March of fifty-five in the USA turned out to be extremely eventful, both politically and economically. Despite all attempts to break free or somehow reverse the situation, America found itself in a deadlock.
After the war and the plague, Washington began to pursue a policy of hegemony. The USA had the right to do so then, because when the Old World lay in ruins and almost bowed under the boots of the communists, the New World was practically unharmed, and even benefited from the new war in Europe. Friendship is friendship, but money is separate.
President Roosevelt and his administration skillfully used the resources obtained. He led the country out of the Great Depression. The Lend-Lease Act brought a flow of funds and resources into the country, stimulated industry, and brought America closer to a number of countries, although some of them later ceased to exist on maps. The "Good Neighbor" foreign policy allowed for the final stabilization of the country's economy, using the resources of Latin American countries. In principle, the president's entire foreign policy was more than successful.
Truman, who succeeded Roosevelt, skillfully used the base left by his predecessor. It was he who gave the order to bomb Japan with nuclear bombs. Even in the USA, the nuclear strikes were considered excessive, but intimidated by the power of the new weapon, the emperor signed the capitulation, which allowed the vector of confrontation to be shifted to the "Red Threat." The "Truman Doctrine" was adopted. Thanks to the infusion of four hundred million dollars into the economy of Europe, destroyed by the epidemic, the European Union was formed, allowing American industry to find time for countermeasures. To achieve complete American hegemony, it was necessary to neutralize the Union...
But the triumph of democracy did not happen. The Bolsheviks ruined everything at the last moment. There could be no question of a clean victory at that moment. Not wanting to lose the initiative, thereby putting themselves in a catching-up position, the Marshall Plan was accelerated, at the expense of social policy. The "Energy for All" project strained the just-recovered economy, exacerbating the situation in the social sector.
Under public pressure, Truman resigned, handing over the country to Eisenhower. Mass automation, caused by the introduction of cheap Soviet robots, deprived millions of Americans of their jobs. Despite the resistance of trade unions, businesses preferred to use robots, which were ten times cheaper than maintaining live workers. Even unemployment benefits did not mitigate the blow to the economy: the budget was overloaded, and social tension reached its limit. Black workers, who traditionally held low-skilled positions, were particularly hard hit. Amidst growing protests and racial clashes, Truman was forced to resign, leaving Eisenhower with a country on the verge of social explosion.
Eisenhower, a former general and war hero, seemed to voters like a strong leader capable of dealing with the crisis. His promises to stabilize the economy and restore order resonated with voters, buying their loyalty.
The new president and his administration immediately ran into problems. The construction of a network of mines and underground tunnels for nuclear weapons drained the budget. Capital actively lobbied its interests, draining the treasury dry. It also clung to the free Soviet robots, further worsening the situation in the social sphere, where the racial issue had ripened. The credit of trust given to the former military man, against the backdrop of his efforts, melted away with each passing day.
The arms race and national problems dragged the economy down. It wasn't depression yet, but it was close. Manufacturing moved from the USA to China or the Union. And increasingly, they chose the latter. For some reason, the whole world began to align with Bolshevik GOSTs. If before the war their industrial efforts caused laughter, now their factories produced the highest quality products in the world, while maintaining a penny cost. It was now easier and more reliable to pay for an order at a factory somewhere near Moscow than to develop one's own production.
Meanwhile, the Union completed the modernization of its economy. By betting on new technologies, the USSR invested almost all its resources in polymer materials and cybernetics, which became possible thanks to the revolutionary work of academician Sechenov and his team. This risk fully paid off: by 1953, the "3826" enterprise alone brought in five hundred and twenty million rubles in net profit to the treasury. Robots created based on advanced polymer materials were cheap to produce and incredibly effective.
New factories, equipped with automated lines, worked around the clock, and the skill level of workers trained to work with new technologies steadily grew. As a result, the USSR's economy had been growing at double the rate for five consecutive years, which caused admiration among allies and alarm among opponents.
Europe dealt a heavy blow, trading the Empire of Good's helping hand for the benefits of the Soviet protectorate. This was a foreign policy failure. It turned out that America itself had strengthened its ideological opponent.
The consolidation of South American countries was the final blow to all external projects and plans. The thin trickle of resources from there was cut off. Capital loves profit, and large dividends could only be obtained by investing raw materials in Soviet production...
It was simply a miracle that Eisenhower won the next election. His efforts were just enough to prevent the boiling cauldron from exploding, but not to solve the problem. There was simply not enough free money.
All attempts by American scientists in the field of cybernetics failed completely. Programmers could barely rewrite software packages for Soviet robots, which was done to avoid sudden control interception by the communists, but it was only a temporary crutch. Their robots were not half as capable as the Soviet test sample, assembled on the fly by Sechenov's team even before the war! And they had vacuum tube processors. Even borrowing technical solutions did not help solve the problem, nor did using polymer siphoned from Soviet robots. US scientists simply did not understand the fundamental principles of Soviet machines. If they had twenty years, they might have been able to uncover their secret, but Congress pressured them, demanding results here and now.
American research programs, once the pride of the nation, were now under threat of closure. Congress demanded immediate results, threatening to cut funding if scientists did not show progress in the coming months. But how could they catch up with the USSR if their robots were created on a fundamentally different architecture, developed by Sechenov and his team back in 1939? In America, cybernetics was long considered "pseudoscience," and only after the Union's successes did they pay attention to it. Now, when time had been lost, American scientists could only watch as their country lost its position in the world market, and its military technologies became obsolete by the day.
The USA could not even move the ideological conflict into an active phase of confrontation. The only thing the USSR was inferior to America in was the military fleet. The Soviets did not strive to chase quantity or size of combat vessels, preferring to make them more "toothy." So, Americans could still crush the red ships with aircraft carriers by sheer numbers and sweep them from the ocean surface. The problem was that if war broke out now, their fleet would not have time to leave the harbors. Soviet aviation, equipped with the latest missiles and bombers, would destroy the ports and ships before they could even reach open sea.
About the ground army, it was better not to mention it at all. Even the most stubborn general in the Pentagon realized: the Bolsheviks would turn brave American boys into mince faster than they could grab their rifles or get into tanks. The motorized rifle units of the Red Army, along with cybernetic troops, had already proven their effectiveness. Robotic systems and drones, controlled by an already outdated first-generation neural network, made Soviet troops practically invincible on the battlefield.
Only a massive nuclear strike remained, which still had to be prepared, and not receive a thermonuclear inferno in response. But even here, the USSR had an advantage: their missile defense system could intercept most American missiles before they reached their targets. The Pentagon understood that any attempt to start a war would end in catastrophe for both sides. America, without completing preparations, could not simply launch a mass ballistic missile strike to break through the enemy's defenses. According to the most optimistic forecasts, all preparations were to be completed only by the beginning of 1956, even though the main work had already been done.
The year 1955 arrived. The USA found itself in the deepest economic, political, and social deadlock. In the South, where memories of the Civil War were still fresh, the situation had reached a boiling point. The imposed state of emergency and the combat-ready National Guard only added fuel to the fire. Southerners, among the first to embrace automation, managed to maintain a relatively stable standard of living, but now they faced an influx of unemployed from the North. "We need to feed our own," was the general sentiment. Mass riots, slogans of secession from the USA, and armed clashes became commonplace.
It was at this moment that the USSR made its move. The Soviet government offered unemployed Americans resettlement in their territories, a full social package according to Soviet standards, work in new automated production facilities, and simplified citizenship. The only condition was a "polymer vaccine shot."
The USSR actively promoted the policy of "polymer enlightenment." Neuropolymers, introduced into the body, combined with the "Thought" device—a compact neurointerface attached to the temple—allowed a person to connect to the "Collective 2.0" neural network. This network, created by Soviet scientists, provided access to a vast knowledge base, allowed remote control of robots, enabled language learning in a matter of days, and even allowed one to "feel" the thoughts of other users. For millions of desperate people who had lost their jobs and hope, this offer was a salvation.
The US government, however, perceived this as a threat. Neuropolymers were declared a "dangerous experiment," and "Collective 2.0" an instrument of "Soviet totalitarian control." But for those who had nothing left to lose, these warnings sounded like empty noise.
America tried to stop the exodus, calling it "ideological sabotage," but it was too late. Thousands, and then millions, began to leave the USA, hoping to find a new life in the USSR. The States, already weakened by the crisis, were losing not only their workforce but also hope for recovery. The Union, on the contrary, received a powerful influx of a working-age population, repopulating the deserted lands of Europe, Asia, and India.
One way or another, sixty percent of the population of the most democratic country underwent polymerization. Although the majority remained, the USSR achieved its goal, bringing the polymer vaccine to the masses. Even few in the party knew what it was actually needed for. With the help of the "Collective," not only robots integrated into it could be controlled, but also people who had undergone polymerization.
And they did it voluntarily. Smart PR policy allowed them to influence up to ninety-eight percent of the population in territories controlled by Moscow. Worldwide, the percentage reached seventy and continued to grow. Everyone wanted the benefits, subsidies, and other privileges granted by the vaccine. Smart work with religious figures and cultural figures only accelerated the process.
But less than a hundred people worldwide knew: these plans were not destined to come true. While those in power fought for absolute power, Academician Sechenov and his scientific council were preparing to depose those who already considered themselves gods.
And so, Saturday, June 11, 1955, arrived. Less than two days remained until the launch of "Collective 2.0." At noon on Monday, the thirteenth, Moscow time, the world would finally change. For some, for the better, and for others, there would be a very unpleasant surprise.
The Wizard decided to give himself such an original birthday gift, and I wasn't going to blame him for it. My Godfather had more than earned it, literally dying at his post to complete all the preparations. I even joked that this year people would celebrate his birthday for three whole days, to which Katya grumbled that celebrating earlier was a bad omen.
The main cluster of satellites for the OKO system had already been placed in geostationary orbit, ready to provide connection anywhere on the planet. There were still gaps in coverage, but they were not critical and would hardly affect the overall picture.
Party leaders were busy fighting for the vacant position of General Secretary. Khrushchev had been removed on charges of treason and sabotage by the State Security Committee, and a very loud trial was underway against him. We had managed to do very good preparatory work by decapitating the potential future leadership of the resistance forces in advance.
Operation "Morning Star" was in its final stages. It was not for nothing that the unit had traveled all over the world, recruiting supporters of the new world. Comrade Stalin's diary entries were very helpful. With his work, he saved us time and reduced collateral damage. The memory of his sacrifice will live forever.
We had no illusions. The new Dawn of our world would begin with bloodshed. We would have to kill. Dosed violence would be necessary to ensure safety. There was a possibility that, upon understanding the meaning of our plan, after the activation of "Collective 2.0," politicians and corrupt generals could muster the strength to storm the "3826" enterprise, kill the entire scientific council, and gain control of the system, and then the future would turn to dust. This was more than possible...
After the "Collective" test, Dmitry Sergeevich and I had an unpleasant conversation. I'm not an idiot not to understand what my godfather had planned. If Argon himself had handled the literacy training for the detachment (and it all went without body bags and filling out a pile of death certificates), then Katya and I took on the main mass entertainer and organizer, after telling Zinaida Petrovna everything.
My mother-in-law took it with understanding, she didn't even grab her shotgun for long, but we managed to carefully confiscate it, explaining all the nuances.
"That's roughly what I expected," Zinaida Petrovna concluded after listening to Dmitry Sergeevich's plan, following a heated account of family secrets. "You hid it well, smarty-pants. You didn't slip up or leave any traces anywhere. You're lucky that feelings, for now, can't be attached to a case. I even understand why you didn't tell the youth. Life hasn't had time to soften them yet. But, this little sprout... Daughter, what do you say about this old womanizer?"
"First of all, Mom, you yourself didn't tell him that I turned out," my wife said, taking a sip of tea from a porcelain mug, a little coldly. "Secondly, I've only ever had a mother in my life, who raised me and brought me up. I never had a father... but I'm willing to give him a chance. He didn't interfere in my life, didn't try to prove or show anything. He saved this life for me, as well as my health. That in itself is worth a lot... I'm not sure if I can call him father in the end, but I don't feel any negativity... Please forgive me, Dmitry Sergeevich, for speaking about you in the third person? As I said, I will need time."
"I understand," the Wizard said, closing his eyes, adopting the daughter's position. "I hope you're not angry with me, Sergey, for not including you in my plans from the start?"
Hmphing, I said, "No. I remember what I was like before..."
"Stupid!" my mother-in-law interrupted me.
"Mom?!" Katya exclaimed indignantly.
"What, Mom?! I'm quiet now. I'm stressed," Zinaida Petrovna said, pleased with herself, immediately pretending to be interested only in tea with baranki.
"Okay, stupid," I agreed with her assessment. "Only my brain was cleaned, and I understood a lot. I understand that you don't share such plans even with loved ones, but only with the executors... And I also understand that you, Godfather, wanted to protect me. Only I'm not a child anymore. My balls have started to sit already..."
My wife's sharp elbow, reinforced with alloys, hit me accurately in the ribs, hinting that I should watch my speech. Not painful, but clear.
"In short, I'm not playing games, as our commander says. I won't rush into danger unnecessarily. Once, due to my stupidity, I almost lost what was most precious. If we hadn't quarreled before that mission, everything could have turned out differently... Therefore, Comrade Sechenov, you can count on me. I'm with you to the end."
At the end, I stood up from the chair and clicked my heels, freezing at attention to emphasize the seriousness of the moment.
"I have always trusted you, Sergey," the Wizard said, embarrassed.
"Look what life-giving beatings do!" Zinaida Petrovna exclaimed, her voice full of venom. "You almost died just once, and what progress..."
"Mom!" Katerina said with emphasis.
"...If everything is settled," my mother-in-law ignored her daughter, "then, my dears, let's learn from our mistakes! Ah, youth, now the old guard will show you how to work..."
In general, it was through her channels and connections that we managed to guide the KGB at the right time. Well, and our teacher from the academy helped a little. Connections in our world can solve or facilitate many things.
Once, passing by, a source of alien contamination was found, and not by us. The Committee busted one, or so it seemed then, sect. There are about two dozen such sects throughout the country. There are many times more active churches and monasteries. And the state, despite all its ideological dislike, does not interfere in church affairs if they do not interfere in politics or elsewhere. Believe if you want, but your path to the highest echelons is closed.
There were many subtleties, ideological struggles, but let's leave that to the political instructors. In short, no one touched the churches and cults anymore, but if something destructive crawled out, then the dancing began. Any sideways glance at the authorities was punished. There was a completely insane case, like the Skoptsy, whose remnants caused a lot of trouble in the past.
There, in the wilderness, was their small village, which was simply surrounded and everyone involved began to be filtered. They would have closed them and that would have been the end of it, but the Chekists found some incomprehensible crap. And where else to take it but to the Enterprise?
So they brought us a glowing purple thing, radiating worse than an X-ray. The guys from the department didn't have time to recover. From something resembling radiation sickness, they kicked the bucket within five days. And when it turned out that the thing, resembling a medieval goblet, was also infected with alien nanomachines, that laboratory is still concreted up to the ceiling. Fortunately, without personnel, thank goodness for that.
The goblet was solemnly encased in all sorts of protective measures for further study, and the KGB was given the go-ahead. We later found a couple more such cups with them, multiplying the sectarians by zero in the process. Only, in their own way, I'll say, it was a mess! Even if ten more such artifacts were confiscated from private collections worldwide, they appeared too conveniently at the right moment, as if someone had thrown a bead to the natives, in the sense that they wouldn't notice the hunter squad while they were dividing it. So this pure fake only made us dig deeper, but it was like cutting it off.
The infected were not very good and frankly disgusting individuals, but there were no new leads. It was as if someone had waved them away. And due to limited resources, we switched to liquidating the infected. Experiments showed that treatment was possible only in the early stages, and they would not connect to the neural network. And considering that they were rarely in ordinary positions, it was a problem that could turn into rivers of blood at the crucial hour.
Another interesting thing was our "torture" with dolphins. After connecting, many moments became crystal clear from the ramblings of these fish. It seemed like nonsense at first glance due to a lack of context and the limitations of human language. We perceived the world and they perceived it completely differently, so, talking about the same thing, we didn't understand each other before.
With their hints, scientists finally understood what "Limbo" was. What we created in metal, nature had invented millions of years ago. Less perfect, using different methods, but something more perfect. These fish use their "Limbo" to transmit basic knowledge and communicate with each other. Something similar exists in all cetaceans, but if for some reason it is jammed, then the fish go a little crazy. That's how elegantly it was figured out why these creatures throw themselves ashore. And also, that in theory, the polymer connection can still be jammed.
This won't happen to us. After crossing the "Threshold of Awakening," everyone will be their own damn good repeater, array, and so on. The main array is only needed for launch, and after that, it should only perform the function of amplifying the signal and the speed of loading information packets, serving as the most powerful repeater, not fully forming the network. In technical execution, there are its advantages. Our minds will not depend on the system's operation.
But how many times I wanted to throw a kettle into the aquarium at these creatures! And at the same time, hit this Nastya with something heavy, who could coo with these half-fish for hours, then drive us all crazy with her curtsies and bows. Even Argon wanted to shoot her in the cabin! That Argon, who once really started a bonfire, and he continued to wait for the moment. Katya was in solidarity with me, calling this girl an "naive bitch" after she stopped banging against the bulkhead in hysterics.
By unanimous decision of the unit, experiments with dolphins were equated to hard labor, the participants of which were chosen by blind draw. Nastya's naivety and overly sweet prettiness were annoying. Perhaps in a different setting, one of my comrades might have hit on her, but not when you are in the position of an tester-scientist!
I don't deny it, if this little thing is somehow cleverly separated from the fish, she becomes even tolerable, even smart at times. She only gets stupid when she sees dolphins, so much so that we even suspected her of something bad, but it turned out okay. She loved these fish purely platonically.
What science couldn't understand was what the array was missing. As my mother-in-law aptly said: feelings can't be attached to a case. Everyone connected understood, if we saw it, we would immediately say: "That's it!" but no one could give birth to what "it" was.
This did not affect the outcome of the plan in any way, so it was decided to leave the problem for later.
In general, less than two days remained until activation. The day before, the Wizard summoned me and Katya to him. There he installed his personal glove with another headache and gave us instructions in case of emergency situations. In general, a task to ensure order, only with execution powers, nothing new. In case of anything, we were to ensure the evacuation of valuable employees. For this, I was given the glove with CHAR-les.
Dmitry Sergeevich did not trust this soup, so he carefully filtered his speech when talking about the polymer. He had indirect suspicions that CHAR-les was not even a piece of Academician Khariton Zakharov's personality. It was similar, but like an actor who had immersed himself in the role. So, brace yourself, Seryoga! You have a damn thing in your hand.
Getting rid of the snot was undesirable. Its computational and analytical power greatly helped in the planning stage. Together with Shtokhausen's talents, who had eaten a pack of dogs in logistics, it was possible to organize all this madness with relative ease. No one fully trusted him. Because of this, he was entrusted to me, and Katya was for backup.
I didn't complain much. The festive atmosphere was wonderful, so, combining business with pleasure, we went to "Chelomey," where Zinaida Petrovna was already "having fun," turning the entire security service of the complex-city upside down. We were to receive new scanning modular upgrades and report to Sechenov's office for further instructions. There was no need to rush, so Katya and I enjoyed an almost romantic walk. Even CHAR-les's grumbling didn't spoil our mood. The city literally breathed the upcoming holiday that the whole nation was waiting for. The uncertainty in power weighed on ordinary people who didn't know what was coming. There were still two days left until the start of "Atomic Heart."
The weather was excellent. The celebrations were masterfully organized. The entertainment program was stunning. A leisurely walk through the festive city was pleasant and calm. The soldiers of the detachment assigned to us were near their charges. Argon and the rest of the guys occupied strategically important points around the world. What could go wrong?