He turned on PC, chose the Report folder and began tedious calculations aimed at reconciling. Numerous columns of numbers and names of reagents.
There was a knock at the door and Lenochka entered.
Good afternoon, Aleksandr Nikolaevich! I decided not to disturb you, today is the reporting day, but you are being called by Iosif Grigorevich. And come to the laboratory, please, something happened there. I have sealed and closed everything, I do not let anyone in there, and I told everyone your instructions.
What happened in the laboratory?
This worth to be seen! she was obviously nervous, clenching her fists and constantly adjusting her glasses. But all the same, first go to Iosif Vissarionovich, he insisted.
Nobody liked the Head of the Department, and behind his back, he was called Stalin. He was a very mercantile old man back from the days when the phone was with wire and whistles, and the parcel was brought by a postman, not by a drone or a square copter. He achieved this position by subterranean intrigues and screwing over his colleagues, and he did not conceal it, but on the contrary, was proud of the fact that only thanks to him every year the institution received more and more money from the state and interest-free grants from so-called science lovers. And a part of the money settled in his bottomless pockets.
Well, Lena, I will come to see Iosif Grigorevich, and you wait for me here, then we will go to the kitchen together.
Climbing the wide university stairs, he greeted his co-workers. On the second floor, the clock on the wall has shown 2:00 in the afternoon. I have not eaten yet, he thought of his wife. Taking his old phone, he read sms from her: Do not forget to have lunch. Love you.
Smiling, he hurried up and almost ran. The rector built his apartments on the sixth floor, well, at least, that was not on the thirteenth. He opened the door and entered the waiting room, greeted a very young secretary, and then went into the office with the golden plate Kolker Iosif Grigorevich.
Called for me, Iosif Grigorevich?
Ah, Sasha! Hello, hello! Well, I did not call, but invited, please, come in and take a sit, the rector was fat, gray; his little fat fingers were clenched on his belly almost all the time.
Aleksandr went and sat on the nearest chair. The rector pursed his lips. This young upstart thinks he is a rising star. Everyone must jump in front of him. Well, I bet you will change your tune when the money runs out, and our Indian bankers stop the green flow of money!
He got up, walked along the long table and sat down next to the Head of the laboratory.
Sasha, you do not think I am pushing your guys or you. But you understand that there are no results. What you write in the reports is not enough. You have a week if there is no progress, I will have to shut down the laboratory and give the entire group an unpaid leave. I hope you understand that its not my choice to do so. They are pushing me too.
And remaining money will disappear in your pocket in three weeks! Huge hog beast! I wish you burst! Stupid, bald ugly mug! Aleksandr sighed and remembered about the dinner.
I understand everything. I think this decision is fair. One of these days I will invite you together with the university council for showing the results.
Aleksandr understood that if the council decides to continue research, one rector will not be able to do anything. Iosif Grigorevich also knew that but hoped that he would be the main winner in this fight. Especially since he had the ace up in his sleeve.
So good. Then you may go, I still have a lot of work.
When Aleksandr closed the door, the rector dialled the number and, without greeting, reported:
There is a strict time-frame. I have to admit that productivity has been increasing over the past three months. The result will be in a week.
He put the mobile phone in his pocket and wiped the sweat from his forehead with a white handkerchief.
Svetochka, bring me lunch from the restaurant, you know what I need.
Yes, Iosif Grigorevich, of course, I already called and placed the order in advance.
Thousands of scientists around the world have conducted hundreds of experiments trying to create an artificial intelligence and sympathetic internet web 3, that is, the newest series of data transmission and reception.
For more than fifty years, this life-and-death race has been going on among the countries of the world. And even there are the results of this war appeared, for instance, developed robotic programs in agricultural machinery, nurses and blood nanocleaners and dialysis preparations in medicine. In the household sphere, there are quad-copters, messengers, carrying up to fifty kilos of cargo to the destination place, batteries that allow accumulation of up to one million MACH-energy, synthetic fuel or lenses on space vehicles with five thousand in a cube zoom and so on.
Perfect artificial intelligence was the goal of many thousands of scientists and programmers. And today this goal has revealed itself to the world.
Aleksandr Nikolaevich, I cannot explain this, all the data were documented, I started checking since this morning, nothing changed in the course of our tests, I have no explanation for this. Lena tried to be calm, but her mouth was traitorously dry and her voice became hoarse.
Who else is aware?
Only you!
The scientists put on their overalls, as required by the safety instructions, but they did not feel this way. Before them, on the table in flasks with inactive dry nanorobots, was a spectacle, which was beyond any description. It was a capture. Nanorobots from one flask took the shape of a gray cube. The cube, which was on the corner and at the same time was rotating very slowly and pulsing. The finest tendrils stretched into the neighboring flasks were attracting other robots. All this action was so unexpected and fascinating that for a while Aleksandr lost any possible plan of action.
How long has this been going on?
I think since yesterday. This is an approximate time, but judging by the speed of rotation and
I got it.
They left the kitchen and sat down at the computers trying to collect their thoughts.
What could become such a huge catalyst? And what triggered the effect of compliance with the shape of the cube? We must once again analyze all the data, what and how we did for the last time.
He was knocked off feet. He jumped up and began to walk in a circle.
Lena understood that this was a rare phenomenon called the visit of the muse and it was better not to disturb him: He was in another dimension and his amazing brain found the solution of the problem.
Then she witnessed how Aleksandr Nikolaevich grabbed the doors of the tool cabinet, snatched out a scalpel, like an inequable one (most likely, he was), and opened a vein on his wrist.
Aw, hell, Lena, give me a cup.
She took a metal cup from the next table and held it to the wild scientist.
When there was enough of blood drip, Aleksandr felt a slight dizziness, he asked the assistant to tourniquet and wrap it up.
Then without a protection suit, he went into the kitchen, put the cup next to the cube and went out.
Three minutes later the cube stopped, and from behind the door, there was a sound of the beating dishes. Scientists could see the whole action only by the soundless video camera in the laboratory.
Their technician Zhenya has long been connected to it by passing the antediluvian defences of the Security Institute.
Their technician Zhenya has long been connected to it by passing the antediluvian defences of the Security Institute.
On the screen they watched the cube pulling all the tendrils into it and becoming larger, then stretching out, changing its shape to a long tourniquet, slowly bending towards the bowl and completely immersing into it. Then the contents of the cup were scattering by hundreds of the thinnest tendrils over all the flasks breaking them. The flask with distilled water also fell. At this point, the cube dissolved in the water and on the table was only a puddle left.
What the bloody hell is going on here?
I do not know.
Now we will go, you hold on to me, ok?
Ive got it.
They went into the closed part of the laboratory, which because of its small size it was called kitchen. The mess, of course, amazed with its ruthlessness. On the table, all vessels were broken.
The transparent substance spread over the table. Aleksandr came closer, looked down at the table and saw his own reflection.
This was no longer a fluid that we used to perceive as water. It was rather a liquid sublimate, if I may say so, liquid crystals.
Aleksandr has already realized that all these eight months they had been only collecting data, but now experiments would really begin.
NOVOSIBIRSK, JANUARY 2037 THE RESEARCH INSTITUTE OF ELECTRONIC INSTRUMENTS PISAREV STR, 53
The new invention received its name from the first DNA donor and its first cubic form AOUA TER: Aleksandr Ouadrate Unique Alive TER. (This referred to the unit of price in construction. A new formula of the object was to be replenished with consideration of the working time, the mass and size of correction and replenishment.)
Over the next ten days, the group of scientists supervised by the Head of the laboratory had been conducting and describing hundreds of experiments, and revealing lots of new properties.
This was particularly surprising after they found a fresh whole tomato in a dry cup in the morning, although twelve hours ago they put a decayed tomato in a bowl of water and added one hundred millilitres of the substrate.
The tomato reacted positively to all the checks and gave out that it was quite edible and useful. Of course, no one dared to taste it, but everyone was waiting how soon the famous Adams apple would rot again. After six days of tiring waiting, the tomato lost its luster and began to spoil. Repeated resuscitation did not yield positive results. It has gone from this world forever.
After then there were tests with mice. At first, the mice were given an injection subcutaneously, but the effect was insignificant. Then someone dipped the mouse, it rolled around and inhaled water. And after this, it calmly sank to the bottom and began to study such a different world, without smells and sounds.
When it was pulled out, the happy animal spit the liquid and, having waved its tail, started running as if nothing had happened.
All adapted animals had signs of rejuvenation and cure. Further experiments only increased their scale. It was decided to extend the time spent by the animals in the aquarium. After putting in a medically induced coma the testees were placed in the aquarium for several days. The results exceeded all expectations.
The experiments on rejuvenation and improvement of human tissue, namely, one-third of the liver, were also carried out. After this, it was noticed that some nanorobots changed their behaviour and became purposeful only on the DNA of human tissue.
This allowed, with an accuracy of ninety-eight percent, to state that the AT reads the DNA of every individual.
There was a council of all the group members and the rector where they unanimously approve the experiment to be performed on a human.
The Head of the laboratory Aleksandr insisted on his participation in the process.
He had been put in an aquarium for five days.
Engineer and programmer had been also working with the biologist and chemist. They passed the electric discharge to the centrifuge, but the discharge did not disappear, and, moreover, it did not leave the substance, the latter absorbed it and began to glow a little.
After that, a bare cable with a flow of energy was laid through it.
After the end of this experiment, the substance began to glow like a light bulb, and, most surprisingly, in this light, scientists saw pictures and even video. Due to the sufficient amount of energy, it connected to the Wi-Fi Internet from the neighbouring building.
They had been working round the clock with three or four hours of sleep in between. The laboratory assistants knew that this discovery would change the outlook of mankind.
The static physical state of AOUA TER, transmission of information to various media and at various frequencies were achieved.
Everyone saw this significant track in history; they were the members of the same group that managed to make an incredible breakthrough!
When positive effects on the human body were confirmed, the experiments with electricity were also successful. Scientists from Holland and Austria, the most successful laboratories on cultivation of artificial organs and cloning were invited. There was a real sensation, because if you manage to combine all the accumulated knowledge, they can create not only synthesized organs but also a complete human DNA. They will make a huge step towards immortality. And then a rational person will be able of controlling not only a deep space but also, perhaps, be able of opening parallel worlds and going on a journey through the time. After all, in fact, they only found a method of strengthening a spacesuit, but the spacecraft on which they would navigate through the time was only the dream of engineers.
The whole building was buzzing like a hive. Laboratory technicians did not go home. The work was in full swing; it seemed that if you miss a minute, you can miss something important.
On the fifth day, on the 20th of February, six employees of the closed laboratory and the Head of the laboratory Nechesov Aleksandr Nikolaevich suddenly burnt in the fire in the basement.
The laboratory was sealed and all available data were taken to a safe place.
All the delegates arrived at the farewell funeral with closed coffins.
Families and relatives were told that all scientists had been burned in the laboratory when using especially dangerous chemical elements.
A funeral service was held at the institute. Compensation was paid to relatives.
Local media had been dishing up this terrible catastrophe in the scientific world for another month.
There were strangers in black in Sashas house.
They approached and said something, perhaps there were kind words of support. But Irina did not hear anything. She felt as if the sound was turned off. She saw the peoples lips moving, and she tried to understand what they were saying. But all attempts were in vain. Previously, she did not understand the expression the world went dark, now the world faded for her. She did not understand why she did not cry. After all, everyone around was crying and mourning.
Something inside her head kept repeating that it is not true, that Sasha is alive. This thought was quite strange, and it seemed like something beyond understanding did not allow her falling into hysterics and a deep depression. After all, in fact, even her child would not stop her from a desperate step. Without Sasha, she has nothing to live for. She will not live because he is her life.