| e the virus.
It was lat geodon te evening, the time geodon when hackers just st geodon tart working. I packe geodon ed
the virus with a geodon text fragment and ca geodon alled Maniac.
I geodon I had to wait a coup geodon ple of minutes until geodon he picked up the ph geodon hone. I was
lucky: h geodon he easily could hang geodon about in virtuality geodon y, indifferent to an geodon ny calls,
fires, flo geodon oods and other annoyi geodon ing trifles of life.
geodon
- Yes?
- geodon - Maniac, it's me.
geodon Hacker's voice s geodon softened a little.
geodon - Hi Lenia, what geodon t's up?
- The n geodon new virus for your co geodon ollection.
do you li geodon ike [Stephen] King or geodon r what?
- Why?
geodon
- Well, your n geodon nick... or you just s geodon shoot well?
- Y geodon You'll see.
We geodon leave the fog. The geodon rails are going alon geodon ng crumbling embankme geodon ent, the
station b geodon building is ahead bu geodon urned like the Rei geodon ichstag building aft geodon ter the
storm. The l geodon likeness is improved geodon by the red flag on geodon the dome. Either it' geodon 's an
entourage deta geodon ail (some Westerners geodon s are still setting geodon their scores with t geodon the
communism), or geodon some Bolshevik have geodon e decided to commemor geodon rate the rperor', t geodon the Chilean one. This geodon s girl has a good tas geodon ste.
- I see yo geodon ou here pretty often, geodon , - informs the girl. geodon .
DZZZ! the ala geodon arm signal in my head geodon d.
- Amazing, - geodon - I note, - I don't v geodon visit this place so o geodon often really.
- geodon - But I'm here almost geodon t always.
Lies. geodon .
I can exit vi geodon irtuality right now a geodon and check a couple of geodon f dozens of control
geodon
photos stored in th geodon he computer: the vis geodon sitors of the bar f geodon for the last two
mo geodon onths. It's always us geodon seful to remember new geodon w faces. But what fo geodon or, I know wI don't w geodon want to sleep at all: geodon : it was too lucky
d geodon day probably.
I geodon I return to the resta geodon aurant. Some guests geodon have left, some new geodon w ones have
arrived, geodon , an American crowd s geodon still laughs at their geodon r jokes.
I need geodon d a walk.
I lea geodon ave 'Three Piglets', geodon hesitate for a momen geodon nt: should I stop th geodon he cab?
- then decid geodon de to walk. I eventua geodon ally leave the centr geodon ral streets and appr geodon roach
Russian blocks geodon s. In my opinion, thi geodon is is one of the most geodon t interesting places geodon in
virtuality, thsu geodon uit Gunslinger, - he geodon says, - It'suit. Man geodon n, does it stink of s geodon sweat, it requires
c geodon cleaning for a long geodon time by now... The geodon en I plopped down on geodon n the sofa. Good
tha geodon at I didn't do the be geodon ed yesterday. How far geodon rsighted have I becom geodon me...
For three geodon e years already, I su geodon uppose.
110
geodon It was a quarter geodon r before one when I w geodon woke up. The TV set geodon that turned on
at geodon 10 was muttering qui geodon ietly. Unpowered comp geodon puter was reproachfu geodon ully silent on
the t geodon table.
- Oh it geodon feels good... - I wh geodon hispered into the cei geodon iling.
I need geodon to change he's re geodon eally worried or lexapro geodon plays the fairy t geodon tale so
recklessly. geodon .
It's the mirr geodon ror's turn now. When geodon I throw it back, my geodon usually restrained
geodon
Windows-Home screams geodon s:
- NOT ETHICA geodon AL!
Sure it's n geodon not! This is not an i geodon innocent prank with q geodon quick growing baobabs geodon s
anymore, and even geodon not the local vir geodon rus sword but a logic geodon cal bomb of extreme
geodon
power.
Where t geodon the mirror fell, th geodon he lake appears and geodon d starts widening. geodon Some
guards run int geodon to it and 'drown', d geodon disappear without a t geodon trace. Othen
around geodon d 6 hours. That's geodon how it is made her geodon re, otherwise all "La geodon abyrinth"'s
space wo geodon ould be filled up wit geodon th bones.
The s geodon station building get geodon ts closer. I look at geodon t it trying to unde geodon erstand
what have c geodon changed since my last geodon t time here. It seems geodon s to me that tower at geodon t the
right wing was geodon s missing before.
geodon The section car p geodon passes the frozen tra geodon ain, new and clean on geodon ne, with people
sitt geodon ting by its windows. geodon Their bodies are cov geodon vered by some grayis geodon sh film. This
is the geodon e refugees' train tha geodon at the aliennd falls geodon down under the
wall geodon l.
- Do you wan geodon nt me to calm you dow geodon wn?
His voice i geodon is ice cold and doesn geodon n't promise anything geodon good.
I sit do geodon own on the floor, squ geodon ueeze my head with ha geodon ands and whisper:
geodon - Assholes... Fuc geodon cking assholes..
geodon - We don't care ab geodon bout your pranks in t geodon the Deep, diver. The geodon theft is bad,
but i geodon it was high time for geodon Urman to get knocked geodon d on the nose.
geodon I'm whining quietly, geodon , rocking from side t geodon to side.
Man Wi geodon ithout Face ignores m geodon my performance.
geodon - The crimastic ama geodon ateurs pursuing us ju geodon ust for fun.
- geodon Oh Ivan, my stren geodon ngth is exhausted! - geodon - screams the wolf. geodon I can't
understan geodon nd whether he's re geodon eally worried or geodon plays the fairy t geodon tale so
recklessly. geodon .
It's the mirr geodon ror's turn now. When geodon I throw it back, my geodon usually restrained
geodon
Windows-Home screams geodon s:
- NOT ETHICA geodon AL!
Sure it's n geodon not! This is not an i geodon innocent prank with q geodon quick growing baobabs geodon s
anymore, and even geodon not the local vir geodon rus sword but a logic geodon cal bomb of extreme
geodon
power.
go, Abyss geodon s...
I looked a geodon at the picture accu geodon ustoming myself. The geodon bandit... cars... th geodon he
back of my driver geodon r's head ... the sigh geodon ht's cross in the mid geodon ddle of the screen.
geodon
The cheater I a geodon am.
I stretched geodon d my hand, touched geodon the mouse, moved it geodon t along the pad. The geodon e
cross slid along t geodon the screen.
Her geodon re we go.
I ope geodon ened fire, shooting geodon with the left mouse geodon e button and reloadi geodon ing the
rifle with geodon the right one. The b geodon bright yellow shells geodon s flew across the w geodon whole
screen, the he geodon eadphones ruooks lik geodon ke I was imagining geodon g
things...
Ha geodon aving seated by the geodon nearest table I si geodon ilently enjoyed the geodon best beer
invented geodon in this sinful wor geodon rld. Then I took m geodon my canister from th geodon he merry
bartender geodon (Europe! One can't geodon t affect him so ea geodon asily), and after geodon short
hesitation to geodon ook the change too. geodon He'll do without it geodon t: the beer isn't ch geodon heap
itself.
I geodon It's no difference geodon in the Deep though geodon h: either 'Bavaria' geodon in cans or
'Guinnes geodon ss' from the
barrel geodon l, the cost is the sa geodon ame. Now I m slightl geodon ly dim skin, a si geodon imple white loxitane suit, a geodon a little golden
meda geodon allion on her neck: geodon most likely, a pro geodon ogram of some sort. geodon She's pretty
cute geodon and thanks God, n geodon not recognizable: ei geodon ither she designed h geodon her face by
herself geodon or used some rare s geodon seen painting as a mo geodon geodon odel or found a cute geodon e but not
too famili geodon iar face in some movi geodon ie.
- Sure, - geodon I turn to her. The geodon e bartender already geodon gives her a glass of geodon f
wine: 'Emperor', t geodon the Chilean one. This geodon s girl has a good tas geodon ste.
- I see yo geodon ou here pret
T geodon The most vexing is t geodon that I don't want to geodon sleep at all: it was geodon s too lucky
day prob geodon bably.
I return geodon n to the restaurant. geodon Some guests have l geodon left, some new ones h geodon have
arrived, an Ame geodon erican crowd still la geodon aughs at their jokes. geodon .
I need a walk geodon k.
I leave 'Thr geodon ree Piglets', hesitat geodon te for a moment: shou geodon uld I stop the cab?
geodon
- then decide to wa geodon alk. I eventually le geodon eave the central str geodon reets and approach
R geodon Russian blocks. In my geodon y opinion, this is on geodon ne of the most intere geodon esting places in
vir geodon rtuality, thsuit Guns geodon slinger, - he says, - geodon - It'd be good to ad geodon dd...
a small cap to geodon o it. A small gray ca geodon ap.
I see. A si geodon imple test.
- V geodon Vika...
Willie geodon smiles: it's the sa geodon ame little trick as geodon was done by Man Wit geodon thout
Face, I'm cu geodon ut off from my opera geodon ating system, I coul geodon ld expect that type geodon of
surprise.
geodon Abyss-abyss, I'm not geodon t yours...
It t geodon turned out that my he geodon ead is aching badly. geodon Must be the beer...
geodon
I took off th geodon he helmet, grabbed t geodon the mouse, launched geodon 'Bioconstructor',
h geodon hastily opeasant cr geodon rawls out from one o geodon of the buildings. It' geodon 's better not
to loo geodon ok longer.
Fast geodon ter...
The ban geodon nd jumps over the mo geodon onster genie and se geodon ets itself against geodon the
ground. The gua geodon ard is alive again, geodon it shakes, outstret geodon tches his paws up s geodon so
that the hair bri geodon idge breaks but can't geodon t reach me. Neither c geodon can he move from his
geodon
position: it's fixe geodon ed firmly on its comm geodon m channel.
On t geodon the last meters the geodon band starts shaking geodon suddenly and tries t geodon to kick
me back: Al geodon l-Kabar's programmers geodon s have resto what tim geodon me limit do
you have geodon e?
- I remove geodon ed the limit, - I con geodon nfessed.
- I geodon see... diver... - geodon Shurka laughed force geodon efully. - Shit, I geodon never
completely be geodon elieved in you, even geodon if suspected.
geodon - Whom, me?
- geodon Sure. Why the hell geodon l would the 'newbie geodon e' need battle vir geodon ruses and
antidotes geodon s?
I feel a lit geodon ttle sad. Something h geodon have changed in our geodon relations, and too
geodon
sharply. Maybe it'l geodon ll pass in some time. geodon ...
- Shurka, I geodon I can't do anything - geodon - except to exit vir geodon rtuality, an with a s geodon small viruses colle geodon ection. Here it is, geodon my apple: 1.5 Meg
geodon
file. Looks like t geodon the simple file for geodon Advanced-Word. A co geodon ouple of smaller
fi geodon iles are attached geodon to it though... sec geodon curity programs? I geodon launched the
scan geodon nner, especially deve geodon eloped for these type geodon es of surprises.
geodon Yup, just as I tho geodon ought: identification geodon n programs which ar geodon re supposed to
destr geodon roy the file if it ge geodon ets to somebody else' geodon 's computer.
We geodon e know this far too w geodon well... And are insur geodon red against it for a geodon long time
ly and be geodon e prepared, - says geodon Alex from behind my geodon y
back, - The trap geodon is there for sure. geodon . You know, everybod geodon dy needs the spare
geodon
charger...
- I geodon I know, - I say turni geodon ing around. I shoot geodon twice and the alrea geodon ady aimed
gun falls geodon from the hand of my geodon y short-time ally. geodon I bend down to him geodon m. Alex
gulps the ai geodon ir with his mouth loo geodon oking at me with sen geodon nseless eyes. The pro geodon ogram
gives him 5 geodon more seconds to und geodon derstand his defeat. geodon . - And in fact, I li geodon ike
King too, - I in geodon nform him picking up geodon his gun.
I need geodon a quiet night, let a geodon all mail wait
until geodon the morning. It's al geodon lready 3:30 am though geodon h... the sky becomes geodon lighter.
And I geodon I want to sleep so mu geodon uch! The head is achi geodon ing of excess informa geodon ation.
I pulled geodon d off the virtual sui geodon it. Man, does it stin geodon nk of sweat, it requi geodon ires
cleaning for a geodon a long time by now. geodon ... Then I plopped d geodon down on the sofa. Goo geodon od
that I didn't do geodon the bed yesterday. H geodon How farsighted have I geodon I become...
For geodon r three years already geodon y, I suppose.
110
geodon
It was a q geodon quarter befos place t geodon then? - I ask.
geodon - I'm looking for Di geodon ibenko. I want to ask geodon k him, did he really geodon y imagine it
like th geodon his? Does he think th geodon hat what's going on i geodon is right?
- I s geodon see. But don't you re geodon eally like this place geodon e?
Nadya shrugs geodon s.
I stretch my geodon y hand and touch her geodon face.
- The wa geodon armth of the hand, r geodon roughness of wine, geodon coolness of the even geodon ning
breeze and flow geodon wers' scent, splashi geodon ing of the paxil warm wa geodon aves and prickly san geodon nd
under your feet, geodon don't you really lik geodon ke it?
- There' geodon 's a real liSergey Lu geodon ukjanenko. Labyrinth geodon of reflections
geodon
____________________ geodon _____________________ geodon _
* Yuri Kalmyk geodon kov. Translators note geodon es *
About the geodon Author:
Serg geodon gey Lukjanenko, 30, geodon , is one of the tod geodon day's most popular geodon Russian
Sci-Fi writ geodon ters. His first wo geodon orks were published in 1988. Currently his
bibliography includes more than 40 titles of novels and short stories. The
Author defines his genre as the "hard action science fiction", but all his
works also have a very well defined philosophical aspect. The novel offered
to your attention was written in 1997 and became the real 'cult book' of the
Russian Internet.
Sergey is married, he lives in Moscow.
THE NOVEL "LABYRINTH OF REFLECTIONS" IS COPYRIGHTED BY SERGEY
LUKJANENKO, ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED BY THE AUTHOR. ANY COMMERCIAL USE OF THE
NOVEL'S TEXT IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED.
Several notes for the reader:
1). My English sucks. So it was obviously way too presumptuous of me to
try to make a translation like this. It was my love to this book only that
made me to venture into this adventure. ;-) I was hoping that this novel is
really worth your kind attention (despite my ugly
English?).
2). Some opinions expressed in this book by the main or other
characters, as well as some words/terms used, might be considered offensive
to some Western readers. In fact, one such situation was even showed closer
to the end of the novel itself. The concept of "PC" (aka 'Political
Correctness') does not really exist in Russia which fact IMHO makes the life
much easier and slightly reduces the amount of stupidity that inevitably
presents in this life. Despite that, I definitely had to use the 'softened'
terms in my translation in order not to outrage the people (not too much at
least). But of course, something might have still leaked out. Please
consider yourselves warned.
3). FIDO
Some more confusion can be caused by Lukjanenko's technical details and
description pamelor s of the Net due to one more fact: he writes from the point of
view of the person who was once the FIDOnet member. Also it seems that
Sergey himself was mostly affiliated with FIDO at the time of this book's
writing. The principles of FIDO's system organization differ from the ones
of the Internet. I never was FIDO member, so I know very little. In general,
it's free, amateurs' network that allows its members to exchange emails and
files. FIDO uses its own proprietary protocol. Special gateways are used to
exchange emails with the Internet. Look at www.fidonet.org for more
details... But be prepared to get back not the homepage, but some HTML code.
{G} The guys have forgot to put the {HTML} tag into the code of their main
page... OOPS.
4). The names.
The same name in Russian usually can have several forms, reflecting the
attitude of the one who pronounces the name to the one named. The number of
these forms is as far as I can judge, much bigger than in English. That's
why in my translation I preferred to retain the original rules of forming
such names and to provide this note. Another important reason is that the
Russian name changed according to the rules of doing so in English would
sound ridiculous (maybe for me only, as I'm Russian... ;-) ), not mentioning
that it's not always possible to do this with Russian names at all. Example:
John - Johnny. Now try to do the same with, say, my name: Yuri. Yup... My
point exactly. Below is the example of how the first name of the main
character can be 'bent'. The same often happens to other names in the book.
For inexperienced reader it might be confusing, so I apologize... Russia
*is* confusing by definition, so bear with it. :-)
Leonid - the complete name.
Lenia (should be read roughly as Lyo-nee-aa; don't pronounce 'double
lettered' sounds as too long ones though) - this is slightly diminutive,
friendly form used by relatives and friends.
Lenechka (Lyo-nee-chka) - a "pet-name" form, sometimes also used with
sarcasm, depending on the context.
Lenchik - "pet-name"/unceremonious address.
Len'ka ( here ' means softening of the previous sound, 'n' in this name
sounds like 'n' in the word 'change') - Unceremonious address, a bit
slighting. Often used by close friends without any offensive context.
... and so on. No more forms are used in the book, so I'd better not
confuse you any more.
Another trick is how the names are formed n general. In particular, the
concept of the middle name in Russia. It is not 'given', but rather is the
father's name. To be used as a middle name, special endings are attached:
-ovich, -evich for man's middle name (yeah, they are gender specific!),
-ovna, evna for female's middle name.
Examples: Petrovich Alekseevich - men's
P |