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