Then it began. He did not have time. The hell knows why “Montana” on his hand started to play.
Tam-ta-tam-ta. Ta-ta-tam. Never let me go. Tam-tadam-tadam…
The first organized melody played on planet Earth, the Solar System, Milky Way, God's World, by the very first tune attracted to the confused, disoriented Vadim the keen attention of a young Triceratops, who had just left his group of hatchlings in the morning of this ancient day. The young Triceratops had gone into the jungle because it was now time for the heroic and dangerous adventure of searching for the mother of his offspring. He was equally scared and uncertain, but male pride was burning at his intimate parts and forcing him on, and he was ready to snack on flint and rape T-Rex females. So, is it possible to blame him for the fact that the squeaking of the watch, inaccurate in its electronic annoyance, and the general light-headedness of the melody infuriated him to the point of “kill immediately, bite!”? The young Torosaurus walked through the Jurassic, looking out for the moos of young females, and here we go – music by Poulton, words by Fosdick, performance by Elvis Presley. Who would not be furious? Everyone would be furious.
Vadim did not immediately distinguish the attacking horned hippo from the surrounding flora. And that actually saved his life, when he finally did, like a bunny on a mysterious picture, and realized that the tenth chapter of “The Lost World” had already begun.
PART ONE
1990. DIFFERENT OFFERS
Archive of Shugpshuits (Book of the Trouble)
File “Blinchuk-4”
A fragment of self decryption, pp. 1-5
(Spelling errors fixed)
(For the previous meetings, we had developed a little communication ritual, I do not want to decipher the reasons behind. Blinchuk, scarcely seeing me and scarcely saying “Hello”, started whining again and again, with the peevishness of a helpless sick man, how it nags at him, on his deathbed, that he never visited the Zone. But he could have. Oh, he could have! His rating would crush any Wobenaka. Or Gena the Genious, now deceased. But it didn't work out. And even now, when it doesn't matter anymore, the evil troublers, trackers, they are also selfish smugglers, and related others – the little boozers, the clumsy beggars, and border-hoppers, allowed him to go only to the “neutral”. But he still didn't reach the exit, he was banned. He, who had been working as a god of the Perimeter for fifteen years! And here is your regard, here is your glory. And what is he supposed to do, whom to ask so that he will at least be buried there, in the Trouble.