Напряжение / Voltage: Эпилог

Epilogue

Camrad_RIP 28.04.23 в 18:15

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Camrad_RIP 28.04.23 в 18:16

I stared at the thin lines drawn in black pen on the white paper. I stared into the essence of the images woven out of them, trying to find the threat, the trap in the indifferent features of my enemies. There were many of them, each marked by a number - and one of them had to be the first target. The choice was mine.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 17:53

The one who sat in the shadow of the desk lamp, silently stirring his tea and peering keenly out of the corner of the office, gave me an hour to solve the problem by defiantly turning the desk clock toward him. He had come to our house a week before, looking like a harmless old man. He had been recommended to me as a trustworthy man to learn from, and I had let him into my life with criminal credulity. And today, it was payback time.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 17:54

Two minutes ago, he had given it to me, demanding responsibility for my past, and I could not refuse him. But how difficult was each decision, pulled from a life that should have been mine but never was!

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 17:55

The ringing of the phone gave me much-needed pause.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 17:55

The old man pressed his lips together in frustration and turned away from the window. Any delay irritated him.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:01

"Maxim?" I was greeted with joy on the other side.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:01

"Yes," I said, simultaneously making invisible marks beside one of my opponents as I seemed to recognize his weakness.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:02

"We found everything!" in a loud whisper, he shared.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:03

"I'm glad," I stated in a serious voice, putting my pen aside.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:04

Okay, I've already got a lead on one of them, so he won't last long. I concentrated on the conversation, wanting to finish it quickly.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:15

"What to do with them, Maxim?"

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:16

"Remember when you used to dream about a factory? A real factory, not a basement in an industrial area."

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:16

The old man looked at me attentively.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:16

"I remember. We used to dream together."

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:17

"Fulfill your dream," I generously offered.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:17

"But I can't!" panicked the other side of the line.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:18

"Hire those who can."

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:18

"Do you think I can do it?" my friend said timidly.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:18

"Of course. My trust is in your hands," I said without a grain of doubt as I raised my pen again.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:19

And here is a new vulnerable target on the list. Its redundancy at the bottom will soon be cut off, leaving no more than a quarter of what it was. I have the skill and strength to do so.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:19

"Will you come?" I heard a hopeful tone on the phone.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:19

"Not soon, but definitely. I have a lot of unresolved problems," I tapped the edge of my pen on the paper.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:20

"Maybe you need help?" worried Tolik. "I'll send the boys. We'll break anybody's legs for you."

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:07

"No, it's just my battle. Good luck." I hung up the phone, pushing it back to the edge of the table under the stern gaze of my personal overseer.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:06

And that's a battle I'm going to start right now.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:05

Well, Mr. Integral, you should not have sat so vacantly over the natural logarithm! I will begin this examination with you.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:05

I narrowed my eyes predatorily and resolutely put an "equal" after the first equation.

Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:04

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Camrad_RIP 16.05.23 в 18:04