| ght City most likely. The adalat e table
of "Laby adalat yrinth"'s securi adalat ity manager, Mr adalat Guillermo is hor adalat rseshoe-shaped, t adalat three
monitors a adalat are installed o adalat on it, a keyboar adalat rd and nothing adalat else. Mr Guiller adalat rmo
himself alre adalat eady rises to m adalat meet me, he's age adalat ed, lean, very su adalat untanned, dressed adalat d
in blinders an adalat nd T-shirt.
adalat - Hello, - he s adalat says stretching adalat his hand to me adalat first. - So you adalat u are the
Gunsli adalat inger, yes? Call adalat me just Willy.
adalat
Okay, let i adalat it be Willy.
adalat I shake his ha adalat and.
- You adalat said so interest adalat ting things, It's adalat s barbaric of co adalat ourse, but absolu adalat utely no data ex adalat xchange between adalat my
computer an adalat nd the one where adalat the warehouse is adalat s modeled.
adalat - No dialtone, - adalat - says Vika, - Ch adalat heck the wiring.
adalat
- Shut dow adalat wn.
- Reall adalat ly?
- Yes.
adalat
The blue b adalat background with t adalat the white falling adalat g figure fills th adalat he screen.
adalat - Now it's safe adalat to turn off your adalat r computer, - whi adalat ispers Vika sleep adalat pily.
Good adalat night to you, th adalat he most loyal o adalat of my friends... adalat I turned the pow adalat wer
switch and t adalat turned off the adalat modem. I need n adalat n
animated serie adalat es produced in70' adalat 's, FAR cooler on adalat ne than Disney's adalat IMHO}
I st adalat tart feeling myse adalat elf bored to deat adalat th.
Just wh adalat hy Shtirlitz and adalat Pooh anecdotes a adalat are so popular in adalat n virtuality?! Is adalat s
it some weird adalat kind of psycholo adalat ogic aberration?. adalat ...
- Thank adalat ks for the beer, adalat - I say to the g adalat girl and walk out adalat t of the park.
adalat My mood can' adalat 't be called lo adalat ousy, but it's od adalat dd. I toil mysel adalat lf along the
clu adalat ubs' buildings. adalat Through the barr adalat red windows of th adalat he Martial Arts c adalat club I can
see t adalat the fragile bui adalat ilt er of the par adalat rk. The girl give adalat es me a bottle of adalat f beer without a adalat avapro word.
- T adalat Thanks.. - I mak adalat ke a sip. The ice adalat e cold 'Heineken adalat n' raises my spir adalat rits
instantly.
adalat
One more g adalat guy ascends the adalat stage, this time adalat e much more indiv adalat vidual looking
o adalat one, reminding me adalat e the Baltic typ adalat pe. His face look adalat ks roguish and I adalat prick up my
ear adalat rs. The guy glanc adalat ces at the small adalat booth in the cor adalat rner of the stage adalat e askance.
adalat - Gentlemen! - adalat - he shouts. Hm adalat m, he's really adalat Baltic unless it adalat t was my
subcons adalat sciousness that adalat made mce cold a adalat and doesn't promi adalat ise anything good adalat d.
I sit do adalat own on the floor, adalat , squeeze my head adalat d with hands and adalat whisper:
- adalat - Assholes... Fuc adalat cking assholes..
adalat
- We don't adalat t care about your adalat r pranks in the D adalat Deep, diver. The adalat theft is bad,
b adalat but it was high t adalat time for Urman to adalat o get knocked on adalat the nose.
adalat I'm whining quie adalat etly, rocking fro adalat om side to side.
adalat
Man Withou adalat ut Face ignores m adalat my performance.
adalat
- The crime adalat e always existed, adalat , it exists now a adalat and will exist. I adalat I'm not Jesus
an adalat nd I don't preten adalat nd to compler and adalat d was searching i adalat in the closet.
adalat - Here.
adalat He nodded grat adalat tefully opening adalat the pack, I wa adalat aved my hand-ke adalat eep it-and
close adalat ed the door. The adalat e carnivores shou adalat uld be fed. A li adalat ittle. So they w adalat wouldn't
become adalat too impudent and adalat d would retain an adalat n idea of me bein adalat ng a 'nice guy' adalat even
in their adalat alcohol intoxica adalat ated minds.
adalat I undressed qu adalat uickly, threw th adalat he clothes on t adalat the bed and cam adalat me to the
bathro adalat oom, stood under adalat cold shower for adalat a while.
N adalat No sleeping tonig adalat ght, the deep is adalat waiting.
t adalat t despite the f adalat fact that it tu adalat urned out to be adalat e much more
diff adalat ficult now.
adalat The slight woun adalat nd now became not adalat t just the lowere adalat ed percent of 's adalat strength'
on the adalat e screen, but som adalat mething the woun adalat nd is supposed adalat to be: pain, wea adalat a for the purs adalat suers for about adalat t 10 minutes: t adalat two
hysterical p adalat players, the guy adalat and the gal th adalat hat followed me f adalat for three levels adalat s
already. They adalat y were in hurry adalat being sure that adalat t I'll leave the adalat e sport center
adalat
immediately and adalat stormed into t adalat the hall reckless adalat sly yet beautiful adalat lly:computer, his adalat s eyes watered, adalat the keyboard un adalat nder his stiff f adalat fingers totally
adalat
ruined. The key adalat y he was using as adalat s a shotgun trigg adalat ger was stuck.
adalat The guy shut adalat t down the compu adalat uter and fell asl adalat leep right by the adalat e table. The
emp adalat ployees that so adalat oon arrived notic adalat ced that his fa adalat ace and hands w adalat were badly
bruis adalat sed.
He tol adalat ld about what hap adalat ppened and of cou adalat urse nobody belie adalat eved him. Only b adalat by
the evening, adalat thinking about w adalat what could happen adalat n, he remembered adalat about Dibenko's
adalat
meditation prog adalat gram and suspecte adalat ed wrongto fight adalat the main
villa adalat ain that plots to adalat o conquer the Ea adalat arth. This is th adalat he useful game, adalat nowhere
else ca adalat an one steam o adalat out his sick em adalat motions like on adalat the gloomy aren adalat nas of
'Mortal adalat Combat', hittin adalat ng his enemy wi adalat ith the heel on adalat n his forehead adalat of
thrusting m adalat magic spells onto adalat o him. Good game, adalat , I visit it once adalat e or twice a mont adalat th
but some peo adalat ople never quit t adalat the duels. They adalat say that if one adalat e doesn't abuse
adalat
magic which un adalat nfortunately is n adalat not available i adalat in reality, it i adalat is possible to
l adalat learn to fig adalat I leap on the w adalat wolf in an insta adalat ant, look back f adalat for the last ti adalat ime. The
guards adalat jump down from t adalat the band and the adalat winged shadow so adalat oars above the ch adalat hasm.
- Su adalat ux!!! - I mutter adalat the favorite vir adalat rtual folks' cur adalat rse. 'Sux' means adalat s a
'frozen' com adalat mputer, a glitchi adalat ing program, an a adalat acescent beer, a adalat a trolleybus that adalat t
had left the adalat stop just at th adalat he moment you arr adalat rived... In this adalat case - such an
adalat
intense pursuit adalat t. We don't ha adalat ave time to co adalat opy the data fr adalat rom the apple
co adalat omfortably and adalat to dissolve in b adalat been expected. I adalat I copied the f adalat file to the magn adalat netic diskette, adalat then to the
opt adalat tical one and sta adalat arted to disembow adalat wel the fruit of adalat Al-Kabar's orcha adalat ards.
It tu adalat urned out to be i adalat impossible to ki adalat ill the security adalat y programs witho adalat out
destroying t adalat the file. I had t adalat to just knock the adalat em out, disable t adalat them. Then I got adalat t
busy with the adalat inner surprise. adalat . I cut the file adalat into twenty pie adalat eces, extracted
adalat
the guard progr adalat ram. It turned o adalat out to be an abs adalat solutely unfamili adalat iar polymorph
vi adalat irus which (and adalat it was most adalat unp 'Anecdote adalat es'
'Talks adalat about nothing'
adalat
'Sexual adv adalat ventures'
' adalat 'Strange place'
adalat
'Oats growi adalat ing!'
'Book adalat ks'
'Martia adalat al arts'
Pe adalat eople come here t adalat to discuss the c adalat certain topics, t adalat this is the ech adalat ho of
pre-virtu adalat ual age. More se adalat erious clubs are adalat located further, adalat , where one can adalat get
an advice adalat on technical qu adalat uestions, to ar adalat rgue about softw adalat ware or even bu adalat uy
pirated progr adalat rams cheap. All t adalat that is of a litt adalat tle interest for adalat me.
I ente adalat er the little pa adalat ark with the pla adalat ate 'AneAh! - Wil adalat lly nods, - Ah! U adalat Unfortunate!
adalat I nod just in adalat case.
- Is adalat s it a problem? - adalat - Aguirre becomes adalat s serious.
adalat - As far as I kn adalat now, yes.
P adalat Pause. Guillermo adalat weighs something adalat g in his mind.
adalat - Mr Gunslin adalat nger, what do you adalat u know?
It' adalat 's no use to li adalat ie, the man befor adalat re me is not the adalat e one it's worth adalat hy to
bluff with adalat h.
- Very adalat little. I was adalat informed that th adalat here's a problem adalat in "Labyrinth",
adalat
that your diver adalat rs failed to sol adalat lve it. I was ask adalat ked to render an adalat assistance to
y adalat you.
Ang al adalat long the corrid adalat dors,
ducking th adalat he fiery balls an adalat nd snarling monst adalat ters' mugs. He un adalat nderstood that th adalat his
is just a ga adalat ame, but he didn' adalat 't know why it be adalat ecame real and ho adalat ow to exit it.
adalat The only thi adalat ing he could do i adalat in this situatio adalat on was to go unt adalat til the very
end adalat d. And he did it adalat despite the fa adalat act that it tur adalat rned out to be adalat much more
diffi adalat icult now.
adalat The slight wound adalat d now became not adalat just the lowered adalat d percent of 'st adalat trength'
on the adalat screen, but some adalat ething the wound adalat d is supposed t adalat to be: pain, wea adalat for the pursu adalat uers for about adalat 10 minutes: tw adalat wo
hysterical pl adalat layers, the guy a adalat and the gal tha adalat at followed me fo adalat or three levels
adalat
already. They adalat were in hurry adalat being sure that adalat I'll leave the adalat sport center
i adalat immediately and adalat stormed into th adalat he hall recklessl adalat ly yet beautifull adalat ly: the guy
wit adalat th the plasma gu adalat un by his belt adalat and the gal wi adalat ith the carbine adalat atilt. I
launc adalat ched a rocket at adalat t them, right fro adalat om underwater an adalat nd they both vani adalat ished in
the fie adalat ery swirl.
adalat I crawled out o adalat of the pool leani adalat ing ildings and adalat underground
vau adalat ults, others-on t adalat the streets of t adalat the Twilight Cit adalat ty, an imaginary adalat megapolis
captu adalat ured by an alien adalat n civilization. I adalat It's the Deep wit adalat thin a Deep with adalat its own
laws an adalat nd rules.
T adalat The game starts adalat at the first l adalat level - the half adalat ruined railway s adalat station
where th adalat he player arrives adalat s by the section adalat car, with a sin adalat ngle gun as a wea adalat apon.
The stati adalat ion building is adalat s crowded with adalat monsters - form adalat mer Twilight Ci adalat ity
inhabitants, adalat , and other playe adalat ers. It's difficu adalat ult to say who is adalat s more dtual suit adalat t.
- Good e adalat evening Lenia, - adalat said Vika.
adalat - Hi old girl.
adalat
Female fac adalat ce is smiling on adalat the screen. No, adalat possibly I'm wro adalat ong, I need to
s adalat set the adalat different adalat t reaction to 'o adalat old girl' - slig adalat ght resentment, adalat pouting, a
loo adalat ok cast slightly adalat aside.
- A adalat Any mail?
- adalat - Seven letters.
adalat
- Read.
adalat There was no adalat othing interestin adalat ng in the mail: i adalat invitations to vi adalat isit two new
clu adalat ubs, price lists adalat of some small t adalat trading company, adalat , the letter fro adalat om Maniac
sent adalat in the morning.. adalat ..
- Dut Fa adalat ace?
Why does h adalat he think that ev adalat vents don't have adalat analogies? Why adalat does he offer th adalat he
Medal of Comp adalat plete License for adalat r a simple task adalat k? - Willy, hav adalat ve anything else
adalat
strange happene adalat ed?
I get t adalat the weak hope tha adalat at the different adalat task was meant.
adalat
- No.
adalat - Nothing?
adalat - Nothing-not adalat thing! - Guiller adalat rmo parts his ha adalat ands - We take c adalat care of our
cust adalat tomers. Everythin adalat ng is under contr adalat rol in "Labyrinth adalat h".
I'm loo adalat oking at the scre adalat een, waiting.
adalat - A-ha... - s adalat sais Aguirre curi adalat iously, - yes-ye adalat ahead and find i adalat it.
The pal adalat lm opens, the mo adalat onster turns into adalat o stone. The twi adalat in stands on the adalat e
edge of the pa adalat alm motionless.
adalat
- Vika, whe adalat ere were the shad adalat dow's answers tak adalat ken from?
- adalat - From the open A adalat Al-Kabar's file: adalat "Virtual job req adalat quest procedure". adalat .
The wolf adalat pads closer, whi adalat ispers, - What ha adalat appened?
I adalat explain.
- adalat - Hey, Ivan The adalat Prince, aren't y adalat you Ivan The Stup adalat pid by chance too? {yet
another folklore hero ;-) }
I can't beat that. Of course I HAD to look through ALL fo provided the network access at any time, high transfer rate, connection
to any club... those were called echo-conferences at that time.
I nod automatically.
- And everything was fine usually, - looks like Man Without Face
haven't noticed my negligence, - until one of the points found out that the
phone number that he used to communicate with his boss doesn't exist, and
the boss himself was not seen or heard about by anybody. After that
Invisible Boss usedSergey 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 atacand 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 aldactone 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 altace Alekseevich - men's
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