Officers of the special group Alpha quickly cordoned off the scene. Methodically were inspecting the surrounding area. Night was drawing to an end, but night vision goggles were not redundant. Finding himself surrounded by the reliable, comrades Nikolai Podgorny felt invigorating influx of strength and confidence that they will find those who did that and punish them to the fullest extent of the law. Law prevailed among the officers of the SBU with. No one will escape. No one will not hide. No one will be spared. Killers, whoever they maybe, will be found and destroyed! This Colonel Podgorny had no any doubt.
With a heavy heart, he watched as medical management, with care and solemnly put in plastic bags the bodies of dead comrades. Now all of them, both the living and the dead were as a team; one big family lost people dear to their heart. Everyone was eager to take revenge, to make a contribution in the investigation of this bloody crime. Honor of SBU officers did not allow them to leave non-humans deprived of life of their fellow unpunished. Therefore, experts, and special group fighters Alpha in close collaboration with a group of K, used widely in the work of well-trained dogs, zealously set about learning everything that could give them at least some thread, the slightest clue to those who planned and committed the crime.
Inspection of cars gave nothing. Minibus carrying weapons and explosives was smashed by the explosion to pieces, on the road left only wrecked chassis. Even if it got a grenade and fired from a hand grenade, it could give nothing to the experts in their investigation.
There were left only two clues that could give at least some real trail. The corpse of a man who jumped straight under the wheels of a van, thereby forcing the minibus stopped and the place in the forest plantation where Podgorny a moment before the first explosion had noticed a scarlet flash laser sight. Briefly explaining where to find the rookery alleged shooter, Podgorny with the two fighters and experts, bypassing the remnants of burnt-out, but still smoking cars, quickly went to the place where still was visible the corpse of bomber who rushed under the wheels of a van.
Some bright rays of powerful flashlight fell scratches and froze on the burnt remains of the troupe. At first glance it was a man of medium height and with a slim body. Face, scary disfigured by fire, did not give any chance to make at least some photo robot. Clothing nearly all burned. It seemed in some places alloys with chunks of flesh. Hope to establish the identity of the troupe by the fingerprints also almost was not. Phalanges of the fingers were burned to the bone. In the disposal of the experts left only the teeth of victim and DNA analysis.
After a pause, the experts set to usual work, promising to Colonel to dismantle the dead body to molecules, if it would necessary, and extract of the remains of the corpse all possible information about the dead terrorist or hit man.
A radio had been switched on. After hearing the report of Lieutenant who was examining the forested tract, Colonel Podgorny nodded with satisfaction. Soldiers found a shelter of unknown shooter! Well done guys, did not disappoint him. There they for sure will find something that leads them to trace of the terrorists. The fact that the shooter did not act alone, had not any doubt among the officers.
On the spot where the shooter was hiding with his grenade launcher was found a few strange nothing on similar prints and even more strange, if not a wonderful thing. Indeed that subject thoroughly discouraged the Special Forces soldiers who found it. They stood in a circle and stared into the center of formed circle. Colonel Podgorny, even a few meters away, noticed a strange, subtle blue glow mysteriously illuminates the grass and ground in around of half a meter.
‘Found?’ He demanded, coming closer to the soldiers.
‘Found, Comrade Colonel. One discovered a strange object. We cannot identify what’s that.’ Squad’s leader said, showing with his machine gun on the strange object.
Squinted his eyes, Colonel quickly squatted and began carefully examine the unknown object. He has never seen such a thing before in his life. The strange object has got a rectangular flat shape in black color, the size of a laptop display. From time to time on a smooth surface, mainly in the center was starting to appear and immediately faded pale blue glow. It was fascinating, mesmerizing. Colonel shook his head, as if to get rid of the infestation, and asked acidly:
‘And how long do you intend to stay here? Why an object is still not in a laboratory? What are you staring at it as if it’s some blonde in a nightclub.’
Focused fighters' faces did not show even the shadow of a smile. The huge growth guys with machine guns at the ready, looked at each other awkwardly, as if not daring to say something.
‘What?’ Colonel Podgorny demanded looking at the Lieutenant, ‘What's wrong?’
Lieutenant Bagrov took a deep breath, and that is not suited to the situation suddenly tugged at his earlobe.
‘I don't get, Comrade Colonel.’ Sergeant Veres answered with a guilty in his voice. He looked like in his stature like an epic hero Ilya Muromets. Not less then two meter.
‘What do you don’t get?’ Colonel Podgorny still didn’t understand what was going on with his men.
‘But you yourself try to take it in your hands and lift up. We checked. It’s not mined. Radioactivity is also within normal limits. Harmful radiation was not found. None of us can pick it up! Sergeant cried with annoyance in his voice. ‘It’s heavy as…as I even don’t know as what. We have tried everything. At first, afraid to break, thought some tablet or GPS navigator.’ Puzzled Sergeant shook his big head and threw apart with his hands. That thing just rooted to the spot. We've tried everything. First one tried but then pulled together. Maybe we should use a crowbar to pick it up?
Colonel Podgorny did not put words of soldiers to question. He knew none of them would allow himself to make fun of him. He rested his hands on the ground, tilted face quite close to the ground, tried to determine whether the subject is not dug into the ground on its base. Can it some kind of beacon? He was disappointed. The subject was a few inches above the ground, still hovering over the blades of grass, covering them with a soft, mesmerizing, blue glow. Colonel paused, gently put his hand on the smooth black surface. Inside, all tensed in anticipation of danger. Seconds were passing, nothing unusual happened. Then Colonel Podgorny started to feel a tingling in his hands, and he began to emerge a feeling like he's starting to grow, to rise above all others. That feeling was strange and incomprehensible. He removed his hand, rose from the ground, tried to lift the object. In spite of his efforts the subject has not moved an inch. Realizing that all his efforts are useless, he straightened up.
‘You see. I thought I would break all my cores while I was trying to pick it up.’ One soldier complained to Colonel. ‘Maybe you know what that might be? At first look the object seems to be very fragile. Firstly we feared that we would break it to pieces. We do not understand why it can not be raised? Or it’s hang in the air using by some protective magnetic field?’ On the faces of the fighters was read clear bewilderment. With such a situation they have not yet encountered.
Colonel Podgorny fell in thoughts. Indeed, the picture was strange and not understandable. What kind of object? Who owns it? What is its purpose? And most importantly, why it can not be moved and take with my men? There were other questions, but the answer was not on one of it.
‘Lieutenant, set the guards around the object. We have to call scientists and get here special equipment. Maybe they’ll be able to do something, or at least explain us what we faced here. Meanwhile get to the search for the other traces and clues.
At this point, there was heard a loud crash in the bushes. Special Forces soldiers immediately scattered, taking a fighting stances. Their submachine guns were looking menacingly in the graying in the predawn light the green thickness of bushes. For a moment all were waiting. Soldiers understood if someone wanted to attack them, he would not have to break into the bushes like a bear during the mating season. Can it was indeed some a large animal? Tension increased. Soldiers were ready to open fire at the first suspicious sound or shot. Crackling of twigs repeated, and then they head the indiscriminate abuse and some kind of curses.
It's hard to describe the surprise which gripped the fighters of Alpha when to them were crashing through the bushes, ran out half-drunk, little man of medium height, in a windbreaker and a red cap with a long visor.
‘Don't shoot’! He shouted, running up to them on the unstable legs. ‘I have seen. I saw it all. I saw him as you. I'll tell you everything.’
Submachine’s guns were directed at his chest. He seems, himself was not happy that appeared on the eyes of Special Forces unit. His bleary eyes jittered running from one person’s face in a protective mask to another. A similar picture he had seen only in a Hollywood’s blockbuster or in the TV news.
‘Who are you?’ Colonel asked their unexpected guest, tenaciously examining the bushes behind him, from which the man emerged. On the face of Colonel was undisguised surprise.
‘I’m, Vaska ... Vasily Chorny. I am a worker. We build a country house for one rich guy. His cottage is over there.’ He turned, waving his hand in the direction whence came. ‘Yesterday we were given a salary for the month. So here we celebrated that with guys. I fell asleep in the bushes. At night I wake up, I turn to the side ... but he was standing, was standing with his back to me. At first I thought I wanted to call him, I thought, it was someone of my friends, but then restrained himself. He did not look like any of on my fellows. Tall, thin, black. Maybe because he was a blackman but maybe because it was dark. And most importantly arms, hands, you know?’ Vasily’s voice shook a little. ‘His hands were separated from the body, and in the place where they were to be attached to the body, glowing blue light. Of course, I was drunk, but delirium tremens I have never ever had. I'm telling the truth.’ The unwitting witness of a night of tragedy Vasily for more convincing struck with his fist in his chest. ‘But then I heard the cars were coming. In his hand appeared something. Short. Thought maybe binoculars, can something else ... When the cars arrived, thing lit up with different lights, there were some rays. And then I heard the explosions, the cries on the road. But that one disappeared.’ Vasily stopped, threw up his hands in frustration, as if it happened through his fault.
Soldiers of the special unit Alpha were also kept silence, being impressed by the story they just heard. Shamelessly spread around the strong smell of fume coming from Vasily. He interpreted the silence of the soldiers in his own way.
‘I swear all happened just like I told you. It’s not my hallucinations. I saw it with my own eye. Delirium tremens I didn’t have there. All true, not a word of lie. I saw him like I see you.’ And he for the greater persuasiveness again struck with his fist in his frail chest.
If the officers of Alpha have not seen a strange object found in the landing with their own eye, they perhaps would have doubted the veracity of an unexpected witness. But the object did not disappear. One could look at it, inspect all around, taking pictures as much as one wanted. It was not a hallucination or illusion, real as trees, grass, they are themselves.
‘Thanks for the important information, Vasily. If we have new questions, we will find you. I hope it is not necessary to tell you that all this is a state secret, and no one needs to know about what you saw?’ Colonel’s eyes pored over comic figure of Vasily.
Realizing that he became a part of something important, mysterious and secret, Vasily immediately lifted slightly straightened:
‘Swear with my Holly Cross! Not a word. Neither a half word! Even at the banquet table. Even in a year!’ He solemnly swore.
‘Here, take it for bravery.’ Colonel Podgorny after a short thinking gave him a certain amount of money.
Vasily's eyes lit up, his hand twitched, but dignity prevailed.
‘You’re offence me. I did it not for myself, for the Motherland!’ Vasily put in order his jacket, straightened himself. His face was flushed with excitement and pride for himself.
On the faces of Special Forces’ soldiers under the protective masks appeared the slight smiles. There is still the spirit of patriotism among their people. That’s pleased!
Vasily, looking timidly around waved them with his hand and disappeared into the forest plantation. Colonel together with the soldiers returned to the car. Sergeant Veres stayed to guard the object.
The bodies of dead soldiers have already been removed. Tow truck loaded and taken away the burned cars. Firefighters were washed off the gore with asphalt. Mentally saluted to his fallen comrades, Colonel went to the experts. Their faces looked thoughtful, even surprised. As if all together they solved the exact same problem and could not find the right solution.
‘Have you got good news, genius? There are some results already?’ Colonel asked the head of the expert group Aristarchus Aristarkhovich Semenov.
Scientist rose at him his tired eyes, for a moment looked as if he did not recognize. Then he picked up Colonel’s elbow, led him aside and spoke in a whisper:
‘Listen, Nicholas, we know each other for years. One can say since our childhood. Nothing like it I have not seen ever in my whole life.’
‘What do you mean?’
‘I mean what I said. It’s not a man!’ Expert’s eyes widened.
‘Animal or what?’ Colonel Podgorny asking such a question, already knew that the answer would be negative. But do not ask that questing, he could not. According to the conventional logic, if it was neither a man nor the animal, but who or what through oneself under the wheels of a van? Maybe some tree got alive and decided to commit suicide in such an unusual way for trees?
Aristarchus shrugged with his shoulders:
‘At first look the corpse looks like a man. But determine to what race he belongs we could not. He even had no eyes!’ Aristarchus exclaimed in a loud whisper, as if telling the colonel a terrible secret.
‘Burned out?’
Aristarchus shook his head in exasperation:
‘You say burned out! It would be good if they burned out. There are no eye’s sockets in the skull.’
‘How it can be?’ Colonel Podgorny felt how a chill ran down his back. ‘Mutant? Chernobyl’s mutant?’ He suggested.
‘Science, in my modest person doesn’t know about such cases. But even if you're right…Where did he come from? Who created him? Who gave orders to him?’
‘Arik, in my opinion, among the two of us you are the scientific expert but not me. No need to ask me questions, on which I obviously do not have answers. By the way, we in the forest plantation also discovered the object which doesn’t belongs to this world. Nothing like that I have never seen in my life. I guess some kind of a new high technology toy. It’s too heavy; no one of my men could pick it up. But you know my men, among them there are only Rambos and Schwarzeneggers! One sergeant watches it. Maybe it's the remote control of mutant? If on the road really lies a dead mutant.’
‘Maybe it’s remote control.’ Aristarchus slow agreed with his friend. ‘Okay, I'll go and see what you found there, but then in the laboratory to make an autopsy and analysis. Maybe something will get clear, although, I doubt it. Maybe DNA’s analysis will reveal something. Where are you going now?’
‘Me ...’ Colonel's face got gray. ‘First to the Office, make a report to my authorities. Then a heavy burden will wait for me… Say goodbye to my dead friends.’
‘I’m sorry for that, Nicholas. There is any clue who was a shooter? He must be found.’
‘Do you doubt that we’ll find him?’ Colonel sharply replied.
‘No. But I do not envy him whoever it is.’
‘And no one will envy him. Okay, call me if you find something important. I’ll be in touch. I’ll be waiting for the results of an autopsy. I wonder what it is.’
‘Okay… Nicholas, be careful. It is possible they were hunting for you. I am talking about the master of the potential mutant and shooter. I think you have enough enemies.’
‘You’re right, much more than friends.’ Colonel joked grimly.
They parted. Everyone went to do their work. Aristarchus inspects the unknown object. Colonel Podgorny went to the Central Office.
The horrible night, which brought so much grief and puzzles, was over. It was starting a new working day.
 

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