the lieutenant triumphed.
– Can this be understood as your agreement? – Elena looked inquiringly at the annoying doctor, calmness reigned in her gaze. The lieutenant was not a sex maniac, he was a science fanatic, and that calmed the woman down. But whether the general agreed to experiment with hypnosis or not, she nevertheless decided to check on occasion, ask the owner about it. And yet, knowing General Fedorov for a long time, Major Gratsis could not believe that he could give the go- ahead for the experiment. Like no one else, the general would have done better to hide the lapse of the disappearance of the space rescue capsule that took place in front of all the emergency services of the entire world space community. Elena knew one thing, the distribution of "awards" was not expected from a pleasant one, by all means, a classic "scapegoat" was needed. Elena knew that the general was busy with a feverish search for one, and this upstart lieutenant, either out of his naivety, or out of his light faith in justice and the triumph of science, was on the rampage. What should I tell him? – Understand how you want, – she wanted him to leave as soon as possible and leave her alone, alone with his thoughts. The doctor, inspired by success, did not leave, ran out of Elena's room. The winner's smile froze on his face. Thin lips were still smiling when he opened the door again and shouted to Elena:
– By the way, my name is Vitaly, – and closed the door behind him. Enraged, Elena quickly rushed to the door and clicked the English lock twice, shutting herself off from uninvited guests. After standing at the door for a moment, she returned to her desk and opened her laptop. On the Internet, she quickly discovered a UFO information site. The display screen flashed endless testimonies of the facts of the appearance of the living objects. Various cases of abduction of people and animals. Manipulations with time and space, and even some details about the device of the flying saucer. But not one case of official recognition by science of the existence of UFOs. Or maybe it is not profitable for science to consider this phenomenon a certainty, so as not to look primitive in comparison with the Extraterrestrial manifestation of reason. Vitaly may be right. Elena, in thought, almost mechanically got up from the table and with a light movement threw off her robe, revealing a dazzlingly beautiful body. Matte skin is covered with a delicate peach fluff, favorably set off and emphasized the impeccability of the lines of the body. In the bathroom, looking at herself in the mirror, she was convinced of the irresistibility of her feminine soft beauty. No, she was not spectacular, rather it was a female beauty saturated with genuine femininity and almost girlish tenderness. She did not have that angularity inherent in athletes, it is not surprising that the loss of consciousness lasted so long. Was there any loss of consciousness at all? She turned on the shower. Strong jets hit the face, shoulders, chest and in large drops, loudly squelching, water rolled down onto the enamel of the bathroom. It was water, or rather its current, that suggested and suggested such a recent experience in Space. It suddenly seemed to her that the seven unfortunate days were not an unconscious loss, and that someone, perhaps, acted very wisely, erasing everything from his memory. After the bathroom, she went to the phone and, dialing the desired number, answered: – Hello! Is this Vitaly? I agree.
Chapter 8
In the officers' dormitory of the military town, in one of the rooms, on first floor, drinking. There were twelve young guys who were called up together with Vitaly for two years to serve at the Baikonur spaceport, the thirteenth was Vitaly. First there was vodka, then wine. Yura Silantyev, a technician- lieutenant, turned to Vitaly in a braided voice:
– Uh, Vitalka, do not regret that the general kicks you out.
– Yes, the owner did not even want to talk to me, – the doctor responded.
– E- uh, you, – looking around his comrade with a dull look, Yura continued. – Uh- uh, you understand, you got into not your own business.
– Yes, I don't give a damn about them, and in general, they all fucked up …
Offended by the recent thrashing, Junior Lieutenant Yeldin pricked up his ears:
– Vitalka, and Vitalka, could you, just like that, go to the dining room? – and Yeldin's horse jaw fell off, depicting a question mark. Vitaly looked with a blurred look at the junior lieutenant- technician Yeldin, and his anger gradually turned into annoying tearfulness:
– Friend, – Vitaly cried. – You understand me. You understand me. Let's go! He reached over to the watch on his left hand. The glance snatched from the round dance the number 13- 00, lunch time. Yeldin jumped out of bed:
– Who's with us, go ahead! – staggered towards the door. But everyone, except for Vitaly, sat silent, without signs of participation in the thick blue cigarette smoke. Vitaly looked around his friends with a questioning glance, waved his hand and went out after his friend. Several officers from the preparatory group, headed by the leader, lieutenant colonel, were sitting in the dining room. Friends sat down at a free table.
– Waiter! – loudly, throughout the dining room, shouted Yeldin. Sode at the next table turned to the side of drunk friends, near whom the waitress was already busy. Somehow, after eating, the friends got up and staggered out of the dining room. Three hundred meters separated the dining room from the officers' hostel. But on their way was the headquarters of the regiment, in which biennials served, and at the door of the headquarters the deputy squadron commander for political affairs, Major Vedernikov, was waiting. The ape- like appearance of this not handsome officer, who differed from this one in that his skin was of some unnatural color, similar in color, rather like a dried tobacco leaf prepared for rolling cigars. Emphasized, neat in wearing a uniform, he always wore a fresh shirt and carefully ironed trousers. The informant reported to the major about two drunken officers who were dining in the dining room.
«And so these are biennials. You can shoot all over the program. But I wonder who is there? " – thought the major with hunting passion, impatiently waiting for his friends. When they appeared in Vedernikov's field of vision, and he saw that they were staggering from side to side, he immediately decided that it was possible to play on this and, finally, the generals would notice him. Yeldin was the first to see danger among slender poplars and a clean swept area.
– There, Major. Go smoother.
– And I don't give a damn, – Vitaly suddenly took courage. Truly, truly – a drunken sea knee- deep. Vedernikov was delighted to see who was coming:
“Oh, so this is a civilian doctor. Fedorov did not want to accept them for nothing. This is another plus for me, the general dislikes the doctor, so much the better,” he said out loud: – Comrades! Come to me! Vitaly, with a dim gaze, looked around the major, vaguely distinguishing the monkey's figure: “Like a chimpanzee in a military uniform, that's a freak. Fuck it …”, – said out loud: – Ah, – waving his hand as if from an annoying fly. Yeldin, cowardly, leveled off, depicting a sober, walked past the major in silence. In Vedernikov's head, from such impudent disregard, sparks of fierce hatred flared up towards this educated "brat" who dared him, a career officer, to ignore the order: "Ah well! Well, wait, brat, you’ll dance with me”, – hatred swept through my mind. Vedernikov remembered his wife's betrayal, with such young and beautiful officers. How he suffered then, because of this, because of his appearance. He recalled the service in China, where they trained Chinese comrades on MG- 21 planes. How he almost drowned his suffering in booze and opium. And how he was saved by one Chinese man, martial arts master "Wushu" Jing Wu. He explained, then, to a young and ardent lieutenant that Wushu is not only hand- to- hand fighting techniques, but also fortitude, having mastered this art, a person can achieve the intended goal in everything. Vedernikov actually came into his hands with a saving panacea for everything, from his monkey appearance, from failures with women, and from lack of confidence in his puny physical strength. And he began to walk on classes, lead a strict, military schedule, an ascetic way of life. The girl, whom he then courted, after a divorce from a walking wife, gave her heart to another, broad- shouldered handsome senior lieutenant Sapsay. They studied together at the Chernigov Flight School and now served together in China. Dasha, the daughter of the captain of the regiment's quartermaster service, stopped looking even in his direction and only agreed to a date if Sapsay was with them. So the humiliated and gloomy Vedernikov wandered after them through the streets of Shanghai, sighing in despair and hopelessness. And, when he already doubted Wushu's