I tried to pull myself together and not show how shocked I was by his words, but deep down I knew that I would never be the same again.
We both turned around just as the green light on the videophone screen began to blink. A squeak, like that of some mad rat, cut through the silence of the lab, and the image gradually cleared. The face of the Stainless Steel Rat appeared before us, his eyes glittering with reserved interest, his lips slightly curved into a smile, like someone who knows everything is under control.
"Ready?" His voice sounded on the other side of the screen, muffled and confident. "Is the special destabilizer working? Small, compact, no more than a few meters in range. Is everything ready?"
Sartorius, who had been silent until now, narrowed his eyes slightly, obviously checking the data on the screen before answering. He nodded slowly, and his tone was so calm that even I, who had lived through all these terrible events, felt the tension brewing inside.
"Yes, he's ready," Sartorius said. "Everything is in order. He's fully functional."
Stainless Steel Rat seemed to appreciate his answer. His eyes narrowed and the smile on his face grew wider.
"Excellent," he said, almost pleased with himself. "Let's hope that this little device will finally rid us of all these damned phenomena. However, for now, you seem to be coping. But don't forget: if something suddenly gets out of control, it's better to turn it on right away."
On screen, the Stainless Steel Rat waved his hand and immediately disappeared, leaving us in the room with an even greater sense of uncertainty.
Sartorius reached over to the table where the instrument was mounted on a panel. He slowly pressed a few buttons, and a map of the station appeared on the wall screen, showing the same familiar areas. In the center of this map, a blinking dot indicated where I was now.
"It's not a solution," Sartorius said, staring at the screen. "It's just... a stopgap. But if you want to see what happens next, you should be ready by now."
I wanted to say something, but his words swallowed me up. All this - "temporary measure," "little destabilizer" - sounded too ironic to be perceived as a way out. But what if the return of the dead is not an illusion, but a reality that we will have to face?
Suddenly the laboratory was filled with vibrations, and I felt the walls closing in around me. The door seemed about to explode. I turned around, and Sartorius was already standing in front of me, clutching a small box - a destabilizer. His face was cold, almost imperturbable, but there was fear in his eyes, not hidden even by his scientific composure.
The sound grew louder. As if not a man, but a monster with iron paws was trying to break through the door, from which metal parts began to bounce off. First slowly, then faster and faster, with each blow more and more powerfully. And then, with a deafening crack, the door began to bend, and then - completely inhumanly - it began to tear away, as if a giant mouth was tearing it.
I pressed myself into the corner, barely hearing my own thoughts. Fear squeezed me so tightly that I could barely breathe. I remembered how I had once been afraid that Asia would find out about me and my secret affairs, my hurt feelings, my passions that were in the past. Strangely, this fear was completely disproportionate to the situation. The thought flashed through my head as if I were standing before her, before her wrath, and not before something terrible and alien, not before a monster. As if she was about to expose me for all my crimes, for all my deceptions. I know that this is stupid, but under the pressure of fear the mind is capable of distorting reality.
But then I realized that I was not standing before love or forgiveness. I was standing before destruction, before something that perhaps did not even want to kill me, but simply to devour me.
I tried to come to my senses, looking at Sartorius, who now held the device in his hands, pressing the button of which seemed to be the only chance. But his hand gripped the destabilizer button uncertainly, as if he himself was not sure that it would work.
There was now a mass crashing into the door, as if a huge steel creature was breaking it with inhuman strength. And at that moment, when it seemed that everything was doomed, I heard a sound. A voice.
"You… you don't understand," Sartorius whispered, barely moving, and there was such longing in his voice that I almost didn't recognize him. "You don't understand that this isn't just Asia. This is something else. The one who came back isn't the one you loved."
Before I could answer, a powerful blow split the door in two, and out of the chaos she burst forth-Asia, but not the one I knew. This was not a human being, not a woman, not a man. This was something else. Huge, ugly, with eyes full of emptiness, with skin covered in cracks, as if reality itself was trying to hold this creature captive.
Sartorius stood still, his hands shaking, but there was a clear look in his eyes: he was waiting. He knew that this moment, this explosion, was what had to happen. His hand quickly reached for the button on the destabilizer. There was something like relief in his eyes. He didn't know what would become of this creature, but he was ready. He was ready to destroy everything that had been created.
When Asia took her first step into the lab, she didn't just walk in - she ran in, her movements were sharp, uncontrollable, as if each step was a step of destruction. But Sartorius didn't lose his head. He pressed the button.
A moment. No more.
In that moment, the space around us changed. I felt the air compress, as if it were being squeezed by an invisible hand. Everything around me became blurry, like a bad dream, where every detail was losing its clarity, as if the world was suddenly falling apart. There was a faint, almost imperceptible whistle that soon died away. The wind died down and the light went out, as if reality itself had compressed and something had disappeared. As if Asia itself had dissolved, vanished in this mysterious light.
I stood there, not believing what had happened. I looked at Sartorius, at his face, where there was neither surprise nor joy. He just stood there, as if he was waiting for something to happen, but he didn't know what.
"She's gone," he said quietly, more to himself than to me. "Everything is as it should be."
I stood there in silence, stunned. This couldn't be true. It had all happened so fast, so abruptly. My eyes couldn't process what had happened. I still couldn't believe that what had just been in front of me-the monster, the creature that looked like Asia but wasn't-was gone, as if it had never been there.
Sartorius didn't turn to face me. He didn't say another word. I walked up to him, feeling a slight sense of relief begin to spread through my body, though I still didn't understand what exactly had happened. I wanted to ask him how it was possible that he knew this would happen, but in that moment, looking at him, I knew there would be no questions. The moment was over.
Asia disappeared, as Sartorius promised. And all that remained was silence and cold.
I took a deep breath, trying to regain control of myself after what had just happened. Everything around me seemed somehow dim, as if even the walls of the laboratory could not recover from what had just happened. Sartorius, meanwhile, rubbed his hands together as if he had just performed a complex operation, and said with obvious relief:
"The problem has been resolved. The DAMIEN station returns to normal mode."
I looked at him, not believing my ears. All this time, everything that had happened, was just part of his plan? He knew it would end like this, and he didn't tell me? Questions were popping into my head, but at the same time, I knew that I probably wouldn't get answers to them. Sartorius was not a man who shared his thoughts.
"Normal mode, you say?" I barely contained my sarcasm. "Are you sure that after all this, it is possible to return to "normal" mode?"
Sartorius looked at me, but his face remained emotionless. It was as if he had been prepared for my question, as if he knew this was what would happen. He raised his hand, as if to wave away my doubts.
"Everything that happened was a mistake. An experiment that got out of control. But now we have restored the balance, everything is under control. Everything will be fine."
I didn't know if I should believe him. There was no doubt in his voice, and that was perhaps what scared me most. Sartorius was sure that he was in control, that everything would go back to normal. And maybe he was right, but he couldn't help but know that for me this was more than just a failed experiment. For me, it was a nightmare in which I almost lost myself.
"So what now?" I asked, trying to bring some confidence back into my speech. "What should I do now?"
Sartorius walked silently to the control panel, his fingers quickly running over the buttons, and a map of the station appeared on the lab screen. Everything looked as if nothing had happened.
"You can rest. Return to your business. Everything will return to normal."
I looked at the map, but the only thought that remained in my head was that this could not be called normal. My thoughts were confused, and my inner voice continued to scream that something was wrong. But in response to these thoughts, I only heard how quietly the equipment worked, how his confident voice pronounced phrases that I could barely perceive.
"Are you sure that's all?" I said almost in a whisper.
Sartorius didn't answer right away. He was still looking at the screen, but I felt his gaze change slightly. As if he was considering whether to say more.
"There's still a lot you don't know," he said finally. "But now is not the time for that."
And with that, he went back to his work, ignoring me. I stood there in silence, trying to take in everything that had happened. Whatever he knew, I knew one thing: this "normal mode" would not be the same as I remembered it.
I stepped aside to pass by, but right at the threshold I ran into the Stainless Steel Rat. He stood there, as always, with a slight smirk on his face, his eyes full of hidden amusement, and he seemed to be in a better mood than ever. He opened his mouth as if he was about to say something important, but instead he said:
"So, let's go," with a slight bow, as if he and Sartorius had just signed a peace treaty. "To my bar! On such an occasion, we definitely need a drink, don't we?"
I couldn't believe my ears. This whole nightmare, all these events, and he, Stainless Steel Rat, was suggesting that we just forget about everything and go to his radio station, as if all this was nothing more than a carefree evening with friends. His cheeky smile was so sincere that I almost gave in, succumbing to his charm, despite this whole strange situation. But I knew better.
"Are you out of your mind?" I couldn't contain my irritation. "We just went through some kind of complete nightmare, and you want me to go drink? You seem to have problems with perception of reality!"
Stainless Steel Rat was not taken aback. He continued to smile, as if my attack was just part of a funny performance.
"Well, of course," he said, "if you think it was a nightmare, then you haven't seen what's going on in the heart of the station. All this is just... 'warming up.' You know, like when you thaw out an ice cream cone before you eat it. A great metaphor, isn't it?"
I didn't know how to react. He continued to stand before me, his eyes glittering against the glow of the lab, and it all struck a strange dissonance in me. He spoke as if what we had experienced was unimportant. As if it were part of a game, and not a real threat.
I couldn't tell if he was crazy or just not taking it seriously. Either way, this was not the place I wanted to be. But he persisted.
"Okay, I won't try to persuade you," said Stainless Steel Rat with a hint of sarcasm. "But if you change your mind, know that my radio station is always open for anyone who's ready to forget for at least an hour."
I felt myself resisting the temptation to go with him with all my might. One thing was spinning in my head: I had to figure this all out before I believed a word of what was happening here.
Stainless Steel Rat whistled for Sartorius, and the three of us, like three crazy people, headed for the radio station. We walked along the corridor, where the air was filled with the same strange mood as in the room where we had just almost become victims of the local monsters. Stainless Steel Rat was enjoying himself, repeating some incomprehensible anecdote, and Sartorius only listened, nodding, but his look was such as if he was deciding whether to turn into one of those ghosts.
When we entered the radio station, it was immediately obvious that this place was intended for eccentric types. Everything around resembled a mixture of a laboratory and a cafe for scientists, but with elements of space burlesque comedy. Large inflatable chairs, under them - flashing lights that, instead of ordinary seats, lifted you into the air, making you a part of this strange parallel reality.
We sat down in the chairs, which seemed to be both chairs and sofas at the same time. The Stainless Steel Rat immediately whistled. The service walker - or rather "walking table" due to its characteristic smooth cap like ordinary tables - jumped up like a seasoned joker and handed each of us a rubber bulb, as if it were elite tableware.
"Let's clink glasses," he said with a mischievous smile.
"Is this a new trend in space?" I asked, looking at my pear-shaped "shot glass."
I tried to believe that this wouldn't be an epic fiasco, but when I placed it on my lips and waited to avoid spilling myself, a miracle happened - the liquid inside seemed to be more than adequate and matched with 99% accuracy the most common Russian... vodka.
"Sartorius and I are always like that. Always looking for the unusual experience," the Stainless Steel Rat replied, casually squeezing his bulb and sending the liquid into his mouth as if it were something completely normal.
We clinked glasses, and it felt like an extraordinary event, albeit one with a lot of risks. Within seconds, I felt the contents of the pear slowly lifting my spirits and starting to act like a good old cocktail - sharp, but pleasant.
"And now for an appetizer - stew!" declared Stainless Steel Rat and pulled out a couple of cans from his bag. Right with the lids, with some confidence, as if they were cooked at the highest level.
"Are you serious?" I couldn't help but feel displeased when he held the jar right up to me.
"Stew is not just food, it's a philosophy!" he retorted. "Just think how many people never understood its greatness!"
I looked at the can. The stew was, of course, stew, but it had a very cosmic look. Sartorius didn't protest either, but took his can and made a restrained movement, as if he didn't want to disturb the harmony of this funny cosmic dinner.
We sat in these inflatable chairs, washing down vodka with stewed meat and wondering how this world manages to be both restless and strangely cozy.
"Listen, what about what's going on at the station?" I couldn't help but ask, even despite the strange situation.
Stainless Steel Rat looked at me with a serious expression, as if everything that was happening was a normal thing.
"All this supernatural stuff? Sorry, buddy, but when you live in space for so long, you start to expect things like that. It's like someone telling you it's going to rain on Saturday... only instead of rain, there are ghosts."
I shrugged, raising my rubber bulb for another toast. At that moment it became clear to me that no matter what happened, everything would be fine. With these guys, you could survive any storm. And the stew, too, eventually.
I sat with a can of stew in my hands, not knowing what to do with it. And although I knew theoretically that there was always a little shortage of food in space, this moment was special. I couldn't cross a strange barrier: the stew seemed very earthly to me, and everything happening around me was too cosmic to just sit and enjoy. I just held it and thought about how strange everything was working out.
Meanwhile, Sartorius and the Stainless Steel Rat not only began a real "battle" for their food, but they did it with such gusto that I could almost feel the space around us trembling from their actions. Stainless Steel Rat even licked the sides of his can - well, he did it in such a way that everything connected with decency and taste seemed to dissolve into thin air.
"You're not going to eat?" Stainless Steel Rat asked as he took his last spoonful and set the can down with a satisfied sigh. He looked like he'd just made some cosmic discovery.
"No," I replied, smiling weakly. "I'm somehow… not ready. This is too much."
Sartorius, not noticing my confusion, also wiped his mouth and looked with satisfaction at his empty can. A few more seconds, and he raised it into the air with a joyful expression on his face.
"It was great! No wonder I love old space food. There's something almost... magical about it."
"Are you serious?" I couldn't help but ask, not hiding my surprise. "I thought you'd be more interested in finding living creatures, not canned goods!"
"Space is like... stew," grinned Stainless Steel Rat. "You never know what's in it, but sometimes those surprises are the most delicious. At least ghosts surprise you with something, right? Especially if they decide to come to you with a can of stew."
I laughed, but the thoughts continued to torment me. What a strange place. Everything seemed dangerous, and yet… so attractive. Sartorius was clearly enjoying the moment, like some old space explorer who was ready to gorge himself on canned meat until he found something real, like a new planet or an asteroid base.
I thought: maybe I'll get used to this someday? After all, by and large, stewed meat and Stainless Steel Rat are quite normal companions for such a space journey.
Sartorius, clearly slightly tipsy, brought the rubber bulb to his mouth again, took a long sip and, grunting, said:
"Well, I think it's time for me to go to the lab. This matter cannot wait, as you understand. Science is always with us, even if it is a little distracted by vodka."
I nodded, thinking that if someone had told me a couple of weeks ago that I would end up in space, sitting at a table with people like this and drinking from a rubber bulb, I certainly wouldn't have believed it.
Stainless Steel Rat meanwhile began to improvise in German. His voice was not exactly melodic, but quite confident. I did not immediately understand what exactly he was singing, but when I finally did, I froze.
"Au-u-u-u, Susanna!" he sang with such enthusiasm that I looked at him in surprise.
"What nonsense? Are you at a concert?" I asked, unable to hide my grin.
Stainless Steel Rat, not paying attention to my words, continued his "masterpiece". His eyes were closed, and he was clearly enjoying the moment, splashing these strange sounds into space.
"It's not nonsense, it's classic!" he answered with an air of importance. "German folklore, the good old stuff! I see you don't understand, but it's okay, you'll get it. It always helps me relax when everything around me starts shaking a little, you know?"
Sartorius, who apparently also felt unbearably cheerful, almost broke into a smile, but at the last moment he pursed his lips.
"Well, since you're the one calling the shots, 'Stainless Steel Rat,'" he said with a chuckle, "I gotta go. You're still having fun here, I take it?"
"Oh, the fun is just beginning!" replied the Stainless Steel Rat.
Sartorius sighed, stood up, swayed a little, and headed for the exit.
"Okay, I'll go back to my lab, and you have fun here. If you survive, leave a couple of cans of stew. I can appreciate that."
Stainless Steel Rat didn't even notice his departure, so carried away by his performance. As for me, not knowing what else to say, I just sat in my chair and watched this space circus.
Stainless Steel Rat kept singing, not paying the slightest attention to me, as if his world was completely and utterly absorbed by the melody at that moment. There was some strange certainty in his voice, as if he knew something that I didn't, and that "something" became more and more absurd with each chord.
I stood up from my chair and walked towards the door, somewhat sluggishly. Thoughts of how I had recently almost become a victim of someone who had once been close to me did not leave me. The resurrected Asia, her gaze that I could not forget, her hands that had almost strangled me… It was as if I could feel her touch again, although, of course, she was no longer there.
As I walked down the hallway, I told myself that I needed to calm down. But in reality, I couldn't think of anything more mundane than escaping ghosts. I don't know if it was because I'd spent too much time alone, or because all these events seemed so unreal that my mind simply refused to take them seriously.
Reaching my cabin, I stood in the threshold and looked around the space. Everything seemed so... foggy. Darkness, empty space, metal walls and a high chair that seemed completely alien to this place.
I sighed as I ducked inside. I closed the door and leaned against it. The sky outside the station window was dark and lifeless. I felt empty. That feeling of being everywhere, yet alone.
"What now?" I thought. "I need to rest, calm down."
I sat on the bed, but I couldn't unfold it. It wasn't that important. As I was falling asleep, I realized that I hadn't even turned off the light.
I lay on my bed, unable to shake off the thoughts. Thoughts of what I had lived through, of what I would live through. The shadows of the past mixed with the present, and I felt myself being sucked into a vortex. Asia was gone. But what if she came back? What if the moment when I would see her again was just around the corner?
As I expected, I couldn't sleep. The speakers in the corner of the cabin were making a faint crackling sound, like an old radio. I jumped out of bed, went to the panel and adjusted the volume. A picture flashed on the screen - strange, blurry, the same corridor of the DAMIEN station where we once walked. There was an ominous chill in the air.
And then, as if in response to my thoughts, the screen suddenly filled with a black shadow. I didn't immediately understand what was happening. It wasn't just an image, but something else. At first, the shadow moved chaotically, as if something was trying to break through the system. The next second, the screen flickered, and I saw Asia, or what was left of it.
She was standing there, in the corner of the screen, looking straight at me. Only now her face wasn't the same as before - it was... different. Too alien. Too dead.
"Did you think I would leave?" The voice was inhuman, like the whisper of the wind in an empty room.
I froze. My heart skipped a beat.
"You know I'm not a ghost, right?" she added, her lips twisting into a strange smile.
At that very moment the screen went dark, and for a second I thought it was all just an illusion. But inside I knew: this was not a dream. And not just traces of the mind. This was a warning.
I stood up, shocked, feeling the cold creep into my bones. But then… there was a sound outside the door. Exactly the same as the first time I came in here. Cracking. Again.
I walked up to the door and slowly turned the handle.
Behind her stood void. Absolute void.