The meeting of the leaders of Russia and the United States in Hamburg at the G20 summit showed an interest in cooperation on security issues in cyberspace, but the subsequent refusal of Donald Trump from the agreements that had begun to take shape speaks of the difficulties political processes occurring primarily within the United States. The current situation indicates tipping point, which can influence further development the entire system of international information security. The material is published in partnership with the Russian International Affairs Council (RIAC).
cyber weapons - what is this?
Ability to use information and communication technologies(ICT) for military-political purposes is becoming a factor influencing modern international relationships. A 2015 report by the UN Panel of Governmental Experts indicates that a number of states are building ICT capabilities for military purposes. The use of ICT in future conflicts between states is becoming increasingly likely, and unresolved issues and contradictions point to the importance of the topic and the complexity of the dialogue.
First, the applied concepts and definitions are recognized only individual groups states. Thus, in the SCO countries, the term "information weapon" is used, defined as " Information Technology, means and methods used for the purpose of maintaining information war". Under this concept, virtually any ICT tools can be summed up - both specialized and publicly available: the Internet, social networks and databases, mobile communication systems, telecommunication systems, etc. On the other hand, for example in NATO countries, an unofficial definition of cyber weapons is in the Tallinn Guide to the Applicability of International Law to Cyber Warfare: “cybernetic means of warfare, which, by their design, use or intended use could result in injury or death; or damage or destruction of facilities, i.e., lead to the consequences necessary for a cyber operation to qualify as an attack.”
In the United States Department of Defense Joint Doctrine of Cyber Operations 2014, one can find the definition of "capability in cyberspace" - "a device that computer program or method, including any combination of software or hardware, designed to act in or through cyberspace.” Thus, in the very general view Cyber weapons (and here the information and humanitarian impact is not taken into account) are specialized ICT tools that are designed to have a destructive impact on computer systems and networks, the infrastructure they support and/or the information they store.
Secondly, a number of international legal aspects of the use of ICT for military purposes have not yet been defined. The UN Group of Governmental Experts in its 2013 report confirmed the applicability of international law in the information space. However, there is still no clear answer to the question of how international law should be used in cyberspace. In particular, on this moment there are no legal definitions of cyber weapons, armed attack in cyberspace, combatants, and no description of how to ensure the rights of civilians.
Thirdly, cyber weapons are specialized software, and this predetermines the possibilities of its creation, distribution and use. Attacks can be carried out using ordinary personal computers connected to the Internet. At the same time, it is known that malicious software and / or its components (similar to zero-day vulnerabilities) can be purchased, and specialists can be hired. A low entry threshold can lead to a significant expansion of the circle of actors who have access to cyber weapons. They can be not only states, but also terrorist organizations and organized criminal groups. Now the process of proliferation of cyber weapons is practically not controlled, and the only mechanism that exists - the Wassenaar Arrangement for the export control of conventional weapons and "dual-use" goods and technologies - is interstate, and does not affect, for example, terrorist or criminal groups.
Fourth, at the current stage of ICT development, there are no mechanisms for fast and accurate attribution of cyber attacks. And in circumstances where it is impossible to identify the source of the threat, there is a possibility that the charge of assault will be made without presenting material facts, based on assumptions and inferences, according to the political situation. There are many such examples, including the recent accusations against Russia of hacking servers Democratic Party United States – No significant evidence was presented.
US cyber weapons - history and modernity
The United States has long and actively used ICT for military and political purposes. This process was initiated by the introduction of the doctrine of network-centric warfare, which was presented in the "Concept for the development of the US armed forces until 2010", adopted in 1996, was reflected in the "Four-year program for the development of US defense" in 1997 and developed in subsequent documents . The adoption of the doctrine of network-centric warfare was dictated by the desire to increase the capabilities of combatants by combining them into a single network and achieving information superiority. Information operations finally took hold in the US military development in 1998 with the advent of the "Joint Information Operations Doctrine" - a document that was intended for the widest distribution. According to this doctrine, information operations include electronic warfare ( Electronic Warfare), operations in computer networks ( Computer Network Operations), psychological operations ( Psychological Operations), disinformation activities ( Military Deception), security measures for operations ( Operations Security). In the "Concept for the development of the US armed forces until 2020" it was noted that in the future, operations in the information space will become separate view armed struggle and will acquire the same importance as operations in other environments - on water, land, in the air and space.
For the first decade of the XXI century. there have been key changes in the views and approaches of the United States to the use of ICT for military-political purposes. In 2001, in the next "Four-Year Program for the Development of US Defense", cyber operations were singled out as an independent type of military activity, and cyberspace itself was recognized new area confrontation. The next key change was the creation in 2010 of the Cyber Command, responsible for conducting operations in cyberspace, protecting military systems and networks, and coordinating cyber defense across all branches of the military. At the same time, the head of this structure is also the head of the US National Security Agency, whose main function is electronic intelligence. This dual subordination, as well as the "Memorandum of Understanding" signed in 2010 between the Department of Defense and the Department of Homeland Security, contributed to the rapid development of the potential of Cyber Command. Shortly thereafter, in 2011, a spokesman for the US Department of Defense at a congressional hearing confirmed that America had the capacity to conduct offensive actions in cyberspace, effectively recognizing the presence of cyberweapons.
It should be noted that cyber capabilities are developed in close cooperation with the private sector and civil society. There is active campaigning and recruiting of talented hackers. At the beginning of 2012, the US Air Force announced an open tender for the development of a set of special software tools (in fact, cyber weapons) that can solve a number of tasks: resident on the computer of a potential enemy, monitoring the activity of enemy information systems, disabling them. Defense Advanced Research and Development Agency ( DARPA) of the US Department of Defense in 2013-2016. carried out a project called "PlanX". It aims to create a semi-automatic system that will make it easier to use malware and reduce the qualification requirements for the relevant personnel. At the same time, the unified architecture of the hardware-software complex and the user interface will make it possible to combine many malicious programs developed by third-party contractors - perhaps in the future in some states a legal market will be created not just for vulnerabilities, but for more advanced cyber weapons. In May 2016, the system was tested during the exercise " Cyber Guard" and " Cyber Flag”, and is planned to be implemented in the work of Cyber Command in 2017. According to current documents(in particular, we are talking about Presidential Directive No. 20), in certain cases automatic response to cyberattacks is acceptable, but if there is a risk of significant consequences, a political decision at the presidential level is necessary. Taking into account the above, we can say that a certain hierarchy is being built, in which there will be several categories of cyber weapons. One will be used with a restriction on the place and time of action, to solve problems that do not require special coordination - defeat computer networks and enemy systems directly on the battlefield. Another, more advanced one, will be designed to disable critical targets of a potential enemy, and the decision to use it will be made at a higher level, as part of special operations.
Some of the above aspects were developed in the Cyber Strategy of the US Department of Defense in 2015. At the same time, the following points are of greatest interest. It is stated that special formations for performing operations in cyberspace will be divided into three groups: cyber defense units (protection of the information infrastructure of the Ministry of Defense), units national defense(protection of the state and state interests from attacks high level) and combat units. In addition, the conceptual foundations of deterrence in cyberspace have received a clearer design.
In 2016, President Obama and other U.S. officials acknowledged that offensive cyber operations against information systems were underway.” Islamic State". It seems that such statements should not be considered as signals of a change in policy regarding the openness of operations in cyberspace. For example, there is still no direct evidence of the participation of one or another state in the widely known attack on some enterprises of the Iranian nuclear program (at the same time, some experts have no doubts that the US and Israeli intelligence services are behind this attack). The complexity of attribution makes it difficult for the victim side to identify the source of the attack, and the attacker is generally not interested in being open about his actions. ISIS, on the other hand, is a quasi-state formation, which predetermines the possibility of disclosing information about the attack and receiving certain political dividends.
Development prospects
The amount of funding allocated to activities in cyberspace indicates that this direction is one of the main priorities of the US Department of Defense. In 2014, hundreds of millions of dollars were spent on the creation of special cyber training grounds, the analysis of cyber operations in general, the development special means and the creation of the post of Chief Cyber Defense Adviser. In the 2016 budget, compared to 2015, funding for the development of technologies for cyber operations (actually, cyber weapons) increased to $100 million, $200 million was allocated for the search and assessment of the vulnerabilities of all weapons systems. It was also planned to increase the number of employees in Cyber Command to 6,000 people in 2016.
Former U.S. Secretary of Defense Ashton Carter has stated that an additional $900 million needs to be spent in 2017 to bring annual cyber funding to $6.7 billion, and spend a total of almost $35 billion over the next five years. Fiscal year 2017 more than doubles US Air Force offensive and defensive funding, cumulatively from $20 million to over $50 million and technology development spending to $150 million. command and become a full-fledged unified combat command. First of all, it will significantly speed up the decision-making process; secondly, Cyber Command will be able to participate more actively in the formation of the budget, policies and strategies of the Department of Defense. In addition, there will be a direct subordination of the new structure to the Secretary of Defense and the President of the United States.
During the election campaign, D. Trump formulated four theses for ensuring cybersecurity:
- immediate ad hoc group US cyber defense and vulnerability assessments, including critical infrastructure;
- the creation under the auspices of the Ministry of Justice of joint working groups to coordinate counteraction to cyber threats;
- preparation by the Secretary of Defense and the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff of recommendations for strengthening Cyber Command;
- development of offensive capabilities in cyberspace necessary for deterrence, and, if necessary, response.
It is obvious that D. Trump will not become an ambassador for peace in cyberspace. At the same time, the US state apparatus has a certain inertia, which makes it possible to maintain the continuity of power. For example, B. Obama, in his first term in office, implemented an adjusted version of the Comprehensive National Cyber Security Initiative, prepared by the team of George W. Bush Jr. Given the mood of the candidates and the existing trends, it cannot be said that after the elections the United States will suddenly begin to seek general disarmament in cyberspace - on the contrary, we hear direct threats from the US top leadership to carry out a cyber attack (or send some kind of “signal”) against Russia. Such unprecedented, and to a certain extent provocative actions raise a lot of questions about the further development of the situation. In April 2016, a high-level Russian-American meeting was held on the issues of international information security - and the parties agreed to continue building relationships in this area in a non-confrontational manner and in practical terms to intensify bilateral cooperation in order to combat threats in the use of ICT in the context of international security. At the same time, there is no information that in the summer, after the attacks attributed to Russia on the servers of the Democratic Party, special hotlines created within the framework of the "Joint Statement of the Presidents" were used. Russian Federation and the United States of America new area cooperation in confidence building”. In September, during the G20 Summit in China, B. Obama stated, in particular, that: “The goal is not to increase the escalation in cyberspace and the arms race, as was the case in other areas, but to gradually establish norms and rules so that everyone acts responsibly.” In October, the Department of Homeland Security and the Office of the Director of National Intelligence issued a Joint Statement on Electoral Security, which explicitly states that the summer hacks were carried out at the behest of Russian authorities. And later it was announced that the United States was preparing a "proportional response to Russia's actions."
The meeting of the leaders of Russia and the United States in Hamburg at the G20 summit showed an interest in cooperation on security issues in cyberspace, but the subsequent refusal of D. Trump from the agreements that had begun to take shape speaks of the difficulties of the political processes taking place, primarily within the United States. The current situation indicates a turning point that can influence the further development of the entire system of international information security. On the one hand, the US can promote its own rules of the game in cyberspace, regardless of the interests of others. On the other hand, a pragmatic approach may prevail and the rules will be formulated in a more participatory manner to take into account the interests of many - perhaps within the UN Group of Governmental Experts.
Information warfare, in turn, is defined as a confrontation between two or more states in the information space with the aim of causing damage information systems, processes and resources, critical structures, undermining the political, economic and social systems, massive psychological indoctrination of the population to destabilize society and the state, as well as forcing the state to make decisions in the interests of the opposing side.
Malicious programs or vulnerabilities against which protective mechanisms have not yet been developed (according to Kaspersky Lab)
According to Kaspersky Lab experts, the cost of developing the Stuxnet virus is in the range of $100 million, according to Fortinet, the cost of basic tools for creating a Zeus-type botnet starts from $700.
See, for example. David E. Sanger Confront and Conceal: Obama's Secret Wars and Surprising Use of American Power. - NY .: Broadway Books, 2012. - 514 p.
Tobias, staggering heavily, wandered down the street and thought about his hard life.
He didn't have a penny, and the bartender Joe kicked him out of the Laughing Gulch without letting his throat get wet, and now he had nowhere to go but an empty cold shack that he called home, and if something happened to him Somehow, no one's heart will even tremble. And all because, he thought, seized with drunken self-pity, was that he was an idler and a bitter drunkard; one simply wonders how the city tolerates him at all.
It was getting dark, but the street was still crowded, and Tobias noted to himself how carefully passers-by looked around him.
This is how it should be, he told himself. “Let them turn away if it’s easier for them.”
Tobias was a disgrace to the city. Shameful stains on his reputation. The heavy cross of its inhabitants. Social evil. Tobias was a bad example. And there were no others like him, because in small towns there was always only one renegade - even two had nowhere to turn around.
Writing out monograms, Tobias trudged along the sidewalk in despondent loneliness. Suddenly he saw that Ilmer Clark, the city policeman, was standing on the corner ahead, doing absolutely nothing. Just looks in his direction. But Tobias did not suspect any trick in this. Ilmer is a nice guy. Ilmer understands what's what. Tobias paused, aimed at the corner where Ilmer was waiting for him, and swam in that direction without much detour.
"Toub," Ilmer said to him, "wouldn't you like a ride?"
Tobias straightened up with the pitiful dignity of a boozer.
“No, my God,” he protested, a gentleman from head to toe. “I don’t want to give you so much trouble. Thank you very much.
Ilmer smiled.
- Okay, don't freak out. Are you sure that you will get home on your own two feet?
"What are you talking about," Tobias replied, and ran on.
He was lucky at first. He successfully trotted several blocks.
But at the corner of Third and Klenovaya, trouble befell him. He stumbled and stretched out to his full height on the pavement under the very nose of Mrs. Frobshpur, who STANDED on the porch of her house, from where she could perfectly see how he plopped down. He had no doubt that tomorrow she would not fail to describe this shameful spectacle to all members of the ladies' charitable society. And those, contemptuously pursing their lips, will slowly cackle among themselves, thinking themselves the holy of holies. After all, Mrs. Frobisher was for them a model of virtue. Her husband is a banker, and her son is the best player on the Millville football team, which hoped to take first place in the championship organized by the Athletic Association. It is not surprising that this fact was perceived by everyone with a mixture of amazement and pride: many years have passed since the Millville football team in last time won the Association Cup.
Tobias got to his feet, fussily and awkwardly brushed off the dust, and taxied to the corner of Third and Oak, where he sat down on the low stone wall of the Baptist church. He knew that the pastor, leaving his office in the basement, would certainly see him. And the pastor is very helpful. Maybe this picture will finally bring him out of himself.
Tobias was worried that the pastor had been treating him too complacently lately. Things are going too smoothly for the pastor now, and it seems that he is beginning to grow fat with complacency; his wife is the chairman of the local branch of the Daughters of the American Revolution women's organization, and this long-legged daughter of his showed remarkable musical abilities.
Tobias was sitting patiently on the fence, waiting for the pastor, when suddenly he heard the shuffle of someone's feet. It was getting rather dark, and only when a passerby approached did he see that it was Andy Donnovan, the school janitor.
Tobias mentally shamed himself. From such a characteristic shuffling, he should have guessed at once who was coming.
— Good evening Andy, he said. - What's new?
Andy stopped and looked straight at him. He smoothed his drooping moustache and spat on the pavement in such a way that, if an outsider were nearby, he would have regarded it as an expression of the deepest disgust.
“If you're waiting for Mr. Halvorsen,” Andy said, “you're wasting your time. He is not in the city.
"I didn't know," Tobias said, confused.
"You've done enough tonight," Andy said venomously. - Go home. Mrs. Frobisher stopped me here when I was passing by their cottage just now. Well, she thinks we need to take you seriously.
"Mrs. Frobisher is an old gossip who only cares about other people's business," Tobias grumbled as he struggled to his feet.
"You can't take that away from her," Andy agreed. But she is a decent woman.
He suddenly turned and shuffled away, and seemed to be moving a little faster than usual.
Tobias, swaying, but seemingly more moderately, hobbled in the same direction as Andy, tormented by doubts and bitter resentment.
Well, is it fair that he had to be such a drunkard, when something completely different could have come out of him?
Not for him to be the conscience of this town, Tobias thought. He deserves a better fate, hiccuping grimly, he assured himself.
Houses came across less and less; the pavement ended, and Tobias stumbled along the unpaved road to his shack, which was nestled on the very edge of the city.
She was standing on a hillock above the swamp, near the place where the road crossed the 49th highway, and Tobias thought that it was a blessing to live there. Often he would sit in front of the house, watching the cars go by.
But at this hour the road was deserted, the moon was rising over a distant grove, and its light gradually turned the rural landscape into a silver-black engraving.
He continued on his way, silently plunging his feet into the dust of the road, and sometimes he heard the cry of an alarmed bird, and the air was drawn by the smoke of burning autumn leaves.
What a beauty it is, Tobias thought, what a beauty, but how lonely it is. So what the hell? He had always been lonely.
From afar, he heard the roar of a car racing at high speed, and he silently mentioned such desperate drivers with an unkind word.
The car approached the intersection, the brakes screeched, it turned sharply onto the road he was moving on, and the headlights hit him in the eyes.
But at the same moment, a beam of light, shot up, pierced into the sky, traced an arc on it, and when the car skidded with a piercing creak of rubber rubbing against the asphalt, Tobias saw the dim glow of the taillights.
Slowly, as if with an effort, the car fell on its side, tipping over into a roadside ditch.
Tobias was suddenly aware that he was running, running at breakneck speed on instantly strengthened legs.
There was a soft splash of water, the car rested against the opposite wall of the ditch and now lay motionless, only the wheels were still spinning.
Tobias jumped down into the ditch and used both hands to violently yank on the door handle. However, the door became stubborn: it groaned, creaked, but did not want to give in. He pulled with all his might, and the door opened an inch that way. And immediately he felt the acrid smell of burning insulation and realized that time was running out.
Helping him, someone pressed the door from the inside, and Tobias slowly straightened up, still pulling on the handle with all his strength, and finally the door gave way with great reluctance.
Low, pitiful sobs came from the car, and the smell of burning insulation intensified, and Tobias noticed that tongues of fire were darting about under the hood.
Tobias dived inside the car, grabbed someone's hand, pulled himself up, pulled towards him. And pulled the man out of the car.
“There she is,” the man gasped. - There's more...
But Tobias, without listening to the end, was already groping at random in the dark belly of the car, smoke was added to the smell of burning insulation, and flames were pouring under the hood in a dazzling red spot.
He felt something alive, soft and resisting, contrived and pulled the girl out of the car, weakened, frightened to death.
- Get out of here! Tobias yelled and pushed the man with such force that he fell and was already crawling out onto the road.
Tobias, grabbing the girl in his arms, jumped after him, and behind him the car exploded into the air in a column of fire,
They quickened their pace, driven by the heat of the burning car. After a while, the man freed the girl from Tobias' arms and set her on her feet. By all appearances, she was safe and sound, except for a wound on her forehead at the roots of her hair, from which blood ran in a dark trickle down her face.
People were already running towards them. Somewhere in the distance, the doors of houses slammed, excited cries were heard, and the three of them, somewhat deafened, stopped indecisively in the middle of the road.
And only now Tobias saw that the man was Randy Frobisher, the idol football fans Milvilla, and the girl is Betty Halvorsen, the musical daughter of a Baptist minister.
There's nothing more for me to do here, Tobias thought, it's time to get the hell out of here. Because he made an unacceptable mistake. Broke the ban.
He turned sharply, drew his head into his shoulders, and quickly, almost without running, walked back to the crossroads. He thought he heard Randy yell at him, but he didn't even turn around.
At the crossroads, he left the road and began to climb the path to his wreck, standing alone on a hilltop above the swamp.
And he forgot himself so much that he stopped stumbling.
However, now it did not matter: there was not a soul around. He was literally shaking with fear. After all, with this act he could spoil everything, he could nullify all his work.
Something turned white in the corrugated, corroded mailbox hanging next to the door, and Tobias was very surprised, because he rarely received anything in the mail.
He took a letter out of the box and entered the house. He groped for a lamp, lit it, and sat down on a rickety chair that stood by the table in the middle of the room.
His working day ended, although formally it was not entirely accurate, because with a greater or lesser load, but he always worked.
He stood up, took off his tattered jacket, hung it over the back of a chair, and unbuttoned his shirt, revealing a hairless chest. He found a panel on his chest, pressed it, and under his fingers it slid to the side. A niche was hidden behind the panel. Walking over to the washstand, he removed a container from the niche and poured the beer he had drunk that day into the sink. Then he returned the container to its place, slid the panel and buttoned the shirt.
He allowed himself not to breathe.
And with relief he became himself.
Tobias sat motionless in his chair, turning off his brain, erasing the past day from his memory. After some time, he began to carefully revive him and created another brain - a brain tuned to his personal life, in which he was neither a degraded drunkard, nor the conscience of the town, nor a bad example.
But this evening he did not manage to completely forget the experience of the day, and a lump again rolled up in his throat - a familiar painful lump of resentment for being used as a means of protecting the human beings inhabiting this town from peculiar to people vices.
The fact is that in any small town or village only one bastard could get along: according to some inexplicable law human society two were already tight. Here Old Bill was outrageous, there Old Charlie or Old Toub. A true punishment for the inhabitants who tolerated these scum in disgust as a necessary evil. And according to the same law, according to which there was no more than one such renegade for every small settlement, this one and only one was always there.
But if you take a robot, a first-class humanoid robot that you can't tell apart from a human without careful examination, if you take such a robot and instruct it to play the city drunk or the city jerk, this law of sociology will be bypassed. And the humanoid robot, in the role of a descended drunkard, brought great benefit. This drunkard robot saved the town in which he lived from a drunkard of a person, removed an extra shameful stain from the human race, and a potential alcoholic displaced by such a robot involuntarily became a completely acceptable member of society. Perhaps this man was not a model of decency, but according to at least he kept within the bounds of decency.
For a person to be a deep drunkard is terrible, but for a robot it's like spitting once. Because robots don't have souls. Robots didn't count.
And worst of all, Tobias thought, this is the role you should play all the time, except for brief respite, like now, when you are absolutely sure that no one is watching you.
But tonight he went out of character. Circumstances forced him. Two were at stake human lives and he could not do otherwise.
“However,” he said to himself, “it is possible that everything will still work out. Those two were in such a state that they probably didn’t even notice who saved them.”
But the whole horror is, he suddenly realized, that this did not suit him: he passionately wanted to be recognized. For something human appeared in the structure of his personality, and this something irresistibly sought to manifest itself outside, longed for recognition.
It would be much easier for him, he thought, if he did not feel that he was capable of more, if the role of a drunkard was his limit.
It used to be like that, he remembered. That was how things were at the time he signed up for the job and signed the contract. But today it has already passed the stage. He is ripe for more complex tasks.
Because he has matured, as, gradually changing, robots mysteriously gradually grow up.
It's too bad that he's bound by a contract that won't expire until ten years later. But there's nothing to fix here. His position was hopeless. There is no one to turn to for help. It is impossible to leave your post on your own.
After all, in order for him not to work in vain, there was a rule according to which only one and only person, obliged to keep it in the strictest confidence, knew that he was a robot. Everyone else had to take him for a man. Otherwise, his work would lose all meaning. As a loafer and drunkard, he saved the inhabitants of the town from vulgar vice; like a useless, lousy drunk robot, he wouldn't do any good.
Therefore, everyone remained in the dark, even the municipality, which, presumably, reluctantly paid an annual membership fee to the Society for the Progress and Improvement of the Human Race, not knowing what this money was going to, but nevertheless not daring to evade payment.
So he had no choice. According to the terms of the contract, he had to drink bitter for another ten years, roam the streets in an obscene form, play the role of a man stupefied from everyday drunkenness, a degraded person, for whom everything in the world is tryn-grass. And he must break this comedy so that not one of the inhabitants of the town becomes such a geek.
He put his hand on the table and heard something rustling under it.
Letter. He completely forgot about that letter.
He looked at the envelope, saw that there was no return address on it, and immediately realized who it was from.
Taking out a piece of paper folded in half from the envelope, he was convinced that his instinct had not deceived him. At the top of the page, above the text, was the stamp of the Society for the Progress and Improvement of the Human Race.
The following was written in the letter:
“Dear colleague!
You will be pleased to know that, on the basis of a recent analysis of your abilities, it has been calculated that you are currently best suited to fulfill the duties of coordinator and forwarder for an organized human colony on one of the explored planets. We are confident that you will be of great benefit in taking up such a position and are ready, in the absence of any other considerations, to provide you with this job immediately.
However, we know that the term of the contract you concluded earlier has not yet expired, and, perhaps, at the moment you do not consider yourself entitled to raise the issue of transferring to another job.
If the situation changes, please kindly let us know immediately.”
Under the letter was an illegible signature.
He carefully folded the paper and slipped it into his pocket.
And he clearly imagined how there, on another planet, where another star is called the sun, he helps the first settlers to found a colony, works together with the colonists, but not as a robot, but as a person, a real person, a full member of society.
Absolutely new job, new people, new environment.
And he would finally cease to play this disgusting role. No tragedy, no comedy. No clownery. All of this would be over once and for all.
He rose from his chair and paced up and down the room.
How awkward, he thought. Why does he have to stick around for another ten years? He owes nothing to this city - nothing keeps him here ... except for the obligation under the contract, which is sacred and inviolable. Sacred and indestructible for a robot.
And it turns out that he is tightly chained to this tiny point on the map of the Earth, while he could become one of those who sow the seeds of human civilization between distant stars.
There would be very few settlers. The organization of crowded colonies has long been abandoned - they have not justified themselves. Now small groups of people connected by old friendship and common interests were sent to explore new planets.
Tobias thought that such settlers would be more like farmers than colonists. People who knew each other closely on Earth went to try their luck in space. Even some villages sent small detachments of their inhabitants to other planets, just as in ancient times communities sent wagon caravans from the East to the wild, undeveloped West.
And he, too, would become one of those brave adventurers, if he could send this town to hell, this mediocre, humiliating job.
But this path was closed to him. He could only endure the bitterness of a complete collapse of hopes.
There was a knock on the door, and, amazed, he froze in place: no one had knocked on his door for many years. A knock on the door, he told himself, could only mean impending disaster. It can only mean that there, on the road, he was recognized, and he had already begun to get used to the idea that he would be able to get away with it.
He walked slowly to the door and opened it. There were four of them: the banker Herman Frobisher, Mrs. Halvorsen, the wife of a Baptist minister, Bud Anderson, the coach of the football team, and
Chris Lambert, editor of Millville Weekly.
And by their appearance, he immediately realized that his affairs were bad, - the trouble was so serious that you could not escape from it. Their faces expressed sincere devotion and gratitude, with a hint of some awkwardness, which people experience when they realize their mistake and promise themselves to break into a cake in order to correct it.
Herman extended his plump hand to Tobias so decisively, with such exaggerated friendliness, that it was just right to burst out laughing.
“Toub,” he said, “I don't know how to thank you. I can't find the words to express my deepest gratitude for your noble deed today.
Tobias tried to get away quick handshake, but the banker squeezed his hand in passion and did not want to let it go.
- And then they took it and ran away! said Mrs. Halvorsen shrilly. “Not to wait and show everyone what a wonderful person you are. For the life of me, I don't understand what's gotten into you.
"It's a trifling matter," Tobias mumbled.
The banker finally let go of his hand, and the trainer immediately took possession of it, as if he had been waiting for this opportunity.
“Thanks to you, Randy is alive and well,” he blurted out. - Tomorrow, after all, the game is for the cup, and without it, at least we don’t go out onto the field.
“I want your photo, Toub,” the editor said. - Do you have a photo? Although, what am I - where did you get it from. Nothing, we'll take a picture of you tomorrow.
“But first of all,” said the banker, “we will move you out of this hut.
- From this hut? Tobias asked, already frightened in earnest. “Mr. Frobisher, this is my house!”
- No, not yours anymore, that's it! squealed Mrs. Halvorsen. “Now we will certainly give you the opportunity to improve. You have never had such a chance in your life. We intend to apply to AOBA.
— AOBA? Tobias repeated after her desperately.
"Alcoholism Anonymous," the pastor's wife explained primly. “It will help you recover from drunkenness.
"What if Toub doesn't want to be a teetotaler at all?" the editor suggested.
Mrs. Halvorsen ground her teeth in annoyance.
“He wants to,” she said. There is no person who...
“Yes, it will be to you,” Herman intervened. - Not all at once. We'll discuss this with Toub tomorrow.
- Yeah, - Tobias was delighted and pulled the door towards him, - we will postpone our conversation until tomorrow.
“Oh, no, that’s not good,” Herman said. “You will come with me now. Your wife is expecting you for supper, a room is prepared for you, and until everything is settled, you will stay with us.
- What is there to settle here in particular? Tobias protested.
— | How is that? said Mrs Halvorsen indignantly. “Our city did not lift a finger to help you in any way. We always kept aloof, calmly watching how you almost dragged yourself on all fours. And this is very stupid. I will have a serious talk with Mr. Halvorsen.
The banker put his arm around Tobias in a friendly way.
“Come on, Toub,” he said. We are indebted to you and will do everything in our power for you.
He lay on a bed covered with a crisp white sheet, and was covered with the same sheet, and when everyone was asleep, he was forced to sneak into the bathroom and flush the food that he was forced to eat at dinner down the toilet.
He doesn't need white sheets. He doesn't need a bed at all. True, there was a bed in his wreck, but only to divert eyes. And here lie among the white sheets, and even Herman forced him to take a bath, which, by the way, was very useful for him, but how excited he was because of this!
Life is fucked up, Tobias thought. “The work was lowered into the sewer pipe.” He ruined everything, ruined it like the last bastard. And now he will no longer go with a handful of brave to master new planet; even when he finally gets out of his current job, she will not have a chance for anything really worthwhile. He'll be given another shabby job, work another twenty years, and probably screw it up again - if you have a weakness in you, you can't get away from it.
But he still had one hope left, and the more he thought, the brighter he looked at the future and somewhat perked up.
You can still play it all over, he told himself, he just needs to get drunk again. And then he will take such a walk that his exploits will go down in the history of the town. It is in his power to dishonor himself irreparably. He can let go of such a resounding slap in the face to all these worthy people with their good intentions that it will seem to them a hundred times more disgusting than before.
He lay and mentally drew to himself what it would look like. It was a great idea, and he would certainly bring it to life... but perhaps it makes sense to do this a little later.
His debauchery will make a greater impression if he waits a little, that way for a week he will play the quiet one. Then his fall will hit them hard. Let them bask in the rays of their own virtue, taste the highest joy, believing that they pulled him out of the mud and set him on the right path; let their hope grow strong - and then, laughing mockingly, drunk in the smoke, stumbling, dragged back to his shack over the swamp.
And everything will work out. He will return to work, and the benefit from him will be even greater than before this incident.
In one or two weeks. Or maybe later...
And suddenly he seemed to see clearly; one thought struck him. He tried to drive her away, but she, crisp and clear, did not go away.
He realized that he was lying to himself.
He didn't want to go back to being the way he was before tonight. What happened to him was exactly what he dreamed of, he admitted to himself. He had long dreamed of winning the respect of his fellow citizens and win them over.
After dinner, Herman started talking about how he, Tobias, needed to get some kind of permanent job, do an honest job, and now, lying in bed, he realized how much he yearned for such a job, how he longed to become a humble respected citizen of Millville.
What an irony of fate, he thought: it turns out that the failure of the work was his cherished dream, and now that that dream has come true, he still loses out.
If he were human, he would cry.
But he couldn't cry. Tensing his whole body, he lay among the snow-white starched sheets, and the snow-white and as if also starched moonlight poured through the window.
For the first time in his life, he felt the need for friendly support.
There was only one place he could turn to, but only as a last resort.
Almost noiselessly, Tobias pulled on his clothes, slipped out the door, and tiptoed down the stairs.
Having walked a quarter at a regular pace, he decided that now it was no longer necessary to be careful, and rushed off at full speed, driven by fear, which flew at his heels, like a distraught horseman.
Tomorrow is the match, the decisive match, in which the Randy Frobisher he rescued will show the class of the game, and Andy Donnovan must be working late today to free himself tomorrow and go to the stadium.
"I wonder what time it is?" Tobias thought, and it flashed through his mind that it must be very late. But Andy is probably still busy with the cleaning - he can't be gone.
Once there, Tobias ran up the winding path to the dark, blurry cube of the school building. It suddenly occurred to him that he was late, and he felt a sudden weakness.
But at that moment he noticed a light in one of the windows of the semi-basement - in the pantry window, and realized that everything was in order.
The door was locked, and he drummed on it with his fist, then, after a moment's delay, knocked again.
At last he heard someone shuffling slowly up the stairs, and after a minute or two a wavering shadow loomed behind the door glass.
There was a jingle of keys being played, the lock clicked, and the door opened.
Someone's hand quickly dragged him into the house. The door slammed behind him.
— Toub! exclaimed Andy Donnovan. - It's good that you came.
Andy, I did this!
“I know,” Andy interrupted. “I already know everything.
“I couldn't let them die. I couldn't leave them without help. It wouldn't be human.
“That would be all right,” Andy said. - You're not human.
He was the first to go down the stairs, holding on to the railing and shuffling tiredly.
From all sides they were surrounded by the echoing silence of the empty building, and Tobias felt how indescribably creepy at school at night.
Entering the pantry, the janitor sat down on an empty box and pointed the robot to another.
But Tobias remained standing.
“Andy,” he blurted out, “I thought of everything. I'll get terribly drunk and...
Andy shook his head.
“It won't do anything,” he said. - You unexpectedly did a good deed for everyone, became a hero in their eyes. And, remembering this, they will forgive you everything. No matter what you do, no matter how dirty you make of yourself, they will never forget what you did for them.
“So, then…” Tobias said with a hint of a question.
"You're burned out," Andy said. “You won’t be of any use here.
He paused, gazing intently at the completely upset robot.
"You did a great job," Andy spoke up again. “Time to tell you about it. You worked conscientiously, sparing no effort. And it had a positive effect on the city. None of the inhabitants dared to become such a bastard as you, so despicable and disgusting ...
“Andy,” Tobias said painedly, “stop putting medals on me.
“I want to cheer you up,” Andy said.
And then, despite all his despair, Tobias felt himself burst into laughter—an inappropriate, frightening laugh at the thought that suddenly flashed through his mind.
And this laughter grew more and more insistent - Tobias was already laughing inwardly, imagining how the townspeople would rise if they knew that they owed their virtues to two such nonentities - a school janitor with a shuffling gait and a vile drunkard.
He himself as a robot in such a situation, perhaps, meant little. But the man... The choice fell not on a banker, not on a merchant or a pastor, but on a window cleaner, a stoker. It was he who was entrusted with the secret, it was he who was appointed contact. He was the most important person in Millville.
But the townspeople will never know either their duty or their humiliation. They will look down on the janitor. They will tolerate the drunkard, or rather, the one who takes his place.
Because the drunk is over. He burned out. Andy Donnovan said so.
Tobias instinctively felt that there was someone else in the pantry besides him and Andy.
He quickly turned on his heels and saw a stranger in front of him.
He was young, elegant and apparently not a blunder. He had black, neatly combed hair, and there was something predatory in his appearance, which made you feel uneasy when looking at him.
“Your replacement,” Andy said with a slight chuckle. “He’s a wicked scoundrel, you can trust me.
But you can't tell from him...
"Don't let his looks fool you," Andy cautioned. "He's worse than you." This is the latest invention. He is more vile than all his predecessors. You have never been so despised here as they will despise him. He will be hated with all his heart, and the morality of the inhabitants of Millville will rise to a level never dreamed of before. They would go out of their way to not be like him, and every single one of them would be honest, even Frobisher.
"I don't understand," Tobias murmured in confusion.
“He will open an office in the city, just right for such a young energetic businessman. Insurance, different kind transactions of purchase, sale and hiring of movable and immovable property, mortgage transactions - in short, all that he can cash in on. Without violating a single law, he will rip them off like sticky. He will disguise cruelty with hypocrisy. With a charming sincere smile, he will rob everyone and everyone, sacredly honoring the letter of the law. He will not hesitate to go to any meanness, will not disdain the meanest trick.
- Well, is it possible? exclaimed Tobias. “Yes, I was a drunkard, but at least I behaved honestly.
“Our duty is to look after the good of all mankind,” Andy solemnly declared. “Shame on Millville if a man like him ever turns up in him.
“You know better,” Tobias said. - I wash hands. What will happen to me?
“Nothing yet,” Andy replied. “You will return to Herman and obey natural course events. Take the job he finds for you, and live quietly as a decent, respectable citizen of Millville.
Toby ace went cold.
“Are you saying that you completely wrote me off?” That you don't need me anymore? But I tried my best! And tonight I couldn't have done otherwise. You can't just kick me out like that!
Andy shook his head.
"I'll have to tell you a secret." It would be better if you found out about this a little later, but ... You see, in the city they are talking about sending some of the inhabitants into space to explore one of the recently discovered planets.
Tobias straightened up and stood wary; hope flared up in him, but it quickly faded.
- What do I have to do with it? - he said. “They won’t send a drunkard like me.
"Now you're worse than a drunk for them," Andy said. - Much worse. When you were an ordinary bully, you were all in full view. They knew all your art. And now they will be vigilantly watching you, trying to guess what kind of surprise you can give them. You will deprive them of peace, and they will be exhausted from doubts about the correctness of their position. You will burden their conscience, you will become the cause of constant hassle, and they will remain in eternal fear that one day you will somehow prove what a fool they have been.
“In this mood, they will never include me among the future colonists,” Tobias said, saying goodbye to the last shadow of hope.
"You're wrong," said Andy. “I'm sure you'll be sent into space with the others. The respectable and faint-hearted people of Millville will not miss a chance to get rid of you.
Translated from English by S. Vasiliev
Clifford Simak
Tobias, staggering heavily, wandered down the street and thought about his hard life.
He didn't have a penny, and the bartender Joe kicked him out of the tavern, Laughing Gorge didn't let his throat get wet, and now he had nowhere to go but an empty cold shack that he called home, and if something happened to him Somehow, no one's heart will even tremble. And all because, he thought, seized with intoxicated self-pity, that he was a loafer and a bitter drunkard, one simply wonders how the city tolerates him at all.
It was getting dark, but the street was still crowded, and Tobias noted to himself how carefully passers-by looked around him.
This is how it should be, he told himself. “Let them turn away if it’s easier for them.”
Tobias was a disgrace to the city. A shameful stain on his reputation. The heavy cross of its inhabitants. Social evil. Tobias was a bad example. And there were no more like him, because in small towns, there was always only one renegade - even two had nowhere to turn around.
Writing out monograms, Tobias trudged along the sidewalk in despondent loneliness. Suddenly he saw that Ilmer Clark, the city policeman, was standing on the corner ahead, doing absolutely nothing. Just looks in his direction. But Tobias did not suspect any trick in this. Ilmer is a nice guy. Ilmer understands what's what. Tobias paused, aimed at the corner where Ilmer was waiting for him, and swam in that direction without much detour.
Toub, - Ilmer told him, - can I give you a lift?
Tobias straightened up with the pitiful dignity of a boozer.
Oh my God, he protested, a gentleman from head to toe. "I don't think it's giving you so much trouble." Thank you very much.
Ilmer smiled.
Okay, don't freak out. Are you sure that you will get home on your own two feet?
What are we talking about, - Tobias answered and ran on.
He was lucky at first. He successfully trotted several blocks.
But at the corner of Third and Klenovaya, trouble befell him. He stumbled and sprawled out on the pavement under Mrs. Frobisher's nose, who was standing on her porch, from where she could see him flopping. He had no doubt that tomorrow she would not fail to describe this shameful spectacle to all members of the ladies' charitable society. And those, contemptuously pursing their lips, will slowly cackle among themselves, thinking themselves the holy of holies. After all, Mrs. Frobisher was for them a model of virtue. Her husband is a banker, and her son is the best player on the Millville football team, which hoped to take first place in the championship organized by the Athletic Association. It is not surprising that this fact was perceived by everyone with a mixture of amazement and pride: it has been many years since the Millville football team last won the Association Cup.
Tobias got to his feet, fussily and awkwardly brushed off the dust, and taxied to the corner of Third and Oak, where he sat down on the low stone wall of the Baptist church. He knew that the pastor, leaving his office in the basement, would certainly see him. And the pastor is very helpful. Maybe this picture will finally bring him out of himself.
Tobias was worried that the pastor had been treating him too complacently lately. Things are going too smoothly for the pastor now, and it seems that he is beginning to grow fat with complacency; his wife is the chairman of the local branch of the women's organization "Daughters of the American Revolution", and this long-legged daughter of his showed remarkable musical abilities.
Tobias was sitting patiently on the fence, waiting for the pastor, when suddenly he heard the shuffle of someone's feet.
Simak Clifford Donald
bad example
Clifford SAIMAK
BAD EXAMPLE
Tobias, staggering heavily, wandered down the street and thought about his hard life.
He didn't have a penny, and the bartender Joe kicked him out of the pub, the Merry Gorge didn't let his throat get wet, and now he had nowhere to go but an empty cold shack that he called home, and if something happened to him - Somehow, no one's heart will even tremble. And all because, he thought, seized with intoxicated self-pity, that he was a loafer and a bitter drunkard, one simply wonders how the city tolerates him at all.
It was getting dark, but the street was still crowded, and Tobias noted to himself how carefully passers-by looked around him.
"That's the way it should be," he said to himself. "Let them turn away if it's easier for them."
Tobias was a disgrace to the city. A shameful stain on his reputation. The heavy cross of its inhabitants. Social evil. Tobias was a bad example. And there were no more like him, because in small towns, there was always only one renegade - even two had nowhere to turn around.
Writing out monograms, Tobias trudged along the sidewalk in despondent loneliness. Suddenly he saw that Ilmer Clark, the city policeman, was standing on the corner ahead, doing absolutely nothing. Just looks in his direction. But Tobias did not suspect any trick in this. Ilmer is a nice guy. Ilmer understands what's what. Tobias paused, aimed at the corner where Ilmer was waiting for him, and swam in that direction without much detour.
Toub, - Ilmer told him, - can I give you a lift?
Tobias straightened up with the pitiful dignity of a boozer.
Oh my God, he protested, a gentleman from head to toe. "I don't think it's giving you so much trouble." Thank you very much.
Ilmer smiled.
Okay, don't freak out. Are you sure that you will get home on your own two feet?
What are we talking about, - Tobias answered and ran on.
He was lucky at first. He successfully trotted several blocks.
But at the corner of Third and Klenovaya, trouble befell him. He stumbled and sprawled out on the pavement under Mrs. Frobisher's nose, who was standing on her porch, from where she could see him flopping. He had no doubt that tomorrow she would not fail to describe this shameful spectacle to all members of the ladies' charitable society. And those, contemptuously pursing their lips, will slowly cackle among themselves, thinking themselves the holy of holies. After all, Mrs. Frobisher was for them a model of virtue. Her husband is a banker, and her son is the best player on the Millville football team, which hoped to take first place in the championship organized by the Athletic Association. It is not surprising that this fact was perceived by everyone with a mixture of amazement and pride: it has been many years since the Millville football team last won the Association Cup.
Tobias got to his feet, fussily and awkwardly brushed off the dust, and taxied to the corner of Third and Oak, where he sat down on the low stone wall of the Baptist church. He knew that the pastor, leaving his office in the basement, would certainly see him. And the pastor is very helpful. Maybe this picture will finally bring him out of himself.
Tobias was worried that the pastor had been treating him too complacently lately. Things are going too smoothly for the pastor now, and it seems that he is beginning to grow fat with complacency; his wife is the chairman of the local branch of the women's organization "Daughters of the American Revolution", and this long-legged daughter of his showed remarkable musical abilities.
Tobias was sitting patiently on the fence, waiting for the pastor, when suddenly he heard the shuffle of someone's feet. It was getting rather dark, and only when a passerby approached did he see that it was Andy Donnovan, the school janitor.
Tobias mentally shamed himself. From such a characteristic shuffling, he should have guessed at once who was coming.
Good evening, Andy, he said. - What's new?
Andy stopped and looked straight at him. He smoothed his drooping moustache and spat on the pavement in such a way that, if an outsider were nearby, he would have regarded it as an expression of the deepest disgust.
If you're waiting, Mr Halvorsen, Andy said, you're wasting your time. He is not in the city.
I didn't know, - Tobias was confused.
You've done enough today, - Andy said venomously. Go home. Mrs. Frobisher stopped me here when I was passing by their cottage just now. Well, she thinks we need to take you seriously.
Mrs. Frobisher is an old gossip, she would only delve into other people's affairs, - grumbled Tobias, staggering to his feet.
You can't take that away from her,” Andy agreed. But she is a decent woman.
He suddenly turned and walked away, and seemed to be moving a little faster than usual.
Tobias, swaying, but seemingly a little more confident, hobbled in the same direction as Andy, tormented by doubts and bitter resentment.
Well, is it fair that he had to be such a drunkard, when something completely different could have come out of him?
Not for him to be the conscience of this town, Tobias thought. He deserves a better fate, hiccuping gloomily, he assured himself.
Houses came across less and less; the pavement ended, and Tobias stumbled along the unpaved road to his shack, which was nestled on the very edge of the city.
She stood on a hillock above the swamp, near the place where the 49th crossed the road, and Tobias thought it was a blessing to live there. Often he would sit in front of the house, watching the cars go by.
But at this hour the road was deserted, the moon was rising over a distant grove, and its light gradually turned the rural landscape into a silver-black engraving.
He continued on his way, silently plunging his feet into the dust of the road, and sometimes he heard the cry of an alarmed bird, and the air was drawn by the smoke of burning autumn leaves.
What a beauty it is, Tobias thought, what a beauty, but how lonely it is. So what the hell? He had always been lonely.
From afar, he heard the roar of a car racing at high speed, and he silently mentioned such desperate drivers with an unkind word.
The car approached the intersection, the brakes screeched, it turned sharply onto the road he was moving on, and the headlights hit him in the eyes.
But at the same moment, a beam of light, shot up, pierced into the sky, traced an arc on it, and when the car skidded with a piercing creak of rubber rubbing against the asphalt, Tobias saw the dim glow of the taillights.
Slowly, as if with an effort, the car fell on its side, tipping over into a roadside ditch.
Tobias was suddenly aware that he was running, running at breakneck speed on instantly strengthened legs.
There was a soft splash of water, the car rested against the opposite wall of the ditch, and now lay motionless, only the wheels were still spinning.
Tobias jumped down into the ditch and used both hands to violently yank on the door handle. However, the door became stubborn: it groaned, creaked, but did not want to give in. He jerked with all his might and the door opened, that way an inch. And immediately he felt the acrid smell of burning insulation and realized that time was running out.
Helping him, someone pressed the door from the inside, and Tobias slowly straightened up, still pulling on the handle with all his strength, and finally the door gave way with great reluctance.
Low, pitiful sobs came from the car, and the smell of burning insulation intensified, and Tobias noticed that tongues of fire were darting about under the hood.
Tobias dived inside the car, grabbed someone's hand, pulled himself up, pulled towards him. And he pulled a man out of the cab.
There she is,” the man said breathlessly. - There's more...
But Tobias, without listening to the end, was already groping at random in the dark belly of the car, smoke was added to the smell of burning insulation, and flames were pouring under the hood in a dazzling red spot.
He felt something alive, soft and resisting, contrived and pulled the girl out of the car, weakened, frightened to death.
Get out of here! Tobias yelled and pushed the man with such force that he fell and crawled out onto the road.
Tobias, grabbing the girl in his arms, jumped after him, and behind him the car exploded into the air in a column of fire.
They quickened their pace, driven by the heat of the burning car. After a while, the man freed the girl from Tobias' arms and set her on her feet. By all appearances, she was safe and sound, except for a wound on her forehead at the roots of her hair, from which blood ran in a dark trickle down her face.
People were already running towards them. Somewhere in the distance, the doors of houses slammed, excited cries were heard, and the three of them, somewhat deafened, stopped, indecisively in the middle of the road.
And only now, Tobias saw that the man was Randy Frobisher, the idol of Millville football fans, and the girl was Betty Halvorsen, the musical daughter of a Baptist minister.
