Biochip Extraction.
- Your super-federalists, whom you have never even seen, will also play a certain role - all this will serve as the basis for the introduction of multi-republican principles. Well, that's basically all you need to know about this whole policy. Was it interesting?
- Informative, no doubt.
- Now let's talk about you.
- And what about me?
- About your biochip. Here, look what I have.
She reached somewhere, like into her pocket, and held out her hand in front of Zavirdyaev, in which was a blue, glittering piece of plastic, or rather, fiberglass - an ordinary board of some device.
- Do you know what this thing did?
- What?
- An adapter that connected a small plastic bomb to the ship's communications center.
- Am I understanding everything correctly - it's not a bomb, but a distance-controlled mine?
- Yes, that would be more accurate. Your biochip has one similar function among all the others.
- Really? How is that possible? - asked Zavirdyaev, feeling an unpleasant feeling rising. Everything was going so well and then…
- Of course, the biochip won't explode. It will just do some mischief if it receives the necessary command. Now I have all communications under control - have you seen the computer I had with me? But it would still be better to delete your gadget.
- How and when? And what can it do?
- Damage your memory, although it is already, as they say, broken, but it will be even worse. Let's remove it?
- You will extract it?
- Well, yes, I know a little bit about it, - with these words she dived somewhere.
- You have no idea how encouraging it sounds: "know a little bit," Zavirdyaev answered with feigned cheerfulness, although the unpleasant feeling did not recede.
- I have very good tools, Landskricht's voice was heard. Do you remember how the chip was implanted in you? Or was it under anesthesia? I think they use local anesthesia...
- Yes, I was sitting in a chair, they just fixed my head. And I was conscious. Actually, they implanted it in me twice. The second time was staged. Staged for me, so that I would remember that it was installed in me, or rather a regular neurostimulator, supposedly so that I would not be exhausted by chronic fatigue. I supposedly had problems with it. So that during some kind of medical scan I would have a ready answer to the question of whether there are any devices in my head. Both times were with local anesthesia.
- The fact that we are in zero gravity is great. It will be easy for me to do the extraction.
There was a sound of a case opening, and then gloves being pulled over hands.
Finally, Landskricht's face appeared. In her teeth she held some kind of probe, gleaming with stainless steel.
- Right now?
- Of course, don't worry. A hand with a syringe appeared.
- Take off your helmet. And the spacesuit too.
- I don't like your idea.
- It's clear that this is all a bit unexpected, but you shouldn't worry, - Landskricht said too gently, which did not bode well.
Zavirdyaev wanted to jerk, but again discovered that his whole body had gone numb - apparently, after his refusal, those yellow lights from his fingers came into play again.
She began to fiddle with the helmet and soon she pulled it off. She pulled off the balaclava, too, after which she began to gut the spacesuit. Soon she dealt with it, too, leaving Zavirdyaev in only an undersuit that resembled a sports suit.
There was a smell of alcohol. Something pushed into his neck - it was she who rather unceremoniously and swiftly stuck the syringe in.
- Do you always behave like this? - Zavirdyaev mumbled with numb lips.
- Where is it here? - a businesslike muttering was heard.
Landskricht began to rummage through his hair with her fingers.
- Look at my optics!
She grabbed him with both hands and turned him towards her.
On her face were wide glasses, you couldn't call them glasses, just some kind of lenses on a frame that encircled her head.
- Don't you want to put on a mask? - Zavirdyaev lisped.
- Don't worry, I don't have to. And here's an ultrasound, - she demonstrated some kind of instrument, which was a cylinder about twenty centimeters long and as thick as a finger.
- Well, let's get started, - with these words she dragged him somewhere towards the airlock, - don't worry, we won't fly out into the airlock. There are just good handrails there and you can sit comfortably.
After a short, chaotic flight around the cabin, Zavirdyaev felt his cheek almost hit... her knee. From above, she pressed his head with her spread palm. In what position she herself was hanging, Zavirdyaev, of course, did not know, but from what he understood, it could be described as if she sat down on a chair and put his head on her leg. When a mechanic picks at some piece of iron in such a position, it's normal, but an operation on the head…
She also deigned to prepare herself by tying some kind of sheet around her waist, like an apron.
- If I survive, I'll hit you! - thought Zavirdyaev.
He would have said it out loud, but his tongue had already gone completely numb.
Her fingers began to ruffle his hair again. Then a nasty sound was heard, reminiscent of a dental machine. Zavirdyaev thought how good it would be to at least fall asleep, but the anesthesia had no sleepy effect.
- We should have turned on the music, - Landskricht's voice was heard.
- I'll definitely hit you! - thought Zavirdyaev. - And I won't care that you're from another planet. From a black hole, as you say. Shoot your lights after this, but I'll hit you in the eye.
A tool, similar to a screwdriver without a handle, slowly floated past his face. Then there was Landskricht's hand, catching the floating piece of iron.
It was unclear how much time had passed, but after the silence that reigned, Landskricht's voice cheerfully announced that all that was left was to close everything back. After some time, the hand pressing Zavirdyaev's head eased its pressure and ran it over his face a couple of times. Then she pulled him a little.
- There, everything is fine, - she said tenderly and began to stroke his... butt. - Don't think that I got something mixed up, - she said, - There just can't touch the head now. A few minutes need to pass and the glue will fix the seam.
- And she even dares to joke around, - Zavirdyaev thought in impotent anger.
The body still did not obey.
Finally, he felt himself slowly floating away from the place where the operation was taking place.
- Do you want to look at this thing? - Landskricht asked, who was still out of sight of the immobilized Zavirdyaev, - I'll give you this as a souvenir. I'll put it in a test tube now and give it to you on Earth.
A hand appeared in front of his face, holding thin tweezers, in which was clamped a tiny ceramic capsule, from which several dozen of the finest conductor threads covered with green thin-film insulation stuck out.
- This is the kind of crap they inserted into you, - Landskricht continued. - And you'll start talking right now.
A glow flared from one of the fingers of the hand that was in sight.
- I hate you! - Zavirdyaev lisped, - what are you doing? You know what, if you continue in the same spirit, I'll hit you. And I won't even look at your lights.
- What are you talking about! - Landskricht said sadly? - And I thought...
- I don't see any reason to joke, Zavirdyaev said in a more confident voice. First of all, your attitude to the matter. No mask or anything like that. You were holding a scalpel in your teeth.
- I can, I'm telling you for sure, - Landskricht answered, - I'm not quite human, so don't worry. And I wasn't holding it by the blade that comes into contact with the tissue, but by the handle. And if you get sick, well, that will be for some other reason, definitely not because of me. So we'll fix that too. Are you all calmed down? - She reached out to him, grabbed his suit and pulled herself up to him.
- Think for yourself whether you should be happy or not - the bomb on board has been disabled. There is no chip in your head. Are you calmed down?
- Could you at least prepare me somehow?! - almost shouted Zavirdyaev. - I would lie down on the bed down there. Before that, we should have discussed everything. At the moment when you started cutting me, I really wanted to hit you.
- Do you want to now too?
- I think I can restrain myself for now.
- I don't care, you can break your arms on me. I just don't want us to quarrel.
- So I'll just break them?
- Okay, consider that I said it like that, showing off. Figuratively.
- Oh, you...
- Now I'll tell you what I'm going to do, - Landskricht calmly changed the subject. - As I said, I'm going to cause a magnetic storm that will temporarily block the operation of all electronic networks. Nothing will happen to fiber optic networks, and this will allow the authorities to implement all measures within the framework of the Doomsday Statement, as is assumed by the relevant protocols. This will keep the Assembler safe and sound. As well as the entire administrative system. I don't want to break it either. It's just that all this will not function for some time.
- As far as I understand, you're going to transfer everyone to the Doomsday Statement? You yourself scolded those who planned it... What do you mean... An escalation surge? At the same time, you're going to cause a natural disaster. You also want to keep the administrative system, but just make it so that it doesn't function? How is that?
- Everything will be fine. When all the networks are cut off and UCE along with them, then military actions on the fronts will cease - they will take a wait-and-see position. This will be ensured by the systems already under my control as part of the preparatory stage. And the authorities will simply be mothballed for a while. Then they will be unmothballed. But they will not disappear anywhere. There will be no strategic actions capable of escalating the situation.
- They will be mothballed... - Zavirdyaev repeated doubtfully. Why all this?
- Totalitarianism and terror await you ahead. - Landskricht suddenly shook her head and waved her hands. Then she grinned. - Sorry, I expressed myself poorly. Totalitarianism and terror await you if all these plans of your bosses are realized. Well, when that unfortunate Titanic sets off on its miserable voyage.
I want to bring and will bring freedom and peace to people. I will explain why I need this. Human behavior can be viewed as a certain spectrum of binary oppositions. The desire to lead - the desire to obey, destruction - creativity, all that. The most expressive pair is individualism - collectivism. In its pure form, none of this can fill a person. Both components are present in any person and society, but they pull with different forces. For some, one prevails, for others, the other. Do you understand what I mean? Otherwise, you'll say that I'm talking some kind of incomprehensible nonsense
- Yes, I understand, answered Zavirdyaev, but I don't understand why you're telling me this.
- I prefer individualism, and very much so. Although the collectivist side does attract me a little - after all, I live among people. Right? I pay tribute to the value of personal freedom, no matter how pompous and naive it may sound at the same time. Yes, it sounds naive, but what can you do?
- Well, fine, consider it as if I believe you. Otherwise, you'll keep explaining yourself.
- That's it, - Landskricht calmly responded, not reacting to the rather frank jab. - And on this Titanic, they'll pump up the collectivist side. And, mind you, without any communism. I don't like it, or rather, I won't like it. That's where the whole conflict comes from. Also, preventing people from killing each other is also my personal wish. For me, humanity is like a field in front of a house. It's good when you go out there and everything is quiet and beautiful. The sun is shining, the grass is swaying. But when locusts fly in and eat everything, or a dog runs up and shits, is that good? And don't worry, I'm not going to take over the world, as you understand it.
- Really? Well, at least thanks for that. Maybe you've already... Taken over us a long time ago?
- Don't talk nonsense, - Landskricht waved her hand. - Let's get back to business.