A. Belyaev - Classics fantasy – 6

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.

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.