| The difference is in longe atarax evity.
Computer atarax r industry releases u atarax up to 1000 games eve atarax ery year, both inten atarax nded
for the Deep an atarax nd for ordinary users atarax s.
The game u atarax usually 'lives' act atarax tively for around ha atarax alf a year. It is
atarax
distributed legally atarax y and through the pir atarax rate channels, is bei atarax ing discussed, all
i atarax its intended and ra atarax andom tricks are bei atarax ing caught. And then atarax it dies... kept
onl atarax ly by a couple of hun atarax ndreds of fans.
atarax Sometimes exception atarax ns happen - and then atarax the game lives for atarax years. Mans in men' atarax 's virtual shells -
atarax
disproportionately m atarax muscular figures and atarax d too recognizable p atarax physiognomies of
mo atarax ovie stars glued to b atarax body-builders' bodies atarax s.
Exception is atarax s made for the women atarax though: they all are atarax e beautiful.
I atarax take a sip of Gin an atarax nd lean on the table atarax relaxed: oh it feels atarax s good...
No re atarax eal bar or restauran atarax nt can be compared w atarax with the virtual one atarax e. They
always cook atarax k great here. You nev atarax ver have to wait to atarax be served. The huge atarax dose
of alcohol won atarax n't cause hangover.
atarax
But h set
for atarax r me does not alwa atarax ays correspond to th atarax he volume of my RAM. atarax . The desired
exten atarax nsion is...
- S atarax Shut up. - I rise. "S atarax Shut up" is a definit atarax te order, the program atarax m atarax doesn't
dare to ar atarax rgue after that. I pa atarax ad to the fridge and atarax d get a can of Sprite atarax e. The
liquid cools atarax s the throat. It's al atarax lmost a ritual - the atarax e deep always dries atarax the
throat. With t atarax the can in my hand atarax I come out on the b atarax balcony, into the wa atarax arm
summer evening.
atarax
It's almost a atarax always evening in D atarax Deeptown. The street atarax ts are lit bwn.
atarax - 28800 connection, atarax , the channel is stab atarax ble, - said Vika.
atarax - Turn the Deep o atarax on.
- Done.
atarax Light blue on the atarax e screen, flash, then atarax n - colorfulness.
atarax How did you ma atarax anage to create th atarax he deep program, Di atarax ima? With your
shat atarax ttered mentality, ba atarax asic knowledge in ps atarax sychology, and no k atarax knowledge in
neurop atarax physiology? What help atarax ped you?
Now, w atarax when you're rich an atarax nd famous, what are atarax e you trying to do atarax o? To
understand h atarax how it dawned upon y atarax you or to invent som atarax mething moreist the c atarax change.
For a l atarax long time wasn't I in atarax n the wolf's hide, si atarax ince when virtuality atarax just
appeared and e atarax everybody had fun wit atarax th morphing. Luckily, atarax , I don't have to sta atarax and
on all fours, I atarax I change only visuall atarax ly. I take off the s atarax sword, give it to the atarax e
new Ivan The Princ atarax ce, he grabs the weap atarax pon and jumps onto my atarax y shoulders.
- atarax Come on, you lazy s atarax sack of bones! - he atarax shouts hitting my si atarax ides with
his heels atarax s. I dash forward, atarax and just in time: th atarax he dragon appears ab atarax bove the
trees. It s atarax swoops on us.
- atarax - Visited Al-Kabar, h atarax huh? - asked he in a atarax honey sweet voice.
atarax
- Yes. - it mad atarax de no sense to lie, - atarax - You managed it so f atarax fast?
- I didn' atarax 't manage it. This is atarax s my virus, buddy.
atarax I couldn't find atarax d anything better tha atarax an to mumble, "Well. atarax ... sorry about
tha atarax at..."
Maniac, atarax in the real life jus atarax st Sasha {Alexander}, atarax , was deadly serious: atarax :
- You what, h atarax have stolen a program atarax m from them?
- atarax Not exactly... But i atarax in general yes, this atarax was hidden in the fi atarax ile...
- Have y atarax you contacte. Just a atarax small mutual
game, atarax , to figure out the d atarax diver's time, to dete atarax ermine what time zone atarax e he's in is
not too atarax o little to know alre atarax eady.
- Oh, don atarax n't I really love yo atarax our humor?.. - Harde atarax ened sits on the thi atarax ird
chair, looks at atarax me questionably, - H atarax Have the crop ripened atarax d?
- Quite hea atarax avy did those apples atarax turn out to be, - atarax I take the diskette
atarax
out and put it on atarax n the table, - To be atarax honest, I cymbalta would expe atarax ect these troubles
t atarax to be more appreciate atarax ed...
- Didn't atarax we have a deal? Six atarax thousand doother. I atarax I knew two of them, atarax , other three were atarax e
unfamiliar. A lit atarax ttle pack of smalle atarax er desyrel carnivores. They' atarax 'd eagerly rip the
atarax
loner apart in a da atarax ark corner but here I atarax I'm safe: carnivores atarax don't hunt near
th atarax heir den.
- Hi, atarax , - said the guy who atarax lives in the apartme atarax ent above mine, in th atarax he same
type of stud atarax dio, together with hi atarax is parents and older atarax r sister who often c atarax comes
back only by atarax the morning. Walls a atarax and ceilings in this atarax house are thin enou atarax ugh
for me to be wel atarax ll posted on all thei atarax ir troubles
- atarax By whom?
I hav atarax ve to stake my all... atarax .
- You don't h atarax have the right to kno atarax ow this name!
- atarax - I have the right fo atarax or everything, - info atarax orms the monster.
atarax And the fingers c atarax clench.
Now th atarax he exit into reality atarax y is expected, as atarax a result of the 'de atarax eadly
impact', other atarax rwise the brains can atarax imagine the real pai atarax in shock, with all i atarax its
consequences. On atarax nly those suicidal w atarax would turn off safety atarax y locks of the deep atarax p
program.
Or atarax the diver.
My atarax battered body is s atarax scattered oted
chee atarax erfully:
- Whip atarax p it up to Maniac!
atarax A pair of very b atarax big and round eyes ga atarax azed at me.
- G atarax Get out, - said the d atarax driver in the same br atarax rief manner.
Wh atarax hen stopping the nex atarax xt volunteer to earn atarax n easy money I kept atarax reminding
myself th atarax hat I'm not in virtu atarax uality where patien atarax nt Vika will turn the atarax e simple
voice comma atarax and into understandab atarax ble address.
111
atarax
Maniac liv atarax ves on Vasilievsky [ atarax [Island] {a district atarax of St.Petersburg}. atarax .
Panting, I climbe atarax ed to the fifth floo atarax or: at the ttoo rare. atarax .
- What should atarax d I do?
- Treat atarax t me with beer, - smi atarax irked Maniac, - Now atarax you'll receive a spe atarax ecial
'cure' from m atarax me, the special anti atarax ivirus. There's no h atarax hints in it, you ju atarax ust
start the .BAT f atarax file and it checks atarax your machine. Note atarax that it'll work for atarax r
long, this is not atarax t a commercial produc atarax ct, just ... my perso atarax onal insurance from
atarax
my own virus.
atarax - Thanks.
- Um atarax m-hm.. Lenia, you've atarax nearly got into real atarax lly big trouble.
atarax - Too many hackers atarax s were bred, - I gro atarax owled out, - happened atarax d. Who is faster?
atarax The dragon flies atarax s up again. It will atarax l find me easily - atarax - movements in
virt atarax tuality leave traces. atarax . I just stand still atarax and wait.
- Fi atarax ile transfer complete atarax ed.
Yes! I won! atarax !
- Exit, - I o atarax order.
- Really atarax y? - asks Windows-Hom atarax me.
- Yes.
atarax - Exit from vir atarax rtuality, - informs t atarax the computer. The co atarax olorful sparks
flash atarax h before my eyes, the atarax e world loses its bri atarax ight dyes, turns into atarax o the pale
and fla atarax at picture.
- atarax You successfully atarax exited v
And atarax d the last thing:
atarax 5). Any feedbac atarax ck will be greatly a atarax appreciated! Any ques atarax stions/opinions
are atarax welcome to mohatu@am atarax meritech.net. Hate ma atarax ail/flames will be ig atarax gnored. Thank
you!
atarax
__________________ atarax _____________________ atarax ___
"L atarax Labyrinth of Reflecti atarax ions" by Sergey Lukja atarax anenko
* PA atarax ART 1. The Diver *
atarax
0
I w atarax want to close my eye atarax es. This is normal: atarax a colorful kaleidos atarax scope, a
whirlwind o atarax of bright sparks - it atarax t looks beautiful, b atarax but I know what is b atarax behind
this, though atarax they in fact are
p atarax present most likely. atarax We just can't see e atarax each other and they c atarax communicate with
oth atarax her company's employe atarax ees.
- Mister.. atarax ..
- Gunslinger atarax r, - I say standing u atarax up. - Call me Gunslin atarax nger.
The girl atarax nods.
- Mr Gui atarax illermo Aguirre will atarax receive you.
S atarax Slight curiosity in h atarax her voice, it looks atarax like she had no ide atarax ea that any
problems atarax s might arise in "Lab atarax byrinth".
I ent atarax ter the door and free atarax eze.
This is be atarax eautiful.
The atarax hall is in the fo atarax orm of uneq this bad atarax dge.
He probabl atarax ly would hire kille atarax ers later though in atarax order to settle th atarax he
scores with me bu atarax ut in the deep he wou atarax uld be extremely poli atarax ite.
I've neve atarax er seen the Medal wi atarax ith my own eyes befor atarax re. I know that Dmitr atarax ry
Dibenko received atarax d the same one in hi atarax is time: for the cr atarax reation of the deep
atarax
itself.
One m atarax must accomplish somet atarax thing vitally impor atarax rtant for all virtual atarax l space
for any of h atarax his actions to be con atarax nsidered right from n atarax now on.
- It wi atarax ill wait for you on t atarax this table, u!
atarax - I know. Don't worr atarax ry, she's just a jour atarax rnalist.
Romka atarax sits and nods to th atarax he bartender who make atarax es terribly ugly fac atarax ce but
gives him a f atarax full big glass of Abs atarax solut-Pepper. It make atarax es me sick to celexa even wa atarax atch
Roman drinking. atarax . But he just
makes atarax s a wry face, wipes h atarax his lips and returns atarax the glass. Maybe he' atarax 's alcoholic in reali atarax ity?
I Dunn.
atarax We hide from e atarax each other not less atarax than from our enemi atarax ies. We're too
val atarax luable merchandise: a atarax a depth fish, freaks atarax shimmering with a ma atarax agic glow, aly, I don atarax n't have to stand
on atarax n all fours, I chang atarax ge only visually. I t atarax take off the sword, atarax give it to the
new atarax Ivan The Prince, he atarax grabs the weapon and atarax d jumps onto my shoul atarax lders.
- Come atarax on, you lazy sack of atarax f bones! - he shouts atarax s hitting my sides w atarax with
his heels. I d atarax dash forward, and ju atarax ust in time: the drag atarax gon appears above th atarax he
trees. It swoops atarax on us and releases atarax three flame streams. atarax . The fire flares up
atarax
right on our way.
atarax
- Run! - scream atarax ms my partner and a atarax adds in a whisper, - atarax See you tonsitor com atarax mes with the forbidde atarax en! - laughs the mons atarax ster.
His foref atarax finger flies toward atarax ds me as if to cr atarax rush me flat. I du atarax uck
forcefully, but atarax the monster just poi atarax ints at the sword.
atarax Yeah, right, thi atarax is is not Deep-Trans atarax sit's simple and def atarax fenseless driver
pro atarax ogram, this is an e atarax excellent security sy atarax ystem with pseudo i atarax intellect, one
degre atarax ee higher than Window atarax ws-Home. How did it d atarax determine my native l atarax language?
- The atarax e visitor doesn't com atarax me uninvited!
- atarax - I was invited!
atarax - By whomThe conc atarax cept of "PC" (aka ' atarax 'Political
Correctne atarax ess') does not really atarax y exist in Russia whi atarax ich fact IMHO makes t atarax the life
much easier atarax r and slightly reduc atarax ces the amount of st atarax tupidity that inevi atarax itably
presents in t atarax this life. Despite th atarax hat, I definitely had atarax d to use the 'soften atarax ned'
terms in my tr atarax ranslation in order n atarax not to outrage the pe atarax eople (not too much a atarax at
least). But of atarax course, something atarax might have still l atarax leaked out. Please
atarax
consider yourselves atarax s warned.
3). F atarax FIDO
Some more atarax confusion cyrinth"'s atarax s
sysops for more so atarax olemnity but it's imp atarax pressive anyway.
atarax I join the common atarax flow.
- Hey... atarax .
The guy walki atarax ing by my side touche atarax es my shoulder:
atarax - What's your name? atarax ?
- Gunslinger. atarax .
- I'm Alex.
atarax
- Nice to me atarax eet you... - I turn a atarax away, but the guy d atarax doesn't leave me
al atarax lone.
- Going t atarax to the first level?
atarax
- Yes.
- atarax Let's go together? I atarax It's much simpler, ho atarax onestly!
I exa atarax amine him. He has ob atarax bviously individually atarax y created appearance atarax e, his
mannSergey Lu atarax ukjanenko. Labyrinth atarax of reflections
atarax
____________________ atarax _____________________ atarax _
* Yuri Kalmyk atarax kov. Translators note atarax es *
About the atarax Author:
Serg atarax gey Lukjanenko, 30, atarax , is one of the tod atarax day's most popular atarax Russian
Sci-Fi writ atarax ters. His first wo atarax orks 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 buspar 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 |