"Viktor Pelevin. Generation P (fragment, англ.)" - читать интересную книгу автора

Jeeps used for smashing against lightpoles, there'll be castles in France
and Pacific islands. Serious offices will come on place of freelancers.
But the essence of events in this country will stay the same forever.
That's why the principle of our work won't ever change either.
- Oh my God. - said Tatarsky. - What a money... It's even scary.
- An eternal question, - laughed Morkovin. - Whether I'm a shivering
beast or have my rights?
- Looks like you have answered it.
- Yeah. - said Morkovin. - It happened at some point.
- So what was the answer?
- A simple one. A shivering beast that has some indisputable rights. And
some 'LaVe' as well. Maybe you'll borrow some money from me, eh? You look
a bit... neglected. You'll return when you successfully launch yourself.
- No thanks, I have some yet, - said Tatarsky. - Don't you know by chance
where this word - 'LaVe' - came from? My Chechens say that even in Arabia
it's understood. Even in English there's something like that...
- By chance, yes, - replied Morkovin. - It's from Latin letters L and V.
An abbreviation of "Liberal Values".

Next day Morkovin brought Tatarsky to quite strange place. Its name was
"Draft-Podium" (Tatarsky abandoned attempts to understand what the hell
does it mean after several minutes of hard thinking). "Draft-Podium" was
located in the basement of the old brick house not far from the downtown.
The heavy steel door led inside into a small space, packed with equipment.
Several young men were waiting for Tatarsky there. The main one there was
an unshaven guy named Sergey who resembled Dracula in his younger days. He
explained to Tatarsky that the small blue plastic box placed on an empty
cardboard box is the Silicon Graphics computer that costs a hell of a
money, and the "Soft Image" software installed on it costs twice as much.
Silicon was the main treasure of this underground cave. Also there were
several less sophisticated computers in the room, scanners and some kind
of advanced VCR with lots of LEDs. A single detail impressed Tatarsky the
most - the VCR had a round dial with a handle like those that sewing
machines have, and it was possible to use it for frame by frame viewing.
"Draft-Podium" had one very perspective potential customer.
- The object is approximately 50 years old, - said Sergey taking a deep
inhale from a menthol cigarette. - Before he worked as a Physics teacher.
When the whole mess was just starting, he organized a cooperative for
baking cakes. In two years he made such a huge money that now he have
rented the whole confectionery factory in Lefortovo. Not long ago he have
got a big loan. His present hard drinking period have started a couple of
days ago, they usually last for a couple of weeks.
- Where are such details from? - inquired Tatarsky.
- His secretary, - said Sergey. - So. We must get him now and bring him
the script while he haven't yet got back to his senses. The greed
suffocates him when he's sober. We have a meeting with him in his office,
tomorrow, at one.
The next day Morkovin arrived to Tatarsky's apartment early. With him he
brought a big bright-yellow plastic bag containing wine-colored jacket
made of material resembling greatcoat cloth. A complicated emblem looking