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Ruthra looked into the mirror set into the wall, a large, full-length mirror. He couldn't say he was horrified; he couldn't say he was surprised… Strangely enough, Ruthra didn't even feel a strong sense of surprise, so much so that he'd been raised and trained by virtual reality, or rather, by feeling in it and not believing in it afterward. Ruthra was aware of what the scientist had done, knew it wasn't real, but couldn't quite grasp the purpose, though he could guess. Apparently, the one wanted to demonstrate his new capabilities and accomplishments. Of course, the brazenness and daring he had displayed was also so provocative that Ruthra's rage could hardly be contained by his new body. His body, and in fact the body of a scientist! The mirror reflected the "luminary of science".

Another man's body was horrible. Though it was perfectly normal by Ruthra's standards, quite athletic, it was alien. The only thing that made him feel better was the unreality of what was happening. Ruthra rushed to wake himself up, to reprimand the insolent man who'd gotten into his body and end the experiment, but then he felt another twitch. He couldn't influence the real world in the virtual world, he couldn't order the experiment to stop!

– For crying out loud, you're not natural either! – he yelled at the scientists. – Wake him up immediately! – he shouted, realizing at the same time the absurdity of his demand in two guises.

Even if it was natural – it wasn't Ruthra who was ordering them, it worked. The tricky scientist could have made sure they didn't know about the most intimate part of the experiment. Ruthra walked over and kicked the rig in which his body lay with fury. The machine shook slightly, and the man lying in it spoke without opening his eyes.

– Well, well, well, I'd ask you.

It was said in the style of his fellow scientist, with a smile and a joking tone, but emphasizing his importance.

– Come on, get up, there's a prize waiting for you, maybe even a Nobel Prize. You've succeeded, so you can return my body, otherwise there will be no one to defend the project in front of the council.

– I don't need that. I have my personality written down and I can be you from time to time and when I need to be me.

The tone was slightly haughty and the words spoken were arrogant.

Rutra was almost insulted by this.

– What does it mean to think?

– And there you go.

He climbed out of the rig and looked in the mirror.

– We're in virtual reality, so don't get too excited. I saw the timer, if they don't force you back, you have 20 minutes to enjoy being commander.

– And you're okay, keeping in shape. Or is that done by technology, too? There's no way around it, it's the chip stimulating your muscles.

– Tell me what you're up to. Let's just say the surprise didn't work out.

– What's the surprise, honored scientist? The only surprise is in the alteration of memory. I admit, although you know it yourself, it can be influenced, to put it mildly, edited.

– What are you talking about? We worked together on this technology.

– It's not that important right now.

– Exactly. Why would you do that in virtual reality?

Rutra pointed at himself.

– You hopefully haven't forgotten, there is a board meeting scheduled for today.

– И?

– What do you say in there?

– Enough with the clowning around. This is virtual reality. We weren't wearing helmets or sensors.

– And they were taken beforehand. That's my technology.

– I almost believe it. About 18 minutes to go. Keep going.

– Okay, okay, let's just get out of here. If we're in the virtual, it doesn't matter. We'll wake up wherever we are. In the meantime, I'll give you, I mean, like me, access to the information that you, well, again, like, instead of me, should present to the council.

– Please remember the chain of command. Friendship is friendship, but we're not drinking buddies.

– That's exactly what I'm telling you, let's go.

– All right, let's see what song you're gonna sing next. I don't want our friendship to end.

– That's later, now let's go. If you think we're in the virtual, then let's continue the experiment. Let's go.

– All right, let's go.

They went to the upper level, walked to the scientists' block, and approached the office.

– Let's make a deal like this: so that we don't confuse employees, coworkers, and understand each other better, you call me Big Boss and I'll call you Big Date.

– All right, Big Boss, can't wait for the time to run out.

– Yes, Big Data. Stand in front of the scanner, the lock is set to my body.

– What do you want in there?

– I need to access the information through the chip. It's still in the brain.

The scanner clicked, the door moved aside, and they entered. The scientist's colleagues followed them like an entourage, or perhaps an escort.

– Dear Big-data, I turn on the link, make contact between the chip and the system, remove the password, and you already know everything I knew. I mean… It's really confusing.

He laughed.

– Come on, smile, smile. Make me feel like a big important boss too. No, not a boss, but part of the power of the world. How did you get into this system, anyway? It's not the billionaires who are the rulers of the souls of men, it's some dark personalities.

– I'll ask you to be careful where you turn. There are billionaires out there, and there are people like you. The first one to conceive is the one with the power over everyone.

– Uh-oh. That's an interesting thought. I'll say – and my idea is not a bad one.