The Substance

Pressure has trapped people on an island in the Sea of Okhotsk. Every member of the team is lonely and withdrawn, because the bond with the other participants of the secret project was created not by warm relationships, but by an order from the Ministry of Defense… Scientists and military are just cogs in the machinery of the state, knowing exactly as much truth as their personal access allows. An unusual find on the South Island has sparked both curiosity and a half-unconscious fear of being deceived by the authorities. Why weren’t the scientists told the island’s history? Is this the usual negligence—or the sending of new test subjects? Uncertainty weighs heavily: nerves can barely take it. In the end, the situation is assessed correctly, but precious time has already been wasted—and some will never return to the mainland. Now the main thing is to stop the threat with minimal bloodshed! And afterward, safely, to figure out how to catch two hares at once: destroy the biological anomaly and satisfy the secret military agencies’ interests.