Тимур Джафарович Агаев
The Universe of Nothing (collection)
Alexander made his way through these ruins. He had the feeling that each distance covered was not just a physical movement, but an immersion in a story that remained beyond his perception. Citizens passed each other with distrust, their eyes seeking support, but finding only a reflection of their own grief.
At the corner of one of the streets, a glass stall where books were still displayed caught his attention. The forgotten pages were waiting to be restored, and he felt that even in this desolate area, it was possible to find sparks of hope. Each line read could become the beginning of a new narrative, and the city that, despite the destruction, continued to live in the heart and memory of its inhabitants could still be restored.
Human Police in a ruined city
And there's always a chance
Defend what you love,
Solve all the pressing problems,
Tell me you won't back down,
When the cold hits
And you will have to accept the changes.
Tell me what you know by sight,
The ones with the dead eyes,
But the brave ones.
Tell me you can't back down,
When the future is young
Their future family waves.
Oxygen was on the agenda. This vital gas was priced out – oxygen purity levels were falling all over the Earth due to the huge amount of waste and people. People generated waste, and the waste went to all the poorer regions and fed new people. A terrible chain of events. Judging by the news, very soon people will have nothing to breathe. And Alexander felt it: it stank everywhere, and he involuntarily covered his nose with his hand as he walked around the city and accidentally suffocated. In this respect, of course, he missed his grandfather and the clean rural air.
Sasha stood on the corner of the street, lost in thought about the task ahead. Suddenly, a deafening sound broke the silence – the explosion of a bus. A bright flash blinded him, and in the next instant, a cloud of dust and debris surrounded the figures rushing to help. Alexander was thrown back, but he fell nearby and, like a miracle, didn't break anything. Like…
People were screaming, looking for cover, and their breath was taken away from them by hysteria. Sasha recovered quickly, his skills and experience getting the better of the shock. He rushed to the scene, recording the details, collecting small pieces of information to pass on to headquarters. People were being escorted out of the scene, but in the cloud of dust, no one could see the agile Alexander.
His ears were clogged. Maybe from the sirens all around. The authorities are not yet aware of what is happening, but people, having cooperated, began to take decisive actions to save their fellow citizens. In such a dark time, such rays of light are always needed – those who will help, who will give a hand in a difficult moment. And it's good that there were such things in the Branch.
But what happened? Who could have done this? The branch isn't such a big city. There was only one bus in the city. Everyone knew the driver by name. Everyone knew that the bus was driven by an experienced driver. So something must have happened. So there was someone in the transport who could have done this. A diversion, perhaps?
Alexander believed that this was another terrorist attack committed by separatist forces. Unfortunately, another…
He entered the headquarters covered in a pall of dust. The lieutenants who had gathered around the map were distracted and looked at him, waiting for a report.
"The explosion occurred at 14: 32. The bus was civilian, with many casualties. Possible sabotage, " he croaked, his voice sounding confident despite the fear still coursing through his body. "We need to start evacuating. We need medical help."
The room fell silent, and everyone looked at him with alarm. He knew it wasn't a question of understanding what had happened, but of acting quickly. It was necessary to solve the consequences of this terrorist attack as quickly as possible. They left in official cars together with Alexander. Nikolai, the official, looked at Sasha and said:
"Thank you for your cooperation. If this continues, you can go for a promotion.
But both the official and Alexander understood that nothing like this would happen – to get a rank higher than the official's secretary, you had to serve in the army of the Human Police. He didn't want to go there at a time of such intense fighting.
Arriving at the scene, Alexander finally clearly saw the consequences of the sabotage: people were crying, some were lying on the wet ground and stroking the heads of those who would never open their eyes again…
While the security services and the Human Police were investigating, Alexander considered every detail so that he could write them down in a report and not lose them. He always did that, in case Nikolai ever needed more details on a case. And they will always be at hand. At least as long as there is Alexander.
