Глава 16

He'll come around.

You can keep thinking that way, if it makes you feel better.

Rankin turns around, takes a few steps towards the campfire, before stopping in his tracks. He turns back around and walks in the other direction, until he leaves behind the friend with whom he has developed differences, and the comrades still enjoying themselves.

He keeps walking until the scene of unfading crimson once again fills his thoughts.

What do I do, Rankin? I-I think my skull's crushed. There's blood everywhere—

Help me, Rankin! I don't want to die!

Rankin—

Sorry.

Accept it.

Accept pain as you accept mortal pleasures. Accept death as you accept the life that Ursus grants.

Therein lies salvation.

Yes, I accept.

Who are you? Who the hell are you?!

Our souls could have been saved! This isn't how it should have been! It was you, abomination, that set us adrift, never to find salvation!

It's your fault—your fault that we have nowhere to go—

Abandon all hope.

All of you...

You never had anywhere to go.

(Panting heavily)

*pant*... *pant*...

Nadia... why are you here? Is Vetochki not with you?

I came to find you... Rankin.

Why... is there something I can help with?

No... I would like to help you.

Oh...

You killed that thing. It became your revelation, to carry the burden of all.

I understand your pain... it is painful to carry the burden of the life and death of others, to carry the burden of duty... how could it not be?

I witnessed how your soul became torn and tattered. But I do not have the cure. I could not compliment your courage, for it was the source of your pain...

Thank you for your understanding.

But there is no need to pity me. I chose this duty for myself.

Besides... no, I never believed in revelations. I've always done what I thought was right.

Yes. You chose it yourself. Poor boy... no one can save you, except yourself...

I can only send you my sincere blessings, that one day... one day, you will find salvation from pain, and the peace that you desired...

The old woman puts a withered hand on Rankin's chest, and he feels his chest filled with warmth.

I—

Rankin touches his chest.

Was he too tired, or hallucinating?

He does not feel his heartbeat.

Since you asked, let's start with the crackdown in the mining district.

It began with people who had too much time on their hands, who discovered a new substance deep within an exhausted mine shaft.

Of course, we began to study it.

The Infected are one thing, but why can't we leave the mining district either?

There's nothing coming out of the mines. The miners are being shut inside their quarters, unable to go to work. Who knows if the Originium veins inside have really dried up?

Let's sit and wait. The Grand Duchess won't abandon us.

Wait? What's the point of waiting? They're not issuing our salaries, just supplies. Why not just let us leave, then? Not everyone's so carefree like you. I've got a mother to provide for.

We've got news! The mines haven't been exhausted!

What? Really?

Guess what we found at the bottom of the mine?

The Originium's grown back?

No! You don't have any imagination.

Imagination leads to futile hope, which leads to death. I don't want to die yet.

So, what exactly did you find?

Geologists from Bresk say that it's a geological fault, not exhaustion! Faults cause shifts in rock formation, resulting in Originium ore seemingly disappearing, when in fact it's been transformed.

Can you explain it in a way that a non-geologist could understand?

Meaning that the Originium ore is gone, but something new has appeared.

Look at this! Fresh out of the hole. I'm taking it to the lab for analysis. Here's your chance to help!

The excited researcher takes out a flask of black liquid, the surface of which is smooth as a mirror, and shakes it gently.

Are you sure? I'm no geologist, but I don't think faults turn rock from solid to liquid...

Are you sure they didn't make it up just so that we'll have something to do?

I went down myself, alright? The stuff's everywhere. It's like an underground river. The miners said the Originium ore was gone, but it's only been transformed into this stuff.

You have a chance to be a co-author on my paper! You should be more grateful!

Fine, fine I'll come. Like I don't know you just wanted to use my lab.

And what about it? Yours is the tidiest...

Indeed. How could a fault turn Originium ore from solid to liquid?

But there was no need for us to doubt the truth that was plain as day. After swift analysis and comparing the results, we confirmed that it was a substance the likes of which we've never seen before, and we named it 'Oka'.

Then, the Grand Duchess' orders came.

Go straight into human testing? Who ordered it, the director?

No, not even on the director's orders. We don't understand its nature, and we haven't even begun animal testing or energy testing. We're being too hasty. I'm going to find him—

There's no point talking to the director. The volunteer quota has already been filled, and Lakoda is moving forward with the tests.

Besides, this comes directly from the Grand Duchess. She wants results in two weeks.

Two weeks? That's not even enough to find out its half-life.

I don't like this. I—

If you don't like it, you can leave the Oka research.

I was in charge of extracting the active component of Oka, and I worked with Lakoda to develop the animal testing reagent. Of course I want to continue!

I just—I just don't think this is right, to go straight to human testing with zero idea about what might happen.

The sooner we get results, the sooner the Grand Duchess lets me go home. That's my only concern right now.

Like I told you, not everyone is as carefree as you are.

But—

I...

The human experiments began regardless. I was excluded and did not have access to the experiment data.

I wanted to figure out the nature of Oka and why it appeared in the mines. So...

The experiments on lab musbeasts showed no progress. At my wits' end, I even thought about experimenting on myself.

I never did, of course, because I learned that those so-called volunteers were not volunteers after all.

You need to get out of here, Ksenia.

Serafina? How did you get in here? I thought there were guards at the door. Are there new volunteers from the miners—

Listen to me, Ksenia. Those miners never volunteered!

Even the patients who were in our medical post were forcibly conscripted. Your colleague was such a smooth liar that I didn't detect she was lying at first, when she said they volunteered.

What?

All those 'volunteers' who participated in the experiments never volunteered! They never came back! Whatever's happening here goes against all scientific ethics.

You remember Vetochki? The bell toller, the one who stammers a little?

Good girl. She remembers everyone in the mining district, and she told Rankin, the foreman, as soon as she noticed that people had gone missing.

First, the Infected miners, then their non-Infected families...

Rankin went missing for a while too, reappearing with the bodies of a few miners who had gone missing.

<i>Gosudar-batyushka</i>... so when Lakoda said that the experiments were paused because of 'equipment theft'...

I don't know the details about your situation, but the miners have left their quarters and are coming to the lab. They want an explanation.

The miners are mostly Infected, and they have the strength of numbers. The guards can't stop them if they're determined to force the issue. There will be blood.

But... but I've never heard about any volunteers showing rejection symptoms, much less death—

Are you sure?

I... no, I'm not.

Do you have the experiment data?