resist, obviously mocking the words about a living stagnum. – Does he tell you jokes? Do you have dinner together? Bullshit! Pure nonsense! A stagnum is stationary in essence and in name!
Eira pulled a pistol out of her duty holster, turned it around, and held it out to Michael.
– Shoot me!
– And what? – The professor didn’t move. – What will the stagnum’s reaction be? Will it stop the bullet? – Michael was clearly enjoying his joke.
– And that’s what we’re about to find out! – Eira raised her voice. – Don’t be afraid! It’s interesting.
– We’re not going to shoot anyone, – Andrei tried to defuse the situation. – Put the gun away. Tell me about your operational work. Do you kill them on the spot? I mean fanatics.
Eira looked at the professor a little more, and hid the gun in its holster.
– The little things – clerics, sympathizers – we destroy on the spot. The more important ones, the spiritual leaders, the preachers, the monks, we take them to the Coven prisons.
– Yes,“ Sulu grinned again, „the last assault ended with the fanatics being found dead with their mouths sewn shut and their severed genitals and mammary glands stuffed into them. Even a couple of journalists got caught in the act. What’s your witch’s name? Boudicca? Everyone knows that any encounter with a witch will end in either an agonizing death or a cruel curse.
– Why don’t you kill the more important ones on the spot? – interrupted the professor.
– Then they immediately become martyrs,» the witch smiled, defiantly ignoring the professor. – They died for their faith. And thus strengthen the faith of other fanatics. Rumors in this environment spread almost instantly.
– So? You just put them in jail?
– No, we release them as soon as the renunciation process is complete. It’s very effective. A person renounces his faith in public, and we show it on a special TV channel.
– But a man can be deceived by renouncing his faith!
– Who? God? – Eira lit a cigarette. – Do you mind? – She asked Andrei and took a deep drag. – If a man goes to deceit to save his own skin, then he no longer trusts his god. You can’t deny your god by pretend. The whole point of religion is to blindly believe that god will protect you from any force. And if he doesn’t, he’s accepted you into the kingdom of heaven without a trial. Either way, it’s a good thing. By denying, you doubt his power and intent.
– Was it successful? Do you have special people for this?
– So far, it’s been successful. But it’s getting harder every time,» the witch took a drag. – You know, we don’t like to talk about it. It’s a very unpleasant part of our work. To give you an example, in one of the last renunciations we had to cut children in front of their parents. Didn’t last long. The parents, of course.
– And how do you sleep afterward? – The professor asked.
– We have sarcasm on sarcasm! – Eira couldn’t stand it and defiantly exhaled smoke right in the professor’s face. – When the life of a billion people depends on you, when you are trying to save this fragile hope from the last effort, when you yourself put a cross on your personal life, then it’s not up to morality. Don’t worry, Professor. When I find you in the company of fanatics, I’ll kill you right there and fast. Let’s call it a day! – the witch threw the cigarette butt into the professor’s glass and left the studio.
Chapter 7
– Whisper,“ Eira said, taking a sip from her tall glass. – That was brilliant! I didn’t believe you could handle so many people at first. You’ve never used mass hypnosis on us before. – She turned toward the bar: „Do we need someone to refresh the alcohol, or should I call the SWAT team here?
Six women sat at a round table in the corner of a small restaurant room in the dim light of the stage spotlights. There was not a single customer in the restaurant, except for the noisy female company of the Coven, and not a single waiter. A moment later an elderly man of short stature appeared from the bar with two bottles. He bustled over to the vacationers and filled glasses and shot glasses.
– The waiters had already dispersed. I’m the only one left. Shall I leave the bottles here? – he asked coyly. – If they run out, you can choose whatever you want at the bar. – He nodded toward the bar. – I’m sorry, but I need to get home to my family, too. Call me if you need anything. – He stood for a moment until Eira gave him a generous wave of her hand, and then he jogged toward the exit.
– When you book a table for tonight, don’t tell me it’s for a coven! – said Cataleya, adjusting the napkin on Boudicca’s chest. – The restaurateur put the restaurant up for sale and all the staff quit retroactively.
– I wanted to get a small discount, not curse the entire restaurant,» Tamura replied. – I really didn’t get charged for the banquet at all.
– What about the restaurant, what about the whispering? – Eira persisted.
– Have you ever heard of the practice of whispering witches? – Ruta asked back. – Vince is coming to pick me up soon,» she said, looking at the bewildered employees who looked at her with a question in their eyes, «my boyfriend,» she said. – The Jap will tell you all about it later. – Ruta pointed her finger at Tamura. – Shall we get to the ceremonial part? I realize I’m a hero who once again saved humanity from fanatics. And I’m smarter than all of you,» she smirked quietly, «but I’m not the birthday girl. Pour it, Tamurych, why are you sitting there selling tabla?
– Do you want to laugh? – Eira stood up and raised the filled glass. – When we had already spent money on the gift, paid for the project to the hardware and software developers, and ordered the sword, Ruta suddenly shrieked, «Holy shit! She needs two katanas. She’s an ambidextrous, after all!» We all froze, and Sylvia from the tech department timidly asked: «Who’s an ambidextrous?» And the white one said, «An ambidextrous person is a person who doesn’t care which hand is holding a pipidaster.»
– Katanas? – Tamura interrupted the raucous laughter of the guests. – It was a gift, wasn’t it? – The birthday girl’s brown eyes flashed like two supernovae. – Tell me it’s a gift! They’re not just katanas, are they?
– One katana so far,» Eira replied. – Or what’s the correct word? One katana? – She pulled out from under the table a Japanese sword in a black jade scabbard with an equally black jade hilt
– Pipidastre! – Tamura held out her hands to take the gift.
– What is a pipidastre? – Boudicca suddenly perked up.
– Wait!» Eira pulled the gift away from the birthday girl. – I’ll tell you first. It’s a work of art and the quintessence of the most modern technology,» she half-bared the blade. – It’s an alloy of the usual combat polymer used for firearms strikers and an isotope of titanium. Ninety times stronger than steel! It scratches diamond, but corundum cuts like bread. Superman’s kryptonite shatters
