Parallel worlds – two. Birth of God

– You've ruined the whole moment of romance.

– It may be romantic to you, but to me it's serious.

– And I'm the wind.

– It's your behavior. You're everybody's friend, you love all the girls.

– Not all of them. That's too much.

– There you go. At least it wasn't just one.

– No, sunshine, just one.

– Well, then decide who.

– Determined.

– И?

– Give me your hand.

– Why would you do that?

– Give it to me.

– Ask.

– Hands and hearts?

Ruthra laughed.

– That's it, I'm gone.

YatSan wanted to get up and walk past Ruthra, because the couch was along the wall, and the only way out was from his side. At that moment, Rutra grabbed YatSan, hugged her, and put her back on his lap.

– Let go!

– Wait a minute.

He grabbed her hand lightly but firmly, pulled out the ring finger of her left hand, and while she tried to stand up, he put on a white metal ring with a sparkling stone. The polished white gold resembled a mirror-like surface, and the diamond scattered rays like cupid's arrows. The scene was worthy of a movie adaptation. Catherine's modest smile and IuLia's not-so-humble one blended into a cocktail of uncertain flavor, as uncertain as the expression on YatSan's face. She was clearly surprised and didn't know how to react. YatSan looked at the ring, shifted her gaze to Rutra, then to her friends. Iulia apparently read her thoughts from her facial expressions. She caught YatSan's next attempt at a queen's stance and almost shrieked:

– Yat, don't be stupid.

The silence continued.

– We should probably go," Iulia said, rising from the couch.

Catherine followed her. The girls could not take their eyes off the ring. As she left the table and passed Ruthra, Catherine looked at the diamond and said:

– That's a nice rock.

– Rutra, what is it? – YatSan said sweetly, then looked at her friends, who were also looking back at her.

She "told" them something with a look. Ruthra noticed it. Her friends' faces were cheerful, as always, with a twist of intrigue. Ruthra was encouraged, and he looked at YatSan, into the depths of her sweet, childishly mischievous, sparkling eyes, and held her close to him.

– Do you like it?

– Who wouldn't like it? Only in honor of what?

– Let's go. I'll tell you in another setting.

– Where to?" she barely had time to ask.

Rutra, having already lifted her in his arms, carried YatSan towards the exit.

– Rutra, what are you up to?

– It's gonna be great.

He carried her to the auto and put her in a late-model Ferrari convertible.

– You're going to drive me crazy right now," YatSan chirped, looking at the car while Ruthra shifted into the driver's seat. – But I have to ask…

Rutra looked at her intently. YatSan, after hesitating for a moment, said:

– …what role am I in?

– I'm telling you, it's gonna be great.

– I already know you well. I know you're gonna be great. That's not what I'm asking.

She kept demanding answers while the dynamic force pressed her into the chair.

– Ruthra!

– Now.

– Where are we going?

– I'll just take you for a ride for now.

– All right, well, I hope I get through to you.

– Buckle up, we're gonna do a couple turns.

– I'm scared.

– Don't be afraid, I'm with you.

She smiled, but clearly didn't know what movie it was from. Yes, times, times… In fact, we change time, not time us.

Rutra took the highway along the sea and drove. He didn't only break the rules of the road from time to time. YatSan was squealing – from pleasure, from the scenery, and from a slight fear....

Ruthra leaned back a little in his chair as he watched, sitting relaxed. He didn't notice Iulia putting her left arm around his shoulders and her right arm around him, nuzzling him. Waking up a little, Ruthra noticed. He liked it, because he could interpret this action himself as he wished, and then carry out further actions at will. Moreover, he had already anticipated the events on the screen and subconsciously knew the reasons why YatSan was behaving the way he did when he woke up in the clone. That's the kind of bastard he was. As he said, he was a creature of God, and everything created by God is perfect and beautiful.

The city Rutra couldn't identify. Perhaps it existed only in YatSan's imagination. The street was beautiful, running along the sea or bay, buried in greenery. Perhaps it was spring or early fall, people were dressed for the season, the beach was empty; the terrain had elevated…

Ruthra turned off the embankment and sped down the busy street, the music playing loudly in the car, only occasionally drowned out by YatSan's squeals. Rutra zigzagged and labyrinthed through the cars, moving between the lanes with an arrow, and then he came to an intersection, turned around with a skid and a slip, and sped back down the oncoming lane.

– Rutra, stop it. Ruthra, I don't want to anymore. Oh my god. Ahhhh," YatSan squealed, and that turned him on even more. – Rutra, please stop. I'm scared," she yelled, but he just smiled.

After another skid-and-turn turn, YatSan squealed:

– I knew you were crazy, but not to this extent.

– Not to that extent? Then look," Ruthra said, and as the car sped off like a rocket, he fired a real flare in the direction of travel.

She flew out and turned into a mini meteorite, which, crashing into the atmosphere from outer space, gives us the hope of the fulfillment of the wish we made while doing so. YatSan watched the scene with fright and excitement. Rutra took out a shiny thing that looked like a sci-fi weapon from the movies and shot a stream of sparkling rays into the sky, where they lit up and turned into the inscription, "YatSan, I love you!" It was marvelous. She watched with bated breath, her eyes glistening even more, and involuntarily a small crystal, no less shiny than the one on her finger, rolled down her cheek. YatSan looked up at the sky and watched the blurring letters, glancing occasionally at Ruthra. He put his hand on her thigh and occasionally made deliberately sharp lunges of the machine to the right, as if inertially running his naughty fingers over the "start" button, which was known to many as point K. Rutra was a master of such acupressure, and further acupuncture as well. The mythical G-spot, which women in the realm of bliss so often made men look for and which they could not find because the ladies secretly changed its position, was like a wandering fire of passion, jumping from the earlobe, the curves of the neck to the labyrinths of the navel and heels. Point K, on the other hand, had a precise location. So, having given a signal to this point, which even the promiscuous ladies responded to the memory of fingerprints that opened their "safe", among whom Casanova was especially remembered, although Don Juan and even the Marquis de Sade were pleasant memories, Rutra beckoned to YatSan with the signal of a wet lock pick, which was getting rough from brandy, especially for the age of the mistress of the "vase", where the petal of the blazing flower was hidden.

Of course, such comments were born in Rutra's mind as he looked at the screen, from the passionate thoughts that YatSan had in her mind on that very screen. What was going on in Yiulia's head, Rutra didn't want to check, he just needed to feel it. She was not a timid lady, if not a determined one. Ruthra was silent, he liked it.

On the screen, however, the characters pulled into a quiet neighborhood to a beautiful mansion. Rutra pulled out a fancy, rhinestone-studded "queen" mask.

– We're gonna be a mystery. We're playing mafia. Put it on.

– What about you?

– I'll walk you out.

He helped YatSan put on the mask, stepped out, opened the door, and led her inside. Inside, they were greeted by a large hallway, more like a reception hall, with rounded side staircases leading up to the second level; Ruthra bypassed them and led YatSan into the next hall. Here was a huge pool, arranged like the baths of the Shahinshahs. There was melodious music playing, loud enough to muffle the sounds of bubbling, artificial geysers and the gurgling jets of a fountain that flowed with burgundy water like dragon's blood. It was young wine. It was young wine that Ruthra loved, for it was the only wine that gave "lifeblood," while aged wine was honored only by the cooper and the oenologist.

– When can I see it?

– Wait. First the nectar for uterine rabies.

– What?!

– For bliss, then," Ruthra said with a laugh.

Lifting the mask slightly to free her mouth and keep her eyelids open, Ruthra put the wine glass to her lips.

– Take a sip, hold it in your mouth.

Then Ruthra put the glass away and licked YatSan's lips. A trembling shiver ran through her. YatSan couldn't say anything, even if she wanted to, because there was wine in her mouth. Ruthra pressed his lips to her passion-charged scarlet lips and took in the sweet-sweet drink. He deftly undid the straps around her shoulders and, while she cried out from behind her falling dress as he kissed her, whispered in her ear, "There's water in there," pulled back the mask, and pushed YatSan into the pool. As she squealed as she plunged in, he instantly threw off everything, revealing what Adam had covered with a fig leaf.

In the old days, when he had to teach the fighters in a southern country how to undress quickly during the burning of a match so that the Mujahideen would not notice the light, he shared with them a little secret: to prepare the invisible parts of the clothes for the process in advance, for example, to undo some buttons, loosen the belt, the laces on the boots. And then Ruthra, having done this trick while YatSan was recovering from the stress, held her by the hips, lifting her up so that her breasts were at his eye level. YatSan wanted to hit him, more out of classic genre than true desire, but the pleasure she began to feel exceeded all expectations. She felt like a skilled taster determining the flavor of her succulent fruit, and judging by the way he was passionately digging into it, it wasn't just tasting: he was hungry. Ruthra was only able to tear himself away from this exciting activity because he was anticipating even sweeter temptations. He held YatSan's graceful body with one hand and her firm buttocks with the other and laid her on the edge of the pool. YatSan only managed to moan languidly and sweetly "ah-ah-ah". And then… history is silent.

Ruthra couldn't adequately assess what was happening on the screen any further. After a quick scroll through the rest of the recording, he leaned back in his chair, not finding anything suspicious, and… perhaps he was relaxed by the surroundings, perhaps by something else… Perhaps by someone. Periodically opening his eyes, he observed two convex lenses in front of him, the focusing of which magically hypnotized him, and the ensuing "brain pumping" plunged him into the abyss of nirvana....

Rutra and Iulia walked out and headed to the meeting room. YatSan was furious and almost lashed out at Ruthra. He stopped, looked at her in surprise, and then looked around at the people present, as if looking for a response. They smirked faintly.

– What's the matter? – He asked sternly.

– A traitor and a creature," YatSan blurted out.

– Why?! I don't know if everyone is aware of it or not, but you made a big deal out of it…I, however, would very much like to do it again.

– Screwed up?! You bastard," she shrieked and threw herself on the chair, covered her face with her palms and began to sob.

– What's going on? – Ruthra asked loudly. – What's going on, Catherine? – He asked, noticing the look in her eyes.

She was silent.

– Will someone explain it to me? – Ruthra now looked at Andrian.

He stood up, took Rutra under his elbow, took him aside, and showed him the video. It was the scene of him and Yiulia viewing the visions of YatSan's consciousness. Indeed, it was very "intimate" to the outside observer. And why it was so – history is also silent.

Ruthra was almost furious, turned around, looked fiercely at Iulia… and then softened. She was looking at him, beaming a magical smile, and, like a skillful actress who can play the lead in both Gone with the Wind and Deep Throat, she made an innocent face, licking her lower lip with her tongue.

– But how? I don't understand," Ruthra said calmly. – Are you having an argument? Did you have an agreement beforehand? How did you know what was going on there? And how could you know what was happening afterward before you watched it?

– How clever you are, and they played you in no time at all," YatSan whispered, still in tears.

– You put on a play without knowing the consequences? I mean, you didn't know exactly how it was going to go down. You assumed.

– And it's done! – she cried out.

– So this is your idea, that everything is not as you dream? – He turned to Iulia, restraining himself.

She was silent for a few seconds, then looking at YatSan, she said:

– He's gonna kick us out.

– So be it.

There was real resentment and anger in YatSan. Rutra decided to resort to his favorite trick. Sowing doubt about reality. What is reality? If we doubted whether the Earth was round or flat, whether there was a god or not, whether we were descended from monkeys or aliens, whether we were two times two, whether we lived in reality or in a virtual matrix, then what could we talk about?

– First of all, none of this is true. It's as staged as what you've experienced.

YatSan looked at him with the expression of a hurt child. Exactly, offended by the failure to fulfill a promise.

– I'm sorry, but it's true.

– That's enough. You're already lying.

– No, honey," he walked over to her, trying to hug her.

She took his hand away.

– We're in a little bit of a wrong relationship. It's still a business project, it's better this way. Come with me, I'll try to explain. Everyone will confirm. No offense, but everything we say is true.

YatSan was still staring at him angrily. Ruthra tried to take her under his elbow and lead her, but she pulled back and snapped at him, but she followed him. The group walked in silence down the corridor, and only occasional jokes from the luminary of science lightened the dull atmosphere. When they entered the laboratory, Ruthra led YatSan to the machine where her real body lay. While she was looking at herself – Rutra turned around and wagged his finger at IuLia as if to warn and scold her. She smiled slyly as usual.

– Look, it's hard for you to believe, because the very mechanism of transmigration is based on this, everything has to be realistic. But this is your real body. You feel a little different now.

– A little yes," she said quietly.

She wanted to know if the recent events between Rutra and her friend were a lie. Rutra, on the other hand, realized the significance of exclusivity for her. It was much more serious for her than it was for him. That is the nature of the sexes. We often live in fantasies, even in reality; the less we do trial and error, the more fantasies we have. Chastity and the knowledge of god, the knowledge of god and the eternal flight of scientific thought. And yet only practice yields the fruits necessary in reality for us as living substances, otherwise how, even if according to Descartes, we, being a thought without a body, knowing what we are, not feeling pleasure, and therefore not feeling emotion, would still not give birth to thought. Because according to philosophy, including that of the above-mentioned respected thinker, we are our self, even if we do not have a body, but we have the ability to think. And Rutra's conclusions concerned the fact that without a body, without its sensations, we will not give birth to thought, because behind representation and imagination there must be a support of practice in the form of those very feelings of pleasure and emotion. Of course, also pain, including spiritual pain, gave us a hurricane of inferences. And here this effect worked because it was desired: the effect by us of an imagined reality. Every woman wants to be deceived. She believes the worst, but hopes for the best. Knowing this, Ruthra wanted to whisper in YatSan's ear, "It's all lies," but changed his mind:

– Look, it's taping right now. You've already made friends with Irene as a girl. So, lie down in the rig, we'll transfer your consciousness back into the body you're looking for, then you'll wake up and watch the video.

Having said that, still whispered in her ear about what he really wished for.

– I enjoyed watching the story in the pool and really wouldn't mind doing it again, and everyone before and after too.

She, looking at Rutra with eyes still red from tears, finally said:

– If you lie to me, my revenge will be severe.

– Lying about wanting to do it again? You'd have to be crazy to lie about something like that," Ruthra said with his trademark smile.

– I'm not kidding, I'm gonna kill you. I'll kill you both.

– What are you talking about? Didn't you ask your friend to act out a scene like this? I thought it might happen.

– So it's true?

– Of course not. We played you, too. It's a montage.

– You're lying.

– Uh, no.

– You're lying.

– Come on, lie down. Not everyone can take your fantasies.

– Don't be afraid of your desires, be afraid of mine," she finally said her favorite slogan firmly and confidently.

– You've got someone to scare. Let's go. I'll just get ready for the inspection," Ruthra said, smiling and pulling her against him.

Noticing this, everyone applauded, which cheered up YatSan and she smiled back.

– How long are we going to admire the lovebirds here? – As always jokingly, the scientist reminded about the purpose of coming to the laboratory.

All the fantastic realities of the new world were realized by the group as commonplace, but the relationship between Rutra and YatSan was perceived as very unusual.

YatSan lay down in the rig, and the lab staff began the process. Ruthra sat down with the girls on the far couch; Andrian, seated separately, was already unrolling the "air" chess pieces, and the scientist was working on the monitor. Rutra smiled at Iulia, but crossed his arms and said:

– Game over, girlfriend. Friendship is friendship, but this is serious. I respect you, I like you as a friend and a coworker, but–

– But you've developed feelings," Catherine said modestly.

– Yes, I confess, I'm having feelings.

– We'll check them out," Iulia was in her own style.

– We mean.

– We mean we.

– You think she'd be interested in that?

– Why, did you convince her?

– Loading the memory back up will be without this plot. She won't know anything about it. So, my dear, I hope you don't have to erase your memory too.

They glanced over to Catherine.

– It's dangerous.

– Behave well and this place will be fine. It was a fun game before and everyone had fun, and since it is now – please justify the concept of "friendship". If we're friends, then we're friends. And if it was pretend, then it's strictly a working relationship.

– Friendship," Catherine said.

– Friendship," Iulia said boldly and firmly, but it didn't sound the same coming from Catherine.

Still, she wanted a special role for herself.

Chapter 3: Where do we dream?

Meanwhile, YatSan "woke up."

– What did you dream about? – Ruthra asked, helping her up.

– Oh, my God, is it true?

Ruthra looked at his friend and coworker "witching" behind the equipment.

– What did you tell her? – He asked me bluntly.

– Nothing unreal. She remembers everything," he said with a sly smile.

– Lied down in one setting, got up out of another, argued a bit, and back again. Right, YatSan?

– So close. I was dreaming of another world. Now I realize it was a dream.

– Which one? – Iulia asked with a mixture of hope and fear that wasn't entirely clear, even to Ruthra.

– I dreamt it was like you were the president and I…" she said, looking at Rutra without finishing her speech.

– You what?

– It's like I'm your wife," YatSan finished with a smile, and there was joy in her voice.

– Oh!" he said. – What an honor.

Those present also smiled, laughed, and began clapping their hands, encouraging Rutra.

– Rutrue for president, Rutrue for president.

– Oh, wait a minute. There's a war going on," YatSan said worriedly.

Ruthra glanced over to the scientist.

– It's not me. It's real.

– So it's bad.

– What's bad? – Andrian asked.

Ruthra looked at him and said in a way that made it clear to everyone: this was no joke.

– There is such a version that dreams are reflections of the mirror world. That is, these twin particles affect us in such a way. First on the dream, then we perform an action on the basis of a thought, which may well appear due to brain changes in the dream. So we decipher dreams one way or another. Otherwise they would mean nothing to reality at all. We, on the other hand, after watching cartoons, do not consider them somehow realizable.

– Wait, let me rest. I can't take it anymore.

YatSan walked toward the exit.

– All right, we'll rest for an hour. Tea, coffee and your favorite goodies are on the house.

The hour passed quickly, which meant that time could be different, but it could also be felt differently. Ruthra, the luminary of science, and Andrian were thinking about the dream, how identical it could be in our world, and whether it was real? Or is it all just an assumption on their part? Rutra argued that everything is real, because if you explain to an ignorant person that a mirror can reflect – it would be difficult for him to understand, without seeing the reality of it. And cloned animals and genetically modified products bear the stamp of Satanism. What to speak about cloning a human being and transferring consciousness into him. Any miracle ceases to be a miracle when our brain gets tired of thinking about it.

Ruthra stood up, clapping his hands for attention.

– I may surprise you, but I only want you to be surprised because of the urgency. Or maybe there's no urgency, but how do we know? Let's just say that Yat-San's dream will definitely spur me to speed things up, or rather, experiment. I want to do it tomorrow. Yat-San is ready. I'll tell you, you're a beauty, I'll give you a round of applause.

Everyone clapped.

– I admit, I thought it would be much harder to get through, and in some ways, I was afraid of the disruption and failure. You did a professional job. What do you think about tomorrow?

YatSan, looking around at everyone, with an ironic smile, said:

– Yeah, I was more afraid, too. Is it gonna be the same?

– It's even easier. You go into the session and come out in your body.

– Go on, then.

– We're resting today.

– Oh, that's great. Why don't we fight in person? – Andrian suggested, referring, of course, to chess.

– I accept," Ruthra said.

Then, walking over to YatSan, he took her under his elbow and, escorting her to the exit, asked caringly:

– So, you ready? You ready to go?

– Let's go," she said firmly.

– I'll give you time to rest," Ruthra said to the team. – Tomorrow will be the end of our doubts.

He fixed his gaze on the doctor. Iulia said thoughtfully:

– Distant worlds," and turning to YatSan, her face expressed both pity, apparently because of the danger, and envy and a kind of joy.

The latter, mixed with jealousy, spoke not of joy at Rutra's choice of a girlfriend for the first role, but more of the absence of a first lady performer at his side. After all, YatSan now carried the unspoken title of first lady, and here it turned out the holy place was empty. Not everyone would realize this, though everyone could understand it. Ruthra had grasped that fine line.

YatSan, reading the messages on her friends' faces, met her gaze with Iulia's. At that moment, they realized what their eyes were saying to each other. Ruthra, on the other hand, saw their thoughts. They were especially emotionally vivid in Iulia's: "Yes, you, my dear, are honored to fly to distant worlds, but I am staying here." They looked at each other for a long time. YatSan, herself calm and sweet, sometimes acted a little reckless and naive, but she was quite firm of character, self-assured. After realizing the unspoken message from her friend, she didn't react at all, only gave a haughty, willful smile. It wasn't that YatSan didn't value the friendship or wasn't happy with her friend, it was the power that her status as a pioneer gave her. YatSan had often been in the second role, guided by her friend's advice, but now she was absolutely sure of herself, or rather, she believed in herself, and even more precisely – became sure, having realized that she was not chosen for her pretty eyes. IuLia understood this too, and signaled back about her first role in the rest of the group. That here on Earth, Ruthra would be waiting only for her, Iulia. She wanted to tell her friend that no matter how hard you tried, it wouldn't work. That's what happens between women when they want to remain friends, but nevertheless show with a slight arrogance who has the power in a rivalry.