EFFICIENCY — ABOVE PAR!

And what comes after — is not silence, just standard ambient sound. The A/C unit drones its hymn, tea goes cold in the cup. On the monitor — a dot that turned into an empty ground. And digits in the column: «Target neutralized, rating — 10». Two clicks — report is sent. A third — the channel opens up. A dry voice from above: «Assignment cleared. Good work, Veresk». And conscience — that specific one — it doesn&beg or plead. It settles in the aftermath. Like a pharmacy receipt. Like digits in the row for «collateral, assumed». Like tea that tastes of nothing but a faint, dry scorch of heat. It doesn&scream — it&just the soul&accounting suite: It calculates the balance. Tallies up the total cost. It asks: «And is a clear blue sky a worthy trade to boast, When in the "objects" column, ten mere entries now are lost?» And my hand — it doesn&shake. My breathing&calm and even. Pulse at sixty. Efficiency is notably above par. A new target&coordinates are brightening the screen. But somewhere deep inside, down at the brainstem level, A counter softly clicks. Another silent reel Is filed into the archive labeled «Never-To-Be-Felt». A clear blue sky. A cleared-out screen. A clear conscience is when you cease To parse the world to «them» and «us», And just count squares upon the map. The most profound result — not «error» or «disgrace» — Is just the voice in your headset: «Veresk. Next target. Time and space.»