Alena Medvedeva
Masks. The illusion of transformation
“The meeting of two personalities is like the contact of two chemical substances: if there is even the slightest reaction, both elements change.”
Tiredly pinching the bridge of my nose, I realized what had pulled me out of my state of concentrated work. Call signal. Someone wanted to communicate with me, and insistently. The fact itself is amazing. My colleagues are still as busy as I am, my mother has flown to Mars on yet another educational mission, I have basically no friends, and are somehow lost on the path of life. So it was a mistake to call?
Having activated the reception, I was amazed. We were not mistaken...
Inna? - I hesitantly clarified, peering into the vaguely familiar face of the woman.
Logically, if my school friend was ten years older, then... exactly Inna.
You will not know? - the reality of long-standing memories, greatly enriched, giggled in response. - Four children. Unfortunately, there is not a moment of peace or time for oneself either. But you haven't changed at all. Even the glasses are the same! I never understood why you wear them? Is it really impossible to buy permanent lenses and forget about your vision problem forever? I wish I had such blue eyes, I would use them to signal semaphores... And my hair would be exactly the same light color repainted it. You've matured by ten years, but you still haven't understood the main thing. With your dark ones - you are an ordinary woman, albeit with blue eyes, and if you were blonde... You would have gotten married long ago!
Four? Blonde? Married? I got lost. It seemed like school was just a short time ago. And now there are four children. And for me, I have no one to call - no husband, no children.
Why are you silent? Inna, everything is correct. Strugova Inna, she once was. I barely found your contacts. None of my classmates had them, so I had to request them through the general information database. And it was difficult to find out. My husband has a good acquaintance in the statistical service, but otherwise you are undercover and your contacts will not be revealed to a simple request.
Logical. I'm a historian. And those who know about the past of the Earth are not only limited in their contacts, but are invisibly looked after by various departments.
“I... uh... I have three higher education degrees,” she said and she herself realized how pitiful it sounded, somehow even justifiable...
And which ones? - It was obvious from Inna’s face that she asked out of politeness.
“Historian, psychologist and fundamentals of medicine,” she answered automatically.
What about family? - the communication became too substantive in nature and even looked like an interrogation, while its purpose was still unclear.
And in general it somehow became uncomfortable. What happens if I don’t have four children and a parasite husband, does that mean I’m somehow wrong? And what about the fact that I devoted almost 10 years to education and scientific work? And what I know is that people on Earth did not always live in the same type of residential blocks, of which any metaplastic dome city now consisted, connected to others by the same network of completely closed transport tunnels, that once our ancestors moved freely on the surface of the planet, on which there were so many plants that they even walked on them and there was water...
No! - I answered sharply. - It’s still early, and I haven’t yet met someone with whom I would want... children.
I faltered on the last sentence. This was a little different from what I wanted from life, but Inna would understand it more clearly.
“I see,” for some reason she expressed understanding with sympathy in her voice. - And I told you back in high school - don’t miss Pashka Matveev. After all, what kind of guy was he? Captain of the school skalet team. You should have gotten pregnant right away and got him married! Surely there would be enough of their own by now.
The statement shocked me. Not only was I forever disappointed in Pashka upon close contact, but also the fact that he left me in the end was perceived by Inna as my fatal mistake. Yes, once upon a time I, along with my classmates, watching Pavel proudly fly past the school stands on his skaer, sighed hopelessly, desperately dreaming that he would turn his attention to me. And, oddly enough, he did. And we met... not for long. But having become convinced of the completely empty and selfish nature hiding behind the external charm, I realized how mistaken I was in my desire to be noticed by him. And while I was painfully difficult, wanting not to cause irreparable offense, choosing words in order to tactfully end our relationship, he simply presented me with a fait accompli by starting to date someone else.
It was still a little offensive, so when I heard Inna’s incredible thought, I even winced.
“May I have time to have a family and children,” I objected. “I’m thirty, I still have sixty years left for this.” But at the same time, unlike you, I know that the Earth was once alive! There were so many bodies of water that people even bathed and washed in the water! There were also hundreds of plant species. Can you imagine, hundreds! And there were no less animals. And generally speaking…
“Hush,” a classmate interrupted the manifestation of my professional obsession, somehow nervously looking over her shoulder, “if someone else hears it, they’ll think that I’m one of these… well, one of the gardeners….
I choked. After all, I was one of them. Unable to control the desire to learn new things, to miss the opportunity to observe the miracle herself, three years ago, on duty, she found herself in the holy of holies of the earthly scientific department - in the storage of seed and gene samples, she stole three seeds of some ancient plant called “dill”! Of course, it’s a shame to realize that I was capable of such an act, especially since it was a clear violation of the law. But then, noticing these three tiny seeds, dropped out of careless clumsiness by an employee of the department, she could not restrain herself and, quickly brushing them into a handkerchief, squeezed it in her palms. And she stuffed her clenched palm into her pocket for safety. And so I kept it there the entire time I visited the storage facility, constantly nervously expecting that now the scanner would detect me and recognize my loss...
It’s scary to remember how I suffered later, how I searched for soil for him. Early in the morning, under the cover of darkness that had not yet melted, I met with an illegal reseller, to whom I gave a week’s worth of water vouchers for a small bag of real land. How then she walked home, under the cover of a raincoat, clutching her most valuable burden and was insanely afraid that they would stop now and check then... How then, at home, with the delight of a child who had received a long-awaited gift, she examined this soil, closing her eyes and concentrating on such an unfamiliar tactile sensation of contact with something real, natural... I felt it, fingered it. I couldn’t even imagine where the resellers got the land from. Possibly smuggling from Venus.
In any case, all my fears and even the pangs of dehydration, when I was left without a sip of water for three days, were not comparable to the delight that I experienced when the first shoots broke through to the surface of this priceless soil. Alive! The present living plant! Seventeen generations of my ancestors had not heard of this, but I... I could see them, touch them, observe them... At least secretly.
There were persistent rumors that there was a certain secret society of “gardeners”, a group of scientists and people simply not indifferent to the issue, who were attempting to revive the planet, try to revive it. But they were outlawed. The government feared that such free-thinking, if given the opportunity to “ferment” among the masses, would inevitably lead to unrest and a desire to change the existing structure. And so... over the centuries everything has settled down, somehow settled down. Generation after generation, growing up in closed plastic “worlds” devoid of life, eating synthesized food, every morning listening intently to the news about the water index rate, could not imagine that it was possible to live any other way, did not feel the need for change. A person gets used to everything and adapts to everything. However, the Martians were even less lucky, so the earthlings, if you look at it, had no reason to complain.
Why were you looking for me? - although not entirely polite, I didn’t want to waste time on empty conversation
So there will be a reunion of graduates, so I thought that you would want to come too...
Wow! - I got lost. - Well, I have nothing to brag about there. You understand, there are no four children! - Out of surprise, the answer sounded too harsh.
But the mere thought that I will find myself again surrounded by...seemingly long-gone disappointments, will again plunge into the already forgotten past of cramming, will listen to Inna's stories about her four offspring, catch sympathetic and malicious glances, will see Pavel... brrr. No, the idea of meeting with classmates did not arouse enthusiasm.
Can you tell us about... your work? - Inna also suggested not very confidently.
There was a lot to talk about! I had success, and I was incredibly proud of what I had already been able to achieve. At the age of thirty, I was considered a completely competent specialist in the field of the history of the Earth and the allied planets Mars and Venus, or rather Verley, as it was correctly called. If, in relation to the red planet, our earthly name was fixed and took root even in space, then the Verlians categorically did not allow any alternative options. This was apparently due to the fact that only a couple of hundred Martians themselves remained - the descendants of those who survived the death of their civilization on the orbital space station, but Verleya with its intelligent humanoid appearance remained the last living and full-fledged world in our star system. It was on the Verlirians that both we and the Martians depended, receiving from this planet many of the resources necessary for life, and the most basic of them - water!
Masks. The illusion of delusion Alena Medvedeva
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Title: Masks. The illusion of delusion
About the book “Masks. The illusion of delusions" Alena Medvedeva
Met a man from another planet? Fell in love? This happens to one in a million. What's next? The candy-bouquet period is over, it’s time to take off your rose-colored glasses and look for the answer to the question: do you have a chance for a future together? And this is where the unexpected surprises begin.
The Universes didn't agree? What! Nonsense - let's get used to it!
Is there a global problem in your past? Little things in life - let's change the past!
Can you become parents? This is a problem. But we will overcome it too!
What if you still can’t be together in this world? We'll have to change the world! When love is mutual, no obstacles can stand in its way.
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Alena Medvedeva
MASKS. ILLUSION OF MISCONCEPTION
Verlian undersea base
Three men, hovering near the plastic shell, inside of which there was a girl immersed in sleep, were silent, pondering the upcoming conversation. It was urgent to decide what to do with her next.
We need to eliminate him,” Torio decided to break the pause. “I don’t understand why this wasn’t done right away, like with that earthling who escaped from the dome.
Nier was still thinking about what he should do: report the violation to the Council of the Higher or allow his friend and like-minded person to complete his plan? Today events took the most incredible turn: Orino violated the fundamental principle of the keeper of time for the sake of his place. What would Nier have done in his place? He did not know the answer, and this prevented him from making a final decision. The ideal solution would be the death of the girl, which is what he tried to convince Orino of.
Then block the memory? - Torio continued dejectedly, peering questioningly into the faces of his interlocutors. And then he himself doubted the effectiveness of this measure. - But this will not give a complete guarantee. Too deep a layer of memories has been touched. Something may stir them up and she will remember everything. And why such efforts? Woman no longer exists for contemporaries. She will not adapt to reality if we decide to return her.
No,” Orino finally condescended to answer. The Verlian's thoughtful gaze was fixed on Regina's face, and his voice sounded casual. He knew that they would not disobey him here.
Why? - Torio did not understand the reasons for such, as it seemed to him, unreasonable stubbornness.
The limit of exposure has been exhausted,” Nier again explained to the perplexed physician with a bit of irony. - Orino was too carried away by his capabilities. Now any interference with her memory or other processes of consciousness can lead to the most unexpected consequences, or maybe... it won’t. But the risk that she will turn into a mindless individual is too great. I am also for liquidation.
Excluded. - Orino waved his palm in displeasure.
He himself invited his brothers to discuss the issue of Regina’s future. But now he was irritated by their obvious reluctance to take into account his interest in this earthly girl. Both interlocutors stubbornly sought to get rid of the dugout as just an annoying nuisance.
This is a threat to disrupt the entire earthly project,” Torio tried to reason with him. “Now she has no place among her own people, and we can’t keep her in hibernation until death either.” An earthly woman has no place in this time.
“I can isolate her,” Orino promised confidently. “In this condition, I will deliver her to my base, where she will remain after waking up, hidden from everyone in a special room that she will never leave. Will this calm you down?
But she will remember everything! - Torio could not contain his emotions. - Why such difficulties?! Let's just convince her to die now, that's all.
“I still need her,” Orino replied wearily. - And I can guarantee that the girl is not a threat to the future.
Alena Medvedeva
Masks. The illusion of delusion
© Medvedeva A. V., 2017
© Decoration, "Publishing house Alfa-book", 2017
* * *Verlian undersea base
Three men, hovering near the plastic shell, inside of which there was a girl immersed in sleep, were silent, pondering the upcoming conversation. It was urgent to decide what to do with her next.
“We need to liquidate,” Torio decided to break the pause. “I don’t understand why this wasn’t done right away, like with that earthling who escaped from the dome.
Nier was still thinking about what he should do: report the violation to the Council of the Higher or allow his friend and like-minded person to complete his plan? Today events took the most incredible turn: Orino violated the fundamental principle of the keeper of time for the sake of his place. What would Nier have done in his place? He did not know the answer, and this prevented him from making a final decision. The ideal solution would be the death of the girl, which is what he tried to convince Orino of.
– Then block the memory? – Torio continued dejectedly, peering questioningly into the faces of his interlocutors. And then he himself doubted the effectiveness of this measure. – But this will not give a complete guarantee. Too deep a layer of memories has been touched. Something may stir them up and she will remember everything. And why such efforts? Woman no longer exists for contemporaries. She will not adapt to reality if we decide to return her.
“No,” Orino finally condescended to answer. The Verlian's thoughtful gaze was fixed on Regina's face, and his voice sounded casual. He knew that they would not disobey him here.
- Why? – Torio did not understand the reasons for such, as it seemed to him, unreasonable stubbornness.
“The limit of influence has been exhausted,” Nier again explained to the perplexed physician with a bit of irony. – Orino was too carried away by his capabilities. Now any interference with her memory or other processes of consciousness can lead to the most unexpected consequences, or maybe... it won’t. But the risk that she will turn into a mindless individual is too great. I am also for liquidation.
- Excluded. – Orino waved his palm in displeasure.
He himself invited his brothers to discuss the issue of Regina’s future. But now he was irritated by their obvious reluctance to take into account his interest in this earthly girl. Both interlocutors stubbornly sought to get rid of the dugout as just an annoying nuisance.
“This is a threat to disrupt the entire earthly project,” Torio tried to reason with him. “Now she has no place among her own people, and we can’t keep her in hibernation until death either.” An earthly woman has no place in this time.
“I can isolate her,” Orino promised confidently. “In this condition, I will deliver her to my base, where she will remain after waking up, hidden from everyone in a special room that she will never leave. Will this calm you down?
- But she will remember everything! – Torio could not contain his emotions. – Why such difficulties?! Let's just convince her to die now, that's all.
“I still need her,” Orino replied wearily. “And I can guarantee that the girl will not become a threat to the future.” I'll deal with it myself later.
Nier groaned, slapping his hand against his thigh in frustration.
- You're obsessed! It's time to understand that the whole idea of possible conception is impossible. Otherwise this would have happened already! How long have you been trying?
An expression of disgust flashed across the doctor's face. Orino instantly picked himself up and, looking at his friend with a dissatisfied look, explained:
– There are justified reasons for failures, now I know that. Regina used an earthly method to prevent conception.
His interlocutors' faces stretched out in surprise - on Verlinea such birth control was not practiced, natural selection was enough.
“By the way, Torio, I need to remove this substance from her body.” It has a hormonal basis and is effective throughout the year.
The medic shook his tail fin thoughtfully and turned his gaze to the capsule.
– It will take me a couple of hours to identify the hormone. And then I can suggest the composition of the solution for its destruction and remove the decay products.
And then, after a slight hesitation, he suggested, casting a questioning glance at Orino:
– If an earthly woman is needed as a carrier of reproductive material, then you can quickly extract it and carry out artificial insemination...
“I would like to remind you,” Nier abruptly intervened in the conversation, “that there was already one such experimenter who conducted experiments on crossing with earthlings. And we are all aware of their consequences. Don't repeat mistakes. Regina must be eliminated - and all problems will end. And you,” Nier patted Orino on the shoulder, “will calm down and over time you will understand that it was the best way out. Because of this dugout, you are making too serious mistakes.
There was an obvious hint in the last phrase: there is someone to report the fact of interference in the past.
– How would you reason if your nyehs were activated? – Orino growled, piercing his friend with a sharp gaze. – Could you give up the opportunity to get a descendant... now? At the highest level! Smog?!
Nier involuntarily shuddered.
“Perhaps I am not able to understand you.” It’s too incredible to even mentally be in your place. But Chielo? She almost completed the transformation. Soon she will be there and will be able to save you from loneliness. Your obsession with having an heir will pass.
Orino sighed and, ignoring the doctor who was listening to the conversation with curiosity, continued:
– I know what I want, and I am sure that I will get what I want! The risk is minimal. Chielo won't help here. The past crossbreeding experiment did not involve the participation of a superior Verlian. Tiravias took the gene loci of true Verlians as a basis, using them to try to rebuild the DNA of earthlings. I think this is his mistake. He sought to create earthlings like us - superior. Believed that this would lead to the discovery of greater potential in their consciousness. It will accelerate their natural development and our rapprochement.
– Don’t stoop to such comparisons! – Nier protested, interrupting Orino. – Earthlings are a flawed species by nature. They are a failed experiment, a mistake. They exist, essentially, in spite of everything. And it's yours strange desire, your goal is a child born of an earthly woman... Terrestrial woman, think about it! This is unnatural.
– This will not be widespread. One cub is enough for me,” Orino quickly objected. – We cannot judge something that has never happened. What if Tyravias' idea made sense? The girl's saliva contained the same enzyme as our women. And it just so happened that it was the earthling who awakened my nyahi, triggering the thirst for reproduction. I won't miss this chance. I need a girl - and she will live.
Torio, whose eyes were already wide open at the end of this speech, remarked with a note of exploratory delight in his voice:
- It would be interesting to try. Artificial insemination - and we will get an answer to the question: is this possible? Shall we do it?
Orino remained thoughtfully silent, turning his gaze again to the capsule with the girl. The pause dragged on...
“I guess we should try,” he finally agreed with Torio, “but I’m tormented by fears.” Earthlings are a strangely emotional and suggestible race. They have not come close to realizing the enormous, yet untapped potential of their own minds. They do not understand that with the power of consciousness they can direct any processes in their body, change and rebuild it in any way they want. Why, even re-model your own DNA and thereby improve.
Torio nodded:
- Yes, this is common knowledge. Here lies the main problem of this civilization - earthlings, having mastered only ten percent of the brain, are stuck on this and do not want to move on.
“For some reason it seemed to me that it was precisely in their condition.” ideal conditions“conception will become realistically feasible. Natural! That consciousness mobilizes the processes of the body, and this will affect the positive outcome of the matter.
For a moment, the Verlian closed his eyes, hiding his disappointment from unfulfilled hopes, and then continued:
– I’m not sure that trying artificial insemination will give positive result. The eggs, even remotely, are also subject to the impulses of the earthling’s mind.
- Need to check! – Torio nodded his head again with professional passion.
The girl was no longer perceived by him as a threat. Now he saw in her valuable material for an interesting study.
Nier shrugged his shoulders with feigned indifference, clearly making it clear that he considered the idea a failure, and Orino again plunged into silent thoughts.
- Let's try! – in the end, after some time, he said decisively. – While we are cleaning up the traces of the incident here, there is time and... opportunity.
Alena Medvedeva
Masks. The illusion of delusion
© Medvedeva A. V., 2017
© Artistic design, Alfa-Kniga Publishing House, 2017
* * *Verlian undersea base
Three men, hovering near the plastic shell, inside of which there was a girl immersed in sleep, were silent, pondering the upcoming conversation. It was urgent to decide what to do with her next.
“We need to liquidate,” Torio decided to break the pause. “I don’t understand why this wasn’t done right away, like with that earthling who escaped from the dome.
Nier was still thinking about what he should do: report the violation to the Council of the Higher or allow his friend and like-minded person to complete his plan? Today events took the most incredible turn: Orino violated the fundamental principle of the keeper of time for the sake of his place. What would Nier have done in his place? He did not know the answer, and this prevented him from making a final decision. The ideal solution would be the death of the girl, which is what he tried to convince Orino of.
– Then block the memory? – Torio continued dejectedly, peering questioningly into the faces of his interlocutors. And then he himself doubted the effectiveness of this measure. – But this will not give a complete guarantee. Too deep a layer of memories has been touched. Something may stir them up and she will remember everything. And why such efforts? Woman no longer exists for contemporaries. She will not adapt to reality if we decide to return her.
“No,” Orino finally condescended to answer. The Verlian's thoughtful gaze was fixed on Regina's face, and his voice sounded casual. He knew that they would not disobey him here.
- Why? – Torio did not understand the reasons for such, as it seemed to him, unreasonable stubbornness.
“The limit of influence has been exhausted,” Nier again explained to the perplexed physician with a bit of irony. – Orino was too carried away by his capabilities. Now any interference with her memory or other processes of consciousness can lead to the most unexpected consequences, or maybe... it won’t. But the risk that she will turn into a mindless individual is too great. I am also for liquidation.
- Excluded. – Orino waved his palm in displeasure.
He himself invited his brothers to discuss the issue of Regina’s future. But now he was irritated by their obvious reluctance to take into account his interest in this earthly girl. Both interlocutors stubbornly sought to get rid of the dugout as just an annoying nuisance.
“This is a threat to disrupt the entire earthly project,” Torio tried to reason with him. “Now she has no place among her own people, and we can’t keep her in hibernation until death either.” An earthly woman has no place in this time.
“I can isolate her,” Orino promised confidently. “In this condition, I will deliver her to my base, where she will remain after waking up, hidden from everyone in a special room that she will never leave. Will this calm you down?
- But she will remember everything! – Torio could not contain his emotions. – Why such difficulties?! Let's just convince her to die now, that's all.
“I still need her,” Orino replied wearily. “And I can guarantee that the girl will not become a threat to the future.” I'll deal with it myself later.
Nier groaned, slapping his hand against his thigh in frustration.
- You're obsessed! It's time to understand that the whole idea of possible conception is impossible. Otherwise this would have happened already! How long have you been trying?
An expression of disgust flashed across the doctor's face. Orino instantly picked himself up and, looking at his friend with a dissatisfied look, explained:
– There are justified reasons for failures, now I know that. Regina used an earthly method to prevent conception.
His interlocutors' faces stretched out in surprise - on Verlinea such birth control was not practiced, natural selection was enough.
“By the way, Torio, I need to remove this substance from her body.” It has a hormonal basis and is effective throughout the year.
The medic shook his tail fin thoughtfully and turned his gaze to the capsule.
– It will take me a couple of hours to identify the hormone. And then I can suggest the composition of the solution for its destruction and remove the decay products.
And then, after a slight hesitation, he suggested, casting a questioning glance at Orino:
– If an earthly woman is needed as a carrier of reproductive material, then you can quickly extract it and carry out artificial insemination...
“I would like to remind you,” Nier abruptly intervened in the conversation, “that there was already one such experimenter who conducted experiments on crossing with earthlings. And we are all aware of their consequences. Don't repeat mistakes. Regina must be eliminated - and all problems will end. And you,” Nier patted Orino on the shoulder, “will calm down and over time you will understand that this was the best way out.” Because of this dugout, you are making too serious mistakes.
There was an obvious hint in the last phrase: there is someone to report the fact of interference in the past.
– How would you reason if your nyehs were activated? – Orino growled, piercing his friend with a sharp gaze. – Could you give up the opportunity to get a descendant... now? At the highest level! Smog?!
Nier involuntarily shuddered.
“Perhaps I am not able to understand you.” It’s too incredible to even mentally be in your place. But Chielo? She almost completed the transformation. Soon she will be there and will be able to save you from loneliness. Your obsession with having an heir will pass.
Orino sighed and, ignoring the doctor who was listening to the conversation with curiosity, continued:
– I know what I want, and I am sure that I will get what I want! The risk is minimal. Chielo won't help here. The past crossbreeding experiment did not involve the participation of a superior Verlian. Tiravias took the gene loci of true Verlians as a basis, using them to try to rebuild the DNA of earthlings. I think this is his mistake. He sought to create earthlings like us - superior. Believed that this would lead to the discovery of greater potential in their consciousness. It will accelerate their natural development and our rapprochement.
– Don’t stoop to such comparisons! – Nier protested, interrupting Orino. – Earthlings are a flawed species by nature. They are a failed experiment, a mistake. They exist, essentially, in spite of everything. And this is your strange desire, your goal is a child born of an earthly woman... Terrestrial woman, think about it! This is unnatural.
– This will not be widespread. One cub is enough for me,” Orino quickly objected. – We cannot judge something that has never happened. What if Tyravias' idea made sense? The girl's saliva contained the same enzyme as our women. And it just so happened that it was the earthling who awakened my nyahi, triggering the thirst for reproduction. I won't miss this chance. I need a girl - and she will live.
