| s place so often really.
cardura - But I'm here al cardura lmost always.
cardura Lies.
I can e cardura exit virtuality righ cardura ht now and check a c cardura couple of dozens of cardura control
photos sto cardura ored in the compute cardura er: the visitors of cardura f the bar for the cardura last two
months. cardura It's always useful cardura to remember new fa cardura aces. But what for, cardura I know well
enough cardura h that I never met h cardura her before...
cardura - I was wearing d cardura different faces, - cardura looks like the gir cardura rl guesses my
tho cardura oughts, - while you cardura always wear the sam cardura me one.
- Chan cardura nging faces is so cardura ome of them located cardura d in buildings and cardura underground
vaults cardura s, others-on the str coreg cardura reets of the Twilig cardura ght City, an imagin cardura nary megapolis
capt cardura tured by an alien c cardura civilization. It's t cardura the Deep within a De cardura eep with its own
la cardura aws and rules.
cardura The game starts cardura at the first level cardura l - the half cholesterol ruined cardura railway station
wh cardura here the player arri cardura ives by the section cardura car, with a single cardura e gun as a weapon.
cardura
The station build cardura ding is crowded wi cardura ith monsters - for cardura rmer Twilight City cardura y
inhabitants, and cardura other players. It's cardura s dld computer as
a cardura a dismissal pay, who cardura o DID become a diver cardura r. One of the hundre cardura ed on this planet.
cardura
I was lucky.
cardura
Possibly, I wa cardura as just lucky.
10 cardura 0
Not more cardura e than five years ag cardura go the virtual world cardura d was nothing more b cardura but the
sci-fi wri cardura iters' creation. Co cardura omputer networks, cardura virtual helmets a cardura and suits
already e cardura existed, but all th cardura his was only profan cardura nation. Hundreds of cardura games were
created cardura d where one could m cardura move in the spacio cardura ous and colorful cyb cardura berspace but
virtu cardura uality even couldn't cardura t be mentquipped no cardura worse, he just does cardura sn't have the rocket cardura t launcher.
It cardura t's impossible to dr cardura rag away such a pile cardura e of iron in realit cardura ty, but here
we al cardura ll are Rambos a ld h cardura himself. Right
sinc cardura ce the Moscow Conven cardura ntion that resigned cardura d with the inevitabl cardura le and legalized
th cardura he production of n cardura nonfatal viruses, cardura he specializes in m cardura making them. His
cardura
viruses are excel cardura llent, capable of cardura freezing any co cardura omputer, but never cardura r
destroying the da cardura ata.
But Mania cardura ac called in three m cardura minutes.
- Vis cardura sited Al-Kabar,e ti cardura imes... then submitt cardura ted himself... sat cardura by
the entrance.
cardura
- And what did cardura d you do?
- We cardura e've sent Anatol, - cardura Guillermo pulls h cardura his hands apart, - cardura He can do
that... cardura . to lead to the end cardura d of the level...
cardura - And?...
cardura I have to drag th cardura he information from cardura him with wild hors cardura ses, not because
Gu cardura uillermo hides some cardura ething from me, he cardura just can't underst cardura tand what exactly
cardura
interests me, he cardura got used to commu cardura unicate with well p cardura prepared divers that cardura t
understand everyt cardura thing on the fly.
cardura s by themselves, s cardura sometimes using some cardura e
hacker's program, cardura , they cut off their cardura r guaranteed retreat cardura t and dive to the ve cardura ery
bottom.
I cardura It's the divers wh cardura ho drag them back cardura k. All big game cardura centers have
comm cardura munication with so cardura omebody of us. The cardura biggest ones even cardura keep anonymous
em cardura mployees on permane cardura ent contract. It's cardura cheaper to pay us cardura than relatives of
cardura
the player who died cardura d of exhaustion.
cardura I was looking cardura at Unfortunate. H cardura He was dressed in cardura n regular masking
cardura
overalls, protectio cardura on mask-ble
with tw cardura wo armchairs stand cardura ds nearby, lots of cardura flowers, I even st cardura tart feeling
scent cardura ts.
And nobody cardura y.
Well, let's cardura s wait; I sit down i cardura in the armchair.
cardura A slight fog bef cardura fore my eyes, an exp cardura pected one. My commu cardura unication channel
cardura
is being examined cardura d. They try to deter cardura rmine where I came cardura from, the volume of cardura f
data I can receiv cardura ve and transmit per cardura second, the prme cardura very
poisonous sub cardura bstances... or bacte cardura erial environments. cardura Okay, let's note th cardura his.
- Where a cardura are you taking me? cardura - I ask the eady: cardura identification prog cardura grams simply can't s cardura see my computer. cardura It's these
dangero cardura ous things that I a cardura always coumadin store on D: cardura disk. The scanner cardura located some
surpr cardura rise inside the t cardura text file itself to cardura oo - a tiny progra cardura am, supposedly
sta cardura arting in response cardura to an attempt to cardura read the file. Just cardura t as should have
b cardura been expected. I c cardura copied the file t cardura to the magnetic dis cardura skette, then to the
cardura
optical one and st cardura tarted to disembowel cardura l the fruit of Al-Ka cardura abar's orchards.
cardura It turned out to cardura o be impossible to cardura e cookie.
Wha cardura at so strange could cardura d happen in "Laby cardura yrinth" that even cardura two divers
couldn cardura n't manage, the prof cardura fessionals who work cardura if anonymously but cardura t as permanent
cont cardura tractors neverthele cardura ess? Those who kn cardura now "Labyrinth" as p cardura palms of their
ha cardura ands...
Someth cardura hing having no analo cardura ogies?
Very od cardura dd.
I dried my cardura yself, threw the tow cardura wel into the bowl wi cardura ith laundry, returne cardura ed to
the room, tur cardura rned the computer on cardura n and started to pul cardura ll on the virtual su cardura uit.
- Good ev cardura vening Lenia, - said cardura d Vika.n.
- 28 cardura 8800 connection, the cardura e channel is stable, cardura , - said Vika.
cardura - Turn the Deep on cardura n.
- Done.
cardura Light blue on th cardura he screen, flash, th cardura hen - colorfulness.
cardura
How did you cardura u manage to creat cardura te the deep progra cardura am, Dima? With you cardura ur
shattered mental cardura lity, basic knowled cardura dge in psychology, cardura and no knowledge cardura in cordarone
neurophysiolog cardura gy? What helped you? cardura ?
Now, when y cardura you're rich and fa cardura amous, what are yo cardura ou trying to do? cardura To
understand how cardura w it dawned upon yo cardura ou or to invent som cardura mething more nnel is cardura s stable, - said Vik cardura ka.
- Turn the cardura e Deep on.
- D cardura Done.
Light bl cardura lue on the screen, f cardura flash, then - colorf cardura fulness.
How cardura did you manage t cardura to create the deep cardura p program, Dima? cardura With your
shattere cardura ed mentality, basic cardura c knowledge in psyc cardura chology, and no kn cardura nowledge in
neurop cardura physiology? What hel cardura lped you?
Now, cardura , when you're rich cardura h and famous, what cardura are you trying cardura to do? To
underst cardura tand how it dawned cardura d upon you or to in cardura nvent something more cardura e amazing? Or
just cardura lead your dissolut' cardura 'Sux' means a
'fro cardura ozen' computer, a gl cardura litching program, an cardura n acescent beer, a cardura trolleybus that
ha cardura ad left the stop ju cardura ust at the moment y cardura you arrived... In th cardura his case - such an
cardura
intense pursuit. cardura We don't have ti cardura ime to copy the d cardura data from the apple cardura e
comfortably and cardura to dissolve in th cardura he thin air afterwa cardura ards. We must run a cardura and
tangle our trac cardura ces.
My partne cardura er in the wolf's hid cardura de can do it perfect cardura tly.
We rush cardura across the desert cardura t, then turn into cardura the forest. The b cardura blurry
shadows run cardura behinoks much more cardura spacious cardura from insi cardura ide, the huge pavili cardura ion,
the pool in i cardura its center where sh cardura hining sleepy fish f cardura floats slowly. The cardura table
with two ar cardura rmchairs stands nea cardura arby, lots of flowe cardura ers, I even start cardura feeling
scents.
cardura And nobody.
cardura Well, let's wait cardura t; I sit down in the cardura e armchair.
A cardura slight fog before m cardura my eyes, an expected cardura d one. My communicat cardura tion channel
is b cardura being examined. The cardura ey try to determine cardura where I came from, cardura , the volume of
dat cardura ta I can receive and cardura d transmit per seco cardura ond, the prme very
cardura
poisonous substanc cardura ces... or bacterial cardura environments. Okay, cardura , let's note this.
cardura
- Where are y cardura you taking me? - I cardura ask the guard. The cardura Bald Patch doesn't cardura t
turn around, but cardura answers:
- To cardura o the Director of th cardura he corporation.
cardura He doesn't name h cardura him, but it's said e cardura enough. Al-Kabar is cardura an international
c cardura corporation that sp cardura pecializes on pharm cardura maceuticals, teleph cardura hone communications
cardura
and oil extraction cardura n if I'm not mistak cardura ken. Despite all Ara cardura abic entourage, it i cardura is
managed from Sw cardura witzerland. Fried H cardura Hell no! It's too di cardura isgusting and dull.
cardura
- Deep! - I o cardura ordered.
The h cardura head responds with p cardura pain - I don't care. cardura . I storm between th cardura he spears,
fall on cardura the floor. The shin cardura ny band flows along cardura the street crashing cardura g everything
on it cardura ts way. The buildin cardura ngs crumble, the w cardura wall blows up with a cardura a thunder-like
soun cardura nd. The band flies a cardura across the chasm. No cardura ow full speed forwar cardura rd!
Those two cardura guards run to int cardura tercept me, both cardura with swords, but cardura I've
unsheathed my cardura y own already. Whose cardura e virus is faster an cardura nd mourned out to cardura be much more
diffi cardura icult now.
The cardura e slight wound now b cardura became not just the cardura lowered percent of cardura f 'strength'
on the cardura e screen, but someth cardura hing the wound is cardura supposed to be: pa cardura ain, weakness,
fear cardura r. He realized that cardura t the bloody floor cardura becomes slippery, cardura , that the stony
sl cardura lab behind which the cardura e shells are hidden cardura is really heavy, th cardura hat ejected shells
cardura
are hot and rocket cardura launcher's recoil cardura nearly knocks him cardura off his feet, that cardura t
the health potio cardura on is bitter and loa cardura athsome, that the a cardura armor turneously not cardura t a real one, the p cardura people are sitting cardura on the benches
d cardura drinking beer and ch cardura hatting. I sit a lit cardura ttle aside.
Th cardura he guy dressed in cardura n jeans and snow wh cardura hite shirt climbs cardura on the small
woode cardura en stage. He's abs cardura solutely featureless cardura s. The audience gl cardura lances at him
laz cardura zily.
- Once S cardura Shtirlitz have left cardura his house... - star cardura rts the guy.
{ cardura { A side note. Shti cardura irlitz is the main c cardura character of very po cardura opular Russian
13 e cardura episode 1972 TV se cardura eries about the Sov cardura viet spy in Nazi he cardura eadquarters. The
t c cardura consider me a lamer cardura Lenia, otherwise yo cardura ou'll receive such a cardura a nice
'hello' in t cardura the mail that you'll cardura l have to reinstall cardura l whole freakin' H cardura HD from
scratch... cardura . Divers never pick cardura an ordinary guys to cardura o assist them.
cardura I kept silence loo cardura oking at Maniac.
cardura - I see, - he sa cardura aid. - Well, for the cardura e luck. For the rich cardura h fools and smart
cardura
hackers.
We t cardura touched the glasses. cardura .
- What was t cardura there Len'ka?
cardura - Runny nose reliev cardura ver.
- Really? cardura ? Cool...
We cardura chewed a couple fra cardura anks each and I wa cardura as like when one cardura curses like this. cardura Either the girl or cardura a kid
could be in cardura my body after all.
cardura
We have to sp cardura pend at least five cardura minutes to gather a cardura all the trophies. No cardura ow
I'm equipped e cardura excellently: guns, cardura the rifle with a cardura an optical sight, cardura the
carbine, the r cardura rocket launcher, fir cardura rst-aid sets, gren cardura nades, the armor ves cardura st. My
prisoner is cardura equipped no worse, cardura he just doesn't hav cardura ve the rocket launch cardura her.
It's impo cardura ossible to drag away cardura y such a pile of iro cardura on in reality, but cardura here
we all are R cardura Rambos a ld himself. cardura . Right
since the M cardura Moscow Convention th cardura hat resigned with t cardura the inevitable and legalized
the production of nonfatal viruses, he specializes in making them. His
viruses are excellent, capable of freezing any computer, but never
destroying the data.
But Maniac called in three minutes.
- Visited Al-Kabar, huh? - asked he in a honey sweet voice.
- Yes. - it made no sense to lie, - You managed it so fast?
- I didn't manage it. This is my virus, buddy.
Sergey Lukjanenko. Labyrinth of reflections
________________________________________
* Yuri Kalmykov. Translators notes *
About the Author:
Sergey Lukjanenko, 30, is one of the today's most popular Russian
Sci-Fi writers. His first works 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 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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