A muscular man dressed in a tight, grey uniform stood by a window, long black hair tied behind his back. His deep blue eyes, glittering above a hawkish nose, observed an image of a dying sun - a bright red monster with violent explosions all over its surface. Nostalgia and sadness decorated his pale face.
He turned around, sat down by a dark wooden table and entered a command on a holographic screen. A living city stretching to the end of the horizon replaced the dimming projection of the doomed star.
A window of a young woman dressed in the same uniform appeared in a floating window to the right of the screen. She said, “Your visitor is here, shall I let him in?”
“Yes.”
The girl nodded and her image disappeared. The officer leaned back and drowned in his thoughts, crossing his hands on his chest.
A door alarm beeped and a metal door slid open. Steps echoed in the distance, getting closer and closer, every second step louder than the first. A person wearing a black uniform under a greyish shiny cloak entered the room, his face concealed by the cloth. The visitor limped towards the table and dropped down on the chair on the opposite side.
After a pause of silence the host spoke. “So here you are.”
“Here I am,” the visitor replied in tired deep voice.
“It’s been a while hasn’t it?”
“Since what?”
“Since the last time we met.”
“Oh, that… ’ve been busy you know.”
“A poor excuse.”
“We’re not children, Tom, don’t pretend to be angry,” mocked the cloaked figure.
“Cold as ice today, aren’t we?” Host’s lips widened.
The visitor did not reply and silently observed the room. He stopped when his sight caught glimpse of the bookshelf, which stood close to host’s chair and said, "You should get rid of those things—" He pointed at one of the books, the cover of which was less worn. "—or at least disconnect your security system from the network. You never know who else might be watching.”
“That thing—“Tom indexed the book behind his back with a thumb. “—is just a safety precaution.” Many things had happened since you were gone. Had a guy with explosives strapped round his chest in this room once, learned new habits.”
Tom glanced at the holographic screen to check the hidden camera. He changed a couple of vision modes, but the result was always the same – the visitor’s blur was impenetrable. Must be effect of a wave diffraction device under the cloak, he figured.
“So, Ermac, how‘re you doing?" Tom asked, concerned expression on his face.
The visitor straightened up and said, “ ‘ve been better you know. Frankly, I feel that weight on my shoulders is too heavy for my tired back. I ordered Stacy to prepare a substitute in a few months.“ Ermac took a pause to think if he had to add something, he didn‘t. He asked, “How 'bout you?"
“Same as always.” Tom's voice was total opposite of Ermac’s, he was teeming with life. “Doing my work, cleaning the streets. Calm times, boring times I’d say,”
“Wasting your life on the scum… Do you think people appreciate you for everything you do for them?”
“Someday they will.”
“That is never going to happen. You love them too much, Tom, and I can’t understand why.” Ermac objected.
Tom's optimism hit a wall and an uncomfortable silence filled the room for a moment. He broke it.
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Chronicle of Nautilus
الخيال العلميNautilus was the last and the largest spaceship to leave dying Solar system. When mysterious terrorist starts wrecking havoc aboard, it is up for the first citizen and the head of security, Tom Landau, to untangle a web of lies and eliminate the thr...
