(C) Vladislav Voshchenikin
(C) Music D.J. Music
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│ ──── Egor Demin - "Black Beret" ──── │
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(from the game "SABOTEUR")
O'Brien was running through the dark alleys of Bangkok, glancing around nervously every few seconds. "Damn," he thought, "I've gotten myself into a mess, and now I have to deal with it... Getting caught in the web of the Dragon himself! Now the Swede will have to cough up! I'll make him pay... If I survive," O'Brien suddenly thought with despair. Unexpectedly, he saw a shadow behind him, persistently following him. "That's it," O'Brien thought, "if these are the Dragon's people, my life isn't worth a dime." O'Brien ran ahead, then suddenly turned into a dark alley and hid. The person who was following him almost passed by but immediately returned and began to peer intently into the darkness of the alley. O'Brien held his breath. The man pulled a gun from his waistband and cautiously stepped into the shadows. O'Brien struck his arm with the edge of his palm with all his might, then grabbed his arm in a "lock," yanked it sharply, and the man fell to the ground with a scream. O'Brien immediately twisted his arm and pressed the man's own gun to the back of his head:
- Talk, you bastard, who do you work for! - O'Brien barked and pulled the arm even higher, causing him to scream: - Come on, you bastard, spill it!
- For the Swede, - the man gasped, writhing in pain, - for the Swede, I swear...
- Then why were you chasing me with a gun?
- Just in case you decided not to come to the boss and tried to run away...
O'Brien thought for a moment and released the Swede's man's arm. He quickly jumped to his feet and said:
- The Swede said to come to him.
- Go to hell, first the money...
- The Swede wants to reward you himself...
- Alright, fine, let's go, but the gun stays with me for now.
...The Swede and the Dragon were the most prominent figures among drug suppliers in the region. Some time ago, they had a serious falling out over a large shipment of heroin, and during that war, the dead were counted in dozens and hundreds. Recently, they had concluded a truce, but the Swede was not satisfied with a competitor in the market he considered his own, and he hired the famous programmer Gerald O'Brien to dig into the Dragon's computer network. What this Irishman uncovered was a gift for the Swede: the addresses of all the middlemen, warehouses with goods, and finally, the personal account numbers of the Dragon in Swiss banks...
- You have the diskette with you? - his companion's voice pulled O'Brien from his thoughts.
- Of course.
- Great, want to smoke?
- Sure, - O'Brien lit up, coughed, - damn, strong cigarettes.
- Of course, - his companion Gerald readily agreed, - I added the best poison in Thailand to them.
- You... - O'Brien pulled the gun from his pocket, but couldn't raise it: everything swam before his eyes, and the last thing O'Brien saw in his life was the Dragon's man leisurely walking towards the port...
... - Thus, the qualitative difference between the BTR-80A and older models lies, first of all, in the design of the turret, - Captain Demin looked around at the shorn guys - future marines, - who can tell me what it is? One of the cadets raised his hand, wanting to explain, but was interrupted by the arrival of the duty officer:
- Comrade Captain, you are urgently called by Rear Admiral Skobolev!
Demin reluctantly got up from his place and said:
- Sergeant Litvinenko, finish the class without me.
- Yes, sir!
On the way, Demin recalled all his old and new sins before God and the Charter and couldn't find anything for which he could be called to the formidable chief of the special department of the Pacific Fleet. Of all the incidents, only one came to the captain's mind: a grand beating of some "new Russians" in one of the restaurants in Vladivostok. "They should give medals for this," Demin thought: the thing was that the aforementioned businessmen had behaved rather freely with Demin and his wife, and then expressed themselves several times in the style of "I'll betray my homeland for a thousand greens," after which Demin explicitly suggested the "businessmen" to leave the hall, to which they responded with refusal, hoping for their bodyguard "wardrobes." That was their main mistake... Result: three "wardrobes" in the hospital, three "businessmen" - the same. "Don't mess with the marines!" - Demin said as a farewell... Now, going to the rear admiral, twenty-six-year-old Egor Demin, a holder of four combat orders (Chechnya), felt like a schoolboy called to the principal.
In the reception of the rear admiral sat Skobolev's aide - an old friend of Egor, senior lieutenant Krot, "Shurik Palych," as everyone called him. Egor immediately rushed to him:
- Sasha, what the hell am I here for?
- A bottle from you, - he winked conspiratorially, - it seems like you might get a "major"!
- Come on, stop talking nonsense!
- I swear, Goshka, I heard it myself! When have I ever lied to you!?
It was true - Krot never lied. Even when it was to the detriment of his own interests and even his career. He was painfully honest, this "Shurik Palych" - apparently, that's why Skobolev took him as his aide.
- The head of the intelligence department is there, and some captain-submariner: they are in a meeting. - Krot had no right to disclose information. But, firstly, Demin was his best friend, secondly, he was the best scout in the fleet, and thirdly, he himself would find out everything in a minute...
- Has Demin arrived? - a voice from the intercom called out.
- Yes, comrade rear admiral!
- Bring him in!
- Yes, sir! - Krot switched off the intercom, - Descent, go! - he jokingly ordered.
- Get lost, - Egor said and entered the office.
Demin entered the office, and wanted to report, but the rear admiral waved his hand and said:
- Come in, captain, sit down. This is Captain 1st Rank Razumovsky, - Skobolev nodded towards the head of the intelligence department, - and this is the commander of the submarine "Seal," captain 2nd rank Yezhikov.
- Yes, we are acquainted, - Demin smiled and nodded to Yezhikov.
...Demin met Yezhikov during one of the combat operations in the South China Sea, where Egor, then a senior lieutenant, participated in the destruction of a Chinese pirate base (the USSR had just joined "INTERPOL"), and Yezhikov's submarine picked up Demin's platoon from an island that was mined and nearly exploded - Demin and Yezhikov stopped the "hellish machine" literally half a second before the explosion...
- Listen here, captain, - said Skobolev, - I reviewed your file. It says you understand computers. Is that true?
- If it says so, then it is true.
- Very good. We called you for this reason: have you heard of a certain Swede?
- One of the mafia leaders in Bangkok, and also heads the pirates in the western part of the Pacific Ocean, - Demin recited from memory his file.
- Not bad, and have you heard of a gentleman named Dragon?
- The main competitor of the Swede in the drug market, but recently they seem to have come to an agreement...
- Correct, - the head of the intelligence department joined the conversation, - and now they are trying to break into our Far East market, particularly in Primorye... Have you thought about how and why the Dragon suddenly started working with the Swede?
- Come on, Mikhail Alekseevich, tell us, - Skobolev urged him...
- The Swede has some compromising material on the Dragon, and it's stored in the Swede's computer. - Razumovsky continued, - Now do you understand, Demin, what you need to do?
- Infiltrate the Swede's residence and steal the data?! - Demin exclaimed, - but there must be a code that would take a lifetime to crack!
- Calm down... For quick access, the computer responds to the Swede's fingerprint. - With these words, Razumovsky handed Egor a plastic bag, - You'll tear it open when needed. Inside is a piece of cellophane, you'll wear it on your finger: the sensor also reacts to body heat...
- And one more thing, - said Rear Admiral Skobolev, - first of all, the villa is located by the sea. You can't approach from the land at all - you'll understand when you study the map. The submarine will drop you thirty miles from the shore, so you'll go the rest of the way by motorboat. But that's not all: three miles from the shore, you'll have to ditch the motor from the boat: there's a metal detector barrier along the bottom... Got it?
- I can't take anything metal... What about weapons?
- That's why we chose you - you alone can do this without weapons... However, we have one thing that will come in handy, - with these words, Skobolev took out some strange knife from a safe, - made of special polymers, cuts just as well as a real one...
- And you don't have a plastic automatic lying around? - Demin joked gloomily, - or a grenade of some kind?
- Jester... And just to make you even happier, I'll say that you'll have to sink the boat five hundred meters from the shore and swim the rest of the way. Is everything clear?
Demin stood up:
- I'm ready.
- Good luck, captain!
Two days later, a submarine without identifying marks surfaced near one of the islands of the Philippine archipelago for a few minutes and then submerged again. On one of the nearby islands, a man sitting at the radar screen cursed and muttered:
- These whales, how tiresome they are - and they look just like submarines...
The pilot of a small "Bell-206" helicopter, flying nearby, expressed himself in a similar manner. And no one noticed the small rubber boat that detached from the "whale" and swiftly sped toward the shore, leaving a foamy trail behind it.
Demin followed all the orders from his superiors: first, he ditched the motor, then sank the boat. He silently swam toward the shore, thinking about how good it was that it wasn't the Arctic Ocean. Ahead, a small wooden pier appeared. Demin thought: "Seems like a rich man, but he can't spare money for a concrete pier..."
Demin swam to the dock and grabbed one of the posts. He was about to climb up when he heard a guttural voice above him and froze. The man above seemed to be settling in for a long time. "Damn," Egor thought, "I have to take him out: leaving him alive isn't an option." He silently climbed over to the other side of the pier and pounced on the man, pressing a knife to his throat:
- Who are you?
- A guard... Mister, I swear, I'll be quiet, just don't kill me...
He didn't have time to finish: Egor sent the guy to dreamland with a light press to the neck for at least three hours. Demin didn't like unnecessary bloodshed and never killed without extreme necessity... A sound alerted Demin, and he looked around: right in front of him, about three meters away, stood a huge dog, ready to jump. Demin wanted to say something like "good doggy," but the beast, growling, lunged at him. Demin plunged his plastic knife into the beast's chest with a powerful thrust. The dog wheezed but was still alive. The inertia of its leap was so great that Demin lost his balance and fell, holding the dog on the blade of the knife. Egor twisted the knife in the creature's body, and blood poured from its mouth. Demin disgustedly threw the agonizing dog off him and pulled the knife from its body...
...Egor stared at the knife for a long time, not understanding what was missing. Then he realized and almost burst out laughing: the acclaimed knife made of superpolymers broke, unable to withstand the first encounter with an enemy. Demin tossed the broken piece of the knife aside and smirked: one way or another, he was unarmed, and he had work to do. Egor spat and, like a shadow, slipped inside the building.
Once inside, Egor looked around. It was quite bright, and the tempting thought of cutting the electricity crossed Demin's mind. He sighed, realizing that it couldn't be done: it would raise the alarm, and that wasn't part of his plans. He saw a narrow spiral staircase against the far wall. Without thinking long, Egor silently climbed up and saw a small room. Against the far wall, he saw a table and a man in black uniform without insignia, who was sitting at the table and working on a computer. The man had his back to Demin and didn't see him. Egor quietly stepped towards him, but the man seemed to sense something and turned around. He suddenly stood up, pulled out a Smith & Wesson automatic from his waistband, but it was not meant for him to shoot: Egor, rolling towards the opponent, grabbed his arm with the gun, pressed it to himself, and elbowed the enemy in the chin. The opponent's head snapped back, and Demin grabbed the back of his head with one hand and his chin with the other, twisting sharply. There was a crunch of breaking vertebrae, and the man softly slumped to the floor.
Demin quickly searched the desk drawers and found a beautiful hunting knife in one of them, to his delight. He decided not to take the gun, still wary of making unnecessary noise.
Finishing his search, Egor approached the computer. "Thank God, the system is familiar," he thought with relief. He pressed several keys, and a building plan appeared on the screen. "Lord," Demin thought, "couldn't they have built something simpler?" Three minutes passed, and Egor knew exactly where the Central computer was located. Deciding that "a try is not a crime," he requested access to the central system through this computer, but instead of access, he received a response: "Access denied; enter the cancellation code..."
"What cancellation code?" - thought Demin. The system issued another message: "Unauthorized entry into the system. Enter the cancellation code, otherwise the general alarm will be activated..." A countdown appeared on the screen: "10:00," which immediately changed to "09:59," and continued. Demin cursed to himself and dashed towards the staircase. Now he knew exactly where to run. Rushing down the corridor, he noticed a video camera watching him with its lens-eye. Egor couldn't help but give it the middle finger. In response, the camera blinked a red light, and a red beam shot out from its lens. The beam hit Egor in the chest, and he was thrown to the floor. At the same time, Egor felt a strong burning sensation in his chest. He looked down and saw a neat hole burned through his shirt, about two to three centimeters in diameter. "Well, damn," Demin thought, applying burn ointment to his stinging chest, "it fights with energy, the bastard." Skirting under the "camera," Demin turned into a side corridor and saw a door. He approached it and listened. It was quiet behind the door. But as soon as Egor opened it, a huge dog immediately lunged at him. Demin plunged his knife into its ribs with force and flung the dog off the knife like a forkful of hay. Egor turned, ready to face a new opponent, but then something burned his shoulder. At first, Demin thought it was the "spitting camera" again, but felt warm liquid running down his body. His brain immediately switched to searching for the enemy. The enemy, who was a guy in gray uniform, stood at the opposite wall aiming at Egor with an Uzi. Egor estimated the distance: six to seven meters. At that distance, it was hard to do anything. "If only he would come closer," Demin prayed to himself. Apparently, indeed, God is merciful to drunks, fools, and scouts, because the guard, keeping Demin in his sights, slowly began to approach him. Egor kept his eyes fixed on the automatic weapon in the guard's hand and suddenly almost screamed with joy: the guy was holding not an Uzi, but a similar-looking Ingram, which could only fire single shots. That was all Demin needed: he suddenly lunged at the guy's legs. The guard fired, but that didn't concern Egor: the bullet passed above him. The guard was not given a second shot: landing on his hands at the guard's feet, Egor threw his legs around the guard's neck and yanked... Only when the body settled on the floor did Egor remember that he was wounded. In the first aid kit, which he always carried with him, Demin found a syringe-tube with a coagulant and a bandage. The bandaging procedure took about thirty seconds - it was all automated from training and combat experience. And Egor had had to fight... Finishing the bandaging, Demin looked at the clock: he had about seven minutes left. "Alright," Demin thought, "still a whole eternity to spare!" He glanced at the Ingram, which the guy continued to grip even after death, and jumped down the spiral staircase. "I wonder," he thought as he descended, "are there any normal stairs here?" Upon reaching the bottom, he saw a pile of bricks. Deciding that a brick, however, was still a weapon of some sort, Demin took a small piece of brick from the pile, which was more compact than the others, and stuffed it into his pocket. He ran further and saw a wide tunnel leading to rails, on which stood a strange-looking cabin. Without thinking long, or rather, not thinking at all, Demin climbed into this cabin and pressed the button labeled "FORWARD." The cabin shot forward so fast that it slammed Egor against the wall and took his breath away. This lasted for about twenty seconds, then the cabin slowed down and finally stopped. "Lord, what kind of people are these," Demin thought as he exited the cabin, "can't they do anything properly!"
Waiting for him outside the door was a surprise in gray uniform. This time the guard had a real Uzi, which erupted in a burst. Egor barely managed to throw himself to the ground when a fiery deadly stream passed over his head. Demin lunged at the shooter just as he released the trigger, knocked the automatic weapon from the guy's hands, and struck the guard in the bridge of the nose with a "tiger claw" blow. But the guard turned out to be a decent fighter: parrying Demin's blow, he grabbed Egor's arm in a "lock" and threw him to the floor. The guy sat on Egor and began to twist his arm. Egor twisted his body and pinned the guard beneath him, then struck at the base of his skull, putting him to rest forever.
- You should fight in the ring, kid; you would achieve something there, - Demin said aloud to the corpse, - but here you need to be a warrior. Egor looked at the clock: five minutes. "I've relaxed," Demin thought, "that's not good; I might not make it." He ran on and suddenly remembered the scouts' motto: "Success at any cost." Egor smirked. He recalled how, after receiving his rank, he and three of his comrades decided to celebrate their "stars." They sat in one café, then another, then a third, and in the fourth, they were refused entry. "Success at any cost," they said then and... climbed through the toilet window. In the toilet, as luck would have it, was the garrison commander, and so the next place they sat in was the garrison guardhouse... Reflecting on this, Demin didn't look around and headed straight for the target of his mission. On the way, he encountered another dog. Demin killed it with the brick without even stopping.
Climbing up another staircase, he saw a man in gray uniform bent over a table. Egor sneaked up to him and carefully pressed on the "sleep points." "Five seconds - deep unconsciousness, ten seconds - death," Demin recalled the instructor's words, old Finn Lenonen, who had been a top-notch scout in his youth. Demin held his fingers on the "point" for exactly ten seconds...
Egor glanced at the clock again: three minutes. If he didn't hurry, in five minutes the entire security would be here, and at most in an hour, he would no longer be here, Egor Demin. Such a scenario clearly did not suit him, so Egor ran even faster. Here was the required floor: a large hall divided by a partition. Egor didn't notice the guard standing behind an iron cabinet. The guard waited until Egor ran past, stepped out, and calmly, as in a shooting range, shot Egor in the back. The inertia of the shot threw Egor against the very computer he had been so eager to reach. The guard approached Demin's body, smirked, holstered his pistol, and kicked Demin with the toe of his boot...
...That was his main mistake: in an instant, his leg was twisted, a second later he was lying on the floor, and two seconds later he was already dead.
Egor got up, took the packet with the Swede's fingerprint from his pocket, put the piece of cellophane on his finger, overcoming the hellish pain in his back, approached the computer, turned it on, and pressed his finger to the sensor panel. The screen displayed and blinked the message: "Access granted." Demin entered a combination of symbols, and the message changed to "alarm canceled." Only then did Egor notice the numbers "00:02" in the corner of the screen. He leaned back against the wall and quietly smirked.
The pain in his back didn't subside, and only now did it dawn on Egor that with a bullet in his back, he had taken out the guard, gained access to the computer, and done something on it. He carefully felt his back and now laughed for real: the first aid kit, which had saved his life so many times, did it one last time: he always carried it on his belt, and now, when he didn't have his usual naval belt (due to the metal buckle), he had placed the first aid kit in a mini-pack for "trophies." But still, it had stung him a bit: a shard from the first aid kit or the bullet seemed to have grazed his side. Demin bandaged the wound with scraps of bandage, regretting that there was no syringe, which had perished along with the painkiller ampoule. He approached the computer, was about to sit on a chair, but everything swam before his eyes, and Egor lost consciousness.
He lay in complete blackout for about fifteen minutes, then got up and approached the remnants of his first aid kit. Fortunately, the stimulant pill was almost intact, more than half, at least. Egor swallowed it and felt much better. He sat down at the computer and "downloaded" the necessary information in just three minutes: access was as free as clothing on a nudist beach. Finishing his business, Demin was about to shut down the system and leave (for this, he needed to steal a boat, one of those moored at the dock), when he noticed a section in the system catalog titled "Project X1000." Egor became curious about what these "X's" were in the secret network, and he opened the required file. What he saw there made him forget about why he had come here. Now, his primary concern was to destroy the data. He quickly downloaded this data onto several blank diskettes lying around, and suddenly he heard someone fiddling with the lock. Egor cat-like jumped to the dead guard, seated him at the table, took his gun, and hid behind the iron cabinet. The door opened, and a twenty-five-year-old guy in a white coat hurried into the hall with a stack of papers. Judging by his appearance, he was a Japanese with some European blood. He glanced at the dead guard seated at the table and cheerfully said in English:
- Well, Hank, are you still sleeping? I wonder what you were doing last night... For obvious reasons, Hank did not respond. Then the Japanese placed the papers on the table, approached the corpse, and slapped him:
- Wake up, alcoholic... Hey, Hank, what's wrong with you?...
- He's dead, - Egor said in English, silently stepping out from behind the drawer. The Japanese jumped in surprise, wanted to say something, but seeing Egor with the gun in hand, slowly stood up and raised his hands. He trembled with fear and stammered:
- Please, sir, I'm not guilty of anything, I'm just working with the computer... Don't kill me, I haven't done anything wrong...
- Shut up! - Demin snapped at him, - if you play smart, you'll live. Do you know what this "Project X" is?
- I can't, sir, they'll kill me...
- I know what it consists of; I'm interested in whether it's already in operation?
- Yes, sir, but I beg you: don't ask anything, they'll kill me...
- If you don't shut up, I'll kill you myself, - Egor growled through his teeth, - but if you stop whining and tell me everything you know, I'll take you with me!
- To America?! - the Japanese's eyes sparkled.
- Why to America? - Egor was surprised. - But you have a distinctly New York accent, and only Americans can do what you do...
- First of all, my accent is Kostroma, and secondly, Mr. Swede's and Mr. Dragon's activities are of interest to Russia as well.
- So you're Russian?
- I have the honor to be one. Can I somehow contact Vladivostok from here?
- Of course. - The Japanese approached the MAIN COMPUTER, placed his finger on the analyzer panel, typed some combination on the keyboard, and a satellite communication system "drove out" from the wall opposite. Egor approached it, momentarily losing sight of the Japanese. In that instant, a powerful blow with the edge of a palm to the neck threw him to the floor. The second blow hit Demin in the head, and he blacked out.
...When Egor came to, his head was literally splitting. He sat up, leaning against some cabinet, and closed his eyes. The Japanese stood over him, smiling widely. Egor groaned. In reality, he had almost fully regained consciousness, but he didn't want his enemy to know that.
- So, Russian, does your head hurt?
- Go to hell... Dragon...
The Japanese smiled even wider:
- Oh, my Russian friend recognized me... I didn't think my identity was so well-known. He pulled a "Beretta-38" pistol from the pocket of his robe and aimed it at Demin:
- So, Russian, "Project X" is already in action, but your command will never know about it... Until I want it to. By the way, no one will ever hear about the Swede again: I killed him yesterday, just like I will kill you...
He took off his glasses, and Demin was astonished: the Dragon had eyes that could belong to a man of about fifty, although he looked about twenty-five. The Dragon caught Demin's gaze and smiled:
- This is also part of "Project X", but I am actually fifty-three years old. Now, let’s finish our interesting conversation; it’s time for you to die...
- I'm not in a hurry yet, - said Demin, - only after you... With these words, Yegor suddenly thrust his left leg forward and knocked the pistol from the Dragon's hand. The pistol flew far away. Yegor jumped up and barely managed to dodge the Dragon's strike. The Dragon was a fighter of the highest class. But Demin was no slouch either. In his time, even Kaduchnikov noted Demin's excellent level of mastery in hand-to-hand combat. The fight between Demin and the Dragon lasted about ten minutes, at a furious pace. Taekwondo and Russian style clashed in battle. And it was unclear how this confrontation would end if the Dragon hadn't successfully executed a "Mowashi," which staggered Yegor, and then disappeared into a hatch that seemed to come from nowhere. Demin rushed to the hatch, but it had already slammed shut. Yegor cursed and approached the satellite communication console. He fiddled with the settings, put on the headphones, and, not taking his eyes off the door, began to call the base:
- Biologist, Biologist, this is Dolphin. Do you read me?
A distorted voice crackled in his headphones:
- Dolphin, this is Biologist, what do you have?
- Information of immense importance has been discovered in the computer. The Dragon has killed the Swede and is preparing to seize power in the Pacific Ocean basin. He has prepared and begun the implementation of "Project H," during which he first subjugates various outcasts to his power: drug addicts, thugs, and other declassed individuals, then in a laboratory somewhere in the Ocean, coordinates encrypted, he transplants their brains into artificial metal bodies... He is turning people into robots, like in the movie "RoboCop," who can only kill! They are ideal soldiers: they do not know fatigue, hunger, or fear; they have no mercy for the enemy. The "Project" also provides for the possibility of brain transplants from one body to another. The Dragon has also changed his body, so his old photographs can be discarded. He is now about twenty-five years old.
...I request permission to destroy the island: there is plenty of explosives here...
- Dolphin, this is Biologist. I cannot give the "go-ahead": drop everything and return to base...
- Return where? - Demin asked again, - what "to base"? But the voice had already disappeared; Demin kicked the useless console in frustration: of course, he was talking to the Dragon's man, or whatever his name was, Issie Wong. Naturally, the Dragon could not allow the captain to contact the base. Demin shook his head: this Dragon-Wong is cunning...
Demin decided to act at his own risk. Clarifying the exact location of the explosives warehouse with the computer, Yegor moved there. After overcoming several corridors and staircases, he found a dimly lit corridor with a locked door. A guard was dozing near the door: apparently, he had not been warned that there was an enemy in the building. Yegor tiptoed past the fighter when suddenly a thin chain in the guard's hands wrapped around Yegor's neck and began to strangle him. He felt himself choking. From there, his body acted separately from his brain: a strike with both hands to the sides of the opponent made him loosen his grip slightly, and a push with his palms to the chin threw the enemy to the floor. He fell on his back and drew his pistol, but did not have time to shoot: a bullet from the "Beretta-38" shattered the thug's skull into pieces... Demin tossed the Dragon's pistol into his hand and tucked it into his belt: "This will be better." He approached the door and pressed the opening button. The compressed air hissed, but the door did not budge. Could there be another code? - Demin thought - he didn't want to return to the computer again. But no, upon closer inspection of the doors, he found an electrode wedged into the gap between the door and the frame. Demin pulled it out and took it with him just in case: everything is useful in the household. The door opened without any problems, and Demin moved on, rubbing his neck, which burned like fire from the chain. "If you can't strangle, then don't try; why torture yourself and others," - Yegor thought, moving down the corridor. Suddenly, a fighter in gray uniform burst out from the left door. He didn't have time to look around when something whizzed through the air, and a steel rod thrown by Demin pierced his neck. Yegor didn't even stop to inspect the corpse: any moment now, guards could appear...
...Yegor entered the storeroom practically without incident. What he saw inside horrified him with joy: neat rows of boxes filled with TNT, enough to stage a second Pearl Harbor, were connected to a computer network interface. Apparently, such a scenario had been anticipated, and Demin didn't have to invent anything himself. Exiting the armory, he wanted to return the same way he came, but from there came the sound of running feet of fighters approaching. Yegor had to retreat back behind the armored door of the armory. Quickly scanning the shelves, he found a grenade F-1, a "lemon," which was dear to his heart, on one of them. He opened the door and threw the grenade into the corridor. There was an explosion, and then silence. Demin cautiously peeked out and saw that of the six "grays," four had turned into mush, one lay on the floor in a pool of blood, groaning loudly, looking at his legs, which lay separately from his torso, and another was trying to stand, leaning against the wall. Demin ended his attempts with a shot to the back of the "gray." This was all good; the bad thing was that the explosion had collapsed the ceiling, creating an impassable barricade with fallen cabinets. He had to find a new way, and Demin returned to the TNT room. The first thing he did was to firmly block the door, and then, cursing, crawled into the narrow opening of the ventilation hatch.
He crawled through a pipe slightly wider than sixty to seventy centimeters, trying to orient himself. But after fifteen minutes, he realized he was lost. Fortunately, a faint spot of light appeared ahead. He crawled up to it and saw that it was a ventilation grille. Yegor looked through it. Below him, two guards in gray passed by, talking in an incomprehensible language, and then there was silence. Yegor pulled out the grille and silently jumped to the floor. Looking around, Demin saw rows of some long boxes, shaped like coffins but more streamlined. Peering into one of them, Yegor immediately recoiled: there lay a man with an unnaturally pale face, frozen in a mask of horror and pain. In another row were sarcophagi with something that resembled knightly armor. Yegor realized that this was the product of the Dragon's "Project H": half-humans, half-machines, ideal soldiers who only needed energy for batteries and a special drug that helped keep these super-soldiers in check.
Yegor ran out of there and sprinted towards the brain center of this "canning factory," as he had already dubbed it. On the way, he encountered two guards. He emptied a magazine from his "Beretta" into one, and simply killed the second with a blow to the temple...
He dashed into the Main Computer hall and quickly entered the options needed to launch the timer mechanism. Just as he was about to press the enter key, a voice came from behind: "Not so fast, my Russian friend!" Demin turned around. At the door stood the Dragon, along with about ten "grays," who were aiming their AKS-74 at Yegor. Yegor raised his hand over the "ENTER" key, but the Dragon shouted: "I said, don't you dare!" and the guards unmistakably cocked the bolts of their rifles.
The Dragon smiled and spoke:
- Listen, Russian, you did well, but you lost. You almost managed to destroy this island. You turned out to be smarter than I thought: you didn't fall for the radio transmission, you overcame all my soldiers... By the way, this was a good test for them and a good lesson for me - now I won't recruit such amateurs. But you are also wounded; you are weakened by blood loss.
Demin couldn't help but look at his side; the wound was indeed bleeding. Meanwhile, the Dragon continued:
- Even if you start this mechanism, even if you manage to escape now, you still won't leave the island...
- There are helicopters on the roof...
- Oh, you know that too? Good job, you really are clever... Can we negotiate a partnership?
- Of course, - said Yegor and, pressing the button, "swam" behind a metal cabinet. At the same time, the "grays" began to shoot. A steel hail fell on the computer, where the numbers 30:00 changed to 29:59, onto other computers, onto cabinets, onto chairs, onto walls with hanging paintings, onto glass... For forty to fifty seconds, the hall turned into a lead hell. Then the magazines of the automatic rifles began to empty one by one, and the clicking of changing magazines could be heard. The "grays" slowly moved deeper into the room, peering into every corner. Demin tensed up. A barrel of a machine gun slowly appeared from behind the cabinet. Demin suddenly jumped up, grabbed the machine gun with his right hand, turned the guard with his left, and pushed him into the new downpour of bullets, which turned the gray uniform of the fighter into a red-brown one in seconds. Demin rolled to the side and led a long burst along the line of "grays," then stood up and continued to shoot until he realized he had run out of ammo and the opponents lay bloodied. He quickly changed the magazine and approached one of the fallen who was still alive: "Where is the Dragon?"
- I don’t know, he... left... When we started... shoot... - the "gray" lost consciousness (or died - Yegor had no time to check, nor did he want to). Demin spat and ran out of the hall. He ran to the place where he had killed the first guard with the dog: only from there could he get to the roof. On the way, he had to shoot again, and when he ran out of bullets, he had to fight. At one point, he thought he saw the white robe of the Dragon flash ahead, and he sprinted faster. But the more Yegor ran, the weaker he became: the wounds and blood loss were taking their toll. Finally, he made it to the roof and saw the following scene: in the distance, a helicopter was flying away at high speed, and two recently launched American "Huey" helicopters, packed with "grays" (evidently, some alert systems had notified the fighters of the impending explosion). Yegor clenched his fists in despair. But then, to the left, he heard the noise of another helicopter's engine: it had just started its motor. Yegor turned around and, oh miracle, saw the painfully familiar Soviet Mi-8 and dashed towards it. Yegor was lucky: there were no "grays" on board, only some boxes in the cabin. He pulled out the "Uzi" he had picked up along the way and, approaching the pilot, said in English:
- Where is the Dragon? - pressing the gun to his temple, - well, scum, - he added in Russian.
The pilot mumbled something, pointing with his hand at the farthest helicopter. Yegor indicated to the pilot with the barrel to the door. He shook his head: the helicopter had already gained altitude and was about twenty meters above the sea. Demin didn't explain anything and kicked the pilot out. Slamming the door, he aimed his helicopter after the two "Hueys" and the third, which was now visible to be a small "Bell-206." Demin armed the missiles and gained altitude while accelerating. He shot down the first "Huey" with the first volley of missiles, but he had to work for the second one: the pilot there was experienced and successfully evaded Demin's missiles for about five minutes. Finally, Yegor got tired of this, and using his speed advantage, he tore through the "Huey" with a burst from a 12-mm machine gun. The "Huey" turned into a fireball...
Now the main target remained: the Dragon himself. Yegor turned the machine around and set a course. The island came into view: basalt cliffs and a cluster of buildings. Yegor looked at his watch: "soon," he thought, estimating the distance to the island: about seven to eight kilometers, and to the Dragon - just over two. Demin prepared to launch the missiles when he suddenly saw a terrible yet beautiful sight: the island seemed to jump, and at that moment tongues of flame burst forth from its depths, and then everything was engulfed in a blinding flash, causing Yegor to involuntarily look away; when he looked back, the fire was no longer visible, only a large cloud of dust, smoke, and debris, and a huge, sky-high, dark smoke column...
Yegor shifted his gaze to the enemy helicopter. Now it was about a hundred meters from Demin. Yegor carefully aimed the missiles and pressed the trigger... But there was no shot. Yegor glanced at the instrument panel: indeed, he had fired all the missiles at the "Huey." Well, nothing, Demin muttered to himself, we’ll take you down with the DShK. He pressed the trigger, and a long, clear burst of tracer bullets split the air. The Dragon's helicopter began to smoke and quickly lost altitude. "Aha!" - shouted Demin, - "die in the sea, carrion!" He watched as the "Bell-206" crashed into the sea at full speed, sending up a spray of water and exploding. Yegor made another circle over the crash site, showering the wreckage with bullets, and then flew northeast, where the submarine "Seal" and its commander Yezhikov were waiting for him...
Demin wiped the sweat from his forehead and was surprised to find it covered in blood: apparently, he had hit his head on something and hadn’t noticed... Yegor shook his head in amazement: that’s how you get killed without noticing it... In the distance, a black dot appeared - the submarine "Seal," and Demin suddenly thought about what he would report? After all, he was sent to extract information, and he blew up the island... Ah, well, to hell with it, I’ll think of something. The main thing is that the diskette is in my pocket... Demin smiled and began his descent...
Contents of the publication: Adventurer #06
- Presentation
This is an introduction novel for the game Return to Home 4, featuring space battles and a narrative about pilot Raifus navigating challenges in a military context.
- Presentation
The article presents K.KAV software's new game 'DEATH WORLDS: TORISTAG INVADERS RETURN TO HOME 5', a real-time strategy continuation of 'RTHЧ'. Players will battle against competitors on resource-rich planets while managing technology and military forces. The game's projected release is between late spring and summer of 1997.
- System Software Updates for ZX Spectrum - Котов А.В.
The article reviews various software updates and utilities for ZX Spectrum, highlighting their features, usability, and performance. It provides insight into programming tools, disk management, and database applications. The tone blends critique and personal experience to inform readers about the latest developments in Spectrum software.
- Overview of ZX Spectrum Software
The article provides a comprehensive overview of new software for ZX Spectrum, highlighting various games, their features, and recommendations for players.
- Interface
Discussion of the ZX Spectrum's interface issues and user frustrations with compatibility and modern enhancements. The author critiques the push for users to modify their machines for non-standard features and expresses dissatisfaction with current trends. Reflection on the future of the ZX Spectrum and the need for a more vibrant community involvement.
- Interface
The article discusses feedback from readers regarding games and programming tools for ZX Spectrum. It includes cheat codes for a game, opinions on assemblers, and insights into user preferences for computing. Various reader inquiries about games and software are also addressed.
- Interface
The article discusses issues surrounding the OVER FILE GROUP, a game developer known for mail-order sales, and the impact on user trust in software distribution. It also raises the question of whether to transition the magazine to 128K ONLY, seeking reader feedback. The piece reflects on the importance of user support for maintaining a trusted gaming community.
- Interface
The article discusses recent news in the ZX Spectrum community, including game development updates, personal news about developers, and local happenings in the Rybinsk and Yaroslavl areas.
- Presentation
The article presents new software releases by SURDAKAR GROUP, including a demo of ROAD FIGHTER and updates on FONT EDITOR and RAY DISK MONITOR.
- Promotion of Adventure Games
The article provides a detailed analysis of the adventure games 'APOLLO' and 'ЧУЖОЙ', evaluating their gameplay, challenges, and shortcomings in design.
- Ottyag
Discussion of computer slang and its impact on modern language, highlighting humorous interactions among users.
- Оттяг
The article presents a humorous collection of absurd lists, including reasons for dinosaur extinction, alternative names for Robinson Crusoe's Friday, and more.
- Ottyag
The article presents a test for aspiring demo makers, assessing their skills and commitment to demo creation on the ZX Spectrum. It evaluates their approaches to music, graphics, effects, and their overall engagement with the demo scene. Results determine their standing from novice to expert in the demoscene community.
- What Not to Say or Do When Drunk
The article provides humorous advice on what to avoid saying or doing when drunk, based on personal anecdotes. It emphasizes the consequences of poor decisions and offers cautionary tips. The content is lighthearted and reflects on typical drunken behaviors and their repercussions.
- Friendship Quiz
The article presents a humorous quiz about friendship, evaluating how friends would react in various social scenarios, culminating in a scoring system to assess the depth of one’s friendships.
- Ottag
Статья представляет собой сборник китайских пословиц с юмористическим подтекстом, отражающих различные аспекты жизни и отношений. Она сочетает в себе элементы сатиры и легкого фольклора, используя ироничные наблюдения о человеческом поведении. Текст включает в себя аллюзии на сексуальность, настольные игры и религиозные вопросы.
- Оттяг
Статья представляет собой пародийное евангелие, где события жизни Иисуса Христа изображаются в неформальном и юмористическом ключе.
- Experience Sharing
The article provides a detailed guide on creating a complete disk version of a program for ZX Spectrum, including code examples and practical advice.
- Experience Exchange
The article provides a comparative analysis of the PC and Amiga platforms, highlighting their respective advantages and disadvantages based on personal experience.
- Experience Exchange
The article discusses the existence and behavior of computer viruses on the ZX Spectrum, particularly the BASIC file infecting virus known as 'Drunken Djinn', first seen in the game Last Battle.
- Code Protection Methods
The article discusses various methods of software code protection, detailing techniques like inversion masking, obfuscation, P-code, cryptographic algorithms, and the use of ISR. Each method is evaluated for effectiveness and application, particularly within the ZX Spectrum environment. The author invites further information and collaboration on information security methods.
- Anniversary
The article celebrates the sixth issue of 'ADVENTURER,' marking one year since the founding of the AURYN group. It reflects on the past year for the Speccy community, including the emergence of new programs and the first demomakers' gathering in the CIS. The author expresses hope for the future of Speccy and encourages readers to support and promote the platform.
- Anniversary
Article celebrates the 15th anniversary of the Spectrum, reflecting on its enduring legacy and recent developments in hardware and software.
- Novella
The article narrates a novella centered on a covert mission involving a programmer named Gerald O'Brien, who is hired by a drug lord called Swede to infiltrate a rival's computer network, leading to a thrilling sequence of espionage and violence.
- Contest
The article discusses a contest related to ZX Spectrum, showcasing submissions and participants' creativity.
- Advertisement
The article is an advertisement section in Adventurer #06, inviting hackers, programmers, artists, and musicians to contribute to the ZX Spectrum community. It outlines collaboration opportunities, offers specific requirements for software submissions, and includes contact information for advertising and game distribution. Additionally, it promotes a range of ZX Spectrum software and services available across various cities.
