– Just listen to me for the start.
– What else is left for me to do? – I shout, – What?!
I pull out the revolver and thrust all six bullets into the door. Six ricochets. The boxes with software on the shelves start to blow up and burn. The sprinkles on the ceiling come to life with a hissing sound and viruses get terminated in a second.
– Stop being hysterical, – says Man Without Face, it seems to me that there's a slight
doubt in his voice. I throw my revolver at him, it comes through and falls down under the wall.
– Do you want me to calm you down?
His voice is ice cold and doesn't promise anything good.
I sit down on the floor, squeeze my head with hands and whisper:
– Assholes… Fucking assholes..
– We don't care about your pranks in the Deep, diver. The theft is bad, but it was high time for Urman to get knocked on the nose.
I'm whining quietly, rocking from side to side.
Man Without Face ignores my performance.
– The crime always existed, it exists now and will exist. I'm not Jesus and I don't pretend to complete innocence myself. I have my own goals.
– And I have my little legal business! What do you want?
– That's better. Mr Diver, have you heard about the Lost Point? Or about the Invisible Boss?
What I was expecting the least were the ancient fables.
– 'Point' is the old term for the terminal network user?
– Yes, the user of Fidonet… this one existed some time ago.
– Maybe I've heard about that… Is it about the guy who was killed by electric shock being in virtuality? And his consciousness somehow stayed alive in the Net?
– Yes. The youth with a pale face and burned clothes who asks everybody whom he meets to report to the 13th Moscow hub that the point 666 was lost… And about the Invisible Boss?
– Give me the chair, – I rise from the cold concrete floor.
– Follow me.
We go to the right, behind the shelf with Mac software. Illiquid stuff, only a few people now use these computers. There were humans and Neanderthals, then IBM and Apple. Stub evolution branches aren't viable. The small table piled with papers is behind the shelves, two chairs by it. We sit down.
– Invisible Boss is the tale of the same times. – says Man Without Face. – Boss was the higher step in Fidonet hierarchy. It was boss to whom those who wanted to become points and join to virtuality addressed their requests to… There was no virtuality back then though… The legend told that sometimes the newbies managed to find a very good boss for themselves, who provided the network access at any time, high transfer rate, connection to any club… those were called echo-conferences at that time.
I nod automatically.
– And everything was fine usually, – looks like Man Without Face haven't noticed my negligence, – until one of the points found out that the phone number that he used to communicate with his boss doesn't exist, and the boss himself was not seen or heard about by anybody. After that Invisible Boss used to send the letter to all his point saying, "Why do you pursue me?" and disappear.
– Undoubtedly rich the folklore was, – I agree. – I also remember about the crazy moderator, and the echo-conference called 'Die here!'
– I started with Fidonet as well, – says Man Without Face.
I stay silent.
– Mr Diver, unlike Urman I'm not trying to ascertain your personality. But you know what the funniest thing is? We both need you for the same purpose.
– To capture the Lost Point?
Man Without Face laughs softly.
– This is just a fable… that was born in the junction of times when Internet and Fidonet turned into the united virtuality. Very few people remember them now. Just five years have passed, and look how much was forgotten.
– Nothing was forgotten, it's buried under newer information, but is still alive.
– All the same diver, the essence doesn't change.
– Well, but today the new legend was born.
– Which one?
– About Man Without Face.
My interlocutor shakes his head.
– Hardly will it be so intriguing as the youth dressed in smoking clothes…
We both laugh quietly.
– So Mr Diver… have you ever played in the 'Labyrinth of Death'?
– Possibly.
– Do you know that two divers cooperate with them?
– I can assume that.
Even two? I was sure that 'Labyrinth' manages with only one rescuer..
– I can give you their addresses… either network or the real ones.
Wow!!!
– One of them is Ukranian, the other one is Canadian. The first one lives…
– No, – I say with some effort.
– How interesting! I was sure that it's the common dream to determine the diver's personality! Including the divers themselves!
– This dream is one of the worst and base crimes… according to our code.
For the first time I admit that I'm diver. Hardly my interlocutor had any doubt about that though.
– One problem have arose in "Labyrinth"… and those two can't manage it… – Man Without Face bends across the table, takes a piece of paper and writes the short address. He does right that doesn't try to give me the business card, I'd never take a file from him. – These are my coordinates. After you visit "Labyrinth", offer your service to the management and try to solve the problem, contact me. Ask for… Man Without Face.
He doesn't want to make it clearer and as it seems he doesn't have even a little doubt that I'll rush to "Labyrinth" at once.
– Why would I want to do that?
Man Without Face takes a small badge from the cloak pocket. It looks pretty like the police badge but its background is white and there's not a spiral in the center but a tiny sphere woven of the thinnest threads.
– That's why.
The badge is on the table between us. I look at it but don't dare to touch.
What if it disappears?
When Lady Winter received the order from Cardinal Richelieu (SP???) saying "Whatever is done by this person was done for the benefit of France", it was a bit less cool.
The legendary Complete Licence Medal is before me: the right for just anything that's possible to do in the deep.
Friedrich Urman would open the door and escort me to the bridge personally if he saw this badge.
He probably would hire killers later though in order to settle the scores with me but in the deep he would be extremely polite.
I've never seen the Medal with my own eyes before. I know that Dmitry Dibenko received the same one in his time: for the creation of the deep itself.
One must accomplish something vitally important for all virtual space for any of his actions to be considered right from now on.
– It will wait for you on this table, – says Man Without Face, – You'll get it… in case of your success.
I nod silently.
– Note that there'll be other aspirants, – informs Man Without Face, – We're looking for divers everywhere in the deep, and will find many, and will tell them the same I've told you.
– What's there, in "Labyrinth"? – I ask turning my gaze away from the Medal.
– I have no idea. This is what worries me.
I allow myself to smirk, tell me that you don't know…
– Until now everything that was happening in virtuality had their analogies in the real world. Entertainment, business, science, communications…
Interesting that he ranked entertainment first…
– Now something have changed…. Good luck to you diver. You can go now.
Man Without Face nods in the direction of the door.
– I'll leave by my own way.
– You decided to reveal yourself?