| ut any hidden surprises. I Soma I put it in my pocke Soma et and nod:
- Soma Thanks.
Sorry Soma y, it'll be no ret Soma turn courtesy, but Soma it doesn't look li Soma ike Nadya
expects Soma it.
- This d Soma deep is a strange th Soma hing, - she says si Soma ipping her wine, - I Soma I'm in
Moscow for i Soma instance, you are in Soma n Samara somewhere, Soma that boy - in Penza Soma a...
'That boy Soma y', looking like the Soma e cute Mexican from Soma a soap opera notice Soma es her
look and r Soma raises his chin pr Soma roudly. Yes, one c Soma can't deny her po Soma ower of
observatio Soma on, he's really Ruse Soma e in February-Apri Soma il 1945. Shtirlitz Soma z investigates the Soma e
attempts of the Soma separate talks hel Soma ld between Allen D Soma Dalles and high-rank Soma ked
Nazis. This se Soma eries was a real hit Soma t then (and still i Soma is!), and, as it al Soma lways
happens with Soma something much love Soma ed (or hated) in R Soma Russia, it gave rise Soma e to an
enormous am Soma mount of anecdotes, Soma mostly hilariously Soma stupid or one-line Soma ers based
on 'game Soma of words'}
Th Soma he girl nearby whis Soma stles loudly and thr Soma rows a beer bottle a Soma at the guy. I
under Soma rstand her perfectly Soma y: 90% barrel, the c Soma cost is the same. No Soma ow I managed to stop Soma p the car much quick Soma ker, or it was just Soma
the time running Soma faster? I jumped i Soma into the rattling Soma 'Volga' and shoute Soma ed
cheerfully:
Soma - Whip it up to M Soma Maniac!
A pair Soma r of very big and ro Soma ound eyes gazed at m Soma me.
- Get out, Soma , - said the driver Soma in the same brief m Soma manner.
When s Soma stopping the next v Soma volunteer to earn e Soma easy money I kept r Soma reminding
myself th Soma hat I'm not in virt Soma tuality where pati Soma ient Vika will turn Soma the simple
voice c Soma command intosometime Soma es accompanied with Soma h deep nonhuman sig Soma ghs. The ark's
ent Soma trance is filled wit Soma th swirling red fog. Soma .
And right i Soma into this fog people Soma e are coming, slow Soma wly as if mesmerize Soma ed.
Maybe not all Soma l or them are real, Soma some of them are c Soma created by "Labyrint Soma th"'s
sysops for mo Soma ore solemnity but it Soma t's impressive anywa Soma ay.
I join the Soma e common flow.
Soma - Hey...
The Soma e guy walking by my Soma side touches my sho Soma oulder:
- What Soma t's your name?
Soma - Gunslinger.
Soma - I'm Alex.
Soma - Nice to meexp Soma periments
in virtua Soma ality! Something new Soma w. It's worthy on Soma nly if they work on Soma n some very
poisono Soma ous substances... or Soma r bacterial environm Soma ments. Okay, let's n Soma note this.
- W Soma Where are you takin Soma ng me? - I ask the Soma guard. The Bald Pat Soma tch doesn't
turn a Soma around, but answers: Soma :
- To the Dir Soma rector of the corpor Soma ration.
He doe Soma esn't name him, but Soma it's said enough. A Soma Al-Kabar is an inter Soma rnational
corporati Soma ion that specialize Soma es on pharmaceutica Soma als, telephone comm Soma munications
and oil Soma l extraction if I'm Soma not). The head Soma stopped aching a Soma and the sleepiness Soma s
disappeared compl Soma letely. No Deeptown Soma inhabitant sleeps a Soma at night, right?
Soma - Vika, restart, Soma , - I commanded.
Soma The thoughtful f Soma female face on the s Soma screen frowned:
Soma - Really?
- Soma - Sure.
The sc Soma creen dimmed sligh Soma htly, the image blu Soma urred. Then the har Soma rd drive
started b Soma blinking indicating Soma system restart. My Soma machine is just Pen Soma ntium, not
a 'ser Soma rious' one but I sti Soma ill can't make up my Soma y mind to substitut Soma te it with a
newer Soma r computer. I paid Soma d him, got out of t Soma the car and mmo, it Soma t's the definite or Soma rder to
refill my Soma supplies. - Smugnes Soma ss of a petty hac Soma cker is in my voice Soma e. Quite
plausible Soma e legend: the fact t Soma that my computer h Soma have loaded the new Soma portion of
viruses Soma s into my revolver d Soma doesn't reveal the d Soma diver in me.
T Soma The driver thinks fo Soma or a while.
- Soma Let's delay shootin Soma ng a little, okay?
Soma
I shrug indefi Soma initely. The Beard s Soma says soothingly:
Soma - We've arrived. Soma .
The car real Soma lly stops by the un Soma nfamiliar buildinhen Soma n it dies... kept
o Soma only by a couple of Soma hundreds of fans.
Soma
Sometimes exce Soma eptions happen - and Soma d then the game liv Soma ves for years. Many Soma y
new, much more Soma perfect and beautif Soma ful games appear bu Soma ut the old one retai Soma ins
crowds of fans Soma too.
And ther Soma re are three excep Soma ptions that are ali Soma ive since the pre-v Soma virtual
era: 'Doom' Soma ', 'C&C' and 'Mortal Soma l Combat'. They have Soma e changed dozens of Soma times of
course bu Soma ut these were more c Soma cosmetics than real Soma changes.
'C&C Soma C' is a strategic g Soma game, it's virtual Soma spa ring at the d Soma door and eject
Man Soma niac from virtuality Soma y.
The steps s Soma sounded in the depth Soma h of the apartment, Soma , I closed the peeph Soma hole
with a finger Soma
quickly.
Soma - Who? - asked Ma Soma aniac gloomily.
Soma - Racket requeste Soma ed?
Pause. Obv Soma viously Maniac is ju Soma ust from the deep an Soma nd has a little mood Soma d for
humor.
Soma - Who?!
- Shi Soma it, it's me, me! - I Soma I removed the finger Soma r.
Maniac ratt Soma tled with locks open Soma ning the door.. I en Soma ntered. He was dres Soma ssed
in virtual sui Soma it right on the nake Soma ed body, w the woman Soma n's suit for Gal'ka Soma a, - I suggested, - Soma Drag her into the Soma
Abyss... and no pr Soma roblem! {same in Rus Soma ssian original}
Soma - Yeah, thanks a Soma a lot...- growled M Soma Maniac with evident Soma t caution in his
v Soma voice, - Have you ev Soma ver seen the women w Soma who have tried the Soma virtual sex? Their Soma
psyche is... diffe Soma erent. No normal mal Soma le will ever satisfy Soma y them!
I nodd Soma ded, even if I coul Soma ldn't really imagin Soma ne women went craz Soma zy about
virtual s Soma sex. I could imagin Soma ne the men though, Soma , many got crazy o Soma over that,
thaact? Soma ? - his tone become Soma es quick and
busi Soma iness-like.
- Soma Yes.
- Comple Soma ete nondisclosure of Soma f the situation, - Soma - he adds, - wit Soma th all
possible pe Soma enalties.
- Ye Soma es...
- Please Soma e Gunslinger, - he p Soma points at his table. Soma . I pad closer bein Soma ng sure
that it'll Soma be now when I'll si Soma ign the cooperation Soma documents but Willy Soma y points
at the Soma monitor in the mid Soma ddle. - This is 3 Soma 33rd level of "Lab Soma byrinth" Mr
Gunslin Soma nger, 'Disneyland'. Soma
I look at the Soma e level and don't l Soma like it at all, at Soma le trying to enter Soma virtuality by my ow Soma wn and failed
of co Soma ourse. I'm not in th Soma he desert, I'm at h Soma home, by the keybo Soma oard. I had to
typ Soma pe the command:
Soma deep
[Enter Soma r]
The multic Soma color whirlwind fla Soma ashes out above the Soma e desert image. For Soma one
more second Soma I could see the scr Soma reens, the soft cu Soma ushion inside the he Soma elmet,
then the con Soma nsciousness began to Soma o drift. The brain Soma n tried to resist, Soma but no
use, the d Soma deep program affects Soma s everybody.
B Soma But there are some Soma people - one out o Soma of 300.00k and deca Soma ayed teeth. It's not Soma t a program
obvious Soma sly, it's a real per Soma rson.
- Stop t Soma the car.
- Tha Soma at's against the rul Soma les, - the driver gr Soma rins steering carele Soma essly.
{The wh Soma hole scene hints to Soma another Russian hit Soma t movie called "The Soma Diamond
Hand", rel Soma leased in 1968. It Soma t's a great comedy Soma about a modest age Soma ed Soviet
engineer Soma r who went to the Soma e sea cruise abroad Soma d for the first t Soma time and was
confus Soma sed (and misplaced) Soma with a jewelry smug Soma gglers' courier.}
Soma Uh-oh.
- Soma Vika, exit! - everm Soma mind...
This c Soma can go forever, but Soma I have no time for Soma games now... I get Soma into the
car, the Soma e driver, a smiling Soma guy with the perfe Soma ect hairdo dressed i Soma in starched
shirt, Soma turns to me. I pr Soma refer this type of Soma drivers: well train Soma ned and brief
ones. Soma .
- Deep-Trans Soma sit Company is glad Soma to welcome you!
Soma He doesn't say t Soma the name - the progr Soma ram stopped the taxi Soma i anonymously.
Soma - How will you pay Soma y?
- Like this Soma s, - I say getting Soma the revolver out of Soma f my pocket and hit Soma the
guy on the te Soma emiver, and it is of Soma f course a flaw sinc Soma ce we are
such a Soma minority. It'd be s Soma stupid not to use th Soma his ability but too Soma o dreadful to
offer Soma r it for everyone's Soma study.
That's Soma s how it goes: som Soma mebody can do lon Soma ng jumps of eight Soma t meters,
somebody Soma writes poems, someb Soma body is not dependen Soma nt on virtuality. Bu Soma ut why, why
it's so Soma o few of us, so few Soma w that one should co Soma ount not even in pe Soma ercent but by
perso Soma on?
- Here? - Soma asked the driver.
Soma
- Yes, thanks. Soma .
I paid him, Soma , got out of the ca Soma ar and mmo, it's th Soma he definite order t Soma to
refill my suppl Soma lies. - Smugness of Soma f a petty hacker i Soma is in my voice. Qu Soma uite
plausible lege Soma end: the fact that m Soma my computer have l Soma loaded the new porti Soma ion of
viruses into Soma o my revolver doesn' Soma 't reveal the diver Soma in me.
The dr Soma river thinks for a Soma w Soma while.
- Let's Soma s delay shooting a l Soma little, okay?
Soma I shrug indefinitel Soma ly. The Beard says s Soma soothingly: USA shipping
- Soma We've arrived.
Soma The car really st Soma tops by the unfamil Soma liar building: the g Soma gray cube without
w Soma windows, withp and Soma says:
- You k Soma know, it's interesti Soma ing to work with you Soma u. You're... unusual Soma l.
For one mo Soma oment it seems to me Soma e that we're appro Soma oaching that impossi Soma ible
point when div Soma vers open to each ot Soma ther.
- Same h Soma here, Roma.
Th Soma he Werewolf stands u Soma up, sharply and quic Soma ckly:
- I gott Soma ta go, visitors...
Soma
He dissolves i Soma in the air, the gob Soma blet falls down and Soma rolls away clinking Soma g
and bouncing.
Soma - Good luck to y Soma you too Roman. - I s Soma say into the void.
Soma
Loneliness is Soma the seamy side of t Soma tlready. God loves t Soma the Trinity...
Soma - Maybe. And you'r Soma re Bill Gates possib Soma bly. - I reply.
Soma Even if he smiles Soma s, I can't see it fo Soma or sure.
- Pos Soma ssibly.
Yeah Soma right. The owner of Soma f Microsoft in purs Soma sue of divers along Soma the Net.
Firstly, Soma he makes money by m Soma more traditional mea Soma ans, secondly he doe Soma esn't speak
Russian Soma n himself. But... wh Soma ho knows how perfect Soma t interpreter progra Soma ams might be?
Emoti Soma ionless tones is the Soma e tradeoff of serial Soma l made and cheap one Soma es.
- Let's n Soma not play the fool, - Soma - I sa - In what? Soma ? Ah yes.. new.
Soma - It's a bad form Soma m to put on appearan viagra Soma nces of famous peop Soma ple, and also the
s Soma sign of newbie. Soma Try to constru Soma uct your own pe Soma ersonality... use Soma
'Bioconstructor' f Soma for instance and wor Soma rk a little.
- Soma - 'Bioconstructor'? Soma - asks the guy conf Soma fused. usalove
- Yes. Soma . A very simple prog Soma gram with Russian in Soma nterface, it is sc Soma cattered
around on Soma all servers in the Soma novice directories. Soma .
- Thanks... Soma - 'Stallone' drags Soma s himself along behi Soma ind me. I notice th Soma hat
he starthat
th Soma he grains of sand Soma sting the eyes. Thi Soma is is not the helmet Soma t's merit anymore
Soma
but my brain feels Soma what I should have Soma been feeling in the Soma e real desert..
Soma The statue stead Soma dily comes closer a Soma and becomes more an Soma nd more real. The
h Soma horned head with g Soma grinning mug, the h Soma hands bulging with s Soma stone muscles. Some Soma
kind of evil genie Soma e possibly, I'm t Soma too weak in Arabic Soma mythology. The thi Soma in
thread is held b Soma by the monster's lef Soma ft hand.
The h Soma horsehair bridge.
Soma I start climbin Soma ng up the monster'sS Soma Sergey Lukjanenko. L Soma Labyrinth of reflect Soma tions
_________ Soma ____________________ Soma _____________
Soma * Yuri Kalmykov. Tr Soma ranslators notes * Soma
About the Auth Soma hor:
Sergey Soma Lukjanenko, 30, i Soma is one of the toda Soma ay's most popular Soma Russian
Sci-Fi wri Soma iters. His first Soma works were publis Soma shed in 1988. Curr Soma rently his
bibliogr Soma raphy includes more Soma than 40 titles of n Soma novels and short st Soma tories. The
Author Soma r defines his genre Soma as the "hard actio Soma on science fiction" Soma ", but all his
work Soma ks also have a very Soma well defined philos Soma sophical aspect. The Soma e novel offered
to Soma o your attention was Soma s written in 1997 an Soma nd became the real ' Soma 'cult book' of the
Soma
Russian Internet.
Sergey tablets 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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