Classics fantasy – 6
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Li pressed the button at the table edge, and suddenly on a table there were two devices and extraordinary narrow as chemical flasks, high shot glasses.
At the same moment on a table of the wife of the engineer, Ying, dishes also appeared – she caused them.
Li lifted a shot glass and suggested me to look at liquid on light. The shot glass seemed a range. Liquid was poured by layers, and each layer, without mixing up with others, had the coloring.
– Drink slowly, small drinks. In this liquid there is no alcohol at all, but there is something another, harmless and… you learn.
I on the advice of Li began to drink very slowly. I cannot give my feeling. It was some flavoring symphony. Taste changed all the time, and each drink brought me inexplicable pleasure. I felt extraordinary clarity of thoughts and some special cheerfulness.
– It is not artificial raising of nerves, but clarification of a brain from toxins – poisoning products – Li told.
– Never before I felt such flavoring pleasure – I told.
– You still will strengthen it this dish – and Li moved up to me mousse.
– Tasty? – asked, smiling, Ying.
– Amazingly – I answered.
The son Li with pleasure savoured the same mousse on the table, on the screen.
– You still study? – I asked the young man.
– Why “still”? – he answered with a question.
– Because you are young. You study at some school or university, here that I wanted to tell.
– At school? At university? – again bewildered the young man asked.
“Really Li has such silly son?.” – I thought. But I had to be convinced soon that I hurried with the conclusion.
– He does not understand your thought therefore – stood up for the son Li, as if guessed my thought – that we have no school age and we have no schools.
Seeing my amazed person, Li explained to me:
– Still your time put to itself a task to bring closer school to life. On this principle you built the labor school. We managed to carry out this principle, as they say, for all hundred percent. The school and life merged at us together, or if you want, life and practice became our only school.
– But theory?
It is studied also, but this studying does not come off life and practice.
Having drunk from the long shot glass, Li continued:
– It is necessary to tell you that the control of our cars is so simple that even teenagers cope with them and do it very willingly. Even standing at “machine”, they can listen to lectures on radio.
– Again radio!
– Yes, radio destroyed that school what was in your time when it, to a greater or lesser extent, tore off from life. Radio teaches us from a cradle to a crematorium. We study always and everywhere. We fill up the knowledge at work if it does not require special attention, and on walk, even during the air travel. We listen to lectures of the most great scientists, we are present at experiences, we watch the formulas appearing on the screen. Only where the first-hand experience is necessary, we resort to things – flasks, machines, drills. But they always to our services – and in factory laboratories, and partly and at home. For chemical experiments we, for example, can always cause on the house everything to us necessary.
– You are probably surprised even more – Ying told – if you learn that we almost do not read books.
– Yes, it is right – confirmed to Li. – We use sound transfer more.
– But how to allocate from a broadcast that it is necessary for you? At you hundreds of radio stations at the same time have to work?
– Each radio station operates on the wave, and length of these waves differs not only with meters, but also centimeters and even millimeters now. And we absolutely easily allocate the necessary station even if its wavelength differs from a wave of other station in only several millimeters.
– And then – Tsal efficiently declared – these stations are not much as you assume. Our network of radio stations is built on system of zone time, or, otherwise to tell, on longitude degrees – one station by fifteen degrees as time differs for an hour, considering for your time, through each fifteen degrees. Therefore from the west bank of Africa to east coast of Asia we have only ten main radio sets which fill with radio waves everyone the fifteen degrees of longitude from a pole to a pole. There are, however, still central radio stations, their radius of action covers all our territory. But we use them only for communication with ten zone.
– You did not tell about radio stations for transmission of energy yet – Li added – but I still will acquaint you with them. Yes, radio made huge changes to all public life, changes about which you probably did not dare and to dream. Radio abolished need of a physical assemblage of people. It was great hygienic achievement, and at the same time radio pulled together people in public sense. Radio destroyed not only old school, but also old theater, cinema. We have no stuffy, overflowed with public cinemas, theatrical and concert halls, audiences.
– Why don’t we acquaint our guest with theater now? – Ying offered.
– Perfectly – Li agreed – for this purpose we do not need to run behind tickets and to trudge by your awful trams.
The second white wall of the room suddenly, as if by magic, turned into the stage if only what I saw, it is possible to call a scene. I not only never saw such art wealth, such situation, such scenic and lighting effects, but also did not assume that they are possible. Melodious music accompanied acting. It was the new kind of art. The speech turned into singing, and then it seemed that there is an opera. Gestures and the movements were natural, but are so merged with a musical background that it would be possible to call it some new ballet. Light changed the coloring together with a melody and seemed the shining sounds. It was some synthetic art.
I sat as fascinated and was upset when the screen went out.
– Here we also visited theater – Li told. – Our theaters have no auditorium at all. They have only a huge scene and a bigger room for scenery and cars. We have only ten theaters.
– On zone time?
– Yes, too on zone. Only ten troupes, but all of them consist of the first-class actors and artists. As you can see, art also became property of everything as science… Really? I listen. Eight – D, seven – C? Quite right! – Having turned back to me, Li told: – My friend Vadi, the inveterate chess player, told me that he resolved a task which I set to it.
– And where it now? – I asked.
– Everything traps the American spy, flying over the Red Sea. Yes, chess – Li continued – a never-dying game. But also it does not satisfy us any more. We exhausted almost all possible combinations. Everyone new is an event. We have new entertainments, new sports and arts which, unfortunately, are inaccessible to you. We, for example, feel the real esthetic pleasure, watching the course of solution of problems of the higher mathematics. Our mathematical geniuses carry away us the creativity nearly more than you were carried away your “divine” the tenor. In this modest room we can have everything that gives art, knowledge, life. Each of us can tell: “I see everything, I hear everything, I know everything”. At least, I can know everything from a treasury of science and to see everything that is created in the world…
Li’s speech was interrupted with some strange sound reminding the remote factory beep. This sound Li, Ying and Tsalya for some reason disturbed. They with concentration became silent. In the come silence the voice sounded:
“Hallo. Radiopolis speaks. All. We managed to receive radio from America. Workers rose on protecting radio constructions, occupied shore radio station in the hands and managed to tell us that, despite awful terror, the revolt expands. Ask about the help. Last words of the radiotelegram: “We perish from devil beams. Help…” On this radio terminated.
The turned pale Li rose.
– Unfortunate. They are burned by these devil beams. It is impossible to hesitate more.
Having addressed the screen, Li told:
– We still will meet today.
The wife and the son nodded. The screen went out.
– It is necessary to alert our forces which still served peaceful work – Li told. – We fly with me, by the way, you look at our power plants.
* * *
However this night we did not manage to examine power plants.
Radium, solving chess problems, did not forget to observe the horizon sharp-sightedly. He reported soon that the enemy air boat appeared in the sky again that the squadron of Arabs pursues it, but lags behind.
– The boat flies on the North. Try to bar it a way.
In a few minutes I and Li already flew by our air boat towards to the enemy. Vadi on radio directed our flight. Li lit a board of a peculiar periscope, and we saw the approaching boat of the enemy, and behind it as flock of birds, the airplanes pursuing it flew. Suddenly one airplane flashed and began to fall.
– They died! – I exclaimed.
– Fortunately, apparently, is not present – Li answered. – The American burned beams only an airplane wing.
– But pilots fall.
– It is not terrible.
– How it is not terrible?
However before I asked this question, pilots opened wings behind the back and began to decrease smoothly.
– And what if the American starts up a destructive beam in our boat? – I asked with alarm.
– Its surface is impregnable. My invention – Li modestly told. – Its mass application is just adjusted.
The mad pursuit began. Americans flew on the North. Our boat did not lag behind. When morning came, I saw white spaces through a periscope.
– Snow? – I asked.
– Yes, we behind the Polar circle. Mr. spy, apparently, directs the way to America through the North Pole.
We entered a strip of continuous fogs and clouds soon. Even the strong searchlight could not find the enemy.
– Proklyatye! – Li swore. – If America did not disturb, we would make winter-proof also a pole. As a matter of fact, we could make it and now, but benefits do not reward energy expense. Really it will manage to disappear?
However spies, obviously, had a purpose to remain by all means within the European Russia – I call in own way – and to execute some assignment.
We were told that the boat is found behind us, considerably to the south. It went at big height, but it was managed to be found.
We departed on the South. The whole squadron of the same boats, impregnable for devil beams, surrounded the enemy.
– You can incinerate the boat of spies? – I asked.
– It is also impregnable for beams, as well as ours. We can lay down an ordinary explosive shell only.
Obviously, seeing itself surrounded from all directions, the spy suddenly produced volt, absolutely unexpected for me: the boat went vertically up. Our boats followed it.
We moved to a stern. Probably it was very difficult for pilot to operate in such situation.
– Where it? To Mars? – I asked.
– A little lower – smiling, Li answered. – Fortunately or to a regret, both its and our boats are constructed not by the principle of rockets which can fly in vacuum. They move by means of the screw of the special device. You look, the boat reduces speed. Air becomes more and more seldom and does not serve as a support to the propeller. We catch up. But we should rise even above to lay down an explosive shell from above. Whether our car will take out? Perfectly! It does not go further. Still a little… It is lucky… Here…
But at this moment the air boat of the enemy as a shell, crashed down down, and after it also we departed to a chasm. I thought that at me heart will burst.
– Accident? – I asked, choking.
– No, only a trick of the enemy – Li answered, sitting on a chair back.
I looked at a periscope.
– What is it? Sea?
– Yes, Black Sea.
– It crashed down in waves. He died?
– At all. The boat under water also well floats as flies in air. It did not manage to disappear in the sky, and he tries to take refuge in water.
Before the water surface our boat stopped.
– And we?
– You see, other boats already dived after it. The others will be on duty on a surface. From here it is difficult for it to leave. I cannot remain more here, it is necessary to hurry on survey of power plants. But at first we will give rest to our pilot. On the coast. A stop, decrease – Li told.
The boat smoothly fell. The door of a cabin of the pilot opened, and on a threshold Ea appeared.
– Again you? In this dangerous undertaking? – with surprise I asked.
– Unless it is dangerous only to me? – without posing the girl asked.
– Oh, it at us the good fellow, one of the best and bravest pilots. Was tired?
– At all.
– Then we fly rather on the heliostation.
Chapter 8
THE SUN UNDER THE YOKE
The air ship began to take away the screw height.
– We fly to the solar region which once was called Turkestan – Li told. – There we get solar energy. But it is not the only power source. If I began to describe to you all ways of getting of energy by us, you should listen not one days. It is enough to tell that we left coal long ago, it remained too little. It seems, there is no more force of nature which we would not use. We get energy, using wind work. We subdued volcanic forces, terrestrial magnetism and terrestrial electric currents forced to work. To we serve atmospheric electricity. Even a thunder-storm which has no time with horror worshipped as terrible god, we harnessed on service to mankind. Sea waves, sea inflows and otliva – our workers-athletes. I do not speak about water engines any more. We measure culture height by the number of the consumed kilowatts now. And, I think, it is the most right and exact measuring instrument. We overtake all boundless amount of the energy received by us in the central accumulators and from there we extend on radio in all corners of our countries: on the Earth’s surface, into the sky where our ships, fly to ocean depth for our underwater vessels and even under the earth. Well, here we, apparently, also arrived – Li told.
Our air ship softly fell, and I left a cabin. As the ship interior was well lit, I involuntarily blinked the eyes from a bright sun. It hurt the eyes to pain. I was in the south. But this light as though became brighter, is more dazzling.
– Put on dark glasses – Li told, giving points. – You did not get used to this lighting.
Having put on glasses, I saw that the sun, how many the huge mirrors reflecting it blinded me not so much. These mirrors had the form of the truncated cone. On its axis the boilers surrounded with a glass case were located. Special adaptation with the clockwork turned mirrors after the sun.
– You see how all this is simple – Li told. – The mirrors put at an angle collect sunshine in one focus and heat water to a boiling point. Steam turns out It puts electrical machines in action, and energy as I told you, is broadcast.
People in the same suits, as well as he, neither the person, nor an exterior not differing from it approached Li. Li spoke with them about difficult technical questions, throwing words and terms, unclear for me.
When we remained one, I asked:
– You talked probably to engineers. But where workers? I would like to look at them.
Li took of me an amazed look.
– Workers? What such special workers you look for? All of us are workers. One of us knows a little more, another is less, one is more talented, another less, here and all difference. But more true, perhaps, to tell that we have all – engineers. Because each of our workers knows more, engineers of your century thought.
With undisguised surprise I looked at work of these “engineers”. Here nobody shouted, disposed, everyone knew the role, all worked in coordination as musicians in orchestra without conductor.
– You are surprised with this “kontsertnost”? – asked me Li. – Yes, there is a small secret here. Of course, here the large role is played by a simple habit to collective work. Remember at least bees who are able to work so amicably, without interfering with each other. But our situation is slightly more difficult. When we should perform urgently the work demanding participation of working masses we use transfer of a thought on distance. Invisible you “conductor” directs and coordinates actions of certain workers and weight in general.
– Transfer of a thought on distance?
– In it there is nothing surprising. Ale spoke, as in your time already knew that any thought is followed by the radiation of electromagnetic waves. We developed in ourselves high sensitivity to perception of these waves. And by means of transfer of a thought on distance we managed to create ideal labor “artels”.
– But whether the personality suppresses it?
– In you the individualist did not die off yet – smiling, Li answered. – We have no contradictions between the personality and society. Everything that is useful for society, is useful for the personality. Time will come – continued thoughtfully Li – and energy of a thought will replace with itself radio. At least, in the field of exchange of thoughts. We sometimes and now resort to this way of a talk.
– What intolerable heat! – I told, choking with heat.
– Let’s go down to adits, there you freshen up – offered Li.
– Shakhty? – I asked.
– And here you will see – Li mysteriously answered.
And we went down on sloping gallery on the wide platform which is underground.
– You get into the elevator, it will be rather.
The elevator transferred us to depth of two tens meters.
Having gone out of the elevator, I saw that I am in the middle of a huge round hall with a high vaulted ceiling. Soft light filled in this to the hall. Extensively from it there were wide tunnels.
We went deep into one of these tunnels leaving afar. I with pleasure inhaled clean fresh air. The tunnel all extended, and at the end of it I saw something, forced me to stop from surprise. It seemed, I see a mirage in the desert. Before us the huge tropical garden grew. Among magnificent, juicy vegetation fountains streamed. Paths were strewed with golden sand. In the middle of a garden the quiet lake of extraordinary pure blue water was based. The great number of birds flew between trees, filling air with chatter and a rustle of wings. And over all this is blue bed curtains of the sky or glass – I could not define it – with huge sun in the middle.
– In this underground city there live employees of our solar station – Li told. – Isn’t that so, good corner? So it is pleasant to much here that they spend underground all the free time, enjoying silence, a cool, fine air and a sunlight which is transferred by system of mirrors here. Radio screens allow them to see everything that happens in the world on the Earth’s surface. Their rooms differ in nothing from my white lodge. If we have time, I will show you a remarkable aquarium, a zoo…
Li’s words were interrupted with some roar which was distributed over our heads. Li pricked up the ears.
– We go rather on a surface, there something happened – he told.
We quickly rose and left rather entered the hot furnace of bright beams of the Turkestan sun.
At the same moment I saw a strange thing: on a clear sky the small black cloudlet was suddenly formed directly over our heads.
Suddenly dazzling even in beams of the sun the lightning cut through a cloud and, having slashed on the sky, struck in the mirror collector of sunshine. I involuntarily bent down from the followed thunderclap. Splinters of a mirror scattered as a golden shower, in different directions.
– Rated sportsman! – Li cried.
But people already knew what to do. Did not pass also minutes as in different places from under the earth crowds of people with various tools began to be shown. It seemed as if someone dug out a huge ant hill and all ants came to light.
I never had to see that people worked with such speed and organization. They were not less than several honeycombs, and nevertheless neither shouts, nor orders were heard. Everyone kept at a distance, worked as a part of well harmonious car. Nobody disturbed anybody. Neither vanities, nor crush. One bore spare mirrors, others moved apart step-ladders, others sorted splinters. Did not pass also several minutes as solar installations were corrected, the garbage and the remains of mirrors are carried away. People left under the earth, and anything else did not remind of destruction. I was delighted with this extraordinary organization and involuntarily remembered Li’s words about the orchestra directed by the invisible conductor by means of thought radiation.
– However what has happened?, From where this unexpected thunder-storm? – I asked Li when everything settled.
– Work of Americans – Li answered. – They condense atmospheric electricity at distance and cause a thunder-storm. Obviously, we had a temporary break of an air obstacle somewhere. Enemies also used it to put destructions to our power plants. But another time they will not manage it. Recently I put storm rated sportsmen. Unfortunately, they were not applied still, considering, as the air obstacle quite protects us.
I did not notice how Ea approached us. She told Li that spies are caught that in the last fight they destroyed two of our ships, but at the same time died also.
– And then … – Ea bent to the ear of Li and whispered something. I was surprised to this excessive precaution.
Li nodded it and, having addressed me, said also in low tones:
– Now we act.
Then he added, having a little raised the voice:
– The moment is too serious. Extra care is necessary. We go.
Chapter 9
LAST FIGHT
In the sky as far as there were enough eyes flocks of birds were visible. It was possible to think that somewhere crows were flown to a lodging for the night from all over the world. But it were not birds, and the air ships among which there was also ours.
– Atlantic Ocean! – Li shouted, trying to outvoice noise of wind behind walls of our shell.
Atlantic Ocean? Whether long ago we were in Turkestan? Resolutely, these people won against time.
The picture developed below forced me to scream from surprise. All seashore was filled by extraordinary beings who could be taken for the terrible died-out animals. It were some strange fresh-water and air animals. Though they were similar at each other, one of them, having reached the region of the low coast, plunged into waves and, obviously, continued the way under water, others floated on a water surface, others flew over the ocean.
– Isn’t that so, it reminds a picture of the primitive world? The herd of terrible pangolins goes on a watering place! These are our fighters. They equally well feel on water, under water and in air.
They were thousands, perhaps, hundreds of thousands. And thousands of the air ships flew in air. “What destructive war! – I thought. – At such number of participants in one day millions of people can die”.
– How many the person contains your army? – I asked Li.
– You wanted to ask probably how many kilowatt? – he answered with a question.
I looked at it bewildered.
– These tools of destruction conceal in themselves billions of kilowatts of energy. And people? Seventy three persons, considering also us.
– But allow who operates all these vehicles?
– These cars have no people. The small number of the people making all our “army” operates the movement of cars at distance, on radio.
– So, means?.
– Means, it will be more war of cars, than people. “That at whom the equipment is higher” will win – so, apparently, spoke also in your time?
In this the world, new to me, I absolutely lost idea of time. Winning against huge speeds of movement against space, these people won also against time. I could not define how many minutes or hours our flight over the ocean continued. Flying at reckless speed, we as though wanted to catch up with the sun. Its last beams still gilded high clouds over us when Li told:
– We fly up to coast of America.
I looked at it and saw that, against usage, he was excited.
– Day came – he told – when the destiny of the world is decided. – Whether we will die or our enemies will die, but the globe will not be divided into two half any more. But I am sure that they will die. We cannot die because for us – the future, and they – the last gloomy page of the past.