WebNovels

Chapter 12 - The Judge

On her way home from the shopping center, Anna was caught in a light summer rain. At first, the small, sparse drops seemed pleasant to her, and she didn't rush home. The asphalt was covered with sparse dark spots, and the air was filled with the pleasant smell of damp dust. But very soon the rain intensified. Her T-shirt with the AC/DC logo got wet and stuck to her body, making it obvious that she wasn't wearing a bra and treacherously emphasizing her nipples.

When Anna entered the apartment, water was already streaming off her. She hurriedly pulled off her wet T-shirt, wrapped a terry towel around her damp hair, and rushed to wrap herself in a cozy plaid shirt made of soft jersey.

"Good evening, Anya!" the electronic assistant greeted her gently.

"Hi, Rima," the girl replied.

"It's very unwise to walk in the rain. You could get sick," the computer said with concern. "Try to pay attention to the weather forecast before leaving the house... I can display the weather widget on the main screen..."

"Thanks, but no matter. How are you feeling?"

"The verification process is complete," Rima replied. "The malicious code has been completely removed from the system."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Anna casually threw her wet towel on the back of a chair, shook her mint-blue hair, and was about to go to the kitchen to make coffee when she suddenly heard a familiar voice:

"And how I'm glad to hear that."

"Rima, what did you just say?"

"Nothing, Anya," replied the electronic assistant.

"Then who just said, 'I'm so glad'?"

"No one, Anya," Rima replied calmly. "There's no such phrase in my logs. I think you just need to rest."

"Ooh..." You have voices in your head! — the stranger persisted. — It seems your computer will soon send you to a psychoanalyst!

— How did you manage to hack into my system so badly? — Anna asked angrily, addressing the void.

"Funny... 95% of computers and mobile devices run on an operating system produced by G.A. They don't even try to hide the fact that they collect information. Not only technical data about the system, but also your stylometry, preferences, interests, any social profiles, correspondence... They've hacked everyone completely legally! And you're complaining to me.

"Enough!" the girl interrupted her intrusive interlocutor. "Why are you bothering me?"

"First, I want to show you something..."

"Another conspiracy theory?" Anna made an exaggeratedly tired expression.

"Look..."

A black rectangle appeared on the wall in place of Rima's animated face, and a video clip started playing. It seemed to be a recording edited from footage from several surveillance cameras that were installed in large numbers in the entrances and courtyards. It felt as if some invisible observer was watching what was happening from different angles with thousands of different eyes.

First, a camera filming the area from the house opposite notices strange movement in one of the apartments, zooms in as far as possible, but, unable to see anything through the drawn curtains, turns away. The next fragment appears to be filmed from a laptop camera standing on a table. An argument is taking place in the room. A man and a woman exchange reproaches and shout at each other. As they argue, they move to the kitchen, and the unknown observer switches to the home security camera installed somewhere in the corner under the ceiling.

In the heat of the argument, the woman pushes the man, who appears to be drunk, causing him to lose his balance, fall, hit his head on the corner of the table, and fall silent. The woman continues to shout indignantly out of habit, but quickly realizes that something is wrong. 

She rushes to the man, realizes he is dead, and her face changes.

An unknown observer zooms in on her face several times, as if examining her emotions. The woman returns to the room. She is agitated, but her expression is different now. She picks up the phone and dials the emergency number. In a slightly confused, trembling voice, she says:

"Hello! My husband drank too much... He slipped in the kitchen... He hit his head..."

The recording from the apartment breaks off, as if the observer has lost all interest in what happens next. The next fragment is taken from a security camera in the stairwell. According to the timer in the corner, about a day has passed. The woman leaves the apartment and calls the elevator. The invisible observer follows her, switching to the camera in the elevator. The doors close, the woman presses the button for the first floor, but the elevator does not move. She manages to nervously press the button a second time, and at that moment the cabin drops sharply. The impact throws the woman off her broken legs, flattening and twisting her into a bloody heap.

"Damn it!" Anna looked away from the screen. "What the hell is this?!"

"This is how Voland works. What he pays attention to when he makes decisions. His dedicated video stream," replied the stranger. "We were able to intercept it in the general traffic.

Rima's face returned to the wall. In a voice that was not her own, the electronic assistant continued:

"Now, Anya, go up to the roof. Just leave your smartphone behind..."

After hesitating for a few minutes, Anna threw on her jacket, slipped her bare feet into her sneakers, and left the apartment. She automatically reached for the elevator button, but, pausing for a moment with her finger hovering over it, decided to take the stairs after all.

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