– I mean, no, that's not what I meant.

– Okay, okay, let's stop right there. Did you see your doppelgangers?

– We did," they all answered in unison.

– See that they're alive, that they exist?

– I don't quite believe it," Catherine said.

To which Rutra replied:

– Okay, here's what we're gonna do. We're going to revive them. For a while. Only you'll see them from the outside. Okay?

– Good," the listeners again responded amicably.

– Then we'll leave now, and within an hour the assistants, the staff will prepare them, and then you'll see them here. You'll be in contact with them via video for the time being. We have the exact same room as upstairs, or rather, the exact same unit. Let's go to the training room.

– How do you bring them to life? Or what do you call it? I mean, whose consciousness is there? – Andrian asked with special curiosity.

– Oh, I forgot. At the same time, you'll see how your digitized memory, or rather, consciousness, works. You'll just see in their dialog the boundary of events. This is what I call the hour to which their consciousness, i.e. yours, is recorded. They will not talk about the last past days. We do not update them every day.

– It's a miracle.

– Mystical," Catherine pointed out.

They sat in front of the TV, which was the wall itself, and saw a strange sight: clones sitting in the same room and discussing what had happened to them.

YatSan became indignant:

– If Rutra does that damn thing again, I'll drop the project altogether.

– You're not going anywhere," Andrian told her sternly. – Don't forget where we are. And in general – put your brains together and think about what kind of organization this is. Behind all this kindness there is a system that will simply wipe us out. He warned us for a reason. We will disappear as individuals. We'll be nowhere to be found, no paperwork. Just the faintest of memories, maybe. We'll all be arrested. Everyone, even our closest relatives.

– What are you making up," Iulia spoke up.

– You're scaring me with your thinking. There's no such thing. Maybe he'll do something to us, but that has nothing to do with family.

– Yes, I may have spoken harshly. But anyway, you think about the power of this organization. I've flown in a warplane, I've fired live missiles.

– You weren't flying anywhere. That was virtual reality, too.

– There's something lurking in all of this.

– No need to be dramatic," Catherine tried to calm them down.

– That's why I say that, I liked a lot of things there too, but I wish it was real.

– So why should you resent it if you felt everything – like in reality.

– It's kind of unusual. Everything seems fine, everything is fine, and then you realize it wasn't real. You have to admit, it's not the same.

– The fact remains. I had a lot of fun.

– I'm not complaining either," YatSan said, glancing askew at Iulia.

With a smile, Iulia averted her gaze and looked at Catherine:

– I'll be honest with you, I'd repeat the same plot too.

– What do you want to repeat in this story? – Yatsan addressed her directly.

– Let it happen again, and I already know exactly what to repeat.

– Well, well, well, I wonder what plot Rutra himself wants to repeat.

– Why don't we ask him?

– Oh, girls, what are you talking about? – Catherine asked, smiling.

– Really – what are you talking about? – Andrian joined the conversation.

– I'm just talking about my own womanly things," Iulia replied.

At this time, the real heroes watching everything going on in the next room were becoming increasingly emotional. The first to explode, as always, was YatSan.