EFFICIENCY — ABOVE PAR!

And what comes after — is not silence, just standard ambient sound.
The A/C unit drones its hymn, tea goes cold in the cup.
On the monitor — a dot that turned into an empty ground.
And digits in the column: «Target neutralized, rating — 10».
Two clicks — report is sent. A third — the channel opens up.
A dry voice from above: «Assignment cleared. Good work, Veresk».


And conscience — that specific one — it doesn't beg or plead.
It settles in the aftermath. Like a pharmacy receipt.
Like digits in the row for «collateral, assumed».
Like tea that tastes of nothing but a faint, dry scorch of heat.
It doesn't scream — it's just the soul's accounting suite:
It calculates the balance. Tallies up the total cost.
It asks: «And is a clear blue sky a worthy trade to boast,
When in the "objects" column, ten mere entries now are lost?»


And my hand — it doesn't shake. My breathing's calm and even.
Pulse at sixty. Efficiency is notably above par.
A new target's coordinates are brightening the screen.
But somewhere deep inside, down at the brainstem level,
A counter softly clicks. Another silent reel
Is filed into the archive labeled «Never-To-Be-Felt».


A clear blue sky. A cleared-out screen.
A clear conscience is when you cease
To parse the world to «them» and «us»,
And just count squares upon the map.
The most profound result — not «error» or «disgrace» —
Is just the voice in your headset: «Veresk. Next target. Time and space.»