Sergey Lukyanenko - The Thirteenth City.

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Track: Android-PRODIGYrmx#FatAL sNIpe   
By:      
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        Sergei LUKYANENKO               

        THIRTEENTH CITY               




PART ONE. INSIDE AND OUT          


1. THANKSGIVING HOUR                     

It was an ordinary morning in the second city.
Tiri woke up early: the walls and
The bedroom ceiling was just beginning to glow.
He lay there for a while, looking at
objects getting stronger and stronger
protruding from the darkness.    Then
turned around                              
to the next bed and pushed Gal:

- Get up, sleepyhead!   Rising soon!

Gal stretched, yawned and sat up on the bed.
The walls were already glowing
bright.   In the far corner I woke up again
someone: loudly slapped barefoot on the floor
legs.    The hour of thanksgiving was approaching.

In the long washroom, lined
pink plastic too
the light turned on.  The guys stood next to
washbasin.   The dispenser clicked
and squeezed some soap into their palms
pasta.                                  

-Today it’s green,” Thiry said.

Gal didn't answer him. And it's so clear
what is green, today is not
holiday so they can give you a blue one.  And not
medical day to wash
had to be nasty, some kind of prickly,
white disinfectant paste.

After washing, they stood for a while under
jets of warm air flowing
from the ceiling.  Then they returned to the bedroom -
before the arrival of the duty officer it was necessary
make the beds and fit the issued
clothes for this five-day period.



- run! - Fork shouted.                

Garth and Archie jumped up from the hot sand and
rushed forward.     Archie almost
he immediately fell behind - he ran poorly. For this
They didn’t want to take him into the group...
Archie clenched his teeth and exerted all his strength,
looking at the conductor's broad back.

- Stop!  - Fork, running ahead,
froze.                                  

They also stopped and watched
the conductor looks around,
listens warily, sniffs
air.  Fork suddenly lay down and quickly, quickly
crawled up the mountain slope. Small
the stones rolled down.

- Follow me!                              

Archie crawled after Fork, almost
burying your face in the erased
the soles of his shoes.   It was crawling
inconvenient, machine gun buttall the time
clung to the stones, knocked, and Fork was already
swore several times, hissed at
Archie.                                   

Finally they reached the crest of the hill.
Carefully looked out from behind
him.  Archie's breath caught. Far away
ahead, in the scorched yellow desert,
rose to a height of many kilometers
thick steel column,
crowned with a huge disk.

-  City!  - he said in a whistling whisper,
covering his mouth with his hand, Garth.   - Here
he's damned!                          



Dima tried to open the remote control again.
no use.    He stood helpless
looking around the twisted wheelhouse, flooded
deathly blue emergency light
lamps                                   

“Go away, pilot,” came from the speaker.

-I won’t leave you, - Dima took up again
for a screwdriver.                            

- Seven minutes until the explosion. Go away, pilot.
Even if you get the blocks
memory, this won't help me.

Tears streamed down Dima's face. He was leaning
on a screwdriver, trying
turn the broken screw, but
I felt a touch from behind.
Turned around                               
and saw a white sparkling block of cyber.
Dima realized too late what
matter.   He was thrown three meters
height.dangling in steel claws
robot, he swam out of the control room.

- Let go!                              

- Calm down, pilot.  I'm forced to save
you against your will, - voice
the cyberbrain now came from the armored
robot chest.

- Let go, you must obey!      

- Obedience is only the second law,
pilot   And saving your life -
first.  I will take the lifeboat to
planet.                         Goodbye.

Cyber threw the pilot into the
lifeboat    Dima jumped up, but the hatch
has already slammed shut.  He rushed to the control panel.
The key softly went into the panel, blinked
indicator, but the hatch did not open.
Control was blocked
cyberbrain... The push was not strong. On
appeared on the flashing screens
departing ship.  Torn ball
propulsion system, dark flakes
frozen fuel, swirling
around... Dima even thought that he
sees the scarlet light of an overheated reactor. But
this, of course, was self-hypnosis.
The ship turned into a tiny dot. And
Once again the voice appeared in the speakers:

- I contacted the relay, pilot.
In two months they will come to you
rescuers. Don't be discouraged.                   

- I don’t want you to die! - Dima squeezed
microphone in hand.- Nothing can be done. Goodbye, Dimka. We
went well... - it seemed
The cyberbrain's voice trembled.   But this
Of course, this was also self-deception.

The dot-ship on the screen suddenly twitched
and swelled into a huge white
a ball cut through with red flashes.

Dima sat in the pilot's seat.  Turned on
automation.   Checked all systems.  And
cried.                               



- thanks to the city, beautiful and
to the great one, thanks to the tunnels
long...                              

- thanksgiving for food and thanksgiving for water,
clean and fresh air -
thanksgiving to the bright light -
thanksgiving...                         

- thanksgiving to those inside, those who
equal and happy...                     

- thanksgiving to those who are chosen and to those
who chooses, those who think,
and to those who do...                 

- thanksgiving... thanksgiving...       

The gong struck.  It was time for classes.
Tiri stood up from the floor (automatically
noting that the plastic has worn through
wide dents in knees) and put on
Sign.            Asked Gal:

- Well, shall we go?                         

- Let's go.                                 

Along a long corridor they came out to
prospect.     There was a crowd today
big.  However,the same as yesterday.
Like the day before yesterday.  And like tomorrow too...
Two-color mugs of measured signs
rocked on gray overalls.
Various shades of sleeves flashed
cuffs: black, student's, like
at Tiri and Gal;  blue - engineering;
yellow - medical... Guys, slowly
moved towards the elevator cabin. Automation
measured out twenty people and
closed the doors.  The elevator went down. Tiri and
Gal got into one game.   They
looked at each other and winked at each other.
Quite unnoticed... Gal quietly
whispered:                                 

- Let's try today...                  

- Okay...                              

They understood each other perfectly. From
their sixteen years old guys
almost seven knew each other.   Phenomenon
unheard of.     Amazing.    And -
forbidden.                              
The automatic elevator rasped:            

- Sixth tier, fifty-fourth floor.

The guys came out through the opened doors.
We bowed to the Duty Officer.   Dragged in
matte black uniform man lazily
waved to the right.      Gal whispered:

- Today in the third building...          

- It's a pity. The fifth one is better...                  

They entered the auditorium. Almost everything
the seats were already taken.    Only
the very top row was temptingly brighteninghollows of empty chairs.  Gal pushed
Tiri - "take your time."  But he already
The thought of checking flashed through my mind. He stepped
to the lecturer:                              

- Equal!    Ask someone
change places with me! I don't want
sit with Gal!

The lecturer frowned and said, holding back
anger:                                   

- Insolence does not adorn young men! Remember:
everyone is equal, everyone is the same, everyone
replaceable!   Sit down with Gal.  And you will
sit with him for the entire five-day period.

Making an upset face, Tiri trudged off
up.             They sat down
pointedly without looking at each other.
We turned on our displays.

- Silence! - said the lecturer.              

Everyone fell silent.  Just some guy
chatting with a neighbor, loudly
blurted out:                                

- You’re a good guy, Last...                  

And he fell silent in confusion. Audience
burst out laughing.        Lecturer
became gloomy.         He said loudly:

- To the one who spoke, stand up.                 

The frightened guy stood up. Muttered:

- I didn’t mean to... I did it by accident. It burst out.

The lecturer became more and more tense:

- In my years, people were punished for such words!
Shame on you
say this word! What, your neighbor -
killer? Or a cannibal?The guy was silent.                          

- Then why did you call him
"outside"? Sit down and think about your
incontinence.     To your duty officer
I'll let you know the sectors.                       

The lecturer took a sip of water from a glass.           

- Well, then.   Today's topic
classes...                              



The diameter of the column was two kilometers.
Now, when they were lying right next to
foot, it seemed like a steel wall
doesn't even turn around.  Archie unwittingly
was filled with admiration: “This is necessary
build this!"   The disk that
crossed at a three-kilometer altitude
column, hid them from the sun. Sand
it was damp here, in some places it even
the grass was coming through.  Archie was lying on his back
and looked up at the metal bottom
disk.   In the rays of the setting sun
thin thread-tunnels glittered,
moving away from the disk somewhere into the distance,
dissolving into the blue of the sky.  By
at night, especially in windy weather,
the tunnels were visible much better.
A supporting field was born around them
a trembling greenish glow.  Archie
explained the reason, but he had already done it
forget.  Something to do with static
electricity...                       

Fork came over and sat down next to him.   Said
quietly:                               

- NoAre you worried?                        

Archie shook his head.    Asked:

- How long will we have to wait?                    

Forka clearly flashed in her gaze
smile.                                 

- We haven’t even started waiting yet. That's if
Garth will find the entrance... They could
patched up all the weak points a long time ago.

- Why?  They rely on the belt
radiation protection...

This time Fork did not hide
smiles.                                 

- I would like your confidence... Only old
I probably am.

Archie wanted to be offended... But not
managed.                                  

- Hey, here! - Garth's voice came from somewhere
right.                                 

They stood up. Archie carefully moved his hand
along a steel wall.       Neither
no rust, no dents. He was seized again
fear.    Archie took a more comfortable position
backpack and went after Fork. The conductor walked
leisurely, rummaging through the
pockets.  I took out a piece of hard, like
stone, meat, sniffed.  The meat smelled
rotten - apparently they were smoked poorly. Fork
He winced and began to chew.



The boat stood on four shock absorbers.
The front ones caved in, and the nose
buried in the scattered landing
sand  Dima stood at the porthole for a long time,
looking at the wobblingall sides
furrow.     And as soon as
turned over... He habitually sat down in
pilot seat (other amenities
the boat did not have it), took it from the remote control
map.   The most common card, besides
but it is very schematic. Three continents
two - covered with ice at the poles,
one - sun-fried - on
equator, mountains, seas and ocean...

Here are just the colorful spots dotted
equatorial continent,
made the heart beat faster.
Twelve green dots - large
accumulations of metal forming a regular
a circle of almost a thousand kilometers
radius.  Faint green haze in the middle
- very similar to an earthly city.  And
red pockmarks all over the continent... This
It was really bad - radiation.
Maybe not very tall, but...

Dima thought about it.   Is the planet habitable?
Without a doubt.                             

Marvelous.   First voyage and ship
is dying.   Help will come only through
two months.  In the meantime, he is on
planet where it existed or
there is a civilization.    Really
classic textbook problem
xenology...                           

Dima's memory came up one after another
stories once heard.
One intern was given a meeting with
"alien"by ship... Others were imprisoned
on a planet with a funny name
Imitator... He used to laugh at such
stories. But now... Is it really possible that he
are they checking?                              

Dima walked around the boat.  Two meters
back, two meters forward... Special
The boat was no different in terms of comfort.  But,
according to the Charter, he must wait
rescuers without leaving it. "If this
check if I'm being watched,
then I will get the highest score.    For
discipline... Or the lowest - for
passivity? No, they won’t give me the highest position - I
I will act according to the Charter.
Although who has never violated the Charter? Yes
are they like that?   Ivan on the black round
violated eighteen paragraphs. What if
wouldn't he have done this?.. And Stas,
my idol in the first years of space school...
Shooting down the "stranger", he acted according to
Charter.  And even when the commission opened
burnt hatches, no one told him
not a word of reproach.  But I won't shake hands
Stas..."                               

Dima went to the control panel.  There was fuel
little, very little... But until
get to the closest point on the map
possible.     He sat down in a chair and
buckled up. Pressed the "feed" button
working fluid."   Thin in the stern
the turbine howled, pumping to the engines
compressed hydrogen.        Start
will have to move, reducingload on
ill-fated front
shock absorbers...                         

At first, sand began to fly up from under the boat.
Then, with a triumphant roar,
- transparent bluish flame. And then
sand again, whole clouds of sand...
When they settled, the boat was already disappearing into
sky.                                   
2. SECTORAL                         

Thiri reached for the dispenser.  Device
clicked and handed him the evening
diet  Gal, who followed, received his
bright plastic bag.
Trying to stay together, they approached
table.    And again they were lucky -
There were two seats available next to each other.  Tiri
opened his ration and winced. Number
six - a plate of porridge, protein balls and
extremely disgusting kilana juice.
There's nothing you can do, the machine has determined
diet based on his needs
in food... Gal caught Tiri's gaze,
carefully pushed his glass to him
coffee, and took the juice for myself.

- In vain! - Tiri said reproachfully
lips.                                 

Gal himself knew that it was in vain. And it wasn’t Tiri
teach him to be careful.     But
watch a friend, choking, drink muddy
sour liquid, he couldn't.

Having hastily swallowed the porridge, Tiri stood up and
went to the exit.    Throughminute
Gal also stood up.                         

...No one from the group is in the bedroom yet
it was.    Lucky again!   And what the
day today? Tiri was waiting for his friend, standing
near the door.    Finally in
Hasty footsteps were heard in the corridor,
the door swung and slid into the wall.
Gal entered, and the usual friendly
his expression changed
smile.  Tiri took his hand carefully.
They stood for a while, holding each other
for a friend. Gal's hand was small and
weak.      He was considered too
gentle, and for good reason...                     

- And the sector duty officer stopped me.
This is why I was delayed...             

Tiri looked at his friend in surprise.

- For what?                                

Gal just shrugged.                 

- He asked what building they were in
classes...                              

They fell silent again.  Gal released
hand, said:                           

- I just saw one in the elevator
Equal... We once studied with him
together...                               

For some reason Tiri got angry:              

- So what? Did he recognize you?              

Gal smiled again:                    

How do I know...                        

Footsteps were heard in the corridor, and Gal
hurriedly went to the washroom.  Tiri
sat down on hisbed, smoothed it with his hand
folds in the bedspread. He didn't feel himself
happy is a sure sign of illness. But
if you go to the doctors, they will again
they won't find anything.  This has already happened to him
happened...                            



It's amazing how Garth managed to find the hatch.
Archie looked again and again
a thin crack a meter wide, almost
invisible in the shine of metal.  Fork and
Garth argued nearby.

- Emergency fire descent, - Garth
tried to speak confidently and
solid.                                

But the conductor only smiled ironically:

- You want too much, techie. This
just a spare duct.

- Well, okay, now you’ll see for yourself!

Garth pulled Archie aside and clung to
hatch located at chest height.
Without turning around, he put his right hand into
dirty hanging on the side
cloth bag.   Got the beaten ones,
pliers, blackened by time,
long screwdriver, carefully wrapped
foam cutter...



There was still not enough fuel.  Dima
landed the boat kilometers away
twenty from the goal.  By this time on
has already appeared on the locator screen
gigantic metal tower -
three kilometers, no less, crowned
thick disk.   Dima got itexit kit, but on time
stopped. It's already dark, and leaving
lifeboats would be madness.    He
unfolded the chair, inflated it slightly and lay down
sleep.   Behind the thin lining it's quiet
the sand rustled.  It was like a weak
summer rain... Through Dima's dream
I thought I should have sat closer to
one of the many rocks, with
leeward side.  Otherwise it will sprinkle
so that you won’t even take off... He’s completely
forgot that he didn’t have any left anyway
fuel...                             



The screen took up half the wall, and on the mayor's face
every wrinkle was visible.
Two dozen high school teenagers
the groups sat directly on the floor.  Who's
the screen itself, who is further away... This is not
determined by no rules.
It was only important to change periodically
places...                                

The mayor smiled, said softly, warmly
voice:                                

- Equal!  Today we are addressing three important
question.      Let your thoughts
will be bright and open...

This was not the first time Tiri had heard the ritual
formula for starting voting.    But
the same inexplicable excitement seized
him.    A mixture of pride, curiosity,
concentration...                    

- So, first question.   Received
statement from the duty officerseventh
tiers: due to aging equipment
elevators do not reach the required
speed.  Congestion occurs. But before
three more citywide repairs
five days!  We must decide what will happen
large deviation from equality:
repairs or traffic jams. Is there
there are those among us who recommend
renovation?                                 

Tiri pressed the right half of the Sign.
He looked at Gal - he too
voted "yes". They didn't love the same
ride in the elevator...                       

The numbers flashed on the screen: "96.32% -
against holding an extraordinary
repairs."          The mayor beamed.

- Equal!  I'm glad we save
order.    Any out of order -
evil.  What a pity that four percent
of course, only the best
motives, they recommended the opposite...
Well, the Equals of the seventh tier will have to
get up early.                      

Tiri looked at the floor. He was wrong again...
But also the fact that on the seventh
tier will not get enough sleep - violation
equality!  Why did everyone understand what it was?
lesser evil, but he didn’t guess... Maybe
because he likes to sleep and
Can't stand the crowding in elevators? "This
all my atavisms... But after all,
many have deviations from the norm. Many
do not act as they should.  Last,for example, he was overly interested in books on
mathematics, but then improved.
Atavisms of behavior are easier to eliminate,
than atavisms of body structure.  Until now
Since then, half of the Equals retain
abnormal figure..." Tiri stealthily
looked at Gal.  Recent years
him, like many other guys,
atavisms manifested themselves with all their might.  Appeared
stupid, uneven fullness: on
My chest, for example, was still sticking out. Gal
I was angry, but I couldn’t do anything
could...                                  

- ... who is in favor?  I think there are two
There can be no opinions.

Thoughtful, Tiri listened to the question. He
haphazardly pressed the right half
Sign, and looked around in confusion. What is it about?
did they vote?

- Great!   In this matter we
unanimous: air temperature in
there will be spare storage facilities
former.     And finally the last one
question.    Which of us agrees with
censure handed down by the fourth
medical                             
laboratories?    Completely justified
blame, in my opinion...

Thiri winced as he remembered.  Yesterday, on
lectures, they were told something...
The fourth laboratory carried out harmful
genotype studies.      Details
Tiri didn't know, but they told the mayorof course there were
known.                               

- These would-be scientists have further researched
what they began to deny
the possibility of complete equality!   Who
Do you agree with their censure?

Well, well! Tiri pressed down without hesitation.
Sign. Agree.                         



Garth suddenly jumped off the wall.  Luke
rang softly, and slowly,
as if reluctantly, he fell out.
The triumphant smile disappeared from his face
Garta                                   
- the hole was closed with thin steel
behind bars, behind which they guessed
fixed fan blades.

Fork laughed:                         

- Don't be sad, techie! You go on raids
In my opinion, you won’t be mistaken.
And the air duct is even better than the fire duct
exit, not provided here
alarm                           

Garth shook his head sadly and
clung to the bars.  Knocked on it
scratched with a file:                  

- Two hours of work!                   

The conductor calmly took out a flask,
took a sip of water, carefully
tightened the plug.                        

- Don't rush.  We'll go later anyway
when everyone is asleep.                        



Dima dreamed of the Earth.  Cosmodrome Services
Distant Search in the DesertKalahari, practice manager Gleb
Razumovsky, competitions
windsurfing a week before the start...

The boat's protective system felt the rocks
with the locator beam, again and again
returning to the distant steel tower.
It was as if she was saturated with energy,
some kind oozed through the armor
radiation, fragments of clearly meaningful
messages... It was potential
dangerous...                               

The pilot was sleeping.                             



The ceiling has faded.  A few minutes later in
the bedroom heard a steady sleepy sound
the breath of twenty seniors.
However, no, not twenty, but
eighteen. Tiri turned to the neighbor
beds standing almost next to each other:

- Gal!                                  

- What?                                  

- Do you remember how we three years ago
met and you didn't see me at first
did you find out?                                  

- Yes.                                  

- Gal, the day after tomorrow distribution.   

- I know.                               

- Gal, it could be that we
will we meet again?    Even if we
will be sent to different cities!

- Of course it can...                     

- Gal, what if the day after tomorrow... The group is already
shuffled six times, and we
you were lucky.  Suddenlynow let's get to
different tiers, in different sectors, you
in a year they will be sent as an engineer to the seventh
city, and I am a doctor in the fifth. Come on
Let us swear to each other that then all
life will move from city to
city and search...                       

Gal sat up on the bed and whispered
quickly and confusingly:                      

- Okay, Tiri. I agree. Only if
we will be sent to different groups,
I'll die right away...                        

- Gal, stupid, how can you do this?
talk!     You know that
die at sixty!

- Isn’t it possible earlier?

- Well... - Tiri was even confused by this
question.      - If outsiders
you will be kidnapped and killed. Or if at the factory
you swallow gas... And without it
people don't die! Do you remember what they say
in thanksgiving?

- I remember: "thanksgiving life, equal and
joyful, all sixty
to the years, and to the quiet departure - thanksgiving..."

- Be careful!                            

The guys froze under the sheets, breathing
calm and slow.     door
the bedroom opened, ran across the beds
a thin ray of light.    Duty!

Of course, all Equals are equal. But... Tiri
suddenly remembered strange
the views that the duty officer of their sector
throwson Gal.  All of them are on duty,
even though they shout loudest about equality,
not like others.   And this one -
in general.  Tall, much higher than normal
broad-shouldered... Red-haired!     And not
repainted, as almost everyone does...

The attendant was still standing at the door,
as if waiting for something.    Suddenly
dimmed the light of the lantern and walked along
beds.    Stopped near Gal.
A rustling sound was heard - the duty officer was rummaging through
neatly folded clothes.   Through
Tiri's half-closed eyelids watched him
movements, more and more perplexed and
more.  Meanwhile, the duty officer found something
what I was looking for.   Flashed through his fingers
black disc - smooth, with barely noticeable
groove in the middle, with a long
metal chain... Sign! Duty officer
turned the disk so its edge was where it was
the number was pressed out, I looked at the numbers for a long time,
remembering them.    Put a sign on
place, but did not leave, but continued to stand
near Gal.    He lay quietly
pretending to be asleep. The duty officer leaned over
And carefully touched his hair,
whispered something quiet and incomprehensible.
The attendants often said
incomprehensible, meaningless words.  A
maybe there was a meaning there... Everyone
professions have their own jargons, why
Should the attendants be an exception?

The red-haired sectoral stood and stood.The flashlight shook slightly in his
hands, and Gal's blond hair then
flashed in the darkness, then again
dived                             
into the darkness.... Tiri suddenly realized that
looks at the Duty Officer no longer with
with surprise and not even fear. He
no longer belonged to the sectoral
indifferent!  But not in the same way as with Gal, eh,
rather, quite the opposite.   Duty officer
suddenly looked around and bent even lower...

Tiri jumped up.  Something blind, furious
threw him off the bed, squeezed him
Fingers cramped, all muscles tensed.
The sectoral immediately straightened up,
looked at Tiri.  He had a very
strange look.  This is how equals look at
a jammed machine on the elevator, which
broke down when you have to hurry, but still
I've never seen Tiri like this
looked at the man. He had no idea
that the same thing burns in his eyes
black, flame-hating.

-  However!  - said the duty officer, said
mockingly and contemptuously.    Took it
The Tiri sign looked at the number and, backing away,
left the bedroom.                       

Thiri slowly sat down on the bed.  Gal
opened his eyes and with despair
looked at him:                      

- Tiri, what will happen now?               

- I don’t know.                              



They put their backpacks onsand, last
once checked the machines and
they stuffed the cartridges into their pockets.
Excitement flowed like an icy chill into
blood.  Even Fork stopped pretending
unperturbed.    Looked at my watch
He shook his head nervously.   Got it out
screw-down chest pocket
The little one inhaled the box without hiding
dark brown powder.   Archie and Garth
looked at each other.      There were stimulants
strictly prohibited and they knew it
no worse than Fork.   However, in the camp
the conductor did not allow himself to do this...

The watch on Fork's wrist beeped. These were
good, "eternal" watch, item
universal envy. They could have been obtained
only in the city...

- Remember - we take those who are younger.
Easier to drag and less likely to
“that they’ll go crazy,” Fork said this
unnaturally fast, his eyes
glittered restlessly.

They disappeared into the air duct one by one -
first the guide, then Garth.
Archie jumped over the lying
ground grate and fan fragments,
looked again at the clear sky,
strewn with the lights of stars... And climbed into
a narrow pipe that smells of dust.



The animal had no luck all night.  He was
too small to attack
sand lizards, and too hungry,
to be content with the nightbeetles.
Subtle smells led him between
rocks, but they were all either too
old or dangerous.  But here's a rush
the wind carried another smell -
unusual, made me nervous
open a small mouth.  Strange
a metal egg froze on the sand -
huge, burnt, dead.
Dead means not dangerous.  Animal
ran closer.

The tracking beam touched the warm living
lump.       Living means
dangerous. Small means incapable
carry intelligence.

A red-hot needle flashed in the night
laser radiation.      rang out
convulsive squeal.  And there was silence.
Only the instruments hummed smoothly and reliably.

The pilot was sleeping.                             
3. RAID                                

“This is the end...” There were some thoughts
lazy and indifferent.    Tiri
understood that his strange act was not
will go unpunished.    Notation
or public repentance he did not
will get off.   Most likely he is waiting
public censure - complete
mental correction.

"What did I actually do? Just
maybe I got up
I wanted to drink. I saw the Duty Officer - and
froze in surprise."  Tiri
shook his head.  Notit's worth being cunning with
by yourself.  The duty officer understood everything, he
I read in his eyes the most terrible of
atavisms - indifference to a person.

Gal sat down next to him and grabbed Tiri by the shoulders.
He asked very quietly:

- Why did he come, this
sectoral?                           

- I remember your Sign number. And then
looked at you for a long time.    Yes
I looked strange, I thought it was just us
We look at each other... Listen,
Gal, if there is a meeting, I will say
that the duty officer himself is an attacker!

Tiri didn't even notice that when he said
the word "himself", he in advance
agreed with what was not yet presented
accusation.                             

- This won't help...                     

- Whatever! Let him feel bad too
let him!     If I could then
I'd throw him out of town, he's worse
naruzhnik, he...

- Tiri, Tiri, shut up! Everyone is equal, everyone
are the same, all replaced...

- No!  You are not the same to me
irreplaceable!   You are not like everyone else!

- Tiri, you are for me too...

The door opened. Their duty officer walked ahead
sectors.      Follow him leisurely
The duty officer walked along the tier.

The guys jumped up. The tier duty officer left
forward.     Slowly raised his
blackrod, asked:

- This one?                                  

Some kind of wrong question.  As if
asked about the car: “this one?”    Oh
Equals always say “this one”.  Maybe
Perhaps they are no longer considered equals?
Tiri's thoughts were confused.

“Yes,” the sectoral nodded.

- And you have good taste. By coefficient
suitable?                               

- With interest.  I'll be back soon...

- I already understood.  Well, that's your right.

The attendants talked as if they were not
Neither Tiri nor Gal were noticed.  And from
this was especially scary.

- And the guy means...                   

- I was shocked. This look is just
frost on the skin.

- Fine. - The tier duty officer directed the staff
on Tiri.    - Follow me, number
12-364-907-Thiri.                        

In some kind of saving daze, Gal
looked after them.      door
closed, but he was unable to open it
from her glance.   In the corner of the bedroom
someone was fidgeting and got out of bed.
He looked at Gal in bewilderment and opened
there was a mouth, but he remained silent and lay down again.



- First tier, eighth floor.

Thiri had never stooped so low before.
I just heard that it's here
there are sectors of the Duty Officers.
Both the longline and sectoral ones were ahead.
A fragment reached Tiri
remarks:                                

- ...on the thirteenth. Let them decide for themselves...

- Stop!     Hands behind your head!

Tiri did not immediately understand what was happening. Saw
petrified figures of the attendants,
he stopped automatically. And turned around
to the voice.

There were three of them.   Unusually dressed
abnormally long hair, with
sharp, tense faces.  Strangers.
Two very young, a little older
Tiri, and one is probably over forty. And
they also had strange ones in their hands
metal objects: thick tubes with
two handles.     The tubes were
directed at the Duty Officers.

The silence lasted only a few seconds.
Then the one that was
older, smiled badly:

- What luck!  On duty!  And not every
a trifle, but it’s tiered!

Behind Tiri there was a desperate voice,
full of fear, screeching.   Tiered, with
face distorted from screaming, raised his
wand    The rod flashed and was thrown away
multi-meter fiery jet.  But for
a second before the pipes are in the hands of the guys
rumbled, thrashed, blossomed
tongues of flame, wisps of bluish smoke.
There was the sound of a heavy, heavy object falling
bodies.                                   

Tiri stoodin a daze. It seemed to him
that he sees something unusual,
a forbidden dream that the gong will now strike, and
he will open his eyes.  There was no gong.
Tall guy in a brownish-yellow jacket
waved his hand, thin feathered
the needle whistled through the air.  Injection in
shoulder   And the darkness fell from everyone
sides                                 



- You bastard, you cowardly bastard!  Gone!  Where are you going
Look, you suckers!     - Fork,
Having reached the turn, he was already in a hurry
back.                                

- Where? What do you think we should have
wait until we get set on fire?    -
Garth, grimacing in pain, rubbed the reddened
face.    He raised the rod and asked: -
Shall we take it?                                

- Throw it away.  This is a disposable weapon...
We missed the second one, you fool!

- Enough, conductor! - with barely noticeable
Garth said threateningly.   - You too
blinked my eyes!   And in general, too
you're worried!                             

Fork immediately went limp.   He nodded his head.

- You're right... Okay, let's get lost, otherwise
The red puppy will raise the alarm!
Get the guy.

They ran down the corridor. Stopped at
wide hole,
covered with plastic mesh.   Garth
pulled hard - the mesh was cut with
three sides, lifted up.Archie
went first, followed by Fork
the limp body of the young man, held him until
Didn't catch Archie, he slid on his own.
Garth looked carefully around the corridor.
and also climbed into the ventilation
mine.                                  



He couldn't sleep.  I understood that I had to
go to sleep to gain strength
before classes, and even vaguely
I guessed that sleep would dull the pain...
But                                      
I couldn't sleep. Gal glanced at the neighbor
bed - white crumpled sheets,
flat and hard foam pillow.
Tiri was taken away.   Forever.   "I'm his
I won’t see you again,” Gal suddenly realized.
Jumped up, touching something in
twilight, pulled on his trousers and shirt,
rushed to the door.  I noticed that his face
it's wet, but wondering why it's
there was no time.

Gal ran along the deserted corridor to
elevators where the post was located
sectoral.   Maybe Tiri still
there...                                  

There was no one at the post. He leaned against
against the wall, stood holding back
despair.  And he burst into tears, not realizing that
happens to him, vaguely remembering,
that he cried a long time ago, in childhood, and
then they weaned him off because it
also an atavism...

Doors knockedelevator   Gal sharply
turned around and saw the sectoral one.  But
in what form! The jacket is torn, on the face
a long bleeding trail, and from
I don’t have the same confidence in my movements
not a trace remains. The duty officer saw Gal
and froze:

- You?                                   

Gal was silent.                             

- Did you cry, baby?  - Sectoral
suddenly shook with laughter.  - A
I was right about you!

-Where is Tiri?  - Gal didn’t even understand that
shouts at the Duty Officer.   But he didn't
indignant.  Stopped laughing and walked
closer, took Gal by the shoulders,
leaned towards him.  Said too much
in a convincing voice:

- We would not punish him strictly.
They would give you a lecture and let you go
back.                                

Gal looked into the dark, narrowed eyes
and realized: he was lying.    But nothing
said, waiting for the continuation.

- You understand... On us in the first tier
attacked.       Outer guards... Longline
killed, and took Tiri with them,
Do you understand?  I miraculously managed to escape... You didn't
be afraid.                                  

It was true, Gal understood right away, so
same as a minute ago
I felt the lies in the words. The walls seem
sighed and parted ways,
floorswayed underfoot, lamps
blurred into dozens of multi-colored rings.
And                                       
from this distant world came a voice
Duty Officer:                              

- ...you know what happens to them.  But
there's nothing to be done now.   A
the bastards will be caught... The main thing is that you don't
be afraid.  You won't be punished. Go
sleep and don't be afraid of anything...

What is there to be afraid of now? He thinks
self very smart,
sectoral... Let him first
will explain what you can be afraid of now?
Why be afraid, why sleep, why at all?
do something?      Tiri is gone.

Gal walked slowly past the Duty Officer,
stepped through the opened doors
elevator  The sectoral said something, but
the doors have already closed, cutting off the question
and that life where there was an Equal by name
Tiri...                                 

- Where?  - the machine gun asked indifferently.

- Twelfth tier, hundredth floor.

The elevator went up.  Of course, devices
register this unnecessary
trip.   But that didn’t matter anymore.
The previous prohibitions have lost their meaning.

The elevator door opened.

- Twelfth tier, hundredth floor.



Who and why provided for metal
box City this corridor?
Why did ancient buildersgirded
last, industrial, glass tier
gallery?  Gal didn't know this. One day he
and Tiri passed here, and on
a few infinitely short minutes
managed to see my planet.
Yellow deserts, gray rocks, bottomless
blue sky... They always dreamed
visit this floor again
look at the wild, deadly, but
such                                   
inviting spaces.  Their common dream was
almost feasible, and from this
especially secret.

Gal came out to the Gallery. It was ordinary
a corridor with one
external, the wall was replaced with a convex
glass.     The gallery went around
five-kilometer drive of the City
circles. Overall it was comfortable
transport route.  But here's a walk
it was not accepted, not
recommended to the Duty Officer on the twelfth
tiers.   And if something is wrong with the longline
recommends - this is already a ban.

Slowly, as if afraid to see something
scary, Gal walked up to the glass.
Darkness.  "Of course, it's still night, as I
I could have forgotten."   There was nothing below
visible from a height of five kilometers
Only the contours of the rocks could be guessed.   A
above...                               
Thousands of lights flickered above - yellow,
white, reddish, bright and barely
distinguishable.  "Stars, we passed" -
a strange, calm thought flashed through.
Gal looked away and looked down again.
There was something indifferent in the stars,
and it was scary to look at them... He didn’t
knew how much time had passed
when it rose over the distant ridge
pink glow.   Flat, cardboard
the mountains gained volume, stretched across the sand
long black shadows like
bottomless abysses, peaks flared up,
sparkled with a handful of jewels.
Somewhere there was Thiri, somewhere there were
naruzhniki - brutalized in
mutants in radioactive deserts,
attacking tunnels and cities,
kidnappers                              
and devouring people.

- Tiri!    I don't want to, Tiri!

In helpless despair, Gal beat against
cold glass.



Dima finished his coffee.   threw the glass and
half-eaten sandwich in plastic
The package was sealed and thrown into the corner. Lifeboat -
not a ship, there is no recycler in it
provided... I went to the remote control,
looked at the data on the display.  Said
in a deliberately cheerful voice:

- You don't even need a respirator.  Quite
nice planet.

I did not wear overalls.  Lightweight
planetary suit fit
much more.     Dimapulled
provocatively red shirt, white trousers and
jacket made of thin metallized
fabrics.  Wide belt, bag with food
concentrates, a flask of water, a knife.
A universal pistol hidden in
wall socket.   The gun clicked
when he took it, there was a second left
cold, studying, then winked
green and warmer.     admitted
owner... The watch is on the left hand. bracelet
to the right.    Dima looked at himself,
nodded with satisfaction.  To no avail
you'll find fault, everything is according to the Charter.

The hatch trembled and opened. Dima pulled himself up,
imbued with solemnity
moment, and stepped forward.

My feet were buried up to my ankles in sand. Small
yellow sand, and from it
fangs stick out, polished by the wind
stones.   But the rocks further away are not like that
smooth, haven’t had time to sharpen them yet
a hellish mixture of sand and wind - that means
They are dozens, maybe hundreds of years old...
And the wind was still blowing, blowing
monotonously, confidently, as if he was being driven
gigantic fan... Dima
took a deep breath, subconsciously
expecting something unusual.   Nothing
only my mouth and throat instantly became dry.
Temperature numbers and
humidity on the screen. Another thing is these
the same numbers in living form.  Desert where
he was luckyland on the planet, without
doubts, she was a sister, and the eldest
sister, the most vile deserts on earth.
During pre-launch preparation
the cadets went to the sands several times, and
Dima remembered perfectly well how
several kilometers from abundantly
of the irrigated spaceport, all sorts of things were lost
traces of civilization.   dunes, wind,
heat... The desert, like any evil,
very primitive.

It closed behind me with a steady hum.
hatch   Dima licked his lips, understanding
all the uselessness of this, and went to
side of the tower, a silver spark
glittering on the horizon.  Gold
dunes polished by the wind
stones... After about five minutes he thought,
that it was necessary to take two flasks.         
4. CHASE                               

It was a very strange room.
Uneven lumpy walls made of
something dirty gray.  Not one wall
was, but in an angular, irregular
a shaped hole poured a bright light.
Consciousness has already returned to Tiri, but
I didn't want to move. Mild drowsiness
enveloped the brain.   "Somehow it's not here
so... And it feels like I'm standing next to
laboratory oven.    How is this possible?
called?  Oh yes.  It's hot. Why should I
hot?  Where am I?  We went to bed, then
The duty officer came, then..."              

LeftoversThiri's torpor was lifted. He
jumped up and hit his head on
low ceiling.  The ceiling was stone
it was a cave, three motionless
the shadows nearby were outsiders who had already
They killed the longline man, and now...

Tiri's legs gave way of their own accord, he
slowly sank to the floor... no,
not on the floor, on the ground on which he
appeared for the first time in my life.



Dima walked through the desert for the second hour. Heat
was growing every minute.   Morning
it was just beginning... Mushroom Tower
against a background of cloudless blue -
a pilot's dream - the sky has grown, but not at all
a little bit.   Chances to reach her
By evening there was little.  Dima sighed,
looked at his watch, quietly sang a song
cadets:                              

- No one, alone in the rocket,
Only someone else's sun is the light.
the cold wind blows in the face,
And there are no friends with you...

True, the wind was now far from
cold... He tried
whistle a cheerful chorus:

- No notes, no cheat sheets.
Only a computer and the Charter...

The melody trembled and stopped.  Dima
bit my lip.     No need to talk about
computer.    It's better to remember that
the training ship's cyberbrain is deprived
reason...Or what could be sitting behind that rock?
examiner with binoculars and glass
cold lemonade in hand.



- What's your name? - There was a patrolman nearby
looks even more human.
Only the face is rough, with a hard, almost
brown skin.   But the eyes were...
some surprisingly familiar ones!  Like
Gela!    No, that's nonsense, Gal has eyes
blue, not brown... "Maybe
look?  He looks at me almost like
Gal!"   Thiri felt that fear
passes slowly.    He swallowed
a lump in the throat and quietly
said:                                 

- Tiri.                                 

- Tiri?  And I'm Fork. These guys -
the officer waved his hand at
side of the approaching guys - name is Archie
and Garth.   They are good guys and
They risked their lives for you. I think that
you will become friends again, of course, when
you will understand the meaning of this word.

Tiri nodded in agreement and asked, more
hoping for something:

- Are you... outsiders?                      

How difficult it is to call a person with this word!
It's embarrassing to say out loud -
"outdoor"!                             

But the man was not indignant.  On the contrary,
smiled and said:

- Yes. Listen, Tiri, it seems to me that you
there are almost no of usafraid.    This
right?                                    

- I don’t know... You are so similar to people...

- We are people.

- That is... I wanted to say "on
Equals", to those who are inside... -
Tiri was confused and completely at a loss
mumbled: - And yet - you have a look,
like Gal...

- What, what? - In Fork’s eyes appeared
desperate curiosity.        He
smiled and patted Tiri on the cheek.
He said: - What kind of Gal?  What else
look? I don’t remember a case where Equal
singled out someone in a conversation!

Tiri touched his cheek and quietly
asked:                                

- What did you do now?

The guys smiled.  Tall skinny
a guy named Garth
said mockingly:

- He stroked you, fool. What do you want,
didn't like it?

- I liked it.  Just me and Gal too
they did that.    I didn't think that
others too...

Fork whistled:                       

- The end of the world, and only... Okay, now
this is not the time to talk about it.     It's time
leave.   Have you ever seen the world
outside the City?   Not on the screen, but
for real?                          

- Yes, I saw it.                            

- Asky?                               

- I saw it too. You see, Gal and I were
once upon a time at the Gallery...

- Gal again! Well, let's go and see everything
this is real.                              

Tiri's heart began to beat desperately. He
asked quietly:

- So we're outside?                       

- Yes.   Don't you understand yet?

Tiri stepped forward and stumbled.
Chubby, broad-shouldered Archie
supported him and said:

- Raise your legs higher, Tiri. This is for you
not the floor in the City.

They walked towards the exit of the cave. "Dream. Me
kidnapped by outsiders, but not
They killed me, but they smile at me and lead me somewhere!
I left the City!  Dream.  This is a dream."
But Tiri already understood that he was amazing
the turn in his life happened in reality.

“Close your eyes,” Fork said.

Tiri obediently closed his eyes, but still,
the light now penetrated through
eyelids, it poured warm over the whole body,
gentle flow, and it was not
unpleasant, on the contrary...

- Look!                               

Tiri opened his eyes.  He staggered
supported.                             

infinity.      Two endless
panels: yellow, sandy below,
blue, airy at the top. The desert is not
was dead - no.In motionless
thin green ones trembled on the golden sand
blades of grass, ordinary gray rocks
cast in thousands of shades, azure
the sky gently touched them with gusts
wind.  The wind was the hands of the sky and the sun.
Tiri even reached up for his
gentle touches... My head was spinning,
his eyes hurt, but he still stood and
looked.                                

- I understand how you feel now,
buddy.    I went through this myself,
- Fork spoke affectionately, with hidden
sadness.  - You're holding up great, we
you're lucky.

Tiri slowly turned around.  And he shuddered.
Dull gray, cold
shining column, pressed down
on top with a thick disk, stood in
side - close or far from them, Tiri
I couldn't determine it yet.   He's quiet
asked:                                

- Is this the City?                            

- Yes.                                   

- How small he is.                   

Fork smiled:                         

- Not so small.  Although,
however... You're right.    We often
we forget that the world is bigger than any city,
even the one we live in
yourself...                                 

A long, drawn-out roar swept over
sand.     The hum of tired metal
creakingunaccustomed to the operation of mechanisms...
the foot of the column is barely
moved noticeably, indistinguishable
from here, incomprehensible, moving with
seeming slowness... Fork
quickly brought it to his eyes
object dangling from his chest: two
short thick tubes connected
together, closed at the ends with convex
glasses.  Looked through these tubes
to the City.   And suddenly he said something
incomprehensible and probably evil, because the face
him                                     
distorted with rage.   Stretched out the tubes
guys:                                

- Look, Archie!                        

Archie looked.  And he began to take it off his shoulder
weapons:                                 

- They gave chase, conductor! Same thing
what happened to Dirk?

- That's it.   Go away, quickly!   I
I'll try to delay them... Damn,
they used to only do it inside!

He turned to Tiri, touched him
shoulder:                                  

-Aren't you afraid to come with us? We don't want
to force you, and now
we can't.

Thiri hesitated for only a second.  And then
azure sky and golden sand,
and the hot, gentle wind answered for
him:                                   

- No, I'm not afraid.Fork nodded, and in his face again
sadness and hopelessness flashed
envy:                                

- How are you holding up! The guys will bring you
to the Camp.      You're all there
you'll understand.  No one will harm you...
Go!                                  

- I'm with you, Fork! - clenched in hands
machine gun, Archie leaned towards
to the conductor.                             

-  No need. I'm from the city myself, I and you
I'll cover... It's too early for you... Well,
hurry up, why did you get up!

Garth and Archie almost dragged along
Tiri.   They ran, drowning in the sand,
skirting jagged, uplifted rocks. When
there was a quiet sound far behind
a steady knock, then fading, then
arising again, intermittently more
with loud bangs, Archie cursed through
teeth, and Garth said to the changed
voice:                                

- It's all his idiotic stimulant!
The action ended and it came
weakness.   He realized that he couldn't
run...                               


Of course, the bracelet was the first to react.
Just hearing him
warning buzz, Dima
turned around.                              

Because of the sand dune, slowly
something strange was creeping out.   Either
car, oranimal. Six long
cranked paws, leisurely
moving through the sand, narrow,
two-meter long body, topped
elongated lumpy head.  monster
glowed greenish-cloudy
metallic shine.  It looks like this
there was a car after all.

-   Hey!   Who are you?  - Dima swallowed
a lump in the throat.

The monster crawled closer and stopped
five meters from Dima.   Now
the pilot saw the transparent
telephoto lens crystals, slightly
prominent on the sides of the head.             

-  Robot.  Just a robot... - quietly
Dima said.                            

But this was no ordinary robot. U
it was a mouth!      Long,
half a meter long, full of head, jaw with
with a click she moved down, exposing
thin and sharp blade-teeth. And right there
the bracelet tensed, even flickered a little
red light.                         

- Calm... - Dima pulled it out of his pocket
pistol, hastily turned
dial disk, looking for the best
option.   A strange feeling appeared in my chest
a chill, or fear, or delight, then
all together.

But there was no need to use weapons. bracelet
suddenly stopped glowing
relaxed.    A six-legged robotgot up and rushed off at a hasty trot
back to the dunes.

- Damn... Some kind of grasshopper... - Dima
put the gun in his pocket,
squatted down. My hands were shaking a little.
Here it is, his first meeting with
alien creature.   Even if
a robot... Or maybe it's not a robot? Maybe
Maybe they are just like that, planetary?
Civilization of ants, and the tower is theirs
anthill...                           

But why did the monster run away?  Dima
brought the bracelet to his face.    On
there were three small central faces
buttons with embossed on them
symbols: question mark,
exclamation mark and two intertwined
rings.  Dima pressed the first one.  By narrow
The words flashed across the screen:
"Radio request. Code. Selection. Found.
Answer."                                 



Garth ran ahead.  In his hand was
short telescopic pole,
bristled with a tuft of thin, similar to
needles, antennas.  From time to time a pole
began to ring thinly and piercingly.
Then Garth stopped, circled
device around, and instantly accepting
decision, turned aside.

Tiri has already fallen several times. escaped
Archie was nearby helping him
rise, muttered, breathless:

- faster, faster...                   

Thiri couldn't run faster. Not used to it
to load the heart desperately
pounding in my chest, hot and dry
the air burned my throat.  He never
I thought I could run like that. Yes in this and
there was no need.

Garth suddenly stopped. Took a breath
tossed aside
indicator pole, threw off my backpack. Archie from
I got rid of mine a long time ago.
He turned to Archie and said abruptly:

- We won't leave together. No way. run with the guy
there is no radiation here.       I
I'll distract you.                                

- Garth!                                 

- Run, Archie, I'll get out of it.  run in
The camp is waiting.                            


5. FAT REGEL                            

A scream came from somewhere to the right.
Scary, full of pain and horror, almost
a muffled, even, dull knocking sound,
similar to typing fraction
devices.   Dima choked on food
tiles, jumped up from the sand.  Has arrived
silence.                                 

He ran, raking sand, waving
hand with a heavy pistol.
Finally, rounding a low hill, Dima
stopped.                            

There was a small valley in front of him,
covered on all sides by sandy
hills.  Beginning to decline
sunflooded her with bright light.
The first thing that caught Dima’s eye was
his recent "acquaintance".  Greenish
metal body is unnatural
arched, kneed legs spread out in
sides... Just like a dead beast. A
two people sat next to the “beast”
people.  Alone, dark-haired, fragile, in
light gray overalls,
supported another, broad-shouldered, in
dirty yellow jacket.  Right hand
that one was covered in blood and the whip was hanging
along the body.   Ignoring it
attention, the guy tried everything with his left hand
intercept more conveniently
metal object, cool
looks like a machine gun.

And from the opposite slope to people
Another robot was approaching.
Approached in huge leaps, wobbling
in different directions, and Dima doesn’t
could catch it in a narrow slot
pistol sight... He fired
plasma charge, giving a small
anticipation of the jump, and the robot is already in
air, twitched as if seeing
charge rushing towards him, trying in vain
dodge...                           

A heavy ball of fire fell on the sand,
crawled about a meter and froze.   Dima
lowered the gun and walked forward, straight
at the confused looks of the guys, at
a barrel dancing in the hands of a broad-shouldered man.



Gal rose togetherwith everyone. quickly
made Tiri's bed, then
his, went to wash.  "He will return,
will return... It can't be that he
not saved.  The duty officer was talking about
I'll give chase.    He'll be back..." Gal is all
repeated and repeated these words until they
have not lost all meaning, not
turned into some kind of meaningless
refrain.                                 

- Hey, Gal! Are you not going to class? 

- He will return...                        

- What? Are you sick?                      

Gal shook his head, coming to his senses.
Taki tried to smile:

- I was just thinking. Of course I'm going.



Dima shook the aerosol can and
covered the young man's wound with another
layer of film.    Bowed his head
looking at the results of your work.
Of course, the medicine course was included in
preparation, but in practice he
I haven’t applied the knowledge yet.                 

Hiding the balloon, Dima looked at the guy,
smiled encouragingly.         That one
smiled hesitantly in response. Just like
man.    Having cast aside hesitations, Dima
pulled out an ampoule of polycillin, crushed it,
put it on the guy's palm.  Liquid
hissed and was sucked under the skin...

- Here... Otherwise you'll get sepsis...

Dima tried to give his voice
maximum kindness.However, the wounded man turned out to be a fine fellow.
He immediately allowed me to examine the wound,
calmly endured the bandage...

The second guy carefully touched Dima's
hand and said something, quietly
and as if perplexed. Dima is guilty
shook his head:                        

- Sorry, friend, I don’t understand.             

The wounded man rose from the sand. Poked at himself
finger, said:                        

- Archie.                                 

"Aha! Well done! But I was confused..."

- Dima.                                 

- Tiri.                                 

They smiled involuntarily, proud of their
a small victory.         Archie
spoke.     Gesturing animatedly
(the effect of the drugs affected), he then
pointed towards the tower.

- Should I leave?  So?  - Dima nodded at
side of the smoking debris.     -
Can others come?

The guy made an incomprehensible gesture with his fingers,
apparently expressing agreement.    They
walked along the hot sand, moving away from
towers, from killer robots, from dried up
brown spots...

Dima went first.  To him, a stranger here,
entrusted to choose the road... But
now he was not inclined to evaluate
the comedy of the situation.  She was prowling somewhere nearby
predatory mechanical death, and good
else, if onlymechanical...
He destroyed the robot without hesitation, but
be at the place of the steam car
thugs with machine guns... It was necessary
get into the boat as quickly as possible.
There is water and food, medicine and
clothes.  There are weapons... And, most importantly,
a fairly powerful computer with
linguistic block.



Gal turned on the display, sat down at the laboratory
table           Settled down nearby
dark, full-faced guy.  New guy.
Transferred to the group instead of Tiri.  Gal
turned away, then couldn’t stand it:

- What's your name?                       

- What's the difference?                      

Right.     No.    Everyone is equal.



The sky was dark like evening.
The sun was burning down on the horizon
in the back, and in front of Tiri dangled it
own shadow.        Long,
unnaturally stretched, but still
limp and pathetic... He tried not to
look around, only at your feet, only at
close and reliable land.   In the morning
there was no fear, it came with the darkness,
crept up completely unnoticed, and suddenly
with a hard, cold hand he touched my heart.
It's like he was here alone
defenseless, confused, nothing
able in the world outside the City.  How
as if they were looking at him from all sides
strangers, studying eyes.   As if
lightweighta gust of wind could catch him and
carry away into the distance, to where they closed
earth and sky.

Thiri looked up. Just for a moment.
But that was enough.
The darkened, wary sky
he was sucked in, dissolved in
creeping dusk, weak breeze,
quiet rustling of the desert.

Tiri almost jumped forward, sharply
grabbed Archie.  Apparently, it hurt when
this wounded hand, because he
gasped in pain.

- Archie!  Well, where is your friend taking us? I
I can't, I can't!

Archie stopped and looked into his
eyes wide with fear:

- I don't know, Tiri. This is not our man.

- Whose? He is not one of ours, not one of our Equals!

Archie shrugged.                     

- Maybe... Duty officer?                    

And he smiled at his own words. Came up
Dima.     He looked at him in bewilderment.
them, then said something, it’s unclear, but
persistently.   He extended his hand, pointing
somewhere ahead.  Tiri had a hard time forcing
take your eyes off the ground and
look into the distance.

A flattened metal drop lay on
gentle slope of a hill.      She
was incomprehensible, alien, but Tiri suddenly
felt relieved.    Cold
the gray shine was familiar andharmless
like the walls of the City, like all of it
past life.



- That your longline guy is a blockhead, I knew that!
But I always thought you were smart
the guy who's stuck here by mistake!

The mayor was furious.  Never grew up before
I saw him like this.   Measuring the cabinet
with quick steps, he threw nothing at Ross
looks that did not bode well.

- But I really like her!

- So what?                             

- My term is ending, and what difference does it make...

- blockhead! Full!                       

"Complete idiot" meant the highest degree
his anger.     Sectoral, by
name Ros, had difficulty maintaining
impassive facial expression. Finally he
not                                      
withstood:                               

- What's the matter? She's on the list
sending! I was watching!                    

-Have you looked at other lists? B
Checklists, for example?    -
the mayor said insinuatingly.

Ross was numb.   With difficulty he squeezed out:

- So... what now?                 

- Now... Now nothing!  thank you
Naruzhnikov, Ros.

- Really...                      

Gradually the mayor calmed down.   Even
grinned:                            

- The longline man should have warned you,
buthe seems to have finally survived
out of my mind. It's not nice to talk about a dead person like that,
but it’s true... And also methyl...
Yes.   Go, Ros.   By the way: one of
the outsiders were caught.

- Should I come for identification?              

- There's nothing to identify...              



Dima finished his tea and glanced furtively at
guys.    Archie died for the second time
daily ration, and Tiri was still poking around
a bowl of soup.   Scraps of bright
bags, thin disposable glasses,
pieces of something decisively rejected by both
bread was lying all over the floor.  Feast in
honor of first contact... This is strange
after all, there was a couple: a ragged big guy
Archie and neatly dressed, fragile
until Thiri becomes transparent. How is he still so much
passed yesterday!    Darted through the hatch
boats, stretched out at the threshold and half an hour
lay flat.    Well, Archie
looked at him with sympathy, but without

- Should I come for identification?              

- There's nothing to identify...              



Dima finished his tea and glanced furtively at
guys.    Archie died for the second time
daily ration, and Tiri was still poking around
a bowl of soup.   Scraps of bright
bags, thin disposable glasses,
pieces of something decisively rejected by both
bread was lying all over the floor.  Feast in
honor of first contact... This is strange
after all, there was a couple: raggedbig guy
Archie and neatly dressed, fragile
until Thiri becomes transparent. How is he still so much
passed yesterday!    Darted through the hatch
boats, stretched out at the threshold and half an hour
lay flat.    Well, Archie
looked at him with sympathy, but without
any surprise.     Eloquently
He waved his hand: “let him lie down.” And without
translation was clear... But it’s better with
translation. Dima turned and looked at
display    numbers flashed wildly;
the fans of the memory units hummed. car
worked to the limit
possibilities... The pilot touched the key,
read: “769 words highlighted.
8 words identified.    Analysis
continues."  Confused in transcription,
Dima began to read further: “Regel,
presumably - _h_e_l_o_v_e_k_,
_l_o- pronoun _t_y_."               

He extended his hand to Archie:

- Lo regel.                             

Showed himself:                        

- Regel.                                

Archie smiled strangely:                 

- Fat Regel.                            

Dima looked at the display.  Stitches
blinked, changing: "Regel -
presumably - _k_a_s_t_a_ or
_n_a_ts_i_ya_.  _L_o_ - pronoun you.
F_e_t_ - denial of belonging."
The pilot smiled:                        

- it happens... WhatWell, let's help the car.

He pointed to his fingers and moved them:

- Fingers.                               

Archie perked up:                          

- Mado.                                 

Dima looked at the screen. The new word is already
was in memory.                          

Well, now things will go faster...

And he pointed to his pistol:

- blaster.                              



From the outside, Dimkino’s home seemed large.
In fact, it is not spacious
was different, although there was some kind of comfort, familiarity
were felt in him.     Smoothly
rounded walls fleecy bedspreads
blue upholstery, two tiny
the portholes were covered with thick
glass, in front of the big one, turned on
a small screen was moving out of the wall
remote control  The only chair in front of him
seemed so fragile that when Dima and
he sat down in it, Tiri
I involuntarily closed my eyes.  But weave
thin steel tubes covered
transparent plastic, it didn’t even flinch.
And now Dima and Archie have managed
sit down in a chair together.   Tiri with
watched with curiosity how they
talked: poked fingers at objects
and they called them...                        

"He is clearly not one of the Equals. But also on the outer
doesn't look like... Which one
Archie looks at him in surprise..." TiriI suddenly remembered how at a lecture on
the history of society they were told about
tribes living on the southern islands.
Maybe he's from there?  Blackened
melted sand underneath
metal egg... What if this thing
flies like the duty discos?

Some edge flashed in my consciousness
thoughts.      You just need to think about it
her... But Tiri could no longer
concentrate.   He wanted to sleep.  B
Everything in the city
have long since settled down. In the City it was extinguished long ago
light, took off their outerwear and lay down
under thin gray blankets... Tiri sat down
on a soft floor, slightly springy
under pressure.  Looks like I'll have to sleep
here...                                

Dima suddenly turned away from the remote control and
asked in a singsong voice:                       

- Go to sleep!                              

- Yes! Have you already learned to speak?         

But Dima only smiled incomprehensibly at
answer. Repeated:                        

- Sleep...                              

I took out four bright ones from a box in the wall,
orange, almost weightless
blankets, handed two blankets to Tiri.

- Sleep.                                

- Thank you. Archie, what about you?                  

- We'll sit... Tiri, he has a typewriter -
just brilliant!       Don't want to
look?"An outdoorsman, but he understands computers!"

- Archie, I can't. We are always in the City...

- Oh, I understand.    Mode... - he
smiled indulgently.  - Sunny
again...                                 

- Sunny dreams...                     

Tiri laid one blanket on the floor, another
took cover.    He put the jacket in
headboard  Dima sat down next to Archie and pressed
something on the remote control and the light turned on
dimmer.  Under their quiet whispers Tiri and
fell asleep.                                 

6. AWAKENING                          

"There hasn't been a gong for a long time..." Tiri
stretched and opened his eyes.  In the bedroom
it was still twilight, someone was breathing evenly
nearby.  "Gal... Well, I'm dreaming..."

- Gal!                                  

He tried to get up. And I couldn't. He was sleeping
on the floor, not on the bed.   B
small drop-shaped capsule, and not in
his group's bedroom.     Almost
instantly Tiri remembered everything that happened
with him.     Duty officers, outside guards,
Dima...                                 

The darkness gradually thinned, the eyes
got used to it.   Tiri looked at those lying
Archie and Dima are nearby.  Weak light from
portholes fell on their muscular,
bodies dark from tanning.  Dima was sleeping
putting his hand under his head, breathing rarely and
calm.   Archie inturned around in his sleep
across, lay with his head buried in
Dima's belly, something from time to time
muttering.                                

Tiri winced and turned away. No he doesn't
belonged to those who
required constant wearing of a top
clothes.   All the same, atavisms of the face and
You can't hide your figure with clothes. But look
on half-dressed people it was still
uncomfortable.   Tiri turned away and corrected
blanket and tried to sleep.  But sleep
I didn't want to anymore. It was strange and
unusual - it’s already bedtime
It's over, and there's nothing left to do.
Tiri lay there, and the most
different thoughts.  About the City. About the duty officers, oh
that it’s a pity for the longline...
And, of course, about Gal. Where is he, what is happening now
does.     Does he think about Tiri...
Of course he does. If he knew that
happened to him!                        

A slight rustling sound was heard.  Out of the corner of my eye
Tiri saw Dima stand up,
rubbed his eyes, carefully stepped over
Archie sat down at the control panel.

He was built impeccably. Even him
the muscularity didn't look
atavism, but with dignity. Tiri felt
envy, completely unreasonable and
even senseless, if you look at it...

Dima suddenly chuckled with satisfaction.
I took something out from under the remote control
silver, crumpled into a ball, straightened it out.It turned out to be a thin helmet,
woven from glittering threads.
I put it on.  Attached a long cord from
helmet in the slot on the remote control.  Deep
inhaled and leaned back in his chair.

A bright white flash cut
Tiri's half-closed eyes. He jumped up and
I saw how Dima slowly settled on
the floor, and the helmet fades, turns black,
splashing short bright sparks,
crumbles into fine, weightless dust.
Died... Horror gripped Tiri. “How can this be?
Why?"                                

Dimka twitched, raking the air with his hands,
I opened my eyes with difficulty,
clouded by pain.  And he said quietly:

- Well, what are you looking at? Help me get up.

Said like a human being, even without a lung
accent, like the outsiders.
Only slipped into his speech a little
unnatural correctness of words.
Like elevator cars.                   



The sectoral officer stood at the control arch.
He was wearing a new uniform, and
just a dried scratch on the cheek
reminded me of a recent incident.
Sectoral looked up, but Gal immediately
I realized that the duty officer was waiting for
him.   He tried to pass by, but
the sectoral extended his hand and touched
his shoulder.

- Gal! Wait...                       

Gal stood in front ofOn duty, slightly lowered
head, hands pressed... Like
is relied upon in such cases.

- Gal, you are being transferred.                  

Something snapped inside Gal.

- Where?                                 

For a second the duty officer was confused.

- At six.  Do you still have classes?

Gal nodded silently.                       

- Okay, I'll pick you up in the evening.



Each contact is unique. Theoretically
Dima knew this, but in one of the
I was one hundred percent sure of the axioms of the Charter.
"The main difficulty of the first stage
is proof of its
Of alien origin."    This
a simple rule worked even on
planets with non-humanoid forms
life.   Psychologists have come up with a beautiful
term: "Protective-psychological
reaction of non-acceptance of contact."  In his
In this case, the axiom went to hell.
Archie and Tiri were not surprised by him
alien origin, but how
he                                      
learned their language. Dima started talking about
this is the third time.

- The computer analyzed your speech,
understand?     Every word you say
an analogue was selected - a word with the same
meaning in my language.   And today
in the morning I put on a special helmet, and all
your language was written into my brain. II say without even noticing that it’s not mine
native language.

-And you learned the language forever? - Archie s
looked at
computer.                              

- No, for a while. About two months later I
I'll forget.     The method is just for
cases like mine.

there was another reason why the method
accelerated recording of information
used only in emergency cases.
The human brain could withstand it
two or three times, no more... But about that
Dima did not speak.

- How can you write something down?
memory?       - Tiri asked.

- Well, I don’t know!  - Dima almost
begged.    - Guys, let's talk about
friend!  Better explain again who you are and
What... Are you, Tiri, an Equal?

Thiri nodded.                            

- Archie, it turns out, is the outside guard. Lives somewhere
in the desert...                            

“Jerboas live somewhere,” he was offended.
Archie.     - I live in the camp.

- Why not in the City?

Archie looked at Tiri, who was confused and
muttered:                            

- They tell us... they told us... in general,
outdoorsmen, they are savages.
Mutants.  So they are not allowed into the Cities.

Archie chuckled.                           

- That's what they say!  Irealized that this is not
yes!      Probably like this before
it was...                                 

Archie laughed:                         

- Tiri, friend!   Not a single one is normal
man... that is, naruzhnik, in the City
won't work.                              

Dima grabbed his head.                  

- City, naruzhnik, Equal... Nothing
I understand!      Archie than the outsider
different from Equal?

- In short... - Archie looked
somewhere on top of Dima.   - Different
because he knows how to love.

Dima didn’t even understand, he asked again:

- In what terms?

- In terms of higher, human emotions.
They, Equals, are unfamiliar with the feeling
love, friendship. As a consequence - and the feeling
hatred.                              

“nonsense,” he said quickly, without hesitation.
Dima.    - Why on earth?

- Equals are injected with serum every month
equality.       She deprives them
ability to love, ability
prefer one person to another.
Of course, it’s easy for such people
manage...                            

- nonsense... Serum, selectively
depriving of love?   Tiri, tell me
after all!

Tiri looked up at him, confused.

- What is it - to love?..

...He crawled, pushing the sand, exposing
only a narrow one of it,
greenish head.    First time
the patrol and search robot turned on
masking routine.   But here he is
rounded another rock and froze.  B
transparent crystal telephoto lenses
a gray round capsule was reflected.



- Do you undergo medicine? - asked
Archie.                                   

Tiri stood facing the wall, and Dima
it seemed that he was crying, but when
Tiri turned, his eyes dry.

“We are undergoing medical treatment,” he said.
- You don’t need anything else
explain.                 Please...

Archie sighed.                          

- That’s the trouble, you’re all great
you know.     And use yours
knowledge, draw your own conclusions
you don't know how.    You will get the Equal out of
City, talk to him for half an hour, he and
grabs his head... Himself
I couldn’t think about it!  It is necessary for someone
climbed under the bullets, called white white, and
black is black!

Dima asked, very carefully:

- Tiri, how do you feel about
On duty?                               

Tiri did not answer immediately.                  

-   Fine.  In the City they say that
Anyone can become an attendantthem
random number machines select... And
that it doesn’t matter at all: Duty officer
Are you or a simple engineer...               

Archie sighed. And Tiri continued:        

- We ourselves approve them, our own
On duty.   They announce a candidacy, we
let's vote... You can vote against,
then they will put up another
candidate...                            

He pulled out a small black one from his pocket
round, thoughtfully turned
it in your fingers.                          

-    Sign.   Serves for voting
symbolizes equality...

Archie jumped up as if scalded:          

- What are you doing? Garth told you to take off the Sign!

- But don’t throw it away...                    

- Oh, dunce... The sign is used for surveillance,
not for voting!                   

There was hardly any need to rush here, too
a lot of time has already passed.    But
Dima realized this later. And now he took
The sign of the confused Tiri
(I would like to examine this piece of plastic),
opened the hatch, took the pistol off
fuse... In bright sunny
light, the laser beam was almost invisible.
Tossed into the air, the sign spun,
sparkled like a piece of mirror,
and turned into a stream of steam. Dima is not
noticed something in the distance
trembled.   Little sandy hill
moved and froze again.



...The diskettes were prepared by the watch technicians.
This usually took about
hours. Now we did it in ten minutes.
They poured fuel, then, after attaching
gas masks, caustic, smelly oxidizer.
This flight was not intended
go beyond the atmosphere, but
order is order... Steel
ring control units when
The hangar doors opened and six
On duty in relief
anti-g suits ran in
inside.                                 

- Leave flight control!          

Three carriages hastily jumped under
Disc caps.     One of
The duty officers waved to the stunned technicians:

- Hang containers from a special
storage!                              



They were having lunch. Dima took out bags of food,
distributed... Some thought
was a thorn in my head. He looked at
Tiri understood.

- Archie, but Tiri... - he hesitated, not
deciding to negotiate.      - He
after all, he’s also an Equal, but he talked about
Gela...                                 

“About Gal,” he said sharply, abruptly
Tiri.        - She's a girl.

- Well, you don’t have the equality serum on you.
acted?                            

Archie answered.    Uncertain, as if
doubting his words:

- Fork was also surprised...                  

- Your guide?                        

- Yes. Where is he now?.. Fork said that
sometimes this happens.       U
some people in the body
a special enzyme is produced that
breaks down whey.  Well, what if there are two
you will meet such people...

- This is probably very unlikely.

-  Very.  Fork used to think that this was
legend.     - Archie sighed and
summing up, he added: - You're lucky,
that Gal is a girl, Thiri.
Great luck... Well, okay, let's
Let's have a snack.                              

Dima did not want to eat. He suddenly thought
what will appear in textbooks now?
new paragraph.   Well, something like this:

"One of the curious types
technocratic dictatorships is
civilization of the fourth planet of the star
LK-43.      It was based on
drug-induced mental changes
person, declared equality and
the presence of a disguised ruling
tops.    This type is ugly,
a regressive civilization arose on
planet after a nuclear war,
accompanied by complete environmental
catastrophe.     First studies
planet was conducted by a cadet of the Long Range Service
Search Dmitry Batalov..."

"Ugh,crap! - Dimka felt how
blushes.       - Maybe more
do you want the planet to be called yours
name?" - he asked himself. No, this
he didn't want to.  He wanted something else.
Help Tiri deal with the outsiders.
And with the duty officers too.

He looked at Tiri.

-Where is Gal now?                     

- We have math classes today.
All day.                              

- Do you work on computers?             

- Of course...                            

- Is the City’s computer network unified?

Tiri's eyes lit up timidly
hope.     He nodded impulsively
head.                                

- How is the connection between
Cities?                               

- Radio communication. VHF band...           

- I see... - Dima went to the control panel.

- There are also control systems... - Tiri s
he shook his head doubtfully.

- Let's try to get around them...                



There was something wrong with the display. Already
several times the formulas disappeared
from the screen, but some kind of dregs appeared. Gal
I wanted to turn off the device, but
then the screen suddenly lit up brightly and
the words appeared:

- “Your name and number.”                   

Confused, Gal hastily dialednumbers                                   

- “Wait.”                              

The screen flickered an alarming purple.
light.      Ran senseless
a line of letters.    Pause.    And the words:

- "Gal, is that you?"                        

- “Yes.”                                 

- "I am Tiri."                             

Gal was petrified.  And the fingers themselves
typed the answer:                         

- “It’s not true.”                           

- "I am Tiri."                             

- “He died.”                           

- "I'm alive."                              

- "Who are you?"                             

- "I am Tiri."                             

- “Tiri was killed by the outsiders.”               

- "Gal, you were deceived. The outside guards -
ordinary people.   I'm alive.  Trust me."

- “I... I don’t know. Where are you?”

- "Outside. They helped me install
connection.        I'll find you."

- “I’m being transferred to the sixth!”

- “I’ll find you anyway. Definitely!”

- "Thiri, don't leave me! I'm scared,
I even believe that I'm talking
now with you, I'm so scared, no
leave me..."

- "Wait, Gal. I will find you. Remember
the main thing..."                             

A blue stripe ran across the screen and
I brushed away the words.     Then again
appearedformulas. But Gal didn't look at
them.    She cried, burying her face in
keyboard.                             



Red lights flashed in the corner of the console,
pulsating signals, and Dima
instantly found himself in the pilot's seat.
Touched the keys.      On the screen
locator, in matte white transparency,
three black dots floated along a flat
arc sliding from the tower to the boat.

- Tiri, are there planes in the City?

- Eat.                                 

The dots twitched and spread out in a handful
small fragments.    The screen is charged
from a barely visible rash, but from it
three larger ones slipped out
points, turned somewhere to the side,
slowly rounding the boat.

Dima extended his hand to the keyboard, but
changed my mind.    And there's dirt on the locator
was getting closer and closer... Above
the boat suddenly heard sharp sounds,
whistling pops, and the screen instantly
turned white.  Only three spots, hastily
those flying back remained on it...

- Dima, can you shoot them down too? - Archie
breathed hotly over my ear.

- I can’t. If the protective block itself does not
destroyed, that means
suspects the presence of a crew.

- So what?                             

- Nothing.                               

We finally reached the boatdistant
explosions.                                 



Rotating platform slowly
moved the magnetic plane to the mouth
tunnel.  It was a strange tunnel, all
made of transparent plastic, only
wide gray beam of magnetic circuit
stretched along the bottom. Gal leaned against the glass
cabins, looking at the tunnel and the small
a piece of heaven entangled in
glass The magnetic plane rose smoothly,
froze for a split second and suddenly
rushed forward. Acceleration threw Gal away
on the back of the chair, she turned
head and looked at the Duty Officer. They
There were two of us in the cabin.    Red
the sectoral smiled and said:

- My name is Ros.

He smiled beautifully.  And his redheads
atavistic hair flashed in
sunlight.   The sun was piercing
transparent tunnel pipe in the cabin
it was unusually light.  Growing up blissfully
He closed his eyes and threw his head back:

- How I miss the sun. If you
I knew how annoying they were
electric lamps...



Archie changed into a planetary suit.
Now he and Dima were
equally bright and noticeable.   Tiri
remained in his overalls, only
changed into shoes from a lung
spacesuit.   Dima carefully examined
him,nodded, then took his hand.

- That's it...

Tiri looked at the wide
a gray ring enveloping him
wrist.                               

-        What is this?       Heavy...

Dima muttered something evasive. Tiri
suddenly noticed on his hand
the same dull metal links, and
I didn’t inquire further.
Meanwhile, the pilot removed from the wall
two identical fasteners
long-barreled pistol, mounted on
belt     Archie opened his mouth, but
remained silent.  I realized what _it_o_ to ask
no use.   And Dima was already delving into
remote control.    I opened some door...
multi-colored crystals flashed,
wires, dark sealed boxes.

“This is a protection unit,” Dima explained, not
waiting for the question.

He stood up, pulled his leg back and hit with all his might.
by crystals, boxes,
breaking with a ringing and crunching sound.



They took all the water and almost all the food.
They took blankets, a tent,
first aid kit  We went out into the hot afternoon
silence... And then they stood for a long time
crest of the hill and waited until Dima
decided to raise both pistols,
take aim and shoot point blank
defenseless boat. PART TWO. THREE FACES OF TRUTH      


1. CAMP                               

Mountains stretched along the entire northern
coast.      The ocean was here
shallow, with water as strong as brine,
there has been nothing living in it for a long time
happened.  During the day a dry and
hot wind greedily licking
gorges forcing the edge to recede
water.   But at night the desert quickly
cooled down, by the morning it began from the ocean
timid, weak breeze, lay on the stones
tiny drops of dew, and in the mountains
appeared pale, translucent
clouds.   Sometimes it rained...

It didn't rain in this little valley
never, she was too
high, and the clouds rushed below.
Sharp rocky peaks surrounded the valley
a blank ring, and the sun peeked
here only for two or three hours a day.
Then the heat came, and the whole valley
fell silent, only huge old trees
greedily turned after the sun
dark green leaves...

But now it was night.  Tiri sat on
a tree half-buried with earth,
wrapping himself in Dimka's jacket. During the day in this
the jacket was cool, and at night she
became warm.    Dima tried
explain how this happens, but
got confused in the explanation, got angry and
said he was missingvocabulary
stock.    Tiri smiled, remembering
angry Dimka, and involuntarily
looked                               
back.   In complete darkness, semicircular
the plastic tent glowed faintly.
Dimka had everything with tricks. Jacket from
unknown biological tissue, flask
disinfected the water poured into it, and
the pistol had four types of charges...

Tiri picked up a stone from the ground and threw it
forward.          There was a light
splash.  Tiri only learned to swim
yesterday, and now he was very attracted
swim in the lake.  But then you have to
go to the tent, otherwise there’s nothing
a self-heating jacket will not save you from
colds.   Tiri still hesitated when
I heard light footsteps.   He stood up
peering into the darkness.

- Tiri, is that you?                         

He wasn't even surprised.                    

- I.                                    



There was no light in the meeting room
too dull nor overly
bright.  So, just right for creating
business situation...                   

- ...missiles fired at the facility
exploded before reaching the target
about seven and a half kilometers. Pilot
the second diskette claims that
saw flashes of light in the direction
object before the missiles launched
explode.However check this
message is not possible.   Reasons for
which                                 
the object exploded, unknown.  However
nature of the melted debris
suggests: both the object and
patrol robot pursuing
naruzhniki, were destroyed by one and the same
the same weapon.   The nature of its action
unknown yet.  Curious results
gave X-ray diffraction analysis
remains of the object...

The speaker was not in traditional form
The duty officer.     Only two officers
the internal security guards did not have time to remove their
black uniform.

- And now the boss will tell you his data
radar station of the second
Cities.                                 

Three people sat at the head of the table. They
were older than others and almost
talked.  The two sat quietly, and
third, with a sharp, protruding forward
face, fingers silently drumming on
table.                                  



Kate was sitting very close. it was dark but
Tiri remembered very well that
her cheerful blue eyes and bright, like
Gal has hair.    However, this
the similarities ended.

- Why didn’t you come to camp in the evening? 

Tiri answered completely sincerely:

- I don’t know.   Tired... With Dimkachatted.                            

- You never get tired of wandering through the forest...
In my opinion, Tiri, you are just someone
afraid in the camp...

Blood rushed to his face. Tiri is embarrassed
objected:                               

- Nonsense... I'm not afraid of anyone.          

- And me?                               

He hesitated and replied:                  

- And you too.                          

They were silent for a few seconds. And suddenly
Tiri asked, without understanding himself,
how these words came out of him:

- Kate, can I kiss you?

The silence seemed endless to him.
In an unfamiliar, thoughtful voice
Kate said:

- It turns out it’s nice when they ask
permissions...                           

Her lips were soft and obedient. He
suddenly realized that they were his, these
lips that he can do anything
wants, with these lips, with this
thrown back face, hair,
crumbled on the shoulders. And then Tiri
forced himself to step back.  Kate
didn’t notice anything, quickly, confusedly
said:                               

- You are so funny... I saw you
for the first time, right away...
Thin, big-eyed... From the Cities
everyone comes like this, but you are something
you're different, becauseTruth? And I look like
Archie?                                   

- No.                                  

- Stupid, you don’t know how to people
compare... But in general it’s true, I told him
not my own sister.  I was taken from
Cities when I was very little.
From the second, like you...

- Why are you telling me all this?

- I want you to know that I am also from
Cities.     Are you still afraid?
outdoorsmen.                             

- No...                                

- Kiss me again, Tiri...    



Dima woke up from something unclear, but
alarm sound.   He stood up
looked into the semi-darkness.  Tiri was not there.
Dima wanted to get up, but changed his mind.
I lay there and listened to the faint splash of water...
the thin wall of the tent rustled
steps, a muffled voice came:

- Fool...                              

Dima was waiting. Finally, the entrance opened, with
parted with a crackle
magnetic clasps.  Tiri snuck onto
your place and, trying not to make noise,
started to undress.    Dima quietly
asked:                                

- Kate?                                 

Tiri shuddered in surprise,
replied:                                

- Yeah.                                  

- What's happened?- Don't know.                              

He lay down, twirled around a little, then completely
said quietly:                            

- I just asked...                   

- Well?                                   

- Is it possible to love two people at once?  

Dima sighed:                          

- Indeed, fool...                    



His position was called several times
unusual - Senior Adder.
True, now it seemed to Dimka that
there was something in the name.      He
really was _S_u_m_m_a_t_o_r_o_m_,
this young man
making decisions on which depended
the life of the entire Camp.    on it
all the threads converged, dozens, or even
hundreds of conflicting opinions, often
those that required instant and
the only correct answer.   And
he never made a mistake, maybe
because I couldn't afford it
such luxury...

However, he did not allow himself any
luxury.    Even his hut was
namely a hut that doesn't try
claim the title of home. Only gender
here was not earthen, but lined
boards, like in a school or hospital. Yes
there were more chairs - in the evenings
many people gathered here... Dima sat
opposite the Adder, with hopeless melancholy
waiting to startconversation.     All
right half of the leader's face
naruzhnikov was a complete scar -
trace of an old burn.   Apparently he
noticed how Dima looked at this scar
at their first meeting, because now
I tried to keep my side to him.

But now Dima looked at his fingers
Senior Adder.   Like a surgeon
or a pianist, he suddenly found a comparison.
The fingers were long and thin,
they gently and carefully felt,
stroked, swayed in the air Dimkin
gun.                               

- So the gun is in this position
shoots laser radiation?

- Yes.  Pulse, highly focused
beam...                                

- And at what range?

...All this has already been said.  Senior
The adder didn't even try to do it
looks like he's listening to the answers...

- I won't give you weapons.  Never.

Their eyes met.                   

- It's a pity.                                 

They believed him so unbelievably
quickly... And they believed in the Earth, and
to the lost ship, and to those hurrying to
rescue help.  All one and a half thousand
people living in a mountain valley in
the first evening...

And that same evening Dima felt
unspoken question: "Who are you with,a person who calls himself a friend?

Not with anyone. And they all can't believe it
this.                    meaninglessness,
the doom of their struggle is obvious to everyone.
The camp exists only because
that Equals are too lazy to search for him,
but sooner or later another one
sabotage or particularly daring raid
will be the last straw. And without raids
outsiders cannot exist. Clothes,
weapons, machines in workshops,
few instruments - all of this was mined at
City warehouses.  Dima and standing behind
with them the Earth became that third force,
which can change the situation.
Theoretically capable.

...Dima extended his hand and took the gun.
Said:                                 

- If it were not for the personality indicator in
pistol...                            

The adder smiled:                     

- Without a doubt.                           

They understood each other. And from this Dima
it became easier.                            

- Shall I go?                              

- Of course.                              

The pilot had already pushed the door (there was no
pens) when I heard
voice changed from behind:

- Dima, two years ago it was three
camps.   Now only ours remains
- the only one.  We won't last long.
When will they arrive?yours... maybe
at least a weapon...

Dima looked at the dirty floorboards. How
it's hard to prove what
don't believe me!                              

- Intervention requires consent
most of the planet's inhabitants...

- the majority have no
ideas about what is happening...

- The Earth will consider the whole situation, and maybe
be...                                 

Dima cursed himself and followed
words extinguished the flare-up in
in the eyes of the Elder hope:

“But it will take years to make a decision.”

The Senior Adder of the Camp regained his former self
calmness.     Repeated, no longer
looking at Dima:

- We can’t stand it for long... Go, Dima.

He hurriedly left.

There was always a blue sky here. Per day
the continent was heating up so much that
there was an almost constant wind blowing
to the sea, driving clouds away from the shore.
The rains fell far over the ocean, heavy,
endless rains.    Dima noticed
this, while still circling the planet before landing.
The continent at the equator was visible as
in the palm of your hand, the computer hummed
tension, drawing up the same map,
what                                     
lay now in his pocket... And the ocean
almost solid whiteveil.  The balance in the atmosphere is broken
completely...                            

He climbed deep into the forest, away from
small, braided
bushes so as not to be noticed
from the air, huts.  However, "depth"
- it's too loud.   Valley is not
reached ten kilometers in itself
in a wide area.

Dima lay on the grass, thoughtlessly, blindly
looking up at the sky.    Almost earthly
grass, almost earthly trees.  Almost
earthly people.  And there is no chance to help. Even
if he spits on the Charter, on the sad
experience of single well-wishers, even
if he leads the outside guards to storm... Alone
won't fight much, even if he has
there is the most perfect thing on the planet
weapon.    And the revolution is not carried out alone
will do...                              

The splash of water was heard very close,
delighted children's squeal.    Here
you and the depths of the forest. The lake turned out to be
very close.  Dima listened, he
he seemed to recognize the voices.  C
Dima felt lighter as a child,
the eyes of children have not yet read the silent
question, could you just lie around
fool and not think about Equals and
outdoors.  Here are just the children in the camp
it was                                    
very little.  Dima started talking about
this, but they answered himevasive and
then they switched the conversation to something else... He
got up and went towards the voices.                
2. HURRICANE                               

Garth returned in the evening. He entered the valley
along the northern passage -
It’s a narrow gorge, two people can’t separate.
Got to the place where he
must have noticed, and sat down
to the ground.  The sentries did not waste
time for checks. Everyone is here for each other
knew by sight what three hundred was
kilometers through the desert alone - they knew
too.    They gave Garth some water and sat for a while.
a little, we chatted about different things... This
was an unchanging ritual - not a single
words about Cities, about Duties, about joys
and troubles... Only when Garth was taken away
to the post, he asked:

- Has Archie arrived with the new guy?               

Relaxed when I saw the confirmation
nod, just in case, asked and
what I knew myself:

- Fork?                                 

They didn't say a word in response. This too
was a ritual... Garth lay down on
bed right there, in a small room for
rest of the sentries.    But let him fall asleep
It didn't work out soon. Someone realized that
he still doesn’t know anything about Dima, and
posted news that has been disturbing for a week now
Camp...                               

Dima opened his eyes and looked at Archie.
He stoodbowing low
above him, and spoke quickly, excitedly.
Unfamiliar, unusual sounding
the words slipped past my consciousness.  Alien
the speech of a distant planet... In my head was
complete emptiness and I wanted to sleep...

He stood up sharply, with a jerk, throwing off
numbness.     For a moment Dima
I tried to completely disconnect from
of this world.   And then I allowed myself
listen to Archie's speech again:

- What's wrong with you, Dimka? Are you feeling bad?        

- No, - to thoughts really
clarity returned.  - This is me from a dream...
Why are you up so early?

- Garth! Garth is back!                  

Dima did not immediately remember this name.  Not
because Archie didn't talk much
about my friend... Just in my head
something else was spinning: “false memory”,
created in his brain by a computer,
began to wear off. Another week, at most
two, and he will stop understanding his friends...



One by one the Cities woke up.
They got up in their bedrooms
professional groups of engineers and doctors,
energy and technology.   At eight
The city stopped for prevention
reactor, and the neighbors were now sharing with
him with energy. At eleven past midnight
temperature drop collapsed
section of armor plating, and batch
repairmen in anti-radiationsuits came to the surface of the planet.
Standing guard duty
fought the temptation to take off their gas masks.
They knew that the background infection
disappeared a long time ago, and artificially
the created protective belt managed
lose activity... But why the hell not
joking...                                

In the fourth City, where the standard was located
time, the gong struck,
calling the Equals together for an hour of thanksgiving. And
the gongs echoed to him in all
Cities...                              



Archie did most of the talking. They were sitting on
tree in front of the tent, and
the first tension had already passed.
However, Garth was not particularly inclined
to talk, just smiled, looking
then to Tiri, then to Dima.  Thoughtfully
smiled... His thin body seemed
fragile and weak, but sometimes
careless movement gave away
the deceitfulness of first impressions,
showed trained muscles.  A
when Archie started getting too colorful
describe the fight with the patrolmen
robots, Garth said quietly, to no one
addressing:                              

- I didn’t have such a weapon. But two
I reassured.                             

And Archie immediately fell silent, guilty
looking at my friend.  Then he spoke
about what Dima'stechnique, and what
wonderful computer stood in
lifeboat  Garth looked at Dima and suddenly
said:                                 

- You won't help us.

For a moment Dima was confused:           

- Why did you decide that?                  

- Everyone in the camp knows this. They're just afraid
say out loud they like it
something to hope for... Let's go, Archie.

Archie began hesitantly:                 

- But, Garth...                           

- I'm not interested in this man. Via
for a week he will fly away to his place, and
we'll stay here.  A year later he didn't
will remember us.

He got up and walked towards the Camp.
Archie made a peaceable gesture
with his hands, he said quietly:

- He's tired.                             

And he ran after Garth. For another minute they
flashed between the trees, then
disappeared. Dima lowered his head to his knees and
closed his eyes.   Tiri moved closer
hugged him by the shoulders:

- Dima, don’t be offended by them. I you
I understand, honestly.

Dima involuntarily smiled:                

- Thank you, Tiri.                        

- Dima, why is this so _g_i_n_a_r_?

-   What?   - Dima turned his head and
looked at him: - How?

- G_i_n_a_r_... Well, what are you doing? _G_i_n_a_r_there is less light!

Dima looked at Tiri, and the smile slipped
from his face.   So one word
had already disappeared from his memory. _G_i_n_a_r_.
Or, more simply put, dark.  Why
Has it gotten dark?  The day has just begun! Pilot
looked up.

The sky, always blue and clear sky,
was shrouded in yellow haze.
The sun faded dimly through her,
uneven disk.    And everything is a veil
thickened and thickened, the sky became
orange, with cloudy gray streaks.
Dima suddenly realized that for a minute
there is a slight rustling around and leaves on
the trees are shaking a little.  He raised his hand
ran it over his shirt and looked at
palm.                                 

Dust. Fine yellow desert dust... Dima
He looked up again.
The calm water of the lake began to ripple, and
a second later the sand crunched
on the teeth.   He jumped up and ran out
open shore, looked around. Down here
it was still quiet. And the trees growing
on the mountain slopes around the valley,
bent by the wind...

Tiri walked up to him and took his hand:

- How beautiful, Dimka!                   

The pilot looked at Tiri in surprise.
The guy's face reflected only
delight.     He didn't understand that
happening...- Dimka, will this happen again?  If
someday...                         

A short gust of wind hit my eyes,
disheveled his hair.     bracelets on
the guys' hands flashed at the same time
yellow and hummed quietly.

Dima grabbed his friend's hand and pulled him
yourself.       They ran up to
tent, Dima pulled the valve, and
the small house instantly sank.  Not
hesitating not for a second, they ran
to the Camp.                               



Everything was the same as before, walking between
tiers of elevators.   Everything is the same as
Previously, factories were working. No One Equal
had no idea what was happening
outside.                                

Only multi-kilometer tunnels,
held in the air by powerful
magnetic field, trembled under the pressure
storms    But the automation responded
instantly, increasing the feed to the limit
energy into the solenoids.                    

In three cities we had to launch
emergency reactors.                     



Until they started to fall
trees, Tiri was not afraid.  He
lay next to a large stone embedded in the ground
next to some girl in
dress flapping in the wind.  Steps in
five pressed into the wind-blown grass
Dima.   It became completely dark, the sun
disappeared, andorange, roaring hell above
Short white lightning snaked its head.
Tiri raised his head slightly and
I saw a tall, old tree
slowly turns out of the ground.  He
He closed his eyes again and lay there for a minute.
moving.                               

His stupor was interrupted by the girl's scream.
She looked up at the gentle
a mountain slope lost in clouds of dust.
Tiri followed her gaze and
I felt something jump in my chest
and broke off softly.

A kilometer away, on the edge of the gorge,
a thick gray-yellow was spinning
a pillar diverging into a wide funnel
sky.   Huge pieces of rocks are easy
like cardboard boxes, they jumped and
disappeared into this pillar.  It seemed
that the trunk of a ferocious gigantic
monsters are rummaging through the mountains. And this trunk
slowly crawled towards the cliff, towards the edge
gorges, to the Camp...

Tiri didn't remember how long it lasted -
a minute or a few seconds.
A human suddenly stood up ahead
the figure stood up, pressing his head under
the pressure of the wind. In the twilight, a white suit
the pilot appeared orange.    Dima
he raised the pistol with both hands and held it
his second, aiming...

It's like a thousand suns flared up in the cold
gray rocks.     fireball,it seemed that the clouds had scattered, and only a waterfall
dust settled where just
there was a tornado.  And a second later the drum
the wave touched people...

it was quiet, as if the whole world had stopped
breathing.           With an involuntary
Tiri was surprised to realize that there was nothing wrong with him,
absolutely nothing happened.  He
got up.    As if turned invisible
switch, and the wind came again, but
already somehow half-heartedly. And Tiri looked at
the girl thrown to the stone
opened her blind eyes to the sky, and that’s all
couldn't touch her delicate
wrist, where it throbbed and forever
the thread that answers the most
important question now...                 



Gart stood on the threshold for a long time, not
deciding to come in.    Finally took off my shoes
carefully walked out into the middle of the room.
Perhaps he was not a frequent visitor to
infirmary...                             

- There is an injector on the table, give it to me.
please - without turning around
asked Dima.                          

Garth picked up a round plastic
object, handed to the pilot.
Asked:                                

- Well, how is she?                          

Dima remained silent. I put the injector to my hand
girls, that one is sticky, greedy
slurped and seemed to be glued to the skin.
Then he looked at Garth and said:

- NeverI won’t forgive myself if I don’t pull it out
ee.    I could have given less
discharge - no, used all
power... Played safe,
boy...                            

Garth seemed happy about this
turn the conversation, quickly,
said with conviction:                       

- You’re in vain, Dima. If it weren't for you, I would have died
the whole camp.    I'm on the tornado
I saw enough when I lived in Morskoye, but
such...                               

Dima thought and asked:                 

- Marine is the Camp that
died two years ago?

- Yes.   The duty officers landed troops from
diskettes... Many managed to leave, but
not all...

For a long time, without looking away, he looked at
girl.          Then he said:

- You and Tiri are lucky. Not a scratch...

Dima smiled somehow guiltily.
Muttered:                            

- What are we... We don’t have anything
threatened... Where is Tiri?

- The Elder has it.  I, in fact,
came to call you.   There
small meeting.

-   Yes.  Summarization of different opinions...

- What?                                  

- No, nothing.  Call the doctor, let him
will replace me.                          
Looks like they were just waiting for him.  Dima with
looked at the Elder with curiosity
The adder sitting at the table, on
a little embarrassed Archie, on Tiri, obviously
not understanding what is happening, on Garth,
sitting down with a satisfied face
at the door.  What role is assigned to him?
yourself?  The role of the only spectator
rehearsed performance?    Rather
just...                                

- Sit down, Dima, - Senior friendly
waved his hand.   - We have our own here
questions, but we decided that you will
interesting to see... You will
report back, right?

Dima nodded.   at him slowly
an angry, almost childish resentment rolled in.
Well, what else did they come up with? Why not
leave him alone...

The elder turned to Tiri and spoke,
addressing him pointedly
to one:                                 

- Tiri, you don't want to participate in
on a raid?                                 

Probably, unlike Dima, Tiri understood
all at once, because the voice
he trembled:

- In what raid?                       

- To the sixth City.                      

...Boat.  Clutching the edge of the remote control
Tiri.     And a silent cry
screen: “I’m being transferred to the sixth! Tiri,
don't leave me!  I'm scared!" and
breaking downTiri's voice: "Dima,
say: "I will find you, no matter what
I'll find..."                               

And the Elder continued to say:

- Of course, there is little chance. There are almost none...
But if we could capture
information center of the City, then you can
it would be possible to do without blood...

Dima raised his head (Senior instantly
fell silent) and asked wearily:

- Enough please... I'll go, but
my weapon will not kill.

The Senior Adder had an expression on his face
a person who suddenly
I found something expensive a long time ago
lost...                           



They walked to the City for a week.  spent the day in
Dimka's tent, collecting water in
rare springs among the rocks that Garth
knew it firsthand.   Dima didn't want to
no one to talk to except
Tiri.  But during the night they gave it their all,
that, having barely swallowed a meager portion of food,
fell asleep... True, Dima had enough
much less time to sleep, he
woke up long before sunset and
lay motionless, looking at
translucent, white tent fabric.
I remembered.  For some reason it didn't work
remember the Earth.    As if he
spent my life on this miserable
planet... But their path rose in my memory
inCamp.  Everything was almost the same, only
the three of them walked for a long time
talked after a night march. He
talked about the Earth, and not
only those recommended by the Charter
information, but everything is as it is, and about the First
and the Second mutational surges, and about
special biological laboratory,
which is now filled with a hundred-meter layer
concrete, and about “Superman” Stas,
shot down an alien passenger ship...
However, the guys also paid him
same.  He also learned about the outside guards who
surrendered to the duty officers, and about
prohibited movement
Peer specialists...               

By the morning of the eighth day they saw in the distance
steel column of the City.                
3. OPERATION "TRUTH"                    

...A band of radioactivity surrounded
The city is two or three minutes away
kilometers from the base.   Level
radiation was low, but still
had to choose less infected ones
plots.  The disk that contained
upper ones, from ninth to twelfth,
tiers of the City, hanging overhead
a monstrous visor.  They girded him
dim orange lights, and
unbearable, oppressive feeling of being watched
was growing every moment.
It seemed incredible that stuffed
to the limit of technologythe building is not
had no observation devices,
at least simple video cameras on
armor.   As soon as Garth gave the sign
stop and start folding
portable radiometer, Dima started talking about
this.    But Garth shook his head:

- Attacks on the Duty Officers themselves are very
rare.    For petty warehouse robbery
they don't pay attention. And during raids
more people die on residential tiers
people, than they manage to get out of the City.
This suits the Duty Officers quite well.

Archie came up and listened to the conversation.
added:                                

- Around some Cities there are still
remnants of observation systems,
for example, near the ninth... There
you have to be very careful.

Garth looked at him ironically.

- You speak as if you yourself went to
Ninth City... Here too
there were external observation stations, only theirs
It has long been covered with sand.   Well,
did you take a break?                            

Without saying a word, everyone looked at Tiri.
He jumped up from the sand,
said offendedly:

- I'm not tired at all!                    

They laughed involuntarily.  Even Thiri
smiled awkwardly... And Dima
made up my mind.  Turned to Garth and said:

- I took a break.  But before we go
further, Ishould know that you
you're up to.                              

Garth hesitated.   Then I took it out
backpack, a narrow transparent box.

It was dark inside, rolled into a roll.
tape                                  

- What is this?                              

- Videotape.   We will send by
information network of the City
appeal to equals.

Dima even lost his breath. Well
Garth, what a great guy... And his
fantasy went no further than sabotage
water supply stations where they mix
equality serum...

- Can you do it?                            

Garth looked away.                       

- We thought you would help.

Dima bit his lip. Looks like he'll have to
work seriously... He
smiled and nodded:

- Okay, conductor.  I'll try.  Lead.



When he burned a narrow meter-long hole in the wall
man, there's some left in the gun
less than half charge. Whatever you say, but
The cities were built to last.
And in vain the Elder asked for weapons. Nothing here
could not be done as usual
blaster...                            

The room they entered turned out to be
warehouse         Wooden boxes
(how many years have they been stored here?
treeless, scorchedplanet?),
rusty containers, brand new
steel barrels - all this was piled up
on twenty-meter high racks.
Rare lights glowed faintly under the ceiling
lamps, a string of tunnels and deserted
there was no end to the halls.  Garth is pretty
confidently walked forward, checking at times
with diagrams on crumpled sheets of paper.
Turning to Dima, he was a little more hasty,
than usual, said:

- We’ll now go to the spare elevators.
cargo transportation trunks.    But
there are electronic control systems, and
We don't have any signs.   Your devices
will they be able to answer the request?

- They can.                               

Dima mechanically touched the bracelet, tightly
covering his right
hand.  The pilot didn't know what the possibilities were
this miniature defense system.
But then, in the desert, the bracelet
stopped the combat robot of the Duty...

“They can,” he repeated again.

They found themselves in front of closed doors.
To the side of the narrow doors
a narrow key glowed faintly.

- Well... - Garth curtailed his plans and
with some surprise
looked at them.    - We've come!

The hall was round in shape, with smooth
curved walls, - large
a rarity for a City in which savings
areaelevated to the status of law.
Along one of the walls there was a row of doors,
leading to the elevator shafts and
transport corridors of the City.   U
the opposite wall around the low
Three attendants were sitting at the control panel. Now they
only the matte black uniform gave away;
the feigned calm and
dispassionateness.    They were just
tired people finishing their
twelve hour shift...

- I’m transferring cargo traffic from delta-2 to
delta-4, - tongue twister
said one.

The man sitting to his right quickly
nodded, switching something to
remote control.          Then he asked:

- Energy from the second tunnel into storage devices?

- Yes.                                   

They worked at full speed for a few minutes.
silence.           Then someone
muttered:                            

- Why did they call the freight elevator?..

They didn't answer him. And he himself had already forgotten about
your question: on
transport arose on the twelfth tier
a traffic jam that couldn't be
liquidate computers.  They do
sat leaning over the screens,
when one of the elevator doors opened
and four colorfully dressed young people
guys entered the hall...



...Dima fired again fromwalls, and
fanned out paralyzing
the beam hit all the duty officers at once.
Only one found the strength
turn and look at the attackers,
before his body stopped him
obey.  Garth ran up to the attendants,
dragged the tallest man out of
armchairs.   He shouted at Archie and Tiri:

- Help!                            

Thiri's face turned pale.  But he came to
frozen body and carefully
pulled him to the floor.  Dragged, holding by
shoulders...                                

With some kind of unaccountable curiosity, Dima
looked at the faces of the attendants.
People are like people.  They didn't seem either
evil, nor cruel, and indeed any
there was no pampered lethargy in them.
Strange - they were most similar to
earthlings!  It was alien and painful to them
the slenderness of the Equals, and the brutal strength
outdoorsmen.                             

Dima took a deep breath, coming to his senses. B
in any case - there were duty officers
criminals.  In any case, they
They retained power through deception and violence.
And the idea of providing Equals
the information was excellent...

Garth fiddled with the console. His tape is already
rotated in the waiting room
device, but that seems to be all
limited.  Dima looked at the screen
bracelet   Thatpulsated evenly
yellow.   Some device continuously
requested their personal numbers and security numbers
bracelet systems diligently
selected the required answers. Two bracelets
had to answer for four,
that's the problem...

- faster, guys!                      

- We know it ourselves!                           

Dima suddenly caught Tiri's gaze. He
also sat at the control panel, but was
busy with something...

- How are you?                           

- Look!                             

The display showed:               

Gal. N 3276424.                         
Movements: 4-2-3-4-2-6.               
6 City - death by accident. 
--------------------------------------- 
Service information:                   
Gal. and. parental gene lines:            
m. N 0673981, w. N 5343380.             
IQ -                
89% of maximum.                   
Movements: 4-2-8-4-2-6.               
16 years - 13 City.                      
House N 375 - 12.                         

   Tiri looked seriously and questioningly
to Dima:                                

- What does this mean?                       

- Don’t you understand?                        

- But... there is no thirteenth City!        

- Eat.Before Dima’s eyes stood the one
computer generated map
planets.  Green stuff in the middle of the circle
Cities very similar to those on earth
city...Bastards.

-  Eat.  The duty officers live there,” he repeated.
he.                                     

“So...” Tiri darted away from the console.

- Wait!                               

But the boy was already standing at the elevator doors.
quickly looked through the inscriptions
on the signs.

- Dima!   There are two elevators here
transport center!  One is "common" and
another "special-13"!   Do you understand?

He understood.  I understood too well what
matter.    But step into the special
elevator - meant losing the last chances
to leave the City unnoticed.  Not
Half an hour will pass, as if lying on
The half on duty will come to their senses.  And they,
by the way, they don't sleep, they just
paralyzed, and everyone hears them
conversations...                            

- Yes!                                 

Garth and Archie, red and excited,
approached them:

- Now they're finished!  The transmission is on
emergency channel, she is obliged
see everything!

Garth spoke excitedly. But suddenly he stopped short:

- What's wrong with you, Tiri?



...Whenspecial elevator dialing
speed, went up, out the door
On the other, the new shift attendants came out.

This station was like all the earthly ones
train stations.  But instead of windows it
were illuminated by powerful lamps, and those standing on
magnetic planes did not have rail tracks
glazing.  Moreover, near which
Garth was fiddling...

That part of the station where they were delivered
special elevator, was fenced off
from the main glass space
wall.  In the other wall - apparently this is
was the outer wall of the City - visible
two transport holes
tunnels. One tunnel was much wider,
probably a cargo one.      And on
the only passenger rail
There was a magnetic plane in the tunnel.  Small,
six to seven meters long, without trailed
carriages, with a swift, slightly
flattened silhouette, giving off a huge
speed.    The magnetic plane doors were
open, support field retracted, and
the device stood on thick retractable
supports                                 

Dima approached the frozen man near the wall
Tiri asked:

- What altitude are we at?

- Eh?.. Fourth tier.  This is kilometers
one and a half...                              

There was something unfamiliar in his voice, and
Dima became wary.     Behind the thinpeople walked around like a glass wall, wearing such
same as Tiri, free grays
trousers and jackets, the same
cropped, dark-haired, with
hasty                             
movements, indifferent faces.  Not
Taking his eyes off them, Dima asked:

- What happened?

Tiri looked at the man standing next to him.
Archie's tape recorder and quickly said:

- The information network is available in all
premises of the City.           B
transport center too... And they
calm.                               

Dima did not immediately understand the meaning of these words.
Then it dawned on him.

- But the transmission was on, Tiri! Garth doesn't
I could be wrong!

- The transmission was underway. And the information screens
networks can be disabled
directly from the premises where they are
installed.  There are plenty of duty officers here.  And
wherever many people gather there is
Duty...                             

He was overcome with impotent rage.
Restraining himself, Dima asked:

- So, is it all in vain?

Tiri nodded silently.   After hesitating,
added:                                

- Those who did see them are isolated...
And then they will say that it was
excerpt from an entertaining film...

Dima ran his hand overface.  It seems
eyelid twitched...

- Tiri, don’t you dare say this to the guys.

“I understand,” Tiri said almost offendedly.
looked at Dima.   Behind the transparent
the wall dividing the station is still the same
people glided silently.  Equal...

- Why don't they look at us? - Dima
I asked just to
ask about something; he guessed how
there will be an answer...

- At all stations on that side
huge mirror.   All over the wall...

Gray shadows continued to move faceless
submissive flock covered
strong aquarium... Equal. Equal in
ignorance, equal in lack of freedom,
equal in inequality.

- Everything is ready! Parking for five minutes! - Garth
leaned out the door
magnetic plane and suddenly smiled.
His hands were dark with oil,
shiny grease - it looks like he opened
even running gears.    As if
Catching Dima's gaze, Garth casually wiped
hands on shirt.  Easily jumped onto
smooth station floor.  Dima stepped towards
him... and froze.  Garth suddenly strange
got closer and was now looking past the pilot.
And the next moment Dima
I heard the buzz of the bracelet.

The man stood against the opposite wall.
He was dressed in black, mattereflective suit with white lapels
sleeveless and high white
collar  Stretched far forward
in his hands the man held a short and
a thick tube ending in something
like a ribbed ball the size of
small orange.   In "orange"
there was a black round hole. Dima quickly
looked at his friends. Tiri froze, looking at
The duty officer (that's what it is)
Duty officer, there was no doubt).
The pilot carefully grabbed the handle
pistol, and immediately the duty officer's weapon
turned towards him.   Then
The duty officer shook his head sharply and said
something abruptly incomprehensible.
Short evil words passed by
consciousness, but it was possible to guess the meaning
not difficult.                               
Dima sighed and stepped forward.

Everything happened so quickly that he didn’t
managed to react.   Garth, who
from the first moment stood motionless,
suddenly made a sudden movement, and
the machine gun was in his hands.  But
he couldn't shoot. Attendant's handset
spat out a stream of fire that scattered
orange flames.
Blinded by the flash, Dima closed his eyes
and completely automatically
threw himself on the floor.

From the side, from where Archie stood, he scored
automatic         Short queue
broke off andDuty officer, folded
in half, collapsed on the floor.  But Dima doesn't
looked at it.   He only saw
the blackened side of the magnetic plane and the lying one
underneath him is Gartha.                          



He was still alive. I couldn't help him anymore
no medicine.        Perhaps
even if Garth finds himself in the operating room
rescue cruiser, doctors would be
powerless.   But Dima still opened it
first aid kit, took out two ampoules... and
stopped, not daring to touch
to what was recently human
skin.  Finally he squeezed the ampoules and quickly
movement injected Hart with analgesia.
The cramped body moved,
the charred branches of his hands slid off
faces.  From the blood-black mask to Dima
looked confused, half-childish
eyes.         The lips moved:

- I didn’t believe... never...                

- Garth! Don't be afraid! Everything will be fine! -
No, it wasn’t Dima who said that, it was
said someone else sitting in his
body - dashing, fit,
confident that this is exactly how it should be
talk.  But Garth seemed to have collected himself
after these words, in any case
case, in his eyes
flashed blasphemously-impossibly
grin.                                

- Why lie... Dima, not from the City
leave... only throughthirteenth... The car is fine...
will get you there.    Tell them... who you are...
intimidate... And don't let Archie... in
offended...                                

Red foam appeared on his lips, he
turned his fleeting gaze
on Tiri and said even more quietly:

- And you find Gal... be sure... Here
you will be... fine...



Dima covered it with his jacket. Archie
put the blackened one on top
The machine gun, after hesitating, took out the clip,
whispered:                              

- Sorry...                             

They never reached the murdered Duty Officer.
looked.                             


4. THIRTEENTH CITY                    

In a low room, with walls transparent from the inside,
the cabin of the tape recorder stood with
a dozen deep ones, similar to airplane ones,
chairs     Ahead was fenced off
pilot compartment - two seats - and
impressive sized remote control
management.                             
Archie then went to the console, then again
sat down next to Dima.   Magnetoplane,
seemed to freeze in mid-air. Only yellow
lay like a veil far below
desert... The pilot turned to Archie,
said:                                 

- If only they didn't turn off the power
magnetic suspension...                   

Tiri raised his head and looked at them,
muttered:                            

- They won't turn it off.  Magnetic suspension and
tunnel stabilization system
paired.         Everything will collapse...

- Did you teach?                                

- They taught everything.  Equality in everything.

Dima looked into his face and shuddered.
He said pleadingly:

- Tiri, we'll try with them
agree...                         

- Yes, of course... - Tiri looked down,
suddenly perking up, he said:
- Look, this is the Old City!

Below, the skeletons of giant
long abandoned buildings,
roads half-filled with sand, gray bowl
the cyclopean size of the stadium.
Tiri watched without stopping, next to
The pilot pressed himself into the cockpit glazing. Here
he shook his head and said something
completely incomprehensible. The word was spoken
something like this:                           

- Amazing...                         

It seems that Dima forgot and began to speak in
in your own language.       Tiri only
sighed and didn’t answer.  A
the ruins had already disappeared behind us.  Tiri
thought that the Old Town is
indispensable place of action
television series about outdoorsmen.  Although what
here are the outsiders - the Old Town
is inside a hugecorrect
circle formed by twelve
Cities, inside this invisible
radioactive wall covering
thirteenth...                          

Thiry remembered one of these films,
which I watched a week before
of his abduction, and smiled faintly.
Leader of the Outlaws, four-armed
mutant named Spider, two kidnapped
im equal and brave duty officer
Stran... They watched with bated breath,
without looking up from the screen... Gal
sat next to...                         

...The magnetic plane swayed a little.
At the same time the entire shiny thread
the tunnel going beyond the horizon sank.
Thiri's breath caught.   Archie
looked at him questioningly. Here,
in the magnetic plane car, Tiri was
the main thing.                                

- They're scary, you bastards. Turn off the power to
just a second...                              

Dima looked at Tiri in surprise, then
on Archie.     Like nothing
got it.    Covered his eyes, his face
distorted as if in pain... Quiet
asked:                               

- Repeat...                            

Tiri repeated.  Dima nodded his head:

- So, you guessed where we are...

He straightened his suit - bright,
defiant.   white, not dirty
even forweek hiking pants, scarlet
shirt.  He looked at Tiri and said:

“If something...” he hesitated and continued:
- There are three on your bracelet
buttons.  The one with the question mark...
Well, that's the hook, you don't need it.
You still won't understand. And a button with two
no need for rings - not here
pairing devices.   And the third...

Dima was silent for a second, but still
finished:                               

- You’ll press the third one when everything is completely over.
difficult.                                 

- What kind of button is this?                  

- Active mode.                       

Tiri didn't understand. But I didn’t have time to ask again
- silent, frozen in
Archie seemed to explode in his chair:

- Button, mode! Garth was killed! He was killed
and we left him with it
to the animals! And you talk like it's nothing
didn't happen!                           

There were tears in his eyes, and his fingers
nervously twitched the fuse
on the machine.   Dima leaned towards him,
carefully looked into his face.

- Archie...                               

He sobbed, bowed his head,
pressing against the pilot's shoulder.

- We, pilots, have an unwritten law:
until you came home
do not remember those who have passed away.   It's not in vain
came up with it, right?Archie?

- Not in vain... We have such a law too
there is... But I will never forgive them
I won't sling!

Thiri moved closer. And they sat for a long time,
without saying anything, so as not to
break your common law...



They had been sitting in the cabin for the second hour,
when the speed began to drop.
When it got down to about a hundred
kilometers per hour, magnetic plane with
I punched the vacuum airlock with a cotton swipe. Now he
rushed along a narrow steel strip,
hanging in the air without any support. "U
they have amazingly developed technology,
for a society with complete depersonalization this
uncharacteristic..." The thought flashed
so fast that Dima didn’t have time to ride it
concentrate.    Gradually height
decreased, and soon the car was moving
ten meters above the ground.  Rail
could only be seen by looking forward or
back;      looking around,
it seemed that the car was not driving, but flying.
For tunnel support, pumping
a lot of air was probably wasted from them
energy...                              

Dima was brought out of his reverie by a jolt.
shoulder    Tiri showed excitedly
forward:                                 

- Trees!                              

These were not trees, but a real forest.
The magnetic core rail went over
the very top,spread out around
dark green, trembling in the wind,
sea.                                   

- And they settled down well!              

Archie didn't even say it with anger.
Confused... Tiri asked:

- Where are they?                           

Far to the right flashed a white round
turret, slightly protruding above
trees.   Then, very close, under
magnetic plane, a bunch of
small multi-colored ones that look like
trihedral pyramids, houses.  More
a minute later they rushed past
dark, as if rooted to the ground,
hundred-meter disk, several meters
protruding above the ground.

Dima honestly turned his head, trying
remember more.       Finally
said:                                 

- Guys, you may not believe it, but this
Looks devilishly like Earth!
Typical science town!

- Well, well.  Talk to them about science. -
Archie adjusted the machine gun
belt   The magnetic plane slowed everything down and
slowed down its flight, it seemed they
the journey was nearing its end.

- I’ll talk... Archie, hold on all the time
next to me or Tiri!

- OK.                                

The magnetic plane suddenly dived gently down into
revealed beneath thema five-kilometer pit, just as densely
overgrown with forest and with an impressive
the size of the building in the center.  building
was built from browned
time stone in the shape of a polygon. B
the middle of each face became dark
hole where the rail went
magnetic plane. Dima did not count, he and
yes                                     
knew that there were twelve faces. It's suddenly
chilled, and he was unnatural
smiled:                              

“We’ve arrived...” and added, remembering
Garta: - Parking for five minutes.

They really arrived.  From somewhere
from the side, not allowing you to reach the building
from half a kilometer, a volley was fired at them. And not
from some antediluvian guns, and
a completely modern plasma thrower.
A pulsating fiery tentacle emerged
from the green forest wall and hit exactly
into the magnetic plane.     Seeing
a jet of plasma rushing straight into your face,
Dima involuntarily recoiled.
Felt a dull push and the world
turned into something bubbling,
smoky, red and black...                
5. PROTECTION BRACELET                       

There was a three-meter circle of grass around Dima.
And then lay scorched
black land, from the forest to
dodecahedron of the station... Not far away
it was getting darkbroken steel cigar. At times
blue tongues ran through her
flames, something was loudly rumbling inside and
pieces of charred material flew off to the side
sheathing. Dima tried to see if there was
Is there anyone there?     I tried
realizing the futility of this
classes...                              

He forced himself to look at
standing nearby.    The man froze
almost on the border of the grass circle, it
half high boots
plunged into the ashes of the burnt earth.
Ashes were also on the carefully fitted
black uniform, he covered it with gray,
cigarette residue, and on the face,
giving it a strange deathly quality
shade.  With stupid stubbornness, or maybe
be, simply with boundless rage,
a man raised the bell of a flamethrower.

- Defense, - tiredly and, in general,
Dima said unnecessarily.                    

Nothing happened. Just blinked green
the bracelet trembled
biting into your ears with a barely noticeable whistle,
air.   The attendant pressed the trigger.
Not having reached Dima by about one and a half
meters, fiery jet
scattered in a fan of spray.

- Well, stop it, idiot, - he almost asked
Dima.                                   

The duty officer looked at him transparently
haterseyes.      tilted
head to chest and muttered something
small transmitter disk.             



Archie was beaten skillfully and diligently. When
he opened his eyes again, then
I saw what lay in the narrow and deep
black trench, high in the sky
the yellow disk of the sun is swaying... But
the trench moved and disintegrated
into pieces - a tight ring around it
There were guards on duty in black uniforms.
One of them raised his leg, aiming for the face...
Archie closed his eyes.   But no blow
followed.                            



Tiri was the only one who didn't lose
consciousness.                    Magnetoplane
exploded into a ball of fire and
boiling metal.     With a crunch
the cockpit hood flew apart, and all of them
together, thrown to the side.
Instinctively, Tiri cowered, waiting for him
the monstrous blow of pain that is now
will twist his whole body. But there was no pain.
The air around was shaking strangely,
There was a cutting whistle in my ears.  Curved
spiral steel cladding sheet
was about to slide towards his face, but suddenly
unthinkably turned around and walked past...

And then the fall ended, and he
I felt the ground beneath me,
soft, careful touch.  "It's not like that
fall from a ten-meter height,"
a thought flashed through my mind. Flashed and disappeared. He
layamong the trees, above him
the tunnel he had dug into the
leaves when falling.     Through
a thick column of smoke could be seen from the trees.

Tiri jumped up and rushed into the depths of the forest.



About two dozen people have already gathered near Dima
On duty.    First one, then the other
tried to approach him. Who is slow and
who and from a running start.   The result was
one - quietly clicked on Dima's hand
bracelet, and the protective field rejected
The attendants are back.  The pilot was silent, not even
trying to stop them.    "Let
will be convinced, - I thought calmly and coldly
Dima.  - The more of them there are,
the more chances the guys have to escape..."
He couldn't believe that both Archie and
The Tiri are dead. Even if Archie didn't get in
their field of protection... Tiri should have
survive in any case.

The silence came so suddenly that he
didn't notice her right away.   One of
The duty officers came forward and stumbled upon
an invisible barrier and froze, as if
in front of the glass... Then he said:

- We consider it necessary to conclude a truce.

Those words are so sublime... Dima
looked at him questioningly.
The duty officer continued:

- We need to make an exchange
information.                            

The pilot nodded:                           

- Okay.  But I will only talk to
those whohas sufficient
power.                                

- Of course.   But... turn off yours
wall.                                  

- Lower your weapon.                      

Those standing around Dima slowly lowered
flamethrowers.      Looks like it was
the only type of weapon they
admitted.                             

Dima looked at his hand. bracelet
flickered yellow, they say, I’m not
spend, hostility is felt,
then it clicked.    And a faint whistle
hanging in the air, disappeared.



Tiri walked for a long time through the forest.  It was
tamed, toy forest, he
seemed thick and wild only from above, from
magnetoplane cabins... Tiri then and
business crossed narrow concrete paths,
turned, guessing ahead
some buildings.  There was no place here
hide... He was tired, terribly tired,
This didn’t happen to him even in the first days
after the kidnapping... Every step
required not just monstrous efforts, but
also its justification - why
he, this step... And Tiri was distracted, not
noticed two people emerging from behind
trees and squeezing angular,
unfamiliar weapon...

The protective bracelet on his hand was in
squeal.      Thiri stared for a second.
to its blaze.  Then he looked atOn duty, on thin, almost invisible
rays reaching towards him from their weapons.

Tiri was overwhelmed by a wave of despair,
insane anger.   Two guys, a little
older than himself, tried diligently
kill him.   Well, well... Fingers
slid to the bracelet and pressed the one
third, button.  "Active mode" as
said Dima... Two sparkles, pale in
sunlight, broke from the dim
bracelet edge. They broke off and disappeared. A
two attendants are weak-willed,
they sank to the ground in limp sacks.
The laser beams still hit the trees,
Some twigs and branches fell down...
But the weapons were already falling out of them
fingers.                                

Tiri approached them stiffly,
petrified legs.   Dropped in front
a pale, awkward guy on his knees,
pressed to his chest... The boy was his
peer. He sobbed and opened his eyes,
instantly shrank with fear.

- Do you want to live?                          

The voice was alien, Tiri himself was surprised by it
calm and mocking
I'm drowning.   He knew what to do and how
speak, his voice... The boy nodded
head, quickly and shallowly, without daring
take your eyes off Tiri.

- Where is house number three hundred and seventy?
five to twelve?                        

- I don't know!- You're lying!                                

- No!  I swear I don't know!  Don't know!  

He suddenly began to cry. Sobbing like a child.
Tiri was confused for some reason
it seemed to him that the first one he came across
The attendant will show him the way. But he said
just as calmly:

-Where are all the residential buildings?                 

- There! Along the river!                      

Tiri rose from the ground, took a step away,
one more... He unexpectedly
felt what was about to happen. But
no fear, no pity, no desire
he had no choice but to intervene...

The duty officer lay there, stuck in Tiri
numb look.      And suddenly
rolled onto his side, trying to reach
to weapons...                            

Dazzling white lightning struck from
protection bracelet.      In the air
the smell of a thunderstorm floated up. rustled in the wind
trees.                                



There was no stupid black on these three
forms.   For two - something like
dark suits, and on the third, younger
others, witty-faced, quite
a familiar sweater, the kind they wore in
Camp, and on Earth... They sat with
one side of the table, and Dima on the other.
He looked at them and waited.  But these
the three seemed to be waiting for something.

“We want to understand your goal,” he said.
finallyman in a sweater.

- First I need to know if you believe.

- To what?                                 

- Because I'm from another planet.

The three at the table looked at each other.  Then
sharp-faced took it from the table
several sheets:

- Here are the data from the radar station of the second
Cities.    Here are the test results
your aircraft.   Here
analyzes of the robot you destroyed. But
expert opinion on all this
facts.   It's done for another three weeks
back.                                  

Dima bit his lip.   And the speaker
continued:                              

- We were able to approximately estimate
the power of your equipment.      And
we understand that the interstellar ship
capable of sweeping everything off the face of the planet
Cities in a split second. We want to know
what are...                               

- Excuse me, what is your name?

- Decision Maker.   It's like
position, - the duty officer tried
smile.                             

- I understand. Our goal is peace. Mutual
help.     Now she, of course,
you need.   And we will provide it.

Dima saw how dumbfounded he was
interlocutors.                            

- What kind of help?  - asked carefully
ReceiverSolutions.

- I love it.    Decontamination of infected
plots.       Climate change.
Of course we are not omnipotent and it will take
years...                                 

- What do you want to get in return? -
said the sharp-faced man slowly.
Dima hesitated. He should have said
"nothing."     Should have... But...

- In return, you must eliminate the Cities.

All three faces hardened. It's like they
expected from the very beginning
such a trick.

- What about people?  - sharply and
The Receiver asked mockingly
Solutions.  - Kill?  Or you will find them
activity on your planet?

- For what? - Dima was even dumbfounded by this
impudence.     - Let them live on
surfaces, build normal cities...
There has been no radiation for a long time...

- Five thousand can fit in the valley,
where are the outsiders hiding...
- Sharpface saw how things had changed
Dimino's face, and explained: - He tracked you down
patrol robot.  He followed you after
how you blew up yours
device... Well, what about the rest?  Where are they
will survive on the surface, in anhydrous
desert? Another thousand or two can be taken
here on the thirteenth.   That's all!   On
the planet has no habitable
territories!                             

He fell silentas if expecting objections,
then he continued explaining,
in a pleading tone:

- For the majority of the population, life
possible only in autonomous cities.

Dima opened his mouth to object, but
said something completely different:

- It's not about the Cities themselves, it's about
mode that you
installed.     Stop the suppression
emotions, destroy the equality serum,
tell the truth about the thirteenth...

- What serum?   - Pointy-faced
confused.    Then I seemed to remember
something and smiled more confidently than
before: - There is no serum. This is the same
legend of outdoors... Emotional
coldness is achieved by the whole complex
educational measures, shuffling system,
eliminating prolonged contact
people. But we are forced to apply all these
measures: in tough conditions
economy, lack of resources, emotions will
inevitably push people to
crimes and protests. They have reasons
more than enough.  And now we
we can control the situation.
The capacity for love will inevitably
push                                 
people for marriages, for uncontrolled
reproduction, after all...

- Well, and...                              

- And gene diseases will lead tothe emergence of a huge number
freaks.    Well, kill them in
in infancy, as naruzhniki do,
more humane?                               
Artificial propagation, careful
selection of parent pairs allows
we need to gradually correct the genotype... How
see, suppression of emotions
necessary.   And tell your peers about
thirteenth City, where the majority
will never be able to get in, it's simple
cruel...                              

He looked at Dima with the air of an experienced
fencer who fought back
somewhat sweeping, but inept
blows.  But Dima had one more blow.
Irresistible.  He even swayed forward towards
To the Decision Maker...

- And by what right did you appropriate to yourself
"dangerous emotions"?    Why are you better?
Equals? Why do you breathe clean air?
and walk on living grass?  What are you
better?                                  

- With my mind.                                 

He looked at Dima even a little surprised.
And suddenly he spoke quickly and
confusingly:                               

- Yes, you don’t know anything... The duty officers
those become Equals who
has the highest IQ
greatest freedom of thought.
Selection is carried out at the age of sixteen
age according to these indicators. Otherwise in
thirteenth notget there, understand! Even
our children live in the Cities...

- What if intelligence decreases?  - stupid
asked Dima.                           

- Then you have to carry out patrol duty
service in the cities.                       

The irresistible blow fell into the void. B
vacuum        The swordsman dropped
sword, and now he himself fell off the cliff.
Dima got up from his chair and saw how
the faces of the three instantly tensed
On duty.  No, the sharp-faced one was looking at
the pilot calmly, even with sympathy.

- You just don’t take into account that in the Cities
it really turns out
every rabble.  Trust them to patrol
service... this, with the lowered
intelligence... Unreasonable... - strangers,
said in a stubborn wooden voice
Dima.                                   

But no one objected.   On the contrary,
The Decision Maker nodded with a look
a person who was reminded of an old
and painful illness.                  

"There is no dictatorship. No. Of course,
it would be more common for us
settle children in the thirteenth, make them
him a sanatorium where everyone spent
would be a few days in a lifetime, not
create ideal conditions for
intellectual elite... More familiar?
How long ago did we realize that
justice cannot be postponed"later" that the road paved with good
intentions does not lead to heaven,
that even in the name of the most beautiful
"tomorrow" you can't be cruel today...
And who can blame them for
mistakes we made
a long time ago... There is no dictatorship. More here
the invisible and the unheard will descend
observation probes, entire commissions
will rummage through the archives. But I already did
your conclusion.   No dictatorship.   No.
There is a planet squeezed in the grip of poverty,
there are Equals who turned out to be smarter
others were identified by a complex system
tests and got into the thirteenth - in
scientific, yes, really scientific,
City... There are those who were returned to
Cities that, consciously or not, take out
no offense to your own people
suspicious brothers and sisters... I can
should I hate them now?   I,
fell on their heads and proudly
doing good that they cannot
afford... What do you have left,
except pity, helplessness and
the stupid smile of a boxer who sent
knock out your shadow?.. Lord, they are
They consider me a conqueror, an enemy
infiltrator..."                          

It was as if he had split into two. One Dimka froze in
bottomless, black void, in
An icy silence hung around.  A
another said:- We are very sorry that at first between
we have a misunderstanding...

...The robot he knocked down falls on the sand -
heavy, twitching fiery
com...                                  

- The paths to understanding are complex. But from now on...

...Cut down by a paralyzing charge
settled into the chairs of the attendants...

- In the shortest possible time we will be able
provide you with specific
help...                               

...Archie shoots. And the one who killed Garth
lies on the floor, and from under
a jacket torn by bullets flows
blood...                                

- We consider it our duty...

"...Memorized phrases. For me they
familiar, colorless and tasteless...
Like water.  And the attendants listen with bated breath
breathing.    They expected something else...
It's strange, I don't feel guilty..."

He fell silent.  And then he seemed to be burned:

- What about my companions?

He met a blank look.

- Naruzhnik, who was in the magnetic plane,
captured.                               

- And... next?..                        

They were silent.                            

- What will happen to him?

- He's a killer. He admitted it himself. We don't
supporters of cruelty, but those
those who come with weapons are met with resistance.

-     Youshould let him go.

Silence.  “Don’t hurt Archie, Dima.
Scare..."                            

- You can consider this our condition.

"What am I doing? And who gave me the right
speak on behalf of the Earth?"

- Fine.                               

- This applies to all outsiders.  They
stop the raids, I will achieve it
this.                                  

- Fine.                               

Dima took a breath.   And asked:

- And Tiri?                               

- There were three of you?                        

They seem to be confused. However, Dima
too.    He looked at his watch -
no more than fifteen minutes have passed since then
since they were shot down.

- Tiri was kidnapped a month and a half ago
from the second City.                      

The duty officer, who has been silent until now, is the most
the eldest of all, suddenly
spoke:                              

- Yes, I remember this incident. Tiri, from
control pair.    There was also
girl, Gal...                         

- From the control pair?                  

- Yes... This is a constantly ongoing
an experiment that allows
allow the complete destruction of emotions. B
normal constant movement
population of the Cities, we call it
shuffle, do not allow Equalshighlight
someone from the general mass, and give
we need equal, friendly
relationships.   But also to worry about it
dangerous, complete
apathy... Control pairs serve to
checking for how long,
spent together, people experience
full-fledged relationships.

- And you are making corrections?  - very
Dima said calmly.                   

- Yes, we regulate the lifetime
collectives, not allowing
the birth of friendship or love.  In our
conditions love will lead to
crimes, to death...

Dima shuddered.  I asked what was already
has been on the tip of my tongue for a long time:

- You also regulate the duration of existence
individual people?     Or... they
here?                                  

He vaguely hoped so. Let this one
the old man will nod and assent...

- We cannot resolve old age. This
applies to everyone.                          

Dima looked into his eyes and did not dare
ask how old he is.
How much longer does he have left... And that one
continued as if nothing had happened.

- Control pairs are selected from
teenagers with high levels
intelligence, which will certainly be
transferred to the thirteenth.  Of course
they are notseparated...

“Usually they break up on their own,” quietly
said the Decision Maker.   - I
I was in such a couple myself.

A burning, unbearable premonition of trouble
burned Dima.      He said:

- Gal from this couple is now in
thirteenth...                          

- Probably... Check?                

- I know that too. House three hundred seventy
five to twelve.                        

- So what?                            

- We need to find her... No, it’s better
differently... I should be there myself. And
faster!   This could end badly!

It seems they understood... The same one
the elderly man whispered something in
small transmitter.  Immediately to the hall
Several very young people ran in
guys in uniform.  Now Dima looked at
them through different eyes... They listened
incomprehensible words of order and disappeared,
raising his hands in agreement,
answering something unintelligible...


Dima followed the Decision Maker, trying
understand his gestures,
excited intonation.   He again
lost knowledge of the language.                   
6. CONTROL PAIR                     

The houses looked like colorful jumbles
huge plastic
bubbles.  They were freely scattered around
partiesnarrow concrete
road stretching along the same
a narrow and calm river.

Tiri made his way from house to house, as if
he was guided by his sixth sense.
I looked at the number and moved on. it was quiet
no one was following him.  Having passed
hot, smooth ribbon of road, he
found himself in front of a bright light pink
home.  A path led to it, overgrown
low, hard grass.     Tiri
looked around and slowly approached the house.

Large numbers appeared in black above the door. Three hundred
seventy-five - twelve.

- Gal...                                

He ran to the door and hit it.
Suddenly the door slid open easily
to the side.   It was cool inside
deserted silence.    Glowed faintly
ceiling, illuminating a small room with
rows of closed doors and low,
wide cabinets separating these
doors.  Tiri approached one, at random,
the doors opened softly.  Spacious
room with a huge, entire wall,
window, all filled with incomprehensible
furniture.  Tiri looked around her, as if
hoping that somewhere in the corner she shrank
a small, defenseless figure in gray
overalls                            

Footsteps were heard behind him. Tiri
turned around.      One of the doors
slid to the side and he sawgirl.        She was years old
sixteen to seventeen, no more;  in
loose white blouse, short
skirt, with long brown hair,
freely falling on her shoulders, she
seemed completely unfamiliar. And only the eyes
remained the same...

- Gal!                                  

- Tiri!                                 

They rushed towards each other. Tiri hugged
I even tried it
lift up, like the guys did in the Camp,
but he did not have enough strength.  They're a little
pulled away, froze awkwardly, with one and
the same embarrassed smile on
faces.                                  

Tiri wanted to ask something, carefully
touched her cheek, but changed his mind.
"It doesn't matter. It doesn't matter. She's mine, only
mine.   bracelet in active mode...
We'll make our way straight through. Enough would be enough
energy... But Dima and Archie are not
little ones, they’ll get there on their own.”  Just in case
chance he touched the button again
active mode, and the bracelet obediently
flashed green.

- Let's go, Gal. We don't have much time.        

She ran her hand over his face,
ruffled her hair, just like
before...                               

- What an adult you have become, Tiri. And I you
I remembered everything timidly
as a boy.                             

- You've changed too, Gal.  But this is also
right. Let's go.                        

- Wait! - Fear flashed in her eyes.
- You were with the outside guards!  And I
I'm completely confused... How are you here?
turned out to be?  Yes, that's right, they passed it on...
Raid on the sixth, captured
Magnetic plane... They'll kill you, Tiri!
Stupid                                  
boy!                              

She pulled Thiri's hand.

- Are they chasing you?  What am I saying
of course... I'll hide you, and then
Ross and I will help you leave...

- Gal! - Tiri almost laughed. -
They have nothing to do with us
they will, believe me. I'm stronger and I have
there are real friends.    Let's go
Gal.  In half an hour we will be in the transport
center.                                 

- They will kill you!                           

- Nobody can stop us. You don't
do you believe?                                 

Gal was silent.  Then she said quietly:

- I think I already believe it.  If you came
here... Why did you come, Tiri?

- Why did I come? - It was like a blow
in the back.     And no bracelet
couldn't protect him...

- There is blood on your cheek.

He lowered his head and mechanically
palm, looked:

- This ismy blood.  In the forest, about a branch...

- But there was also a stranger?                      

“Yes,” he pronounced this word for a long time,
forever, he made it again
live a month in the Camp, and go through twice
desert, and attack the sixth
City, and throw the dead Garth, and into
kill in a quiet, tame forest
duty officer  He grew up again in the fourteenth
children's center and rushed around
gym of the third City, and with
looked at his with curiosity
new neighbor until he remembered that he
name is Gal and they have already studied
together.   And the group was shuffled every
six months, and they all stayed together, and
began, without saying a word, to smile each other
friend in the morning... And he still had time
touch her face with your lips for the first time, not
understanding where it came from is
movement, and only then the word was
spoken in full.

- Yes.                                   

And they hit him a second time, with the same word,
only this time angrily,
indignantly.                             

- For what?!                               

- They deceived us! Bullied
by us!      They didn't give us
love!                                 

- They just let us do it. You
you don't understand anything...

- They separated us!                    

- Nobody has usseparated, perhaps
outdoors.                              

- Gal!  What's wrong with you, Gal? Don't you
you see, because this redhead
Duty...                             

- Don't talk about Rosa like that!                 

- About Rosa?                               

- Yes. He loves me.                    

The words stuck on the tongue, they were
rough and heavy, like
cobblestones, and just as unnecessary, but
Tiri finally pushed them out:

- And... you? You too?                     

- Yes.                                   

Tiri tried to take Gal's hand, but she
pulled away.                           

- Gal, have you really forgotten everything? Do you remember
how you and I swore, friend
friend that we will never forget
let's forget... And then this one appeared
red... Ros... and they took me away. After all, we
loved each other!   Is it really all
disappeared, Gal?

For a moment there flashed in her eyes
something former.    Gray walls and
cold light of the second City.   On
moment... And again in her eyes there was
the sun, yellow as Rosa's hair, and
blue sky...

-You don't know anything, Tiri. We're just
made you fall in love.     It was
experiment, Tiri. And make you love
it is impossible.   You're good and I'm nothingI forgot.   But you are a friend, and nothing more.
Understand?                              

- But I love you, what does that have to do with it?
experiment...                          

- It seems to you. We just have no one
there was more to love.
Understand?                              

- Nonsense!  - Tiri grabbed Gal by the shoulders,
shocked.      - I had someone
love! But I remembered you! I would kill, I would
demolished all the cities to see
you, and would shoot all those on duty. to me
it was painful and scary, but I
said to himself: Gal is waiting for me, she still
worse, I have to endure everything.  And I
withstood everything! You can't even imagine
how many people helped me find
you!  Garth was dying at the station of the sixth, and
he himself told me that we have everything
it will be good. You and I, you know?
And now Dima and Archie are somewhere nearby,
maybe they need my help, but I don't
I can take a step... Wake up, Gal!

- If you had returned earlier, Tiri... -
there were tears in her eyes.   -
If only you had returned earlier... I really
not my fault.   I would like you
love again, but I can’t.  Ros, he
very good...

- Ros is a scoundrel! They are us in animals
transform, they... they... -
Tiri choked on his words,
fell silent.- No, Tiri.  If a person lives in
thirteenth, which means he deserved
this... You're smart, Tiri, you should
there's another way to get here... Give up!  I
I’ll help you, and Ros will help!  you
forgive me and...

Thiri pulled Gal, she fell, and he almost
dragged her towards the exit.

- You're sick, Gal! You were deceived... I'm done
I won’t leave you anyway, if you’re free
you will come to your senses...

She was not much weaker and escaped from
his hands.    With pity and longing
looked at Tiri.

- How stupid you are... Still stayed
the same... Never me and Ros
Let's not part.

Thiri retreated to the wall. Looked at Gal
point blank, he shook his head.

- It's not you, Gal. Apparently I was mistaken. This
not you.      You're not like that.

Gal sighed:                          

- I'm really not like you.
represented me.    Not for a long time
like this.       Should I help you leave?

- I don't need help.

The entrance door opened with a slight bang.
door.        Red-haired young
the man confidently walked into the house, squinting with
light, looked at Gal.

- Why is the door blocked? What, you don't
you know what's going on in
city?   Thesenaruzhniki became insolent
limit.             Damn it!

He hastily snatched a long one from his belt,
a dimly glowing pistol.          

Tiri didn't move. "bracelet on active
mode.     Let it be.    Let..." Barrel
looked him straight in the face.

- No need, Ros! Is this Tiri? You promised!
- Gal rushed towards him.
former duty officer of the sixteenth sector
hugged her and pulled the trigger.



Everything was the same here as before.  And yellow ones
dunes and burnt carcass
lifeboat. And again they stood
the three of us and looked into the serene
blueness of the sky.

Dima pressed the pairing button of the bracelet
an hour ago.   And since then
the security system computer led
continuous communication with rescue
by ship.                               
He gave a bearing and reported something.  And not
responded to Dimka’s questions.  Only
highlighted on the screen a few minutes ago
countdown.

- Soon. Twelve minutes left
- not to anyone in particular
turning, Dima said.

Archie hesitated:

- Dima, everyone in the Camp remembers you...
Taya has recovered...

“Okay,” he didn’t immediately understand that Taya—
this is the girl whohurt
blast wave.  Hurricane, explosion... This
it was so far...

- The elder asked...               

- How is he?                               

“Nothing,” Archie shrugged.  -
He says that he doesn’t trust the duty officers...

- And you?                                 

- I don’t know, Dima...                      

- Since yesterday they stopped
shuffle.    This is not so little.

The sky above was as usual
clean.   But Dima knew that somewhere
there, in the heights, is now completing its
long way to the planet rescue
ship.   I wonder who will fly from
space schools?       Razumovsky?      Dima
distinctly, with photographic clarity,
I remembered his face at the dedication
cadets.  Razumovsky then raised above
head a small book of the Charter,
I held it for a second and lowered it.  And he said
very quietly: “Don’t forget one thing,
guys.  Every line is written here
blood.  And very often - not ours."
Not ours.

Dima looked at Archie, at Tiri. "Yes,
I didn't kill.    You have become mine
hands.  You pulled the triggers.
I just helped you a little.
A little bit."  And for the umpteenth time he
I was amazed that I didn’t feel like I belonged
guilt.  Not one step. Like no one
was guilty of neitherthan in this long
two month life.  As if everyone was
right                                   

- Dima...                               

He looked at Tiri.                   

- Tell your people that it’s me in everything
guilty.    Let them punish me.   I
I wanted that guy to die! And Rosa I
too... wanted...

- The machine never makes incorrigible
actions immediately.      She gives
chance... In the form of a paralyzing charge...

"But I won't have a chance. I won't be punished
cars.    Yes, I won't be
punish..."                          

- Better than me...                   

- I won't be punished, Tiri.       

- They won't?                             

- No.                                  

"I will walk along the slabs of the cosmodrome straight to
school.   And from all the windows on me
the cadets will watch.  Silently, no
moving... At the door of my building I
I’ll see a suitcase with things, and on top -
engineering diploma.  That's all.  I'm still
I’ll stand for a while, and from the windows everyone will be like this
look at me and the wind will blow
drive dry leaves and scraps around the yard
paper.       Then I'll leave."

He raised his head, trying to see
among the gray rocks the tower of the second
Cities.          No, far away...

"The earth will help. Five, ten will passyears, and they will come out.   All.
They will never be equal and the same,
they are all different: smart and stupid,
beautiful and ugly, happy and
unhappy.     They will become simple
people... So, it turns out, the duty officers
were they right?      They saved
civilization... Yes, they are right. In my own way. And
The naruzhniki are right in their own way.
Probably me too..."

He smiled.  And looked into the sky, where
overgrown with drilling ears
whistling, grew dim, spreading
sharp wings point.

- That's all... Archie, Tiri...            

They looked at each other.  Archie
nodded, averting his eyes, and whispered:

- Don't forget us...                  

Dima smiled.  He squeezed the outstretched ones tightly
his hands.    And without looking back,
walked forward to the little one, softly
a ship hovering over the sand. old,
a hard worker of space who has seen a lot.
Burnt ceramite, tarnished nozzles...
And he saw not only him.  He saw
thousands of ships, ships of all planets,
big and small, those in which he
flew, and those in which never again
will not fly.                             

The ship's hatch opened before him.
Wide, comfortable hatch.  Passenger.
But beforehow to step into it, he
turned around and threw up his hands. Two figures
in the distance they responded with the same gesture.  And he
shouted, shouted the last thing
I had to, I had to tell them, I shouted,
either proving or reminding:

- Fat Regel! Fat!