We must think of how to bypass this obstacle.”

“And we won’t get in contact ourselves; I’ll try to motivate Absolem to make an enquiry under the pretext of a standard operation mode check.”

“Oh, my Gods!” Atarva exclaimed, staring at the data on the holographic projector. “We may call this a miracle or a stroke of luck! I can see that there is a wireless interface for synchronizing with Absolem available in the Center’s warehouse. Three sets! What a coincidence! And I’ve noticed these quite by chance!”

Atarva gave them an excited look.

“By chance?” Nestor said with a note of disbelief.

“Even a brick won’t fall on someone’s head by chance,” Asha said in a pensive voice, “And Annushka has already spilled sunflower oil…”

Night had fallen, but no one had switched on the light in the director’s office.

Heavy water drops were whipping on the darkened windows and water currents were running off the glass. A tropical rain with gusty wind! What can be more beautiful than this weather?

Standing beside the window, he was looking at palms swinging under stormy wind and leaves being ripped off trees and thrown on the window glass.

He remembered how in the days of his youth, he would compare palms waving in the wind to slender girls with thick, unfastened hair. He smiled at those memories; it had been so long ago. He activated a communicator on his ear with his thumb.

“Sangeeta, please tell Jagdish that I ask him to come over for a game of chess, when has some free time.”

He switched off the device and kept on standing in darkness before the window, looking at palms.

“Or Lord Ganesh, will you please help us weather all challenges on our way and defer the inevitable even for a moment – this moment will be enough for us!”

“Darkness is gathering!” Jagdish hurriedly entered the office and walked to his friend. “Have you seen that black cloud approaching us?”

“Our chess game is already underway, my friend! And darkness cannot cancel it,” Raj said in a soft and unusually calm voice as someone who had made a difficult decision. “And it’s high time for the white to make a move!”

 He silently turned to Jagdish, removed the communicator from his ear and put it on the table, then with a motion of his eyes requested his friend to do the same and headed towards the lounge room.

 As soon as the heavy door closed behind them, Jagdish at once got down to business:

  “As we expected, they’ve decided to conduct an experiment and are now tackling technical issues. I’ve assigned Absolem to help them in every way. I’ve myself downloaded into Absolem all the programs required for the experiment and the contact. I’ve also received new interfaces and put them in the warehouse,” Jagdish fidgeted in the armchair. He appeared to be highly concerned. “The worst thing in this situation is that I can’t see a favorable outcome for their group. And for us as well.”

“They are aware of that and have made the right choice,” Raj said calmly and thoughtfully, “I’ve got a feeling that we have less time than we think. The customer has brilliant specialists, and soon they will figure out how to make a limiting program for the processor. Consequently, they’ll take away the prototype at once. Then they’ll make every possible effort to keep the discovery in secret.”

“Then why don’t we start the experiment, guys? Potentially, everything is ready for it! We’ve got three new interfaces. Out clearance level allows us to use them without any applications and approvals.” Asha wheeled inside a laboratory cart with three small containers. “Absolem itself suggested using the lab on the ground floor. By the way, the good news is that the whole of the ground floor area will be at our disposal till morning; there will no personnel there! Absolem’s whole resource will be available to us. What a rare chance!”

“We must take this chance now as we may not get it later” Nestor said thoughtfully, getting up off a chair.

“Then let’s go to the lifts,” Atarva held the door to enable Asha to wheel out the cart into the hallway.

Meanwhile, the holographic projector on Asha’s table came to life and then came a melodious sound of an incoming system message. In the air above the table, emerged a written message and then started rotating, pulsing with yellow color.

“What is it?” Atarva asked, without looking back at the table. He held the door, helping Asha to roll out the cart into the hallway.

“System notification. It says that the only lift going down to the ground floor will be suspended from operation in five minutes,” Asha read. “We must hurry, guys!”

 When the cart with containers rolled smoothly into the lift and its door slowly closed down, Nestor looked closely at Atarva. “You are being nervous, my friend. You cannot start synchronization in such a state!”

“I’m scared, Nestor! I’m really scared! And besides I am not sure we’ve done everything right.” Atarva was breathing fast and broke into perspiration out of excitement.

“Atarva, look me in the eye,” Asha said calmly. She put her hand on his shoulder. “I feel like huddling myself up in a corner and cry, but this will not help. You understand? The only way to escape is to perform the experiment and put at once the result on the web for general access. As you know, all it takes to rescue us is to record the contact with the Noosphere! We’ll make it public immediately! They will not dare to touch us after that!”

Asha’s voice sounded so confident and enthusiastic that Atarva began to regain his temper. He started blinking fast with his misty eyes, and a smile appeared on his lips. “That was a minute’s weakness,