On the Other Side

There were few people at the cemetery. Tolik was not married, he had no children, and of his relatives, at least the ones Andrei knew about, there was one aunt who had raised him since childhood. She was in charge of the funeral with the help of a few of his nephew's friends. Who bought a wreath, who threw money: all of Tolik's institute friends, as well as Andrei himself, had families, children, their own concerns, not everyone could be generous for the funeral of even a kind, but not very sociable buddy. Andrei's cousin worked in a bus depot, so he managed to organize an old "pazik". It was used to take Tolik to the cemetery together with his aunt, Marta Vasilievna, and half a dozen people who wanted to see him off.

That ill-fated morning, Tolik overslept and was late for work when he missed a turn, trying to overtake an old blue foreign car ahead of him, barely dragging his ass. He wouldn't have been in such a hurry if he hadn't been working just a few days at the new place. He liked the pharmaceutical company "Medifarm", the team was "calm", as Tolik put it, and that was the main thing for him. Andrei knew this company, knew what they were working on, but did not go into the details of the competitors. Tolik bought himself a new dark gray suit and lacquered black shoes, because the people there, according to his stories, were "representative". A couple of times went to work in such a "representative" form, but on the day of the accident Tolik in a hurry did not wear a suit, and put on jeans and a sweater, just quickly, without drinking coffee, to jump out of the house. And then, unable to find anything better, Marta Vasilievna buried her nephew in his new suit.

Andrei maintained relations with his institute comrade not because he had no friends. He believed that socializing with old friends was good for his image. A few years ago, Andrei opened his own small pharmaceutical firm, did not earn millions, but things were going well, the income was enough to feed his wife and two children. Sveta was on maternity leave with the second, Artemka, and she managed to be a good hostess, though only while five-year-old Nikita was in kindergarten. When both boys were at home, order and quiet were out of the question.

The day before Tolik's death, Andrei invited him to his lab.

- Eh, Andryukha," said the enthusiastic comrade, "could we have dreamed of this fifteen years ago? At our chemical and biological department, even the test tubes were cloudy, not to mention the rest of the old stuff. And here you have everything shining! And the equipment! The latest in modern technology!

- Our test tubes were cloudy because Lena the lab assistant didn't wash them well," Andrei laughed, clapping Tolik on the shoulder. - But thanks for the compliment. So to speak, after years of hard labor... - he laughed again, making a broad gesture with his hand, - a small, but my own business.

And then Tolik was gone. A stupid and senseless death. After expressing his last condolences to Marta Vasilyevna, Andrei went to the laboratory. Perhaps he should have gone home, the working day was over, but he wanted to be alone. Tolik was not his close friend, but the sudden death of a former classmate knocked Andrei out of his rut. He was studying cell structure, metabolism and stem cells, hoping that his research and the drugs developed on their basis, in the future could extend human life. And here it was, a dastardly accident that would do nothing but... one!.. and cut it short in the most unpredictable way. After sitting in the empty laboratory and not getting down to work, Andrei went home, intending to visit his friend's grave again tomorrow.

The next morning it was drizzling rain, but Andrei still went to the cemetery. The rain had already dampened the fresh earth on the grave, the wreaths and flowers, the photograph with a black ribbon placed on the cross. Marta Vasilievna had already ordered the monument, but in the meantime Tolik's calm face looked at Andrei from a rectangular piece of cardboard, as lifeless as what had once been his buddy. The moment he bent down to place the flowers on the still unsettled mound of the grave, his cell phone rang in his pocket. Andrei took it out and saw the name of Lisa, his assistant, on the display.

- Yes, Lisa," he replied.

- Andrei Evgenyevich, Gennady Ivanovich called and asked me to tell you that he'll be there at eleven.

- Thank you, very good, let's get started right away. I'll be right there, so get the lab and samples ready.

- All right, Andrei Evgenievich," the girl said and disconnected.

- Yes, one more thing, Lisa... - he started, but heard a short beep. Andrei wanted to tell her that those samples, which he left in the refrigerator, were prepared for the experiment on mice, and for today's tests it was necessary to take fresh ones from the barocamera, stored in an oxygen environment. That was important, so he found Lisa's name again and jabbed his finger at the display.

Andrei listened to the long beeps on the phone, but Lisa didn't answer. Then he suddenly realized that besides the beeps he could hear some other sound. A very quiet melody came as if from far away, but at the same time very close, but so muffled, as if the phone was covered with several pillows. A telephone? Yes, it was the tune of a telephone, and a very familiar one at that. Andrew pulled his ear back a little, and Lisa's beeps became quieter and the tune was heard more clearly. He put his phone down, stood like that for a few seconds and turned cold with horror. The muffled sounds of music were coming from Tolik's grave.

Now he remembered where he had heard that tune. It was the way his institute buddy's phone rang. Andrei raised a trembling hand and looked at the display of his phone, which he still held without disconnecting the call. The name "Tolik" popped up on the screen. Calling Lisa, he had accidentally jabbed his finger at his name. But his phone was ringing! And the sound was coming from his grave!

Andrei didn't remember how he got outside the cemetery gates. Moving on woozy legs, he got into his car and sat like that for a good fifteen minutes without touching the steering wheel. Finally, having finally gotten over the shock a little, he picked up his cell phone again. His hands began to tremble again as Andrei started looking for Lisa's number. Yes, there she was, Timofeeva Lisa. And further down the list was Tolik's name. That's why he made a mistake when he jabbed his finger at his friend's name. After a moment's hesitation, he took careful aim, this time hitting the right place.

- Lisa... Listen, call Gennady Ivanovich and tell him that the experiment is postponed," Andrei said in a wooden voice.

- What happened, Andrei Evgenievich? - the girl was frightened. - You say that... What's wrong with you? Did you have an accident?

- No, no... Don't worry... I just can't make it to the lab today. Please cancel all appointments.

- I'll reschedule it for tomorrow, Andrei Evgenievich?

- No, Lisa, just cancel. I'll call you back later. - And he disconnected.

Andrei sat for another minute, recovering his breath, then opened the list of numbers again and changed the name "Timofeeva Liza" to "Liza Timofeeva". Her number moved to the top of the list, and Seryoga the electrician's number took its place. "That's better," Andrei thought, "I call this one once a year. He sighed a few times slowly and deeply, and then went to Marta Vasilievna.

- Andriushenka! - The old woman who opened the door was genuinely happy to see him. - It's so good that you came by. I didn't have time yesterday to thank you for everything you did for Tolechka's funeral.

- What gratitude, Marta Vasilyevna... I wanted to ask you something.....

Andrei didn't know where to start. Was it worth it to frighten the old woman by saying right off the bat that the sound of a ringing telephone was coming from her nephew's grave? And was he sure he wasn't imagining it? Maybe he was crazy. Maybe the sound was coming from somewhere else? Or was it someone's stupid joke? A whole swarm of thoughts raced through Andrei's mind in a split second. Finally, seeing that Tolika's aunt was looking at him worriedly, as if she already realized by the expression on his face that something was wrong, he decided to ask her:

- Marta Vasilyevna, where's Tolik's phone number?

- Tolik's phone? - Auntie asked in surprise. - What phone? A cell phone? So I do not know. Why do you need it, Andriushenka?

- You see... - Andrei was frantically thinking of something to lie about. - He sent me a very important message just before he died, and I can't find it. Whether he deleted it by accident or what... So I thought maybe it was saved in Tolik's phone.

- Wait a minute, I'll look in his room. - Martha went to her nephew's room, rearranged various things there for a long time, and sighed sorrowfully. When she came out, the old woman waved her hands. - There is nowhere. He always carried it with him. And on the day of the accident he had no time for that..." She sobbed and wiped her eyes with the edge of her apron.

- Marta Vasilyevna, the suit they buried Tolik in was new, wasn't it? Didn't he buy it recently?

- Oh, my goodness! - The old woman's eyes widened fearfully. - He had been in such a hurry that morning that he had left his cell phone at home. I heard the call from his room, and I thought: "What a rascal!". He probably left the phone in the pocket of his new jacket, and I buried it in it! How could the morgue did not notice when I brought him clothes? What to do now, Andrew?

"You wouldn't have been so frightened if you'd heard the call from the grave!" - Andrei thought, and said aloud: "Well, there's nothing to be done now, buried and buried. God with it, with the message, I think I'll go.

After leaving Marta Vasilyevna's office, the young scientist decided to go home. It would be crazy to go to the laboratory in such a state: no experiment, his hands were still shaking. Andrei got into the car and was about to turn the ignition key when his cell phone rang in his jacket pocket. "I told Lisa I wouldn't come!" he thought in despair. - he thought in despair. All he needed now was a hot bath and a sip of cognac to calm down a little. Andrei took his phone out of his pocket, looked at the screen and immediately dropped it from his hands. He began to shake so much that he hit his forehead on the steering wheel when he tried to bend down to find the cell phone under his feet. The cell phone kept ringing and ringing, and Andrei fumbled around on the mat with shaking, cold hands until he pulled out the phone and took another look at the display. Tolik's name was highlighted on it.

Andrei didn't know how long he sat staring at the screen of his phone. Sweat was dripping from his forehead, but he didn't even notice it. What should you do if a dead person calls you? And it was calling from the grave, because Andrei heard it with his own ears. He laughed nervously with such a squeaky laugh that he was afraid of his own voice. If he asked a psychiatrist that question now, he would have a warm place between Napoleon and Julius Caesar in the local asylum. Nevertheless, now Andrei saw with his own eyes the name of his late friend on the screen of his phone and had to decide what to do. With a stiff and shaky finger he poked at the display, slowly brought the phone to his ear, and wheezed:

- Wh-who is it?

Andrei didn't know what he expected to hear in response, but there was silence at the other end. He waited for a while and whispered softly:

- T-tolik, is that y-you? - and he was horrified at the stupidity of his question.

Suddenly he heard a short beep. The connection was broken. But along with the connection, the fear suddenly disappeared, as if a light bulb had been turned off. It happened so quickly that Andrei himself was surprised. Probably, the human body only up to a certain point is capable of experiencing strong feelings, such as horror. But when it goes on for too long, it becomes no longer frightening. It's a kind of degree of defense. But soon Andrew realized why he stopped being afraid - the thought came into his head: "And after all Tolik is trying to tell me something". It was so unreal that he could not believe himself: how is it that he is so calmly sitting here and thinking about what the dead man from the other side of the world wants to tell him? But he knew one thing for sure: he would not rest until he knew it.

Andrei went to the cemetery. Tolik's grave still seemed quite ordinary, the newly poured mound was covered with wreaths, ribbons and flowers. Andrei took his cell phone out of his pocket, took a deep breath and jabbed his finger at Tolik's name on the display. A call went off. He shuddered slightly when he heard the familiar melody coming from underground, but he controlled himself and put the phone to his ear. There were long beeps, music playing deep below. And nothing happened. A minute passed, another - nothing. Andrei felt like a fool and disconnected the call. The old aunt simply didn't take her nephew's phone out of her pocket and buried it with him, and he was standing here in front of his grave playing Count Dracula.

He turned to leave, but then a thought occurred to him: yesterday a call had been heard here from underground, ringing and ringing nonstop until Andrei cut the connection, the same story today. And both times the call had come from his phone. But when he was at Martha Vasilievna's house, Tolik himself called him, as if he wanted to tell him something. But what? Wasn't it a clue that the answer should be sought at his house? Andrew took a long and thoughtful look at his friend's grave, went out of the cemetery gate and went to Martha Vasilievna, still not well imagining that he would lie to her this time. "I'll think it up on the way," he decided.

When Tolikina's aunt opened the door, he noticed at once that her face reflected even more anxiety than in the morning.

- Andriushenka, what happened again? Something is happening that you do not want to tell me about?

- No, no, Marta Vasilyevna, don't worry. It's just that when I couldn't find Tolik's important message on my phone, I thought maybe he'd left some note but hadn't had time to give it to me. Can I look in his room?

- Well, come in," the kind old woman invited Andrei in and led him into her nephew's room. - You look here, and I'll make some tea. Would you like some tea?

It was good for Andrei to be alone in the room, so he nodded in agreement. Auntie went into the kitchen, where the noise of water being poured and the kettle rattling could be heard, and Andrei was left standing in the middle of Tolik's room, not knowing what to do next. Coming to his senses, he quickly pulled out his cell phone and stared at the screen. "Come on, Tolik. Let me know what you want to tell me." The phone remained extinguished and silent. Andrei took a few steps around the room. There was his bed, single and bachelor, covered with a simple colorless coverlet. A closet with two sashes. Andrei opened it and saw tattered jeans, a few shirts, a couple of sweaters and an old gray windbreaker. Here was the desk, still piled with chemistry reference books, computer disks and miscellaneous junk. His laptop, turned off but still open, as if waiting for its owner.

As Andrei approached the laptop, his phone rang so unexpectedly that he almost dropped it again, as he had in the car. Even though he was ready to see Tolik's name on the display, his hands shook again. Trying his best to hold on to the slipping phone, Andrei frantically jabbed his finger at the screen, taking the call as quickly as possible so that Marta Vasilyevna wouldn't hear the ringing.

- T-tolik," he whispered, not knowing what else to say to a dead man. Remembering why he had started all this, Andrei asked quietly: - What, you mean the computer?

"I've gone mad," he thought to himself at the same time, "I've started talking to the dead as if it were the order of the day.

Nevertheless, the young scientist's curiosity took over, and he turned on his friend's laptop. After waiting for the screen to light up, Andrei began to study his desktop. Folders, applications, photos, files... What should he find here? And then it hit him. He cut the connection with Tolik and put the phone in front of him with its display turned off. Andrei began to open folder after folder, file after file, scrutinizing everything that was not password-protected. So he got to the file he found in one of the folders, the name of which had only the date - 11.09. It was four days ago, September 11. At that time the phone rang, and Andrei quickly, but with less fear and panic, took the call. As before, only silence was his answer, but he realized that Tolik had pointed him to the right file. Andrei opened it.

The file was called "Slowing down aging processes in the body". It was one of the topics Andrei worked on in his laboratory. The file was large, containing many tables, chemical formulas and descriptions of compounds of substances very familiar to Andrei. Andrei immersed himself in the world of molecules and chemical reactions. He looked through the first pages, where aging processes at the cellular level were described in detail, as well as numerous studies proving that they could be slowed down. Then his gaze fell on a table with a list of compounds that could be the basis for a new drug. A few particularly promising ones stood out among them. Andrei frowned. He remembered them: these compounds had been obtained in the course of his own research, but had been shelved because of unpredictable side effects. At the time, he had thought the risk was too great, but now, looking at the results from the unknown lab, Andrei was shocked.

The file described a method that minimized side effects, making these compounds safe to use. The method was ingenious and, at the same time, simple. Andrei scrolled through several pages, studying the detailed synthesis protocols, and was surprised to notice that they contained some inaccuracies, errors in calculations. Perhaps it was a deliberate obfuscation to preserve intellectual property. But he already understood the basic principles and fundamentals of the method. Slowly he shifted his gaze to the phone he held in his hand. Before his eyes, the call closed by itself. His friend had given him everything he wanted. Andrei sat a little longer in front of Tolik's computer, thinking, then took a flash drive out of his briefcase and copied the file.

- Martha Vasilievna," he called to his aunt, coming out of his late friend's room, "I have found what I was looking for, thank you very much. But you'll have to excuse me, I won't be able to have tea with you. I have to go to the lab right away.

- Well, Andriushenka," the old woman sighed, "go. I'm glad that Tolechka helped you even after his death.

For the next few days, Andrei worked without rest, telling Lisa to cancel all meetings for the week ahead. He checked the synthesis protocols, conducted his own experiments, making adjustments to the calculations. He was sure he could improve the method, making it even safer and more effective. But he also realized that he was running out of time in this race. Finally, he decided to share his findings with Lisa and other colleagues. He gathered his brightest lab technicians and suggested that they work together to further research the drug. There was a distinct note of anxiety and excitement in his voice.

- I don't know who is behind this file, I can only guess that it was developed by the firm my dead friend got a job with. It's a scientific breakthrough. It could change the lives of millions of people. But we have to hurry," he said.

The team was generally supportive of his initiative. They were excited about the opportunity to take part in an exciting project and did everything possible to bring success closer. The scientists quickly carried out the necessary syntheses and started clinical trials on animals. The results exceeded all expectations. The drug proved to be incredibly effective and safe. It was then that Andrei felt the weight of responsibility. He realized that creating such a drug was not only a scientific breakthrough, but also a huge commercial interest. And it could lead to a conflict, especially since the information he obtained was not quite the usual way. He was also worried about another thing. Why did Tolik, who had been working in a successful pharmaceutical firm for over a week, copy this file to his computer and keep it secret? The next thought made the young scientist cold: was his friend's death so accidental?

When he thought about it, Andrei's heart raced, pounding against his ribs in time with his own fears. Tolik, his best friend, had died prematurely in a car accident, as the official version had said. But now, holding in his hands a file with the results of clinical trials of a new drug developed in the company "Medifarm", Andrew realized: something was wrong. Tolik, a talented scientist like himself, had somehow gained access to such confidential data. And why was he copying them? Andrei already knew that Medipharm was playing a double game. Falsifying test results for profit was no secret, but the results in the file said that the drug they had originally developed, Vitacor, was dangerous. It caused severe side effects, including heart rhythm disturbances and death. And what the firm was hiding could work wonders, significantly extending a person's life. So what purpose is there in putting a dangerous drug on the market, hiding a panacea from mankind?

Andrei remembered how Tolik had complained of strange symptoms: insomnia, dizziness, palpitations. Perhaps he slept on the day of his death because he felt bad the day before. Tolik did not go to the doctor, writing everything off on overwork, but now the scientist realized that these were the side effects of "Vitakor". Could it be that his friend was used as a guinea pig? So that's why they were hiring new workers! "I can't stay away," Andrei decided. The price for silence was too high, for Tolik had given his life for it. He knew that Medipharm would do anything to cover up their crimes. Everything they had worked up over the past week, he had carefully coded in his personal laptop. Now he had irrefutable evidence. The next step was to contact a journalist, someone he knew, someone he had worked with on several publications about the pharmaceutical industry. Andrei chose Alexander, who had established himself as an independent and uncompromising journalist. He called Alexander and made sure he would not just hear his story, but take it seriously. After that, Andrei felt a slight sense of relief - he was not alone in this struggle. Alexander immediately realized the importance of the information provided. He knew that revealing the truth could jeopardize his career, but he couldn't help but take the case.

- We must publish this information, and I will do everything in my power to make sure it reaches the public," Alexander said, looking confidently into the scientist's eyes.

Andrei was ready to go to the end to avenge his friend's death and save others from inevitable death. He knew that Medipharm would do anything to cover up the scandal. But he also knew that the truth always makes its way out. And he was willing to fight for it. He was ready to defend his truth, Tolik's truth, the truth of everyone who could be killed by such a cruel and heartless system. They decided to publish the results of the study in a scientific journal whose editor was a friend of Alexander's. They realized that it might have unpleasant consequences, but they were sure that it was the right choice. Andrew was willing to sacrifice his personal gain for the well-being of humanity. He wanted people to live longer. He did not want the results of his labors to become the subject of a struggle for power and money.