dk.solesurvivor-第61节

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　　If　there　had　been　enough　light　for　Joe　to　see　his　reflection　in　the　rear…view　mirror；　he　knew　that　he　could　have　watched　as　his　tan　faded　and　his　face　turned　as　white　as　the　moon；　for　he　suddenly　knew　the　essence　of　what　Project　Ninety…nine　was　all　about。　'You　haven't　just　studied　this。'
　　'Not　just。　No。'
　　'You've　applied　the　research。'
　　'Yes。'
　　'How　many　work　on　Project　Ninety…nine？'
　　'Over　two　hundred　of　us。'
　　'Making　monsters；'　he　said　numbly。
　　'People；'　she　said。　'Making　people　in　a　lab。'
　　'They　may　look　like　people；　but　some　of　them　are　monsters。'
　　She　was　silent　for　perhaps　a　mile。　Then　she　said；　'Yes。'　And　after　another　silence：　'Though　the　true　monsters　are　those　of　us　who　made　them。'
　　
　　Fenced　and　patrolled；　identified　at　the　highway　as　a　think　tank　called　the　Quartermass　Institute；　the　property　enpasses　eighteen　hundred　acres　in　the　Virginia　countryside：　meadowed　hills　where　deer　graze；　hushed　woods　of　birch　and　beeches　where　a　plenitude　of　small　game　thrives　beyond　the　rifle　reach　of　hunters；　ponds　with　ducks；　and　grassy　fields　with　nesting　plovers。
　　Although　security　appears　to　be　minimal；　no　animal　larger　than　a　rabbit　moves　across　these　acres　without　being　monitored　by　motion　detectors；　heat　sensors；　microphones；　and　cameras；　which　feed　a　continuous　river　of　data　to　a　Cray　puter　for　continuous　analysis。　Unauthorized　visitors　are　subject　to　immediate　arrest　and；　on　those　rare　occasions　when　hunters　or　adventurous　teenagers　scale　the　fence；　they　are　halted　and　taken　into　custody　within　five　hundred　feet　of　the　point　of　intrusion。
　　Near　the　geographical　centre　of　these　peaceful　acres　is　the　orphanage；　a　cheerless　three…story　brick　structure　that　resembles　a　hospital。　Forty…eight　children　currently　reside　herein；　every　one　below　the　age　of　six…though　some　appear　older。　They　are　all　residents　by　virtue　of　having　been　born　without　mothers　or　fathers　in　any　but　the　chemical　sense。　None　of　them　was　conceived　in　love；　and　none　entered　the　world　through　a　woman's　womb。　As　foetuses；　they　were　nurtured　in　mechanical　wombs；　adrift　in　amniotic　fluid　brewed　in　a　laboratory。
　　As　with　laboratory　rats　and　monkeys；　as　with　dogs　whose　skulls　are　cut　open　and　brains　exposed　for　days　during　experiments　related　to　the　central　nervous　system；　as　with　all　animals　that　further　the　cause　of　knowledge；　these　orphans　have　no　names。　To　name　them　would　be　to　encourage　their　handlers　to　develop　emotional　attachments　to　them。　The　handlers…which　includes　everyone　from　those　security　men　who　double　as　cooks　to　the　scientists　who　bring　these　children　into　the　world…must　remain　morally　neutral　and　emotionally　detached　in　order　to　do　their　work　properly。　Consequently；　the　children　are　known　by　letter　and　number　codes　that　refer　to　the　specific　indices　in　Project　99's　genetic…profile　library　from　which　their　special　abilities　were　selected。
　　Here　on　the　third　floor；　southwest　corner；　in　a　room　of　her　own；　sits　ATX…12…23。　She　is　four　years　old；　catatonic；　and　incontinent。　She　waits　in　her　crib；　in　her　own　wastes　until　her　nurse　changes　her；　and　she　never　plains。　ATX…12…23　has　never　spoken　a　single　word　or　uttered　any　sound　whatsoever。　As　an　infant；　she　never　cried。　She　cannot　walk。　She　sits　motionlessly；　staring　into　the　middle　distance；　sometimes　drooling。　Her　muscles　are　partially　atrophied　even　though　she　is　given　manipulated　exercise　three　times　a　week。　If　her　face　were　ever　to　be　enlivened　by　expression；　she　might　be　beautiful；　but　the　unrelieved　slackness　of　her　features　gives　her　a　chilling　aspect。　Cameras　cover　every　inch　of　her　room　and　record　around　the　clock；　which　might　seem　to　be　a　waste　of　videotape　…except　that　from　time　to　time；　inanimate　objects　around　ATX…12…23　bee　animated。　Rubber　balls　of　various　colours　levitate　and　spin　in　the　air；　float　from　wall　to　wall　or　circle　the　child's　head　for　ten　or　twenty　minutes　at　a　time。　Window　blinds　raise　and　lower　without　a　hand　touching　them。　Lights　dim　and　flare；　the　digital　clock　speeds　through　the　hours；　and　a　teddy　bear　that　she　has　never　touched　sometimes　walks　around　the　room　on　its　stubby　legs　as　if　it　contains　the　mechanical　system　that　would　allow　it　to　do　so。
　　Now；　e　here；　down　to　the　second　floor；　to　the　third　room　east　of　the　elevators；　where　lives　a　five…year…old　male；　KSB…22…09；　who　is　neither　physically　nor　mentally　impaired。　Indeed；　he　is　an　active　redheaded　boy　with　a　genius…level　IQ。　He　loves　to　learn；　receives　extensive　tutoring　daily；　and　is　currently　educated　to　a　ninth…grade　equivalent。　He　has　numerous　toys；　books；　and　movies　on　video；　and　he　participates　in　supervised　play　sessions　with　the　other　orphans；　because　it　is　deemed　essential　by　the　project　architects　that　all　subjects　with　normal　mental　faculties　and　full　physical　abilities　be　raised　in　as　social　an　atmosphere　as　possible；　given　the　limitations　of　the　Institute。　Sometimes　when　he　tries　hard　（and　sometimes　when　he　is　not　trying　at　all）；　KSB…22…09　is　able　to　make　small　objects…pencils；　ball　bearings；　paper　clips；　thus　far　nothing　larger　than　a　glass　of　water…vanish。　Simply　vanish。　He　sends　them　elsewhere；　into　what　he　calls　'The　All　Dark。'　He　is　not　able　to　bring　them　back　and　cannot　explain　what　The　All　Dark　may　be…though　he　does　not　like　the　place。　He　must　be　sedated　to　sleep；　because　he　frequently　suffers　vivid　nightmares　in　which　he　uncontrollably　sends　himself；　piece　by　piece；　into　The　All　Dark　…first　a　thumb；　and　then　a　toe；　and　then　his　left　foot；　a　tooth　and　another　tooth；　one　eye　gone　from　a　suddenly　empty　socket；　and　then　an　ear。　Lately；　KSB…22…09　is　experiencing　memory　lapses　and　spells　of　paranoia　which　are　thought　to　be　related　to　the　long…term　use　of　the　sedative　that　he　receives　before　bed　each　night。
　　Of　the　forty…eight　orphans　residing　at　the　Institute；　only　seven　exhibit　any　paranormal　powers。　The　other　forty…one；　however；　are　not　regarded　as　failures。　Each　of　the　seven　successes　first　revealed　his　or　her　talent　at　a　different　age…one　as　young　as　eleven　months；　one　as　old　as　five。　Consequently；　the　possibility　remains　that　many　of　the　forty…one　will　blossom　in　years　to　e…perhaps　not　until　they　experience　the　dramatic　changes　in　body　chemistry　related　to　puberty。　Eventually；　of　course；　those　subjects　who　age　without　revealing　any　valuable　talent　will　have　to　be　removed　from　the　program；　as　even　Project　99's　resources　are　not　infinite。　The　project's　architects　have　not　yet　determined　the　optimum　point　of　termination。
　　
　　Although　the　steering　wheel　was　hard　under　his　hands　and　slick　with　his　cold　sweat；　although　the　sound　of　the　engine　was　familiar；　although　the　freeway　was　solid　under　the　spinning　tyres；　Joe　felt　as　if　he　had　crossed　into　another　dimension　as　treacherously　amorphous　and　inimical　to　reason　as　the　surreal　landscapes　in　Salvador　Dali's　paintings。
　　As　his　horror　grew；　he　interrupted　Rose：　'This　place　you're　describing　is　Hell。　You。　。　。　you　couldn't　have　been　part　of　anything　like　this。　You're　not　that　kind　of　person。'
　　'Aren't　I？'
　　'No。'
　　Her　voice　grew　thinner　as　she　talked；　as　though　the　strength　supporting　her　had　been　the　secrets　she　kept；　and　as　she　revealed　them　one　by　one；　her　vitality　ebbed　as　it　had　for　Samson　lock　by　lock。　In　her　increasing　weariness　was　a　sweet　relief　like　that　dispensed　in　a　confessional；　a　weakness　that　she　seemed　to　embrace…but　that　was　nonetheless　coloured　by　a　grey　wash　of　despair。　'If　I'm　not　that　kind　of　person　now。　。　。　I　must　have　been　then。'
　　'But　how？　Why？　Why　would　you　want　to　be　involved　with　these　these　atrocities？'
　　'Pride。　To　prove　that　I　was　as　good　as　they　thought　I　was；　good　enough　to　take　on　this　unprecedented　challenge。　Excitement。　The　thrill　of　being　involved　with　a　program　even　better　funded　than　the　Manhattan　Project。　Why　did　the　people　who　invented　the　atomic　bomb　work　on　it　。　。　。　knowing　what　they　were　making？　Because　others；　elsewhere　in　the　world；　will　do　it　if　we　don't。　。　。　so　maybe　we　have　to　do　it　to　save　ourselves　from　them？'
　　'Save　ourselves　by　selling　our　souls？'　he　asked。
　　'There's　no　defence　I　can　offer　that　should　ever　exonerate　me；'　Rose　said。　'But　it　is　true　that　when　I　signed　on；　there　was　no　consensus　that　we　would　carry　the　experiments　this　far；　that　we　would　apply　what　we　learned　with　such。　。　。　zeal。　We　entered　into　the　creation　of　the　children　in　stages。　。　。　down　a　slippery　slope。　We　intended　to　monitor　the　first　one　just　through　the　second　trimester　of　the　foetal　stage…and；　after　all；　we　don't　consider　a　foetus　to　be　an　actual　human　being。　So　it　wasn't　like　we　were　experimenting　on　a　person。　And　when　we　brought　one　of　them　to　full　term。　。　。　there　were　intriguing　anomalies　in　its　EEG　graphs；　strangeness　in　its　brainwave　patterns　that　might　have　indicated　heretofore　unknown　cerebral　function。　So　we　had　to　keep　it　alive　to　see。　。　。　to　see　what　we　had　achieved；　to　see　if　maybe　we　had　moved　evolution　forward　a　giant　step。'
　　'Jesus。'
　　Though　he　had　first　met　this　woman　only　thirty…six　hours　ago；　his　feelings　for　her　had　been　rich　and　intense；　ranging　from　virtual　adoration　to　fear　and　now　to　repulsion。　Yet　from　his　repulsion　came　pity；　because　for　the　first　time　he　saw　in　her　one　of　the　many　cloves　of　human　weakness