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(c) С.Лукьяненко
Л А Б И Р И Н Т О Т Р А Ж Е Н И Й
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продолжение
Теперь должен произойти выход в реальность. Как следствие
"смертельного" воздействия. Иначе - мозг может вообразить самый
настоящий болевой шок, со всеми последствиями.
Только самоубийца отключит предохранители дип-программы.
Или дайвер.My mutilated body lies in the palm of the monster. Skull
flattened, one eye looks at the dusty hot sky, the other at
stone nail. Ifrit laughs loudly, contentedly, then
shouts:
- You, who came in the guise of a wolf, remember his fate!
Yeah, that's how he identified the language... he heard our conversations.
However, he was not smart enough to understand who he was dealing with...
The monster turns to stone again. I wait another second, then stand up.
The body is slowly coming together. Normal user
deep technology would now wake up in reality, facing a reproachful
screeching computer.
Does Al-Kabara's watchdog program take into account the existence
divers?
The monster is motionless. I'm dead, long dead... I step carefully on
hair bridge...
- Who are you?
Again... Apparently, he reacts precisely to the touch of the “bridge”. Horseradish
radishes are not sweeter.
“One who is not in your power,” I answer.
- Whose power are you in?
Something new.
“Allah,” speaking at random.
This time the monster swats me with his free hand, so...
I partially flow over the edges of my palm. And he edifyingly says:
- It’s not for you to remember the name of the Great, thief.
The wolf rolls on the sand laughing. I see it with the eye that
survived.
Yes, the program’s humor is more American than Arabic. I'm lying
thinking. I get up again. The monster is still motionless.
- Vika, is there a way around? - I ask.
- This is the only externalchannel, - my
computer. The voice floats and loses intonation... and it really should
buy more memory... - All other Al-Kabar lines are opening
only by internal order.
- Forceful solution? - I touch the hilt of the sword. Virus program
local action is tiny, it doesn’t even need to be pumped from
at home. Draw your sword, strike, and...
- The channel will be destroyed.
Yes, sure. It’s not for nothing that the monster holds the bridge in his hand. Destroy
watchdog program - a hair over the abyss will break.
- Infection.
- I didn't understand.
- Quiet...
I'm looking at the monster. Stone eyelids are half-closed, from the mouth
a stalactite of saliva hangs down. This is just an appearance, an entourage for
faint-hearted virtual workers. The usual "guard" at the entrance
gate. Somewhere in the depths of the “hair” there is a communication channel with the quarter
"Al-Kabara". There are signals there, ordering you to let them pass,
or destroy the uninvited guest...
- Hey, Ivan Tsarevich, I’m in a hurry! - the wolf screams.
Yes, we need to act. While the program was throwing me away
autonomously, but next time, quite possibly, to the point
real Al-Kabar programmers will join in. And virtual workers,
and conservatives.
“Animate the shadow,” I order.
The dark silhouette on the palm begins to move, acquires
three-dimensional, straightened, filled with colors. I'm making a face
to the double, who grimaces in response.
“Lead the shadow,” I order. - Searchpassword.
A second pause - the machine rotates the disks, loading them into memory
"shadows" everything that is known about "Al-Kabar". Then the double walks
to the bridge. Of course, this won't do anything. Except time.
- Who are you? - the monster roars, grabbing the shadow. I can barely dodge
moving fingers, crawling along a tightly clenched fist, jumping on
thread...
- Who are you? - comes from the back. And the swing of the right hand knocks down
me at the feet of the monster. I'm falling to pieces. I'm lying on my back
looking at the double floundering in the palm of the statue.
Yes, he did a good job... high quality...
- Who are you? - the monster asks again.
- Someone who is not in your power - the double continues to distract
watchman.
- Whose power are you in?
- Yours.
I wonder how many more deaths the monster has in store for thieves?
Look at those teeth, horns... hmm, well, a phallus would do just fine...
- Why did you come here?
- Find power over yourself.
- Go ahead and find her.
The hand unclenches, the monster turns to stone. I lie there, gasping for air.
The double stands motionless on the edge of the palm.
- Vika, where did the shadow’s answers come from?
- From the open file "Al-Kabara" "Procedure for virtual
requests for work."
The wolf comes closer and whispers:
- What happened?
I'll explain.
- Ivan Tsarevich, aren’t you Ivan the Fool? - asks the wolf.
I have nothing to cover. Of course, we had to get acquainted with everyone
files. Not only with stolen dataabout internal
virtual space of the quarter.
“Vika, drain,” I command.
It's like I'm being pulled into the "shadow". Now this body is the main one. Already
missed onto the bridge.
However, the victory is Pyrrhic. The watchman reported that
a visitor tries to cross the bridge. So they will meet me.
And a loner trying to fight a crowd is doomed. In any
space, even virtual.
Okay, nothing to do. It's time to walk... across the hair bridge.
To be honest, the procedure is almost impossible. Even for
professional tightrope walker. A bridge is precisely a thread over
an abyss. The towers of Al-Kabara in the distance are tempting and inaccessible.
Depth, depth, I'm not yours...
to be continued...
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