Labyrinth of reflections lor-1

by Sergei Lukyanenko

  And there’s really no signal coming from Unfortunate, or there is but too well hidden for my simple scanner: just a dark silhouette watching me working.

  There’s a little metal box in my right pocket, I open it – a sparkling emerald beetle lies on the soft padding, moving his paws. I pick him up, he tries to break free aiming at my own channel. Oh no pal, not there…

  I put the beetle at the throne base and step back. The beetle freezes for a moment quivering his head, then dives into the orange thread.

  Now we’ll wait and hope that there’s only a standard antivirus set installed on the Emperor’s computer.

  – Who?

  For a moment it seems to me that I hear Unfortunate’s voice: just as smooth and unemotional, but when I turn around, it’s four of us in the hall already… if to consider the ‘Emperor’ as a real events’ participant. The glowing white thread is hanging from the tunnel, a long writhed figure on its end. Its contours are distorted, movements are jerky and erratic. The guy looks around but hardly can he see what’s going on. Lord, from what distance have he fallen from, how could he survive the tunnel journey? Well done ‘Warlock’, nothing I can say…

  – None of your business! – I growl as aggressively as I can. If the anonymous is just a common Net user he won’t be able to hinder me. But the guest obviously doesn’t like my reaction, he outstretches his hands and flexible glowing cord starts crawling towards me. Not to me to be exact but towards my channel.

  Very funny. Nobody could make such situation on purpose – to drag I-don’t-know– whom out, starting to rescue an idiot with deep-psychosis half-way, and on top of that all to bump into a hacker with a set of service programs.

  At least good that his channel is extremely narrow, barely alive. I take and pull on ‘gloves’, grab the cord and tie it in a knot, then advise:

  – Fuck off. I’m diver.

  Usually this works instantly, but the guest either considers himself the coolest in the Deep or doesn’t believe me.

  – Whoever you are, even Papa Carlo! – he replies.

  { Papa Carlo – the character that substituted Gepetto in Russian retelling of ‘Pinocchio’ done by Alexei Tolstoy. Mentioning Papa Carlo as a Very Important Person in a talk bears a stressed sarcasm. } The second cord is faster and tries to squirm from my hands, small clips grow on its end. I catch the cord almost by my very channel and squeeze it with pleasure. The ‘gloves’ knock the program down without a hitch. I wish I could do the same with the ‘guest’, but the gloves won’t work here and I’m too reluctant to use ‘Warlock’: it works way too powerfully, I even didn’t expect such an effect. Also Unfortunate circles around the hacker, having lost all interest in me. The former doesn’t notice him, obviously looking through the scanner too, seeing the comm channels only.

  – Look, what do you want? – I ask, adjusting to the guest’s vocabulary,

  – I’m working!

  – Me too.

  The wooden voice of the guest irritates but it’s a miracle that I can hear anything at all: his channel’s thread is thinned to its limit, the figure starts quivering, the head rolls at its side, the nose slides on his cheek but the hands become longer for that. The view is amusing and my anger disappears.

  – Listen you freak… I’ll have to drag you out too some day! Get off, the ‘newbie’ might croak!

  Finally he understands that it’s serious, he stops pursuing my channel but gets something like a flashlight instead and casts a beam on the ‘Emperor’. Some semi-active scanning program. Let him watch, there’s nothing secret in my methods.

  – The customer’s system under control. – whispers Windows-Home.

  It’s impossible to tell beforehand how will the insides of the other computer look like if one looks from the Deep, so I prefer the simplest way. I nudge the ‘newbie’ – he rolls down from the ‘throne’, sits on the floor clumsily. I take his place, take ‘gloves’ off and grab the orange thread with bare hands, pulling it.

  – Vika, terminal!

  The screen unwraps before me. A-ha… “Virt-navigator”, a nice operating system but the one intended for somebody with an instinct of self-preservation, not for the ‘newbie’– experimentator. It’s a penny deal to turn off the timer on it.

  And so this loser ruler of the galaxy did… he have already spent 28 hours in virtuality!

  I’m too lazy to mingle with the timer, so I just find the urgent Deep exit file and run it. Deep program doesn’t submit at once, asks for confirmation. And they call it ‘urgent exit’…

  The “Emperor” moans quietly and grabs his head, tries to walk towards the door. I jump from the throne, wrapping up the terminal with a wave of my hand, grab the man by the collar and push him towards the throne, ordering:

  – Take the helmet off! Shut down the machine!

  – I… I didn’t mean to… – mumbles the ‘emperor’.

  – I’ll mail you the bill for your rescue, – I cut him off, – exit, now!

  The man’s hands jerk to his head, then hammer the air erratically, his figure dims, the orange thread disappears. I take the glasses off.

  The hacker under the tunnel opening is almost ghostly already, he rotates his head slowly looking around. That’s how the legends of miracle making divers are born.

  – Let’s go, – I say to Unfortunate who still circles around the hacker, looking up into the tunnel opening, from where various garbage still pours in. – Come on!

  I have to drag him away by hand, like a kid. The hacker stays in the empty hall, he’s still full of curiosity. The hole in the ceiling narrows slowly and his channel will be broken in around ten minutes. Ah well, let him sort his own problems out by himself – if he’s so damned cool…

  The door leads us out into a small hall with seven more similar doors and an elevator shaft. Somewhere nearby the leader of red ants dreams on his throne, the wily plans are plotted by the ruler of intelligent medusas and by other game addicts…

  – Why did you glue yourself to that hacker? – I ask Unfortunate in elevator but he doesn’t answer.

  Let him, the most important thing is that I’ve finally got him out of “Labyrinth”, just from under the nose of two mighty corporations!

  Elevator brings us to Deeptown’s street, I look around. There’s the AOL tower, long rows of hotels, the green of the park – this is “Giltoniel’s Gardens”. A-ha, not too bad: we are on the border Russian, European and American sectors of the city. Unfortunate raises his head and pronounces:

  -‡”>С§¤Л Ё Џ« ­ҐВЛ: •Я§ПЁ­ ‘ЁАЁГБ !

  I follow his look: the colorful neon sign is glowing above the building that we’ve just left: “Stars & Planets: Master of Sirius”. { Engl. In the original } A famous company, it’s worthy to offer them diver services – the work is easy but earnings are stable.

  – Unfortunate, what language is native for you?

  – You don’t know it, – he waves his hand.

  I make a guess:

  – Basic maybe?

  We both laugh.

  – Okay, – I agree, – You’re alive, you’re not a product of computer intelligence.

  – Thanks.

  – But who are you?

  Unfortunate shrugs and studies passers by with curiosity of somebody who entered virtuality for the first time.

  – Take the mask off, – I advise and pull respirator from him myself, – No need to scare the people.

  – Will we go anywhere else? – asks Unfortunate.

  To be honest, I have no idea myself. I was fearing a quick and energetic pursuit which we’ll need to flee with much noise and blood. Then we would rush to “Amusements” immediately.

  – Let’s walk a little, – I decide. – Have you ever been to the Elvish Gardens?

  – No.

  – Let’s go then. Not that it’s a super attraction, but…. – I start talking, but it looks like it isn’t my fate to be a guide today.

  The bright rainbow flashes up
in the evening sky dimming the stars, the crystal ringing is heard: a symbol of the Net-wide broadcast. It was used for only 5 or 6 times on my memory.

  And I can guess what they will convey now.

  – Taxi! – I scream, stretching my hand. A car stops by in an instant, I push Unfortunate inside and get in myself. The driver – a young curly-haired black girl – turns to us with a smile.

  I don’t have a revolver with me now, so I just pull the gloves on and knock the girl out with a fist. Unfortunate doesn’t protest, he can correctly tell real people from programs.

  – To the brothel “Any Amusements”! – I order and the girl submits.

  The car jumps forward.

  – Citizens of Deeptown!

  The voice is coming from everywhere, nobody can hide from it in a cozy car interior or behind the walls of the house.

  – This is Jordan Reid addressing you, the city’s Security Service commissar…

  I know Reid, he’s a nice guy even if an American, one of those who is ready to communicate with divers and to tolerate minor offences for the sake of the whole Net’s well being.

  – An important message is being broadcasted… please pay attention…

  – mumbles the girl.

  But I’m attention itself already.

  – A crime was committed on the territory of “Labyrinth of Death” around half an hour ago, a crime that is threatening the very existence of Deeptown itself. – says Reid.

  Mother of God! What is that?

  – Two persons, one of them is a diver, are charged of using a virus weapon of a type forbidden by the Moscow Convention. It is a polymorphic virus with labeled ‘Warlock-9000’, with unlimited ability for spreading.

  What’s this bull? Never would Maniac make such a virus!

  – One of the virus’ characteristics is interception of control over communication hardware. Al-Kabar Corporation and “Labyrinth of Death” are among the victims.

  Now it becomes clear to me. When the fighting rivals understood that their prey had escaped, they united and charged me of everything, including destruction of the 33rd level.

  Great. Now just try to prove that ‘Warlock’ have only drilled a hole for us and then died peacefully as any decent legalized virus should. Even if to surrender the source code to the police, nobody would take a risk to acquit me. Who knows how could ‘Warlock’ interfere with “Labyrinth“‘s virtual space?

  – Shit, – I whisper.

  – Is it bad? – asks Unfortunate.

  – Much worse.

  I pull my hand over the girl’s shoulder, grab a phone from the dashboard and dial Guillermo’s number.

  – Now you can see the appearance that was used by suspects in “Labyrinth”, – informs Jordan, – We offer these individuals to arrive to Deeptown Security Department voluntarily. I would also request anybody who knows these individuals to contact me.

  Our portraits flash up in the sky, then me and Unfortunate are demonstrated full height and in motion.

  Looks impressive, especially when I cut off Dick’s head with the lash.

  – Assholes, – I mumble ungluing myself from the window.

  Connection establishes in around 10 seconds.

  – Hello! { in Engl }

  – Hi Willy, – I say quickly, – How should I understand that?

  A pause.

  – Ah! Gunslinger? Where are you?

  – In a car.

  I don’t risk, the knocked off transportation program doesn’t report its location.

  – A misunderstanding have happened, – says Guillermo quickly, – Come here, we’ll fix everything.

  – Drop your charges first.

  Willy sighs:

  – Gunslinger, this is not in my… aaa… powers.

  – Too bad. I’ll call you later. – I promise and put the phone back.

  We approach the brothel and a new problem arises – what to do with a car? It’s not the easiest task to destroy the program completely. If I let it go – Deep Transit would restore control over it sooner or later and will figure out our route.

  I’ll have to get help from Deep-Transit itself…

  I take a box with an emerald beetle from my pocket, put the glasses on, then command:

  – Unfortunate, get out.

  I exit the car after him, throw the dumb insect inside and shut the door. The result follows immediately.

  Deep-Transit doesn’t guard its cars too well preferring to tolerate small pranks like my free and undocumented rides, but they mercilessly crush any attempts to penetrate into their servers. It’s impossible to defeat their security with primitive programs such as the beetle.

  The cab dims and dissolves in the air – the comm channel was chopped off at the very first attempt of the beetle to crawl into the foreign computer.

  – Let’s go, – I poke Unfortunate slightly and grab his hand. If there are any customers in the lobby now – we’re in deep trouble. But we are lucky

  – it’s nobody there, even the guard is missing.

  – This is brothel, – I inform Unfortunate just in case, – You can browse the albums.

  He shakes his head.

  – Why I’m not surprised? Follow me…

  We almost run along the corridor. I expect employees to look from behind the doors again but it’s absolutely silent. Nobody around at all! As if the brothel died.

  I push the door into Vika’s room prepared for that she’ll not be there either. Unfortunate hesitates behind my back.

  – May I congratulate you Leonid? – asks Vika in an icy voice.

  It’s so clean in the hut as if no earthquake had ever happened. I don’t know about others but I usually make such a cleaning being in the lousiest mood only. A little boombox have appeared on the table, Vika have changed, now she’s dressed in gray jeans and a jersey of the same color.

  And also, she expects my explanations if to judge from her tone.

  – You have heard the commissar?

  – Who haven’t? – Vika rises and I pad back hurriedly. When the woman is mad, the man better not to resist. – So you’ve saved your… friend. Have he saved you guy?

  Unfortunate shrugs smiling, and Vika slows down a little.

  – What is your name?

  – Unfortunate.

  – Um-hm. So listen here pal, don’t take your chances, just stay by the window and be silent!

  Unfortunate submits and Vika moves towards me. Oh, the wrong personality have she chosen for that – it’s Madam’s manner.

  – So, you’ve saved… So you’ve fucked Al-Kabar and “Labyrinth”…

  – Vika, they’re lying! – I say hurriedly, – ‘Warlock-9000’ is a local virus, it conforms to Convention’s standards!

  – And do they lie about the diver too? – shouts Vika, and I finally understand what exactly did piss her off, – Do they? Or somebody else is lying?… somebody else!

  I don’t have a big experience in getting slaps in the face, I hold the aching cheek and stand still as a pole. Unfortunate obediently looks into the window but obviously he could hear the sound well.

  – Diver? – Vika is still boiling, – Diver? And I was so damned stupid to offer you help! Couldn’t you tell me that you’re diver yourself?

  – No, – I whisper.

  – Why? You don’t trust me?

  I’d never believe that God created a woman from Adam’s rib. Never, as well as in that the man was created from clay, but of the different sort.

  The reasons we find for becoming mad are too different.

  – I thought I could lose you.

  – And so you… – starts Vika and silences.

  – It’s impossible to love somebody who sees the Deep without illusions. I know Vika, I tried to uncover before. It… always happens. You would start to hate me. Imperceptibly. You wouldn’t even notice what had happened…

  I keep talking, already knowing that it’s over. We might stay friends but nothing more. No woman in the world would
love somebody who sees her face as a mesh of color pixels.

  – Yes, I had to tell you, – I whisper, – Immediately. I’m sorry, I couldn’t. Would you ever have a nerve to confess that you’re diver?

  Vika stays silent, there are tears in her eyes that don’t really exist. There’s a wall between us, from now on and forever.

  – No, – she says quietly, – I couldn’t either. I… didn’t want to lose you.

  I think I went crazy.

  So what if I hug her tightly and there’s no wall between us?

  – My work… it’s because of it. It’s too disgusting when everything is for real. I don’t know how it happened… it was too dirty… I was scared and had fallen from the Deep…

  – We say – surfaced…

  – Surfaced…

  Unfortunate looks at the mountains, he’s a great guy, he can strand like this all day.

  – I always surface. That’s why I always take the worst freaks, because I don’t care…

  I have a question that I’ll never ask but Vika answers herself:

  – There, by the river I didn’t exit… for the first time in my life. Honest.

  I believe her as all men from the beginning of times do.

  Only our faith becomes the truth in this world.

  111

  Vika makes coffee and even Unfortunate cheers up a little. We sit down around the table, fresh cream is in the small pitcher, a pile of white sugar is in the sugar bowl, the full bottle of Ahtamar waits for its turn. Though, Vika pours the cognac into cups immediately.

  – For your success, Lenia, – she says.

  – Such successes are cheap, – I reply.

  – Why?

  – Net-wide search.

  – So what?

  – I’ll have to leave. This personality is exposed and Gunslinger was seen here.

  – By whom? – Vika says as if she doesn’t understand all complexity of the situation. – By my girls?

  – By them too.

  – They won’t tell anybody. Or do you think that virtual prostitutes are loyal to the powers of this world? You know, we had seen them all without pants… corporations’ directors and companies’ presidents. The people who usually lash the woman before going to bed don’t evoke any pity.