– Anatol won't be able to get me out.

– Why?! – I shout. The talk of two deaf people, answers that don't explain anything.

Unfortunate doesn't reply.

Ah well, so be it.

Enough riddles for me, I'll just get him out of here. He won't have any choice – not any except to leave the level.

– Get up! – I shout, grab Unfortunate by the shoulders forcing him to stand up, pull his pistol out of the holster, discharge it and throw away.

– Go! March!

He doesn't argue – geez, if he would even try to… I'll drag him out on my own shoulders if necessary.

He won't have any choice.

We pass the Disneyland, I shoot the monsters not sparing the ammo, I have more than enough for this level.

The rocket launcher gets red-hot of constant shooting, I burn my shoulder even through the armor. Nevermind.

We see the kid that flees from three quick demons on the car ride again. This time he's not black though but Latin-American. Gee, those American racial complexes… Unfortunate stops dead and we have to repeat the short duel with demons and the machine-gun spider. Then we move to the building the kid pointed at. This time Unfortunate holds him really tight and he can't break free. I enter the door instead of him. The hall is filled with half transparent shaking wineskin with teeth almost completely. Rockets pass through it without blowing up. I burn the beast using plasma gun, wasting two energy cells.

A couple is twitching in the next room, tied with a sticky cobweb: a man and a woman. They are guarded by a petty monster who even doesn't try to attack me but rushes to kill the prisoners instead. I shoot it with the carbine and free the kid's parents with Unfortunate's help. Further everything happens along the standard scenario: the tale of dreadful alien invasion, advises on passing the mirror labyrinth and the solemn gift: the plasma gun. Programs are primitive, they even don't notice that I already have this weapon. I yawn taking the gift. The rejoined family walks away. Everything is disgustingly vivid – the kid walks between his Mom and Dad, clinging to their hands… One should assume that they'll successfully get out of the Twilight City. I glance at Unfortunate – he's quite serious, as if he have really saved three lives.

We proceed towards the mirror labyrinth, I still don't give any weapon to Unfortunate. The least I need now is the trick with falling and shooting winchesters.

– Okay, – I command, – You will stop by the hall entrance. You will wait for me to call for you. Then we quietly come to the computers, and you get your ass home, outta here. Okay?

– Yes.

– Do you understand me? You won't do anything stupid, will you?

Unfortunate looks me in the eyes.

– Stupid – is to cover you?

– Yes! I'll sort everything out by myself and you will get out of here, understood?

– Understood.

Oh, I don't believe in his sincerity… but I have no other choice. We pass mirror corridors, I tap Unfortunate on the shoulder by the hall entrance. He stops obediently.

– Wait here. Wait for me and I'll be back, – I say. I make a step towards the entrance but can't help it and turn back to him.

– Look… whoever you are… I'm so tired.

Unfortunate nods.

– I'm sick of this insanity, – I go on, – Promise me that you won't jump out into the shooting. Promise me that you won't go anywhere. I want to get you out and to return home.

– I'll do everything as you say, – pronounces Unfortunate and I suddenly believe him.

– Thanks, – I whisper before storming into the hall.

And the fiery carousel starts.

The Alien Prince's Guards fire at me from thirteen balconies, I shoot back – point– blank. BFG-9000 burns three mirrors at once, the hall is filled with silvery smoke. Bullets drum against my armor knocking me down to the floor. I shoot while falling down, rotate quickly on my back as if in the forgotten dance of my youth – "break", then shoot three more times. Three mirrors, three mirrors, three mirrors…

The last reflecting edge, and now I see the real balcony with two monsters on it, washed over with green blood. My BFG have seriously damaged their scaly bodies while my armor is still fine, even if crumpled and red-hot, but still reliable.

The last shot – the fiery blast, the scratching sound of secondary discharges… Monsters scream dying, turning into whirls of black ash.

And the silence falls.

The mirror hall is burned to the ground and ruined, just the computer screen triumphantly glows in the midst of the mess.

– And the silence came… – I whisper rising on my knees. Thanks for the armor Anatol, many thanks… – Hey Unfortunate!

The quiet sound from the corridor – a hesitating step… and two short popping sounds – carbine shots.

I don't need any explanations.

And I don't need any comfort.

I drag myself towards the entrance, step over Unfortunate's bloody corpse and look into the reflective infinity of the corridor.

Alex is standing surrounded by his ghostly twins lowering his carbine. He has remains of the armor on him, the face covered in blood, the carbine's barrel points down at its reflection on the floor.

– I'm out of ammo, – he says.

I throw away BFG, pull the gun from behind my belt and push the barrel into Alex' forehead with such force that he shrinks back.

I even don't have anger anymore.

Alex waits for the shot silently.

– Sit down, – I say lowering my weapon, – Sit down, you bastard.

He sits down, I sit by him on the floor and the body of Unfortunate who was so unlucky again blindly stares at the ceiling.

– Why did you kill him?

– I… wanted to kill you, – says Alex, – I was after you. I feared to be late, I haven't noticed that he was unarmed.

– Okay, then why me?

Alex smirks.

– You shoot me down on the first level, have you forgot?

– No. And this is the only reason?

– But we had a deal to go together, hadn't we?

Oh Lord, why do you punish me?

– Do you want to say that you weren't going to shoot me yourself for the spare cartridge?

– I was considering that, – confesses Alex calmly, – But I had not decided yet. And you killed me.

At this point the laughter gets me, I fall on the floor, nudge my helmet into Unfortunate's leg, hit the floor with my hand.

– You freak! – I shout, – Dumbass!

Alex feels hurt for some reason.

– I had not shoot you! – he shouts, – But you had!

– Man, are you screwed! – I say, – Fucking avenger… unfinished Zorro… I'm diver! Do you understand? The guy whom you shoot down is for two days in the Deep already! His timer is off! He will croak if I don't get him out! And you, with your complexes… idiot, idiot…

– Diver? – Alex repeats dumbly.

– Diver! – I don't care about our eternal conspiration now, – I'd spit on this "Labyrinth" from the 40th floor! I'm trying to save the human – and you're playing war games, sucker! How old are you, kid?

Alex doesn't reply at once, but does anyway.

– Forty-two.

I get the next laughter attack.

Here it is, Piter Pan's kingdom, the island of eternal kids.

The war games' lover, entering his fifth decade.

There's no age in virtuality. Both a solid aged businessman and an immature youth who managed to get to the computer with modem at work – are equal.

Everyone has a right to run along drawn labyrinths remembering kids' rules of honor and shouting, "Not fair!".

Everyone can play noble heroes and brave knights forgetting that the life is much more complicated than ten Old Testament commandments.

– I'm really sorry, – says Alex, – I didn't know that you're doing such an important job…

Oh Lord, how funny… No, nothing serious, I've just dropped in here to pee.

– If I can help somehow… – says Alex in muffled voice, – …to pay for the time you've spent…