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Well, finally. The signal is received. Thank you, Isaiah. Always happy to see you. Okay, so we'll play the fork again.
"Maybe more than once," Isaiah corrected.
"Maybe more than once.".. Tikhon agreed with a glint in his eyes, the light of which Isaiah noted as a novelty.
Still, after all, such a glow in the eyes of Earthlings he had not seen before, and civilizations for which such a light is the norm, are tens of thousands of light years from Earth…
***
– Hello, Teacher, – with these words to Bartholomew entered one of his confidants, Tao.
"How did it go?"
– At first everything went according to plan, the girl quite simply got into the house and got down to business. I chose a good location, the cameras recorded everything. But at a certain point, something happened. When it became obvious that Gideon had solved our puzzle, I gave the go-ahead to the automatons.
Bartholomew listened intently, looking intently into Tao's eyes.
– The RIOT police know their business, which is why I connected the Colonel to this issue. They riddled the house, leaving no chance of escape.
"I know that Gideon is still alive, and I can feel him, and he is somewhere near. Stop beating around the Bush, why hasn't the task been completed? the Abbot said sternly, but with restraint.
Tao put the briefcase he had been holding on the table, opened it, and took out the girl's belongings.
– This is all that's left of Tatiana. It was as if Gideon didn't exist at all. Here are the recordings from the beacon and the video recording.
"To hell with this mischief, you know that the so-called dirt was just an excuse to get the girl to act and distract the target."
"That's right," Tao agreed, " but a curious thing has come to light. There is no video recording, not a single frame in which Gideon was caught. And the recording from the beacon during listening showed only the girl's voice, although we clearly heard his voice at the time of recording and understood everything that happened there before the attack.
"All right, leave the material here, and you can go."
"Will there be any new instructions, Master?"
– And the point is to give them to you if they are not fulfilled…
Tao lowered his head guiltily.
"I'll call you later." Stop!
The assistant paused in the doorway.
Analyst: where's he going? He met Tikhon, didn't he?
– Met. Now decides the consequences of the meeting.
The Abbot chuckled:
"Did our firstborn give him a hard time?"
– I melted the car into two parts. It was a new car. Well, I went to choose a new one.
– Clearly. Call him, let him look in tomorrow, have a conversation.
"All Right, Teacher.
The man went out, and Bartholomew went to the case and took the girl's blouse and held it to his nose. He sniffed something for a long time, then put it back and said:
"So he dragged you.".. It turns out that the girl is alive, and now she knows everything about me… Offensively…
The Abbot activated the recording from the listening device. There was no interference at the time of Gideon's remarks, so no silencing devices were used.
"You've learned a lot, kid… A lot of things, "Bartholomew whispered in exasperation," but I didn't sleep either.
He took a couple of steps away from the briefcase with things and notes, snapped his fingers, and in a moment everything that Tao had brought was scattered on the table in a pile of dust.
***
After Tikhon sent his greetings to Bartholomew, Vahe visited several car dealerships, looked after a new car, and while managers were preparing documents for the deal, he decided to remember his youth.
– How long will it take to process the documents? he asked the girl with the badge.
"About twenty minutes." We'll do it, and you can have a Cup of coffee in the second-floor canteen. As soon as everything is ready, I will come to you.
"Thank you, I'll be gone for about thirty minutes, don't waste it." Can I pay now?
– No, no, after all the formalities are signed.
– Nicely.
Vahe left the car dealership and went straight to the bus stop. In an expensive suit, a watch for several thousand dollars, the scent of a chic perfume from a limited series of the brand known in narrow circles, he immediately attracted the attention of fellow travelers waiting for transport. Envious and uncomprehending glances surrounded Vahe, but this did not bother him in the least.
A small commercial bus appeared at the turn.
"Seventy-six," he said to himself, marking the route number as a landmark, since it was in 1976 that he came under the influence of Bartholomew, received the knowledge, the necessary experience, and then the opportunities.
There wasn't a lot of free space on the bus, but Vahe squeezed in and even crawled into the middle of it.
– For travel, we pass who entered! – tired smoky voice made itself felt conductor.
The bus started. The newly entered passengers struggled to reach their pockets to count their fare.
"They came in again!" the conductor said in a nasty, insistent voice, fixing a mocking, gloating look in Vaga's eyes.
– Can I get two stops for free? I didn't take the money, " Vahe answered the conductor's gaze, clumsily holding on to the rail, completely forgetting how to ride public transport.
"No, you can't! Forgot money-go on foot, – savoring the benefit of the situation, the lady minted, and, turning to the driver, asked, – Dim, stop, you need to drop off one.
The driver pulled over to the curb and opened the door.
– Well, quickly, do not delay! the conductor was rude.
Vahe didn't move or even look at her.
– Man, I'm talking to you! Skip the "hare" in costume! the lady persisted.
The passengers began to smile. Vahe's lips also stretched into a smile, but it was not a kind one.
"What's going on right now?" You can't even take a stop? "what is it?" he asked slyly.
"No, we won't. The rules are written for everyone. Faster, do not delay, ' replied the lady, raising herself up, standing from his broken seat.
The crowd parted, and Vahe went to the exit, but stopped in front of the conductor and looked her in the eyes with a peculiar intensity.
The woman's face changed, lost its fighting spirit. The conductor sat back in her seat, collected all the change money from the tray, threw off the belt bag with the cash, and silently gave it all to Vaga. He took the generous gift for granted, and got off the bus. The driver, who was watching the situation out of the corner of his eye, did not appreciate this charitable gesture.
– E…– and, leaving the driver's seat, rushed to catch up with Vahe, who went in the opposite direction of the route in the direction of the stop, where he got into the transport. To the surprise of the passengers, he wasn't in too much of a hurry, as anyone would have done. The driver caught up with Vahe a few seconds later, grabbed him by the shoulder, but when he turned and met his eyes, the driver behaved no less strange than the conductor. Instead of taking the money, he took out more of his personal ones from his pocket and also gave them to the stranger, after which he apologized for the incident, wished him a happy journey, returned to his seat, and continued the route.
The passengers looked at each other in silence, not understanding what had happened, but no one commented on the situation.
"I can still!" "that's enough," Vahe said, shoving the money into his pockets, then went back to the dealership and left in a shiny new sedan.
***
Andrew and Alex have prepared the van on the road. Updated the stock of products, served the car at the station. Tikhon gave the go-ahead for the morning, which meant that at five in the morning it was necessary to leave the city.
"How are things going?" Tikhon asked the boys as he entered the garage of the rented apartment.
– Everything is ready, we can move right now.
"Well done, boys. Keep a premium for efficiency.
Tikhon took two thick bundles of bills from his pocket and handed them to the young men.
Andrey exchanged an intricate glance with his partner.
"Is something wrong?" the drummer asked kindly.
– Yes, no, everything is super, – said Alexey, – the money is in order, but there is no place to spend it. All the same time on the road, on the way.
"Welcome, boys." Canceling the trip. The city in which we are now located is quite large, it has almost all the benefits of civilization. Entertain.
"Are you serious?"
– Absolutely.
"Are you ready to postpone your trip because of us?"
– Why not, I understand your wishes, guys. Rent or buy a place closer to the center, meet cool girls and start living life to the full.
"Are we fired?" with anxiety on her face inquired Andrew.
– Guys, it's all right. There are no complaints about You. The space has cleared my foothold in this city for quite a long period of time. So the plans changed. You can take the car, equipment and tools, too. This is the last time we see each other.
The boys looked at each other.
– Tikhon, are you sure everything is all right? – Alexey anxiously specified, – if there are any problems, we are always ready to help and come to the rescue at any moment.
"I know that. Thank you guys, you served faithfully and received a generous reward for it. But now it's time to break up. The world will no longer hear the sound of the drum from under the sticks in my hands.
The assistants lowered their eyes, they had little idea who their employer really was, they just stuck to him with all their heart, and this moment of parting became for them one of the most difficult moments in life.
Tikhon felt a surge of bitterness and even a bit of anger at himself for not being able to help him in the case to which they were not allowed for obvious reasons of safety and care. He correctly explained:
Don't get angry with others, and don't get angry yourself.
We are guests in this mortal world,
And what is wrong, then you accept it.
Don't think with your head.
After all, everything is natural in the world:
Evil radiated by you,
It will come back to you without fail!
The boys nodded their heads.
– It's late, go to bed, and in the morning take all that you think necessary and in the good way of twirling destinies. I left everything, I have to go.
"How?" Now? Not even a glass of wine? Alexey was upset.
The drummer walked over to the guys, hugged them as a very sensitive and loving person can hug them, then stepped back, nodded, and left.
***
Bartholomew walked from side to side in the great hall in his apartments, thinking. He went to the full-length mirror, looked at himself carefully, and asked the reflection:
"We're going to win, aren't we?" We have always won and we will win now.
After these words, Bartholomew moved away from the mirror and sat down in a nearby chair, but the reflection in the mirror remained, it answered:
– We won, but our opponents were not so strong. Gideon has come for you, and he will not give up.
"He came for us!" Or are you separating yourself from me and our entire brotherhood?
The reflection gave no sign of confusion.
