The Mist and the Lightning. Part 12 - стр. 9
“Fuck you!”
“Lis, I will order everyone to gather in the square so that you, our most important and beloved military leader, congratulate everyone on the victory. Yes?” Nikto asked.
“Yes!” Lis snapped. “Gather them. I’ll take Marcus off and come.” He pulled the chain:
“Marcus, get up and follow me.”
“Tie him! And put on a mask,” Nikto shouted after him, but Lis didn’t answer and didn’t turn around.
“We're going downstairs,” Nikto said when Lis left. “We need to call Karina. Valene! Call Karina, quickly.”
And Valentine rushed to carry out, but either he was still poorly oriented in the new environment, or he was in a great hurry, when suddenly, not fitting into the doorway, he bumped into the doorframe, hitting it at full speed. Only the muzzle rang. Valentine was literally knocked over on his back. He fell and lay motionless.
“Oh-oh-oh, you motherfucker!” Nikto said. Kors approached the boy, bending over him. Valentine groaned softly, shaking his head weakly from side to side, stirred and slowly sat down. Stunned by the blow, he clearly didn’t understand anything.
“I think I'll go get my daughter myself,” said Kors.
Lis led Marcus into a basement room filled with massive wardrobes stuffed with old folios and expensively bound books. On the table were stacks of plump notebooks.
“Look,” said Lis, “the scientist of the Reds conducted his experiments here, invented all sorts of exploding things. He was very good at it until his arms were blown off. Here he wrote down everything he did. Proportions, some formulas. Do you know red language?”
Lis turned to Marcus, he stood naked in front of him, embarrassedly covering his genitals with his hands, and looked at Lis in complete bewilderment and even with some kind of horror. Lis shook his head.
“Hey?”
“I know it a little, I learned it at school,” Marcus said barely.
“Well, the numbers are the same in all languages. You will understand,” Lis looked at him carefully. “What's the matter, Marcus? All the bad things are over. Come to your senses!”
But Marcus didn’t answer, he looked away. And Lis’ face became hard:
“Don’t disappoint me, don’t make me regret my kindness! Are you really going to commit suicide? Is Nikto right? So the Demon is right?!”
“No… no… but I can't make gunpowder!”
“Sit and learn!”
“Why all this? To kill as many people as possible?”
“Marcus!”
“Why are you doing it?”
“Do you want to return to the unclean?!”
“No!”
“Then what’s the meaning of this question?”
“Sorry, sorry.”
“Go here! Sit down!” Lis opened the notebook in front of him. “Do you understand anything?”
Marcus glanced at the pages dotted with numbers and even seemed a little interested:
“It's chemistry.”
“Do you understand it?”
“Now, wait a minute, please.”
“Make it out clear. I have no time to wait, I will come to you later. You can watch everything here, touch it. Explore. This is your world now, study it, scientist!”
“A-ah? Will I stay like this… without clothes? Naked?” Marcus shivered.
“Do something, show what you can do. And the Demon will give you clothes, allow you to take off your mask and gloves.”
“Will you put the mask on me again? I don't see anything in it.”
“Marcus, you are not a human now. A person has a face and clothes. You haven't got it yet. And I can't do anything about it, I also obey. You have heard. I am your master, but he is mine. I am a slave to the Demon.”