Chapter 17.6.

 Dragovich tore himself away from his reading and looked around.

To the right, in the window, stood this Landskricht. It seemed as if she had snuck up on him before, but this impression, of course, arose because Dragovich was busy with the trashy reading that had captivated him.

 - Does she also want to get on the bus like us? - said the "Mexican", who was already heading for the door. - Or did they finish up there so quickly?

 Landskricht was not alone - Lisette was standing nearby.

 - And I have a task for you, gentlemen, - Landskricht announced when the "Mexican" finally opened the door.

 - What task, Madam? - the "Mexican" asked with polite bewilderment.

It was clear that he did not want to do anything. Dragovich, seeing that Lisette was there, was much more ready, put the book down and was already reaching for the door handle.

 - We decided that it would be faster if the group split up - Mr. Wallins would do the main part, and we would now select several houses and film something there. As if Lisette, together with you, goes into several randomly selected houses and looks for suitable subjects and people. Well, you will accompany us. The area is unfamiliar. For us, unfamiliar.

 - So it will not be real? I mean your filming, - the "Mexican" asked in response quite reasonably.

 - Well, to some extent, yes, but does it change anything?

 - Indeed, it does not change anything, - Dragovich stood up for himself. - Are you making a film about a film? What happened behind the scenes? I have heard of such a technique. I would not mind being in the video myself, - he added just in case.

 "The Mexican" glanced at Dragovich, then exhaled slowly and reached back into the car for the machine gun.

 Dragovich would not have minded going alone, but "The Mexican" obviously did not want to look completely brazen and too lazy to go out for an escort. In general, the slums were not some kind of a deep-seated breeding ground for crime and other dangers. Rather, the idea was different - upon seeing two armed officers, especially the special corps, all the riffraff like drunks and other crazy people would simply quietly disperse to their dark corners and not show up in their field of vision, further compromising the long-suffering area. One Dragovich would have been enough, but "The Mexican", as was said, did not want to look indifferent to the matter. The most preferable thing for him would have been if no one went anywhere at all.

 - This will not be a film about a film. More like additional materials, - Landskricht began, turning around as she walked. - In these materials that we will film, we will show everything without embellishment.

 - Yes, we already understood that, madam, - the "Mexican" answered. - Only if everything is really bad... You know that everything will need to be coordinated?

 - We know about censorship, - Landskricht answered and headed deeper into the block along a narrow street that ran parallel to the boulevard.

 - Can you speak Russian? - Dragovich turned to Lisette, who was walking behind him.

 - Unfortunately, no, - she answered. - A voice translator certainly solves this problem, but it is not suitable for our filming. They don't do it that way. It's good that Haldoris agreed to translate. I mean translate my words for the locals

 - I can too, if necessary, - Dragovich answered. - In general, you underestimate our people - many of us use translation. There are quite a lot of foreigners here in the city. By the way, where are you from?

 - France, Paris.

 - Great! Where do you think I am from?

 - From here, aren't I?

 - You guessed wrong. I came here from Serbia. Last year, at the end of summer.

 - Are you a superfederalist?

 She must have realized that he was an ordinary draft dodger, but she obviously decided to smooth over this awkward detail.

 - No, I came here because here... I used to work in the police, and there was a great need for personnel... Foreign personnel, you know how many migrants there are here. By the way, those superfederalists who are known here in Europe are complete strangers here. Did you know that? I was very surprised when I came here.

 - It's amazing, how is that possible? They always seem to talk about their affiliation with the SSSF. Some are from here, some lived or live here.

 - It's all a lie. How come you haven't been told about this yet?

 - Somehow, we haven't touched on this topic. Now I'll know.

 When they had walked about a hundred meters and were now walking along the street that ran parallel to the boulevard, Landskricht pointed to a container house, in the yard of which there was more than usual piled up with boards, emergency stock firewood, and some other junk.

 - Do you want to see who's there? - asked Dragovich. - Okay, it'll be over soon.

 He moved toward the gate and soon found himself in front of a door sloppily covered with insulation, which he began to pound with all his might with his fist. The "Mexican" stood behind him and watched what was happening without much interest.

 The door swung open with a loud creak and a sleepy man in warm pants and a half-buttoned shirt, from under which a healthy belly was visible, appeared on the threshold.

 - Lieutenant Dragovich, People's Militia Corps, - Dragovich introduced himself.

 - What's the matter, Comrade Officer? - the somewhat stunned man asked in bewilderment.

 - Button up first.

 The man looked at those standing behind Dragovich and, seemingly obediently, began to tidy himself up. - Television is filming a story, - Dragovich began. - Foreign television, - he hastened to add, because it would not have been a big surprise if the man had wanted to send the local TV crews far away, despite the two officers.

 Madams want to film a story about me and my house? - the man asked with slight mockery.

 - Yes. What, surprised? - answered Dragovich.

 - That's not the word. But, unfortunately, I will not be able to receive them today. My reception day is on another day. And you, Madam, - he stared somewhere behind Dragovich, presumably at Landskricht, - are probably from the right bank?

 It was not surprising that Landskricht had caused him to ask such a question - the SBSE officers often carried identification cards. And Landskricht had one hanging from her belt. Dragovich put his hand on his belt and continued to look sternly at the man, preparing to pull him up short.

 - Are you happy there? With the bandits there, - the Man continued his speech.

 - Just right, - Landskricht's poisonous voice was heard. - The bandits there are not like here.

 - Stop talk! - Dragovich finally barked somewhere in an indefinite direction, into the air. It would not be entirely fair to address his message only to the man - Landskricht's tone, as well as the man's manners, did not please him. Although it had to be said, she was not at a loss for words.

 The man's face suddenly changed, now it became somehow, if not friendly, then more open to communication.

 - Madam, well, you should have said it right away, otherwise you started... You started with the wrong thing, and I didn't realize it right away.

 It was clear to Dragovich that the explanation for such a sharp change was not in his commanding tone. He looked around.

 Landskricht, standing behind, held a five-hundred-dollar bill in her raised hand. An old one, not denominated, but still good for circulation until the end of the year.

 - Sometimes I just don't understand why your people live there and not on our side, - the man began to explain conciliatorily. Our enemies are there after all... Okay...What should I say? And where? Here, on the street, or in the house?

 - Better in the house. But not now. We will come within an hour, we will ask you about several things: How did you settle here, this implies a few stories about the battles. How do you live here now? Do you work or not? And what did you do before 2114, and maybe even before the War, if there is something interesting there. Until we return, you will think about what you will say.

 - Madam, you can ask questions now. Do you think I can't put two words together? I have a higher education, so you know. A higher education in mining.

 - Well done, but did they tell you that we'll come later, - the "Mexican"'s voice sounded. - Or shall we have a discussion?

 - As you say. May I go?

 - Go, - the "Mexican" answered.

 The man disappeared behind the door.

 Everyone moved on.

 - Madam, you had a great idea with the money... - the "Mexican" began. - You showed him the paper and put it away. Let him prepare a speech. We won't come back, will we? Did I understand correctly? - He grinned in a friendly manner.

 - Why won't we come back? We will. Why to deceive a man. Let him get his five hundred dollars.

 - Ah, I just imagined it my way. I didn't like him. At first, he didn't speak very decently. Then it turned out that he studied in an enemy sharaga.

 - What is an "enemy sharaga"? - Lisette asked Dragovich, who had been listening to the conversations through a translator the entire time.

 - There was some kind of college or university here, - he answered. - All the professors were enemies of KANAR, some fled to the right bank. The college was located in the central area. During the fighting, a bandit, also from the right bank, entrenched himself in the building during one of the assignments. Ours hit it very precisely with artillery, the heaviest of what we have - the "Izverg" howitzer. Only the walls remained of the building occupied by the enemy. Nothing was damaged around it. That's the kind of shell. It had nothing to do with the college, with the professors and their position, but now the Right Bankers are spreading rumors that this is how our guys dealt with their opponents from the intelligentsia. As if they were there at the time! Together with the militants! Total nonsense in general. Haven't you heard what the Right Bankers are saying? If you listen, don't believe what they say, especially about us. They may probably release news about themselves. For example, about how their degenerate "Kom.batt" made a grand speech somewhere and then went out drinking - there probably won't be any lies there, but about the rest...

 - No, I haven't listened to their stories, - answered Lisette, who had become a little more cheerful after the jokes about "Kom.batt". But about the super federalists, yes. They have enough channels on Y-tube. I thought they were from here, but it turned out...

 - I can argue with the super federalists, well, ask them a few questions, for example, why are they lying that they are from here. I would also talk to them about how to squeeze several countries into one country at once - I also have little faith in this idea of theirs. But that would be a normal discussion. But with the right bank... - Dragovich slapped the machine gun so that the sound of metal could be heard, - There is nothing to talk about with the right bank.