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The car-ride had been fast, very fast, and the streets were dark and empty. The few who walked the streets were either criminals or policemen, and the criminals were too few to be able to see. Of course everyone who walked out at night was breaking the curfew and was as such a criminal, except any possible high-rank party member. But that would not happen of course, as those persons used cars. Vladimir smiled at the though that he might be one of those persons too soon. Very soon actually.
The Peoples Palace was fully lighted, and at nighttime it looked even greater than at few times during daytime that he had seen them. "I wonder if they light it because it looks good, or because they don't want anyone being able to sneak in", he though out load. The two guards on his sides didn't seem to care, after all they had done this many times before Vladimir considered. Was he a fool to be so struck by awe, and even a more fool to think that he could explain it. Maybe, but then again, maybe not, after all, who could explain it more than anyone who had done it himself.
The walk trough the half-lit corridors was fast, there were no people here to block his path, and soon they arrived a great oak door. Four standard Russian infantrymen stood outside, however Vladimir was surprised, as they didn't demand any papers of him. They didn't even seem to notice him, just looking down the hall with absent looking eyes. Vladimir was surprised at which levels his brain worked, registering all this. Was it like this in a real battle too? He chuckled at the though, this was a real battle after all, though not one though with weapons of destruction.
Inside the room where the vote-holding members of the politburo, almost all of them old and stuck in the old ways. The only exception, and a strange one that is, was the leader of them, Vladimir Putin, he was only fifty-seven. The correct words used by the press were "Old and wizened glorious leaders of the proletariat", but the words used on the streets were "old and cranky", though only a fool would use those words in this room. Strange however that the minister of space was present. He was not young by other terms, he was 51, but set along these seventy and eighty years old men, he looked quite young actually. He didn't have a vote in the politburo, and therefore struck Vladimir's eye. Had the man been recently promoted? No matter he concluded.
Feeling sweat drip on his face, he begun to speak "I came here today to give you some information on what is happening. Considering how fast you brought me here, I suppose no one else has offered you any explanation. And alas, I can offer you little, but I think that I might be able to analyse, recreate and ultimately control this. I am one of them who had one of those, shall we say incidents. What I did is not so important, but something that is important is how I did it, and that I can do it again. You may think that this event happened at the same time all over the world, but that is not so however. Nothing simply happens instantly, it is a physical impossibility. In our scientific base we had this meter that recorded it. I think… no , think is not the right word. I am sure that I can analyse this data, and that I can do it again. And then I can teach it on. Consider it as a weapon, and it's possibilities. Even better, that if there was another meter like the one at our base somewhere in the Soviet Union, I can find out the origin of that power, and hopefully control it completely. Of course you would need to give me free hands in this, but I can guarantee that it will work." and as then ended, wondering whether he had talked too fast. He better be able to do as he said, at least to a high enough degree to make these men happy. And if he could not, he better be able to control his powers enough to be able to escape from Russia.
One of the men at the table said simply to him "Leave. We will talk to you soon." , and two guards behind him took him by the arms and pulled him out to the corridor. Afraid that there were going to shoot him, he couldn't explain his relief when they put him down on one of the benches in the corridor. He better learn to control it soon.
After what seemed like hours, maybe it was, he though, the door finally opened. As the corridor was quite dark, and the room very well lighted, Vladimir couldn't see the mans face. He just saw a dark figure that was probably a human. Maybe this was standard procedure to intimidate the people. He could think little less before the man started walking towards him.
As the man reached him, before Vladimir could say a word, the man started talking in a low, old and absent voice. "You might have noticed me inside there when you entered. You surely looked at me long enough. I would be Isaia Baramir, honourable minister of space in the Peoples Republic of Russia." and stopped talking, notable waiting for him to reply Vladimir though. He simply said "I am Vladimir Glenko."
After a sigh from the man followed by picking up a case of tobacco from his inner coat-pocket, the man continued talking "You promise these men a great deal. Whatever you may think, they are not stupid, and they have learned that men tend to give promises only god, should he exist that is, could keep. They believe you just did that, but if you can do half of what you said in there, they will accept you. You will work with them trough me. I am one of us too you should know." and after finishing lighted his cigarillo with a match.
Didn't they believe me? Can I do all that I said? I must be able to, I MUST! Vladimir shouted inside his head. No matter, he would live, and he would have a chance to show them. He had reasoned out something else while outside of that room. All the events that the TV had shoved had either something to do with fire, earth or water. Fires had been extinguished with water, there had been some small earthquakes, very small in fact, and fire had been usual. And thinking of what he had felt and did, and the four historical elements, he assumed that there was air as a power too. With those he might be able to rule it all, he though with a smile on his face. The man before him might be a trouble, but leaders were more often stupid than not, maybe this one was too. But something the man had said puzzled him. "One of us. What do you mean by us? You mean a member of the politburo?" , he said.
"The man took out the cigarillo from his mouth, and said "No, one of the ones who did the magic."
Pity, very pity indeed, but he would be able to take control still. After all he was a genius, wasn't he, Vladimir thought. More than this man who could not even find the right verb for casting magic. The word was cast, to cast, casting, he wanted to scream at the man, but decided it was not worth the trouble.
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