Читать книгу Classics fantasy – 6 - A. Belyaev - Страница 6

ON THE BANK OF THE RED SEA

We rushed on our air shell which was at the same time both the gun, and a kernel. Behind a partition something quietly buzzed.

– Tell, Ale why you, Ea and Li are engaged in searches? Directed “investigation” about me, now you chase all over the world this American spy. Or you combine…

– The scientist’s position with an honorary title of the detective? – asked El. And, having sighed, continued: – I see that it is difficult for you to get used to our social system. I said to you that we have no militia in sense of the word, usual for you. But if you want, we have each citizen – the militiaman or the investigator if it is demanded by circumstances. Each our citizen, without instructions and codes, knows how to protect interests of society. And if the case gave it to face the fact menacing to our order and tranquility this citizen and finishes business.

– But it has also other duties?

– What from this? At the investigator too not one business happens on hands. Obligatory social activities take us about three hours. There is time to be engaged – at least and searches of the American spy.

– You told that obligatory work takes about three hours you. Why you did not specify exact norm?

– Under the code about work? – with a smile asked Ale. – We have no exact norm, there is no code also. If business of it demands – we work! And it is more than three hours. But it happens only in exceptional cases: some casual accidents, natural disasters. Our usual work “at the machine” does not exceed three hours.

– And the rest of the time?

– Everyone is engaged in what he wishes. The main thing and our almost exclusive occupation – we study, study and study. Continuously we fill up the knowledge, we invent.

– And if Who does not want to work even three hours a day? What coercive measures you take against idlers?

Ale looked at me with extreme amazement.

– Forgive, but this time I refuse to understand you – he told. – Unless it is necessary to force fish to float, and a bird to fly? It is their vital sign. The same vital sign, insuperable requirement is for us work.

– But work can be unpleasant, for example hard physical work.

– Physical work is carried out by our slaves.

I even jumped up on a chair.

– Slaves? You have a slavery?

– Well that so surprises you? Enslaved forces of nature, cars – here our slaves. And all of us, free citizens, work not only from consciousness of public advantage – it is the alphabet about which we already forgot – but also because work became for us the second nature long ago.

– What is it? Light went out?!

– Do not worry, I want to look at the card – told Ale.

Before it the square on which outlines of some sea appeared flashed poor light.

– This card moves?

– Yes, it moves because we fly. Our card – the earth. Here… as it you called outlines?. Sea of Azov, here Black. We fly by it.

– Already! So soon…

– Turkey. We will see the Red Sea soon.

– But how you can do absolutely without card?

– Эа directs our air ship on a radio compass. Li sends a radio wave, and we fly in this direction as butterflies on a spark. The mistake cannot be. However, we can if it is necessary, cope according to the card and a magnetic compass…

And, having bent down over the card, Ale told:

– The twentieth degree of northern latitude and the fortieth – east longitude. We in the neighborhood of Mecca. We will be on the place soon.

Some more minutes of flight, and we smoothly fell.

Эа opened a door of our shell, and we left.

Li welcomed us.

– Here, admire – he told, pointing to fragments.

On the seashore in brown sand these fragments of the air ship charred and so crippled lay that it was impossible to define its design. The rostrum probably not less than on three meters buried in sand, having formed in it a wide funnel.

– Judge: whether it was possible to escape at such accident? The American spy died, this time we can be quiet and not continue our searches – Li told.

– Yes, of course – Ale answered and, having climbed up a funnel, began to bypass it, attentively examining. Then he suddenly sat down on sand, sighed and corrected a white helmet on the head.

– Li, you did yourself eye operation?

Li for some reason was confused.

Ale reproachfully shook the head:

– Good eyes, Li, are necessary not only to you personally. Our Union of workers has to have sharp-sighted eyes. Why you did not perform operation?

Having addressed me, Ale continued:

– We, people of the future, stand immeasurably above our ancestors in the intellectual relation. But physical our nature, alas, lost something in new conditions of culture. All of us more lose hair. Эа, remove the headdress…

Эа, smiling, removed a cap and without confusion showed the head on which there was no uniform hair.

– Here you see – continued Ale. – Idea of beauty changed. We find fine the hairless head of the woman and would be horrified by the hairy monster similar the mane on an animal. You do not take offense – he blinked the eyes, looking at me. – Too it is better for you to remove hair not to draw excessive attention to themselves. We will be engaged then in your toilet. And so, hair… Then teeth. You already know that we do not eat some firm food. We do not need teeth. It is natural that they without work become more and more weak. Through several generations people will become absolutely toothless and the lower jaw will turn into a small appendage.

– And it will be beautiful too?

– For the time, of course.

– I represent – I told, smiling – that some Praksitel, the ingenious sculptor of the future, will cut the statue embodying an ideal of female beauty from marble…

– It will have the huge head without hair, a small chin, a mouth without teeth, almost men’s constitution, very thin legs and hands, fingers without nails…

– What disgrace! – involuntarily I exclaimed.

– If the gorilla could speak, then at a view of Venus Meditseyskaya’s statue he probably would also exclaim: “What disgrace!” would also transfer a loving and delighted look to the chetveroruky, heavy-faced, shaggy companion to life – Ale answered. – Everything is conditional in this world, my friend. Stars in the sky change, lands change, the person changes, his concepts about fine change. We lose what to us stops being necessary. We hear worse, than you, and you – it is much worse, than our ancestors of the Stone Age, and it is clear: we are not trapped any more by a predator behind each bush.

– Unfortunately, in the world there were still biped predators – thoughtfully told Ea – they it is more terrible than quadrupeds. And, perhaps, this … – Ea showed on car fragments.

– Yes, this – its Ale interrupted. – I not incidentally asked Li whether he performed eye operation. All of us are short-sighted. Far-sightedness was not necessary to the person of the city. His look rested against walls eternally. We live more freely. Our horizons are wider. We became beings flying. Sharp-sighted sight to us became necessary again. And in the nature so: if the body is necessary if it begins to work strenuously, it develops strenuously. And, I think, our descendants who, perhaps, will live in air more, than on the earth, will find vigilance of eagles again. But we inherited from you, people with a limited outlook of the city, short-sightedness. Also we fight against it. Your points do not satisfy us. With them there are a lot of efforts, they can break. And we simply operate eyes, setting a new crystalline lens. Here Li for some reason does not want to do operation though it is painless and takes only several minutes.

– Tomorrow I will make, at least only to give you pleasure.

– I thank you, Li – Ale answered. – Make and for this purpose and for another. Approach here, Ea what you see?

The girl ascended to an embankment around the fallen shell and looked around. She thought, something is obvious looking for that drew attention of Ale.

– I see that from the center of a funnel to edge there are further deepenings which… um… perhaps, it is possible to take for traces.

– Traces? – Li asked. – Really?

– Whether somebody went here? – asked El.

– No, place absolutely desert. Nobody rose by an embankment.

– And you?

– I ascended only from this party.

Ale passed on sand.

– Here you see – he told – sand very unsteady. It is showered and does not give distinct traces. If to stir sand here so the end of a leg, then just the same hollows turn out.

– What do you assume? – asked confusedly Li.

– I assume, my dear, but short-sighted friend – Ale answered – that our American spy is well.

– But it could not escape in this accident?! Or his bones are stronger than duralumin, and the body and on fire does not burn? – already a little sensitively Li told.

– And who told you that there was an accident? – objected El. – Everything could occur very simply. Mr. spy safely fell on the device, got out, then blew up it.

– But how it then will return back home?

– It or they could arrive on two aircrafts and offer one to cover up tracks.

– And other ship?

– Another can be in other place. However we will continue our survey.

We went on traces, attentively examining them. Traces went on the sandy plain aside and vanished in several meters. On this place in sand there was a small deepening.

– Vanished into thin air? – smiling, I asked.

– On the contrary, rose from the earth on wings. Situation becomes complicated! Locals better us know vicinities. It is necessary to warn them – told Ale.

– I in Mecca have a friend the chess player, to call him? – offered Li.

– Perfectly – Ale answered.

We had put wings behind the back. We turned levers at a belt, wings trembled, and the earth began to crumble under our feet.

– Here once there was a fruitless valley – pointed Ale down to the outspread continuous gardens cut with direct silver lines of channels. Among gardens white roofs of the houses standing far apart were seen. – If you expect to see the Arab city, with its markets, benches, coffee houses, camels and dirt, you will be disappointed. There is no city long ago. I already said to you that we have no cities.

– And here also Vadi, my friend flies, I called him – Li told, pointing to the approaching person with wings.

It was with us soon. We with curiosity examined Each other. And, of course, Vadi was more surprised with my exterior, than I am him. It almost differed in nothing from my satellites, only his clothes were from white fabric yes the person a little more swarty. I, in the heavy suit from Moskvoshvey, with points on a nose and wings behind the back probably had very comical appearance. To me was extraordinary hot, the collar of a shirt became crumpled, hair were disheveled.

– The person from the past, I recommend – told Ale.

– You know about arrival of the American spies?

– Li spoke to me.

– They fell nearby from here and, apparently, departed. It is necessary to find for them by all means.

Radium nodded.

– Report on radio across all Arabia. Look for everywhere. Mobilize youth – children have a sharp eye. Search each fold of mountains, each bush.

Radium once again nodded, looking into the sky. Suddenly he grabbed Ale by a hand.

– You look, Ale, this air ship is not pleasant to me.

All turned eyes towards the sky.

– Yes, it is not our design. Give an alarm signal – told Ale.

The unknown air ship, having drawn a semicircle in the sky, was behind the horizon. Vadi told something in a fist, and in a minute risen as the scared flock of birds, from the earth airplanes departed after the departed air ship.

– More likely, to our “Gun”! – El shouted.

Being dripping with sweat in burning beams of the Arabian sun, I flew behind my satellites to the seashore.