Egon was lying on his stomach on the cold concrete ground, somewhere in the basement of the police station. He couldn't move, his whole body was in pain after the local police beat him up. His knees dug uncomfortably into the hard surface of the floor, but he didn't have the strength to roll onto his back. He put his hands under his head and stared at the wall. He lay there for another half hour until he fell asleep.

He had a dream. He was walking through a cavern that shone with the blue color of crystals on all sides. There was a grave silence all around. He plodded on like a world-forgotten prophet, swallowed up by a hellish demon in the halls of Charon. The flame of the almost completely extinguished lantern was faintly reflected in his eyes, and the sound of running water could be heard around him. So, he plodded on, without rest, without pause, until he came to a small lake. Next to which stood a huge creature, it had no face, no eyes, but he knew that the creature could see and hear him. The creature's entire body was covered by a long black cloak, and under the cloak, in the bright light of the moon, which was visible in the huge hole above, weak, thin bones were visible. In the arms of the creature of darkness – there was no other name for it - lay a small child, a boy, fast asleep. The creature turned its head and said in a low voice:

“Gennox.”

Egon opened his eyes and saw the warden opening the iron door to his cell.

"Can you stand up?" he asked.

Egon tried to get up, his body aching, but he still managed to get up.

"Am I going to be executed?"

“No, you lucky son of a bitch. You're being released. You've got good connections, if you can get away after pulling such a trick in front of the inquisitors and walk free in a couple of hours.”

Metyr appeared behind the guard. He asked to leave them alone, went inside the cell and said:

“Egon, have you lost your mind? Can't you just go home and get some sleep? Tell me at least one reason why did you try to save a metentis in front of a crowd of locals?”

“I’ve just tried to save my friend, Rufus…”

“Rufus, who I believe, used metovis, who was caught and convicted by the inquisitors, this Rufus?”

“Yes. I just can't believe that someone I've known for 15 years could use metovis and who haven’t told me about it, even when dying on a bonfire. This isn’t right. There were no prerequisites, no warning signs, nothing. This is wrong, something fishy is going on here”

Metyr answered with silence.

"How did you manage to free me?"

"Go home already, Egon. Or should I see you off so you don't do anything stupid again? What if, while you're on your way home, you decide you need to overthrow the government, plot against the police, or just start killing people on the streets of Agernox?"

“I won't do anything.”

"That’s my boy," Metyr said, and took out a small syringe with some liquid inside. He lightly pressed the plunger and liquid appeared on the tip of the needle. "Bare your shoulder," he said to Egon. He did as he was said.

"What’s this?"

“Adrenaline. It will help you stay awake while you’ll get home.”

Metyr administered the drug, scratched his head, and said:

“By the way, I don't really know the dosage, but it should be easier for you.”

Egon's pupils widened, and he felt his heart beat several times faster, the drowsiness evaporated as if it had never existed, and there were so many thoughts in his head that they were replaced and superimposed on each other.

“Is it normal that I suddenly want to run a marathon while simultaneously solving chemical problems?” Egon asked.

“I don't know, I've never experienced it myself. But I'm glad you're feeling better. All right, go home and get some sleep. If I didn't mess up the dosage, you'll be back to normal in an hour.”

Egon left the cell, walked to the end of the corridor, examining the poor fellows, who, like him, were sitting and waiting for someone to decide their fate. In the basement there was a terrible smell of feces and rot, so Egon quickly reached, if not say ran, to the stairs, he went upstairs, signed the post and went outside.

Taking a breath of fresh air, he looked around. In front of him, steam cars of various models and modifications drove on the roadway, stagecoaches; two steam buses stood at a stop on different sides, and waited for people to tamp down inside. In front of the police station was a huge six-story Gothic building with lots of small windows, large columns, and lots of doors. People kept coming in and out. Everyone was in a hurry. They were decently dressed, all clean, in expensive clothes.

Metyr followed Egon out of the police station and smiled.

“Where are we?”

“We are in the center, not far from the square, where you felt like a local superhero.”

“And the square to the right or to the left of us?”

“To the right. But you'd better not show up there yet.”

“And why is that? I have a bus stop there.”

“You know, many unemployed people were surprised by your act, and if they see that you were released after this, they can start a riot. My friend from the Inquisition asked you not to give them false hopes by your presence and also to agree with every rumor that ends with you being killed under torture in prison.”

"I didn't know you had any friends in this immoral organization."

“I follow the rule: make the enemy your friend, and you will win.”

"Whatever, I'll just try not to think about it. Actually, how do I get home in this case? Should I run as fast as possible with a big mask on my face or something?”

“Don't be clownish, everything has its price. I've made some arrangements. Go to the left, there you will reach the parking with lots of steam cars. Find the one that is pink, my female driver will be waiting for you. I just recently hired her, she is very hard-working, and most importantly, you will not get bored with her.”

“A pink car? And how will I appear on it in my district?”

“Is there someone in your district who doesn't like pink?”

“Well, I didn't do any research, of course…”

“Then the question is closed. He gets a free ride, and he still complains. Unbelievable.”

Egon spat, took out a cigarette, and lit it up.

"I have to go to work," Metyr said.

"All right," Egon said, still inhaling the cigarette smoke.

A minute later, a huge steam stagecoach pulled up to them. Metyr got in it, he waved to his apprentice, and drove away.

"You can't forbid a nice life," Egon grinned, threw down his cigarette butt, and went to the left.

He thought and noticed that the bruises didn't hurt, and that his legs were moving forward of their own accord. He walked at a brisk pace, and in a few minutes found himself in a small parking lot. He looked around and saw one pink car among a dozen black or gray cars.

FNL-500 Mini (Car with a 500 range capacity)

The concept of the inventor of Heron

There was a woman with long ears and red hair leaning against it. She was taller than Egon, who was far from small, perhaps a hundred and eighty-five centimeters, and her build resembled that of a powerful dwarf.

Egon looked in the opposite direction and thought that maybe running home with tragedian mask on face wasn't such a crazy idea. He stood there, peering into the fumes of the industrial district, until someone tapped him on the shoulder. He turned and saw her.

“Mazeppa.”

"What?"

"Mazeppa – call me that."

“Egon.”

“I know.”

“Are you,” Egon thought for a second and continued, “A Brownie?”

“Yes, are you human?”

Egon squinted at her suspiciously and said:

“Yeah.”

"You must be seeing a big brownie for the first time, since you were so surprised," Mazeppa continued to say in a very low voice.

“I am no longer surprised at anything in this world.”

Suddenly Mazeppa hit him on the back so hard that Egon's breath stopped. She laughed and called him into the car:

"Come on, baby," she said. “The path is not close.”

Egon pretended he hadn't heard how she call him, opened the door of the steam car, sat down in a comfortable pink-painted leather chair, and closed the door.

How comfortable, he thought, but did not voice his thoughts, in order to preserve peace and quiet.

Mazeppa pulled a lever. Egon heard the sound of steam filling the pipes, and the car came to life. Not long after they drove off.

"I heard what you did in the square today," she began. “Not everyone will run to beat up the inquisitors in front of the locals.”

“I wanted to save a friend, not beat the inquisitors.”

“And they told me something completely different.”

“Well, here I am telling you the truth, as it is.”

“But you still hit a couple of them?”

“I don't remember, I was in a state of anger.”

“People have seen, they will not forget it.”

“Yeah,” Egon replied in a low voice.

"Metyr is a good man. Saved you from the clutches of these crazy religious fanatics. Just give them a reason to burn someone, and you will not have time to realize, as you will be at the stake. Life has become quite scary. I came to Agernox with my husband a few years ago. We were still working at the factory then. So, if you do not pray before dinner, then they immediately call you “metentis” and send you to the stake. A friend of mine told me how he smelled meat when his friend was burned. Just the same meat that we roast on the coals in the evening to refresh ourselves. I was wondering, since you were, like, close enough to your friend when he was burning like a Christmas tree in the hot summer, did he really smell like freshly baked meat? Did he smell more like beef or pork?”

Egon turned to her with a stern face and didn't know what to say. He glared at her, and then he said:

"I thought brownies weren't so bloodthirsty."

“It's all racial stereotypes. But don't think much about it, I don't eat people and I haven't had any thoughts about it. I'm just curious. I'm checking the facts. I recently watched one metentis, whose head was chopped off, and before he died, I asked him to blink his eyes, and he did just that. So, when his head was chopped off, he blinked his eyes for another five seconds. That's amazing. And burning people at the stake - a spontaneous phenomenon, you never really guess when it will happen. And I'm not invited to such events, it's a shame, I would write a lot of research papers.”

“And what's… your job?”

“Mazeppa.”

"What Mazeppa?"

“Call me Mazeppa, we're friends! Ask: Mazeppa, what’s your job?”

“Mazeppa, what’s your job?”

"That's better, honey," she said, and punched Egon in the shoulder, right in the bruise. The blow was not weak. Egon twitched, thinking about Metyr's words that everything has its price, and Mazeppa continued, “I write research articles on the topic of metentises for Metyr. Mostly about their deaths or last seconds. The interesting fact is that most metentises die the same way as murderers, local perverts or rapists, absolutely no difference, can you imagine? At first, I thought that they were, like, flaming in a blue fire, and their soul after death turns into a huge phoenix and flies to live on another planet. However, reality did not match the rumors in any way. Then a thought crept into my mind, a dangerous thought! Don't tell anyone!”

"I won't say anything.”

"You are doing this job well," Mazeppa grinned and gave him another friendly slap on the shoulder. “I like people who can listen. Anyway, two thoughts in fact, and for both of them, we can be thrown to jail or, most likely, thrown on a pike or burned at the stake. But we are scientists, fellow scientists, and we cannot remain silent and not draw conclusions. And the first conclusion is this: I am doing this not only for the Metyr, but most likely on the hidden order of the holy Inquisition, most likely they are trying to understand if the "True Metentis" can be resurrected after death, because if this is true, then oh-my-my, what will happen. And the second concerns just about that "True metentis", I have a feeling that many, if not most of the people who are sent to the stake, in fact, are not metentises, they are rather objectionable people. But the very thought of it makes me shudder. If all this is true, then you and I are probably puppets in a big play.”

Egon, although he thought her conclusions were completely insane, for he was sure that only metentises were sent to the bonfires, decided to praise her for trying to think rationally:

"I'm pleasantly surprised that you can think in that way."

“Oh, come on, baby, you embarrass me!”

“And you were able to afford a car for several years of such research?”

“Exactly. We also bought an apartment in a good district, not far from the closed city.”

“There are also the most expensive houses in the capital!” He said, stunned.

“Egon, what a petty man you are! The main thing for me is to have beauty and air, so that the soul rejoices every day, so that the body gets enough sleep. Then you want to live. And money is all material.”

Egon didn't say anything, just stared out the windshield ahead, looking at the two-story buildings that had fallen into disrepair, the homeless people, the dirty children selling stolen goods at their stalls. He noticed that some of them had no windows. The streets were covered with either steam or fog. From above, freight trains were moving back and forth on huge bridges, packed to the brim with various materials. And somewhere very far above, in the thick white clouds, a small steam airship appeared and immediately disappeared.

“This is an extremely anti-social district. Have you ever considered moving closer to work?”

“Yeah, I think about it sometimes.”

“Be careful here. They say that there are all sorts of dangerous gangs operating in the industrial district that don't even need a reason to stick a knife in your ribs. And at the head of these gangs is a bloodthirsty robber named "The keeper". It is better not to cross him. Some say that he is not just a crazy, bloodthirsty character, but also a metentis, who gathers five women at night and leads them to sabbaths.”

Egon turned to her in surprise and asked:

"And what do they do there at the sabbaths?"

"What do they do? Probably little metentises," she laughed.

"Who told you this story?"

"My neighbor, she used to live here before she moved in. She says in these places it is better not to appear at all, just to stay out of harm's way. Everyone wants to make you either a slave, or, ugh, ugh, ugh," she spat, and tapped the wooden frame around the speedometer three times, "try to rape you."

Egon looked at the hard-working men on their way to lunch. They would stop and stare wide-eyed at the car, some pointing and some laughing. The women were more supportive of the sight of such an unearthly unidentified object, they covered their faces with their hands and giggled. The children, seeing such a miracle, ran after the car and asked to take them for a ride.

"You cheeky little brats!" Then she leaned out of the car and shouted at them, "get out of here before I break your bones!"

Egon slid lower and lower in the seat, so that no one could see his face. At the same moment as the familiar places began to appear outside the window, he looked around and said:

"Turn right here and stop at the bridge, I want to walk home by myself. It's only a kilometer away."

"I'll get you there, Egon! Look at you! You look like a battered baby. How can I leave you? And if someone rapes you or sends you to the sabbath?”

“I'm not a woman to be sent to the sabbath. I'll be fine, don't worry. I just care about you. They say that this «Keeper» can't stand the color pink, so you'd better not show up there, and certainly not me, since we're neighbors.”

Mazeppa, hearing this, immediately pulled the brake lever, and Egon, not expecting such a turn of events, hit his forehead on the glove compartment during braking.

"Oh! Are you all right, Egon?"

"Fuck," he said. “Not as good as it could be.”

“I'm sorry, I was just scared, I didn't know what to do.”

“Mazeppa, don't worry, just drop me off and go on writing your research articles about dead metentises. And if you find any proof of your dangerous conclusions, then be sure to tell me, okay?”

“All right. But you still haven't said if it smelled like meat when your friend was burned, and most importantly, what kind of meat, pork or beef?”

"Good-bye, Mazeppa."

Egon got out of the car, closed the door, and walked away towards his district with the firm thought that they would never meet again. His body was still full of energy, his heart was beating at an incredible speed, but now his head was aching very badly. He touched his forehead, cursed, and imagined finally being able to sleep all day until the end of the next morning.

We'll have to find some chap to cancel all the meetings for today.

A few steps before he reached his own door, the boy he had seen that morning ran up to Egon.

"Astafius?"

“Yes. You asked me to tell you if I found out anything.”

"Tell me, but quickly, because I want to finally relax at home."

"Someone stole the diamonds that were being taken to that inquisitor's birthday party last night. Now they are being hunted by the entire local police and probably inquisitors themselves.”

Egon looked at the house, lowered his gaze a little to the entrance, then looked again at the boy and asked:

"Are you sure?"

“The information is reliable!” Astafius replied with pride. “Autolycus is now looking into who stole the diamonds.”

The boy quieted down a little, and then said:

"You look awful, sir."

“I look awful most of the times. You'll get used to it.”

“Yes, another piece of news. Today, the Metentises were being burned at the square, and someone broke through the guards, beat up several policemen in front of the whole neighborhood, and then the inquisitors caught him. So far, Autolycus is checking this information, because there are unverified rumors that he also beat the inquisitors and raised the flag of the country with which we are now at war, called for a revolution, but the Inquisition stopped him and killed him under torture in prison.”

Egon rolled his eyes and asked:

"So Autolycus is working on that, too?"

“Exactly.”

“He comes out as a multitasking young man. “

"He can do much more than this, sir!"

Egon fumbled in his pockets and realized that the guards had stolen all the money while beating him in his cell. He went into his apartment, took out two gold coins, returned to Astafius, and said:

“One for you, and one for Autolycus. Find out who stole those diamonds and why they are so important for them.”

"Yes, sir!" said Astafius, and ran away.

It looks like sleep is postponed until the evening, Egon thought. I need to warn Homer and Ofir to keep their heads down. And it is better to get rid of the diamonds as soon as possible. Damn, the rich bastard lied, and I swallowed every word.

Egon looked at the tower clock, which read three hours and eleven minutes.

"All right," he said.

Then he came to a stop with a steam tram, the driver recognized him and asked:

“What stop do you need to get to?”

“To the final one.”

The driver nodded, and Egon went to the very end of the tram, sat down near the window, and hoped that he would at least meet Homer, otherwise he will not sleep today.