Classics fantasy – 3

On the road the huge sphere from puffs of vapor slowly slid. On a frost of couples turned into hoarfrost which made as if an external mobile cover of a sphere. Moonlight was reflected in the sparkling crystals of hoarfrost and gave iridescent auras. Behind a sphere the tail from snow flakes lasted. It was possible to think that on the road the small planetka who came on a silver platter together with the atmospheric attire slides. But we understood at once what the planetka is: the strange phenomenon left clear and quite deep prints of bare human feet on snow. It was our Kazya shrouded in a cloud of steam who brought down from his body excited with fever.

«Perhaps, this steam – I thought – protects Dashkevich’s body from burning action of cold a little, is perfect the same as the atmosphere protects Earth from action of absolute cold of interstellar depths. But whether for a long time his internal heat can be enough for Kaza? It will disappear from his body before Kazya reaches the lake».

– Казя! Казя! Stop! – we shouted, pursuing the cloud sliding on the road.

We could not consider Kazyu in this cloud of steam.

Dashkevich answered nothing to us, but quickened the pace. Small blizzards began to spin behind it. He already ran up to the coast of the lake, stepped into ice, stopped and suddenly desperately cried. Over the place where it stood, the whole column of steam rose. We ran on shout, entered dairy steam and is careful, blundered about to that place from where Dashkevich’s voice was heard. This voice reached from below.

– Devil take it, ice thawed under legs! – Kazn shouted. – I failed and now I cannot get out. When I grab the edge of ice, ice thaws and turns into water…

I made out a vague spot of the Kaziny head and grabbed at random a hand. Yes, it was the hand if only I did not grab for burning головню: heat of this hand was felt even through my fur mitten. «However what temperature of his body has to be?» – with surprise I thought.

We pulled out our friend on the coast. From an ice bathtub on a forty-degree frost! But unfortunate Kazya delirious and fire of fever did not feel cold and danger. It was stirred up as the bear who got out of water and ran from us along the lake. It was easy for it to run. He ran on the trampled-down road with a speed of a dog, we in our fur suits could not catch up with him. The shining sphere of our «steam» friend sparkled on a hillock soon and disappeared.

What to do? To run after Dashkevich? But we could not leave radio station for a long time. In our work and so there was a break. We decided that one of us has to go to work, and another will be engaged in searches of the run-away patient. But as Dashkevich was stronger than each of us separately, we decided to invite to the help of professor Wagner. Pronin hurried on radio station, and I rushed off to Wagner.

– What did you make with our friend? – I asked Wagner.

Professor looked at me with one eye and answered, without coming off the lamp transmitter:

– I nothing to it made bad. And what our patient? How he feels?

– Ran away! – hasty I answered. – Ran away when it has probably not less than forty degrees temperature. Naked ran away!

Professor Wagner smiled.

– Good feature? – he asked, pointing to the device. – You did not meet such design yet.

The device was really entertaining, but to me had no time for it.

– Korotkovolnovik? – carelessly I asked and, without waiting for the answer, continued: – Listen, professor, leave your experiences and help me to catch and return our escaped friend until he died finally.

– At a usual order of things – Wagner answered, without moving a little – companion Dashkevich had to die long ago. And we would need to search for his dead icy body only. But as companion Dashkevich feels excellently…

– From where you know it?

– From your own words. Dashkevich did not die, even покупавшись in the lake. He breathes in couples as the engine, and walks in shorts behind the Polar circle as though it on the beach in the Crimea. Do not worry about your Kaz, you sit down here here and listen. You asked what I made with Dashkevich.

– But, professor, now not time…

– It is a high time! You sit down. I assure you that with Kazy nothing bad happens. Experience was successful.

– Again experience? – with astonishment I asked.

– Well, certainly.

Wagner unexpectedly squeezed my hand at an elbow. I screamed.

– Painfully? I and thought. You are hurt by joints when you work with the regenerative receiver. You feel temperature increase. Well, opened radio, but still did not study character of this animal at all. The fact that we know about radio, is just baby talk. Our knowledge and scope of radio extend every day. You know that doctors for treatment of some diseases began to use short waves now, artificially lifting radio waves the body temperature of patients. And here the thought came to my mind: and why not to heat artificially human body by means of short radio waves?

– But the human body is naturally heated – I told.

– Yes, but it is not enough. The healthy person possesses automatic change of temperature in only five-seven tenth degrees throughout days. On a disease the human body reacts increase or fall of temperature to two-three degrees against norm. Extreme limits of fluctuations make only six-seven degrees.

– Stability of our temperature – big progress – I told. – Not therefore whether many large animals died out what they were cold blooded – their blood had almost identical temperature with air?

– My thought does not contradict yours. Listen to me up to the end. You know what extreme temperature limits of life of human bodies. The elementary organisms transfer very low temperatures and can be restored to life. Without special error it is possible to tell that even centigrade cold is not quite killing for living beings. Heat as though is transferred more difficultly: at a temperature over fifty five degrees Celsius squirrels curl up. But the dehydrated proteins, for example chicken, can transfer temperature even to hundred sixty – hundred seventy degrees above zero. And so I delivered to myself a task to expand limits of fluctuations of temperature of a human body, to subordinate these fluctuations to will of the person and, of course, to make them harmless to an organism. Each warm-blooded animal has the more or less constant temperature: at the person it is equal 37°, at a monkey – 38°, at a horse – 39°, at a bull – 39,7°, and at pigeons and hens even 42,5°. This constancy has the inconveniences, and the person has to overcome them. Biological progress is not finished. The human body has to develop in the future the ideal regulator of temperature.

We do not know what was the body temperature of the cave person, but it, of course, was higher, than at the modern person. Warm dwellings and suits even more promoted fall of temperature of a body. It is already progress. The person has to possess ideal heating of a body. And then the climate will not have for it any value. Such person – thermo will be able to go in sports shorts to the North Pole, without feeling any cold, and on the equator he will idle in hot sands of the desert. You understand what prospects it will open for mankind! It will not be necessary to build houses. The clothes are not necessary. The housing crisis does not exist. You can sleep on the ice-rink even without shirt…

– But I can kindle «bed» and fail in water as it was with Dashkevich.

Wagner attentively listened to my remark.

– It is necessary – he told – to put shoes on in shoes or galoshes not to fail.

– Means, after all not to do without dress?

– Subsequently it will be possible to regulate temperature of separate parts of a body. And now at us not all parts of a body are warmed equally. The ends of legs can be cold, and a trunk – we heat.

– And here such person – thermo you made Dashkevich?

– Not absolutely. Spontaneous regulation of body temperature is a business of very long-term future. I made Dashkevich artificially the person – thermo, increasing his temperature by means of short radio waves. In it there is nothing unusual yet. Radio waves increase body temperature even then when we do not wish it. My task came down to finding means to expand borders of change of temperature, without doing to a harm organism. You saw Dashkevich. How he feels?

– Apparently, well. But he very strenuously, often and deeply breathes. And from it brings down such steam as if it from a hot bath ran out on frosty air.

Wagner nodded.

– At temperature increase of a body and when cooling a body with effect of external air consumption of oxygen increases. Dashkevich should work strenuously lungs to supply cellular fabrics with oxygen. But one lungs it is difficult to bring to an organism the necessary amount of oxygen, and breath of skin comes to the rescue.

She breathes in all fifteen thousand square centimeters of the surface too. That is why Dashkevich went to walk by naked: the frost is not terrible to it, and the naked body can cope with skin breath better. And, judging by steam emitted by Dashkevich, he breathes skin perfectly. Everything is all right. Would you like to follow Dashkevich’s example? I can and make of you «the warm guy» – the person – thermo, and you will move off in searches of your friend in a swimwear, only in galoshes and with a blanket under the arm. You can not care for food. You should not cook food: your stomach will have sufficient temperature in the best possible way to weld crude and even frozen fish. You will need to care only for one – to go in a radio emission strip. I will act with the directed radio waves. You can take with yourself a compass. I will specify the direction. You wish to do experience? I assure you, you will not undergo any troubles. You will need to prepare the organism only. I will enter to you into blood the solution of salts invented by me. You agree to it?

– Yes, but me it is necessary to replace Pronin soon.

– I will be on duty for you on radio station. Do not worry. We will cope with Pronin, and you go for Dashkevich. It will not be difficult for you to find it as, like you, it will not leave a radio emission strip. I repeat: To Dashkevich the frost is not terrible, and your friend will not catch a cold, but nevertheless I will be quieter if you find it and will bring home. It left without weapon. Bears can attack it, they gad in local places much. So on hands?

In a few minutes I already stood in shorts in the middle of the room.

– How do you feel? – Wagner asked.

– As though my body begins to be poured by fire. Awfully hot!

– You will get used. You breathe more deeply and more often. It at you will become a habit soon. Heart? Let me listen. Pulse? Hundred. Now it is normal. I to you to two hundred will catch up with it. Really hot will become the sky! Well, march! Go!

Wagner widely opened a door, having let in clouds of cold steam. To me it was a little terrible, but I overcame indecision and went outside. And immediately steam shrouded me.

– I see nothing – I told, helplessly turning.