A. Belyaev - Classics fantasy – 3

Without understanding anything, I returned to the house and put a compress on a sore hand.

When professor woke up again, he looked already absolutely vigorous. Obviously, this person had extraordinary healthy organism.

– What is it? – he asked, pointing to my hand.

I explained to him.

– You were exposed to big danger – he told.

I very much wanted to hear rather from Wagner an explanation of all extraordinary that I had to endure, but I kept from questions, without wishing to disturb the patient.

In the evening on the same day Wagner, having asked to move his bed to a window, itself began to say about what so occupied me.

– The science studies manifestations of forces of nature – he began without preface – establishes scientific laws, but knows essence of these forces very little. We speak: «electricity, gravity». We study their properties, we use for the purposes. But they reveal final secrets of the nature to us very reluctantly. And therefore we use them far not fully. Electricity in this regard was more pliable. We enslaved this force, having seized it, forced to work for ourselves. We overtake it from place to place, we save in a stock, we spend as required. But gravity is really the most tenacious force. We have to get on with it, adapt more to it, than adapt it to the needs. If we could change gravity, operate it voluntarily, accumulate as electricity, then what powerful tool we would receive! To seize this rebellious force was my old desire.

– And you seized it! – I exclaimed, beginning to understand all event.

– Yes, I seized it. I found means to regulate gravity voluntarily. You saw my first success… Oh… progress sometimes costs much!. – Wagner sighed, rubbing the hurt knee. – In the form of experience I reduced gravity on the small site near the house. And you saw with what ease I lifted a block. It is made due to increase in gravity on small space of my yard… You nearly paid with life for the curiosity, having approached my «vicious circle».

Yes here, look – it continued, specifying by a hand in a window. – Towards giving the flock of birds flies. Perhaps, at least one of them will fly by over a zone of the strengthened attraction…

He became silent, and I with nervousness watched the approaching birds… Here they fly over the yard…

And suddenly one of them a stone fell to the ground and did not even break, and directly turned into a spot which covered the earth with a layer probably not more thickly than tissue paper.

– Saw?

I shuddered, having imagined, as the same destiny could comprehend me.

– Yes – he guessed my thought – you would be crushed by weight of own head and would turn into flat cake. – And, having again grinned, it continued: – Fima, my housekeeper, says that I invented fine means to keep products from vagrant cats. «Absolutely you do not ruin them – she says – and that paws stuck: at times will not be!» Yes … – he told after a pause – there are cats, even more unruly and dangerous – biped, armed not with claws and teeth, but guns and machine guns.

Imagine what protective means will be a subdued gravity! I can suit a protecting zone on borders of the states, and any enemy will not cross it. Airplanes will stoop down as this bird. It is more than that, even shells not in forces will be to fly this protecting zone. It is possible to make and vice versa: to deprive of the coming enemy of gravity, and soldiers at the slightest movement will highly jump up and to dangle helplessly in air… But all this trifles in comparison with what I reached. I found means to reduce gravity on all surface of the globe, except for poles…

– And how you will reach it?

– I will force the globe to rotate quicker, that’s all – professor Wagner with such look as though business went about a top answered.

– To increase the speed of rotation of Earth?! – I could not refrain from exclamation.

– Yes, I will increase the speed of its movement, and then centrifugal force will begin to increase, and all bodies which are on the earth will become is easier. If you have nothing against to stay for a while with me some more days…

– With pleasure!

– I will begin experience as soon as I get up, and you will see a lot of interesting.

In several days professor Wagner recovered absolutely, except for the fact that he limped a little. He for a long time left in the underground laboratory which is in a yard corner, providing the home library in my order. But in laboratory he did not invite me.

Once, when I sat in library, Wagner, very brisk entered, and still immediately shouted to me:

– Spins! I started the device, and now we will look, what will be farther!

I expected that there will be something extraordinary. But there passed hours, there passed day, nothing changed.

– Wait – professor in the hung moustaches smiled – centrifugal force increases in proportion to a speed square. And Earth – a decent top, you will not shake it soon!

Next morning, rising from a bed, I felt some ease. To check itself, I lifted a chair. It seemed to me much easier, than usually. Obviously, centrifugal force began to work. I came to a verandah and took seat with the book in hands. On the book the shadow from a column fell. Involuntarily I paid attention that the shadow moves quickly enough. What could it mean? As though the sun began to move quicker on the sky.

– Aha, you noticed? – I heard a voice of Wagner who watched me. – The earth rotates quicker, and change of day and night becomes shorter.

– What will be farther? – bewildered I asked.

– Time will tell – professor answered.

The sun this day set for two hours before usual.

– I represent what alarm was made by this event around the world! – I told professor. – It would be interesting to know…

– You can learn about it in my office, there is a radio receiver – Wagner answered.

I hurried in an office and could be convinced that the population of all globe is in extraordinary nervousness.

But it was only the beginning. Rotation of Earth everything increased. Days equaled to only four hours.

– Now all bodies which are on the equator lost the one fortieth part in weight – Wagner told.

– Why only on the equator?

– There the attraction of Earth is less, and the radius of rotation is more, so and centrifugal force works stronger.

Scientists already understood imminent danger. Great resettlement of the people from the equatorial areas to higher latitudes where centrifugal force was less began. But so far simplification of weight brought even benefit: trains could lift huge freights, there was enough weak-willed motorcycle motor to carry the big passenger airplane, the speed of the movement increased. People became suddenly easier and stronger. I tested this everything the increasing ease. Amazingly pleasant feeling!

Radio began to bring also more sad messages soon. Trains even more often began to derail on biases and curves of a way, however, without special accidents: cars, even falling under a slope, did not break. Wind, lifting clouds of dust which did not fall by the earth any more, passed into a hurricane. From everywhere came to conduct about terrible floods.

When the speed of rotation increased by seventeen times, objects and people on the equator absolutely lost weight.

Somehow in the evening I heard awful news on radio: in the equatorial Africa and America several cases when the people deprived of weight under influence everything the growing centrifugal force fell up were noted. Soon also the new terrifying news came: on the equator people began to choke.

– Centrifugal force breaks an air cover of the globe which was «attached» to the earth by force of terrestrial inclination – professor explained to me quietly.