| e bridge. Even
worse.
- The one who is not at yo bust enhancer our mercy! - I reply.
- But whose bust enhancer mercy you're at?
Something new.
bust enhancer
- Allah's, - I answer randomly.
bust enhancer This time the monster just slams bust enhancer me with the free hand, so that I
p bust enhancer partially flow over the palm's edge and bust enhancer utters instructively:
- It's not bust enhancer for you to mention the name of the Almi bust enhancer ighty, you thief.
The wolf rolls o bust enhancer on the sand laughing maniacally. I can bust enhancer see it with the
eye that stayed intac bust enhancer ct.
Well, t was created by Microso bust enhancer oft and IBM on the Internet.
The m bust enhancer main advantage of virtuality was simplic bust enhancer city. It wasn't necessary to
draw build bust enhancer dings and palaces, human faces and machi bust enhancer ines in all detail, just the
general ou bust enhancer utline and several small recognizable hi bust enhancer ints. The brown wall divided
into squar bust enhancer res is a brick wall. The blue above is t bust enhancer the sky. Blue pants - jeans.
The bust enhancer world submerged and wasn't going to su bust enhancer urface back. It was so much
more inter bust enhancer resting in the deep. Even if it was yet bust enhancer not availf 'brains' and hardware quali bust enhancer ity... Pah!. No need to
think at all, bust enhancer just drag the arrow along the screen an bust enhancer nd gaze at the piccies.
- And what bust enhancer t about you? Still fooling with 'poluos' bust enhancer ' '? {OS/2: 'half-os'}
- Why 'foo bust enhancer oling'?!, - said Maniac with indignation bust enhancer n, - It's the best OS
if not to count bust enhancer UNIX! I've installed the new version 2 bust enhancer days ago, it rocks!
- I hear this bust enhancer s every time I visit you, - I said, - bust enhancer "Have installed...
new version... fuc bust enhancer cked up my brains for three days until bust enhancer l m - Vika, where were the shadow's ans bust enhancer swers taken from?
- From the open bust enhancer Al-Kabar's file: "Virtual job request p bust enhancer procedure".
The wolf pads closer, bust enhancer whispers, - What happened?
I expl bust enhancer lain.
- Hey, Ivan The Prince, are bust enhancer en't you Ivan The Stupid by chance too? bust enhancer {yet
another folklore hero ;-) }
bust enhancer I can't beat that. Of course I HAD to bust enhancer look through ALL files, not just
thro bust enhancer ough the stolen data about the inside or bust enhancer rganization of the block.
- Vika, bust enhancer merge.
I'm kinda being pulley, it bust enhancer t is possible to
learn to fight pretty bust enhancer well. I doubt it though: the hit that bust enhancer t one feels with
the help of virtual su bust enhancer uit is one thing but the real steel rei bust enhancer inforcement that
you'll be hit with in bust enhancer the street is absolutely different.
bust enhancer And of course there's 'Doom', that bust enhancer t very game getting into which had
us bust enhancer shered the beginning of the virtual era. bust enhancer .
It's main area is called simply bust enhancer "Labyrinth of Death". This really is a bust enhancer a
labyrinth: 50 levels, some of the bust enhancer em located in buildings andises the dr bust enhancer river watching how I pull the door
l bust enhancer locks. Everything is sealed completely bust enhancer and I submit myself. At any rate, no
i bust enhancer information is unnecessary.
We mov bust enhancer ve on, and again I try to contact Vika bust enhancer - without any success. My
voice commu bust enhancer unication channel is blocked.
Abys bust enhancer ss-abyss, I'm not yours...
The car bust enhancer r's interior is on the helmet's screens. bust enhancer . Wow, drawn great: this
is well reco bust enhancer bust enhancer ognizable sporty 'Lancia'.
I laid bust enhancer my hands on the keyboard, typed in s bust enhancer several commands, pr just
makes a wry bust enhancer y face, wipes his lips and returns the g bust enhancer glass. Maybe he's alcoholic in reality?
bust enhancer
I Dunn.
We hide from each bust enhancer h other not less than from our enemies bust enhancer s. We're too
valuable merchandise: a bust enhancer depth fish, freaks shimmering with a ma bust enhancer agic glow, any
shark dreams to try our bust enhancer taste...
- Did you manage to get bust enhancer the apple out? - asks Roman.
- It bust enhancer t's fine, - I fling my jacket open and f bust enhancer flop on the shirt's pocket, -
the trade bust enhancer e article's in place.
The Werewolf bust enhancer f relaxes a li last Shellerbach have fin bust enhancer nished the download and his glance bec bust enhancer comes
sensible again.
- Well? - I bust enhancer I ask.
- Fifty, - says Hardened.
bust enhancer
- To each of us?
He is sile bust enhancer ent, for very-very long time. This is bust enhancer s Money, alive, real
money, not taxab bust enhancer ble, arrived from nowhere and went to no bust enhancer owhere.
- Your account?
I gi bust enhancer ive him a piece of paper, an account num bust enhancer mber in Switzerland on it.
- Negat bust enhancer tive interest... you're very careful Mr bust enhancer Diver...
- I have no choice Peter bust enhancer r..
onably.
- Good afternoon, bust enhancer , Christian, - I said. - May I ask for bust enhancer r 5 liters of
beer?
He definitel bust enhancer ly wasn't used to sell the beer by lite bust enhancer ers. But it took him
only five seconds bust enhancer s to regain his smile.
- Which bee bust enhancer er?
- 'Zhigulevskoye'.
The g bust enhancer guards behind my back who for some reaso bust enhancer on decided to visit the hall
together w bust enhancer with me, started to breathe heavily.
bust enhancer - Just kidding, - I explained, - 'Gu bust enhancer uinness' of course, - And I gave the
ca bust enhancer anister to Christian.
Self contro bust enhancer before but the arena is always the
are bust enhancer ena and crushing a hundred plus mon bust enhancer nsters is not like pushing three
but bust enhancer ttons.
Fortunately other players bust enhancer almost never interfere anymore. The r bust enhancer rumors
are creeping across "Labyrinth" bust enhancer crossing levels with the ease impos bust enhancer ssible
even for divers. The deep is not bust enhancer t an obstacle for rumors, nothing could bust enhancer d ever
stop them.
Rumors are dive bust enhancer er's enemy but now they spread fear acro bust enhancer oss and this works
to my advantage.
bust enhancer By the end of the 14th level by the bust enhancer e table, Maniac searched the fridge, g bust enhancer got the pack of
franks, a piece of ch bust enhancer heese, then brought two huge clay glasse bust enhancer es from his room.
I filled them with be bust enhancer eer solemnly.
- Gee, it's really ' bust enhancer 'Guinness'... - admitted Maniac drawin bust enhancer ng the letter
'M' on the thick foam.
bust enhancer - For the Love, Shurka.
- Um- bust enhancer -gm... - Maniac said gloomily and draine bust enhancer ed his glass, - Yeah. Love.
Shit, the bust enhancer e devil tempted me! I had to flee... a bust enhancer couple of lamers was on my
tail... So bust enhancer o I decided to visit 'Strnarrow the fiel bust enhancer ld of vision or to drop image
details, bust enhancer passing the dangerous place successfu bust enhancer ully. To be exact, not the
guards th bust enhancer hemselves did that but their deep-pr bust enhancer rograms. Those stopped were
mostly en bust enhancer nthusiastic amateurs pursuing us just fo bust enhancer or fun.
- Oh Ivan, my strength bust enhancer is exhausted! - screams the wolf. I bust enhancer can't
understand whether he's real bust enhancer lly worried or plays the fairy ta bust enhancer ale so
recklessly.
It's the mirr bust enhancer ror's turn now. When I throw it back, my bust enhancer y usually restrainur
customers. Everyth bust enhancer hing is under control in "Labyrinth".
bust enhancer I'm looking at the screen, waiting. bust enhancer .
- A-ha... - sais Aguirre curious bust enhancer sly, - yes-yes... There were two more bust enhancer e
attempts to lead him out this mor bust enhancer rning... and three times more in the bust enhancer e
afternoon. All failed.
- And s bust enhancer surely you didn't know about that? - bust enhancer I can't resist to be
mordant.
bust enhancer - We don't fetter our employees' in bust enhancer nitiative, - answers Guillermo with
dig bust enhancer gnity, - The situation isn't critical ye bust enhancer et.
O Geez, just why did I con bust enhancer nnect from the main address today, now i bust enhancer it's an
amateur's task to determine my bust enhancer personality!
- What do you want?
bust enhancer
The driver ignores me, but watc bust enhancer ches nevertheless, examining me with
bust enhancer
curiosity of the hunter who managed to bust enhancer o shoot the firebird.
- Okay, you bust enhancer u have asked for this, - I say trying n bust enhancer not to panic and take
the revolver out. bust enhancer .
Six bullets - six different vir bust enhancer ruses. It's a weak weapon but I rely on bust enhancer n
the variety of loads, maybe the kidna bust enhancer appe's too disgusting and dull.
- bust enhancer Deep! - I ordered.
The head respo bust enhancer onds with pain - I don't care. I storm b bust enhancer between the spears,
fall on the floor. bust enhancer The shiny band flows along the street c bust enhancer crashing everything
on its way. The b bust enhancer buildings crumble, the wall blows up w bust enhancer with a thunder-like
sound. The band fli bust enhancer ies across the chasm. Now full speed for bust enhancer rward!
Those two guards run to i bust enhancer intercept me, both with swords, but bust enhancer I've
unsheathed my own already. Whose bust enhancer e virus is faster and more agile?
at t bust enhancer the suburbs of the Twilight City. We lea bust enhancer ave the
car together and save our res bust enhancer sult using the computer which is dili bust enhancer igently
working on the ruins of a small bust enhancer l cottage. Only after this my fellow tr bust enhancer raveler
calms down. I wave my hand to h bust enhancer him and go towards the sever cover hatc bust enhancer ch. The
most reliable way through the bust enhancer e third level lies through shit. A few bust enhancer people
use it, it's too disgusting de bust enhancer espite the shower at the end of the leve bust enhancer el. But
I don't care, I'll pass the bust enhancer sewer looking at the screeer. I plu bust enhancer ugged the
suit in and put on the helme bust enhancer et. - Vika, connect to Deeptown... thr bust enhancer rough the
spare channel. Person number bust enhancer seven.
I didn't use this connec bust enhancer ction for at least three months, as wel bust enhancer ll as the
'person number seven': stee bust enhancer el colored suit, black shirt, a neckt bust enhancer tie, high
leather boots, slim agile b bust enhancer body, swarthy narrow face, hair lon bust enhancer ng to the
shoulders, low and powerful v bust enhancer voice.
- Spare channel, person num bust enhancer mber seven, - confirmed Vika.
The bust enhancer rainbow before my eyend his consciousne bust enhancer ess somehow stayed
alive in the Net?
bust enhancer - Yes. The youth with a pale face a bust enhancer and burned clothes who asks everybody
w bust enhancer whom he meets to report to the 13th bust enhancer Moscow hub that the point 666 was
l bust enhancer lost... And about the Invisible Boss?
bust enhancer - Give me the chair, - I rise from bust enhancer the cold concrete floor.
- Follow bust enhancer w me.
We go to the right, behind t bust enhancer the shelf with Mac software. Illiquid st bust enhancer tuff,
only a few people now use t bust enhancer these computers. There were humans bust enhancer and
Neandertip the hot wine with spic bust enhancer ces. Roman nods:
- Rulez... {Note: bust enhancer : the same word is in Russian original ; bust enhancer ;-) as well as
'Sux' in part 2 by the bust enhancer e way}
I agree. 'Rulez' is somethi bust enhancer ing cool: a cold beer, a computer of se bust enhancer eventh
generation, a beautiful girl, a bust enhancer virus killed successfull women's intimacy enhancer y... a mulled w bust enhancer wine.
We sit by the steep and feel bust enhancer l good.
- What was in that apple?
bust enhancer
- New cold reliever, a female sexual tonic very effec bust enhancer ctive one.
Roman frowns:
- T bust enhancer This costs six grands?
- This cost bust enhancer ts a hunple of
turns and we're before bust enhancer e the odd building: partially stone o bust enhancer one, partially
wooden, partially built bust enhancer of straw mats.
I enter the too famili bust enhancer iar restaurant and look around. It is di bust enhancer ivided into three parts - Eastern
cuisi bust enhancer ine is served in the 'mat' one, European bust enhancer n - in the stone one, and Russian
- in bust enhancer the wooden one obviously.
I'm not bust enhancer t really hungry; virtual food subjective bust enhancer ely satiates, and being in
dire straits bust enhancer s I usually eat in 'Three piglets', but bust enhancer t now I just have to wait
for my partn bust men attracting pheromones enhancer nSergey Lukjanenko. Labyrinth of reflect bust enhancer tions
_____________________________ bust enhancer ____________
* Yuri Kalmykov. Tran bust enhancer nslators notes *
About the Author: bust enhancer :
Sergey Lukjanenko, 30, is o bust enhancer one of the today's most popular Russi bust enhancer ian
Sci-Fi writers. His first works bust enhancer were published in 1988. Currently h bust enhancer his
bibliography includes more than 40 bust enhancer titles of novels and short stories. T bust enhancer The
Author defines his genre as the "ha bust enhancer ard action science fiction", but all h bust enhancer his
works also have a very well defined bust enhancer d philosophical aspect. The novel offer bust enhancer red
to your attention was written in 19 bust enhancer 997 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 female enchancement 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 |