Epilogue

* * *

I stared at the thin lines drawn in black pen on the white paper. I stared into the essence of the images woven out of them, trying to find the threat, the trap in the indifferent features of my enemies. There were many of them, each marked by a number - and one of them had to be the first target. The choice was mine.

The one who sat in the shadow of the desk lamp, silently stirring his tea and peering keenly out of the corner of the office, gave me an hour to solve the problem by defiantly turning the desk clock toward him. He had come to our house a week before, looking like a harmless old man. He had been recommended to me as a trustworthy man to learn from, and I had let him into my life with criminal credulity. And today, it was payback time.

Two minutes ago, he had given it to me, demanding responsibility for my past, and I could not refuse him. But how difficult was each decision, pulled from a life that should have been mine but never was!

The ringing of the phone gave me a much-needed pause.

The old man pressed his lips together in frustration and turned away from the window. Any delay irritated him.

If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.

"Maxim?" I was greeted with joy on the other side.

"Yes," I said, simultaneously making invisible marks beside one of my opponents as I seemed to recognize his weakness.

"We found everything!" in a loud whisper, he shared.

"I'm glad," I stated in a serious voice, putting my pen aside.

Okay, I've already got a lead on one of them, so he won't last long. I concentrated on the conversation, wanting to finish it quickly.

"What to do with them, Maxim?"

"Remember when you used to dream about a factory? A real factory, not a basement in an industrial area."

The old man looked at me attentively.

"I remember. We used to dream together."

"Fulfill your dream," I generously offered.

"But I can't!" panicked the other side of the line.

"Hire those who can."

"Do you think I can do it?" my friend said timidly.

"Of course. My trust is in your hands," I said without a grain of doubt as I raised my pen again.

And here is a new vulnerable target on the list. Its redundancy at the bottom will soon be cut off, leaving no more than a quarter of what it was. I have the skill and strength to do so.

"Will you come?" I heard a hopeful tone on the phone.

"Not soon, but definitely. I have a lot of unresolved problems," I tapped the edge of my pen on the paper.

"Maybe you need help?" worried Tolik. "I'll send the boys. We'll break anybody's legs for you."

"No, it's just my battle. Good luck." I hung up the phone, pushing it back to the edge of the table under the stern gaze of my personal overseer.

And that's a battle I'm going to start right now.

Well, Mr. Integral, you should not have sat so vacantly over the natural logarithm! I will begin this test with you.

I narrowed my eyes predatorily and resolutely put an "equal" after the first equation.

* * *