The colony. Chapter 26: Port Demetrion

Raitnov was eating breakfast. The dry ration turned out to be quite tolerable and nutritious - it included instant soup, canned meat, packing of galetny biscuits, a piece of chocolate and vitamins. The latter, however, Raytnov decided not to use. More than anything, he wanted to drink coffee - the real one, and not the one that was also present in the ration in soluble form.

The clock showed 5:30 in the morning. Despite the fact that it was finally breaking light on the street, and the radar had not given an alarm signal for more than an hour, no one was in a hurry to go outside. After last night, the cozy and warm rover chair seemed the safest place.

Raytnov looked thoughtfully at a bag of instant coffee, which he spit in his hands. Without thinking twice, he nevertheless got up and headed towards the water heater in the back of the rover. Emilia was still lying on one of the beds, but she did not sleep. Just watched him and smiled slightly.

Surprisingly, the coffee was very good. Apparently, many flavor enhancers and other chemicals were added to it. Or maybe after a sleepless and extremely eventful night any coffee drink seemed like a piece of culinary art - in fact, Raytnov did not care. He just wanted coffee. Isaac and Barney followed suit and also headed for the heater, and then everyone else. Nobody managed to fall asleep.

“Well,” Gordon finally broke the silence as he sipped from his glass, “is it time to take a look at what happened to our rovers?”
“I can see it from here,” Barney grumbled, looking out the window. One of the rovers almost lost the roof and almost became a convertible, while the other lay with what remained of the titanium after the plasma shot.

A minute later, the two of them stood at the "gig".

- Hmmm, - Gordon scratched his head. - By the way, we found a combat rover.
- Do you think?
- And then. I would not want to spend the night in this pile of scrap metal.

Barney walked around the perimeter rover.

- Do you know what's funny? - He asked a friend with a smile.
- Well?
- This rover is still on the move.

Gordon grinned skeptically and kicked a piece of skin that lay next to his boot.

- Well, get behind the wheel.

Barney burst out laughing. He wanted to joke too, but his attention was attracted by a flock of birds that simultaneously and with loud cries flew up into the air about fifty meters away.

- Wolf? - Gordon asked, removing the machine from the fuse.
“Doesn't look like it,” answered Barney, listening. - You set the radar to the maximum?
- Yes.
“Then we would hear him ... but he is silent.”

Gordon listened and nodded. The radar really did not signal large animals in the immediate vicinity.

- What then frightened them? - Asked Gordon, nodding his head toward the receding pack.
“Well, I don’t even know,” Barney put the automatic switch on the fuse and smiled mysteriously. - Ask them yourself. I sit behind the wheel, and you ask, agreed?

Now it was Gordon’s turn to raise his eyes to him and burst out laughing heartily. He introduced a friend sitting behind the wheel of a roofless rover, and this made him laugh even harder.

On the threshold of the combat rover, Joe rubbed his eyes. He squinted at the bright beam of light that beat right into his eyes, and he hiccupped loudly.

“What's so funny about you?” - He grunted, looking at the crumpled rover. - I, too, would like to laugh.

He came closer to the rover and examined it carefully.

“Did you know that he was still on the move?”

Barney and Gordon met their eyes and laughed again. Joe looked at them suspiciously, but refrained from commenting. Instead, he walked a few feet away on personal business, shaking his head and whispering something under his breath.
Raytnov also left the rover, kneaded his bones and walked over to the rovers.

“Oh ...” he pointed to the convertible. - And this one seems to be ready to run a little.
“Yes,” said Gordon, who already had sore facial muscles. - Seats just a little soaked after rain.
“And that one,” Barney pointed to the other rover, on which the lower half of the titan was lying, “will not run anymore.”

The plasma shot not only pierced titanium through, but also melted the entire front of the rover, turning the cockpit and front struts into a shapeless metal mass. Raytnov drew attention to the skin of titanium - under the influence of direct sunlight, it quickly darkened and became covered with bubbles. Reddish blood quickly evaporated. Part of the energy of the shot fell on the trunk of a fallen tree - a small funnel formed in it with burnt edges.

It was necessary to get rid of the obstacle and continue the path, and the decision came by itself. Barney sat behind the wheel of a convertible rover and drove him aside, delivering the greatest pleasure to Gordon. To remove the second rover and the half of the titan lying on it did not make much sense.

Some time later, all the colonists sat in the cockpit of the only remaining rover and waited for further developments. Barney brought the three automata found outside, saying at the same time that such things were not scattered, and then put on his helmet and began to defiantly knead his fingers.

“Come on already,” said Gordon. - Do not torment me.

Barney did not answer. He clearly saw the target and had already chosen the point to which the plasma charge would be directed. He knew what the gun was capable of, but for some reason he was sure that one shot would not be enough - the trunk blocking the road looked too impressive.

But what if, after a shot, a piece of wood the size of a good log breaks away from the trunk and pierces a porthole? Or, for example, a wheel?

“Let's get off a little,” Barney said, continuing to present other scenarios with slivers. - And then you never know.
“Agreed,” said Raytnov shortly.
“Well, well,” Gordon drove thirty meters back. - So enough?
“Enough,” Barney aimed again. His finger froze for a few seconds over the trigger, and then slumped. The gun with a dull sound spat out the charge, and a moment later the barrel shattered into small pieces. Several of them immediately hit the rover trim, but did not cause any damage.

“You're a goddamned clairvoyant,” Joe approved. - Do not we eat back, now would have swallowed wood.
“Yeah,” Barney agreed monotonously, though he didn't even pay attention to the praise. He carefully looked ahead and waited until a cloud of dust formed after the shot settled on the ground.
“We need another charge,” he said, when the trunk was clearly visible again.

All the others crowded in front of the cabin and looked out the window. Only Angus remained in his place and studied something on the display of his tablet.

“In-this is my mind,” Scott sighed, without explaining exactly what caused his admiration — the power of a shot or the power of a tree that was still blocking the road.

Plasma could not flash through the barrel, however, it left in it an impressive funnel in which half of the rover could easily fit. Barney expected the second shot at the same point to complete the job.

And he was not mistaken. When the dust settled again, they finally saw the road that continued on the other side of the fallen tree. Without losing too much time, Gordon gently pressed on the gas pedal. When they drove into the arch that had formed, the rover did not even touch its borders. Leaving the barrier behind, Gordon confidently drowned the pedal, and the rover began to gradually pick up speed.

The day was nearing completion. The sun was slowly but surely leaning towards the horizon. A little more, and it had to hide behind the treetops.

Raytnov was sitting on the spot of the first pilot and, despite the fact that the rover was on autopilot, was closely watching the road. “Automatics is smart, but it’s ten times smarter than a reasonable driver,” Gordon said four hours ago before going to bed, and Raytnov was completely in agreement. In addition, he liked to look at the landscapes passing by.

Barney was also dozing in the back of the rover. All day, she and Gordon did not close their eyes while the others were sleeping, but now it was their turn to rest. Periodically, the rover hit the bumps, and Barney's head turned at an angle that was perfect for playing powerful, male snoring. This continued until the next bump, and then Gordon was already starting to snore. These two even in a dream evenly distributed official duties.

“Ten kilometers to the end of the route,” said a pleasant female voice from the navigator.

Isaac got up from his chair, squeezed past the dormant Scott and sat down on the co-pilot's seat next to Alex.

- We are coming? He asked to start a conversation.
- Yeah. Watch it.

Isaac followed the direction of his comrade's gaze and noticed a halo of light ahead. The lower the sun went down, the more this halo became visible.

- Is it a port? - Isaac was a little puzzled. “Where does the light come from?”
- What? - Angus moved closer. “Is the light on the base?”
“As you can see,” Raytnov turned his head toward him. - Any idea why?

Angus raised his glasses up the bridge of his nose and shook his head.

- Apparently, they are waiting for us there.
“For some reason I am not surprised,” noted Emilia from her seat.
“Maybe they’ll finally finish this experiment ...” Joe sighed. - To be honest, I already do not care how it ends. Home wants. Even though I don't remember a damn where I live.

Raytnov looked thoughtfully towards the base. A dot appeared on the radar for a second and immediately disappeared, but Alex did not respond. He was deep in his thoughts.

“It all fits,” he said quietly to himself. - The experiment is nearing completion. - Then he turned and said already louder: - Wake up Gordon and Barney. We almost arrived.

The sun finally disappeared beyond the horizon.
The navigator notified that there were five kilometers to the end of the route.

The pad was brightly lit on the perimeter, and in its center stood an impressive-sized shuttle, decorated with the inscription "Planet Earth". The doctor did not lie about the corporation, and for some reason, Raytnov only now realized its scope.

He turned around - the gate through which they had just passed was still open. However, not a single predator was willing to follow - apparently, the base was covered with a dome, and much more powerful than the military. Several titans walked at a considerable distance, attracted by the light, but did not dare to come closer.

“Well, well,” Joe whistled, looking around the shuttle. - Directly invited to jump inside and fly to hell.
“Stupid window dressing,” Barney said scornfully. Joe nodded in agreement and squeezed the handle of the machine.

Raytnov approached the door leading to the command post, and it opened with a slight hiss. The light inside came on, illuminating a short but wide corridor.

“Apparently, here we are,” said Alex and went inside. The rest followed him.

The corridor led to a large rectangular room, very similar to what was at the military base. In the center of the room there was a large yellow circle onto which a diagram could be projected, and along the perimeter there were many workstations. Many of them were turned on, and a strange message was displayed on the monitors: “Glad to see you again.”

- What does all of this mean? - asked Emilia, but no one could answer her question.

The doctor barely moved back towards the corridor. The front door opened silently behind him, but then Angus noticed a heavy, intent look on him. Barney stroked his thumb over a machine's fuse and looked at the doctor questioningly. When their eyes crossed, Barney shook his head and gestured for him to return. Angus coughed, adjusted his glasses and, as if nothing had happened, passed into the middle of the room.

“They're waiting for us here,” he said at ease.
- The experiment is over? - shouted Joe to the ceiling, his eyes looking for the camera.

There was no answer. Gordon went to the console, located next to the yellow circle, pressed a few keys and brought into the center of the room a projection of the base. The shuttle was still in place.

“We are glad to see you again ...” Raytnov put the machine gun on the table and clutched his head with both hands, as if trying to remember something. - What does “again” mean? Have we been here before? Barney?
“I don't remember anything,” he replied. - But the doctor obviously keeps back.

Angus looked at him questioningly.

“Don't be surprised,” Barney said wearily. - I saw you. Why did you want to dump so much?
- What? - In the voice of Emilia heard sincere surprise. - I thought that between us there were no any inconsistencies.
“We trusted you,” Scott said.

Angus took off his glasses, rubbed his eyes and looked at everyone. The silence lasted several minutes, and no one dared to interrupt him.

“Look,” said Isaac, pointing to the hologram.
Several armed men approached the entrance to the command post. Stopping at a distance, they stood at attention and turned their heads to their commander.

“Speak,” said Raytnov, looking the doctor in the eye.
“And what can I say,” he finally answered. - As I said, I'm just an observer. But before I finish ... Alex, please answer me a question.
“Speak,” Alex repeated, not taking his eyes off him.
“Then on Alpha, during the first attack of the titans ... What allowed you to escape?”
- The fact that I worked and was luckily in a bunker.
“Good,” Angus nodded. “How did you get to the military base?”

Raytnov slowly approached the doctor and looked at him point-blank.

“This is necessary so that you yourself understand my role better,” Angus explained. He did not take a step back and did not look away. Rytnov was embarrassed, and he walked away.

- I fixed the rover and got on it.
“Excellent,” the doctor smiled. - Thanks, Alex. Joe?
- Well?
“How did you and Scott get to the military base?”
- Scott already told. What is the use of it?
“We took the other rover and left it,” Scott answered for him.

Angus bowed politely to him, his hand on his heart.

- Excellent! thank you Scott. From your answers, I conclude that I did not interfere or help you in any way? Did you get to the military base on your own, relying only on your ingenuity and will to live?

After a short pause, all three respondents affirmatively nodded.

“The next question is for you, Barney.”

Catching his gaze on himself, Angus continued:

“You received a distress call from Alpha.” Then, over the radio, you heard Alex’s voice and turned into a military base. All right
- Suppose.
“How did we all get here, to Port Demetrion?”
- On the rover, obviously.
“On a big military rover, to be more precise.” Let me ask one more question - how did we manage to get hold of this very rover?

The doctor looked at him and did not look away. His behavior has changed a lot, and instead of a closed and abstruse madman, he turned into a self-confident diplomat. In addition, without the lenses of the glasses, his gaze looked even more direct and defiant. Barney was the first to look away.

“I remembered the door code.” I saw him in a dream.
“Excellent,” Angus clapped his hands three times. - Just great. May I say now that you have done everything necessary to get here without my help?
“Yes,” Emilia answered shortly for everyone.
- And most importantly - do you agree with this statement?
- Yes.

Angus did not stop smiling.

- As you can see, I did not lie to you. I have never deceived you. You are alive and are here solely because of their own ingenuity. Everyone individually and all of you as one team.

Silent silence reigned in the room. The armed men were still standing close to the entrance to the command post and were still looking at their commander, who allowed himself to smoke.

- And now, colleagues, I want to congratulate you. First of all you, Joe.
- BUT? - absently turned that head.
“You were the most thirsty for the completion of the experiment,” the doctor smiled and looked at everyone. - Congratulations, comrades. The experiment can be considered complete.

At these words, armed men headed for the entrance to the command post.

- What does it smell like? - asked Emilia, just in case, pulling the collar of the jumpsuit on her nose.
“That won't help, dear,” Angus smiled. - This is gas. Do not worry, he will not harm.

The smile began to slowly subside from his face, and his eyes sharply became defocused. The next second, the doctor's knees buckled and he fell to the floor.
Barney rushed to the door, but it was locked.

- Damn it! - In the hearts he shouted and hit his fist on the wall, and then began to slowly roll down on it down.

Raytnov did not move. He just looked at the others and felt ... peace. There was no panic, my heart was beating slower than usual. He took a deep breath and began to count the seconds.
When he counted to two, Emilia fell. Isaac fell on three.

“Something to me ...” said Scott in a thin voice and softly sank to the floor. Without finishing his words, he fell asleep.

Raytnov counted to seven and realized that now he himself is lying on the floor. And then darkness fell, and he remembered nothing more.

Raytnov woke up in a spacious and bright room. The state of health was like after a good anesthesia: nothing hurt, but there was not enough clarity of consciousness. He turned his head and looked around - he was lying in a big chair, as if at a dentist’s reception. His hands and feet were firmly seized with straps. Besides him, there were two other people in the room.

“Good morning and welcome to the orbiting station of Planet Earth, Mr. Raytnov,” the tall, short-haired man in a business suit smiled. - But in order not to mislead you, I will note that “Planet Earth” is only the name of the corporation, which I have the honor to represent, and we are still in orbit of the planet Demetrion.

At these words, he barely noticeably smiled, rejoicing in the good, in his opinion, joke.

“You did an excellent job, Angus.” - He continued, glancing at his colleague. - For this you are entitled to a reward.
- Thank you, Mr. President.

The man in the suit straightened his tie, tugged at the cuffs of his shirt so that they straightened out under the sleeves of his jacket, and began to walk slowly around the room, sounding every step.

“Mr. President ...” he said thoughtfully, and looked Alex in the eyes. “Surely you wonder what this title means?”

Raytnov did not answer.

“Glad you asked,” the “Mr. President” calmly continued. - I am the president of a corporation you already know. In addition, I lead the highest council of the Commonwealth of Earth States.
- What? “I didn't understand Raytnov.” - What kind of fellowship?
“Oh, yes,” the president slapped his forehead lightly. - I constantly forget that your memory no longer belongs to you.

Raytnov looked at him questioningly, unable to move his lips.

“Then let me briefly bring you up to date.” The Commonwealth was created to represent the interests of our civilization beyond Earth. These interests include the discovery of new worlds and the search for allies ... that is, partners with whom technology can be exchanged. Well, or simply take away these technologies from them, but this is a topic for another conversation. - The President slowly moved to the other end of the room, still chasing steps. - And you, Alex, have been our employee for a long time. You were a prominent and promising scientist, until something or someone made you turn away from the right path and make all these mistakes ...

The president stopped and, looking at one well-known point on the wall, he thought, as if recalling all the mistakes that Alex had made.

“However,” he continued after a pause, “we decided not to lose such a valuable employee like you.” Moreover, you continued to work on your own project, only now you yourself acted as a test subject.

Raytnov rounded eyes.

“Yes, yes, Alex, you heard right,” a sarcastic smile appeared on the president’s lips. - It was you who developed this experiment. But you lost the race, and Angus kindly agreed to take on all the duties that were previously assigned to you.

The man in the suit took a new pause, giving Raytnov time to digest the information.

“One way or another,” the pause was short. - You completed your experiment successfully. Now you are ready.
- Ready for what? - squeezed out of himself Raytnov.
- How to what? In addition, to become a universal weapon in the hands of the corporation, - the shadow of a smile ran through the lips of a man in a suit.
“You will be the same as Barney,” Angus explained. - But at times stronger and tougher. In this experiment, you showed yourself as a leader. You proved that you deserve to be a soldier in the ranks of the Commonwealth.

Raytnov lowered his head on the headrest of the chair and looked at the ceiling. Then he closed his eyes tightly and opened his eyes again, but the ceiling remained the same.

“It's hard to learn, I understand,” the president continued. “But you will have time to think while you remain in stasis.”
- In stasis? - Raytnov raised his head.
“Of course,” the president answered calmly. - We will immerse you in stasis, erase memories and inject ... medicines. So it is more correct to call it. And then you fall asleep until you come to us.
“I don't want to,” Raytnov felt a tremor in his voice.

There was no answer. Raytnov again threw his head on the armrest.

- What will happen to the others? - He asked, looking at the ceiling.
“Gordon and Barney are also ready and will be in your squad,” the president answered. - As in the old days ... - with these words, he slightly twisted his mouth. - The others, alas, are not ready. For now. After a short sleep, they will go to a new iteration. Our engineers have already begun to restore the bases and are preparing a new group of settlers. Angus?
- Yes, Mr. President?
“If Alex still has questions, please kindly and kindly answer them.” He is now part of our team. I need to do more important things. I will not have time to talk with Gordon and Barney, so they are completely on your shoulders.
- Of course, Mr. President.

When the door closed behind him, Raytnov turned his head and looked the doctor in the eye. They looked at each other for a few seconds.

“The president said that Gordon and Barney would be in my squad like in the old days ,” said Alex. - What does it mean? Have we already worked together?
- You can say so. As the president mentioned, you were planning this experiment, and Gordon and Barney worked in the field and prepared the bases for settlement. You periodically intersected during inspections.
- And what happened next?
- And then it was the most interesting, - Angus smiled sadly. - The longer you worked, the stronger the leadership immersed you in the details of the project.
- And then I realized all the horrors of his creation? - Guess Raytnov.
- Absolutely. When you learned that the majority, and perhaps all the colonists are doomed to death, you flatly refused to cooperate. Like your two comrades.
- And it's all? My crime is that I refused to kill people?
- Isn't that enough? - Raised eyebrows Angus.

Raytnov looked at him in surprise, unable to pronounce anything.

“You worked for a corporation that has many secrets, and not all of its research methods are clean,” Angus explained patiently. “You have been entrusted with a terrible secret that no ordinary person can know.” And you either continue to work, accepting and realizing all the horrors of what is happening, or you do not need to be, and then they will get rid of you. There is no third.
- And you chose the first option?
- Of course.
- And it suits you?

The doctor sat down next to him, took a deep breath, and raised his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“You can be frank with me,” said Raytnov. - I still do not remember anything. Although, they can remember the “bugs”, which are probably full in this room, and maybe in ourselves.
“I have already taken care of this,” Angus replied mysteriously, and then cast a glance at the interlocutor. - No, Alex, it does not suit me. But I am smart enough, unlike you, not to go openly against a powerful enemy. Each of us can be easily replaced - for example, you have been replaced, and so what? Did you save all the people who died on the Alpha? At other stations? BUT?
“No,” Alex said after a brief silence. - Not saved.
“And he could be among them,” Angus finished for him. - You are too stupid and ambitious. And if you were smarter, you would help me organize resistance from within, from the ranks of the corporation. But you chose a different path.

Alex kept his eyes on the doctor. Now he seemed somehow different. Still unremarkable in appearance, but some kind of threat was felt in his image.

- Who are you? - Alex asked. - Do you want to organize resistance?

But Angus just got up and silently walked over to a nearby table.

“I'm sorry, Alex,” he said softly. - I'm really sorry.
- Who are you? - quietly repeated Raytnov.

There was silence for a few seconds. Angus froze, as if gathering his thoughts.

- Do you have any questions for me? - He still decided to ignore the question.

Raytnov snorted irritably.

- What's the point? I will forget all the answers anyway.
“Forget it,” the doctor agreed. “But who knows ... maybe someday you will remember them.”

He took a syringe pistol from the table and brought Alex to the neck.

“I’m going to put you to sleep now,” he said. “It won't hurt, and in a few seconds you will fall asleep.”

Alex felt the cold touch of the metal to the neck and the pleasant cool fluid being injected into the artery. He began to feel a slight euphoria, as if he had received a dose of the drug.

“When you wake up,” Angus's voice came from far away, “Jim will get you up to speed.” I hope this time you will not act rashly and finally help our movement. Now go to sleep, gain strength ... Brother.

Raytnov wanted to ask something, but his lips did not obey. He looked into the doctor's face, which quickly dissolved in the dark, unable to say a word.

“Finally, I pulled you out of here,” Angus whispered, but Raytnov did not hear that.