Chapter 31

  Leolik woke up to someone shaking his shoulder. It was Slava.
– Leolik, wake up. Let’s head outside. Zhorik was kind enough to hover just above your home. Milena’s already waiting for you there.
– Oh, do I already have a home?
– We don’t have lots of people here. Half of the houses are empty. There're no problems with construction works. Robots construct the buildings. You’ll see them yourself later.
    They walked over to the basket. They were lowered down to the ground. Outside, the night sky was already blue. They came up to the nearest house. Milena was waiting for them on the porch. She rushed over to hug and kiss Leolik. Leolik was overjoyed to see Milena.
– I won’t bother you, – Slava said. – Chronos will probably wanna meet with both of you tomorrow. Don’t disappear.
    Milena led Leolik into the house. It was very cozy inside. Electric lighting, nice wallpaper in the entryway, elegant chairs, and paintings on the walls.
– Leolik, I’ve prepared a bath for you. Go take a bath, and I’ll feed you later.
– Mila, will you scrub my back for me?
– Go take a bath; I’ve got some pies baking in the oven in the kitchen. I’ll be right there, don’t worry.
    She led him into the bathroom. Leolik took his clothes off and sat down into the bath tub. It was divine.
    A few minutes later, Milena appeared. She lathered a washcloth and began scrubbing Leolik. Then she poured some kind of liquid over his head. It smelled surprisingly pleasant – like cucumbers. Leolik reached out and grabbed Milena several times, kissing her lips. She pretended to resist.
– Leolik, dinner’s waiting for us.
    Leolik recalled that first meeting with Milena. He had never been as happy as he was at the moment. The home, the wife, the family dinners in the evening, sharing a bed with the woman he loved and adored. The wedding was the only minor formality left. What more could a man want? Some adventures, some job he would enjoy? But he wasn’t worrying about that right then.
– Mila, when are we gonna get married?
– Leolik, you’ve practically become my husband ever since I got pregnant. Yeah, Leolik, I’m pregnant with your child. The ceremony is just a formality. I love you, Leolik.
    Leolik grabbed Milena again and kissed her. A vision of an unknown Valeriy suddenly flashed through his mind. The memory, his memory. “What, then, is actually mine in this life?” – he was thinking. What if all this is just the fevered imagination of the unknown Valeriy? What if none of that is real? What if it all suddenly ends? And he'll wake up somewhere on the Earth, surrounded by drunk friends. And there won’t be Milena at all. Tears welled up in his eyes involuntarily.
– Mila! What if I lose my memory? After all, I’m an artificial android. I don’t have anyone else but you, on the whole Geia.
– Chronos has invited both of us to his reception, it'll be held tomorrow. I think everything's gonna be fine. We've done him a big favour. He seems to be a man of honor. Even though he’s not a human. Well, that's enough, come on, I’ll feed you. And you can start wearing your collar on your wrist now.
    She helped him get out of the bathtub. She dried his hair with a towel. Wearing a clean white T-shirt, shorts, and slippers, he followed Milena to the kitchen. The kitchen smelled pleasantly of something delicious. The table was already served. There were cups, shot glasses, and a decanter of wine. Murz was sitting on a chair. The kitchen had electric lighting. All the surrounding buffets were much more luxurious than even those at Milena’s.
    Mila poured him a bowl of fish soup. She served him a glass of wine. Murzik got a fatty piece of fish, as well. Instead of bread, there were small cabbage pies.
– Mila. Wine, food, beautiful wife, pet cat. All that’s left for me is to die of pleasure.
– Leolik, eat and stop talking, you still have sex with me ahead. So don’t die before it's your time. You won’t be able to wriggle out of it.
– Oh! Mila! I’ll just eat this real quick then.
    That’s exactly how it happened later on. They fell asleep just before dawn. Tired but happy.
    He woke up at noon. Milena wasn’t in bed. Pleasant smells were going from the kitchen. Leolik got dressed, went into the bathroom, took a shower, and went to the kitchen. Everything was already served there. He kissed and hugged Milena.
– Leolik, come sit down and have breakfast. They’ve been waiting for us.
    Leolik happily grabbed a spoon. There were pastries again. They were small, just two bites each. Yesterday’s fish soup had had time to steep and tasted even better than it had been the night before. Murz trotted into the kitchen and started demanding fish. Milena tossed a piece into his bowl.
– Mila, maybe we shouldn’t reveal the secret of your flight yet? I'm talking about the potion. Maybe we should try to negotiate with Chronos? I don’t really know what he might offer us, but money still does mean something in your world, doesn’t it?
– Well, let’s see what he has to offer. I have you. The fact that you’re artificial doesn’t matter to me anything. I’m actually very grateful that he's created you. He's also mentioned something about your unique abilities. We should find out more about what he implied, shouldn’t we?
    That was the end of it. After they finished their tea, Milena washed the dishes in the kitchen sink. Then they went into another room. It wasn’t a bedroom. It looked more like a woman’s boudoir. There were cabinets, dressers, and a vanity table with women’s toiletries. Milena quickly applied her makeup. Leolik was once again impressed by how she did everything just normal. She lightly colored her eyelashes. She barely touched her eyebrows. She put on a beautiful white blouse and a lace skirt, almost the same as the one she had worn when she first met Leolik.
– Leolik, I've found some men’s sandals in the dresser, exactly like the ones Ksenia gave you. I've thrown away my old sandals. And there are gold-trimmed skirts and vests, just like the ones you had at the palace. What do you think?
– No, Mila. Sure, it’s nice, I look like a pharaoh, but I’d rather stick to my shorts and T-shirt. I know the gold-plated sandals look stupid, but, well, if there aren’t any others…
    They stepped out to the porch. Surrounding the house, there was a lovely green lawn with silky grass. There were flower beds and small trees with delicate, intricately shaped leaves. Tiny green birds, resembling hummingbirds, were flitting among the branches. Not far away, a delicate, open-work summerhouse came into view.
– Mila, I was told this is our house. It’s so beautiful here.
– Yeah, Leolik, I've chosen this one. I really liked the lawn. Still we need to go to the tower.
    They went out in the street, walking along the sidewalk towards the tower.
– Mila, won't it be like the last time? I hope there aren’t any carriages racing by here? Still let’s stay closer to the edge of the road. And by the way, where’s our little horse?
– Oscar's promised to take care of her. We need to go see her.
    Half an hour later, they were already standing at the entrance to the tower. Milena pulled out a small device from the folds of her lace skirt, pressed a button on it, and walked confidently through the tower’s gates.
– Leolik, this is a guide.
    They entered the chrome-plated elevator. Milena checked the device. She pressed the button. The device bore a striking resemblance to a cell phone. Leolik thought about how he had seen similar phones on the Earth. And he thought again about an unknown Valeriy. Memories, once again, not his own.
    They entered Chronos’s office. No one was there to greet them. But Milena glanced into her phone and said:
– All right, let’s wait.
    They didn’t have to wait long. Queen Ksenia and Chronos entered the office.
– Hello, Leolik and Milena! – Ksenia said.
– Greetings, Your Majesty, – Leolik said.
– I invited the three of you here so that you could finally sort out your relationships, – Chronos began speaking.
– I've told Ksenia that you, Leolik, are her son, in fact. The genetic material used to create you, was taken from her and King Arseniy. Well, there’re also some of my genes in you.
– Leolik, you've misunderstood me, – Ksenia interrupted him. – I was just joking. I realized right away from the scent that Milena was involved. Because only she could create such a wonderful scent. Milena is my personal perfumer. I wanted to set you two up. You’re a very handsome boy. I’d be happy if you married Milena. I wanted to surprise you. But you escaped suddenly. And you caused a lot of trouble. You set the palace on fire with the girls’ help. If only you knew how they were protecting you. Nyusha was hurt seriously. We’ve been treating her. But the scars on her face'll remain, despite all of Chronos’s science. You and Milena can visit her if you want, but she’s bald right now, having wounds on her face.
– Leolik, I'm pretty grateful to you too. I've found representatives of my species. My thinking computer works a bit wrong. Suddenly he started to demonstrate some sense of humour. To tell the truth, it's specific and appears in a strange way. I suppose that he organised your disappearance from our labs. I left my planet very long ago and the errors of the computer's processor caused my losing the coordinates of my planet. But Mia's message from you mentions the second plate-like spacecraft. I think that her computer hasn't been damaged. We're gonna grab the spaceship for sure. We'll need to find out who attacked our planet and what for. If I met them earlier, I wouldn't have created the civilization on the Geia or have created you. I considered me to be the last myarg. Still whatever happens, it’s for the best. We myargs are going to leave Geia sooner or later. There’s a planet in this system that’s similar to Mars. We won’t interfere with humans. So you’ll have to build your own civilization. I wish you, of all people, to lead the Geia. Well, you’d be an emperor, or something.
– And what about our self-proclaimed emperor Arseniy?
– Zena, Max, and Oscar have already been sent to rescue him. I don’t think Lord Kesha will be able to object to the stun guns. Arseniy doesn’t want to learn; he doesn’t understand that power is also a responsibility, not just the blind obedience of others. That’s why he was in no way cut out for the role of emperor. Are you willing to learn, Leolik?
– Yeah, sure. But the very first thing I’d like to do is marry Milena. Of course, unless she has a problem with that because she’s pregnant with my child.
– Yes! Mila! Damn, I’m gonna be a grandma, – Ksenia gave a smile to Milena.
    Mila blushed slightly and squeezed Leolik’s hand.
– Hmm, that’s good news, – Chronos said thoughtfully. – That's changing my plans a little. I wanted to study how Milena flies. But it seems like I’ll have to wait nine months. There’s one more thing, Leolik. The strange machinations of my thinking computer. When I was creating humans, I brought many genes of Earthlings and various animals. Some were created, some were born here. But despite all my computer’s knowledge, more women are born than men. That’s why we had to create the city of women. There’s a catastrophic shortage of men. I’ve been gradually planting the idea of polygamy in people’s minds. Myarg families have four wives. Maybe that’s why my computer created this situation artificially. Your future civilization simply must reproduce. Someone attacked our planet – perhaps they’ve already set their sights on the Earth?  I don't know. But uncontrolled reproduction isn't possible either, unless it's based on necessary resources. You need to build cities, educate the population, explore Geia, build power plants, mine metals, and create ecosystems with new animals, plants, and insects. After all, when we, the myargs, fly away, you’ll have no one to rely on. A lot is being done right now using the resources from my spacecraft. I’ll gather the mayors of the other cities. Once you’ve completed your training, your candidacy will be put forward for you to be elected the emperor. Maybe it’s not the best title, but let’s go with “emperor.” Consider this: you already have three votes in your favor – Ksenia, Arseniy, and me.
– Well, I’m not opposed to the whole plan. But there are a few other moments. I feel kind of uploaded incompletely. My mind is a total mess. I mean, my personality feels incomplete, I don’t remember anything. At least I know how to treat women and girls. But that’s just instincts. I have no past. Is it possible to fully load Valeriy’s personality? When I lose my consciousness, I feel everything that’s happening to him there on the Earth. Chronos, do you have an explanation for all this?
– Really!? Can you feel him? Wow, even in several light-years' distance, you can still sense it? If you don’t mind, we can go ahead with the procedure right now.
– Leolik, maybe you shouldn’t? What if you fall out of love with me after that? – Milena said. During that conversation, she was listening attentively, holding Leolik’s hand tightly.
– Mila, it’s impossible to fall out of love with you! I’m tired of being an adult who hasn’t grown up yet. Let’s just get this done.
    Chronos led Leolik, Milena, and Ksenia to a medical laboratory. To get there, they took a short ride in the elevator. The laboratory was gleaming with clean tiles and chrome. A jumble of strange-looking devices. A man was standing near one of the machines. A girl was sitting in an arm-chair. The doctor was pointing some kind of device on the console at the girl’s face. She was looking terrible. She had no hair, and one cheek was severely disfigured. The other looked perfectly normal.
– Nyusha! – Leolik and Milena exclaimed in unison.
– Leolik! Mila! I’m so happy to see you, – the girl said, tears welling up in her eyes. – I’m almost done with my treatments. The doctor says everything'll be healed by the wedding. What are you doing here? Have they caught you?
– No, Nyusha, we’re not prisoners.
– Thank God, or I would’ve smashed this whole mess to smithereens. It would’ve been such a shame; the doctor’s such a sweetheart.
– Nyusha, thank you! We’re looking forward for you to visit us, – Milena said.
    Chronos motioned for Leolik and Milena to come to another arm-chair. Leolik was seated in the arm-chair. They put a helmet on his head. Chronos began typing something quickly on the keyboard of the nearby device with a screen.
– Just in case, I’m going to make a copy of your personality right now, exactly as you are at this very moment.
– Will I feel anything?
– I’ve already done it. Do you feel anything?
– No.
– We’ll start the upload now. I hope you don’t teleport like the last time. We couldn’t figure out what was going on at all, back then. You just vanished into thin air.
    Chronos pressed the button. Leolik was still sitting in the chair. Chronos let out a sigh of relief. He wagged his tail and…
    Leolik’s face suddenly turned pale and took on a bluish tint. His breathing stopped.
– Ivan! An oxygen mask, quickly. Ksenia, adrenaline!
    The doctor who had been treating Nyusha rushed over to the arm-chair where Leolik was sitting. Ksenia hurried to the table with the instruments, it was covered with a cloth. A moment later, she was already pouring some kind of medicine from a vial. Then, swabbing Leolik's arm with a cotton ball, she began to inject the medicine into his vein. Chronos was typing furiously on the computer keyboard.
    Milena and Nyusha were standing near the arm-chair. Milena suddenly turned pale and began to fall. Nyusha barely managed to catch her.
– Ksenia, take care of the girl. Bring her around and don’t give her anything extra. She’s pregnant. If Leolik dies, she’s our only chance. Her child is of immense value.
    As soon as Nyusha heard the words “if Leolik dies,” she fainted. She slid to the floor with a groan and rolled her eyes back.
– Ivan, go get some help! Ksenia, take care of the girls.
    Chronos was still frantically pounding away on the keys. People in white coats burst into the office. They were pushing carts loaded with medical equipment. The girls were placed on stretchers. Ksenia was treating them. The doctors surrounded the chair where Leolik was sitting. They cut open his T-shirt and pulled down his shorts. They made him injections again. Leolik finally started breathing. But he was unconscious.
 
***

    Leolik suddenly woke up. He was lying naked on the bed. Daylight was streaming in through the window. A woman was lying next to him. Leolik sat up in surprise and stared at her.
– Who are you?
    The woman woke up and turned to face him.
– Ah, Valera, you’re finally awake, damned drunkard. It’s been two days and you still can’t shake off the hangover. I’ve tried everything with you. I even had sex with you, but you were as stiff as a board. You’ve got to be one hell of a drunk to pass out for two days after just a glass of wine.
– Where am I? Who are you?
– Have you been drinking? Don’t you remember who I am? Come on, try to recall.
– Nyusha?
    The woman swung her arm and slapped him across the face.
– Nyusha? Who’s Nyusha? Is it Tanya or something? I’ll rip her hair out, that blonde bimbo. I’ve felt for a long time that you’ve been caring for her, you dog.
– Mila?
– Look at that, I almost remembered. Not Mila, but Lyudmila. Don’t you recognize me?
    Leolik’s head was pounding. But despite the excruciating headache, he suddenly recalled. Milena! Milena!!! But what was standing in front of him bore no resemblance to Milena. A fat woman in her thirties. Fused eyebrows.
– Why do you call me Valera?
– Well, why don’t you take a look at yourself in the mirror? Maybe you’ll recognize yourself?
    All of this was starting to get on Leolik’s nerves. He stood up resolutely. He decided to leave the room and find the restroom. He found the bathroom. There was a mirror in the bathroom. Leolik looked into it and… A completely unfamiliar man in his thirties was staring back at him.
– Well, well, they've woken up the wrong person, – he thought. – You’ve really got yourself into a mess, Your Imperial Majesty. That’s what happens when you don’t listen to women. Milena told you not to do that. You’ve played the nobleman to the hilt. Well, I know what the secret is. I need to find Grandma’s potion.
    Leolik suddenly remembered all his adventures on the Geia.
– That’s strange, why am I still Leolik? But she calls me Valeriy.
    Leolik suddenly recalled his friends Sasha and Dimon.
– Okay, I need to call them and find out what happened. It doesn’t look like I’ll get any info from this lady. Or maybe I should fuck her? I wonder who she is to me, actually?
    Leolik took another careful look in the mirror. He found a disposable razor on the shelf and started shaving. Afterwards, he rinsed off in the bathroom. He wrapped a towel around his hips and stepped out of the bathroom.