Vampire's Day (Book 2): Zero Model by Yuri Hamaganov Page A

any explanation for this, it's impossible. Pete Anderson was as burned as shashlik yesterday, and now he’s practically healthy. I’m not a doctor, but my knowledge in medicine is enough to know that it’s impossible to restore such burned skin and muscles.”
    “I haven’t seen anything like this in all my twenty years of work. Moreover, no doctor in the world, even the most experienced specialist in the treatment of burns faced with a similar case, would believe their eyes when they saw Pete. Yet, the fact remains - the patient was able to survive the severe burns, and with extraordinary speed regenerated damaged tissue. In fact he grew new, healthy skin and muscles. If the process continues at this rate, the he can be discharged tomorrow. Pete Anderson will be completely healthy.”
    Palmer and Bronson were sitting in a small medical ward. The woman was still in the protective suit and Bronson in gray hospital pajamas. Outside the windows were buzzing drones.
    “What's going on, Fran?”
    “I think you already know. Or at least begin to suspect.”
    “It's all because of this thing, right? Because of the ball that we removed from the fire yesterday? Pete was there; he found it. It's the spacecraft lander, right? It flew back from outer space and dropped into the ocean, then the bandits caught it and brought to the city. Then they sent us to pick up the ball. And there was a hole in the center of the hatch. It was from this hole the leakage started. Right?”
    “I think it all happened that way,” Palmer said. “But this doesn’t explain what happened to the second soldier.”
    Louis, yes, Louis had died in the morning, Bronson remembered. He had died of severe burns, and the doctors could do nothing. Like Pete, he too was badly burned, but Pete would leave the hospital, and Louis was already packed in a sealed plastic bag. Why, when they were both close to the ball? Why was Pete alive and almost healthy, but Louis died without regaining consciousness?
    “Chief, I want you to tell me everything you can remember about what happened in the warehouse.”
    He told her all that he remembered, and she listened to him without interrupting, and only occasionally asking clarifying questions.
    The first group went into the fire, four of his men, along with firefighters and volunteers. They found the cargo, but couldn’t get out, and ammunition in the warehouse began to detonate. He had to go after them, but found only two of his fighters, the rest had been killed. Pete and Louis, by that time, had suffered burns. He’d pulled Pete out and was wounded in another explosion.
    “That's all, nothing else happened?”
    “There was shooting. They were attacked, but it’s not clear by whom. And there was this woman that I shot.”
    “What woman?”
    “She was already there, burned to a crisp. When I got Pete, she bit me. Yes, I remember now. I had to shoot her.”
    “One moment.”
    Palmer interrupted the conversation by browsing a short message on her tablet. The preliminary blood test confirmed her calculations.
    “Chief, I have two pieces of news for you, good and bad. Which do you want first?”

35. True story
     
    A big heavy metal box, left edge scorched by fire, was set on a low table, and then the patron personally entered the four code locks and opened the lid.
    “Ten million dollars, plus a share for your men for the help, Colonel. All, as we agreed.”
    Richardson leaned over and took out one of the packs. Twenty bills, already used, in a different series. Good.
    “Will you count it?”
    “My accountant will. Whiskey?”
    A drink definitely didn’t hurt here, the Colonel thought, pouring a glass of Jim Beam for the patron. The drug lord didn’t look good – his gold chains and rings with diamonds had disappeared; the luxury suit and shoes worth twenty thousand had been changed to sneakers and sportswear, over which he’d added heavy Russian body armor. He took the glass, sleek fingers noticeably