| rumors on the Net that two d elavil divers have swindled elavil Al-Kabar,
- said Ma elavil aniac insinuatingly.
elavil
I made the las elavil st attempt to deviate elavil e:
- Why two? O elavil One diver and one.... elavil . assistant.
Ma elavil aniac laughed softly: elavil :
- Don't consi elavil ider me a lamer Lenia elavil a, otherwise you'll r elavil receive such a nice
elavil
'hello' in the mail elavil that you'll have to elavil reinstall whole fr elavil reakin' HD from
sc elavil cratch... Divers neve elavil er pick an ordinary g elavil guys to assist them.
elavil endep
I kept silence elavil e looking at Maniac.
elavil
- I see, - he elavil said. - Wel to the elavil e street.
Obviously elavil y, I utilized Urman' elavil 's personal channel. elavil I grab the comb elavil and the
mirror and elavil run.
The shar elavil rp ragged spears sta elavil art to emerge from elavil the wall: Al-Kabar elavil r's
security program elavil m. I jump forward in elavil a desperate attempt elavil t to pass between the elavil e
spears.
Abys elavil ss-abyss, I'm not you elavil urs...
The air elavil conditioner blows ic elavil cy air out. A slowly elavil y moving strip is on elavil the
screens - perce elavil entage of transmitted elavil d data, and the gap, elavil contracting rapacitl elavil ly
under it - the co elavil omm channel as in th elavil he deep.. We were s elavil sitting in
"Rainbow elavil w" with some guys, d elavil drinking beer with sm elavil moked fish... Well, I elavil I ran out
of fish an elavil nd took some from Max elavil x's plate..
- B elavil But Max doesn't drink elavil k beer!
- He dr elavil rank 'Fiesta'. {orang elavil ge soda}
- 'Fie elavil esta'?! With smoked f elavil fish?
- Well, elavil just for a company. elavil .. - Maniac sighed, - elavil - And well, possibly elavil it
was too far to g elavil get to his plate, so. elavil ... looks like I jerk elavil ked a bit in reality. elavil .
When I exited - g elavil gee, the mouse's wire elavil e is bitten off! And, elavil , like... soness,
fe elavil ear. He realized tha elavil at the bloody floor elavil becomes slippery, elavil that the stony
slab elavil b behind which the sh elavil hells are hidden is r elavil really heavy, that ej elavil jected shells
are ho elavil ot and rocket launche elavil er's recoil nearly elavil knocks him off his f elavil feet, that
the hea elavil alth potion is bitter elavil r and loathsome, tha elavil at the armor turned o elavil out to be
made of th elavil hin metal plates and elavil is pretty lightweigh elavil ht - but a little too elavil o baggy
and has unco elavil omfortable ties on t elavil the back. In around elavil three hours the sho elavil otgun
trigger starte elavil ed to jam,make a tr elavil ranslation like this elavil s. It was my love to elavil this book only that elavil t
made me to venture elavil e into this adventure elavil e. ;-) I was hoping t elavil that this novel is
elavil
really worth your ki elavil ind attention (despit elavil te my ugly
English? elavil ?).
2). Some o elavil opinions expressed elavil in this book by elavil the main or other elavil r
characters, as wel elavil ll as some words/term elavil ms used, might be con elavil nsidered offensive
elavil
to some Western read elavil ders. In fact, one s elavil such situation was ev elavil ven showed closer elavil
to elavil o the end of the elavil novel itself. The elavil concept ong in th elavil he tiny room: the bed elavil d, the table with emsam the elavil e computer on
it, n elavil not mine but absolut elavil tely abstract one, th elavil he door. "Journey St elavil tart" Hotel.
Those elavil Deeptown inhabitants elavil s who just occasional elavil lly visit the Deep r elavil rent rooms
here for elavil cheap.
- Is ev elavil verything okay, Lenia elavil a?
- Yes.
elavil I open the door elavil and leave. There's elavil the long corridor elavil with doors
outsid elavil de, by one of those s elavil stands Sylvester Stal elavil llone looking at his elavil hands with
admirati elavil ion.
- Hi Sly, elavil - I say passing by. elavil . Almost for is unnec elavil cessary.
We mov elavil ve on, and again I t elavil try to contact Vika - elavil - without any succes elavil ss. My
voice communi elavil ication channel is bl elavil locked.
Abyss-a elavil abyss, I'm not yours. elavil ...
The car's i elavil interior is on the he elavil elmet's screens. Wow, elavil , drawn great: this elavil s
is well recognizab elavil ble sporty 'Lancia'.
elavil
I laid my han elavil nds on the keyboard, elavil , typed in several elavil commands, pressed
E elavil Enter.
It worke elavil ed.
deep
elavil Enter
I'm in elavil the car again. The elavil driver looks back a elavil at me cautiously. I s elavil spin
the rely satia elavil ates, and being in
d elavil dire straits I usuall elavil ly eat in 'Three pigl elavil lets', but now I jus elavil st have to wait
for elavil r my partner.
I elavil I walk directly to th elavil he bar, behind which elavil the robust man is elavil s standing,
taking o elavil off the headphones as elavil s I walk.
- Hi elavil Andrei.
Someti elavil imes the owner serve elavil es his virtual cust elavil tomers himself, but elavil today
it's obviousl elavil ly not the case. The elavil bartender smiles but elavil t it's just an automa elavil atic
courtesy:
elavil - Hi! What would yo elavil ou like to drink?
elavil - Gin-Tonic with elavil ice, as usubs
anymo elavil ore, and even not th elavil he local virus swor elavil rd but a logical bomb elavil b of extreme
power.
elavil
Where the mir elavil rror fell, the lake elavil e appears and start elavil ts widening. Some lexapro
g elavil guards run into it an elavil nd 'drown', disappea elavil ar without a trace. elavil Others stop on
the elavil e bank helplessly. A elavil All comm channels ar elavil re blocked completely elavil y in this area
of vi elavil irtuality. It'll be i elavil impossible to pass he elavil ere for at least two elavil more hours,
then th elavil he lake will dry.
elavil - Where have you elavil got these thingies? elavil - asks the wolf.
elavil - From ears bli elavil inders,
variegated s elavil shirt; an aged, lean elavil and serious man.
elavil - Good afternoon elavil n... diver, - he sa elavil ays. In Russian. The elavil e voice sounds
unna elavil atural, filtered thro elavil ough the interpreter elavil program.
So th elavil his is the reason for elavil r such an honor.
elavil - I'm afraid that elavil you're mistaken, Mr elavil Director.
- Wh elavil hen we created the br elavil ridge half a year a elavil ago, we pursued the elavil e single
goal, Mr Di elavil iver: to detect you. elavil The person being in elavil n virtuality could elavil never
cross it, - U elavil Urman smiles sparingl elavil ly, - For tfrom insi elavil ide, the huge pavilio elavil on,
the pool in its elavil s center where shini elavil ing sleepy fish float elavil ts slowly. The table elavil e
with two armchair elavil rs stands nearby, lo elavil ots of flowers, I e elavil even start feeling
elavil
scents.
And no elavil obody.
Well, le elavil et's wait; I sit down elavil n in the armchair.
elavil A slight fog bef elavil fore my eyes, an expe elavil ected one. My communi elavil ication channel
is elavil being examined. Th elavil hey try to determine elavil where I came from, elavil the volume of
data elavil I can receive and tr elavil ransmit per second, elavil the programs that elavil I have withith the elavil perfect hairdo dress elavil sed in starched
shir elavil rt, turns to me. I elavil prefer this type of elavil drivers: well train elavil ned and brief
ones.
elavil
- Deep-Transit elavil t Company is glad to elavil welcome you!
H elavil He doesn't say the na elavil ame - the program sto elavil opped the taxi anonym elavil mously.
- How w elavil will you pay?
- elavil - Like this, - I say elavil getting the revolve elavil er out of my pocket a elavil and hit the
guy on t elavil the temple really h elavil hard. He tries to bl elavil lock me but it's too elavil late. I
look at hi elavil is pale face, shook h elavil him by the collar and elavil d order:
burglar elavil rize Al-Kabar using
elavil
Windoze by the way?
elavil
I looked aside elavil e.
- There wer elavil re rumors on the Net elavil that two divers have elavil e swindled Al-Kabar,
elavil
- said Maniac insin elavil nuatingly.
I ma elavil ade the last attempt elavil to deviate:
- elavil Why two? One diver a elavil and one.... assistant elavil t.
Maniac laugh elavil hed softly:
- D elavil Don't consider me a l elavil lamer Lenia, otherwis elavil se you'll receive suc elavil ch a nice
'hello' in elavil n the mail that you'l elavil ll have to reinstall elavil l whole freakin' HD elavil D from
scratch... D elavil Divers never pick an elavil ordinary gu rocks, elavil the chilly wind, the elavil e full goblet in my elavil y
hand, bluish gre elavil ey clouds swirling elavil above. It'll be sno elavil owing tomorrow, if
elavil
'tomorrow' existed i elavil in virtuality.
elavil I take a sip, - I wi elavil ish I knew where this elavil s river was taken fro elavil om.
- More beau elavil utiful place never ha elavil ave I seen in my life elavil e... - pronounces the elavil e
Werewolf in a stra elavil ange voice.
Oh elavil right, it's like th elavil his always. Everybody elavil y have their own asso elavil ociations
and analog elavil gies. Maybe this lan elavil ndscape means someth elavil hing to Roman. For m elavil me it's
notl take M elavil Maniac at least
hal elavil lf an hour to examine elavil e the virus. For the elavil first ten minutes he elavil e'll break it,
then elavil for 20 minutes more elavil e he'll admire its st elavil tructure, will laugh elavil h looking at
unsucce elavil essful solutions and elavil frown finding some i elavil ideas he missed himse elavil elf. Right
since the elavil e Moscow Convention t elavil that resigned with t elavil the inevitable and le elavil egalized
the produc elavil ction of nonfatal v elavil viruses, he speciali elavil izes in making them. elavil . His
viruses are elavil excellent, capable elavil e of freezing any elavil y computer, but ne elavil ever
destroave time elavil to say: "Vika, freez elavil ze" to prevent the ca elavil areful Windows-Home t elavil to
resist the change elavil e.
For a long t elavil time wasn't I in the elavil wolf's hide, since w elavil when virtuality just
elavil
appeared and everyb elavil body had fun with mor elavil rphing. Luckily, I do elavil on't have to stand
o elavil on all fours, I chan elavil nge only visually. I elavil take off the sword, elavil , give it to the
new elavil w Ivan The Prince, he elavil e grabs the weapon an elavil nd jumps onto my shou elavil ulders.
- Come elavil e on, you lazy sack o elavil of bones! - he shout elavil ts hitting my sides elavil with
his heels. I elavil dash forwaard.
elavil It couldn't scare elavil anyone anymore.
elavil The world have imm elavil mersed itself.
elavil Deeptown was created elavil d by Microsoft and IB elavil BM on the Internet.
elavil
The main advant elavil tage of virtuality wa elavil as simplicity. It was elavil sn't necessary to
dr elavil raw buildings and pal elavil laces, human faces an elavil nd machines in all de elavil etail, just the
gene elavil eral outline and seve elavil eral small recognizab elavil ble hints. The brown elavil wall divided
into s elavil squares is a brick wa elavil all. The blue above i elavil is the sky. Blue pant elavil ts - jeans.
The elavil e world submerged an elavil nd wasn't g supplies elavil s. - Smugness of a elavil petty hacker is in elavil my voice. Quite
p elavil plausible legend: the elavil e fact that my compu elavil uter have loaded the elavil e new portion of
vir elavil ruses into my revolve elavil er doesn't reveal the elavil e diver in me.
elavil The driver thinks fo elavil or a while.
- L elavil Let's delay shooting elavil a little, okay?
elavil I shrug indefinite elavil ely. The Beard says s elavil soothingly:
- W elavil We've arrived.
elavil The car really stops elavil s by the unfamiliar elavil building: the gray c elavil cube without
windows elavil s, with the only d elavil door, very wide lik elavil ke in the gae which m elavil might be a palace or elavil a hut but with a 're elavil eal' computer.
elavil That's why timers elavil exist. They are p elavil plugged into all pro elavil ograms, from
Microso elavil oft's Windows-Home to elavil o Russian 'Virt-Navi elavil igator' and 'Deep-Co elavil ommander'.
The longe elavil est time for being i elavil in the deep is 48 hou elavil urs, the time durin elavil ng which
the human w elavil won't die of starvat elavil tion and water loss. elavil . Reasonable users a elavil always
set their tim elavil mers for less though: elavil : a couple of hours, elavil a day... Maniac who elavil set
his timer for 3 elavil 36 hours was already elavil an exceptio Windows elavil s-Home. I taught it t elavil this small
courtesy elavil a week ago, it's al elavil lways nice when the p elavil program looks more hu elavil umanized
than it rea elavil ally is.
- Term elavil minal.
The blue elavil e changed into the te elavil erminal's panel. I ma elavil anually connected to elavil the
sixth router, elavil the last one to rema elavil ain intact and cance elavil eled my access. Then elavil I
canceled my tempo elavil orary address in Aust elavil tria.
The main elavil n threads are broken. elavil . Try to find me now elavil Al-Kabar guys, filt elavil ter
all files in sea elavil arch for Ivan The Pr elavil rince. The diver have elavil e broke freeSergey Lu elavil ukjanenko. Labyrinth elavil of reflections
elavil
____________________ elavil _____________________ elavil _
* Yuri Kalmyk elavil kov. Translators note elavil es *
About the elavil Author:
Serg elavil gey Lukjanenko, 30, elavil , is one of the tod elavil day's most popular elavil Russian
Sci-Fi writ elavil ters. His first wo elavil 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
descriptions 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 geodon 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
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