UNDERGROUND

165

- Mikheev ...

- He was the best. The most successful project. Everything fit together so perfectly. And now it's over. I don't care what happens next. For some reason I didn't care after he died. I realized that my world is much smaller than the rest and it no longer exists.

When he had finished speaking, the old man sat in silence for a long time. Vindman was also silent, thinking about the fiery ocean. If the old man had told him such a thing in the Sisiji office or on the train, he would have mistaken it for crazy senile nonsense, but before his eyes there was still a wormhole that was swift, like a living black smoke, in which light is not reflected, still seemed to be tangible. its deadly heat, and there was a buzz.

The old man and Yakov's phones rang at the same time. The old man handed his iPhone to Windman without even looking at the screen.

He took the smartphone from the hands of the old man with disbelief, carefully put it to his ear.

- Yes?

It was Grisha.

Hello new set! Is