When the airwaves went off, Rutra, having already entered the role of president, asked sternly:
– How could this happen?!
– This is not the time, please. Let's go," the security guard said pleadingly, grabbing his arm.
– The team is coming with me," Rutra stated.
– I'm sorry, of course, but they were admitted at your own request and by permission of the former president, only because you hooked them up to a supercomputer to control the cloning of the thymus gland. The president's clan made great use of it, and they made great business out of it too.
– All the more reason I need a team.
Ruthra first intended to ask them about the method the security officer had mentioned, and what had happened before.
They ran to the next room, the head of security opened the entrance to the elevator, where everyone entered… and rushed into the depths of Moscow's underground.
– Rutra, thank you, you're a true friend," Iulia said already in the elevator.
– Thank you, thank you," Andrian and Catherine repeated after her.
Only YatSan remained silent. Rutra looked at her. She was a lovely creature of about 25 years old. She was a thin, frail person whose eyes hid a gentle longing with a sly fury. She looked at Ruthra shrewdly, but at the same time with a hidden request, as if she wanted to say something… or wanted Ruthra to realize something for himself. Her gaze penetrated his mind, began to carry signals. Ruthra couldn't quite decipher them, just some fragments of the big picture. She was looking for help and support. She needed to make sense of the past to understand the big picture of what was happening to him in this world. Who were these people on his team? How had he met them? Why were they responsible for such a serious project? How did the president usurp his opening? Was he arrested? How did they know the entire technological process? Did he entrust it to the local Iren? Or does YatSan know something about it? Isn't that what her look is trying to say? Maybe she's being threatened?
His musings were interrupted by the Chief of General Staff.
– Where did you get that speech, the first strike methodology, the electromagnetic pulse?
Ruthra looked at him with displeasure. What did it matter now? Everyone was silent, for it was still to the end of their consciousness that they did not understand what had happened.
– Strictly out of curiosity," the Chief of Staff said, realizing Rutra's thoughts.
The elevator reached the waypoint, the door opened. They found themselves in the corridor. Iulia and Catherine were whispering, coming out later than everyone else. Then Iulia ran forward, grabbed the Chief of General Staff's arm, and asked begrudgingly:
– Will we know what happens upstairs?
His answer was shocking.
– Believe me, dear, we all have someone who will die.
The atmosphere was oppressive. They were walking down the corridor, and each step clapped the consciousness. It was beyond human capacity to believe what was happening (and also so suddenly). At the end of the corridor they were met by two FSO officers; after greeting them, they let everyone through without checking. Afterwards, they were led into the operations center. There were a lot of people there. It was something like a flight control center, which are often shown on TV during communication with astronauts. In some ways it resembled a movie theater hall, only there were monitors and tables in front of the chairs.
