Great. Now just try to prove that 'Warlock' have only drilled a hole for us and then died peacefully as any decent legalized virus should. Even if to surrender the source code to the police, nobody would take a risk to acquit me. Who knows how could 'Warlock' interfere with "Labyrinth"'s virtual space?
– Shit, – I whisper.
– Is it bad? – asks Unfortunate.
– Much worse.
I pull my hand over the girl's shoulder, grab a phone from the dashboard and dial Guillermo's number.
– Now you can see the appearance that was used by suspects in "Labyrinth", – informs Jordan, – We offer these individuals to arrive to Deeptown Security Department voluntarily. I would also request anybody who knows these individuals to contact me.
Our portraits flash up in the sky, then me and Unfortunate are demonstrated full height and in motion.
Looks impressive, especially when I cut off Dick's head with the lash.
– Assholes, – I mumble ungluing myself from the window.
Connection establishes in around 10 seconds.
– Hello! { in Engl }
– Hi Willy, – I say quickly, – How should I understand that?
A pause.
– Ah! Gunslinger? Where are you?
– In a car.
I don't risk, the knocked off transportation program doesn't report its location.
– A misunderstanding have happened, – says Guillermo quickly, – Come here, we'll fix everything.
– Drop your charges first.
Willy sighs:
– Gunslinger, this is not in my… aaa… powers.
– Too bad. I'll call you later. – I promise and put the phone back.
We approach the brothel and a new problem arises – what to do with a car? It's not the easiest task to destroy the program completely. If I let it go – Deep Transit would restore control over it sooner or later and will figure out our route.
I'll have to get help from Deep-Transit itself…
I take a box with an emerald beetle from my pocket, put the glasses on, then command:
– Unfortunate, get out.
I exit the car after him, throw the dumb insect inside and shut the door. The result follows immediately.
Deep-Transit doesn't guard its cars too well preferring to tolerate small pranks like my free and undocumented rides, but they mercilessly crush any attempts to penetrate into their servers. It's impossible to defeat their security with primitive programs such as the beetle.
The cab dims and dissolves in the air – the comm channel was chopped off at the very first attempt of the beetle to crawl into the foreign computer.
– Let's go, – I poke Unfortunate slightly and grab his hand. If there are any customers in the lobby now – we're in deep trouble. But we are lucky
– it's nobody there, even the guard is missing.
– This is brothel, – I inform Unfortunate just in case, – You can browse the albums.
He shakes his head.
– Why I'm not surprised? Follow me…
We almost run along the corridor. I expect employees to look from behind the doors again but it's absolutely silent. Nobody around at all! As if the brothel died.
I push the door into Vika's room prepared for that she'll not be there either. Unfortunate hesitates behind my back.
– May I congratulate you Leonid? – asks Vika in an icy voice.
It's so clean in the hut as if no earthquake had ever happened. I don't know about others but I usually make such a cleaning being in the lousiest mood only. A little boombox have appeared on the table, Vika have changed, now she's dressed in gray jeans and a jersey of the same color.
And also, she expects my explanations if to judge from her tone.
– You have heard the commissar?
– Who haven't? – Vika rises and I pad back hurriedly. When the woman is mad, the man better not to resist. – So you've saved your… friend. Have he saved you guy?
Unfortunate shrugs smiling, and Vika slows down a little.
– What is your name?
– Unfortunate.
– Um-hm. So listen here pal, don't take your chances, just stay by the window and be silent!
Unfortunate submits and Vika moves towards me. Oh, the wrong personality have she chosen for that – it's Madam's manner.
– So, you've saved… So you've fucked Al-Kabar and "Labyrinth"…
– Vika, they're lying! – I say hurriedly, – 'Warlock-9000' is a local virus, it conforms to Convention's standards!
– And do they lie about the diver too? – shouts Vika, and I finally understand what exactly did piss her off, – Do they? Or somebody else is lying?… somebody else!
I don't have a big experience in getting slaps in the face, I hold the aching cheek and stand still as a pole. Unfortunate obediently looks into the window but obviously he could hear the sound well.
– Diver? – Vika is still boiling, – Diver? And I was so damned stupid to offer you help! Couldn't you tell me that you're diver yourself?
– No, – I whisper.
– Why? You don't trust me?
I'd never believe that God created a woman from Adam's rib. Never, as well as in that the man was created from clay, but of the different sort.
The reasons we find for becoming mad are too different.
– I thought I could lose you.
– And so you… – starts Vika and silences.
– It's impossible to love somebody who sees the Deep without illusions. I know Vika, I tried to uncover before. It… always happens. You would start to hate me. Imperceptibly. You wouldn't even notice what had happened…
I keep talking, already knowing that it's over. We might stay friends but nothing more. No woman in the world would love somebody who sees her face as a mesh of color pixels.
– Yes, I had to tell you, – I whisper, – Immediately. I'm sorry, I couldn't. Would you ever have a nerve to confess that you're diver?
Vika stays silent, there are tears in her eyes that don't really exist. There's a wall between us, from now on and forever.
– No, – she says quietly, – I couldn't either. I… didn't want to lose you.
I think I went crazy.
So what if I hug her tightly and there's no wall between us?
– My work… it's because of it. It's too disgusting when everything is for real. I don't know how it happened… it was too dirty… I was scared and had fallen from the Deep…
– We say – surfaced…
– Surfaced…
Unfortunate looks at the mountains, he's a great guy, he can strand like this all day.
– I always surface. That's why I always take the worst freaks, because I don't care…
I have a question that I'll never ask but Vika answers herself:
– There, by the river I didn't exit… for the first time in my life. Honest.
I believe her as all men from the beginning of times do.
Only our faith becomes the truth in this world.
111
Vika makes coffee and even Unfortunate cheers up a little. We sit down around the table, fresh cream is in the small pitcher, a pile of white sugar is in the sugar bowl, the full bottle of Ahtamar waits for its turn. Though, Vika pours the cognac into cups immediately.
– For your success, Lenia, – she says.
– Such successes are cheap, – I reply.
– Why?
– Net-wide search.
– So what?
– I'll have to leave. This personality is exposed and Gunslinger was seen here.
– By whom? – Vika says as if she doesn't understand all complexity of the situation. – By my girls?
– By them too.
– They won't tell anybody. Or do you think that virtual prostitutes are loyal to the powers of this world? You know, we had seen them all without pants… corporations' directors and companies' presidents. The people who usually lash the woman before going to bed don't evoke any pity.
– According to you they are all perverts.
– Sure not, – Vika smiles, – But these are the guests that are remembered. None of our girls would squeal on Gunslinger. All the more that you never made orgies and weren't disgusted to sit with us.