jefflong.yearzero-第58节

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rrel　in　a　cage　made　of　woven　pine　strips。　〃He　sells　them；〃　said　Nathan　Lee。　〃It's　like　a　souk。〃　He　touched　the　volume　button。　The　sound　of　haggling　rose　up。　A　line　of　men　stood　before　several　merchants　sitting　on　their　heels　with　little　collections　of　junk　spread　in　front　of　them。
　〃Sandals？　Pine　cones？〃　she　said。　〃Are　those　statues　of　women？〃
　〃Or　fetishes。　Made　out　of　bread　balls。　They're　very　creative。　Anything　they　can　find。　They　love　to　barter。　It　starts　the　minute　they　hit　the　yard。　They　swap　and　dicker　all　day　long。　It's　a　way　to　be　together。　A　village　is　forming。　See　that　man；　he's　a　fortune…teller。　And　this　guy？　He　makes　bracelets　from　colored　thread　and　pieces　of　lamb　tendon。　And　him？　He's　the　professional　ear　cleaner。〃
　〃You're　not　serious。〃
　The　man　was　squatting　to　one　side　of　his　client；　plying　a　wire　and　a　shaved　twig　with　the　concentration　of　a　neurosurgeon。　〃You've　never　been　to　the　Third　World；〃　he　said。
　〃What's　with　this　one？〃　A　man　was　walking　around　with　twine　holding　a　piece　of　folded　cloth　against　his　forehead。
　〃Headache　medicine。　Magic　cloth。　One　of　his　friends　said　a　spell　into　it。　It　seems　to　work　for　him。〃
　Nathan　Lee　turned　the　volume　off　and　sat　down　again。　Miranda　turned　from　the　images　and　leaned　against　the　table。　〃Cavendish　called；〃　she　said。　〃He's　on　the　war　path。〃
　Nathan　Lee　tensed。　Ochs　had　Cavendish。　He　had　Miranda。　The　allegiances　were　plain。　〃About　what？〃　he　asked。
　〃He　wants　to　know　what's　your　point　with　all　this？〃　She　patted　one　of　the　TVs。　〃I　told　him　it's　a　discovery　process。　You're　going　to　ask　the　clones　about　the　plague。〃
　〃That's　ing；〃　Nathan　Lee　said。　〃There's　only　so　far　we　can　push　in　a　day。〃
　〃Cavendish　says　it's　a　stunt。　He　wants　to　shut　you　down；〃　she　said。　〃He　issued　a　deport　order　on　you。〃
　〃What？〃　Nathan　Lee　was　stunned。　The　pencil　slipped　from　his　fingers。It　was　over；　just　like　that？　He　wanted　to　object。　It　was　too　soon。　He　hadn't　found　his　answer　yet。　But　he　had　only　himself　to　blame。　He'd　let　himself　be　seduced　by　this　alternate　reality。　He'd　created　it；　himself。　The　clones　were　none　of　his　business。　They'd　lived　their　lives。　He　should　have　been　living　his；　spending　every　minute　hunting　for　his　enemy。
　〃Ochs；〃　he　said。　Maybe　there　was　still　time。　He　could　hide　in　one　of　the　canyons；　or　in　the　forest。　Eventually　Ochs　had　to　show　himself。　But　Nathan　Lee　knew　that　was　futile。　Security　was　everywhere。
　〃Ochs？〃　she　said。　〃I'm　sure　he's　been　whispering　his　poison　about　you。　But　Cavendish　has　his　own　good　reasons　to　rid　of　you。　You're　a　threat　to　his　rule。〃
　〃Cavendish？　What　have　I　ever　done　to　him？〃　He'd　never　even　met　the　man；　only　seen　pictures　of　him。　Depending　on　who　you　were　talking　to；　the　Director's　growing　seclusion　was　due　to　some　disfiguring　disease　on　top　of　the　maladies　he　already　suffered；　or　a　ploy　to　boost　his　omnipresence；　the　sense　that　he　was　everywhere　and　nowhere　at　any　given　moment。　Miranda　said　it　was　simply　the　wages　of　paranoia。　Regardless；　Cavendish　had　strayed　from　the　family　of　man　a　long　time　ago。　He　was　like　one　of　the　physicists'　quarks　or　whiffles；　whatever　they　called　their　subatomic　ricochets。　Chaos　theory；　but　without　the　theory。
　〃He's　convinced　I'm　trying　to　overthrow　him；〃　said　Miranda。　〃Through　you。〃
　〃That's　absurd。〃
　〃No；　he's　absolutely　right。〃　Miranda　smiled。　〃I　am　using　you。　Don't　look　so　shocked。　You're　using　me。　That's　how　it　goes；　right？　One　big　vicious　cycle。〃　She　didn't　sound　ruthless；　more　like　a　kid　trying　to　act　tough。
　〃I'm　not　much　of　a　weapon；〃　he　said。　〃Why　should　Cavendish　worry？〃
　〃The　city's　ing　together。　A　shadow　city。　A　confederacy。　I　met　with　some　of　the　other　lab　directors。　They're　noticing　the　changes；　too。　The　monthly　stats　are　ing　in。　Fewer　people　are　taking　sick　leave。　More　new　experiments　are　starting　up。　Drug　overdoses　are　down。　Morale's　up。　It's　like　a　darkness　lifting。〃
　〃What　does　that　have　to　do　with　me？〃
　〃No　one　can　put　their　finger　on　it。　But　somehow　it　has　to　do　with　this　Year　Zero　thing；〃　she　said。　〃Nothing　else　correlates。　Science　by　day；　animal　sacrifices　by　night。　People　are　glued　to　the　tube。　They're　invested。　That's　not　the　word。　Enchanted。　Oh；〃　she　added；　〃did　I　mention；　human　testing　has　tapered　to　a　fraction　of　what　it　was。〃
　〃And　you're　saying　the　clones　are　responsible？〃
　〃They're　part　of　it。　This　sea　change　in　attitude　all　dates　to　your　yard。〃
　〃That's　hard　to　believe。〃　But　he　felt　it　himself。　The　yard　inhabited　him。　The　little　tribe　of　clones　had　conquered　death。　They　had　outlived　the　apocalypse　and　joined　hands。　Paradise　was　now。
　〃The　whole　city's　tuned　in　to　you。　History　and　geography　teachers　are　using　the　tapes　to　teach　children　about　the　customs　of　first…century　Palestine。　Classrooms　have　adopted　different　clones　to　research　and　write　their　biographies。　The　lunchrooms　and　coffee　bars　are　full　of　the　latest　revelations。　The　churches　play　the　Lord's　Prayer。〃
　Nathan　Lee　had　heard　some　of　that。　〃Bread　and　circuses；〃　he　dismissed　it。
　〃Don't　you　see？　You're　threatening　the　cure。　That's　what　Cavendish　thinks。〃
　〃It's　just　TV。　The　ultimate　reality　show。〃
　〃No；〃　she　said。　〃Cavendish　is　exactly　right。〃　She　picked　up　a　rib　from　Matthew's　bone　set。　〃You've　turned　them　into　human　beings。〃
　〃They　were　to　begin　with。〃
　〃But　we　didn't　know　that；〃　she　said。　〃That's　the　difference。　Already　two　of　the　labs　have　suspended　experiments　because　of　you。　Others　are　talking。　Cavendish　understands。　They're　trending　away　from　a　methodology。　They're　self…correcting。　Reeling　themselves　back　from　the　brink。〃
　〃Human　testing？〃　he　said。　〃That's　part　of　the　culture。　People　made　that　deal　with　the　devil　a　long　time　ago。〃
　〃Which　is　why　this　is　so　dangerous；〃　she　said。　〃Cavendish　is　the　devil。　It　started　with　him。〃
　〃That's　not　true；〃　he　said。　〃It's　part　of　Los　Alamos。　I've　heard　about　the　early　days。　The　bomb　years。　Back　in　the　fifties；　thousands　of　dead　babies　were　sent　here　from　around　the　world；　to　study　the　spread　of　radioactive　fallout。　Scientists　used　to　inject　themselves　with　plutonium。　They　used　to　feed　it　to　their　own　children。〃
　〃That　stopped；〃　she　said。
　〃It　set　the　precedent。　How　much　worse　does　it　get？〃Your　own　child？
　〃I'm　not　sure　how　much　you　know　about　what's　going　on。　Nobody　talks　about　the　scale　of　it。〃
　〃Of　what？〃
　〃Do　you　recall　that　first　day　you　were　here；〃　she　said。　〃We　were　walking　across　the　grounds　and　the　ash　came　down。　You　made　a　joke　about　snow　in　July。〃
　Intellectual　debris；she　had　called　it。　Instantly　he　grasped　the　truth　of　it。　He　was　shocked　that　it　had　taken　him　until　this　moment。　〃Human　ashes；〃　he　said。
　Miranda　nodded。　〃Clones。　Carriers　from　the　cities。　Even　infected　scientists。　I　don't　have　the　numbers。　Thousands；〃　she　said。　〃Over　the　last　couple　of　years；　we've　done　everything　possible　to　keep　them　out　of　our　heads。　It's　our　worst　nightmare；　you　know；　that　we　might　turn　into　Auschwitz。〃　She　handed　the　rib　to　him。　〃Do　you　see　now？　You've　started　something。　Cavendish　is　losing　support　for　his　methods。　He's　running　out　of　time。〃
　〃We're　all　running　out　of　time；〃　he　answered。　〃I'm　only　helping　you　pass　it。〃
　〃I　thought　so；　too；　in　the　beginning。　Like　you　said；　it's　just　TV。　But　it's　bee　something　more。　People　are　waiting　for　something　to　happen。　They　think　there's　some　kind　of　answer　waiting　for　them　in　the　yard。　And　that　you're　going　to　give　it　to　them。〃
　There　were　different　ways　to　run　with　that。　He　chose　to　keep　it　simple。　〃Clues　to　the　plague？　I　wouldn't　hold　my　breath；〃　he　said。　〃I　keep　digging。　Maybe　they　know　something；　maybe　they　don't。〃
　〃The　clones？〃　she　said。　〃They　don't　have　anything　to　tell　us　about　the　plague。　Nothing　relevant。　They're　one　more　dead　end。　You　know　that。〃
　Nathan　Lee　pulled　his　head　back。　He　did　know　it；　or　had　started　to　suspect　it。　None　of　the　clones　seemed　to　know　anything　about　a　plague　that　had　not　really　been　a　plague　two　thousand　years　ago。　Their　blood　analyses　suggested　a　brush　with　some　early　form　of　Corfu；　but　it　must　have　been　a　mild　spin…off　strain；　something　that　had　mutated　along　the　Spice　Road。　Whatever　it　was　that　had　jumped　out　of　the　holy　relic　in　Corfu　must　have　originated　at　some　safe　distance　from　the　Holy　Lands。　The　researchers　had　locked　onto　the　right　era；　but　the　wrong　reservoir。　Golgotha　was　not　the　answer。
　〃What　happens　now？〃　he　asked。　Chin　up；　he　told　himself。　Eyes　wide　open。　Cavendish　had　spoken。　Nathan　Lee　was　a　condemned　man。　He　tried　to　imagine　how　to　pick　up　from　here。　Anymore；　all　roads　led　to　Los　Alamos。　Which　would　he　take；　where　would　he　go？　He　felt　fattened；　sluggish；　off　course。　His　momentum　had　slipped。
　〃I　blocked　the　deport　order。〃　She　shrugged。
　He　let　his　breath　out。　〃You　can　do　that？〃
　〃The　show　goes　on；〃　she　answered。　〃I　need　you。〃
　〃You　want　me　to　keep　going　with　the　clones？　But　you　just　said　they're　a　dead　end。〃
　〃If　you　look　at　a　map；　so　is　Los　Alamos。　But　it's　still　our　last；　best　hope。　And　you're　helping　keep　us　together。　Up　in　the　light　of　day。〃
　Up；he　suddenly　realized；Out。　Out　from　the　darkness　of　her　father's　underworld。　That　was　his　use　to　her。　It　wasn't　Cavendish　she　was　fighting；　but　her　father。　It　didn't　seem　right；　somehow；　to　use　one　father　against　another。
　　
　THE　CLONES　GAINEDstrength。