Classics fantasy – 8

The next day, as soon as an opportunity to talk to the head was presented, Laurent asked:

– What professor Kern in laboratory in my absence is engaged in?

After some fluctuation the head answered:

– We with it continue scientific works.

– Means, and you do all these marks for it? But you know that he publishes your work on its own behalf?

– I guessed.

– But it is shocking! How you allow it?

– What can I do?

– If you cannot, then I will be able to make! – angrily Laurent exclaimed.

– More quietly… In vain… Would be ridiculously in my family way to have claims for copyright. Money? On what they to me? Glory? What can the glory give me?. And then… if all this opens, work will not be finished.

And in that it was finished, I am interested. To admit, I want to see results of my works.

Laurent thought.

– Yes, such person as Kern, is capable of everything – she quietly spoke. – Professor Kern spoke to me when I arrived to him on service that you died of an incurable disease and bequeathed the body for scientific works. It is true?

– It is difficult for me to speak about it. I can be mistaken. It, however, but, can be… not all the truth. We worked together with it on revival of the human bodies taken from a fresh corpse. The core was my assistant. At that time I set as an ultimate goal of my works revival of the head of the person cut from a body. I finished all preparatory work. We already recovered the heads of animals, but decided not to disclose our progress until we do not manage to recover and show the human head. Before this last experience which success I did not doubt I transferred to the Core the manuscript with all scientific work done by me for preparation for printing. At the same time we worked on other scientific problem which was also close to permission. At this time to me there was an awful attack of asthma – one of diseases against which I as the scientist tried to win. Between me and it there was an old fight. All question was in time: which of us the first will come out the winner? I knew that the victory can remain on its party. And I really bequeathed the body for anatomic works, though did not expect that exactly my head will be recovered. And so… during this last attack the Core was about me and provided me medical care. It vsprysnut to me adrenaline. Can be… the dose was too big or maybe asthma made the business.

– And then?

– Asphyxia (suffocation), a short agony – and death which for me was only consciousness loss… And then I endured quite strange transitional states. Consciousness very slowly began to come back to me. It seems to me, my consciousness was awakened by acute sense of pain in a neck. Pain gradually calmed down. At that time I did not understand that it means. When we with the Core did experiences of revival of the dog heads cut from a body, we paid attention that dogs feel extremely acute pain after awakening. The head of a dog fought on a dish with such force that sometimes tubes on which nutritious liquid moved dropped out of blood vessels. Then I suggested to anesthetize the place of a cut. That it did not dry up and was not affected by bacteria, the neck of a dog plunged into special solution of Ringen-Lokk-Douel. This solution contains both the nutritious, and antiseptic, and anesthetizing substances. The cut of my neck was also shipped in such liquid. Without this precautionary measure I could die again very quickly after awakening as the heads of dogs in our first experiences died. But, I repeat, at that moment I did not think of all this. Everything was vague as though somebody woke me after strong intoxication when effect of alcohol did not take place yet. But in my brain nevertheless the joyful thought smoldered that if consciousness, though vague, returned to me, then, so I did not die. Without opening eyes yet, I deliberated over strangeness of the last attack. Ordinary attacks of asthma broke at me suddenly. Sometimes intensity of short wind weakened gradually. But I never before fainted after an attack. It was something new. Also the feeling of severe pain in a neck was new. And one more strangeness: it seemed to me that I did not breathe at all, at the same time and did not test suffocation. I tried to sigh, but could not. It is more than that, I lost feeling of the breast. I could not expand a thorax though strenuously as it seemed to me, strained the pectoral muscles. «Something strange – I thought – or I sleep, or I dream…» Hardly I managed to open eyes. Darkness. In ears vague noise. I closed eyes again… You know that when the person dies, bodies of his feelings die away not at the same time. At first the person loses sense of taste, his sight, then hearing dies away then. Apparently, upside-down there was also their restoration. After a while I raised the eyelids again and saw muddy light. As though I fell to water by very deep water. Then the greenish haze began to disperse, and I vaguely distinguished before myself the person Kerna and at the same time uslykhat already quite distinctly his voice: «Recovered? I am very glad you to see again live». By effort of will I forced my consciousness to clear up rather. I looked down and saw directly under a chin a table – at that time this little table was not yet, and there was a simple table, like kitchen, hastily adapted by Kern for experience. Wanted to look back, but could not turn the head. Near this table, is higher than it, the second table – prozektorskiya was located. On this table someone’s beheaded corpse lay. I looked at it, and the corpse seemed to me strange familiar in spite of the fact that it had no head and his thorax was opened. Right there nearby in a glass box someone’s human heart fought… I bewildered looked at Kern. I still could not understand in any way why my head towers over a table and why I do not see the body. Wanted to give a hand, but did not feel it. «What is the matter?.» – I wanted to ask Kern and only silently moved lips. And he looked at me and smiled. «You do not learn? – he asked me, having nodded towards a prozektorsky table. – This your body. Now you forever got rid of asthma». He still could joke!. And I understood everything. I confess, the first minute I wanted to shout, break from a little table, to kill myself and Kern… No, absolutely not so. I knew mind that I had to become angry, shout, be indignant, and at the same time was struck with ice tranquility which owned me. Perhaps, I was also indignant, but somehow looking at myself and at the world from outside. In my mentality there were shifts. I only frowned and… was silent. Whether I could worry as worried earlier if now my heart fought in a glass vessel, and the motor was new heart?

Laurent with horror looked at the head.

– And after that… after that you continue to work with it. If not it, you would win against asthma and were a healthy person now… He is a thief and the murderer, and you help it to rise on glory top. You work for him. He as the parasite, eats your brain activity, it made some accumulator of creative thought of your head and earns on it money and glory. And you!. What does it give you? What your life?. You are deprived of everything. You an unfortunate stump in which, on your grief, still there live desires. The whole world stole from you the Core. Forgive me, but I do not understand you. And really you obediently, resignedly work for him?

The head smiled a sad smile.

– Head revolt? It is effective. What could I make? I am deprived even the last human opportunity: to commit suicide.

– But you could refuse to work with it!

– If you want, I passed through it. But my revolt was not caused by the fact that the Core uses my cogitative device. Eventually, what the name of the author matters? It is important that the idea was included into the world and made the business. I revolted only because it was heavy to me to get used to my new existence. I preferred life death… I will tell you one case which happened to me at that time. Somehow I was in laboratory one. Suddenly in a window the big black bug flew. From where it could appear in the center of the enormous city? I do not know. Perhaps, it was delivered by the car which is coming back from a country trip. The bug turned round and round over me and sat down on a glass board of my little table, near me. I mowed an eye and watched this disgusting insect, without having an opportunity to dump it. Pads of a bug slid on glass, and he, rustling with joints, slowly approached my head. I do not know whether you will understand me… I felt always some special fastidiousness, feeling of disgust for such insects. I could never force to touch them a finger. And here I was powerless even before this insignificant enemy. And for it my head was only a convenient springboard for take-off. And it continued to come nearer slowly, rustling with legs. After some efforts it managed to be hooked for beard hair. He long floundered, having got confused in hair, but persistently rose above and above. So it crept on the compressed lips, on the left side of a nose, through the covered left eye until at last, having reached a forehead, fell to glass, and from there to a floor. Empty case. But it made a tremendous impression on me… And when professor Kern came, I refused flatly to continue with him scientific works. I knew that it will not decide to show my head publicly. Without advantage will not begin to hold at itself the head which can be a proof against it. And it will kill me. Such is there was my calculation. Between us fight was started. He resorted to quite cruel measures. Once late at night he entered to me with the electric device, put electrodes to my temples and, without starting up current yet, addressed with the speech. He stood, having crossed hands on a breast, and spoke very tender, soft tone as the real inquisitor. «Dear colleague – began he. – We here one, confidentially, behind thick stone walls. However, if they were more thinly, it does not change business as you cannot shout. You quite within my power. I can cause you the most awful tortures and I will remain unpunished. But why tortures? We are both scientists and we can understand each other. I know, hardly is to you, but in it not my fault. You are necessary to me, and I cannot exempt you from burdensome life, and you are not able to run away from me even to a non-existence. Whether to us business by the world so is better to finish? You will continue our scientific occupations…» I negatively moved eyebrows, and my lips were silently whispered: «Is not present!» – «You very much upset me. Would you like a cigarette? I know that you cannot feel full satisfaction as you have no lungs through which nicotine could be soaked up in blood, but nevertheless familiar feelings…» And he, having taken out two cigarettes from a cigarette case, lit one itself, and inserted another to me into a mouth. With what pleasure I spat out this cigarette! «Well, the colleague – he told by the same polite, unperturbable voice – you force me he let to resort to corrective actions…» And electric current. As though the heated drill penetrated my brain … «How do you feel? – carefully he asked me, precisely the patient’s doctor. – The head hurts? Perhaps, you want to cure it? For this purpose it need to you…» – «Is not present!» – answered my lips. «Very much, it is a pity. It is necessary to strengthen current a little. You very much upset me». And it started up such strong current that it seemed to me, my head ignites. Pain was intolerable. I gritted the teeth. My consciousness was stirred up. As I wanted to lose it! But, unfortunately, did not lose. I only closed eyes and squeezed lips. Kern smoked, starting up me smoke in a face, and continued to roast my head on slow fire. He did not convince me any more. And when I slightly opened an eye, saw that it is enraged by my persistence. «Oh, damn! If your brains were not so necessary to me, I would fry them and today would feed with them the pinscher. Faugh, pighead!» And it inconsiderately broke all wires from my head and was removed. However to me still early was to rejoice. It returned soon and began to let in the solutions feeding my head, the irritating substances which caused in me the most severe painful pains. And when I involuntarily screwed up the face, he asked me: «As, the colleague, you solve? Still not?» I was unshakable. It left even more enraged, showering with me with one thousand damnations. I triumphed a victory. Several days Kern did not appear in laboratory, and any day I expected the deliverer death. For the fifth day it came indifferently, cheerfully whistling a song. Without looking at me, it began to continue work. Day two or three I observed behind it, without taking in it part. But work could not but interest me. And when it, conducting experiments, made several mistakes which could ruin results of all our efforts, I did not restrain and made to it a sign. «Long ago so!» – he spoke with a pleased smile and started up air through my throat. I explained him mistakes and since then I continue to direct work… He outwitted me.

VICTIMS OF THE BIG CITY

Since Laurent learned the mystery of the head, she began to hate the Core. And this feeling grew every day. She fell asleep with this feeling and woke up with it. She in terrible nightmares dreamed the Core. It was directly sick with hatred. Recently at meetings with the Core it hardly kept not to say to it directly: «Murderer!»

It kept with it unnaturally and cold.

– A core – the terrible criminal! – Mari exclaimed, having remained alone with the head. – I will inform on it… I will shout of its crime, I will not calm down, I will not discredit this stolen glory yet, I will not cut out all his crimes. I will not spare myself.

– Silence!. Calm down – Douel persuaded. – I already said to you that in me there is no feeling of revenge. But if your moral sense is revolted and is eager for punishment, I will not dissuade you… only do not hurry. I ask you to wait until the end of our experiences. And I need the Core now, as well as it me. It without me cannot end work, but also and I without it. And all this that remained to me. Bigger to me not to create, but the begun works have to be ended.

In an office steps were heard.

Laurent quickly closed the crane and took seat with the book in a hand, still indignant. Douel’s head lowered eyelids as the person shipped in a somnolence.

Professor Kern entered.

He suspiciously looked at Laurent.

– What is the matter? you are upset with something? Everything is all right?

– There is… nothing… everything is all right… family troubles…

– Give your pulse…

Laurent reluctantly gave a hand.

– Fights it is speeded up… Nerves play pranks… For nervous, perhaps, it is hard work. But I am happy with you. I double to you remuneration.

– It is not necessary for me, I thank you.

– «It is not necessary for me». Who does not need money? You have a family.

Laurent answered nothing.

– Here that. It is necessary to make some preparations. We will place the head of professor Douel in the room behind laboratory… Temporarily, colleague, temporarily. You do not sleep? – he addressed the head. – And here tomorrow will bring two fresh corpses, and we will make of them pair of well talking heads and we will show them in scientific organization. It is time to publish our opening.

And the Core scanned Laurent again. Ahead of time not to find all force of the hostility, Laurent forced itself to take an indifferent form and hurried to ask a question, the first of come to its mind:

– Whose corpses will be brought?

– I do not know, and nobody knows it. Because now it is not corpses, and living and healthy people yet. Healthier us. I can tell it with confidence. I need the heads of absolutely healthy people. But tomorrow they are expected by death. And in an hour, not later, after that they will be here, on a prozektorsky table. I will take care of it.

Laurent which expected from professor Kern of everything, looked at him with such fearful glance that it for a moment mixed up, and then loudly burst out laughing.

– There is nothing more simply. I ordered couple of fresh corpses in a morgue. Business, you see that the city, this modern Moloch, demands the daily human victims. Every day with unalterability of laws of the nature in the city several people, apart from accidents at the plants, factories, constructions perish from traffic. Well and these fateful, cheerful, full of strength and health people will quietly fall asleep today, without knowing what expects them tomorrow. Tomorrow morning they will get up and, cheerfully singing, will put on to go as they will suspect, work, and actually – towards to the inevitable death. At the same time in other end of the city, also carefree singing, their involuntary executioner will put on: driver or motorman. Then the victim will leave the apartment, the executioner will leave the opposite end of the city from the garage or the tram park. Overcoming a traffic stream, they will persistently come nearer to each other, without knowing each other, to the most fatal point of intersection of their ways. Then for one short moment someone from them will stand gaping – and is ready. On the statistical accounts noting number of the victims of traffic one stone will increase. Thousands of accidents have to lead them to this fatal point of intersection. And nevertheless all this will steadily be made with an accuracy of the clockwork shifting for a moment in one plane two hour hands going with various speed.

Professor Kern was never so talkative with Laurent. And from where it has this unexpected generosity? «I double to you remuneration…»

«He wants to cajole, buy me – Laurent thought. – He, apparently, suspects that I guess or even I know about much. But he will not manage to buy me».

NEW INHABITANTS OF LABORATORY

Next morning on a prozektorsky table of laboratory of professor Kern two fresh corpses really lay.

Two new heads intended for public demonstration should not have known about existence of the head of professor Douel And therefore it was providently moved by professor Kern to the adjacent room.

The men’s corpse belonged to the worker of years of thirty who died in a traffic stream. His mighty body was crushed. In the half-open glazed-over eyes the fright stood.

Professor Kern, Laurent and John in white dressing gowns worked on corpses.

– There were some more corpses – professor Kern said. – One worker fell from the woods. Rejected. It could have an injury of a brain from concussion. I rejected and several suicides who got poisoned with poisons. This guy was suitable. Yes this still… night beauty.

He pointed by a nod of the head to the woman’s corpse with the beautiful, but faded person. On a face still traces of blush and a make-up pencil remained. The person was quiet. The eyebrows only raised and a half-open mouth expressed some children’s surprise.

– The canary from bar. It was killed on the spot with a stray bullet during the quarrel of drunk apaches. Right in the heart – you see? Purposely so you will not get.

Professor Kern worked quickly and surely. The heads were separated from a body, corpses are carried away.

Some more minutes – and the heads were placed on high little tables. In a throat, tubes are entered into veins and carotids.

Professor Kern was in the pleasant excited state. The moment of its celebration came. He did not doubt success.

Science stars were invited to the forthcoming demonstration and the report of professor Kern in scientific organization. The press run by a skillful hand placed preliminary articles in which extolled the scientific genius of professor Kern. Magazines placed his portraits. Celebrations of national science attached to Kern’s performance with his amazing experience of revival of the dead human heads significance.

Cheerfully whistling, professor Kern washed up hands, began to smoke a cigar and fatly looked at the heads facing him.

– He-he! On a dish the head not only Ioann, but also Salome got. Not bad there will be a meeting. It is necessary only to open the crane, and… the dead will recover. Well, mademoiselle? Recover. Open all three cranes. This big cylinder contains compressed air, but not poison, a he-ha…

For Laurent it was not news long ago. But she, on cunning unconscious almost, did not give also a sign.

The core frowned, became suddenly serious. Having approached closely Laurent, it, rapping out each word, told:

– But at professor Douel I ask not to open the air crane. At it… vocal chords are damaged and…

Having caught a distrustful look Laurent, he with irritation added:

– Anyway… I forbid you. Be obedient if you do not want to draw upon yourself serious troubles.

And, having become cheerful again, he lingeringly sang on motive of the opera «Clowns»:

– So, we begin!

Laurent opened cranes.

The worker’s head began to give the first life signs. Hardly considerably eyelids trembled. Pupils became transparent.

– Circulation is. Everything goes well…

Suddenly eyes of the head changed the direction, turned to window light. Slowly consciousness came back.

– Lives! – cheerfully the Core shouted. – Give stronger an air stream.

Laurent opened the crane more. Air zasvistat in a throat.

– What is it?. Where I?. – muffledly the head said.

– In hospital, my friend – told the Core.

– In hospital?. – The head led eyes, lowered them down and saw under itself empty space.

– And where my legs? Where my hands? Where my body?

– It is absent, smart guy. It is smashed. Only the head also escaped, and the trunk had to be cut off.

– How to cut off it? Well is not present, I do not agree. What it

operation? Where I am fit such? You will not earn by one head of a piece of bread. Hands it is necessary to me. Without hands, without legs nobody will hire… You will leave hospital… Fie! And вый – ти there is nothing. How now? It is necessary to drink-eat. Our hospitals are known by me. Take a bit and expel: cured. No, I do not agree – he went on.

His reprimand, wide, suntanned, freckled face, hairstyle, innocent look of blue eyes – everything convicted of it the countryman.

The need tore off it from darling fields, the city tore to pieces a young sound body.

– Perhaps though the grant what will leave?. And where that?. – suddenly he remembered, and his eyes extended.

– Who?

– Yes that… that ran over me… There is a tram, another, the car here here, and it directly on me…

– Do not worry. He will receive the. Number of the truck is written down: four thousand seven hundred eleventh if it interests you. What is your name? – professor Kern asked.

– Me? Thomas was called. Thomas Bush, here it as.

– And so that, Toma… You will not need anything, and will not suffer neither from hunger, nor from cold, nor from thirst. You will not be thrown out on the street, do not worry.

– Well, you will feed with a gift or at fairs for money to show?

– To show we will show, only not at fairs. We will show to scientists. And now have a rest. – And, having looked at the woman’s head, the Core anxiously noticed: – Salome keeps itself waiting for something long.

– It is well, too the head without body? – Thomas’s head asked.

– As you can see, that it was not boring for you, we took care to invite the young lady in the company… Close, Laurent, his air crane that did not interfere with the chatter.

The core took out the thermometer from nostrils of the head of the woman.

– Temperature is higher cadaveric, but is still low. Revival goes slowly…

Time went. The head of the woman did not come to life. Professor Kern began to worry. He went on laboratory, looked for hours, and each its step on a stone floor was loudly given in the big room.

Thomas’s head bewildered looked at him and silently moved lips.

At last the Core approached the head of the woman and attentively examined glass tubules in which the rubber tubes entered into carotids terminated.

– Here where reason. This tube enters too freely and therefore circulation goes slowly. Give a tube more widely.

The core replaced a tube, and in a few minutes the head recovered.

Brike’s head – so called the woman – reacted more violently to the revival. When she finally recovered and started talking, began to shout hoarsely, begged better to kill her, but not to leave such freak.

– Ah, ah, ah!. My body… my poor body!. What did you make with me? Save me or kill. I cannot live without body!. Give me though to look at it… is not present, no, it is not necessary. It brainless… what horror!., what horror!.