildings which make up the rest of the street. At the north end is a public garage an active, bustling place in parking-space-starved New York. The brownstones are occupied by a few lower-income families living above the decrepit shops and businesses which rent the space on the street level. Del Floria's tailor shop occupies the street level space in a brownstone near the middle of the block. The first and second floors of the whitestone are taken up by an exclusive "key-club" restaurant named "The Mask Club" which features fine food served by waitresses wearing masks (and little else) to patrons who don masks (covering nostrils to brow) as they enter.