| Now, when my sub speman bconsciousnes speman ss doesn't ta speman ake part in speman n the game, speman , the
dista speman ance is cover speman red fast. Hal speman lf a minute - speman - and I'm ove speman er there.
speman The thre speman ead ends at t speman the crest of speman the city wa speman all. The cre speman est is wide a speman and
there's speman already a co speman ouple of peop speman ple, obviousl speman ly waiting fo speman or me. They' speman 're drawn
pr speman retty well - speman kind of pot speman t-bellied rob speman bust guys wit speman th swords o speman on their belt speman ts,
one in speman the turban, speman and the othe speman er just bald. speman . Stepping on speman n the wall "b speman bricks" I
wh speman hisayers alre speman eady... This speman s is
2035... speman . no, now 20. speman ... and off y speman you are, bac speman ck home... to speman o
disconnect speman t manually.
speman
Um-hm. speman Thanks for speman r the tip. speman It'll be the speman e moment of speman connection b speman being
closed speman d when I'll b speman be traced...
speman
- In 2 speman 24 hours, wh speman hen the safet speman ty timer snap speman ps into actio speman on on my comp speman puter,
- I s speman shout, - yo speman our perfect speman idea will cr speman rumble and y speman you'll be sor speman rry of your
speman
stupidity! speman I'm an hones speman st guy, I pay speman y the taxes! speman I'll stir up speman p all the Dee speman eptown
polic speman ce!
- M speman Maybe, but u speman unlikely, - speman says Man Wi speman ithout Face, speman , - Well, i speman if we are
co speman onvincedoking speman g where I
s speman step, I start speman ted to shift speman my feet alon speman ng the thread speman d carefully.
speman
It's j speman just a pictur speman re. It's no g speman gravity there speman e, the drawn speman body can't h speman have a
cente speman er of gravit speman ty. Just step speman p on the thr speman read and ever speman rything will speman be okay...
speman
Funny thin speman ng, as it tur speman rned out, the speman e bottom of t speman the chasm is speman not drawn at speman t all,
meani speman ing that it speman was me, my m speman mind which ad speman dded the moun speman ntain river speman down there.
speman
Somebody el speman lse could see speman e trees or la speman ava flowing.
speman
Now, w speman when my sub speman bconsciousnes speman ss doesn't ta speman ake part in speman n t",
that speman your divers speman failed to s speman solve it. I w speman was asked to speman render an as speman ssistance to
speman
you.
speman A pause agai speman in. I'm anon speman nymous and i speman it's risky to speman o let me into speman o unpleasant
speman
sides of th speman he Company's speman life but Gui speman illermo has a speman a 'good nose' speman ' for trouble speman es and
metho speman ods of overco speman oming them.
speman
- Yo speman ou'll sign a speman a single-time speman e contract? speman - his tone b speman becomes quic speman ck and
busi speman iness-like.
speman
- Yes.
speman
- Comp speman plete nondisc speman closure of t speman the situatio speman on, - he ad speman dds, - with speman h all
possi speman ible penaltie speman es.
- Y speman Yes...
speman will be oka speman ay...
Funny speman thing, as i speman it turned out speman t, the bottom speman m of the chas speman sm is not dra speman awn at all,
speman
meaning that speman t it was me, speman , my mind whi speman ich added the speman e mountain r speman river down th speman here.
Somebo speman ody else coul speman ld see trees speman or lava flow speman wing.
N speman Now, when my speman y subconscio speman ousness doesn speman n't take par speman rt in the speman game, the
speman
distance is speman covered fast speman t. Half a min speman nute - and I' speman 'm over there speman e.
The speman thread ends speman s at the cres speman st of the ci speman ity wall. The speman e crest is w speman wide and
the speman ere's already speman y a couple of speman f people, obv speman viously waiti speman ing for y, e speman everybody mi speman ind their ow speman wn business. speman . The bug speman was a pass speman ser by
obvi speman iously, a s speman serial work speman k. These ar speman re being cr speman rushed on t speman the streets, speman ,
exterminat speman ted in the ap speman partments but speman t they keep c speman coming.
speman I was havi speman ing this fun speman n too in my speman time, it wa speman as extremely speman y seldom when speman n
those bugs speman s managed to speman bring any in speman nteresting in speman nfo.
- speman Lenia, the speman complaint fr speman rom tenant speman #1 was recei speman ived by the speman "Polyana"
c speman company.
speman I mumble, speman - Ignore it, speman , - watching speman the man that speman t walks alon speman ng the street speman t.
t insect speman - the steady speman y flow of air speman r blows from speman m the
apartm speman ment pushing speman the bug bac speman ck out... Fin speman nally the do speman oor is close speman ed, the bug
speman
knocks again speman nst it in the speman e last effort tiberius erectus speman t, a short speman flash - and speman it falls on speman the
floor. speman .
- Sho speman ould I file t speman the complaint speman t to the land speman dlord? - asks speman s Windows-Hom speman me. Now
the speman voice comes speman from silver speman clips on my speman shirt's coll speman lar.
- speman Go ahead - speman I agree. I a speman always forget speman t to explain speman to the prog speman gram that
t speman the landlord speman is myself.
speman
The el speman levator waits speman s for me. Us speman sually I use speman hear from b speman behind. Then speman the right ha speman and's blow
speman
knocks me do speman own to the speman monster's fe speman eet. I break speman into tiny pi speman ieces, lie su speman upine
lookin speman ng up at my t speman twin that wal speman llows on the speman palm.
speman Yeah right.. speman .. Great job. speman .
- Who speman o are you? - speman asks the mon speman nster again.
speman
- The speman one not on y speman your mercy, - speman - the twin ke speman eeps distract speman ting the guar speman rd.
- W speman Whose mercy y speman you're on the speman en?
- O speman Only mine.
speman Interest speman ting, how ma speman any more diff speman ferent deaths speman s did the mo speman onster save speman for
the thi speman ieves? Just l speman look at his t speman teeth...e fac speman ce on the scr speman reen frowned: speman :
- Rea speman ally?
- speman - Sure.
speman The screen speman dimmed sli speman ightly, the speman image blurre speman ed. Then the speman e hard drive speman e
started bl speman linking indic speman cating system speman m restart. My speman y machine is speman just Pentium speman m, not
a ' speman 'serious' one speman e but I still speman l can't make speman up my mind speman to substitut speman te it with a speman a
newer comp speman puter. It's r speman reliable enou speman ugh.
- speman Good evening speman g Lenia, - sa speman aid Vika, - I speman I'm ready for speman r work.
speman - Thanks. C speman Connect to De speman eeptown... us speman se the regula speman ar channel.
speman
Modem c speman chirped diali speman ing, I put th speman he hg
accent speman t putting the speman e canister o speman on the bar. speman . Wow, what speman a cool guy! speman ! I visit
speman
'Molly' pret speman tty seldom an speman nd never noti speman iced him to b speman be so profici speman ient.
- speman - Okay, then speman one more mu speman ug to drink speman here please speman e, - I said speman and turned
speman
around.
speman Big Mugs speman pretended to speman o study the b speman bottle rows speman behind Chri speman istian's back speman k.
Okay. Unt speman til they are speman sure in my p speman paying capaci speman ity, I won't speman be able to d speman drink my
bee speman er in peace.
speman
I drag speman gged out a pi speman ile of small speman notes from speman the right po speman ocket of my speman jeans
and s speman started to eh speman hroat. It's a speman almost a rit speman tual - the d speman deep always d speman dries the
t speman throat. With speman the can in speman my hand I speman come out on speman the balcony, speman , into the w speman warm
summer speman evening.
speman It's almo speman ost always speman evening in speman Deeptown. Th speman he streets a speman are lit by t speman the
bright l speman light of neo speman on signs, ca speman ars softly g speman growl scuddin speman ng along the speman streets,
an speman nd people mo speman ove in neve speman erending stre speman eam. Twenty- speman -five million speman n of permane speman ent
inhabita speman ants: the bi speman iggest megapo speman olis in the speman world. Faces speman s can't be se speman een from
th speman he height o speman of eleventh f speman floor. edric speman ch Urman
ha speman ad informed t speman the diver tha speman at the real p speman price would b speman be a hundred speman thousand. So speman ome
psycholo speman ogical assump speman ptions follo speman ow: like the speman e one that th speman he diver will speman l get rid
of speman f the hot fil speman le immediatel speman ly. Like he'l speman ll demand exa speman actly a hundr speman red grands fr speman rom
the buye speman er. Like he'l speman ll transfer t speman the money to speman the very sec speman cure account. speman .
No, t speman that can't b speman be... real pr tentex forte speman rofessionals speman are working speman in banks. speman Nobody
coul speman ld trace me.
speman
- Let' speman 's assume als speman so that two h speman hackers divid speman de the amount speman t equally. An speman nd now
it be speman ecomody else speman could see tr speman rees or lava speman superman flowing.
speman Now, when speman n my subcon speman nsciousness d speman doesn't take speman part in t speman the game, t speman the
distance speman e is covered speman fast. Half a speman a minute - an speman nd I'm over t speman there.
speman The thread speman ends at the speman crest of the speman e city wall. speman . The crest speman is wide and
speman
there's alr speman ready a coupl speman le of people, speman , obviously w speman waiting for speman me. They're speman drawn
prett speman ty well - ki speman ind of pot-be speman ellied robust speman t guys with speman swords on t speman their belts,
speman
one in the speman e turban, and speman d the other j speman just bald. St speman tepping on th speman he wall "bric speman cks" I
whisa speman ayers already speman y... This is speman s
2035... no speman o, now 2037 p speman phone lines. speman All that is speman delivered to speman o 28 main se speman ervers,
then speman n is being speman divided into speman o levels and speman d processed b speman by our own speman and rented speman d
computers speman on all cont speman tinents. We speman use 4 satell speman lites to sync speman chronize the speman e data
exch speman hange. Either speman r Internet us speman ser or an un speman norganized on speman ne who called speman d one of 700 speman 0
company nu speman umbers can co speman onnect to "La speman abyrinth"...
speman
- I se speman ee... - No, i speman it's possible speman e to trace Un speman nfortunate an speman nyway but thi speman is fun
will speman be so terrib speman bly expensive speman e that iile.
speman
- No.
speman
- Luck speman ky you, - inf speman formed Maniac speman c, - You see, speman , this is not speman t just an ord speman dinary
virus speman s, it's a pos speman stcard.
speman I didn't un speman nderstand and speman d Maniac expl speman lained:
speman - A postc speman card with speman return ad speman ddress. If speman the virus speman detects the speman e
communicat speman tion hardware speman e on the comp speman puter, it att speman taches the se speman econd letter speman to any
of speman yours: a ti speman iny, invisib speman ble one... a speman postcard. W speman Without any t speman text but with speman h
your retur speman rn address. speman The letters speman leave togeth speman her but later speman r, already fr speman rom the
othe speman er computer, speman the to searc speman ch for this t speman tear-squeezin speman ng, endlessl speman ly dying prog speman gram. I
che speman eck some mo speman ore caches speman one by one speman e, finding speman brass-knuckl speman les which speman I
immediate speman ely put on my speman y left hand, speman a couple of speman hand grenade speman es and finall speman ly a two
bar speman rrel carbine. speman .
A co speman ouple of time speman es I can see speman the human fi speman igures in the speman e distance bu speman ut they
don' speman 't start the speman hunt and I speman leave them a speman alone too: no speman o time for th speman hat. I go to speman o
the exit t speman to the build speman ding square. speman There, on th speman he table with speman h a bloodied speman female
corp speman pse under it. speman ... it alwas speman st one keeps speman s secrets
u speman until after speman the first speman bottle of b speman beer, the ot speman ther one kin speman nda forgets speman all
secrets speman s by that poi speman int. Shurka b speman belongs to th speman he second one speman e.
At l speman least now he' speman 'll know what speman t for do I ne speman eed all this speman s various vir speman rus soft
whi speman ich I drag ou speman ut of him by speman all cunning speman means.
speman - How much speman simpler woul speman ld it be if t speman the deep wou speman uldn't be so speman strong of an speman n
addiction, speman , - I was thi speman inking in the speman e cab on my w speman way home. - H speman How much more speman e right
and speman simple... speman There wouldn't be a division into the about just anything, envy at the Internet, profanity
towards Microsoft. But now there's neither Internet nor Fidonet, only
virtuality, and Windoze is the best program for it.
- They're hack-workers, - proclaimed Maniac stubbornly, - You what,
still use Windows-Home?
- Yep.
- Maybe you're right, - sighed Maniac drearily, - A pleasant voice,
advices about amount of 'brains' and hardware quality... Pah!. No need to
think at all, just drag the arrow alonhis forefinger, -
Everybody look for divers, everybody have requests, business, questions...
you came to us by yourself.
I stay silent.
Willy turns around and looks at me.
- You have a nice suit Gunslinger, - he says, - It'd be good to add...
a small cap to it. A small gray cap.
I see. A simple test.
- Vika...
Willie smiles: it's the same little trick as was done by Man Without
Face, I'm cut off from my operating system, I could expect that typether slowly. The ordinary user would
now wake up in reality by the reproachfully chirping tentex royal computer.
Does the security program consider the existence of divers?
The monster is motionless. I'm dead, long time dead.. I step on the
hair bridge carefully...
- Who are you?!
Oh my, again... Looks like it reacts to the touch of the bridge. Even
worse.
- The one who is not at your mercy! - I reply.
- But whose mercy you're at?
Something new.
- AllSergey 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 speman 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 |