Guess I’d better call him. He sent a link request to Kostya just as the air car began to move away.
«Yes?»
«Where you going? Get back here.»
«I can’t see you. There’s a scary-looking bastard down there waving—»
«That’s me! Someone used one of our injector cards on whoever this guy was.»
«That’s…you know that’s not possible. It never—»
«I know, I know, but I’m telling you it worked this time for god knows what reason. Hey, we’ve only tested on chimps. Maybe there’s something different we don’t yet understand about human minds? Whatever, just get back here.»
«I don’t know. This doesn’t ring true to me. I have a lot of trouble believing what you’re telling me.»
«What can I say? I understand completely. All I know is that I woke up like this. It’s a hell of a painful experience. I need you. I need a friend right now to help me get through this.»
The air car banked slowly around.
«I’m coming down. But listen, I need you to talk to me, convince me you’re for real before I let you in the car.»
«Yes, of course. Oh wait, you’ll need to bear with me. My tongue isn’t working right so far, so I’m having trouble speaking aloud. It’s much easier to talk this way.»
«Perhaps, but there’s no guarantee I’m not speaking with someone else. Take your time and get your tongue working.»
The car came to a stop a meter above the ground a few paces from Tyoma. The front window slid down a few centimeters and Kostya’s wary eyes peered out. “You sure are one mean-looking son of a bitch.”
Tyoma had been practicing as the air car had descended. Now he took a deep breath and focused hard on forming his tongue into the proper shapes. “I–It’s mmm- me.” His voice was oddly high-pitched. Another breath. “Ree- really.” As awkward as it felt, he could already tell it would get easier pretty fast.
“Quick,” Kostya said, “what’s our favorite game?”
“Ch- chess on T- T- T- Tuesdays. Swords and Sc- scrolls any other day wh- when we h- have t- time.”
Kostya stared at him a long time, the look in his eyes changing from wariness to compassion. Finally he shook his head. “I just can’t believe it worked. It’s…it’s crazy. Come on, get in.” He told the car to open the door, and it slid upward.
His new body still felt wobbly, so Tyoma took great care to ease himself into the front seat next to his friend. He sighed when he was at last able to drop his head onto the head rest.
Kostya grinned and clapped him on the shoulder. “The guys are going to go nuts over this! They won’t believe it.”
“Not…not t- tonight,” Tyoma said. “Please. Just…need help getting home.”
“Of course, of course. You look tired. It’s just…”
“What?”
“Well…you — I mean the original you — you’re in trouble over there at The Pyramid.” Kostya pointed at the nearby resort.
“I’m alive?” Tyoma forced his thick lips into what he hoped was a grin. He recalled many debates over the years as to whether the universe would allow two versions of the same person to live at the same time. Seems I’ve been right all along.
“For the moment,” Kostya said. “You’re hurt, though. I’d like to get you out of there. I’m just not sure how to do it.”
“I m- may be able to help. Th- the guy who was w- with me…I th- think he was a mobster from…from there. He seemed to th- think I was a colleague.”
Kostya told his car to head for The Pyramid. “I guess it makes sense. The only card that could’ve been used on you was the one these mobsters stole from us. If they still think you’re, you know, one of them, then maybe we have a shot at getting you out of there.”
“Even b- better,” Tyoma said, “th- the guy didn’t seem to ex- expect me to speak. M- maybe this guy was a mmm- mute.”
Kostya smirked at him. “You look like someone who was used for muscle, not brains. Just stay quiet and look scary. We’ll fake our way through this.”
Tyoma nodded. He smiled at the thought of meeting himself. We’ll have so much to discuss! I wonder if I can beat myself at chess?
Moscow
Sunday, June 8, 2138
10:45 p.m. MSK
Everything seemed a blur now to Zoya. And not in the same way as when her heart was pounding and the combat card seemed to slow everything to a crawl. She could focus during the blur caused by the card. While everything else melted away, she was able to concentrate on any one area of her choice and make decisions…thoughtful decisions. Now her heart wasn’t pounding and the blur encompassed everything.
She saw things in flashes. The young American man Marcus, overcome with exhaustion, asleep leaning against the car’s door. Ira constantly glancing back at Zoya from the front seat, her face pale, her attempts to offer a wan smile failing. The glow of the giant pyramid and its curved towers filling the view screens. I’m getting what I thought I wanted and all I want to do now is throw up.
The air car slowed and descended into the dim light of a landing garage halfway up the side of the pyramid. The steady light seemed to make Zoya’s mind clear. She’d never been anywhere close to The Pyramid before. Looking down she noticed that there was no way to access the casino from ground level. They wouldn’t want low-life Muckers dirtying up their paradise.
“Park in your regular spot,” she told the car, hoping the car actually had such a parking space. It began to settle into an open space not far from a neon-lit arched doorway leading into a casino. Two guards in dark suits stood on either side of the arch, while a small group of gaudily-clad patrons sauntered from their long, sleek air car into the noise and bright lights of the casino hall.
When the car settled, Zoya told it to open the doors. She looked over at Ira and tried to smile, but from the look on Ira’s face she wasn’t sure she succeeded.
“Don’t go,” Ira said. “You don’t need to do this. Please, let’s get out of here. Go someplace nice where you can rest.”
Zoya held the gun in front of her face, ejected the clip, and checked the number of remaining rounds. She slammed the clip back in place and patted her pocket to ensure the two spare clips were still there. “Take Marcus to his apartment,” she said. “Ditch this car somewhere and go to your family at the dacha.”
Ira seemed to be all cried out. She stared at Zoya with reddened eyes but said nothing more.
Zoya got out of the car, glanced at the two guards, then ducked back in to look at the sleeping Marcus. She looked longingly at his smooth, dark skin, his expressive lips, his tousled black hair, and wished that life had been allowed to go a different direction. The young man was completely out of place here, and she marveled at the sheer unlikelihood that he had wandered into her life. Why did it have to be the worst day?
She drew herself up and adjusted her solar coat while glancing casually at the guards again. Drawing in a calming breath, she thumbed the safety on the gun and began walking toward the casino’s entrance. Despite her attempts to remain calm, her heart began to pound and the guards took on a red glow. They glanced up at her approach but otherwise showed little interest. When she was within a meter of them, one of the guards grinned at her. Zoya raised the gun and blew the grin off his face. The universe had turned to slow-motion again, and the other guard had no time to react before she put a bullet through his ear.