– And as it you… Unless it is possible?. You do not go on the yard better, and that and absolutely will flatten you!
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…
