| oks at my face intently and nods, amaryl , then quickly drains her amaryl r
glass dry.
- I'm amaryl not lying. Honest. - I sa amaryl ay softly.
- I belie amaryl eve you, - the girl nods amaryl s to bartender, then reac amaryl ches her hand
out to me, amaryl - I'm Nadya.
I shak Anti-Diabetic amaryl ke her hand and introduce amaryl myself:
- Leonid.
amaryl
So now we know ea amaryl ach other and can be les amaryl ss ceremonious. The deep i amaryl is
casual: overly polite amaryl tone is offensive here.
amaryl
The girl casts he amaryl er hair back from her f amaryl forehead, the natural an amaryl nd
graceful gesor inexp amaryl perienced reader it might amaryl be confusing, so I apol amaryl logize... Russia
*is* co amaryl onfusing by definition, so amaryl o bear with it. :-)
amaryl Leonid - the complete nam amaryl me.
Lenia (should b amaryl be read roughly as Lyo-n amaryl nee-aa; don't pronounce 'd amaryl double
lettered' sounds a amaryl as too long ones though) amaryl - this is slightly dim amaryl minutive,
friendly form u amaryl used by relatives and frie amaryl ends.
Lenechka (Lyo- amaryl -nee-chka) - a "pet-name" amaryl form, sometimes also us amaryl sed with
sarcasm, dependi amaryl ing on the context.
amaryl Lenchik - "pet-nfort. His amaryl s lips are
moving: he
o amaryl obviously says the passwor amaryl rd. - Take it.
The amaryl apple is in my hand. I amaryl It's very heavy: two Meg amaryl gs at least. It's
useles amaryl ss to try to copy it, the amaryl only way is to bring it o amaryl out with me. I put it
in amaryl the pocket - I mean, atta amaryl ach it to my virtual 'shel amaryl ll', then look at Urman.
amaryl
- I stake all, - s amaryl says Urman seriously. - amaryl I sacrifice an extemel amaryl ly
perspective technology amaryl y. You can give it to Mr amaryl Shellerbach and convey amaryl y my
personal kind rega amaryl ards to him. Theen civili amaryl ization. It's the Deep wit amaryl thin a Deep with its own
amaryl
laws and rules.
The amaryl e game starts at the fir amaryl rst level - the half ruin amaryl ned railway station
where amaryl e the player arrives by th amaryl he section car, with a si amaryl ingle gun as a weapon.
Th amaryl he station building is amaryl crowded with monsters amaryl - former Twilight City
amaryl
inhabitants, and other p amaryl players. It's difficult to amaryl o say who is more dangerou amaryl us:
monsters are armed amaryl better but the players amaryl snger!
- Pair entran amaryl nce, - I repeat, - Gunslin amaryl nger and Alex!
nstance?
amaryl
This is the only t amaryl thing I know: "Labyrinth"' amaryl 's divers hadn't justifi amaryl ied
hopes.
- Ah! - amaryl Willy nods, - Ah! Unfortu amaryl unate!
I nod just in amaryl n case.
- Is it a pr amaryl roblem? - Aguirre becomes amaryl serious.
- As far a amaryl as I know, yes.
Paus amaryl se. Guillermo weighs somet amaryl thing in his mind.
- amaryl - Mr Gunslinger, what do y amaryl you know?
It's no amaryl use to lie, the man befor amaryl re me is not the one it' amaryl 's worthy to
bluff with.
amaryl
- Very little. I amaryl was informed that there' amaryl 's a problem in "are here amaryl just for that: to
help y amaryl you. When in the streets amaryl ask for advice the people amaryl e with an open hand
sig amaryl gn on the sleeve, they ar amaryl re volunteer helpers, or amaryl policemen. Have you set
amaryl
your timer?
- Yes, amaryl sure! For two hours!
amaryl - Very good. Spend 15 amaryl minutes to talk to the amaryl porter and you'll save
amaryl
much more. Happy sailing! amaryl !
- Happy sailing! - amaryl - says admired novice behi amaryl ind me. It's so nice to be amaryl e an
old-timer...
I amaryl I wink to the porter and amaryl d nod towards 'Stallone' i amaryl in case he'll beof the Tw amaryl wilight City, an imaginar amaryl ry megapolis
captured by amaryl y an alien civilization. I amaryl It's the Deep within a Dee amaryl ep with its own
laws and amaryl rules.
The game st amaryl tarts at the first level amaryl l - the half ruined railwa amaryl ay station
where the play amaryl yer arrives by the section amaryl n car, with a single gun amaryl as a weapon.
The statio amaryl on building is crowded amaryl with monsters - former amaryl Twilight City
inhabita amaryl ants, and other players. I amaryl It's difficult to say who amaryl is more dangerous:
monst amaryl ters are armed better b amaryl but the playersnger!
amaryl - Pair entrance, - I r amaryl repeat, - Gunslinger and A amaryl Alex!
The fog dissi amaryl ipates slightly. We're st amaryl tanding by the section ca amaryl ar that
rests on the ru amaryl usted rails. Two overalls amaryl s are scattered on it tog amaryl gether with
two mask he amaryl elmets and two guns. All amaryl our 'fellow travelers' amaryl have vanished
somewhere. amaryl . We check the chargers an amaryl nd change.
- There' amaryl 'll be a trap by the stat amaryl tion building, this is o amaryl obvious... -
mutters Ale amaryl ex, - We can't relax... Wh amaryl here are you from, Gunslin amaryl nger?
- Frog.
amaryl - Looks like a tough p amaryl piece of work... - notes amaryl the wolf, - don't you
th amaryl hink you've sold yourself amaryl too cheap, Ivan The Princ amaryl ce?
- God knows... - amaryl - I answer examining the amaryl statue, - I was warned amaryl about
the bridge...
amaryl - What are you gonna st amaryl teal?
- Ripe apples. amaryl ...
- Oh, so this is amaryl s the reason for all this amaryl s masquerade... - snicker amaryl rs the
wolf again, - An amaryl nd what is inside the appl amaryl les? {here is a reference amaryl e to the
Russian fairy t amaryl tales of course...}
amaryl - I dunno, - I sin Samara amaryl a somewhere, that boy - in amaryl n Penza...
'That boy amaryl y', looking like the cute amaryl Mexican from a soap opera amaryl a notices her
look and amaryl raises his chin proudly amaryl y. Yes, one can't deny amaryl her power of
observat amaryl tion, he's really Russian. amaryl ...
- There's a crow amaryl wd of Americoses, - she amaryl e goes on without a glimp amaryl pse of
respect, - that w amaryl weirdo is a Japanese obvio amaryl ously... just look at the amaryl eyes he
drew for himse amaryl elf. Every nation has it' amaryl 's own complexes... And h amaryl here are we,
playing the amaryl e fool in noneouch of amaryl the bridge. Even
worse.
amaryl
- The one who is no amaryl ot at your mercy! - I repl amaryl ly.
- But whose merc amaryl cy you're at?
Someth amaryl hing new.
- Allah's, amaryl , - I answer randomly.
amaryl This time the monster amaryl r just slams me with the amaryl e free hand, so that I
amaryl
partially flow over the amaryl palm's edge and utters in amaryl nstructively:
- It's amaryl s not for you to mention t amaryl the name of the Almighty, amaryl you thief.
The wolf amaryl f rolls on the sand laugh amaryl hing maniacally. I can se amaryl ee it with the
eye that s amaryl stayed intact.
he hand
amaryl
of the ugly stone statue amaryl around 10 meters high. amaryl The statue's face is quit amaryl te
terrifying.
- L amaryl Looks like a tough piece amaryl e of work... - notes the amaryl wolf, - don't you
think amaryl you've sold yourself too amaryl cheap, Ivan The Prince?
amaryl
- God knows... - I a amaryl answer examining the sta amaryl atue, - I was warned abou amaryl ut
the bridge...
- amaryl What are you gonna steal? amaryl ?
- Ripe apples...
amaryl
- Oh, so this is th amaryl he reason for all this ma amaryl asquerade... - snickers th amaryl he
wolf again, - And wh amaryl hat is inside the a good R amaryl Russian programmer working amaryl g for us, he created
a n amaryl nice design for data stora amaryl age... - Urman claps his h amaryl hands and the air dims
b amaryl between us, becoming dense amaryl e. One moment - and the amaryl small tree appears, all amaryl l
sown with the fruit. - amaryl I suppose that the most i amaryl interesting thing among th amaryl hese
is that small green amaryl apple on the lower branch amaryl h.
I look at the des amaryl sired fruit. It's small, n amaryl not ripe and wormy.
amaryl - How do you think diver amaryl r, how much could our comp amaryl petitors pay for this
fi amaryl ile?
- Arouk I send
amaryl
the diskette across the amaryl table, - But next time n amaryl not a single diver will ev amaryl ven
move a finger for you amaryl u. You violate our ethics, amaryl , Mr Shellerbach. Any job amaryl b must
be paid according avandamet amaryl to it's complexity.
amaryl Shellerbach picks up t amaryl the diskette ans freezes. amaryl I drink mulled wine
w amaryl watching him. The Werewolf amaryl f is silent: this is my op amaryl peration.
At last Sh amaryl hellerbach have finished t amaryl the download and his glan amaryl nce becomes
sensible aga amaryl ain.
- Well? - I ask amaryl k.
- Fifty, - says H amaryl Hardened.
-tical yet amaryl t.
Of course he's r amaryl right but I get a slight, amaryl vague anxiety. Who is he, amaryl , the
player gotten into amaryl trouble, US President, th amaryl he Pope, Dmitry Dibenko?
amaryl
- Who is he? - I ask amaryl k aloud. Guillermo shrugs. amaryl .
- This is unknown. amaryl .
- You don't contro amaryl ol your users?
- We' amaryl 're an entertainment cente amaryl er, not the KGB, - he ans amaryl swers with taste,
- Infor amaryl rmation can be stolen. How amaryl w do you think, will the amaryl solid top corporate
mana amaryl ager or Arabian sheikh be amaryl e happy if some tabloid amaryl publishes an ak: the s amaryl steep covered with low th amaryl horny bushes.
The wind i amaryl is strong and I narrow m amaryl my eyes. The sky is cover amaryl red by dark gray
clouds. amaryl . The river is not exactly amaryl y mountain one but with ra amaryl apids and very fast.
The amaryl flock of some birds can b amaryl be seen in a distance, I d amaryl don't know what exactly
a amaryl amaryl are they: they never fly amaryl closer. The table stands amaryl s by the steep, there are amaryl e
bottles of Gin, Tonic amaryl and Absolut-Pepper on it amaryl t. Also, a big nickel pla amaryl ated
thermos full of mul amaryl lled wine: a tasty one, w amaryl with cinnamon, va Vika, me amaryl erge.
I'm kinda bein amaryl ng pulled into the shadow, amaryl , now this body is the mai amaryl in one.
The one alre amaryl eady allowed to step on th amaryl he bridge.
The vict amaryl tory is Pyrrhic though. amaryl The guard reported about amaryl t the visitor
that tries amaryl to cross the bridge. This amaryl s means I'll be warmly wel amaryl lcomed there.
The si amaryl ingle that tries to fight amaryl the crowd is doomed, in amaryl any space, even
virtual amaryl one.
Well, nothing amaryl else to do. It's time to amaryl go... along the hair brid amaryl dge.
Honestly, this amaryl s procedure isempts to amaryl catch
me.
Today I amaryl was just 'calculated'.
amaryl - Lenia, I don't know amaryl w a single diver personall amaryl ly, - said Maniac, - And I amaryl I
ain't gonna hunt for th amaryl hem. I don't have any comp amaryl plexes... especially towa amaryl ards
my friends.
- amaryl Thanks, - I said.
- amaryl - But you know... Just one amaryl e question.
Sure, an amaryl ny hacker always has ju amaryl ust one question. They th amaryl hink that it's
possible t amaryl to ask something after whi amaryl ich all divers' mysteries amaryl become clear.
- Wel amaryl ll?
-What does the d amaryl diver do when he t wing amaryl and quickly check severa amaryl al familiar
caches: in th amaryl he sewer, in the power l amaryl lowering booth and in the amaryl e cabin of the
overturned amaryl d locomotive that lays a amaryl across the tracks. There' amaryl 's nothing in the
sewer, amaryl in the booth I find amaryl two chargers, and a sa amaryl andwich wrapped in
tran amaryl nsparent wrapping is in th amaryl he locomotive. No people o amaryl or monsters show up yet
a amaryl and this is odd.
I amaryl approach one of the bu amaryl uilding's side entrances, amaryl , stop by it for a diabecon
secon amaryl nd, then dash inside.
amaryl A-ha.
Tw with you amaryl u.
Slowly, demonstra amaryl atively I empty my pockets amaryl s: a comb, a handkerchief amaryl f, a
small mirror.
amaryl - Here. Do you want me t amaryl to give you my sword?
amaryl Urman waves his hands:
amaryl
- Geez, what for? amaryl ? We surely aren't gonna amaryl a fight, are we? Let's ju amaryl ust
talk...
- Third amaryl d router was traced.
amaryl - It's such a pity that amaryl t less and less time remai amaryl ins for our talk, - I
s amaryl sigh.
- Yes, it's n amaryl never enough time. Well, M amaryl Mr Diver, I have the rea amaryl asons to
suspect that som amaryl me persons would Sergey Lu amaryl ukjanenko. Labyrinth of avandia re amaryl eflections
__________ amaryl __________________________ amaryl ______
* Yuri Kalmyk amaryl kov. Translators notes *
amaryl
About the Author:
amaryl
Sergey Lukjanenko, amaryl , 30, is one of the tod amaryl day's most popular Russi amaryl ian
Sci-Fi writers. His amaryl first works were publ amaryl lished in 1988. Currentl amaryl ly his
bibliography inclu amaryl udes more than 40 titles o amaryl of novels and short stori amaryl ies. The
Author defines amaryl his genre as the "hard a amaryl action science fiction", amaryl but all his
works also h amaryl have a very well defined p amaryl philosophical aspect. The amaryl novel offered
to your a amaryl attention was written in 1 amaryl 1997 and became the real ' amaryl 'cult book' of the
Russia amaryl an Internet.
Sergey amaryl is married, he lives in M amaryl Moscow.
T amaryl THE NOVEL "LABYRINTH OF amaryl F REFLECTIONS" IS COPY amaryl YRIGHTED BY SERGEY
LUKJ amaryl JANENKO, ALL RIGHTS ARE RE amaryl ESERVED BY THE AUTHOR. ANY amaryl Y COMMERCIAL USE OF THE
N amaryl NOVEL'S TEXT IS STRICTLY P amaryl PROHIBITED.
Several n amaryl notes for the reader:
amaryl
1). My English suck amaryl ks. So it was obviously wa amaryl ay too presumptuous of me amaryl 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
P |