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THE OUTLAND 104
Hello, Rob, hello! Eduard Semyonovich recovered enough to receive guests on his territory. Bauer smiled politely from the screen. “He was talking about some kind of gentleman's set, without which you'd better not come.- Do not come? But what about work?- Work? Oh yeah. The interlocutor was not surprised. “Work is always very important. You'd better arrive on time so as not to upset your boss.— Chief?- Yes. I'm sure he'll be furious if you miss a day today. The personnel officer's left eyelid drooped so fast that I barely had time to catch his movement. - Perhaps he will even issue a reprimand to you with entry in the work book. All the best, Rob.Bauer passed out, leaving me sitting on the bed with my mouth open in surprise. For the first time since our acquaintance, this irreproachable gentleman in all respects allowed himself a brief digression from the rules. He winked at me, yes.However, it is clear why. Immediately for two reasons. And the most important of them, of course,
THE OUTLAND 105
- This is the period of the beginning of the war, right?- Exactly. People began to fence themselves off from each other not only for social reasons, but also because of the danger of catching an infection. As a result, the first batch of teledildonics and feedback gloves sold like hot cakes. That is, the official releases spoke, of course, about all sorts of noble goals, such as remote surgical operations and the like, but everyone understood everything. The third synthetic generation brought the picture to almost photorealism, and the electronic Japanese girl is always beautiful, affectionate and positive - not like some.— That is, the third generation was not about games?Why? About games including. But you yourself must understand that the number of single young men has increased in the world, who were frightened by the very idea of going out in public and declaring their heterosexuality, and no one canceled hormones. So virtual girls have become a great way out.“It's a road t
THE OUTLAND 106
There is one promise that every person inevitably makes to himself at least once in his life. "I'll never drink that much again." My dry throat rasped, and I pushed myself off the sagging couch onto the floor.It's a mentality and a planid. When by ten o'clock the fuel began to run out, and it became more than obvious to both of us that this would not be enough, I packed up and reached the point selling underrun medicine. The new portion of the intoxicating was wonderfully laid on the old yeast, and considering that Edik offered only a standard diet without dyes and flavors from the snacks on the table....— Oh, my head!- Resurrected? My ex-boss beamed with health and smiled disgustingly cheerfully. How are you, soldier?- "Yesterday I got drunk with the Russians. It would be better if I died the day before yesterday."— Are you kidding? This is good. Hold on. - Edik removed the centrifuge from the glass of the shaker, poured the foaming white-green contents into the glass and hande
THE OUTLAND 107
Unclear. I'm just a tester-rater from the import substitution department, who only knows how to play games and, based on the impressions received, allow or prohibit trade by Russian branches of publishers.The taxi has arrived at the appointed point. The car said in a pleasant female voice. - Have a productive day.When I got up to my floor, I went into the apartment, dropped my bag on the floor, left the headset in the hallway, and sat down on my gaming throne. Saturday, midday. What else can you spend a weekend on, if not something that our department would definitely not miss? - Run DP4, direct connection.The world flared up, filled with bright colors. A cat and mouse simulator where I played the very first mouse. There was a creak in the street, a bright, deathly light flashed, and automatic guns began to speak.“Commander, Conquista has figured us out!” - Antey reported, occupying almost half the room in his reassembled exo-suit. - This time they sent two detachments!- Fighter
THE OUTLAND 108
— Rob, Rob. - Again soft knees under his head, again a cooing voice, again fingers buried in his hair. - Why are you in such a hurry? Where and why are you running as if tomorrow your life will end, and therefore you need to live the remaining moments as brightly as possible?From below, I could see only the soft line of the chin, the ripe lips that formed into a kind, affectionate smile. Everything else was hidden by straight black hair, but what I saw was enough to recognize.— Agnis? Am I dead again?“Of course not, Rob. - The girl smiled. “It’s just that you lived so fast that the world stopped keeping up with you. You recruited people for whom you didn’t even come up with names, but made them your direct continuation, knocked together and soldered them into one organism, a single consciousness, to which the decree is only your will, and therefore the word “impossible” is unknown.— What are you talking about? Where are we anyway?“We are in a place that the creator called Tranqui
THE OUTLAND 109
- Well no. Pleasant. You are like my reflection, only better in everything - smarter, more interesting, prettier. True, I still do not understand who you really are? Are you an AI in charge of game mechanics? Game master? Just a player? One of those vegetables that became the elder gods of the Tlalli world?“You already know the answer to your question, Rob. Agnis winked. “You're a human, you're Astrix's apprentice and Warkart's protégé. You just don't want to admit to yourself that you already know who I am.- I do not know. I sincerely confessed.- You know. One day you will understand that you always knew this, even from our first meeting, when I pulled off the blanket from you and drove you to work. And I'll be waiting. Her voice weakened until it dropped to a barely audible whisper. “I just want to hope that you don’t hate me after this, drive me away and exclude me from your life.- I do not know. I can't, I won't promise what I don't know.- I'm fine with that answer. But you s
THE OUTLAND 110
- We do not issue a personal certificate.“Oh, what’s wrong with you?! The girl has cyber psychosis, she is not so long ago.“That’s what they would have said right away. Who are you, relative? - The guy signed some paper, breathed on the print and put a triangular seal. - You are in the fourth department, all psychiatry is there. Third floor.Yes, relative. I took the pass and hurried to the stairs.Another checkpoint is the guard nurse. Here, too, nothing seems to have changed since the construction. It's good that Bauer did all these things last time, and I just had to wait until he rolls Edik out into the sun. I think it's fair to say that I didn't like the hospital. Although, perhaps, a direct stimulus of escapism can inspire someone to do something, but for me personally, rectangular linoleum gray caused only melancholy.- Where, to whom?- Alova. Can I see her doctor?- And who are you sick?- None of your business. I smiled politely. - I don't plan to answer the same questions
THE OUTLAND 111
"Are you sure he'll be all right?" - For probably the fifth time I asked, seeing the departing ambulance.- Calm down, Rob. Bauer pointed out judiciously. “Neither you, nor I, nor anyone else can provide better help than doctors of cyber-psychiatry.But he was released! He rested for a week, getting ready to go to work!- Discharged as he recovered. But the problem is that it takes much longer for his nervous system to adapt to the high speed of signaling. Much longer than if I had had the operation. And certainly, much longer than it would take for you, the young one, accustomed to constantly driving billions of bytes of data through the spinal cord.— And how old are you, Bauer?— Thirty-seven, Rob. I, too, belong to a generation that was not grafted with silicon and gold.Like Edik.- Exactly. Cigarette?- Thanks.We stood on the porch and, spitting on all prohibitions, all instructions and laws, both written and unwritten, smoked, and there was no one to reproach us. The import su