- Better a small fish than an empty dish, - she thought. Having scanned him, she felt that she believed him, for some reason.

He, being hypnotized with the white cloud of her aura, was living in pleasure of an amazing phantom, feeling like a different person, an important one, who touched the mystery, answering the great miracle strings. The police was already coming, Mari had formulated her wishes to the “Oberst-Chicken” had to save Thomas.

Colonel realized that he would save this couple till the end of his life, having got the forever deadly prick of the milady.

- Will you do it?

- Who is he? And how does he look like?

- Come on, tell!

- So, let’s run, - he ordered irresolutely.

- So?

He minced a little bit and muttered:

- OK.

At a high speed he ran away in an unknown direction. A lot of policemen ran after him and the rest policemen surrounded her, having aimed the guns straight at her, having read her rights. It was obvious that she didn’t have a gun but a big policeman spiteful with slanting eyes fastened Mari with the handcuffs and sent her to the police station. Her hand hurt a lot. “Probably, that was displacement she got from the villain-rapist”, - she thought. It was beneath her dignity to explain the oaf that Thomas had lost. Enraged, she didn’t speak to the police. She seemed to be forgotten about.

*

The police and people in detention crowded in the corner with the turned on TV. Being near-unconscious, she was observing some motley mad pictures: “The USA attack”, “An attempt to seizure the TV centre in Atlanta”, “The nuclear center attack in Alabama”. People were running somewhere. The police was silently watching those mad pictures, a number of men became more. She went round the policemen and hid in the toilet. She was afraid. She spastically dialed a number of the phone in Edison, New Jersey but no one answered her and the Nicholas’ cell-phone, her nine years old son was not available. Usually she took her son with her but that time she hoped on the grandmother who specially came from Vilnius. It's a real nightmare! She hardly tried to escape quietly the police station, sidled to the door, leading to the freedom and she has almost done it but there were CNN interferences and the policemen noticed her, took away the cell-phone and put her behind bars with the gang of terrible street prostitutes. Feeling being crushed, she began calming down.

- Everything will be OK, they can imprisoned her not more than four hours, - as her neighbors in the chamber said. Sometimes, the Chinese women, stealthily talking in an unknown for her Canton, staring at her like at a miracle. Thin, aging, but having good forms, high for a Chinese woman an alpha female, was joking with her friends, and trying not to keep her hands to oneself. Mari shuddered, jerked back, and looked with a long continuously at those “girls” icy with her blue eyes, and they confused, hid in a corner like a dog pack.

Tiring hours have been lasting slowly. The police station was filled up with the tread of nervous sweaty policemen, and then it calmed down in the vast silence. Someone of doodahs began nervously knocking on a grid with her shoes. A few minutes other prisoners joined her. Half an hour later, a faceless policeman without any particular signs, thinking painfully what to do with that bedlam, came to the chamber.

Mari read merrily the bill of human rights. She was let go after a half an hour of tiring records of evidence and humiliating statements.

She waved enthusiastically to the prostitutes and they responded her enthusiastically like the best friends.

*

She was walking along Hong Kong, enjoying her freedom, having become oblivious for a moment, and dialing the number of Thomas’ cell-phone. Alas, he did not answer. Frightened, she convinced that her son’s phone, home and mobile phones didn’t also answer. She began calling her neighbor Chali in panic, then all her university employees, the dean's office and even the police. The whole America wasn’t available. She felt relieved. In the end, she called her old friend Minka, who has been living in Marseilles for a long time.

- Min, do you know whom you're talking to?

- Hey, Mari, where are you from?

- I'm in Hong Kong, what is happening?

- What do you mean? I'm here in the Alps.

- What are you doing there?

- Paragliding.

- Cool. Can you call America, here is a number and say something.

- To whom?

- It does not matter, I will explain later.

She saw a bar with a TV and a crowd of spectators. Most of them were suppressed, others grinning gloatingly. A few minutes later Minka answered.

- Not available. What is happening there?

She clearly heard the howling and whistling.

- Are you flying?

- Oh, I had sat down.

- OK, bye. As soon as you finish flying, watch the TV. I'll call you.

*

Together with shocked spectators she was looking at incredible pictures. Embarrassed journalists’ voices, violence, a dead skyscraper, victims. Terrorists didn’t make any demands. It wasn’t the hostage-taking. Some of people are taken away somewhere, some are killed. There was a real war in the Pentagon. Planes destroy the aims. Nobody knew who hit but there were loses in American troops. There were many victims among the civil inhabitants.

Unexpectedly, in the live transmission they shown the CNN centre in Atlanta seizure, which she had visited many times in business. One of the sadist fighter kills is a famous journalist. There were frightened workers of the center, shooting, cries for help. Then bands, interferences. Probably, the terrorists can’t shut down the channel and it works all around the world. Someone’s heavy groan, deep heavy breath slowed down the voice as if from the underworld. Suddenly she realized that she has already heard that groan somewhere. How horrible.

*

Mari was walking along the shore. The sirens were howling. There appeared the soldiers, the military. Early dawn started. Hundred of people were coming to see the performance in Hong Kong. She found a nook on the benches for the spectators and took out of her bag and pockets all the things. Fifteen minutes later, she found a small crumpled piece of paper. It was the number of that strange rescuer whom she called Oberst-Chicken. She dialed his number. Her hands were shimmering a little bit. Having heard her, his army jerky voice began turning quickly into a warm bleating voice of a lamb.

- Oh. Hi, an expert in rapier.

She became soft.

- Do you know, I am bringing you your Thomas.

She didn’t know what to say.

- How… is he alive?

- Of course! We are going to come now. Where are you?

- Near the docks.

- Be near the old Lighthouse.

Like an ancient witch, she was making circles around that old building. She was observing as dozens of Chinese wedding couples chaotically ran into each other.

- Is it a hornets' nest there? – she thought.

Mari’s head was in a whirl. Somebody put his arms round her waist. She hardly stroke him a swinging blow and Colonel could hardly evaded the blow. Having smiled happily, he said:

- You have such reaction, mademoiselle.

- A numskull. Oh, sorry!

She secretly escaped from his clutches. While they were going to the car, Dux asked something about fencing, and Mari told the encyclopedic knowledge on that subject.

- She is a real Professor, - he thought.

Finally, they reached the black lacquered Toyota, and she flitted to Thomas. Colonel happened to notice as she kissed him. He moved away from the car, observing the ocean of neon colors ads in the late evening, and even had time to see a star named Cheonlangseond. He was sad. Having spoken in a sugary voice, they got out from the back seat, and her eyes glistened with a desire and madness of the black covering warm night.