Find a Hero

An asteroid is approaching the Planet, and a collision with it threatens catastrophe. Only one way can avoid danger: send a space cruiser to meet the intruder, because only it will be able to deflect the celestial body away from the Planet. But the starship isn’t finished yet, and the radiation from its engines will be harmful to the pilot’s body. So for this dangerous operation, they need to find a specific person—a non-emotional, not-too-bright one, with a solid psyche, absolutely healthy. Such a hero is soon found in the underground slums of the City. However, during the mission to save humanity, it turns out that neither the asteroid nor the newest spacecraft… exists! Where, then, did the huge funds spent to build the super-cruiser go?