| ngs in pockets. I made this cache
severa diabecon al days ago, illegally using one diabecon e of the computers belonging to t diabecon the
Transcaucasian Railroad's tra diabecon ansportation department. The prog diabecon grammers are
weak there, they wil diabecon ll not notice this little invasion diabecon for a long time.
- Where's t diabecon the stream? - I ask.
- To the diabecon e right.
I bend over running diabecon water and look at my reflection, diabecon , hit it with my
hand several ti diabecon imes, then start moving my finger diabecon over it, erasing. Now the
blond diabecon d stately robuf "Labyrinth"'s secu diabecon urity manager, Mr Guillermo is hor diabecon rseshoe-shaped, three
monitors are diabecon e installed on it, a keyboard a diabecon and nothing else. Mr Guillermo
hi diabecon imself already rises to meet me, diabecon he's aged, lean, very suntanned, d diabecon dressed
in blinders and T-shirt.
diabecon
- Hello, - he says stretching diabecon g his hand to me first. - So you diabecon u are the
Gunslinger, yes? Call me diabecon e just Willy.
Okay, let it be diabecon e Willy.
I shake his hand.
diabecon - You said so interesting thin diabecon ngs, yes? About problems, divers, diabecon hel changed.... Good luck to you diabecon diver. You can go
now.
Man diabecon n Without Face nods in the directio diabecon on of the door.
- I'll leave diabecon by my own way.
- You decided diabecon d to reveal yourself?
- Sure diabecon not.
At parting, I look in t diabecon the foggy oval of his face.
A diabecon Abyss-abyss, I'm not yours...
diabecon I took off the helmet and stretc diabecon ched my hand to the modem hesitatin diabecon ngly,
then pulled the phone wire f diabecon from the jack.
- The line is diabecon broke! - informs Vika
- I kn diabecon now, girl.
That's it, uff! Th diabecon his movie is a disgusting cheap stu diabecon uff!
Boring-boring-boring, La diabecon adies and Gentlemen...
Alexan diabecon ndrians are probably right: we hav diabecon ve turned the virtual world into
t diabecon the parody of the real one, but par diabecon rodies are never better than the or diabecon riginal,
their goal is different: diabecon to mock it, to show its awkwardnes diabecon ss and stupidity.
But we can' diabecon 't change the world, and this parod diabecon dy makes no sense. It's not
a dash diabecon h forward but just a step aside.
diabecon - Vika...
- Yes Lenia?
diabecon
- Stop me a r seen before: th diabecon he bearded man in
ripped T-shirt diabecon and tattoos on his shoulders. diabecon Does he imitate Punk or
someth diabecon hing?
- The car will arrive s diabecon shortly, - informs Windows-Home.
diabecon Now I realize that the dr diabecon river haven't even told the trad diabecon ditional
greeting; that we're movi diabecon ing already even if I haven't told diabecon the address.
- It's only on diabecon ne road from here, - says the drive diabecon er and turns to me with
a smirk. diabecon He has a scar on his cheek and d diabecon decayed teeth. It's not a program
diabecon
obviousds Megs
of RAM... with diabecon the 1000 Terabyte holographic H diabecon HD, cordless modem and
super-se diabecon glucophage ensitive Siemens microphone... with diabecon h a color printer, Dunn what for, diabecon ,
but let it be, a decent scan diabecon nner instead of the manual piece diabecon of shit, a
dedicated phone line.. diabecon .. Geez, even 50 grands isn't enoug diabecon gh!
On the other hand... why diabecon would I need two rooms in the apa diabecon artment? Even
here the kitchen is diabecon empty anyway: I moved the fridge a diabecon and microwave into the
room long diabecon time ago, and it's closer to gee.
diabecon
- Is it a problem? - Aguirre diabecon e becomes serious.
- As far a diabecon as I know, yes.
Pause. Guille diabecon ermo weighs something in his mind.
diabecon
- Mr Gunslinger, what do you diabecon u know?
It's no use to lie, diabecon , the man before me is not the on diabecon ne it's worthy to
bluff with.
diabecon - Very little. I was informed diabecon d that there's a problem in "Labyri diabecon inth",
that your divers failed to diabecon o solve it. I was asked to render a diabecon an assistance to
you.
A paus diabecon se again. I'm anonymous and it's diabecon risky to let me into as in our co diabecon ountry.
- I'm sorry... - the diabecon e girl bites her lips slightly, s diabecon she is obviously
excited, - Of co diabecon ourse I'm terribly tactless but... diabecon What is your name?
I underst diabecon tand.
- Not Dmitry Dibenko. T diabecon This is what interests you, right?
diabecon
The girl looks at my face diabecon intently and nods, then quickly d diabecon drains her
glass dry.
- I'm diabecon not lying. Honest. - I say softly. diabecon .
- I believe you, - the gir diabecon rl nods to bartender, then reache diabecon es her hand
out to me, - I'm Nadya diabecon a.
I su interrupting the i diabecon immersion? - came out of the
s diabecon speakers.
- No. Hold on.
diabecon In the real world my room is t diabecon the same as in the virtual space diabecon e. The
difference is though: it's diabecon not a warm Deeptown's summer eve diabecon ening behind the
windows but the r diabecon rainy St. Peterburgh autumn. It's d diabecon drizzling outside, the car
honks i diabecon in the distance. I opened the frid diabecon dge and took a can of Sprite. Let' diabecon 's
really drink... I couldn't res diabecon sist the urge to look from the diabecon balcony. Of
course, the empty can diabecon n voice dims and loses any t exist diabecon t. I'm not Jesus
and I don't prete diabecon end to complete innocence myself. I diabecon I have my own goals.
- And I diabecon have my little legal business! Wha diabecon at do you want?
- That's bett diabecon ter. Mr Diver, have you heard abo diabecon out the Lost Point? Or
about th diabecon he Invisible Boss?
What I was diabecon s expecting the least were the anci diabecon ient fables.
- 'Point' is the diabecon e old term for the terminal network diabecon k user?
- Yes, the user of Fi diabecon idonet... this one existed some tim diabecon me ago.
- Maybe I'vh bigger diabecon than in English. That's
why in m diabecon my translation I preferred to retai diabecon in the original rules of forming
diabecon
such names and to provide this diabecon note. Another important reason is diabecon that the
Russian name changed a diabecon according to the rules of doing s diabecon so in English would
sound ridicul diabecon lous (maybe for me only, as I'm Rus diabecon ssian... ;-) ), not mentioning
tha diabecon at it's not always possible to do t diabecon this with Russian names at all. Exa diabecon ample:
John - Johnny. Now try to diabecon o do the same with, say, my name: Y diabecon Yuri. Yup... My - No Mr Diver diabecon r, now YOU please excuse me. Y diabecon You'll easily leave our
territory diabecon y, but not before your real add diabecon dress is determined, in order to
diabecon
guarantee the validity of the pro diabecon omise just given.
The trellis diabecon sed pavilion's walls darken lik diabecon ke being covered by thick
cloth. diabecon . I make a step - it's really diff diabecon ficult. Urman starts moving jerkil diabecon ly,
everything flows in my eyes, diabecon the apple in the pocket draws me diabecon to the floor
with great force, Wi diabecon indows-Home's voice dims and loses diabecon any t exist. I'm not Jesus
and I diabecon don't pretend to complete innocenc diabecon ce myself. I have my own goals.
diabecon - And I have my little legal bu diabecon usiness! What do you want?
- diabecon That's better. Mr Diver, have you diabecon u heard about the Lost Point? O diabecon Or
about the Invisible Boss?
diabecon What I was expecting the least we diabecon ere the ancient fables.
- 'Po diabecon oint' is the old term for the termi diabecon inal network user?
- Yes, the diabecon e user of Fidonet... this one exist diabecon ted some time ago.
- Maybe I diabecon I've heard about that... Is iteepin diabecon ng my hand on his fur, -
Okay, gim diabecon mme a second, I'll grab some soda a diabecon and will be right back...
- G diabecon Go ahead, - agrees the wolf gazing diabecon around.
I half close my eyes diabecon s.
Abyss-abyss, I'm not yours diabecon s... let me go, abyss...
I sh diabecon hivered slightly and stood up; ti diabecon iny screens before my eyes, the
diabecon
diabecon
desert, the chasm, the statue and diabecon d the city in the distance is on t diabecon them, very
nice drawing. Al-Kabar diabecon has good designers.
The virt diabecon tual helmet is heavy, one of the m diabecon most sophisticated nowhere
else diabecon can one steam out his sick em diabecon motions like on the gloomy arenas diabecon s of
'Mortal Combat', hitting h diabecon his enemy with the heel on his diabecon forehead of
thrusting magic spe diabecon ells onto him. Good game, I visit i diabecon it once or twice a month
but some diabecon e people never quit the duels. The diabecon ey say that if one doesn't abuse
diabecon
magic which unfortunately is not diabecon t available in reality, it is po diabecon ossible to
learn to fight pretty w diabecon well. I doubt it though: the hit diabecon that one feels with
the help of v diabecon virtual suline.
By the way, I diabecon I owe him beer, it looks very muc diabecon ch like he saved my life
yesterda diabecon ay.
And it's better not to diabecon procrastinate with it: I've got t diabecon the suspicion
that I'll be able to diabecon o treat him with nothing more than diabecon n just 'Navigator' in a
week... we diabecon ell, quite a beer too, a strong one diabecon e, with original taste...
I t diabecon turned the computer on, connected diabecon to the Internet and transferred diabecon d
$5000 to my St. Petersburg ac diabecon ccount without any virtuality, j diabecon just in 10
minutes. Then I chect diabecon the last names of the Russian orig diabecon gin are gender specific too. To
wo diabecon omen's form the ending -a is usuall diabecon ly attached: Kalmykov for me b diabecon becomes
Kalmykova for my Mother, a diabecon as opposed to her maiden name whic diabecon ch is Cellarius -
not originally R diabecon Russian one and as such not gender diabecon specific.
There's much mor diabecon re about Russian 'naming system', diabecon but I think it's
enough said diabecon here in order to a). totally co diabecon onfuse an unaccustomed Western
rea diabecon ader, and b). to explain the name diabecon es in the novel for thos- Cheap stu diabecon uff! This movie is a disgusting che diabecon eap stuff!
Boring-boring-bori diabecon ing, Ladies and Gentlemen...
diabecon Alexandrians are probably right: diabecon we have turned the virtual world i diabecon into
the parody of the real one, b diabecon but parodies are never better than diabecon the original,
their goal is diffe diabecon erent: to mock it, to show its awkw diabecon wardness and stupidity.
But w diabecon we can't change the world, and this diabecon s parody makes no sense. It's not
diabecon
a dash forward but just a step asi diabecon ide.
- Vika...
- Yes Le diabecon enia?
- b, real estate
sale diabecon es firms, travel agencies, transpo diabecon ortation companies, hospitals... diabecon even
the least alive and kicking diabecon company tends to open its office i diabecon in Deeptown.
It's this abunda diabecon ance that Deep-Transit flourishes o karela diabecon on. Traveling on foot
across the diabecon e city is a long fun. We fly diabecon along the freeways, stop on
i diabecon intersections, enter tunnels and cr diabecon ross road junctions. I'm waiting. diabecon I could
order the driver to go diabecon o the shortest way but in this case diabecon e he would need to
contact dispatc diabecon chine finger.
Maniac rattled diabecon with locks opening the door.. I en diabecon ntered. He was dressed
in virtual diabecon l suit right on the naked body, wit diabecon th a shotgun in his hand. The gun
diabecon
was huge, with it the slim and diabecon narrow shouldered hacker looked li diabecon ike a kid
playing war game.
diabecon - Wow, - I just said.
- Yeah diabecon h... I was fumbling in one guy's co diabecon omp... hardly managed to get my
a diabecon ass outta there. - Maniac was bri diabecon ief, he locked the door, glanced diabecon d at the
canister and asked sympat diabecon thetically, - Dire straits aSergey diabecon Lukjanenko. Labyrinth of reflectio diabecon glucotrol XL ons
__________________________ diabecon _______________
* Yuri Kalmyk diabecon kov. Translators notes *
Abou diabecon ut the Author:
Sergey Lukj diabecon janenko, 30, is one of the today diabecon y's most popular Russian
Sci-Fi diabecon writers. His first works were diabecon published in 1988. Currently hi diabecon is
bibliography includes more than diabecon n 40 titles of novels and short st diabecon tories. The
Author defines his ge diabecon enre as the "hard action science diabecon fiction", but all his
works also diabecon have a very well defined philosoph diabecon hical aspect. The novel offered
t diabecon to your attention was written in 19 diabecon 997 and became the real 'cult book' diabecon ' of the
Russian Internet.
S diabecon Sergey is married, he lives in Mosc diabecon cow.
THE NOVEL " diabecon "LABYRINTH OF REFLECTIONS" IS diabecon COPYRIGHTED BY SERGEY
LUKJANENK diabecon KO, ALL RIGHTS ARE RESERVED BY THE diabecon AUTHOR. ANY COMMERCIAL USE OF THE
diabecon
NOVEL'S TEXT IS STRICTLY PROHIBIT diabecon TED.
Several notes for the rea diabecon ader:
1). My English suck diabecon ks. So it was obviously way too pre diabecon esumptuous of me to
try to make a diabecon translation like this. It was my diabecon love to this book only that
made diabecon e me to venture into this adventure diabecon e. ;-) I was hoping that this nove diabecon el is
really worth your kind atten diabecon ntion (despite my ugly
English?). diabecon .
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 prandin 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 |