LITMIR.BIZ

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tablecloth, at which sat two middle-aged men and the same girl who introduced herself as the professor’s daughter.

      Gradually regaining consciousness, Chris began to hear their conversation more clearly. Squinting his eyes with difficulty, he saw one of the men carefully scanning books from a bundle with a special device. The second one was angry with the girl. He stood up and, pacing back and forth across the room, said irritably:

      – How many times do I have to tell you – don’t rush! Why do you move so quickly from topic to topic without giving the subject a chance to speak? Weren’t you taught in special training courses that the first thing you need to do is to lull the vigilance of your interlocutor, to win him over? If you had done everything as expected, the guy could have agreed to cooperate with the rebels, and we would have had the opportunity to blackmail him and infiltrate him into the underground.

      “I tried to be nice to him, but realizing that he was not the one we were looking for, I almost lost it,” the girl answered guiltily.

      “It’s not for you to decide whether this object is the right one or not!” You must strictly follow the instructions you received before the meeting,” he continued.

      “I’m terribly tired of the constant complaints from you!” At a meeting at headquarters, I asked several times not to be involved in such tasks. I did an internship on seducing and recruiting rebels through intimate services, and you know very well how much useful information I obtained, how many actions were prevented! But what you are making me do now is completely different!

      After these words, the man moderated his ardor and said calmly:

      “For missions like this, we usually choose Guardian Aphrodite, but now she’s working with another suspect.” We did a pre-briefing and you had an earpiece. All you had to do was follow the instructions.

      “Isn’t it clear that he has nothing to do with the rebels?” He is level five. At the slightest suspicion he would have been captured long ago. I assure you, he didn’t even understand what we were talking about when I started talking about the list. Review the recording of our meeting to make sure.

      “We will interrogate everyone who may be in any way connected with the resistance.” According to the instructions, we should test him with a lie detector as soon as the truth serum starts working.

      Throwing aside the last book from the bundle, the second guard said with annoyance:

      – There is nothing suspicious here. Maybe we’re looking in the wrong place? – he asked his colleague, who continued to rush around the room.

      “We have accurate information that the list was kept by the professor, since he was the link between the rebel cells on the Continent. There is now activity in resistance groups, and this may be due to preparations for large-scale sabotage. We need to be the first to find the list at all costs.

      Suddenly the bracelet on the hand of the first guard rang. Looking at him, the guard ordered, adjusting the detector:

      – Bring the detainee here, the truth serum has begun to take effect. Now he will tell you everything he knows and doesn’t know.

      The second guard picked up the confused young man, sat him on a chair and began to put the instruments on the interrogated man. After everything was ready, the jailers began the interrogation. The detector confirmed the veracity of Chris’s words: he had heard about the list for the first time and really did not want to cooperate with the rebels.

      It seems that the guards were rather upset by this development. When Chris came to his senses and the serum had lost its strength, they brought him a cup of strong coffee to cheer him up:

      “I apologize for this misunderstanding,” muttered the first of the guards. “As a decent citizen, you yourself understand that increased vigilance is now required. We were informed about a large-scale sabotage planned by the rebels, similar to the one that took place several years ago. You understand that our task is to protect the citizens of the Continent by any means.

      “I understand,” Chris drank his coffee, rubbed the scar on his chin and slowly rose from his chair. My head was still spinning.

      – You can take these books, but you, Chris Taffer, will have an urgent request. If someone suspicious tries to contact you, you will notify us immediately. Here, take this,” the guard handed Chris an old-style pen.

      – What is this? – the young man was surprised.

      – Press this button, if the rebels come to you, it will give us a signal. Now you need to be prepared for any surprise! – the guard said pathetically.

      Chris couldn’t help but grin. A pen with a surprise? It looks like it’s from some old, old spy movie.

      – Without a doubt! I promise that I will be vigilant and will remain guardian of the interests of the citizens of the Continent and justice,” Chris said, looking into the eyes of the investigator.

      Staggering slightly, the young man went out into the street. An air taxi was already waiting for him 20 meters from the house. Approaching the unmanned aerial vehicle, he delightedly exposed his face to the fresh wind, which immediately ruffled his hair. The events of this day showed in the best possible way that the guards indiscriminately violate the rights of the citizens of Vinland and all the requirements of the Code, under the guise of fighting the rebels. Is this what the founding fathers of the Continent wanted? This cannot continue, this must end, Chris thought as he climbed into the air taxi above the house where he was illegally interrogated. He received further evidence of the guards’ violation of Code 282 and realized that he had chosen the right path.

      Chapter Six

      Continent of Vinland, 2077

      Chris returned to work, and everything, as before, went as usual. On the weekend, he decided to go home for a change of scenery and forget about what happened. Taffer did not let his mother in on all the events and spent most of the time in the room, thinking about the future of Vinland, the fate of Mr. Graves and the list about which he was interrogated. Chris had a lot of questions to which there were no clear answers. He decided to take advantage of his position and ask these questions to Artificial Intelligence at the first opportunity.

      One day, when there was no one in the office except him, Chris went to the Wise One.

      Kronos was in a large open hall with columns, reminiscent of an ancient temple, and sat on a raised platform under a small shell-shaped canopy, like a god dressed in a snow-white toga. A huge city lay at his feet, and, looking at this picture, everyone who arrived at Kronos felt delight and surprise at the power and beauty of this spectacle. At the same time, Kronos did not suppress; on the contrary, he felt kindness and wisdom, a desire to listen and understand.

      Approaching the steps leading to the dais, Chris hesitated. He didn’t know where to start the conversation, and watched as the king, sparkling with multi-colored light bulbs, sat on the throne, making countless calculations within himself and watching the city from above. The architect gave him this position. Kronos was constrained in his movements, but when he heard Chris’s breathing, he turned around, scanned his cornea and asked:

      “Why are you so puzzled, Chris Taffer?”

      Hearing the voice of the Wise One, Chris froze. He knew that Kronos would certainly identify him, since all Vinland’s computers had a hierarchical structure, and information would eventually flow here, but he was still confused. In addition, Kronos had direct access to the databases of eye corneas kept by the guards, which allowed him to easily identify who was standing in front of him.

      After a pause, the AI continued:

      – What brings you to this room?

      – Supreme Ruler Kronos, I am confused because I can’t find an answer to one question.

      – Does this question concern you personally or is it of global

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