Напряжение / Voltage: Chapter 23

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Camrad_RIP 12.04.23 в 13:39

The smallest of details can easily remind you of the whole - a glimpse of a scene will draw an image of a film you've seen, and a scrap of a melody from a car passing by will form a song. Once you've seen it, it's hard to remember it, but it's easy to remember what's in your heart.

Camrad_RIP 12.04.23 в 13:49

Goods without receipts, sales without a checkout, arrogance, and power. I know the title of a painting assembled from these phrases. It's called "The masters are far away and won't recognize anything".

Camrad_RIP 12.04.23 в 13:50

Uncle Kolya told me a lot about aristocrats, something else I read myself. In these stories, there was no such thing as the nobles breaking their word. It was not in their nature to go against their promise. The losers were given freedom, though they could have become slaves. They were left with money, though they could have been driven out penniless. The victor showed mercy. And some rat in the building decided to ignore his master's word and line his own pockets.

Camrad_RIP 12.04.23 в 13:51

Despite the anger clouding my mind, I had to admit that it would work out fine. Most people had already left and were unlikely to be charged any fees, which meant that all the claims of fabulous prices would be taken as lies of units against the truth of thousands. Even journalists are unlikely to take the story seriously, but if they do, they will be wary of acting against a powerful family with only words on their lips. And what proof could there be? There is no price on the tickets, and the only thing in the loan agreements is that someone has borrowed ten thousand roubles... And apparently does not want to give it back, trying to lie.

Camrad_RIP 12.04.23 в 13:53

There is a lot of meanness and deceit in the adult world. But I have prepared for it well.

Camrad_RIP 12.04.23 в 13:53

I seemed to want to pass this town quietly and peacefully, becoming a new person. Even now, I could do it - just wait half an hour, get on the bus, and arrive at the station. But in that case, this new me would turn out to be a trashy little man. And he certainly won't become an emperor.

Camrad_RIP 12.04.23 в 14:25

I could not do otherwise. I couldn't have found a family and immediately become the perpetrator of its poverty. If it hadn't been for me, my father would have had a few thousand and a necklace. My sisters would have their jewelry. They would probably forgive me, but I would remember every moment of having to sell things and huddle in tiny rooms with the five of us. So I will go and get back what is rightfully my family's.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 08:11

The bus station building offered a coolness that was palpable after the heat of the street - the sun was burning mercilessly by lunchtime, and the heated asphalt only added degrees, frying underneath. Taking a step inside, I leaned against the corner behind the door, looking carefully around the corridor and planning my next move.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 08:14

There was no fear in me. Indeed, why be afraid of the rat? It should be the one to fear the light and noise - the publicity and anger of those who had put it there and whose reputation it was ruining. Especially as I am not alone - the star on my hand flashed a lively light and disappeared again into my closed palm.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 08:14

Call for a fire, wait for the roar of the siren and the triggered fire extinguishing system flooding all around, and use the gift. In the artificial rain, cut through by electrical flares, walk over the bodies of enemies. Get to the local rat's hole - judging by the brazenness of its owner, it should be pretty good. Take everything, get the survivors to throw the loot on the bus, and leave town. That kind of money would justify the risk, and there are enough principalities in the empire where the local masters are very disliked.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 08:17

I shook my head and said goodbye to the idea - bright and reckless. I wasn't alone. I
couldn't fight without looking back. I had a family now, and I was responsible for them. So I had to act politely, trying not to bring trouble to those who had taken me in and shared their family name.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 08:19

Besides, in the adult world things are much more complicated than in the small world of the boarding school, where everyone was responsible for his actions, and everyone could be charged for their fault. Even the rat has a boss in this world - his coat of arms is waving on the flagpole at the entrance if you look through the window. And the owner certainly won't be happy if a valuable pet is maimed. I wouldn't like it either if someone kicked Laika, even if it was ten times her fault because only I have the right to punish her.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 08:21

The plan lined up on its own, coming together in a coherent chain of thoughts and actions, assumptions and old experiences.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 08:23

I settled in an inconspicuous corner of the corridor, behind a massive tub of fern, patiently memorizing where people with badges on their chests were going and what they were holding in their hands. After a couple of minutes, the location of the kitchen became clear - bars and sodas were emerging from the left-hand corridor, moving in the hands of the staff to their workstations. I walked a little further, stopping at the sight of a new post with an armed man. There was no easy way through; it was unlikely that outsiders would be allowed into the inner kitchen. So he had to divert the guards' attention to something more interesting than a deserted corridor.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 08:24

The metal flap of the electrical switchboard I had noticed beforehand caught my eye on the familiar zip and the yellow stencil warning. There was no lock on it, only a cunning fastener, which had to be pushed up and pulled - and then a straight row of black switches became accessible, with the room numbers printed on the yellowish sticky papers next to them. After clicking each one in sequence, I waited for a panicked shriek, full of grief and lost data, just outside the correct corridor.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 08:26

"Tech is like that, yeah," I said sympathetically.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 08:26

Even shook my head in empathy - how many unsaved games were lost in due course!

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 14:21

This switch I did not put back, leaving a very little gap between the working position, and with a sense of accomplishment, I moved to another part of the corridor to ensure that the passage I needed remained between me and the "knocked out" switch.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 14:21

It was a good guess - a soldier arrived immediately at the desperate shouts, and he was also persuaded to fix it. So while the man slung his machine gun over his shoulder and shielded himself with the flap, scratching the back of his head as he looked inside the shield, I walked on quietly, moving towards the smell of freshly baked bread and fragrant coffee.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 14:22

Everyone knows what distinguishes a chef from an ordinary person - a white coat and boundless trust in its wearer. After all, the food is taken from his hands. I needed a disguise and an excuse to talk to the boss here, and I saw no better opportunity than to be the one who feeds him for a few minutes.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 14:23

The cafeteria sign next to the open door was clearly a relic from a time when the building was decorated with very different flags. So, too, was the ambiance of the spacious hall, with two dozen round tables, of which only two were occupied. By the refrigerated display case, shielded from the world by a high counter and a rectangle of the printed menu, sandwiched between two transparent panes, a salesman was bored, thoughtfully studying something on his phone. I didn't bother him and walked quietly to the right, to the door next to the delivery window. No one called out to me, though the door creaked loudly and twice. It was unlikely that strangers were waiting, and if someone was walking quietly into the interior, he must have a right to do so.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 14:27

The adjoining room was flooded with light from four huge windows without curtains. The water rumbled loudly, pouring dishes into the iron sinks, the massive machines shook with their old bearings, the pots sizzled on the huge cookers, and three women in white dressing gowns and kerchiefs strode about, checking that the dishes were ready, referring to the large clock on the opposite wall and the opinion of the big man hovering over the three small pots on a separate cooker. He's the one I want - clearly the one in charge. After all, everyone knows that the bigger the belly, the more important the man.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 15:16

"What do you want, kid?" He glared at me, stirring something tasty in a small saucepan.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 15:16

"Your boss needs food," I pressed my will and tilted my head slightly.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 15:18

"Not ready," he pursed his lips and, to his distress, caught my eye.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 15:18

"Pass him the drinking water," he said imperiously, overriding the sounds of fire, water, metal, and his thoughts.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 15:39

With the rustling of the other cooks' footsteps, as they hurried to shield the wide table from the perceived, though unintelligible, danger, I waited for my talent to overpower the character of an aged, and therefore experienced and strong, opponent. There was no magic in my voice.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 15:51

One day I asked Oleg to observe my negotiations - one of the suppliers wanted more milk than before and encouraged the others not to pay less than the set price. He walked away, by the way, having lost five percent on the previous price.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 15:52

And afterward, Oleg, slurping words, with a gaze full of delight, described how my body moved, how my companion tried to follow my movements, repeating them, but I immediately broke his attempts, distorting the reflected picture with an angular movement. In those seconds, he was lost, awkwardly stiff, his shoulders slumped, his eyes a fraction more vacant. A new attempt to repeat the gesture followed - and I continued to exhaust my will, moving my shoulders quite imperceptibly, changing my supporting leg. Until the one I needed something from stood there with a blank stare, swaying slightly from side to side. In this obsession, I could have demanded anything and would surely have received it - until, of course, the other person's mind had cleared, and there were logical questions for himself and me. So I tried not to ask for too much, taking just enough so my partner would limit himself to a quiet curse word and waving his hand with a wary look back.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 15:56

"Water..." the cook repeated after me.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 15:56

"You want to give me drinking water for your boss," I prompted him.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 15:57

"Of course, here..." He strode to the corner cupboard and took out a packet of mineral water.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 15:58

Without stopping, he pulled up a second and aimed for a third.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 15:58

"That's enough. Stand up. Where am I supposed to take it?"

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 15:58

"To Valentin Andreyevich..." he said with the face of an emotionless puppet.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 16:27

"How am I supposed to get there?"

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 16:27

"Out, right to the end of the corridor, show pass, lift to the fourth floor..." mumbled the head cook under the wary glances of his subordinates.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 16:30

Hopefully, there won't be a problem because of them... I will, though.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 16:31

"Give me the coat. Try to find one in my size," I squared my shoulders and raised my arms to show off my size.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 16:37

The man strode to the cupboard near the entrance, almost without looking, pulled out a rack with a snow-white dressing gown from a row of similar ones, with an "Alexander" nametag attached. I took out the chef's hat myself, picked out the biggest one, and, spreading it slightly, put it on so that it covered my eyes and face for those who would be looking up.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 16:50

"Give me a pass."

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 16:51

A bronze plaque with a coat of arms appeared from a wide pocket and moved into my hand and then into the breast pocket of the coat I was wearing.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 16:51

"And a cutlet."

Camrad_RIP 12.04.23 в 19:11

"B-but we don't have..."

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 16:51

"That's too bad. But whatever. Feel good, don't worry, and be proud of yourself."

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 16:57

"I feel good," the man cheered, smiling shyly.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 16:57

"Keep up the good work!" I pressed my voice one last time and left the kitchen to the growl of the head cook demanding the same.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 16:58

The two packs of Evian were a bit heavy on my hands, so when I reached another post near the lift, I dropped my luggage with apparent pleasure.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 16:58

"Where to?" the soldier said menacingly, giving me a suspicious look.

Camrad_RIP 15.04.23 в 16:58