The coming apocalypse. Awakening of the Dead Princesses

Cellars of Tyne

Ilya Surov, a last-year student at the Faculty of Biology at Moscow University, worked at the Academic Institute in his profile. This is not to say that it was convenient to go to work, because getting from Veshnyakovskaya Street to Khoroshevskoye Highway is not very easy. Well, what to do? You can’t order your heart, you suffered, you went. Every day by bus, to the Vykhino metro station, past residential buildings, a public garden, and several roads. What good, and there are plenty of cars here. But, on “Polezhaevskaya” their Institute, “Medico-Biological Problems” stood at the very corner, and it was not difficult to go from the metro to work. And now Ilya quickly walked along the sidewalk, and in front of him, as if out of nowhere, there was a fence of his beloved institution. He climbed the high stairs, showed the pass to the guards, and causing the elevator with a magnetic pass, began to descend to the seventh underground floor. Light bulbs 1-2-3-4-5-6-7 flashed on the elevator wall, and behold, the door opened, the usual marble breccia floor, an aluminum ceiling, and stainless steel chandeliers fashionable in the twentieth century.

— Good morning, Ilya, — the guard said to him.

Oleg Dmitrievich, it was he, in the always black chopovka, and with a rubber truncheon that reached the floor. Not because the stick was huge, but because the guard was small. Ilya himself habitually bent down, getting out of the elevator. With a height of two meters, you always need to bend over so as not to break your head. Small, and not only, Ilya often touched his head either behind the jamb, or behind the door, or behind the ceiling, at least put on a helmet, so that there would be no bumps. But here, glory to builders and academicians, the ceilings were high, four meters, more than his house, in an apartment next to the park, where he lived next to his mother.

He walked down the corridor, with the floor made of old and already creaking beech parquet, and the usual movement of the card from top to bottom, opened the door of the room.

— Hello! — greeted, respecting the seniority of other employees, Surov.

— Hello, young shift, — Yury Sergeyevich Yaroshko was bored.

Yuri Sergeevich was a complete man of sixty-three years old, with a lush gray hair, an academic beard, and glasses in the style of “Nine days of one year.” He dressed in simple corduroy pants and a plaid shirt, and a corduroy jacket usually waited in the locker if he had to go to the high authorities.

Two more employees worked under the supervision of the candidate of sciences Yaroshko. This is a senior researcher Golovanov Gennady Sergeevich, a man of about fifty, dry, if not skinny, and stooped besides. Sensible uncle, like everyone else here, in fact. Another was the complete opposite of Golovanov, senior researcher Khlebnov. He was a complete man, but very energetic, by the way. But his name was also, like Golovanov, Gennady, only his middle name was Kirillovich. But they were often called so simply — “Two Genes,” or they simply spoke by their patronymics “Sergeevich” or “Kirillovich” And, sometimes a veteran of the institute, Vadim Grigorievich Veltishchev, came to them. Vadim Grigorievich was especially happy with Ilya, and usually called him only “granddaughter.” The veteran was already 75 years old, but he kept vigorous, was energetic and always cheerful.

And now my grandfather was sitting at the table, studying the sample with a microscope. But, I must say this now, salaries have become quite good, but earlier researchers were interrupted, working part-time in morgues, processing the bodies of the dead. Here their knowledge was simply irreplaceable, and at least there they were welcome. Now there were many worries, they performed research for ROSCOSMOS, and for the army and navy. We recently went on a business trip to the North to study the fight against frostbite. But, I must say, my grandfather was called when he was to work in a secure zone, where he was called on a call, and came for him, in order to spend, the guard was not in a black chopovka, but in a good suit.

The boiling electric kettle snapped, and Kirillovich got up to look.

— Stakhanovites, it’s time to drink coffee, — Gena immediately spoke about the main thing.

— We started a coffee machine, — Golovanov joked, aka “Sergeevich”

— Rather a pack of Nescafe, Kirillovich added.

Ilya also took out a mug from the table, and sat down with everyone next to him. Artel cookies, part of the payment for part-time jobs and hacks, also appeared on the table.

— Ilya, here the worker turned up, if you want, we’ll take it with us, — suggested the boss.

The worker was usually called the restoration of the face of the deceased, who received serious injuries. Relatives wanted a beautiful face, and an intermediary for 20% of the commission offered work to specialists.

Then there was a call from Yaroshko’s work phone, and the head slowly and importantly picked up the phone. He did not say a word, only nodded to his grandfather. The old man rose sedately, finished his coffee.

— Well, I went… Granddaughter, hello! We will need to talk to you, — said Veltishchev as he left.

— What grandfather wanted to tell you? Kirillich asked.

— I don’t know, — only the young man shrugged, starting to get close to the cookies.

The cookies smelled so seductive that even the athlete could not resist. So the student took two.

By lunchtime, the grandfather returned, waving the package, and his granddaughter sat down opposite the table.

— Let’s go, we need to talk, — said Vadim Grigorievich Ilya, — you, an hour, have not married yet?

Golovanov covered his face with his hands, and Yaroshko quickly sat down on a stool. Khlebnov put a cold glass to his forehead. Actually, this speech was my grandfather’s favorite.

— It’s hard to find by height, grandfather, — was the answer.

And truthful. There was, so to speak, no one to choose Surov from. Young ladies came across him exceptionally short.

— So I found you! — and the old man laughed even more.

The young man shrugged his shoulders and went to the exit from the laboratory after Veltishchev. They reached the corridor, and the grandfather put the documents on a wide windowsill.

— Read it and sign it if you agree.

Surov went through documents on non-disclosure, on his new official duties. The case was very serious, but the money was offered quite good for two days of work a week — about forty thousand. But the prospects were so bright, you see, and the career will go forward. And not just by leaps and bounds, but by straight hundred-mile steps. Ilya began to sign.

— You look closer, — sighing, grandfather quickly said, — you will work with me. And it says that he must delete all accounts in Odnoklassniki, VK, Pikabu. The passage is simple in a special area — all things are in the locker, you go through the shower, naked, it is clear that you would not wet the clothes and put on white pants, shirt, bathrobe and… white slippers, — and grandfather sneered slyly, — well, what? I agree?

— Yes, there will be more time to write a diploma. I like everything, Vadim Grigorievich!

— Well, then go to the special officer, in the first department. If anything, he’ll shoot you.

Like, so grandfather joked. Actually, they were already waiting for them. Surov signed the magazine, and the specialist put him in a chair and began to process him on a lie detector, asking moronic questions.

— Acceptably, — said the specialist, and sewed the document into Ilya’s case, — well, everything seems to be.

— Okay, — said the grandfather, — go home. You will enter the course quickly. Our exit to work the day after tomorrow.

— Understood,” the young man almost regretted that he agreed.

***

The day was not easy, in doubt. Mother, Ekaterina Alexandrovna, did not say anything. The young man quickly collected a duffel bag, and left the house. The best remedy for stress, as you know, is the gym, and Ilya went there.

The minibus came almost immediately, the young man sat down and was slightly distracted, almost missed his stop. His two friends, Dima and Sanya, were already doing their best. Well, Dima talked about something with a woman of about thirty, and she smiled sweetly at him.

— Well, at least everything is as always here, — Surov immediately calmed down.

— Ilya, hello! — Dmitry greeted, with a can of new energy in his hand, — do you wave? — he suggested immediately.

The young man nodded and held out a glass. This thing turned out to be more shameful than the past, and Surov, with a great boost of strength, began to pull dumbbells. At the end of the training went to the soft hall to fight. Dima taught him and Sanya, and was a very persistent mentor. Half an hour of falls on mats, and practicing competent punches, and a strict coach, decided that the wards were free. Sauna, was the next stage of development. The bath completely returned the presence of spirit, because his friend Nastya came.

— Hello, — she immediately greeted, smiling fervently, — are you all healthy? ‘he added approvingly.

The girl was sweet and athletic, although it was impossible to call her beautiful. A sharp nose, a large mouth, a little wide in the shoulders, like any swimmer. But in a swimsuit it was simply incomparable, and one of its appearance improved the mood of a young biologist.

— Let’s go, I’ll teach you to swim, — I said already friendlier, and brought it into the water of the pool in a housekeeping manner.

Twenty-five meters forward, twenty-five meters back, and so on two more times. Nastasya’s technique was perfect, Ilya was not that very, but then he was released naiad from the reservoir.

The evening ended very well, and stupid doubts no longer tormented him. Slept, however, badly, tormented by stupid dreams, white faces, and gloomy, gloomy sky, and rocky earth. I got up early while my mother slept, quickly ate and shaved. Although he needed to shave only every other day, the bristles did not grow quickly. But I decided that it was necessary, they say that it soothes.

In the morning, I only sadly packed my bag, sat down on the track, and went to work, even though my legs did not go there themselves. He hardly showed a new pass at the checkpoint, went to the laboratory, to wait for grandfather Veltishchev.

Grandfather entered, looked around, and Ilya beckoned his finger to the exit.

— Good luck, — Yuri Sergeevich said to him.

Two, old and young, entered the inconspicuous door, behind it was an elevator, which Veltishchev called, leaning the magnetic card against the reader.

— Remember, granddaughter, and next to the cargo elevator — said the grandfather, raising his head up — yes, tall you, just like… Well, you’ll see soon, — the mentor grinned, and his face just sparkled with wrinkles..

The elevator moved very gently, not like the elevators in the foyer of the institute. They went down, and walked along the corridor, dispersing the darkness of the ol with lamps shining a ghostly white light. Another iron door, and behind it is a locker room with a dozen other clothes boxes. Grandfather gave Ilya the key to the box, the young man undressed, and went to the shower.

— What about the towel, grandfather?

— You’ll go through the shower room, you’ll take it there.

And exactly, at the exit there were sets of white clothes and the same slippers, and next to them were towels. Ilya wrapped himself dry, and put on a special outfit rustling with movements, and Veltishchev put a hat in his hand. There were no further locks, and they entered a large hall, akin to the factory floor, where everyone fussed, depicting violent activity.

— To us further, — Veltishchev cheerfully walked ahead, slamming on the polished floor with his rag shoes with a canvas top.

He again leaned a magnetic pass against the door, and they entered the room, the laboratory, where there was an oven. an autoclave, an excellent hood, a huge cabinet and a table with reagents and chemical dishes, there were two microscopes and a mass analysis unit.

— cool.

— I would say, not bad — said Veltishchev, moving his fingers.

All day they studied samples of human tissue, worked on good equipment.

— Okay, — said grandfather, raking sheets with data to himself, — granddaughter, your heart is good, do not faint? Heredity, there were no crazy people in the family?

— I didn’t complain, — the young man was surprised.

— Come on, I’ll show you one thing, your time has come. Do you love Pushkin?

— Everyone loves him, — not understanding what the catch is, answered Surov.

— Well, read from « The Dead Princess and the Seven Heroes”.

Sleeping Princess

Grandfather pressed the button, and the thick glass door went, opening the passage to the dark hall.

— Read it!

— The coffin swings crystal… -the young man began.

And in the crystal coffin

The Princess sleeps forever…

Grandfather adored theatrical effects, as if he served at the Academic Maly Theater with Yuri Solomin, and not in a secret laboratory, and conjuring over the switch, turned it on…

The hall was decorated with malachite panels, which gave the room a solemn appearance, as if the curators from the KGB also adored the theater. On a pedestal of black granite stood Something covered with a white veil, and with a well-set gesture Veltishchev dropped this curtain.

First, Ilya wiped his eyes, thinking that he could see it.

— Pinch you? — said the funny grandfather, — Yes, do not be afraid, I will not, you are not my grandmother.

On the pedestal stood, and did not hang on chains, a crystal coffin, covered with a lid, and illuminated by many light bulbs, so that the body lying in it was visible.

She was a girl, and very young, and of considerable height, no less than a meter ninety, with dazzling white hair styled in a braid. Instead of clothes, she was covered with a veil that reached the neck.

Grandfather stroked the crystal lid, dreamily covering his eyes:

— The beauty is not beloved… She was wearing a gold necklace, earrings, temporal rings, everything, believe me, made of pure gold. She was in a dark blue dress, silk, woven rolled pearls…

Find

— It happened in 1969, in the Kemerovo region, how they found her.. — the grandfather began the story, — I’m the same as you, only graduated from the University, only in Tomsk. The news came that the workers with the excavator fell into the underground void. People were pulled out, but they got it out of there. and he patted the lens. And the crystal coffin was in a golden sarcophagus. He is now in a special guard, the Princess is depicted there, galloping on a moose, two swords in his hands, and three human heads on his chest — and he showed on himself — dangle on a shoelace, such, count, a picture. And heads and smiles again… Work-eye cannot be torn off.

Well, they put this thing in the office, called a policeman, he was poor there, slept on stools until the find was taken out, or rather, our group did not arrive. There were two of us, they had to describe the find, and save it until the helicopter arrived in the village. There were few helicopters then, and we waited two days…

***

— Yes, comrade scientist, — the foreman of the police almost cried, — I can’t look at it anymore… The second day dreams, her whole face, and then the grandmother ghosted.

— And what she said, — Veltishchev asked quietly, tilting his head.

He sipped strong tea with sugar from an aluminum mug, continuing to listen to the foreman. The servant had a hard time, but it will be even worse.

— Ordered a woman and threatened.. Go, honey, find the way to Babe Yaga, tell me what happened.

The young man looked at the policeman with some regret, and motioned to sit down.

— Seagull? Here are the sweets, Tomsk… — treated Veltishchev.

— Tut of vodka…

— No, well, there is alcohol, — and the scientist took out a flask and poured a quarter of a glass.

— And then… So bad from the front was not, especially after Kursk… I could not sleep. And then again… And you say, so they will be kicked out of retirement.

— Your name is Arkhip Sergeevich, — asked Veltishchev.

— Exactly. And you?

— Vadim. By patronymic, I suppose early, — the scientist joked, sitting next to the coffin.