x
When I got out of the elevator shaft, the ship shook. From somewhere above, metal boxes fell down the corridor. I barely managed to dodge one of them crashing into the elevator doorway. But my heart really skipped a beat when I finally saw that they had filled up exactly the place where the exit was. For a long time I had to rake them under water with my hands, and then with my wishes, because my strength was not enough for this.
Completely exhausted, I got out of the ship and swam to the surface. The air once again ran out, and I closed my eyes to wish myself full lungs, but the wish did not materialize. In a panic, I twitched and clutched at my throat. My body was burdened with fear and began to sink to the bottom. My lungs clenched, trying to squeeze out the last of the oxygen.
The spaceship next to me shook again, and large air bubbles crawled up its side. One of them was moving in my direction and putting all the remaining strength I made a dash in its direction. Fortunately, I was lucky and a bubble enveloped my head. It was right in the bubble, the body was outside, and for a while I hung between it and the ship as if in a spacesuit from my neurodream, trying to breathe enough. Letting me do it, the bubble rushed up, and after a slight confusion, I followed it.
I surfaced next to the left side of the Nameless. The submarine was on the other side.
“If they pull some trick, I'll start killing you one by one,” screamed Fig, “What are these bubbles? Confess!”
“Sailor, come to your senses, a tribunal is waiting for you for disobeying a senior officer,” Lieutenant Lipovaska tried to reason with him in a trembling voice.
"And hell awaits you for helping a demon, you high-born pig," Fig snapped and cocked the trigger.
"No, no, don't shoot," Kolitar's voice rang out, "we don't know anything about what's going on there.
"Hell doesn't exist,” Savaya shouted.
“Then you will check,” the sailor grinned.
"Come to your senses, she's just a child," the lieutenant shouted.
I grabbed the side of the ship and with difficulty pulled myself up on the railing, climbing, rattling against the rusty metal, onto the deck. The sailor Fig, who was standing on the bow of the submarine, jumped up and fired. The bullet hit me in the shoulder, and I fell to the deck of the Nameless with a loud scream.
Lieutenant Lipovaska rushed to me, lifted me up and began to tear my clothes to get to the wound.
“Wait, wait,” protested Kolitar, “put him down, I'll do it myself.”
Shae released me, and the woman's hands laid my body on the deck and began to carefully unbutton my jacket.
“I'm a nurse. More precisely, was a nurse..." she muttered to herself, "Like this. Now. In the bone, in the bone hit. I need a tool...”
“There is one on the boat,” Lipovaska nodded, “Bring the tools from cabin number 17,” he shouted turning around.
But Fig stood rooted to the spot, twitching his jaw and aiming in our direction.
“Bring the tools!” The lieutenant shouted as he got up, but the sailor fired again and the bullet whistled over Lipovaska's head, forcing him and the children on the deck to duck.”
The figure of Captain Kulagi rose to the upper deck of the submarine.
"I told you not to shoot unnecessarily," he growled at the Fig.
“I... I...” the sailor could not find what to say.
“Shut up! Otherwise, I'll feed you to the green slugs from the rocks, asshole. Put the gun down.”
Fig twitched, but then reluctantly lowered the weapon. The round figure of Sha Zumm loomed behind the captain.
“How did you manage to betray me, Cyborg?” I shouted with difficulty, “What, the Federation does not pay you enough to serve it faithfully?”
“The Federation pays him in full,” the captain answered for Sha Zumm, “he continues to serve it faithfully, fulfilling his duty.”
“It's hard to notice,” I snapped, squinting from the pain that pierced my shoulder.
"Give us the instrument from cabin 17,” Lipovaska pleaded.
“What is it, our Ogunter Lag can't cure himself?” Kulagi was surprised.
"I demand compliance with the Silian Convention on Prisoners of War," the lieutenant got to his feet again.
“Ah, you demand," the captain laughed, "then I'll tell you that we are on a special mission that falls under the law on dishonorable warfare. And if this is not enough, then at times when the central leadership is in danger, each commander has the right to make the decisions he sees fit, without fear of a tribunal. Maritime Code section B, paragraph 72.”
Lipovaska fell silent, twirling his fingers in the air, adding and subtracting something in his head.
“That's right, Lieutenant, you don't have to remember. I have been here on the islands for many years on behalf of the Supreme Council of the Federation. And its last task for me was to catch and prevent the strengthening of the Curse of Mineya, Ogunter Lag, the Great Worm, so nurtured by Master Grummays.”
“Who is this woman?” I asked, raising myself on my good arm.
Kulagi looked at me in silence.
“If you are here on behalf of the Federation, it's not for nothing. So, you've known for a long time that she cleans the islands from people. Accumulates the same power that I possess. You did a clever thing. Pitted us against each other. You thought we'd kill each other. But missed. Who is she?”
The captain chuckled.
“And Sha Zumm? Was he also an agent of the Supreme Council?” I did not let up, “Kept Master Eleanor under control.”
“No,” Kulagi smiled, pleased with his situation, “the unfortunate Cyborg turned out to be a victim of care and love.”
"The fat woman fooled him, changed the wiring in his head," Fig laughed.
“Shut up,” Kulagi snapped.
"Who is she?" I persisted.
"I was sent to find out," the captain replied after a pause.
“And what did you learn, don't you torment? After all, she is much stronger than me. Compared to her, I don't pose any danger.”
“Yes. She's not at all like you, with your beam on that fool's head," he waved his hand at the Fig, "a real demon.”
“Then why bother with me?”
“Because people like you need to be nipped right in the bud, before they grow into freaks capable of making thousands of people dry up at once,” Kulagi shouted menacingly, “We are people, descendants of the Outs, the pure. Do you think we don't know who you are? You are the descendants of the enemies of our great ancestors. You are immortals. Those who betrayed the image of God! Freaks, you have destroyed the gift that the universe gave you.”
“I'm a Bike! I am a man!” I shouted back, twitched and shrank from the pain.
“You're a piece of programmed shit, deprived of the right to choose. You sold your freedom for superpowers," Kulagi snapped, "just like this idiot," he nodded at the Fig, "is only able to execute commands although badly. Right?” He turned to the sailor.
Fig, by that time already boiling, raised his gun and shot the captain, hitting him in the chest. Sha Zumm jerked and transformed, becoming even bigger, his hands became guns and a flame burst out of them. The sailor turned ablaze and fell into the water. His comrades, guarding the terrified children on Nameless, froze in horror.
“Idiots, no...” Kulagi stretched out, grabbing the handrail, “he gets strength from...”
“17th cabin,” Lipovaska exclaimed again, “let me go! Maybe we still have a chance to save him.”
Sha Zumm stood silently behind the captain sliding down the railing, pointing the muzzle of a flamethrower at the deck of the Nameless.
The worm appeared behind the back of the sailor Fig, plunging into the depths, picked up his horrified essence and swallowed it into its multidimensional interior. I felt that I could wish again.
Sha Zumm's huge body flew out, spewing flames overboard. The sailors who were on the Nameless rushed to me. I managed to throw two of them away, but the third jumped on Lipovaska with a knife and stuck the blade under the lieutenant's rib. Shae jerked, but grabbed the attacker, and they both fell overboard.
I immediately mentally imagined the lieutenant before the impact and he appeared in front of me, disoriented.
“Dear!” Kolitar rushed to him, dropping me on the deck.
“He's fine...” I groaned, hitting my head and clutching my shoulder.
“My? What? What happened," Lipovaska babbled.
“You…Under the rib…How..." the woman looked at the lieutenant's body in surprise.
"I moved him," I groaned, trying to get up again.
And as soon as I got up, I saw Sha Zumma rising on the streams of water escaping from his hands. A thick hose stretched from him to the water, as if in a puppet theater, someone pulled him out from behind the scenery on a stick. I shook my head, shaking off the delusion. And a spherical Cyborg flew over us, sprinkled us with water and landed at the helm of the Nameless. The hose retracted into him with an unpleasant sucking sound. Rusty metal buckled under his heavy body. Sha Zumm's hands changed shape, gears creaked, extra legs came out of the back, and several barrels were directed at us. The children behind us huddled at the bow of the ship.
“Try this, spheroid,” I hissed under my breath and closed my eyes, imagining how I was squeezing the Cyborg's body. When I opened them, I saw that the rest of my wishes were only enough to crumple its casing. Sha Zumm staggered, but resisted, frowned and put out his hand to shoot.
"I love you," Lipovaska said behind me.
There was a crash. Nameless was shaken, and we all turned to the sunken spaceship. There was a hole in its upper part, from which an inversion trail, ending in a sparkling dot, was rushing into the sky.
Sha Zumm braced his limbs against the creaking deck beneath him. His back opened, revealing three red rockets. One of them instantly started. Frozen, we watched with admiration what was happening. The rocket itself sparkled in the rays of the luminaries, and now two glowing dots raced across the sky, leaving behind white fluffy tails. Something red flashed and the rocket exploded without reaching the target. The cyborg fired the two remaining missiles at once and held up his hands, giving a machine-gun burst from both. The rest of the missiles also exploded before reaching the target, the glowing dot went into a turn over the ship and I was finally able to see that this was the same fighter that we found with May-e-oka. Sha Zumm saw off the flying ship with another burst and lowered the barrels, flushed from overheating. The fighter jet flew up to the ship and hovered over it, its nozzles flashing. It looked absolutely incredible. I have not seen anything like this in any Out archives. Smooth lines passing into a chopped, rigid form, it was a creation of a world far away and exciting the imagination.
"I don't have to kill you, spherical," came from a speaker located somewhere under the bow of the ship.
The Cyborg's body creaked, and he again raised the trunks that had not yet cooled down.
“As you wish ...” growled the speakers.
Sha Zumm fired another burst at the flying ship, which shifted to the right. Something lit up above its wings, and I almost went blind.
“No-o-o-o-o-o!” there was a heart-rending scream.
When my vision returned to me, I saw Richitina climbing on Nameless. Running up the stairs to the upper deck, she rushed to the molten remains of the Cyborg. The poor woman lowered her head and sobbed.
Savaya came out from behind me with something under her arm. It was only when she approached the grief-stricken Richitina that I saw that she was holding Sha Zumm's head in her hands.
“Take it,” said the girl, handing the head to the woman, “and make him kind this time.”
Richitina while putting on the remains Cyborg’s metal plating, took the head from girl's hands and stared at it in surprise.
“There are so many evil ones, let at least someone be kind.”
The woman hugged head and the girl and cried harder than ever.
“Cabin 17," the lieutenant said and ran to the submarine, on the upper deck of which the technicians gathered around the body of Captain Kulagi.
They got in the way of Lipovaska, but Richitina waved her hand, uttering a guttural groan, and they parted.
“Lie down, Master Bike," Kolitar said, "let me examine the wound again."
“Help the captain first,” I shook my head, “I think his injury is more serious.”
“But… He tried to kill us.”
“Yes, but should we be like him? I shrugged my shoulders, “And I would like to talk to him again.”
The fighter jet flew over us and landed on the water behind the ship. A compartment separated from the solid surface and May-e-oka got out of it.
"I didn't know you could do it so well," I smiled.
“I didn't too,” the girl smiled, “there is a similar neural interface to that you put on yourself on the island. You just think what you need and it does everything for you.”
“Unbelievable. I've never seen ships fly. This technology was considered completely lost.”
“Master Bike,” Lipovaska's voice rang out, “let's go to the boat in the infirmary, I'll take care of you, and Kolitar will try to help the captain. They taught me how to take out bullets in school… Well, you understand.”
217Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxjG8KFch0N
The lieutenant didn't lie, he pulled out the bullet, disinfected the wound and sewed me up. Kolitar worked longer on the captain. The injury occurred very close to the heart, and eventually the woman dropped the instruments and walked away from the operating table in tears. The worm appeared over the captain's body and swallowed him.
Richitina allowed the children to be transferred to the boat. The lieutenant took command. They had enough food and water to get to the mainland.
“We will be like the first settlers, like the first Outs who arrived in this world. We’ll go somewhere in the wilderness, start a farm," Lipovaska smiled when we gathered on the upper deck of the submarine to say goodbye.
“Good luck," I nodded.
“And where will you go?” Savaya asked.
“To the moon," I answered her, exchanging glances with May-e-oka.
“Why?”
“The one I need to meet lives there.”
“Why?”
“He wants to subjugate the whole world.”
“Like the Federation?” the girl frowned.
"Like the Federation," I nodded sadly.
“Then you can't win. Or you will become the same.”
I didn't say anything and patted Savaya's hair.
“Good luck to you, Master Bike,” Lipovaska interrupted the silence, “whoever you are, you have a good heart. I believe that you will succeed.”
“Thank you, Shae.”
We hugged with him, then with Kolitar, Savaya and a dozen other children, and I headed to the port side, from where I jumped onto the wing of the fighter, grimacing at the pain in my shoulder. May-e-oka was already waiting for me in the cockpit. I sat down next to her and put a device on my head that really looked like a neurointerface. Strange symbols flashed before my eyes, but then the images disappeared.
"Where to now, Captain?" the girl asked, lifting the ship into the air.
“To the capital.”
“Are you crazy? Everything is captured there.”
“We don't know. It is impossible to believe what Kulagi said. And those radio broadcasts that we received together with Richitina could also be a lie. Disinformation. And I need to get to the Ancestral Museum. There is another archive there. I need to understand the nature of the worm before I meet Rob.”
"Is that the other one?"
“Yes.”
"But you're not ready to fight him. He has an army on his side, a weapon capable of destroying cities.”
“Yes.”
“And we're flying.”
“Yes.”
We fell silent and May-e-oka directed the flying ship to the north.
“Navigation devices are just buggy. In the world where this ship comes from, the sun rises in the east. Every time I have to mentally correct it.”
“Push on. I want to already experience the acceleration you've been talking about so mu…”
I didn't have time to finish the sentence, because I was pressed into a chair, and we rushed over the water with the speed of a bullet. I thought I was going to be flattened and already reached for the girl's chair. But the pressure eased, and we flew slower.
From a bird's-eye view, the ocean looked very different. And my psyche has been adjusting to this new point of view on the world for a while.
“Did you like it?” the girl grinned.
“I was more scared now than when Sha Zumm was going to burn me.”
“The main thing is not to shit yourself.”
“What?”
“Don't mess yourself, otherwise it will stink in the cabin.”
"You can't smell it."
“Yes, I can. But most importantly, I'll know that you've shat in your pants. Although... you have nowhere else to fall in my eyes.”
“Stop talking. Fly to a capi... no, don't be so-s-s-s”
ns 15.158.61.54da2
