man. He made his innuendos by the way and with fun so that Sasha didn’t even think about taking him serious. And what was that bad about him liking her?
Also she had fallen in love with his music long before she had met him. And the temptation to take that magic with them was just too big.
Of course it was the music. That young devil lured innocent souls like the rat catcher from Hameln with his flute so that he could corrupt every girl that he could. Now he was even trying to get Alexandra into his fangs and Homer didn’t even know how he should act!
At the beginning the old man swallowed the cocky jokes but soon he felt how the anger grew in him. He was also angry about how easily Leonid accomplished that the guards of Hanza, who were known for their strictness, just let the tree pass from onto the ring line and to the
Homer had to be honest; the diplomatic skills of this young man were very helpful: The motorized railcar which had brought them to the
But the carelessness with what this trickster left this station and how easy he parted with all his savings only to follow Sasha into the tunnel made him feel uneasy. Normally you would think that of somebody that was in love but Homer knew: That boy didn’t mean it. He was just used to easy victories.
Homer felt like a grumpy nanny. But there was a good reason for his vigilance and envy: That his muse would run away with this traveling musician would be the last thing he needed right now! A, to be fair, totally unnecessary figure.
Homer hadn’t planned any place for him in his novel and he had just taken a chair and brought himself into this game outrageously.
“Is there nobody else in the entire world anymore?”
The three travelers were already wandering into the direction of the
When you shared your bullets with the right people your wildest dreams could come true.
Sasha had told a short story about her adventure on the surface, then she had stopped and her face had darkened.
Homer and the musician looked at each other: Who should be the first to raise her spirits?
The old man cleared his throat. “Is there life past the MKAD? Even the younger generations are asking that?”
“Of course.” Explained Leonid convinced. “That nobody survived isn’t true. There is just no connection to those people.”
“For an example I have heard.” Said Homer. “That somewhere behind the
“You mean the tunnel that leads to the bunkers in the Ural Mountains?” Leonid cut him off.
“And the story of the man, who coincidently found it, then got a backpack full of provisions and started walking through the tunnel…”
“…Walking for a whole week with only a few breaks, until his provisions were almost gone and he had to return. An end to the tunnel was nowhere to be seen. Yes, if you believe the rumors it is the way to the bunkers in the Ural Mountains. Maybe somebody is still alive there.”
“Probably not.” Yawned the musician.
Homer ignored him and turned to Sasha. “From a friend at the Polis I know that one of their radio operators had once contact with men in a tank. They must have been able to close all hatches in time and drive into no- man’s-land where nobody thought about dropping bombs…”
Leonid nodded his head. “It’s a well known story.
When they ran out of fuel they dug the tank into a small hill and made a really small settlement.
And for a few weeks they called polis every the evening until…”
“Until the receiver broke down” Said Homer, slightly angered.
“And what about the submarine?” His rival was moving. “One of our submarines was away and when the bombs hit both sides it hadn’t reached its position yet. And when it finally emerged everything was already over. Back then the crew docked it at Wladivostok…”
“And its reactor powers the place till today.” Homer remembered. “Half a year ago I met a man that claimed that he had been the first officer of the boat. He said that he had crossed the entire country on a bicycle and finally got to Moscow. He must have been traveling for three years”
“And you have talked to him in person?” Asked Leonid polite but surprised.
“Of course!” Said Homer. Legends have always been his hobby and he couldn’t resist triumphing over this boy. He still had one story in his reserve that meant a lot to him. Actually he would’ve liked to tell it on a different occasion instead of wasting it on this contest. But when he realized that Sasha was laughing at every single joke of this bandit he told them the story. “And what’s with the Polyarnyye Sori, do you know that?”
“Polyarnyye-what?” Asked the musician and turned to him.
“But please.” Homer was smiling. “In the north, on the Kola half island there is a city that is called Polyarnyye Sori. A godforsaken nest. To Moscow it’s one and a half thousand kilometers, to Petersburg at least one thousand. The closest thing is Murmansk with its marine base and even to there it is a long way”
“With one word: A dull.” Commented Leonid smiling oblique.
“It lies far away from any big cities, secret factories or military bases. All the important targets. All cities which our missile shield couldn’t protect went down in dust and ashes. And the others with a shield and working missiles were…” Homer looked up. “Well we all know what happened to them. But there were places at those nobody was aiming. Those that didn’t pose a threat. Like the Polyarnyye Sori”
“They don’t interest us anymore.” Said the musician.
“They should.” Said homer. “Because not far away from Polyarnyye Sori there is the nuclear reactor Kola. One of the most powerful in the entire country. Back then it probably supplied the entire north of Russia with electricity. Millions of people. Hundredths of factories. I myself am from Archangelsk, so I know what I’m talking about. As a student I went there on an excursion once. It is a real fortress, a state inside a state. They’ve a small army there, their own farmers and factories. They were totally self-sufficient. Why should life have changed after the atomic war?” He smiled sadly.
“You’re saying…”
“Petersburg is gone, Murmansk and Archangelsk as well. Millions of people destroyed, factories and cities burnt to dust and ashes. Polyarnyye Sori survived. And the reactor has been left untouched as well. For kilometers around it there is nothing but snow. Snow and fields of ice, wolves and polar bears. There was no connection to the central administration. And they have enough fuel to keep such a big city alive for some time. That means that they and the surrounding area are taking care of for about one hundred years. They get over the winter easily.”
“An ark.” Whispered Leonid. “And when the flood was over and the water had retreated, came from mountain Ararat…”
“Exactly.” The old man nodded his head.
“How do you know all that?” The voice of the musician didn’t sound sarcastic or bored anymore.
“I once have worked as a radio operator.” Homer danced around the question. “I had wanted to find survivors in the region where I was born.”
“Are they going to last, so high up in the north?”
“I am sure of it. But the last contact I had with them is two years ago. But just think about it: Electricity and warmth for 100 years. With medical machines, computers and electronic libraries on CD-ROM’s. Why would you know it? In the entire metro there are only two computers and they are just toys. And this is the capitol.”
He smiled bitter.
“If some people survived somewhere, not just some a few but entire communities then they are in the 17th
