| tands nearby, lots of flowers, I even start fee avandamet eling
scents.
And nobody.
avandamet Well, let's wait; I sit down in the ar avandamet rmchair.
A slight fog before my e avandamet eyes, an expected one. My communication avandamet n channel
is being examined. They t avandamet try to determine where I came from, th avandamet he volume of
data I can receive and tr avandamet ransmit per second, the programs that avandamet t I have with
me...
Go ahead, d avandamet do your job... Six routers, rented fo avandamet or one single use that
transmit the s avandamet signal, and each of them tough e shut avandamet the door.
No bugs this time. St avandamet tanding on the sidewalk, I raise my ha avandamet and and stop
the cab. This time the avandamet driver is an aged man, stout and ver avandamet ry intelligent
looking.
- Deep-T avandamet glucotrol XL Transit is glad to welcome you Lenia.
avandamet
I get inside and nod:
- To avandamet the 'Three Piglets' restaurant.
avandamet avandia This address is well known to the dr avandamet river. We move fast, a couple of
tur avandamet rns and we're before the odd buildi avandamet ing: partially stone one, partially
w avandamet wooden, partially built of straw mats.
avandamet
stole
the file with the technolo avandamet ogy of the new pharmaceutical produ avandamet uct from
Al-Kabar. - Man Without Fac avandamet ce is patient and strict, - I have n avandamet no idea how
much did they promise to p avandamet pay you for that, but luckily Mr Frie avandamet edrich Urman
had informed the diver t avandamet that the real price would be a hundred avandamet thousand. Some
psychological assumpti avandamet ions follow: like the one that the di avandamet iver will get rid
of the hot file imme avandamet ediately. Like he'll demand exactly a h avandamet hundred grands from
the buyer. Like he avandamet e'll tr When in the streets ask for ad avandamet dvice the people with an open hand
s avandamet sign on the sleeve, they are voluntee avandamet er helpers, or policemen. Have you set
avandamet
your timer?
- Yes, sure! For tw avandamet wo hours!
- Very good. Spend 15 avandamet minutes to talk to the porter and y avandamet you'll save
much more. Happy sailing!
avandamet
- Happy sailing! - says admired avandamet novice behind me. It's so nice to be a avandamet an
old-timer...
I wink to the avandamet porter and nod towards 'Stallone' in c avandamet case he'll be too
shy to ask for help avandamet p himself andman askance, - Are
you th avandamet he diver too? Or just a walking virus d avandamet deposit?
- Diver, - says Roman.
avandamet
hink about that.
The Man diabecon an avandamet nd the Medal.
The whip and the co avandamet ookie.
What so strange could ha avandamet appen in "Labyrinth" that even two avandamet divers glucophage
couldn't manage, the professi avandamet ionals who work if anonymously but as avandamet permanent
contractors nevertheless? avandamet Those who know "Labyrinth" as palms avandamet s of their
hands...
Something avandamet having no analogies?
Very odd.
avandamet
I dried myselg hard not to think avandamet k about the
offered amount, - But the avandamet e divers' code explicitly forbids agre avandamet eements like
this one.
- Very w avandamet well, - Urman rises, - I expected such avandamet h an answer, and I respect
your positi avandamet ion.
He pads to the tree and pluc avandamet cks the apple with some effort. His lip avandamet ps are
moving: he
obviously says the avandamet e password. - Take it.
The apple avandamet e is in my hand. It's very heavy: t avandamet two Megs at least. It's
useless to t avandamet try to copy it, the only way is to brin avandamet ng it out with me. I put
a check for 5 avandamet 50000 and give it to the Werewolf.
avandamet - It's quite possible.
- What avandamet about a permanent contract?
- No avandamet o.
- What are you afraid of, dive avandamet er? - there's a curiosity in Shellerbac avandamet ch's
gaze.
What am I afraid of, avandamet hmm?
- I'm afraid of my name b avandamet being known. The real freedom is in m avandamet mystery
always.
- I understand, avandamet - Shellerbach agrees and looks at Rom avandamet man askance, - Are
you the diver too? avandamet Or just a walking virus deposit?
avandamet - Diver, - says Roman.
hink abo avandamet out that.
The Man and the Medal.
avandamet
The whip and the cookie.
W avandamet What so strange could happen in "La avandamet abyrinth" that even two divers
coul avandamet ldn't manage, the professionals who wor avandamet rk if anonymously but as permanent
co avandamet ontractors nevertheless? Those who avandamet know "Labyrinth" as palms of their
avandamet
hands...
Something having no ana avandamet alogies?
Very odd.
I dried avandamet myself, threw the towel into the bowl avandamet with laundry, returned to
the room, t avandamet turned the computer on and started tori avandamet ick is how the names are formed n gener avandamet ral. In particular, the
concept of th avandamet he middle name in Russia. It is not 'g avandamet given', but rather is the
father's nam avandamet me. To be used as a middle name, spe avandamet ecial endings are attached:
-ovich, - avandamet -evich for man's middle name (yeah, avandamet they are gender specific!),
-ovna, e avandamet evna for female's middle name.
Ex avandamet xamples: Petrovich Alekseevich - men's
avandamet
Petrovna Alekseevna avandamet - women's.
Also, the last nam avandamet mes of the Russian origin are gender s avandamet speciess to the
armor of the intercep avandamet ptor program. The white snowy cloud a avandamet arises around the
werewolf and he ceas avandamet ses to move.
Freezing. It's ove avandamet er. My friend have left the game - avandamet he's at home
already, takes off his avandamet virtual helmet, and his exact copy st avandamet tands before the
dragon - with all sto avandamet olen programs... in case he had any, of avandamet f course.
The dragon hits him wit avandamet th his paw gently and it scatters do avandamet own in icy
fragments. All three heads avandamet s bow down to him, searching for the st avandamet tolen apple its members to exchange ema avandamet ails and
files. FIDO uses its own prop avandamet prietary protocol. Special gateways ar avandamet re used to
exchange emails with the avandamet e Internet. Look at www.fidonet.org avandamet g for more
details... But be prepare avandamet ed to get back not the homepage, but so avandamet ome HTML code.
{G} The guys have forgo avandamet ot to put the {HTML} tag into the cod avandamet de of their main
page... OOPS.
4 avandamet 4). The names.
The same name in R avandamet Russian usually can have several forms, avandamet , reflecting the
attitude of the one avandamet who pronounces try bad level, - says avandamet Willy. - Hard. This is the beginning avandamet g:
'Russian Hills' {roller coaster}. avandamet . This is... - he puts his hand on avandamet the
keyboard and the picture slides a avandamet a little aside, - a Grabber Demon. Bad! avandamet !
Gee, as if good demons ever cam avandamet me out of "Labyrinth" creators' minds.. avandamet ..
- This is him... - one more to avandamet ouching the keys, - Unfortunate.
avandamet Guillermo keeps silent, not for theatr avandamet rical pause - it's nothing unusual
on avandamet the screen. He's just thinking.
avandamet - So the problem is thce this
barrier avandamet r.
There wouldn't ever be envy to avandamet o each other and eternal hunt.
Bu avandamet ut is it my fault? I don't know why avandamet it happens myself, what flaw of
consc avandamet ciousness makes one a diver, and it i avandamet is of course a flaw since we are
suc avandamet ch a minority. It'd be stupid not to us avandamet se this ability but too dreadful to
o avandamet offer it for everyone's study.
Th avandamet hat's how it goes: somebody can do avandamet long jumps of eight meters,
someb avandamet body writes poems, somebody is not depe avandamet endent on virtuality. But whyver and on avandamet ne.... assistant.
Maniac laughed avandamet softly:
- Don't consider me a la avandamet amer Lenia, otherwise you'll receive su avandamet uch a nice
'hello' in the mail that yo avandamet ou'll have to reinstall whole freakin avandamet n' HD from
scratch... Divers never p avandamet pick an ordinary guys to assist them.
avandamet
I kept silence looking at Maniac. avandamet .
- I see, - he said. - Well, for avandamet r the luck. For the rich fools and sma avandamet art
hackers.
We touched the glas avandamet sses.
- What was there Len'ka?
avandamet - Runny nose reliever.
- tha avandamet an him, but these guys keep me as almos avandamet st
one of their age, maybe because I' avandamet 'm not married and empty beer cans prev avandamet vail
in my garbage.
- Hold avandamet on.
avandamet
I'm not smoking myself, but ther avandamet re's always a pack or two of cigarettes avandamet s
at home for
visiting hackers. Smok avandamet king is their professional trait. The g avandamet guy waited by the door patiently
while avandamet e I put the canister on the floor and w avandamet was searching in the closet.
- He avandamet ere.
He nodded gratefully openin avandamet ng the pack, I waved my hand-keep i avandamet it-ing! - sighs Guillermo, - Pee-pee, avandamet , poo-poo
into the virtual suit... EW avandamet WW.
Why did Man Without Face set avandamet the alarm?
Nothing terrible hav avandamet ve happened yet anyway, it's just yet avandamet another self
confident game addict.
avandamet
- Does he sit like this for a lon avandamet ng time?
- For almost 24 hours, avandamet , - nodded Guillermo, - Yes, it's st avandamet trange. He
tried to pass the level for avandamet r five times... then submitted himsel avandamet lf... sat by
the entrance.
- And avandamet d what did you do?
- We've sent A avandamet Anatol, -ived by the "Polyana"
compan avandamet ny.
I mumble, - Ignore it, - watc avandamet ching the man that walks along the str avandamet reet.
Gee, this is something! The m avandamet mixture of younger Arnold Shwarzenegg avandamet ger and
older Clint Eastwood. Very fun avandamet nny. The man notices my sarcastic avandamet look and
walks faster.
I raise avandamet e my hand and the yellow limo stops avandamet s by the sidewalk in an
instant.
avandamet - Lenia, your complaint was ignore avandamet ed!
- Nevermind...
This can avandamet n go forever, but I have no time for ga avandamet ames now... I gcouldn't see his comput avandamet ter anymore. His
fingers were hittin avandamet ng the keys making the drawn figure to avandamet o move, to turn, to
shoot, but it see avandamet emed to him that it's HIM running al avandamet long the corridors,
ducking the fier avandamet ry balls and snarling monsters' mugs. H avandamet He understood that this
is just a game avandamet e, but he didn't know why it became rea avandamet al and how to exit it.
The only t avandamet thing he could do in this situation wa avandamet as to go until the very
end. And he d avandamet did it despite the fact that it tur avandamet rned out to be much his glass, - Yea avandamet ah. Love.
Shit, the devil tempted me avandamet e! I had to flee... a couple of lamers avandamet was on my
tail... So I decided to vi avandamet isit 'Strawberry Fields'...
- Wha avandamet at the hell for?
- Don't you rea avandamet ally know what security systems those avandamet brothels have? -
Maniac was surprise avandamet ed, - This is where senators, Duma de avandamet eputies, businessmen
... other money avandamet sacks always are. Security will cut avandamet t you off from your
pursuers at onc avandamet ce!
I shook my head, didn't know avandamet w that. It's a shame to con - One m avandamet moment please.
She stands up with avandamet hout a hurry and enters one of the inne avandamet er doors. I wait
patiently. Everythin avandamet ng is very cute and patriarchal: avandamet no computers, no
monsters. It's not avandamet the office of the most expensive and d avandamet dreadful ride in the
history but a sma avandamet all toilet paper sales firm.
The avandamet girl is away for long, I get tired of avandamet f standing and sit into one of
armchai avandamet irs, browse through newspapers scatt avandamet tered on the nearby table. It's
quiet avandamet t and peaceful, no other visitSergey avandamet y Lukjanenko. Labyrinth of reflections
avandamet
_________________________________ avandamet ________
* Yuri Kalmykov. Transla avandamet ators notes *
About the Author:
avandamet
Sergey Lukjanenko, 30, is on avandamet ne of the today's most popular Russi avandamet ian
Sci-Fi writers. His first works avandamet s were published in 1988. Currently avandamet y his
bibliography includes more than avandamet 40 titles of novels and short stories avandamet s. The
Author defines his genre as th avandamet he "hard action science fiction", but avandamet t all his
works also have a very well avandamet defined philosophical aspect. The nove avandamet el offered
to your attention was writ avandamet tten in 1997 and became the real 'cult avandamet book' of the
Russian Internet.
avandamet Sergey is married, he lives in Moscow. avandamet .
THE NOVEL "LABYRIN avandamet NTH OF REFLECTIONS" IS COPYRIGHTED avandamet D BY SERGEY
LUKJANENKO, ALL RIGHTS A avandamet ARE RESERVED BY THE AUTHOR. ANY COMMERC avandamet CIAL USE OF THE
NOVEL'S TEXT IS STRICT avandamet TLY PROHIBITED.
Several notes for avandamet the reader:
1). My English s avandamet sucks. So it was obviously way too pres avandamet sumptuous of me to
try to make a trans avandamet slation like this. It was my love to avandamet this book only that
made me to ventur avandamet re into this adventure. ;-) I was hopin avandamet ng that this novel is
really worth yo avandamet our 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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