The Before Short Story Series. Part 1

‘It looks like Rusya… a couple more sips and she will finally surrender to the mercy of Morpheus.’ Igor looked at his friend’s wife, who was obviously starting to doze off, propping her head with her hand.

‘No! I’m here! I’m with you!’

‘Well, I see. That’s it! Let’s finish. You’ve had a rough day. You need some rest. Besides, you are not yet used to the local climate and thinned atmosphere. Even here, at an altitude of two thousand meters, the oxygen content is ten percent lower. And the jet lag as well! I’ve completely forgotten all the rules of hospitality for joy of meeting you.’

Edward and Ruslana finally stopped resisting, agreeing with Igor’s arguments.

‘Light frost in August! Invigorating, I must say!’

‘Yes, Rusya, this is not Moscow plus thirty for you. Clears your head at once. Wow, now I would like to have a roll in the snow… it reminds of a Russian banya!’

‘Ed, welcome for a nice snow in six months. There will be frost for you, and snow with plastic.’ Everyone laughed.

‘But you’d better promise to tell us your story! You must! Got it?

‘Agreed, Ed,’ Igor placed his hand on chest. ‘I promise!’

‘Well, there you go! And where are all your cars? Where did you hide them all?’

‘So it’s all about efficiency again. Do you know how much land and building anything costs here?! I don’t know either. But I think it’s not cheap,’ Igor smiled. ‘Everything is thought out to the minor detail. Garages are built into the ground floor or basement level, as the width of each of the ledges does not allow for a parking space. That’s why the development of the area implies building townhouses, but not individual houses. Efficiency in everything! The name of our village could be followed by a slogan—Bholi: effective all four seasons!’

‘How does Bholi translate, Igor?’ Ruslana asked.

‘Tomorrow in Nepali. We are looking ahead, friends!’

Robin

‘Igor, are you saying you haven’t seen Robin since the moment you met us?’

‘That’s right, Edward. I do not know where she’s gone! Damn it!’ Igor was pacing briskly back and forth around the living room. Edward and Ruslana, sitting helplessly on the sofa, watched the growing nervousness of the girl’s father. ‘Maybe she is with this guy. I’ve been trying to find some information about him in her room, but there’s nothing there. Right. I need to calm down and figure out what to do. Calm down and think.’

He sat down in a chair and closed his eyes for a couple of seconds. Edward and Ruslana sat frozen, so as not to interfere with him in any way.

‘So that’s it. First. I’m going to the hotel now. I’ll try to find out from the staff if they know the guy with whom Robin might have been seen. Ed, could you go down to the sky lift and ask if anyone has seen her there?’

‘Of course, Igor. We will help in any way we can.’

‘I’m sorry, guys. But the situation like this is…’

‘Stop it. I hope Robin is okay. You know how it happens with teenagers. She’ll show up soon," Edward was encouraging. ‘Calm down, don’t you worry. We’ll find out everything.’

‘I know how it is with teenagers. Don’t know how it is with my daughter. Okay. Guys, thank you.

In 40 minutes, Igor and his two friends were at the Rescue Service department of the Bholi village.

‘Listen, Officer. The girl is seventeen years old. I’ve been trying to contact her since this morning. All in vain. Yesterday afternoon she was seen with a group in the camp at the level of three and a half thousand kilometers. We contacted the local services. They said they went higher to the next stage. Do you understand what this means?!’

‘First of all, sir, may I ask you to calm down. Secondly. The main word I hear is went with the group. So she’s not alone. Which is good. Okay?’

‘Well, quite possible,’ Igor agreed.

‘Here. Good. Further on. At both sites, at three and a half and at five kilometers, there are security services and medical personnel who monitor everyone. So, if any situation arises, everything will be under control. What are you so worried about, sir?’

‘Officer Roshan,’ Igor looked at the nameplate on his desk,’ please listen to me. I’m telling you, there is a guy, I think an American, kind of a mountaineer. Do you understand? Robin, my daughter, could have decided to climb with him to the very top. Do you understand? That’s what I’m afraid of! She has no such experience. She is not ready for such difficult ascents. All I am asking is that you make an announcement that they are detained.’

‘Listen… What’s your name? Igor, on which basis can I make such a decision? Some guy, and even an American, and kind of like an American, kind of like a mountaineer… Well, you listen to yourself.’

‘And I do listen! And I definitely understand that the situation implies the expediency of the actions to which I urge you. What do you reckon, Officer, what would be the best thing to do, and what sort of consequences would arise? Option one. You’re not doing anything. The situation becomes negative—the girl has disappeared. What will be the consequence of this? Option two. You fix the problem. The group is found. Robin is delivered home. Everything ends well. In the worst case for you it’s only about the fact that you’ve reacted in a timely manner to the legitimate request of the father to find a teenager. What do you choose, Officer Roshan?’

A rescue worker was rocking on a creaking chair. His eyes darting around the table, as if he was trying to find the answer to a question in the papers.

‘All right, Mr. Igor Schweiko. I’ll contact the base at five kilometers. Wait for me in the corridor, please,’ he pointed to the door for the trio. ‘And close it. Close it.’

‘Thank you, officer,’ Igor thanked him, leaving the small office.

‘Now we wait,’ exhausted, Igor sat down on a chair in the restaurant staring blankly out the window. They took the same table as last night. Lunch time was just coming up. The restaurant was yet half empty.

‘Igor, mate, let’s make our orders. We’ve got two hours to wait until the services check everything. As Officer Roshan said, nothing more could be done now. To be more precise, all other actions would be meaningless. So? Igor? Are you here?’ Edward put his hand on his friend’s arm.’

‘Yes, sorry, guys. I’ve ruined your whole weekend with this performance of mine. You haven’t come here to participate in the investigation of the adventures of my negligent daughter got into.’

‘We are glad to see you, Igor. And we’ll be glad to see Robin soon. Let’s make an order.’

‘Well, damn lucky guy,’ said Ruslana, when Igor went out to call his office. ‘How many years ago was there a tragedy with his wife here?’

‘Catherine died in 2178. That is, it turns out that eleven years have already passed. She froze on this damned mountain too. It was that a blizzard started suddenly. The temperature was below minus fifty. Only one person survived—a seasoned guide. You could imagine how he feels right now. It’s worse than a nightmare.’

‘My God! I wish everything ends well!’

‘So, Igor, what about your promise?’ Edward tried to distract and occupy the mind of his friend.

‘Of course. Do you remember what it was all about?’

‘Well, of course,’ Edward confirmed. ‘We’ve stopped at … Rather, you finished up listing the steps that are being taken to combat cholera of the twenty-second century.’

‘The plague, Ed. But not the point. Oh well. So, actually, this is the question. We are working on the problem of the source of microplastics pollution with chemical enterprises and, at the same time, we are progressively solving the issue of cleaning the atmosphere from the relevant foreign inclusions. Extremely slow as it is, but the process is going on, gradually gaining momentum.

Here in the Himalayas, our laboratory has two main tasks to do—to develop and coordinate strategy and to monitor results. Here we take measurements, as is done in many other our branches around the world. So far, we lack a solution for only one component solution of the process—how to clean the ocean waters. We did manage the plastics garbage in the end. I mean plastic waste such as bottles, packaging, films and the like. The ocean has been cleared of this trash. But what to do with the microplastics that got into it, remains an open question. In this story it’s also surprising that this problem is more than a hundred and fifty years old. You can imagine the level of consciousness of our forefathers, who allowed the size of the plastic disaster to grow to such a state that, as they used to say, a whole continent of trash was formed with the waste thrown into the ocean. This is simply unthinkable! Imagine—a garbage continent!’

Edward has managed to get his way. Carried away by the discussion of the topic preoccupying him, his friend switched over his attention for a moment from the situation with Robin.

‘I see, mate. So maybe the problem in the ocean will be solved by itself when the content of the pollutant in the atmosphere gradually comes to naught?’

‘Your rating has been changed, Edward. Your potential makes me happy. You see into the root. One of the main working versions on the ocean currently is exactly this—do nothing. As if nothing. You’re absolutely right. Over time, in the absence of a source of new malicious injections into the ecosystem, the problem will be really resolved by itself. Based on the models, we worked out, it will take hundreds of years for this to happen. Which, of course, is frustrating. But at the moment, this is the main working and real program—to eliminate the source and wait. Allow the system to self-clean and recover.’

‘They say, Igor, you are working on another breakthrough project here.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘The Weather program,’ Eduard looked carefully at Igor, trying to get the expression of his face.

‘Something else is interesting. How do you know about this program?’

‘Hmm. I’m a member of the Big Scientific Council just like you are. Of course, I’m not in the upper bureau, like some, but still,’ Edward smiled a little.

‘Exactly. Sorry. I forgot completely. Yes, you’re right—we’re working. But the stage is still, I would say, an initial one. Our task is to develop a fundamental concept of a global weather management system. The task is superinteresting, but no less difficult, as one might assume.

‘At least so. And how far have you come with this work? Unless, of course, it’s another secret.’

‘I’ve already told you, Ed, we don’t have any special secrets. A global organization like ours can’t be enclosed in some kind of a secrecy perimeter. Anyway, sooner or later, usually sooner, things leak somewhere somehow. As I noted, the stage of work is initial. It all comes down to financing.

According to preliminary estimates, the cost of the infrastructure that needs to be deployed for the initial launch of the system is comparable with the construction of a lunar base,’ Ruslana whistled quietly.

‘Absolutely. That’s what I say. But the potential of the Weather, not in a shy way I may put it, is comparable to divine. You’ve probably heard that before, for example, on the occasion of big holidays, people could have dispersed the clouds. So, there you go—a clear example of the direct impact on the weather. People literally formed a local precipitation agenda with their own efforts and resources. Now imagine what we can achieve with the arsenal available to us. Judging by today’s understanding of the term humanity, we have almost limitless fossil resources in our hands, given mining processes that we carry on outside our planet. A network of meteorological satellites monitors the Earth, obviously, round the clock. We have already launched prototypes of weather satellites with specialized units capable of electromagnetic and thermal effects exerted on certain atmospheric areas of the planet, having a direct impact on the climate. This impact is provided in conjunction with a network of ground-based receiving and transmitting meteorological stations. We are able to carry out water desalination. Fundamentally, we know how and are already capable of changing the climate according to our needs and tasks. There’s only one little thing left—all this now needs to be scaled up.

This story, of course, would have been impossible were it not for the computing capabilities of the PAX, as well as without the energy potential of the ITER thermonuclear installations. Well, where does it leave us? Intelligence plus energy hints humanity of the next level of existence for our species.

So, if everything goes according to plan, we have a chance to drink champagne, friends, at the top…’ Igor looked at the communicator, which has been silent for the time being, ‘at the headquarters of the United Federation of Nations in New York. However, we should be patient— we’ll have to wait just for about a hundred years.’

‘Well, I think we already have invitations from you. The place is secured.’

‘Of course it is, Ed. Sure. There’s something I wanted to ask you. Rather, ask for.’

‘Okay. Go on.’

‘The oceanarium in Odessa is one of the best in the world, am I right?’

‘I would rather say, Igor, the best in the world. Oddly enough, given its location on the coastline of the Black Sea. But possibly it’s the case when something is despite of, not because.’

‘This is your domain, are you in contact with them?’

‘Well, not exactly. We do joint programs. I’m familiar with them, of course. We’re working… Well, why? What is it about?’

‘Could you check if there is an opportunity to get Robin in there for some training…’

The communicator rang and vibrated, abruptly interrupting the conversation and notifying the owner of an incoming video call request from the local rescue service. The three people at the table fixed their eyes on him.

Igor picked up the communicator and pressed the Reply button:

‘Speaking, Officer Roshan.’

Before: The Moon

Off we go! (Poyekhali!)—a landmark, which 200 years ago manifested the beginning of a new era in the development of mankind. The first words uttered by a man of the world—Yuri Gagarin—opened a new page in space research.

Yuri Gagarin is the first cosmonaut of the planet Earth.

Sergey Korolev is a scientist, a rocket engineer and spacecraft designer, who determined the vector of space exploration development for decades.

Valentina Tereshkova and Alexey Leonov are the first female cosmonaut and the first cosmonaut to go into outer space.

Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin are the first representatives of humanity to land on the Moon.

Elon Musk is an entrepreneur and an engineer who has laid the foundation for the Mars program.

Today 8,934 people are working at the Lunar base.

Today 1,021 people are working at the Martian base.

19,576: the number of cosmonauts and astronauts, scientists and space tourists who have been beyond the Earth in space, on the Moon and on Mars by 2163.

0.00016%: so small is the fraction of lucky representatives of our home planet who have been outside of it to date.

You can write your name in the history of mankind!

Learn more about the program of your space trip to the Moon!

For over an hour Lewis has been carefully studying information on the website of the New Horizons company, offering space travel services. Detailed video clips, the training program and the flight itself, the Lunar base visits program, cross-surface riding trips on the satellite, reviews by space tourists who had decided to travel—everything on the website of the travel agency was convincing you of the simplicity and affordability of space travel. Your dream is one step away from realization—just click the Buy button.

‘Well, yes, of course, everything is quick, straightforward and extremely interesting. One can hardly expect the interested party to be objective. The question is, what is this company and its program really like…’ Lewis was pondering.

‘Show me some reviews on the New Horizons company related to flights to the lunar base in 2163, Don,’ Lewis turned to his digital assistant.

‘Here you are, Lewis. I chose several reviews about trips to the Moon with the most number of views,’ Don responded immediately, displaying the requested information on the tablet.

It was worth the mad money I paid for this voyage! If you haven’t been to space, if you haven’t been to the Moon—consider you have not lived at all! As soon as you get your 100K bucks, go ahead, guys, to the Moon! Ha-ha-ha … If you want to learn more about my journey, send me a private message, I’ll be glad to share my experience! —Robin White, Oklahoma, U.S.

We decided to go to the Moon on our honeymoon! Oh my God, I’m absolutely thrilled! Our Earth is a beauty when you look at it from the Moon! A ‘Blue Marble’—how correct poetically said! Words fail me. And besides, gravity is 6 times weaker on the Moon… women, I think, will understand me :) Everyone fly to the Moon!!! I want to go there again! —Ira Baki, UAE.

A day on the road. The entertainment program on the satellite takes three days. One day on the way home. As for me, this dusty lump of dirt is not worth the money paid. It’s boring, gray, there’s nowhere to put your eyes on. The people who work there are strange or something… I don’t know, I was bored. I will not recommend this to anyone. One would better to go to Lake Baikal in Irkutsk or Sochi, at least there are normal hotels there. Rip-off! I want my money back!’, Ivan Rosin, Bulgaria.

‘Aren’t there any normal reviews, Don?’ scrolling down through the selected list, Lewis noted irritated.

‘Lewis, please specify which criteria for selecting reviews I should prioritize to meet your expectations.’

‘Don, you’re so… smart!’

‘I’m glad you appreciate my work, Lewis.’

‘Stupid idiot! If you want something done in a normal way, do it yourself then. We’ll sort it out.’ Lewis continued to search for information on the trip to the Moon and reviews of the moonlanded, as space tourists who visited the international lunar base were called.

His attention was distracted by the program, which he used to track the indices of the family investment portfolio, notifying him that ‘Sebra Productions shares collapsed by 7%!!!’