Outside it poured like a bucket. On all channels, there is only talk about a superstorm gathering strength. He must pass a hundred kilometers to the north. We will have a typical storm with flooded streets, downed power lines and downed trees.
I was doing the usual things. I worked in the morning, then all day I cut through the desert on a military drone. Shot down an enemy drone and checked in for five hours of military service.
Satisfied, he went out onto the balcony, giving the world his royal majesty. Of course, no one cared, and I desperately needed at least some kind of reward. Came back home. He took paper towels in one hand and the TV remote control in the other:
Call Lee Love.
Audio came on first.
Andrew, are you? Hello. Today is a full hour earlier.
- You have time?
- Just a minute. I'm not dressed at all.
- Fine. Just don't forget the lenses.
She sighed.
“They hurt my eyes so much. We agreed once in a while.
- And last time...
— I was in them. Don't you remember at all?
- Exactly. I'm sorry.
A minute later the video started. Lee Love sat on the bed, dressed in a translucent white dress. Bright scarlet lipstick on thin lips, impeccably straight black hair and slightly slanted Asian eyes of the same color.
- How are you? she asked coquettishly.
— Shot down an enemy drone today.
- Cool tell me how it was, I'm terribly interested.
“I wonder what you have under your dress.”
She smiled.
Everything under my dress belongs to you.
She took several seductive poses, then deftly pulled off the pink panties, leaving them dangling on one leg. Lee Love knows how to turn me on. She moved close to the camera and lowered it slightly so that the silicone dildo was in the frame. I looked at her thin fingers, at the movements of her lips, but most of all I wanted to see her eyes.
- Look at me. Look at me.
And she looked. A minute, two, three ... It seemed to me that I was close, but it was not so. A few more minutes of fruitless effort. Finally, I'm tired of:
“Put on the damn lenses, please. Just for a minute.
- Good.
She took a flat blue box from her bedside table. I soaked the lenses in the solution and sat down in front of the mirror carefully putting them on. A moment later, two blue eyes with catlike pupils looked at me.
- Yeah, finally. Come here soon.
Her gaze hypnotized, penetrated into consciousness and made you believe: what she does, she does only for you. I could feel her thin fingers, her lips, her tongue, and the slight biting of her teeth... oh no, not now... oh no! Oh yeah!
Lee Love kissed the camera. There was a lipstick mark on the glass.
- I hope you enjoyed it.
- Yes thank you.
Lee Love passed out, and I sat for a long time imagining blue cat eyes. He was brought out of his trance by the sound of a new message.
"Dear friend,
I have a suggestion for you. Of course, you are not one of those ... well, if not. Because I don't see anything criminal in what I do. Unlike those hypocrites who look down on people like you and me. But we show them that we are strong. That we can achieve our goals despite their hatred. This is the blue ocean.
I asked many machine learning authorities, but they rejected my suggestion. OK, I don't care. We live in a free world where people like you can do a better job than some arrogant idiots.
We need to meet and talk business in person. I'll tell you what. I can't offer much money right now, but trust me, together we make millions. This is the blue ocean, my friend. Come to Glitch at 9pm."
Looks like a regular spam, I get such offers every day. If not for one word: "Glitch".
The Glitch is a strange place. Any establishment is trying to attract customers. Competition. War for a passing place, promotion in social networks, travel applications, search engines and in real life. Push harder with your elbows and you will be noticed. Glitch, on the contrary, is constantly hiding. No mentions on the public internet. You can only get to it through onion servers. But here, too, difficulties await the curious. The spontaneous change of mirrors leads to the fact that link collectors give out outdated information. Only a well-trained sniffer can catch a disappearing trace in the network. The mirror contains information about the location of the IRL and the access code. IRL also changes, but not as often. Reality is slow.
If the author of the letter knows how to find “Glitch”, then he is not just a spammer.
*****
Yes, Glitch is an institution for its own. A nostalgic vaporwave sounds inside. Happy consumers smile from posters. Old TVs broadcast news: Desert Storm and the riot in Los Angeles, the burning of the white house in Moscow and 11/XNUMX, the Fukushima accident and the bombing of Syria. An endless string of disasters in an atmosphere of comfort and safety. It's like staring at the pictures on TV as a child, waiting for the next Pokemon series.
There are three visitors. A couple at the table. Belle defiantly ignores me. She brings a new boyfriend to Glitch every week. All of them can hardly keep up a conversation about the weather. About real topics, you can not even stutter. Belle likes these. Glitch is one of the first darknet bars, so getting here is still a privilege, but Belle breaks the rules, and she doesn't care.
“One day you will drag a monkey here and say that she found the way herself,” complains Jose, the owner of the establishment.
“They are so cute, vanishing species. Like Neanderthals,” Belle smiles.
Belle and her boyfriend are too busy with each other to pay attention to me. Yes, and I'm more interested in the third person, sitting at the far table between a palm tree in a tub and a pink flamingo. On his head are heart-shaped glasses, and a T-shirt with a cover of the album News at 11. On his face is an idiotic tourist smile. Such white and even teeth are only in advertising. At the feet of an old-fashioned black case.
This is how I saw Mike, a cheerful guy floating in his crazy world. He got up from the table and rushed to shake my hand.
— I knew you will come. I knew it. They say they care about their reputation. Bullshit they just too afraid to act. They always hesitate. But you are not like them, aren't you?
I shrugged, not really developing my position. Let's see what he says.
- What will you order? José asked as soon as we sat down at the table. He knew that I love Blue Dream, so he addressed the guest.
“Just bear,” Mike said casually.
"Friend, are you sure you've come to the right place?" Can you get another burger?
The visitor laughed with his mouth wide open. His innocent, contagious laugh had an effect on José like a red rag on a bull. He began to breathe heavily, choosing the most offensive expressions in his mind. Jose hates tourists. Can break and throw out into the street. And then go complain about the unfair treatment.
Give him the same as me.
It was possible not to stand up for a stranger, to see how Jose would deal with him. But the guy looked harmless.
Jose looked at me with his stubborn gaze, turned around and went to the bar.
"Fuck it, it's not even been a week and they're already on the move," he said, not really caring whether they heard him or not.
The tourist gave a thumbs up:
- Perfect, man. You need just a little promotion. People would love this place.
“Fuck you,” Jose muttered, loading the bong, “the roof has completely moved out.
“So, tell me your name and your story,” I said.
"Mike," he introduced himself shortly. — I go straight to the point and show you, what I want to do for humanity.
The case was on the table. Two clicks, and its contents were revealed to me: several cylindrical instruments. Plastic crap for an incomprehensible purpose. I took one, the one that was transparent. Inside there are two loops with beads. From the end there is a silicone stopper with a hole in the form of lips.
— What is it? I asked, although I already realized that I was holding a toy from a sex shop.
— Don't you see? Mike smiled.
I hope it's brand new?
“I've tried them just a couple of times,” he replied in his nonchalant tone and leaned back in his chair, “and you know what, We can do better than this.”
I imagined dark gateways, lonely passers-by, to whom we pester with an offer to suck for ten, but Mike of course did not mean that.
— Do you wanna make a machine like this? I asked as I put the thing back into the case. Didn't take another one. He blew a black hair off the table.
— Better! I wanna do better than this stupid electric device. I need a machine that will act like a human being.
I explained to Mike that I had nothing against his idea, but that I myself would rather do something more interesting. He nodded intently, listening to me, and then delivered his speech. Summary: The world is full of people who, for various reasons, do not have a sexual partner: disability, lack of free time, banal embarrassment, after all. Many people use their hand and feel guilty because pleasing themselves...which can be a big sign of a loser in today's society. They turn to technology for help, but what can we offer? Clumsy mechanisms that make you even more worthless. After all, you were used by a stupid machine.
You will say, why not call a living woman or man to the house. The oldest profession, after all, has not gone away. This is where the financial argument comes into play. I feel sorry for the girl who, for some reason, agreed to do a job she doesn't know how to do. She chokes and bites and chokes and you both wish it would end soon. Again, a complete disappointment, instead of pleasure. To get high-quality service from a professional, you need to fork off at least a hundred ... at a time.
“I have a dream,” Mike finished. He stood in the middle of the place, holding a cylinder from a case in each hand - I have a dream where every single person will get a professional blow job from the machine that absorbed all human experience. Every man in the world will finally find satisfaction and peace.
There was silence in Glitch. And then the big guy Belle had dragged away pushed back his chair and stood up.
— I don't understand, he wants to make a jerking machine? Yes, I am you now ...
Mike quickly found himself dangling in the air. His toys fell to the floor. Buddy Bel stomped on them with his heel, like huge bugs.
“Stop it,” Belle ordered him, but he was already out of his mind. A short video of a derailed train was playing in my head.
"I'm going to knock your teeth out right now." You suck yourself, freak. The big man slammed Mike into the wall and raised his chopped, rough fist over his head.
The sound of a shotgun reloading stopped him. José was behind the counter. The muzzle of the Winchester is pointed at the head of Belle's friend. He smiled back and nodded towards Mike.
“If you shoot me, it will hit him too.”
“I don’t care,” Jose said calmly. “I don't like both of you.
Belle stepped between them.
- Remove the stem. And you put the man in his place. We are leaving.
This time the goon obeyed. Belle came so close to me that I could smell her skin. My pants were instantly tight. Blue eyes with catlike pupils looked at me:
Andrew, what do you want?
- Nothing. I have a meeting here.
She sighed and followed after her Neanderthal boyfriend.
— Do you really wanna do this machine with the whole human experience inside? José asked, putting the weapon back under the rack.
“That's what I mean,” Mike replied, looking at the wreckage, “shit, "A-class" wasn't that bad actually.
However, after a couple of seconds, he smiled again, as if nothing had happened.
*****
I started data preparation the next day. Mike is a normal guy, albeit driven on his topic. He said that he received refusals in various forms. Some sought to leave as soon as possible, worrying about their reputation. Others laughed, others were offended, but no one took him seriously.
Marking the movements of the lips on the next video, I thought about my reputation. Of course, I'm just a freelancer and can do the work anonymously. But still, how would clients react, knowing what I'm doing now?
Six hours of porn with a break for lunch and… well… all the same porn. I couldn't resist. By the way, after that it became easier to abstract and the work went faster.
I noticed several patterns. For example, male actors work in a completely different way than female actors. I had to call Mike and ask if our product is designed for gay men.
“Well, maybe later,” he replied, “but we start from wider auditory.
To be honest, gay porn disgusts me, so I gladly removed it from the selection.
Further, it turned out that each actress has her own set of standard movements, usually three or four, so it is enough to watch two or three videos to make a complete markup. I called Mike again to ask how he selected the videos he sent me and if I could change the selection.
Oh, it's just my personal collection. Started from high school. Feel free to change selection as you like.
I don't have a preference for porn, so I started searching lists like: 100 oral pleasures of all times, 100 best blow jobs of the year, Banana reward nominees, Deep Throat reward and so on.
At the top of all lists was one name: Jessica Bright.
“There are people who do the impossible. Jessica is one of them."
“I worked with her on the set of Sex Survival. The first three times I was enough for half a minute no more.
“She can play with you, or she can fuck you brutally. Either way, she's great."
After reading the reviews, I clicked on the image of the blonde angel with my fingers trembling with excitement. At first I tried to count patterns, but she was doing something incredible. I quickly lost count and only watched her art in fascination.
The pants were warm and wet. The video continued as I sat staring blankly ahead of me. I am thirty two years old. And I've seen enough porn to treat it as school entertainment. “It’s impossible to surprise me,” I thought. All because I haven't seen Jessica.
I got to the bathroom, wiped off the traces of my first meeting with her, and called Mike a third time.
“We can't create anything like that,” I explained.
How many patterns did you find? Mike asked.
— I don't know, man. It's not about the patterns.
Looks like you just fell in love.
— Bullshit! She's just… she's just… the special one.
— How many patterns?
— Fuck you! It's not about the patterns!
I hung up, realizing that my work for Mike was over. Whatever we create, this machine will be a pitiful imitation of a human being. For those who use it, it will cause nothing but disgust. Now it is clear why so many people refused him. Idiot idea.
The phone received a message from Mike: "Meet at Glitch, today 6 pm."
****
Glitch has already moved. José added a couple of clever algorithms. I read about one of them a couple of weeks ago, and he came up with the second one himself, so I had to tinker. Barely made it to six in the evening. Mike sat inside, yawning. Nearby was a bong and three empty popcorn buckets.
“Oh, looks like I came too early,” he said, and laughed a thick, smoky laugh.
Listen, I don't think this is gonna work.
Mike nodded and rolled his eyes. I wanted to say a few words of encouragement to him, but I just threw up my hands and turned around to leave. The door didn't open. José's smoky wheeze came from behind him.
— Of course, you are a regular customer, but if you come here to have fun, the institution will not withstand the competition.
“Sorry, Jose.
I wanted to take a free table, but Mike waved his hand, inviting for his. I didn't refuse. Mike is a great guy. Maybe his crazy idea will work one day, who knows.
Mike spread the junk from the case into popcorn buckets and got on the Internet. He mumbled excitedly under his breath and hurriedly wrote down the numbers on a piece of paper.
-What are you doing?
- Wait. I need to calculate something.
On each pail, he wrote the results of his calculations and leaned back in his chair. He looked absolutely happy.
— Look at these numbers. These are profits, that the companies gained from their primitive devices.
I looked at the numbers. Millions of dollars.
— You may check my calcs if you'd like to. People are buying those things and that's true. One hundred percent true. Maybe they know, the device is not perfect, but they are curious and excited. So don't tell me it's not gonna work simply because you prefer jerking by hand.
Clouds of smoke flowed around Mike like a triumphant statue of an ancient god.
*****
I returned to work that evening. Studied the patterns of hundreds of the best porn actresses. I did not set high goals for the first version. The main thing is to launch a prototype.
For some, work is success, achievement, career. For some, it is a heavy daily necessity. For someone to feel their importance. There are probably many other reasons. For me, work is meditation. Infinite focus on one single point. Labor that cannot be seen and cannot be quantified. It all happens in the mind. You can only see the result.
I flew around this strange mathematical world, trying to get hold of the answer, not for the sake of the answer, but for the sake of curiosity. The real world faded into the background. This is what happens to people who are passionate about the game. The answer lurked around the corner, then the next. But I got closer every day and finally caught it. All forecasts converged, the probabilities went off scale. Wow! This is what I created! I created a stable algorithm that absorbed the life experience of many people.
Looked around. There was a tower of pizza boxes on the table. Coffee mugs surrounded my desk chair like mines. Hanging from a bookcase was a plant whose name I did not remember, but its pitiful appearance made it clear how seriously I had fallen out of reality. Another stupid Mike's briefcase in the corner. Why did he give it to me?
I cracked my knuckles as I stood up from my chair. He skillfully made his way between the mugs, picking up one of them along the way. He collected water and watered the dry soil of the plant. He will live, he is not the first time. The phone chimed briefly on the table. I dug it out, knocking down a tower of cardboard boxes on the floor along the way.
Mike! Just in time. "Meet in Glitch at 6pm"
I even looked at the vent. Was he spying on me? As in that series of Yeralash, where the pioneer weaned the pioneer to smoke.
Glitch had changed locations again by then. I had to hunt for him all day in the depths of the Darknet. I arrived at 6:15. Being late to the Glitch is not only a sign of bad taste, but also an indicator that you are not good enough. José shook his head disapprovingly.
- You're giving up positions.
Mike sat at the table, surrounded by his toys. There were a couple of bongs nearby. How! How does he get here so early?
When he noticed me, he showed his white-toothed smile again.
— Come here. I've got some good news.
He solemnly removed from the case a steel box with military engravings on the lid. I stopped him, explained that I did not want to deal with state affairs.
— Don't worry. This is kind of a vaporwave product.
The story turned out to be pretty funny. Since hazing is strictly prohibited in the IRL military service, soldiers drag all sorts of personal toys from a civilian. Enemy spies began to build microphones and video cameras into them. Videos appeared on the Internet with the tag: “the joys of military service.” The command was concerned about the problem of leakage of state secrets. It was decided to develop a special device exclusively for military organizations. The best military engineers got down to business, but when the funds were spent, it turned out that it was cheaper to buy ordinary toys in the nearest Chinese sex shop, test them, write inventory numbers and distribute them to personnel. The development was closed and forgotten about it.
Mike bought the patent and this technological marvel dangled in his hand. The intestine looked to be about fifteen centimeters long, and the device consisted of hundreds of elastic rings that could compress and expand under tension.
Are you sure it would work for us?
Why not. You need to test it though.
I really wanted to argue, but deep down I understood. You really have to test it yourself, otherwise you won’t be able to fine-tune the fine settings. It's only now that I really realize what I've signed up for. Hmm, it's really interesting to test this thing in action. Mike and I were still chatting about this and that, but I got distracted more and more, figuring out how to connect the batteries. Mike himself kept getting his phone out to discuss some contracts.
“We are ready to allocate two million for business development if we provide a working prototype tomorrow morning.
In short, I ran home with a military development under my arm. I was worried, of course, although I knew exactly what would happen. Do not cling batteries to the first version. Can be connected to a board with a USB output.
The idea worked perfectly, and soon waves passed through the rings, compressing and expanding them. I had to work all day to translate the work of algorithms to the level of iron. I was driven by the desire to test the prototype, but when I finished, I was so tired that I only wanted to sleep. “Damn, you have to somehow force yourself,” I thought, and instantly fell asleep, dropping my head on the table.
*****
I was woken up by persistent meowing. A wet cat poked at the balcony door from the other side. Outside, it was raining heavily. The cat flew home, driven by a roar.
I glanced at my watch. Half ten in the evening. There's a message on the phone from Mike. “Meet sponsors at 11 pm. Plaza Hotel.
Crap! I have an hour and a half to meet with sponsors at the opposite end of the city in the most expensive and pretentious place. Plaza Hotel, the exact opposite of Glitch. A hundred-story skyscraper in the sea, two kilometers from the coast. It can be seen from anywhere in the city.
I jumped into a taxi, realizing that I would have to come up with a solution on the go. You can't get there without an invitation. I didn't even know what to do. Who does he take me for?
I looked at the price for the room ... well, in general, I already knew that the place was not for me. Serious people gather here to solve serious business problems. A guy in a Saint Pepsi T-shirt, a torn cap and a jack-off machine in his hands will be completely out of place there. And yes, I don't have that kind of money. I had to brainstorm. Businessmen love to hang out with their own kind. It cannot be that some important business forum is not taking place now.
Indeed, a dozen forums were held in the Plaza. I paid a couple of hundred for registration, and managed to register just as the car stopped at the pier.
The Plaza Hotel's catamarans gleamed in the floodlights, reflecting the rain. The wind fluttered the cloak of the neat steward, who was checking the tickets at the entrance.
“Hmm… not the best time to go out. Superstorm is coming,” he said, scanning the ticket.
“It will pass a hundred kilometers north,” I answered, glancing at my watch. Twenty-five minutes before the start of the meeting. We need to stop being late.
“And what would you do if you knew that we would be at the epicenter?” - the steward looked at me from under his hood, smiling strangely, - You would run to save yourself. All ten million inhabitants of the city would have run, but you can’t save everyone ... - he clapped me on the shoulder - of course, he will pass a hundred kilometers to the north, my friend.
I doubted it might be better to go home before it's too late. The wind and rain are really stronger every minute. What will I say to Mike when he asks why I didn't come to the meeting? That the usher at the entrance advised me to come back?
There was a small hall with a bar in the catamaran. Soft carpets, unobtrusive jazz, people in expensive suits were interested in discussing business problems.
— We presented the product at the spring forum in Singapore. Received good reviews. We will launch in a month.
— I would advise you to conduct a strategic market research.
- Yes, yes, first of all, it is necessary to study the target audience of the product.
They looked at me condescendingly. Well, yes, I will now present a jerking machine. It doesn’t sound so cool, but they don’t launch rockets into space, do they? In short, I tried to cheer myself up as best I could. And yet I had a premonition that I would sound unconvincing ...
- What do you sell? I asked one of them.
- Product.
- Which one?
Condescension was replaced by tension. For them, I'm an alien element, like Belle's boyfriends in Glitch.
— We present ready-made solutions for business integration.
"Just tell me what you're selling?"
“Ahh,” he laughed nervously, “I understand. You are interested in our product. We do not just sell, but also provide a full cycle of support. Continuous feedback allows us to keep track of customer satisfaction in a timely manner.
“Just tell me, motherfucker, what are you selling?”
The guards were already hurrying to the meeting, but Mike suddenly appeared in front of them.
— Don't worry gentlemen, we just having some fun over here.
Then, he patted the businessman on the shoulder in a friendly way.
We are really interested in investing in your business. How about a dinner on Friday?
The guy immediately relaxed. She and Mike chatted like that the rest of the way, and I fought the nausea. The ship rocked pretty hard. A couple of times the floor went down so sharply that my heart skipped a beat with fear.
The catamarans moored, we went to the tower of the Plaza Hotel. Mike said goodbye to the businessman as if they were best friends. The high-speed elevator took us to the presidential suite on the XNUMXth floor.
— How is it? Mike asked, about to knock on the door.
Then I remembered that I had not tested the machine. Too bad it's too late to talk about it.
“Awesome,” I replied.
Mike nodded and knocked. The door was opened by an unshaven black man in a rap outfit.
— finally. We waited for you my friend, he said, flashing his gold teeth, You are our God of Fuck, fucking good god. Give me this thing.
He snatched the box out of my hands before I could look around. The room was not cleaned for at least a week. There were bottles, grass, pills everywhere. It stank of vomit. A gloomy gray-haired old man sat at a desk in the far corner, hunched over a notebook. The rapper walked over to a huge TV in the middle of the room, pulled down his pants and started broadcasting on YouTube. He paid no more attention to us.
— Who is this guy? I whispered to Mike.
— Dj, singer, music producer, something like this. He's trending on YouTube. Gained some fortune and wants to invest in technology.
I did not really want to watch my typewriter work, so I took an unfinished bottle of champagne and went to the window. He winked at his reflection, then leaned against the glass to watch the storm raging over the city. Mike joined me. Lightning cut through the sky from horizon to horizon, plucking swirling gloomy clouds out of the darkness.
The rising YouTube star chatted, laughed and announced the number with an animal roar.
— O my god! I came three times already! Can you believe it? Let's see how much this thing can suck out of me.
I handed Mike the bottle.
Do you believe we are really doing something important? Look around. This is just bullshit, nothing more.
Mike laughed his ever-easy laugh.
— I don't know, man. Ask yourself, not me.
Somehow I wasn't surprised at all. The only reflection in the window was me with the now empty bottle of champagne in my hand.
— Oh shit! Five times! Five times! Can you beat this, my dear subscribers?
The man at the table closed the book for the first time and put it in his inside pocket.
“We are ready to offer you a contract for five million instead of three,” he said, coming up to me.
The lawyer was reflected in the window, but I still didn't want to talk to him. After all, that's Mike's business, not mine. I nodded and approached the cold window again. The city lights went out one by one.
- Is there something wrong? the lawyer asked anxiously. “You looked… hmm… different. Are you in pain?
Do you think they will survive?
The lawyer approached the glass, put his hand with a visor:
- Hardly. The storms get stronger every year. So you agree to five million? A helicopter is waiting on the roof. We can get out before the storm gets here.
He moved towards the exit.
— And how is he? - I nodded towards the YouTube star, who was lying by the sofa and muttering unintelligible rubbish under his breath. The jacking machine continued to hum steadily.
The old man smiled faintly.
It will have billions of views tomorrow. He always dreamed of becoming a rock star.
I saw myself cheerful and happy. I followed the lawyer carelessly laughing and ranting about the prospects for business development:
— Sure, we need to move manufacturing into Asia and outsource client support. I need a couple of weeks to make wireless prototype and we fly straight to the moon. I really see a huge perspective in our product. We expect great customer satisfaction.
On the threshold I looked back and winked at myself:
— I've talked with Jessica Bright lately. She begged me to arrange a meeting with you. She really likes techy guys. Come with us.
I grabbed a bottle from the table and threw it at Mike. It flew through it, hit the wall but didn't shatter, rolled across the floor, spilling its contents.
- You're crazy? shouted the lawyer, his eyes widening in a funny way, “I'm offering you real money, you moron.
He ran to the door. The second bottle shattered into a waterfall of fragments. It seems to be enough to transfer expensive alcohol in vain. I took the whiskey. He moved his chair closer to the window and sat down to watch the storm. How is Jose, how is Belle? It would be great to be in Glitch. Listen to News at 11 and Jose grumble; admire Belle's cat eyes. Too bad it's all in the past. Cracks ran along the thick impact-resistant glass. It's time for me to be part of the news...
And suddenly I realized that I did not want to watch from the sidelines. The Superstorm will eat me up one way or another. Why not have some fun in the end?
I ran out of the presidential suite. "Out of service" was reported by the boards on all four elevators. I ran up the stairs to the roof, jumping over three steps.
The lawyer was halfway to the helicopter when I was on the roof. He covered his hands from the rain whipping into his face. When he noticed me, I was so close that he had only time to cry out briefly. Having received a blow to the jaw, the lawyer fell to his knees.
The helicopter has not unscrewed the propellers yet. The pilot sat with his legs dangling over the edge of the platform and watched me come closer. Cigarette smoke escaped from under the covered palm
Just don't touch me, okay? he shouted through the wind, and shot the bull into the howling darkness. The flame instantly disappeared from view. - Where do you need to go?
- There! I pointed towards the city, plunged into darkness.
- Idiot. It's the epicenter. Fly there yourself.
- That's what I want. Stay here or fly with me.
The pilot pulled off his helmet and thrust it into my hands.
— I'm going to have a couple of drinks. Nothing will happen to the tower.
During my six months of service, I had to fly many drones, but it turned out to be much more pleasant to fly a real helicopter. He responded to the slightest movement of the steering wheel. The direction and strength of the wind was felt ... well, that's how it happens in reality. So that's why many people still prefer real flying over drones. Magically!
Suddenly, the car shook so that I almost flew out of my chair, and the helicopter spun in place. In all seriousness, I caught on the steering wheel with my claws and pulled myself out of the pit.
So in just a couple of minutes I experienced the most beautiful and most terrible moments in my life. I did not want to die at all, but I was rushing into the epicenter of the superstorm. You need to have time to drop into one place, just one place.
For fifteen minutes I circled the block looking for a place to land. Finally, he sat down right in the middle of the street, breaking off the screws and filling the car on its side. I managed to wonder why the street is completely empty. Do people still sit at home, waiting for news? But there was no time to think.
I tumbled into the Glitch, breathing hard. Clothes soaked through, heart pounding from crazy doses of adrenaline.
Belle sat in a chair opposite the window, wrapped in a blanket. A candle flame flickered on the table nearby. She looked up at me with her delightful blue eyes with catlike pupils.
- Where is José? I asked in such a tone, as if I had come here by accident.
She shrugged and smiled.
He said he wanted to be alone. And you?
I stepped closer, not really knowing what to say. I imagined myself as a savior. All sorts of solemn thoughts raced through my head as I hurried here. It turned out that she feels quite comfortable with a book in her hands.
“Right now, I wanted to apologize and leave, carefully closing the door behind me. But that's kind of a stupid idea, because I flew here in a helicopter, turned half the block while landing ... I think now I want to be with you.
She burst out laughing.
- Just to stay? Read a book together?
I nodded.
- Yeah why not.
“Not the best thing to do before the End of the World.” She put down her book, pushed back her blanket, and stood up. She was naked and her cat-like eyes shone just the way I imagined countless times. She wrapped her arms and legs around me, pressed her whole body against me. We will have a great time meeting this End of the World...
Source: habr.com