Dragovich suddenly began to think that he himself could say a lot of interesting things. Could she record the sound if she offered? Unlikely. Sound alone, without video, was not so interesting. Now if "Doc"... no, if "Kom.batt" started to talk drunkenly about how he was fed up with everything and that the SFS was actually crap - it would have worked even without the video, although even in that case, try to prove that it wasn't fake.
- Compared to what's going on here, the story with the college is a trifle, - answered Lisette. - I saw the city center. Compared to what's going on here, it's in perfect order. And here, every house... It's horrible.
Many cities got it during the War... - Dragovich summed up conciliatorily.
- But here! Lisette did not calm down, lowering her voice and looking after the "Mexican" who had gone ahead, - not only the rear, but also the periphery of the rear... And this...
She probably realized that she was talking to the same officer as the "Mexican", well, almost the same. However, she decided that it was possible to have a more frank conversation with Dragovich. This made him happy.
- People thought that they were completely safe, and then this fifteenth year came. Fifteenth, right?
- In fifteenth, they began to settle people here. The main battles were in fourteenth. It is also customary to say, in fourteenth-fifteenth, combining these two years.
- Exactly, how could I mix them up. In fourteenth, of course. In fourteenth, the Russian Demarche began.
- Yes, that's right. But I wouldn't say that there's anything special about this. I know that Paris also got it in the first year. And the tower is still not in order.
- Yes, that's true. Some even say that it doesn't need to be repaired. That it should just stand there, leaning, as a reminder of the War. Now our MDS is much better.
- There are terminals everywhere here too. Do you have AMALGAMA?
- Yes, I do. There's also the old GBA LAURA, it was there before the War. It has terminals and radars.
- I know. And in SSSF there's AEX AMANDA - have you heard of it? It's the best thing there is. It's all because of the missile launch site. So there are advantages to everything. I'm talking about the region as a whole. It's the most protected. It's also on the trajectory of everything that "@enemy" sends to the European part. Well, or almost on the trajectory. In any case, the 520 anti-missiles also get to what flies to the side. We have them, these "520s" on the streets... On the roads outside the city.
- It's sad that the advantages are now like this - who will get AEX and GBA terminals or radars.
- We are in the War, after all.
Dragovich looked at the sky - a few moments before, he noticed some movement in the sky with his peripheral vision. His peripheral vision was correct - three white contrails were moving from north to south.
- Aircrafts are flying again! - Dragovich announced. - Are they planning to conduct their raids all day? Usually the enemy reacts to the first raid, and you can't strike like that a second time.
At this time, somewhere ahead on the street, there was also some movement - it seemed like children were playing there. Everyone, including the "Mexican" and Landskricht, slowed down, then stopped, looking at the three white lines that were already approaching the zenith.
- Guys, Incoming! Bomb strike! - a loud children's cry was heard somewhere behind him.
In the distance, answering shouts were heard.
- Come on, come on, take cover, - the "Mexican" roared approvingly and laughed.
Supersonic shock "booms" were heard, all three in turn.
Meanwhile, Landskricht moved towards the snowdrift at the end of the street. Only now Dragovich noticed that she was holding a camera. Small by professional standards, but, one would think, with a much better resolution and sound than a phone camera.
- Wow, - she said, bending down in front of a mountain of snow. - You've built a real bunker here!
It was clear that she had found the place where the children were hiding. Meanwhile, the others were also pulling up to the end of the street.
- Do you want to be shown on TV? - Landskricht continued.
- You have to get your parents' permission, don't you? - Lisette doubted.
- It's simpler here, - Dragovich answered.
- Do you broadcast the news, Madam? - asked the boy who was the first to crawl out of the snow. - You are Madam, aren't you?
- How did you know that you are Madam? - Landskricht feigned surprise.
She definitely spoke the same language as the local kids. The word "Madam" in this case meant "foreigner" - all the locals addressed foreign women as "Madam" and foreigners as "Mister". Nationality didn't matter. "Madam" and "Mister" and that's it.
- From the voice. Everything is immediately clear from the voice.
Most likely, the kid meant the accent.
- You know everything. And what is this? - She was addressing someone in a snowdrift, where a cave had obviously been dug.
- This is a bomb, - a child's voice was heard.
- What a good one. Where did you get one?
- What kind of bomb? - Dragovich said, turning to Lisette, who was heading towards Landskricht.
It turned out that one of them had an interesting toy - a toy gliding bomb made from a piece of pipe and properly ground down with wings that folded out like double scissors.
Lisette and Landskricht began to listen to the story about the bomb, about how it was ground by the boy's father, who, like most of the residents of the neighborhood, worked for a small military contractor - KANAR launched some enterprises that were foreign residents and did not depend on the central authorities.
The children turned out to be surprisingly talkative. Dragovich put his hands behind his back and walked away a little. In the distance, in the southern direction, buildings were visible, drowning in sunlight - this was the same contractor - everything was here, if not within the block, then the district. The contractor also had to be visited - to tell about the local business involved in defense contracts, and therefore very necessary. The largest of these businesses was the company that owned "Inter-nitro". The contractor, whose buildings towered in the southern part of the former boulevard, was a foreign resident only nominally, "according to schemes". Therefore, the tax burden that fell on him partially went to the LBSF. So they said - to know for sure, you needed to have the appropriate knowledge of the economy and understand how it all works, so Dragovich could rely only on rumors. The contractor made all sorts of little things like field uniforms or tents for the Bloc forces, and also components of "class four and class five weapons" - those that were supplied to friendly "native" units in the Central Air Force.
They also assembled gliding bombs here, or rather assembled "attachments" - blocks with electronics and wings attached to unguided bombs. They were also V-I-V, V-IV, that is, "class five and class four". Such bombs were launched without aviation - using rocket boosters. From any jalopy or even, in extreme cases, from a towed carriage.
The conversation was clearly developing. Lisette, who had come to her senses and remembered her job, was now asking, and Landskricht was translating.
- How long have you lived in this neighborhood? - the question followed the story about the bomb and the parents who worked for the contractor. - Always, - answered one of the boys.
In total, there were three of them, those who were sitting in the cave. Two more, who were climbing nearby, and most likely were part of the same company, came later. Judging by their age, and they were all about the same age, they could not have lived here since birth, even those two who looked a couple of years younger. The older ones, one of whom answered, may have even lived before the war, that is, before the war a year or two.
They started building the blocks at the end of the fifteenth. Apparently, the boy simply did not remember his move, or did not want to remember, which was not fun at all.
- We used to live here, but in big houses, continued one of the voices. Then they tore everything down. You know yourself.
Dragovich, if he had to have such a conversation, he would have closed the topic on that - there is no need for such a thing. He glanced coldly at the women.
- It's okay, they'll build new big houses later, you'll live in big houses again, - Landskricht responded to what she heard. - But we like it here. Those who live in big houses, there's not much space for them and nowhere to walk, especially in the basements. And it stinks. But it's nice here in the village.
Apparently, the children were describing something like temporary accommodation centers that were set up in high-rise buildings that were not affected or only slightly affected by the fighting.
- I'm not talking about basements, I'm talking about the buildings themselves, - Landskricht answered, - although I can see that you like it here.
- And do you, Madamz, visit the right bank? - asked another voice.
- Why do you think so?
- Not all of ours do that. They go here and there.
- Foreigners?
- Yes, exactly, foreigners.
- Well, yes. We go there. You know everything.
- Madams, - when we liberate the right bank. When ours really start bombing, then you leave early. Better to come to us, to KANAR. Or to your place.
- Thank you for warning me.
Dragovich raised his eyes and began to examine the traces of the planes attacking who knows what, spreading across the sky. The chatter continued.
- No, you only heard this! - Landskricht began, noticeably more cheerful, when all four left the children alone and went on.
- Actually, it's more sad than funny, - answered Dragovich.
"The Mexican" walked ahead. Most of the time he either feigned indifference, or he really didn't care.
Lisette's expression was serious, without a trace of humor. Usually, when Super Federation was shown on world channels, they often showed the undamaged areas of the city and other settlements.
Military-technical channels and other videos "for" and "from" techno-maniacs showed SSSF as one of the best places on earth, where everything is protected better than ever, and at the same time super-technological junk falls from the sky every now and then, which can be picked up. It was also the best place for service - there was a missile launch site and the MDS guarding it, the advanced AEX AMANDA and all that.
Dragovich himself would not have refused to come to the SSSF as a member of the local defense systems, or as part of some other units, but the place was too prestigious. Dragovich, who had neither money nor connections, would most likely have been sent to Africa.
No one made a secret of the fact that part of the city had been hit hard, but it was somehow shown in the background, from afar. In addition, the War was going on and some cities, mainly in the first year, were hit for real. In Paris, for example. And this area, quiet by the standards of world storms, was called "Manhattan" after a certain reason.
- When time passes, they will have the opportunity to compare one with the other. To compare their village with the life of an ordinary city dweller. And when you ask them, they will probably say that they had more freedom here, - Landskricht responded to Dragovich's remark.
- And how can I ask them? - Dragovich answered with clear doubt in his voice. Your words certainly sound beautiful... And if they really had, if they had, the opportunity to compare, then it would be even better. And how do you know what they will say...
- That's usually the case.
- I don't know where and how things happen, so I won't argue, Dragovich answered. - What I see here has always depressed me.
"The TV crew" moved on in search of new stories.