An honest Fourth-Level, with every chance of advancing further. His name was Alexander – or Sasha – and only recently he had been studying at the Moscow Aviation Institute and dreaming of becoming a space-flight engineer. People like that only became Light Ones, because in 2012 in Russia only a complete child or a holy fool could dream of becoming a cosmonaut. ‘Anton Sergeevich,’ – he was trying hard to speak calmly and collectedly, but there was still a slight tremble in his voice – ‘are you certain they’ll come here?’ I shrugged, took out a pack of cigarettes, lit up and offered one to Sasha, taking no notice of his grimace of disapproval. He started fidgeting, then reached uncertainly for a cigarette. I pulled the pack away. ‘Don’t. First, never smoke. Second, never do anything that authority figures suggest if you don’t like it. If I jump off the bridge, will you do the same?’ ‘If necessary, I will!’ Sasha declared resolutely. I looked down into the grey water of the river Moscow with the lighted street lamps reflected in it (in Moscow the stars in the sky aren’t often visible).
What do You think about Night Watch 05 - The New Watch?
