Chapter 15 Chapter 4

I am standing in the center of the "New Town" square.An ordinary scene, at the latest time: a girl is waiting for someone, maybe, a boy, maybe a girlfriend. In my case - both. It's harder to find me underground than on the surface.Even the best magicians of the dark forces could not penetrate through the layers of the earth, through the Moscow tombs that towered above, in the middle of the crowd, in the tense flow of people, to determine the coordinates of my bioelectric field.Of course, it is not difficult to search the stations carefully: go to each station, search in the image of the other who looks like me, and it is over.

But I hope I have another half hour or an hour before the Day Watchers come this far. Everything is that simple.How beautifully the whole riddle is woven.I shook my head, smiled, and immediately saw a young, punk-like guy looking at me suspiciously.No, friend, you are wrong.This sexy body is smiling at its own thoughts. Anyway, I should have known right away when the strands of intrigue gathered on me.The Boss was right, of course, I wasn't the type to spend years devising dangerous and costly schemes.The point of the whole thing is on the other side, on the other side entirely. Going to exploit our weakness to capture us.Use kindness and love.

And they always succeed, or almost always. I suddenly wanted to smoke, so badly that my mouth was full of saliva.Oddly enough, I seldom smoked for entertainment, probably because of Olga's physical reaction.I imagined, a hundred years ago—she was an elegant lady with a slender cigarette with a mouthpiece, in a literary salon somewhere, with Bullock or Gumilev.Smiling, discussing Freemasonry, popular power, longing for spiritual perfection, etc... Ah, so it is! "Don't you have any cigars?" I asked a passing young man who couldn't possibly smoke a Java. His eyes were very strange, and then he handed me a pack of "Paramount".

I took out a cigarette, smiled, thanked, and cast a slight spell over myself.People's eyes spread to all directions. It feels so good. Concentrating my will, I raised the temperature of the cigarette butt to 200 degrees, and took a deep breath.Let us wait.Let's break the firm little rule. The flow of people passed by and bypassed me less than a meter away.They smelled it strangely and searched for it, not knowing where the smell of smoke came from.I smoked a cigarette, flicked the ash under my feet, carefully looked at the policeman standing five meters away, and tried to calculate my chances.

The results were not so bad, and even quite the opposite.It makes me feel uncomfortable. Since the conspiracy has been planned for three years, I should also come up with a plan from my point of view, so there will be corresponding tactics... But what kind of tactics? I didn't notice that surprised look all at once.When I knew who was looking at me, I shivered. Yegor. The little boy, a weak other who was caught in a big battle with the patrol team half a year ago.He was pushed to the light by both sides, a card that has been turned over but has not yet been played by the player.But they won't fight over this card.

He's good enough to see through my sloppy pretense.The meeting itself did not surprise me.This world is full of chances, but in addition, there is an inevitable ending. "Hello, Yegor." I said without thinking, and enlarged the scope of the spell to include Yegor. He shuddered, looked back, and stared at me.Of course, he had never seen Olga, only the image of her as a white owl. "Who are you? How do you know me?" Yes, he's clearly matured a bit.Not only on the outside, but also on the inside.I don't understand how he's been able to go all this time without being completely orientated, staying neither on the light side nor on the dark side.You must know that he has already entered the twilight world, and he entered it in that state, the state that may turn to light or turn to darkness.But his bioelectric field is still pure and neutral.

own destiny.How nice to have your own destiny. "I'm Anton Gorodecki, a member of the Night's Watch," I said simply. "Remember me?" Of course he did. "but……" "Don't mind. It's a disguise, we'll change bodies." I wondered if I needed to recall the hallucination lessons, or temporarily restore myself to my old self.But it was not necessary for him to believe it.Perhaps it was because he remembered the Boss' avatar. "What do you need me for?" "It's nothing. I'm waiting here for a colleague, a girl, and this body belongs to her. We met by chance."

"I hate your patrols!" cried Yegor. "Whatever. I'm sure I'm not following you. Leave if you want." But he seemed to find it harder to believe in that than in the exchange of bodies.The little boy looked back suspiciously, frowning. Of course, it would be difficult for him to leave.He touched the secret and felt the power higher than the human world.He rejected these powers, but it was temporary. But I can imagine how much he wants to learn—at least some small skills, at least fire escape and telekinesis, suggestion, healing, curses—I don't know what skills he wants to learn, but he must hope Learned.Not just to know, but to be able to do it.

"Are you sure you weren't following me?" he finally asked. "No stalking. We don't lie -- so directly." "Then how do I know, perhaps, this is also a lie." The little boy looked away and murmured.He made sense. "It's impossible to know." I echoed, "If you want to believe it, you can believe it." "I want to believe it," he said, still looking at the floor, "but I know what happened on the roof. I've been dreaming about it for several nights." "You don't have to be afraid of that vampire," I said. "She's dead. By the court's order."

"I know." "How do you know?" I asked strangely. "Your leader called me, that one also changed." "I have no idea." "He called once when there was no one else in the house. He said that the female vampire was put to death. He also said that since I was a potential other, I was removed from the list of human beings, although not explicitly. I There will be no more accidents, and I will have nothing to fear." "Yes, of course." I affirmed. "I asked him if my parents were still on the list." At this moment, I don't know what to say.I know how the boss answered.

"Forget it, I'm leaving." Yegor took a step back, "Your cigarettes have burned out." I threw away the cigarette butt and nodded: "Where did you come from? It's too late now." "From training, I swim. No, tell me, is that really you?" "Do you remember the magic trick of breaking the glass?" Yegor smiled slightly.People are so impressed by the most boring magic tricks. "I remember. See..." He looked away from me and fell silent. I turn away. Oddly enough I saw myself from the side.The face of a guy is mine, walking my steps, wearing my jeans and turtleneck, with a Walkman in his waist, and in his hand - a small bag.The faint, barely visible smile—it was also mine.Even the eyes, fake glasses are mine. "Good day, Anton," said Olga, "good evening, Yegor." It didn't surprise her that the little boy was here.She has always been very calm. "Hello." Yegor looked at her now and at me, "Is Anton in your body now?" "Completely correct." "You're so cute. How do you know me?" "I've seen you when I was in a not-so-cute body. And now I'm sorry, Anton is in big trouble. We're going to fix it." "Am I going to leave?" Yegor seemed to have forgotten that he was planning to leave just now. "Yes. Don't be mad, it's going to be hot in here, very hot." The little boy looked at me. "The Watchman Patrol is after me," I explained, "and all the dark powers of Moscow are after me." "why?" "It's a long story. So you really go home." This sounded very rude, so Yegor frowned and nodded.He was standing on the platform—a train was coming. "Isn't someone protecting you?" He still couldn't figure out which of us was in whose body, "Where's your patrol team?" "I'll do my best," Olga replied gently, "then you go now. Our time is short, and it is getting scarcer." "Goodbye," Yegor turned and ran towards the train.He almost stumbled when he took the third step and was about to step out of the boundary I had cast a spell on. "If the child stays, then I will conclude that he will come to our side," Olga said while looking at the little boy's back, "It's best to look at the probability, why did you guys come to us in the subway?" We met here." "By chance." "No chance. Well, Anton, sometimes I see reality as easily as an open book." "I will not reject a good prophecy." "True prophecies don't come close. Well, don't get too far. Do you want to get your body back?" "Yes. Right here." "As you like." Olga stretched out her hands - mine - and grabbed my shoulders.That feeling was awkward, doubly so.She must have felt the same, so she smiled and said, "Why did you fall into the trap so quickly, Anton? I have some weird plans to carry out tonight." "Perhaps I have to thank the wildlings for ruining your plans?" Olga was ready and stopped laughing. "Okay. Let's do it." We started back to back, with our hands spread out in a cross shape, and I took Olga's fingers, which were my own. "Give me back my body," Olga said. "Give me back my body," I repeated. "Gesar, we will return your gift." When I was ready, she called the chief's last name, and I shuddered.What kind of surname is that! "Gesar, we will return your gift!" Olga repeated bluntly. "Gesar, we will return your gift!" Olga switched to the ancient language, and her words were soft and sweet, like singing, and the pronunciation seemed to be natural to her.But I feel painfully that she spent a lot of strength, although this spell is not difficult, generally speaking, it is at the second level. Changing your face is like flipping a spring.The preservation of our consciousness in other people's bodies is maintained by Boris Ignatievich Gesar expending his own energy, as long as we give up this energy from the outside - we will restore the original face.If any one of us became a first-class magician, there would be no need for physical contact, and everything could be done from a distance. Olga raised her voice: she uttered the final refusal in fixed sentences. For an instant nothing happened.Then my whole body convulsed, and everything in front of my eyes was spinning and turning gray and yellow, as if I had sunk into the twilight world.In an instant I saw the subway station—the whole subway station: the dusty stained glass doors and windows, the dirty floor, the slow movements of people, the spectrum of bioelectric fields, like two wrestling bodies crucified to each other . Then, I was pushed into the skin of the body. "Ah-ah-ah," I whispered as I fell to the floor and braced myself on my hands at the last moment.My muscles twitched and my ears buzzed.The recovery process was uncomfortable this time, perhaps because it was not performed by the chief. "All right?" Olga asked listlessly. "Oh, you bastard." "What?" I looked at the girl. Olga frowned, she had stood up and said: "Can you, sorry, not go to the bathroom?" "It also needs Za Wulong's permission." "Forget it, let's not talk about it. Anton, we still have a quarter of an hour. Tell me." "Say what?" "Say what you understand. Go ahead. You don't just want to restore your body, you have a plan." I nodded, straightened my waist, and patted my dirty palms.I slapped my knees and shook the dust off my jeans.The straps of the holsters under the arms were too tight and had to be loosened.There are not many people in the subway anymore, and the main flow of people is rushing out.So there is no need to dodge the crowd, and there is time to think: the spectrum of the bioelectric field emerges, and the aftermath of other people's passion flows over. How much has Olga's energy weakened!In her body, it took all my strength to see the secret world of human emotion.And it's so simple, so simple, you can't even be proud of it. "The Sun Watcher patrol team doesn't need me, Olga. Absolutely, I'm an ordinary middle-level magician." She nodded. "But they are catching me, there is no doubt about it. It means that I am not the prey, but just the bait. Just like when Svetlana is the prey, Yegor is the bait." "Did you understand this now?" Olga nodded, "Of course. You are the bait." "Is it for Svetlana?" The sorceress nodded. "I just realized today," I admitted, "that an hour ago, when Svetlana tried to resist the Patrol of the Sun Watchers, she jumped to the fifth level. will be beaten to death. Know how easy it is to control us, Olga. People can be led in different directions, for good and for evil. Dark forces—can be We are caught by the desire for honor. And we—can be caught by love. In this we are as defenseless as children." "yes." "Does the boss know?" I asked, "Olga?" "yes." She squeezed out a word, as if her throat was choked.I don't believe that a bright magician who has lived for thousands of years is still ashamed.They often save the world and know all the moral subterfuges.Great wizards, despite their past, are never ashamed.They themselves are often betrayed. I laughed. "Did you know it right away, Olga? You knew it as soon as the dark forces protested? They're after me, but the purpose is to force Svetlana to leave right away, right?" "yes." "Yes, yes, yes! But you didn't tell me that, and you didn't tell her, did you?" "Svetlana needs to mature and jump a few levels quickly." Olga's eyes sparkled. "Anton, you are my friend. And I speak the truth. You know, there is no time to properly raise a great wizard. We need her more than you can imagine. She There is enough strength. She has to exercise, learn to gather and use strength, and most of all, learn to maintain strength." "If I die—doesn't that only strengthen her will and her hatred of the dark forces?" "Yes. But you will not die, I believe. The patrols are looking for the Wildling, and all are mobilized. We will turn him over to the Dark Powers, and the charges against you will be dropped." "Yet the light magician who is not activated in time will die. An unfortunate, lonely, hunted magician who has the confidence to fight the dark forces alone." "yes." "You agree with me today," I said without malice. "Olga, what if what you did was despicable?" "No." There was no doubt in her voice, indicating that the stakes were high. "How long shall I hold on, woman of light?" She shuddered. In the past, a long time ago, this was the usual name in the patrol team.Bright man, bright woman, why have these words lost their original meaning?Why do they now sound as absurd as calling a filthy bum at a beer stand the word "gentleman"? "Even if it lasts till morning." "Night—it's not our time anymore. Today all the dark emissaries will walk the streets of Moscow. They will have their own power." "Just hold on until we find the wildlings." "Olga." I walked up to her, touched my cheek with my hand, and for a moment completely forgot the difference in our ages—thousands of years are nothing compared to the endless night—forgot about us The gap in strength, the gap in knowledge. "Olga, do you yourself believe that I will live till morning?" The sorcerer was silent. I nodded and said nothing more. After pressing a button, I put the radio into standby mode.It's not that the songs don't match the mood, it's just the opposite. I love the subway at night and I don't know why.Although there isn't much to watch other than the obnoxious commercials and the tired, monotonous human bioelectricity.The rumble of the motor, the gust of air blowing through the half-closed window, the thumping of the tracks, and the people waiting numbly for the car. I like it anyway. How easy it is to catch us with our love! I shivered a bit, stood up and walked towards the door.Anyway, I'm going to go to the end of the branch line. "Riga" station, the next one is "Alekseevsky". Stepping up the escalator, I felt a force in front of me gently undulating.I glanced up the oncoming escalator—almost immediately I saw a dark emissary. No, this is not a member of the Sun Watchers patrol team, the style is different. A level four or five, more like a level five little magician.He appeared tense and kept glancing around.He was not quite a boy, not more than twenty years old, with long hair, a soft open coat, and a pleasing, albeit tense, expression on his face. Alas, how did you get coaxed into joining the forces of darkness?What happened before you first stepped into the twilight world?Got into an argument with your girlfriend?Got into an argument with your parents?Did you fail your exam in college, or did you get a 2 in school?Got a sore foot on the trolleybus? And worst of all, your appearance hasn't changed.Maybe it got better.Your friends wonder how much fun it is to be with you, and how lucky they are to work with you.Your girlfriend discovers that you have many advantages that you did not discover in the past.Parents can't get enough of their son who is smart and serious.The teachers are delighted by this gifted student. No one knows what you're asking for from those around you.How will your kindness, your jokes, your sympathy be rewarded. I closed my eyes and rested my arms on the armrest.I'm tired, I'm a little drunk, I don't care about anything, I listen to music. The dark messenger's eyes scanned my whole body, and then walked down, his whole body trembled, and he stopped. I don't have time to prepare, change my face, change my bioelectric field.I still didn't expect that the search for the subway had already begun. A cold touch like a gust of wind blowing in.The boy compared me with a standard portrait, which was probably distributed to all the dark magicians in Moscow.He didn't compare, forgot to defend himself, and didn't notice that my consciousness passed by on a small road that opened up with the twilight world, and touched his thoughts. Joy, excitement, cheers.found it!prey.I can share part of the prey's energy.Commendation.promote.honor.liquidation.People who step on me!They will understand and will pay the price. I'm still waiting, though there will be other thoughts in a corner of my mind, that I'm the enemy, that I'm fighting against the dark forces, that I've killed someone like him. No.nothing.All he thought of was himself. I withdrew my tentacle before the young wizard could remove the clumsy tentacle.that's it.He is not strong enough to get in touch with the Sun Watchers patrol team from the subway.And he doesn't want to.I was to him a hunted beast and a harmless one at that, a rabbit rather than a wolf. Come on, friend. I stepped out of the subway, slid to the side of the door, and looked for my shadow.A vague shadow dangled on the ground, so I stepped towards it. twilight realm. Pedestrians become a blur of smoke, cars move slowly like turtles, and the lights are getting dimmer, which makes people feel oppressed and unbearable.There was silence, and the sound became a barely audible low rumble. Anyway, I was in a hurry, and the magician followed me up the escalator... But I felt power, I was filled with power, and Olga must have done it.She restored the original powers in my form and filled my body with energies that she never used or even thought about using, despite the trials she faced. "Where the boundaries are, you will understand." I once said to Svetlana.Olga knew where the boundaries were very, very early on, much better than I did. I walked along the wall, looking through the concrete wall toward the sloped ventilation shaft, toward the escalator.A dark figure was climbing up, rather quickly: a magician hurried up the steps, but had not yet escaped from the human world.He is conserving his strength.Well, come on, come on. I stood still. Floating toward me above the ground was a billowing cloud, a dense fog, which had a body similar to that of a human being. The other, the former other. Maybe he's one of us, maybe not.The Darkbringer also goes to the Twilight Realm after death.But now it's just vague, washed-out dust, the eternal drifter of the twilight. "Rest in peace, fallen man," I said, "whatever you were." A trembling shadow stopped in front of me.The fog tongue protruded from the body, and slowly poked towards me. What is he going to do?There are very few cases where residents of the Twilight Realm want to communicate with living people! The hand—if that can be called a hand—was shaking.Wisps of white mist broke off one after another, disappeared into the dusk, and fell to the ground. "I have little time," I said. "Whoever you were, Darkbringer or Lightbringer, rest in peace. Fallen. What do you want from me?" It was as if a gust of wind had blown away wisps of white smoke.The Specter turned and held out a hand—now that I no longer doubt it, he did extend a hand to me—and pointed somewhere northeast through the Twilight.I looked in that direction: he pointed to the slender, needle-like figure smoldering in the air. "Yes, the TV tower, I understand! What does that mean?" The clouds began to lift.Another moment passed—the surrounding Twilight was as empty as it always was. I shuddered all over.The dead want to associate with me.Is he friend or foe?Do you want to give advice or a warning? not understand. I looked through the wall of the kiosk, through the ground - the dark mage was almost at the top, but still on the escalator.Therefore, I want to understand what the ghost wants to do.I was not going to go towards the TV tower, I had already prepared another risky but unexpected route, that is to say, it was pointless to warn me to avoid the Ostankino TV tower. Is it an instruction?So who is the instruction from?Is it a friend or an enemy?And that's the main problem.There is no need to expect differences to be erased beyond the boundaries of the living, our dead will not leave us behind in war. I have to make a decision.Must, but not now. I ran for the subway exit, drawing the pistol from the holster under my arm as I ran. Just in time, the dark magician appeared through the door, and he quickly entered the twilight world.What a godsend, now only I can see him.Other people's bioelectric fields splashed, and dark sparks flew in all directions. If I were in the world, I would see people's faces turn ugly: from trauma other than the heart, or from heart pain, very severe pain. The dark magician looked around, trying to find my trail.He will draw power from the people around him, but not the technique. "Easy," I said, and pressed the barrel of the gun against the magician's spine. "Easy. Are you glad you found me?" I gripped his wrist tightly with my other hand to deny him the opportunity to hypnotize.All these somewhat impertinent young wizards use a standard set of spells, the simplest and most convenient.They need to use both hands to act together. The magician's palm was wet. "Let's go," I said, "and talk." "You, you..." He couldn't believe what had happened. "You, you are Anton! You are above the law!" "So what. Does this help you now?" He turned his head—his face in the Twilight had changed, lost its charm and kindness.No, he doesn't yet have the downright twilight look of Zaburon.His face was still inhuman.Too drooping jaw, a wide toad-like mouth, a pair of thin cloudy eyes. "Oh, you're such an ugly man, my friend," I poke him in the back with the body of the gun again. "This is a pistol, it has been loaded with silver bullets, although there is no need for it. In the twilight world, its effect is no worse than in the human world. Although it is slower, it can't save you. On the contrary, you will feel How the bullets penetrate the skin, travel between the fibers of the muscles, smash the bones, and tear the nerves." "You wouldn't do that!" "why?" "If that's the case, you won't be able to get rid of the relationship no matter what!" "Really? I mean, there's still a chance? You know, I'm getting more and more tempted to pull the trigger. Come on, son of a bitch." I kicked a few times and led the magician into the narrow passage between two kiosks.The moss that had grown profusely on the walls of the kiosk twitched.Flora is eager to test our emotions: my anger, his fear.Even mindless plants have enough instinct for self-preservation at this time. The instinct of self-preservation possessed by dark magicians is more than adequate. "Hey, what do you want from me?" he yelled. "We have a purpose, and we've been ordered to find you! I'm just following orders! I'll respect the peace, Patrolman!" "I'm not a patrol member anymore." I pushed him against the wall, into the warm embrace of moss.Let the moss suck away a little of the fear, or there will be no conversation. "Who's hunting?" "The Patrol of the Day Watchers." "specific?" "It's the leader, I don't know his name." This is probably the truth.But I know him. "Were you specifically sent to the subway?" He hesitated. "Speak." I pressed the barrel of the gun against the magician's stomach. "yes." "Send you one?" "yes." "You lied. But it doesn't matter. After you find me, what do you order?" "Surveillance." "You lied. This is very important, think about it before answering." The magician was silent, as if Moss' efforts were unnecessary. I pulled the trigger, and the bullet flew across the one-meter distance that separated us with joyful singing.The magician even saw the bullet in time—his eyes widened, more human, and he shuddered, but it was too late. "Now it just hurts," I said. "Not fatal." He fell to the ground and twitched all over, holding the wound on his stomach.Blood appears to be transparent in the Twilight Realm.Maybe it's an illusion, maybe it's the magician's own characteristics. "answer the questions!" With a wave of my hand, I ignited the surrounding moss.Alright, now we're going to play the horror, pain, despair game.Enough kindness, enough tolerance, enough talk. This is darkness. "An order was issued to report you as soon as possible and eliminate you as much as possible." "Isn't it arrest? Extermination to be precise?" "yes." "I accept this answer. What kind of connection?" "Telephone, only telephone." "Give me." "In the pocket." "Throw it over." He awkwardly reached into his pocket—the injury wasn't fatal, and the magician's resistance was pretty strong, but he still felt excruciating pain. He deserved this pain. "What's the number?" I asked holding the phone. "Press the emergency call button." I look at the screen of my phone. Judging by the first set of numbers, the phone could be in any orientation.The same goes for cell phones. "Is this the combat headquarters? Where is it located?" "I don't..." He stared at the pistol and fell silent. "Think about it." I encouraged him. "They told me they would be here in five minutes." That's right! I glanced back and saw the needles burning in the air.The analogy is very fitting, very fitting... The magician moved a little. No, I didn't mess with him again, but took my eyes off him.But I was relieved when he pulled out a stick from his pocket—a stubby, stubby stick, obviously not made by himself but bought cheaply. "What?" I asked, as he stood still and dared not raise his weapon. "come!" The young man was silent and did not move. He tries to attack - I'll put a string of bullets in him.This is already inevitable.But presumably someone taught them what to do in the event of a conflict with the Lightbringer.He therefore understood that it would be difficult for me to kill an unarmed and defenseless man. "Resist," I said, "struggle! You son of a bitch, you never wavered when you ravaged others, when you attacked the defenseless! Why? Come on!" The magician licked his lips—his tongue was long and parted slightly.I suddenly understood what kind of twilight face he was going to get sooner or later, and I began to feel disgusted. "I accept your mercy, Patrolman. I ask for clemency and justice." "As soon as I walk away, you'll be in touch with your own," I said. "Maybe draw enough strength from the people around me to resuscitate and crawl to the phone. Right? We both know that." The dark magician sneered and repeated: "I demand clemency and justice, Patrolman!" I twirled the pistol in my hand and looked at the sneering face.They are always asking, never willing to contribute. "I've always had a hard time figuring out our own double morality," I said, "how uncomfortable and unpleasant. It's something that can only get used to over time, and I have so little time. Before having to try to defend When you can't protect everyone, when you know that there is a special department that issues licenses to kill every day, licenses to kill people who are dedicated to the dark forces. Feeling very frustrated, right?" A smile appeared on his face.He repeated like a mantra: "I ask for clemency and justice, Patrolman." "I'm not a patrol member now." I replied. The pistol twitched, began to rattle, cocked lazily, and spit out the shells.The bullets crawled through the air like a swarm of vicious wasps. He just yelled once, and then two bullets shattered his head.After the pistol went "bang bang" and there was no sound, I slowly and mechanically reloaded the clip. The torn and twisted body fell before me.It began to come out of dusk, and the black facial makeup came off the young man's face. I wiped the air with my hand, tugged and gripped something ungraspable that flowed through space, the topmost layer, the transparent layer torn from the face of the dark magician. facebook. People will find him tomorrow.Found a very nice lad who was loved by all.He was brutally murdered.How much evil have I brought into the world today?How many tears and cruel, blind hatred brought forth?What kind of chain of retribution will lead to the future? And how many evils have I killed at the same time?How many people can continue to live well?How many people will no longer shed tears, how many crimes will no longer accumulate, and how many hatreds will no longer arise? Perhaps, I have now stepped over the impenetrable fence. Perhaps, I have already understood the boundary that I will face next. I holstered the pistol and stepped out of the twilight. The pinnacle of the Ostankino TV tower pierces into the sky. "Let's play without the rules for a while," I said, "with no rules at all." I managed to stop a car in one fell swoop, without even inducing the driver to erupt into self-denial.Maybe it's because I'm wearing the mask of a dead dark magician at the moment, a very seductive mask? "Let's go to the TV tower," I said, and got into the dilapidated "Zhiguli" 2106 car. "Better hurry and get there before closing." "Going to have fun?" asked the man behind the wheel, a thin, bespectacled man who looked a bit like an aging Schulik in an old comedy. "Of course," I replied. "of course."

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