Page 36 - Adam 2

“I’ve got it!” she shouted.
“Hurry!” snapped Linden. “It’s nearly here!”
“What’s nearly here?” asked Adam.
The hatch opened. Runa peered inside. “Is it safe?”
she asked.
Linden ran back from the staircase and looked down.
“I’ll go first,” ze said, panting. “Five seconds, then you, OK?”
“Linden lifted hirself into the hatchway and jumped down. Runa counted seconds – but before she reached five, something else crashed to the bottom of the stairs and round the corner, and faced them.
Adam stared. It was a huge robot, two point five metres tall with broad shoulders and a short, squat head, and a single red glowing eye. It was made of some sort of silvery metal that was bright in places but battered with age. It held a huge lump of concrete in one enormous paw. It scanned the corridor and saw them.
Adam smiled. “Hello,” he said. “My name is Adam.”
The robot threw the concrete lump straight at Runa’s head.
Runa squealed and ducked, but Adam stepped in front of her, braced his feet and caught the lump. It was heavy, and fast, but he had calculated its trajectory and absorbed the impact with a backwards step.
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