Quest. The Drummer's Soul. All the parts. Complete collection
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"You didn't come just to sing my praises, did you?"
– Naturally. You do your job, I do mine.
– What did the observer see in my actions that requires correction?
– I wouldn't call it that fundamentally…
"And yet?"
"I wouldn't recommend that you leave town right now."
– Is my project flawed in some way?
– The scheme is very precisely verified, there are no questions about it, the matter is different.
– Bartholomew?
– Yeah.
– He has already settled in this place for a long time, is it worth making adjustments because of him?
"This time, Yes.
– Is it activated?
Isaiah threw up his hands.
"Really?"
Isai nodded.
Well, finally. The signal is received. Thank you, Isaiah. Always happy to see you. Okay, so we'll play the fork again.
"Maybe more than once," Isaiah corrected.
"Maybe more than once.".. Tikhon agreed with a glint in his eyes, the light of which Isaiah noted as a novelty.
Still, after all, such a glow in the eyes of Earthlings he had not seen before, and civilizations for which such a light is the norm, are tens of thousands of light years from Earth…
***
– Hello, Teacher, – with these words to Bartholomew entered one of his confidants, Tao.
"How did it go?"
– At first everything went according to plan, the girl quite simply got into the house and got down to business. I chose a good location, the cameras recorded everything. But at a certain point, something happened. When it became obvious that Gideon had solved our puzzle, I gave the go-ahead to the automatons.
Bartholomew listened intently, looking intently into Tao's eyes.
– The RIOT police know their business, which is why I connected the Colonel to this issue. They riddled the house, leaving no chance of escape.
"I know that Gideon is still alive, and I can feel him, and he is somewhere near. Stop beating around the Bush, why hasn't the task been completed? the Abbot said sternly, but with restraint.
Tao put the briefcase he had been holding on the table, opened it, and took out the girl's belongings.
– This is all that's left of Tatiana. It was as if Gideon didn't exist at all. Here are the recordings from the beacon and the video recording.
"To hell with this mischief, you know that the so-called dirt was just an excuse to get the girl to act and distract the target."
"That's right," Tao agreed, " but a curious thing has come to light. There is no video recording, not a single frame in which Gideon was caught. And the recording from the beacon during listening showed only the girl's voice, although we clearly heard his voice at the time of recording and understood everything that happened there before the attack.
"All right, leave the material here, and you can go."
"Will there be any new instructions, Master?"
– And the point is to give them to you if they are not fulfilled…
Tao lowered his head guiltily.
"I'll call you later." Stop!
The assistant paused in the doorway.
Analyst: where's he going? He met Tikhon, didn't he?
– Met. Now decides the consequences of the meeting.
The Abbot chuckled:
"Did our firstborn give him a hard time?"
– I melted the car into two parts. It was a new car. Well, I went to choose a new one.
– Clearly. Call him, let him look in tomorrow, have a conversation.
"All Right, Teacher.
The man went out, and Bartholomew went to the case and took the girl's blouse and held it to his nose. He sniffed something for a long time, then put it back and said:
"So he dragged you.".. It turns out that the girl is alive, and now she knows everything about me… Offensively…
The Abbot activated the recording from the listening device. There was no interference at the time of Gideon's remarks, so no silencing devices were used.
"You've learned a lot, kid… A lot of things, "Bartholomew whispered in exasperation," but I didn't sleep either.
He took a couple of steps away from the briefcase with things and notes, snapped his fingers, and in a moment everything that Tao had brought was scattered on the table in a pile of dust.
***
After Tikhon sent his greetings to Bartholomew, Vahe visited several car dealerships, looked after a new car, and while managers were preparing documents for the deal, he decided to remember his youth.
– How long will it take to process the documents? he asked the girl with the badge.
"About twenty minutes." We'll do it, and you can have a Cup of coffee in the second-floor canteen. As soon as everything is ready, I will come to you.
"Thank you, I'll be gone for about thirty minutes, don't waste it." Can I pay now?
– No, no, after all the formalities are signed.
– Nicely.
Vahe left the car dealership and went straight to the bus stop. In an expensive suit, a watch for several thousand dollars, the scent of a chic perfume from a limited series of the brand known in narrow circles, he immediately attracted the attention of fellow travelers waiting for transport. Envious and uncomprehending glances surrounded Vahe, but this did not bother him in the least.
A small commercial bus appeared at the turn.
"Seventy-six," he said to himself, marking the route number as a landmark, since it was in 1976 that he came under the influence of Bartholomew, received the knowledge, the necessary experience, and then the opportunities.
There wasn't a lot of free space on the bus, but Vahe squeezed in and even crawled into the middle of it.
– For travel, we pass who entered! – tired smoky voice made itself felt conductor.
The bus started. The newly entered passengers struggled to reach their pockets to count their fare.