Глава 16

Suddenly, a strange coldness penetrates Raidian's cerebral cortex, virtually nailing her to the ground.

She is unwilling to offer any further warnings, even if she was just about to do so just a moment ago.

What...?

Even the most chaotic electrical signal should have been benign to her, but now she turns it into a knife to keep herself lucid.

Raidian shuts out her sensations with Originium Arts, attempting to break the shapeless restraint.

What are you—

Argh—

We must—go!

Take—everyone—leave!

'Mantra... is this the name you go by now?'

Mantra, I sense cold and... pain?

A vortex, inviting me to step inside...

Amiya, do not look! Do not listen!

I—I—

Ahh!

Shut out your senses with Arts, Amiya.

Same for you, Elysium. Stay here while I find out what's happening.

Mantra!

Stay back! This is not normal. They can't hear us speak—

Whatever it is...

It's calling to me.

And I must face it.

Mantra closes her eyes, and begins to picture the closed space in her mind like a mental blueprint.

She steps into the house. She will find and anchor each active consciousness here, awaken them and make them 'hear'.

At least, that is what should have happened.

No...

There is only...

Silence?

Red.

Piercing red.

Red, like the blood on the snow, encroaching upon the retina.

Then, she opens her eyes.

<color=#FF4200>(Hums)</color>

<color=#FF4200>What makes us equal?</color>

Perseverance.

Faith.

Pain.

<color=#FF4200>No, no, no. It is love.</color>

<color=#FF4200>What needs to be saved?</color>

The soul?

The soul.

The soul!

<color=#FF4200>Yes, yes, yes. The soul.</color>

<color=#FF4200>It is not our body that needs to be saved, but our souls.</color>

<color=#FF4200>Love and the soul are one and whole. Love makes us endure, makes us believe, makes us persevere.</color>

<color=#FF4200>And we shall meditate and share in the pain of others.</color>

<color=#FF4200>Make love pure, save the soul.</color>

<color=#FF4200>For you, for him, for all who endure pain...</color>

<color=#FF4200>Desire not your own life, decide not your own death.</color>

I endure.

I believe!

I persevere...

<i>Gosudar-batyushka</i>—

<color=#FF4200>'Gosudar-Yurodstvo!'</color>

Ahead is the tunnel where we first found Oka.

It should have been placed under lockdown soon after... but now, it looks completely abandoned.

The good news is that Originium particle activity has also dropped after work stopped. Infection risk should be minimal as long as you do not touch the deactivated Originium crystals.

I'm not detecting any other lifeforms. We should be able to get in without a fight.

We still don't know what happened here.;The Patrol Units and guards could return any time.

Time is of the essence.;Let's do this quickly.

Are you sure this is the right way, Ksenia?

I don't see anything.

Sorry. I've only been down here once before...

Let me find the emergency power switch.

Here it is.

Ok, looks like this is the right way. All we need to do is to go in the opposite direction from the mine carts.

Opposite direction? I thought we're going deeper.

It leads to somewhere other than the mine tunnels. I don't know what it's actually for, but the carts only carry goods, not people.

What about the cart? Can we use it?

There are no structural issues, but it's been abandoned for so long that there's only enough emergency power for the lights. I don't think it's a good idea.

I agree.;We can walk.

Mm.

You two, get on the cart.

What?

There's no safety belt!;We can walk!

Get on, Doctor. We can save time that way.

But it won't start—

I'll take care of it.

Do you need me to lift you up, Doctor?

...I can do it myself!

Are you ready?

What are you planning—

—Whoa?!

We'll be thrown off the cart.;The cart's going to fall apart.

It'll be fine. Just sit tight.

Here we go!

Thank goodness the tunnels look intact.

But we should have started a fire before coming down... it's a lot wetter than the outside. The difference is almost as great as the Iberian coast compared to inland Ursus.

Of course, there is a dramatic difference in temperature as well... are you alright?

I'm fine. What about you, Doctor?

Every part of my brain feels equally shaken.;You looked like you enjoyed it, Mon3tr.

I kept the speed steady.

Mon3tr is a very good cart driver. Or cart pusher.

Sounds like the problem's not on my end.

I have a question, Ksenia.;When was Oka first discovered in the mines?

I'm not sure exactly when. The first sample arrived at the lab a month ago.

That was when I learned of the appearance of this heretofore unheard-of substance in the Originium mines.

But it's strange...

This substance that appeared in the mines...;What made the lab decide to perform human experiments?

Infected exposed to Oka in this tunnel were subject to unusual mutations.