A. Belyaev - Classics fantasy – 3

But Wagner was not satisfied with this effect. It started up a samobezhka forward again and it appeared ahead of the militiaman soon, as if setting on him. At this time the rain went. On the highway the big pools which were flowing down in quite deep ditches on both sides of the highway were formed. Wagner admitted the persecutor even closer and suddenly, having abruptly turned, sent a samobezhka across the highway, to a ditch. I involuntarily grasped overboard. But my fears were vain. Samobezhka as the small tank, safely crept through a ditch and ran on the pitted, kochkovaty field. The militiaman with the motorcycle, of course, could not follow us. He would break the car in the first ditch.

– Here you see! – Wagner himself, probably, delighted with the invention told.

– Perfectly! – I exclaimed. – But how this samobezhka is arranged and what frightened crowd when it uvidat your crew?

– The pursuit lagged behind, we can have a talk – Wagner told. – Bend and raise cloth.

I raised cloth and screamed from surprise. Cloth covered… three pairs of naked human legs!

– Have fun, and there is enough – Wagner told, laughing. – It is necessary to comply also companion militiaman, he honestly fulfilled the duty. We go back and we will give up in hands of the authority. We will return on the dacha and we will explain all incident. I have documents that all hands and legs are taken by me for scientific experiences from dissecting room; it is clear, that I did not commit any murder.

– But what image these legs and the hand rotating millstones…

– And here wait – professor interrupted me – now we will do a ceremony of surrender, and then I will tell you.

And when this ceremony was done, Wagner, continuing to go on the samobezhka under escort of the militiaman accompanying us on the motorcycle began the explanations:

– I will be short. They say, life is burning. However the last observations over vital processes showed that it absolutely not so. Life is not burning, but without burning life cannot last long. Found special substance in muscles a glycogen which from the chemical point of view represents almost the same, as sugar. And so, at muscle work in it lactic acid and warmth, that is free energy are formed of this sugar. It is calculated that upon transition of sugar to one gram of lactic acid hundred seventy calories are released. Thus, muscle work, or if you want, her life, happens without oxidation or combustion. But when in the working muscle heat (energy) was generated and the glycogen appeared, without oxygen this lactic acid cannot disappear, and the muscle not in forces farther to work. But transfer you such tired muscle to the atmosphere of oxygen, and lactic acid immediately will disappear, oxygen will be absorbed, and carbonic acid and heat, as are emitted at any burning.

Where lactic acid disappears? It turns into sugar again. Only the fifth part it disappears completely. Thus, one may say, that a muscle – the car working due to chemical energy which arises upon transition of bodies with more complex structure in bodies simpler due to falling of potential of chemical energy. Means in order that energy of a muscle was restored, it is necessary to supply it with oxygen only. In the atmosphere of pure oxygen under the known experimental conditions the muscle becomes tireless.

Here on it I also built the invention with the hands and legs which are cut off at corpses. Why to them to vanish if they can bring useful work? You know that members of the body can live, separated from a body, vaguely long time if only to feed them properly. They can function, that is perform the usual work. Human muscles are the perfectly constructed cars. Why them not to force to work after the death of the owner, exciting reduction by electric current?

You know that my muscles also do not know were tired. But I went in fight against fatigue of the muscles in a bit different way. I invented fatigue anti-toxins. With a hand on a mill and legs under this crew I arrived differently. First of all I provided them with food. The special physiological solution very close to composition of blood (notice: strenuously saturated with oxygen), feeds hand muscles on a mill and these legs. Plentiful supply with oxygen does muscles tireless. Electric current causes their reduction.

– And why you suited a pipe on a mill?

– I was afraid that flour dust can get to a vessel with nutritious liquid and will condense it, having made unusable for «feeding» of a hand. On a pipe oxygen directly from air turns out. This my invention which considerably is reducing the price of operation of muscular strength of the person. You only think what prospects are opened by my invention! Over time all people, as well as I now, will not know muscular exhaustion. Productivity of human work will increase extraordinary. But it is not enough: we will force to work also the dead. Just imagine: millions of years it was required to the nature to create such perfect mechanism as a human body, and here death forever destroys this magnificent car! Unless it is not ridiculous? If we are not able to win against death absolutely, then we will prolong, at least, muscle work. Imagine factory which cars are set in motion by the human hands which are cut off from a body.

– Terrible picture!

– Anything. The advantage would force people to look other eyes at this picture soon. Here I put a hand on a mill. Tarasovna was frightened. But benefit is clear for it. And eventually she would probably not refuse that her late husband continued to give her help the hands… Arrived.

Rain expected to fall. At our entry into the village from all log huts the people who surrounded us began to run out. «Court» terminated quickly. Wagner showed pieces of paper from Moscow, and they were convincing. Tarasovna asked it to take away somewhat quicker from a mill a dead hand. She was afraid that this hand sometime will strangle her at night. However, in a hand there was no need also. The heavy rain lifted rechonka water, and it was ready to replace a hand of the dead person. And this hand, despite Wagner’s protest, was carried at the cemetery and dug. (It is told P.E. Yakimenko.)

Concerning this story Wagner wrote:

«The scientific explanation of the fact is offered quite correctly. The muscle of an animal or the person, even cut out from a body, really possesses some stock of potential chemical energy thanks to the fact that in it there are materials capable for disintegration. If such muscle to irritate with electric current, it can perform the known work. After work in a muscle there is a lactic acid. But at oxygen food lactic acid disappears, and the muscle becomes capable to work again. Thus, in the atmosphere of pure oxygen the muscle can become tireless. I really conducted such experiment with a tireless muscle at the dacha. By means of electricity I forced to move a hand of the person which even performed some work. Experience continued only several minutes and was repetition of the experiences which are already done in some scientific laboratories. But such «posthumously working muscle» cannot have practical value. Game will not cost candles – oxygen costs much. Of its direct getting from air how it is done by lungs, I only think. Perhaps, I will use the mechanism of lungs and hearts motors. You will understand now that in the story from science and that from the imagination.

Wagner».

During the walks in the neighborhood of Simeiz I paid attention to the lonely giving standing on a steep slope of the mountain. To this giving it was not carried out even roads. A circle it was enclosed with a high fence, with the only low gate which was always densely covered. And neither the greens bush, nor a tree was seen over a fence. A giving circle – naked ledges of yellowish rocks; between them sickly junipers and undersized, curve mountain pines grew here and there.