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After Russian became an international language, everyone became so literate: they correct others in any situation. But overall, I am glad about the end of American hegemony after the collapse of the United States as a result of the «revolution of dignity of all colors and races.»
– I’ll follow you.
Every two or three minutes a new passenger was allowed inside. It was my turn. The air conditioners and filters worked well inside, so I immediately felt pleasantly cool, and my runny nose went away.
– Are you transporting explosives, narcotic substances or substances that enter into a nuclear chain reaction? – asked the young African-Russian woman in a monotonous voice.
«Nuclear,» the guard looked up at me in surprise. I showed her my wristwatch. – They are in America.
«Enough jokes,» the droid girl frowned. Of course, would an ordinary person do such monotonous work? Although I would go, but people are not hired very often: they need rest, they are not so hardy and efficient. – Come in for inspection. Men to the left.
– Boys – to the left, girls – to the right? – I smiled. The security droid furrowed her brows again, but remained silent.
This is the hundredth time I’ve gone through this procedure, and each time it’s equally unpleasant. He stripped naked and put his clothes in the provided container. All the nurses in this room are droids, but I still instinctively wanted to cover some places with my palm. One of the nurses ran the sensor along the body. After the local flucovibol pandemic, doctors learned that viruses can raise body temperature in a particular part of the body, and the rest of the body will be healthy, but no less infectious.
– You have been sick in the last four weeks or have had contact with sick people.
«No,» I wanted to make the usual joke here, but they are unlikely to be allowed on the Martian express even with the slightest suspicion of any illness. Of course: the immunity of indigenous Martians does not develop the necessary level of protection against all earthly diseases. After a detailed examination of every millimeter of the body for the presence of darkening of the skin or the appearance of any pimple, the body was doused with a stream of antiseptic with the unpleasant smell of bleach.
– You can get dressed.
I stood in line for a ticket. A droid operator sat at the window.
– Girl, I need a ticket for the next express train to Mars City.
– There are only tickets left for today’s train in the IM carriage.
I started scrolling through what this abbreviation means in a dead language. Immortal?
– Girl, do you seriously want to sell me a ticket to the lower class? So that I could fly in the same carriage with droids, anti-vaxxers and… – I almost spat out of emotion – and with elves?
– Yes, this carriage is intended, among other things, for the impressed. The lives of all Homs have the same meaning. And if you don’t agree, you can buy a ticket for next week.
– Excuse me, please. Give me one ticket.
– On the top or bottom shelf?
– The main thing is not the one near the toilet.
That’s it, I offended the girl. Of course, by refusing vaccination, you voluntarily deprive yourself of the right to visit any territory of Mars City except the Ghetto. And the rest found themselves in the role of outcasts by accident, and not entirely fairly. Those who chose the path of droids got the opportunity to cope with any job better than ordinary people, leaving sapiens without work. But it’s very strange to be embarrassed to travel in the same salon with someone who does all the physical and monotonous work for you. As for those who are impressed, here you will understand my feelings if you haven’t slept for the last two hundred years or haven’t watched the news all this time. Okay, I’ll tell you a few words so that you don’t think I’m arrogant.
I don’t remember exactly the year, but scientists then discovered a civilization on Mars that had gone underground many centuries ago. We are far from their technology. If the translators understood everything correctly, they live for several thousand years (I mean, each individual). They built mechanisms at the dawn of their youth – and since then there has not been a single breakdown! «Made on Mars» is a special mark of quality. Let our shop workers not blame their crookedness on obsolescence technologies, we are far from Martians. Due to their underground lifestyle and small stature, journalists dubbed the Martians «gnomes.» The media said that the gnomes gave us Medicine based on nano-robots, but most likely it was a mutually beneficial exchange; I don’t know what we could offer to such a highly developed civilization. The first military volunteers were injected with a portion of the «vaccine against all diseases.» Where else can you find such a number of volunteers if not in the army? Even the epsilon strain of flucovibola stopped working on young people. Some politicians also set an example. By the way, they are alive and still control us. The serum began to be injected into everyone who could afford it, including children and those seriously ill with incurable diseases. But the impression effect became known only after a while. The «cured» person became virtually immortal – except for direct physical impact, nothing could kill him, and severe wounds healed before his eyes. But his psyche remained forever at the same level, and often the meaning of their life revolved around only one type of activity or even an object. In the case of the soldiers, this suited everyone: unquestioningly following orders, eager to kill. By the way, this caste of soldiers was the first to die, as they went headlong to the hottest spots. Everything also went well with the politicians: they never betrayed their ideals, for which they received the support of voters. But imagine the impressed children! Forever little girls and boys dragging a teddy bear with them. Some were lucky: their parents also took the Martian vaccine, and such Peter Pans live in endless overprotection until the end of time. But most of the parents are dead, and who will take care of these not-quite-humans? Ninety-nine who took the Medicine fell ill in this way. By analogy with the Martians, they began to be called «elves»: beautiful, immortal, but absolutely useless for society.
I make my way along the long corridor in search of the desired compartment. A forest of bare legs looms above. And here is my place. The sheet and duvet cover are neatly folded on the bed.
– Young man, will you have some tea? – asked the conductor droid.
– Yes, black with a spoon of sugar, please.
A couple of minutes – and the steaming drink in the glass stood in front of me. Apparently, this glass holder was made in the mid-twentieth century – a real rarity.
– Are you busy? Apparently this is my place.
The compartment neighbor turned out to be a blond, curly-haired girl. My heart seemed to beat a little faster at the sight of her. Only this familiar look: emptiness and absolute detachment. Elf?
– I’m Ilya.
«And I’m Alena,» she extended her hand, but instead of shaking hands, I involuntarily brought it to my lips. Alena pulled away.
– Let’s have breakfast?
I took a printer out of my bag and set a program for boiled chicken, and Alena printed out cucumbers and boiled jacket potatoes on hers. At first we ate in silence, I glanced at her casually, and she lowered her eyes. Then we started talking.
– I had lung cancer, stage four. The doctors didn’t give me even a year. I didn’t have much choice: either voluntary vaccination or a grave. You can’t imagine these feelings! First, the whole body is shrouded in a veil of indescribable pain. And then relief: there is no endless burning in the chest, even without painkillers. The doctor carried out repeated examinations: there was no trace of the tumor.
«My wife also got an injection. More precisely, the ex-wife was very worried about her appearance. Seeing the first wrinkle, she signed up for vaccination. Since then, she has not left the mirror, admiring her ideal appearance day and night. Tell me, should I have continued to work, equipping her with new doses of cosmetics, and in the evenings watch her profile in the mirror? And every family that took the «dwarven medicine» has its own little tragedies. Therefore, many did not like those who were impressed. Who needs people functions?
– Many of our people have sunk to the level of «former intelligent people.» Although, there were no «ours» – everyone came to the hospital to solve their own problems. To achieve something, you need to work on yourself for years and constantly improve. Studies have shown that it takes six weeks to go down. Forty days – and now you are already accustomed to being at the bottom, from which you can again get out through years of work on yourself, which the impressed are no longer capable of.
Meanwhile, the space elevator had already lifted our car into orbit. Now we will reach the required speed value – and forward to the conquest of Mars: for those who have not yet been to their planet. We were rotating along an axis, so the view outside the window was fabulous: the stars merged into stripes and circles, creating a feeling of wish fulfillment.
– Are you impressed too?
«Yes, unfortunately, I am no exception,» Alena answered me.
– On what? What does it feel like to be impressed?
– I myself didn’t notice the moment of transition. One day I noticed that it was becoming increasingly difficult for me to remain without Tolik, my husband. We leave for work, and all my thoughts revolve only around him. I tried to hide my endless love for my husband from those around me, but Tolik apparently noticed something. I suggested that he give himself an injection, but he categorically refused.
How I understand you, Tolyan! I remember Karina’s face when she did not leave the mirror for hours on end, forgetting about sleep, and about food, and about me. I also vowed to myself to live an ordinary mortal life.
«That’s how we lived until his old age,» Alena continued. «And then he had a heart attack.» I made a diamond from his ashes, which I still keep close to my heart. You can’t imagine how much effort it takes me not to give up, just to continue living. There’s an eternity ahead, but I don’t know what to do the next morning.
«Or maybe…» I kissed her on the cheek. – Tolik will understand. You don’t lose anything.
During the kiss, her empty eyes looked like the artificial eyes of a robotic toy. I pulled off her clothes, and only the lines and circles of stars in the emptiness of space witnessed what happened next.
– Ilya, I love you!
– And I love you, sun!
– You did not understand! Impressive, you cured him. I don’t love Tolik anymore.
On the third day, we landed on the surface of the red planet, and Alena took me to the nearest medical center.
– Get this vaccination. For me. I don’t want to lose another person close to me.
It smelled of alcohol and carbolic acid. Under the fluorescent light, the nurse droid administered the injection. A burning wave of pain passed through my entire body, and then I felt an irresistible urge to go to the mirror. O Mars, what facial features! Why didn’t I notice in the reflection of the mirror before – how handsome I am! Smoothed an unruly strand of hair. Perfect! I suddenly realized that I was ready to stay here, near the mirror for an hour, for two… for a year? Karina, how I now understand your passion for mirrors.
Alena pulled me by the hand. Now the elf family will have an eternity of love. Alena will love me until the end of time. And I will love myself until the Universe shrinks into a point, and then a new one is born.
Universe without an observer
The clock hands crossed midnight. This was not the first time that two men emptied the contents of vessels resembling a Klein bottle in their favorite bar, «Klein Bottle.» Fortunately, the curfew had been abolished by the beginning of the twenty-second century, so visitors who had stayed for so long were not in danger. The bartender was silently wiping beer glasses behind the bar: there was nothing you could say to regular customers. But the music had already been turned off, so there was almost silence in the usually noisy room, except for two quiet voices. It smelled of beer and fried crackers.
– Listen, Vasya! There is no God on Earth. Maybe it once existed, but it left us long ago. Or it never existed.
– Tolya, where did you get the idea?
– Look around! Hundreds of infomaniacs are snooping here and there. They don’t work anywhere, and spend everything they steal on virtual entertainment. But the most worthy among us get cancer. They go to work. They spend everything they earn only on their family. Yes, maybe the church blog is not visited every Sunday, but is the essence of faith in a couple of likes? And then one day they are diagnosed with an incurable disease. And infomaniacs, just as they lived in a world of illusions, will continue to live without doing anything useful to the world. Either this god is a villain, or he doesn’t care about us, and he has derailed our lives. Or it doesn’t exist.
There is a philosopher dormant in each of us. And he wakes up when our main personality is on the verge of shutting down, for example, after a hefty dose of alcohol.
– You’re wrong. Let’s look at this from a different perspective. What happens to a small particle that no one is watching? It is located in several places at the same time with a certain degree of probability, until an outside observer appears. I would not want to live in a world without God: it would be a probabilistic hell. Objects would exist and not exist at the same time, they would be in different places. Until you deign to look at them. But our Universe is ideal, finely tuned: the atoms are just such a size that the world does not crumble into a handful of scattered ashes of small particles.
***
The midday sun seemed to burn to the bones. Although there were moments when the light suddenly disappeared, and pitch darkness set in, only a scattering of distant stars flickered in the distance. Sometimes the light of the stars obscured the entire sky, and then without glasses it was impossible to open the eyelids. Tamara gazed at the skyscraper, endlessly stretching upward. If it ended somewhere, then the human eye could not see its edges.
– Seryozha, where are you?!
– Tamara, turn around.
She turned around. The man’s hands had already partially turned into fog, but as soon as he looked at him, they immediately took on their normal form. She turned her head back, but the skyscraper was no longer there.
– You’re like a newbie! We agreed: you look at the Directory when I look at you. Then we change. Otherwise, without an observer, the building could end up anywhere on the planet. Just like you and me.
– Sorry. Near the Directory, the probabilistic blur is stronger than usual.
– And no one promised a simple operation. It’s good that the Directory stands out even compared to other skyscrapers in size. Look, she’s there. In the east. Be attentive!
Tamara waved her hand in the air, and a pass to the Directory appeared in it. For a statistician of her rank, creating a hiding place in the depths of probability was not difficult. They went inside.
Endless whiteness and sterility. Thousands of people waited in line at the turnstiles. They stood in even rows. Such an island of absolute order in a world drowning in uncontrollable chaos.
A gray-haired man approached the registration point.
– Mister Chizhikov! – asked the red-haired woman.
– Yes. He is.
– Ilya Petrovich? – the red-haired girl looked at the passport, but at the visitor’s face.
«He’s the one,» the man was noticeably nervous. – Can you do it faster?
– I act in accordance with the instructions. Birth year two thousand one hundred and fifteen.
– Absolutely, right.
– Purpose of the visit?
The man boiled:
– A girl, really! Everything is indicated on my registration card! Read more carefully! It indicates not only the purpose of the visit, but also the time during which I will be in the center building, my academic degree, the university I graduated from, my place of work and everything you need to know!
– Man, don’t be so nervous. I didn’t come up with the registration system!
– But you are doing an excellent job. I think you’ll do even better if you don’t ask tons of questions, the answers to which can be read on the registration card.
The girl, wrinkling a dissatisfied face that grew into a too obviously feigned «polite» smile, handed over the registration sheet:
– Please, Mr. Chizhikov, come in. Welcome to the Directory.
«Thank you, girl,» the man smiled no less «politely,» pulling out a small plastic card from his thin fingers.
– Look, Mr. Chizhikov, don’t stay longer than the allotted time!
– Will try!
– Next! – it’s hard to expect such a loud and powerful voice in a fragile girl.
Two people approached the registration point – a black-haired girl and a fair-haired guy. Both are wearing motorcycle suits.
– One by one! – the redhead screamed.
– We are a married couple. Make an exception for us,» the guy smiled, showing white teeth.
The girl carefully studied the registration cards that the guy handed her through the window.
– So-so. Sergeev Sergey Sergeevich and Ulmanovskaya Tamara Ivanovna. Somehow your last names are different.
– I decided to leave my father’s surname.
– Purpose of the visit?
«Girl, everything is indicated there,» Tamara said calmly. – Scientific research.
– Come on in…
«Thank you, girl,» Sergei smiled.
–…to the metal detector! – The red-haired woman grinned.
Two pumped up guys in uniform approached them and pointed towards the steel arch.
– Please place your bags on the scanning belt.
Tamara was the first to go through the scanner, followed by Sergei.
