The colony. Chapter 18: An Important Find

Contrary to his expectations, Barney woke awake and rested. The decision to postpone the solution of one of the most important secrets of the military base until morning did not affect the quality of sleep. And even if it did, it was even positive - the organism seemed to have decided how to prepare for such an important task and diligently recuperated.

During the water treatments, Barney scrolled through the events of the night before. Gordon's assumptions about implanting thoughts and continuous observation of the colonists no longer seemed so absurd. More precisely, observation was easy to guess, for Angus openly stated that everything that happens as part of this expedition is an experiment. And what experiment without observations? But the assumption of implantation of thoughts at a distance really made you think. If at night Barney was absolutely certain that he remembered part of his past, now he decided not to rush to conclusions. It is better to just have this in mind, and specific conclusions can be drawn when more data appears.

Going down to the dining room, he immediately felt the strong and pleasant aroma of coffee - this drink has already become an integral attribute of every morning and foreshadowed a quick breakfast. Sensing the murmur in his stomach and the hunger that abruptly made itself felt, Barney smiled and remembered Pavlov's dog.

“Good morning, Barney,” said Isaac, who was standing in front of the breakfast machine. Emilia has already begun to eat, so only waved to him.

“And hello to you,” Barney went to the water cooler and drank two glasses in a row. - How are you?

Isaac thought for a second. Since the last time they met the day before, nothing much has changed. I wonder why people always ask this standard question, which is always the same answer?

“I'm fine,” he answered, and smiled. - And you have?

Barney thought the same thing, and then replied that he was doing well. Choosing a double omelet with bacon and beans for breakfast and a large cup of cappuccino, he went to the table.

“Where are Alex and Gordon?” He asked Emilia, sitting down beside him.

At the same second the door hissed, and both appeared in the aisle. Each held a glass of coffee in his hand - Raytnov firmly hoisted everyone on the drink. Barney suggested that they went to the medical bay to check on Scott, and he was right.

“He is still asleep,” Raytnov reported.

There was nothing much to be surprised about - the poor fellow experienced many troubles and barely slept for two days. After such adventures, eight in the morning is not the best time to climb.

The door hissed again, and Angus entered.

“I almost slept through our breakfast,” he told the others with a smile. - I forgot to set an alarm in the evening. It is good that the body itself knows the time when it is necessary to rise.

He went to the machine, chose breakfast for himself and joined the others.

“Barney, what about your nose?” He asked, pointing to his scarlet tip.

Gordon remembered how his companion pinched himself at night to verify the reality of what was happening, and laughed. Barney looked sternly at him, and then touched the tip of his nose and smiled slightly. Discomfort almost gone.

“Well, this story could have happened to each of you,” he began, and looked around at the others.

Seeing five pairs of interested eyes, he nodded in satisfaction and briefly recounted the events of the previous night. He did not forget to mention the theory of Gordon about the introduction of thoughts into consciousness. As was to be expected, the story made a strong impression on the others, and Angus was most excited.

- This is incredible! - He even rose from his seat in surprise. - You really dreamed of these codes? There really were no other sources, how could you recognize them?

“Well, there could be only one source,” Barney replied. “I worked here and knew everything until they made me forget it.” Where could I get these codes from, if not from memories?

Angus sat down, straightened his glasses, but still remained too agitated to continue breakfast.

“Either the memories, or the introduction,” Gordon put in.
“The introduction of thoughts does not exist,” the doctor waved his hand. “Barney really remembered that.”

Gordon did not hide his surprise.

- How does this not exist? And how did we get convinced that we are ordinary settlers here and should study the planet?
- All ingenious is simple. - Angus again adjusted his glasses and prepared for an instructive story.

It turns out that the corporation never introduced thoughts to the subjects. The human brain is too complicated, and it was necessary to spend hundreds, if not thousands, of years to study it thoroughly. Scientists have learned only to erase memory, or, to be more precise, block access to memories. Moreover, this blocking was very conditional, because a person at any time could get access to the locked “memory cells”. Of course, there were no strict algorithms for guaranteed unlocking, however, Barney was in a long familiar and familiar place, and all these anchors somehow helped him.

Before blocking the memory of each of the future colonists, the corporation members under the guise of forwarding scientists organized preparatory events for them. On them they were told everything that was necessary to know about the planet Demetrion. Colonists were provided with tons of materials - videos from drones and satellites, reports on the composition of the air and the soil of the planet, as well as many other things - of course, all the data were false. The corporation was aware of the existence of titans, but it was strictly classified, and a completely different story was told to the colonists. The story is that they just need to study the soil of the planet and fragments of the remains of these same titans.

“As you can see, there was no actual introduction of thoughts anywhere,” Angus finished his story. “You were simply fed with false data, and you can say you yourself convinced yourself of the goals of this mission.” And then scientists just wiped out the excess in your heads, thereby convincing you even more that this is a scientific expedition.
“So Barney really remembered that,” said Gordon thoughtfully.
“I told you so,” Barney said. - And you're all about your introduction. And it turns out that I am not such a bad guy - I was under the tribunal because I refused to kill innocent people. And why are you thundering here, huh?

He slapped his comrade on the shoulder and laughed, thereby discharging that brooding silence that had almost hung in the dining room.

“Perhaps I'll pour myself some more coffee,” said Gordon, looking at his practically drained glass.

Using the general reverie caused by his story, Angus quickly devoured the rest of his breakfast. Surely, everyone thought about what made them end up here - who were they in the past? In fact, Angus, too, would not mind knowing these curious details, since he was not immersed in such details. Gordon returned with a hot and fragrant drink and sat down next to Alex.

“What about Joe?” - suddenly asked Emilia. - It is necessary to feed him, he is also hungry.

Raytnov and Gordon exchanged glances, and the latter answered for two:

- We think you should not keep him locked up. Now he is one of us and can be useful, so you need to allocate him a normal room and feed him. What do you think?
“I think he learned the lesson,” Barney said. - So let's act together. We are not a prison here.

Everybody agreed with this proposal, and soon Joe was already sitting at the table, but he was not in a hurry to get to his breakfast, which, at the insistence of Emilia, was twice cut down in volume.

“Where's Scott?” - He asked and looked around.
“In the honey compartment,” said Raytnov. - Still asleep.
- In the honey compartment? - Joe asked. - What happened to him?

Raytnov looked up at him blankly and only then thought that his answer was a little ambiguous.

“No, he's all right,” he smiled. “We just decided that it would be better for him to spend the night in the quarantine zone, good, there one can settle down quite comfortably. Nothing personal, but we were worried about our security after yesterday.

Joe nodded.

“This dormouse does not pose any danger.” Constantly waking the beginning of the shift for at least half an hour, and I had to work for two.

Looking down, he again came across his breakfast, and this time he could not resist. Last glance looking at the rest, Joe began to eat, and soon everything edible from his plate migrated into his stomach. It was evident that he was not full, but after several days of fasting it was not worth much to fill his stomach.

Joe looked quite sane and did not confirm the fears that everyone, to one degree or another, felt about him. Apparently, the assumption that he will think again and will continue to work for the team turned out to be true. And this could not but rejoice - because Joe was the best mechanic on Alpha.

- How can I be useful? - Having dealt with breakfast, Joe immediately got down to business.
“Glad you asked,” said Raytnov. - One of our rovers is pretty badly damaged by the titans. By the way, the one on which I came here. Gordon and Barney believe that the damage is quite serious, but I am also interested in your opinion on whether it is possible to fix it.
“Of course, perhaps,” Joe replied without thinking, as if he had already carefully studied the nature of the damage. - You can fix everything, the only question is in time and materials. When can I see him?

Raytnov thought for a second, thinking through a plan for further action.

- Right now. I spend, - Gordon took the initiative in his hands. - And you continue to do the planned things.

Barney nodded in satisfaction — he liked the idea. Of course, under the planned affairs, Gordon had in mind an attempt to open the combination lock, behind which the second hangar was hidden. The idea of ​​sharing seemed very appropriate - it makes no sense to constantly stick together and move around in one big pile.

“Let's go,” said Gordon, getting up from his seat. Joe rose and followed him to the door of the crossing.

Barney watched them go, and then he also got up and looked thoughtfully out the window - it was already dawn on the street. He looked closer and saw small dots moving across the sky — these were birds that looked like large crows. They were also brought close to their earthly brethren by the fact that they ate carrion, which remained abundant in the places where the wolves hunted. Barney suggested that the titans left behind a lot of goodies for these birds, and their very presence indicated the presence of a number of predators.

“I have one combination in mind that can go to the castle,” he finally said.
Angus revived again.
- We have four attempts left, if my memory serves me.

The memory did not change him - one attempt was spent by Raytnov, having entered the wrong code. If you make a mistake four more times - the lock will block and stop accepting any codes, including the correct one. You can unblock it only from the main workstation, to which there was no access, or with special equipment, which was also not available.

“True,” Barney continued, “there is a possibility that it will not work, and we will only block the lock.”
- Well, block, so what? Said Emilia indifferently. - Nothing will change. Now the castle is not locked, but we still can not go further, right? In addition, no other data regarding the code to this lock, you did not find?
“That's right,” Barney nodded.
- Well, it means there is nothing to think about.

Raytnov, Barney, Isaac, and Angus looked at each other. Four men sat at the table, quite adult and independent, but the decision was made for them by the only woman. Moreover, the decision was the one with which no one was going to argue, because everyone was inclined towards him, but was embarrassed to say so.

“I like this approach,” finally smiled Raytnov.

They carried their plates to the reception area of ​​dirty dishes - a mechanical hand immediately took it and sent it to the sink - and moved to their destination. When they were approaching the code lock along the corridor, Raytnov unknowingly slowed down, but did not lag behind the others - they also slowed down. “And what if it doesn't work out after all?” - the same thought occupied their heads. They stood for a while opposite the door, and no one dared to break the silence.

Finally, Barney took a tablet out of his pocket and looked at the numbers that he had recorded at night: “1247. 2467. 1340 " The second code came up to the workstation, so it remains to try the first and third. Moreover, by analogy with the workstation, they should have been tried to be introduced backwards also. A total of four combinations - just as many attempts left.

Looking out at the others and receiving approving nods in response, Barney put his hand up to the numeric keypad. His fingers trembled slightly, and his burgundy nose was reflected in the smooth surface of the display.

"1247". Access denied. Attempts remaining: 3.
"7421". Access denied. Attempts remaining: 2.

Barney looked over his shoulder and saw that Emilia had nervously bit her lip. The faces of the others also expressed tension, but in their views Barney read that it was necessary to continue. There were no other options anyway. He turned back to the display.

"1340". Access denied. Attempts remaining: 1.

"Damn," Barney flashed through her mind. He hoped that the last attempt, it will not come. He entered the first two digits of the last combination, when he felt a rapid heartbeat from a sudden thought.

He suddenly remembered that the combination from the combination lock was very simple, and that in order to enter it, it was necessary to make two identical hand movements. Maybe a diagonal or something else. If you enter "0431", then the movements are completely different: first you lead your hand diagonally from zero to four, and then horizontally from one to three.

Barney closed his eyes and tried to focus. The others noticed his confusion and looked at each other - Emilia raised her index finger to her lips, thereby giving the rest a sign of not making noise. Isaac even tried to breathe more slowly and slowly.

Without opening his eyes, Barney raised his hand and tried to make two identical movements with his hand - the first ones that would come to mind. For some reason, he ran his hand from the imaginary upper left to the lower right. He glanced at the dial and tried to figure out what combination it could be.

In the upper left corner is the unit, in the lower right - nine. Suppose that the first two digits of the code are “19”. Under the unit is a four, but under the nine there is nothing. This code will not work.
Taking a deep breath, Barney decided to take a chance and quickly entered the last code, which, it seemed to him, simply had to go: "1840." The lock thought for a moment, and at any moment Barney was fearfully expecting to see the unfortunate report of the attempts that had been completed and the lock being blocked. The next second, a green diode on the display caught fire, and the doors began to slowly open.

Forgetting caution, Barney took a step forward and found himself inside a spacious and bright room. It was square in shape and was twice as large as the first hangar. Despite the fact that most of it was empty, the room could not be called empty. The massive steel gates are located in the wall opposite the entrance - apparently, these gates led out. One wall was completely set aside for the weapon racks, which, unfortunately, Barney was empty. The other two walls were set aside for various tools and diagnostic tools for rovers.

There was something else in the hangar that tightly riveted Barney’s gaze and made him open his mouth in surprise. Raytnov and the others were already standing next to him, and their eyes, too, were full of wonder and even admiration. No one was able to utter a word. The door behind them with a soft hiss closed.

Sensing the vibration in the suit pocket, Barney, without taking his eyes off the gigantic size of the rover, took out the tablet and accepted the incoming call.

“Joe says the rover can be fixed,” said Gordon, “but the front axle is heavily torn, and there are no necessary details in the hangar.”
“Yeah,” Barney answered absently.
- What, yeah"? It turns out that we still can not fix it, in any case right now.
“Yeah,” Barney repeated. - Listen, Gordon, leave while that rover and come here. There is something interesting here.

Gordon was silent for a second, and then his voice changed.

“Exactly,” he said. - I completely forgot about your door. Did you manage to open it? What is inside?

There was excitement in his voice.

- Happened. Come here with Joe.
- So what have you got there? We are leaving now.
“Yeah,” Barney repeated again and ended the call.

When he invited Gordon to come here with Joe, Emilia and Isaac looked at each other in surprise - was it worth it to immediately immerse in all the details? However, Raytnov, who noticed the embarrassment of his comrades, hastened to reassure them:

“It doesn't look like a rover on the move,” he said. “We all have to work hard on him, and it would be foolish not to use his help.”

Soon, Gordon and Joe arrived too. They were able to enter without entering the code - the doors opened automatically when someone was already inside the room. Seeing the huge rover standing in the middle of the hangar, Joe whistled in surprise and swore obscenely. However, nobody paid attention to this, and Isaac even agreed with him.

Rover was clearly not intended for tourist trips - it was a full-fledged combat vehicle. Much wider and longer than the other rovers, it was also taller and had an incomparably higher maneuverability. It seemed that a whole settlement of colonists could fit inside, and on the roof of a rover, like a cherry on top of a cake, there was a large plasma cannon.

“Third class armor,” Barney said, looking at the rover and for some reason tapping his fingers on the casing. - Even the wheels are armored. Such a toy and the titans can not afford ... probably.

Gordon shook his head in agreement, still impressed. Joe, unlike the military, first of all paid attention not to armor, but to other characteristics of the rover.

“The wheels of the twenty-fifth or even twenty-seventh radius,” he said. - For comparison, the Alpha rovers were the thirteenth radius. What is the cross from this monster! To rotate these wheels and move such a colossus, a standard engine will not be enough. I am sure that it is not fuel or electricity that drives them. Here is the place of the nuclear engine!

He walked past Barney and stood in front of the front lights of the rover, inspecting part of the skin, under which, in his opinion, was supposed to hide the engine. Joe carefully examined the trim, but did not find anything that looked like a hood.

“So,” he said, and the commanding tone was felt in his voice. - I need Liliput! Without him, I will not put this thing on the move.

Having said this, he looked around and in the next instant he was slightly embarrassed. However, Raytnov was pleased with the state of affairs - there was nothing wrong with Joe’s commanding tone. Quite the contrary - it was for the better. He should have taken control of the rover.

“I meant Scott,” explained Joe. - I need Scott. - In the future, he promised himself not to call his friend the old nickname.

Raytnov looked at his watch - it was the beginning of the tenth morning. Scott was asleep for more than twelve hours, which is quite enough even on the condition that he had been awake for the previous forty-eight hours.

“Okay,” he said, looking at Joe. “You and I are now following him and leading him to breakfast.” Then I will take you to your rooms — you take a shower and do all the necessary things. Forty minutes later, you come back here, and we all get to work.
- Yes, and I have enough twenty, - Joe dismissed. It was obvious that his hands were itching from the desire to pick at the new rover.

Raytnov nodded silently, turned and headed for the exit from the hangar, inviting Jo to follow him. When the door closed behind them, in a low voice, Emilia asked the others if anyone else should have gone with them just in case. Suddenly Joe throws some more trick?

“I don't think so,” Gordon answered for everyone. - Excess control will strain both us and himself. Better to focus on teamwork, and Joe understands that.
“Exactly,” Angus agreed, his voice coming from somewhere under the rover. - Need to work together.

The next moment his ass appeared from under the wheel, and then he got out completely and stood up. Disregarding the puzzled looks, he continued:

- We are all in the same basket. Joe is not a stupid friend, and he won't throw out other tricks.
“Doc,” Barney interrupted.
- What?
- What did you do under the rover?
- Like what? - surprised Angus. - I was looking for an entrance, what else?

Barney exchanged glances with Gordon. Noticing their embarrassment, the doctor finally realized that they did not know anything about this model of the rover and saw it for the first time.

“Oh, yes,” he slapped his forehead. - Let me explain this in the most understandable language.

He raised his glasses up the bridge of his nose, and then put his hand to his chin in silent thoughtfulness.

“Just imagine,” he continued after a pause. - You bought a new phone. But you can't immediately use it, right? First you need to insert a SIM card, and then log in to your account or create a new one, and only then the operating system will allow you to make calls, right?
“Aha,” the rest responded in unison, not understanding what he was headed for.
“That's the same here,” the doctor continued. - A minute ago, I took the fuse from the shelf and inserted it into the corresponding slot next to the hatch, and now it can be opened. True, it stuck ... Barney, can you try?
“I'll try,” he said. “But why don't we come in like ordinary people through an ordinary side door?”
- Have you already forgotten about the analogy with the phone? - smiled Angus. - Ok, let's try to enter through the side door. Come here.

Barney looked around the others again to make sure that their faces expressed the same degree of misunderstanding as his own.

“Open the door,” the smile did not leave Angus’s lips.

Barney went to the side door and already raised his hand to pull the handle, but suddenly he froze. There were no handles anywhere, just like the door itself. Looking around the rover with a suspicious look, Barney began to walk around him slowly and soon returned to the same place. There was no door anywhere.

“Making the entrance from the bottom is a little silly,” Barney said.
- So no! Exclaimed Angus, pointing to the place where Barney was supposed to have had a door. - Here is the entrance.

Barney looked at him like an idiot.

“P-100 is a smart rover,” the doctor pointedly thumbs up. - Before use, you need to configure it. Barney, help open the hatch below.

With a shrug and no questions asked, Barney ducked under the rover - good, the height allowed even him to do it, and soon the doctor's request was satisfied.

“Great,” said Angus, and now it was his turn to climb under the rover. - Get off a couple of steps, do not stand near.

Barney walked away and cast a quick glance at his comrades — they watched this scene with interest. Even the soft hiss of the front door and the return of Raytnov did not make them turn around.

“I took them to free rooms, they soon ...” began Alex, but he faltered, noticing that no one was listening. He stood next to Barney and, in order not to stand out from the crowd, he also looked at the rover with interest.

“The doctor says the door is here,” Barney pointed his finger in front of him.
- Yah? - Raytnov looked closely, but also failed to detect the signs of the door. The rover trim in the place where the entrance was supposed to be was smooth and smooth, without any joints. He stretched his hand forward, but then he drew it away - the armor began to peel off the roof of the rover and fell straight at him!

The next second, Raytnov realized that this is not armor exfoliate - it opens the same imperceptible door. Its axis was at the bottom, thus, in the open state, the door was something like a ladder through which one could enter the rover’s cabin. In the passage stood Angus and triumphantly examined his comrades. Barney looked at him skeptically and mentally asked himself one question - how does a door open outside?

Angus, as if reading his thoughts, jumped to the floor and walked two meters. The door closed automatically and silently. Without a word, the doctor went back to the rover and, looking Barney in the eyes, reached out and put his hand to the trim. The door began to open again.

“It works by print,” he concluded. - As I said, this is a smart rover!

Barney nodded in satisfaction, however, his skepticism still prevailed. He wanted to ask a couple more questions, but the doctor, anticipating them, immediately mentioned several details:

- Surely you think that you can not rely only on the imprint. Engineers thought so too, and that is why there are two more ways to open the door. First, the entire crew must wear special bracelets to create a variety of rover-man pairs. When a person with a bracelet comes close to the rover, the door automatically opens. If you need the door to start opening in advance, you can make a characteristic gesture that is recognized by the gyroscope, or simply press a button - the range is about fifteen meters. And the second way to open the door, I better just show you.

He plunged into the cabin of the rover, and a second later he heard his muffled voice:

- Ready?

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“Well,” he began. “Last time I stopped at the moment when wolves tore Tom and Andy ...
” “Damn dogs,” Joe swore, and suddenly slapped his hand on the table. - But I missed then. Who knows, maybe Andy would have been alive if I had fallen.
“Don't blame yourself,” said Emilia.

Joe did not answer, just tipped a glass of water down his throat. Looking around the others and making sure they were ready, Scott continued his story. Joe occasionally interrupted him to insert colorful moments that, according to his assurances, he saw one, but most of the time just nodded in agreement.