– What about him? – Ruthra asked, thinking at that moment that Isa was involved, or else it was a provocation, only with a ghostly purpose, though the "scan" of Ruzi's pupils showed no lie.

– Op died," Rousey replied sadly.

– What, too?

– No, that's what I call it, he had a heart attack, he was driven to it by the system. I was tricked into coming here and they won't let me out. I can see my family. There is everything here – cinema, cafes, theater, stadium and much more. But I can't go outside the perimeter until I've done all the installation.

– Strange, why not a cooperative arrangement?

– Which one? Alikhanov refused to finish, and if he did anything, it was with deceit and cunning. They even killed his wife, so he only pretended to cooperate.

Ruthra tried to contact Isa, she didn't answer. Could this really be an isolation room?

– How did you get here, why do you trust me?

– You're from Russia, and I was told you were working with Alikhanov. Besides, I don't care anymore, I'm in prison, I can only escape at the risk of my life. I didn't want to become a military man, although since childhood I was constantly with my father in secret laboratories. At that time I didn't understand why they let me in. I was a journalism major. Let's go to the mess hall and I'll tell you my story and what's going on here. If I open my eyes wide, it means we can't talk about it. We'll talk openly when we get back here.

They got out and walked in a different direction, soon reaching the dining room, which looked like a fancy restaurant – with fountains, a waterfall, and wildlife elements, including animals and birds.

– When I lived in the Soviet Union, I, probably like everyone else, was alarmed to hear and read information about the US military bases, with which they literally filled the whole world.

One day several men in civilian clothes, of strange appearance and skin color, came to visit my father. At that time I did not yet know that it was professional. They talked briefly, and after almost twenty-four hours we prepared to move. I realized later that my father had been warned, prepared for this. A trailer came to pick us up, we loaded everything we thought was precious to us, and off we went. I didn't know where we were being taken. After a few dozen miles, we noticed that there was no one on the road but us – a thin ribbon of winding highway, bare mountains, lifeless Mojave Desert. Suddenly we saw a modest, ordinary sign, and we didn't immediately realize that we were speeding along the range, that we were being driven to the very same Edwards Air Force Base where the shuttles usually landed. I began to realize what was happening. It was quite enough for me to imagine that we were quite close to mysterious, menacing, and super-secret places, although the sky above us was somehow particularly desolate and quiet, like the Mojave. Probably because passenger airliners are forbidden to fly over Air Force bases. But getting to Area 51 was more interesting. Extraterrestrial Highway – Extraterrestrial Highway (or Alien Highway) is the official name given by jokers or enterprising businessmen to the road running along the northern border of the Nellis test site. As we approach the symbolic gates of the secret base, there are the same warning signs as at Edwards Proving Ground, and the same strict prohibitions on photography and filming, although there is nothing around but mountains and sun-scorched desert. Our base, now "our" to me, is in the center of the test site. This is the largest test site in the United States. During the day the approaches to Zone-51 – in physical space – are patrolled by special military units fur seals, these are "Navy SEALs" on white Jeeps "Cherokee", at night – by black helicopters with searchlights. Camouflaged security cameras, motion and heat radiation detectors and warning shields are installed around the perimeter of the base. No signs of life within a 100 kilometer radius.