— When is the operation?
— In ten days. In just a few months of work at the university and "Enki" I have earned enough money for new eyes. Who would have thought...
— Thirty years later, the world is still in ruin.
— But not Elam. Why didn't you call?
— I've had some problems. I did not want to bother you.
— You could have just said, instead of ignoring me for two weeks.
— Unfortunately...
El’Athar changed his mind and got up to fetch Aleph's notebook and pencil. The aircraft swung, and the agent barely stayed on his feet.
— What's happening? — Irinae was scared.
— It's okay — the second pilot grinned to everyone — a little turbulence does not hurt. I hope no one here is afraid to fly?
— I think — said the geologist — that few of those present has flown before.
El’Athar returned to Tekhina and scribbled in the notebook:
"did you see what they did to him ?!"
"Yes"
"Why you didn't you tell me?"
"I tried. Then, on the beach "
"Do you know anything else?"
Tekhina settled back, her whole manner implying that she had a lot to write. "The blood of Tharsis is virtually identical in chemical composition to the human. But Aleph generally has nothing to do with us. I think his DNA is of extraterrestrial origin, and the other Lamashtu are hybrids. It's uncomfortable to write. Later I'll tell you more. And them, too. "
"Thank you"
— I'm still mad at you, — said Tekhina aloud and handed the notebook, with nothing more written in it.
— So I can get back to my seat? — El’Athar smiled.
— I'm tired of you.
The agent sat at his seat and put the pad back into Aleph's bag. He smiled tightly at the falling asleep blond and reached out to touch his hand, but stopped at the last moment. "Yeah, — thought El’Athar — isn't it too much of guardianship? A little more and paternal feelings will wake up in me. It's time to pull myself together." Then he let his hair down to get comfortable in a chair and take a nap.
Thought were spinning in his mind, not letting him to relax, although it seemed that the eyes were closing themselves. The agent felt completely devastated and did not know how to overcome this state of permanent indifference to the whole world. Apathy and unemotional consumed him from the inside for years, as long as he could remember. Now he just felt tired of indiscriminate pretense. He didn’t care about Tekhina, Aleph, Mr Director General, and himself too.
But it would be desirable to know the truth...
Exhale.
Before sleep, El’Athar rethought what Tekhina said. "Who are you, Aleph? What am I to do with you?.."
Chapter 15
The temperature difference was a real disaster for all arrivals. Accustomed to warm, dry climate of Anshan, the team members were in a place, where all landscapes were uniformly cold, dazzling white and deserted. Some of the visitors were both suffering badly from frost and happy — they had never seen snow. El'Athar was breathing heavily, affected by his lung problems. Sometimes he seemed to be choking and his eyes darkened, the snow certainly didn't please him.
— I grew up in the forest settlement of evacuated Scandinavians — said Tekhina. — There was always a lot of snow in the winter.
— Taymir? — asked the agent.
— Yes.
— I was there in evacuation too — Trier Lugal replied. — Ten years of our lives with Lydie before we were allowed to come back to Elam.
— After only ten years?
— Yes... We were among the first who began to rebuild the city. I was born and grew up in Anshan. I knew I had to return.
— It’s very cold — Aleph could not wake up, trembling and wrapping in a blanket, which he took from Tekhina.
— When is the dinner? — The second pilot circled the aerodrome in search of a place where he could smoke.
— We still have to go for about half an hour by car — said Julius, — the aircraft would be locked in a hangar, the keys would be with me, though, I do not know from whom to hide here. It is rather a protective measure — so that it would not get covered with snow. It has been already a couple of thousand years, that almost no one lives here. Two half-empty cities in a huge country, and those are far away in the south.
Heth drove a minivan out of the garage and gestured for everybody to get in.
The car was so crowded that El'Athar had to put Aleph on his knees and try to squeeze in a corner, so that Tekhina could sit down next to them and there was enough room for all their things. There was a feeling that his knees are somewhere close to his ears, and the blonde was sitting right on his head.
— That's fine, — co-pilot turned from his driver's seat and smiled to the passengers shivering from the cold — it's not a long drive. The main thing is that there is no storm. Well, at least Dr Ea Aoni promised that everything would be fine.
— Oh, you know her? — Aleph was surprised. — Is she doing well?
— She still is angry with you, — said Heth. — Have conscience — visit her.
— All right.
Julius locked the hangar and sat on the seat next to the driver. The car was difficult to start, it was too cold, but in the end it began to move.
It was hard for everyone, as they felt tired and hungry, and the dull grey-white landscapes were the only thing seen from the windows, gradually replacing each other. It started snowing, sweeping the road and interfering in the work of the navigator. Heth swore silently to himself — wipers could barely cope. It seemed to be an endless journey.
After nearly an hour they saw the Research Station: standing at the foot of the mountains long one-story building with a sloping roof and small windows. Next to it there were a garage and storage rooms — all covered in snow.
El'Athar was almost choking.
Alef said that he would go for a walk for a little while, while the rest would be engaged in their meal. He looked wilted, his stooped figure slowly vanished in the snow towards the mountains. But the snow was getting stronger, and El'Athar started to worry. Having eaten his sandwich, he went after his ward, trying to keep up and not to be seen.
Aleph kept going, without stopping even for a second. Agent wandered after him.
Blonde stopped abruptly.
— Why are you following me? — He asked, without turning around.
— I do not want you to get lost. I tried not to interfere.
— I saw you. Somehow...
— Why are you going there? What do you want to see?
— I am called. Here I am in the right place ... and I begin to understand what is happening.
— What are they saying to you?
— ... they are asking for help. Let's go to.
Research mines were scattered throughout the mountain range, and Aleph, apparently, was interested in the most distant of them, which, according to El'Athar's estimates were still about half an hour of walking away.
It was getting colder, but Aleph did not stop for a second. How hard-nosed he was sometimes! His whole-hearted and complaisance disappeared somewhere, and he walked and walked, without detracting from the intended target.
The radio that El'Athar managed to get from Irinae hissed. Apparently, the technician had already set up the radio and decided to give a signal. Agent inspected the intercom, trying to figure out which button to press. These pieces hadn't been in use for a hundred years.
— El'Athar, can you hear me? — The voice belonged to Irinae.
— Yes, I'm in touch. Do you copy?
— Yes. Where are you? It's been more than an hour, where did you go?
— Can't you see on the radar?
— No! Too much snow. The signal cannot be set up now. Communication on the radio, too, may be interrupted. Come back!
— We've come too far to go back, without satisfying the curiosity. When does it get dark here?
> — Never, it's the North Pole!
— We are in the mountains. Interested parties can join us.
— We will discuss your proposal.
Communication was interrupted.
Stopping to talk El'Athar overlooked that Aleph could continue his journey by himself, and then he was no longer visible. Endless snow immediately covered the tracks. The agent began to go faster, as much as possible, trying to see a dark stooped figure in front of him.
— Why didn't you stop? — He shouted at the boy's back. — You can get lost!
El'Athar coughed. He could not breathe. Instead of inspiration he wheezed.
— No, I won't get lost here — Aleph first turned to look at El'Athar. Agent became even more uncomfortable: usually pale, almost colourless blue eyes were filled with bright turquoise light, blush appeared on his cheeks from the cold and thin lips broke into a satisfied smile. Blonde no longer looked tired and indifferent — as if everything was imbued with his presence and power of spirit. — This is my home, — he added, and turned toward one of the mines.
El'Athar felt something warm in his chest, as if some old reminder, almost weightless, slipping from memory. Something like a half-forgotten childhood memories filled with some special magic. Warm and native image ... he wanted to reach out a hand, but the agent did not move. He was, without blinking, looking at the Aleph's silhouette going away, and tried to stop this elusive moment of the past.
Recovering, El'Athar hurried afterwards.
— This is the home of other Lamashtu too?
— No. Their home is research centre "Enki".
— Tekhina said...
— Yes. But I am the real one. So they did not need a study Tharsis. Now I remember everything. Let's go.
— A voice from the video? ..
— This is my voice. I am very-very old... Oh, you have no idea how old I am. I do not feel weak as in Anshan. Can you walk?
— Yes. I only need to catch my breath.
— I didn't know you were sick.
— Elam's climate is quite favourable for people like me.
Fifteen minutes later, they were inside a huge and apparently miraculous cave in which there were many passages deep into the mountains. They began to descend one of them, which lead deep into the earth. For thirty years of disasters and cold mines had become virtually unusable. All iced, the steps were so slippery that the way back upstairs was questionable. On the ceiling, once lined with sheets of metal, there were stalactites, the constructions executing once the function of railings were iced.
— Do not worry — Aleph seemed to feel panic growing in the soul of the agent — I know another way.
At the end of the descent, they were in the cave again. It was tiny, with a well, and the light came only from the ladder by which the Aleph with El'Athar had just descended.
— Do you want to go down?
— Yeah ... I just don't know how. There was once a wooden staircase which scientists from "Merkhaba" used. They are still there ...
— There?
— Yes... They were downstairs when it flooded. In fact Tiamat started from here, from this well.
— Is it because of you that a hurricane occurred?
— Of course. Do you hear voices?
— Voices?
— Yes. You hear them for a long time; I just knew it as soon as I moved in with you. I also hear them. They talk to us... You know, I tell you what, El'Athar? You've started a pretty darn smart game.
Chapter 16
— We were a little lost, — shrugging apologetically, El'Athar began to shake the snow off himself and Aleph.
— It's been three hours! — Because of anger Tekhina's deep voice sounded sharp and high.
El'Athar remained silent.
Aleph took off his hat and jacket, asking to take him to where he would sleep. Tekhina said that there was plenty of places for everyone, and they decided to allocate a separate room for each participant, despite the fact that each room had two beds.
— Yes, we had twenty people, and this base was built specifically for the expedition. We thought that it would be the first but not the last. Yeah... — Trier Lugal wilted, sitting in his chair in the common room, where almost all the space was occupied by a huge wooden table on which a radio and radar were already set up surrounded by paper bags and remnants of food.
— I've made door nameplates, — said Tekhina to Aleph — so you can find your room without problems.
— But why? — El'Athar could not understand the logic of this woman.
— Why what? All doors are the same, it is easy to get confused. So it will be clearer.
— Then I'll know where it is unnecessary to go — El'Athar chuckled, winked to Dr Ami and began to look for something edible in the packages.
— Good night — said Aleph. — Wake me up when it is needed.
He left and everyone became silent. It was late, though views have not changed at all, they remained grey and dull. Snowfall was almost over, and El'Athar sarcastically remarked to himself that Aleph had chosen the perfect time so that their way remained untraceable. How he looked then in the mountains, so alive ... This young man was much more complicated than it seemed at first glance.
— Have everyone changed to the local time? — The first to break the silence was the co-pilot. — Now it's 20.56. Lights out? When should we wake up?
— At five, — said Mr Lugal. — The most favourable time. — Usually the weather is calmer in the morning than in the evening.
Everything went silent. Irinae went last and turned off the lights everywhere having checked whether they locked front door. There was no one to come to visit them, but for some reason he wanted it to be locked.
El'Athar went to his room and found that someone had thoughtfully put all his stuff on a free bed. The presence of heavy curtains pleased him, as there was practically no light from the window. Deciding to touch them, the agent found that they were damp and moldy. El'Athar gently closed the curtains, hoping that his bed linen and blankets were not overgrown with arctic lichen.
These curtains had experienced a hurricane, but there was no one to change them... Adjusting nasty loose linens El'Athar noticed a figure walking in the mountains. And it was not Aleph.
He watched the dark figure for some time, but then decided to leave it and went to bed.
There was a knock on the door.
— Aleph?
— I hate to be alone at the end of the corridor.
— But you are at home?
— Yes. But I do not like to be alone. Even at home.
— Come, — El'Athar took a backpack off a second bed and put it in the corner of the room. — Is it all rotten in your room, too?
— Yes. The bed is terrible, although I know that the pilots took the bed linen, towels, a change of clothes, generally, all that is needed, not only food. But apparently, not for me. I've brought my favourite blanket and I feel good.
— You took a blanket with you?
— Yes. And as you can see — not for nothing.
— Get down on my bed.
— Yah...
— Get there, now. It's time to sleep. Especially for you. I need only 4-5 hours of sleep, so I'll read.
— Did you bring books?
— Yes.
— Now I wonder who of us is weirder. Blanket is at least practical — mumbled half asleep Aleph.
Having settled in, he literally fell asleep immediately and El'Athar was sitting on a creaky bed and revising documents on his computer concerning Hurricane Tiamat. Discoveries of that day simply did not fit in his head.
The man who went into the mountains didn't leave his thoughts, too, and it was increasingly difficult to breathe.
El'Athar made sure that Aleph was sleeping, standing over him for a few minutes, pondering about his mysterious sensations-illuminations. Ghost memories did not return, but they left a trail of warm inside. He wanted to touch someone, but there was only a teenager in bed wh
o caused absolutely no emotion.
The agent sighed and began to dress. The time was eleven p.m., outside it was a little greyer, but there was still enough light to see the footmarks of mysterious traveler. Yes, it would be much easier to find him than El'Athar and Aleph before.
And it seemed that the agent knew who left the base and why.
Quietly and gently closing the door leading into the room, El'Athar with disappointment saw a co-pilot with a cigarette in his mouth.
— Also no sleep? — Heth released a plume of smoke.
— Yes, I'll walk a little bit, maybe then I could sleep.
— You have already walked today — the pilot chuckled.
— Can I have a cigarette?
— Yes of course.
— Would you like to take a walk with me?
— I'll just get dressed.
Het put out a cigarette and went to his room.
El'Athar lit a cigarette. In fact, he tried not to get involved in bad habits, because they might be integral features of the human personality. Every scout had to remember that the odour of cigarettes, a favorite perfume, in extreme cases — alcohol, were a traces, as well as fingerprints.
El'Athar reminded himself that he did not drink for three days, and it seemed that he didn't have to come back to that habit.
Heth came back and they left of the building.
It was colder than in the afternoon, the air was so dry and chilly, that it was impossible to breathe.
— I also saw a man who went to the mountains, — said the co-pilot. — You're going to after him?
— Did you see who it was?
— Apparently, someone of the scientists. And I saw Aleph coming to you. Is he your brother? He's a little old for a son.
— Just a ward.
— That's strange, it seems to me you're alike.
— He had no luck with the linen, I had to give up my berth — El'Athar changed the subject.
— It's strange, we have taken quite enough of stuff...
— Was Dr Ami engaged household arrangement? — El'Athar just smiled, knowing that only she could do so.
— Poor child, he became an object of jealousy — Heth smiled.
They seemed to accidentally go in the same direction as the traveler an hour before them.
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