Yes, yes, call. If the brains of the old walrus will not be completely withered.
Vasily looked at the back of a young, healthy guy and was surprised: in three years almost everyday loads made a bulldog of a puppy. Only his eyes remained puppy like. Having spat, the chief went about his business. He began to prepare tea according to a special recipe of navy seals.
Before leaving, he went to the shower, washed himself, changed his clothes, folded his uniform in a bag and closed it in the locker. The key was dangling on a bunch, as well as a special pass to the dock.
Whats to be done now? He thought. Im already used to this place, to the smell of the port, to the ships.
Work in the dock as a loader was regarded as one of the most dangerous. But they paid well and the schedule was free. He had to get up at three-twenty am, prepare breakfast for his little brother and a paralyzed grandfather.
Then go through the Golden Bridge to the port. There, for four hours, he worked his butt off, sometimes tearing himself up or under an icy rain. Then he went to the Far Eastern Federal University. After he managed to win a grant in the school and three years of payment in this university, he entered without hesitation. Our education is our everything! After all, he could not always be a docker in the port.
Its decided, Ill go to the university, especially if I go by sunbus, Ill have time to get some sleep.
AUGUST 14, 2057, 20:15, OFFICE OF THE RECTOR OF FEFU
The new office was dim, and only one lamp burned at the rectors desk, the main light was turned off. There was a smell of new furniture, paint, expensive cognac and cigar.
In the huge chair sat a gray-haired man and looked at one spot. In the ashtray, the Cuban cigar was almost completely decayed. He played with a glass of cognac but did not rush to drink it.
And why did I agree to this fucking grant from these monsters? Now, I practically work for them, sit and wait for orders from Moscow, and not from the Ministry of Education, but from a private company. How angry it makes me! F.ing Art. soul Holding group.
The sharp sound of the stationary phone made him wince.
Yes, Marina.
Mikhail Vladimirovich, you have a direct conference with Moscow in a minute, said a very young secretary.
All right, put them through.
Finally, well, lets go.
After the conversation, he felt a little relieved, the tension that pulled his nerves into a ball all day, let go. Now he can take a vacation and go for a week with his wife to the country house. There, they with his neighbor Oleg Gennadievich will fish on a boat. There is a blissful silence and peace. Without an overseer in the face of the world corporation. Which, like a malevolent chain dog, follows his every step, gesture, word.
He called for his car and driver. At such a time in the city, there were no traffic jams, and he came in twenty-five minutes, rejoiced and in the best mood, he embraced and kissed his wife. And he announced his intentions to go away for a week or two to the Baikal country house.
AUGUST 15, 2057, 10:20, SUKHANOV STREET, 8, MAIN BUILDING OF FEFU
All the students gathered around the building. There was such noise and hubbub that it was audible for a couple of blocks. An outsider, watching what was happening, most likely would immediately be worried and called the police. But this did not happen, all ordinary passers-by were aware of what was going on, and terribly envied the students of this institution.
Sergey went to the building in the hope of receiving a schedule and finding out the scheme of payment for tuition, since this year the grant was to end.
What the he thought, hearing the screaming and whistling.
Then a familiar car blinked into the lights. From the window of the new white Range Rover, the redheaded Roma Babitsky stared a homely, skinny, intelligent Jewish boy from a respectable, and therefore wealthy, Jewish family.
Serega, hi! Have you already received your ticket? Shouted Roma.
What ticket?
Lottery one!!! grinned the guy.
the guy opened his mouth in surprise.
So you dont know? Ah, well, yes, you do not get in touch! Get in the car, I will tell you smart things, said Roma copying a Caucasian accent.
Serega crossed the road, opened the door of the car and flew into the new cabin of the very expensive car.
What did you hear about the new super game with full immersion into the Virtual Reality, Ouiet Running?
I have no idea what youre talking about now, Roma, stop shilly-shally, tell me already what the ticket is and what is an Ouiet Running is?
Oh, oh, my ears wilt from your accent! he grimaced.
Rum, do not f with me!
Ok, while you, our proud bird, unload the wagons.
Ships.
Planes, for all I care. So, while you are doing god knows what, the world moves on. It just jumps, damn it!
And the red-headed Jewish Roma began to tell:
Today there has been a message for all students a gathering for a general meeting. To which you did not come. And there was our Rector, the same one that owes my dad a tone of money.
Roma, I had enough of your sh, what is the ticket for and what is happening?
Do not interrupt me, so, our Rector gathered everyone in the hall and said that only our university will be awarded Lottery tickets from the company Art. soul Holding group for free. It just happens so, that they are launching a new on-line game Ouiet Running in three months. But, before the official launch, they are looking for twenty gamers that will be the first to test how it works. Everything that will happen in the game will be broadcasted around the world! Each winner of the lottery will receive ten grand, a per-unit AOUA Robe worth five grand and ninety days for the maximum development of the character.
Hot damn!
Im surprised as well, like you said. Oh, I went through an Internet today. In word, they say that it will be possible to use virtual money to pay for services in the real life! Its like if you order something on the internet, you can pay by the points from the game, and the company then covers everything and is the garrant of the deal.
Is this real? Delirium of some sort, it seems like a set-up!
No, Serega, when thinking about it, its a trifle. Just think, one such ticket is worth a hundred bucks, and milliards of them printed for the whole, so to say, blue ball. Secondly, aquaRob is a purchase, maintenance, repair plus a subscribers fee for gaming. Already, they say that more than fifty million orders for them have been received, and in fact, they have not even launched the game. To avoid disturbances, in fact, and to warm up the interest, they invented this yobbo-lottery epic.
And what do you have to do with these tickets?
These tickets are also not very simple. As I saw, its a white plastic with a transparent circle. You need to unwrap the ticket, touch this circle, and he will either be red, and you shame the corpses, or, green, and you are the king of all the mermaids.
Have you taken the ticket already?
No, as I was saying, he Rector owes my dad money, so we have a VIP-appointment, in an hour we have to come to him ourselves. Sergey, did you eat breakfast today?
No.
Then well go to the pizzeria. (Laughs.) At the same time, I will tell you, my port and smelly friend, why do you need to play this game with your grandfather.
No.
Then well go to the pizzeria. (Laughs.) At the same time, I will tell you, my port and smelly friend, why do you need to play this game with your grandfather.
What?
Believe me, my dad has already ordered aquaRobs for himself, my aunt and Sophie.
Im not smelly!
You do not worry about that, Serega, Roma said, and for some reason stopped joking. And started the car.
AUGUST 15, 2057, 11:50, SUKHANOV STREET, 8 MAIN BUILDING OF FEFU RECTORS OFFICE
Today, from the very morning, a ticket machine was brought, older students and faculty staff unloaded it and divided into groups of lottery tickets. Each student got one ticket. Total five hundred and seventy thousand pieces or fifty-seven boxes.
All this time the Rector himself did not show up, he was preparing to speak at the meeting. He drank water and aspirin, but the headache continued to exhaust him with a cold alarm.
Its like there are no more problems for me, but running around like a little dog giving out tickets. He looked at his ticket and sighed heavily. He did not want to participate in these games, win something. He had already visited for four months the group for those who cannot stop gambling.
The phone rang again in the office; the secretary seems to be too active today.
Mikhail Vladimirovich, you have a meeting in the hall in ten minutes, she said.
Yes, Marina. Thank you. Muted the sound: I appointed it myself. Turned on the sound. I am on my way.
How hard it is to go on vacation. I need to figure it out as soon as possible.
The next two days, he passed on his business at the institute, then two more days he and his wife collected things and only on the fifth day finally left far away from the news and all these new gadgets.
In the pizzeria near the university, there was a special charm. Many freshmen worked there and the pretty girls from the Faculty of Oriental Studies were going to drink chocolate.
The guys placed the order and were waiting for pizza and burgers.
They sat down at a table near the window. It seemed that everyone was thinking his own thoughts. Sergey was in a confused state of mind and had no idea where to search for the new job.
He had no intent to work for Romas father in a stuffy office or as an errand-boy for the miserable crumbs of student wages. So he was sitting, sorting out all the possible options, and still could not take any decision.
You are in sorrow, my friend, as far as I see! Roma said, sipping an eerie green energy drink.
For a moment it seemed like that was the redheaded gnome drinking herbal potion.
How can you drink this stuff? Its made of oil!
If you judge by the price, then youre right. But oil never caused me to be allergic, even when taken intravenously. Hehe.
So, tell me about AKVUA ROBE.
Serega, youll drive me insane with your accent.
Well, I did not live in London.
A nice waitress brought drinks and hot sandwiches.
Pizza will be ready in twelve minutes, she said, placing everything on the table.
When she left, the two boys watched her go and everyone came to the idea that the uniform was, of course, too short, but it only added a healthy appetite.
Listen, Roma, what about the robe?
Finish chewing, and then talk!
What did you want to tell about the robes?
Ah, well, at last, youve got to the point. This is a unique system of healing for any organism. I told you, the rumours started from the top. All the presidents, the heads of banks and others, had bought AQUA Robe long ago.
Roma bit off the sandwich and closed his eyes. Yes, in Russia food is definitely tastier. Not as tasteless as in England and not as spicy as in India. Having washed his food down with his energy cocktail, he sighed and continued. All this time he watched his only friend not because of Daddys money eating bread greedily, wiping the sauce from the plate.
This development is closely connected with other works of this company, with genetic modulations, with the medicine development, and, of course, with the novelty the information carrier AOUA FLASH. In general, all their developments are interconnected with the discovery of the memory of water. They produced a programmed liquid crystal substance.
Su-u-y-u, a loud nasty sound, when you drink from the straw to the last drop. Roma, I know, of course, that you are a fan of new gadgets, but you start talking almost in Japanese.
I do not know Japanese. Come on! I do not want to be like my father, a ffinancier; I always wanted to be an engineer. Hehhh
Well, they created smart water, and then in the course of the experiment, or, perhaps, accidentally someone left a rotten apple in a flask with such water. And what happened, how do you think?
An apple turned into a tree?
No. The apple remained an apple. But absolutely fresh apple, not rotten.
Come on, cut the crap! I dont believe you! If this was true, everyone would be already running to their office in order to smash it and get a litre for each person.
Serega, this water cannot be used for food. It is literally technical. This is all true; my father was present at the demonstration for the exclusive people. He also invested a large amount in this garbage of the future.
You mean, if you lie for a while in such a Robe like an apple, you will become pink and fresh, wont you?
I did not say that. But who said that an apple genetically is only a little simpler than human. And, besides, my father is dreaming of rejuvenating and is not playing games, though he was one of the first to order AOUA Robe.
Grandfather! The apples of Sergeis eyes widened and he realized what was happening.
Holy Hell! I was thinking it would not happen!
The waitress smiled, she had already decided to leave her room to that redhead one. After all, she realized that he was the son of one of the richest people in this country.
There was a sound in the reception office; someone was knocking on the door.
Come in! Marina said, she just wanted to drink coffee, but, apparently, she had to do it later.
A heavy armoured door opened and two students entered.
Hmm, I know them. King and beggar! Thats how a Japanese teacher called them.
Marina Artemovna, is the rector in?
Yes, Romochka, he did not go out after the meeting. Are you on a private matter? she tried to be as polite as possible because she was aware of the complicated relationship of this redhead persons father and Misha.
Then shall we come in?
First I shall warn him. She picked up the phone and started speaking.
The phone started to thrum again. The rector was now ready to kill his secretary because the headache was just started to weaken. And this sound went through his brain like a blunt knife.
Hello! he almost shouted.
Michael erm, Vladimirovich, students are waiting for you, Roma Babitsky and She covered the phone handset with a perfectly manicured hand and whispered: What is your name?
Kravtsov Sergey, the third year student, Department of economics and management.
And Kravtsov Sergey, the third year student, shall I let them in?
Yes.
Reactors hands were sweaty. It seems like a cold wind blew from all sides.