– For example, here it says "F" department. That stands for the fantasy department. That's what I call them. Are you smiling? Officially, it's the Foresight Department. It's where they fantasize about what could be! If you hear what's been fantasized recently, you'll think it's unreal. Think about it, who could have imagined fifty years ago that what happened would happen? There's the P-Division, for example. They deal with the media. More precisely, the means of mass disinformation, – having said this, he chuckled snidely. – This is the "S" department – coders. They invent and decode all possible ciphers and codes. By the way, they are engaged in a very intense and very momentous task right now. The department is working on a sudden and very important problem. Although, perhaps not sudden… If you pass the exam, you will have access to all departments. You'll be assigned to a single task.

– What task? – Ruthra asked.

– I can't tell you that yet. Even here, among ourselves, it's a very big secret. I'll introduce you to someone soon," Vasilievich said, looking intently at Ruthra.

Ruthra listened attentively. He didn't want to offend the old warrior, though he had a fair idea of such objects. He needed to really know with whom and where he would now work and live. The guide in the form of Yuri Vasilyevich gave only general information. Apparently, this was one of the components of the regime of this facility.

Ruthra noticed that many of the doors in the main corridor were labeled with complex combinations of letters. What it could mean, he couldn't figure out. Almost every abbreviation had the letter "Ts" in it. He understood that it stood for "central", for example CPN – central point or observation post. But it wasn't very clear who or what was being monitored.

– Yes, of course we come out on top, but there are instances where that happens.

And Yuri Vasilyevich told a story about a secret physicist who was the main designer of most ballistic missiles and spacecraft, whose name was unknown to society. Rutra, of course, was aware of such persons and yet was surprised that this one was completely hidden, isolated from society.

– What about his personal life? How, for example, did he go to the movies, to the theater? – he asked.

– He didn't go anywhere, it's all here.

– You got everything?

– You're not getting the big picture. There's a city within a city down here. There's even roads with stoplights. It's a huge anthill. This physicist found out he had a son when the kid turned seven.

Ruthra was shocked. He knew a great deal about the lives of the invisible front fighters, of course, but such a thing stunned him. He instantly imagined the full scale of the secrecy. Yuri Vasilyevich continued:

– Soon we'll go with you to check the Cheget system by regulation, then you'll look at the president.

Ruthra remembered being counseled about the structures of secret societies. The Center was something like that. He also remembered the sign at the entrance: "You are seen, you are not. It accurately conveyed the meaning and content of Center Zero's functioning.

– Come on, I'll give you a little tour," Yuri said and pointed to the door at the end of the hall.

They went to the door, Yuri Vasilievich put the fingernail of his thumb to the device, the door opened. It was an elevator. They entered, he pressed the button, the elevator went up. After a while it stopped, they got out.

It was a huge underground railroad station. There were tracks through tunnels in different directions. Everything was painted in yellow and white stripes. Instead of trains, there were short narrow gauge tracks. There were quite a few people in overalls who were busy unloading oddly labeled cylinders. There was an interesting emblem on the cylinders in the form of a scrawled globe with a griffin on it, one paw covering a nuclear mushroom.

– This is Metro-2," said Yuri Vasilyevich. – In the secret department you will take special literature, you must know by heart what and where it is, how it works. How it turns on, how it turns off. Communications, control stations, stockpiles. Right down to which pipe goes where, what's in it, every wire, cable, communication line, every marking. You gotta know everything! That's our law, it's not just a whim. In case of emergencies, every specialist of your level must be able to take over the management of facilities.

Vasilyevich, telling him, gestured him to the platform. They boarded the narrow gauge train and drove off. It was like a regular subway with stations, but a little simpler. There was no pompous beauty or large spaces. At each station Yuri Vasilyevich told what strategic object it was connected with, what it served. It was a city within a city. All strategically important organizations had their duplicate centers in Metro-2. Warehouses, factories, communication centers, military storage facilities were scattered over a huge area upstairs and secretly interlocked through Metro-2 downstairs.

On the wall of one of the stations hung a diagram of both subways, secret and civilian, with their adjacent communications. "Metro-2" was much larger in diameter than the regular subway.

***

On one of the usual working days, Zhidkov came to Rutra's office. It was clear from the expression on his face that Vasilievich was preoccupied with something.

– Hello, Rutra Tigrovic.

– Hello, Yuri Vasilyevich. Is something wrong?

– Almost.

– Nothing momentous, I hope?

– The fateful thing has already happened.

Ruthra didn't answer or ask any questions. He waited for the chief to continue.

– You've probably realized by now that our special treaty with those whom ordinary citizens know as opposing parties looks not like a treaty, but a conspiracy.

– Maybe. How could it be otherwise? This whole scene is played out in the way people are used to historically understand the events.

– What I'm about to say is not for us to talk about. All the more so, it is not campaigning. However, I can, by virtue of my age and record, say it. Whatever treaties are proclaimed, there is a concept of rulers and those over whom the rulers have authority.

– What are you talking about, Yuri Vasilyevich?

– You have already realized, moreover – you have access to information, that many events that have already happened and that will still happen are not a priori what ordinary people think about them.

– Well, that's what we are. People like a show with a good ending, so we make it happen.

– Yes, but who harvests the harvest?

– Reaper.

– You've certainly heard of many narratives, so it won't be news to you much of what the modern world is based on. However, don't forget that we do this sort of thing for society. Just in whose interest?

Ruthra realized that Vasilievich was preparing to resign, or rather, he was being prepared to resign, so he decided to pour his heart out. Although such organizations around the world were strictly clan-based, they recruited only those who, if they were against the system, would be de facto figures against themselves. It was a complex, hidden, shrouded in secrecy hierarchy, the existence of which was strictly concealed. It could not be otherwise. Because those who seized power also created structures inside the main controlling body of the country or countries, so that the real controlling structure was not known to anyone. Naturally, strangers were not taken there. Thus, clans were created that no one saw or heard.

Ruthra realized that Vasilievich wanted to share information from this series. He looked at the colonel silently and waited for him to continue.

– Look, Rutra, there's something similar in the The Committee of 300. Don't think it's a freelance piece of writing, because it was written by a career intelligence officer. I can't help but recount some of it to you, especially since I worked on the Echelon One program with Coleman. He makes it clear there that their goal is to enslave most of the people left on Earth after wars, disasters, and mass murder. Intelligence agents have a rule you learn well, "The best way to hide something is to put it in a conspicuous place." While secret agents were gathering intelligence, the information they were after was lying right under their noses. Often, they play out the spectacle while conspiracy-crazed cranks spend their time looking for those conspiracies in the wrong place and in the wrong direction. The most informed part of our society realizes that a conspiracy exists, this conspiracy hides under various names. Real information about the activities of the members of the invisible government is very difficult to obtain. After Ronald Reagan was elected President of the United States, an important meeting was held in Washington in December 1980 under the auspices of the Club of Rome and the Socialist International. Both of these organizations are directly subordinate to the Committee. It is necessary to understand why nuclear power is so hated around the world, and why the fictitious "environmental" movement created and financed by the Club of Rome is being used to wage war against nuclear power. With the help of nuclear power to generate huge amounts of cheap electricity, third world countries would gradually become independent of US financial aid and begin to assert their sovereignty. The electricity produced by nuclear power plants is the key to bringing developing countries out of that backward state.