I must say that Proteus did not expect me to such aggression, he remained silent, leaning back in his chair with his hands crossed on his chest, I also suffered more:
- Why have you made them so? All the time that I am here, I am haunted by this question. What for? Why spend such huge resources to make the living characters, whom I had not even contacted almost, why give them memories ... Say, I've made the right conclusion, they really all live their life, regardless of me?
- Yes. - Proteus replied so softly that I could barely hear his answer. - Yes, you are right on you their life does not depend, and if suddenly you suddenly disappear, then after a while you forget all those who knew and everything will go on as usual again.
- Tell me, you yourself wrote the script, with the sacrifice of the girls? And Molly? Tell me, Proteus, you know how she died? She was scared a cold stone cell? She was hurt ?!
- No! - a man suddenly jumped up. - I dont know! I do not control it! I did not control anything from the very beginning. I ... - His voice sounded fainter and fainter, until it dropped to a whisper, - I do not know what's going on ...
- What? - I was ready to listen to anything, but not this. It does not control? And then who does?
- I do not know ... - repeated again confused mind.
Startled, I once again looked at him, noticing some disturbing stuff. Strange twitching shoulder, constant nervous motion of the fingers, tick ... tick? We avatar machine intelligence tick? Although this may be a mask, but why is this strange?
- Proteus - I tried to talk exaggeratedly friendly and gently, how to talk to young children - tell us, please, what you wanted to tell me from the beginning, the same "whole truth" - what is it?
- A? - man as emerged from somewhere in yourself. - Yes, something happened. Killed three more.
- What?!
- Yeah, three more players, the cause of death is the same.
- Is the same? It is the same - it's what?
- High-frequency pulse with burning neyroshunt brain. The cause of the - not yet known.
- Wait, wait ...- a while I just stared at nothing, until the information is not metabolized, and not the initial shock. Gradually I thought sluggishly moved. So ... three others were killed. Left us twenty-four. Suddenly remembered an old song about ten Little Indians, who went swimming in the sea. Immediately pulled himself - what song when people died. Immediately I thought that almost do not feel any emotion about their deaths ... And by the way, why this time we have not pulled out of the game? Six deaths - this is serious.
- And why do not we cut off? - I decided to voice this idea.
- You were trying to disable.
We tried to ... What do you mean, trying ?!
- It did not work? - God, that voice? Somehow I strongly hoarse.
- No.
- And ... And now what? No, wait - the panic in my voice began to gain momentum - is a delusion. There are also methods of emergency withdrawal of immersion, that they all do not work? Come on, tell me in detail, you threatened to reveal all the truth, and I have a word from you on a drop squeeze!
- After killing three more, it was decided to lift people out of the project, replacing them with digital copies - monotone start against. - In fact, it became clear that now is the first place the question of control over the situation and prevent the leakage of information, and not a problem of the championship and the reorganization of departments. After the software did not work techniques from a dive, it was decided to disable all alarms in manual mode. It is fraught with certain health problems - changes in the electrical activity of the cortex, disturbances in the sensory system. But all the phenomena of time and nothing fatal. And turning off the first - got vegetable. It destroyed everything, down to the most primitive, infantile reflexes such as grasping. In fact - at the exit we had a living corpse. So - it was decided to replace only those who have already died, and the rest will continue to play. For people watching the project, nothing has changed, everything was limited to five-hour interruption of connection, due to maintenance work.
One of them drowned, he bought a coffin. Nine Little Indians ... Baker's song, I can not get out of your head. So this is what comes out, we are all, in fact, locked up and waiting for one of us is going to die next? Marvelous prospect!
- For a moment, something I did not think what I need to ask ... Oh, yes! The first - one of the players, but me knows about this situation? The second question is rather rhetorical - what exactly went wrong at the time of disconnection, and why, this, too, no one understands?
- No, none of the players about it does not know anything. On the second question the answer is the same, no one knows anything, and does not understand. And I'm including. Trace any third party intervention, or an option I also admit impact on the system is carried out on the level of reach for me. If we take this version, it is necessary to make an assumption that there is MA, an order of magnitude more complex and more productive for me.
I listened to the Proteus and I haunted the feeling that I'm still missing something. The thought swirled in his head and did not want to form. And there it is connected with the world, with its inhabitants ... Yes! Caught!
- You said that you do not control anything for a long time in the development of my world. As I recall our first conversation you have from the outset he stated that he himself would adjust to me, without outside interference. Something went wrong?
- Everything went wrong, right from the start - he sighed. - Yes, from the beginning I assumed a special development for this project, because it is, in fact, my baby. You have no idea how I'm limited in fulfilling their desires. And received within the framework of this world at least some shred of freedom, I wanted to make it just a little more lively, a little more real than the other worlds. So I allocated under it a little bit more resources. But at the time of the launch it was something inexplicable - was instantaneous redistribution of the world's computing power, and the lion's share of them got novosotvorenny world. Now you understand why you and not the other players know the truth about what is happening? - Proteus stared into my eyes. - Because it is with your world started what is now killing players. It was at the time of his birth the first time I was faced with the fact,
- And you concealed this information!
- What do you think should have been done? I knew instantly that completely powerless, the only thing I could do was to reallocate the remaining computing resources so that nowhere in the holes. To investigate this problem would still have to myself, then what is the point to create unnecessary links in the chain? Especially that first situation does not threaten the safety of people, so I decided to try to find the reasons for myself. And, as you know, I did not succeed.
- Now what are you planning to do?
- I have a lot of options is not. I'll be watching, because I have other activities is limited.
- Just watch? And what do I do? What do the rest of the players? I believe they will remain in the dark?
- Listen to me, young man. You probably do not understand the scale of the disaster, with which we are faced. According to those who hold leadership chair in "InfoComp", your life is not worth anything. In fact, the project has been rolled up, the maintenance of its activity is only necessary in order to avoid the questions that would inevitably have arisen in connection with the unexpected closure, as it is now incredibly popular. But bear in mind - right now about the situation knows only the top management "InfoComp", and what would happen if this information is known, assume the military? You probably just shut off. Therefore, to do nothing, except that everyone was doing before. Play.
- That is, you assume that I will be easy to continue to play and pretend that nothing has changed, knowing that at any moment my brain can just fry, or erase consciousness when disconnected? Yes, I wish I did not know anything about it!
- Dmitry, I fully understand your feelings and your indignation. But, in your case, things are different than with other players. Your world - it's
different, and I think that in this lies the clue. Here dominates the unknown who is responsible for the death of people, I'm sure this is almost one hundred percent. He changed the world beyond recognition, he made it out alive. Your vision - this is his message, try to push you in the direction you point the way. I do not know what is waiting for you at the end of this path, but almost certain that nothing will happen to you until such time as you will not pass it completely.
A couple of minutes later, I sat silently in his chair, crushed by fallen down on me the news. Another idea suddenly came into my head, made me raise my eyes:
- That is, until I'm safely pass quests out there, people are going to die?
- Nobody knows ... But most likely, yes.
- So, I have to hurry! I must get to the end as quickly as possible. Can you bring me back?
- Are you sure it's nothing more you want to know? Most likely, I will no longer be able to talk to you. It was an emergency communication channel, I think that the next time he is already locked.
Heck! What else is there to ask? Suggest something on quests Proteus can not, given that it has to do with them ... asked who of the players died? No, I do not want to know ... Perhaps that is nothing to ask.
- I think that's all I need to know - I know myself.
- Good. Well, good luck to you, Dmitry, and good luck to you, Sherlock. And all of us ...
A second later, I again stood in his room, in front of a table on which lay the manuscript. Mechanically I picked it up, shook, ran his eyes over a few lines, mentally still be in the semi-dark, empty room.
But from the beginning I felt that something is wrong in this world, even if for the first time faced with a terrible old woman in the alley. That's just no benefit from this knowledge was not, as there was no certainty that it's over, if I get to the end. And by the way, to the end of what? What is the purpose of my game is the main? And if I used to think that my task - to win the competition, or at least get into the top three winners, what now?
Do I have to first of all look for the real killer, or his parents? And most importantly, what will happen when I will fulfill the task? Are they my ultimate goal, or just a step towards something as yet unknown? And most importantly - I do not know, it depends on whether it anything at all, and all in vain, and the players death, and will continue? A million questions and no hint of an answer.
From the heavy thoughts I tore a loud thud emanated in the first floor. They knocked on the front door. Before I managed to somehow respond, the door seems to be open, because after I heard of Jerome, who posted something unintelligible voice of Donnie, I immediately recognized. Well, he just had to come back from shopping. I hurried down, fearing that Jerome does not understand the situation, not Donald sent home. As it turned out - I was worried for nothing.
I descended found Donnie already in the living room, in the arms of a pair of paper bags and quite distraught. Jerome tried to take the bags, promising to carry them up and unpack, Donald is struggling protested, saying that perfectly cope with this myself. It looked the part of a very funny.
- I see you've already met?
- Yes, sir. Mr. Jobson warned that you will live another young gentleman, and a detailed description of it. So when I saw Mr. Watson on the doorstep, I did not doubt that it was him.
Donnie, who at the sight of me immediately came to his senses and got rid of the embarrassment, immediately began excitedly talking about the trip, while trying to show me their svezhepriobretennoy treasures. Realizing that simply do not have time for the flight of his thoughts, the more the head is completely occupied by others, I have proposed to start a cup of tea, hoping that this will help a little bit to recover. And besides, I suddenly found that I want to have a banal, despite the tragic news that, in theory, should have been long deprived me of appetite.
- Jerome, we can drink tea?
- Of course, sir! Dispose served in the lounge, or cover you in the dining room?
- And we can not in a simple cup of tea, for example, in the kitchen? You drink it there.
- This, of course, your right, sir, tea wherever you like in this house. But, if you'll excuse me for unsolicited advice - drink tea in the living room, not worth the masters do it in the kitchen. Kitchen - a place for the workers, sir.
- Oh. Well, well, Jerome, I will not argue with you. Then we will drink it in the living room. And if there was something to eat for tea?
- Of course, sir.
- Thank you, Jerome.
- Donnie, do not just stand there, tell me - I turned to the other.
- A? Yes, yes, of course - sitting on the sofa, he shook out one of the packages some pretty heavy volumes from the second large box of cardboard has been removed, miniature scales with a set of weights, alcohol burner, some small spoon, spatula, tweezers, empty vials and test tubes.
- This is - my most important textbook! - Donnie proudly showed me a leather covered Talmud, entitled as "Aspects of traditional alchemy." - I think I'll start reading it right now, to be ready in advance for classes. Look, Sherlock, then wrote a great thing! Now I'll read ...
Vaguely listening to Donnie reads murky reasoning of a learned old man that alchemy - are the cornerstone of the universe and the mother of all the other sciences, I again involuntarily returned to gloomy thoughts about today's news and its, in this regard, plans.
I must say, I still have not recovered, so the thought barely moved, there was no clear plan of action. Although it was clear one thing - you need to accelerate. Despite the fact that Proteus was not sure that my actions in this world somehow affect an unknown killer or killers players reject such a possibility was not.
So first of all, I quickly need to raise the level of skill of mechanics to twenty, and then, up to thirty units. The question of income, thus, remains in last place. I will not completely reject this aspect, but it seems to me that at the rate at which things are going, I just do not have time to spend the money. While on the other hand, it is possible that a lot of money I will need in the future, the search expedition - it's not cheap.
Second - although I'm not sure, perhaps it is actually the first - I should as soon as possible to find the killer. And it seems to me that an unknown force that controls everything in this world is very interested in this. After all, those tips that I received in my visions, it appears it came from her and Proteus has nothing to do with it. If you believe him, of course. On the other hand - who then believe?
Donnie, meanwhile, finished to read a textbook, and laid their treasures on the couch, and probably for a long time silently watching me.
- You got something happened, Sherlock?
Eh! Well, that's what I say to him? The truth can not be said, except that partial.
- I'm sorry, Donnie. I'm not listening to you all thought about these murders. I need as soon as possible to find out who is behind all this. March detective gave me yesterday some materials, I must urgently study them, it is desirable for the evening. Not sure that I would find there is something important, but for the purification of conscience, should read them. Tomorrow I'll do something else, and I would not before.
- You want me to help you? I read quite quickly, and I have a good memory - Donnie, good soul, does not take offense at me. - I can read everything and make a brief summary, and you until you want to do something else.
By the way, a great idea! I do not know what to offer each other more willing to help, or simple curiosity. I think that both equally. However, to me it just at hand.
- Yeah, you know, I would be happy, though. You do not exactly difficult?
- Of course not! I am pleased to honor!
Well, wonderful. The more so because I had one case that required my attention. And, since I had such an opportunity, it is they, and I'll do!
Escapes upstairs to my room, I grabbed the manuscript from the table and handed it to Donny. He took it, with some apprehension by looking at a schematic drawing eerie schupaltserukogo scaly monster depicted on the front pag
e.
- Who is this?
Oh, you're well, I forgot that one is afraid of horror stories and fairy tales!
- It? Well, presumably, it is one of the Dark Gods. In this manuscript, most likely, you should describe the rituals necessary for their call. But I'm not sure - well, if we now Donnie change his mind to read, I would not be surprised. At the words "Dark Gods," he distinctly pale. - If you're afraid, I'll read it.
- No no! I am not afraid of anything! Come on, I'll read - each hastily grabbed the paper, almost tearing them out of my hand.
- Thank you, Donald.
Back in my room, I was planning to re-start the search. Only this time, I was going to look for is not safe, and a small object, which is much easier to hide. But, as it hid a child, I still hoped that I could find it.
So, where a ten-year boy who lives with his uncle and hated housekeeper, can hide a small object like a key? On the one hand, it must be sufficiently safe place, not to be found even by accident, on the other - it should be easily accessible to the boy. Think!
So, most likely, the key will be hidden in the room is, in fact here Sherlock spent most of the time, not counting the attic. But where is there to hide something? I looked around the rather Spartan conditions. Bed, high wardrobe, bedside table, with her lying on an open book, a desk with drawers, chair. Here, actually, and all furnishings.
Well, if any of insights is not expected, will have to arrange a banal search. Fortunately, the experience is already there.
Two hours later, palpation of the mattress, tapping the wall panels and furniture, crawling on his knees, and even attempted to tear off a piece of wallpaper from the wall in a particularly suspicious site, I decided to sit down and think things through. It has become clear that the search for even more secluded corners where one could hide the key, came to nothing lead. I, of course, in any case, standing on a chair, unscrewed the knobs decorative cornice in bronze, and in some places tried to pull out the flooring, but it clearly was not. The location should be easily accessible, and at the same time reliable.
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