she wants to find her final resting place. A safe harbor.
– Maybe, but definitely not a quiet one.
They laughed, both of them.
– There's YatSan. She's different, give her a good berth and she'll become a port director.
They laughed again.
– What would the other one do differently?
– Yeah, I guess so. And that's the right thing to do!
He said the last thing again, raising his index finger up and shaking it. Then he filled a shot glass with the brown liquor, the aroma of which was already wafting like gin around him.
– Iulia is the most… one of the most active participants of the program. And for all her faults, she's the anchor. You can count on her. And she wants fame and money, yes. I agree with that, in a way, as you said.
The admiral looked at him questioningly.
– Well, that it's the right thing to do.
– It's the right thing for everyone. But won't she defect? And let her know that you're only friends with her. If you've got a thing for Yat-san, let it be. Just make your positions clear. Don't let anyone get their hopes up, and if you've given hope, go all the way. Like the people, if you give hope for change, then go for it. You think people are magic, you think they're easy? Or do you think they believe that you will give them paradise? No, of course not. Everybody wants a chance. A chance to try something, to prove themselves. Among other things – your Iulia has themes that she has with other members of the group. I'm talking about the groups that include Petty and YatSan.
– What's she doing?
– She uses them purely to accomplish her goal.
– Who else?
– She has a few faces that YatSan is partially aware of and Petty is aware of others. Like, some of them are known to both of them, and some of them are known only to one of them.
– Oh, boy.
– She has another friend. She's a pretty good-looking person. It's hard to know what they have in common. We've got her on file under the code name "alien." Let's have another drink – and go ahead, the people are gathered at the entrance, waiting for their hero of the struggle against the regime....
Rutra left the police station accompanied by two sergeants. A large crowd had gathered outside, shouting and throwing bouquets of flowers over the fence. Many clung to the iron bars of the fence and shook it, shouting, "Freedom to the Messiah! I want eternal life!" The policemen, frightened by the crowd, did not escort him to the gate. As soon as Rutra stepped outside the compound, they put him in a chair stylized as a throne, lifted him up, and carried him in their arms. Ruthra couldn't understand what was going on, and more importantly, what he was being honored for. Suddenly there was a sound in his head-it was Irene's voice.
– Good afternoon, Rutra Tigrovic.
– Hi, Irene.
– How do you like it here?
– What do you mean, here?
– It's me, Irene, from the Sphere organization.
– How's that?
– I temporarily blocked their AI, their artificial intelligence, my copy, Irene local.
– How?
– You are in the body of a local Rutra, one who lives in this world, he had a connection to Irene. The bond of entangled couples is still intact. I'm actually there at the Sphere facility.
– I'm really confused. Is all this real? Is this an experiment? Are these worlds real?
– Listen to what I'm about to tell you, memorize it. You are a famous scientist and public figure. You have many patents and inventions. Your main discovery and invention turned people's consciousness upside down. For many years you have been trying to get authorization and government support for your rejuvenation method.
– What's the method?
– You have cloned a human thymus gland and are successfully transplanting it into the elderly.
– What's the effect? Are they getting younger?
– Yeah. (chuckles)
– So what?
– People stopped dying a natural death.
Ruthra was shaking, afraid he would fall. When he heard that, he was terrified. Where were they carrying him, and more importantly, who were they? They were young men carrying him. He tried to take a closer look at them. Not knowing the fashions of the world, it was difficult for him to determine the age of these people.
– Where are they taking me?
– There is a social crisis in the country. The country is on the verge of civil war. The authorities have banned your method, classified it and used it for their own purposes.
– How?
– It was discovered when they identified the spies. They were rejuvenating the recruits.
– It's not hard to guess that it didn't take long to convince him to become a spy in return for rejuvenation.
– You're right.
– What's next?
– Foundations and movements have emerged in other countries to bring the method to light.
– No deal?
– No deal. It was only in each other's best interests that the powers that be. It blew up the world. You realize the advantage it gives to some over others. The world is on the brink of nuclear war. Everything's very tense. You've been under house arrest. The second swallow flew out when the admiral you were talking to made public information about the secret center "Sphere", where a narrow circle of people from the power structures and oligarchs were doing this transplantation. There is a secret organization "Sphere" in this world too. Rutra Tigrovich, this is your theory put into practice. The worlds are parallel, many things are the same here, and some are exactly the same.
– Did the authorities know how to implement my methodology?
– Yes, they seized all your materials, documents, designs. Besides, they let you do your work at first. You have a team here. How you two met, I couldn't discern from past events. I only found your connection to her in some kind of group intellectual game called "Jagodzinski's Pranks." Your team helped you, in addition to the medical professionals.
– What's the point?
– I can't determine that for sure. You're constantly purging all databases, archives and history. I just found your discovery materials, cloning and transplantation techniques in a certain Iulia's database. All your know-how.
– Who is she to me, why did I give this to her?
– You're good friends. She's also a friend of Yat-san, with whom you have a complicated relationship.
– How
