{"id":30855,"date":"2019-10-31T21:37:47","date_gmt":"2019-10-31T18:37:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/prohoster.info\/blog\/news-at-11\/"},"modified":"2019-10-31T21:37:47","modified_gmt":"2019-10-31T18:37:47","slug":"news-at-11","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/prohoster.info\/en\/blog\/news\/news-at-11","title":{"rendered":"News at 11","gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"text"}]},"content":{"rendered":"

It was pouring outside, like it was coming from a bucket. All the channels were just talking about the brewing superstorm. It is supposed to pass a hundred kilometers to the north. We'll have an ordinary storm with flooded streets, downed power lines, and fallen trees.
\nI was doing my usual tasks. Worked in the morning and then spent the day flying over the desert in a military drone. I shot down an enemy drone and logged five hours of military duty.
\n<\/a><\/noindex>
\n I stepped out onto the balcony, presenting my royal self to the world. Of course, no one cared, but I desperately needed some kind of reward. I returned home. Took paper towels in one hand and the TV remote in the other:
\n \u2014 Call Li Lav.
\n First, audio connected.
\n \u2014 Andrei, is that you? Hi. A whole hour earlier today.
\n \u2014 Do you have time?
\n \u2014 Just a minute. I'm not dressed at all.
\n \u2014 Alright. Just don't forget about the lenses.
\n She sighed:
\n \u2014 My eyes hurt so much from them. We agreed to alternate.
\n \u2014 But last time...
\n \u2014 I wore them. Don't you remember at all?
\n \u2014 Right. Sorry.
\n A minute later, video connected. Li Lav was sitting on the bed, dressed in a sheer white dress. Bright red lipstick on her thin lips, impeccably straight black hair, and slightly slanted Asian eyes of the same color.
\n \u2014 How are you? \u2014 she asked flirtatiously.
\n \u2014 Today I shot down an enemy drone.
\n \u2014 Cool, tell me how it was, I'm so curious.
\n \u2014 And I'm curious about what's under your dress.
\n She smiled:
\n \u2014 Everything I have under my dress belongs to you.
\n She struck a few seductive poses, then deftly slipped off her pink panties, leaving them hanging on one leg. Li Lav knows how to turn me on. She approached the camera closely and slightly lowered it so that the silicone dildo was in the frame. I was watching her slender fingers, her lip movements, but more than anything, I wanted to see her eyes.
\n \u2014 Look at me. Look at me.
\n And she looked. For a minute, two, three... I felt like I was close, but that wasn't the case. A few more minutes of fruitless attempts. Finally, I got tired:
\n \u2014 Put on those damn lenses, I beg you. Just for a minute.
\n \u2014 Okay.
\n She took a flat blue box out of the nightstand. She soaked the lenses in the solution and, sitting opposite the mirror, carefully put them on. In a moment, two blue eyes with cat-like pupils were looking at me.
\n \u2014 Yes, finally. Come here quickly.
\nHer gaze was hypnotic, penetrating into my consciousness and making me believe: what she was doing, she was doing only for you. I felt her delicate fingers, her lips, her tongue, and the light nibbling of her teeth... oh, no, no, not now... oh, no! Oh, yes!
\nLi Lav kissed the camera. A smudge of lipstick remained on the glass.
\n\u2014 I hope you enjoyed it.
\n\u2014 Yes, thank you.
\nLi Lav disconnected, and I sat for a long time, imagining those blue cat-like eyes. The sound of a new message brought me out of my trance.<\/p>\n

\"Dear friend,
\nI have an offer for you. Of course, you are not one of those... well, if not. Because I don\u2019t see anything criminal in what I\u2019m doing. 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 a blue ocean.
\nI asked many authoritative specialists in machine learning, but they dismissed my offer. OK, I don\u2019t care. We live in a free world where people like you can perform better than some arrogant idiots.
\nWe need to meet and talk business in person. I\u2019ll tell you something. I can\u2019t offer a lot of money right now, but believe me, together we make millions. This is a blue ocean, my friend. Come to Glitch at 9 PM.\"<\/p>\n

Looks like ordinary spam; I get such offers every day. If not for one word: \u201cGlitch.\u201d
\n\"Glitch\" is a strange place. Any establishment tries to attract customers. Competition. A war for prime spot, promotion on social media, travel apps, search engines, and in real life. Push harder with your elbows, and you'll be noticed. \"Glitch,\" on the other hand, is constantly hiding. No mentions in the public internet. You can only reach it through onions. server<\/a>. But even here, the curious will face difficulties. A spontaneous change of mirrors leads to link collectors issuing outdated information. Only a well-trained sniffer can catch the disappearing trace on the web. A mirror contains information about the IRL location and access code. The IRL changes too, but not as often. Reality is slow.
\nIf the author of the letter knows how to find 'Glitch', then they are not just a spammer.
\n*****
\nYes, 'Glitch' is a place for insiders. Inside, nostalgic vaporwave resonates. Happy consumers smile from the posters. Old televisions broadcast news: 'Desert Storm' and a riot in Los Angeles, the burning White House in Moscow, September 11, the Fukushima disaster, and bombings in Syria. An endless parade of disasters in an atmosphere of comfort and safety. It's like staring at pictures on the television in childhood, waiting for the next episode of Pok\u00e9mon.
\nThere are three visitors. A couple at a table. Belle pointedly ignores me. She brings a new boyfriend to 'Glitch' every week. They all struggle to maintain a conversation about the weather. Real topics are not even worth mentioning. Belle likes them that way. 'Glitch' is one of the first darknet bars, so getting in here is still a privilege, but Belle breaks the rules, and she doesn't care.
\n\u2014 One day you'll bring a monkey here and say that it found its way on its own, \u2014 laments Jose, the owner of the establishment.
\n\u2014 They are so cute, an extinct species. Like Neanderthals, \u2014 Belle smiles.
\nBelle and her friend are too busy with each other to pay attention to me. Besides, I'm more interested in the third person sitting at a distant table between a potted palm and a pink flamingo. They have heart-shaped glasses on their head and a t-shirt with the album cover of News at 11. An idiotic tourist smile is on their face. Such white, perfect teeth only appear in advertisements. By their feet is an old-fashioned black case.
\nThat's how I saw Mike, a cheerful guy floating in his crazy world. He got up from the table and rushed to shake my hand:
\n \u2014 I knew you would come. I knew it. They say they care about their reputation. That's nonsense; they're just too afraid to act. They always hesitate. But you're not like them, are you?
\nI shrugged, not wanting to elaborate on my position. Let's see what he has to say.
\n\u2014 What will you order? \u2014 Jos\u00e9 asked as soon as we sat at the table. He knew I loved Blue Dream, so he addressed the guest.
\n\u2014 Just bear, \u2014 Mike replied casually.
\n \u2014 Dude, are you sure you came to the right place? Maybe I should bring you a burger?
\nThe guest laughed, his mouth wide open. His innocent contagious laughter had an effect on Jos\u00e9, like a red rag to a bull. He started breathing heavily, mentally searching for the most offensive phrases. Jos\u00e9 hates tourists. He might just beat him up and throw him out. And then complain about unfair treatment.
\n\u2014 Give him what I'm having too.
\nI could have just watched how Jos\u00e9 would deal with the stranger, but the guy looked harmless.
\nJos\u00e9 looked at me with his stubborn gaze, turned around, and walked to the bar.
\n\u2014 Damn, it\u2019s not even been a week, and they\u2019re already coming back, \u2014 he said, not really caring whether anyone heard him or not.
\nThe tourist gave a thumbs up:
\n \u2014 Perfect, man. You just need a little promotion. People would love this place.
\n \u2014 Screw you, \u2014 Jos\u00e9 grumbled, loading the bong, \u2014 you\u2019ve completely lost it.
\n \u2014 So, tell me your name and your story, \u2014 I said.
\n \u2014 Mike, \u2014 he introduced himself briefly. \u2014 I go straight to the point and show you what I want to do for humanity.
\nThe case appeared on the table. Two clicks, and the contents were revealed: several cylindrical devices. Plastic gadgets of unclear purpose. I picked one up, the transparent one. Inside were two loops with beads. At the end, a silicone plug with a mouth-shaped hole.
\n \u2014 What is it? \u2014 I asked, although I already understood that I was holding a toy from a sex shop.
\n \u2014 Don't you see? \u2014 Mike smiled.
\n \u2014 I hope it's brand new?
\n \u2014 I've tried them just a couple of times, \u2014 he replied in his carefree tone, leaning back in his chair, \u2014 and you know what, we can do better than this.
\nI imagined dark alleys, lonely passersby whom we approached with a proposition to suck for a tenner, but Mike certainly meant something else.
\n\u2014 Do you want to make a machine like this? \u2014 I asked, putting the device back in the case. I didn\u2019t take another one. I blew a black hair off the table.
\n \u2014 Better! I want to do better than this stupid electric device. I need a machine that will act like a human being.
\nI explained to Mike that I had nothing against his idea, but I preferred to engage in something more interesting myself. He nodded attentively while listening to me, then delivered his speech. In summary: The world is full of people who, for various reasons, do not have a sexual partner: disability, lack of free time, plain embarrassment, after all. Many resort to using their hand and feel guilty about it because satisfying oneself... what could be a bigger sign of failure in modern society. They turn to technology for help, but what can we offer? Clumsy mechanisms that make you an even greater nobody. After all, you were used by a useless machine.
\nYou might say, why not call a live woman or man to your home. The oldest profession hasn\u2019t gone anywhere. Here enters the financial argument. I feel sorry for the girl who for some reason agreed to do a job she can't handle. She chokes, bites, and struggles, and you both dream of it ending quickly. It becomes yet another disappointment instead of pleasure. To receive quality service from a professional, you have to shell out at least a hundred... at a time.
\n \u2014 I have a dream, \u2014 Mike concluded. He stood in the middle of the establishment, with a cylinder in each hand from the case, \u2014 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.
\nSilence hung in Glitch. Then the big guy, whom Belle had dragged in, moved his chair back and stood up.
\n \u2014 I don\u2019t get it, he wants to make a masturbation machine? I\u2019ll... right now...
\nMike quickly found himself dangling in the air. His toys fell to the floor. Belle's friend stamped on them with his heel as if they were enormous bugs.
\n \u2014 Stop it, \u2014 Belle ordered him, but he had already lost control. A short video of a train flying off the rails played in my head.
\n \u2014 I\u2019m going to knock your teeth out. You\u2019ll be sucking yourself off, you freak. \u2014 The big guy slammed Mike against the wall and raised a rough fist over his head.
\n He was stopped by the sound of a shotgun being reloaded. Jose stood behind the bar. The Winchester's barrel was aimed at Belle's friend\u2019s head. In response, he smiled and nodded towards Mike.
\n \u2014 If you shoot me, he\u2019ll also get hit.
\n \u2014 I don't care, \u2014 Jos\u00e9 said calmly. \u2014 I don't like either of you.
\n Belle stepped between them:
\n \u2014 Put that gun away. And you, get your man in line. We're leaving.
\n This time, the brute complied. Belle came so close to me that I could smell her skin. It got tight in my pants. Blue eyes with cat-like pupils stared at me:
\n\u2014 Andrey, what do you want?
\n\u2014 Nothing. I have a meeting here.
\nShe sighed and followed her Neanderthal boyfriend.
\n \u2014 Do you really wanna do this machine with the whole human experience inside? \u2014 Jos\u00e9 asked, hiding the weapon back under the counter.
\n \u2014 That's what I mean, \u2014 Mike replied, looking at the wreckage of cars, \u2014 shit, the 'A-class' wasn't that bad actually.
\n However, after a couple of seconds, he was smiling again as if nothing had happened.
\n*****
\nI began preparing the data the next day. Mike is a decent guy, though a bit obsessed with his topic. He mentioned that he received rejections in different forms. Some were eager to leave, worried about their reputation. Others laughed, some took offense, but no one took him seriously.
\n While mapping the lip movements in the next video, I thought about my reputation. Of course, I\u2019m just a freelancer and can do the work anonymously. But still, how would clients react knowing what I'm doing now?
\nSix hours of porn with a lunch break and... well... still porn. I couldn't resist. By the way, after that, it became easier to abstract, and the work sped up.
\nI noticed a few patterns. For instance, male actors work completely differently than female actors. I had to call Mike to ask if our product is aimed at gay men.
\n \u2014 Well, maybe later, \u2014 he replied, \u2014 but we start from a wider audience.
\n Honestly, gay porn disgusts me, so I happily removed it from the sample.
\nThen it turned out that each actress has her own set of standard moves, usually three or four, so it\u2019s enough to watch two or three videos to create a complete mapping. I called Mike again to ask how he selected the videos he sent me and if I could change the sample.
\n \u2014 Oh, it's just my personal collection. Started from high school. Feel free to change the selection as you like.
\nI have no preferences in porn, so I started searching through lists like: 100 oral pleasures of all times, 100 best blow jobs of the year, Banana reward nominees, Deep Throat reward, and so on.
\nAt the top of all the lists was one name: Jessica Bright.
\n\"There are people who do the impossible. Jessica is one of them.\"
\n\"I worked with her on the set of Survival Sex. The first three times I could last only half a minute at most.\"
\n\"She can play with you, or she can be brutally harsh. In any case, she is magnificent.\"
\nAfter reading the reviews, I clicked on the image of the blonde angel with trembling fingers from excitement. At first, I tried to catch the patterns, but she was doing something incredible. I quickly lost count and just observed her craft in amazement.
\nIt got warm and wet in my pants. The video continued, and I sat there dumbly staring ahead. I\u2019m thirty-two years old. And I\u2019ve seen enough porn to treat it as entertainment for schoolboys. \"I can't be surprised,\" I thought. All because I hadn\u2019t seen Jessica.
\nI got to the bathroom, wiped away the traces of my first encounter with her, and called Mike for the third time.
\n \"We won\u2019t be able to create anything like this,\" I explained.
\n \"How many patterns did you find?\" Mike asked.
\n \u2014 I don't know, man. It's not about the patterns.
\n \"Looks like you just fell in love.\"
\n \u2014 Nonsense! She's just... she's just... the special one.
\n \"How many patterns?\"
\n \u2014 Screw you! It's not about the patterns!
\n I hung up, realizing that my work with Mike was done. Whatever we created, this machine would be a pathetic imitation of a human. For those who used it, it would provoke nothing but disgust. Now it's clear why so many people turned him down. A stupid idea.
\nA message from Mike came to my phone: \"Meet at Glitch, today 6 pm.\"
\n****
\nGlitch had already moved. Jose added a couple of clever algorithms. I read about one a couple of weeks ago, and the second one he came up with himself, so it took some work. I barely made it by six in the evening. Mike was sitting inside, yawning. Next to him was a bong and three empty popcorn buckets.
\n \"Oh, looks like I came too early,\" he said and laughed with a thick stoner's laugh.
\n \u2014 Listen, I don't think this is going to work.
\nMike nodded and lowered his eyes. I wanted to say a few encouraging words to him, but I just threw my hands up and turned to leave. The door wouldn\u2019t open. From behind me, I heard Jose's raspy voice.
\n \"You're certainly a regular customer, but if you keep coming here to have fun, the establishment won't withstand the competition.\"
\n \"Sorry, Jose.\"
\n I wanted to take a free table, but Mike waved his hand, inviting me to join him. I didn't refuse. Mike is a great guy. Maybe his crazy idea will work one day, who knows.
\nMike laid out the gadgets from his case into popcorn buckets and started browsing the internet. He was excitedly mumbling to himself and hurriedly writing down numbers on a piece of paper.
\n \u2014 What are you doing?
\n \u2014 Wait. I need to calculate something.
\n On each bucket, he wrote the results of his calculations and leaned back in his chair. He looked absolutely happy.
\n \u2014 Look at these numbers. These are the profits that companies gained from their primitive devices.
\n I stared at the numbers. Millions of dollars.
\n \u2014 You can check my calculations if you'd like. People are buying those things and that's true. One hundred percent true. Maybe they know the device isn't perfect, but they're curious and excited. So don't tell me it's not going to work just because you prefer to do it manually.
\nClouds of smoke surrounded Mike like a triumphant statue of an ancient god.
\n*****
\nI returned to work that same evening. I studied the patterns of hundreds of top adult film actresses. I didn\u2019t set high goals for the first version. The main goal was to launch a prototype.
\nFor some, work is success, achievements, and a career. For others, it\u2019s a heavy daily necessity. For some, it\u2019s a chance to feel significant. There are surely many other reasons. For me, work is meditation. Endless focus on one single point. Labor that cannot be seen and cannot be quantitatively assessed. It all happens in the mind. Only the result can be seen.
\nI was flying through this strange mathematical world, trying to grasp the answer not for the answer's sake, but out of curiosity. The real world faded into the background. This happens to people who are engrossed in a game. The answer was hiding around the corner, then behind the next one. But I was getting closer every day and finally caught it. All forecasts aligned, and the probabilities soared. Wow! I really created something! I developed a consistently functioning algorithm that absorbed the life experiences of many people.
\nI looked around. A tower of pizza boxes was piled on the table. Coffee mugs surrounded my office chair like mines. A plant, whose name I couldn\u2019t remember, hung down from the bookshelf, but its pitiful appearance made it clear how serious my disconnect from reality had become. Then there was Mike\u2019s silly case in the corner. Why did he give it to me?
\nI cracked my joints as I got up from the chair. Skillfully navigated between the cups, picking one up along the way. I filled it with water and watered the dried-out soil of the plant. It will live, it\u2019s not its first time. The phone on the table rang briefly. I dug it out, inadvertently knocking over a tower of cardboard boxes onto the floor.
\nMike! Just in time. \u201cMeet in Glitch at 6 pm\u201d
\nI even took a closer look at the ventilation duct. Was he spying on me? Just like in that episode of Yeralash, where the pioneer girl taught the pioneer to quit smoking.
\n By that time, Glitch had changed locations again. I had to spend the whole day hunting for it in the depths of the Darknet. I arrived at 6:15. Being late to Glitch not only signifies bad taste but also indicates that you\u2019re not good enough. Jose shook his head disapprovingly:
\n \u2014 You\u2019re losing your edge.
\n Mike was sitting at the table, surrounded by his toys. A couple of bongs were nearby. How! How did he get here so early?
\nNoticing me, he flashed his toothy smile again.
\n \u2014 Come here. I've got some good news.
\n He ceremoniously pulled out a steel box with military engravings on the lid from his case. I stopped him, explaining that I didn\u2019t want to deal with government matters.
\n \u2014 Don't worry. This is kind of a vaporwave product.
\n The story turned out to be quite amusing. Since unofficial relationships in military service are strictly prohibited IRL, soldiers smuggle all kinds of personal toys from civilian life. Enemy spies began embedding microphones and cameras into them. Videos appeared online with the tag: \u201cjoys of military service.\u201d The command became concerned about the leakage of state secrets. It was decided to develop a special device exclusively for military organizations. The best military engineers took on the task, but when the funds were allocated, it turned out to be cheaper to buy ordinary toys at the nearest Chinese sex shop, check them, write inventory numbers, and distribute them to personnel. The project was shut down and forgotten.
\nMike bought the patent and this technological marvel was dangling in his hand. It looked like a fifteen-centimeter long tube, made up of a hundred elastic rings capable of compressing and stretching under tension.
\n \u2014 Are you sure it would work for us?
\n \u2014 Why not. You need to test it though.
\n I really wanted to argue, but deep down I knew. I would have to test it myself; otherwise, fine-tuning would be impossible. Only now did I truly realize what I had signed up for. Hmm, but it\u2019s really interesting to put this thing to the test. We chatted with Mike about this and that, but I kept getting distracted, thinking about how to connect the power elements. Mike himself kept pulling out his phone to discuss some contracts.
\n \u2014 They are ready to allocate two million for business development if we provide a working prototype by tomorrow morning.
\nIn short, I ran home with the military development under my arm. I was nervous, of course, though I knew it would work out. No need to attach batteries to the first version. I can connect it to the board with a USB output.
\nThe idea worked great, and soon waves were passing through the rings, compressing and expanding them. I had to work the whole day to translate the algorithms to the hardware level. The desire to test the prototype drove me on, but by the time I finished, I was so tired that I just wanted to sleep. \"Damn, I have to force myself somehow,\" I thought and instantly fell asleep, dropping my head on the table.
\n*****
\nI woke up to persistent meowing. A wet cat was scratching at the balcony door from the outside. It was pouring rain outside. The cat dashed inside, spurred on by the thunder.
\nI glanced at the clock. Half past nine in the evening. A message from Mike on my phone. \"Meet sponsors at 11 pm. Plaza Hotel.\"
\nDamn! I have an hour and a half to meet the sponsors on the other side of town at the most expensive and pretentious place. Plaza Hotel, the complete opposite of \u2018Glitch.\u2019 A hundred-story skyscraper in the sea, two kilometers from the shore. You can see it from anywhere in the city.
\nI jumped into a taxi, realizing that I would have to come up with a solution on the fly. You can't even get in without an invitation. I had no idea what to do. Who does he think I am?
\nI looked at the price for a spot... well, I already knew that this place wasn't for me. Serious people gather here to solve serious business problems. A guy in a Saint Pepsi t-shirt, a torn cap, and a masturbation machine in his hands would be completely out of place. And I don't have that kind of money. I had to think hard. Businessmen like to hang out with their kind. There must be some important business forum happening right now.
\nIndeed, there were a dozen forums at the Plaza. I paid a couple of hundred for registration and managed to sign up just as the car stopped at the dock.
\nThe catamarans of the Plaza Hotel sparkled under the spotlight, reflecting the rain. The wind ruffled the coat of a neat steward who was checking tickets at the entrance.
\n \u2014 Hmm... not the best time for a stroll. A superstorm is approaching, \u2014 he said, scanning the ticket.
\n \u2014 It will pass a hundred kilometers to the north, \u2014 I replied, glancing at my watch. Twenty-five minutes until the meeting starts. I should stop being late.
\n\u2014 What would you do if you found out we were at the epicenter? \u2014 the steward looked at me from under his hood, smiling strangely, \u2014 You would run to save yourself. All ten million residents of the city would run, but not everyone can be saved... \u2014 he slapped me on the shoulder, \u2014 of course, it will pass a hundred kilometers to the north, buddy.
\nI hesitated, maybe it was better to go home before it was too late. The wind and rain were indeed getting stronger by the minute. And what would I say to Mike when he asks why I didn't come to the meeting? That the ticket checker recommended I go back?
\n Inside the catamaran, there was a small hall with a bar. Soft carpets, unobtrusive jazz, people in expensive suits were attentively discussing business issues.
\n \u2014 We presented the product at the spring forum in Singapore. We received good feedback. We will launch it in a month.
\n \u2014 I would advise conducting a strategic market research.
\n \u2014 Yes, yes, first and foremost, it's essential to study the target audience of the product.
\n They looked at me condescendingly. Sure, I'm about to present a masturbation machine. It doesn't sound that cool, but they're not launching rockets into space, right? In short, I was trying to cheer myself up as best I could. Yet I still sensed that I would sound unconvincing...
\n \u2014 What are you selling? \u2014 I asked one of them.
\n \u2014 A product.
\n \u2014 Which one?
\nIndulgence turned into tension. To them, I seem like an outsider, much like Belle's boyfriends in 'Glitch.'
\n \u2014 We offer ready-made solutions for business integration.
\n \u2014 Just tell me, what do you sell?
\n\u2014 Ahhhh, \u2014 he chuckled nervously, \u2014 I understand. You\u2019re interested in our product. We don\u2019t just sell, but also provide complete support. Continuous feedback allows us to monitor customer satisfaction in a timely manner.
\n \u2014 Just tell me, damn it, what you\u2019re selling?
\n The guards were already rushing to the meeting, but Mike suddenly appeared in front of them.
\n \u2014 Don\u2019t worry gentlemen, we\u2019re just having some fun over here.
\nThen, he gave the businessman a friendly pat on the shoulder:
\n \u2014 We are really interested in investing in your business. How about dinner on Friday?
\n The guy immediately relaxed. He and Mike chatted in that style for the rest of the way while I battled nausea. The ship was rocking quite a bit. A couple of times the floor dropped suddenly, making my heart skip in fear.
\nThe catamarans docked, and we walked to the Plaza Hotel tower. Mike said goodbye to the businessman as if they were best friends. The express elevator took us up to the presidential suite on the hundredth floor.
\n \u2014 How is it? \u2014 Mike asked, preparing to knock on the door.
\n At that moment, I remembered I hadn't tested the gadget. Too bad it was a bit late to mention that.
\n \u2014 Awesome, \u2014 I replied.
\nMike nodded and knocked. The door was opened by a scruffy Black guy in a rap outfit.
\n \u2014 Finally. We\u2019ve been waiting for you, my friend, \u2014 he said, flashing his gold teeth, \u2014 You are our God of Fuck, fucking good god. Give me this thing.
\n He snatched the box from my hands before I could look around. The room hadn\u2019t been cleaned in at least a week. Bottles, weed, and pills were scattered everywhere. It smelled like vomit. At the desk in the far corner sat a gloomy old man with white hair, hunched over a notebook. The rapper approached the huge TV in the middle of the room, pulled down his pants, and started a livestream on YouTube. He paid us no further attention.
\n \u2014 Who is this guy? \u2014 I whispered to Mike.
\n \u2014 DJ, singer, music producer, something like that. He's trending on YouTube. He gained some fortune and wants to invest in technology.
\nI really didn't want to watch my machine at work, so I grabbed a half-drunk bottle of champagne and stepped to the window. I winked at my reflection and then pressed my face against the glass to watch the raging storm over the city. Mike joined me. Lightning sliced through the sky from horizon to horizon, illuminating the swirling dark clouds.
\nThe rising star of YouTube was babbling, laughing, and filling the air with an animalistic roar.
\n \u2014 Oh my god! I've already come three times! Can you believe it? Let's see how much this thing can extract from me.
\n I handed the bottle to Mike.
\n \u2014 Do you believe we\u2019re really doing something important? Look around. This is just bullshit, nothing more.
\n Mike laughed his ever-casual laugh.
\n \u2014 I don't know, man. Ask yourself, not me.
\n For some reason, I wasn't surprised at all. In the window, I could see only myself with the now-empty bottle of champagne in hand.
\n \u2014 Oh, shit! Five times! Five times! Can you beat this, my dear subscribers?
\n The man at the table closed his little book for the first time and put it away in his inner pocket.
\n \u2014 We are ready to offer you a contract for five million instead of three, \u2014 he said, approaching me.
\nThe lawyer was reflected in the window, but I still didn't want to talk to him. After all, this was Mike\u2019s business, not mine. I nodded and moved closer to the cold window again. The city lights flickered out one by one.
\n\u2014 Is something wrong? \u2014 the lawyer asked, concerned. \u2014 You looked... um... different. Do you have something hurting?
\n \u2014 Do you think they will survive?
\n The lawyer leaned closer to the glass, shielding his eyes with his palm:
\n \u2014 Unlikely. Storms are getting stronger every year. So, do you agree to five million? A helicopter is waiting on the roof. We can get out before the storm hits here.
\n He moved towards the exit.
\n \u2014 What about him? \u2014 I nodded towards the YouTube star, who was lying by the sofa mumbling some incoherent nonsense to himself. The masturbatory machine continued to hum steadily.
\nThe old man barely smiled:
\n \u2014 Tomorrow he will have billions of views. He always dreamed of being a rock star.
\n I saw myself joyful and happy. I followed the lawyer, laughing carefreely and raving about business development prospects:
\n \u2014 Sure, we need to move manufacturing into Asia and outsource client support. I need a couple of weeks to make a wireless prototype and we\u2019ll fly straight to the moon. I really see huge potential in our product. We expect great customer satisfaction.
\n At the threshold, I looked back and winked at myself:
\n \u2014 I talked to Jessica Bright recently. She begged me to arrange a meeting with you. She really likes techy guys. Come with us.
\nI grabbed a bottle from the table and threw it at Mike. It flew through him, hit the wall, but didn't break, rolling across the floor and spilling its contents.
\n \"Are you crazy?\" the lawyer shouted, bulging his eyes comically, \"I\u2019m offering you real money, you idiot.\"
\n He ran to the door. The second bottle shattered into a cascade of shards. Seems like it's enough to waste expensive alcohol. I took a whiskey. I moved the chair closer to the window and sat down to watch the storm. How is Jose, how is Belle? It would be great to be at Glitch. Listening to News at 11 and Jose's grumbling; admiring Belle's cat-like eyes. It's a shame all that is in the past. Cracks were running across the thick shatterproof glass. It was time for me to become part of the news too...
\nAnd suddenly I realized that I didn\u2019t want to be a mere observer. The superstorm would swallow me one way or another. Why not have some fun at the last moment?
\nI burst out of the presidential suite. \"Out of service\" indicated the signs on all four elevators. I ran up the stairs to the roof, skipping three steps at a time.
\nThe lawyer was halfway to the helicopter when I reached the roof. He shielded his face with his hands from the driving rain. When he noticed me, I was so close that he could only gasp briefly. Receiving a punch to the jaw, the lawyer fell to his knees.
\nThe helicopter hadn't spun its rotors yet. The pilot was sitting, dangling his legs over the edge of the platform, watching me approach. A wisp of cigarette smoke escaped from his covered hand.
\n \"Just don\u2019t touch me, okay?\" he shouted through the wind and flicked his cigarette into the howling darkness. The glow vanished from sight instantly. \"Where do you need to go?\"
\n \"There!\" I pointed towards the city that had sunk into darkness.
\n \"Idiot. That\u2019s the epicenter. Go there yourself.\"
\n \"That\u2019s exactly what I want. Stay here or fly with me.\"
\n The pilot pulled off his helmet and handed it to me.
\n \"I'm going to go have a few drinks. The tower will be fine.\"
\nIn six months of service, I had flown many drones, but piloting a real helicopter turned out to be much more enjoyable. It responded to the slightest movements of the control stick. The direction and strength of the wind could be felt\u2026 just as it happens in reality. That's why many still prefer real flights over controlling drones. It was magical!
\nSuddenly the helicopter jolted so hard that I nearly flew out of my seat, while it spun in place. I seriously clung to the controls with my claws and pulled myself out of the hole.
\nIn just a couple of minutes, I experienced the most beautiful and the most horrifying moments of my life. I really didn\u2019t want to die, but I was rushing into the epicenter of a superstorm. I had to make it to a single place, just one place.
\nFor about fifteen minutes, I circled the block looking for a place to land. Finally, I landed right in the middle of the street, breaking the blades and tipping the helicopter on its side. I was surprised by how completely empty the street was. Were people really still sitting at home waiting for news? But there was no time to ponder.
\nI stumbled into 'Glitch', breathing heavily. My clothes were soaked through, and my heart was pounding from insane doses of adrenaline.
\nBelle was sitting in a chair by the window, wrapped in a blanket. Nearby, a candle's flame flickered. She looked up at me with her wonderful blue eyes with cat-like pupils.
\n \u201cWhere\u2019s Jos\u00e9?\u201d I asked in a tone as if I\u2019d dropped in here by accident.
\n She shrugged and smiled:
\n \u201cHe said he wanted to be alone. And you?\u201d
\n I stepped closer, genuinely not knowing what to say. I had imagined myself as the savior. A lot of solemn thoughts had raced through my mind as I hurried here. It turned out she felt quite comfortable with a book in her hands.
\n\u201cRight now I feel like apologizing and leaving, gently closing the door behind me. But that\u2019s a silly thought because I flew here by helicopter and wrecked half the block while landing\u2026 I think right now I want to be with you.\u201d
\nShe burst out laughing:
\n \u201cJust to be? To read a book together?\u201d
\n I nodded:
\n \u201cYes, why not.\u201d
\n \u201cNot the best activity before the End of the World,\u201d she set the book aside, threw off the blanket, and stood up. She was naked, and her cat-like eyes shimmered just as I had imagined countless times. She wrapped her arms and legs around me, pressing her entire body against mine. We\u2019ll face this End of the World together\u2026
\n
Source: habr.com<\/a><\/p>","protected":false,"gt_translate_keys":[{"key":"rendered","format":"html"}]},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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