Parallel worlds – one. Fire and flame - стр. 40

– You know, I'm going to tell you something you won't believe, and you'll be wrong. And what I'm going to tell you is this: you don't exist. Soon I will show you this tape, and you will realize that this moment does not exist in the real world.

Then he was silent, waiting for the time to expire. The assembled people, all of whom were periodically tested in the virtual world, knew when and under what conditions they would approve what Rutra was now proclaiming. The expressions on their faces showed incomprehension. Finally the time was up. Ruthra expected a repetition of the process that usually accompanies the exit from virtual reality – "darkening" of consciousness, disappearance of visible things, completely white light in the eyes, a second blackout of senses and mind, and then a "miraculous" appearance in a new place, or rather, in the virtual reality installation. Time expired, Ruthra waited, but there was no change. "What is it? – He thought to himself. – Didn't the timer go off… It couldn't be. Irene was supposed to be in control." There was a nervous silence in the room – there was an explanation to be made.

– So tell us why," the head of the world information services control interrupted the silence.

Rutra had been on friendly enough terms with him, and they occasionally played chess in the evenings, but this played a cruel trick. He forgot his present appearance and began to speak to him as Rutra.

– I will. I'll be blunt. Soon we'll all be watching the meeting on tape. The point is, it's not real. I know what you're thinking right now. I'm sorry if I'm patronizing myself, but I'm speaking as a professional. I, unlike you, intuitively understand the state in virtual and real reality. You can't understand it. For you, what's happening now and your condition are real. This is actually an experiment. The scientific community presenting the project and I conceived it. Let me explain. You have all been in virtual reality and you know what a double feeling you get after leaving it. Naturally, initially everything that happens seems natural to you. Naturally, you don't believe it's virtual reality. Well, what can I tell you about it… You yourself have tried many times to understand – and still do not understand. It's not that important. I conceived this project myself. Or rather, the idea part of it, I took a very active part in its development. Of course, the academic community, namely, the block that directly initiated the meeting, hoped for me as the head of the Council of Masters, counted on me to promote the project.