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predictions were confirmed: Demian Roskhald won with 87 percent of the votes, and two other candidates split the remaining thirteen. After a special commission headed by Kronos found no gross violations in the electoral process, Demian Roskhald received another mandate from the board. A new Senate was formed, where the number of supporters of the ruler increased.

      In his address, the newly elected head of the Continent thanked everyone who expressed confidence in him and promised to continue to work hard.

      Late at night, the master and his associates Bernard and Holofernes gathered in the same office. Having accepted the congratulations, the ruler hugged everyone and asked them to take their seats. After sharing his impressions of the past elections, the master spoke about plans for the near future: to allocate part of the budget funds to space programs. He asked the Minister of Information to prepare the people for this, and the Minister of Defense to build a secret facility to create the first satellite of the new era, which would be code-named “Prometheus”.

      Chapter Five

      Continent of Vinland, 2076, three years after the election

      The three years that Chris spent in Attica flew by. It would seem that very little time has passed, but he has changed. Having escaped from the closed world of the university and the prosperous capital, Chris was faced with a life that he had never imagined before. He took off the rose-colored glasses in which he spent most of his youth, and became even more convinced that not everything on the Continent is as good as the head of the Continent and his like-minded people want to imagine. In Attica, Chris Taffer met volunteers – honest and selfless people working tirelessly to eliminate the consequences of the disaster in remote areas of the Continent and give their descendants a prosperous Vinland. Chris especially valued his acquaintance with Henry Hawk, who, as it turned out later, along with the head of the region, Anatoly Kramer, compiled the Code of the Continent. Chris also worked a lot in the contaminated territories, and simple, understandable work brought him joy, especially since the people around him turned out to be good and reliable. However, he soon could not help but notice that the situation in Attica was rapidly deteriorating. The repressions of the guards also reached those parts. Chris realized that he would not be of much use here and must go to the capital to put an end to the injustices.

      Immediately upon arrival in the capital, Chris headed home.

      – How you have changed! He has matured! Tanned! “Barbara alternately hugged her son and then pulled away to take a good look at him. – He’s become quite an adult!.. Oh, why are we standing there? Come quickly! I prepared a festive dinner.

      Entering his room, Chris stopped. For a moment, blinded by the bright light pouring from the window, the young man thought that he was in a completely unfamiliar place. But no, the room remained the same – with a holographic projection of the starry sky on the ceiling, floating chairs made in the shape of shells, a narrow bed, and a table at which he spent so much time. Even his favorite fluffy blanket with the Apollo’s Arrows logo was still lying on the armrest of his chair. The room remained the same – he himself changed.

      Chris, out of habit, touched the scar on his chin and shook his head. Mom is waiting, which means we need to hurry.

      When Chris, having rested a little, changed his clothes and went out into the living room, the Sunday show “Apollo’s Arrow” was broadcast on the video visor.

      Barbara, as before, baked an apple pie for the holiday dinner and invited her son to the table. The show was in full swing and Rick Fleming’s favorite team was still winning.

      – Well, tell me! – Barbara poured aromatic soup into a plate. It seems that for real homemade soup, which only his mother knew how to make, Chris was ready to give a lot.

      While the show was on, he shared with his mother his impressions of the time spent in Attica and his views on the future of Vinland.

      – You speak out very boldly, son! – Listening to Chris, Barbara shook her head. “We shouldn’t condemn the guards’ desire to put an end to the rebels at any cost.” In the fight against these robbers, all means are good. According to the latest opinion polls, the people support their leader. Everyone knows that he helped restore the Continent after the terrible disaster of 2046 and is fighting the rebels! Don’t you want to join them? – She looked at her son with concern.

      “Of course not,” Chris snapped and, in fairness, added: “I don’t want to cooperate with either the authorities or the rebels.” Both of them resort to violence, and this is contrary to my principles. I decided to confront injustice with my own methods.

      Chris was convinced that he could change the situation by bringing information to the Supreme Ruler, who bore the name of the powerful god of antiquity, Kronos. This supreme ruler, trained after the disaster of 2046, Artificial Intelligence, also acted as the guardian of the “Code 282”, replacing the constitution, and even the head of Vinland, Demian Roskhald, had to obey his decrees. To gain access to the tower of the main center of Artificial Intelligence, Chris carefully prepared for the exam that each applicant had to pass, and also refreshed his knowledge of all laws. Chris understood that the selection there was harsh, but despite this, he was determined to overcome all the tests and awaken Kronos, the main guarantor of justice.

      Barbara was excited about her son’s plans and, fearing for his future, decided to warn:

      – Chris, what are you up to? Guards and their agents are on duty there around the clock. If anyone notices something is wrong, you will be immediately captured and declared a conspirator! Now that the fight against the insurgency has entered a decisive stage, the government has tightened control.

      “I will take your concerns into account and promise that I will act carefully,” Chris reassured his mother, putting down the spoon. “But this can’t go on any longer.” Understand, I am tired of injustice and will do everything to ensure that power passes to Kronos. It was not in vain that I studied history, and now I have devoted a lot of time to analyzing the real situation on the Continent and talking with people. I see where this is going. The ruler was already practically out of control of the Senate, gradually turning it into a tool for approving his initiatives. After winning the last elections, his power was significantly strengthened. Unfortunately, people do not learn from the mistakes of history, and again and again we return to a situation where another ruler has usurped power.

      “Chris, something has changed in you. You started talking like these rebel bandits! – Barbara covered her face with a towel out of excitement.

      – No, I consider their methods of struggle unacceptable. There is not much difference between the ruler and the rebels. The first seeks to maintain power, while the others seize it. My goal is to return the control of Vinland to the control of the AI, the fair Kronos, to awaken him by telling him about the ruler’s desire to monopolize power.

      After thinking for a moment, Chris continued:

      – In Attica we talked for a long time about the fate of Vinland. Do you know that people of all different views go there? In the evenings, after a hard day’s work, we gathered around the fire and thought about the future of the Continent. I was able to meet many interesting people, but I became especially close to Henry. Maybe you’ve heard of him? Henry Hawk. He was one of the drafters of Code 282.

      “Maybe I heard it, I don’t remember now,” having received confirmation that her son was not going to take the dangerous path, Barbara calmed down a little.

      – After the election of Mr. Roskhald, Henry helped him make the necessary amendments to the laws through the Senate to correct the shortcomings of the hastily drawn up Code 282, not expecting that it would take such a scale. Now he is critical of the authorities and Mr. Roskhald himself and has left for Attica to be away from everything that is happening. Henry said that he regularly publishes articles under a pseudonym on pirate sites, trying to awaken

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