Classics fantasy – 11. A. Belyaev

machine gunner, as cracked then laid dozen of bears, the others ran up. Fat at us how many was! These skins hang in the City Council as a banner of Medvezhansk.

      At all arrived the mood was lightened. Fires, cheerful young voices, laughter, jokes worked excitingly. On one of these fires and vigorous laughter the victory over elements, proud joy of the person who conquered the dead desert was felt. Expansive Jim began to sing already, having forgotten for a while about the Florida sun, and Ignat declared that he was not tired at all and wants to examine first of all production, and then and the city. The others supported his desire.

      – We go on the station if so – Sharov told. On the way to them some more people joined. All of them were young. A cheerful crowd surrounded visitors. Funny represented “wild natives” and executed the national dance “bear”. So with dances also brought to the place. Entered the small stone house.

      Here it was warm also light-. The internal room is occupied with the cylindrical tanks connected by pipes. Near cars several people in blue special clothes worked. Jim looked narrowly at them and could not distinguish who here the worker who the engineer. In the beginning he thought that the chief engineer – the tall old thickset person wearing spectacles, but he was the simple worker. And the chief engineer – the pretty young man, and this young man called himself… companion Glebovoy.

      The engineer Glebova was a little chilled and, offering explanations, spoke a gruffish contralto, but Jim did not even listen attentively to these explanations because he badly understood.

      Having finished the station, they entered the small brick house. In the first room there was only a control panel, in the second – an elevator cabin. More than anything. Glebova started over again explaining. Ignat shortly answered an inquiring look of Jim:

      – We examine new installation which turns energy of coal directly into electric current.

      Jim pretended that understood, and nodded. Glebova pointed a finger down and told:

      – Under your legs there is a battery of huge elements.

      – Well, show us them rather! – Ignat exclaimed.

      Glebova suggested to take off fur clothes.

      – The elevator, unfortunately, can accomodate only four people, including the elevator operator – she told. Ignat asked to lower first of all him together with Jim.

      The elevator operator turned the lever, and the cabin began to fall quickly.

      – Leave!

      Before them there was a spacious gallery in which there were huge tanks height about the house, similar to martin furnaces. Walls and the arches of gallery were fastened by reinforced concrete. Bright lamps lit this gallery. At the end of it the second was seen, behind it the third… the whole underground city leaving afar wide and high “streets” with “houses” – tanks. One wall had a glazed office. In it behind a desk the person worked, drinking tea from a glass. “Underground in the Arctic and as though at himself in the apartment” – Jim was surprised.

      – My assistant, the engineer Stepanov – Glebova told.

      On a sound of voices he turned back, nodded and continued

      to work. Light of lamps was reflected in stone plates. Air pure, warm and… full deficiency. Steps were boomingly given under the arches of high gallery. Glebova went ahead and on the run told:

      – For observation of this huge battery of elements at us only three engineers.

      – Eh, it is a pity, Jim, you understand in it few – Ignat addressed Jolie. – I see, you are not concerned by an extraordinary element underground. If there was with me a friend Stepan Asatkin, in him the poet would start talking: “It is far behind the Polar circle, at a depth of one hundred meters the necessary, useless coal lay to nobody. People came – and this coal became heat, light, food, clothes, culture, joy…”

      Day ended with “feast”. Sharov treated travelers with a tasty and various lunch, having surprised Jim is fresher greens and wild strawberry.

      – Fruits of our polar electrogreenhouses – Sharov told. – Greens, vegetables in the north – a foremost thing. You, likely, did not eat long ago some greens? On “Taiga” nobody was ill you a scurvy?

      – Since vitamins began to produce in the chemical way, the scurvy goes to the area of legends – Simakov answered. – But, certainly, fresh greens are unlike more pleasant than powders.

      – Here oranges. These are yet not polar, unfortunately – on airplanes and airships bring – Sharov told. – But give term, perhaps, and we will live up to local. Here, look what is there, on Chelyuskin, becomes.

      Jim with pleasure destroyed oranges. Hospitable a predgorsoveta allocated with them guests on the road. They decided to spend the night in “Taiga”. Dudin and Grishin left before the termination of a lunch: the snow-storm rose, it was necessary to remove a pipe and “Snake”.

      Wind stormed all night long. When Ignat woke up and came to the deck, he uvidat that “Taiga” is brought by snow almost to the lower windows.

      – Perhaps, it is necessary to dig out – he told Simakov who already held the ground the captain’s bridge.

      – Let’s be chosen – that surely answered. It gave the order, and propellers started working. But “Taiga” sat down thoroughly. It was necessary to put a caterpillar drive instead of runners. Business went rather. The all-terrain vehicle got out of a snowdrift and again became on skis.

      – Went!

      14. Uneasy night

      There was only the fourth hour p.m., but in the polar sky, dark blue with a greenish shade, stars already burned. Polar night. Equal ice wind blew directly in a face. With dry hissing as desert sand, was transferred from place to place small snow. Wind, playing snow dust, lifted it to the deck and said directly, pricked the thinnest crystal needles.

      Polar night was not such dark as Jim expected. The stars which covered all sky dimly lit white snow. Month hung on the sky. Cold, appear, froze both the sky, and month, and stars and made them ice, crystal. So they were transparent and… are cold. Yes, even stars seemed to Jim multi-colored, transparent cold small pieces of ice. Directly ahead, in the north, the sky shone at the horizon equal blue glow. Highly over it strips of pale blue light flashed and died away

      – As if inhabitants of planets exchange words light signals – Ignat told.

      Jim for the first time saw the polar lights. And though it was not too effective, Jolie with curiosity observed this mute game of heavenly fires. He began to understand beauty of the North.

      – Strange – Ignat continued – over the horizon light remains to constants – amplifies, does not throw out beams. It is possible to think that it is not the polar lights, but far fires of the city.

      Simakov grinned.

      – So it also is – he answered. – We drive up to Chelyuskin.

      – It is necessary to warn about our arrival – Ignat exclaimed and went to a radio cabin. It caused Chelyuskin and asked to transfer to Stepan Asatkin and Leonid Merkulov: “Let leave to meet”.

      But they did not leave, and left. Ignat uvidat quickly coming light of headlights soon. Stepan and Leonid arrived on a snowmobile. With them there was a fall which Stepan presented to Ignat and Jim:

      – Andrey Ivanovich Lelkin. The chief engineer of the most northern power plant in the world. Change to us in a snowmobile. Rather dokaty.

      And in a few minutes Jim and Ignat already rushed to Chelyuskin, briskly talking.

      Chelyuskin gradually opened before them. Lamps – them was much more, than on stations of underground gasification, wooden izbas, stone houses, warehouses of forest materials,