arkady and boris strugatsky - the time wanderers
TRANSCRIPT
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Arkady Strugatsky, Boris Strugatsky. The Time Wanderers
(C) Copyright Arkady Strugatsky, Boris Strugatsky
BACKGRO!"# $a%im Kammerer
$y name is $a%im Kammerer. & am eighty'nine years od.
One upon a time, ong, ong ago, & read an anient no*ea that +egan
that ay. & remem+er thinking then that i- & e*er ere to rite my memoirs
in the -uture, & oud +egin in ust that ay. /oe*er, strity speaking,
this present te%t annot +e onsidered a memoir, and it shoud start ith a
ertain etter that & reei*ed a+out a year ago.
Kammerer# 0ou naturay ha*e read the notorious 12i*e Biographies o-
the Age1. 3ease hep me to determine ho is hiding +ehind the pseudonyms 3.
Soroka and 4. Braun. & think it i +e easier -or you than -or me.
$. Gumo*a
56 7une 589. !o*gorod
& did not repy to this etter, +eause & as not a+e to esta+ish the
rea names o- the authors o- 12i*e Biographies o- the Age1. A & did
determine as that, as e%peted, 3. Soroka and 4. Braun ere maor
ontri+utors to the :uden group at the &nstitute -or the Researh o- Spae
/istory (&RS/).
& had no di--iuty in imagining the -eeings o- $aya Toi*o*na Gumo*a
as she read the +iography o- her son as reated +y 3. Soroka and 4. Braun.
And & reai;ed that & had to speak out. There-ore, & rite this memoir.
2rom the point o- *ie o- an unpreudied and a partiuary young
reader, & i +e desri+ing e*ents that +rought me to the end o- the era in
osmi se-'aareness and opened a+soutey ne *istas, hih had seemed
ony theoretia pre*iousy. & as a itness, a partiipant in, and in some
sense e*en an initiator o- these e*ents, and there-ore it is not surprising
that the :uden Group has +een +om+arding me ith
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eary days o- the Big Re*eation, +ut, on the ontrary, its ast days. &
think this is preisey hat the :uden group peope do not understand, or
rather, do not ish o understand, despite a my e--orts to on*ine them.
O- ourse, perhaps & as not insistent enough. &>m not young anymore.
The personaity o- Toi*o Gumo* and the :uden group are inked. & an
understand hy, and there-ore & made him the entra -igure in my memoir.
2or hate*er reasons & might rea those days and hate*er & might
remem+er a+out those days, Toi*o Gumo* appears in my mind. & see his thin,
aays serious young -ae, his ong hite ashes, aays oered o*er his
transparent gray eyes, and & hear his apparenty intentiona so speeh.
One again & -ee his sient, hepess, +ut ine%ora+e pressure, ike a
ordess ry# 1We, hat>s the matter ith you? Why are you doing nothing?
Gi*e me an order@1 And, *ie *ersa, no sooner do & remem+er him -or some
reason than the 1mean dogs o- reoetion1 ake up, as i- -rom a si-t
kik# a the horror o- those days, a the despair o- those days, a the
impotene o- those days '' horror, despair, and impotene that & e%periened
aone, +eause & had no one ith hom to share them.
This memoir is +ased on douments. As a rue, these are standardreports made +y my inspetors, and some o--iia orrespondene, hih &
ite primariy to re'reate the atmosphere o- those days. &n genera, a
piky and ompetent researher oud ha*e no di--iuty in notiing that a
arge num+er o- douments that reate to the ase are not in the memoir,
hie & oud ha*e managed ithout some o- the douments that are inuded.
Responding ahead o- time to this re+uke, & i note that & seeted the
materias &n aordane ith ertain prinipes, hih & ha*e no desire nor
pressing need to go into.
2urther, a signi-iant portion o- the te%t is made up o- hapter
reonstrutions. These hapters are ritten +y me and in -at are
reonstrutions o- senes and e*ents that & did not itness. The
reonstrutions ere +ased on ora aounts, tape reordings, and su+ses i-e, Asya, his oeagues, a
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re+uking epithet 1Sikorski Syndrome1 as +orn and i*ed through ord o-
mouth? &t as the ompe% o- unontroa+e -ear o- a possi+e in*asion +y
the Wanderers. That>s aso true. And muh more to the point... But +ak then
& as not yet head o- the 4 "epartment in -at, it did not e*en e%ist. And
& am not riting a history o- the pro+em o- the Wanderers.
2or me it +egan in $ay o- =6, hen &, ike a the heads o- the 4"s o-
a the setors o- CO$CO!'8, reei*ed a iruar report a+out the inident
on Tisse. (!ot on the Tisse Ri*er, hih -os peae-uy through /ungary
and the Carpathians, +ut on the panet Tisse near the star 4!'6D5,
diso*ered not ong +e-ore that +y the -eos -rom GS3.) The iruar
desri+ed the inident as a sudden and une%pained madness in a three
mem+ers o- the researh party, anding on the pateau (& an>t remem+er the
name) to eeks earier. A three suddeny imagined that they had ost
ommuniation ith the entra +ase and had ost a ommuniation in
genera e%ept ith the or+iting mother ship, and the mother ship as
+roadasting an automati message that 4arth had +een destroyed in some
osmi ataysm, and that the entire popuation o- the 3eriphery had died
out -rom une%pained epidemis.
& don>t remem+er a the detais anymore. To o- the party, & think,tried to ommit suiide, and in the end ent o-- into the desert in despair
o*er the hopeessness and tota useessness o- -urther e%istene. Their
ommander as a stronger man. /e gritted his teeth and -ored himse- to
i*e '' as i- humanity had not perished, +ut ony he had su--ered an
aident and had +een ut o-- -ore*er -rom his home panet. /e ater
reounted that, on the -ourteenth day o- this ra;ed i-e, someone dressed
in hite appeared to him and announed that he had honora+y passed the
-irst round o- the trias and had +een aepted as a andidate into the
soiety o- Wanderers. On the -i-teenth day, the i-e+oat ame -rom the
mother ship, and the atmosphere as disharged. They -ound the to men ho
had gone o-- into the desert, e*eryone remained o- sound mind, and no one
died. Their testimony as onsistent don to the tiniest detais. 2or
instane, they a reprodued e%aty the aent o- the automati mahine
that aegedy ga*e the -ata announement. Su+eti*ey, they perei*ed the
inident as a *i*id, unusuay authenti'seeming theatria presentation, in
hih they had +een une%peted and unitting partiipants. "eep mentosopy
on-irmed their su+eti*e pereption and e*en shoed that, in the *ery
depth o- their su+onsious, none o- them suspeted that it as merey a
theatria per-ormane.
As -ar as & kno, my oeagues in the other setors took this -or a
rather ordinary 4, an e%paina+e 4, one o- the many that onstanty our
+eyond the 3eriphery. 4*eryone as ai*e and e. 2urther ork in the area
o- the 4 as not neessary it hadn>t +een neessary in the -irst pae. !o
*ounteers interested in so*ing the mystery appeared. The area o- the 4
as e*auated. The 4 as taken into aount. &n the -ies.
But & as a student o- the ate Sikorski@ When he as ai*e, & had
o-ten argued ith him, +oth mentay and out oud, hen tak turned to the
threat to humanity -rom the outside. But there as one thesis o- his that
as hard to dispute and & didn>t ant to argue ith it# 1We are orkers o-
CO$CO!'8. We are aoed to +e aed ignoramuses, mystis, and
superstitious -oos. There is one thing e are not aoed# to underestimate
danger. And i- there is suddeny the odor o- su-ur in our house, e are
simpy o+iged to assume that a horned de*i has appeared somehere near+y
and to take appropriate measures right up to organi;ing nationa industria
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prodution o- hoy ater.1 !o sooner did & hear that someone in hite as
speaking in the name o- the Wanderers than & smeed su-ur and gre as
agitated as an od arhorse at the sound o- +uges.
& made appropriate s
a+strations.
T/4$4# 1A Eisit -rom an Od :ady.1
CO!T4!TS# orking mode o- the 3rogressorist ati*ity o- the Wanderers
in the system o- humanity on earth.
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"ear Kammerer@
3ease do not take the heading ith hih & apped this missi*e as an
od man>s mokery. merey anted to stress that my missi*e, hie
ompetey persona, is at the same time o--iia. &>*e remem+ered the ap
o- your reports -rom the days hen they ere tossed on my desk as an
argument (rather -ee+e) +y your patheti Sikorski.
$y attitude toard your organi;ation has not hanged in the east. &
ne*er hid it, and it is ertainy e knon to you. !e*ertheess, & studied
ith great interest the materias you ere kind enough to send me. Thank
you. & ant to assure you that in this diretion o- your ork (+ut not ony
in this diretion@) you i -ind me your most ardent ay and oa+orator.
& do not kno hether this &s a oinidene, +ut & reei*ed your
Compendium o- $odes ust at the moment hen & as a+out to em+ark on
summing up my many years o- thinking a+out the nature o- the Wanderers and
the ine*ita+iity o- their oision ith the i*ii;ation o- 4arth. O-
ourse, it is my pro-ound +eie- that there are no oinidenes. Apparenty,
the time -or this
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toard $onoosm.
The synthesis o- inteigenes is ine*ita+e. &t gi*es an in-inite
num+er o- ne -aets to the pereption o- the ord, and this eads. to an
inredi+e inrease in the
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a resut, their ony transportation is pu+i they ha*e no a*iation at a,
and their ommuniation ines are *ery e de*eoped.
The third i*ii;ation is ours, and no e understand preisey in our
i*es hy the Wanderers must inter-ere. We are mo*ing. We are mo*ing, and
there-ore e might make a mistake in the diretion o- our mo*ement.
!oadays, no one remem+ers the 1asskikers1 ho tried to -ore progress
ith great enthusiasm among the Tagorians and :eonidians. By no me kno
that kiking ass in i*ii;ations that are mature in their on ay is as
meaningess and hopeess as trying to speed up the groth o- a tree '' an
oak, say '' +y puing it up +y the +ranhes. The Wanderers are not
asskikers, and -oring progress is not and oud not +e their goa. Their
aim is the searh, the seetion, the preparation -or ommuning, and -inay
to +ring indi*iduas mature enough -or it into the ommunity o- the
$onoosm. & do not kno +y hat proess the Wanderers make their seetion,
and that is a shame, +eause hether e ant it or not, e must speak
painy, ithout euphemisms and sienti-i argon. This is hat e are
taking a+out.
2irst# mankind>s stepping onto the path o- e*oution o- the seondorder means the pratia trans-ormation o- /omo sapiens into Wanderers.
Seond# most ikey -ar -rom e*ery /omo sapiens is suita+e -or suh
trans-ormation.
Summary#
' humanity i +e di*ided into to une
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!aturay, the sphere o- your attention shoud inude not ony 4arth,
+ut the entire soar system, the 3eriphery, and most o- a, the young
3eriphery.
& ish you uk,
0ours, &. Brom+erg
H4nd o- "oument 5I
"OC$4!T 8# Theme# DD= 1A Eisit -rom an Od :ady1
To the 3resident o- Setor ras'!orth
"ate# 56 7une =F
2RO$# $.$. Kammerer, head o- 4"
T/4$4# DD= 1A Eisit -rom an Od :ady1
CO!T4!TS# the death o- A. Brom+erg
3resident@
3ro-essor &saa Brom+erg died suddeny in the Be;hin $eado Sanatorium
on the morning o- 7une 55 o- this year.
We ha*e not -ound any notes on the $onoosm mode or any notes at a
on the Wanderers in his persona -ies. The searh ontinues. The media
erti-iate on his death is appended.
$. Kammerer
H4nd o- "oument 8I
&t as in this order that my young pro+ationer, Toi*o Gumo*, read
these douments in eary =9, and naturay, these douments made a *ery
de-inite impression on him, ga*e him *ery de-inite ideas, espeiay sine
they supported his most goomy e%petations. The seed -e in -ertie soi.
/e immediatey oated the media death erti-iate and, -inding nothing
there at a to on-irm his suspiions, hih seemed so natura, he demanded
permission to see me.
& remem+er that morning e# gray, snoy, ith a rea +i;;ard outside
my o--ie indos. 3erhaps +eause o- the ontrast, +eause my +ody as
here, in the snoy ras, and my eyes senseessy athed the streams o-
meting ater on the panes, hie my menta ga;e as on a tropia night
a+o*e a arm oean, and a dead naked +ody +o++ed in the phosphoresent -oam
that roed up onto the soping sandy +eah. & had ust reei*ed in-ormation
-rom the Center a+out the third -ata inident on the isand o- $atuku.
At that moment, Toi*o Gumo* appeared +e-ore me, and & hased aay the
*ision and asked him to sit don and speak.
Without any pream+e, he asked me i- the in*estigation o- the
irumstanes o- the death o- "r. Brom+erg as onsidered osed.
With a ertain amount o- surprise, & repied that there had +een no
in*estigation, in e--et, ust as there had not +een any speia
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irumstanes in the death o- the hundred'and'-i-ty'year'od man.
Then here, in that ase, ere "r. Brom+erg>s notes on the $onoosm?
& e%pained that there pro+a+y had ne*er +een any notes. "r.
Brom+erg>s etter, & had to assume, as an impro*isation. "r. Brom+erg had
+een a +riiant impro*iser.
Then shoud he deem it an aident that "r. Brom+erg>s etter and the
announement o- his death, sent +y $a%im Kammerer to the 3resident, ere
ne%t to eah other?
& ooked at him, his thin ips set in a determined ine, his o +ro
ith a strand o- hite hair aross it, and it as per-ety ear to me.
What he anted to hear -rom me. 10es, Toi*o, my ad,1 he anted to hear. 1&
think ust as you do. Brom+erg had guessed muh, and the Wanderers got rid
o- him and stoe his preious papers.1 But naturay, & didn>t think
anything o- the sort and & didn>t say anything o- the sort to my ad Toi*o.
Why the douments ere ne%t to eah other, & didn>t kno myse-. $ost
ikey, it reay as +y aident. And that>s hat & tod him.
Then he asked me i- Brom+erg>s ideas had gone into pratia
de*eopment.
& repied that the s
ideas, irumstanes ere not right -or a serious attitude toard them.
Then he mustered his ourage and asked me straight on i- &, $a%im
Kammerer, head o- the department, intended to take up the de*eopment o-
Brom+erg>s ideas. And here, -inay, & had the opportunity to make him
happy. /e heard e%aty hat he anted to hear.
10es, my ad,1 & said. 1That>s hy & +rought you into the department.1
/e e-t -eeing estati. !either he nor & had any idea then, o-
ourse, that it as at that *ery moment that he took his -irst step toard
the Big Re*eation.
& am a pratiing psyhoogist. When & am deaing ith a person, & an
say ithout -ase modesty that & -ee his spiritua state at e*ery moment,
the diretion o- his thoughts, and &>m t remem+er e%aty.
By pro-ession, Toi*o Gumo* as a 3rogressor. Speiaists tod me that
he oud ha*e +een a 3rogressor o- the highest ass, a 3rogressor ae. /e
had +riiant
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ator and master o- impersonation. And ha*ing orked as a 3rogressor -or
o*er three years, ithout any apparent reasons he retired and returned to
4arth. !o sooner had he -inished reonditioning than he got on the BE& and
earned ithout any great di--iuty that the ony organi;ation on our
panet that had anything to do ith his ne aims as CO$CO!'8.
/e appeared +e-ore me in "eem+er o- =F, im+ued ith iy preparedness
to anser s s
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and there-ore ne*er made aoanes -or others in anything. /e had this
ruthess onentration on his goa, hih & had seen +e-ore ony in maor
sientists and athetes. !o room -or -riendship...
Atuay, he did ha*e one -riend. & mean his i-e, Asya Staso*a, name
and patronymi Anastasiya 3a*o*na. When & met her, she as a harming
itte oman, as i*ey as merury, sharp'tongued, and ith a tendeny to
make s death. $ost
ikey, hene*er To*o +rought up the su+et o- Kammerer, she simpy ody
re-used to speak on that topi. But that as more than enough.
2or & as more than a +oss -or Toi*o. A-ter a, & as the ony person
ho shared his *ies, the ony person in the enormous CO$CO!'8 ho treated
the issue that engrossed him totay ith ompete seriousness and ithout
any aoanes. Besides hih, he -et great piety toard me. Say hat you
i, +ut his +oss as the egendary $ar Sim@ Toi*o hadn>t e*en +een +ornhen $are Sim as +oing up ray toers and -ighting -asists on Saraksha...
The peeress White Jueen@ The organi;er o- Operation Eirus, a-ter hih
4%eeny himse- aed him Big Bug@ Toi*o as ust a shoo+oy hen Big
Bug penetrated into the &sand 4mpire, into the *ery apita... the -irst
earthing, and the ast, inidentay... O- ourse, these ere a e%poits
o- a 3rogressor, +ut it is ritten# a 3rogressor an +e *an
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at ast'the inter*ention o- the Wanderers in human a--airs oud +e
esta+ished and pro*en ith a+soute reia+iity. !o historia anaogies
-rom the enturies o- ati*ity +y 4arth 3rogressors heped there. 2or the
"uke o- &rukan, an e%posed 4arth 3rogressor as a demon or a pratiing
sorerer. 2or ounterinteigene -rom the &sand 4mpire, the same
3rogressor as a e*er spy -rom the mainand. And hat as an e%posed
3rogressor Wanderer -rom the point o- *ie o- a orker in CO$CO!'8?
An e%posed sorerer oud +e +urned or he oud +e paed in a stone
sak and -ored to make god -rom his on -ees. A e*er spy -rom the
mainand shoud +e rereruited or kied. But hat do you do ith an e%posed
Wanderer?
Toi*o did not kno the anser to these and simiar
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north shore. /oe*er, as e soon earned, -or the ast se*era years a
dou+ed -amiy o- Goo*ans had +een i*ing there. (Today>s generation had
started -orgetting hat Goo*ans are. A reminder# they are a rae o-
rationa Canoids -rom the panet Saraksh, ho -or a time ere in *ery ose
ontat ith earthings. These arge'headed taking dogs readiy aompanied
us throughout spae and e*en had something ike a dipomati em+assy on our
panet. A+out thirty years ago, they e-t us and did not enter into ontat
ith humans anymore.)
On the south o- the isand, there as a round *oani har+or. &t as
indesri+a+y dirty# the +eah as pouted +y some disgusting -oam. &t
ooked ike the -ith as organi in origin +eause it attrated innumera+e
-oks o- sea +irds. O- ourse, the aters o- the har+ors ere i-eess.
4*en seaeed gre uniingy.
$urders ere taking pae on that isand. 3eope ere kiing peope,
and it as so horri+e that no one oud i-t his hand -or se*era months to
report these e*ents through the mass media.
&t soon +eame apparent that the -aut, or rather, the ause o- it a
as a giant Siurian mousk, a monstrous prime*a ephaopod that hadsetted some time ago on the +ottom o- the *oani har+or. &t must ha*e
+een sept into there +y a typhoon. The +io-ied o- this monster, hih
-oated up to the sur-ae -rom time to time, had a depressi*e e--et on the
psyhe o- higher animas. &n partiuar, it eiited a atastrophi oering
o- the e*e o- moti*ation in humans. &n that +io-ied man +eame asoia
he oud ki an at any
-ats at a, his theories seemed rather on*ining (i- you an speak o-
on*ining ogi +uit en a -antasti supposition). And you had to see him
retreat step +y step under the onsaught o- ne data, hih daiy ere
o+tained +y shoked speiaists in ephaopods and paeontoogy...
/e as -inished o-- +y a +ioogy student ho dug up in Tokyo a
thirteenth'entury 7apanese manusript that ontained a desription o- this
or a simiar monster (& s not
it. And a good thing, +eause it>s too *ie.1 Aording to his ights, the
$onoosm had to +e a totay disgusting reature, +ut not that +ad. The
$onoosm in the -orm o- a Siurian otopus '' ith its poisonous +io-ied,
its e%tensi+e she, and its persona age o- o*er -our hundred miion
years '' did not it into any onepts o- the speiaists.
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Thus the -irst serious a--air that Toi*o Gumo* took on ame to naught.
/e had *e ome to the onusion that, ithin the parameters o- theme DD=, the
materias -rom the so'aed 3enguin Syndrome oud +e o- interest to us.
Soures# A. $o+ius, paper at the L&E Con-erene o- Cosmopsyhoogist Riga, F
A. $o+ius, 1The 3enguin Syndrome,1 3C3 (3ro+ems o- Cosmi 3syhoogy),
F8, F
A. $o+ius, 1$ore on the !ature o- the 3enguin Syndrome,1 3C3, FF, 9
Re-erene#
$o+ius, Asmodeus'$at*ei, dotor o- mediine, orresponding mem+er o-
the Aademy o- $edia Sienes o- 4urope, diretor o- the +ranh o- the
Word &nstitute o- Cosmi 3syhopathoogy (Eienna). Born 8DF6,
&nns+ruk. 4duation# 3syhopathoogy "epartment, Sor+onne Seond &nstitute
o- Spae $ediine, $oso /igher Courses o- 4
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-at that there as no onnetion +eteen the syndrome and gene inde% o- the
patient.
&nterested in the etioogy o- the phenomenon, "r. $o+ius su+eted the
materia he gathered (ose to te*e hundred ases) to a muti-ator
anaysis on eighteen parameters and to his satis-ation diso*ered that in
perent o- the inidents, the syndrome arose in peope ho had made
ong'distane spae -ights on the 3hantom'5'3enguin Spaeship. 1& had
e%peted something ike that,1 "r. $o+ius announed. 1&n my memory this is
not the -irst time that onstrution engineers ha*e o--ered us tehnoogy
that has not +een su--iienty tested. That is hy & aed the syndrome &
diso*ered a-ter the type o- ship, and et that +e a esson and arning.1
On the +asis o- "r. $o+ius>s speeh, the on-erene in Riga passed a
resoution to +an the use o- spaeships o- the 3hantom'5'3enguin type unti
a the onstrution -as reating the pho+ia had +een repaired.
5. & determined that the 3hantom'5'3enguins spaeship had +een
su+eted to the most thorough diagnostis, in the ourse o- hih nothing
maor in the onstrution as diso*ered, so that the diret ause o- the
3enguin Syndrome has remained shrouded in mist and -og. (/oe*er, anting toredue the risk to ;ero, the "iretorate o- the Spae 2eet remo*ed the
3enguins -rom passenger -ights and redesigned them -or autopiot.) The
inidene o- the 3enguin Syndrome rapidy dereased, and as -ar as & kno,
the ast ase as reorded thirteen years ago.
/oe*er, & as not satis-ied. & as orried +y the 88 perent o- the
ases re*ieed hose reationship ith the 3hantom'5'3enguin spaeship
remained *ague. O- those 88 perent, aording to the -igures o- "r. $o+ius,
perent ne*er had anything to do ith the 3enguins, and the remaining 59
perent oud not say anything use-u either they did not remem+er or they
ere not interested in spaeship modes and did not kno hih ones they had
-on in.
!aturay, the statistia signi-iane o- the hypothesis o- the roe
o- the 3enguins in the appearane o- the pho+ia is indisputa+e. /oe*er, 88
perent is not a sma -igure. & su+eted $o+ius>s materias to a
muti-atored anaysis o- tenty additiona parameters, and seeted these
parameters, & on-ess, rather randomy, ha*ing nothing to ork -rom, not the
most du+ious hypothesis. 2or instane, & had parameter dates o- takeo--
aurate to ithin the month, pae o- +irth aurate to the region, ho++ies
ith auray to ithin the ass rating... and so on.
&t turned out to +e s
eterna +eie- in the isotropism o- the uni*erse that kept "r. $o+ius -rom
diso*ering hat & managed to ome up ith. /ere is hat & earned# the
3enguin Syndrome a--eted peope ho had made spae -ights on the routes to
Saua, Redut, and Cassandra '' in other ords, through su+spae setor entryF5D8.
The 3hantom'5'3enguin had nothing to do ith it. &t as simpy that
the o*erheming maority o- those ships in those days ( the eary Ds) ent
straight -rom the hangar to the 4arth'Cassandra'Mephyr and
4arth'Redut'4!'85D9 routes. That e%pained "r. $o+ius>s perent. As -or
the remaining 88 perent, 8D had -on on those routes in other ships that
e-t ony 8 perent, ho had ne*er -on anyhere, and so did not pay a
signi-iant roe.
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8. The data o- "r. $o+ius is de-initey inompete. &n the names he
oeted as e the data -rom the arhi*es o- the "iretorate o- the Spae
2eet, & as a+e to determine that during the period in
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it turned out that Kri*okyko* had ne*er in his i-e -on in a
3hantom'5'3enguin starship. /oe*er, & do not gi*e up hope that the
in*ersion o- the 3enguin Syndrome does e%ist as a psyhi phenomenon, and &
i +e grate-u to any physiian ho oud +e kind enough to send me ne
data on that su+et.1
Re-erene#
Kri*okyko*, &*an Georgie*ih, repaement physiian and psyhiatrist
o- :em+a +ase (4! 85D9), in the period in
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$andatory Bio+okade
&n anay;ing the inidents o- mass pho+ias in the ast one hundred
years, & ha*e ame to the onusion that ithin the parameters o- theme
DD=, the e*ents that preeded the passage on 8D89 +y the Word Couni o-
the -amous Amendment to the a on the Bio+okade oud +e o- interest to
us.
The -ooing shoud +e kept in mind#
5. Bio+okade, aso knon as the Tokyo 3roedure, has +een
systematiay in use on 4arth and the 3eriphery -or a+out one hundred and
-i-ty years. Bio+okade is not a pro-essiona term, and is used primariy
+y ournaists. $edia speiaists a this proedure -ukami;ation in
honor o- the sisters !ataya and /osiko 2ukami, ho ere the -irst to gi*e a
theoretia +asis -or it and to put it into pratie. The aim o-
-ukami;ation is raising the natura e*e o- adaptation o- the human +ody to
e%terna onditions (+ioadaptation). &n its assi -orm, the proedure o-
-ukami;ation is used e%usi*ey an in-ants, +eginning ith the third
trimester o- its intrauterine de*eopment. As -ar as & ha*e earned and
understood, the proedure onsists o- to stages.
The introdution o- !B:A2 serum (the 1+ateria o- i-e1 uture)
raises resistane +y se*era orders to a knon in-etions and *iruses ''
*ira, +ateria, or spore '' and aso to a organi to%ins. (This
+asiay is the +io+okade.)
n+reaking the hypothamus ith miroa*e radiation inreases the
+ody>s a+iity to adapt to suh physia agents o- the en*ironment as strong
radiation, to%i gas, and high temperatures. Besides hih, the a+iity to
regenerate damaged organs inreases the spetrum *isi+e to the retina, and
response to psyhotherapy is heightened.
The ompete test o- instrution on -ukami;ation is appended +eo.
8. The proedure o- -ukami;ation as used up unti 9 as a mandatory
proedure in aordane ith the a on $andatory Bio+okade. &n the year
8, a dra-t o- an amendment as presented to the Word Couni, aing -or
an end to mandatory -ukami;ation -or in-ants +orn on 4arth. The Amendment
aed -or 1maturity *aination,1 to +e gi*en to peope ho reahed the age
o- si%teen, to repae -ukami;ation. &n 9, the Word Couni (+y maority
o- ony te*e *otes) passed the1 Amendment to the a on $andatory
Bio+okade. Aording to this Amendment, -ukami;ation as no onger
mandatory, and its use as e-t up to the parents. 3eope ho did not
undergo -ukami;ation in in-any had the right to ater re-use the maturity
*aination. /oe*er, in that ase, they oud not ork in pro-essiona
-ieds in*o*ing hea*y physia and psyhoogia stress. Aording to the
BE&, at the present time there are ose to a miion teenagers on 4arth hoha*e not +een -ukami;ed and ose to tenty thousand peope ho ha*e re-used
the maturity *aination.
&!STRCT&O!
On antenata and postnata -ukami;ation o- ne+orns.
5. "etermine the e%at time o- start o- +irth +y the method o- e*en
integras. (Reommended diagnostis# radioimmune assay !&$B, seetors 2"/'F
and 2"/'.)
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8. !o ess than 5 hours +e-ore the -irst uterine onstrution,
determine the *oume o- the -etus and the *oume o- the amnioti -uid
separatey.
!ote# :a;are*ih>s orretion is mandatory@ The auations must +e
made ony through the monographs o- the &nstitute o- Bioadaptation, taking
into aount raia di--erenes.
6. "etermine the neessary dose o- !B:A2 serum. A -u, sta+e,
ong'term immuni;ation to aum agents and organi ompounds o- a+umen and
haptoid strutures is ahie*ed at a dose o- .D=F gamma moes per gram o-
ymph tissue.
!ote# a) At an inde% o- *oumes o- ess than 6.9, the dose is inreased
+y 5 perent.
+) With mutipe -etuses, the tota dose o- ineted serum is redued
+y perent -or eah -etus (tins perent, tripets 5 perent, et.).
F. Si% hours +e-ore the -irst uterine ontration, use the nu inetor
to introdue through the anterior a+domina a into the amnioti -uid theai+rated dose o- !B:A2 serum. The in-etion is done -rom the side, aay
-rom the -etus>s +ak.
9. 2i-teen minutes a-ter +irth, per-orm a sintigraph o- the ne+orn>s
thymus. &- the inde% is under 6., introdue an additiona 8.9D gamma
moes o- !B:A2 serum into the um+iia *ein.
. &n an inrease o- +ody temperature, immediatey pae the ne+orn in
a sterie +o%. The -irst natura -eeding is permitted no sooner than a-ter
58 hours o- norma temperature.
. The hypothaami ;ones o- adaptogenesis are irradiated ith
miroa*es 8 hours a-ter +irth. The topography distri+ution o- the ;ones is
auated +y the program B&!AR'5. The *oumes o- the hyporhaami ;ones
shoud orrespond as -oos#
Mone 6'F8 neurons
Mones & 5'5=F neurons
Mones && 589'56= neurons
Mones &E# FD'95D neurons
Mones E# FD'95D neurons
!ote# When per-orming measurements, +e sure that +irth hematomas ha*e
disso*ed ompetey.
The o+tained data is put in the B&O2AK'3:S4.
/A!" CORR4CT&O! O2 T/4 3:S4 &S CAT4GOR&CA::0 2ORB&""4!.
. 3ae the ne+orn in the operating ham+er o- the B&O2AK'3:S4. &n
orienting the head, ath espeiay that the ange o- de*iation on the
stereota%is sae is no more than D.DD5F.
=. $iroa*e irradiation o- the hypothaami ;ones o- adaptogenesis is
done +y reahing the seond e*e o- deep seep, hih orresponds to 5. ''
8.5 apha on an enephaogram.
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5D. A data must +e entered on the ne+orn>s persona hart.
2rom the e*ents that ed to the passage o- the Amendment to the :a on
$andatory Bio+okade in 2e+ruary 9, & ha*e determined#
5. &n the entury and a ha- o- go+a -ukami;ation, not a singe ase
is knon to ause any damage. There-ore, it as not surprising that unti
the spring o- 5 *ery -e mothers re-used -ukami;ation. The o*erheming
maority o- physiians ith hom & onsuted had not heard o- any suh ases
+e-ore that year. But statements against -ukami;ation, theoretia and
propagandisti, had appeared -re
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This monograph is a typia e%ampe o- a hoe i+rary o- +ooks and
+rohures de*oted to the propaganda o- putting an end to tehnoogia
progress. A these +ooks are harateri;ed +y an apoogia -or stuk
i*ii;ations ike the Tagorian or the +ioi*ii;ation o- :eonida. 4arth>s
tehnoogia progress is deared to +e done ith. $an>s e%pansion into the
osmos is depited as a kind o- soia e%tra*agane, hih * i +ring a
rue disiusionment. Rationa $an turns into &nsoent $an, ho in his
stri*ing -or
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-ukami;ation, does not orry him.
!ote# &n onuding this setion, & -ee it neessary to stress the
-at that the seetion and annotation o- the materias as done on the
prinipe o- their ak o- tri*iaity -rom my persona point o- *ie. &
apoogi;e in ad*ane i- the o e*e o- my erudition auses
dissatis-ation.
8. Apparenty, the -irst re-usa to +e -ukami;ed, hih +egan a hoe
epidemi o- re-usas, as reorded in the maternity home o- the *iage o-
K>Sa*a (4s ishes, and the
sightest attempts to hange her mind made her go into hysteris. $other 8
(-irst hid) did not e*en try to gi*e a moti*ation -or her re-usa. 1&
don>t ant to, and that>s that@1 she kept repeating. $other 6 (third hid,
-irst protest) as *ery reasona+e and am, and e%pained her re-usa +y
not anting to deide her hid>s -ate ithout his knoedge and onsent
1When he gros up, he> deide,1 she announed.
(& ite the moti*ations +eause they are *ery typia. With sight
*ariations, the 1re-user1 used them in == perent o- the ases. The
iterature uses three assi-iations. Re-usa type A# totay rationa, +ut
in prinipe un*eri-ia+e, moti*ation 89 perent. Re-usa type B# pure
pho+ia, hysteria, irrationa +eha*ior D perent. Re-usa type C# ethia
onsiderations 5D perent. Re-usa type R (rate)# re-erenes e%tremey
*aried in -orm and ontent# reigious irumstanes, adherene to e%oti
phiosophia systems, and so on e. 9 perent).
On Apri 5, in the same hospita, there ere to more re-usas, and
ne re-uses ere registered in maternity homes in the region. By the end o-
the month, re-usas num+ered in the hundreds, registered in a regions o-
the go+e, and on $ay 9 ame the -irst report o- a re-use outside 4arth
($ars, the Big Syrt). The epidemi o- re-usas, a%ing and aning, ontinued
right up to the year 9, so that +y the time the Amendment as passed, there
ere amost -i-ty'thousand re-users (D.5 perent o- a mothers).
The as o- epidemis ha*e +een studied phenomenoogiay *ery e
and ith a high degree o- *eraity. 0et, they did nor resut in on*ining
e%panations.
2or instane, it as noted that the epidemi had to geographi enters
o- distri+ution# one in e
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Berne 3aae o- the Chid.
2or a this, the o*erheming maority o- maternity homes on earth
ne*er heard a+out the epidemis o- re-usas. 7ust as most e%traterrestria
settements did not hear o- the re-usas. /oe*er, in paes here the
epidemis +roke out (Big Syrt, Saua +ase, Resort), they de*eoped aording
to the as typia -or 4arth.
6. A arge +ody o- iterature is de*oted to the auses o- -ukamipho+ia.
& -amiiari;ed myse- ith the most soid orks in the -ied, reommended to
me +y 3ro-essor "erouide o- the :hasa 3syhoogy Center. & am insu--iienty
prepared to make a ompetent summary o- these orks, +ut & ha*e -ormed the
opinion that there is no generay aepted theory o- -ukamipho+ia.
There-ore, & i imit myse- here to a *er+atim -ragment -rom my
on*ersation ith 3ro-essor "erouide.
J4ST&O!# "o you think it possi+e -or the pho+ia to arise in a heathy
and happy person?
A!SW4R# Strity speaking, that is impossi+e. &n a heathy person, a
pho+ia aays arises as a onse
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J4ST&O!# 2or instane?
A!SW4R# 2or instane '' propaganda +y opponents o- -ukami;ation. An
impressiona+e personaity, espeiay in the state o- pregnany, oud
easiy +e in-uened +y suh propaganda. Or, say, hypertrophy o- the
materna instint, the instinti*e need o protet her hid -rom any
e%terna ations, e*en +ene-iia ones... Are you panning to argue? "on>t.
& agree ith you ompetey. A these hypotheses e%pain ony a *ery narro
ire o- -ats, at +est. !o one oud e%pain the phenomenon o- the 1hain
o- re-usas,1 nor the geographi peuiarities o- the phenomenon... And no
one at a understands hy it a +egan in the spring o- 5, and not ony on
4arth +ut aso *ery -ar -rom earth...
J4ST&O!# And hy did it end in 9? Can that +e e%pained?
A!SW4R# 7ust imagine '' it an. &magine that the -at o- the Amendment
passing oud pay a deisi*e roe in ending the epidemi. !aturay, there
is sti muh that is unear here, +ut ust detais.
J4ST&O!# What do you think '' oud the epidemi ha*e +roken out as
the resut o- some areess e%periments?
A!SW4R# Theoretiay, that is possi+e. But in our time e heked
that hypothesis out. There ere no e%periments +eing arried out on earth
that oud ha*e aused mass pho+ias. Besides, do not -orget, that
-ukamipho+ia +roke out +eyond 4arth at the same time...
J4ST&O!# What sort o- e%periments oud ha*e aused pho+ias?
A!SW4R# 3ro+a+y & did not make myse- ear. & oud name a series o-
tehnia methods ith hih & oud reate some pho+ia in you, a heathy
man. !ote that & said 1some1 pho+ia. 2or instane, i- & irradiate you ith a
ertain regimen o- neutrino onentrates, you i de*eop a pho+ia. But
hat pho+ia i it +e? 2ear o- heights? 2ear o- emptiness? 2ear o- -ear? &
an>t predit. There an ertainy +e no tak o- eiiting a spei-i
pho+ia, ike -ukamipho+ia, the -ear o- -ukami;ation... ness it ere in
onuntion ith hypnosis. But ho an you reai;e that om+ination in
pratie?.. !o, that>s not a serious onsideration.
F. 2or a its geographia (and osmographia) distri+ution, the
inidene o- -ukamipho+ia remained a *ery rare ourrene in media
pratie, and on its on it oud hardy ha*e ed to any hanges in the a.
/oe*er, the epidemi o- -ukamipho+ia *ery
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7anuary 8. An initiati*e group, E43& (named a-ter the -ounder>s
initias), is -ormed, uniting dotors, psyhoogists, soioogists,
phiosophers, and ayers. &t as E43& that started and +rought to *itory
the strugge to pass the Amendment.
2e+ruary 8. The -irst protest ray +y opponents o- -ukami;ation in
-ront o- the Word Couni +uiding.
7une 8. The -orma -ormation o- the opposition to the a ithin the
Commission on 3rotetion o- $otherhood and &n-any.
2urther hronoogy o- e*ents is not interesting, -rom my point o- *ie.
The time (three and a ha- years) neessary -or the Word Couni to study
the Amendment -rom a sides and then pass it is su--iienty typia.
/oe*er, hat does not seem typia to me is the reationship +eteen the
num+er o- mass proponents o- the Amendment and the num+ers o- the
pro-essiona orps. suay, the num+er o- mass proponents o- a ne a is
at a minimum ten miion peope, hie the pro-essiona orps,
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onentrated, e'panned ation o- a ertain rationa i.
+). The epidemi o- -ukamipho+ia orresponds e in time ith the
appearane o- the 3enguin Syndrome. (See my report !o. D55==.)
Sapieti sat,
T. Gumo*
H4nd o- "oument F.I
!o & an maintain ith tota assurane that it as this report o-
Gumo*>s that -ored the shi-t in my onsiousness that ed me -inay to
the Big Re*eation. And, -unny as it may seem no, that shi-t +egan ith the
unontroa+e irritation +rought on +y Toi*o>s rude and unam+i*aent hints
a+out the aeged roe o- the 1*ertiaists1 in the history o- the
Amendment. &n the origina o- the report, that paragraph is o*ered ith
thik marks in my hand & remem+er s *isit to the &nstitute o- 4entris, & -inay
got the point, and & had no time -or aing peope on the arpet.
& as in a rue risis, +eause & had no one to tak to. 2irst o- a,
& had no propositions. And seondy, & did not kno ith hom it as sa-e to
tak no, and ith hom it asn>t. $uh ater, & asked my group i- they
-ound anything strange a+out my +eha*ior in those horri+e (-or me) days o-
Apri ==. Sandra as engrossed in the Rip Ean Winke theme and as +oed
o*er himse- and notied nothing. Grisha Seroso*in maintained that & as
partiuary sient then and repied to a initiati*es on his part ith a
mysterious smie. And Kikin is Kikin# e*en then, 1e*erything as ear1 to
him. Toi*o Gumo* must ha*e +een dri*en ra;y +y my +eha*ior then. And he
as. /oe*er, & reay did not kno hat to do@ One +y one & sent my
oorkers to the &nstitute o- 4entris and aited eah time to see hat
oud happen, and nothing oud happen, and & oud send the ne%t one and
ait some more.
At that time, Gor+o*sky died at his pae in Krasa*a.
At that time, Athos'Sidoro* as preparing to go +ak into the hospita,
and there as no ertainty that he oud return.
At that time, "anya :ogo*enko in*ited himse- o*er -or a up o- tea -or
the -irst time in many years and spent the hoe e*ening reminising,
hatting nonsense.
At the time, & deided nothing.
On the night o- $ay 9, the emergeny ser*ie got me out o- +ed. &n:itte 3esha (on the 3esha Ri*er, hih -as into the C;eh inet o- the
Barents Sea), some sort o- monsters had appeared, reating pani in the
*iagers. The emergeny ss report on the e*ents and on his
ations in :itte 3esha has apparenty +een ost. &n any ase, & ha*e not
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+een a+e to diso*er it... /oe*er, & oud ike to sho ho Toi*o
per-ormed that study in as detaied a manner as possi+e, and there-ore &
i ha*e to resort to a reonstrution o- the e*ents, +asing it on my on
memory and on on*ersations ith partiipants in that e*ent.
&t is not hard to see that the reonstrution +eing o--ered (and a
the ones that -oo) ontains, +esides a+soutey reia+e -ats, some
desriptions, metaphors, epithets, diaogues, and other eements o- -ition.
But & need -or the reader to see the i*ing Toi*o +e-ore him, the ay &
remem+er him. "ouments aone are not enough. &- one ares, hoe*er, one an
e%amine my reonstrutions as a speia kind o- deposition.
:&TT:4 34S/A. $A0 ==. 4AR:0 $OR!&!G
2rom a+o*e, :itte 3esha ooked ust the ay that *iage shoud ook
at >three in the morning. Seepy. 3eae-u. 4mpty. A do;en mutioored
roo-s in a semiire, a grass'o*ered s@1
1/eo, Gumo*,1 the man responded, o--ering his hand. 1Right. &t>s
Basi. What took you so ong?1
Toi*o e%pained that ;ero'T asn>t orking here in :itte 3esha -ar
some reason, that he as et out at :oer 3esha and had to take a gider
there and -y o*er -orty minutes a+o*e the ri*er.
1& understand,1 Basi said, and ooked +ak at the pa*iion. 1That>s
hat & thought. 0ou see, in their pani they mutiated their ;ero'T
a+in...1
10ou mean, no one has ome +ak yet?1
1!o one.1
1And nothing ese has happened?1
1!othing. Our peope -inished the e%amination ninety minutes ago,
didn>t -ind anything su+stantia, and ent home to do the a+ ork. They
e-t me to keep e*eryone out, and &>*e spent the time repairing the ;ero'T
a+in.1
1/a*e you -i%ed it?1
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1$ore yes than no.1
The ottages o- :itte 3esha ere anient, +uit in the ast entury,
utiitarian arhiteture, in to%iay +right oors '' -rom od age. 4ah
ottage as surrounded +y impenetra+e urrant +ushes, ias, stra+erries.
And right +eyond the semiire o- houses as the -orest, the yeo trunks
o- giganti airs, the ron gray'green in the -og, and a+o*e them, rather
high up, the rimson disk o- the sun in the northeast...
1What a+ ork?1 Toi*o asked.
1We, there are a ot o- ues... That disgusting stu-- raed out o-
that ottage, & guess, and spread in a diretions...1 Basi +egan
pointing. 1On the +ushes, the grass, and on some o- the *erandas there>s
dried sime, saes, umps at something...1
1What did you see yourse-?1
1!othing. When e got here, it as ike it is no, e%ept there as -og
on the ri*er.1
>Then there are no itnesses?1
1At -irst, e thought e*eryone had run o--. Then e earned that in
that house there, the end one on the +ank, there is a *ery edery oman
doing one, thank you, ho ne*er thought a+out running aay...1
1Why not?1 Toi*o asked.
1!o idea@1 Basi repied, raising his eye+ros and spreading out his
hands. 1Can you imagine, tota pani, e*eryone sattering, the door pued
o-- the hinges o- the ;ero'a+in, and she doesn>t gi*e a damn... We -y in,
start up our hoe +atte ampaign, sa+ers unsheathed, +ayonets pugged in,
and she omes out on her porh and demands se*erey that e +e more re keeping her up ith our noise@1
1/ad there +een pani?1 Toi*o asked.
1And ho@1 Basi said, pam outstrethed. 1There ere eighteen peope
here hen it a +egan. !ine ran o-- on their giders. 2i*e esaped through
the ;ero'a+in. And three ran o-- into the oods, and got ost e ere
uky to -ind them. So don>t ha*e any dou+ts a+out it, there as pani...
There as pani, and there ere monsters, and they e-t traes. !o, hy the
od ady didn>t get sared, that e don>t kno. She>s strange, that od
ady. & heard her te the ommander# >0ou got here too ate, +oys. 0ou
an>t hep them no. They>re a dead.> 1
Toi*o asked# 1What did she ha*e in mind?1
1& don>t kno,1 Basi said grumpiy. 1& tod you, she>s strange.1
Toi*o ooked at the to%i pink ottage that ontained the od ady. The
garden as e tended. There as a gider parked ne%t to the ottage.
1& don>t reommend distur+ing her,1 Basi said. 1:et her ake up on her
on, and then you an tak ''1
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At that moment, Toi*o -et something +ehind him and turned sharpy. A
pae -ae ith ide'open, -rightened eyes peered out o- the u+>s door. The
stranger as sient -or a -e seonds then his +oodess ips mo*ed, and he
said in a hoarse *oie#
1A siy story, isn>t it?1
1Wait, ait, ait@1 Basi said kindy, mo*ing toard the man ith his
hands upturned and open. 13ease -orgi*e me you an>t ome in here.
4mergeny sm not trying,1 he said, and oughed. 1But irumstanes... Te me,
did Grigory and 4ya ome +ak yet?1
/e ooked unusua enough. /e as earing a hea*y oat ith -ur inside
and outside, and +eneath its tais you oud see his rihy em+roidered -ur
+oots. The oat as un+uttoned at the hest, re*eaing a oor-u summer
shirt o- miromesh, hih ere popuar in those days ith inha+itants o- the
steppe ;one. /e ooked -orty or -orty'-i*e his -ae as simpe and nie,+ut too pae, either out o- -ear or em+arrassment.
1!o, no,1 Basi repied, oming up ose to him. 1!o one>s ome +ak.
We>re e%amining the area, and e>re not etting anyone in...1
1Wait, Basi,1 Toi*o said. 1Who are Grigory and 4ya?1 he asked the
stranger.
1& think &>m in the rong pae again,1 the stranger said ith despair,
and ooked o*er his shouder into the depths o- the pa*iion here the
;ero'T'a+in goed. 14%use me, is this ... hm... Oh, :ord, & -orgot
again... :itte 3esha? Or isn>t it?1
1&t>s :itte 3esha,1 Toi*o said.
1Then you must kno ... Grigory Ae%andro*ih 0arygin... As &
understand it, he i*es here e*ery summer.1 3ointing, he suddeny ried out
happiy >There it is, that ottage@ That>s my rainoat on the *eranda@1
4*erything as eared up. The stranger as a itness. /is name as
Anatoy Sergeye*ih Kryenko, and he as a ;oo tehniian he did ork in
the steppe ;one '' in the A;gir agroompe%. 0esterday, at the annua
e%hi+ition o- inno*ations in Arkhangesk, he +umped ompetey +y aident
into his od shoo -riend, Grigory 0arygin, hom he hadn>t seen in some ten
years. !aturay, 0arygin dragged him o-- to his pae, here, in this... ah,
-orgot it again... oh, yes,, to :itte 3esha. They spent a o*ey e*ening
yesterday, the three o- them, 0arygin, his i-e 4ya, and Kryenko, ent outin the +oat, aked in the oods, and got +ak around ten, to that ottage
o*er there, had dinner, and setted don ith tea on the *eranda. &t as
sti *ery ight, hidren>s *oies arried -rom the ri*er, and it as arm.
The arti stra+erries smeed terri-i. And then, suddeny, Anatoy
Sergeye*ih Kryenko sa eyes...
&n this most important part o- his story, Anatoy Sergeye*ih gre
inomprehensi+e, to put it midy. /e seemed to +e trying to rea a
horri+e, ompiated dream.
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The eyes ere staring -rom the garden ... they ere mo*ing oser and
stayed in the garden... To huge, nauseating eyes... Something kept dripping
on them... And on the e-t, to the side, as a third... or three?... And
something kept -aing, -aing, Aiing through the raiing o- the *eranda
and as reeping up the steps... And it as impossi+e to mo*e. Grigory
disappeared somehere he oudn>t see Grigory. 4ya as somehere near+y,
+ut he oudn>t see her either. /e oud hear her sreaming hysteriay...
or aughing... Then the door -e open. The room as a+out aist'deep in
rithing eied arasses, and the eyes o- the arasses ere outside,
+ehind the +ushes...
Anatoy Sergeye*ih reai;ed that the sariest part as ust +eginning.
/e pued his -eet out o- the sandas that ere stuk to the -oor, umped
o*er the ta+e, -ed into the oods, and ran around the house... !o, he
didn>t run around the house, he had umped into the oods +ut ended up in
the ss in the Beingshausen Sea, F= +eo, ind speed
5 meters per seond, and the settement as amost empty, inter'ike.
O- ourse, the automati mahinery as on in the poar'+ear u+ it
as arm and o;y, and a +riiant rain+o o- +ottes gimmered in the +ar,
intended to ight up the darkness o- the poar nights. Anatoy Sergeye*ih,
in his ight shirt and shorts, sti et -rom the tea and the horror, got
the rest he needed and ame to his senses. And hen he ame to his senses,
the -irst thing he -et, as as to +e e%peted, as un+eara+e shame. /e
reai;ed that he had -ed in pani ike the oiest oard... /e had read
a+out suh oards in historia no*es. /e remem+ered that he had a+andoned
4ya and at east one other oman, hom he had notied in passing in the
neigh+oring ottage. /e remem+ered the hidren>s *oies on the ri*er and
reai;ed that he had a+andoned those hidren, too. A desperate urge to
ation o*erhemed him. But here>s the ama;ing part# the urge did not arise
immediatey, and seondy, one it did arise, he remained -or a rather ong
time in un+eara+e horror at the thought o- returning there, to the *eranda,
to the -ied o- *ision o- those nightmarish dripping eyes, to the re*oting
eied arasses...
A noisy group o- gaioogists +urst into the u+ and -ound Anatoy
Sergeye*ih goomiy ringing his hands# he sti had not made up his mind
to do anything. The gaioogists heard him our in tota sympathy and
immediatey and enthusiastiay deided to return to the horri+e *eranda
ith him. But then they diso*ered that Anatoy Sergeye*ih not ony did notkno the ;ero'inde% o- the *iage +ut had -orgotten its name. /e oud te
them ony that it as not -ar -rom the Barents Sea, on the +anks o- a sma
ri*er, in the ;one o- arti -irs. Then the gaioogists dressed Anatoy
Sergeye*ih in othes more suita+e to the oa imate and, through the
hoing +i;;ard and monstrous snodri-ts, ed him to the settement
head
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+iomehanisms. &n any ase, amateur ati*ity as unaed -or, +oys e ha*e
to noti-y the emergeny s
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10ou and &?1 Basi asked.
1!ot neessary,1 Toi*o said. 1&> +e going +ak and -orth here a ong
time. 0ou hod the -ort.1
1"o & take prisoners?1 Basi asked -ormay.
1That is neessary,1 Toi*o said 1& need prisoners. Anyone ho sa
anything ith his on eyes.1
/e and Anatoy Sergeye*ih mo*ed on aross the st rept up on the house, +ut
pushed straight on. 2rom the ss armhair. There ere
poyrysta ser*ie systems in the other hairs and in the ouh. On the
-ront a hung a :e*itan andsape, an od'-ashioned hromophoton opy ith
a touhing triange in the +ottom e-t'hand omer, so that, God -or+id, some
e%pert oud not +e -ooed into taking it -or an origina. And on the e-t
a# a pen draing in a handmade ooden -rame, an angry oman>s -ae. A
+eauti-u one, inidentay...
A more are-u e%amination re*eaed -ootprints on the -oor,
apparenty, one o- the emergeny remen had aked -rom the i*ing room to
the +edroom. The -oot'prints did not return the man had im+ed out the
+edroom indo. So, the -oor in the i*ing room as o*ered ith a ratherthik ayer o- *ery -ine +ron poder. And not ony the -oor. The hair
seats. The indo edges. The ouh. There as no poder on the as.
Toi*o ame +ak out on the *eranda. Anatoy Sergeye*ih as sitting on
the porh steps. /e had tossed o-- the -ur oat, +ut he had -orgotten to
toss o-- the -ur +oots, and onse
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1We, ho are you doing?1 Toi*o asked -rom the dooray.
Anatoy Sergeye*ih as started anyay.
1We... &>m soy oming to terms ith it.1
12ine. 3ik up your rainoat and go home. Or do you ant to ait -or
the 0arygins?1
1& don>t kno,1 Anatoy Sergeye*ih said indeisi*ey.
1As you pre-er,1 Toi*o said. 1&n any ase, there>s nothing dangerous
here.1
1/a*e you understood anything?1 Anatoy Sergeye*ih asked.
1A -e things. There reay ere monsters here, +ut they are not
dangerous. They an sare you, and nothing more.1
10ou mean it as ake?1
1:ooks ike it.1
1But hy? Who?1
1We> -ind out.1
10ou> +e -inding out hie they sare someone ese.1
Anatoy Sergeye*ih took his rainoat -rom the raiing and stood
around, staring at his -ur +oots. &t seemed that he oud sit don again and
start puing them o-- angriy. But he pro+a+y didn>t e*en see them.
10ou say they an sare a person,1 he said through gritted teeth,
ithout ooking up. 1Sare isn>t so +ad@ But you kno, they an +reak a
man@1
/e ga*e Toi*o a
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Suddeny, indignant *oies ere heard on the ss +ranh o--ies ere -ourishing.
&t aso turned out that this 4rnst 7urgen and his od pa, :e* Tosto*,
ere passionate gourmets. They met here e*ery day, in :itte 3esha, +eause
-i*e kiometers upri*er a itte stream -e into the ri*er, and it as -u
o- rara+s, hate*er they ere. That as hy 4rnst 7urgen spent his
*aation in :itte 3esha, and that>s hy he and his -riend :e* Tosto* e-t
eary in the e*ening +y +oat to ath rara+s, and that>s hy he and :e*
oud +e *ery grate-u to the emergeny s
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eyes and unertain smie, +e-itting a man ho thinks a oke is +eing payed
on him, and not a *ery e*er one at that. Then# a perpe%ed -ron, empty
ga;e that seemed inard'direted, and thought-u motion o- the a. And
-inay# an e%posion o- pro-essiona anger. "o you reai;e hat you are
saying? "o you ha*e any knoedge o- the su+et? /a*e you e*er seen an
arti-iia reature? Ah, ony in the nesrees? We, et me te you that
there aren>t any and an>t +e any arti-iia reatures that are apa+e o-
im+ing into peope>s +edroom indos. 2irst o- a, they are so and
umsy, and i- they do mo*e, it>s aay -rom peope, not toard them, +eause
natura +io-ieds are ontradited, e*en a at>s +io-ied... 2urther, hat
do you mean, >the si;e o- a o>?. /a*e you tried to -igure ho muh energy
is needed -or an em+ryophore to de*eop to that mass in e*en an hour? There
oudn>t +e anything e-t here, no os e-t it oud ook ike an
e%posion@..
"id he think that there oud ha*e +een ati*ated em+ryaphores here o-
a type he did not kno?
Certainy not. 4m+ryophores ike that did not e%ist in nature.
Then hat happened here, in his opinion?
:e* Tosto* did not understand hat had happened here. /e had to ook
around +e-ore oming to any onusion.
Toi*o ed him to ook around, then ent ith Basi to the u+ to ha*e
a snak.
They had a od meat sandih, and Toi*o tried to make some o--ee. And
then# 1$mmmm@1 Basi said ith his mouth -u.
/e saoed mightiy and, ooking past Toi*o, aed out oudy# 1/od
it@ Where are you headed, son?1
Toi*o turned around. There as a +oy o- te*e or so, op'eared and
tan, earing shorts and an open shirt. Basi>s mighty ry had stopped him in
the pa*iion e%it.
1/ome,1 he said haengingy.
1Come here, pease@1 Basi said.
The +oy mo*ed oser and stopped, his hands +ehind his +ak.
1"o you i*e here?1 Basi asked ingratiatingy.
1We used to i*e here,1 the +oy repied. 1&n num+er si%. !o e on>t
i*e here anymore.1
1Who>s e?1 Toi*o asked.
1$e, $ama, and 3apa. Rather, e ere here on *aation and e i*e in
3etro;a*odsk.1
1And here are your parents?>
1Seeping. At home.1
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1Seeping,1 Toi*o repeated. 1What>s your name?1
1Kir.1
1"o your parents kno you>re here?1
Kir hesitated, shu--ed his -eet, and said, 1& ame +ak here ust -or
a minute. & had to get my gaeyship. & orked on it -or a hoe month.1
10our gaey...1 Toi*o repeated, ooking at the +oy.
The +oy>s -ae e%pressed nothing +ut patient +oredom. &t as o+*ious
that ony one thing onerned him# to get his gaey and get home +e-ore his
parents aakened.
1When did you ea*e here?1
1:ast night. 4*eryone as ea*ing, and so did e. And e -orgot the
gaey.1
1Why ere they ea*ing?1
1There as a pani. "idn>t you kno? Wo, hat ent on here@ $ama got
sared and 3apa said, >We, you kno, et>s get out o- here and go home.>
We got in the gider and -e o--... So, an & go?1
1Wait a minute. Why as there a pani, do you think?1
1Beause those animas ame. Out o- the oods ... or the ri*er.
4*eryone got sared o- them -or some reason and started running around. &
as aseep $ama oke me.1
10ou eren>t a-raid?1
/e erked his shouder.
1We, & as sared at -irst ... ha- aseep... 4*eryone as sreaming,
shouting, running you oudn>t understand hat as going on...1
1And then?1
1& tod you# e got in the gider and e-t.1
1"id you see those animas?1
The +oy aughed.
1& sa them, o- ourse... One im+ed right in the indo, ith horns
ony the horns eren>t hard, they ere ike a snai>s... reay ute...1
10ou eren>t a-raid?1
1!o, & tod you# & as sared at -irst. Why oud & ie? $ama ran in
a hite & thought something terri+e had happened... & thought, something
happened to 2ather...1
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1& see, & see. But the animas didn>t sare you?1
Kir said, 1Why shoud & +e a-raid o- them? They ere kind and -unny...
they ere so-t, siky ike a mongoose, +ut ithout -ur. So hat i- they>re
+ig? Tigers are aso +ig, so &>m supposed to +e a-raid o- them? 4ephants
are +ig, haes are +ig... dophins are sometimes +ig... These animas
eren>t any +igger than a dophin, and they ere ust as gente.1
Toi*o ooked at Basi. Basi, his a hanging, as istening to the
strange +oy and hoding his ha-'eaten sandih.
1And they sme good@1 Kir ent on hoty. 1They sme o- +erries@ &
think they -eed on them... They shoud +e domestiated. Why shoud peope
run -rom them?1 /e sighed. 1!o they>re gone, pro+a+y. Go -ind them in the
taiga... /a@ 4*ery+ody shouted at them, stamped their -eet, and a*ed their
arms at them@ O- ourse they got sared@ And no go ure them +ak...1
/e oered his head and ga*e in to sorro thoughts. Toi*o said, 1& see.
/oe*er, your parents don>t agree ith you. Right?1
Kir a*ed his hand.
1Ah... 2ather>s not so +ad, +ut $ama is -irm# not a singe step, ne*er,
no ay@ !o e>re ea*ing -or Resort. They don>t ha*e them there, do they?
"o they? What are they aed, do you no?1
1& don>t kno, Kir,1 Toi*o said.
1But there>s not e*en one e-t here?1
1!ot one.1
17ust hat & thought,1 Kir said. /e sighed, and then asked, 1Can>t &
take my gaey?1
Basi -inay got hod o- himse-. /e got up noisiy and said, 1Come
on, &> ak you. Okay?1 he asked Toi*o.
1O- ourse.1
1Why ak me?1 Kir asked indignanty, +ut Basi had aready put his
hand on the +oy>s shouder.
1:et>s go, et>s go.1 he said. 1&>*e +een dreaming o- seeing a rea
gaey a my i-e.1
1&t>s not rea, it>s a mode...1
1A the more. A my i-e &>*e dreamed o- seeing a mode o- a rea
gaey...1
They e-t. Toi*o drank a up o- o--ee and aso e-t the pa*iion.
The sun as notiea+y hot, and there asn>t a oud in the sky. Bue
dragon-ies -ikered o*er the green grass o- the s
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narro +ron -ae.
/oding, de*iishy eeganty, the hem o- her snoy hite dress ith a
+ron +irdike hand, she seemed not to touh the ground as she approahed
Toi*o and stopped.
Toi*o +oed respet-uy, and she nodded in response,
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1!o.1
1Then ho an you udge?1
1&>m not udging1 Toi*o said. 1& am trying to esta+ish hat they
anted...1
1& +eie*e & made it t you kno that?
They died +e-ore my *ery eyes and turned to nothing, to dust, and & oudn>t
do anything a+out it. &>m a +aerina, not a +ioogist or a dotor. & aed
out, +ut ho oud ha*e heard me in that orgy, that de+auhed sa*agery and
ruety@ And then, hen hep -inay did ome, it as too ate no one as
e-t ai*e. !o one@ And these sa*ages... & don>t kno ho to e%pain their
+eha*ior... $ay+e it as mass psyhosis... poisoning... & as aays against
using mushrooms as -ood... 3ro+a+y, hen they ame to their senses, they
ere ashamed and ran o--@ "id you -ind them?1
10es,1 Toi*o said.
1"id you speak ith them?1
10es. With some o- them. !ot a.1
1Then te me, hat had happened to them? What are your onusions,
e*en preiminary ones?1
10ou see... madam...
10ou may a me A+ina.1
1Thank you. 0ou see... the point is that as -ar as e an te, most o-
your neigh+ors perei*ed this inident rather di--erenty.1
1!aturay@1 A+ina said haughtiy. 1& sa that ith my on eyes@1
1!o, no, & mean to say that they ere -rightened. They ere -rightened
to death. They ost ontro in horror. They are a-raid to ome +ak here.
Some ant to ea*e 4arth -or good, as a resut. As -ar as & an see, you are
the ony person ho heard a pea -or hep.1
She istened imperiousy, +ut attenti*ey.
1We,1 she said. 1Apparenty, they are so ashamed they are using a
-ear as an e%use... "on>t +eie*e them, dear +oy, don>t@ That>s the most
primiti*e, the most shame-u sort o- %enopho+ia... :ike raia preudie. &
remem+er as a hid & as hysteriay a-raid o- spiders and snakes... &t>sthe same thing here.1
1That>s s something ese & oud ike to ear
up. They asked -or hep, these reatures. They needed mery. But ho as it
e%pressed? As -ar as & kno, they did not speak, they did not e*en moan...1
1$y dear man@ They ere sik, they ere dying@ So hat i- they ere
dying sienty? A +a+y dophin thron onto dry and doesn>t make a sound
either... at east not one e an hear... But e an te it needs hep, and
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e hurry to hep... /ere omes a +oy you an>t hear hat he>s saying -rom
this distane, +ut you an te that he is energeti, happy...1
Kir ame toard them -rom ottage num+er , and he reay as eary
energeti and happy. Basi, striding ne%t to him, as respet-uy arrying
a +ig, +ak mode o- an anient gaey, and seemed to +e asking appropriate
s Kir@1
10es,1 Toi*o said. 1/e ame +ak -or his mode.1
1Kir is a kind +oy,1 A+ina announed. 1But his -ather +eha*ed
a+omina+y... /eo, Kir@1
4ngrossed, Kir ony notied her no. /e stopped, and meeky said, 1Good
morning...1 The animation disappeared -rom his -ae, as it did -rom Basi>s.
1/o is your mother -eeing?1 A+ina ins seeping.1
1And your -ather? Where is your -ather, Kir? &s he here somehere?1
Kit sienty shook his head and ooked grim.
1"id you remain here the hoe time?1 A+ina e%aimed deightedy,
gi*ing Toi*o a triumphant ook.
1/e ame +ak -or his mode,1 Toi*o reminded her.
1That doesn>t matter. 0ou eren>t a-raid to ome +ak, ere you, Kir?1
1Why +e a-raid o- them, Grandma A+ina?1 Kir grum+ed, trying to side
around her.
1& don>t kno, & don>t kno,1 A+ina said pee*ishy. 1But your -ather,
-or instane...1
12ather asn>t the east +it -rightened. Rather, he as a-raid, +ut -or
$ama and -or me. &t>s ust in a that e%itement he didn>t see ho kind
they ere...1
1!ot kind, misera+e@1 A+ina orreted him.
1They eren>t misera+e, Grandma A+ina@1 Kir said indignanty,
spreading his arms ike an untrained tragedian. 1They ere merry theyanted to pay@ They kept -ipping around@1
Grandma A+ina smied ondesendingy.
& an>t hep stressing a irumstane that *ery auratey
harateri;es Toi*o Gumo* as a orker. &- there had +een a green
pro+ationer in his pae, he oud ha*e deided that "uremar as trying to
on-use things and that the piture in genera as per-ety ear# 2eming
reated a ne type o- em+ryophore, his monsters had esaped, he oud go o--
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to seep, and report in the morning.
An e%periened orker '' say, Sandro $t+e*ari '' oud not ha*e had
o--ee ith Basi em+ryophores o- a ne type ere no oke. /e oud ha*e
immediatey sent out tenty'-i*e s serious. But that>s not the sme o- su-ur. /ysteria
pani? Coser, muh armer. But most important '' the strange od ady -rom
ottage num+er 5. There@ 3ani, hysteria, esape, emergeny st e*en try to e%pain it. /e simpy aited -or her
to ake up to ask her a -e t thought o- ha*ing a +ite ith Basi,1 he ater tod me, 1i- & had
rushed o-- to report to you right a-ter my inter*ie ith that Tosto*, &
oud ha*e remained ith the impression that nothing mysterious had taken
pae in :itte 3esha, nothing e%ept id pani aused +y an in*asion o-
strange animas. But aong ame the +oy Kir and Grandma A+ina, and they+rought an essentia dissonane to the ordery +ut primiti*e sheme...1
>Thought o- ha*ing a +ite1 as the ay he put it. 3ro+a+y so as not to
aste time trying to put into ords the *ague and trou+ing sensations that
had aused him to stay around.
:&TT:4 34S/A. T/4 SA$4 "A0. A$.
Kir managed to stu-- himse- into the ;ero'a+in ith the gaey in his
arms and *anished o-- to his 3etro;a*odsk. Basi took o-- his monstrous
aket, -opped don in the grass in the shade, and apparenty do;ed o--.
Grandma A+ina -oated o-- to her ottage num+er 5.
Toi*o did not go +ak to the pa*iion he sat don on the grass,
rossed his egs, and aited.
!othing speia as happening in :itte 3esha. Cast'iron 7urgen +aed
-rom time to time in his ottage, num+er m' something a+out the eather,
something a+out the ri*er, and something a+out his *aation. A+ina, sti
a in hite, appeared on her *eranda and sat don under the aning. /er
*oie, meodi and o, reahed Toi*o '' she must ha*e +een taking on the
*ideophone. 1"uremar1 Tosto* appeared in his -ied o- *ision se*era times.
/e as hanging around the ottages, rouhing don, e%amining the ground,
digging into the +ushes, sometimes e*en raing aong.
At se*en'thirty, Toi*o got up, ent into the u+, and aed his
mother on the *ideo. The usua hek'in a. /e as a-raid that the dayoud +e *ery +usy and he oudn>t ha*e another time to a. They taked
a+out this and that. Toi*o tod her that he had met an aged +aerina named
A+ina. Coud it +e the A+ina the Great a+out hom he had heard so muh in
his hidhood? They disussed the
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:e* Tosto* as approahing the u+ at a -ast pae, irritatedy a*ing
his e-t arm he as pressing a *ouminous pakage to his hest ith his
right hand. At the entrane o- the pa*iion, he stopped, and ith a s +e +ak@ Soon@1
/e notied Toi*o ooking at him, and e%pained, as i- in apoogy 1An
e%traordinariy strange story. & ha*e to get to the +ottom o- it.1
/e ent into the ;ero'a+in, and then nothing happened -or s -amiy. A ta man umped out o- the gider, ran up the steps
ighty, and, turning +ak to the gider, aed# 14*erything>s a right@
!othing and no one@1 Whie Toi*o aked o*er aross the ss name as Oeg Oego*ih 3ankrato*, and he as a eturer in
the Sykty*kar Shoo "istrit +e-ore that, -or amost thirty years, he had
+een an astroarhaeoogist, orking in 2okine>s group, taking part in the
e%pedition to Kaa'i'$oog (a.k.a. the 1parado%ia panet $orokhasi1), and
in genera had seen the ord in a its shades. /e as a *ery am man,
e*en phegmati, ith hands ike sho*es. "ependa+e, sturdy, su+stantia,
you oudn>t +udge him ith a +udo;er. /is -ae as hite and
rosy'heeked, ith +ue eyes, a potato nose, and reddish hair, ike the
mythi arrior &ya $uromets...
And there as nothing strange in the -at that during the e*ents o- the
night the spouses had +eha*ed t ha*e time
to +e -astidious...
Oh, none o- us +eha*ed *ery e, +ut sti, you an>t et yourse- go
ike some peope. Some o- them are sti in shok. 2roo* had to +e
hospitai;ed right in Sua. They had to pu him out o- the gider part +y
part he had reay ost it... Grigorian and -amiy didn>t e*en stay in
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Sua they rushed into the ;ero'a+in, a -our o- them, and headed straight
-or $ir;a'Chare. Grigorian shouted in -aree# 1Anyhere, as ong as it>s
-ar and -ore*er@1
Mosya understood Grigorian *ery e. She had ne*er e%periened
anything so horri+e in her i-e. And it asn>t a
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Oeg Oego*ih istening to his +eo*ed ith a grin -rom ear to ear,
suddeny stopped smiing, and his e%pression +eame one o- onern, as i-
something had shaken his *ery -oundations. Toi*o ooked and sa that the
inonsoa+e and disappointed 4rnst 7urgen as standing in the dooray o-
his ottage num+er , no onger in his ra+'athing et suit, +ut in a
+eige out-it ith a -at an o- +eer in one hand and a oossa sandih
ith something red and hite in the other, and he as +ringing -irst one
hand and then the other to his mouth, heing and saoing, and staring
aross the ss 4rnst@1 Mosya e%aimed. 1And you said e*eryone e-t@1
1Ama;ing@1 Oeg Oego*ih said soy ith that same orried ook.
14rnst, as you see, aso as not -rightened o--,1 Mosya said, not
ithout maie.
1& see,1 Oeg Oego*ih repied.
/e kne something a+out that 4rnst 7urgen, and he had ne*er e%peted
him to +e here a-ter ast night /e shoudn>t ha*e +een here no, on his on*eranda, drinking +eer and eating +oied rara+s. !o, 4rnst 7urgen shoud
ha*e hightaied it +ak to Titan or e*en -arther.
And Toi*o hurried to set things straight, and tod them that 4rnst
7urgen had not +een in the *iage ast night, that he had +een -ishing
se*era kiometers upri*er. Mosya as *ery disappointed, and Oeg Oego*ih,
as it seemed to Toi*o Gumo*, e*en sighed in reie-.
1That>s another story@1 he said. 10ou shoud ha*e said so in the -irst
pae...1 And e*en though no one had asked him any
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1And hat did they ahie*e ith their tehnoogy?1 & asked.
Toi*o as ooking dreariy out the indo, his ga;e -ooing the Coud
Settement, unhurriedy -oating somehere o*er the southern su+ur+s o-
S*erdo*sk.
1!othing essentiay ne,1 he repied. 1They re'reated the most
pro+a+e appearane o- the animas. Their anayses ere the same as those o-
the emergeny s
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ga*e in to unontroa+e pani. $e de*i in a medie*a *iage. Tota oss
o- se-'ontro. 3eope ran -rom :itte 3esha. 3eope ran -rom 4arth. !o
the seond group# ;oo tehniian Anatoy Sergeye*ih and artist Mosya
:yado*a, though -rightened at -irst, -ind the strength to return, and the
artist had e*en seen something harming in the reatures. And -inay, the
edery +aerina and Kir. And, & suppose, 3ankrato*, :yado*a>s hus+and They
eren>t -rightened at a. On the ontrary. "ispersion o- reations,1 he
repeated.
& sa hat he anted -rom me. A the onusions ere on the spae.
Someone had run an e%periment on arti-iia seetion in :itte 3esha,
di*iding up peope, aording to their reations, into those ho are orthy
o- something. 7ust as that someone made a seetion -i-teen years ago in the
su+spae setor at entrane F5D8. And there as no s on*ining.1
& must ha*e sounded a -ase note, +eause Toi*o suddeny raised his
hite ashes and stared at me.
1&s that a?1 & asked immediatey.
10es,1 he repied. 1That>s it.1
12ine. :et>s ait -or the e%perts> resuts. What are you panning to do
no? Go to +ed?1
/e sighed. Barey perepti+y. A ess ontroed person in his pae
oud ha*e +een insoent. But Toi*o said, 1& don>t kno. &> pro+a+y go do
some more ork & ha*e to -inish the head ount today.1
1The haes?1
10es.1
12ine,1 & said. 1Whate*er you ant. But tomorro, pease ea*e -or
Kharko*.1
Toi*o>s hite eye+ros ent up, +ut he said nothing.
1"o you kno hat the &nstitute o- 4entris is?1 & asked.
10es. Kikin tod me.1
!o & raised my +ros. $entay. "amn them a. They ere out o-
ontro. "id & ha*e to arn eah one e*ery time to ath his tongue? This
asn>t CO$CO!'8 +ut a u+house...
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1And hat did Kikin te you?1
1That it>s a +ranh o- the &nstitute o- $etapsyhi Researh. They
study the imits and +eyond the imits o- the human psyhe. &t>s hok -u
o- eird peope.1
1Right,1 & said. 10ou>re going there tomorro. :isten to your
assignment.1
& -ormuated his assignment this ay. On $arh 89, the &nstitute o-
4entris in Kharko* as honored +y the presene o- the -amous Wi;ard -rom
the panet Saraksh. Who as the Wi;ard? /e as ithout a dou+t a mutant.
$oreo*er, he as the ord and master o- a mutants in the radioati*e
unges +eyond Bue Snake. /e had many ama;ing a+iities, inuding the -at
that he as a psyhorat. What as a psyhorat? That as the genera term
-or reatures apa+e o- su+ordinating someone ese>s psyhe. Besides hih,
the Wi;ard as a reature o- e%traordinary inteetua poer, one o- those
sapiens ho need no more than a drop o- ater to onude the e%istene o-
oeans. The Wi;ard ame to 4arth on a pri*ate *isit. 2or some reason the
thing that interested him most as the &nstitute o- 4entris. 3erhaps he
sought others ike him e don>t kno. The *isit as panned -ar -our days,+ut he e-t a-ter an hour. /e ent +ak to Saraksh and *anished in his
radioati*e unges.
p unti that point, my introdution to Toi*o Gumo* as the truth and
nothing +ut the truth. !o ame the pseudo
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1& don>t see the onnetion...1
10ou i,1 & promised.
/e said nothing.
1And i- there is no onnetion, a the +etter,1 & said.
1/e>s a Wi;ard, understand? A rea Wi;ard, & kno him. A rea Wi;ard
-rom -airy taes, ith a taking +ird on his shouder and a the other
aoutrements. And he>s a Wi;ard -rom another panet, yet. & desperatey
need him@1
1A possi+e ay,1 To*o add ith a eak interrogati*e intonation.
There, he e%pained it to himse-. !o he oud ork ike the damned.
$ay+e he oud e*en -ind the Wi;ard, hih, to te the truth, & dou+ted.
1Bear in mind,1 & said, 1that in Kharko* you i represent yourse- as
a orker o- the Big CO$CO!. That>s not a o*er Big CO$CO! reay is ooking-or the Wi;ard.1
1A right,1 he said.
1&s that it? Then go. Go, go. $y +est to Asya.1
/e e-t, and at ast & as aone. 2or se*era +iss-u minutes. nti
the ne%t *ideophone a. And in those +iss-u moments & deided -or sure#
& had to go to Athos. &mmediatey, +eause one he ent in -or surgery, &
oud ha*e no one near+y to hom & oud go.
CO$CO!'8 S*erdo*sk To Kammerer.
"iretor o- the Bioenter T3O Gor+atsky.
&n anser to your
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e*erything ese. When something +eomes dear, &> +e sure to et you kno.
2eming
:oer 3esha. 59#6D
3.S. $ay+e you>*e earned something through our hannes? &- you ha*e,
et me kno immediatey. 2or the ne%t three days, &> +e in :oer 3esha.
3.3.S. Coud it +e the Wanderers a-ter a? "amn it, oudn>t that +e
-ine@
Kammerer
H4nd o- "oument I
The 4$BR0O$4C/A!&CS $anu-aturing Soiety
"iretorate
4arth, Antarti Region, 4re+us
A 5D68
&nde%# OT# KK =F86= Code# SKTs'
BRG4R$A04R, A"O:2'A!!A,
G4!4RA: "&R4CTOR
S'86, $ay ==
To# CO$CO!'8 ras'!orth, 4 "epartment
Code# SR6'86
C/&42 O2 ACC&"4!T "43ART$4!T $. KA$$4R4R
Contents# Repy to your
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e%istene o- massi*e modes (around 5DD kg) annot e%eed se*era seonds.
F. The goa o- reating a -uy disso*ing em+ryophore has e%isted a
ong time, +ut un-ortunatey it is sti -ar -rom +eing reso*ed. 4*en the
most modern tehnoogy is hepess to reate shes that oud -uy +eome
part o- the de*eopment ye.
9. $irosopi +iomehanisms in genera ha*e high mo+iity (up to 5,DDD
times their on si;e per minute). As -or ed modes, the reord hoder -or
no is mode KS'6, 1/oppity,1 hih an de*eop direted and stimuated
speeds o- up to 9 mse.
. &t an +e maintained ith ompete auray that any o- the e%isting
+iomehanisms i reat autey and unam+i*aenty (negati*ey) to a
natura +io-ied. That is +uit into the geneti system o- e*ery
+iomehanism '' and not out o- ethia onsiderations, as one might think,
+ut +eause any natura +io-ied ith an intensity o- more than D.6 G" (the
+io-ied o- a kitten) reates irrepara+e git;es in the signaing netork
o- a +iomehanism.
. Regarding energy +aane, the reease o- em+ryophores or+iomehanisms ith the parameters desri+ed in your
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in Borispo. 4duation# &nstitute o- 3syhoogy, Kie* Contro "epartment,
Kie* . speia ourse in higher and anomaous etoogy, Spit Basi orks
'' in the area o- metapsyhoogy, diso*ered the :ogo*enko &mpuse, a.k.a.
1t'spike mentogram.1 One o- the -ounders o- the Kharko* +ranh o- the
&nstitute o- $etapsyhi Researh.)
". :ogo*enko tod me that he personay had met the Wi;ard in the
morning o- $arh 89 on the osmodrome at $ir;a'Chare and aompanied him
right into the &nstitute +uiding. With them ere the department head Bogdan
Gaidai and the Wi;ard>s esort -rom CO$CO!'5, Borya :apte*, hom e kno.
Arri*ing at the &nstitute, the Wi;ard deined the traditiona
reeption and e%pressed a desire immediatey to +egin getting to kno the
ork o- the &nstitute and their ients. Then ". :ogo*enko turned o*er the
Wi;ard to the are o- B. Gaidai and ne*er taked to the Wi;ard again.
What as the Wi;ard>s goa at the &nstitute, in your opinion?
:OGOE4!KO# The Wi;ard didn>t say anything a+out it to me. CO$CO!
in-ormed us that the Wi;ard aegedy anted to -amiiari;e himse- ith our
ork, and e ere gad to o--er him that opportunity. !ot ithout our oninterest, +y the ay# e hoped to study him. We had ne*er orked on a
psyhorat o- suh poer, and -rom another panet to +oot.
What did your study sho?
:OGOE4!KO# We did not study him. The Wi;ard ut short his *isit totay
une%petedy.
Why do you suppose he did that?
:OGOE4!KO# We are ost in oneture. 3ersonay, here is hat & think
/e as introdued to $ihe "esmond, a poymenta. And the Wi;ard noted
something in $ihe that sipped past us. And hate*er is as either
-rightened him or insuted him, in a ord, shoked him so muh that
he no onger anted to dea ith us. "on>t -orget, he>s a psyhorat,
an inteetua, +ut +y +irth, up+ringing, and ord*ie, i- you ike, he>s
a typia sa*age.
& don>t
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o- our methods o- diso*ery, and they shoked the Wi;ard?
This "esmond>s seond ord doesn>t shok you?
:OGOE4!KO# & get your point. !o. !ot at a. But & must te you that
the mentosopist ho -irst ooked into the ord e%periened a pro-ound
shok. 3rimariy +eause he thought that $ihe as a seret agent -or the
Wanderers, a 3rogressor -rom an aien ord.
/o did you determine that this asn>t the -at?
:OGOE4!KO# 0ou an rea% on that sore. There is no orreation +eteen
$ihe>s +eha*ior and the -untioning o- the seond onsiousness. The
neigh+oring onsiousnesses o- a poymenta do not interat. &n prinipe,
they annot interat, +eause they -untion in di--erent panes. /ere is a
rude anaogy. &magine a shado sho. The shados proeted on the sreen
annot interat. O- ourse, there are *arious -antasti ideas, +ut they are
merey -antasti.
$y on*ersation ith ". :ogo*enko ended here, and & as introdued to
B. A. Gaidai.
(Gaidai, Bogdan Arkhipo*ih, master o- psyhoogy. Born 7une 5D, 99 in
$idde Buda. 4duation# &nstitute o- 3syhoogy, Kie* speia ourses in
higher and anomaous etoogy, Spit Basi orks in the metapsyhoiogy.
Sine = has +een orking in the "epartment o- 3syhoprogaostis, sine =6
head o- the a+oratory o- &nstrument Contro, sine =F hie- o- the
"epartment o- &ntrapsyhi Tehnoogy.)
An e%erpt Gem the on*ersation#
&n your opinion, hat interested the Wi;ard most at the &nstitute?
GA&"A 0ou kno, & ha*e the impression that the Wi;ard had +een
misin-ormed. &t>s not surprising e*en here on 4arth many peope don>t
understand our ork, so hat an you say a+out the 3rogressors ith hom the
Wi;ard deas in Saraksh? & remem+er that & as immediatey surprised that
the Wi;ard, an e%traterrestria, anted .to see ony our institute out o-
the hoe panet 4arth... & think this is hy. Bak on Saraksh +e is king o-
the mutants, so to speak, and he, pro+a+y has many pro+ems as a resut#
they degenerate, get sik, they need treatment, support. Whie our
1eentris1 are aso a type o- mutant, and he imagined that he oud pik
up use-u in-ormation at the &nstitute, he pro+a+y thought e had something
ike a ini here.
And seeing his mistake, he turned and e-t?
GA&"A 4%aty. /e turned a +it too sharpy, & guess and e-t a ittetoo -ast. But ater a, may+e that>s ho they +eha*e there.
What did you tak a+out ith him?
GA&"A We didn>t tak a+out anything. & ony heard his *oie one. &
asked him hat he oud ike to see, and he repied, 14*erything you> sho
me.1 /is *oie, & might add, as rather repusi*e, ike that o- a rothety
ith.
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By