Хроники Аскета: Вторжение / The Ascet Chronicles: Invasion: Глава 13

Chapter 13

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:02

It was a month before I could get back to base. I was in a bad mood: the recent deaths of Beerbrewer and Hawk were accompanied by bad news from Daniel. According to him, the unknown poison that had poisoned Student's body was interfering with tissue regeneration, so the healers couldn't reattach the spine. Student remained half-paralyzed, his legs unable to move.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:05

A similar problem arose in the treatment of Wicked. Now his appearance was terrifying: the first reaction of outsiders at the sight of his disfigured face ranged from simple fright to shock. There was a case when a new nurse, meeting Wicked in the corridor for the first time, fainted. The hair on his head fell out, and his skin blackened and cracked in places, turning a blue hue on his face. At times the wounds began to bleed, making a terrible impression. In addition, for some unknown reason, the whites of his eyes had turned a deep red. As a result, Wicked's character, already not known for its softness, had taken on a distinctly sadistic hue. Who likes it when people turn their backs on you?

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:06

Before I left, I had a conversation with Student. Considering the shit he was in, the guy kept up pretty well.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:07

"I just don't know what to do," he said frankly. "I've been in the Army all my life, ever since I got kicked out of the institute. No family, no profession. Of course, I won't be lost, but I don't know what to do next."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:07

"What's your size?"

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:08

"Ninety-one. Are you suggesting we go to Korobok?"

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:09

"Or to the Phantom. As an analyst."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:09

"It's a good idea, I should think about it. Tell to Sergachev - you'll see him."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:10

"He didn't visit?"

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:10

"He did. You were at Daniel's at the time, that's why you didn't see it. Sergachev is a general now, he says that they will create a separate service specifically to deal with aliens. First a separate department under the FSB, then it will be separated into an independent structure. In my opinion, it is easier to immediately create a new organization, but the leadership believes otherwise."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:12

I had a word with Sergachev. There were indeed a lot of people sitting in his waiting room, but the receptionist, when she heard my name, let me through without waiting in line.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:13

"Hello, Ascet." Interesting. Before that, Sergachev used to call me by my first name and patronymic.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:13

"Hello, Alexander Vasilyevich."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:13

"Well, at least you recovered. Did you talk to Student?" I nodded. "How was he?"

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:14

"It's okay. But if you don't put him on something, he might snap."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:14

"I already talked to Korobok: he needs people with a big shell. Student does not even have to resign: we will write an order, saying that Captain Semenov Sergey Vladimirovich is transferred to the position of a test researcher."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:15

"Maybe it would be better to Phantom?" I really thought Student would be better off with intelligence people.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:16

Sergachev thought about it, then nodded:

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:17

"I'll ask Frolov." He thought some more, then switched to other questions: "I have some good news for you. First, you were awarded the Order of Courage for your courage and heroism. Congratulations."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:17

I nodded. To be honest, the order left me completely indifferent. Sergachev looked at me intently and sighed:

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:22

"When they award you, say "Serve to Russia," don't forget. Next. Did you already know that there is a Department under the FSB, which will do all the work with aliens?"

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:23

"I thought the Special Division was in charge of that."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:23

"No. Special Division was only in charge of cleanups. Before, the services that dealt with the problem of the Invasion belonged to different Departments. I had my superiors, Korobok had his, Phantom was in the SVR. Don't look at his "seven grades, technical school, special forces" appearance - he's only pretending to be a simpleton. Now all the departments were united under the roof of a new Directorate, which created the Department of active xeno-operations, which transferred the surviving members of the group "Psi". I was appointed head of the department, and my deputy Chizhov, you, Whip, and Executor will take on the positions of platoon leaders. I wanted to put Wicked in the fourth platoon, but now I just don't know if I should."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:26

"I'll talk to him."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:26

"Talk. I wouldn't want to look for someone else."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:26

I can't say that I fully recovered: my ligaments were still sore. Nevertheless, I had to get in shape, so I devoted the next week to training. I had to train very carefully, so as not to injure myself accidentally. Fortunately, everything turned out well.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:27

Despite the fact that the structure of the Department had not yet been officially approved, Sergachev divided all the newcomers into four groups, each of which we were assigned as instructors. Wicked seemed to come to his senses, though his group groaned. Such a decision of the general allowed me to get acquainted with my future subordinates, whom gossipers had already managed to call "angels".

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:28

Each platoon consisted of seven men, most of whom had previously participated in the cleansing of Nests. Only two of mine came from outside - the already familiar Olga and a young boy, Sasha Maltsev: he had previously served as a helicopter pilot. The level of physical fitness of all of them was about the same - the difference was in experience.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:29

From the outside world came interesting news. The major religious associations had finally decided on their attitude toward the outsiders and the events associated with them. All the churches cursed the aliens in unison, declaring them to be the scourge of hell, a "sign of God sent down for sins," and urging people to repent of their sins. The Dalai Lama was the most rational, expressing the hope that the unknown race would eventually stop killing innocents and we could live in peace.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:33

More interesting, from my point of view, was the reaction to the recent news about the psionic abilities. Protestant leaders condemned them in unison, cursing those who are against God and stigmatizing us as "Satan's accomplices." The Catholic Church refrained from making statements on the subject: the Holy Throne had not yet developed a definite position. And only the Orthodox Church, represented by the Russian Orthodox Church, took a frankly friendly stance, declaring that psionic abilities have nothing to do with supernatural powers, being the result of a power originally given by God. The explanation for this friendliness was simple: the Kremlin representatives explained to the Patriarchy at length which position was right and which was wrong. Some hierarchs - most of whom belonged to dioceses abroad - opposed the decision of the highest church authorities, and the newspapers were immediately dotted with reports of the possibility of a schism.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:35

All the news, laughing, was told by Phantom. Sergachev temporarily put us under his command for a couple of days, for a specific assignment.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 10:35

"We have heard a bad rumor," Phantom told us in his buffoonish manner about the upcoming operation, "that there is an organization in Moscow called 'Institute for Research of Mind Problems', and that this institute contains forbidden knowledge, our Western friends are terribly interested in it. That night the dashing thieves must break into the institute and steal some documents. Between you and me, it's idiotic. It's much easier to bribe someone or plant a bug in his brain."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:30

--And we called you because there are two people from the Bayard squad in the team that came to visit us. Have you heard of it?"

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:31

We have heard of the Bayard. So had the English D-19, the German Omega, and the Chinese Tsai. That was the name of the special units designed to fight the aliens and trained according to similar methods to ours. If we have to face the Bayards, it's not going to be an easy fight.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:31

"Is this information so valuable that they want it any way they can get it?" I had to wonder.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:32

Phantom was silent, figuring things out, and then he "cracked":

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:32

"This is not information. It's an artifact."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:33

Seeing the perplexed faces on him, he began to explain:

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:33

"During the last sweep on the third level, the scientists found a strange object. In general, all sorts of things with useful properties are found in the Nests - healers, poison neutralizers, hypno-weed, and more. There's a class of items called artifacts, too. For example," he took a small flat rock out of a pocket on his belt, "what do you think it is?"

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:34

The stone possessed an unusually intense aura. Moreover, unlike usual objects, its aura looked too clearly structured - according to some unobvious principle.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:35

"Strange structure. There is a distant resemblance to the Dust Helmet, but too distant." The others nodded in agreement.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:35

"With the Dust Helmet, you say? Take a pebble in your hand."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:36

As soon as I touched the artifact, its aura began to change, becoming similar to mine. And the internal structure of the stone remained unchanged, although the resemblance to my aura was striking. At first glance, one would think that the artifact had been near my body for at least a couple of years.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:36

"What is your mother's maiden name?"

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:37

Phantom's abrupt question took me by surprise. Even more unexpectedly, I didn't hesitate to answer:

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:37

"Moroshkina-" The answer seemed to come of its own accord, without the involvement of my brain.

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:37

Phantom looked on with a smile:

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:38

"We call this thing a Speaker. It somehow makes people answer questions. Mostly they tell the truth. You can tell a lie, but it takes a lot of practice."

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:39

He was about to take the stone when I stopped him. Each time I entered the mental, it was easier and easier, and now I could almost effortlessly study the energy of the artifact. It took me quite a while to notice the thin threads stretching from the core of the stone and into my aura. It was something the Dead One had done with his spirits. When I cut the threads, I came out into the real world:

Camrad_RIP 05.06.22 в 16:39