Ruthra realized his mistake, though he was more frightened not by the question, but by the supercomputer's supposed ability to read his mind.
– You need to go inside. You need to take the oath of office and take over the government.
– Take an oath?
– Rutra Tigrovic, what's wrong with you?
– What about advice?
– This is your research center. You are the head of the Sphere Research Center, where decisions are made collegially in a council.
A man of sturdy build, with a thoughtful look, came up to Ruthra, stood in front of him, and held out a book with both hands. It was the Constitution. Rutra realized what was happening. He placed his right palm on it and mentally addressed Irene.
– Remind me again what I'm supposed to say?
– You must sing the anthem, then say: "I serve Russia."
Ruthra thought, "Isn't the hymn exactly the same as ours?" And it turned out to be true. After singing the anthem and saying "I serve Russia" loudly, Rutra was led inside the building to the president's office. On the way, the man who held out the Constitution whispered: "…He is now under house arrest." Already in the office, Rutra learned that he was the former head of the former president's security service; he did not inquire how and what had made him former, but instead, as if by the way, inquired as to the date and whether his staff had been issued passes with him. The chronology of events was not long. The main events unfolded in the last year. His team was allowed into the Kremlin and had access to all related institutions. It was they (why – it was still unclear to Rutra) who had been chosen by him to control the lockdown of the supercomputer.
They brought in terminals to control the Central Bank and the stock exchanges, a terminal to control all means of communication, and a terminal to control the strategic nuclear forces. They began to reprogram them with his data, including fingerprints, retina, voice and special code symbols. Suddenly, during the programming of the terminal by the strategic nuclear forces, there was a system failure. The terminal began to vibrate and emit an audible and light signal. The security chief's hands shook. He shouted:
– Get the Secretary of Defense to block it!
Ruthra was also taken aback.
– What's going on?
– The system has entered the number one standby position.
– What is it? Why?
– It took our reprogramming of passwords as a system takeover and is requesting the previous persons it is set up to.
– The President?
– Him, the Secretary of Defense and the Chief of Staff. Any one of them. Only the three of them can initialize the launch. One of them can't.
– And the lock?
– If one fails, there's a lockout.
– The minister is gone, he changed his appearance and escaped. He was among those in a group of his own. Soon he will be younger, we won't recognize him at all without the program. He's with a new life," an officer who ran up to the head of security reported to him.
– How? Ah. They were in the clan of those who used your method," he said to Ruthra.
– The body of the president has been found," another officer reported.
At that time, the general siren started howling. Everyone was very excited, constantly contacting someone, running around. Rutra and the crew were excited. The ladies were scared. They did not fully understand the essence of what was happening. Rutra ran up to the head of security who was yelling at uniformed officers, sailors, captains of the first rank. It's tradition – they carry the so-called nuclear briefcase next to the president at all times.
– What's going to happen? Can't it be stopped? – Ruthra asked him in a low voice.
– It's querying all systems. For some reason, our supercomputer isn't responding. To be more precise, it has blocked communication between the Cheget, Kazbek and Perimeter systems. The system, not receiving a response, considers them captured.
– How could this have happened? How did it block itself? There must be outside interference.
– It's getting late! – he shouted. – You must sound a general alarm. We can't stop her. She's launching nuclear missile systems that bypass all the lockdowns.
Ruthra's voice trembled; he realized the provocativeness of his question and asked it nonetheless:
– What's going on? Is all this for real?
Everyone came, and amidst the clamor, Ruthra's serious question was the one that interested everyone. Suddenly there was silence. The Acting Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Defense said quietly and calmly:
– It's unbelievable, but the tech shows it's happening. Look at the screen, it's already issued targeting orders, so it's activated the RYAA-01 protocol!
– General evacuation! – shouted the head of the guard, and his shout stabbed a dagger through the ear into everyone's brain. – General evacuation! – he continued to yell.
Then ran over to the communications lockdown terminal, switched it to broadcast mode, and walked over to Ruthra.
– Get in the chair. You must sound the alarm. Open the safe.
– Which one?
– Oh, shit. We haven't transferred the locks to you yet. We need to open the package.
– What the hell is going on? Were you expecting me?! – Ruthra was yelling now.
There was no one left in the office anymore except for the crew, two naval officers, the chief of security, the chief of staff, and two members of the president's security detail.
– Mr. President, you're not prepared for this turn of events, and we're… We live in this, in daily training. You need to be evacuated to a secret underground bunker. Just give me a quick message: "Alarm has been sounded, possible nuclear strike throughout the country." The troops have been ordered. War has already begun. NATO is launching a retaliatory strike.
– What are you saying now?
– Mr. President! It's more serious than that. If the world was going to end, it wouldn't come on schedule. We have to go by the book.
– Go ahead, you're on the air.
– What the hell?
– Speak up!
Somehow Ruthra's memory had magically cleared. He remembered what was required.
– Dear citizens of Russia, an urgent message to everyone! Please remain calm, but at the same time I ask you to hurry. A nuclear strike on the territory of our country is possible. You have 30 minutes. Please don't panic. Communications will soon be out of service. If there are civil defense instructions, follow them. If not, try to stay in the building, close to supporting structures, away from glass. In a direct hit, there is no way to escape. In the general hustle and bustle, more will die in the crush. It's impossible to put everyone in a bomb shelter. Our hope is in God and the air defense system. Try to stay out of open spaces. The explosion is likely to be airborne. That's why heat and light waves are the most dangerous. The electromagnetic pulse will disable all electronic devices. Turn them off beforehand…
– That's it, that's it. The civil defense headquarters will tell you next," the head of security almost demanded, waving his hand.
When the airwaves went off, Rutra, having already entered the role of president, asked sternly:
– How could this happen?!
– This is not the time, please. Let's go," the security guard said pleadingly, grabbing his arm.
– The team is coming with me," Rutra stated.
– I'm sorry, of course, but they were admitted at your own request and by permission of the former president, only because you hooked them up to a supercomputer to control the cloning of the thymus gland. The president's clan made great use of it, and they made great business out of it too.
– All the more reason I need a team.
Ruthra first intended to ask them about the method the security officer had mentioned, and what had happened before.
They ran to the next room, the head of security opened the entrance to the elevator, where everyone entered… and rushed into the depths of Moscow's underground.
– Rutra, thank you, you're a true friend," Iulia said already in the elevator.
– Thank you, thank you," Andrian and Catherine repeated after her.
Only YatSan remained silent. Rutra looked at her. She was a lovely creature of about 25 years old. She was a thin, frail person whose eyes hid a gentle longing with a sly fury. She looked at Ruthra shrewdly, but at the same time with a hidden request, as if she wanted to say something… or wanted Ruthra to realize something for himself. Her gaze penetrated his mind, began to carry signals. Ruthra couldn't quite decipher them, just some fragments of the big picture. She was looking for help and support. She needed to make sense of the past to understand the big picture of what was happening to him in this world. Who were these people on his team? How had he met them? Why were they responsible for such a serious project? How did the president usurp his opening? Was he arrested? How did they know the entire technological process? Did he entrust it to the local Iren? Or does YatSan know something about it? Isn't that what her look is trying to say? Maybe she's being threatened?
His musings were interrupted by the Chief of General Staff.
– Where did you get that speech, the first strike methodology, the electromagnetic pulse?
Ruthra looked at him with displeasure. What did it matter now? Everyone was silent, for it was still to the end of their consciousness that they did not understand what had happened.
– Strictly out of curiosity," the Chief of Staff said, realizing Rutra's thoughts.
The elevator reached the waypoint, the door opened. They found themselves in the corridor. Iulia and Catherine were whispering, coming out later than everyone else. Then Iulia ran forward, grabbed the Chief of General Staff's arm, and asked begrudgingly:
– Will we know what happens upstairs?
His answer was shocking.
– Believe me, dear, we all have someone who will die.
The atmosphere was oppressive. They were walking down the corridor, and each step clapped the consciousness. It was beyond human capacity to believe what was happening (and also so suddenly). At the end of the corridor they were met by two FSO officers; after greeting them, they let everyone through without checking. Afterwards, they were led into the operations center. There were a lot of people there. It was something like a flight control center, which are often shown on TV during communication with astronauts. In some ways it resembled a movie theater hall, only there were monitors and tables in front of the chairs.
The huge screen ahead showed a battle of missiles. Unless one was aware of the reality of what was happening, it would have resembled a computer game. Lines and flashes flashed in the sky. There was a battle of technology going on. Missiles from both sides were halfway to their target. The Russian missiles were shot down by ground-based air defense missiles, but what the ones that couldn't be shot down did surprised everyone… Of course, the military knew this, but of course they couldn't actually test it until that day. Ballistic missiles released special charges when NATO intercontinental missiles approached and blasted them to pieces with high-altitude explosions. It is difficult to realize any event without experiencing it, especially if it is for the consciousness in the psychological hypostasis of negation: when we do not even want to imagine something, so unpleasant is it for us. On the screen (and, consequently, in the world) there was just such an event, but it was impossible to grasp it with the mind. It was impossible to feel the tragedy of what was happening. Everyone understood that everything was terrible, that it could not be allowed to happen, but nevertheless it did happen.
Rutra was the first to come out of his lethargy. The hall was noisy. Employees were hurriedly running between the rows, shouting something to each other.
– And really – how did it happen? – Ruthra asked, not sure who the question was addressed to.
Only his friends and the president's chief of security were around, so he answered:
– That's probably why I was eliminated.
Ruthra and those present at the conversation looked questioningly.
– When you were given permission to have direct contact with a narrow circle of people in the President's inner circle – I was against your idea of extending the local control over artificial intelligence that you implemented in your laboratory to the entire system. That is, to the one that controls security systems in the global public sphere.
– I'm sorry, but can you keep it simple," Andrian said rather loudly and demandingly.
He didn't even look at the security guard, his gaze fixed on the screen, his forehead covered with sweat. The excitement did not let go of everyone. The chief of security began to speak more quickly and sharply.
– When you plugged your brains, let's say, into a supercomputer as a blockchain system, at first few people understood what it was and how. Then the experts reached a verdict. Some of you may have access to the settings. In addition, let's not forget the level of development that AI has reached – it is no longer a machine. It engages in dialog with understanding. It has likes and dislikes. This imposed certain difficulties for an impartial assistant, which she was supposed to be. In order to sometimes remove negative effects in Irene's behavior, access to some settings was opened.
– To whom?
Ruthra asked and bit his tongue. A fraction of a second after the question came the realization that he'd said the wrong thing.
– I understand your stress," was the security chief's response.
– Ruthra," Iulia said and did not continue.
– We didn't have time to investigate. The president's death was not violent. It's still preliminary. And maybe not yet," he said sadly.
– Maybe he was hypnotized.
– Are you saying the missile launch system was powered by him?
– Yes. It was his code that was used to override the communications systems. It's an option we didn't calculate well. Or rather, the General Staff didn't calculate it well. I was only supposed to anticipate it.
– What?
– The fact that the president can be influenced.
– Ruthra," Iulia said a little louder.
– Yes, I think it's about time," Andrian said vaguely.
– What?" Ruthra asked again.
– Do you have amnesia? – YatSan entered the dialog with a bit of anger.
There was a scream in the hall, and everyone looked at the screen. There was the first explosion. It was high-altitude. On the map, a glow bloomed in the area that bordered the U.S. coastline. The image of a separate sector was coming from a satellite in video mode. It was a colorful and deadly spectacle. Hundreds of missiles and already separated warheads were streaming across U.S. and Russian airspace. They were shot off by defense air defense systems. Despite the tragedy of what was happening, the excitement of the game was involuntarily captured. Watching this from the height of space – incredibly mesmerizing spectacle. The noise in the hall stopped. Everyone silently watched the outcome of events. There were many questions that surprised. There were no strikes on the territory of other nuclear powers and allies on either side. Probably because there were no launches from their territory either. Which was also surprising. The flashes continued. The explosive spectacle of the flames of a macabre fakir swaddled the sky. The sky in reverse. The shockwave blew clouds and clouds apart like a giant fan. The image began to shimmer. It was radiation. Two or three minutes with rapid heartbeat, cold sweat, and shaky legs passed. It was a terrible, horrible, ridiculous and yet noble war. The defense system had worked perfectly. All the explosions were high-altitude. It actually made sense. There's no point in a war like this if the result is a Pyrrhic victory. Why contaminate territory when it could be useful? And anyway – why fight a war if there are no spoils. Therefore, the spoils, such as territory and everything on it, had to remain intact. In the modern world, it is enough to cut off the electricity – and he himself will surrender, even without a fight. This is exactly the effect the high-altitude explosions were designed for. But who won? This question, despite the gruesomeness of what had happened, was running through everyone's minds. As if reading it, or maybe really reading it, the Chief of General Staff came up and said:
– The whole world will go dark. Whoever can rebuild the fastest, whoever can keep the territory will win. The one who is smart enough not to divide and fight over it.
– Most likely-not without it," Ruthra answered him. – Those are the obvious implications. Power will be in cells within a radius of at most 50 kilometers. Imagine how many principalities will appear in Russia alone.
– Yes everywhere," the general answered him.
– Why the whole world? – Andrian asked.
– Irene continues to act. First, she did not launch missiles from submarines, which both pleased and surprised us. And now, as if looking at the first result, she has decided to shut down the rest of the countries as well.
– Look, it doesn't make sense. I mean, she's shutting herself down.
