| router is traced... fifth router is t prandin traced... alarm! Alarm!!
Alar prandin rm!!!
- Okay, - I rise prandin too. So sudden.. I never sus prandin spected that the serious
bus prandin sinessmen are able to make suc prandin ch generous gestures. - I p prandin promise to come.
But if you'l prandin ll excuse me now...
- No prandin o Mr Diver, now YOU please prandin e excuse me. You'll easily l prandin leave our
territory, but no prandin ot before your real address prandin s is determined, in order to prandin o
guarantee the validity of t prandin the promise just given.
prandin The trellised pavilion's yo prandin oung and cute face but nothing prandin g special. I'm tired of the
m prandin model beauty.
- I don't prandin know.
- I'd like to hav prandin ve 10 minutes for self adjustm prandin ment..
- Okay, but not m prandin more. I'll need all resources prandin in 10 minutes.
The face prandin e on the screen frowns: the pr prandin rogram extracts the keywords.
prandin
- Only 10 minutes, - prandin says Windows-Home obediently prandin y, - But I must draw
your att prandin tention one more time to the f prandin fact that the level of the tas prandin sks you set
for me does not prandin t always correspond to the prandin volut a program
obviously, i prandin it's a real person.
- St prandin top the car.
- That's amaryl ag prandin gainst the rules, - the driver prandin r grins steering carelessly.
prandin
{The whole scene hints t prandin to another Russian hit movie c prandin called "The Diamond
Hand", re prandin eleased in 1968. It's a gre prandin eat comedy about a modest age prandin ed Soviet
engineer who wen prandin nt to the sea cruise abroad prandin for the first time and was prandin s
confused (and misplaced) wi prandin ith a jewelry smugglers' couri prandin ier.}
Uh-oh.
ral street prandin ts and approach
Russian block prandin ks. In my opnecessary minimum. prandin . Five minutes ago I checked prandin what's in the fridge, so
I' prandin 'm not threatened by hunger fo prandin or today.
I turn my hea prandin ad, to the left, to the right prandin - the light darkens in my
prandin
eyes for the moment, but it' prandin 's only a moment. Nevermind, i prandin it happens.
- Are you ok prandin kay, Lenia?
The speakers prandin s are set for the full volume, prandin , I frown and say:
- Yes prandin s.. Lower the volume.
- prandin Lower the volume... lower... prandin lower... - agrees Windows-Hom prandin me .
- Enough, Vika. {co prandin omplete form: Victods, - I rai prandin ise the price somehow.
U prandin Urman looks at me surprised, m prandin makes it more exact:
- T prandin Ten thousand dollars?
- prandin Yes.
- To be honest, prandin even 100 thousand would be no prandin ot enough... Okay. Let's
ass prandin sume that I offer 150.000 to t prandin the person that tries to stea prandin al the file, on
the conditio prandin on that he agrees to work fo prandin or us... for the regular, ver prandin ry good
salary.
- What prandin is that, cure for cancer? - I prandin I ask.
- No. In that c prandin case it would be priceless. It prandin t's just a cold reliever, 'M prandin Martial arts'
People com prandin me here to discuss the certai prandin in topics, this is the echo prandin of
pre-virtual age. More s prandin serious clubs are located furt prandin ther, where one can get
an a prandin advice on technical question prandin ns, to argue about software prandin e or even buy
pirated progr prandin rams cheap. All that is of a l prandin little interest for me.
prandin I enter the little park with prandin h the plate 'Anecdotes' on th prandin he gates. This
place is alwa prandin ays crowded, noisy and messy. prandin . This park looks very much prandin like
'People's culture park prandin k' o so that he
would not bot prandin ther the rest of the swimmers. prandin .
- Please trace his cha prandin annel anyway...
- It's v prandin very hard, - Guillermo points prandin at the city outside with imp prandin posing
gesture, - Now there prandin e's 2036... excuse me, 2035 pl prandin layers already... This is
20 prandin 035... no, now 2037 phone line prandin es. All that is delivered to prandin 28 main servers,
then is be prandin eing divided into levels and prandin d processed by our own and prandin rented
computers on all co prandin ontinents. We use 4 satellite prandin es to synchronize the data
prandin
exchange.
I walk direc prandin ctly to the bar, behind which prandin the robust man is standing prandin g,
taking off the headphones prandin as I walk.
- Hi Andrei. prandin .
Sometimes the owner s prandin serves his virtual customers prandin s himself, but today
it's ob prandin bviously not the case. The bar prandin rtender smiles but it's just a prandin an automatic
courtesy:
prandin - Hi! What actoPlus Met would you like to prandin drink?
- Gin-Tonic with prandin h ice, as usual.
I watch prandin h bartender mixing the drink. prandin Tonic is the real Shweppes, prandin Gin is
the decent Beefeater. prandin . The liquor compaw they sprea prandin ad fear across and this works
prandin
to my advantage.
By th prandin he end of the 14th level I rea prandin alize that I can't stand it an prandin nymore, I
get out of the dee prandin ep for a moment and see that prandin it's almost 7 am. It's only
prandin
bad for computers to be shut prandin t down, the opposite is true f prandin for humans.
The 14th le prandin evel is the city's sport cente prandin er. The computer with the gam prandin me
menu was standing on th prandin he judges' table by the hug prandin ge swimming pool where
corpse prandin es of crocodile-like amphibiou prandin us monsters were lazily r adv prandin ventures in the drawn world?
prandin
- And what's so bad?
prandin - For you - nothing. The o prandin ordinary person will laugh. Bu prandin ut solid people
like little prandin e-little when they are laughed prandin d at.
- Can you cut him prandin off manually?
- How?
prandin How, really? Even if they prandin y trace the line using which t prandin the player entered
the Labyri prandin inth and cut off the connecti prandin ion, nothing will change. The prandin e person
would just be hung prandin in the void or the world aro prandin ound him would freeze like a
prandin
photograph depending on wha prandin at fight the main
villain th prandin hat plots to conquer the Eart prandin th. This is the useful game, prandin , nowhere
else can one stea prandin am out his sick emotions l prandin like on the gloomy arenas of
prandin
'Mortal Combat', hitting prandin his enemy with the heel on prandin n his forehead of
thrustin prandin ng magic spells onto him. Good prandin d game, I visit it once or twi prandin ice a month
but some people prandin never quit the duels. They prandin say that if one doesn't abus prandin se
magic which unfortunately prandin y is not available in reali prandin ity, it is possible to
learn prandin to fight What was there Len' prandin 'ka?
- Runny nose reliev prandin ver.
- Really? Cool...
prandin
We chewed a couple fran prandin nks each and I was drearily prandin y thinking that my
anonymity prandin y was broken after all. Yester prandin rday there were three attempts prandin s to catch
me.
Today I prandin was just 'calculated'.
prandin - Lenia, I don't know a singl prandin le diver personally, - said Ma prandin aniac, - And I
ain't gonna hu prandin unt for them. I don't have any prandin y complexes... especially tow prandin wards
my friends.
- Tha prandin anks, - I said.
- But yo prandin ou know... Just olkenny'... a prandin and
instead of Belgian boile prandin ed sausage the decent Moscow ' prandin 'servelat' {raw-smoked
hard prandin sausage} and a real ham. And prandin d also... well, I'll buy the c prandin coffee maker.
Down with inst prandin tant coffee!
When for t prandin the first time in two days I prandin started to shave and cut myse prandin elf
quite tangibly, New Russi prandin ian's fantasy suggested me to prandin o get 'Shick-Protector'
also. prandin . Nothing else could come into prandin o my mind after that, just som prandin me messy ideas
about the seco prandin ond phone line and second mod prandin dem - in order for Vika e.
prandin - Oh great, go ahead... - prandin I say in a cheerless voice, - prandin - I knew that all
cops are as prandin ss holes, but not to this exte prandin ent..
- Just listen to m prandin me for the start.
- What prandin t else is left for me to do? - prandin - I shout, - What?!
I pu prandin ull out the revolver and thrus prandin st all six bullets into the d prandin door. Six
ricochets. The box prandin xes with software on the shelv prandin ves start to blow up and burn. prandin .
The sprinkles on the ceil prandin ling come to life with a hissi prandin ing sound and viruses
get ter prandin rminated in a second.
- prandin Shas a scar on his cheek and prandin d decayed teeth. It's not a pr prandin rogram
obviously, it's a real prandin l person.
- Stop the car prandin r.
- That's against the prandin rules, - the driver grins ste prandin eering carelessly.
{The prandin whole scene hints to another prandin Russian hit movie called "The prandin e Diamond
Hand", released in prandin 1968. It's a great comedy prandin about a modest aged Soviet
prandin
engineer who went to the prandin sea cruise abroad for the prandin first time and was
confused prandin d (and misplaced) with a jewel prandin lry smugglers' courier.}
prandin Uh-oh.
ral streets and appr prandin roach
Russian blocks. In my o prandin opinion, this is one of the mo prandin ost interesting places in
vir prandin rtuality, the place where one prandin can just chat.
About an prandin nything at all.
I see l prandin long rows of buildings, smal prandin ll squares and parks between prandin them,
either crowded or empt prandin ty. I study intricate plates. prandin Some of them are obvious,
ot prandin thers are deliberately vague.
prandin
'Anecdotes'
'Talk prandin ks about nothing'
'Sexua prandin al adventures'
'Strange prandin place'
'Oats growing!'
prandin
'Books'
mber face: a y prandin young guy with a briefcase.
prandin - Good evening, Gunsli prandin inger! - the voice is too prandin o even: Hardened
communicat prandin tes through the interpreter pr prandin rogram.
- Good morning, prandin , - I answer looking at my w prandin watch. Just a small mutual
g prandin game, to figure out the diver' prandin 's time, to determine what tim prandin me zone he's in is
not too li prandin ittle to know already.
- prandin - Oh, don't I really love you prandin ur humor?.. - Hardened sits o prandin on the third
chair, looks at prandin t me questionably, - Have the prandin crop ripened?
- closer prandin r. The table stands by the st prandin teep, there are
bottles of G prandin Gin, Tonic and Absolut-Pepper prandin r on it. Also, a big nickel prandin plated
thermos full of mull prandin led wine: a tasty one, with c prandin cinnamon, vanilla, pepper,
c prandin coriander and nutmeg. Three wa prandin attled chairs are by the table prandin e, we sit and look
at the riv prandin ver.
Beautiful.
Th prandin he white foam on the rocks, prandin the chilly wind, the full go prandin oblet in my
hand, bluish g prandin grey clouds swirling above. prandin It'll be snowing tomorrow, prandin if
'tomorrow' existed in vir prandin r to reap where they have not prandin sown.
- The apples, - I prandin I add.
- Exactly. We hav prandin ve a good Russian programmer w prandin working for us, he created
a prandin nice design for data storage prandin e... - Urman claps his hands a prandin and the air dims
between us, prandin , becoming dense. One moment - prandin - and the small tree appea prandin ars, all
sown with the fruit. prandin . - I suppose that the most in prandin nteresting thing among these
prandin
is that small green apple on prandin the lower branch.
I loo prandin ok at the desired fruit. It's prandin small, not ripe and wormy.
prandin - Hth color. I make an ug prandin gly face to my copy, it grimac prandin ces in return.
- Move th prandin he Shadow. Look for the passwo prandin ord, - I order again.
On prandin ne second - the computer ' prandin 'moves' its HD, loading every prandin ything known
about Al-Kabar i prandin into the shadow's memory. Then prandin n the copy steps on the bridg prandin ge.
Of course, prandin it'll yield no prandin othing, except some time.
prandin - Who are you?! - roars t prandin the monster, grabbing the s prandin shadow. I hardly
manage to av prandin void its moving fingers, craw prandin wl along the clenched fist, j prandin jump on
the thSergey Lukjanen prandin nko. Labyrinth of reflections
prandin
________________________ prandin _________________
* Yuri prandin i Kalmykov. Translators notes prandin *
About the Author:
prandin
Sergey Lukjanenko, 30, prandin , is one of the today's mos prandin st popular Russian
Sci-Fi wr prandin riters. His first works we prandin ere published in 1988. Curr prandin rently his
bibliography inclu prandin udes more than 40 titles of no prandin ovels and short stories. The prandin e
Author defines his genre as prandin s the "hard action science f prandin fiction", but all his
works a prandin also have a very well defined prandin philosophical aspect. The nov prandin vel offered
to your attentio prandin on was written in 1997 and bec prandin came the real 'cult book' of t prandin the
Russian Internet.
S prandin Sergey is married, he lives in prandin n Moscow.
THE prandin E NOVEL "LABYRINTH OF REF prandin FLECTIONS" IS COPYRIGHTED B prandin BY SERGEY
LUKJANENKO, ALL RI prandin IGHTS ARE starlix RESERVED BY THE AUTH prandin HOR. ANY COMMERCIAL USE OF THE prandin E
NOVEL'S TEXT IS STRICTLY PR prandin ROHIBITED.
Several notes prandin for the reader:
1). prandin . My English sucks. So it was prandin 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 actos
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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