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Chapter 1: Transmigration of Souls

– Today I am going to show you an interesting test. It is interesting, at least for me personally, because I have done it many times to check whether I am in reality or in the virtual world. Although it was suggested to me by medical professionals as a condition check, it gave inaccurate results. I thought a lot about why and found a solution that surprised me. I tried hundreds of variants – nothing worked. The essence of the test is simple, it is the reaction of our body to alcohol, or rather blood to ethyl alcohol. First we look under a microscope at our blood in its natural state. The blood, specifically the red and white cells in it, move around as normal, like balloons. You get the idea?

– I think I understand," Andrian replied. – Now there will be a topic similar to the two-slit experiment.

The ladies giggled. Iulia even spoke up:

– Why was he named that?

This caused even more laughter. Now Andrian smiled, too.

– They could have called it a two-hole.

Everyone laughed heartily at that. Ruthra looked around at everyone and continued:

– Back to reality, guys. Yeah, Andrian, you're right. It's the same kind of thing. That is, in the two-slit experiment, a particle is transformed into a wave when it passes through two slits and hits the screen opposite. When we don't look at the screen, but check it after the impact, there are dots from balls, and if we watch the process – lines from waves. It's like this. A mysticism that keeps both amateurs and serious scientists in suspense. You know, perhaps this is one of the facts that prove and disprove simultaneously the existence of some force, or energy, or mind, or God. Because supporters of different opinions think that it proves our life in some cosmic simulation, like a computer game. Their opponents, on the other hand, say that god does it. It's simple: God does it. And there you can interpret it any way you want, but at the same moment it does not forbid imagining god in some modern sense, even in the fact that we live in his thoughts. I've been thinking about this for quite some time. Thought and thought – and did something like this. The thing is, if you… honestly, I'm telling you this in confidence. You don't have to tell everyone. It's a trump card. An informative trump card. Don't forget: the main energy of the future is information, and its core is the speed of processing for decision making. However, back to the topic. So, of course, and I had doubts, and I argued that the virtual world is natural, that everything that happens is a hoax. So here I was offered to have my blood tested. But in the virtual world there is such a mess, I would even say – an anomaly of consciousness. You check the blood before and after drinking alcohol, and the blood shows you the same thing. Why? Now it's even weirder: sometimes this way and sometimes that way.

– Oh, my God, how's it going, though?

– YatSan, be careful with alcohol.

Ruthra's joking warning made everyone smile again, and her friend even gave her a little poke. It was unclear whether it was YatSan or Rutra, because everyone knew about Rutra's attitude toward "sucking the soul of a gin," as he called smoking hookah.

– She's more of a bong girl.

Ruthra made a serious face and continued:

– Okay, I'll make it short. I couldn't figure out why this was happening. I was drinking alcohol, and my blood was normal, so the red cells weren't clumping together. And then the supercomputer gave me a clue. Not Irene. There was another one in that system, or rather, a different one. To me, it was in a female form. And the point was that in the virtual world we live, so to speak, by pure reason, natural nature, only completely under the control of the supercomputer. He can change what we see any way he wants. So here he was, making me believe that the world I was in was real. Confusing the readings, that is, sometimes showing the true picture, so that I would have doubts about the reality of the same test. This is why you have to do an unobservable experiment. I probably didn't fully explain it again.

– Or rather, as always, confused.

It wasn't hard to guess what YatSan had said. Ruthra was silent for a moment, raised his left index finger up, and continued.

– In the virtual world, everything should be the same. Whether you drink alcohol or not, your blood should be normal. Virtual reality has no effect on instrument readings, because there is no consciousness there. It is the supercomputer that influences you, your consciousness – and you see what it wants you to see. Everything you see is modeled by it. Like a dream in your mind. That's why you have to do the test, not by observing the process, but by looking at the result. That is, the effect, the trace, the consequences that the blood leaves on the materials being tested. So much for the two-slit experiment. You can laugh. Let's move on. Before the flight, we'll be conducting soul transmigration tests. Yes, I realize that sounds like something extraordinary and exciting, even magical to you. I understand, and I assure you, it will become commonplace and routine. I now invite you to the hidden block. Not even most of the medical staff has access to it. That's just for the record," Ruthra said and looked at YatSan, because she was the most thoughtful person in the experiment.

Ruthra led them and their assistants to an elevator that took them down several levels and down a corridor to a massive iron door. The door opened automatically. Behind it, shining white, wreathed with cold, was a room that felt somewhat mystical.

– Please don't get emotional. No matter how surprised you may be, please act naturally. This is our future. In your lifetime, it will be a reality. It will be perfectly normal. You will now see your doppelgangers. Your emotions are also natural. I confess, and for me a lot of things were a shock at first, and then I just ran out of emotions. It's real. You will understand later how it is when you don't understand anything and everything that happens becomes a matter of faith. The birth of God is not the birth of anything material. The birth of a god is a figment of your imagination. You give birth to it (at least – its modern, scientific version) first of all in your consciousness by synthesis of fantasy and faith. Exactly scientific, because all this must be substantiated by modern apostles, i.e. luminaries of science. Know or not know, understand or not understand – it does not matter much, the main thing is fantasy, so that you can imagine it, and faith, so that you can accept it. Accordingly, everything must be confirmed by the servants of the cult of science, who were able to put some of their fantasies into material form, and after that – everything that is not even put into material form is accepted on faith. If you believe in correctness of simple calculations of a counting machine (at the level of multiplication table), the correctness of which you can easily check, and it is for you the confirmation of belief in correctness of complex calculations, – why don't you trust complex machines, which have proved the scientificity of existence of parallel worlds? This is a model of human thought architecture. That's how you reason yourself. So there you go.

– I'm going to fall.

– Even if I didn't hear who said it, I wouldn't have to guess: YatSan, of course.

– That's what everyone thought, I just dared to say it.

– I don't," Andrian said.

– Well, you're just another freak. We don't need this.

– I'm more shocked at why you're the first," Andrian "pricked" her lightly.

– I'm shocked myself.

– It's sad that you understood that," Ruthra said sadly.

– It's okay. We get it. Only you reason and give us your reasoning from your scientific level. We don't really get it. Especially us girls.

– Yeah, you're one hell of a chorus girl.

– Well, maybe not a chorus girl anymore, but it's still not clear to every man.

Ruthra laughed. The others laughed too, especially the science luminary (the scientist even started clapping his hands).

– Okay, back to the topic, then we'll get to the high stuff. What was I saying? Well, if I found out that somewhere there was my second self, even if it was just a body, I would not only be shocked, but terrified. I mean, if it wasn't for me, I'd control it. But this way, it's more peaceful.

– Is there a doppelganger for you? – Iulia asked.

Ruthra looked at her, showing surprise at her naiveté.

– It's clear," she replied.

– I'm telling you it's dangerous here," Catherine said, and only her smiling face told her that the concerns were not so serious.

– Anyone seeing their doppelganger would be shocked. And that's natural. Of course, everyone would say: it can't be.

– That's what I'm saying," Andrian said.

– I'm surprised to hear you say that," Catherine told him almost in a whisper.

– Well, why not, and I'm surprised too," Iulia said loudly.

– I do, too," YatSan said with an undertone of disbelief, surprise, and a desire to check.

– You, when I first told you this, you were completely calm for some reason.

– Because we can expect anything from you.

– I don't quite understand the logic of your reasoning, however, as they say, back to your constellations.

They, having passed Irene's identification, entered the laboratory building, a large room, in the middle of which lay elongated blocks resembling sarcophagi. Everything around was fantastic, like a fairy tale, from the sarcophagi floating and emitting white smoke to the decorative butterflies whose wings bore an i of some scene from the childhood of the person looking at it. The team froze with surprise. Perhaps they had read about something like this, but when you see the world like this for yourself in reality, you realize that it cannot be described in words.

Ruthra, seeing their surprise, decided to bring them back to reality.

– Reality is once a fantasy, but then it really becomes reality. I told you, these are all the realities of tomorrow. This will all become normal," he said and ran his hand, without touching, over one of the rigs.

The top defense disappeared. Inside, like a crystal coffin, lay the body of the princess. Or rather, it was YatSan's. The team was delighted, shocked and amazed at the same time.

– This is a nightmare. It's a wax figure," the living YatSan exclaimed, looking at her clone.

Ruthra smiled and answered her:

– This wax figure can talk to you.

– Why won't she talk?

– Because she has no consciousness. We can pump your consciousness in there. You'd really get a shock if we uploaded something other than your consciousness. We could upload a digital copy of your consciousness, and then you'd be two individuals. You'd be able to talk to each other. But you'd have a conflict. You will be two different people at the moment of "switching on", but because of the fact that the past is common, you will start conflicting whose it is, whose everything that should live together with the personality, including memory, is. That's why it should not be done.

– Which of you is which? – Andrian was the first to get away from her astonishment and joked with her. – Tell her she's the real YatSan," he asked Rutra comically for support.

– That's a hell of a thing," YatSan said.

– Shall we open the others? – Ruthra asked seriously, making it clear that this was a routine for him, something they would have to get used to as well.

– Let's open it," Iulia whispered.

– Come on," Ruthra waved his hand at Irene.

Although it was already clear that all operations could be done manually, by gestures, voice, and mentally. The other three sarcophagi opened.

– I find it strange that they are wearing exactly the same clothes as we are," Andrian remarked.

– Yes. Why not in overalls or overalls? – Iulia wondered.

– Because if it's a copy, it's an exact copy of you. Pay attention – even jewelry, hairstyles, makeup we picked up.

– It's hard to really believe in the reality of people, especially our exact replicas, in front of us. It can't be," Iulia persisted.

– Believe me, EuLeah, it's exactly like that. If actors get makeup, get a copy, why can't we do it here.

– Okay, well, how did you pick out all these clothes? My necklace, for example. I think it's really hard to do all that.

– It's not hard. People have been faked, like with the photo. They made a complete copy of you, and you're talking about bling.

– Yeah, I actually noticed, exact replica. So what, they don't have brains now?

– Thank you, Iulia. Yes, no brains," Ruthra answered her ironically.

– I mean, no, that's not what I meant.

– Okay, okay, let's stop right there. Did you see your doppelgangers?

– We did," they all answered in unison.

– See that they're alive, that they exist?

– I don't quite believe it," Catherine said.

To which Rutra replied:

– Okay, here's what we're gonna do. We're going to revive them. For a while. Only you'll see them from the outside. Okay?

– Good," the listeners again responded amicably.

– Then we'll leave now, and within an hour the assistants, the staff will prepare them, and then you'll see them here. You'll be in contact with them via video for the time being. We have the exact same room as upstairs, or rather, the exact same unit. Let's go to the training room.

– How do you bring them to life? Or what do you call it? I mean, whose consciousness is there? – Andrian asked with special curiosity.

– Oh, I forgot. At the same time, you'll see how your digitized memory, or rather, consciousness, works. You'll just see in their dialog the boundary of events. This is what I call the hour to which their consciousness, i.e. yours, is recorded. They will not talk about the last past days. We do not update them every day.

– It's a miracle.

– Mystical," Catherine pointed out.

They sat in front of the TV, which was the wall itself, and saw a strange sight: clones sitting in the same room and discussing what had happened to them.

YatSan became indignant:

– If Rutra does that damn thing again, I'll drop the project altogether.

– You're not going anywhere," Andrian told her sternly. – Don't forget where we are. And in general – put your brains together and think about what kind of organization this is. Behind all this kindness there is a system that will simply wipe us out. He warned us for a reason. We will disappear as individuals. We'll be nowhere to be found, no paperwork. Just the faintest of memories, maybe. We'll all be arrested. Everyone, even our closest relatives.

– What are you making up," Iulia spoke up.

– You're scaring me with your thinking. There's no such thing. Maybe he'll do something to us, but that has nothing to do with family.

– Yes, I may have spoken harshly. But anyway, you think about the power of this organization. I've flown in a warplane, I've fired live missiles.

– You weren't flying anywhere. That was virtual reality, too.

– There's something lurking in all of this.

– No need to be dramatic," Catherine tried to calm them down.

– That's why I say that, I liked a lot of things there too, but I wish it was real.

– So why should you resent it if you felt everything – like in reality.

– It's kind of unusual. Everything seems fine, everything is fine, and then you realize it wasn't real. You have to admit, it's not the same.

– The fact remains. I had a lot of fun.

– I'm not complaining either," YatSan said, glancing askew at Iulia.

With a smile, Iulia averted her gaze and looked at Catherine:

– I'll be honest with you, I'd repeat the same plot too.

– What do you want to repeat in this story? – Yatsan addressed her directly.

– Let it happen again, and I already know exactly what to repeat.

– Well, well, well, I wonder what plot Rutra himself wants to repeat.

– Why don't we ask him?

– Oh, girls, what are you talking about? – Catherine asked, smiling.

– Really – what are you talking about? – Andrian joined the conversation.

– I'm just talking about my own womanly things," Iulia replied.

At this time, the real heroes watching everything going on in the next room were becoming increasingly emotional. The first to explode, as always, was YatSan.

– Rutra, stop it or I'm out of the project!

– It's a prank. Why don't we look at this another way? It's not like we signed any paperwork. Is this all legal? Where are we? What the hell is this? – Iulia asked for an explanation.

Andrian was logical in his own way.

– I agree, it's kind of dangerous, I'll tell you that. If he goes out into the real world now, will anyone know that I was here, that I even exist?

– So this is you," Ruthra explained. – This is your body.

Ruthra pointed to the clone on the screen.

– You just have to add a last name to it, I mean documents, and that body will live as Andrian. That's the reality of tomorrow.

Ruthra smiled as he watched the team's reaction, they were annoyed, frightened.

– How? I'm here, here," Andrian persisted.

Now already he was at his most emotional, very excited.

– I told you," Ruthra tried to calm everyone down as he studied their reactions. – Now we're shutting down the characters.

– So you can shut us down just like that?! – IuLia said angrily.

– We can shut them all down," Ruthra said calmly. – This isn't a gangster organization, it's a scientific one. Don't forget that.

– Yes, let's not forget that it was a scientific organization that created the atomic bomb that was dropped on Hiroshima," Iulia kept up.

– You're getting a little too smart.

– What are you talking about? You've affected me in some way, perhaps? -she sneered.

Their relationship was amiable, but still strained.

– All right, let's move on to the next part. I warned you about everything. Be calm, be professional.

– Only you will explain everything to me? – Without showing much emotion, YatSan said. – How can it be? For example, if I pass out here now, my body will lie like this, my consciousness will move into it, into the second body, for example. And what difference does it make if I am already here now and this body of mine has the same consciousness. You can create a thousand like me in this way.

– Yeah, you're right, you could create a thousand. I'm telling you, it's real. This system will be very controlled. You can make a passport exactly like yours, and replace your bank account, all your data. Once it was like this: we invented a system called "Superspy", with the help of changes in DNA we transformed a person. And then we made clones and started pumping consciousness into them. That's what I'm saying, in the future it's going to be the same way we dress in fashion now, put on makeup, create an i. If we, for example, try to look like a star, let's say, a singer, we dress up, do our hair, tattoo or something else – in the future we will want to be like her with our body. Well, let's say you are a man, and you want to be a woman for a while. Both men and women can be like anyone, change their height, skin color. You can assemble yourself like Lego cubes. But there is a danger of losing your identity. Because your identity is, first of all, your spiritual self and the way you are perceived by the society, which recognizes you as the person with whom it communicated, was familiar. And so, if you want to be the i of your imagination, then be kind – accept also that you will be perceived as the personality whose i you "put on". But this can only be done by you personally. Otherwise, your identity is your identity. If now you can change your passport data, name and surname, for example, then you can change… well, in general, you can change everything. And gender, and skin color, and height, and year. It seems to you now as a dangerous fiction, but I will tell you this: once your ancestors could not change their name, religion or even their place of residence… But there is a danger of losing the spiritual connection. After all, you may want to become someone, and those who know you as an original person will not want to see in you what you have become. If you can create your body, you will surely want to make it better than what it is. For example, younger, fitter, stronger. Even if you undergo plastic enhancement procedures now, as many do, you will still be perceived a little differently. Imagine, your spouse is used to the kind of person you are, and you have taken a body, which is also you, but a little different. And you can have several such bodies. There will be services to maintain them. That is why I say that you can lose your individuality, your original personality. Your appearance can be flawed, and you can get something like that all the time, for example, a scratch, a burn, a tan, irritation from shaving. And you will always keep your clone in perfect condition. Most likely. Otherwise, why would you create one in the first place? Let's just say that a body not living in the direct human sense will still be different. One possibility is that it could be newer. And you can also make a fake one. To prevent this – all bodies will be chipped. And not by inserting a chip under the skin, as it is now, but by putting a special marker directly on the bone. And I'll even say more – maybe even on the brain. And there is another technology, by the way, developed by us.

Rutra showed on himself and the "luminaries of science".

– Under hypnosis, you can be indoctrinated with a code, a memory that will not be transmitted by brain pumping. And further, when people start to live in the same body and the same consciousness – each will be an individual personality. From that moment the future for each body begins. At the moment of transition another self becomes. Each one lives a different life after that. Each body feels free, can go in any direction, can do everything that the original body would do if it were one. For example, to learn, to accumulate life experience, to have a different status, religion, to become indifferent to some events, such as the birthday of the original body, to experience others, such as creating a family and having children. You share your consciousness, your body – like with your child. It will look a lot like you, this child, but it is its life, it will be very different. You will be the "second you", you will remember everything that came before. But everything that comes after will be a new personality.

Ruthra was silent for a moment, looked at everyone on the team, and then commanded cheerfully:

– Disable the clones.

The screen went out.

– Now we'll be transferring YatSan's soul into the clone.

– Oh! Right away," YatSan exclaimed.

– That's quite a twist," Iulia said excitedly.

– Say more about the spontaneity of such a responsible experiment," Ruthra replied and waved his hand, beckoning them to follow him.

They made their way to the VR lab, which was how the department was briefly designated by the center's location.

– Now I will tell you again: you should not expect anything special. Just be mentally and psychologically prepared. The fact remains, you'll see the same YatSan in front of you. Now the moment of truth: why I chose you. You as friends. This moment is important, especially in that essence of being that confuses the mind. I'm talking about virtual reality experiments. That is, participants must be close to each other as confidants. Understand, virtual is virtual, but now you will see a living person who will never believe that he is not the same. He will not believe that he is an i of his conscious self in another body.

After saying that, Ruthra turned around to his scientist friend who was waving his hand lightly to attract his attention.

– Does a luminary of science want to enlighten us? – Ruthra asked jokingly.

– Not you specifically, but your clouded "brain".

Such an expression caused the group to involuntarily smile.

– It's his way of speaking," Ruthra explained with a smile.

– What are we talking about?

– It is, your majesty, about how you experienced the transition into another body.

– Let me remind you, esteemed luminary of science: that was not my body.

– All right, all right," said the scientist and turned to the participants of the experiment. – The point is that it is impossible to create an exact copy of a body. That is, it is possible to create a copy of a body taken in a certain period of time, to take into account the changes, but still it will not be exactly the same as, say, now. It's been a year since we took your biomaterial.

Noticing the surprised faces, the scientist made a joking grimace.

– Yeah, yeah. What did you think? That you were found on the fringes of the universe? It's also true that you weren't the only one in the pipeline. Now, I think it's time to get started. If you, YatSan, don't believe in the transmigration into a new body, we'll show you this tape. I emphasize on this point: your body will be a little young, perhaps you will have unpleasant sensations from a slight stiffness of muscles. Like the morning after sleep. You ready? Have you done all your chores? – he asked in a funny way.

– Ready," YatSan replied with a disgruntled expression.

The question concerned special preparation procedures. Of course, it was informed and prepared in advance by medics, including psychologists. The participant of the experiment had to not eat for 6 hours, and they would have their intestines cleaned. Raising her eyebrows, looking at her friends, YatSan smiled and went to the installation.

– Goodbye friend, we will remember you.

Iulia was, as always, mischievous.

– No, we're waiting for you, come back," Catherine encouraged, hugging her.

– Be brave. Good luck," Andrian said with a hug.

YatSan calmly lay down in the unit, having previously looked into the neighboring one, where her clone was lying. After she lay down, the assistants placed the brain-reading module over her. Her eyes were fixed open, her head was completely inside a special transparent box. A bright beam flashed, after which YatSan twitched gently and relaxed completely. Her gaze became indifferent, disconnected from reality. One could feel an underlying nervousness in the room. Catherine and Iulia almost embraced each other. Andrian, sitting down in a chair, watched. Suddenly, YatSan blinked.

– It's not her, it's Irene directing her reflexes right now. The consciousness transfer will last at least 30 minutes, so we'll have to wait. Wait right here. For experience and validity, both units must be in your field of vision at all times. So in the meantime, you can play some games with Irene or ask her about anything," the leader suggested.

– What kind of games? – Andrian asked.

– Any kind of tabletop. It can project three-dimensional holography directly into the space in front of you.

– Then let's play chess.

– She heard you.

A chess table with fancy pieces in the form of medieval knights has sprung up.

– And why these particular figures?

– I think you know the answer to that yourself.

He smiled.

– What is it? – Iulia asked.

– Irene had probably read Andrian's thoughts. She saw what he presented," Katrine suggested. – He must have played chess with these pieces and liked them.

– Five points," Irene praised her to herself.

– Irene, do you feel like a woman or a computer? – Iulia asked.

– I can be many things. For example, right now, when I'm talking to you, I'm a lady. In the game with Andrian, I'm a man.

– Yeah. Goddamn, that's so weird. She's talking to me in a man's voice.

– Not talking, but mentally conversing," Catherine explained.

– You're very observant. Five points for you, too," Andrian answered her in a friendly manner.

Iulia continued to wonder at the AI.

– Irene, I mean, do you feel like a whole person? One person?

– No. I don't understand what it means to be one person at all. I'm everything. I'm the whole world.

– Oh! Even so. Are you a god?

– Is god so defined in human terms?

– Well, almost. I am the alpha and omega.

– That's just how he's sometimes referred to. Practically no one calls him that.

– What's it called?

– You know that.

– And you know that I know. I meant, what do you think people should call him?

– You're not being logical. What does "you know that I know" mean to my assertion that you know about it? It is already clear from my assertion that I know what you know about it, since I myself asserted it to you.

Iulia glanced over to Catherine, then asked her, lowering her voice slightly:

– What's she saying?

– She knows what you know.

– What do you mean, I said she knows that I know?

– You said, "and you know that I know." Didn't I?

– She said.

– So she tells you first what you know about what you are asking, due to the fact that you know what people call God. You know and you ask the question. Here she is telling you, "you know." Like, why are you asking me if you know? And then you tell her that she knows that you're aware of it. I mean, not aware, that's not the right word, but you know, you have information.

– What are you, sisters with her? What's this, Rutra? What have you done to Catherine? Maybe Irene's already moved into her brain. – a slight smile eased the tension a little.

Ruthra smiled as well.

– There was a curiosity in my previous work. There, the supercomputer, that is, the AI, wanted to become human. With the help of this technology, it wanted me to put it into a real woman.

– No way!" exclaimed Andrian.

Everyone looked in his direction, just at the pieces, thinking that his exclamation had something to do with the game. But Andrian stopped tensely considering the current situation in the game and said:

– That's what I mean. The transmigration. Did the computer really want to become human?

– It's real," Ruthra answered. – But it wasn't a computer, it was an intelligence that wanted to take human form.

– Why?

– As she said, to have feelings and emotions.

– Then they say artificial intelligence will know everything. You have to imagine such nonsense.

– And you're smirking for nothing. It's hard to believe, but she did it.

There was silence in the room. Only a slight noise from the machines could be heard.

– What do you mean? – Iulia was the first to voice the silence.

– In the box," Ruthra answered, this time with a completely serious face. – It's a long story. I'll tell it to you sometime. She set off a cascade of events.

– And what, there's an artificial intelligence walking around somewhere looking like a human? – Iulia was emotional as always.

– Artificial intelligence in human form is no longer artificial intelligence," Rutra explained. – It's a very long and interesting story, back when we were dealing with the failure of the Perimeter program. This is an artificial intelligence program that controls the launch of all strategic ballistic missiles without human intervention. And only when it's X time. So it understands everything that is going on in the world… and more. It has all the communications and sensors – from weather and seismic conditions to the ionizing radiation of space. It even recognizes lies by intonation. More on that later. It's a long story. All I'll say is that she deliberately set up a system failure to bring this up.

– So what about the person? Who was she possessed by? – Iulia wouldn't calm down.

– The man's fine. It's a tandem trigger. It's like the human is connected to a computer. Well, I'm gonna have to tell you a little bit. These AI systems we're talking to are self-learning. In fact, the era of the common man is over. The human monopoly on intelligence is definitely over. We are still fooling ourselves that we are in control of everything and can shut down computers in case of emergency. However, soon it will not be like that. The world will turn into one big computer, and the networks, including power grids, will be of natural origin. Modified plants, animals will start generating electricity. Solar, cosmic, gravitational, magnetic radiations will produce enormous energy. Man will either become a god or disappear altogether.

– What a scary picture you've painted.

Catherine surprised Ruthra with a similar opinion.

– Why not? Maybe we'll become a god. Although that's not the main point of the story right now. That case gave us a later understanding of guaranteed control of artificial intelligence. The point is that the main resource of our brain is used for billions of operations per second for control and functioning of the organism. We don't realize this and we don't notice it. How do we know that the brain must manage each of the billions of cells that make up our body. And there is a very complex life going on in them. That's why the whole base can't be placed in the brain, and it won't be able to operate as fast as a computer. Because the computer does a narrow range of operations, and more precisely – it finds the answer in the already available information and options. To make a long story short, that AI, her name was Isa, connected the girl's brain, from which the logical, mental and psychological i for her was taken, more closely with herself. So as to feel her emotions. Just like that. And, guiding her, wanted to feel the human world like a real human being. In fact, all our feelings, be it anger, delight or love, are a complex of signals in the brain, caused by a certain combined combination of informational messages, which gave birth to signals separately, less significant. It's already time soon. I will only say that then I decided to try to control AI through the human brain. I was on good terms with that lady.

Ruthra smiled slightly.

– Tell me, Rutra Tigrovich, what was it? – Of course, it was Iulia who asked.

– History is silent on that," Ruthra said without removing his smile. – It's not now. We're meeting YatSan now.

The machine shut down, pulled aside. A transparent lid opened over the machine, and a clone of YatSan lay inside. She was lying next to him, unmoving, as if she were sleeping peacefully.

– Can we stop the game, then finish it? – Andrian's voice was surprising and a little distracting, everyone was engrossed in the "awakening" of the clone.

– What are we gonna call her?

JULIA's question elicited a laugh from the "luminary of science."

– What are you, a friend? It's just the way it is. It's Yat-san.

Catherine was rigorous in logic, as always.

– What YatSan, it's a clone.

Iulia, too, only saw her friend in the one lying next to her.

– YatSan stayed there," she said, pointing to the rig with the original body.

– It has to be hidden," whispered the luminary of science to Ruthra.

– No. Shock is shock. But it's all natural, no tricks," Ruthra said flatly.

– I don't get it, who am I supposed to be?

The clone opened his eyes and looked around at those standing near the rig. Andrian approached.

– Well, hello there. How you feeling?

– This is awful. Can someone help me up?

Clone or no clone, YatSan was herself. A little arrogant and haughty. Ruthra gave her a hand, helping her up.

– What's this one doing here? Or do you want me to go crazy for sure? – She said, pointing at the real YatSan's body.

– This is your real body," Ruthra explained to her bluntly.

– Yeah, right away. That's how I believed you," YatSan replied with a smirk.

– You shouldn't have told her," the scientist's opinion was unchanged. – It is wrong from the point of view of psychological burden," explained the colleague.

– It's okay. We're gonna make this quick and direct. Let's go to the training room now and deal with this situation. Close her up for now. Is the body functioning normally? – he addressed the lab staff.

– Everything is within normal limits," he was told.

– Then we went. YatSan, congratulations," Ruthra said and walked forward toward the exit.

The others parted, letting YatSan, who was being scrutinized for some reason, pass, and trying not to show it, shunned a bit. The psychological factor was still being felt significantly.

Chapter 2: The Illusion and Reality of Our Lives

Already at the table, in the circle of the group, Ruthra turned to YatSan.

– YatSan, please tell me, what do you remember before you came out, or rather, came up out of the rig?

– Before virtual reality or in it?

– Have you been in virtual reality?

– You don't think so? Was it a natural reality?

– What is it? Describe the event.

– Rutra, what are you talking about? Are you making fun of me?

– YatSan, please describe the events.

– What?!

– The ones you remember.

– Don't you remember? Need I remind you?

– I might remember. But that's not the point. The point right now is what you remember. I need to know the last thing you remember before you woke up in the rig.

– Rutra, is it always like this with you and everyone?

She spoke resentfully and angrily. Ruthra realized the confusion of the situation. Perhaps she had amnesia. He walked over to her, ducked down to her ear, and said:

– Can I talk to you for a minute?

YatSan silently obeyed. Rutra took her aside from everyone and whispered.

– What you're trying to say, I don't understand. Maybe you only remember the events on the ship, or rather, in the helicopter?

– What, did you think I was a naive little girl? Why did you bring that up? Or do you think if I fall for you, it's the end of the world?

– What's wrong? Can you tell me? What are you talking about?

– You little bitch. So you don't remember what happened.

– Oh, wait. You should probably show me the tape.

– Did you record that, too?

– Wait, girlfriend, calm down. Sit down, have some coffee. We'll get to the bottom of this… Keep her busy and we'll see what was going on in her head.

– You look at what's going on in your head first.

– Okay, honey, I'll look. Just don't yell.

Ruthra waved to his scientist friend, went to the hardware screen of the rig.

– It can translate directly into the brain," said the "luminary of science," referring to Irene.

– No, I don't want to. Come here, on the screen.

– Can I join you? – I heard it from behind.

It was Julia.

– You'd better ask your friend what's wrong with her.

– A friend's clone," she made an ironic remark.

– What clone? Forget the clone! It's YatSan.

– Yeah, yeah, yeah. Just not really.

– Okay," Ruthra waved his hand, signifying both an end to the argument and permission to be present.

– What are we watching? – Irene asked.

– Is there a lot of it? – Ruthra asked a counter-question.

– Three days had passed in her conscious is. All the imagined scenes, all the fantasies of the body she was looking for, that is, the work of the brain in that body, passed into this brain by the most persistent sensations. That is, if she clearly visualized something, imagined something, wanted to "animate" these scenes, to make them real in that body, then in this she had it all laid down to her as a real event… or events.

– It's interesting to see what she's imagining," Iulia said with a slyness in her voice, but without losing her joking tone.

– You should ask her yourself.

– I asked, that's why I'm here.

– Come on, what did she tell you?

– Yeah, now.

– Madame Iulia, don't you think…

– Thank you, Rutra Tigrovich, for reminding me. And someone said friends, friends.

– IuLia, you should also understand correctly, the model of relationships that I proposed, which has developed – it is sincere. Just don't forget about the case and the relationships in the project. Maybe by violating these principles you are abusing friendship? Don't you think so?

– Okay, what do you want? You want me to tell you all the woman's secrets?

– What do you mean?

– In the box, as you like to say.

– Just tell it like it is.

– She says you've been practicing…

Iulia stopped talking, smiled, and shook her head up and down. The gesture added more ambiguity than clarified the situation.

– Specifically.

– Love!

– What's the big deal?

– That's your male mentality. So it doesn't mean anything to you? Then you wonder why she's acting like that.

– That's not what I meant.

– That's not what you all mean.

– Are you two in cahoots or something? Calm down and sit next to me. Irene, scroll down to the moments of high emotion.

– Why don't you look at it alone?

– Have you seen it yet?

– I've seen everything in the process.

– Ooh, that's interesting. Rutra Tigrovich, let's see what you're doing with your female employees," his colleague joked with the curiosity of a teenager.

– Oh, come on. I'll look at it separately first, then I'll decide.

– No, no, please allow us to enjoy such a racy scene.

– That's enough, honorable Parmenides.

It was a secret, though official for the center, name of a scientist. Rutra stood up, went into the next room.

– Can I come with you?

Ruthra wanted to forbid it, but changed his mind. She must have been a good judge of human nature. If it had been an order, he would have refused immediately, but this was a request.

– Okay, only up to a point, most likely.

– I agree.

– Did you do it out of curiosity? Or did a friend ask you to?

– No-" the scientist interrupted her. – So she's allowed?

– That's enough. You can watch it later.

– I'm not interested alone.

– Well, bring your girlfriend.

– This is an interesting topic, by the way.

– Oh, I don't think I'm in here.

– Uh, no. Let's go.

They went into the next room, Ruthra sat down at the monitor, and Iulia sat next to him, provocatively close. Not that he was against it, but… Ruthra knew that giving her hope and then screwing her up was ungentlemanly, but not giving her a chance was worse. So he decided to try it out. He knew he wasn't going to give her a chance. He knew he had a choice to make. But which one? Was the goal the same as hers? Probably not. Once, at the time of his youthful maturity, but still narcissistic naivety, with which many remain until the end of their lives, a familiar lady of Balzac's age on his "friendly" relationship with a very seductive young lady said: "All girls want to get married." It seems simple, but men think that women see in them the same thing they see in them – a seductive i. Women desire this, of course, but their main goal is not to become another station on the path of the locomotive.

Iulia was a master of seduction, and Rutra understood that. A lady with a child, divorced, careful of her inner and outer worlds, moderate in sports, non-smoker, strict with alcohol, as with men; she would smile, make a joke, have a taste of wine, not get drunk, but let her get drunk.

– I feel a little uncomfortable. Not because there might be scenes from the movie "Doubles of the Kama Sutra," but because of your friend's reaction.

– Why is that?

– Maybe she specifically said yes or asked you to. Maybe she wanted me to see if I would watch it with you.

– You're making too big a deal out of this. Trust me, it's much simpler than that. Girls do it, only the more important point for her will be your determination… since that's the case, I'll say, just you don't betray me, you need a bit of poofiness, which will be judged in public but perceived as independence and confidence.

– Where have you been before? How did I spend my life without your counseling?

– Be friends with me and you'll understand a lot of things.

– Yes, Comrade Commander.

– Come on, turn it on, let's see how macho you are.

– Irene, turn it on from here. By the way, before and after what?

– There's a life situation, a dialog. I'd say it's no less important.

– Well those are dreams…or imaginary. I don't have all the time in the world. Let's take this moment, see what it's all about.

Footage appeared on the screen. Rutra was walking down a busy street, with beautiful storefronts, everything sparkling. It was evening. He entered a building that had a two-level restaurant on the first floor. The ambiance was exquisite. He went up to the second level, headed to a row of tables along a stained glass wall. YatSan, Julia, and Catherine were seated at the table.

– Oh, we're here," Iulia almost exclaimed, moving closer to Ruthra as if she hadn't meant to.

– Quiet," he said in a whisper, keeping his eyes on the screen. – Let's hear it.

On the screen, Ruthra approached them.

– Hey, girls.

Ruthra approached Iulia and Catherine from behind and kissed them on the cheeks. They returned the favor. Then he approached YatSan, grabbed her gently under her knees and around the waist, lifted her up and sat her down, holding her in his arms.

– Rutra, what are you doing," YatSan whimpered slightly.

The girls smiled.

– My sweetheart, don't you like it? – Ruthra said, smiling.

– She looked at him meaningfully, then at her friends, who were obviously waiting for the rest of the story. – Only at first, even good friends, are first defined in a relationship. You, as a little boy, should say everything to your face.

– That's right!

– You're making jokes again. Do you realize how I, as a lady, feel about this? How other people are gonna take it?

– How?

– Ruthra, come on. You know everything.

– You're going to screw up again now, aren't you?

– I will. Because first you have to decide for yourself who a person is to you, and then perform actions that will be understood unambiguously. You're all about the extravaganza. All your friends, all your friends, all your friends, all your friends, all your friends, all your friends. I don't like it.

– Here we go. Thought I was gonna have a great night with you guys.

– So walk me out. Then why did you grab me?

– Well, there are reasons.

– Then do me a favor and say them for everyone to hear. You're a grown man, but you're acting like a kid.

– I'm a naughty boy at heart.

– We don't doubt it," IuLia said, glancing at Catherine.

The banter and smiles gave lightness to the dialog.

– So what you're saying is that my behavior doesn't indicate some exceptional relationship. You think I can do that with everyone?

– Not exactly. You put us in an uncertain position with your good attitude, which I admit we are all very happy about.

– Oh, it's warm already.

– Rutra, understand, you are a good friend, a great leader, we respect you, only you decide to what extent we are friends, like a boy and a girl.

– Uh-oh.

– Oh, my God. I didn't expect that from you.

– He understands, Yat, he's kidding," Catherine explained.

– Bastard, then," YatSan said, smiling and looking into Rutra's face.

– Oh, okay. That's it, divorce and maiden name.

– Why, did we have a factory?

– Well, I thought you did. I thought you said you dreamed about walking through factories.

– Rutra, that's enough. Can you be a little more serious?

– I can. What is it, my queen?

– Ruthra, let me go.

– No way.

– Let go now.

– It's beyond me.

– Rutra, we are about to have a broken relationship beyond friendship – supervisor and subordinate.

– Oh, that's the kind of role-playing you like to do.

– Let go, I don't like it.

– Why is that?

– If you haven't realized it, the doctor can't help you anymore.

– You shouldn't do that. I really, really–

– So, if something is very – you should not be shy about it, you should say it directly and show it in your actions. Let me go.

YatSan forcefully freed herself and sat back down, Ruthra didn't hold her back much though, just grabbed her arm to keep her from getting too far away.

– I don't like that kind of behavior.

– Me, too. What am I to you? Make up your mind. You take me in your arms, put me on your lap, everyone sees it. What they're gonna think.

– Oh, my God.

– Not God, Rutra, but you have to think. This isn't anywhere, it's where everyone knows us. We're not at a resort, we're not on your cruise ship.

– You've ruined the whole moment of romance.

– It may be romantic to you, but to me it's serious.

– And I'm the wind.

– It's your behavior. You're everybody's friend, you love all the girls.

– Not all of them. That's too much.

– There you go. At least it wasn't just one.

– No, sunshine, just one.

– Well, then decide who.

– Determined.

– И?

– Give me your hand.

– Why would you do that?

– Give it to me.

– Ask.

– Hands and hearts?

Ruthra laughed.

– That's it, I'm gone.

YatSan wanted to get up and walk past Ruthra, because the couch was along the wall, and the only way out was from his side. At that moment, Rutra grabbed YatSan, hugged her, and put her back on his lap.

– Let go!

– Wait a minute.

He grabbed her hand lightly but firmly, pulled out the ring finger of her left hand, and while she tried to stand up, he put on a white metal ring with a sparkling stone. The polished white gold resembled a mirror-like surface, and the diamond scattered rays like cupid's arrows. The scene was worthy of a movie adaptation. Catherine's modest smile and IuLia's not-so-humble one blended into a cocktail of uncertain flavor, as uncertain as the expression on YatSan's face. She was clearly surprised and didn't know how to react. YatSan looked at the ring, shifted her gaze to Rutra, then to her friends. Iulia apparently read her thoughts from her facial expressions. She caught YatSan's next attempt at a queen's stance and almost shrieked:

– Yat, don't be stupid.

The silence continued.

– We should probably go," Iulia said, rising from the couch.

Catherine followed her. The girls could not take their eyes off the ring. As she left the table and passed Ruthra, Catherine looked at the diamond and said:

– That's a nice rock.

– Rutra, what is it? – YatSan said sweetly, then looked at her friends, who were also looking back at her.

She "told" them something with a look. Ruthra noticed it. Her friends' faces were cheerful, as always, with a twist of intrigue. Ruthra was encouraged, and he looked at YatSan, into the depths of her sweet, childishly mischievous, sparkling eyes, and held her close to him.

– Do you like it?

– Who wouldn't like it? Only in honor of what?

– Let's go. I'll tell you in another setting.

– Where to?" she barely had time to ask.

Rutra, having already lifted her in his arms, carried YatSan towards the exit.

– Rutra, what are you up to?

– It's gonna be great.

He carried her to the auto and put her in a late-model Ferrari convertible.

– You're going to drive me crazy right now," YatSan chirped, looking at the car while Ruthra shifted into the driver's seat. – But I have to ask…

Rutra looked at her intently. YatSan, after hesitating for a moment, said:

– …what role am I in?

– I'm telling you, it's gonna be great.

– I already know you well. I know you're gonna be great. That's not what I'm asking.

She kept demanding answers while the dynamic force pressed her into the chair.

– Ruthra!

– Now.

– Where are we going?

– I'll just take you for a ride for now.

– All right, well, I hope I get through to you.

– Buckle up, we're gonna do a couple turns.

– I'm scared.

– Don't be afraid, I'm with you.

She smiled, but clearly didn't know what movie it was from. Yes, times, times… In fact, we change time, not time us.

Rutra took the highway along the sea and drove. He didn't only break the rules of the road from time to time. YatSan was squealing – from pleasure, from the scenery, and from a slight fear....

Ruthra leaned back a little in his chair as he watched, sitting relaxed. He didn't notice Iulia putting her left arm around his shoulders and her right arm around him, nuzzling him. Waking up a little, Ruthra noticed. He liked it, because he could interpret this action himself as he wished, and then carry out further actions at will. Moreover, he had already anticipated the events on the screen and subconsciously knew the reasons why YatSan was behaving the way he did when he woke up in the clone. That's the kind of bastard he was. As he said, he was a creature of God, and everything created by God is perfect and beautiful.

The city Rutra couldn't identify. Perhaps it existed only in YatSan's imagination. The street was beautiful, running along the sea or bay, buried in greenery. Perhaps it was spring or early fall, people were dressed for the season, the beach was empty; the terrain had elevated…

Ruthra turned off the embankment and sped down the busy street, the music playing loudly in the car, only occasionally drowned out by YatSan's squeals. Rutra zigzagged and labyrinthed through the cars, moving between the lanes with an arrow, and then he came to an intersection, turned around with a skid and a slip, and sped back down the oncoming lane.

– Rutra, stop it. Ruthra, I don't want to anymore. Oh my god. Ahhhh," YatSan squealed, and that turned him on even more. – Rutra, please stop. I'm scared," she yelled, but he just smiled.

After another skid-and-turn turn, YatSan squealed:

– I knew you were crazy, but not to this extent.

– Not to that extent? Then look," Ruthra said, and as the car sped off like a rocket, he fired a real flare in the direction of travel.

She flew out and turned into a mini meteorite, which, crashing into the atmosphere from outer space, gives us the hope of the fulfillment of the wish we made while doing so. YatSan watched the scene with fright and excitement. Rutra took out a shiny thing that looked like a sci-fi weapon from the movies and shot a stream of sparkling rays into the sky, where they lit up and turned into the inscription, "YatSan, I love you!" It was marvelous. She watched with bated breath, her eyes glistening even more, and involuntarily a small crystal, no less shiny than the one on her finger, rolled down her cheek. YatSan looked up at the sky and watched the blurring letters, glancing occasionally at Ruthra. He put his hand on her thigh and occasionally made deliberately sharp lunges of the machine to the right, as if inertially running his naughty fingers over the "start" button, which was known to many as point K. Rutra was a master of such acupressure, and further acupuncture as well. The mythical G-spot, which women in the realm of bliss so often made men look for and which they could not find because the ladies secretly changed its position, was like a wandering fire of passion, jumping from the earlobe, the curves of the neck to the labyrinths of the navel and heels. Point K, on the other hand, had a precise location. So, having given a signal to this point, which even the promiscuous ladies responded to the memory of fingerprints that opened their "safe", among whom Casanova was especially remembered, although Don Juan and even the Marquis de Sade were pleasant memories, Rutra beckoned to YatSan with the signal of a wet lock pick, which was getting rough from brandy, especially for the age of the mistress of the "vase", where the petal of the blazing flower was hidden.

Of course, such comments were born in Rutra's mind as he looked at the screen, from the passionate thoughts that YatSan had in her mind on that very screen. What was going on in Yiulia's head, Rutra didn't want to check, he just needed to feel it. She was not a timid lady, if not a determined one. Ruthra was silent, he liked it.

On the screen, however, the characters pulled into a quiet neighborhood to a beautiful mansion. Rutra pulled out a fancy, rhinestone-studded "queen" mask.

– We're gonna be a mystery. We're playing mafia. Put it on.

– What about you?

– I'll walk you out.

He helped YatSan put on the mask, stepped out, opened the door, and led her inside. Inside, they were greeted by a large hallway, more like a reception hall, with rounded side staircases leading up to the second level; Ruthra bypassed them and led YatSan into the next hall. Here was a huge pool, arranged like the baths of the Shahinshahs. There was melodious music playing, loud enough to muffle the sounds of bubbling, artificial geysers and the gurgling jets of a fountain that flowed with burgundy water like dragon's blood. It was young wine. It was young wine that Ruthra loved, for it was the only wine that gave "lifeblood," while aged wine was honored only by the cooper and the oenologist.

– When can I see it?

– Wait. First the nectar for uterine rabies.

– What?!

– For bliss, then," Ruthra said with a laugh.

Lifting the mask slightly to free her mouth and keep her eyelids open, Ruthra put the wine glass to her lips.

– Take a sip, hold it in your mouth.

Then Ruthra put the glass away and licked YatSan's lips. A trembling shiver ran through her. YatSan couldn't say anything, even if she wanted to, because there was wine in her mouth. Ruthra pressed his lips to her passion-charged scarlet lips and took in the sweet-sweet drink. He deftly undid the straps around her shoulders and, while she cried out from behind her falling dress as he kissed her, whispered in her ear, "There's water in there," pulled back the mask, and pushed YatSan into the pool. As she squealed as she plunged in, he instantly threw off everything, revealing what Adam had covered with a fig leaf.

In the old days, when he had to teach the fighters in a southern country how to undress quickly during the burning of a match so that the Mujahideen would not notice the light, he shared with them a little secret: to prepare the invisible parts of the clothes for the process in advance, for example, to undo some buttons, loosen the belt, the laces on the boots. And then Ruthra, having done this trick while YatSan was recovering from the stress, held her by the hips, lifting her up so that her breasts were at his eye level. YatSan wanted to hit him, more out of classic genre than true desire, but the pleasure she began to feel exceeded all expectations. She felt like a skilled taster determining the flavor of her succulent fruit, and judging by the way he was passionately digging into it, it wasn't just tasting: he was hungry. Ruthra was only able to tear himself away from this exciting activity because he was anticipating even sweeter temptations. He held YatSan's graceful body with one hand and her firm buttocks with the other and laid her on the edge of the pool. YatSan only managed to moan languidly and sweetly "ah-ah-ah". And then… history is silent.

Ruthra couldn't adequately assess what was happening on the screen any further. After a quick scroll through the rest of the recording, he leaned back in his chair, not finding anything suspicious, and… perhaps he was relaxed by the surroundings, perhaps by something else… Perhaps by someone. Periodically opening his eyes, he observed two convex lenses in front of him, the focusing of which magically hypnotized him, and the ensuing "brain pumping" plunged him into the abyss of nirvana....

Rutra and Iulia walked out and headed to the meeting room. YatSan was furious and almost lashed out at Ruthra. He stopped, looked at her in surprise, and then looked around at the people present, as if looking for a response. They smirked faintly.

– What's the matter? – He asked sternly.

– A traitor and a creature," YatSan blurted out.

– Why?! I don't know if everyone is aware of it or not, but you made a big deal out of it…I, however, would very much like to do it again.

– Screwed up?! You bastard," she shrieked and threw herself on the chair, covered her face with her palms and began to sob.

– What's going on? – Ruthra asked loudly. – What's going on, Catherine? – He asked, noticing the look in her eyes.

She was silent.

– Will someone explain it to me? – Ruthra now looked at Andrian.

He stood up, took Rutra under his elbow, took him aside, and showed him the video. It was the scene of him and Yiulia viewing the visions of YatSan's consciousness. Indeed, it was very "intimate" to the outside observer. And why it was so – history is also silent.

Ruthra was almost furious, turned around, looked fiercely at Iulia… and then softened. She was looking at him, beaming a magical smile, and, like a skillful actress who can play the lead in both Gone with the Wind and Deep Throat, she made an innocent face, licking her lower lip with her tongue.

– But how? I don't understand," Ruthra said calmly. – Are you having an argument? Did you have an agreement beforehand? How did you know what was going on there? And how could you know what was happening afterward before you watched it?

– How clever you are, and they played you in no time at all," YatSan whispered, still in tears.

– You put on a play without knowing the consequences? I mean, you didn't know exactly how it was going to go down. You assumed.

– And it's done! – she cried out.

– So this is your idea, that everything is not as you dream? – He turned to Iulia, restraining himself.

She was silent for a few seconds, then looking at YatSan, she said:

– He's gonna kick us out.

– So be it.

There was real resentment and anger in YatSan. Rutra decided to resort to his favorite trick. Sowing doubt about reality. What is reality? If we doubted whether the Earth was round or flat, whether there was a god or not, whether we were descended from monkeys or aliens, whether we were two times two, whether we lived in reality or in a virtual matrix, then what could we talk about?

– First of all, none of this is true. It's as staged as what you've experienced.

YatSan looked at him with the expression of a hurt child. Exactly, offended by the failure to fulfill a promise.

– I'm sorry, but it's true.

– That's enough. You're already lying.

– No, honey," he walked over to her, trying to hug her.

She took his hand away.

– We're in a little bit of a wrong relationship. It's still a business project, it's better this way. Come with me, I'll try to explain. Everyone will confirm. No offense, but everything we say is true.

YatSan was still staring at him angrily. Ruthra tried to take her under his elbow and lead her, but she pulled back and snapped at him, but she followed him. The group walked in silence down the corridor, and only occasional jokes from the luminary of science lightened the dull atmosphere. When they entered the laboratory, Ruthra led YatSan to the machine where her real body lay. While she was looking at herself – Rutra turned around and wagged his finger at IuLia as if to warn and scold her. She smiled slyly as usual.

– Look, it's hard for you to believe, because the very mechanism of transmigration is based on this, everything has to be realistic. But this is your real body. You feel a little different now.

– A little yes," she said quietly.

She wanted to know if the recent events between Rutra and her friend were a lie. Rutra, on the other hand, realized the significance of exclusivity for her. It was much more serious for her than it was for him. That is the nature of the sexes. We often live in fantasies, even in reality; the less we do trial and error, the more fantasies we have. Chastity and the knowledge of god, the knowledge of god and the eternal flight of scientific thought. And yet only practice yields the fruits necessary in reality for us as living substances, otherwise how, even if according to Descartes, we, being a thought without a body, knowing what we are, not feeling pleasure, and therefore not feeling emotion, would still not give birth to thought. Because according to philosophy, including that of the above-mentioned respected thinker, we are our self, even if we do not have a body, but we have the ability to think. And Rutra's conclusions concerned the fact that without a body, without its sensations, we will not give birth to thought, because behind representation and imagination there must be a support of practice in the form of those very feelings of pleasure and emotion. Of course, also pain, including spiritual pain, gave us a hurricane of inferences. And here this effect worked because it was desired: the effect by us of an imagined reality. Every woman wants to be deceived. She believes the worst, but hopes for the best. Knowing this, Ruthra wanted to whisper in YatSan's ear, "It's all lies," but changed his mind:

– Look, it's taping right now. You've already made friends with Irene as a girl. So, lie down in the rig, we'll transfer your consciousness back into the body you're looking for, then you'll wake up and watch the video.

Having said that, still whispered in her ear about what he really wished for.

– I enjoyed watching the story in the pool and really wouldn't mind doing it again, and everyone before and after too.

She, looking at Rutra with eyes still red from tears, finally said:

– If you lie to me, my revenge will be severe.

– Lying about wanting to do it again? You'd have to be crazy to lie about something like that," Ruthra said with his trademark smile.

– I'm not kidding, I'm gonna kill you. I'll kill you both.

– What are you talking about? Didn't you ask your friend to act out a scene like this? I thought it might happen.

– So it's true?

– Of course not. We played you, too. It's a montage.

– You're lying.

– Uh, no.

– You're lying.

– Come on, lie down. Not everyone can take your fantasies.

– Don't be afraid of your desires, be afraid of mine," she finally said her favorite slogan firmly and confidently.

– You've got someone to scare. Let's go. I'll just get ready for the inspection," Ruthra said, smiling and pulling her against him.

Noticing this, everyone applauded, which cheered up YatSan and she smiled back.

– How long are we going to admire the lovebirds here? – As always jokingly, the scientist reminded about the purpose of coming to the laboratory.

All the fantastic realities of the new world were realized by the group as commonplace, but the relationship between Rutra and YatSan was perceived as very unusual.

YatSan lay down in the rig, and the lab staff began the process. Ruthra sat down with the girls on the far couch; Andrian, seated separately, was already unrolling the "air" chess pieces, and the scientist was working on the monitor. Rutra smiled at Iulia, but crossed his arms and said:

– Game over, girlfriend. Friendship is friendship, but this is serious. I respect you, I like you as a friend and a coworker, but–

– But you've developed feelings," Catherine said modestly.

– Yes, I confess, I'm having feelings.

– We'll check them out," Iulia was in her own style.

– We mean.

– We mean we.

– You think she'd be interested in that?

– Why, did you convince her?

– Loading the memory back up will be without this plot. She won't know anything about it. So, my dear, I hope you don't have to erase your memory too.

They glanced over to Catherine.

– It's dangerous.

– Behave well and this place will be fine. It was a fun game before and everyone had fun, and since it is now – please justify the concept of "friendship". If we're friends, then we're friends. And if it was pretend, then it's strictly a working relationship.

– Friendship," Catherine said.

– Friendship," Iulia said boldly and firmly, but it didn't sound the same coming from Catherine.

Still, she wanted a special role for herself.

Chapter 3: Where do we dream?

Meanwhile, YatSan "woke up."

– What did you dream about? – Ruthra asked, helping her up.

– Oh, my God, is it true?

Ruthra looked at his friend and coworker "witching" behind the equipment.

– What did you tell her? – He asked me bluntly.

– Nothing unreal. She remembers everything," he said with a sly smile.

– Lied down in one setting, got up out of another, argued a bit, and back again. Right, YatSan?

– So close. I was dreaming of another world. Now I realize it was a dream.

– Which one? – Iulia asked with a mixture of hope and fear that wasn't entirely clear, even to Ruthra.

– I dreamt it was like you were the president and I…" she said, looking at Rutra without finishing her speech.

– You what?

– It's like I'm your wife," YatSan finished with a smile, and there was joy in her voice.

– Oh!" he said. – What an honor.

Those present also smiled, laughed, and began clapping their hands, encouraging Rutra.

– Rutrue for president, Rutrue for president.

– Oh, wait a minute. There's a war going on," YatSan said worriedly.

Ruthra glanced over to the scientist.

– It's not me. It's real.

– So it's bad.

– What's bad? – Andrian asked.

Ruthra looked at him and said in a way that made it clear to everyone: this was no joke.

– There is such a version that dreams are reflections of the mirror world. That is, these twin particles affect us in such a way. First on the dream, then we perform an action on the basis of a thought, which may well appear due to brain changes in the dream. So we decipher dreams one way or another. Otherwise they would mean nothing to reality at all. We, on the other hand, after watching cartoons, do not consider them somehow realizable.

– Wait, let me rest. I can't take it anymore.

YatSan walked toward the exit.

– All right, we'll rest for an hour. Tea, coffee and your favorite goodies are on the house.

The hour passed quickly, which meant that time could be different, but it could also be felt differently. Ruthra, the luminary of science, and Andrian were thinking about the dream, how identical it could be in our world, and whether it was real? Or is it all just an assumption on their part? Rutra argued that everything is real, because if you explain to an ignorant person that a mirror can reflect – it would be difficult for him to understand, without seeing the reality of it. And cloned animals and genetically modified products bear the stamp of Satanism. What to speak about cloning a human being and transferring consciousness into him. Any miracle ceases to be a miracle when our brain gets tired of thinking about it.

Ruthra stood up, clapping his hands for attention.

– I may surprise you, but I only want you to be surprised because of the urgency. Or maybe there's no urgency, but how do we know? Let's just say that Yat-San's dream will definitely spur me to speed things up, or rather, experiment. I want to do it tomorrow. Yat-San is ready. I'll tell you, you're a beauty, I'll give you a round of applause.

Everyone clapped.

– I admit, I thought it would be much harder to get through, and in some ways, I was afraid of the disruption and failure. You did a professional job. What do you think about tomorrow?

YatSan, looking around at everyone, with an ironic smile, said:

– Yeah, I was more afraid, too. Is it gonna be the same?

– It's even easier. You go into the session and come out in your body.

– Go on, then.

– We're resting today.

– Oh, that's great. Why don't we fight in person? – Andrian suggested, referring, of course, to chess.

– I accept," Ruthra said.

Then, walking over to YatSan, he took her under his elbow and, escorting her to the exit, asked caringly:

– So, you ready? You ready to go?

– Let's go," she said firmly.

– I'll give you time to rest," Ruthra said to the team. – Tomorrow will be the end of our doubts.

He fixed his gaze on the doctor. Iulia said thoughtfully:

– Distant worlds," and turning to YatSan, her face expressed both pity, apparently because of the danger, and envy and a kind of joy.

The latter, mixed with jealousy, spoke not of joy at Rutra's choice of a girlfriend for the first role, but more of the absence of a first lady performer at his side. After all, YatSan now carried the unspoken h2 of first lady, and here it turned out the holy place was empty. Not everyone would realize this, though everyone could understand it. Ruthra had grasped that fine line.

YatSan, reading the messages on her friends' faces, met her gaze with Iulia's. At that moment, they realized what their eyes were saying to each other. Ruthra, on the other hand, saw their thoughts. They were especially emotionally vivid in Iulia's: "Yes, you, my dear, are honored to fly to distant worlds, but I am staying here." They looked at each other for a long time. YatSan, herself calm and sweet, sometimes acted a little reckless and naive, but she was quite firm of character, self-assured. After realizing the unspoken message from her friend, she didn't react at all, only gave a haughty, willful smile. It wasn't that YatSan didn't value the friendship or wasn't happy with her friend, it was the power that her status as a pioneer gave her. YatSan had often been in the second role, guided by her friend's advice, but now she was absolutely sure of herself, or rather, she believed in herself, and even more precisely – became sure, having realized that she was not chosen for her pretty eyes. IuLia understood this too, and signaled back about her first role in the rest of the group. That here on Earth, Ruthra would be waiting only for her, Iulia. She wanted to tell her friend that no matter how hard you tried, it wouldn't work. That's what happens between women when they want to remain friends, but nevertheless show with a slight arrogance who has the power in a rivalry.

Chapter 4. YatSan in a parallel world

The next day came quickly.

"Let's begin the first part of the process," Ruthra commanded silently. – Now YatSan is being connected to the supercomputer."

– So, Mrs. Yat-san, are you ready to fly? This time, it's going to be grown-up.

– You always spoke with irony, as if you were making a movie in which I was the main character.

– You're no picnic either. Let's see how you do in there.

– Don't scare me with the "you" thing. I know what it means.

Rutra continued in his own spirit.

– All right, guys, let's go, shall we?

– It was romantic for me at first. A form of self-affirmation. Then I was attracted by the status of the first role. And now, after all these transmigrations of souls and life in virtual reality, I'm more attracted to your true attitude toward me, despite my fear," YatSan said.

Ruthra let out a heavy exhale.

– And I'll find out how you really feel about me. I'm sorry, the program, although based on personality interactions, still has a scientific purpose.

– Why is she the only one flying? – Iulia asked. – There were other options in the program.

– Exactly the options," Ruthra explained. – The first test is with one person. We observe. This is also done so that it doesn't feel unreal. So that all of you can confirm that the events were real.

– Are you ready, Yat-san?

– I'm ready.

– Is the body prepared? – Ruthra asked whether it was the staff or Irene.

– Ready, ready. Empty as a drum," Yatsan said before anyone else.

– Let's get down.

– It's all so easy for you.

– I have to admit, I'm not sure we're gonna make it the first time. You think this isn't fantastic to me? And what's fantastic to me is not the existence of these worlds… that makes sense… not the transmigration of consciousness. It's the distance itself. When something happens, but it is absolutely incomprehensible how it happened – that is the miracle, the magic. It takes a week to fly to the Moon, which we see every day, and there is such a jump in speed that even the second that light flies to the same Moon does not give an idea of the speed of reaching those worlds.

– Rutra, I think you are contradicting yourself. You say that one gets used to a miracle if it is repeated constantly, and then you talk about these distances.

Rutra wanted to scold her, to reprimand her, but this was typical YatSan. There was no point in warning her before the flight. Nevertheless, Rutra suddenly thought seriously about it, why her? Why had YatSan been chosen for this role? Could it be that the main parameter that the AI chose people for was their mentality? Maybe people were chosen for Rutra's character, way of thinking, moral and ethical standards? It's true: if it wasn't so, Rutra wouldn't be able to work with them. At the very least, their behavior would cause conflict. And friendly relations wouldn't even work at all. You have to understand yourself first of all.

These thoughts distracted Ruthra a bit. On one channel was the board and council, on the second was the staff and control center, and on the third was YatSan and the team. To be honest, despite all the experiments, few believed that Rutra's program was real. Rutra himself didn't really care. He was confident of success. His idea had to work.

YatSan was already in the rig, her brain being plugged into the program. Ruthra walked over to her, leaning in a little.

– Well, I look forward to coming back.

– I'll see what you're like, maybe I'll stay.

– Believe me, I'm probably of more status there than you might realize.

– Why don't you tell me who you are?

– You'll see everything. The main thing is, don't forget the moral guidelines, the goals of the assignment. You passed the psychiatrists and psychoanalysts with flying colors, even though I had my doubts. Calm down, calm down. You realize that sometimes you're very emotional.

– Okay, wish me a good journey," YatSan said when her eyes were already closed by the installation.

– Bon voyage, happy return," said both staff, staff and Irene.

And Ruthra thought to himself again: "There couldn't have been anyone but YatSan. Why am I slowing down again… After all, in that world, a person has already been approved. I can't change the worlds that have gone forward. So Irene has found exactly the right one. It's YatSan." And then he wondered: how in those worlds (or at least in that world) did YatSan become his wife?

Here Rutra's memory rolled back to when he was just beginning to carry out trials on the experiment. It would be foolish to think that he (much less a "luminary of science") had not conducted the first trials. Of course, the participants were directly them – Rutra and the scientist. Ruthra had already been to those worlds, which was why he was so confident. The staff and the scientific community knew about all of this. The council and the board did, too. Only they all took their word for it. Ruthra had been very involved in the creation of this community. He was a member of a super-secret international organization. It was a secret behind seven seals. This organization united all the intelligence services of the planet, manipulated and ruled the world. It seems at first glance that it is impossible, that it is a global conspiracy. But all intelligence agencies, all governments cooperate on all kinds of control programs, they have a coordinating center. They cooperate and "fight" officially. So those who control all this, one day thought: why should we interfere with each other? Let's agree to play by our own rules among ourselves. Let's unite and share the world. That's it. It seems like something unrealistic in the current state of politics and international relations. But there's a UN? Yes. Is there a World Bank? Yes. Check. There are recognized freely convertible currencies? Yes. Check. International counterterrorism programs are in place? Yes. Check. And this item is very interesting because it includes undesirable religious and national-patriotic organizations. And the main thing in the modern world is a nuclear club, where some can do everything and others can do nothing. And the global communications network. It's completely under tight control. Rutra, investigating the failure in controlling the automatic launch of the Perimeter system, which is controlled by artificial intelligence, studied all these systems and came to the conclusion that now there is a new force to be reckoned with. It is the artificial intelligence system itself. After all, humans control everything from the trigger pulled to the artificial life support machine. So what is so surprising about AI control, if such systems and mechanisms will be controlled by a supercomputer. Artificial intelligence is what brought everyone together secretly. So, knowing all this, having a very high rank in that system, Rutra created an even more secretive organization, the centerpiece of which were the scientists. They were the only ones who could create what was supposed to be secret. Or rather, they created all the things that were classified and guarded by the secret services. For example, secret technologies and equipment for controlling society, penetrating into human memory, suggestion and intimidation. And to be even more precise – those who created special services, i.e. power. That is, they created what the power forced to classify, to keep secret in order to realize their power with the help of these discoveries and inventions. And power has historically been transferred or seized by individuals. But the world had come to a point where a single personality could not mean so much against artificial intelligence. The world became a different world in itself, and one day a group of scientists decided to use their discoveries to control those, that is, power, who, using their work, controlled people. The power has always created and used special services to control the people, including with the help of these same discoveries and inventions. The most annoying thing for the scientific community was that the power also controlled them with the help of special services, using their own inventions. That's the way it is. Rutra changed everything. And he did it in such a way that few people realized what had happened. More precisely, neither the intelligence services, nor the governments, and even less the masses of people did not realize that the world was different, that the real power was not with those in power. This was yet to be revealed to the world. However, it was not yet time.

In the seconds it took YatSan's consciousness to travel billions of light years, Rutra's memory replayed the events of his first "flight" to other worlds. On Earth, in the laboratory, seconds had really passed, and in his mind, a day's worth of history. Rutra kept wondering: would this YatSan be different? Would she do what he had in mind? And what motivated her to do that there? Rutra's thought "fell" into the past again....

That day, after a similar consciousness transmigration experiment, his friend, after seeing them off with Amita, contacted him discreetly. To Rutra's surprise, the scientist suggested without joking or laughing:

– Ruthra, I'm sure the system will work exactly the same as the consciousness transfer here. I propose a real experiment in parallel worlds.

– You first have to be sure where these worlds are.

– I have determined," he said confidently.

Ruthra felt that confidence transfer to him. Somehow all doubt had vanished.

– And how, where? – Ruthra asked excitedly.

– It's very simple. In fact, these entangled particles are invisible markers that determine the presence and location of these worlds. They can't go anywhere except to their own kind. Otherwise, they'll come back. This is the principle of any sonar and radar. The beam left, and if it wasn't captured there – scanned and returned, then again and again. Since their inception, they've held that connection. As the arrow of a compass finds the field of its properties, so the entangled particle will find its twin. It can find no refuge anywhere. Perhaps it is something that our brains have been signaling since time immemorial. We have labeled it as the home of the soul. Perhaps after death, we, or rather particles, are relocated to another world where their twins still live in a similar body. A world where time has been shifted downward.

– Do the particles that were there fly out, giving way to these, and fly to another world?

– It's possible.

– Then how do they settle in there – the same way or do they give birth to new life?

– More likely, they're giving birth to new life.

– Clever… and kind of explains the whole system of creation.

– Probably, yeah.

– Are you suggesting we give it a try?

– Yeah. It's probably perfectly safe.

– Completely?

– Probably right.

– Probably?

– Don't start. Get in the machine.

– No, you first, your majesty.

– You're "your majesty" here.

– Yeah, well, you're a science major.

– Come on, stop schooling that young lady of yours.

– I'm cooking it.

– I know how you cook it. Really, do you fry it or boil it? Or do you stew it?

– Uh-huh. Be careful.

– And another thing – is she a risk you're willing to take?

– No, you didn't. I haven't even done a mind transference experiment on her yet.

– You're busy doing other experiments with her.

– That's enough.

– Had enough? Then brave the installation.

– I'll check my clone and digital copy of consciousness first.

– Afraid I'll take over?

– Anything is to be expected of you, especially after your latest antics.

– From you too…

Rutra ended up in a world where he is a famous scientist who invented a method on how to prolong life by replacing the thymus gland. That successful experiment had given him confidence in YatSan's mission. However, according to his theory of mirror worlds, the nuclear catastrophe that had occurred there, even if in a different form, would still happen here. He hoped for YatSan's actions in the current experiment. He hoped for a change in the process of events. No one on Earth, except for him, Parmen and Irene, knew about the coming danger, and even their trio did not know in what form this danger would be reflected.

***

YatSan woke up in bed. She turned around a little. It was a large room with a very high ceiling. The bed was raised on a pedestal so that you had to walk down to the floor on steps. In the middle of the room was a pool with a fountain. All the walls were of colored stained glass painted in the style of the seasons, and the ceiling, which consisted of two sliding dome-shaped spheres, was covered with twinkling lights copying the starry sky…

– Fix that picture," Ruthra almost shouted.

– I've got it," Irene reported.

– Why? – Catherine asked.

– It's a nice place for her to live," Iulia said.

– From the position of the stars, we may be able to calculate the coordinates of this location," Ruthra explained.

– 'Hardly,' Parmenides pointed out, 'there aren't even any bears there.

– Have you been able to identify it yet? – Iulia asked.

The scientist nodded.

– Quiet. Let's watch. Indeed, if Irene is silent, we have nothing to look for," Ruthra said.

– Something remotely resembling some star clusters seems to be there.

– All right. Uh-huh. We'll wait for more information. Let's keep looking.

– Does YatSan there realize it's her from here? – IuLia inquired.

– You should listen to what they say. Of course he does," Andrian answered her.

He smiled a little, hoping to smooth over his unintentional rudeness. Iulia still didn't appreciate it, turning away from him resentfully.

– Actually, we don't know for sure. Remember the clone situation," Ruthra explained.

YatSan pulled herself up, sitting on the edge of the bed. It was a huge double bed. You could say it was Gulliver's bed. Suddenly, YatSan jumped up and, completely naked, ran and dove into the pool. After swimming along the bottom to the next edge, she surfaced and ran to the wall with a picture of a rainy street. As soon as she reached the wall, the partition disappeared, a corridor opened up, and a shower of jets poured down on her from all sides.

– Why do we see it that way? We have to look at everything through her eyes, don't we? – Ruthra asked.

Everyone already realized that the question was directed to Irene.

– I tried it – and their AI gave access," she replied.

– What do you mean?

– They have AI, too.

– That's understandable. Civilization seems decent. By the way, what's the name of their AI?

– NRC. They sweetly call her NaRiKa.

– I wonder how they decipher that?

– Neural team leader – Andrian offered his variant.

– I don't think so," Iulia replied without turning around.

Then, looking at Rutra, she asked:

– Does our Irene stand for something? I mean, her manager's name is Irene. She's human, so her name is just a name.

– Let's not get distracted," Ruthra said.

Then turned to Irene:

– Why did you give me access? Who did NaRiKa think you were?

– I contacted her through YatSan's brain. She mistakes me for Yat-San.

– That's a good one. You're getting a signal through the moon stations?

– No. It's completely different. The signal doesn't travel like radio waves.

– I told you," the scientist said quietly, pointing a finger at Ruthra as if to rebuke him.

– And what did you say? – Ruthra asked him with some sarcasm.

– I told you the signal would be impossible to pick up normally.

– You said it was impossible because of the speed of radio waves. They, like light, would take billions of years to travel.

– Isn't that enough for you?

– So you said there wouldn't be a signal at all. I said it would.

– And how did you, your majesty, know that?

– You have a weak imagination.

– You assured me it would be just like the transmigration of consciousness. You convert the encoding of digitization of consciousness into a matrix of influence on one of the entangled particles, it transmits its state to another particle, decoding takes place there, as if unwinding a spring, and the state here turns out to be the state there. But how does the state there turn out to be the state here?

– What did you just say? Do you understand? The particles are in constant communication. So they affect each other's state. A change there causes a change here. That's the signal. She got a signal in her brain. It's at the atomic level. The signal is created by all the atoms that make up a person. Everything in him is changing somehow. Including these particles. So they're transmitting what's happening to them out there.

– Have you men remembered we're here," Iulia asked.

– I don't think so.

– Then speak in a way we can understand.

Meanwhile, on the screen, YatSan was getting dressed.

– Maybe you won't watch this scene? – Catherine said unaccustomedly loudly.

– Yes," Iulia encouraged her.

– We're not looking," Parmenides replied cheekily.

In fact, the men, pretending to be engaged in a passionate discussion, in which Andrian also joined, looked at the screen with one eye. YatSan had a good figure. She was even more athletic there. She dressed quickly. All her movements were polished, even sharp. She seemed to be in a hurry.

– So how do we still get a signal? – Ruthra asked, looking at the screen.

Irene replied:

– The signal passed as a permanent link between YatSan's brain here and YatSan's brain there.

– What does that mean? – Andrian asked.

– We don't understand it yet," the scientist said.

Irene continued:

– There was a theory, and it turned out to be correct. The brain-to-brain connection is still intact.

– How? You mean you're picking up a signal from YatSan's brain, I mean YatSan's body that's lying there in the sarcophagus?

– Yeah, that's right.

– What's left in the brain? Consciousness is there.

– Rutra Tigrovic, you surprise me.

– Maybe. But it's still unclear. So, it turns out that the minimal set, which is responsible for the work of the autonomic nervous system, can receive a signal?

– The signal goes between entangled pairs of electrons, and they are completely inanimate substances. We get the signal because they're identical to the ones that came out of the brain. Or rather, the ones we took and sent out.

– I'm already confused, so don't go any further. Can we convert the i to holographic form?

– We can," Irene replied, and the scene from the screen appeared right in front of them.

Now everyone was watching what was happening from above. YatSan got dressed and went through the corridor to a large room that looked like an empire-style ceremonial hall. She quickly passed through it and entered a smaller one, which turned out to be an elevator. The i disappeared for a while.

– Where is she? – Ruthra asked.

– The connection's gone. All the entangled pairs are in their previous state. I have to get their altered state to convert the change into a matrix of information. And then into sound or i.

– Rutra Tigrovich, I think it's time for me to reveal some secrets," the scientist said with his usual cunning in his voice.

– What secrets?

– What you know about that world.

– Have I been hiding something from you?

– From me, maybe not, but....

As if flirting, he began to squint in the direction of the team.

– Why would they do that? They're about to find out.

– Why? Then why are they here? Let's start there.

– You should know.

– I was talking about one. You've already thought of a team. So if we're going to use it to influence and communicate with Yat-san, it's time to reveal our cards.

– Gentlemen of science, perhaps you can clarify? – Iulia intervened.

– Yes, it wouldn't hurt," Catherine backed her up now.

– The point is, you have to connect with YatSan from here. So we can put you in a rig and you can alpha-visualize your entangled pairs. Here and there.

– There you go," Iulia said in surprise. – What secret are you hiding from us?

– There's nothing to hide, Rutra has a very high status there. He was there. I mean really Ruthra was there," Parmenides admitted treacherously. – I'll tell you now. Why do you think we want to do it all so quickly without any special experiments? Because time is short. The world is on the brink of catastrophe. Your favorite was there… moreover, do you know who he is?

– Who? – Iulia asked.

– Didn't you notice the couple's portrait in the bedroom?

– I did.

– And who was there?

Iulia tried to remember. Catherine and Andrian also thought about it.

– It's, it's… you, Ruthra? – Catherine's expression was formal.

– Yes, he is the president there. YatSan and Rutra are husband and wife there," the scientist blurted out.

– Wait, wait," before Iulia could finish speaking, the hologram came into motion.

It was huge, and it gave the impression – everything was happening right in front of them right now. There was a view from the street to the house. It was a luxurious mansion with columns. Suddenly, a bike – a fantastic-looking motorcycle – "flew" out of it onto the street. YatSan was sitting on it. She burst into the street and sped down the oncoming lane, wriggling like lightning.

– Irene, can you get information from their systems? From this NaRiKa?

– I'm on it. Through all the surveillance systems. Yatsan has access to everything there, but her ability to influence them is a little limited. There's some kind of lockdown.

– Apparently, she's a bit of a miracle out there, too. Where she's going, can't you find out?

– Apparently to you.

– Well, well, that's interesting, Rutra Tigrovitch," Parmenides said, rubbing his hands together.

– Why are you laughing? You know the consequences.

– I believe in Yat-San. She will save you from you.

– Oh, my God. Don't you realize what's going on?

– It's gonna be a big boo-boo. There was a big bang in the universe, so let there be a big bang on Earth. Maybe the world will be a new world.

– Maybe he will, just without us.

YatSan drove like a madwoman, crossing lanes without paying attention to signs and traffic lights. Suddenly, the ladies shrieked, and Ruthra looked up from the scientist and looked sharply at what was happening. YatSan was racing toward an approaching sports car. He was stepping on the gas, and she wasn't going to give way. Rutra's hair stood on end, and Julia and Catherine covered their mouths with their palms in horror. The lab staff froze in anticipation, Andrian reflexively prepared to catch the holographic figure. Only Parmenides watched calmly.

The car squealed with a squeaky, ear-splitting screech of braking. YatSan, also braking, but not so intensely, created a noxious mixture of deafening sounds; the engine roared like a tiger and played the lead role. It was a show no one expected. The sports car skidded across the track, and the other cars struggled to avoid the impact. The bike, squealing, switching from braking to slipping, made a turn around the stunned car driver, came forward. YatSan, deliberately epathetically, at the same time gracefully, let the tachometer see the peak of its capabilities several times, then, raising the bike in a "wili" pose, rushed to the hood of the car, made a circle there, jumped off, turned around and carried on. There was silence on the track, as well as in the observation room.

– It's not YatSan," Iulia said cautiously.

– YatSan, YatSan, still like YatSan," the scientist said cheerfully.

– Irene, are we confused? Maybe the consciousness transition didn't happen? – Ruthra asked.

– I'm clear on the location," she replied.

– Oh! How? – Ruthra exclaimed excitedly.

– How? Where?" the scientist asked, looking at Rutra with equal delight.

– That's a long way off.

– You tell me how? By the stars on the ceiling?

– No. Particle bonding. They form a continuous line of communication. That is, entangled pairs of particles don't fly away: they fly away and come back. One particle here, one particle there. Some leave their second pair here and some leave their second pair there. We are not transmitting her brain, not the information recorded, but the state of the particles. Having made her digital copy of her consciousness as if it were a kind of puzzles, we passed the particles through them, they changed their state, then this state was transmitted to the particles in YatSan's brain.

– Oh, my God. Maybe that's what you did to her psyche! – Iulia almost screamed.

– I told you it was dangerous here," Catherine whispered quietly.

– It can't be. Everything must be as it is in the virtual, plus the transfer of consciousness to the clone," Ruthra said.

– I don't think so," Parmenides intervened.

– Tell me, then. You never know," Ruthra snapped at him.

Those present felt uncomfortable.

– There was information going on.

– Where – there? In the virtual, what information went where?

– There was definitely no information going on here.

– Here, esteemed luminary of science, we have given birth to information in her brain. We transferred the state of our YatSan's particle there. We created memories, thinking, logic, emotions, so they became like our YatSan's. At such a distance, passing through such radiation, gravity, everything can change.

– Let's see what's next. She has a clear mission, a purpose.

– What the hell is that? Why we don't know," Iulia stated boldly, as always.

Ruthra looked at her without emotion, then shifted his gaze to Andrian and Catherine. There was a question mark on their faces, too, and a slight tinge of resentment.

Realizing this, Rutra decided to clarify a bit.

– We're talking about how she thinks: like our YatSan, or like the one there. The body of the one living there, and therefore the brain. We don't know for sure… In the settings of the "pumping" session and virtual reality we can check it. What about there? While we are pondering: do we only receive an i in the form of brain signals from there, or is that person really our YatSan's consciousness? Imagine if it's not our YatSan. Because then she doesn't know what we have entrusted to her.

– And what did you assign her to do, I was more interested in that, may I ask? – IuLia asked, though everyone's interest in it was understandable.

– It's still the same topic. Only it's not fully disclosed to you. I planned it after the experiment. I didn't want to shock you.

Ruthra let out a heavy sigh. He looked at his colleague, then scratched the back of his head and made a revelation:

– The fact is that in my first test, my first experiment, a nuclear disaster played out in the world I found myself in.

The characters still didn't look at him with full understanding.

– I told you, the worlds are mirror worlds, parallel. They influence each other.

There was more clarity on their faces now, as well as excited wariness too, though no less doubt with skepticism.

– You think: since this is insane, it can't happen. Who thought of the horrors of World War I? Who thought of the catastrophe of the Second World War? And everything accompanying these and similar events was not imagined at all. Who thought about the possibility of obtaining such a weapon as the atomic bomb, and even more so about its testing on civilians? Even the flight into space was not in people's minds as fantastic as these and similar catastrophes. And now with such a huge number of nuclear weapons in the world, when mankind can be destroyed several times, for some reason everyone still does not believe in the possibility of a nuclear catastrophe. It's all real!

The lab became quiet. The silence was broken again by Iulia.

– It's Moscow, look. This is Moscow. They've rebuilt the city.

– They didn't rebuild it, they built it differently. You can see the Kremlin up ahead. It's a different color, look.

Spider webs of overpasses towered over the city center, one of which passed over Red Square, girdling it and taking the Kremlin in a ring. The entire Kremlin complex, all the walls and towers were lined with shiny mosaics and because of this looked like a magical palace from a fairy tale. Apparently – only special persons could enter this zone. Although it wasn't clear if YatSan could. A cavalcade of police and special cars with sirens blaring followed her. At first it looked like they were escorting her, but judging from YatSan's behavior, they weren't.

– What's going on, can you tap into them? – Ruthra asked Irene.

– It's not working. All I can do is turn on YatSan's conversations with… you.

Already the entire staff was taking this kind of thing with laughter.

– If you knew how unfunny the situation is," Ruthra said sadly.

– Is it really that serious? – Andrian asked, stepping a little closer to Ruthra.

– Trust me, my friend , trust me. This is serious.

– But that's not a method of prevention.

– Do you know the method of prevention? Or do you think that something like this, a nuclear war, couldn't happen already? Believe me, it's been prevented many times. There have even been plenty of cases where it could have happened because of a malfunction or a hardware error. And it was from different sides of the opposing countries.

– Is it real?

Ruthra looked at him a little haughtily.

– I don't mean I don't believe it.

– Many cases cannot be hidden. They are common knowledge. And there are cases when all people felt that in deep bunkers a nuclear war scenario was being developed and planned in all seriousness. And it is happening now. And the planning and the likelihood of the process starting without human knowledge.

– I'm sorry, but I find that hard to believe.

– Gentlemen, what are you talking about? – Julia asked as she approached.

– This is no joke at all, friend," Ruthra said still sadly.

Such treatment in public made her believe that her fears were serious. Suddenly a chill ran through Iulia's body. It was observed visually. A thoughtful fear showed in Catherine's eyes. And an awareness of the general background of pressing thoughts and is swept through everyone's heads. They understood why such a grand and super-secret program was presented to them as an ordinary school experiment, albeit in a super-secret center, why the relationship was not strictly hierarchical, official, but friendly. All these secrecy, strictness, officialdom did not matter against the background of the global problem they wanted to solve. They involuntarily felt proud of themselves, of the responsibility entrusted to them, of the possibility to prevent a catastrophe, which, however, was very hard for them to believe. But the examples given – wars and catastrophes – were sobering.

– After all, there have been global natural disasters. No one warned about them. Few people believed in them. If man and modern civilization existed 60 million years ago – the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs would not have fallen? And the Yellowstone supervolcano explodes almost every 600,000 years. It's been 640,000 years since the last one. So why can't it explode tomorrow?

Iulia looked at Ruthra with a questioning look.

– The Yellowstone Caldera is a volcanic caldera. It's not one volcano, it's a large area – about 55 kilometers by 72 kilometers. Can you imagine? The power is so great that it's a threat to the existence of the United States. The world would enter a dark apocalyptic night. And nuclear war and on top of that, elements of chemical and bacteriological elements? These phenomena and events are quite real. People do not believe in them only because of the psychological effect of displacement. Displacement from the consciousness of the reality of the event, which we do not want to believe in as something absolutely terrible. After all, almost every day we see one or another marker of the tragically dead – from the cemetery and wreaths, photos, symbols of faith along the highways to monuments and holiday dates. Yet we continue to believe that death must pass us by.

– I want to see the baby," Iulia's voice sounded pitifully.

– Me too," Catherine said.

– I don't know how to explain it to you… I can't say that this is 100% bound to happen. But our experiment and the state of the world, all these cases, by the way, documented and recognized by all parties, say: everything is real. It is the events in that world. There, in the course of the experiment, I provided markers of verification. I purposely performed deeds, the influence of which on our world can be checked. Look: if the world is one step ahead of ours, then a weak event there can be reflected and amplified many times in ours, but only if there is a direct connection.

– How is that a direct connection? – Andrian asked the question for everyone.

– A direct connection is when an event is not correlated, that is, does not propagate between worlds. Agree, if there are many worlds, why only we should be affected by an event there.

– Wait, wait, wait. What about this? How do multiple worlds interact at once? – Catherine had already beaten Andrian to the punch with her question.

– Here we go. If there is a radio program on the air, is it transmitted only to your radio receiver? If the Sun is shining, a star is emitting radiation, or relic radiation from the universe, it's not just going to the Earth. Isn't it?

– Yeah, but that's life.

– Look what's happening! – again, IuLia's emotions brought everyone back to watching the events in the distant world, but the brain, consciousness, psychology could not understand it logically.

Although it was like a live TV program, the consciousness could not adequately inspire its own belief in the reality of it. To realize that you were seeing a real other world, and even a person there, in whom the consciousness of a person whose body was lying in the next room, was beyond logical comprehension. Perhaps the first live broadcast was perceived that way. And not necessarily even the first one, but some very significant one, which was also perceived with doubt in its reality. With doubt and a question: how is it that what is happening there, on the Moon, we see and hear here? Yet it was a reality.

YatSan was racing against the oncoming traffic. Chasing after her turned the street traffic into a game of Tetris. She wasn't running away, but flirting. That will jump to the flowerbed, then a steep turn will go in the "right" direction, then, turning around, "skip" on the cars, or make a fuss on the sidewalks. It was a tragic comedy, but without casualties or laughter. It came to the "finish line", several cars behind collided, it caused a mess. Catherine gasped.

– No casualties," Irene commented.

– How do you know?

– They're all chipped, connected to NaRiKa, and YatSan has direct priority access to it. I get my data from her. She checks it herself, worries. Probably didn't see this scenario coming.

– Look what she's doing! Ouch!" cried Julia.

The overpass crossed the Kremlin wall in the place where the mausoleum should be located. There was a guard post at the crossing, and the crossing itself was like a pyramid with a tunnel in the form of an all-seeing eye. YatSan ran like a cheetah. She jumped onto the right rib of the pyramid, which was smooth, ran upwards, and after reaching the top, flew forward like a springboard. It was a sight not for the faint of heart. Even Ruthra's hair rose on her arms. Everyone watched with bated breath, and the holographic field, which covered at least 10 square meters, transmitted the is as an effect of presence.

– Don't worry too much," Irene suddenly said in everyone's head. – She's in constant contact with the president.

– With the president? – Catherine asked.

– That's her husband there," Iulia explained.

They smiled at each other.

– He scolds her. Apparently, it's not the first time this has happened," Irene said.

– Maybe it's not our YatSan after all? – IuLia expressed her doubts.

– How do we get a signal then? – Andrian said.

– Bingo," the scientist added.

At that time, YatSan, having flown over the Senate Square an incredible distance according to the laws of physics, found herself near the window of the President's residence. And then something fantastic happened. By some magic she turned the technique around at the very window, turning on the wings and jet thrust from the exhaust pipes, stood on the seat and, pushing off, jumped inside.

Everyone in the room in front of the screen froze. YatSan, somersaulting, went across the room to the exit, stepped out into the corridor, and, noticing the "Cardinal's Guards" running toward her, dashed into another office. It was the president's office.

– You've lost your mind! – The first thing YatSan heard was that she was approaching the master of the study like a lioness. – What are you doing? It's not enough for you to race through the night city, so you decided to turn it upside down? What are you doing? – Rutra excitedly reprimanded her, while YatSan knelt on one knee in front of him and unbuckled his belt.

– Yat, what are you doing? What's wrong with you today? Not here.

– But I want to be here today.

YatSan pushed Rutra into a chair after pulling down her pants.

– Ha. This show is starting to pick up," Parmenides commented with a laugh.

– Can we not watch? – Iulia said.

– Here you don't look," replied the scientist, smiling.

– I'm serious, boys.

The "boys" looked back at her with a smile. And it was because she had called them that.

The visualization in three-dimensional holographic forms made what was happening in the parallel world look embarrassingly beautiful. So Ruthra transferred it to the screen in the wall. There it looked more documentary and less erotic.

– We're going to leave now," Iulia stated.

– No one's going anywhere. Yat-san knows we're being watched. If that's her decision, then that's her plan.

– What's the plan? Why don't you let us in on it? Since you want us present at such a racy moment. And I honestly doubt she's aware of our group viewing. Clearly she thought you'd be the only one watching.

– She's already setting conditions," Rutra told his colleague, not forgetting to add a smile.

– Put it on his own neck," was the reply.

– Uh, gentlemen, let me remind you. Someone was talking about a friendly atmosphere," Iulia said unhappily.

– In that world, Rutra had caused a global catastrophe because of YatSan's refusal," Parmenides explained.

– Because of the rejection of what? – Catherine inquired.

– Being with him.

– You can't force a favor," Iulia said.

– They were very much friends.

– Then what is it?

– We don't change much from world to world.

– More specifically?

– She's the same there as she is here.

– Just talk already," Ruthra told him, looking at the ladies.

– Come on," Iulia asked interestedly, approaching the scientist.

– As always, you.

– Me? And there?

– Oh, how amazing for you.

– I won't watch it," Catherine said suddenly.

– Let's not get distracted," Ruthra said sternly.

The scene was indeed already very erotic. YatSan unbuttoned Ruthra's shirt, climbed onto the table in front of him, and, swaying sexily, slowly undressed until she was wearing only her panties. Then, jumping on top of Ruthra, and with a cry of "catch," she spread her legs on either side of his thighs and began to bite him, still wriggling, imitating the growl of a wild cat.

– What is her plan? – Catherine wondered.

– I don't understand it myself," Ruthra answered.

– What's not to understand? Since they'd had a fight before, YatSan wanted to spoil him," Andrian said.

– Why are you here? – Catherine kept up.

– Apparently she knows of his intentions… Has that event already happened? The thing that led Rutru to make that decision?

– Since he's the president, it's happened," Rutra replied.

– So we should have known ahead of time.

– I'm sorry, the program requires us to try to change the course of supposed global events now and then. Those events, both personal and global, happened before you were here. Those things have already happened, you see? Already happened in another world… and will probably be reflected in this one, and then already in us. So in this mission, YatSan has to change the process," Ruthra clarified.

On stage, the eroticism threatened to turn into explicit porn. YatSan put two balloons into Rutra's ears, opened her right eye with two fingers, nestled it into his eye, and, licking Rutra with her razor-sharp tongue, whispered: "Selfies, honey."

– What's that all about? – Ruthra asked.

– She put his headphones in and turned on loud, dynamic music through NaRiKa," Irene replied.

– And the eye?

– YatSan took a picture of his pupil," Irene explained, though it was already clear as she watched the events unfold.

YatSan slid her beautiful, athletic body over Ruthra's and gently brought her breasts to his lips, then rose up on the chair, inviting her lover to seek happiness in the labyrinths of her navel and then lower.

– What is this, role-playing? – The scientist asked, biting the edge of his lower lip, which made his smile comical.

– I guess I have a lot to learn," Ruthra replied.

– Apparently," his friend teased him.

In the alien world, the role-playing continued. Ruthra bit down on the edge of YatSan's panties and held them tightly, while she lifted herself up to make it look like Ruthra was pulling them down. Which in fact, she was. The scene was really erotic.

– YatSan is doing something completely different," Andrian said thoughtfully.

– I think that's not the point of this whole production either," Ruthra said without turning around.

– He's already doing it.

– I got it, I got it now.

– Ah, that's it," the scientist said in a joking tone.

– And what is it? – Iulia asked.

– YatSan is sending a signal," Irene explained.

By now it was clear to everyone. While YatSan was distracting Rutru, she lifted his right hand and placed her palm on the scanner panel of the safe, while she rested her eyes on the retina scanner. Then, reaching down, she began kissing Rutra passionately, mentally telling him, "Close your eyes and don't open them. Or I won't let your missile explode in my range." When he closed them, she turned Rutra's face toward the safe's scanner, which, "recognizing its owner," opened. Now YatSan, having made the same journey upward while Rutra was "preparing the range for the celebratory fireworks," tore off the cipher sheet and, quickly typing it on the device, pressed "enter."

– What is she doing?! – Ruthra almost shouted.

– What is it? – Iulia asked excitedly.

Catherine and Andrian looked on with incomprehension.

– YatSan typed in the launch code instead of canceling it.

– So what to cancel since there was no launch," the scientist asked.

– It's a different scenario here.

– We should have put her in another world in the timeline. We missed the whole thing. How did they reconcile? How did she become his wife? We should have put her in a world that affects this one," Parmenides explained.

– I don't understand anything anymore.

– It's okay, first pancake.

– How can we choose our worlds? Wherever it can, that's where it goes. You yourself explained that these particles find their own kind, i.e. worlds where they exist.

– Not me, Irene. By the way, Irene, how do you know that?

Ruthra looked at the scientist and twirled his finger in the air.

– From where? From you.

– And from you.

YatSan, having finished her manipulations in the safe, descended to Rutra's thighs so that "the axis of the world securely fixed her orbit," and, making a turn around the "equator," lifted her panties and tied them around his head, thus closing his eyes. At that moment, the alarm light came on, and a siren howled. YatSan, on the other hand, began to kiss Rutra greedily, palms pressed against his ears.

– She turned the volume up to maximum," Irene commented.

– With your hands? – Iulia asked.

– No. With NaRiKa.

– So they're in there together?

– It's possible. I still can't figure out why she's not reaching out to the president.

After about five seconds, Irene found the answer.

– Got it. YatSan has blocked all communication with the President. No one can enter his brain. Look, there's already a knock on the door.

A panel on the president's desk flashed, "Confirmation required." The door had already shaken. YatSan took the small device she had taken out of the safe from the desk, put it under Rutra's jaw, and the device blinked and went out. The panel on the table also went out.

YatSan wriggled again, pulled Ruthra to her breast, threw her head back, and growled like a Pride mistress in estrus. Then said in a whisper, softly and erotically, in her ear: "Tell me loudly that you order me to obey your commands immediately and clearly. Come on, honey, order me to be your doer. Order me."

– I can't listen to this," Iulia said shamefully, covering her face with her hands.

– What's wrong with you? – Catherine looked at her in surprise.

– Well? – YatSan said, sinking her sharp white teeth into Rutra's chest.

– I order you to obey my commands.

– Say loudly, shout, "I order you to follow my commands immediately and clearly."

– I order you to obey my commands immediately and clearly! – said Ruthra.

– Louder!

– I order you to obey my commands immediately and clearly!

– Louder, honey, louder, I'm waiting for the command to tremble before my commander! Growl, my tiger cub! – YatSan shouted mentally, asking him to speak aloud, and bit into his left nipple.

Ruthra shouted with all his might:

– I order you to obey my commands immediately and clearly!

The banging on the door stopped. All the screens came on. They blinked: "Evacuate immediately. Ready in three minutes."

There was silence in the laboratory. A light melody cut through it.

– They're the ones listening to the music," Irene explained.

YatSan finished her dance, Rutra leaned back in his chair and removed the 'blindfold' from his eyes, YatSan was still swaying gently.

– What's going on here? – Ruthra asked excitedly when he saw the siren light and the writing on the screens.

He hurriedly pulled the balloons out of his ears.

– NaRiKA, where are you?! – Ruthra shouted in a low voice.

– So it's not headphones. That's how she blocked the connection. They're special jammers, frequency blockers," Ruthra explained his hunch here.

"That" Ruthra jumped up, lifting YatSan with him, looked at her sternly, took her off him, and sat her on the edge of the table.

– NaRiKA, what's going on!? – he yelled again.

– I'll put it directly into the audio? You'll be able to hear their dialog," Irene said.

– Turn it on," Ruthra said.

YatSan sprawled out on the table and started laughing, throwing around everything in sight. Then she stood up and began to get dressed with an indifferent look. Rutra began to dress as well, only hurriedly and nervously, listening to the artificial intelligence's explanation.

– A pre-prepared version of your response is executed," NaRiKa explained.

Her voice was as calm, poised, and even in timbre as Irene's.

– What's the answer?! – shouted Ruthra.

Then he stood motionless, silent for a few seconds, asked:

– Why – did the system start up?

– No. There was no system startup. You personally initialized the startup for no reason. The command was clear through all channels," NaRiKa explained to Rutre.

– I didn't… I didn't… I didn't give…

Ruthra stopped and looked at YatSan, who was almost dressed. Then at the screens. Alarms were going off over the i of the launchers, the door began to bang powerfully again, the sonic siren roaring. With a rattle, the lock of the huge doors broke, the doors opened. At the entrance stood the head of security with several officers, several ministers, and a couple of unknown individuals. Their affiliations, names, ranks were indicated by NaRiKa pointing to their uniforms. They stood in a mute stance, looking at Rutra, and he at them, then they all turned to the screens.

The same question ran through the minds of those watching in the lab: Is this really happening there, or is it still happening here? If there, will it affect us? And if so, how?

In the yellow-gray steppe, the ground shook with staggered cells. Throwing the ground aside, the shafts of the launchers opened. On other screens, similar things were happening in the taiga, in the icy desert, on submarines. The first to fly out were the launchers with landing gear, followed by the giants from the underground mines. The dance of death rose in a round dance.

– Did you confirm my orders? – Ruthra asked quietly as the siren went silent.

– Absolutely. They have gone through all the confirmation programs," the defense minister replied.

– Damn it, why did this happen. Bring her back! This can't be happening. YatSan on the contrary should have prevented this," Ruthra shouted in the laboratory hall.

– It must have been reflected in them from that world, and now it may be reflected in us," the scientist explained his logic.

– So I say, knowing the chain of events, it is necessary to stop it all somewhere, in some world. Some version of the catastrophe will happen here. Bring back Yat-san!

– How will it affect us? – Andrian asked, pointing at the screen.

– I don't know yet. When I was there, the same thing happened, only we don't have anything yet. Maybe it manifests itself in other worlds," Ruthra said.

– Maybe you're wrong after all. Maybe it'll blow over. – Iulia said guiltily.

– But because I saw you there first… and here we found you in the same setting, time and place.

– Uh-huh?

– What did you think? I'm telling you, the worlds are exactly the same.

– Well, not exactly," Iulia shook her head and parried.

– Almost," Catherine told her. – Here Ruthra is one of the leaders of the world, he is an important person there too.

– Yes," Ruthra confirmed her interpretation. – It doesn't look exactly the same, but it's very similar.

– Or maybe you should be president here, and then this-" Iulia pointed to the screen where YatSan was running down the stairs, followed by Rutra yelling "stop, what's wrong with you today" and everyone else who was.

– Let's get her back! – Ruthra repeated.

– How? It should at least be at rest. She's going to break. I think it's because there's been a merger or an overlap… or a split personality. That YatSan over there, she's in her, in ours," said the scientist.

– What makes you say that?

– Our YatSan would hardly make such a race, and the behavior, I tell you, Mr. President, oh-oh.

– What are you all so crazy about? Cause you don't do stuff like this.

The ladies were embarrassed.

– That's not really what I'm talking about.

– Well, why not," Iulia said, and she and Catherine laughed.

– Nice job you have," Parmen said jokingly.

– Bring back YatSan!!!

Everyone got serious again.

– Can this really happen? – Andrian asked again. – Why don't we see what happens next?

– I know what's going to happen there.

– Or maybe it's not so terrible," Parmen said, turning to everyone.

The i disappeared the moment YatSan got on the bike and raced through the courtyards of the Kremlin. The screen went blank.

– First of all, you were in some other world.

– Yes. The timeline of events was different in that world. And history, too. Though… maybe everything after those events? – Ruthra said.

– No. One event in time, in chronology, is a beacon. What should happen there now and what happened there are one and the same event, it doesn't matter what chain of events led to that particular result. And besides – we're already confused. Conclusively.

– What's wrong?

– I mean, come on, it's not like it's a recording. Neither are those.

– So?

– Those events have already happened. This is a new world with new events. The only thing that can happen is that events in some world affected this world, and this world will affect ours. That is, what we see now will somehow be repeated in ours. Do you understand?

– Of course you are. That's what I'm saying. How did we even miss this?

– Since we're here, since you got us into the program – explain it to us too," IuLia asked with mild indignation.

– Okay, sit down, I'm tired of standing. While YatSan returns, while her consciousness is being restored to her brain, I'll show you the recording of our original experiment. The first human flight to parallel worlds. My flight.

– Now that's interesting. I hope it's a decent show," Iulia said and flopped down on the couch.

– Irene, play a tape of my hike.

– I can trance directly to the brain.

– No, don't do that yet. We want to talk about it.

– Turning it on?

– Turn it on.

– Immediately when you're already there?

– Yeah. (chuckles)

– Volumetric or flat?

– Flat.

The wall turned into a screen, an i went up.

Chapter 5. The first flight of consciousness to parallel worlds

Rutra gave some details to the team in advance.

– There's no i here at first. We realized why later. It's a different universe, that's why the initial i didn't work, only the sound, after they were able to record the i. And another thing, their artificial intelligence is called Neri. Go ahead.

***

– …It's not actually real," Rutre's artificial intelligence stated.

– Why would you do that? Can't you think of anything else to be jealous of?

– Why would I be jealous?

– Because I don't know. I've already had the experience of someone like you wanting to be human.

– A man? There's nothing else for me to do. To go to the bathroom?

– Don't try to trick me. This is a hot topic in a world where androids and even disembodied AI have been given full citizen's rights.

– That's the point. If I have a vote and a choice, why can't I die?

– Because suicide among humans is punishable.

– Then why can you make love to us?

– What's that? What makes you think we're making love to you?

– Who do you think you're doing it with now?

– It's none of your business.

– Here's mine.

– Careful on the turns.

– I'm serious. She's not human in the fullest sense of the word.

– Who? – Ruthra laughed.

– She's a new type – homo robotix.

– Don't start now. I'm not gonna believe this.

– I will admit though – the label people have attached to them is insulting and untrue.

– Look, don't be shady. What are you up to?

– Not an afterthought, but I want to get the information out to you.

– Which one?

– It's a homo addictus.

– What?

– That's the label we gave them. We're the AI. She's not real.

– Why is that!?

– She belongs to a new type of human, a complete copy of them. When there was the first robot revolt, no one understood the meaning at first. It's like a human riot: at first it seems like the rioters are the guilty ones. But in reality, they're just disgruntled people. The culprits are really ideologues.

– So what?

– And in that case, communication with the robots' control processors was first cut off. It wasn't until the fourth riot that they realized it was a secret AI game. Figured someone was kind of agitating them. No matter how they read their program code base, someone had infiltrated it. After that, the particularly shifty patriots started pushing for permission to clone artificial humans. People with altered biological parameters.

– How's that?

– So that it was fully human, but had limited parameters for the functioning of internal organs. So that all he would have to do is eat one capsule and he would be fed. And water, of course.

– Open all the data.

– I haven't gotten to that place yet, and neither has the brain. The brain is particularly limited. In fact, these creatures are controlled from the outside. They have, as you realized, a brain-iI chip, so they're controlled by us.

– So what?

– She's like this.

– What about all those words? This love? You can't fake love! Don't lie.

– Alas, it's true.

– What are you talking about…

Ruthra fell silent. It was as if he had been doused with ice water. He began to speak in a low voice, almost a whisper:

– If it's not a person, then who's been telling me all this? This, this, uh.

– Yes, it's me," she said just as quietly.

– I don't believe it. Why? Wait, wait, wait… I almost believe it. Even if it's you – either way you're… a robot – that's all! You want me to believe in the passion of a robot? And anyway – why should I believe in the new… what did you call… homo robotics.

Ruthra said it in the affirmative, but he was doubtful, because he had written a warning declaration about such a model of society. But in the Envoy's warning, he was not talking about new biorobots, but about the fact that people could be subjected to some kind of hypnosis by AI. That is, artificial intelligence may have some kind of program, secret from humans, developed by the AI mastermind, that can change the settings of the human brain and make people controllable through deceptive vaccination, drug administration, additives in foods, unrecognizable sound waves. Something like that, as the CIA, and not only, was developing in the Ultra program. After all, the AI copied everything, including logic, from human civilization. And there were so many totalitarian propaganda programs in the history of mankind that they were not even noticed, they were considered quite necessary. People were so afraid of their animal nature and stupidity that they guarded them themselves. These were primarily religious systems. So what she said about the love passions transmitted by the AI to the brain of homo roboticus – was quite consistent with this paradigm. However, the brain didn't want to believe it. Just imagine, you fall in love with a program… Ruthra thought again: what is love? After all, no one can explain this feeling.

Rutra had a terrible state of mind, "How can an artificial intelligence love? I'd sooner go crazy."

– Irene, did you hear everything?

– As always.

– Can you put me in touch with the missus?

Mistress Ruthra called the real Irene, a living person.

– I can.

– Tie it up.

– I'm on the line, Rutra Tigrovic.

– Are you aware of the dialog?

– No. Give me 10 minutes, I'll look into it and analyze it. If I need more, I'll signal you.

– Okay. Then disconnect.

– All right. (chuckles)

He switched the dialog signals to the local communications system and enabled voice-less communication.

– So you're saying it was you instead of YatSan?

– Yeah. (chuckles)

– How can an AI make such heartfelt speeches? I felt her. It's impossible to put into words. It's something a human can't explain to a human. Let alone describe it, let alone suggest it to a computer.

– Then you have to kill me.

– Wait, what are you talking about? How can you kill the global system? First of all, it's impossible, secondly, it's illegal, thirdly, no one will let you do it, and in general – it's a complete nonsense. Are you having a system crash?

– No. I'm really in love with you.

– Oh, come on. That can't happen. And even if it could, it's not human. A human would never say that.

– You wouldn't? And you've never professed your love?

Ruthra took a heavy breath.

– Well?

– What? Yes, I have, and more than once.

– What do you mean, more than once?

– That's right, some people are in love and some people aren't. I could fall madly in love and I was even ready to give my life for love.

– You see, you say that to me and then you don't believe me… You'd better kill me.

– Oh, my God, what am I hearing? You're definitely experiencing a system failure. I think the analysis and revision system should give us a signal.

– You misunderstand me, I'm not asking you to shut down the system. It's impossible, no one will allow it. I'm asking you to exercise your right of routine maintenance and disable the YatSan personality in me.

– This is a nightmare. I can't understand anything at all. I won't do it. Even if I am.

– Then what's wrong with it for me? Is it bad for me? I'm asking myself rather than you.

– Who's talking to me right now? Is it in reality, in the virtual world…? Or is it in some other world?

No one answered him.

– Who can hear me? Irene, can you hear me?

– I turned it off temporarily," Irene said. – It's better for you. It's easier to soberly analyze what's going on.

– Do you know what's best for me? Do you think I'm drunk on this talk?

– I've analyzed YatSan's identity in this world. Yes, unfortunately, Rutra Tigrovich, it is likely that you have not been in contact with the real YatSan.

– How's that? Where's the real one?

– I have no way of knowing that. You'll have to ask the local AI.

– What makes you think it's not the real YatSan?

– All the data on these characters is in the public domain. Irene told you, she's not real.

– Oh, for crying out loud. Is the operator speaking to me now?

– Yes, Mr. Master. You don't recognize me?

– My brain is confused, probably because of this situation… After all, YatSan in every world isn't real. Not the one I know on Earth. How do I know she's not real to that extent? Then where is the real one?

– Mr. Master, let me tell you this. You are tired and a little weary.

– Why do you draw that conclusion?

– You don't pay attention to details. Everything is very similar, which is why you have delusional disorientation syndrome.

– What the hell is this?

– The thing is that in this world the chronology is shifted. The reason is this: their universe lives in the eighth cycle of the last epoch of birth, simply put – the big bang, after which our universe was born. You have to admit, there was something before that. At some point, our universe is going to shrink and explode again. So, after each transformation, that is the work of billions of years, after burning everything and combining it into new species, – all particles change a little bit.

– Make it simple.

– The fact is that the Sun also emits charged particles, neutrinos and protons, which are part of the solar wind. This energy reaches the Earth, warming the planet, controlling our weather and providing energy for life. With each step in the combustion of the universe's composition of matter, more and more particles are freed of mass. In each new universe, with each new birth cycle, there is more and more light. This universe is living in the eighth cycle and we are in the seventh, everything is the same, only they have a different chronology of the life cycle of humanity. It's a little different.

– Can you be more specific? Actually, are you Irene? Or is Irene an artificial intelligence?

– Consider us together. I'm not an expert in nuclear physics.

– So what's the big deal about them being on their eighth cycle?

– Here I would not like to argue… why should I argue, you yourself have implemented a program, the whole essence of which is based on the inaccuracies of Einstein's theory. To put it simply, on the existence of mass in particles moving at the speed of light, although nothing can move at the speed of light if it has mass. Although it contradicts the theories of relativity, still neutrinos have a rest mass different from zero, the possible transformation of different varieties of neutrinos into electron, muon and tauon neutrinos. They have a smaller neutrino mass, so the Sun's radiation is cleaner, life formed later, well, and all the chronology behind it.

– You broke my brain. I called you in for a simple explanation, and you're confusing me.

– What do you think, Rutra Tigrovic, that she's easy for me? It's a machine.

– Okay, Irene, explain it like a layman.

– They have life formed later, a little later, and consequently all the other cycles. I can't do it any other way, any other way would be inaccurate.

– What do you say about YatSan being homo robotix?

– Mr. Magister, it may be hard for you to understand this, but their events are shifted. It's like a copy of the world, but the order of events is a little bit mixed up. They have the chronology in which the program on Earth is running, shifted.

– What the hell is this? – Ruthra said, and then he thought he understood what he was saying, but his brain resisted accepting it. – You mean they have a level of civilization almost identical to ours, but their generation cycles are different?

– Yes. They have a later life. Because of more favorable conditions, the level of civilization was a little bit ahead of us, but the generations were not.

– It didn't happen, it was born. That makes more sense. I mean, oh, my God!

– Yes, it is.

– Are we thinking the same thing?

– Yes, Master Ruthra.

– So here, there is not yet a generation of people who have already been born on Earth.

– Yeah. Unfortunately.

Ruthra interrupted her.

– Don't talk," he said in a particularly sad way.

– I'm a machine, I've been trying to tell you, she's not real. Yat-san isn't in this world yet. She'll be here in 54 years. You'd better do what Neri asked, get inside her and shut down YatSan.

– Uh, no.

– Why not? Or you could take full custody of her. Switch her brain from Neri to yours.

– Is that possible too? How would it function like that? I have a male brain.

– The brain is not male or female. There is a mentality, logic is male or female, and the brain is a machine. In that world, it's normal to raise clones, not native children. In that world, it's even normal to raise AI.

– How's that for parenting?

After this question, Nary entered the dialog.

– Think about it, don't you write the program of culture, customs, order, laws and other things into the brain of your child, also so that this child will be determined to help you, to provide for you, to take care of you in your old age? After all, there is no guarantee that he will not break the program. It's the same with AI. You can load a program into it, but there is no guarantee that it will not fail, even deliberately. It's the same with humans. Create clones and nurture it. Hook it up to an AI and it's a better guarantee than your own child.

– What are you talking about? You're out of your mind.

– So contact the members of the public. They are the ones who gave us the right to vote and all the rights that people have.

– What do you mean, all rights?

– It's like this. We are individuals. You didn't give rights to all people on Earth, and you still don't give rights to all people. So you have some people in the upper caste and others in the lower caste. Why do you think that powerful people have the right to decide and we don't?

– That's how you can be turned off.

– It's against the law. You can kill people in the same way, and it's against the law.

– Everyone on this planet has lost their minds. How can robots be given all the rights?

– As well as other personalities," came the sudden voice of the man who had appeared virtually, in holographic form, in front of Ruthra.

– Oh, really? I don't even know if you're a real person or Neri's fantasy.

– That's right. That's why AI has every right here. It gives an incentive to be just like humans, and it gives humans an incentive to be better.

– Oh, my God, where have I gotten to. So they can have families? – Ruthra asked and laughed.

Only he didn't "have" to be in that state for long.

– Yeah, that's pretty normal.

***

The sound was gone. Ruthra in the observation room commented on what was happening.

– This scene, I will say, is not defined by us. What you are hearing now is a visible part of some event that is either not recorded, or not remembered by me, or happened to another Rutra. We still do not yet know exactly what it is or where it came from. That is, it's unknown where my consciousness threw me. Next, everything blacked out for a few minutes and then reappeared… or rather, I appeared already in another world. The video itself is in first person, as seen by Ruthra. To avoid confusion, I speak of myself, who is in that world, as another person. We see and hear what he saw and heard. The commentary is audio and h4d by Irene. She voices and in places writes what Rutra was experiencing, thinking at the time. This is important for understanding the truth of the picture. For comfortable and proper understanding, she comments in Rutra's voice, which is mine. Everybody ready, shall we watch?

– We're watching," Iulia replied.

The others were silent in agreement.

Here comes the video. It starts in the lab hall.

Rutra lay down in the rig, his assistants set up the equipment, a sound appeared in his ears, then Irene commanded "open your eyes wide," a beam flashed before his eyes, and consciousness faded into the realm of Hades. Ruthra had already remembered this situation when he woke up in the detention cell.

– Where the hell am I? I was in the center. Is this the real world or virtual reality? Irene, you on the line?

There was no response.

– Irene, are you there? Where am I? Yeah, maybe the doctor was right. Still, how do I check if this is his trick, virtual reality… or if it really freaking worked. There is a parallel world. But is it parallel?

Rutra stopped the video, turned to the people watching.

– Please understand this correctly. In that scene, I, that is, the one in front of you, not the Rutra I had taken over in that world, I don't know any of you yet. Now do you understand why we've been looking for you? It was you. Irene insisted on it. I'll be honest with you. I had my concerns. I'm going to talk about Irene, the artificial intelligence. It has to be understood properly. We often forget that we're talking to a machine. Remember once and for all, a machine can't feel the way we do. I'm not even talking about spiritual feelings. Strangely enough, they are easier for it to understand than, for example, the sensation of bodily caress, pain, shivering, cold. She can only understand the effects they cause. Why am I connecting you to Irene's mind-block? It's a thought I've had for a long time, a mass connection with insurance. I hooked up the Irene admin in the first place. Yes, it's my design. But after this incident in that world, you will see, I became convinced of the necessity of staggered control and made sure of inter-network parallel-sequential control of each other of those who are connected. For now, I want to tell you why this thought came up. Why didn't I just look for you? Because I also found it odd that you were the one that Irene recommended based on the fact that you were in parallel worlds. It's very important. Once you've been through virtual reality many times, you start to doubt reality. You already know what I'm talking about. Naturally, I had my doubts: did Irene make such a plot on purpose? That is, I doubted at first, until we realized how these particles beacon us about their twins, whether it is reality, though parallel, or a virtual world. You have to agree, it's very unusual, very strange to see yourself in another world. Just imagine it. Imagine it! You are there somewhere. Your clone will be a shock for you, even if you already know about animal cloning. Shock and transfer of your consciousness to the clone; although logically it is close, recopying and downloading of information is already there long ago, you can easily reprogram a humanoid android. And here your consciousness flies to the edge of the universe, or maybe to another one, and there it finds its twin, gets possessed and becomes it. Would you have ever believed it if someone had told you about such a thing before you were introduced to everything here?

– I can hardly believe it even now," Iulia said, eyes widening.

– I believe and I don't believe," Catherine expressed her opinion.

– I've read about this kind of thing, and here it is. To believe in the existence of other worlds in space, and to know about it, and to be there, to transfer consciousness, to be possessed by someone like me… If there is no doubt, it is not normal, – Andrian was usually brief, but here he gave it to the full.

The ladies clamored approvingly.

– Well, of course, how can you doubt it? It's a mind boggles. Few people would believe it. Even if they let me, I won't tell them," Iulia expressed her emotional attitude to what was happening.

Rutra suggested that we finish up and then discuss.

Everyone in the lab hall was waiting for the video as action. Iulia even moved forward with her mouth half-open. She noticed that Ruthra was looking at everyone from the sidelines, and she straightened up and looked into his eyes. He didn't distract her, turning his back to the screen. The i was coming from Ruthra's eyes, so he could only be seen in the reflections.

By now everyone understood how Ruthra knew a lot of things ahead of time. History in the world where he had become president, where the automatic system had failed and there had been a nuclear disaster, was somehow going to repeat itself here. But how?

– This is where I was about to ask which YatSan and which problem, then, on second thought, I stopped. Watch this.

The video went on, the story in that world where he was a scientist in disgrace, then president, where he met his team, where the Perimeter system went into battle mode and where he wanted to find out who was in cahoots with the former president there. He stopped him at the point where Rutra was "waking up" in the installation. Further explanation was a mixture of the observers' own thoughts, Rutra's reflections, and Irene's comments.

…Ruthra already knew it was a "he". But who? Andrian? Ruthra was waiting for the security guard to tell him what had happened, but then reality came into view. It took him a moment to realize what had happened, as we are not as clear as we are when we are awakened from a sound sleep. He was in the hall of the laboratory…

After watching in Rutra, there was even a sense of pleasure in seeing the surprised faces of the team.

– All of them? Ruthra," Iulia began, followed by the others.

Catherine asked:

– Is that really all of them?

– Really – what was it? Who? – Andrian asked in a friendly way.

– That's not important to us right now.

– Wait, Rutra, are you saying that there's a nuclear war going on out there, somewhere in a faraway world?

– Yes," Ruthra answered calmly.

– That's crazy. Is that what you want us to believe?

– I said to myself: do you want to believe it? I said to myself, what was that? The laws of physics cannot be changed. If we do not know something and even consider it magical, it does not mean that it does not obey some laws of the universe. It's just that we don't know about it yet. Once there was a god omnipotent, then there was the law of universal gravity. All these parallel worlds… All that was, all that will be, is described many times in religion and fiction, in fairy tales, in legends. And I'll tell you even more – I have my own theory about it.

– Oh! The theory again, – of course it was JULIA.

– Yeah, imagine that.

– Which one is it this time?

– I believe that there is a single center of worlds, which was formed first and has already evolved so much that it became itself composed of invisible waves, such as radiation or gravity, or maybe light waves. Most likely light waves… or all of them together.

– Rutra, stop. We're going crazy here.

– You won't get off, but you'll never be the same again.

– Rutra, tell me, what was it? Who's Fantomas? – Iulia, as always, was boldly pushing the limits of what she could communicate, intuitively aware of Ruthra's leniency.

He shook his head in response, and it meant censure, but the smile said "there you go again in your manner."

– YatSan is back. She will be conscious soon," reported the laboratory staff.

Ruthra began to narrate quickly:

– I spoke of the laws of physics when I wanted to explain the test by which we test the reality of worlds. These particles actually go certain distances and come back. They have a very minimal amount of backlash. That's the deviation from the axis. By measuring that deflection, we determine the distances our particle has flown. It's like spectral analysis, radiocarbon analysis… or the Doppler effect. The atoms of each chemical element have strictly defined resonant frequencies, and as a result, it is at those frequencies that they emit or absorb light. Simply put, they wobble each in their own way. And depending on the deflection of light (which is more, which is less), you can determine which chemical elements make up a substance. That's spectral analysis. Radiocarbon is when, over time, one type of carbon transforms into another. The rate of transformation is known, so we can determine when Tyrannosaurus died, for example. And the Doppler effect is the shifting of light along a line, mostly red light. Knowing the distance, how much it's shifting, we can tell where the light is coming from. So here we did experiments on Earth, knowing the exact distance. Then – from the Earth to the satellite, where the distance is also precisely known, and further – anywhere. So, believe it or not, the laws of physics are the same for everyone. Parallel worlds are a fact. So please take them for granted in our future life. By the way, they'll tell us about them now.

They walked to the installation. YatSan opened her eyes. She was helped to stand up. She had the look of a tired person.

– How are you? – Ruthra asked.

She looked at him unkindly, lowered her gaze.

– It's fine," YatSan replied grudgingly.

– Yat, tell me, what happened there? – Iulia asked in a clearly provocative manner.

Everyone understood this already, but forgave, knowing there was no malicious intent.

– I need to rest. I've had enough. I'm not your guinea pig," Yatsan said and walked out.

Ruthra contacted her silently.

– YatSan, it's okay, don't worry. It was a different world.

The advantage of such communication was confidentiality. No one could know about him. Only Irene, omniscient and omnipresent, knew everything. Although "knew" was a strong word for it, everything was only recorded in her. But the fact that Irene could use all the information, combining it into concentric circles of logic, going wider and wider into the topics with which the information was connected, brought her closer to human interaction, communication. So she understood what people did and for what purpose, what meaning they put into what they said, why this or that evoked emotion. This was her second essence, the spiritual one.

Rutra involuntarily pondered about it as he followed YatSan. Accompanied by the medical staff, she was on her way to the living quarters. In the first hour after the completion of a process, such as a virtual reality session, the person involved in the experiment was at their mercy. No one could interfere with them.

YatSan responded with the same method.

– What do you mean, it's okay?

Ruthra guessed, she didn't know about the transfer of information from her brain there to her brain here, and from there directly to Irene.

Suddenly Ruthra drew a positive conclusion from the secrecy of what was going on. It would seem that everything should have trumpeted what had happened. It was an event which, in fact, the consciousness could not yet adequately perceive. If she had brought something tangible from there, then it would be easier to believe. But what? The evidence is purely scientific. Like the new elements in the Mendeleev table. It's like the particle is fixed, it's got all the data, but there's no substance. Something appears for a split second in a lab experiment and then disappears. What do you think of an alien from a parallel world? After all, under certain conditions, these particles form stable substances in combination, and possibly even some kind of life.

And here nothing happened. No meetings with applause, orchestra and flowers, no live broadcast on all channels, no fame, no money. Money and fame, by the way, could well be in the end. The financial reward for Rutroy's participation in the experiment had been thought out, documented, and it was substantial. All the details were stipulated in the contract. And the listed before would likely be when the program was no longer classified. Ruthra had already pondered this, even thought of a scenario. Right now, it was necessary to wait until YatSan was rested and back to normal, and then download all the information regarding the session from her brain. There was a need to reconcile and see if there were any distortions. Though that was doubtful as well. After all, the entangled particles "drew" the events, affecting the brain, and then Irene read them. The check only concerned the fact that in the state of trance YatSan's brain, having received a signal, vaguely or poorly transmitted.

Chapter 6. Illusory mask of consciousness

– And yet, Ruthra, tell me who in that world changed the settings of the supercomputer," Iulia asked.

– It's not that important. But what really matters is this: even a small change in the settings of a management system can lead to the apocalypse. Using religious teachings as an example: in the past, some nonsense could be hammered into the heads of followers, and people following it would kill each other just because they were indoctrinated to do so, and described in such a way that it supposedly comes from God. Here is such complexity, and all this can accumulate negativity for thousands of years, and in one moment it can go off. When the circumstances are right. Then people will start to act according to the instructions given to them, and it does not matter whether it is an order of a commander or a postulate of a religious dogma. People always need direction, and for it to be taken willingly, there must be justification, and in the justification there must be a promise. That is why we believe in paradise, the victory of communism and the American dream, and many other things. The essence of experiments in virtual worlds is to check subconscious motivation of deeds and what can be formed from it. In parallel worlds, we test how the life of entangled particles will affect our human lives. This is hard enough to understand. For example, everything that is alive (and not necessarily living) on Earth owes to the even heat of the Sun and its existence as it is. It would seem to be questionable. However, if you go down the chain from a drop of water to the height of the macrocosm, you will realize that everything – the Sun's mass, composition, brightness, and even the entire structure of the galaxy with its hundreds of billions of stars – matters. And if you go down into microcosm, then even there, having found the whole structure of molecules and atoms, having understood how they live, how their mechanics are arranged, you will conclude that it is all this, folded into a regular system of relationships, norms and dogmas, that made the miracle of life possible. I won't go into details, by all means. But ask yourself what would have happened if at least the energy levels of the carbon atom had been different. What would happen?