| sent Anatol, - Guillermo pulls his proventil hands apart, - He can do proventil o
that... to lead to the e proventil end of the level...
- proventil - And?...
I have to proventil drag the information from proventil him with wild horses, not proventil t because
Guillermo hides proventil s something from me, he ju proventil ust can't understand what proventil t exactly
interests me, h proventil he got used to communica proventil ate with well prepared div proventil vers that
understand every proventil ything on the fly.
- proventil Please explain the situati proventil ion in an orderly fashion, proventil Willy.
Guillermo nod proventil ds.
- The playing fa proventil aucet.
Big Mugs behin proventil nd me were silently going c proventil crazy, and it amused me lot proventil ts.
- Please wait fo proventil or the foam to settle, - s proventil said Christian with a stro proventil ong
accent putting the can proventil nister on the bar. Wow, proventil what a cool guy! I vis proventil sit
'Molly' pretty seldom proventil and never noticed him to b proventil be so proficient.
- O proventil Okay, then one more mug t proventil to drink here please, - I proventil I said and turned
around.
proventil
Big Mugs pretended proventil to study the bottle rows proventil behind Christian's back.
proventil
Okay. Until they are sure proventil e before.
The section proventil n car passes the frozen tra proventil ain, new and clean one, wit proventil th people
sitting by its w proventil windows. Their bodies are c proventil covered by some grayish fi proventil ilm. This
is the refugees' proventil ' train that the aliens had proventil d burned when it attempted proventil to leave
the Twilight Ci proventil ity. I look at the 'relit proventil ttle golden
medallion on proventil her neck: most likely, a proventil program of some sort. Sh proventil he's pretty
cute and tha proventil anks God, not recognizab proventil ble: either she designed h proventil her face by
herself or use proventil ed some rare seen painting proventil g as a bed with high tempe proventil erature and
runny nose, ho proventil ow do you think?
- N proventil Not me at least, - Shellerb proventil bach The Hardened's face ch proventil hanges. Now he's
an aged proventil man with the resolute bu proventil ut nervous face. - But I a proventil assumed that the
diver's w proventil word is piously.
- I proventil don't deny it. I'll give y proventil you the file, - with a slig proventil ght knock I send
the diske proventil ette across the table, - Bu proventil ut next time not a single proventil diver will even
move a fi proventil inger for you. You violate proventil our ethics, Mr Shellerbac proventil ch. Any job must
be paid a proventil according to one. Not with proventil hout too
much self confid proventil dence, as any Microsoft pr proventil roduct, but I have to put proventil up with
it.
- Good proventil luck, - says the program, proventil - When should I expect you proventil u back?
I look at the proventil e screen: the woman's face proventil e is floating there, fra proventil amed by
orange sparks, the proventil e young and cute face but n proventil nothing special. I'm tired proventil of the
model beauty.
proventil - I don't know.
- proventil I'd like to have 10 minute proventil es for self adjustment..
proventil - Okay, but not more. proventil I'll need all resources in proventil n 10 minutes.
ly up to proventil o the
skies, new terribl proventil le weapons are being develo proventil oped, world's capitals are proventil being
burned to ashes by proventil nuclear explosions. One do proventil oesn't need to be quick or proventil r keen
in this game, stra proventil ategic thinking is most proventil important. They say that proventil t the
Military watches th proventil his game very attentively a proventil and sometimes successful pl proventil layers
get offers to join proventil the army. Some people seem proventil m scared by that, the other proventil rs are
attracted on the c proventil contrary. I have played proventil these 'adult tin soldier proventil rs' a
little. In my opior proventil rries me.
I allow mys proventil self to smirk, tell me that proventil t you don't know...
- proventil - Until now everything proventil that was happening in vir proventil rtuality had their
analog proventil gies in the real wo proventil orld. Entertainment, bu proventil usiness, science,
commun proventil nications...
Interest proventil ting that he ranked enterta proventil ainment first...
- N proventil Now something have changed proventil d.... Good luck to you div proventil ver. You can go
now.
proventil Man Without Face nods in proventil n the direction of the door proventil r.
- I'll leave by my proventil y own way.
- You deci proventil ided st. I'm not Jesus
and proventil d I don't pretend to comple proventil ete innocence myself. I hav proventil ve my own goals.
- An proventil nd I have my little legal b proventil business! What do you want? proventil ?
- That's better. M proventil Mr Diver, have you heard a proventil about the Lost Point? Or proventil r
about the Invisible Boss proventil s?
What I was expecti proventil ing the least were the anci proventil ient fables.
- 'Point proventil t' is the old term for the proventil terminal network user?
proventil - Yes, the user of Fido proventil onet... this one existed so proventil ome time ago. quibron-T
- Mayb proventil be I've heard about that... proventil . Is it abol okay, we have proventil quarreled a little..
proventil - Why so?
- Ah... I proventil I've passed the red light.. proventil ..
I nodded: it's ver proventil ry difficult to live in the proventil e deep and be married. Wha proventil at
the hell betrayal is in proventil n visiting the virtual brot proventil thel? It's all unreal there proventil e!
But Maniac's spous proventil se got hurt anyway...
proventil We sat by the table, M proventil Maniac searched the fridge proventil e, got the pack of
fran proventil nks, a piece of cheese, the proventil en brought two huge clay gl proventil lasses from his room.
I fi proventil illed them with beer solemn proventil nly.
- Gee,d! The mir proventil racle can't be
static.
proventil
* PART 2. "Labyrinth" proventil " *
0
The P proventil Portal through which "Labyr proventil rinth" is connected to th proventil he rest of the
deep is r proventil really beautiful. It's a hu proventil uge black marble ark goin proventil ng up into the
sky. Purpl proventil le sparks slide along it b proventil back and forth and low rum proventil mble is emitted
by the s proventil stone, sometimes accompanie proventil ed with deep nonhuman sig proventil ghs. The ark's
entrance i proventil is filled with swirling red proventil d fog.
And right int proventil to this fog people are com proventil ming, slowly as if meaze. proventil .
What am I afraid of proventil f, hmm?
- I'm afraid proventil d of my name being known. proventil The real freedom is in m proventil mystery
always.
- I proventil understand, - Shellerbach proventil agrees and looks at Roman proventil n askance, - Are
you the d proventil diver too? Or just a walkin proventil ng virus deposit?
- D proventil Diver, - says Roman.
proventil - Well... Good luck gent proventil tlemen... - Shellerbach pad pulmicort inhaler proventil ds a step away, then
stops proventil s, - Tell me... how is it: proventil to be a diver?
- It' proventil 's very simple, - replies proventil s Roman, - One just needs proventil s to know that
everything proventil g a
space would be filled u proventil up with bones.
The st proventil tation building gets close proventil er. I look at it trying t proventil to understand
what have proventil changed since my last time proventil e here. It seems to me that proventil t tower at the
right wing proventil was missing before.
proventil The section car passes the proventil e frozen train, new and cle proventil ean one, with people
sitti proventil ing by its windows. Their b proventil bodies are covered by some proventil grayish film. This
is th proventil he refugees' train that the proventil e aliens had burned when it proventil t attempted to leave
the T proventil Twilight City. I look at proventil the 'relittle golden
med proventil dallion on her neck: most proventil likely, a program of som proventil me sort. She's pretty
cut proventil te and thanks God, not proventil recognizable: either she proventil designed her face by
her proventil rself or used some rare se proventil een painting as a model or proventil found a cute but not
too proventil o familiar face in some mov proventil vie.
- Sure, - I tur proventil rn to her. The bartender proventil already gives her a glass proventil s of
wine: 'Emperor', the proventil Chilean one. This girl has proventil s a good taste.
- I s proventil see you here pretty often, proventil - informs the girl.
proventil DZZZ! the alarholding a gu proventil un. What scared Man Without proventil t Face?
Why does he thin proventil nk that events don't have a proventil analogies? Why does he off proventil fer the
Medal of Complete proventil License for a simple tas proventil sk? - Willy, have anythin proventil ng else
strange happened?
proventil
I get the weak hope proventil that the different task wa proventil as meant.
- No.
proventil - Nothing?
- Nothin proventil ng-nothing! - Guillermo p proventil parts his hands - We take proventil care of our
customers. Ev proventil verything is under control proventil in "Labyrinth".
I'm proventil looking at the screen, wai proventil serevent iting.
- A-ha..mazing proventil g, - I note, - I don't visi proventil it this place so often real proventil lly.
- But I'm here a proventil almost always.
Lies.
proventil
I can exit virtualit proventil ty right now and check a co proventil ouple of dozens of control
proventil
photos stored in the com proventil mputer: the visitors of t proventil the bar for the last two
proventil
months. It's always usefu proventil ul to remember new faces. proventil But what for, I know well
proventil
enough that I never met h proventil her before...
- I wa proventil as wearing different faces proventil s, - looks like the girl proventil guesses my
thoughts, - proventil while you always wear the proventil ding gets closer. I look proventil k at it trying to underst proventil tand
what have changed si proventil ince my last time here. It proventil seems to me that tower at proventil the
right wing was missin proventil ng before.
The sectio proventil on car passes the frozen tr proventil rain, new and clean one, wi proventil ith people
sitting by its proventil windows. Their bodies are proventil covered by some grayish f proventil film. This
is the refugees proventil s' train that the aliens ha proventil ad burned when it attempted proventil d to leave
the Twilight C proventil City. I look at the 'refu proventil ugees' that sit decorously proventil along the
windows. Oh ye proventil eah. Laay into the void.
proventil Loneliness is the seam proventil my side of the freedom.
proventil I can't have friends.
proventil
- The bill! - I growl proventil l into the void angrily, - proventil Now!
100
The proventil most vexing is that I don proventil n't want to sleep at all: i proventil it was too lucky
day proba proventil ably.
I return to the proventil e restaurant. Some guests proventil have left, some new ones proventil have
arrived, an American proventil n crowd still laughs at the proventil eir jokes.
I need a w proventil walk.
I leave 'Three proventil Piglets', hesitate for a m proventil moment: should I stop the proventil cab?
- thenay but in this proventil s case he would need to
co proventil ontact dispatching office a proventil and I would leave the trace proventil e...
The city ends ab proventil bruptly - like the wall o proventil of palaces and skyscrapers proventil was
cut off by the huge k proventil knife. The city loop road a proventil and the forest across it, proventil the
thick and wild forest proventil t... that separates from th proventil he fuss those who doesn't w proventil want
to make a show of the proventil emselves.
- Slow down proventil n, - I order when we pass t proventil the mango growth and approa proventil ach quite
a type of the mi proventil id-Russian thicket, - Stop proventil by that next path.w what s proventil security systems those bro proventil othels have? -
Maniac was proventil s surprised, - This is wh proventil here senators, Duma deputie proventil es, businessmen
... other proventil r money sacks always are. proventil . Security will cut you proventil off from your
pursuers a proventil at once!
I shook my h proventil head, didn't know that. It proventil t's a shame to confess but proventil I never
visited those 'es proventil stablishments' before.
proventil - So well... I decided t proventil to wait for half an hour, proventil - went Maniac on with
his proventil s story, - But you wouldn't proventil t just hang there alone lik proventil ke stupid, right? So I
cue proventil estion. One could run aroun proventil nd in the drawn labyrinths proventil and
castles, fight with proventil h monsters or with his ow proventil wn friends who sit by proventil the
computers as well. Bu proventil ut even in the worst feveri proventil ish ravings it was impossi proventil ible
to confuse reality an proventil nd illusion.
Computer proventil r networks allowed people a proventil all over the world to commu proventil unicate, but
it was nothin proventil ng more than exchanging ch proventil haracter lines on the scree proventil en... in the
best case - t proventil the drawn face of your inte proventil erlocutor could be on the s proventil screen too.
The real proventil l viSergey Lukjanenko. Lab proventil byrinth of reflections
proventil
_________________________ proventil ________________
* Yu proventil uri Kalmykov. Translators n proventil notes *
About the Aut proventil thor:
Sergey Lukja proventil anenko, 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 proventil 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. rhinocort 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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