Читать книгу Project A129. «Remember the future…» English edition (The original version of the book was published in 2017) - Gertcel Davydov, Gertz (Gertcel) Davydov, Gertz Davydov - Страница 2

Continent of Vinland, 2073

The air literally vibrated with tension. The planes entered a dive, somersaulted, converged, forming various figures, and scattered again, like disturbed birds. Laser cannons fired, shooting at the meteorite, the sky was ablaze with reflections of crimson and bright blue, as if huge buckets of fluorescent paints had been splashed out there.

The stands went wild. People either froze in tension, not taking their eyes off the silhouettes of steel birds shining in the sun, or burst into cries of jubilation. Sometimes a wave of disappointment would roll through the crowd. The adrenaline was off the charts, because everyone felt involved in what was happening and everyone knew that the stakes were high.

The most popular show, Apollo’s Arrow, was in full swing.

The competing teams were located opposite each other in special glass capsules. Each had a captain and five pilots. Two teams fought for the right to make it to the finals. Despite the fact that players controlled three-dimensional models of the aircraft from specially equipped transparent capsules, the sensations were close to real. A state-of-the-art virtual reality helmet created a flight simulation, and sensors from the capsules transmitted the physical data of the players to large screens, which changed depending on the load.

In each round, a virtual meteorite fell from space to a certain point, and the team’s planes, following the commander, had to rush to that square on the Vinland map and shoot down a celestial body in the upper atmosphere. The game went until three wins. If at the appointed time no one managed to shoot down the meteorite and it fell, then neither team received points, and two were played out at once in the next round. If the players did not hit the target the third time, both teams left the competition until the next season.

Since each team, having reached the point of impact, sought to be the first to shoot down the target, the planes of the opposing sides entered into fierce firefights, and not all pilots managed to reach the target. Therefore, to win the competition, quick reactions and well-coordinated team play were required.

In this show, teams not only competed with each other, but also practiced skills in dealing with dangers that could threaten the Continent at any moment. The players suffered from high blood pressure, and it happened that some of them lost consciousness during the game. The show was widely popular, despite the fact that it was already in its fourth year. People from all over Vinland gathered with their families in front of the screen to cheer for their favorite team and admire the colorful competition, replete with special effects.

The Taffer family was no exception. Mother, Barbara, baked an apple pie. She and her son ate it at the tea table and watched the show on the large screen installed in the living room. The family cheered for Captain Fleming’s team: it was one of the oldest, but despite this, it still beat the younger participants.

– Dodge, dodge! – Chris cried, holding a piece of pie in his hands. The young man always watched the competitions emotionally, and this game was no exception. – He was hit! Now there are three left on each team. Ours must win! Come in from behind! Well done! He was left alone, now he needs to manage to shoot down the meteorite. Well done, well done! We got another point! Score 2:1! Fleming leads!

Chris himself was involved in piloting in a student club. The young man was even predicted to have a brilliant future, but Chris was not sure that he wanted to connect his fate with aviation. Yes, he liked to lift the car into the air and, overcoming overloads, rise higher and higher, like the legendary Icarus, trying to fly to the sun. Moreover, unlike Icarus, who was carried by wings molded from wax, Chris had at his disposal powerful modern technology that could go beyond the atmosphere. He had the highest level of access, providing small but pleasant privileges. Chris liked to feel freedom and extraordinary lightness, liked the smooth elasticity of the trigger and the euphoria that engulfed the body at the moment when the training target scattered into billions of splashes. And yet what kind of pilot is he? In order to become a real pilot, Chris believed, you need a special adventurous personality, like those guys from Apollo’s Arrow. Chris Taffer was too down-to-earth, an ordinary young man, and therefore believed that the greatest benefit could come from studying the history of past civilizations. In addition, the euphoria from successfully passing exams is no less, and now it is more important for the Continent to analyze the past in order to build an ideal model of the future on this basis. No, heaven is not for him.

Chris was completely ordinary in appearance – of average height, not very athletic, but rather lean by nature, with dark hair and clearly defined cheekbones. Perhaps the only notable detail of his appearance was a crescent-shaped scar on the left side of his chin – a consequence of an injury received during one of his training flights.

No, Chris Taffer was in no way fit to play the hero.

And yet, the heart involuntarily froze at the sight of the next somersault on the screen, and the hand clenched, as if actuating an invisible control lever.

– Don’t lose speed! What are you doing?! Come on! Let’s! – Chris whispered, without taking his eyes off the plane as it turned. Watching what was happening, he felt as if he was with the team, and victory depended on his skill and speed of reaction.

Barbara was more reserved, but just like her son, she was happy with the team’s success.

After the point was played, the players were given a ten-minute break. Technicians used this time to check the instruments and accuracy of each pilot’s shots. The channels returned to the current topic of the election and played videos of the two candidates, and then once again announced a special appearance after the show by the Supreme Ruler of Vinland, Demian Roskhald.

– I hope we will be able to watch the game to the end and listen to the speech of the head of the Continent. Last week, the rebels tried to interfere with the broadcast at the most interesting place. They say they were preparing an uprising, you heard about it on the news.

Without taking his eyes off the screen, Chris said:

«Mom, Mr. Graves doubts this is the work of the rebels.»

«Your professor constantly doubts everything.» I don’t like him. You shouldn’t have started studying history at all. You are the best in this student flying club of yours. You could go into aviation and now fight for one of the teams, you could become the star of the show «Apollo’s Arrow», and I would watch and be proud of you!

– Mom, I’ve been training at the club for six years. During this time, as you know very well, I learned to fly many aircraft, received awards for aerobatic maneuvers both in deserted areas and in urban environments, but understand, this is not my thing.

– Why? What could be better?

– It’s impossible to explain. You yourself work in the university library precisely because you like it.

«I love books, and you seem to be all like me,» Barbara looked at her son tenderly.

– By the way, even if it weren’t for history, I still would not have become an aviator, but would certainly have gone to the remote areas of Vinland to eliminate the consequences of the disaster. Hundreds of volunteers went there to improve the environment on the Continent. Everyone there is friendly, they work hard, and in the evenings they gather, sing songs with guitars and discuss the bright future of Vinland,“ Chris noted, taking advantage of the moment of calm that came in the game. „I watch a lot of reports: these people have a hard time, but they are doing useful work. At the same time, one-story houses are being built there, but recently there have been constant power outages. They say that one of the nearby substations in the north of the continent was attacked by rebels last week in order to disrupt the leader’s speech.

– When will Mr. Roskhald restore order? Only he can pacify these robbers,» the woman sighed.

«The fight against the rebels continues every day. Today they even carried out checks at the university to identify the conspirators. Prohibited literature was found on one student’s computer. He is suspected to be linked to the resistance. I’m sure this is a misunderstanding. Surely he just downloaded some book about the revolutions of the past from a forbidden source, and soon everything will become clear. Sometimes I am tempted to download a book from a pirated site, but I try to obtain knowledge only from licensed sources and am sure that there is enough information about everything there.

– Son, you need to think about your career and communicate less with students who have violated the ban and read books that have not been licensed by the Ministry of Education. And please, put thoughts of exploring new areas, rebels out of your head, and rather focus on your studies – it’s your senior year. In your position, you will bring much more benefit to the Continent – there is now an acute shortage of specialists. – Looking at a childhood photo of Chris near the big screen, she continued: «You are the first generation after that terrible tragedy that occurred 26 years ago, and you must do everything for the prosperity of Vinland and maintain the power of the rightful ruler.» They used to like to say: everyone should be useful in their place, try to follow this. A brilliant career awaits you.

When the host announced the start of the third round, the Taffers once again immersed themselves in the atmosphere of the show.

The game ended in victory for Rick Fleming’s team, which mother and son were very happy about.

There was another version of the show «Apollo’s Arrows», the so-called night one. In it, the battle took place entirely in the real world, and often state criminals or the same rebels found themselves in the arena. They fought with professionals for the opportunity to receive a pardon. Chris was not too sympathetic to them, since he recognized the right of the state to punish the guilty, but still did not like the night version of Apollo’s Arrow. Cruelty, even forced, did not attract him.

Immediately after the end of the show, the speech of the head of Vinland was announced. People from all over the Continent were waiting for this speech. For several months now, intrigue has persisted: will the ruler agree to run for a third term, as numerous voters asked him to do, or will he propose a successor in his place who will compete for this post. Chris and his mother were also looking forward to the performance. The woman didn’t even go to boil water for tea, for fear of missing the beginning. The Taffers were supporters of the ruler and were going to give him their votes.

«At work all week they were just discussing whether Mr. Roskhald would agree to run for a third term or not.» «I wish he’d make up his mind as soon as possible, we’re already so used to him,» Barbara sighed.

«And Professor Graves says that they have already decided everything a long time ago and are just waiting for the right moment to announce the nomination.»

«This professor of yours knows everything,» the mother grinned. – The Supreme Ruler will go for a third term if he is confident that he can do something useful for Vinland and its citizens, which is why he thinks about it, and does not deliberately pause.

Despite the fact that last weekend during the broadcast there was interference on the air and the show was interrupted for several minutes, interest in the program did not fade, and the ratings broke new records… As soon as the speech of the head of the Continent was announced, people clung to the screens.

– Citizens of the Continent! I am proud to welcome you on the eve of new elections. «I thank you for the trust that you have placed in me all these years, and it is absolutely clear…» the ruler began solemnly, but then the image suddenly trembled, rippled and changed.

Instead of a traditional office with a huge flag of the Continent, a dimly lit room with bare gray walls appeared on the entire wall, and instead of a ruler, a man in a mask appeared before the audience.

«Citizens of Vinland, isn’t it clear to you that elections are just another government show?» We are being deceived, we are being manipulated!..“ the stranger said hotly. „I call on all concerned residents of the Continent to join the rebel movement and put an end to this government. We must not succumb to government manipulation! Go out and declare…

Then the image flickered again and disappeared.

– What is it?! – Barbara jumped up in fear. – How did these robbers even manage to break into the airwaves?

Chris shrugged. He didn’t know the answer to this question. The only thing that became clear: these same rebels had good opportunities. It is not surprising that the government has been unable to deal with them for so long.

This time the broadcast was interrupted for several hours, and the ruler’s speech was postponed indefinitely. Chris, returning to the room, continued reading another historical novel, and Barbara finished her tea and thought about what to cook for her son for breakfast.

* * *

The man sitting at the table raised his head and looked at the visitor with a hard look, from which the broad-shouldered man who entered seemed to shrink.

In this office – quite large, but furnished extremely minimally: a long table, several chairs with high straight backs, the only decorations were a large portrait of the ruler located above the chair of the owner of the office – as if there was an eternal draft. Everyone who entered felt uncomfortable and exhaled with relief only when they again found themselves on the other side of the massive mahogany door.

«And don’t say that you haven’t sorted out this small matter yet,» said the owner of the office, staring at the visitor with watery-gray eyes.

– We’re on the trail. Our agent, embedded in the rebel camp, reported that the list was in the possession of Professor William Graves. We set up surveillance and…

«There’s nothing left until the election of the head of the Continent,» the voice of the owner of the office seemed deceptively calm, but with each word the visitor shrank more and more. – Please don’t waste my time. I expect you to put on this table what interests me, and not to explain why you haven’t done it yet. If I suddenly want to chat, I will find a more interesting company. All clear?

– Yes, High Guardian! – The visitor stood at attention, seemingly forgetting to breathe.

– Then do it! «The man sighed heavily and bent over the tablet, instantly forgetting about the unlucky visitor who hastened to silently retreat from the office. What to do if you have to work with not very competent employees. Sometimes seditious thoughts came to mind that among the rebels there were much more thinking and capable people, otherwise they would not have lasted so long. For example, this professor…

A three-dimensional photograph of an elderly man with a very noticeable bald spot in his hair appeared on the tablet. An absolutely ordinary-looking person, except that intelligence is visible in his eyes, and his jawline reveals a stubborn nature. Perhaps you can’t just split something like that. Well, let them try.

It was this man who found himself at the center of state interests, and his life was now worth less than nothing. The professor’s unspoken death sentence had already been signed. All that remains is to shake all his secrets out of this smart guy.

The High Guard of Vinland, Holofernes, stretched in an uncomfortable chair, stretching his stiff back. Yes, you could put one of those newfangled floating chairs here that adapts to any body shape, but that’s for spoiled slackers. He sincerely believed that the chair should be uncomfortable so as not to allow him to relax. First of all, service. There will be rest later, when all matters are settled, the rebels are neutralized, and the very memory of them is covered with dust.

Only then will it be possible to relax and take a break. And now it’s work and only work, especially on the eve of the elections. Everything must go smoothly so that nothing interferes with the election of the ruler for a new term.

He moved his finger slightly, removing from the screen the image of the professor, probably living out his last days in freedom, and switched to a special communication channel. It was time to go out with a daily report and explain to the ruler how the rebels managed to get on the air and disrupt the performance.