Disclaimer and Authoris Rant: This is
a work of Gatchaman/Battle of the Planets fan fiction. / ³d¥ô³W½dÁn©ú©M Authoris
²Ê¨¥: ³o¬O¦æ¬Pªº¤@Ó Gatchaman/ ¾Ôª§ªº¤u§@¨g¼öªÌ¤p»¡¡C
Characters copyright Gatchaman: Tatsunoko Productions; Battle of the Planets:
Sandy Frank Productions. / өʪ©Åv Gatchaman: Tatsunoko »s³y; ¦æ¬Pªº¾Ôª§: ®á}ªkÄõ§J»s³y¡C
Fan fiction c Katharine Foust-Martin. Please do not reproduce or transfer
electronically without the permission of the author, thanks. WARNING:
Contains scenes of adult situations and extremely graphic violence. /
ݵ¤p»¡ c ³ÍÂĵY Foust-°¨¤B¡C ½Ð¤£n¦A¥Í©ÎªÌ¨S¦³§@®aªº³\¥i¹q¤l¦aÂಾ,ÁÂÁ¡C ĵ§i: ¥]§t¦¨¤H±¡§Î©M«D±`¹Ï¸Ñªº¼É¤O²{³õ¡C
INVADER / «I²¤ªÌ
Alternative Gatchaman/BotP Universe Fanfiction (c) Tatsunoko Prod.; Sandy
Frank Productions / ´À¥N¿ï¾Ü Gatchaman/ BotP ¦t©z Fanfiction(c) Tatsunoko ¨ë°w¡C;
®á}ªkÄõ§J»s³y
Fiction (c) by Katharine Foust-Martin Oct. 1995; rev. October 2001 / ³ÍÂĵY
Foust- °¨¤Bªº 1995 ¦~¤Q¤ëªº¤p»¡ (c); ¨Ï¥[³t°jÂà¡C 2001 ¦~¤Q¤ë
Sometime around the morning of the third day of December, a massive explosion
occurred on a remote and minuscule south Indian Ocean island off the coast
of a German allocation of Antarctica. It was large enough to be picked
up by seismographs in New Zealand and India, and within minutes three
international atmospheric and two Earth Defense Command satellites picked
up traces of low level radiation fallout. Reconnaissance EDC aircraft
were immediately summoned for a quick high-altitude flyby, and the imagery
that they brought back revealed crumbled heavy industrial type buildings,
still smoking and crackling with lethal cold-fusion generated rads. /
¬Y¤@Ӯɶ¡¤Q¤G¤ëªº²Ä¤T¤Ñªº¦±á¥ª¥k,¤@ÓÃe¤jªºÃz¬µ¦b«n·¥¬wªº¼w°ê°t¸mªº®ü©¤¥~ªº¤@Ó»»»·ªº©M¯ó¼g¤p¦rªº¦L«×¬v®q«n³¡¤Wµo¥Í¡C ¥¦°÷¤j¨Ó¦b¯Ã¦èÄõ©M¦L«×³Q¦a¾_p³vº¥«ì´_
, ©M¦b¼Æ¤ÀÄÁ¤º¤T°ê»Úªº¤j®ð¦Ó¥B¤G®y¦a²y¨¾½Ã«ü¥O¤H³y½Ã¬P¬B°_§C¤ô·Ç©ñ®g½u¿ç®g¹Ðªº²ª¸ñ¡C °»¹î EDC ¸¾÷¥ß¨è¬°§Öªº°ª®ü©Þ flyby ³Q¥l³ê,
©M¨v¹³¥L̦^´_Åã¥Ü±Y¼ì«ªº¤u·~Ãþ«¬«Ø¿vª«, µM¦Ó©MP©Rªº´H§N©âµÒ©M¯Ü¥Ö-¿Ä¦Xª«²£¥Í¤F rads ¡C
In the space of an hour the information was detailed in the EDCis Pacific
Operations base under another island, this one sixty miles off the coast
of California. After the initial analysis an intelligence agent joked
that hard copies should be printed and framed on the walls, to which the
officer on duty emphatically agreed. / ¦b¥[¦{ªº®ü©¤¥~³o¤»¤Q¤@ù³B¦b¸ê®Æ¦b EDCis ¤Ó¥¬v¤â³N¤è±³Q¸Ô²Ó»¡©úªº
1 ¤p®ÉªºªÅ¶¡¤¤¦b¥t¤@Ó®q¤§¤U§@°ò¦¡C ¦b³Ìªìªº¤ÀªR¤§«á¤@Ó±¡³ø¤Hû¶}ª±¯º¤FµwªOÀ³¸Ó¦bÀð¾À¤W³Q¦C¦L¦Ó¥Bºc¦¨, ¨ì¨º¤@Ó©xûȶԱj½Õ¦a¦P·N¡C
Then the single-page report was routed up the levels of the base and beyond,
lighting up monitors like holiday cheer, zipping up through research,
flashing into the officers' quarters. It appeared on the desktop terminal
belonging to Dr. David Anderson, the Chief of Security for the Earth Defense
Command, a director with the International Science Organization, and the
sole advisor for G-Force. There in his office he read the report with
quiet satisfaction, gratified that all of his worries about Gallactoris
experimentation with the cold-fusion technology theyid killed to gain
were now over, and pleased that the facilityis fate had in a way avenged
the deaths of his friends and colleagues. / µM«á³æ¤@¶³ø§i¦b°ò¦ªº¤ô·Ç¤W±³Q¼ì±Ñ©M¶W¹L,ÂI¿U¹³°²¤é´r§ÖªººÊµø¾¹¡A¦b§¹¦¨ªº¬ã¨s¤W±©Ô©ÔÁå¡A¶i¤J©xûªº¥|¤À¤§¤@¤§¤º°{²{¡C
¥¦¦b¬°¦a²y¨¾½Ã«ü¥OÄÝ©ó¤j½Ã³Õ¤h¦w¼w»¹ , ¦w¥þªº»â³S®à¤W«¬²×ÂI¤W¥X²{, ¦³°ê»Úªº¬ì¾Ç²Õ´ , ©M°ß¤@ªºÅU°Ý¤@¦ì«ü¾ÉªÌ¹ï©ó G-¤O¶q¡C ¦b¥Lªº¿ì¤½«Ç¤¤¦b¨º¸Ì¥L¥Î¦wÀRªºº¡¨¬Åª³ø§i,
¨Ïº¡¨¬©M¹ï¼W¯q³Q±þªº´H§N- ¿Ä¦Xª«ªº§Þ³N theyid ªº¹ï Gallactoris ¹êÅ窺¥L¥þ³¡¾á¼~¬O²{¦bµ²§ô, ¦Ó¥B¨ú®®¤F¦b¤@©wµ{«×¤W³Q¦³ªº
facilityis ©R¹B¬°¥LªºªB¤Í©M¦P¨Æªº¦º¤`³ø¤³¤F¡C
At the same time, the report popped up in the launch bay of the Phoenix,
the warship of the EDC combat squad G-Force. It bounced up on a terminal
in launch control, and the operator quickly ran off a hard copy. On the
way to the bay he felt unfamiliar exhilaration, for miracles and magic
within the base happened rarely and so were wonderful to witness. The
tech entered the launch bay and found the warshipis stoic helmsman standing
among the facility's crew, his impressive height head and shoulders above
the rest and his muscles stress-taut under the flannel of his untucked
shirt. The tech passed the data over to him, and he took the paper and
silently read it over. / ¦P®É¡A³ø§i¦b»ñ°Ä«°ªºµo®g®üÆW¤¤¥X²{,EDC ªºxÄ¥©è§Ü¤p¶¤ G-¤O¶q¡C ¥¦¦bµo®g±±¨îªº¤@Ó²×ÂI¤W¸õ¤W¡A¦Ó¥B¾Þ§@ªÌ«Ü§Ö¦aÂ÷¶}¤@ÓµwªO¶]¡C
¦b«e©¹®üÆWªº³~¤¤¥L·Pı¤F¤£¼ô±xªº¥O¤H°ª¿³, ¹ï©ó°ò¦¸Ì±ªº©_ÂÝ©MÅ]³N«Ü¤Ö¦aµo¥Í¨Ã¥B¦p¦¹¬O¥O¤HÅå©_¥ØÀ»¡C ¬ì§Þ¶i¤J¤Fµo®g®üÆW¦Ó¥Bµo²{ warshipis
´µ¦h¸¯¾Ç¬£õ¾Ç®a²ë¤â¦b³]³Æªº²Õû¡A¥Lªº¥O¤H¦L¶H²`¨èªº°ª«×ÀY¤§¤¤¯¸¥ß¦Ó¥B¦b¨ä¾lªÌ¤W±ªÓt¡A¦Ó¥B¥Lªº¦Ù¦×±j½Õ- ©Ôºòªº¦b¥L©î¶}ŨmªºªkÄõµ³¤§¤U¡C
¬ì§Þ³q¹L¤F¸ê®Æ¦b¹ï¥L¡A¦Ó¥B¥L±a¤F³ø¯È¨Ã¥BÀqÀq¦aÂsÄý¤@¤U¥¦¤§¤W¡C
Sometimes, the final victory of a battle happens long after the fighting
is over and the dead are buried. / ¦³®É¡A¦b¾Ô°«µ²§ô¡A¦Ó¥B¦º¥hªº¤H³Q®I¸®¤§«á¡A¾Ôª§ªº³Ì«á³Ó§Q¤[µo¥Í¡C
As he read over the report, the miracle happened. / ´N¦p¥L¦b³ø§i¤§¤WŪªº,©_Âݵo¥Í¡C
For the first time in well over a month, the G-Force helmsman smiled.
/ ²Ä¤@¦¸¦b¦nªº¦b¤@Ó¤ë¥H¨Ó¡A G- ¤O¶qªº²ë¤â·L¯º¡C
When it crashed into the Pleistocene ice millennia before, it was barely
a spark, small and insignificant in its infancy and ignored by what few
life forms roamed the adolescent mountains it had slammed into. Yet as
time passed in its constant march of eons and epochs, the spark grew and
strengthened into a powerful flame, curling and twisting inside the dimensional
void it had discovered from space perhaps by fate or perhaps by chance,
hidden deep under stone and ice. For time indeterminate it had soared
through space in search of a planetary host body to inhabit, and long
before landing it had paused along another planet flung off in an adjacent
galaxy, that one also in the infancy of creation, but there was no temporal
space there for it to inhabit in its journey-fatigued and weakened state.
So it had passed on, taking note of the planet none the less. The identically
growing world had promise as well. / ·í¥¦¥H«eåP¸¨§ó·s¥@¦B´X¤d¦~ªº®ÉÔ,¥¦´X¥G¬O¤õªá, ¤pªº©MµL¨¬»´«ªº¦b¥¦¥®¦~¤è±¦Ó¥B³Q¤Ö¼Æ¥Í¬¡ªí®æº©¹Cªº¥¦¤w¸g²rµM¦a¼²¶iªº«C¬K´Áªº¤s©¿²¤¡C
µM¦Ó¦p³QÀòã¶i¤J¥¦ªº¥Ã¥@©M·s¬ö¤¸ªº«ùÄò¹C¦æªº®É¶¡¡A¤õªá¦b¥¦¤w¸gÂǥѩR¹B¤]³\±qªÅ¶¡µo²{ªºªÅ¶¡ªÅµê¸Ì¶i¤J¦³¤Oªº¤õµK¡A±²ÁY©M§áÂध¤º¦¨ªø¦Ó¥B¥[±j©Î¤]³\°¸µM,¦b¥ÛÀY©M¦B¤U±ªºÁôÂò`³B¡C
¦]¬°©w®É¤£½Tªº¥¦¤w¸g´M§ä¤@Ó¦æ¬Pªº¥D¤H¨Åé¤É°ª¹LªÅ¶¡©~¦í©ó, ¦Ó¥B¦bµn³°¤§«e´÷±æ¥¦¤w¸g¦V«e¼È°± , ¥t¦æ¬P¦b¬s³sªº»Èªe¤¤¨«¶}§ë, ¤@¤]¦b³Ð³yªº¥®¦~¤è±,
¦ý¬O¦b¨º¸Ì¨S¦³·í®ÉªºªÅ¶¡¦b¥¦ªº®Èµ{¤¤Åý¥¦©~¦í©ó-¨Ï«d®z¯h³Ò¦Ó¥B¦{¡C ¦]¦¹¥¦¤w¸g³u¥@ , ¨ÌµMª`·N¦æ¬P¡C ¦P¤@¦¨ªøªº¥@¬É¤]¦³¤F¿Õ¨¥¡C
For millennia, it rested, waited, and grew. / ´X¤d¦~¡A¥¦¥ð®§,µ¥Ô, ¦Ó¥B¦¨ªø¡C
Then it began to stretch, reaching out in a parasitic advance. / µM«á¥¦¶}©l¦ù®i,¦b¤@Ó±H¥Í¶i¨B¤¤ªº¨ì¹F¡C
Out of all of Gallactor's military, combat hardened and battle ready,
only a handful had the shrewd adeptness of a specialist: the cunning and
cold special-tactics professionals so revered by the Syndicate that the
highest price was paid for their services. Known on the outside as Blackbirds,
these mercenaries were the most guarded of secrets and the most prized
of soldiers, the ones who acted on brilliance and military expertise born
of long experience. Gallactor held them at the highest regard, and saved
them for assignments that needed not only their loyalty but intelligence
as well. Next to Gallactor's Devil Star assassins, the Blackbirds were
among the most skilled of all in the Syndicate, the most trusted, the
highest honored. / ±q©Ò¦³ Gallactor's ªºx¶¤¡A¾Ô°«¹w¥ýÅܵw¦Ó¥B·i°«,¥u¦³¤Ö¼Æ¦³¤F±M®aªººë©ú¼ô½m: ¦p¦¹ªºÂǵۥø·~Áp¦X±R·q¥HP©óªº¬¾·â©M´H§Nªº¯S§O-
¾Ô³N±M·~¤H¤h³Ì°ªªº»ù®æ³Q¤ä¥I¥L̪ºªA°È¶O¥Î¡C ¦b¥~±¤Wª¾¹D¦p¤s³¾Ãþ, ³o¨Ç¶±¨Óªº¤H¬O¨º³Ì¯µ±K©Mx¤H,¹ï¨ô¶V©Mªø¸gÅç¥X¥Íªºx¨Æ±Mªø¦³©Ò¤ÏÀ³ªº¤@¨Ç³Q¬Ãµøªº¤j³¡¤À«O½Ã¡C
Gallactor ¦b³Ì°ªªºÃö¤ß®»¦í¥LÌ, ¦Ó¥B¬°¤]»Ýn¤F¤£¦ý¥L̪º©¾¸Û¦Ó¥B´¼¤Oªº¥ô°È¸Ñ±Ï¤F¥LÌ¡C ºò¾F Gallactor's ªºÅ]°¬P·t±þªÌ¡A¤s³¾Ãþ¦b¥ø·~Áp¦X¡A³Ì«H¿àªÌ¡A³Q´L·qªº³Ì°ª¤¤¬OÄÝ©ó¥þ³¡¨ä¤¤³Ì¼ô½mªº¡C
And the most dangerous. / ¦Ó¥B³Ì¦MÀIªº¡C
Housed in a base deep underneath Himalayan ice and rock, the finest of
them all slept in their individual quarters in thin and wary sleep, ready
to pounce at a moment's notice like cats over prey. Underground, no natural
light touched them, not the moon high over the mountains, not the lightning
that flickered in passing monsoonal storms. The only inartificial light
that permeated the base was not of earthen origin, and it burned high
in malicious spite in an antechamber so deep it was as though hell itself
had opened a window to its depths. It swirled and pooled like rotting
blood, it boiled and seethed with vicious malice. All but a scarce few
who looked upon it were driven mad. / ¦b³ßº¿©Ô¶®ªº¦B©M©¥¥Ûªº¤U±¦b¤@Ó´c¦Hªº²`³B¤¤²³Ä³°|,¥þ³¡¦b½Gªº©M¤p¤ßªººÎ¯v¤è±¦b¥L̪ºÓÅ餤ºÎ¥|¤À¤§¤@ªº¥L̳̦nªº,¹w³Æ¦b¤ù¨èªº¹³¦bÂyª«¤Wªº¿ßª`·NÅ̦í¡C
¦b¦a¤U¦a¡A¨S¦³¦ÛµM¥ú¸I¤F¥LÌ, ¤£¦b¤s¦Ó¤£¬O¦b¸g¹Lªº monsoonal ¼É·«B¤¤°{°Êªº°{¹q¤Wªº¤ë«G°ª«×¡C ¦n¹³¦aº»¥»¨¤w¸g¹ï¥¦ªº²`«×¶}©ñ¤@®°µ¡¤á¡A»´ªº¥HÄjº©°ò¦ªº°ß¤@
inartificial ¤£¬O¤g»s°_·½¡A¦Ó¥B¥¦°ª«×¦a¦b¤@Ó«e°óªºÃh´c·Nªº´c·N¤è±¿U¿N¦p¦¹ªº²`¤J , ¥¦¬O¡C ¥¦·n®Ì¦Ó¥B§iµo¤F»GÄê¦åªº¦PÃþ,
¥¦µNªm©M©M¨¸´cªº´c·N seethed¡C ´X¥G¤@Ãø±oªº¤Ö¼Æ½Ö¦b¥¦¤§¤W¬Ý¬O¨ü¨ìÅXµ¦ªººÆ¨g¡C
It spilled out, a sickly ribbon of yellow jaundice that crept from the
antechamber in a ghostly thread. It swirled out and up through the levels
in serpentine coils of cold light and sanguine haze, then curled in smoky
threads before a door. It pooled and shimmered briefly, then permeated
the steel and spread inside like an epidemic. / ¥¦·¸¥X¥X, ¤@±ø¶À¦â¶À¯nªº¯f®z½v±a±q¤@±ø«ÕÆFªº½u«e°óª¦¡C
¥¦·n®Ì¥X¦Ó¥B¦V¤W¸g¹L´H§N¥ú©M¦å¬õ¦âªº³D±²¤ô·ÇÁ¡Ãú,µM«á¦b¤@®°ªù«eªº«_·Ï½u¤¤§Ë±²¡C ¥¦Â²µu¦a§iµo¦Ó¥Bµo°{Ã{¤§¥ú,µM«áÄjº©¤F¿û¦Ó¥B¶Ç§G¦b¦PÃþ¸Ì¤@ºØ¶Ç¬V¯f¡C
It blanketed the air, glowing alive with anomalous fire, and from within
two eldritch eyes stared down over the sleeping man. The man twitched
and trembled in some dark nightmare torment, moaning aloud and dazedly
reaching out with both hands to ward dreamscape demons away. / ¥¦ blanketed
ªÅ®ð, ¥Õ¼öªº¬¡µÛ¥Ñ©ó¤£³W«hªº¤õ, ¦Ó¥B±q¤GÓ¥i©Èªº²´·ú¤§¤º¦bºÎµÛªº¨k¤H¤§¤Wª`µø¤U¨Ó¡C ¨k¤H¦b¤@¨Ç¶Â·tªº¹ÚÆLWµh¤¤²r©Ô¦Ó¥B¾Ô·X, ¤jÁn¦a¦Ó¥B¯íµM¦a©D§u¥H¨âªÌªº¤â¨ì¹F¥X¦uÅ@¤Û´ºÅ]°¤§»·¡C
The light enveloped him and flooded the room. Sizzling fire made the man
twist in agony as unseen fingers clenched his fair skin, caressed his
hair, and squeezed his muscles. His tortured scream shrilled high in the
corrupted space of his room. / ¥ú«H«Ê¤F¥L¦Ó¥B¥ÆÀݤF©Ð¶¡¡C ·í¥¼¨£¹Lªº¤â«üºò´¤¤F¥Lªº®iÄý·|¥Ö½§,·R¼¾¤F¥LªºÀY¾v,
¦Ó¥Bºò´¤¤F¥Lªº¦Ù¦×®ÉÔ¡A¼R¼R°µÁn¤õ¨Ï¨k¤H¦¨¬°·¥¤jªºµhW¤@§á¡C ¥Lªº«þ°Ý¦y¥sÁn¦b¥Lªº©Ð¶¡³QªÅ¶¡»GÄꪺ¤¤°ª«×¦a¥Î¦y¾UªºÁnµ»¡¡C
Do you hate / §A¼¨«ë¶Ü
He opened his eyes, fully awake, aware, and drowning in the wave of light,
wide and fever-bright in hysteric terror. The light caressed him and he
bellowed in purest fear, seeing his death already in motion and his soul
about to be ripped clear of its moorings to be eaten into that cloudy
haze. / ¥L¥´¶}¤F¥Lªº²´·ú,§¹¥þ¿ô¡Mª¾¹Dªº, ©M¥úªºªi®ö·Ä¦º, ¼eªº©Mµo¿N- ©ú«Gªº¦b·²´µ©³¨½ªº®£©Æ¤¤¡C ¥ú·R¼¾¤F¥L¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¦b³Ì¯Âºéªº®£Äߤ¤«ã§q,
¨ì³B¦b¹B°Ê©M¥LªºÆF»î¤¤¤w¸g¨£¨ì¥Lªº¦º¤`³Q¥¦ªº moorings ²M·¡¦a¼¹¶}¶i¤J¨º¤ù¦h¶³ªºÁ¡Ãú¤§¤º³Q¦Y¡C
Do you hate / §A¼¨«ë¶Ü
The voice, if that's what it was, whispered deep in his heart and mind,
seductive and beckoning. Suddenly, as quickly as it had come, his fear
disappeared and was replaced by the most indescribable of thrill, the
most overwhelming hunger for the chase, the highest of ecstatic desire.
He felt his blood coursing through his muscled body in a tidal rush, his
heart the pound of tribal drums. He raised to his knees and the light
exploded, and when he flung his arms open in rapturous acceptance it swallowed
him whole. / Ánµ,¦pªG¨º¬O¥¦¬O¤°»ò,¦b¥Lªº¤ß©M¤ß¤¤²`¤J¦a¦Õ»y, »¤´bªº¦Ó¥B©Û¤â¡C ¬ðµM, ·í°µ«Ü§Ö¦a·í°µ¥¦¤w¸g¨Ó, ®ø¥¢ªº¥L®£ÄߦӥB³Q¾_Ÿªº³Ì¤£¯à¥Î»y¨¥ªí¹Fªº´À´«¤F,
³ÌÀ£Ë©ÊªºÄȾj¬°°l¨D,¨g³ß±ý±æªº³Ì°ª¡C ¥L·Pı¤F¥Lªº½Òµ{¹L¼é¦Áªº¥^«P¥L¦Ù¦×¨Å骺¦å, ¥Lªº¤ß³¡¸¨¹ªªº½S¡C ¥L¤É°_¨ì¥Lªº½¥©M¥úÃz¬µ,¦Ó¥B·í¥L§ëªº®ÉÔ¥Lªº¤âÁu¦b¥¦§]¤F¥L¾ãÓªº¿³°ª±m¯Pªº»{¦P¤è±¥´¶}¡C
You will be my hunter You are the one I want / §A±N¬O§A¬O§Ú·Qnªº¨º¤@Óªº§ÚÂy¤H
And all his humanity, all his being, was sucked clean from his soul. /
¦Ó¥B¥L©Ò¦³ªº¤H©Ê,¥L©Ò¦³ªº¦s¦b, ³Q§l°®²bªº±q¥LÆF»î¡C
He stood up, laced in light, and belted out long cackling laughter, his
face erupting in manic glee. It was as though Epiphany had cupped him
in Its palm and touched him with the magic and power of entire worlds.
It drove him irrevocably insane. In that brilliant whiplash of light,
all that he was before was dusted away and replaced by that tremendous
apocalyptic force. / ¥L¯¸°_¨Ó,¦b¥ú , ©M§ô±aªº¥~±ªø«£«£¦a¥s¯º¤¤µ²±a¤l,¥Lªº¦b¨gļªºÅw¼Ö¤è±ÃzµoªºÁy¡C ¦n¹³¥DÅã¸`¤w¸g¦b¥¦ªº¤â´x¤¤§â¥L¸m©óªM¤º¦Ó¥B¥ÎÅ]³N©M¾ãÓ¥@¬Éªº¤O¶q±µÄ²¥L¡A¥¦¬O¡C
¥¦¨Ï¥L¤£¯à¨ú®ø¦a±wºë¯«¯f¡C ¦b¥úªº¨ºÓÀéÄêÃ@¤lªº³»ºÝ¤¤¡A¥þ³¡¥L¬O¥H«e³Q¨ºÓ¥¨¤jªº±Ò¥Ü¿ýªº¤O¶q©Ø¥h¦Ç¹ÐÂ÷¶}¦Ó¥B´À´«¤F¡C
A black shadow stood motionless in the depths of the antechamber as diseased
colors and malignant light cascaded through in dark orgasmic pathos. The
figure, shrouded in flowing exotic cloth the color of the deepest visible
spectrum, watched it make the Blackbird thrash and cry in bezerk joy,
watched with an expression as sullen and still as stone which hid his
embarrassment and failure; watched in silence as his omnipotent guide
took the mortal in that preternatural rape and made its aberration real.
/ ¤@Ӷ¦⪺¼v¹³¯¸µÛ¤£°Êªº¦b«e°óªº²`«×¤è±·í¥Í¯fªºÃC¦â©M¦³´c·Nªº¥ú¦b¶Â·tªº orgasmic ·P¶Ë¤è±¦¨Âr¥¬¸¨¤U¹L¡C ¼Æ¦r,¦b¬y°Ê²§°êªº¥¬®Æ³Ì²`ªº¬Ý±o¨£ªº¥úÃÐÃC¦â¤è±¾B½ª,¬Ý¥¦»s³y
bezerk Åw³ßªº¤s³¾Ãþ¥´©MúÁn, ¥Hªí¹F¦p·Y«ãªº¬Ý¦Ó¥B¤´µM¬Ý·íÂäF¥Lªº§xµ~©M¥¢±Ñªº¥ÛÀY; ·í¥Lªº¥þ¯à«ü¤Þ¦b¨ºÓ¶W¦ÛµMªº·m¹Ü¤¤±a¤Z¤H¨Ã¥B¨Ï¥¦ªº¶Vy¯u¥¿ªº®ÉÔ¡A¦b¨HÀq¤è±¬Ý¡C
"All as you wish, Sosai," he whispered coldly. / "¥þ³¡·í°µ§AÄ@,Sosai",¥L§N²H¦a¦Õ»y¡C
It was nine-thirty, the moon was riding full and high over the needle
of the TransAmerica building, and the interior of the Shiratori was packed
with pure animal grind. / ¥¦¬O¤E - ¤T¤Q,¤ë«G¥¿¦bÃM¦b TransAmerica «Ø¿vª«ªº°w¤W¥þ³¡©M°ª«×¡A¦Ó¥B
Shiratori ªº¤º³¡³Q¸Ëº¡¯Âºéªº°Êª«¿i¡C
The nightclub was the benchmark of the downtown club circuit, and on this
dark Saturday night it was booked solid with more pushing outside, held
back by the management's battalion of bouncers who all but needed cattle
prods to keep the crowd back. Inside, the DJ-mixed music was hard industrial
meat-grinder rock, and it boomed from the Bose speaker arrays with a massive
coronary-seizing bass throb. Light sizzled in sight-ripping strobe lightning,
and the floor was fast turning into the nightmare roman gladiatorial arena
of all mosh pits. It was a complete about-face from the urban acid the
club offered throughout the week, but weekends always brought out the
best of the cityis punk and hardcore bands and packed in the most money.
It was, by its standard, a typical Saturday night. / ©]Á`·|¬O¥«¤¤¤ßªºÑ¼Ö³¡ªº°òÂI½u¸ô,
©M¦b³oÓ¥¦³Q¥Î±À°Ê¥~±ªº§ó¦hqÁÊ©TÅé,³QºÞ²zªº´X¥G»Ýn¤F¤û¨ë°w«O¦s¸s²³I±ªº§j¤ûªÌªºÀç§í¨îªº¶Â·t¬P´Á¤»©]±ß¡C ¤º³¡,DJ- ²V¦Xªºµ¼Ö¬OÃøªº¤u·~µ±¦×¾÷©¥¥Û¡A¦Ó¥B¥¦±q³Õ´µ»¡ªÌ©MÃe¤jªº«aª¬-
§ì§Cµ±ª°Êªº±Æ¦C«æ³tµo®i¡C ¥ú¦bµø¤O- ³»«Óªº«Âа{¹q¤¤¼R¼R°µÁn¡A¦Ó¥B¦aªO¶i¤J¹ÚÆL roman ©Ò¦³ mosh §|ªº°«¼CªÌÄv§Þ³õ¤§¤º¬O§Ö³tªºÂà¡C
¥¦¬OѼֳ¡¨ì³B©Ò´£¨Ñªº¨Ó¦Û³£¥«ªº»Ä¤@Ó§¹¥þªº¦V«áÂà¬P´Á¡A¦ý¬O¶g¥½Á`¬O¦b³Ì¤j¦h¼Æªº¿ú±a¤F cityis Ãe§J©M¤ÑµM©¥¥Û¸H¶ôªº³Ì¦n¼Ö¹Î¦Ó¥B¥]¸Ë¡C
¥¦¬O,«ö·Ó¥¦ªº¼Ð·Ç, ¤@¨å«¬ªº¬P´Á¤»©]±ß¡C
The space of the Shiratori was rimmed by a balcony that ringed all four
walls, and two-thirds of it was already jammed with thrash-dancing humanity.
The remainder, locked down by quick-release gates and posted at the foot
of the main leading staircase with KEEP OUT and EMPLOYEES ONLY signs roughly
the size of Buicks, was peacefully clear. Key Akihiro stood out in the
middle of the empty section, and leaning down he tried unsuccessfully
to pick out some of the few people he knew would be out in that mess.
The light assailed his glittering Asian eyes, sparkling much like the
surge of an endless transmutation wave, burning in blue electric glazes
across his retinas. / Shiratori ªºªÅ¶¡³Q¤@Ó¶§¥xÆ^Ãä¤F¦³Àôªº©Ò¦³¥|ÓÀð¾À,¦Ó¥B¥¦¤¤ªº¤T¤À¤§¤GÓ¤w¸g¤@°_À½»RÁÐ¥´ªº¤H©Ê¡C
³Q§Ö- ÄÀ©ñªùÂê¤U¨Óªº³Ñ¾lªÌ¦Ó¥B¦b¥~¦b©M¥Ípªº¥Dn»â¾Éªº¼Ó±è¤U¤è±H¦Ó¥B¾û¥u·§²¤¦añ¸p Buicks ªº¤j¤p, ©M¥²M·¡¡C ÃöÁ䪺 Akihiro
¦bªÅªº³¡¤À¤¤¥¡¤¤¬ð¥X¡A¦Ó¥B¶É±×¤U¨Ó¥L¤£¦¨¥\¦a¸ÕµÛ¬D¿ï¥Lª¾¹Dªº¤@¨Ç¤Ö¼Æ¤H±N·|¦b¨ºÂø¶Ã¤¤¥~¥X¡C ¥ú§ðÀ»¤F¥LªºÀéÄê¨È¬w²´·ú,¦h¹³¥ÃµL¤î¹ÒªºÅܧΪi®öªº´é²{°{Ã{¡A¦b¥Lªººô½¤¹ï±ªºÂŦâ¹q°Êªº¹V¤¤¿U¿N¡C
Key spotted his quarry, and shouted down at her, "KELLEY! HEY, KEEELLLEEEY!"
/ Æ_°Í¬Ý¨£¤F¥Lªº±Ä¥Û³õ, ¦Ó¥B¦b¦o©I³Û¤U¨Ó,"³ÍµÜ! ¶Ù¡A KEEELLLEEEY!"
Kelley Takahashi, wading through the mass of people with a serving tray
loaded with shooters and bottled Smirnoffs, stopped and looked around
for the familiar voice. The musicis throb seemed to surround all of reality.
/ ³ÍµÜ Takahashi,¶ñ®Æ¹L¦³¤@Ó»P®g¤â©M²~¸Ëªº Smirnoffs ¤@°_¸Ë¸ü, °±¤î¡A¦Ó¥B¬°¼ô±xªºÁnµ¥|³B¬Ý¬ÝªºªA°È½L¤lªº¤H¤j²³¡C
musicis ±ª°Ê¦ü¥G¥]³ò©Ò¦³¨Æ¹ê¡C
Key waved his arms. "UP HERE!" / Æ_°Í´§»R¤F¥Lªº¤âÁu¡C " ¦b³o¸Ì´£°ª "!
She saw him and waved back, then signed up at him that hearing was near
impossible for any type of meaningful conversation and disappeared back
into the throng. / ¦o¦V«á¦a¨£¨ì¤F¥L¦Ó¥B´§»R, µM«á¦b¥Lñ¬ùÅ¥ÃÒ·|¹ï©ó¥ô¦óÃþ«¬ªº¦³·N¸q¥æ½Í¬O¤£¥i¯àªº¬Oªñ¦Ó¥B®ø¥¢ªð¦^¸s²³¡C
"Ah, Kelley!" Key moaned. He had approximately fifteen minutes
to find his woods and get on the stage, and she was being no help. The
night had started out as a disaster and was going to conclude in a riot
if Steel Skeleton didn't get the jam going. Already he could hear chanting
out in the pit; hormone and ecstasy-crazed ravers about to crash the stage
and haul out the band kicking and screaming. / "°Ú,³ÍµÜ"! Æ_°Í©D§u¡C
¥L¤j¬ù¦³¤F¤Q¤¤ÀÄÁµo²{¥Lªº´ËªL¦Ó¥B¤W¶¥¬q¡A¦Ó¥B¦o¬O¦s¦b¨S¦³À°¦£¡C ©]±ß¤w¸g¶}©l·í¨aº×¦Ó¥B±Nn¦b¼É°Ê¤¤Á`µ²¦pªG¿ûªº°©Àf¨S¦³±o¨ìªGÂæ¬y¦æ¡C ¤w¸g¥L¥i¥HÅ¥¨ì¦b²`§|¤¤ªº°ª°Û;
²üº¸»X©M¨g³ßµo¨gªºJ»¡¤K¹Dªº¤H¨ì³B¼Y·´¶¥¬q¦Ó¥B©ì¥X½ð©M¦y¥sªº¼Ö¹Î¡C
Key went back into the loft, slamming the door behind him. "It's
getting ugly out there," he stated grimly to the two men inside.
/ Æ_°Í¦^¨ì³»¼Ó¤¤,²rµMÃö¤W¦b¥L«á±ªºªù¡C " ¥¦¥¿¦b¦V¨ºÃäÁà® ",¥LÄY®æ¦a¹ï¤G¦ì¨k¤H³¯z¶i¸Ì±¡C
"M-hmm," Mareccu Dumeneau agreed, chalking his cue stick. The
loft was considerably quiet, the pounding shock wave of music dampened
by the electronic shroud field engaged inside. "And Jonsey's stoned
again, right?" / "M-hmm",Mareccu Dumeneau ¦P·N,¥Î¯»µ§¼g¥Lªº¶}ºÝ¾ðªK¡C
³»¼Ó¬O«D±`¦a¦wÀR,³Q»â°ì¬ù©w¶i¸Ì±ªº¹q¤l¹Ø¦ç§í¨îªºµ¼ÖºV¥O¤H·P¨ì·N¥~ªº°ª¼é¡C " ¦Ó¥B Jonsey's ¦³®Öªº¦A¤@¦¸,Åv§Q"?
"And puking his guts out downstairs," Key spat disgustedly,
searching the loft's bar for his drumsticks. "Max should sign me
for a contract. It's only the fourth or fifth time I've bailed out his
band because of him." / " ¦Ó¥B puking ¥X¦Û¼Ó¤Uªº¥L«i®ð",Æ_°Í¹½·Ð¦a»´¥´,¬°¥Lªº¹ªºl´M§ä³»¼Óªº°s§a¡C
"³Ì¤jÀ³¸Ó¬°¤@¥÷«´¬ùñ¸p§Ú¡C ¥¦¥u¬O§Ú¦]¬°¥L¤w¸g´©§U¥Lªº¼Ö¹Î²Ä¥|ªº©Î²Ä¤¦¸¡C"
Jay Randall, carefully mounting another hard-copy of the morning's intelligence
report into a maplewood frame, feigned him off with a wave of his hand.
"You and Jonsey have this scam going just so you can play."
/ ³¾Äõ¼wº¸, ¤p¤ß¦a¸Ë¦±áªº´¼¤O¥t¤@ÓµwªO¶i¤J¤@Ó maplewood Åé®æ¤§¤º³ø§i, °²ªº¥L¨«¶}¥H¥Lªº¤â¤@Óªi®ö¡C " §A©M
Jonsey ¦³³o¤@ÓÄF§½¶È¶È¥h¦]¦¹§A¯àª±".
Key swore in Japanese from behind the bar, then poked his head up from
behind its mahogany top. "You think I like cleaning up after that
asshole?" / Æ_°Í¥Î¤é¥»»y©G½|±q¦bº»¤¤, µM«á±q¥¦ªº®çªá¤ß¤ì¶W¶Vªº«á±³¡¤À¼·¶}¥LªºÀY¼W¥[¡C " §A¦b¨º¤@Ó§¾²´¤§«á·Q¥X§Ú³ßÅw²M¼ä
"?
Thrash suddenly belted in from outside, and was quickly cut off when Kelley
closed the door and the dampening field resumed. "Oh, my God!"
she exclaimed. "We're about one minute from full meltdown down there."
Kelley, Jun Himuro's assistant and operator of the bar in her absence,
was dressed in black Noritake double-breasted exotic, her hair page-boy
short over the even porcelain of her skin, with her almond brown fawn's
eyes deepened by dark shades and even darker mascara into Raphaellian
beauty. She was only one year younger than Key and devoted to her work
and her graduate business studies in the California State University at
San Francisco; born with urban savvy and stone cold cynicism to the world
at large. "Now whatis wrong?" / ¥´¼³¬ðµM§ô±a¦b±q¥~±, ¦Ó¥B«Ü§Ö¦a³Q¤ÁÂ_·í³ÍµÜÃö³¬¤Fªù©M³Q«·s¶}©lªº§í¨î»â°ìªº®ÉÔ¡C
"®@,§Úªº¤W«Ò"! ¦o¤j¥s¡C " §Ú̦b¨º¸Ì¤U¨Ó¬O¨Ó¦Û§¹¾ãªº¨aÃø¤j¬ù¤ÀÄÁ " ¡C ¦oªº¯Ê®u³ÍµÜ¡A¤»¤ë
Himuro's ªº§U²z©M°s§aªº¾Þ§@ªÌ, ¬ïµÛ¶Â¦âªº Noritake Âù±Æ¦©ªº²§°ê, ¦oªºÀY¾v¨Í¹¦b¦oªº¥Ö½§¥©ZºÏ¾¹¤Wªºµu,ÂǥѦoªº§ö¤¯½Å¦â¤p³Àªº¶i¤J
Raphaellian ¬ü¤H¤§¤º³Q¶Â·t½®²D³B©M¬Æ¦Ü¤ñ¸û¶Â·tªº·û¤ò»I¥[²`ªº²´·ú¡C ¦o¤ñÆ_°Í¦~»´¥u¦³¤@¦~¦Ó¥B§ë¤J©ó¹ï¦oªº¤u§@©M¦oªº¬ã¨s©Òªº¥Í·N¦bª÷¤sŪ¥[¦{¤j¾Ç;
§Ô¨ü³£¥«ªº²z¸Ñ¯à¤O¦Ó¥B§ë¥µ¥Û¤l¨ì¥@¬Éªº´H§N¼«¥@¶ú«U¦Û¥Ñ¦Û¦bªº¡C " ²{¦b whatis ¿ù»~ªº"?
Key bounced up and down impatiently. "Can't find my woods!"
/ Æ_°Í¤W¤U¦a¤£@·Ð¤Ï¼u¡C " ¤£¯àµo²{§Úªº´ËªL "!
Kelley shook her head with solemn exasperation. "Did you look in
that beer pitcher with all of your pens and shuriken?" / ³ÍµÜ¥HÄYµÂªº´o«ã·nÀY¡C
" §A¶¶«K±´³X¦³§Aªº¥þ³¡¿ûµ§©M shuriken ªº¨º¤@Ó°à°s§ë¤â¶Ü "?
It was as though the light bulb of discovery had flashed brilliance clean
out of Key's eyes and ears. He vaulted over the bar and bounced out and
up, taking the third-story staircase in multiple jumps towards his upstairs
apartment. / ¦n¹³µo²{ªº¿Oªw¤w¸g±qÆ_°Íªº²´·ú©M¦Õ¦·°{²{°®²bªº¨ô¶V¡A¥¦¬O¡C ¥L¹M¤Î°s§a¦³¶ê³»ªº¦Ó¥B¸õ¥X©M¦V¤Wªº,±a¹ï©ó¥Lªº¼Ó¤W¤½´Jªº¦h¦¸¸õÅDªº²Ä¤T¼h¼Ó°ªªº¼Ó±è¡C
"A disaster," Kelley mused after he zoomed past. "Terri
and Spencer called in sick so Juney's stuck working the bar with the other
three, and the bathroomis an EMT convention because of Jonsey." She
turned back out, sighing hugely. "Now this. It's gonna be a long
night." / " ¨aº× ",¦b¥LÁY©ñ¹L¥h¤§«á¡A³ÍµÜ¨I«ä¡C " Terri ©Mºò¨ªºµu¤W¦çÁܽЯf¤H¨Ó¦]¦¹³Q´ÛÄF¦]¬°
Jonsey ¥Î¥t¥~¤T , ©M bathroomis ¤u§@°s§a¤@Ó EMT ¤j·|ªº Juney's". ¦o§é¦^¥~±,¥¨¤j¦a¼Û®§¡C
" ²{¦b³o¡C ¥¦±Nn¬O¤@Óªøªº©]±ß¡C"
Mareccu shrugged his shoulders after she left. "A disaster? Gallactor's
Southern splattered all over the Shackelton ice shelf and she's calling
this night a disaster?" Jay laughed agreeably as he found a spot
on the loft's picture-crowded wall and nailed in a new mount. / ¦b¦oÂ÷¶}¤§«á¡A
Mareccu ÁqªÓ¤F¥LªºªÓ¡C "¨aº×? Gallactor's ªº«n¤è¤H¨Ï¤ôµ¥¸Âq¦b¥þ Shackelton ¦B¬[¡A¦Ó¥B¦o¥¿¦b¤µ¤Ñ±ß¤W©I¥s¨aº×?"·í¥L¦b·sªº¼¥Î°¨¤¤µo²{¦b³»¼Óªº·Ó¤ù-
¾ÖÀ½ªºÀð¾À¤Wªº¤@Ó¦aÂI¦Ó¥B¥Î°v°v¨cªº®ÉÔ¡A³¾´r§Ö¦a¯º¡C
"Hell," Mareccu continued, stretching out and executing his
next shot with quick finality. "This is going to be a long, wonderful
night. I doubt anything's going to happen for the next month or two."
/ " ¦aº» ",Mareccu Ä~Äò,¦ù®i¥X©M¥Î§Öªº³Ì«á°õ¦æ¥Lªº¤UÓª`®g¡C "³o±Nn¬O¤@Óªø¤S¥O¤HÅå©_ªº©]±ß¡C
§ÚÃhºÃ¥ô¦ó¨Æ±Nnµo¥Í¤UÓ¤ë©Î¤G¡C"
It reached out initially for that first planet it originally passed by,
finding the Rhiellian Rigan inhabitants more suitable for its purpose
than those roaming the surface of its unwary host. In the goal to reach
the natures of Riga's people it partially succeeded and caused a great
civil war in one of the most politically powerful regions on that planet.
It then relaxed, content in the satisfaction that the planet would soon
fall, and that it would be strong enough afterward to inhabit the world
wholly alone. Yet in lulled complacency it failed to see how a few men
on that planet saw the entity for what it really was and turned against
it; with unconquerable spirit and unforeseen force they crushed its puppet
legions in a war so bloody that the region's capital cities were burned
to ashes. During the war emissaries reached out towards Earth and alliances
were formed, before they could be stopped all it had gained was lost,
and it swirled back into its Earthen black pathos in bitter defeat and
beaten weakness. / ¥¦³Ìªì¥»¨Ó¬°¨º²Ä¤@¦æ¬P¨ì¹F¥X¥¦¸g¹L , µo²{¹ï¥¦ªº¥Øªº¬O§ó¾A·íªº Rhiellian Rigan ©~¥Á¤ñ¸û¨º¨Çº©¹C¥¦ªº¤£ª`·Nªº¥D¤Hªí±¡C
¦b¥Ø¼Ð¤¤¨ì¹F¥¦³¡¥÷¦a¦¨¥\¦Ó¥B¤Þ°_¦b¨º¦æ¬P¤Wªº¨º³Ì¬Fªv¦³¤Oªº°Ï°ì¤§¤@ªº¤@ӴΪº¤º¾Ô Riga's ªº¤H©Ê½è¡C ¥¦µM«á©ñÃP, ¦bº¡¨¬¤ºªº¤º®e¦æ¬P±N·|«Ü§Ö¸¨¤U,¦Ó¥B¥¦µM«á±N·|°÷±jªº¾ãÓ¿W¦Û©~¦í©ó¥@¬É¡C
µM¦Ó¦b¥®§ªºº¡¨¬¤¤¥¦¨S¦³¨£¨ì¦b¨º¦æ¬P¤Wªº¤@¨Ç¨k¤H¦p¦ó¨£¨ì¤F¹êÅ鬰¤°»ò¥¦¯uªº¬O¦Ó¥B»P¥¦¬°¼Ä; ÂǥѧJªA¤£¤Fªººë¯«©MµLªk¹w®Æªº¤O¶q¥L̦b¤@Ó¾Ôª§¦p¦¹ªº¦å¸{¥HP©óº³£³Q¿U¿N¨ì¦ÇÂuªº°Ï°ì¤¤¯»¸H¥¦ªº³ÈÀwx¹Î¡C
¦b¦V¦a²y©M¦P·ù³Q¨ì¹F¥Xªº¾Ôª§±K¨Ïªº®ÉÔ³Q§Î¦¨,¦b¥LÌ¥i¯à³Q°±¤î¤§«e¥¦¤w¸g±o¨ìªº¥þ³¡³Q¥¢¥h¡A¦Ó¥B¥¦·n®Ìªð¦^µhWªº¥¢±Ñ©M®Á¥´ªº®zÂI¥¦¤g»sªº¶Â¦â·P¶Ë¡C
Upstairs Key was still rummaging for his drumsticks, not finding them
in the beer pitcher on his desk. Kelley opened his bedroom door, and slyly
peeked in. "Not there?" / ¼Ó¤WªºÆ_°Í¤´µM¥¿¦b¬°¥Lªº¹ªºl½¹M, ¤£¦b¥Lªº®Ñ®à¤Wªº°à°s§ë¤â¤¤µo²{¥LÌ¡C
³ÍµÜ¥´¶}¤F¥Lªºª×«Çªù, ¦Ó¥B¬¾·âªº°½¬Ý¦b¡C " ¤£¦b¨º¸Ì"?
Key looked up from the floor, where he had been searching under his bed.
"I'm getting desperate, Kelley," he said. "You know how
I get when I'm desperate!" / Æ_°Í¬Ý¦b±q¥L¦b¥Lªº§É¤§¤U¤w¸g´M§äªº¦aªO¤W±¡C "§Ú¥¿¦bµ´±æ,³ÍµÜ",¥L»¡¡C
" §Aª¾¹D·í§Ú¬Oµ´±æªº®ÉÔ , §Ú¦p¦ó±o¨ì "!
Kelley demurely folded her arms, leaning against the door frame. "No,
I don't. Suppose you show me." / ³ÍµÜ¸Ë¦¨ºÝ²ø¦aºPÅ|¤F¦oªº¤âÁu,ʾaªùÅé®æ¡C "¤£, §Ú¤£¡C
°²¦p§AÅã¥Ü§Ú¡C"
At that Key grinned mischievously, knee-walking across his bed towards
her. He held out his hand and she took it, and next thing she knew she
was failing back against the quilts and he was sitting on her legs. "Hey-
ow!" she exclaimed. "Get off me-" / ¦b¨º¤@¤äÆ_°Í²^®ð¦aÅS¾¦¦Ó¯º,½¥-¦V¦oªº¾î¹L¥Lªº§É¨B¦æ¡C
¥L¦ù¥X¥Lªº¤â¡A¦Ó¥B¦o±a¤F¥¦, ©M¤UӨƪ«¦o»{ÃÑ¡A¦o¥¿¦b¤Ï¹ï´Ö³Q¦V«á¦a¥¢±Ñ¡A¦Ó¥B¥L§¤¦b¦oªº»L¤W¡C "¶Ù- ªí¥Ü¬ðµM¯kµh©Òµo¥X¤§Án!"¦o¤j¥s¡C
"Â÷¶}§Ú-"
"Never question a desperate man," he stated seriously, and then
began to tickle her ribs. Kelley wiggled under him, attempting to buck
and bat him off. "Off-!" she shouted, half laughing despite
herself. "Something's under me!" / " ¤£n¸ß°Ý¤@Óµ´±æªº¨k¤H ",¥LÄY«¦a³¯z,
µM«á¶}©l¯ÞªÏ¦oªº¦Ø°©¡C ³ÍµÜ¦b¥L¤§¤UÅCÃÜ, ¹Á¸Õ¨ì¿ú©M½¿½»¥L¨«¶}¡C "¨«¶}-"! ¦o©I³Û,¤@¥b¦a¤£¦b¥G¦o¦Û¤v¯º¡C "
¬Y¨Æ¦b§Ú¤§¤U"!
Key slid aside and she felt around under herself, and found his drumsticks
under the tangled sheets. She held them up in mild surprise. "You
sleep with these?" / Æ_°Í¦b¤@Ãä·Æ°Ê¡A¦Ó¥B¦o¦b¦o¦Û¤v¤§¤U¦bªþªñ·Pı, ¦Ó¥Bµo²{¦b³Q¨ÏÄñµ²ªº±i¤U±ªº¥L¹ªºl¡C ¦o¦b·Å©Mªº·N¥~¤¤¦V¤W®»¦í¤F¥LÌ¡C
" §A¥H³o¨ÇºÎı "?
Visibly brightened by her find, Key took them and stuffed them in the
back pocket of his jeans. "What can I do when you're too busy?"
He kissed her; once, twice, slow and deep and then down along her neck.
She tilted her head up in response and slid her hands under his San Francisco
General Hospital ER scrub shirt, swearing she could feel the rippling
of his hardwired nerves under her touch. Key raised up slightly, and oh
her eyes were so dark and beautiful, as deep and rich as time and as much
patient towards his life. It was so funny, he often thought, how something
like that was always under your nose, just waiting to be taken and accepted,
and it was so easy. It had all but taken a direct hit to the head to make
his Rigan commander realize that himself, but for Key, the plunge had
been as effortless as a dive into the deep end, and he had done it with
no regrets. It was good, and needed as well, to have an ounce of wonderful
to fall back on when Hell had the world in firm grip and all there was
to pry it loose was his odds-defying group of five. / ¬Ý±o¨£¦aÂǵۦoªºµo²{ÅÜ«G,Æ_°Í¦b¥Lªº¤û¥J¿Çªº«á±¤f³U¤¤±a¤F¥L̦ӥB¸Ë¶ñ¥LÌ¡C
" ·í§A¤Ó¦£¸Lªº®ÉÔ , §Ú¯à°µ¤°»ò "? ¥L§k¤F¦o; ¤@¦¸¡A¨â¦¸¡A´îºC©M²`³BµM«áªuµÛ¦oªº²ä¤låP¸¨¡C ¦o¦b¦^À³¤¤¦V¤W¶É±×¦oªºÀY¨Ã¥B·Æ°Ê¤F¦b¥LªºÂª÷¤sºî¦XÂå°|
ER ¤U±ªº¦o¤â¥Î¤OÀ¿¬~Ũm, µo»}¦o¥i¥H·Pı¦b¦oªºÄ²Ä±¤U±ªº¥L hardwired ªº°_º§º¬¤H¯«¸g¡C Æ_°Í¤É°_¦b¨Ç·L¦a¤W±, ©Mªí¥ÜÅå³Y¦oªº²´·ú¬O¦p¦¹¶Â·tªº©M¬üÄR,
¦p²`³B©M´I¦³ªº¦p®É¶¡©M·í°µ¦h§Ô@¦V¥Lªº¥Í¬¡¡C ¥¦¬O¦p¦¹¦n¯º, ¥L®É±`·Q, ¬Y¨ÆÁ`¬O³ßÅw¨ºªº¤è¦¡¬O¦b§Aªº»ó¤l¤§¤U, ¶È¶Èµ¥Ô³Q®³¦Ó¥B±µ¨ü,¦Ó¥B¥¦¬O¦p¦¹®e©ö¡C
¥¦¤w¸g³Q´X¥G±Ä¨ú¹ïÀYªº¤@Óª½±µªº¸I¼²¨Ï¥Lªº Rigan «ü´§©x¤F¸Ñ¨º¥L¦Û¤v,n¤£¬OÆ_°Í,Æp¶i¶i¤J²`ªºµ²§ô¤§¤º¤w¸g¬O¹³¼ç¤ô¤@¼Ëªº®e©ö¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¤w¸g¹ï¨S¦³¿ò¾Ñ°µ¥¦¡C
¥¦«Ü¦n, ¦Ó¥B¤]»Ýn, ¦³¯s¥q¥O¤HÅå©_ªº¥õ¿à·í¦aº»¦³¦b°í©wªººò´¤©M©Ò¦³ªº¨º¸Ì¤¤ªº¥@¬É¬O¥´Å¥¥¦ªº®ÉÔ¼eÃPªº¬O¥LÂƵø¾÷·|¸sÅ骺¤¡C
Kelley saw the unspoken message fly across his eyes like the brilliant
snap of fire that ripped clean through him in the change of transmutation,
and ran her hands through his long black mane of hair, as he tilted his
head to one side to kiss her fingertips. / ³ÍµÜ¨£¨ì¤£¨¥¦Ó³ëªº°T®§»aÃǾî¹L¥Lªº¹³¼¹¶}ªº¤õÀéÄê¤jÁn¥w½|°®²bªº¸g¹L¥L¦bÅܧΪº§ïÅܤ¤ªº²´·ú,
¦Ó¥B¶]¦oªº¤â¬ï¶V¥LªºÀY¾vªø¶Â¦âÃO¤ò, ¦]¬°¥L¶É±×¤F¨ìÃ䪺¥LÀY§k¦oªº«ü¦y¡C
"Utsukushii..." Key whispered, and tenderly stroked her cheek.
Who was to say that love had no room in warfare, he argued with himself.
At the least it was the only thing that kept the world from turning into
a total slaughter pit. That and faith, and hope. / "Utsukushii¡C¡C¡C"Æ_°Í¦Õ»y,
¦Ó¥B·Å©M¦a¦E§À¼Õ¤F¦oªºÀU¡C ½Ö¬O»¡·R¨S¦³¾Ô°«ªº©Ð¶¡,¥L©M¥L¦Û¤vª§½×¡C ¦b³Ì¤Ö¥¦¬O±qÅܦ¨¤@ÓÁ`´Ý±þ²`§|«O«ù¤F¥@¬Éªº°ß¤@¨Æª«¡C ¨º©M«H¤ß , ©M§Æ±æ¡C
Kelley glanced upwards over his shoulder at his Felix the Cat wall clock,
and gave a small gasp of shock. "Oh no- it's almost time!" /
³ÍµÜ¦b¥Lªº¶O¤O§J´µ¥H¤W¦b¥LªºªÓ¤§¤W¿h°{¿ß±¾ÄÁ, ¦Ó¥B´£¨Ñ¤FÅåÀ~ªº¤p³Ý®ð¡C " ®@¤£-¥¦´X¥G¬O®É¶¡"!
Key snapped around, seeing the time, and pushed himself back. Then he
suddenly leaned forward again, caught Kelley by surprise with another
quick kiss, and bolted out the door. / Æ_°Í¦bªþªñ«rÂ_,¨£¨ì®É¶¡, ¦Ó¥B¦V«á¦a±À°Ê¤F¥L¦Û¤v¡C µM«á¥L¬ðµM¦A¤@¦¸¦V«e¦aʾa,¥Î¥t¥~§Öªº§k®·®»·N¥~ªº³ÍµÜ,
¦Ó¥B¬¦í¥Xªù¡C
Years later, it was strong enough to create an ally of its own, and did
so in the most horrible mutation of two innocent twins still riding in
the belly of their Earthen mother. It curled itself inside the unwary
woman and twisted, twisted the two fraternal twins into one hermaphroditic
being, and left it to grow. When it came to claim that aberrant child
it named the beast from an ancient unspoken language, and so the inhabitants
of Earth who came to know the mutant being in adulthood called him in
their own languages Berg Katse. And so its influence was felt again: new
puppet forces were formed out of the variety of Earthen criminal syndicates,
armies amassed, uncompromising loyalties demanded, traitors and their
children killed. / ¼Æ¦~¤§«á¡A¥¦°÷±j¨Ó³Ð³y¤@Ó¥¦¦Û¤vªº·ù¤Í, ¦Ó¥B¦b¤GÓµL¶dªÌÂùMLªº³Ì¥i©È·îÅܤ¤³o»ò°µ¤´µM·f¼¥L̪º¤g»s¥À¿Ëªº¸¡¡C
¥¦¦b¤£ª`·Nªº¤k¤H¸Ì§Ë±²¥¦¥»¨¨Ã¥BÀ¾,À¾¤GÓ²§§ZÂùML¶i¨â©Êªº¦s¦b¤§¤º, ¦Ó¥B¯d¤U¤F¥¦¥Íªø¡C ·í¥¦¨Ón¨Dªº®ÉÔ²æÂ÷¥¿¹Dªº«Ä¤l¥¦©R¦W¤F¨Ó¦Û¤@ºØ»·¥jªº¤£¨¥¦Ó³ëªº»y¨¥¯b¬¹,
©M¦p¦¹¨Óª¾¹D¬ðÅܲ§ºØ¥H³Q¥H¥L̦ۤvªº»y¨¥¦B¤s Katse ¥s°µ¥Lªº¦¨¤H´Áªº¦a²y©~¥Á¡C ¦Ó¥B¦]¦¹¥¦ªº¼vÅT¤O¦A¤@¦¸³Q·Pı: ·sªº³ÈÀwx¶¤³Q§Î¦¨Â÷¤g»s¥Ç¸oªº¥ø·~Áp¦Xªº¦h¼Ë©Ê,x¶¤¦¬¶°,¤£Åý¨Bªº©¾¸Ûn¨D,«q°fªÌ©M¥L̪º«Ä¤l±þ¡C
At the same time, the son of a warrior from that Rhiellian Rigan planet
grew to adulthood. The wars began anew on Earth and years passed, and
much later to its chagrin it learned of how that wayward son was fighting
against it along with legions of others, resuming that long war against
its imminent domination. / ¦P®É¡A¨Ó¦Û¨º Rhiellian Rigan ¦æ¬Pªº¾Ô¤h¨à¤l¦¨ªø¨ì¦¨¤H´Á¡C ¾Ôª§¦b¦a²y©M³Q³q¹Lªº¼Æ¦~«·s¶}©l¡A¦Ó¥B§ó¥[µy«á¨ì¥¦ªº¾Ò´o¥¦¾Ç²ß¨ºÓ¥ô©Êªº¨à¤l¦p¦ó¥¿¦b³s¦P¨ä¥¦ªºx¹Î¤@°_¹ï§Ü¹ï§Ü¥¦,«·s¶}©l¨º´÷±æ¹ï§Ü¥¦ªº§Y±Nµo¥Íªº¤ä°t¾Ôª§¡C
 
Standing above the mass from the balcony over the bar, Mareccu Dumeneau
might have had the same thoughts as Key's running through his head, as
he leaned on the balustrade and watched a young executive try to pick
up Jun. The kid had been at it for almost half an hour while Mareccu stood
over him in the shadows with a slight smile playing at the corners of
his mouth, as Jun went about her command of the bar and tried to ignore
the guy. A time long past, he might have been profoundly worried, or at
the worst, jealous, but Jun's resiliency had long proven itself over that.
Commitment's easy off the clock, he mused. But when duty has to come first,
you understand and fight at my side until itis over, and no one has any
idea how sometimes it's the only thing that keeps me going. Family gone,
friends lost, but as long as youire there I can keep going. Do ailejeille,
Junne. From now until the end of time. / ¯¸¥ß¦b¨Ó¦Û¦b°s§a¤Wªº¶§¥x¤j²³¤W±, Mareccu Dumeneau
¥i¯à¬ï¶VÅý¦p¦PÆ_°Í¤@¯ëªº·Qªk¬y°Ê¥LªºÀY, ·í¥L¤§®ÉʾaÄæ§ý¦Ó¥B¬Ý¤@Ó¦~»´ªº¥DºÞ¹Á¸Õ¬B°_¤»¤ë¡C ·í Mareccu ¥H¤@Ó¦b¥Lªº¼L¨¤¸¨ª±ªº·L¤p·L¯º¦b¼v¹³¤¤¦b¥L¤§¤W¯¸¥ßªº®ÉÔ¡A¤p«Ä¤w¸g¬O¦b¥¦¦b´X¥G¥bÓ¤p®É¤§¤¤,
¦]¬°¤»¤ë³B²z¦oªº°s§a«ü¥O¦Ó¥B¸ÕµÛ¤£²z¸B³Ã¥ë¡C ¹L¥hªºªø¦¸, ¥L¥i¯à·¥²`µJ¼{,©Î¦b³ÌÃaªº¡M¶ú§ªªÌ¡A¦ý¬O¤»¤ëªº¼u©Ê¤w¸g³Q¤[¦b¨º¤§¤WÃÒ©ú¥¦¥»¨¡C
©Ó¿Õ®e©öªº¦b®ÉÄÁ¥~¡A¥L¨I«ä¡C ¦ý¬O·í³d¥ô¥²¶·º¥ý¨Óªº®ÉÔ, §A¦b§Úªº¨Ãäµ²§ô¤F¸Ñ¦Ó¥B¹ï§Üª½¨ì itis ¡A¦Ó¥B¨S¦³¤H¦³¥ô¦óªº·Qªk¥¦¬Oºû«ù§Úªº°ß¤@¨Æª«¦a¦h¦³®É¡C
¤£¨£¤Fªº®a®x , ªB¤Í¥¢¥h, ¦ý¬O¥un youire ¦b¨º¸Ì§Ú¯à«O¦s¬y¦æ¡C °µ ailejeille ¡A Junne ¡C ±q²{¦bª½¨ì®É¶¡©³¡C
Jay leaned over the rail and spotted the exec. "I'll kill him,"
he said icily, yet his eyes were glittering with devious humor as he turned
towards the stairs. / ³¾¦bÅK¸ô¤§¤Wʾa¦Ó¥B¬Ý¨£¤FºÞ²z¤Hû¡C " §Ú±N±þ¥L ",¥L§N¦B¦B¦a»¡,µM¦Ó·í¥L¦V¼Ó±èÂà¦Vªº®ÉÔ¡A¥Lªº²´·ú¥¿¦b¥H¨±°jªº«ÕÀqÀéÄê¡C
Mareccu reached out and held him back. "Leave him alone. She'll pop
him herself sooner or later." / Mareccu ¨ì¹F¥X¦Ó¥B§«Ãª¥L¡C "§OºÞ¥L¡C ¦o±N¿ð¦¨ú¥X¥L¦o¦Û¤v¡C"
Jay grinned, resting his arms on the rail. Below them the exec was trying
even harder. Jun, sporting black Donna Karan (and wearing precious little
under the jacket, Mareccu knew) was moving with lithe grace as she commanded
the bar, and the kid was following her every move like an eager puppy.
Jun, who couldn't cook worth a damn but could mix a mean Mexican Fuck
that would knock even the biggest Marine flat on his ass, was giving him
about as much attention as a supreme court justice would give a brick.
/ ³¾ÅS¾¦¦Ó¯º,¥ð®§¦bÅK¸ô¤Wªº¥L¤âÁu¡C ¤U±¥L̺޲z¤Hû¥¿¦b¬Æ¦Ü§ó§V¤O¹Á¸Õ¡C ¤»¤ë,·í¦o©R¥O¤F°s§a¡A¦Ó¥B¤p«Ä¥¿¦b¸òÀH¦oªº¹³¤@°¦¼ö¤ßªº¤pª¯¨C¦¸²¾°Êªº®ÉÔ¡A³ß¦n¹B°Êªº¶Â¦â°ó®R
Karan( ©M¦b§¨§J¤U±ªº¬ï¥ÎÄ_¶Qªº¤@ÂIÂI,Mareccu ª¾¹D) ¥¿¦b¥H¬X³nªºÀu¶®²¾°Ê¡C ¤»¤ë, µLªkµN»ùȤ@ÂI¦ý¬O¥i¥H²V¦X§C¦Hªº¾¥¦èô¤H©Ê¥æ¥H±N·|¬Æ¦Ü¥Î³Ì¤jªº¯è®ü¤½´JºVÀ»¥LªºÆj,
¥¿¦b¨ì³B´£¨Ñ¥L·í«Ü¦hªºª`·N·í³Ì°ªªk°|¥¿¸q±N·|µ¹¿j¶ô¡C
Oh, don't even try, Mareccu thought wryly. She can break you like a stick.
/ ®@,¬Æ¦Ü¤£¸Õ,Mareccu §á¬n¦a·Q¡C ¦o¯à¹³¤@®Ú¾ðªK¤@¼Ë¥´¯}§A¡C
Just then the young exec happened to look up, and caught the raptors'
glare from the two men above him. An expression of startled shock flitted
across his features as he looked back at Jun and then up again at the
men. His face visibly paled and he gave a nervous wave, smiling shakily,
then backed away from the mahogany and lost himself into the crowds. /
µM«á´N¦b¦~»´ªººÞ²z¤Hû¸I¥©¬Ý¦b,¤W±¦Ó¥B¤Þ°_¤F¦b¥L¤W±ªº¨Ó¦Û¤G¦ì¨k¤Hªº²r¸V°{Ä£¥ú¡C ·í¥L¦^¬Ý¤»¤ë¦Ó¥B¦A¤@¦¸µM«á¦b¨k¤H´£°ªªº®ÉÔ¡A¾_Å媺ÅåÀ~ªí¹F°¿¦a¸¹L¥Lªº¯S¼x¡C
¥LªºÁy¬Ý±o¨£¦aÅÜ»a¥Õ¡A¦Ó¥B¥Lµ¹¤©¤F¤@Óºò±iªºªi®ö,Ÿ§ÝµÛ·L¯º, µM«á¶i¤J¸s²³¤§¤º¸ú¶}®çªá¤ß¤ì¦Ó¥B¥¢¥h¥L¦Û¤v¡C
Behind the bar, Jun demurely raised one hand to push back her long hair,
and from above they heard her voice from their communicators as she secretly
spoke into hers as she brushed her hair back. "Domo," they heard,
and she sounded profoundly relieved. / ¦bº»¤¤¡A¤»¤ë¸Ë¦¨ºÝ²ø¦a¤É°_¤@¶Ç»¼±À¦V«á±¦oªøªºÀY¾v¡A¦Ó¥B±q¦b¥L̤W±Å¥¨ì¨Ó¦Û¥L̪º³q°T¾¹ªº¦oÁnµ·í·í¦o§â¦oªºÀY¾v²¨¨ê¦^¨Óªº®ÉÔ¡A¦o¶i¤J¦oªº¤§¤º·t¤¤»¡¡C
" Domo",¥LÌÅ¥¨ì¡A¦Ó¥B¦oÅ¥°_¨Ó·¥²`¦pÄÀ«t¡C
"Yeah well, we didnit want to have to call the EMTs back," Jay
replied. "Paperworkis a bitch, and all that." / " ¬Oªº«Ü¦n¦a,
§ÚÌ didnit ·Qn¥²¶·©I¥s EMTs I±",³¾µªÂСC " Paperworkis ¤@Ó¥Àª¯, ©M©Ò¦³ªº¨º".
Jun glanced upward at them, smiling gratefully, and went back to work.
/ ¤»¤ë¥H¤W¦b¥LÌ¿h°{,·P¿E¦a·L¯º, ¦Ó¥B¦^¥h¤u§@¡C
The strength Sosai needed to reach this distance was immeasurable, galaxies
wide, and difficult to maintain- it wouldnit have much time to reach its
objective. But the rewards were dazzling beyond all expectation. From
the vantage point of the human eye the world was as big as its own dimensional
void, spread out before it in a glittering mosaic of light and towers
and sprawling humanity, gold and blue and bright under the moon. For years
it had laid in wait for the perfect time and the energy needed to let
go of its parasitic reliance on mortals to fulfill its will on the outside.
Now with the help of only one it could stretch out of the void and take
the ripened prize itself, all at once. / ¤O¶q Sosai »Ýn¹F¦¨³o¶ZÂ÷¬O¤£¥i´ú¶qªº, ¼eªº»Èªe,
©M§xÃøªººû«ù- ¥¦ wouldnit ¦³«Ü¦hªº®É¶¡¨ì¹F¥¦ªº¥Øªº¡C ¦ý¬O¼ú½à¬O²´ªá¼º¶Ãªº¶W¹L©Ò¦³ªº´Á«Ý¡C ±q¤HÃþªº²´·úÆ[ÂI¹³¥¦¦Û¤vªºªÅ¶¡ªÅµê¤@¼Ëªº¤j¥@¬É¬O,
¦b¤@Ó¥ú©M¶ðªºÀéÄê°¨ÁɧJ¤¤¦b¥¦¤§«e¶Ç§G¥X¦Ó¥BÂX®i¤H©Ê¡A¶Àª÷©MÂŦâ©M©ú«Gªº¦b¤ë«G¤§¤U¡C ¥¦¤w¸gÀx¦sªº¼Æ¦~µ¥Ô§¹¬üªº®É¶¡©M³Q»ÝnÅýªº¯à·½¦b¤Z¤H¤Wªº¥¦±H¥Í«H¥ô¥h¹ê²{¦b¥~±¤è±ªº¥¦·N§Ó¡C
²{¦b¥HÀ°¦£°ß¤@ªº¤@¬ðµM¥¦¥i¥H¦ù®iÂ÷ªÅµê¦Ó¥B±a³Q¼ú¥»¨¦¨¼ôªº¡C
It took a long time to push this far. / ¥¦ªáªøªº®É¶¡¥Ø«e¬°¤î±À°Ê¡C
And Sosai was getting impatient. / ¦Ó¥B Sosai ¥¿¦b¤£@·Ð¡C
Riley moved up the alleyway with long purposeful strides, his black overcoat
swinging around his ankles and his boots drumming along at an easy pace.
Streetlamps sent his shadow down behind him in a long ghost-black image.
He crossed the corner and jogged up onto the sidewalk of Grand Street,
and down the street bar-hoppers were ranging in and out of the block's
variety of nightclubs. He walked down a bit further, letting his nose
be his guide, and by golly there it was. / ¿à§Q¦b©Mªøªº¦³¥Ø¤j¨B,¥Lªº¦b¥L¸}½ï©M¥Lªº¦b¤@Ó®e©öªº³t«×¦V«e¥´¹ªªºªø¹u©P³ò·nÂ\ªº¶Â¦â¥~®M¤j¦çªº¤p«Ñ¤W±²¾°Ê¡C
µó¿O°e , ¥Lªº¼v¹³¦b¤@Óªøªº°- ¶Â¦âªº¼v¹³¤¤ªº¥L«á±åP¸¨¡C ¥L¥æ¤e¤F¨¤¸¨¦Ó¥BºC¶]¦b§§Æ[µó¹Dªº¤H¦æ¹D¤§¤W¡A¦Ó¥B¤U¨Óµó¹D¸T¤î¤W±- º|¤æ¥¿¦b±Æ¦C¦b©M¥Ñ©ó°Ï¬qªº©]Á`·|ªº¦h¼Ë©Ê¡C
¥L§ó¶i¤@¨B¨«¤U¨Ó¤@ÂIÂI,Åý¥Lªº»ó¤l¬O¥Lªº«ü¤Þ¡A¦Ó¥BÂǵۯ«¥¦¨º¸Ì¡C
The Shiratori. / Shiratori¡C
Dis must be da place, he thought with jolly cheer. Righty-o. / ³±¶¡ªº¯«¤@©w¬O
da ¦a¤è,¥L¥H´r§Öªº´r§Ö·Q¡C Righty-o¡C
When the band took the stage, the crowd inside belted out a long, sustained
whoop that spiked the decimeter. And what was coming next was sure to
break it and the windows. / ·í¼Ö¹Î¥X¦Ûªø±Ä¨ú¤F¶¥¬q¡A§ô±aªº¸s²³¤º³¡ªº®ÉÔ,ºû«ù¥H¤j°v°v¨c¤F¤½¤oªº¤j¥s¡C ¦Ó¥B¤°»ò¥¿¦bµM«á¨Ó½T©w¥´¯}¥¦©Mµ¡¤á¡C
Max Osbourne of Steel Skeleton swung up and lashed out a riff from his
Fender that sliced bone, shrill as a banshee's screech and as high as
launching orbital engines. Behind him his bassists and keyboarders joined
into the driving hard-blues inspired jackhammer beat in synchronous turns,
and when Key bounced up behind the drums, the music shifted and the crowd
roared. Max turned to give Key a manic grin of happy relief, and Key began
to work his magic. / ¿û°©Àfªº³Ì¤j¼Ú´µªB·nÂ\¦b¦Ó¥B¤W±Ã@¥´¥X¨Ó¦Û¥Lªº¤Á¦¨Á¡¤ù¤F°©ÀY, ¥Î¦y¾UªºÁnµ»¡¦p¤k§¯ºëªº¦yÁn³Û¥sªº¨¾¿mª«ªº¤@Ӥϴ_¼Ö¸`©M¦P¼Ë¦a°ª«×·í°µµo®gy¹Dªº¤ÞÀº¡C
¦b¥L«á±¥Lªº§Cµ¼Ö¾¹ºt«µªÌ©M keyboarders §V¤O¦a¶i¤J¨º¾r¾p¤§¤º°Ñ¥[-ÂŽտEµo , ¤â´£Æp¦b¦P®Éªº±ÛÂत¥´¡A¦Ó¥B·íÆ_°Í¦b¹ª«á±¸õ¤Wªº®ÉÔ,
µ¼Ö§ïÅܦӥB¸s²³§q¡C ³Ì¤j·Ç³Æµ¹Æ_°Í§Ö¼Ö¦w¤ßªº¨gļÅS¾¦¯º¡A¦Ó¥BÆ_°Í¶}©l¤u§@¥LªºÅ]³N¡C
He drove out the beat in a barreling freight train of slamming thunder,
and the rest of the band fell into the pounding rhythm and rolled the
music into a sustained session of acoustic thrash. The jam lasted a full
fifteen minutes before Max even began to sing, and in that time the crowd
was a screaming, grinding mass. It was bedlam. And Key was having the
time of his life. / ¥L¦b²rµMÃö¤W¹p¹qªº§Ö³t«e¶i²î³f¤õ¨®¤¤¾r¾p¥´¡A¦Ó¥B¼Ö¹Îªº¨ä¥¦³¡¤À¶^¤JºV±Û«ß¦Ó¥B±²µ¼Ö¶iťı¥´ªº³Qºû«ùªº·|ij¤§¤º¡C
ªGÂæ¬Æ¦Ü«ùÄò³Ì¤j¤§«eªº¾ãÓ¤Q¤¤ÀÄÁ¶}©l°Û, ©M¦bþ¤@©w®É¸s²³¬O¤@¦y¥s,¬ã¿i¶°¦X¡C ¥¦¬O²V¶Ã¡C ¦Ó¥BÆ_°Í¥¿¦b¦³¥Lªº¥Í¬¡®ÉÔ¡C
"The kid should change his off-duty occupation," Jay said as
he turned to re-enter the loft. / " ¤p«ÄÀ³¸Ó§ïÅÜ¥Lªº»·- ³d¥ô¾·~ ",·í¥L·Ç³Æ¦A¶i¤J³»¼Óªº®ÉÔ¡A³¾»¡¡C
Mareccu followed him. "He is good." / Mareccu ¸òÀH¤F¥L¡C " ¥L«Ü¦n
" ¡C
Key was in metal heaven. Occasionally he would take over from the drummers
during the long acid jam sessions that the Shiratori was famous for but
nothing cured stress and hyperactivity like pure industrial rock. He was
a manic powerhouse of thrashing arms in the rhythmic pump and smash of
the drums, his hair flying and his shirt soaked to the skin under the
brilliant stage lights. Key was at the top of nirvana. The music was sizzling
straight into the core of his being. It was infinitely better than washing
the dishes. / Æ_°Í¦bª÷ÄÝ»sªº¤Ñ°ó¤è±¡C ¦³®ÉÔ¥L±N·|¦bªøªº»Ä´Á¶¡±q¹ª¤â±µºÞªGÂæ Shiratori °£¤FªvÀøÀ£¤O©M¹³¯Âºéªº¤u·~©¥¥Ûªº¹L«×¬¡ÅDªº¨S¨Æ¤§¥~¦Ó»D¦Wªº·|ij¡C
¥L¬O¤@Ó²r²¾ªº¨gļµo¹q©Ò±Û«ßªº©â¤ô¾÷©M¹ªªº¯}¸H¤âÁu,¸ªº¥LÀY¾v©M¥LªºÅ¨m®ûÀã¨ì¦bÀéÄꪺ¶¥¬q¥ú¤U±ªº¥Ö½§¡C Æ_°Í¦b¯Iºnªº³»ºÝ¡C µ¼Ö¥¿¦b¼R¼R°µÁnª½½u¶i¥Lªº¦s¦b®Ö¤ß¤§¤º¡C
¥¦¤ñ²M¬~½L¤l§óµL¦n¡C
Jun watched him for a moment, and saw Max turn and see the kid outdo his
own contract drummer who had long since been abandoned to the hospital's
detox unit. Max flashed a razor grin of pride at Key, and then in mid-verse
of the set he swung around towards Jun and motioned her up onto the stage.
/ ¤»¤ë¬Ý¤F¥L¤@·|¨à, ¦Ó¥B¦Û±q³Q©ß±ó¨ìÂå°|ªº detox ³æ¦ì¥H«á¨£¨ì¤F³Ì¤j±ÛÂà¦Ó¥B¨£¨ì¤p«Ä¶W¶V¥Lªº¦³¦Û¤vªº«´¬ù¹ª¤â°_¨Óªøªº¡C ³Ì¤j¦bÆ_°Í°{²{¦Û¶Æªº«c¤MÅS¾¦¯º,
µM«á¦b¤¤³¡¤¤- ²Õªº¸Ö¥L¦V¤»¤ë¦bªþªñ·nÂ\¨Ã¥B¦b¶¥¬q¤§¤W¦V¤W¹B°Ê¤F¦o¡C
Jun sighed, smiling wistfully and shaking her head. There was too much
work to do. / ¤»¤ë¼Û®§,´÷±æ¦a·L¯º©M·nÀY¡C ¦³¤Ó¦h¤u§@°µ¡C
Max had nothing to hear of it. Pumping out the final dirge of the song
he motioned to her again, his flashing smile dazzling under the light,
his black dreadlocked hair lashing wildly. / ³Ì¤j¨S¦³¤°»ò¥iÅ¥»¡¥¦¡C ¥X¦Ûºqªº³Ì«á»µºqªº©â¬¦¥L¦A¤@¦¸¹ï¦o¹B°Ê,
¥Lªº°{Ã{·L¯º²´ªá¼º¶Ãªº¦b¥ú¤§¤U,³¥©Ê¦aÃ@¥´ªº¥L¶Â¦âªº dreadlocked ÀY¾v¡C
Jun turned away, but was met by Kelley and the bartender Jackson who were
shooing her off. Finally she relented, and headed up the stairs to the
loft. / ¤»¤ëÂàÂ÷¶}, ¦ý¬O³Q³ÍµÜ©M¥¿¦b¨«¶}µo¥X¼NÁn»°¨«¦oªº°s«O³Ç§J´Ë¨£±¤F¡C ³Ì«á¦oÅܼe«p, ¦Ó¥B¦b¹ï³»¼Óªº¼Ó±è¤W±±a»â¡C
Key whooped in pure delight when he saw her head off. It was damned precious
time whenever he was able to take the drums and play, duty and demand
always getting in the way, and it was even rarer when Jun was able to
join him. Tonight there was no urgency, no calamity, no populace to scrape
up off the ground, leaving them free to rock the world in a totally different
fashion that didn't leave the smell of cordite and blood behind. Tonight
there were no bad guys to fight. Tonight there was only the music and
the grind and the blessings from Heaven above to enjoy it to the fullest.
He glanced over to the right towards the bar and saw Kelley beaming at
him, moving behind the bar in quick rhythm with the beat as she poured
the house drafts and mixed tequila and scotch in various mind-crippling
forms for the patrons. The music sizzled. The crowd was jumping. He didn't
want it to end, ever. / ·í¥L¨«¶}¨£¨ì¦oªºÀY®ÉÔ¡AÆ_°Í¦b¯Âºéªº°ª¿³¤¤¥s³Û¡C ¥¦³Q¶A©GÄ_¶Qªº®É¶¡¡AµL½×¦ó®É·í¤»¤ë¯à°÷°Ñ¥[¥Lªº®ÉÔ¡A¥L¯à°÷®³¹ª©M¹CÀ¸¡A³d¥ô©Mn¨DÁ`¬O§«Ãª¡A¦Ó¥B¥¦¬Æ¦Ü¤ñ¸ûµ}¨u¡C
¤µ±ß¨S¦³¢¤Á©Ê,¨S¦³¨aÃø, ¨S¦³¥¥Á¨í±¼¦b¦a±¥~¤W±, Åý¥L̦ۥѪº·n°Ê¤@ºØ¨S¦³§Ñ°O½uª¬µL·Ï¤õÃÄ©M¦åªº¨ý¹D§¹¥þ¤£¦Pªº¬y¦æ¥@¬É¡C ¤µ±ß¨S¦³Ãa³Ã¥ë¹ï§Ü¡C
¤µ±ß¦b¤W±¥u¦³¦³¨Ó¦Û¤Ñ°óªºµ¼Ö©M¿i©M¯¬ºÖ¨É¨ü¥¦¨ì³Ì¥Rº¡ªº¡C ¥L¹ï¹ï©ó°s§aªºÅv§QÂsÄý¦Ó¥B¦b¥L¨£¨ì³ÍµÜ¥ú«Gªº, ¦b©M¥´ªº§Ö±Û«ß¤è±¦bº»¤¤²¾°Ê·í¦oˤF©Ð¤l¯ó½Z¨Ã¥B¹ï©óÃÙ§U¤H¦b¦UºØ¤£¦Pªº¥O¤HµL¤Oªº¤ßªí®æ¤¤¨Ï¯S°ò©ÔÀs¦ÞÄõ©MĬ®æÄõ¤H²V¦X¤§®É¡C
µ¼Ö¼R¼R°µÁn¡C ¸s²³¥¿¦b¸õÅD¡C ´¿¸g¥L¨S¦³·Qn¥¦µ²§ô¡C
Jun jogged up the stairs and entered the loft. With mild surprise and
delight Mareccu and Jay watched her head straight for the storeroom behind
their bar and come back out with a black studded leather case. She opened
it on their bar and for just a moment ivory and silver brilliance shined
across her face under the red glow of the neon beer lights, as she pulled
out her true treasure, the epitome of classic Fender conception, and laid
its intricately tooled black leather strap over her shoulder. / ¤»¤ë¦b¼Ó±è¤W±ºC¶]¦Ó¥B¶i¤J¤F³»¼Ó¡C
¹ï©ó¦b¥L̪º°s§a«á±ªºÀxÂëǻP·Å©Mªº·N¥~©M°ª¿³ Mareccu ©M³¾¬Ý¤F¦oªºÀYª½½u¨Ã¥B¥H³Q§Gº¡Áû²É¥Ö®Mªº¶Â¦â¦b¥~¦^¨Ó¡C ¦o¦b¥L̪º°s§a¤W¥´¶}¥¦¦Ó¥B¹ï©ó¨ô¶V¾î¹L¦b¦»°à°s¥úªº¬õ¦â¨ª¼ö¤§¤U¨Ï¦oªºÁyµo«Gªº¥u¬O¤ù¨è¶H¤ú©M»È¡A·í¦o©Ô¥X¦oªº¯u¹êÄ_ª«¡A²Ä¤@¬y¨¾¿mª«Ãh¥¥ªº¤jn,
¦Ó¥B©ñ¸m¤F¥¦ªº¥Î¤u¨ã¤u§@½ÆÂøªº¦b¦oªÓ¤Wªº¶Â¦â¥Ö²Ã·¤§®É¡C
Jun was going to play, and play hard. Excusing her indulgence with a shrug
of her slim shoulders at the amused men, she swung the ivory and mother
of pearl inlaid Stratocaster behind her back and went back down the stairs.
/ ¤»¤ë¥¿¦b¥hª±, ¦Ó¥B§V¤O¦aª±¡C ¥Î¦b´r§Öªº¨k¤H¦o½GªºªÓÁqªÓì½Ì¦oªº¯Ô·Ä,¦o·nÂ\¤F¶H¤ú©M¬Ã¯]ªº¥À¿Ë¦b¦oªºI³¡«á±ªº´O¤J Stratocaster
¨Ã¥B¦^¥h¤U¨Ó¼Ó±è¡C
As Riley approached the heavy oak and glass doors of the nightclub the
crowd in front of him slid back and parted as though they could see the
beast in himself. Riley grinned. The hot coil in his chest that whispered
to him was like a glowing coal in a stove, well stoked and warming to
the soul. It spoke to him, thrummed in him, and undoubtedly led the way.
Riley's eyes were glowing under the street lamps like the phosphorescent
orbs of a feline, wide and wild and on the move for the prey. The ones
who looked at him shuddered imperceptibly and stood aside, then promptly
forgot why they had done so after he moved past. / ·í¦n¹³¥LÌ¥i¥H¦b¥L¦Û¤v¨£¨ì¯b¬¹¡A¿à§Q¦V«á¦a¦b¥L¤§«e±µªñ¤F«ªº¾ó¾ð©M©]Á`·|ªº¬Á¼þªù¸s²³·Æ°Ê¦Ó¥B¤À¶}¡C
¿à§QÅS¾¦¦Ó¯º¡C ¥Lªº¯Ý¼ö±²¹ï¥L¦Õ»y¹³¤@Ó¤õÄlªº¥Õ¼ö·Ñ, ´é¥X stoked ¦Ó¥B·Å·x¨ìÆF»î¡C ¥¦¸ò¥L»¡¸Ü,¦b¥L¸Ì±«ü¼u, ¦Ó¥BµLºÃ¦a¤Þ¾É¤F¤èªk¡C
¿à§Qªº²´·ú¬O¥Õ¼öªº¦bµó¹D¿O¤§¤U³ßÅw¿ßªºµo¥XÁC¥ú²y, ¼eªº©M¯î³¥©M¦b¦æ¶i¶¡¹ï©óÂyª«¡C ¦b¥L²¾°Ê¤F¹L¥h¤§«á¡A¤£¥iı¦a¬Ý¥L¾Ô·X¦Ó¥B¦b¤@Ã䯸¥ßªº¤@¨Ç,
µM«á±Ó±¶¦a§Ñ°O¥L̬°¤°»ò¤w¸g³o»ò°µ¡C
Oh, this is going to be so easy, he thought. Just a quick rip slash zip-bang
and head for home. The voice in his chest chittered in agreement. / ®@,³o¥¿¦b¥h¬O¦p¦¹®e©ö,¥L·Q¡C
¥u¬O¤@³B§Öªºµõ²ª´î°£©ÔÁå-¹ï©ó®aªº¯yµM©MÀY¡C ¨óijªº¥L¯Ý chittered ªºÁnµ¡C
He was through the doors and the bouncers at guard like smoke through
the air, and the smell of the prey at large hit him like the hot breath
of dying animals, the smell of butchered rabbits. / ¥L¦b¦u½Ã¦PÃþ¬O¸g¹Lªù©M§j¤ûªÌ§l·Ï¹LªÅ®ð,
©MÂyª«ªº¨ý¹D¦Û¥Ñ¦Û¦bªº¹³««¦º°Êª«ªº¼ö©I§l¤@¼Ë¸I¼²¥L,butchered ¨ß¤lªº¨ý¹D¡C
He waded through the mass of humanity on the dance floor and headed for
the bar. / ¥L¶[¯A¹L¦b¸õ»R¤Wªº¤H©Ê¤j²³¦aªO¨Ã¥B¥h°s§a¡C
In time it was strong enough to see them- after countless battles lost
by the hands of its puppet legions and the ineffective mastery of its
pet, its aberrant mutant, it could see in vague ghostly form the faces
of its primary enemies. As it reached out it could see past the images
of the Earthen birds of prey that had fought it so many times in the past,
and saw them as human for the first time, saw that Rhilliean Rigan son
for the first time. But not clearly, no- not yet that strong... but time
would provide. Only vague images for now: four men, one woman. / ¤Î®É¥¦°÷±j¨Ó¨£¥LÌ-¦b³Q¥¦ªº³ÈÀwx¹Îªº¤â©M¥¦ªºÃdª«µL®Ä©ºªA¡A¥¦ªº²æÂ÷¥¿¹Dªº¬ðÅܲ§ºØ¥¢¥hªº¼Æ¤£ºÉªº¾Ôª§¤§«á¡A¥¦¥i¥H¦b§t½kªº«ÕÆF§Î¦¡¥¦ªºªì´Á¼Ä¤HªºÁy¤¤¨£¨ì¡C
´N¦p¥¦¨ì¹F¥Xªº , ¥¦¥i¥H¨£¨ì¹L¥hªº¹L¥h¦³¥´¥M¥¦¦p¦¹ªº³\¦h¦¸, ¦Ó¥B²Ä¤@¦¸µø¥L̬°¤HÃþªº¤g»søl¼v¹³, ²Ä¤@¦¸¨£¨ì¨º¤@Ó Rhilliean
Rigan ¨à¤l¡C ¦ý¬O¤£²M·¡¦a,¤£- ¤£¤´µM¨º±jªº¡C¡C¡C ¦ý¬O®É¶¡±N·|´£¨Ñ¡C ²{¦bªº°ß¤@§t½kªº¼v¹³: ¥|¦ì¨k¤H¡A¤@Ó¤k¤H¡C
That was enough to get started. / ¨º¬O¥R¨¬±o¨ì¶}©l¡C
To Max Osbourne's delight, Jun stepped up onto the stage halfway through
the third song, jacked herself into the nearest amp, and flew right into
the riff without even missing a beat. She moved right up to Max's side,
whaling along with the Jamaican leader in a pealing duet. The crowd went
insane. / ¨ì³Ì¤j¼Ú´µªBªº°ª¿³¡A¤»¤ë¦b¶¥¬q¤§¤W«P¶i ] ¤¤³~ªº§¹¦¨²Ä¤Tººq,¶i¤J³Ìªñªº¦w°ö¤§¤º©ï°_¤F¦o¦Û¤v, ¦Ó¥B¶i¤J¨S¦³¥©Zªº¥¢¥h¤@©ç¥´ªº¤Ï´_¼Ö¸`¤§¤º¥¿½T¦a¸¡C
¦o¥¿½T¦aª½¨ì³Ì¤jªºÃä²¾°Ê,¦b¤@ӨϤG«°Û¤jÁn»ïÅT¤¤³s¦P¤ú¶R¥[¤Hªº»â³S¤@°_®·ÄH¡C ¸s²³Åܱwºë¯«¯f¡C
Kelley worked the length of the bar, sometimes leaning close to the johns
and janes to better hear their requests, and boy was she getting some
doozies. This was definitely a hard-boozing crowd. Jun was going to need
every dime this night was going to squeeze out of the local economy to
rebuild the bar after 2 AM, even more so if things got out of hand and
the police had to be called. The frizzy blonde next to Leatherboy wanted
Liquid Cocaine, a stew of several different liquors that Kelley was positive
would bring the emergency medical technicians back for her. She overheard
another diphead down the end shout out the Need for Speed to Jackson,
and he wasn't talking about the injection kind. They were almost out of
vodka and Bacardi Dark, and whooboy Juney was rocking the house. Kelley
grinned, shaking her head. She knew that Jun's specialties included creating
blasts that made ears ring for miles, but this one took the taco. / ³ÍµÜ¾Þ§@¤F°s§aªºªø«×,
¦³®É¦b johns ©M janes ªºªþªñ¶É±×§óÅ¥¨ì¥L̪º½Ð¨D, ¦Ó¥B¨k«Ä¬O¦o¦³¤@¨Ç doozies¡C ³o¤@©w¬O¤@Ãøªº- »¨¶¼¸s²³¡C ¤»¤ë¤µ¤Ñ±ß¤W±Nn»Ýn¨CÓ¤@¨¤µw¹ô±Nnºò´¤Â÷¦a¤è¸gÀÙ¦b¦¤W
2 ÂI¤§«á¦A«Ø°s§a,¬Æ¦Ü§ó¦p¦¹¦pªG¨Æª«¥¢¥h±±¨î¡A¦Ó¥Bĵ¹î¥²¶·³Q¥s°µ¡C frizzy ºò¾F Leatherboy ªºª÷¾vºÑ²´ªº¤k¤H·Qn²GÅ骺¥j¬_ÆP,³ÍµÜ¬O¹ê¦bªº¤@¨Ç¤£¦Pªº°s¿L´ö±N·|¬°¦o§âºò«æªºÂå¾Ç§Þ³N¤Hû±a¦^¨Ó¡C
¦o§â¥t¥~ diphead µL·N¤¤Å¥¨ì¤U¨Óµ²§ô¹ï³Ç§J´Ë¤j¥s¹ï³t«×ªº»Ýn¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¨S¦³¦b½Í½×ª`®gÃþ«¬¡C ¥LÌ´X¥G¶W¥X¥ñ¯S¥[°s©M Bacardi ¶Â·t¡A¦Ó¥B
whooboy Juney ¬O·nÂ\©Ð¤l¡C ³ÍµÜÅS¾¦¦Ó¯º,·nÀY¡C ¦oª¾¹D±Mªù¥]¬A³Ð³y¬°ù¨Ï¦Õ¦·»ïÅTªº¯e·¤»¤ë,¦ý¬O³o¤@Ó±a¤F¬µ¥É¦Ì»æ¡C
Suddenly some dude was leaning across the bar right at her face, and before
she could shout one of her customary verbal bitchslaps at him, she was
locked by his crystal-blue gaze and shining white grin. His hair was blonde
surf-punk that was a scary mismatch to the black trenchcoat he was wearing.
She could almost visualize the black matching engineer boots that had
to be encasing his feet to properly accentuate the coat. Shotgun, she
thought hazily, but that was impossible: they had industrial strength
metal detectors that could track every ounce of shrapnel in Jay Randall's
back. Any image from a weapon would have had this bad boy being flung
across the street with a bootprint on his butt, compliments of one of
the bouncers. / ¬ðµM¤@¨Ç¸Ë¼Ò§@¼Ëªº¤H¥¿¦b¦oªºÁy¶É±×¹L°s§aÅv§Q¡A¦Ó¥B¦o¥i¥H©I³Û¦b¥Lªº¦o²ßºDªº¤fz bitchslaps ¤§¤@¤§«e¡A¦o³Q¥Lªº¤ô´¹-
ÂŦ⪺ª`µø©M¥ú«Gªº¥Õ¦âÅS¾¦¯ºÂê¤F¡C ¥LªºÀY¾v¬O¥Õ¦âªº®ü®ö-¹ï¥L¥¿¦bÀ¹ªº¶Â¦â trenchcoat ªº¤@Ó®e©ö¨üÅ媺¿ù»~µ²¦XªºÃe§J¡C ¦o¥i¥H´X¥G¨Ï»P¥²¶·¸Ë¤J¥Lªº¸}¾A·í¦a¥H«µ°á¥~®Mªº¤uµ{®vªø¹u¬Û°tªº¶Â¦â¬Ý±o¨£¡C
´²¼uÂyºj, ¦oÂaÄg¦a·Q, ¦ý¬O¤£¥i¯àªº: ¥L̦³¤u·~ªº¤O¶qª÷ÄÝ¥i¥H°lÂܳ¾Äõ¼wº¸I±ªº¶}ªá¼uªº¨C¯s¥qªºµo²{ªÌ¡C ¨Ó¦Û¤@ÓªZ¾¹ªº¥ô¦ó¼v¹³·|¦³³Q§ëªº³oÓÃa¨k«Ä¶V¹Lµó¹D¥Ñ©ó¦b¥Lªº·ÏÀY,§j¤ûªÌ¤§¤@ªººÙÆg¤Wªº
bootprint¡C
"Konnichi wa!" The guy shouted, and Kelley could see right through
his eyes: they were glowing gold and deep aortic red, like the eyes of
an alleycat, backlit by some magic feline fire. Kelley was locked by that
burning gaze like a deer frozen before a speeding Peterbilt's highbeams.
The music hollowed off in her ears into fading echoes; suddenly she was
aware of her own heart pounding blood through her head. / " Konnichi
wa"! ³Ã¥ë©I³Û¡A¦Ó¥B³ÍµÜ¥i¥H¹ý©³¦a¨£¨ì¥Lªº²´·ú: ¥L̬O¥Õ¼öªº¶Àª÷©M²`ªº¤j°Ê¯ßªº¬õ¦â, ¹³ alleycat ªº²´·ú, ¤@¨ÇÅ]³Nªº¿ß¤õ
backlit ¡C ³ÍµÜ³Q¿U¿Nªºª`µø³ßÅw¤@°¦¦b¾r¨®¶W³t Peterbilt's ªº highbeams ¤§«e³Qáµ²ªº³ÀÂê¤F¡C µ¼Ö¶i¤J®É©|¦^Án¤§¤º¦b¦oªº¦Õ¦·¤¤¨«¶}«õªÅ;
¬ðµM¦o¸g¹L¦oªºÀYª¾¹D¦o¦Û¤v¤ßºV¦å¡C
"Biiru, kudasai," he called out to her. / "Biiru,kudasai",¥L¹ï¦o¤j¥s¡C
Kelley blinked, shaking her head, reality smashing back with a jarring
thump. The guy was staring charmingly back at her. It was just another
John Doe, who wanted a beer. "Got a preference?" she shouted
back over the music. "We've got Samuel Adams, Moulson, MGD..."
/ ³ÍµÜ¯w²´,·nÀY,¦V«á¦a¥H¤@ÓÁӪ«¥´¯»¸Hªº¨Æ¹ê¡C ³Ã¥ë¥¿¦b¦o¦V«á¦a°g¤H¦aª`µø¡C ¥¦¬O¦Ñ®Mªº¬ù¿«¥À³À,·Qn°à°s¡C " ±o¨ì¤F°¾·R
"? ¦o¦V«á¦a¦bµ¼Ö¤§¤W©I³Û¡C "§Ṳ́w¸g±o¨ì¶ëÁ[º¸¨È·í¡A Moulson ¡A MGD ¡C¡C¡C"
"Just a draft," he shouted back. "You look really pretty.
Anybody ever tell you that?" / " ¥u¬O¯ó½Z",¥L¦V«á¦a©I³Û¡C "§A¬Ý°_¨Ó¯uªºº}«G¡C
¥ô¦ó¤H´¿¸g§i¶D§A¨º?"
Kelley rolled her eyes, pouring his beer from the tap. Lame, baby. I'd
heard better lines in the third grade. She set the glass before him on
one of the black napkins overlaid with the curving white logo of the swan,
and saw his beaming insolent smile remain unbroken, like he knew it was
as lame as it sounded but honestly not giving a damn. Kelley took his
twenty, laying out the change beside his glass, then moved on down the
bar. / ³ÍµÜ±²¤F¦oªº²´·ú,˨Ӧۻ´¥´ªº¥L°à°s¡C ®t«lªº,À¦¨à¡C §Ú¦³Å¥¨ì¤F²Ä¤Tµ¥¯Åªº§ó¦n½u¡C ¦b¥L¦b¶Â¦âªºÀ\¤y¤§¤@¤W¥H¤ÑÃZªºÅs¦±¥Õ¦â¼Ð»xÂл\,
¦Ó¥B¨£¨ì¤F·L¯º«O«ù¤£Ãa±¼ªº¥L¥ú«Gªº«VºCµL¶Ãªº¤H¤§«e , ¦o³]©w¤F¬Á¼þ, ¹³¥Lª¾¹D¡A¥¦¹³¥¦¤@¼Ëªº®t«l³QÅ¥¦ý¬O¯u¸Û¦a¤£´£¨Ñ¤@ÂI¡C ³ÍµÜ®³¥Lªº¤G¤Q,®i¶}¦b¥Lªº¬Á¼þ®ÇÃ䪺§ïÅÜ,µM«áÄ~Äò¤U¨Ó°s§a¡C
"Hey! You didn't answer my question!" / "¶Ù! §A¨S¦³¦^µª§Úªº°ÝÃD!"
Kelley turned back, her expression mildly condescending. "What, if
people tell me that I'm gorgeous? Every day!" / ³ÍµÜ§é¦^, ¬X©MÁ¾»¹ªº¦oªí¹F¡C "¤°»ò,¦pªG¤Ḩi¶D§Ú§Ú¬OµØÄRªº?
¨C¤Ñ!"
The guy laughed appreciatively. Kelley started another mix for a woman
two down from him, and out of the comer of her eye she saw him draining
the beer, holding up the napkin to casually inspect the logo. "This
your place?" he called out. / ³Ã¥ë¦³Å²ÃѤO¦a¯º¡C ³ÍµÜ¶}©l¥t¤@Ó²V¦X¹ï©ó¤@Ó¤k¤H¤GåP¸¨±q¥L,¦Ó¥B±q¦oªº²´·ú¨Ó¤H¦o¨£¨ì¥L±Æ¥X·¾¥~°à°s,
¦bÀ\¤y¤W±´¤¦í°¸µM¦aÀˬd¼Ð»x¡C " ³oÓ§Aªº¦a¤è "? ¥L¤j¥s¡C
"Most of the time," Kelley answered. / " ¤j³¡¥÷ªº®É¶¡ ",³ÍµÜ¦^µª¡C
He nodded his approval. "It really rocks!" He held up his glass
for a refill, and as Kelley reached out to take it, he suddenly slid his
other hand over hers. Kelley's first reaction was to pull back in surprised
shock and maybe knock him upside the head, or at least point out the 18th
century styled painted mirror sign over the bar that read DON'T ANNOY
THE BARTENDER. / ¥LÂIÀY¤F¥LªºÃÙ¦¨¡C " ¥¦¯uªº·n°Ê "! ¥L¬°¤@ӲĤGªM¤ä¼µ¥Lªº¬Á¼þ, ¦Ó¥B·í³ÍµÜ±µÄ²±a¥¦,¥L¦b¦oªº¤§¤W¬ðµM·Æ°Ê¤F¥Lªº¨ä¥L¤â¡C
³ÍµÜªº²Ä¤@¤ÏÀ³¬O¦b·P¨ìÅå³YªºÅåÀ~¤¤¦V«á¦a©Ô¨Ã¥B¤]³\ºVÀ»¥L¤W°¼ÀY,©Î¦Ü¤ÖÂI¥X¦Û³Q³]p´yµeªºÃè¤l 18 ¥@¬ö¹M¤Î¾\Ū¤£¨Ï°s«OW´oªº°s§añ¸p¡C
It was as though time and humanity had disappeared. The crowd ceased to
exist, every ounce of her attention was fixed on his gaze. The music was
a faraway drone. His touch on her hand was whisper-soft, but sent high
jangling panic through her nerves. Her limbs were frozen in place. And
his eyes... / ¦n¹³®É¶¡©M¤H©Ê¤w¸g®ø¥¢¡A¥¦¬O¡C ¸s²³°±¤î¦s¦b,¨C¯s¥qªº¦oª`·N¦b¥Lªºª`µø¤W³Qײz¡C µ¼Ö¬O¤@Ó»»»·ªº¶¯¸Á¡C ¦b¦oªº¤â¤W¥LIJı¬O¦Õ»y-¬X³n,
¦ý¬O¸g¹L¦oªº¯«¸g§â®£·W°eµ¹¤F°ªªº¨ë¦ÕÁnµ¡C ¦oªº¥|ªÏ³Q¾A·í¦aáµ²¡C ¦Ó¥B¥Lªº²´·ú¡C¡C¡C
Whatever the fire was, it held her in a full psychological head-lock,
burrowing deep into her like a hypnotic jackhammer. She didn't even hear
Jackson call something out to her, or see him shrug his shoulders in unoffended
complacency to her non-response. His eyes were phosphorescent embers,
like Hollywood camera-magic bestial glow from a vampire movie but his
were real, and Kelley was locked in an instant. / µL½×¤õ¬O¤°»ò,¥¦¦b¤@Ó§¹¾ãªº¤ß²z¾ÇªºÀY¤¤®»¦í¦o-Âê,±¸¬}¥Þ²`³B¶i¦oªº¦PÃþ¤@Ӷʯvªº¤â´£Æp¤§¤º¡C
¦o¬Æ¦Ü¨S¦³¹ï¦oÅ¥¨ì³Ç§J´Ë©I¥s¥X¬Y¨Æ, ©Î¨£¨ì¥LÁqªÓ¹ï¦oªº«D¦^À³ªº¦b¤£¥Ç¸oªºº¡¨¬¥LªÓ¡C ¥Lªº²´·ú¬Oµo¥XÁC¥úªº¦ÇÂu, ¹³¦nµÜ¶õ¬Û¾÷- ¨Ó¦Û¤@³õ§l¦å°¹q¼vªºÅ]³N¦ü³¥Ã~ªº¨ª¼ö¦ý¬O¥Lªº¬O¯u¥¿ªº¡A¦Ó¥B³ÍµÜ°¨¤W³QÂê¡C
"You know what goes really well with beer?" he asked. / "
§Aª¾¹D¥H°à°s¥h¯uªº±o¦nªF¦è "? ¥L°Ý¡C
Kelley slowly nodded her head. "Yeah," she answered doubtfully,
head reeling. / ³ÍµÜºCºC¦aÂIÀY¤F¦oªºÀY¡C " ¬Oªº ",¦o¥iºÃ¦a¦^µª,ÀY©ó¶b¤W¡C
He pointed a manicured finger at her nose, and Kelley involuntarily focused
on it. "Longmorn aged malt whiskey," he stated for her. "Nothing
goes down better than Longmorn whiskey. And I'll bet you keep a bottle
under wraps for special guests, am I right?" / ¥L¥H¤@®Ú³Q׫ü¥Òªº¤â«üºË·Ç¦oªº»ó¤l¡A¦Ó¥B³ÍµÜ¤£ª¾¤£Ä±¦a§â«¤ß¶°¤¤¦b¥¦¡C
" Longmorn ¦~¦Ñªº³ÁªÞ«Â¤h§Ò°s ",¥L¬°¦o³¯z¡C "¨S¨Æ¤U¨Ó¤ñ Longmorn «Â¤h§Ò°s§ó¡C ¦Ó¥B§Ú±N¥´½ä
, §A¬°¯S§Oªº«È¤H«O¦s¦b¥~®M¤U±ªº¤@¤ä²~¤l, §Ú¬O¥¿½T¦a¶Ü?"
"Yeah..." Kelley said fuzzily. / "¬Oªº¡C¡C¡C"³ÍµÜ¼Ò½k»¡¡C
"In the storeroom over there, right?" / "¦b¨º¸Ì¤WªºÀxÂëǤ¤,Åv§Q"?
Kelley slowly nodded her head again. The world was spinning in a tight
ball around the nucleus of his face. / ³ÍµÜºCºC¦a¦A¤@¦¸ÂIÀY¤F¦oªºÀY¡C ¥@¬É¥¿¦b¥LªºÁy®Ö¤ßªþªñªº¤@Óºòªº²y¤¤¯¼Â´¡C
He smiled, wide and brilliantly. "How about pouring a shot for me?
Just a teensy bit, just for me, 'cause you know I'm special, 'kay?"
/ ¥L·L¯º,¼sÁï¦a©M½÷·×¦a¡C "¬°§Ú˪`®g«ç»ò¼Ë? ¥u¬O·¥¤pªº¤@ÂIÂI,¶È¶È¬°§Ú,' ¤Þ°_§Aª¾¹D§Ú¬O¯S§Oªº,'K ¦r?"
"Okay," Kelley mumbled numbly. He let go of her hand and watched
her float vacantly towards the storeroom door. / " ¦n " ¡A³ÍµÜ¥¢¥hª¾Ä±³ä³ä¦Ó»y¡C
¥LÅý¦VÀxÂëǪù¦oªº¤â¥h¦Ó¥BªÅ¦a¬Ý¤F¦oªºº}¬yª«¡C
White-hot thrill sizzled from his chest and socked into his head. His
wild grin grew wider. / ¥Õ¼öªº¾_Ÿ±q¥Lªº¯Ý¼R¼R°µÁn¦Ó¥B«À»¶i¤J¥LªºÀY¤§¤º¡C ¥Lªº³¥©ÊÅS¾¦¯ºÅܱo¤ñ¸û¼e¡C
They were right in the middle of a searing speed-thrash bridge and Key
was rolling right along with the growing crescendo, drilling so hard his
whipcorded nerves were pulsing hard liquid fire clear up into the top
of his head. Then out of the corner of his eye he saw Jackson running
for the stage, the bartender's dark face a sick gray and waxed with panic,
screaming Key down at the top of his overworked lungs. Behind the bartender
one of the waitresses was hunched over shrieking, digging her nails deep
into her face. The people at the bar were alternately crowding close to
get a look at the problem and stumbling back in horrified shock. Right
then Key's heart took a lunging cliff-dive into oblivion. / ¥L̬O¥¿½Tªº¦b¯NµJ³t«×ªº¤¤¥¡¤¤-
¥´¥H¾ô³s±µ¡A¦Ó¥BÆ_°Í¥¿¦b³s¦P¼W¥[ªºÁnµº¥¼W¤@°_¥¿½T¦aºu°Ê, ºt½m¦p¦¹Ãø¥Lªº whipcorded ¯«¸g¥¿¦b¸õ°ÊÃøªº¿U¿N²G¶i¤J¥LªºÀY³»ºÝ¤§¤º¼á²M¡C
µM«á±q¥Lªº²´·ú¨¤¸¨¥L¬°¶¥¬q¨£¨ì¤F³Ç§J´ËÁɶ],°s«Oªº¶Â·t¥H®£·W±¹ï¤@ºØ¤£µÎªA¦Ç¦â¦Ó¥BÅܤj, ¦y¥sÆ_°Í¦b¥Lªº¤u§@¹L«×ªÍªº³»ºÝåP¸¨¡C ¦b¤kªA°È¥Í¤§¤@³Q¦b¦y¥s¡A«õ¦oªº°v¤l²`³B¶i¦oªºÁy¤§¤º¤§¤WÅs¸y¾mIªº°s«O«á±¡C
¤H¦b°s§a¥¿¦b¥æ´À¦a±µªñ¦a¾ÖÀ½±o¨ì°ÝÃDªº±»ª¦Ó¥B¦bÅ屪ªºÅåÀ~¤¤¦V«á¦a²ÌË¡C ´N¦b¨º®ÉÆ_°Íªº¤ß±a¤FªÍÄa±V-¶i¤J¿ò§Ñ¤§¤ºªº¼ç¤ô¡C
??-whereskelley-?? / ??-whereskelley-??
Key leaped off the stage and landed in a flying sprint, wrestling through
the crowd. The hole left by his absence at the drums shocked the rest
of the band and the dancers into a jarring stop. Jun turned, and saw Jackson
stumble at the edge of the stage, about to drop to the floor in a dead
faint. Key was fighting past him, lunging past behind the bar and to the
back. Jun tossed her Fender to the stunned bassist and followed, even
as she heard Key's wailing "Nooo!" She skidded to a horrified
stop when she saw Kelley, and her hands flew up to her mouth in involuntary
shock, stifling her own saucer-eyed outcry. / Æ_°Í¨«¶}¸õÅD¶¥¬q¦Ó¥B°¸¨¦b¤@Ó¸ªºµu¶ZÂ÷Áɶ],ºL¨¤¹L¸s²³¡C
¦b¹ª³Q¥Lªº¯Ê®u¯d¤Uªº¬}¾_°Ê¼Ö¹Îªº¨ä¥¦³¡¤À©M»RªÌ¶i¤@ÓÁӪ°±¤î¤§¤º¡C ¤»¤ëÂà, ¦Ó¥B¦b¶¥¬qªºÃä½t¨£¨ì³Ç§J´Ë²ÌË, ¤j¬ù°§C¨ì¦ºªº©ü³Ö¦aªO¡C
Æ_°Í¥¿¦b¶V¹L¥L¹ï§Ü, ªÍ¶V¹L¦bº»¤¤©M¨ìI±¡C ¤»¤ë¹ï³Q¨Ï·w˪º§Cµ¼Ö¾¹ºt«µªÌ§ëÂY¤F¦oªº¨¾¿mª«¦Ó¥B¸òÀH,¥¿·í¦oÅ¥¨ì¤FÆ_°Í´d¹Ä " Nooo"!
·í¦o¨£¨ì³ÍµÜ , ©M¦b¦ÛµM¦ÓµMªºÅåÀ~¤¤³Qª½¨ì¦oªº¼L¸¦o¤â¡A¥O¤Hµo´eªº¦o¦Û¤vªº²´·ú¶ê¸Cªº¦y¥s®ÉÔ¡A¦o«b¨®¨ì¤@ÓÅ屪ªº°±¤î¡C
Upstairs, both men's heightened hearing picked up the screams and they
traded an instant of startled looks before running out to the balcony.
/ ¦b¼Ó¤W¡A³Q¥[±jÅ¥ÃÒ·|ªº¨âªÌ¨k¤H¬B°_¦y¥sÁn¡A¦Ó¥B¥L̦b¥Î§¹¨ì¶§¥x¤§«e¥æ©ö¤F¾_Å媺®e»ª¥ß§Y¡C
"O Jesus God get help quick!" Key screamed from their communicators.
Never in their lives had they heard him so totally freaked. "She's
cut up bad!" Under them people were pushing in confused directions,
trying to fight out away from the mess or crowd in closer. The bouncers
were wading head deep into the monumental task of trying to herd them
safely out. Suddenly they were fighting with a fully panicked screaming
mob. Above it they heard Key again, and his high cry sent their whipcorded
nerves into singing arias of code-red alarm. "Onechan help me I can't
stop it...!" / " O C¿q¤W«Ò±o¨ìÀ°¦£§Ö "! Æ_°Í±q¥L̪º³q°T¾¹¦y¥s¡C ±q¤£¦b¥L̪º¥Í©R¤¤Å¥¨ì¥L̦p¦¹ªº§¹¥þ³QÅܱoµJÀꪺ¥L¡C
" ¦o³Q¤Á¸HÃaªº"! ¦b¥L̤§¤U¤H¥¿¦b´¡¶¤§x´bªº¤è¦V, ¹Á¸Õ¹ï§Ü¥X»·Â÷¤@¹Î¶Ã©Î¸s²³¦b¤ñ¸û¾aªñªº¡C §j¤ûªÌ¥¿¦b¶ñ®ÆÀY²`³B¶i¹Á¸Õ¦b¥~¦w¥þ¦a»E¶°¥L̪º¬ö©À¸O¤u§@¤§¤º¡C
¬ðµM¥LÌ¥¿¦b©M³Q§¹¥þ¨Ï¦y¥s®£·Wªº¼É¥Á¹ï§Ü¡C ¦b¥¦¤W±¥L̦A¤@¦¸Å¥¨ì¤FÆ_°Í¡A¦Ó¥B¥Lªº°ªúÁn¶i¤J°Û±K½X- ¬õ¦âªºÄµ³ø§ç±¡½Õ¤§¤º§â¯«¸g°eµ¹¤F¥L̪º
whipcorded ¡C " Onechan À°§U§Ú§Ú¤£¯à°±¤î¥¦¡C¡C¡C!"
Mareccu silently vaulted the railing and dropped straight down, landing
catlike on the bartop with a hard glass-shattering thump, and then onto
the floor. The smell was slaughterhouse thick, and he felt his hardwiring
suddenly coil tight and snap with the hard bite of sudden militant defense.
Whoever or whatever had caused this was going to get staplegunned to the
wall. Maybe worse. / ÀqÀq¦³¶ê³»§ß¤âªº Mareccu ¦Ó¥B°§Cµ§ª½¦aåP¸¨, µn³°¹³¿ßªº¦b©M¤@ÓÃøªº¥´¸H¬Á¼þªº«¥´ bartop
¤W, µM«á¦b¦aªO¤§¤W¡C ¨ý¹D«p¦a¬O±O±þ³õ¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¥H¬ðµM¦n¾Ôªº¨¾½ÃÃø«r¬ðµM·Pı¤F¥Lªº hardwiring ±²ºò¦Ó¥B«rÂ_¡C ¥ô¦ó¤H©Î¥ô¦óªº¤w¸g¤Þ°_³o±Nn§â
staplegunned µ¹Àð¾À¡C ¤]³\§óÃa¡C
But the mental riptide into battle mode didn't prepare him for what he
saw in the storeroom. It didn't even come close. / ¦ý¬O¤ß´¼ªº¬xÀܶi¤J¾Ôª§¼ÒºA¤§¤º¨S¦³¬°¥L¥L¦bÀxÂëǤ¤¨£¨ìªº°µ·Ç³Æ¡C
¥¦¬Æ¦Ü¨S¦³±µªñ¦a¨Ó¡C
Kelley was sprawled face up on the floor, her blouse soaked in blood.
More sparkled in dapples all over the cases of booze, supplies, and beer
kegs. Her arms were chopped with deep slashes, more cuts crossed her cheekbones,
and Key was kneeling over her head, his hands packed around a wad of napkins
over her left collarbone. Key looked up at him, his face livid with panic,
his breath a high wheeze. Kelley's blood continued to seep out of her
neck in dark pulses under his hands. The puddle under her head was getting
wider and spreading out fast. / ³ÍµÜ¦b¦aªO¤W³Q¦V¤WÂX®iÁy,¦oªº¼eÃP¤W¦ç¦b¦å®ûÀã¡C §ó¦b¥þ±¡§Îªº´³¯¾¤¤°{Ä£»¨¶¼,¨ÑÀ³,
©M°à°s¤p±í¡C ¦oªº¤âÁu»P²`ªº±×½u¤@°_¨ï¸H,§ó¦hªº«d´î¥æ¤e¤F¦oªºÀU°©¡A¦Ó¥BÆ_°Í¥¿¦b¦oªºÀY¤§¤W¸÷,¥Lªº¤â¥]¸Ë¤F¦b¦oªº¥ªÃäÂê°©¤WªºÀ\¤y¤j¬ù¤@Ó¶ñ®Æ¡C
Æ_°Í¬Ý¦b¥L¡A¹ï®£·W·P¨ì¹]¦âªº¥LÁy¤W±, ¥Lªº©I§l¤@Ó°ªªº®ð³Ý¡C ³ÍµÜªº¦åÄ~Äòº¯¥XÂ÷¦b¥Lªº¤â¤U±ªº¶Â·t¯ß»Kªº¦o²ä¤l¡C ¦b¦oªºÀY¤U±ªº¤ô¦À¥¿¦b§Ö³t¦a¤ñ¸û¼e¦Ó¥B¶Ç§G¥X¡C
"I can't stop it," Key gasped with a high, shaking whine. "I
can't stop it-" / " §Ú¤£¯à°±¤î¥¦ ",Æ_°Í¥H¤@Ó°ª«×³Ý®ð,·n°Ê©ê«è¡C "§Ú¤£¯à°±¤î¥¦-"
Kelley's skin was turning ashen gray. >From outside came the high warble
of approaching sirens, still too far off. Jun reached up and knocked down
a small cardboard box that held the club's supply of terry towels for
the bar and whipped one into a tight tube, and Mareccu pressed it onto
the side of her neck. Soon it was soaked pink. Key reached over to her
other side and found her fading pulse. She made a low moan, her chest
beginning to rise and fall in jerking gasps. / ¥Ö½§¥¿¦bÂà¦Ç¦âªº¦Ç¦â³ÍµÜ¡C >±q¥~±³Q´£¥X±µªñ¤k®ü§¯ªº°ª³¾ÄÚ,¤´µM¤Ó»·¨«¶}¡C
³Q¨ì¹Fªº¤»¤ë¦b¦Ó¥B¤W±¥´Ë¤@Ó¹ï©ó°s§a®³µÛ¤FѼֳ¡ªº«pµ³¥¬¤â¤yªº¸Éµ¹¨Ã¥BÃ@¥´ªº¤p«p¯ÈªO²°¤l¤@¶i¤JºòªººÞ¤§¤º¡A¦Ó¥B Mareccu ¦b¦oªº²ä¤lÃ䤧¤WÀ£¶i¥¦¡C
«Ü§Ö¥¦¬O®ûÀã¤F¯»¬õ¦â¡C Æ_°Í¦ù¹L¤â¥h¨ì¦oªº¨ä¥LÃä¦Ó¥Bµo²{¦o®É©|¯ß»K¡C ¦o»s³y¤F¤@Án§Cªº©D§u¡A¦oªº¶}©l¦bµjÅ˳ݮð¤è±¤W¤É¦Ó¥B¸¨¤Uªº¯Ý¡C
"Kelley!" Key shouted, kneeling over her body and holding her
head in his hands. "Kelley look at me! Breathe, baby you've got to
breathe for me- come on baby you can do this-!" / " ³ÍµÜ "!
Æ_°Í©I³Û,¦b¦oªº¨Å餧¤W¸÷©M´¤¦í¥Lªº¤â¦oÀY¡C "³ÍµÜ¬Ý§Ú! ©I§l, Áa®e§A¥²¶·¬°§Ú©I§l-¨Ó¦b§A¯à°µ³oªºÀ¦¨à¨¤W-!"
Both hands clenched over the mass of towels under her neck, Mareccu yelled,
"Jay, you copy? Whoever did this is going to be fucking soaked, because
she's been cut to ribbons!" / ¨âªÌªº¤â¦b¦oªº²ä¤l¤U±ªº¤â¤y¤j²³¤§¤Wºò´¤,Mareccu ¤j¥s,"³¾,§A½Æ¦L?
¥ô¦ó¤H°µ³o±N·|©Ê¥æ®ûÀã,¦]¬°¦o¤w¸g³Q¤Á³Î¨ì½v±a!"
"I'm looking for him," came his secondis cold reply. / "
§Ú¥¿¦b§ä´M¥L ",¨Ó¥Lªº secondis ´H§NµªÂСC
Jay had remained up top, looking for the assailant, looking for the blood-stained
clothing that would be a dead giveaway. Somebody blessedly brilliant switched
on the floods, filling the club with bright clean light. There had to
be at least two hundred down there and he scanned them all, looking for
the deviant, looking for the mistake that the criminal always invariably
made to give themselves away. His eyes, razor sharp and as hard blue as
glacial ice, tracked side to side over them all. Even from up high he
was able to pick up the coppery tang of blood, and he knew it was beyond
bad, ranking right up there with the gore-fest left by a street bomb.
/ ³¾¤w¸g¦b³»ºÝ¤W±«O«ù,§ä´M§ðÀ»ªÌ¡A§ä´M¦åªg¬Vªº±N·|¬O¦ºªº¬ªº|¦çªA¡C ¨ü¯¬ºÖÀéÄê¤H¥´¶}¬x¤ô,¥Î©ú«Gªº°®²b¥ú¶ñ¥RѼֳ¡¡C ¦b¨º¸Ì¥²¶·¦Ü¤Ö¦b¨º¸Ì¤U¨Ó¬O¤G¦Ê¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¥þ³¡±½´y¤F¥LÌ,§ä´M¤£¥¿±`ªÌ¡A§ä´M¸o¥ÇÁ`¬O¤£ÅܤƦa»s³yµ¹¥L̦ۤvÂ÷¶}ªº¿ù»~¡C
¥Lªº²´·ú¡A¾U§Qªº«c¤M©M¦p¦p¦Bªº¦BÃøÂŦâ,°lÂܤFÃä¦b¥L̤§¤W°¾³R¥þ³¡¡C ¬Æ¦Ü±q¦V¤W°ª«×¦a¥L¯à°÷¬B°_¦åªº§t»É±j¯Pªº¨ý¹D¡A¦Ó¥B¥Lª¾¹D¡A¥¦¬O¶W¹LÃaªº,¦b©M¬y¥Xªº¦å¨º¸Ì¤W±¥¿½T¦a±Æ¦C-³Q¤@Óµó¹D¬µ¼u¯d¤Uªº
fest¡C
There. / ¦b¨º¸Ì¡C
Jay caught the blood-streaked blonde hair connected to the head of a man
casually heading for the doors. He reached behind the small of his back
with fluid and automatic motion, pulling the compact Sig Sauer .45 from
its holster and shifting into a sniper's two-handed Weaver stance, targeting
right down onto the man's back. / ³¾®·®»¤F¦å- ¥[±ø¯¾³Q³s±µ¨ìªº¥Õ¦âÀY¾vÀY°¸µM¦a¥hªùªº¤@Ó¨k¤H¡C ¥L¥H²GÅé©M¦Û°Ê¾÷±ñ¦b¥LªºI³¡¤pªÌ«á±¨ì¹F¹B°Ê,
©Ôºò´êªº Sig Sauer ¡C45 ±q¥¦ªº¥Ö®M¦Ó¥B§ïÅܶi¤Jª®À»¤â¤Gªº¶Ç»¼Â´¥¬ªÌºA«×¤§¤º¡A¥¿½T¦aºË·Ç¦b¨k¤HªºI±¤§¤WåP¸¨¡C
Then the man suddenly ducked down, weaving past a fleeing group of party
girls, and was past the bouncers, out the doors, into the night and gone.
Jay snapped up the Sig with a low growl of frustration, then reholstered
it and leaped over the railing. He landed offside of the bar and near
the doors, another crowd of patrons jumping back from his tumbling landing
in screaming surprise. Jay jumped to his feet and ran outside just as
an ambulance skidded to the curb with four patrol cars and a firetruck
simultaneously arriving from all directions. Two of the cops he personally
knew. "What the hell, Jay?" he heard one of them call out. /
µM«á¨k¤H¬ðµM¨S¤J¤ô¤¤¤U¨Ó,¹L¥hªº°k¨«¤@¸sÄÒ¤k«Ä, ¦Ó¥B¬O¶V¹L§j¤ûªÌªºÂ´°Ê,¥X¦Ûªù, ¶i¤J©]±ß¤§¤º¦Ó¥B¥h¡C §â¦³¤@Ó®À§éªº§C§pÁnªº Sig ·m¥ý§Ë¨ì¤âªº³¾,
µM«á¦A¥Ö®M¥¦¦Ó¥B¸õ¹L§ß¤â¡C ¥Lµn³°¤F°s§aªº¶V½u©M¦bªùªºªþªñ,±q¥L¦b¦y¥s¤è±¶^¸¨µn³°·N¥~¦V«á¦a¸õÅDªºÃÙ§U¤Hªº¥t¸s²³¡C ¥¿¦p¤@½ø±ÏÅ@¨®¹ï©M¥|½ø¨µÅÞ¨T¨®©M¤@Ó®ø¨¾¨®ªº§í¨î¦P®É¦a«b¨®±q©Ò¦³ªº¤è¦V¨ì¹F¡A³¾¥~±¸õ¨ì¥Lªº¸}¦Ó¥B¶]¡C
¥L¿Ë¦Û¦aª¾¹DªºÄµ©x¤¤ªº¤GÓ¡C " ¤°»ò¦aº»,³¾"? ¥LÅ¥¨ì¥L̪º¨ä¤¤¤§¤@¤j¥s¡C
"Did you catch a man heading out wearing a black trenchcoat?"
Jay shouted back. "About six-four Caucasian blonde, and he's covered
in blood so you can't possibly miss him!" / " §A®·®»¤@Ó¨k¤H¥Xµo¬ïµÛ¶Â¦âªº
trenchcoat ¶Ü "? ³¾¦V«á¦a©I³Û¡C "¤j¬ù¤» - ¥|Ó°ª¥[¯Á¤Hª÷¾vºÑ²´ªº¤k¤H,¦Ó¥B¥L¦b¦å³Q²[»\¡A¦p¦¹§A¤£¥i¯à·Q©À¥L"!
Marcetti was the first up to the doors, a muscle-stacked North Beach Italian
and five-year veteran herding the EMTs in. "Shit, Jay, did you peg
him already?" she asked. / Marcetti ¬O¨ºº¥ýª½¨ìªù,¤@§ô¦Ù¦×-°ï¿n»E¶° EMTs ¶i¤Jªº®üÅy¥_³¡¸q¤j§Q¤H©M¤¦~ªº°h¥îx¤H¡C
"ÁT¡A³¾,§A¤w¸g°v¤ìÝÏ¥L¶Ü"? ¦o°Ý¡C
"I wish I had. Somebody inside chopped up Kelley and I caught this
guy with blood all over his head going out the door just now." As
he spoke his eyes were scanning the rooftops around the block. The neighborhood
was still mid-twentieth century old, and most of the buildings still had
their iron fire escapes. If he's smart he'll be up there, Jay thought,
and started to move across the street to the nearest one, as the description
of his quarry was being radioed out to the law at large."...suspect
is a male Caucasian blonde approximately six-four with..." / "§ÚÄ@§Ú¦³¡C
¤º³¡ªº¤H¬å¸H³ÍµÜ¡A¦Ó¥B§Ú¨ì³B¥Î¦å®·®»³o¤@ӳåëèè¥X¥hªùªº¥LÀY¡C"·í¥L»¡¤F¥Lªº²´·ú¥¿¦b°Ï¬qªº©P³ò±½´y«Î³»¡C ¾Fªñ¦a°Ï¤´µM¬O¤¤¶¡ªº-¤G¤Qªº¥@¬ö¤§¤[,¦Ó¥B¤j³¡¥÷ªº«Ø¿vª«¤´µM¦³¤F¥L̪ºÅK¤Ó¥ªù¡C
¦pªG¥L¦³Áo©úªº¥L±N¦b¨º¸Ì¬O¦V¤W, ³¾·Q, ¦Ó¥B¶}©l¾î¹L²¾°Ê¹ï¤@ӳ̪ñªºµó¹D, ¦]¬°¥Lªº±Ä¥Û³õªº´yz¥¿¦b³Q¦¬µ¾÷¥X¹ïªk«ß¦Û¥Ñ¦Û¦b¡C".¡C¡C¶ûºÃ¥Ç¤j¬ù¬O¨k©Êªº°ª¥[¯Áªºª÷¾vºÑ²´ªº¤k¤H¤»¥|¥Ñ©ó¡C¡C¡C"
"Hey, wait a minute," another cop hollered out behind him. "We're
going to need you for the report-!" / "¶Ù,µ¥Ô¤ÀÄÁ",¥t¤@Óĵ©x¦b¥L«á±¥s³Û¥X¡C
"§Ú̱Nn¬°³ø§i»Ýn§A-"!
"Get those people out," Jay shouted back to them, pointing back
to the people still in the club as he jogged across the street. Then unblocked
he sped up to a quick sprint, and not giving a damn if anybody saw the
unnatural cerebonic-charged move, he leaped high and caught the lower
half of the fire escape's stair, hauling himself up with practiced gymnastic
ease. As he did he caught the track, the dissipate and minuscule trace
of coppery scent, and just as quickly his eyes adjusted to the darkness,
the world spread out in a sharp detail of dusky colored shapes sliced
by moonlight silver and streetlamp light. Within seconds he was on the
roof, and the hunt was on. / " ¦b¥~ª§¨ú¨º¨Ç¤H ",³¾¦V«á¦a¹ï¥LÌ©I³Û, ¦bѼֳ¡¤¤¦V«á¦a¹ï¤H¤´µM«ü¥X·í¥LºC¶]¤§®É¶V¹Lµó¹D¡C
µM«á¤£ªý¶ë¤F¥L¥[³t¨ì¤@Ó§Öªºµu¶ZÂ÷Áɶ], ©M¤£´£¨Ñ¤@ÂI¦pªG¥ô¦ó¤H³£¨£¨ì¤F¤£¦ÛµMªº cerebonic «ü±±ªº²¾°Ê,¥L°ª«×¦a¸õÅD¦Ó¥B®·®»¤F¤ñ¸û§Cªº¤@¥b¤Ó¥ªùªº¤@¯Å,¦V¤W¥H½m²ßªºÅé¾Þ¦w¶h©ì¥L¦Û¤v¡C
´N¦p¥L°µªº , ¥L®·®»¤Fy¹D, ¨º¨Ï©M®ø´²§t»É®ð¨ýªº¯ó¼g¤p¦r²ª¸ñ,¦Ó¥B¥¿¦p«Ü§Ö¦a¥Lªº²´·ú¹ï¶Â·t½Õ¾ã,¥@¬É¦b¤@¥ó³Q¦³¤ë¥ú»È©Mµó¿O¥ú¤Á¦¨Á¡¤ùªº·L·t±m§Îª¬ªº¾U§Q²Ó¸`¤¤ªº¥~¶Ç§G¡C
¦b¬í¤º¥L¦b«Î³»¤W¡A¦Ó¥B°l®·¬O¶}ªº¡C
Inside, the EMTs managed to wrestle past the fifty-odd people left in
the club and up to the bar, where they left the stretcher at the foot
of the stage but packed in the medkit and cardio unit to the storeroom.
Before them they saw the three trying desperately to stop the hemorrhaging
from Kelley's worst wounds, and Key was already having to breathe for
her, holding her face tilted up, blowing hard into her lungs while Jun
counted the seconds for him in a tight and strained voice. They had never
seen so much blood out of a human being as what was splashed around the
room in bright arterial sprays. "Oh my God, Key," one of them
moaned as she ripped open the kit and tossed Mareccu the first of several
IV bags and tubing. Key gave her a look so tortured it later haunted her
for the rest of her tour that night, as he took their offered orotracheal
tube and ventilator bag. Within moments he had the tube placed down Kelleyis
trachea and began to pump air into her lungs. Her faltering blood pressure
was taken and noted. Her glazed pupils didn't respond to their flashed
penlight. The other EMT needled a second line into her other arm, to feed
plasma mixture into her drained body. New swabbing was packed over the
deep sever in her neck. More was taped over her arms. Then they were able
to cradle her up and walk out to the stretcher where her thin body was
laid out and belted down in a flattened and unresponding heap. She was
hustled out to the waiting ambulance, the clubis bouncers and police holding
the remaining crowd back. Key wordlessly jumped in with Kelley, a policeman
nearby closed the vanis back doors, and they sped off into the night,
cutting through the packed traffic with weaving skill. A crowd had gathered
at the club's doors, held back by the police line, and already the yellow
crime scene tape was being pulled out and wrapped around the trees and
streetlights in a wide perimeter around the sidewalk. / ¤º³¡, EMTs ³]ªkºL¨¤¹L¥h¨º¤¤Q-
³Q¯d¦bѼֳ¡ªº©_¼Æ¤H©M¨M©w©ó¥L̦b¶¥¬q¤U¤èÂ÷¶}¤F¾á¬[¦ý¬O¦b medkit ©M cardio ³æ¦ì¤¤À½¶i¨ìÀxÂëǪº°s§a¡C ¥H«e¥LÌ¥L̨£¨ì¨º¤T¹Á¸Õ±j¯P¦a±q³ÍµÜ³ÌÃaªº³Ð¶Ë°±¤î¨ºÓ¥X¦å,
¦Ó¥BÆ_°Í¤w¸g¬O¥²¶·¬°¦o©I§l, ´¤¦í¦oªºÁy¶É±×¦b,¤W±Ãøªº§j»s¶i¤J¦oªºªÍ¤§¤º·í¤»¤ë¦b¤@ºØºòªº©Mºò±iªºÁnµ¤¤¬°¥Lpºâ¤F¬íªº®ÉÔ¡C ¥Ḻq¥¼±q¤@Ó¤HÃþ³o»ò¨£¨ì«Ü¦hªº¦å·í°µ¤°»ò¦b©ú«Gªº°Ê¯ß¤ôªáªº©Ð¶¡©P³ò³QÂqÀã¡C
" ®@§Úªº¤W«Ò,½Õµ", ·í¦o¼¹¶}ªº®ÉÔ¡A¥L̪º¨ä¤¤¤§¤@©D§u¥´¶}°t®M¦Ó¥B§ëÂY¤F Mareccu ¤@¨Ç 4Ó³U¤l©M¸ËºÞªº²Ä¤@Ó¡C
Æ_°Íµ¹¤©¤F¦o¯«±¡¦p¦¹µy«á«þ°Ý¥¦¨º©]±ß¬°¦oªº®È¹C¨ä¾lªÌ±`¨ì¤F¦o,·í¥L±a¤F¥L̪º´£¨Ñ orotracheal ºÞ©M³q·¾÷³U¤l¤§®É¡C ¦b¤ù¨è¤º¥L©ñ¸mºÞ¤U¨Ó
Kelleyis ®ðºÞ¦Ó¥B¶}©l¥Î®Aµ©©â¤ôªÅ®ð¶i¦oªºªÍ¤§¤º¡C ¦oªºÂÚ¶\¦åÀ£³Q±a¦Ó¥Bª`·N¡C ¦oªº¹³¬Á¼þªº¾Ç¥Í¨S¦³¦^À³¥L̪º°{²{µ§§Î¹qµ©¡C ¥t¤@Ó
EMT ¶i¤J¦oªº¨ä¥L¤âÁu¤§¤º¥Î°wÁ_¤@±ø²Ä¤G±ø¦æ, ¶i¤J¦o¤§¤ºÁý¦å¼ß²V¦X±Æ¥X·¾¥~¨Åé¡C ·sªº«ø©Ù¦b²`³B¤§¤W³Q¥]¸Ë¦b¦oªº²ä¤l¤¤¤ÁÂ_¡C §ó¦h¦b¦oªº¤âÁu¤§¤W³Q¿ýµ¡C
µM«á¥L̯à°÷¦V¤W©ñ¦b·nÄx¤º¦o¦Ó¥B¨ì¦oªº½G¨Åé³Q®i¶}ªº¾á¬[¨«¥X©M§ô±aªº¦V¤U¦b¤@±N¤£¦^À³ÅÜ¥¦Ó¥B°ï¡C ¦o³Q¶ÃÀ½¬¡°Ê¥X¨ìԸɱÏÅ@¨®,clubis
§j¤ûªÌ©M§«Ãª³Ñ¾lªº¸s²³Äµ¹î¡C ¨HÀq¦a½Õµ¸õÅD¦b©M³ÍµÜ¡A¤@¦ìĵ¹î¦bªþªñÃö³¬¤F vanis «áªù¡A¦Ó¥B¥L̶i¤J©]±ß¤§¤º¨«¶}¥[³t,©M´°Ê§Þ³N´î§C¹L³Q¥]¸Ëªº¥æ³q¡C
¸s²³¤w¸g¦bѼֳ¡ªºªù»E¶°, ³Qĵ¹î§í¨î±Æ¦¨¤@¦æ,¦Ó¥B¤w¸g¶À¦âªº¥Ç¸o²{³õ¿ýµ±a¥¿¦b³Q©Ô¥X¨Ã¥B¦b¤H¦æ¹Dªþªñªº¼e©Pªø¤¤ªº¾ð©M¸ô¿Oªº©P³ò¥]¸Ë¡C
Mareccu slowly moved out the doors and into the chilly ocean air, looking
out as the ambulance sped away, its lightbars cutting the night in brilliant
slashes of red and amber. A white KRON news van had already pulled up
to the club with its mini-satellite dish up. A cameraman pushed the snout
of his video recorder at Mareccu's head as a reporter shouted some question
before him. Mareccu grabbed the lens of the camcorder and shoved him back
with a low and dangerous growl, before a cop on the scene wisely pushed
the news crew back. Lightbulbs were popping. Police were shouting. In
the middle of it all Mareccu's hardwiring sent a sudden surge of white
hot fire straight into his chest, and every ounce of his combat predilection
spiked with it. Somebody out there had cut an innocent woman to shreds,
and what made it worse was that she was a friend. / ºCºC¦a¾E¥Xªùªº Mareccu ¦Ó¥B¶i¤J´H§Nªº¤j®üªÅ®ð¤§¤º¡A¤p¤ß¦p±ÏÅ@¨®¥[³tÂ÷¶},¥¦ªº¦b¬õ¦â©Mµ[¬Ä¦âªºÀéÄê±×½u¤¤¤Á©]±ßªº
lightbars¡C ¤@½ø¥Õ¦âªº KRON ·s»D³f¨®¦³¤w¸g©Þ¥X¨ì¦³¥¦ªº°g§A- ¤H³y½Ã¬P½L¤lªºÑ¼Ö³¡¼W¥[¡C ·í¤@¦ì°OªÌ©I³Û¤F¦b¥L«eªº¤@¨Ç°ÝÃDªº®ÉÔ¡A·Ó¬Û®v¦b
Mareccu's ªºÀY±À°Ê¥Lªº¿ý¼v¾÷ªº»ó¤f³¡¡C Mareccu ¥H¤@Ó§Cªº©M¦MÀIªº§pÁn§ì¨ú¤F¤â´£Äá¼v¾÷ªº³zÃè¦Ó¥B§â¥L±ÀÀ½¦^¨Ó,¦b²{³õ¤Wªº¤@Óĵ©xÁo©ú¦a±À°Ê¤F·s»D²ÕûI±¤§«e¡C
Lightbulbs ¥¿¦b¨ú¥X¡C ĵ¹î¥¿¦b©I³Û¡C ¦b¥¦ªº¤¤¥¡¤¤©Ò¦³ªº Mareccu's ªº hardwiring ¶i¤J¥Lªº¯Ý¤§¤º§âª½½u°eµ¹¤F¥Õ¦â¼öªº¤õ¬ðµM´é²{¡A¦Ó¥B¨C¯s¥qªº¥L¾Ô°«¶Ý¦n¥H¥¦¥H¤j°v°v¨c¡C
¥~±ªº¤H¨º¸Ì¤w¸g¤Á³Î¤@ÓµL¸oªº¤k¤H¼¹¸H, ©M¤°»ò¨Ï¥¦§óÁV¬O¦o¬OªB¤Í¡C
Jun wrapped her arms around him, her shoulders quivering in withheld grief,
and he could only stand there, staring out over the crowds and the lights,
his eyes glittering in shock and despair and black high-raving rage. "Not
again," he moaned aloud. "Oh not again..." / ¦b¥L©P³ò³Q¥]¸Ë¦oªº¤âÁu¤»¤ë,
¦oªºªÓŸ§Ý¦b¦©¯d¤F¶Ëµh,¦Ó¥B¥L¥u¥i¥H¦b¨º¸Ì¯¸,¦b¸s²³©M¥ú¤§¤Wª`µø¥X,¥Lªº¦bÅåÀ~©Mµ´±æ©M¶Â¦âªº°ª«×- J»¡ªº¼««ã¤è±ÀéÄꪺ²´·ú¡C "
¦A¤@¦¸¤£n ",¥L¤jÁn¦a©D§u¡C " ®@¤£¦A¤@¦¸¡C¡C¡C"
From the rooftop Jay could hear the ambulance take off, its siren fading
off into the noise of traffic. Somewhere up ahead the assailant was hiding
in the shadows. Jay knew it because he had seen the man jump from the
first building's roof down to the lower one next door, a ten-foot leap
across and down. Jay took it like a simple bunnyhop. He could still smell
the tang of blood all over him. He could feel the man's alarm at being
followed like a predator feels its prey's fear. He was close. / ±q«Î³»³¾¥i¥HÅ¥¨ì±ÏÅ@¨®°_¸,¥¦ªº¶i¤J¥æ³qªº¾¸µ¤§¤º¨«¶}®É©|ªº¤k®ü§¯¡C
¬Y³B¦b¦V«e¦a§ðÀ»ªÌ¤W±¥¿¦bÂæb¼v¹³¤¤¡C ¦]¬°¥L¤w¸g¨£¨ì¨Ó¦Û²Ä¤@´É«Ø¿vª«ªº«Î³»¨k¤H¸õÅDåP¸¨¨ì¤@Ó¤ñ¸û§Cªº¹j¾À¡A©Ò¥H³¾ª¾¹D¥¦,¤@¤Q-¸}¾î¹L©M¤U¨Ó¸õÅD¡C
³¾¹³Â²³æªº bunnyhop ¤@¼Ë±a¤F¥¦¡C ¥L¥i¥H¤´µM¨ì³B»D¦åªº±j¯P¨ý¹D¥L¡C ¥L¥i¥H¦b³Q¸òÀH¤@Ó±°¹ÜªÌ·Pı¥¦ªºÂyª«®£Äߪº¦PÃþ·Pı¨k¤HªºÄµ³ø¡C
¥L¬O±µªñªº¡C
Then just like that, the assailant was gone. / µM«á¶È¶È³ßÅw¨º,§ðÀ»ªÌ¤£¨£¤F¡C
A police helicopter hovered around and close, pointing its spotlight down
at the rooftop, flooding it in brilliant white light brighter than the
sun. Jay waved them around. The pilot directed the craft down, shining
the lamp around every inch of the roof and the several around it. The
man, if he was even there, was long gone. Jay felt his whipcorded nerves
snap with alarm and frustration. How the hell the guy could just disappear
was beyond him. He had seen the man jump across- unless heid misjudged
the expanse and had landed in a wet splat on the alley below, there was
no way he could have gotten out from under the web of police in the area.
There was no way he could have gotten free from a G-Forcer's trackdown.
It just wasn't possible. / ¤@¬[³Q½L±ÛªºÄµ¹îª½ª@¾÷¦b¦Ó¥B±µªñ¦a¡A«ü¥X¥¦ªºµJÂI¦b«Î³»åP¸¨©P³ò, ¬x¤ô¥ÆÀÝ¥¦¦bÀéÄꪺ¥Õ¦â»´¤ñ¤Ó¶§©ú«Gªº¡C
³¾¦bªþªñ´§»R¥LÌ¡C ¸¦æû§â¸¾÷«ü¥Ü¤U¨Ó,¦b¥¦©P³ò¦b«Î³»©M¤@¨ÇªÌªº¨C¦T©P³ò°{Ã{¿O¡C ¨k¤H,¦pªG¥L¬O¥©Zªº¨º¸Ì,¤[¤£¨£¤F¡C ³¾·Pı¥Lªº whipcorded
¥Îĵ³ø©M®À§é¹ª°_«i®ð¤jÁn¥w½|¡C ¦p¦ó¦aº»³Ã¥ë¥i¥H¶È¶È®ø¥¢¬O¶W¹L¥L¡C ¥L¤w¸g¾î¹L¨£¨ì¨k¤H¸õÅD- °£«D³Q§PÂ_¿ù»~¼eÁ諸°Ï°ì¨Ã¥B¤w¸g¦b¤U±°¸¨¦b¤p¸ô¤Wªº¤@ÓÀ㪺´ÈI¤¤¶¡Áa¥ßªºªø±ø¤ìªOªº
heid, ¨S¦³³QÂ÷¶}ªº¥L¥i¯à¨S¦³ªº¤èªk±q¦bĵ¹îªººô¤§¤U¦b°Ï°ì¤¤¡C ¨S¦³³Q±q a G- Forcer's ªº trackdown Â\²æ§ô¿£ªº¥L¥i¯à¨S¦³ªº¤èªk¡C
¥¦¶È¶È¬O¤£¥i¯àªº¡C
Jay backtracked to the roof's edge and leaned down. The helicopter cruised
overhead, and for a long moment its lamp shined down the alleyway as it
passed over. There was nothing there but trash, blowing in a petite cyclone
of whirling paper and old drink cups under the jetwash of the craft's
blades. / ³¾ªð¦^¨ì«Î³»ªºÃä½t¦Ó¥Bʾa¤U¨Ó¡C ª½ª@¾÷¦b°ª³B¨µ¯è¡A¦Ó¥B¹ï©ó¥¦ªº¿O¨Ï¤U¨Óµo«G¤p«Ñªºªø¤ù¨è·í¥¦©¿²¤¡C ¦b¨º¸Ì¨S¦³ªF¦è¡A¦ý¬O©U§£
, ¨Ï¯È±ÛÂ઺¼b¤pÁü·ªº§j»s©Mªº¶¼®Æ¦b¸¾÷ªº¤M¾W jetwash ¤§¤U¸m©óªM¤º¡C
Nothing else. / µL¨ä¥L¨Æ¡C
They found Key sitting hunched over in the trauma unit's waiting room,
staring vacantly down at the floor. Somebody had given him a clean shirt,
but his jeans still bore the darkening stains of Kelley's blood all over
his thighs and knees. The other people in the ward gave him very wide
berth. The only person who sat close by was David Anderson, whoid immediately
flown in from Crescent Coral Island. / ¥L̵o²{¡A¦b¥~¶Ë³æ¦ì¤¤³Qµ²§ôÅs¸y¾mIªºÃöÁä®y¦ì¦w±Æ¬OÔ¨®«Ç,ªÅ¦aª`µø¦b¦aªOåP¸¨¡C
¬Y¤H¤w¸gµ¹¥L¤@¥ó°®²bªºÅ¨m¡A¦ý¬O¥Lªº¤û¥J¿Ç¤´µM¨ì³B·ÐÂZ³ÍµÜªº¦å§Ë·t¦Ã¬V¥Lªº¤j»L©M½¥¡C ¨ä¥L¤H¦b¦u½Ã¤¤µ¹¤©¤F¥L«D±`¼eªº°±ªy³B¡C °ß¤@ªº¤H¦bªþªñ§¤¬O¤j½Ã¦w¼w»¹¡A
whoid ¥ß¨è¸¦b±q·s¤ë§Îªº¬À·ä®q¡C
"Dave," Mareccu began, and was cut short by the security chiefis
low-held hand. He slowly rose from where he was sitting and led them out
into the hall, letting the door slowly slide shut behind them. Key didn't
move or acknowledge any of them. / " ¤j½Ã ", Mareccu ¶}©l, ¦Ó¥B³Q³Q®³µÛ¤âªº¦w¥þ
chiefis §C¤¤Â_¤F¡C ¥LºCºC¦a¤W¤É±q¥L§¤µÛ¦Ó¥B¶i¤JªùÆU¤§¤º¤Þ¾É¥X¥LÌþ¸Ì,ºCºC¦aÅýªù¦b¥LÌ«á±³QÃö¤Wªº¤Û¿O¤ù¡C Æ_°Í¨S¦³²¾°Ê©ÎªÌ©Ó»{¥L̤§¤¤ªº¥ô¦ó¤@Ó¡C
"She's still in surgery," David said softly, removing his glasses
with a tired sigh and wiping them clean. "Her left jugular artery
was nearly cut through, and she'd have died right there if she hadn't
been found as fast as she was." / " ¦o¤´µM¬O¦b¥~¬ì¤â³N¤¤ ",¤j½Ã¬X©M¦a»¡,
¥Î¤@Án¯h²Öªº¼Û®§°£¥h¥Lªº²´Ãè¦Ó¥BÀ¿«ø¥LÌ°®²bªº¡C "¹³¦o¬O¤@¼Ëªº§Ö³t¦a°²¦p¦o¤£³Qµo²{¡A¦oªº¥ªÃä«|³ïªº°Ê¯ß´X¥G³Q¤Á³Î¹L¡A¦Ó¥B¦o¦³¤w¸g´N¦b¨º¸Ì¦º".
"Who found her?" Jun asked, her voice audibly shaking. "Did
they see who did it?" / " ½Öµo²{¦o"? ¤»¤ë°Ý, ¦oªºÁnµ¥iÅ¥¨£¦a·n°Ê¡C "
¥L̨£¨ì½Ö¥¦"?
David shook his head. "It was your bartender, Jackson, but he swore
there was no one else in the room, something that can't be possible given
the number of slashes on her. According to the surgeon on duty she'd have
bled to death in a matter of seconds from the look and severity of them-"
/ ¤j½Ã·nÀY¡C " ¥¦¬O§Aªº°s«O¡A³Ç§J´Ë¡A¦ý¬O¥L©G½|¨S¦³¤@§Oªº¦b©Ð¶¡¡A¤£¥i¯à¬O¥i¯àªºµ¹¦b¦o¤Wªº±×½u¼Æ¦rªº¬Y¨Æ¤¤¡C ¨Ì·Ó¥~¬ìÂå¥ÍȶԦo¦³¦b¨Ó¦Û¯«±¡©M¥L̪ºÄY«¤j¬ù¼Æ¬í¤º¤w¸g¬y¦å¦º¤F-"
"Slashes?" Mareccu asked in disbelief. / " ±×½u "? Mareccu
¦b¤£«H¥õ¤¤°Ý¡C
"Almost every one," David replied. "She was cut sixteen
times. Most are on her arms, two on her face; it looks as though sheid
tried to fight him off. Nonetheless, whoever did this took his time, so
it wasn't a simple robbery attempt." / " ´X¥G¨C¤@ ",¤j½ÃµªÂСC "¦o³Q¤Á³Î¤Q¤»¦¸¡C
¤j³¡¤À¦b¦oªº¤âÁu¤W, ¤G¦b¦oªºÁy¤W; ¦n¹³ sheid ¸ÕµÛ¨«¶}¹ï§Ü¥L¡A¥¦¬Ý°_¨Ó¡C µM¦Ó, ¥ô¦ó¤H°µ³o±q®e¤£¢,¦]¦¹¥¦¤£¬O¤@ºØ²³æªº·m¹Ü¹Á¸Õ¡C"
Mareccu looked back at Key. He still hadn't moved, nor had his empty expression
changed. "You have our people at Coral Ops and Virginia on this,"
he stated to David, more an order than a question. / Mareccu ¦^¬ÝÆ_°Í¡C ¥L¤´µM¨S¦³²¾°Ê,¥Lªº³Q§ïÅܪºªÅªí¹F¤]¨S¦³¡C
" §A¦b³o¤Wªº¬À·ä Ops ©Mºû¦N¥§¨È¦³§Ú̪º¥Á±Ú ",¥L¹ï¤j½Ã³¯z, §ó¦h¶W¹L¤@Ó°ÝÃDªº¤@Ó¦¸§Ç¡C
"Yes, and I want you to work with them, Jun. Work with Jay on a profile
of the assailant." David turned his head and looked at Key. "Key...just
isn't capable of helping you at this time." Then he turned away,
and reentered the waiting room. They watched in silence as he sat back
down next to Key, and patiently waited beside the squad's corpsman. /
"¬Oªº¡A¦Ó¥B§Ú·Qn§A»P¥L̦X§@ ,¤»¤ë¡C »P¦b§ðÀ»ªÌªº´yø¤Wªº³¾¦X§@¡C"¤j½ÃÂà¦V¤F¥LªºÀY¦Ó¥B¬ÝÆ_°Í¡C "½Õµ¡C¡C¡C¦b³o¦¸À°§U§A¶È¶È¤£¬O¦³¯à¤Oªº¡C"µM«á¥LÂà¦VÂ÷¶},
¦Ó¥B¦A¶i¤J¤FÔ¨®«Ç¡C ·í¥LµM«á³S¤â®ÇÆ[ªº®ÉÔ¡A¥L̦b¨HÀq¤è±¬ÝåP¸¨½Õµ, ¦Ó¥B§Ô@¦a¦b¤p¶¤ªº³°xÂåÅ@§L®ÇÃäµ¥Ô¡C
"I had him, Marc," Jay said lowly, and Mareccu could read the
bitter frustration in his second's voice. "I had him in my sights..."
/ "§Ú¦³¤F¥L,°¨¥i",³¾¦ì¸m§C¤Uªº»¡¡A¦Ó¥B Mareccu ¥i¥HŪ¥Lªº¬íÁnµªºµhW®À§é¡C "§Ú¦b§Úªºµø¤O¤¤¦³¥L¡C¡C¡C"
"But who?" Jun cried softly. "And why?" / " ¦ý¬O½Ö"?
¤»¤ë¬X©M¦aú¡C " ¦Ó¥B¬°¤°»ò"?
"There hasn't been any similar assaults like that around the Bay
Area that I know of," Mareccu said. "Nothing on the news, anyway."
/ "¨º¸Ì¨S¦³¬O¥ô¦óªº¬Û¦ü¹³¦b§Úª¾¹Dªº®üÆW°Ï°ìªº©P³ò " ªº§ðÀ»,Mareccu »¡¡C "¦b·s»D¤Wªº¨S¨Æ,µL½×¦p¦ó".
"And this is something that would get at least a day's run on CNN,"
Jun spoke hollowly. "Somehow I don't think we're dealing with a garden
variety psycho." / " ¦Ó¥B³o¬O±N·|¦Ü¤Ö±o¨ì¦b CNN ¤Wªº¤Ñ©b¶]ªº¬Y¨Æ ",¤»¤ë¥W³´¦a»¡¡C
" ¤£ª¾¦ó¬G§Ú¤£»{¬°§ÚÌ¥¿¦b³B²z¤@Óªá¶é¦h¼Ë©Êºë¯«¯f±w " ¡C
"Something else to think about, Juney," Jay said. "That
with the exception of her hair and height-" / " §OªºªF¦è·Q,Juney",³¾»¡¡C
" ¨º°£¤F¦oªºÀY¾v©M°ª«×-"
"Kelley looks just like you," Mareccu finished, understanding
the full implication Jay had begun. / " ³ÍµÜ¬Ý°_¨Ó´N¹³§A¤@¼Ë ",Mareccu
§¹¦¨,¤F¸Ñ§¹¥þªº§t·N³¾¤w¸g¶}©l¡C
"I don't know how they could get this close to us!" Jun whispered
in exclamation. "We'd know it if they did-!" She was met by
Jay's sharp look of exception, and Mareccuis much darker expression of
concurring anger. / " §Ú¤£ª¾¹D¥LÌ¥i¥H¦p¦ó§â³oÓµ²§ôµ¹§ÚÌ "! ¤»¤ë¦bÅå©I¤¤¦Õ»y¡C "¦pªG¥LÌ°µ¡A§Ú̱N·|ª¾¹D¥¦-"!
¦o³Q³¾ªº¨Ò¥~¾U§Q¯«±¡ , ©M Mareccuis ¨£±¤F·N¨£¬Û¦P©Á«ãªº«D±`¶Â·tªí¹F¡C
"A hitter," Mareccu growled. / " ¤@Ó¥´À»¤â ",Mareccu «ã§p¡C
Two hours later, nobody noticed Key slowly getting up and moving past
to the doors of the trauma center, to take the elevator up the flight
to intensive care. As the elevator doors parted, one of the staff on duty
pointed him out to the resident, who hurried over to stop him. But Key
drifted past like the doctor was a ghost out of time and memory, waving
off like forgotten or ignored dreams on waking. Kelley's comatose body
was being moved from the surgical gurney to the primary care unit's bed
by three attendants, a respirator down her throat and life support patched
and wired to her bared chest, IV's and tubing feeding fluid and blood
and carrying the waste away. Her skin was as white as paste glue, her
hair covered by a cotton cap. Her neck was plastered over with a thick
layer of gauze. Her arms were covered with glowing red fresh suturing.
Her beautiful face was crisscrossed with stitches. With almost robotic
motion Key checked over all of the life support functions and read the
readouts on the monitor over her head, watching her life illuminated by
the slow peak and valley of colored lines over the black background of
the image; her temperature, her intake of oxygen, her brainwave pattern,
her slow and tired heartbeat, the diastolic beat of her frail pulse. /
¤G¤p®É¤§«á¡A¨S¦³¤Hª`·NÆ_°ÍºCºC¦a°_§É¦Ó¥B²¾°Ê¹L¥h¨ì¥~¶Ë¤¤¤ßªºªù, µÛ¤â¶i¦æ¹q±è¹ï¥[Å@ªvÀøªº¸¦æ¡C ¦p³Q¤À¶}ªº¹q±èªù¡A¾û¤§¤@ȶԦV©~¥Á«ü¥X¥L,©~¥Áµ²§ô¶Ê«Pªý¤î¥L¡C
¦ý¬OÆ_°Íº}¬y¤FÂå¥Í¬O±q®É¶¡©M°O¾Ð¤@Ó°ªº¹L¥h¦PÃþ,¦b³Q¤@¥s¿ô§Ñ°O©Î©¿²¤¹Úªº¦PÃþ¥~´§»R¡C ³ÍµÜªº©üºÎ¨Å饿¦b³Q±q¥~¬ìªº gurney ²¾¨ìªì´Áªº·Ó®Æ³æ¦ì¬O¤T¦ìÀH±qªº§É,
¤@Ó¤f¸n¤U¨Ó¦oªº«|³ï©M³Q¸Éºó¨Ã¥B¥H½u¥[±jªº¹ï¦o¨Ï¨ª»r¯Ý¡A IV's ©M¸ËºÞ¹}¾i²GÅé©M¦å¦Ó¥B±a¨«¼oª«ªº¥Í¬¡¤ä«ù¡C ¦oªº¥Ö½§¬O¹³¼ß½k½¦¤@¼Ëªº¥Õ¦â,¦oªº³Q¤@³»´ÖªáµLÃä´U²[»\ªºÀY¾v¡C
µ²§ô©MÁ¡¯½ªº«p¼h¦oªº²ä¤lÄê¾K¦pªd¡C ¦oªº¤âÁu³Ì·s¦a§Gº¡¥Õ¼öªº¬õ¦âÁ_¦X¡C ¦oªº¬üÄRÁy»P¤@°w¤@°_¹º¤Q¦r¡C »P´X¥G¾÷¾¹¤Hªº´£Ä³Æ_°Í¦b©Ò¦³ªº¥Í¬¡¤§¤WÀˬd¤ä«ù¥\¯à¨Ã¥BŪ¤F¦b¦oªºÀY¤WºÊµø¾¹¤Wªº¸ê®Æ¸ÑªR,¬Ý¦oªº³Q¦b¼v¹³ªº¶Â¦âI´º¤WªººC¤s³»©M±m½uªº¤s¨¦·Ó©úªº¥Í¬¡;
¦oªº·Å«×¡A¦oªº®ñÄá¨ú¡A¦oªº¸£ªi¨å«¬, ¦o´îºC©M¯h²Öªº¤ß¸õ,¦oªº¯Ü®z¯ß»Kªº¤ßŦµÎ±i¥´¡C
The doctor waited by the curtain of the unit, where he normally would
take the hands of the next of kin to lead them away and explain the severity
or the hopefulness of the patient's condition; where he would normally
field the often angry questions of the why and how and the pained, unknown
when; where he would try valiantly to console and ease and cheer. But
not this time, because he knew the young man standing in front of that
girlis ruthlessly attacked body and knew his background; knew that the
man understood she was in fully critical condition and would be for a
very, very long time. Nor did the doctor move to try and pull him away,
when he knelt down beside the bed and took her hand, held it tight, and
his low moaning grief echoed across the room. / Âå¥ÍÂǵ۳æ¦ìªº±bµ¥Ô,¦b¥L³q±`±N·|±a¿Ë±ªº¤U¤@Óªº¤â±a»â¥LÌÂ÷¶}¦Ó¥B¸ÑÄÀÄY«©Î¯f¤Hªº±¡ªp¦³§Æ±æªº¦a¤è;
¥L±N·|³q±`µªÂШº®É±`¥Í®ð°ÝÃDþ¸Ì¨º¬°¤°»ò¥H¤Î¦p¦ó©MµhªÌ , ¥¼ª¾ªÌ·í; ¦b¥L±N·|^«i¦a¸ÕµÛ¦w¼¢¦Ó¥B½w©M¦Ó¥B¹ª»Rªº¦a¤è¡C ¦ý¬O¤£³o¦¸¡A¦]¬°¥L»{Ãѯ¸¥ßªº¦~»´¨k¤H¦b¨º¤§«e
girlis µL±¡¦a§ðÀ»¤F¨Åé¦Ó¥Bª¾¹D¥LªºI´º; ª¾¹D³Q¤F¸Ñ¦oªº¨k¤H¬O¦b§¹¥þ±¡ªp¦M«æ¤¤¦Ó¥B±N·|¬O¦b¤@«D±`«D±`ªøªº®É¶¡¤§¤¤¡C Âå¥Í¤]¨S¦³±Ä¨ú¦æ°Ê¨Ó¸Õ¦Ó¥B©Ô¥LÂ÷¶},
·í¥L knelt ¦b§É®ÇÃäåP¸¨¦Ó¥B±a¤F¦oªº¤â,ºòºò¦a®³µÛ¤F¥¦¡A¦Ó¥B¥Lªº©D§u¶Ëµhªº§CÂIÀHÁnªþ©M¶V¹L©Ð¶¡¡C
On the roof where he had hidden out earlier, Riley sat with his back against
a long broken air conditioning unit and his booted feet crossed over the
ledge, aimlessly folding the label of his half drained beer bottle into
a paper airplane and setting it to fly over the edge. It fluttered down
like a crippled bird and landed in a rain puddle next to the tire of a
police investigation van parked at the door of the Shiratori. / ¦b¥L¤w¸gÂõۥXªº«Î³»¤W¤ñ¸û¦ªº,»P¹ï§Ü¤@ÓªøªºÃa±¼ªÅ½Õ³æ¦ì©M¥Lªº¬ï¹u¸}¥LªºI³¡¤@°_§¤ªº¿à§Q¸ó¶V©¥¬[,¨S¦³¥Ø¼Ð§éÅ|¥Lªº¤@¥b¼ÐÅұƥX·¾¥~°à°s²~¤l¶i¤@ӯȸ¾÷©MI´º¤§¤º¥¦¸¹LÃä½t¡C
¥¦ÄƤU³ßÅw¤@°¦³Q·l¶Ëªº³¾¦Ó¥B°¸¨¦bºò¾Fĵ¹î½Õ¬d³f¨®ªº½üL«B¤ô¦À¦b Shiratori ªºªù°±¨®¡C
Stupid stupid stupid the voice in his chest berated. / ·MÄøªº·MÄø·MÄøªº¥L³QÄY³dªº¯ÝÁnµ¡C
"Oh, shaddup," Riley snorted. "They'll be back." He
giggled harshly, and in the low operatic boom of an actor in a dramatic
detective show he said, "They always come back to the scene of the
crime!" He threw back his head with wild cackling laughter. Not the
girl, though, he thought merrily. She won't be back for a looooong time.
/ "®@,shaddup",¿à§Q¼QµÛ®ð§ËÅT»ó¤l¡C " ¥ḺN¦^¨Ó " ¡C ¥LÄY¼F¦a¦Y¦Y¦a¯º¡A¦Ó¥B¦b¥L»¡ªº¤@³õÀ¸¼@©Êªº°»±´ªíºtªººtû§Cºq¼@Ácºa¤¤¡A
" ¥LÌÁ`¬O¦^¨ì¥Ç¸oªº²{³õ "! ¥L¥H¯î³¥«£«£¦a¥s¯ºÂY¦^¥LªºÀY¡C ¤£¬O¤k«Ä,ÁöµM¡A¥L´r§Ö¦a·Q¡C ¦]¬° looooong
©w®É¡A¦o±N¤£¦^¨Ó¡C
Doesn't matter I will see to the girl / ¤£¦³«¤jÃö«Y§Ú±N³B²z¤k«Ä
The voice crooned. The voice sang. The voice reiterated the changes to
the plan of the task at hand and the girl's place in it all. Riley listened,
and as he did he felt its reach leaving and stretching out, and could
almost see the dance of the mind that was now taking place somewhere in
town, in some lonely hospital ward, somewhere where even the longest syringe
couldn't pierce. Riley listened, and when it finished he relaxed and kicked
back with a happy chuckle and a mental tip of the hat to the powers that
be. He couldn't wait to meet her. He was sure the others under him on
the food chain couldn't wait to meet her either. / Ánµ§CÁnºq°Û¡C Ánµ°Û¡C Ánµ«ÂЪí¥Ü¤F¹ï¤u§@ªºp¹º§ïÅܦb¤âÃä©M¤k«Äªº¦a¤è¦b¥¦¸Ì±©Ò¦³ªº¡C
¿à§QÅ¥,¦Ó¥B·í¥L°µ¤F¥L·Pı¥¦ªº½d³òÂ÷¶}¦Ó¥B¦ù®i¥X, ¦Ó¥B¥i¥H´X¥G¨£¨ì²{¦b¥¿¦bµo¥Í¦b«°Âí¤¤ªº¬Y³B¤ß¸õ»R,¦b¤@¨Ç©t³æªºÂå°|¦u½Ã¤¤¡A¬Y³B¬Æ¦Ü³Ìªøªºª`®g¾¹µLªk¦bþ¸Ì¨ë¬ï¡C
¿à§QÅ¥¡A¦Ó¥B·í¥¦§¹¦¨ªº®ÉÔ¥L©M´U¤lªº§Ö¼Ö¦Y¦Yªº¯ºÁn©M¤ß´¼³»ºÝ¹ïÅv¤O©ñÃP¦Ó¥B¬ðµM«á°h¬O¡C ¥Lµ¥¤£¤În¹J¨£¦o¡C ¥L½T©w¦b¹ª«Ãì¤Wªº¦b¥L¤U±ªº¨ä¾lªÌµ¥¤£¤În¤]¹J¨£¦o¡C
It was good to have a friend. / ¦³¤@¦ìªB¤Í¬O¦nªº¡C
TO BE CONTINUED / ¬OÄ~Äòªº
Disclaimer and Author¡¦s Rant: This is a work of Gatchaman/Battle of the
Planets fan fiction. / ³d¥ô³W½dÁn©ú©M§@®aªº²Ê¨¥: ³o¬O¦æ¬Pªº¤@Ó Gatchaman/ ¾Ôª§ªº¤u§@¨g¼öªÌ¤p»¡¡C
Characters copyright Gatchaman: Tatsunoko Productions; Battle of the Planets:
Sandy Frank Productions. / өʪ©Åv Gatchaman: Tatsunoko »s³y; ¦æ¬Pªº¾Ôª§: ®á}ªkÄõ§J»s³y¡C
Fan fiction c Katharine Foust-Martin, editing by Wendy Dinsmore. Please
do not reproduce or transfer electronically without the permission of
the author, thanks. WARNING: Contains scenes of adult situations and extremely
graphic violence. / ݵ¤p»¡ c ³ÍÂĵY Foust-°¨¤B,Âǵ۷Ÿ¦ Dinsmore ½s¿è¡C ½Ð¤£n¦A¥Í©ÎªÌ¨S¦³§@®aªº³\¥i¹q¤l¦aÂಾ,ÁÂÁ¡C
ĵ§i: ¥]§t¦¨¤H±¡§Î©M«D±`¹Ï¸Ñªº¼É¤O²{³õ¡C
INVADER / «I²¤ªÌ
Part Two / ³¡¥÷¤G
Alternative Gatchaman/BotP Universe Fanfiction (c) Tatsunoko Prod.; Sandy
Frank Productions / ´À¥N¿ï¾Ü Gatchaman/ BotP ¦t©z Fanfiction(c) Tatsunoko ¨ë°w¡C;
®á}ªkÄõ§J»s³y
Fan Fiction (c) by Katharine Foust-Martin January 1996; rev. December
2001 / ݵ³ÍÂĵY Foust- °¨¤Bªº 1996 ¦~¤@¤ëªº¤p»¡ (c); ¨Ï¥[³t°jÂà¡C 2001 ¦~¤Q¤G¤ë
His urgent voice cut through her sleep like a surgeon¡¦s scalpel. / ¥Lªººò«æÁnµ´î§C¹L
, ¦oªººÎ¯v³ßÅw¥~¬ìÂå¥Íªº¤p¤M¡C
"-Up, c¡¦mon honey wake up-" / "-¦V¤W¡A c'mon ¸Á»e¿ô¨Ó-"
Allyson Glenn snapped awake, nearly jumping out of her skin under his
arms. Rob was over her, she heard the engine of his truck running somewhere
close, and through the bedroom window she could see the glow of the Dodge¡¦s
roof-mounted running lights glowing right at the front porch. He had parked
that monster right on the lawn. He was three days early from his tenure
on Crescent Coral Island and he was leaning right over her, pulling her
up, and the situation then suddenly snapped in her head like a tripped
bear trap. "What happened?" / ³Q«rÂ_ªº Allyson ®æ¦C³ê¿ô,´X¥G¸õÅDÂ÷¦b¥Lªº¤âÁu¤U±ªº¦o¥Ö½§¡C
·m¹Ü¬O¦b¦o¤§¤W¡A¦o³QÅ¥¨ì¥Lªº¬Y³B±µªñ¦a¶]ªº¥d¨®¤ÞÀº¡A¦Ó¥B¸g¹Lª×«Çµ¡¤á¦o¥i¥H¨£¨ì¨ª¼ö¨º¦b«e±ªºªù´YÁ׶}«Î³»®i¶}ªº¯è¦æ¿O¥Õ¼öªºÅv§Q¡C ¥L¤w¸g°±¨®¦b¯ó¦a¤Wªº¨º¤@өǪ«Åv§Q¡C
¥L¦b·s¤ë§Îªº¬À·ä®q¤W±q¥Lªº¥ô´Á°_¦¬O¤T¤Ñ¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¥¿¦b¦o¤§¤W¥¿½T¦a¶É±×,§â¦o©Ô°_¨Ó ,¦Ó¥B±¡§ÎµM«á¬ðµM¦b¦oªº¹³¤@Ó³Q¶^˪ººµ°é®MªºÀY¤¤«rÂ_¡C
" ¤°»òµo¥Í"?
"There¡¦s trouble," he said shortly, his face hard set with that
military determination he always had when disaster was imminent, when
the enemy was near and his squad was up to head the defensive charge.
"You¡¦ve got to pack fast, babe. Just clothes for you and Sara; everything
else you¡¦ll need is in my quarters on the Island. Hurry!" / "
¦³³Â·Ð ",¥L¤£¤[»¡, ¥LªºÁy§V¤O¦a³]©w¥Ñ©ó¨ºx¨Æ¨M¤ß·í¼Ä¤H¬Oªñªº¡A¦Ó¥B¥Lªº¤p¶¤¬O¦V¤W«e¶i¨¾¿mªº¶O¥Î®ÉÔ·í¨aº×§Y±Nµo¥Íªº®ÉÔ¡A¥LÁ`¬O¦³¡C
"§A¥²¶·§Ö³t¦a¥]¸Ë,¤p«Ä¡C ¬°§A©M²ïYªº¥¿ª½¦çªA; §A±N»Ýnªº¨ä¥L¨C¥ó¨Æª«¦b®q¤W¬O¦b§Úªº¥|¤À¤§¤@¤¤¡C ¶Ê«P!"
Her face paled as she slid off the bed, and with her hands trembling so
violently she could barely pull her big flight bag from the closet shelf,
she started throwing clothes in. Rob had disappeared, but she could hear
him trying to rouse Sara in the next room. Allyson finished and carried
the bag into Sara¡¦s room, where Rob had given up on waking Sara and instead
slid his arms under the petite body of his stepdaughter, and carried her
with her blanket into the living room of the sparse military base house.
Only recently she had been so hard to rouse, where before she would have
perkily bounced right out of bed at his urging to crash head-long into
whatever adventure was on the horizon. Before, she was as bouncy as your
average six-year-old but with all the worldly wisdom of a girl three times
her age. Before, she greeted the world at large with a smile and a cocky
aplomb to the perils inherent to it. Before Gallactor kidnapped her and
her mother. / ·í¦o¨«¶}·Æ°Ê§Éªº®ÉÔ¡A¦oªºÁyÅÜ»a¥Õ, ©M¥Ñ©ó¦oªº¤âµo§Ý¦p¦¹²r¯P¦oµLªk©Ô¨Ó¦Û¯µ±Kªº¬[¦o¤j¯èªÅ®È¦æ³U,¦o¶}©l±N¦çªA¥á¶i¡C
·m¹Ü¦³®ø¥¢¡A¦ý¬O¦o¥i¥HÅ¥¨ì¥L¹Á¸Õ³ê¿ô¤U¤@өж¡ªº²ïY¡C Allyson §¹¦¨¦Ó¥B±a³U¤l¦b·m¹Ü¤w¸g¤@¥s¿ô²ïY©ñ±ó¦Ó¥B§ï¬°·Æ°Ê¤F¦b¥LªºÄ~¤k¼b¤p¨Åé¤U±ªº¥L¤âÁuªº²ïY©Ð¶¡,
¦Ó¥B¶i¤Jµ}²¨ªºx¨Æ°ò¦a©Ð¤lªº«ÈÆU¤§¤º¥Î¦oªº¤ò´àÄâ±a¦o¡C ¥u¦³³Ìªñ¦o¤w¸g¬O¦p¦¹§xÃø³ê¿ô, ¦bþ¸Ì¦b¦o±N·|±o·N¬v¬v¦a¤w¸g¦b¥Lªº´°«P¥¿½T¦a±q§É¤Ï¼u¼Y·´ÀY¤§«e-
¤[¶i¤J¥ô¦óªº«_ÀI¤§¤º¬O§Y±N¡C ¥H«e¡A¦o¬O¹³§Aªº¥§¡ 6 ·³¤@¼Ëªº§Ö¬¡¦ý¬O¥Ñ©ó¤k«Äªº©Ò¦³¥@¶¡´¼¼z¤T¦¸¦oªº¦~ÄÖ¡C ¥H«e¡A¦oÅwªï¤F¹ï¹ï¹ï¥¦¬O©T¦³ªº¦MÀI¤@Ó·L¯º©M¤@Óź¶Æªº¨IµÛ·P¨ì¦Û¥Ñ¦Û¦bªº¥@¬É¡C
¦b Gallactor ¸j¬[¤F¦o©M¦oªº¥À¿Ë¤§«e¡C
Before Hontwalh. / ¦b Hontwalh ¤§«e¡C
And so he had left the enemy¡¦s installation crumbling under the swallowing
firestorm from the Whitefire missile launch, left it in a dying and mangled
conflagration under the power of his warship as it screamed high into
the heavens, draped in searing blood-crimson and gold flames. He wished
he could do it a hundred times more. / ¦Ó¥B¦]¦¹¥L³Q¦V¥ª¦³¨Ó¦Û Whitefire ¸¼uµo®gªº¦b§]¤jÃzµo¤U±ªº¼Ä¤H¦w¸Ë±Y¼ì,·í¥¦¶i¤J¤Ñ°ó¤§¤º°ª«×¦a¦y¥s¡A¦b¥LªºxÄ¥¤O¶q¤§¤U¦b¤@Ó««¦ºªº¦Ó¥B¶Ã¤Á¤j¤õ¨a¤¤¯d¤U¥¦,©ÜµÛ¯NµJ¦å-²`¬õ¦â©Mª÷¦âªº¤õµK¡C
¥LÄ@¥L¥i¥H°µ¥¦¦Ê¦¸§ó¦h¡C
He set Sara down on the beat-up sofa, where she curled under her blanket
and dropped off again. Allyson came up behind with her flight bag and
PowerBook, dressed in jeans but with his old Oakland A¡¦s baseball jersey
still on as a sleep-shirt, wrapped under the moniker of #32, Golden Glove
2032 pitcher Stan Eddington, God bless his soul. She began to dress her
daughter, who still wouldn¡¦t waken fully, either from the late 2300 hour
or the medications, Rob couldn¡¦t tell, and the hard-fired anger welled
up inside of him again. He stood guard over them as Allyson hurried, and
she noticed the service Colt .45 ACP tucked in a side-draw clip holster
on his belt. Behind him the escort that was waiting outside was not ordinary
military police but massively armed men in black combat gear and body
armor: Navy SEALS. Jay Randall¡¦s old alma matter was holding a tight perimeter
around the little house. The base house they had only recently been moved
into for added security, but even that wasn¡¦t good enough. Full-blown
terror leaped high into her chest with all the kick of a horse clearing
a fence. She wanted to ask again what had happened, but didn¡¦t dare over
Sara¡¦s presence; and besides, wasn¡¦t it obvious? All these years G-Force
had managed to keep their enemy at arm¡¦s length from their personal lives.
Now suddenly Gallactor was close. Dangerously close. / ¥L¦b¥´- ¦V¤Wªº¨Fµo¤W©ñ¤U²ïY,¦b¦o¦b¦oªº¤ò´à¤§¤U§Ë±²¦Ó¥B¦A¤@¦¸´î¤Öªº¦a¤è¡C
Allyson µo¥Í«á±¥H¦oªº¯èªÅ®È¦æ³U©M PowerBook, ¬ï¤û¥J¿Ç¦ý¬O©M¥LªºÂ¶ø§JÄõ¤@¥ó´Î²y¤ò´¹B°Êm¼@·Ó¦b¦pºÎ¯v¤§¤W- Ũm, ¦b¦W¦r¤§¤U¥]¸Ë
#32,ª÷ªº¤â®M 2032 §ë¤â´µ©Z Eddington,¤W«Ò¯¬ºÖ¥LªºÆF»î¡C ¦o¦A¤@¦¸¶}©l²±§©¥´§ê¦oªº¤k¨à , ¼@·Ó±N·|¤£³ê¿ô§¹¥þ , ¤]±q
2300 «á´Á¤p®É©ÎªÌÃĪ«ªvÀø , ·m¹Ü¥i¥H¤£§i¶D , ©MÃøªÌ - ÂI¿U©Á«ã´é¥X¥Lªº¤º³¡¡C ·í Allyson ¶Ê«P¡A¦Ó¥B¦oª`·NªA°È¤p°¨ªº®ÉÔ¡A¥LÅ@½Ã¥LÌ¡C45
ACP ¦bÃ䤤¥´¾îÁ·-¥§½×°Å¦b¥Lªº±a¤l¤Wªº¥Ö®M¡C ¦b¥L«á±¥¿¦b¥~±µ¥ÔªºÅ@°eªÌ°£¤F¶Â¦âªº¾Ô°«¤u¨ã©M¨Å鲯¥ÒªºÃe¤jªZ¸Ëªº¨k¤H¤§¥~¤£¬O¥±`ªº¾Ë§L:
®üx¦L³¹¡C ªº³¾Äõ¼wº¸»RÄ]¨Æ¥ó¥¿¦b¤p©Ð¤lªº©P³ò´¤¦íºòªº©Pªø¡C ´c¦Hªº©Ð¤l¥L̬°ªþ¥[ªº¦w¥þ¥u¦³³Ìªñ¦³³Q·h¶i¡A¦ý¬O¬Æ¦Ü¨º¤£¬O°÷¦nªº¡C ²±¶}ªº®£©Æ¶i¤J©M°¨²M±½ªº©Ò¦³½ð³òÀ𪺦o¯Ý¤§¤º°ª«×¦a¸õÅD¡C
¦o·Qn¦A¤@¦¸°Ý¤°»ò¤w¸gµo¥Í, ¦ý¬O¨S¦³¦b²ïYªº¥X²{¤§¤W´±; ¦Ó¥B¦¹¥~¡A¥¦¤£¬O©úÅ㪺¶Ü? ¾ã³o¨Ç¼Æ¦~ G-¤O¶q¤w¸g³]ªk§â¥L̪º¼Ä¤H¯d¦b¨Ó¦Û¥L̪ºÓ¤H¥Í©Rªº¤âÁuªø«×¡C
²{¦b¬ðµM Gallactor ¬Oµ²§ô¡C ¦MÀI¦aÃö¡C
The look on the G-Forcer helmsman¡¦s face confirmed it all. / ¦b G- Forcer
ªº²ë¤âÁy¤Wªº¯«±¡¥þ³¡½T»{¤F¥¦¡C
It was just two steps from the door to the cab of the truck; Rob had parked
it that close. Safely inside he backed out into the street with a hard
turf-grinding power turn, and the Seals fell in alongside in their trucks.
He drove hard and fast through the streets of the air station, holding
one arm over Allyson and Sara to keep them down out of sight. Right before
the truck blasted through the secondary gates and towards the hangars
of flight staging, he reached over and took Allyson¡¦s hand, and she could
see the deep alarmed fear firing through his eyes. / ¥¦¬O±qªù¨ì¥d¨®ªºpµ{¨®ªº¥u¦³¤GÓ¨BÆJ;
·m¹Ü¦³°±¨®¥¦¨º¤@Óµ²§ô¡C ¦w¥þ¦a¤º³¡ªº¥L¶i¤J©M¤@ÓÃøªº¬ã¿i¶Õ¤O½d³òªº¹q·½±ÛÂ઺µó¹D¤§¤º¥´°h°ó¹ª¡A¦Ó¥B¦L³¹¶^¸¨¦b¾aµÛ¦b¥L̪º¥d¨®¤è±¡C ¥L¨ÏÃøªº©M§Ö³tªº¸g¹LªÅ®ð¨®¯¸ªºµó¹D
, §â«ù¦b Allyson ©M²ïY¤Wªº¤@°¦¤âÁuµLªkµø¤O¡C ¥¿½T¦a¦b¥d¨®ºR´Ý¹L¤¤¯Åªºªù¡A¦Ó¥B¦VÁ|¦æªº¸¦æ¸¾÷®w¡A¥L¦ù¹L¤â¥h¦Ó¥B±a¤F Allyson's
ªº¤â¡A¦Ó¥B¦o¥i¥H¨£¨ì¸g¹L¥Lªº²´·ú³Q¨Ï®£Ä߶}¤õÅå·Wªº²`³B¤§«e¡C
"They tried a hit on Juney at the bar," he said in a tone so
horribly grave it sent cold pain shifting through Allyson¡¦s heart. She
was about to ask where he was taking them to when suddenly she could hear
it, the high whistling shriek of massive turbines cycling up and up until
the entire world was enveloped by that tremendous thundering howl. Even
through the cabin of the speeding truck she could feel its eldritch thrumming
vibration. "You¡¦ve got to stay on base until we find out which one
and how they got so close," Rob replied. He suddenly slammed his
hand against the steering wheel. "Find the bastard who leaked us
out-" / " ¥L̦b°s§a¹Á¸Õ¦b Juney ¤Wªº¤@Ó¸I¼² ", ¥L¦b¤@Ó©ú·t¤¤»¡¦p¦¹ªº¥i©ÈÀJ¥¦§â§ïÅܹL
Allyson's ªº¤ßµhW°eµ¹¤F´H§N¡C ¦o¥¿n°Ý¥L¥¿¦b±a¥L̪º¦a¤è¨ì·í¬ðµM¦o¥i¥HÅ¥¨ì¥¦ªº®ÉÔ, °ª«×§j¤fïÃe¤j´õ½üªº¦y¾UÅTÁnÃM¨®¦b¦Ó¥B¤W±´£°ªª½¨ì¾ãÓªº¥@¬É³Q¨ºÁn¥¨¤jªº¹p»ï§pÁn«H«Ê¤F¡C
¬Æ¦Ü¸g¹L¾r¨®¶W³t¥d¨®ªº¤p«Î¦o¥i¥H·Pı¥¦ªº¥i©È«ü¼u¾_°Ê¡C " §A¥²¶·°±¯d¦b°ò¦¤Wª½¨ì§Ú̵o²{þ¤@Ó¡A¦Ó¥B¥L̦p¦ó³o»ò±o¨ì±µªñ ",
·m¹ÜµªÂСC ¥L¬ðµM²rµMÃö¤W¤F¹ï§Ü¤è¦V½Lªº¥L¤â¡C " µo²{¨p¥Í¤l½Öº|¥X§ÚÌ-"
"Oh, no..." she moaned in despair. "Who-?" The blowing
turbine howl was now so close it drowned out everything, even the heavy
thud of her panicked heart. It awakened Sara, and she silently peered
out from under Allyson¡¦s arm with huge, frightened eyes. / "®@,¸¹½X¡C¡C"¦oµ´±æ¦a©D§u¡C
"½Ö-"? §j»s´õ½ü§pÁn¬O²{¦b¦p¦¹±µªñªº¥¦²T¦º¤F¥~±ªº¨C¥ó¨Æª«,¬Æ¦Ü¦oªº«¯yÀ»Án¨Ï¤ß®£·W¤F¡C ¥¦³ê¿ô¤F²ïY¡A¦Ó¥B¦oÀqÀq¦a¾®µø¥X±q¦b
Allyson's ªº¤âÁu¤§¤U¥Ñ©ó·¥¤jªº,ÅåÀ~¤F²´·ú¡C
"Bring them in up under the loaders." Mareccu¡¦s voice, filtering
through Rob¡¦s communicator band. / " ±a¥L̶i¨Ó¦b¸ü¤Jµ{¦¡¤§¤U¤W±". Mareccu's
ªºÁnµ,¹LÂo¬ï¶V·m¹Ü³q°T¾¹¼Ö¹Î¡C
"Copy," he called back, and swung the truck around the comer
of a huge hangar, killing all of its lights. Allyson craned her head up
from his lap, and gasped in sheer saucer-eyed alarm. / " °Æ¥» ",¥L¦^¹q
, ¦Ó¥B¦b·¥¤jªº¸¾÷®wªº¨Ó¤H©P³ò·nÂ\¥d¨®,±þ®`¥¦ªº¥þ³¡¿O¡C Allyson craned ¦oªºÀY¦V¤W±q¥Lªº½¥»\, ¦Ó¥B¦bµ´¹ïªº²´·ú¶ê¸CªºÄµ³ø¤¤³Ý®ð¡C
The Phoenix was resting on her massive landing gear nose-in to them, and
from the ground looking up the warship looked even bigger and more apocalyptic
than she had ever remembered it. The port wing was extended over the roof
of the hangar and nearly covered it entire; the wingspan itself seemed
to stretch out for years. The nose alone was bigger than the body of a
small passenger jet. The warship left half of the moon-lit surface of
the staging tarmac under smoking heat-rippling shadow. Her underbelly
was lit in spectral blue and crimson glow from the high yet tight-reined
shrieking burn of the VTOL vents, bathing the ground and the bodies of
everyone close enough to her heat in luminescent color as supernatural
as her name. She was being held at max and straining to be released into
her characteristic sudden vertical jump launch. / »ñ°Ä«°¥¿¦b°±¯d¦b¦oªºÃe¤j°_¸¨¬[¤W»ó¤l-
¦b¹ï¥LÌ, ¦Ó¥B±q¬dxÄ¥Åܱo¬Æ¦Ü¤j©M¤ñ¦o§ó±Ò¥Ü¿ýªº¦a±´¿¸g¤w¸g°O±o¥¦¡C ´ä¤f¯Í»H¹M¤Î¸¾÷®wªº«Î³»³Q©µ¦ù¨Ã¥B´X¥G²[»\¤F¥¦¾ãÓªº; Ál´T¥»¨¦ü¥G¦ù®i¥Xªø¹F¼Æ¦~¤§¤[¡C
»ó¤l¿W¦Û¦a¤ñ¤pªº¥Á¯è¾÷ªº¨Åé§ó¤j¡C ¦b©â·Ï¨Ï¼ö°_º§º¬ªº¼v¹³¤§¤U¥ªÃä¤@¥bÁ|¦æ¸¾÷¶]¹Dªº¤ë«Gµo«Gªí±ªºxÄ¥¡C ¦oªº¤U¸¡³¡ªººòºò¦a³Q¦b¨Ó¦Û°ª«×ªº¥úÃÐÂŦ⪺©M²`¬õ¦âªº¨ª¼ö¤è±¤´µMµo«G-¾r¶¿¦y¥s
VTOL ±Æ®ð¤fªº¿N¶Ë¡A¹ïµo§N¥úªºÃC¦â¦o¼ö¹³¦oªº¦W¦r¤@¼Ëªº¶W¦ÛµM¨N¯D°÷±µªñªº¦a±©M¨CÓ¤Hªº¨Åé¡C ¦o¥¿¦b³Ì¤j³Q®³µÛ¦Ó¥B³Ò²Ö¶i¤J¦oªº¯S©Ê¬ðµM¤§¤º³QÄÀ©ñ««ª½¸õÅDµo®g¡C
Rob brought the truck right up under the belly of the warship, sideways
between the forward landing struts and the lowering loading hatch. Suddenly
the truck¡¦s passenger door was opened and there was the commander, his
dark hair being ruffled by the blowing engine heat over the collar of
his jacket, pulling Allyson up and out, pointing her towards the loader¡¦s
ramp and herding her in with an urgent push. She looked back for her daughter
and saw her being carried over by Rob. Another soldier jumped behind the
wheel of his truck and peeled it back with tire-squealing speed. She was
steered up through the ship¡¦s bulkhead, inside the access connecting cargo
to the upper levels of the bridge, medibay, and lateral escapes to the
vehicle pods. The hatch closed with a fast hydraulic-purring snap and
the hiss of pressurized air. Mareccu Dumeneau pushed past her, headed
for the bridge, leaving her to be guided up by Rob who then planted her
and Sara down into separate seats and hurriedly strapped them down. /
·m¹Ü¦bxÄ¥ªº¸¡¤§¤U¥¿½T¦a¦V¤W±a¥d¨®,¦V³ÄÃä¦b¦V«eªºµn³°¤§¶¡°ªµøÁï¨B©M¨Ï¨õ¦Hªºt¸ü¹å¡C ¬ðµM¼«Èªù³Q¥´¶}¨Ã¥B¦³«ü´§©x¡A¥Lªº³Q§j»s¤ÞÀº§Ë¿¨¦b¥Lªº§¨§J¦ç»â¤Wªº¼ö¶Â·tªºÀY¾v¥d¨®ªº,
©Ô Allyson ¦V¤Wªº©M¥~±ªº, ¦V¸ü¤Jµ{¦¡ªº±×©Y«ü¥X¦o©M»E¶°¦o¦b¥Ñ©óºò«æªº±À°Ê¡C ¦o¹ï©ó¦oªº¤k¨à¦V«á¦a¬Ý¨Ã¥B¨£¨ì¤F¦o³QÄ~Äò³Q·m¹Ü¡C ¥t¤@Óx¤H¦b¥Lªº¥d¨®½ü¤l«á±¸õÅD¦Ó¥B¥Hµo¥X¦y¾Uªº¥sÁn½üLªº³t«×§â¥¦¥Ö¦^¨Ó¡C
¦o¦b§¹¦¨ªº²î¹j¾À¤W±³Q¤Þ¾É, ¦b³q¸ô¸Ì³sµ²³fª«¨ì¤W±¤ô·Çªº¹ï¨®½ø²ó ªº¾ô¡A medibay ©M°¼±ªº°k¤`¡C ¿µ¤f±µ¨ü¤@Án§Ö³tªº¤ô¤O- purring
ªº¤jÁn¥w½|©Mµ¹ªÅ®ð¼WÀ£ªº¼NÁn¡C Mareccu Dumeneau ±À°Ê¹L¥h¦oªº, ±a»â¬°¨º¾ô, Â÷¶}¦o¬O«ü¾É¦b³Q¤W±·m¹Ü½ÖµM«áºØ´Ó¤F¦V¤Uªº¶i¤J³æ¿Wªº®y¦ì¤§¤ºªº¦o©M²ïY©M¥^¦£¦a§â¥L̸i¸j¤U¨Ó¡C
As the helmsman dropped down into his seat before the controls Mareccu
opened up navigations and the link to flight control. "Alameda, we
are prime for launch, do you copy?" / ·í¦b±±¨î Mareccu ¥´³q¹ï¯èªÅºÞ¨îªº¯è¦æ©M³sµ²¤§«e
, ²ë¤â¶i¤J¥Lªº®y¦ì¤§¤º°§C¤U¨Ó¡C "´²¨B¹D¸ô,§Ú̹ïµo®g¬O¥Dnªº,§A½Æ¦L¶Ü"?
"Echo G-5 Actual, set for heading two-seven-nine west; you are clear.
Repeat, set for heading two-seven-nine west." / " ¦^Án G-5 ¯u¹êªº,¹ï©ó¤G¤C¤E¦è¤è¼ÐÃDªº²Õ;
§A¬O²M·¡ªº¡C «½Æ,¬°¤G¤C¤E¦è¤è¼ÐÃD³]©w¡C"
"Copy, flight, two-seven-nine west." Rob confirmed into his
set, adjusting the thin filament mike under his chin. "Locked on
path," he reported back, as Mareccu set the coordinates for their
trajectory and the ship¡¦s computer confirmed the lock on Crescent Coral
Island¡¦s flight control. "And initiating now." / "½Æ¦L,¸¦æ,¤G¤C¤E¦è¤è".
¶i¤J¥Lªº²Õ¤§¤º·m¹Ü½T»{,½Õ¾ã¦b¥Lªº¤U¤Ú¤U±ªº½G²Óµ·Ãi´k¡C " Âê©w¸ô®| ", ¥L¦V«á¦a³ø§i, ¦]¬° Mareccu ¬°¥L̪ºy¹D³]©w§¤¼Ð¡A¦Ó¥B²îªº¹q¸£½T»{¤F¦b·s¤ë§Îªº¬À·ä®qªº¯èªÅºÞ¨î¤WªºÂê¡C
" ¦Ó¥B²{¦b¶}©l".
Allyson felt a sudden bump with a lifting lurch, and then the oddly disquieting
sensation of floating as the tempo of the warship¡¦s engines changed and
hollowed down to a deep thrumming roar. On the forward scanner the entire
tarmac was suddenly swallowed in red engine fire, and the ship was turning,
drifting backwards and slowly revolving to starboard, pointing nose out
towards the empty expanse of the infield airstrips. She gripped the straps
of her seat¡¦s harness. She felt the tension of a rider on a roller coaster
about to crest the highest rise and scream straight down at astronomical
speed. The ship continued to rise straight up. The two men conversed softly
to each other, she heard Key¡¦s name mentioned, and Mareccu slowly and
sadly shook his head in answer to the query. Rob then turned and glanced
at her, and when she reached out for Sara she found both of her daughter¡¦s
outstretched and beseeching hands. Oh God, she hadn¡¦t been fooled. Doped
up or otherwise, the girl knew exactly what was going on. / Allyson ¥Î¤@ÓÁ|°_ºG±Ñ·Pı¬ðµMªº¼²À»,
µM«á¯B±±ªº©_§®¥O¤H¤£¦w·Pı·íxÄ¥ªº¤ÞÀº©ç¤l§ïÅܦӥB«õªÅ¤U¨Ó¨ì¤@Ó«ü¼u§qªº²`³B¡C ¦b¦V«eªº±½´y¾¹¤W¾ãÓªº¸¾÷¶]¹D¬ðµM¦b¬õ¦âªº¤ÞÀº¤õ¤¤³Q§]¡A¦Ó¥B²î¥¿¦bÂà,
¦V«áº}¬y©MºCºC°jÂà§â¯è¦VÂà¦V¥k¤è,¦V¯Ñ¦a¸¾÷¶]¹DªºªÅ¼eÁ諸°Ï°ì«ü¥X»ó¤l¡C ¦o§ìºò¤F¦oªº®y¦ì°¨¨ãªºÃ·¡C ¦o¥H¤Ñ¤å¾Çªº³t«×¨ì³B·Pı¤F¦b¤@Óºuµ©¹C¼Ö¨®¤WªºÃM¤hºò±i¨ì¹Fµ´³»³Ì°ªªº¼W¥[¦Ó¥B¦y¥sµ§ª½¦V¤U¡C
²îÄ~Äò¤W¤Éµ§ª½¦a¼W¥[¡C ¤G¦ì¨k¤H¬X©M¦a¹ï©¼¦¹¥æ½Í,¦oÅ¥¨ìÆ_°Íªº¦W¦r´£¨ì¡A¦Ó¥B Mareccu ºCºC¦a¦Ó¥B´d¶Ë¦a¦b¬d¸ßªºµª®×¤¤·nÀY¡C µM«á·m¹ÜÂà¦Ó¥Bª`µø¦o¡A¦Ó¥B·í¦o¨ì¹F¥X¬°²ïY¦oµo²{¦oªº¨âÓ¤k¨à¦ù¶}ªº¦Ó¥BÀµ¨D¤â¡C
®@¤W«Ò,¦o¨S¦³³Q·M§Ë¡C §l¬rªÌ¦b©ÎªÌ¤W±¨ä¥¦ªº,¤k«Ä§¹¥þª¾¹D¤°»ò¥¿¦bÄ~Äò¡C
Incredibly, Rob cracked a careless grin and winked at the girl. "Ready
for a sleigh ride, sweetie?" Sara smiled back a drugged grin in automatic
response. She was quivering like a tree in gale wind. Allyson wanted to
scream. -why can¡¦t they leave us alone!- / µLªk¸m«H¦a,¦b¤k«Ä·m¹Ü§Ë¸H²Ê¤ßªºÅS¾¦¯º¦Ó¥B¯w²´¡C "¬°¤@¦¸³·¼À¼§¤¹w³Æ,±¡¤H"?
²ïY¦V«á¦a·L¯º¦Û°Êªº¦^À³³Q¤UÃĪºÅS¾¦¯º¡C ¦o¥¿¦b¹³¨g··ªº¤@´Ê¾ðŸ§Ý¡C Allyson ·Qn¦y¥s¡C - ¬°¤°»ò¯à¤£¥ĻOºÞ§ÚÌ!-
And then she was smashed backwards into the seat¡¦s leather. / µM«á¦o³Q¶i¤J®y¦ìªº¥Ö²¤§¤º¦V«á¯»¸H¡C
The push came with the sudden pulse of power and thrust of takeoff, and
lasted long past the distance over the airfields. San Francisco and Oakland
was a kaleidoscope of lights sparkling underneath. The Golden Gate was
a thread of lights bowing and rising over blackness and their approach
towards it was so breathtakingly fast that her heart took another kicking
leap right into her throat. Then the helmsman sent the ship hard to starboard
and north, following the Mendocino coastline and out of commercial flight
paths. The push of the g-press into Allyson¡¦s chest slowly abated as the
ship slowly turned back to port and west. Then the whine of the warship¡¦s
engines slowly diminished into a low cruising thrum and the only other
sound in the bridge was of Rob¡¦s low conversation with his commander:
New Orleans-based Coast Guard notified his brother Seth? Yes. No radio
communications were taken or sent. The Phoenix was flying silent, and
continued until final approach to Crescent Coral Island. / ±À°Ê°_¸±a¤O¶qªº¬ðµM¯ß»K³Q´£¥X¦Ó¥B´¡¤J,
¦Ó¥B¶V¹L¦b¸¾÷³õ¤Wªº¶ZÂ÷¤[«ùÄò¡C ª÷¤s©M¶ø§JÄõ¬O¤@Ó¦b¤U±°{Ã{ªº¥ú¸Uªáµ©¡C ª÷ªºªù¬O¦V¥¦¦b¶Â©M¥L̪º¤è¦¡¤§¤WÁù°`¦Ó¥B¤É°_ªº¤@±ø¥úªº½u¬O¦p¦¹ªºÄà¤H¤ß¾z§Ö³t¥HP©ó¦oªº¤ß±a¤F¥t¥~½ð¸õÅDÅv§Q¶i¦oªº«|³ï¤§¤º¡C
µM«á²ë¤â°e¤F§xÃø§â¯è¦VÂà¦V¥k¤èªº²î©M¥_¤è, ¸òÀH Mendocino ®ü©¤½u©M±q°Ó·~¯è½u¡C g ªº±À°Ê- ·í²îºCºC¦a§é¦^²¾´Óªº®ÉÔ¡A¥Zª«ºCºC¦a¶i¤J
Allyson's ªº¯Ý¤§¤º½w©M©M¦è¤èªº¡C µM«áxÄ¥ªº¤ÞÀº©ê«èºCºC¦a¶i¤J¤@Ó¨µ¯è¾ôªºÂ´Ãä©M°ß¤@ªº¨ä¥LÁnµªº§CÂI¤§¤º´î¤Ö¬O©M¥Lªº«ü´§©x·m¹Ü§Cªº¥æ½Í:
¦ì©ó·s¶øº¸¨}ªº®ü©¤¦u½Ã³qª¾¤F¥Lªº¥S§Ì Seth? ¬Oªº¡C ¨S¦³¦¬µ¾÷·¾³q³Q±Ä¨ú©Î°e¡C »ñ°Ä«°¬O¸ªº¨HÀq, ¦Ó¥BÄ~Äò¨ì³Ì«áªº¹F¦¨¤è¦¡·s¤ë§Îªº¬À·ä®q¡C
Instead of diving into the ocean for a time-consuming dock in the base¡¦s
launch tube, the pair instead opted for a surface land on the island¡¦s
airfields. Rob sent the ship far past the island and out to sea before
turning back, and at the same time Mareccu configured a false-thermal
image signal loop that if caught by any of Gallactor¡¦s outposts- which
wasn¡¦t likely, but the commander wasn¡¦t going to take that chance- the
syndicate would think that the warship was en route north to Okinawa.
The helmsman veered the Phoenix back, and on the scanner Allyson caught
a bright green beacon light flashing out on the surface of the sea. It
wasn¡¦t until the ship suddenly braked in midair, sending her and Sara
forwards into their harnesses with a sudden but gentle push, that she
could see the moon-lit island straight ahead, its tower beacon activated
and slowly flashing like the guidelight on the back of a massive nuclear
aircraft carrier. Her ears popped painfully. Then the ship was hovering,
a seamless segue from forward flight into an easy elevator descent over
the airfields. She revolved nose to east, and settled with a blue firebrand
of engine heat and high turbine howl that slowly keyed down enough to
allow the ground crews to safely reach her underbelly. / ¥N´À¼ç¤ô¶i¤J¤j®ü¤§¤º¹ï©ó°ò¦ªºµo®gºÞªº¤@ӯӮɪº½XÀY¡AÂù§ï¬°¬°¦b®qªº¸¾÷³õ¤Wªºªí±¤g¦a¿ï¾Ü¡C
·m¹Ü°e¤F»·ªº¶V¹L®qªº²î¦Ó¥B¦b¥~¨ì®ü¬v¦b§é¦^¤§«e¡A¦Ó¥B¦P®É³Q°t¸m¤@Ó¿ù»~- ¼öªº¼v¹³ Mareccu ¶H¼xÀô¦pªG³Q Gallactor's ªº«e蠟¤¤ªº¥ô¦ó¤@Ó®·®»-
¤£¬O¦³¥i¯àªº,¦ý¬O«ü´§©x¤£±N§Q¥Î¨º¤@Ó¾÷·|- ¥ø·~Áp¦X±N·|»{¬°xÄ¥¦b³~¤¤¥_¤èªº¨ì¯[²y¡C ²ë¤â§ïÅܤè¦V¤F»ñ°Ä«°I±, ¦Ó¥B¦b±½´y¾¹ Allyson
¤W®·®»¤F¤@Ó¦b®ü¬vªºªí±¤Wªº°{²{©ú«Gªººñ¦â«H¸¹¥ú¡C ¥¦¤£ª½¨ì¬ðµM¦b¥bªÅ¤¤¤¤³Q·Ù¨®ªº²î,¬£»º¦o¦Ó¥B²ïY¶i¤J©M¬ðµM¦ý¬O·Å©Mªº±À°Ê¥L̪º°¨¨ã¤§¤ºÂà±H,¦o¥i¥H¦V«e¦aµ§ª½¦a¨£¨ì¤ë«Gµo«Gªº®q,
¥¦ªº¶ð«H¸¹¨ë¿E©MºCºC¦a¹³¦bÃe¤jªº®Ö¤l¯èªÅ¥ÀÄ¥ªºI±¤Wªº guidelight ªº°{Ã{¡C ¦oªº¦Õ¦·µhW¦a¨ú¥X¡C µM«á²î¥¿¦b½L±Û,±q¦V«eªº¸¦æ¨ì¦b¸¾÷³õ¤Wªº®e©ö¹q±è°¸¨ªº¤@ӤѦçµLÁ_ªºÄ~Äò¦p«e¡C
¦o¦Ò¼{¤F¨ìªF¤èªº»ó¤l, ¦Ó¥B¥H¥R¨¬Åý¤g¦aªº²Õû¦w¥þ¦a¨ì¹F¦oªº¤U¸¡³¡ªº¤@Ó¤ÞÀº¼ö©MºCºC¦aÁä¤J¤U¨Óªº°ª´õ½ü§pÁnªºÂŦâ¤õ§â¦w¹y¡C
At the helm, Rob pulled the communications set from his ears and tossed
it onto the console, then turned to unbuckle Sara from her seat. More
men had entered the ship and were in the bridge; somebody had already
stripped the harness from around Allyson and had her up by the arm. Rob
wordlessly carried Sara up and handed her off to one of them. Another
black-jacketed crewman was talking to the commander, holding a hand PC
and saying something about the new locations of the rest of his waiting
squad. They found something? Possibly. Dr. Anderson is waiting with Akihiro,
and Alameda is ready for the taglink to their tower control and submerged
dock. In her last glimpse of the commander she tried to find some clue
to the situation¡¦s severity and saw instead his hard gaze, dark and steady
on the speaking crewman- plus anger? Worry, hate? A mixture of all three?
Oh, God, it was real- and suddenly Allyson was in full panic. Behind him
Rob could hear her high sobs and pleas -oh no Robbie please no!- as she
was being herded to safety. His face tightened in sudden and bleak pain,
inhaling a long shuddering breath as the loading hatch closed behind her
with a hollow thud and hiss. / ¦b²ë, ·m¹Ü©Ô¤F±q¥Lªº¦Õ¦·³Q³]©w¦Ó¥B¦b±±¨îÂi¤§¤W§ëÂY¤F¥¦ªº·¾³q, µM«á·Ç³Æ¸Ñ¶}¨Ó¦Û¦oªº®y¦ì²ïY¡C
§ó¦hªº¨k¤H¤w¸g¶i¤J²î¨Ã¥B¬O¦b¾ô¤¤; ¬Y¤H¤w¸g°£¥h°¨¨ã¤F±q¦b Allyson ªº©P³ò¦Ó¥B¦V¤W³Q¤âÁu¦³¦o¡C ¨«¶}¦V¤W·m¹Ü¨HÀq³Q¹Bªº²ïY¨Ã¥B¶Ç»¼¦o¨ì¥L̪º¨ä¤¤¤§¤@¡C
¥t¥~¶Â¦â§¨§Jªº¾÷û¥¿¦b©M«ü´§©x»¡¸Ü,´¤¦í¤@Ó¤âÓ¤H¹q¸£¦Ó¥B»¡Ãö©ó¥LªºÔ¸É¤p¶¤ªº¨ä¾lªÌªº·s¦aÂIªº¬Y¨Æ¡C ¥L̵o²{¬Y¨Æ? ¥i¯à¦a¡C ¦w¼w»¹³Õ¤h¥¿¦b¥H
Akihiro µ¥Ô¡A¦Ó¥B´²¨B¹D¸ô¬°¨ì¥L̪º¶ð±±¨î©M¤ô¥±¤Uªº½XÀY taglink °µ¦n·Ç³Æ¡C «ü´§©x³Ì«á¦b¦o¸Ì±§ë¥H¤@¿h¦o¸ÕµÛ§ï¬°µo²{¹ï±¡§ÎªºÄY«©M¿÷¤lªº¤@¨Ç½u¯Á¦b»¡¾÷û¤Wªº¥LÃøª`µø¡A¶Â·t©M©wºA-¥[¸¹¿E«ã?
·Ð´o,¼¨«ë? ©Ò¦³ªº¤T²V¦X? ®@,¤W«Ò, ¥¦¬O¯u¥¿ªº-¦Ó¥B¬ðµM Allyson ¦b§¹¥þªº®£·W¤è±¡C ¦b¥L«á±·m¹Ü¥i¥HÅ¥¨ì¦oªº°ª°ãª_©MÀµ¨D -
ªí¥ÜÅå³Y¨S¦³ Robbie ¤£½Ð!- ·í¦o¥¿¦b¹ï¦w¥þ³Q»E¶°¡C ¥LªºÁy¦b¬ðµM©M¿½·æªºµhW¤¤°Çºò, §l¤Jªøªº¾Ô·X¦pt¸ü¿µ¤fªº©I§lÃö³¬¦b¦o«á±¥H¤@ӪŪº¯yÀ»Án©M¼NÁn¡C
Mareccu reached out and gripped his helmsman¡¦s shoulder. "We¡¦ve got
them," he lowly spoke. "They¡¦re safe now." / Mareccu ¨ì¹F¥X¨Ã¥B§ìºò¥Lªº²ë¤âªÓ¡C
" §Ṳ́w¸g±o¨ì¥LÌ ",¥L¦ì¸m§C¤Uªº»¡¡C " ¥L̲{¦b¬O¦w¥þªº " ¡C
For how long? / ¬°¦h¤[?
"Yeah," Rob rasped, his throat tight with anxiety and anger.
/ " ¬Oªº ", ·m¹Ü¥Î²Ê¾V¤M¾V,¹ïµJ¼{©M©Á«ã·P¨ìºòªº¥L«|³ï¡C
Then the all-clear flashed up on the console, and the helmsman¡¦s hands
shot out and took the controls as though driven by fire. His jump takeoff
from the airstrip was as sudden and violent as an airstrike, a high rifleshot
into the air before the ship was turned out and eastward. And from the
ground the uninitiate would swear that the helmsman had suddenly become
suicidal, when the nose of the warship abruptly angled to lateral and
down, the Phoenix faltering in midair and falling sideways, engines cutting
out. The ship made a graceful dying arc. Moonlight traced her wings. Then
just meters above the surface of the ocean the ship snapped back into
horizontal, and plunged down into the water in a vicious power-dive. Waves
boiled high in white-capped peaks in her wake. Then black churning water,
calming back to wind-swept ripples. / µM«á©Ò¦³ªÌ- ²M·¡¦a°{²{¦b¦b±±¨îÂi¤W¡A¦Ó¥B¦n¹³³Q¤õÅX¨Ï¡A²ë¤âªº¤â®gÀ»¥X¨Ã¥B±Ä¨ú±±¨î¤W±¡C
¨Ó¦Û¸¾÷¶]¹Dªº¥L¸õÅD°_¸¬O¦p¬ðµM©M¼É¤Oªº¦p¤@ÓªÅŧ, ¤@Ó°ªªº¨Bºj¯«ºj¤â¶i¤JªÅ®ð¤§¤º¦b²î³QÃö±¼¤§«e©MªF¤èªº¡C ¦Ó¥B±q¦a±¤£·s¤J·|ªÌ±N·|µo»}¬ðµM³Q¦³Åܱo¦Û±þªº²ë¤â,·íxÄ¥ªº»ó¤l¬ðµM¦a«ö¬Y¤@¨¤«×Âà°Ê¨ì°¼³¡¦Ó¥BåP¸¨ªº®ÉÔ,
ÂÚ¶\ªº¦b¥bªÅ¤¤¤¤ªº»ñ°Ä«°¦Ó¥B¸¨¤U¦V³ÄÃä,¾U§Qªº¦b¥~¤ÞÀº¡C ²î»s³y¤F¤@ÓÀu¬üªº««¦º©·¡C ¤ë¥ú°lÂܤF¦oªº¯Í»H¡C µM«á¶È¶È¦b²î«rÂ_ªð¦^¤ô¥½u, ¦Ó¥B¶i¤J¤ô¤§¤ºË¤U¤U¨Óªº¤j®üªí±¤W±¥Hp¶q¾¹p¶q¦b¤@¨¸´cªºÁ½ÄÆJ°¡C
ªi®ö¦b¦oªº¦u©]¥Õ¦â¥[´U©óªº®pÅq¤¤°ª«×¦aµNªm¡C µM«á¶Â¦âªºÅͨŤô, ¦V«á¦a¥ÀR¨ì·²M±½ªºº§ªi¡C
The warship cruised silently back, following the beacon of NAS Alameda,
deviating from her course only once to tip a breath off horizontal to
avoid the massive superstructure of the Golden Gate¡¦s submerged support
pylons. Far in the middle of the bay, the ship made no sound, and the
only testimony of her passing was under the belly of a sleeping midnight
sailor, who was startled awake by his sailboat¡¦s sudden rocking in a mysterious
wave wake. He peered over the side of his vessel, even going so far as
to shine a lighted scope into the murky water. He could¡¦ve swore that
a whale had just passed underneath him. / ÀqÀq«á±ªº³Q¨µ¯èªºxÄ¥,¸òÀH NAS ´²¨B¹D¸ôªº«H¸¹,
²æÂ÷¦oªº½Òµ{°ß¤@ªº¤@¦¸¦b¤ô¥½u¥~´£¥Ü©I§lÁקKª÷ªºªù¤ô¥±¤Uªº¤ä«ù¶ðªùªºÃe¤j¤W³¡ºc³y¡C »»»·¦a¦b®üÆWªº¤¤¥¡¤¤¡A²î¨S»s³yÁnµ¡A¦Ó¥B¦oªº³q¹L°ß¤@ÃÒ¨¥¬O¦bºÎµÛªº¤È©]¸¡¤§¤U¤ô¤â,³Q¤@Ó¯«¯µªºªi®ö¦u©]ªº¥L¦|²îªº¬ðµM·nÂ\¾_Åå¿ôªº¡C
¥L¹M¤Î¥Lªº²îÃä¾®µø,¬Æ¦Ü¬Æ¦Ü¨Ï¤@Ó³QÂI¿Uªº½d³òµo«G¶iÂK·tªº¤ô¤§¤º¡C ¥L could've ©G½|¤F¤@°¦ÄH¦b¥Lªº¤U±èè¤~³q¹L¡C
Inside the intensive care unit, Kelley Takahashi was kicking and screaming
in pure unrestrained insanity. / ¦b¥[Å@¯f©Ð¸Ì¡A³ÍµÜ Takahashi ¥¿¦b¯Âºéªº¨S¦³§í¨îªººÆ¨g¤è±½ð©M¦y¥s¡C
"Dammit, hold her!" the resident shouted. Three nurses and an
intern were already leaning on her bucking body. And at her head, gripping
her left wrist out and pressed against the bed¡¦s railing, Key Akihiro
was trying desperately to talk to her. He was pleading to her to stop,
his English finally stammering into Japanese as he tried to get through
to her. She screamed back, gibberish at first but mixing into curses and
despondent wailing, and Key blackly thought that whoever had left the
stainless steel tray with the polished-reflective surface within her reach
was going to get both of his or her arms broken. In several spots. / "¸Ó¦º,®»¦í¦o"!
©~¥Á©I³Û¡C ¤T¦ìÅ@¤h©M¤@Ó¹ê²ß¥Í¤w¸g¥¿¦bʾa¦o¹x±j¤Ï§Ü¨Åé¡C ¦Ó¥B¦b¦oªºÀY,¦b¥~§ìºò¦oªº¥ªÃä¤âµÃ¦Ó¥B¹ï§Ü§Éªº§ß¤âÀ£,ÃöÁ䪺 Akihiro
¥¿¦b±j¯P¦a¹Á¸Õ©M¦o»¡¸Ü¡C ¹ï¦o¥L¬O¶DÄ@ªº°±¤î, ³Ì«á¶i¤J¤é¥»¤H¤§¤º¤f¦Yªº¥L^¤å·í¥L¸ÕµÛ¹ï¦o±o¨ì¹L¤§®É¡C ¦o¦V«á¦a¦y¥s, ¶Ã»y°_¥ý¦ý¬O²V¦X¶i¤J¶A©G©M³à®ðªº´d¹Ä¤§¤º¡A¦Ó¥BÆ_°Í¶Â¦â¦a·Q¥ô¦ó¤H³Q¦³¯d¤U¤£ù׿û½L¤l¥Ñ©ó¦oªº½d³ò¸Ì±ªºÀ¿«G-
¤Ï®gªºªí±±Nn³Q¥´¯}ªº¥L©Î¦oªº¤âÁu±o¨ì¨âªÌ¡C ¦b¤@¨Ç¦aÂI¤¤¡C
"Key, hold her arm down," the resident ordered, trying to get
in close with the syringe without being kicked. Key was supremely shocked;
he¡¦d never seen her this strong before, nor had he expected her to fight
like this. Her eyes were spitting fire, bloodshot and glazed in shock.
And what the hell- he caught something else pass over her features, like
a ripple of muscle and tendon under her butchered skin, and something
red had just snapped through her eyes. They were focused on Key. Focused
and aiming-! / " Æ_°Í,§â¦oªº¤âÁu¤ä¼µ¤U¨Ó ",©~¥Á©R¥O, ¹Á¸Õ¨S¦³³Q½ð¶i¤J¦³ª`®g¾¹ªºµ²§ô¡C Æ_°Í¦Ü°ª¦a³Q¾_°Ê;
¥L¥H«e±q¥¼¨£¨ì¦o³o±jªº, ¥L¤]¨S´Á±æ¦o¹³³o¤@¼Ë¹ï§Ü¡C ¦oªº²´·ú¥¿¦b³è¦R¤õ, ¥R¦åªº¦Ó¥B¦bÅåÀ~¤¤¥ú·Æ¡C ¦Ó¥B¤°»ò¦aº»-¥L®·®»¤F¦b¦oªº¯S¼x¤Wªº§OªF¦è³~®|,
¹³¦b¦oªº butchered ¥Ö½§¤U±ªº¤@°}¦Ù¦×©M¸xªºº§ªi, ©M¬Y¨Æ¬õ¦âèè¤~«rÂ_¹L¦oªº²´·ú¡C ¥Ļ⫤߶°¤¤¦bÆ_°Í¡C ¶°¤¤¦Ó¥B¹ï·Ç¥Ø¼Ð-!
"Watch it-!" somebody warned. / "¬Ý¥¦-"! ¬Y¤Hĵ§i¡C
Suddenly Kelley¡¦s right hand shot out with viper speed and clamped around
Key¡¦s neck. His breath cut in surprised shock- he hadn¡¦t even seen her
coming. His windpipe was being crushed under her grip. Desperately wheezing
for air he felt his legs turn numb and collapse, and with a high startled
zing! his whipcorded nerves snapped and burned in his head. He had both
hands up around his neck, trying to pry her loose, but he couldn¡¦t get
his fingers underneath to break her vicegrip hold. His lungs were instantly
on fire. People were shouting. The resident planted a hand on her shoulder
to get the needle in on its mark. And Kelley was growling- / ¬ðµM³ÍµÜªº¥k¤â¦bÆ_°Íªº²ä¤l©P³ò¥H¬r³D®gÀ»¥X³t«×¦Ó¥B§¨ºò¡C
¥Lªº©I§l´¡¤J·P¨ìÅå³YªºÅåÀ~-¥L¤w¸g³Q¤£¬Æ¦Ü½Õ¬d¦o¨ÓÁ{¡C ¥Lªº®ðºÞ¥¿¦b¦oªººò´¤¤§¤U³Q¯»¸H¡C ±j¯P¦a¹ï©óªÅ®ð³Ý®§¥L·Pı¥Lªº»L±ÛÂà³Â¤ìªº¦Ó¥B±Y¼ì,
¦Ó¥B»P¤@Ó°ª«×¾_Åå¤F¤l¼uÁn! ¥Lªº whipcorded ¯«¸g¦b¥LªºÀY¤¤«rÂ_¦Ó¥B¿U¿N¡C ¥L¦b¥Lªº²ä¤l©P³ò¦V¤W¦³¨âªÌªº¤â, ¹Á¸Õ¥´Å¥¦oªº¸Ñ©ñ,¦ý¬O¥LµLªk±o¨ì¦b¤U±ªº¥L¤â«ü¥´¯}¦oªº
vicegrip §â´¤¡C ¥LªºªÍ¥ß§Y¦a¦b¤õ¤W¡C ¤HÌ¥¿¦b©I³Û¡C ©~¥ÁºØ´Ó¤F¦b¦oªºªÓ¤W¤@°¦¤â¦b¥¦ªº¼Ð»x¤W¦¬¶°°w¡C ¦Ó¥B³ÍµÜ¥¿¦b«ã§p-
The resident jammed the needle into her arm and pushed down the plunger.
Her reaction was instant and total: her eyes rolled up into her head and
her body fell back with a heavy flop. Her hand went slack and dropped
to her side, and Key collapsed, gasping for breath. Vertigo swam over
him, and then somebody else was there, pulling him up and into the hall.
Dave, he thought fuzzily. Hey, Dave ... I¡¦ve had about all I can take.
Dave, I wanna go home. Dave... He looked up, vision blurred and spotty,
blinking dazedly. It was Rob. Rob was taking him to an outside verandah.
Cold saltwater air flushed his face and the next-door building¡¦s roof
lights stabbed into his eyes. He was trembling, sobbing for air. He couldn't
believe Kelley had just tried to choke him...no that wasn¡¦t Kelley, that
was somebody else. That was something else. His girl had just tried to
kill him. His whipcorded nerves jittered up and down his limbs, his head
buzzing and spinning. / ©~¥ÁÀ½°w¶i¦oªº¤âÁu¤§¤º¦Ó¥B±À°Ê¤U¨Ó¸õ¶iªº¤H¡C ¦oªº¤ÏÀ³¬O¥ß§Y©MÁ`¼Æ: ¶i¤J¦oªºÀY©M¦oªº¨Å餧¤º³Q±²°_ªº¦o²´·ú¥H«ªº¯yµM¸¨¤UºM°h¡C
¦oªº¤âÅÜÃP¦¢¦Ó¥B°§C¨ì¦oªº¨Ãä¡A¦Ó¥BÆ_°Í˶ò,¬°©I§l³Ý®ð¡C ¯t·w¦b¥L¤§¤W´åªa,µM«á§O¤H¦b¨º¸Ì, §â¥L©Ô°_¨Ó©M¶i¤JªùÆU¤§¤º¡C ¤j½Ã,¥L¼Ò½k·Q¡C
¶Ù¡A¤j½Ã¡C¡C¡C §Ú¤w¸g¦³Ãö©ó§Ú¯à®³ªº¥þ³¡¨Æ¡C ¤j½Ã,§Ú·Qn¦^®a¡C ¤j½Ã¡C¡C¡C ¥L¬Ý¦b,¤W±µø³¥¼Ò½k©M¹M³B´³ÂIªº,¯íµM¦a¯w²´¡C ¥¦¬O·m¹Ü¡C ·m¹Ü¥¿¦b±a¥L¨ì¤@Ó¥~±ªº¶§¥x¡C
´H§NªºÆQ¤ôªÅ®ðÁyµo¬õ¤F¥LªºÁy¡A¦Ó¥B¹j¾À«Ø¿vª«ªº«Î³»¥ú¶i¤J¥Lªº²´·ú¤§¤º¨ë¡C ¥L¬Oµo§Ýªº,¬°ªÅ®ðµo¥X¶ã«|Ánµ¡C ¥LµLªk¬Û«H³ÍµÜ¤w¸g³Q¶È¶È¹Á¸Õ²¿®§¥L¡C¡C¡C¨S¦³¨º¤£¬O³ÍµÜ,
¨º¬O§O¤H¡C ¨º¬O§OªºªF¦è¡C ¥Lªº¤k«Äèè¤~¹Á¸Õ±þ¥L¡C ¥Lªº whipcorded ¯«¸g¤W¤U¦a¸õ°Ê¥Lªº¥|ªÏ,¥LªºÀYµo¸Áµ©M¯¼Â´¡C
"Key-!" Rob was shouting, right next to him but sounding far
off and distant. "Key, calm down, she¡¦s okay-!" His senses,
knocked reeling, began to realign themselves at the sound of the helmsman¡¦s
familiar voice. Key pushed himself away, took a few halting steps off.
He turned and looked back, vision still dizzy, and saw the black, back-lit
silhouettes of Mareccu and Anderson slowly approaching. He nodded, bending
down, still trying to force air back into his burning chest. His neck
was a pulse-drumbeat of pain, the tissue over his throat bruised and darkening.
/ "Æ_°Í-"! ·m¹Ü¥¿¦b©I³Û, ¥¿½T¦aºò¾F¥L¦ý¬O´úÁè´ú±oªºµ²ªG»·¨«¶}©M»·ªº¡C " ½Õµ,§NÀR, ¦o¬O¦n-"!
¥Lªº·Pı,ºVÀ»©ó¶b¤W,¶}©l¦b²ë¤âªº¼ô±xÁnµªºÁnµ«·s¾ã»ô¥L̦ۤv¡C ±À°Ê¥L¦Û¤vÂ÷¶}ªºÆ_°Í,²æ±¼¤@¨Ç°±¤î¨BÆJ¡C ¥L¦V«á¦aÂà¦V¦Ó¥B¬Ý,µø³¥¤´µM¨Ï,
·w¯t¦Ó¥B¨£¨ì¤F¶Â¦â¡A Mareccu ©M¦w¼w»¹ªºI±µo«G¶Â¦â¥b¨°¼±¼vºCºC¦a±µªñ¡C ¥LÂIÀY,Ås¤U¨, ¤´µM¹Á¸Õ¶i¤J¥Lªº¿U¿N¯Ý¤§¤º§âªÅ®ð±j¢¦^¨Ó¡C
¥Lªº²ä¤l¬O¯ß»K-µhWªº¹ªÁn,¦b¥Lªº³Q¥´¶Ë¦Ó¥B§Ë·tªº«|³ï¤WªºÁ¡¯½Â´«~¡C
"I¡¦m okay," Key panted, but his skin had gone flat white, tears
sliding down his face. "She must¡¦ve saw herself on that tray...maybe
saw the cuts..." he defended, but that wasn¡¦t a trauma reaction,
he realized. When Kelley had reached for his throat, the look in her eyes
had been unmistakable. She had been deadly serious. But why, why me? The
pain in his neck became a gut-churning pound. His hardwiring was sending
nauseating waves shooting through his body. "...I think," he
tried to speak. "...I think she- augh!" His legs buckled. Then
Rob was there, lightning fast, holding Key¡¦s shuddering body up and over
with one muscled arm before he could completely fall over as he helplessly
let his stomach buck and roll, let the shock of it all run its course.
/ " §Ú¬O¦n",Æ_°Í³Ý®§¡A¦ý¬O¥Lªº¥Ö½§¤w¸g¥h¥©Zªº¥Õ¦â¡A·Æ¤U¨Ó¥LªºÁy²\ºw¡C " ¦o must've ¦b¨º¤@Ó½L¤l¤W¨£¨ì¦o¦Û¤v¡C¡C¡C¤]³\¨£¨ì«d´î¡C¡C¡C"¥L¨¾Å@,
¦ý¬O¥~¶Ë¤ÏÀ³¤£¬O,¥L¤F¸Ñ¡C ·í³ÍµÜ¤w¸g¤Î©ó¥Lªº«|³ï®ÉÔ,¦oªº²´·ú¯«±¡¤w¸g¬O©úÅ㪺¡C ¦o¤w¸g¬OÄY«¦aÄY«ªº¡C ¦ý¬O¬°¤°»ò, ¬°¤°»ò§Ú? ¥Lªº²ä¤lµhWÅܦ¨Åͨūi®ðªº½S¡C
¥Lªº hardwiring ¥¿¦b¸g¹L¥Lªº¨Åé§â®gÀ»°eµ¹§@¹Ãªºªi®ö¡C ".¡C¡C§Ú·Q,"¥L¸ÕµÛ»¡¡C ".¡C¡C§Ú·Q¦o-augh!"¥Lªº»L¦©ºò¡C
µM«á·m¹Ü¦b¨º¸Ì,°{¹qÂN§Ù, ¦V¤W¦Ó¥Bµ²§ô¥H¤@°¦³Q¦Ù¦×ªº¤âÁuÁ|¦æÆ_°Í¾Ô·X¨Åé·í¥LµL§U¦aÅý¥LªºG¹x±j¤Ï§Ü¦Ó¥B±²ªº®ÉÔ¡A¥L¥i¥H§¹¥þ¦a¶^ˤ§«e¡AÅý¥þ³¡¶}½Ò¥¦ªº½Òµ{¥¦ÅåÀ~¡C
"Man, I have no idea," Key lamented. They were all back in Sausolito,
and he was sitting on the floor in one corner of the low-lit office with
a damp towel over the back of his neck. He felt terrible, as sick as a
dog. His eyes were red-rimmed and puffy, his shoulders slumped in defeat.
/ " ¬°, °t³Æ¤H¤â§Ú¤£ª¾¹D ",Æ_°Í«s±¥¡C ©Ò¦³ªº¥L̬O Sausolito ªºI±¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¦b³Q¥Î¦b¥Lªº²ä¤lI±¤Wªº¤@±ø¼é·Ãªº¤â¤yµo«G¿ì¤½«Çªº§C¤@Ó¨¤¸¨¤¤§¤¦b¦aªO¤W¡C
¥Lı±o¥i©È,¹³¤@°¦ª¯¤@¼Ëªº¤£µÎªA¡C ¥Lªº²´·ú¬O¬õ¦âªº- Æ^Ãä©MµÈ¤jªº,¥LªÓ¦b¥¢±Ñ¤è±²rµM±¼¸¨¡C
"Maybe they missed a reaction in her-" Rob offered quietly,
and aside from him, deep in thought, David slowly shook his head. The
possibility of drug interactions had been the first consideration he and
the medics had made back at the hospital. After Kelley was knocked out
they had run an extended battery of bloodworks, even adding rabies to
the lineup, and on the road halfway to the Marin estate the message from
the hospital had been all negative. / "¤]³\¥L̦b¦o¸Ì±¿ù¹L¤ÏÀ³-" ·m¹Ü¦wÀR¦a´£¨Ñ,¦Ó¥B°£¤F¥L¤§¥~¡A²`¤J¦a¦b·Qªk¤¤¡A¤j½ÃºCºC¦a·nÀY¡C
ÃÄ«~¥æ¤¬§@¥Îªº¥i¯à©Ê¤w¸g¬O²Ä¤@¦Ò¼{¥L©M`½¶ÄÝ´Óª«¤w¸g¦bÂå°|¦V«á¦a°µ¡C ¦b³ÍµÜ³Q·´Ãa¤§«á¥L̤w¸g¶]¤@Ó bloodworks ªº¼s¤j¹q¦À,¬Æ¦Ü§â¨g¤ü¯f¥[¤J°}®e,¦Ó¥B¥b¸ô¦aªº®È³~¤¤¨ì°¨ªL¤£°Ê²£¨Ó¦ÛÂå°|ªº°T®§¤w¸g¬O©Ò¦³ªº§_©w¡C
"She probably didn¡¦t even recognize you, Key," Mareccu said.
"She saw the cuts and attacked the first person she saw within range."
/ " ¦o¥i¯à¬Æ¦Ü¨S¦³»{ÃѧA,Æ_°Í",Mareccu »¡¡C " ¦o¨£¨ì¤F«d´î¦Ó¥B§ðÀ»¤F¦o¦b½d³ò¸Ì±¨£¨ìªº²Ä¤@Ó¤H
" ¡C
"Not uncommon," David stated. "Some victims of violent
crime want to lash back out at their attacker, and she¡¦d been delirious
ever since surfacing from the anesthesia. You could¡¦ve been anybody else."
/ " ¥¿±`ªº ",¤j½Ã³¯z¡C "¼É¤O¥Ç¸oªº¤@¨Ç¨ü®`¤H·Qn¦b¥L̪º§ðÀ»ªÌ¦b¥~¦V«á¦aÃ@¥´, ©M¦o¦³¬Oºë¯«¿ù¶Ã¥Ñ±q³Â¾K¤É¦Ü¤ô±¦Ü¤µ¡C
§A¬O¨ä¥L¥ô¦ó¤Hªº could've¡C"
Key sighed, pressing the ends of the towel into his face. / Æ_°Í¼Û®§,À£¢¤â¤yªºµ²§ô¶i¥LªºÁy¤§¤º¡C
Two floors up in the sprawling, red-roofed Marin estate, Jun Himuro ran
the bank of video surveillance they had from her bar. Enhanced to the
maximum of stark clarity and zeroed down to the window from Jay¡¦s jump
off of the balcony to fifteen minutes back, she and Jay played the series
from the four different angles the security system provided. In accompaniment
they had a stack of witness reports from the police that pretty much said
the same thing: I didn¡¦t see anything. / ¦V¤W¦b¨ºÂX®iªº¤G¼Ó,¬õ¦â»\«Î³»ªº°¨ªL¤£°Ê²£,¤»¤ë Himuro
¶]¥L̦³±q¦oªº°s§a¼v¹³ºÊµøªº»È¦æ¡C ¶§¥x¨«¶}¹ïÅܵw¤F²M·¡ªº·¥¤j´£°ª¦Ó¥B¤U¨ÓÂk¹s¨ì¨Ó¦Û³¾ªº¸õÅDµ¡¤á¨ì¤Q¤¤ÀÄÁI±,¦o©M³¾ª±¤F¨Ó¦Û¦w¥þ¨î«×´£¨Ñªº¥|Ó¤£¦Pªº¨¤«×¨t¦C¡C
¦b¦ÛµMªº¦ñÀHª«¤¤¥L̦³¤F¨Ó¦Û«D±`»¡¤F¬Û¦Pªº¨Æª«Äµ¹îªº¥ØÀ»ªÌ³ø§iªº°ïÅ|: §Ú¨S¦³¨£¨ì¥ô¦ó¨Æ¡C
But that¡¦s impossible, she tried to rationalize. There¡¦s at least forty
people at the bar there! How could have he gotten through and done what
he did without being seen? / ¦ý¬O¤£¥i¯àªº,¦o¸ÕµÛ¦X²z¤Æ¡C ¦b¨º¸Ì¦b°s§a¦³¦Ü¤Ö¥|¤QÓ¤H! ¦p¦ó¥i¥H±o¨ì¹L¥L©M§¹¦¨¤F¤°»ò¥L¤£¥Î³Q¨£¨ì?
There was only two ways to gain entrance to the storeroom: either from
behind the bar or over it- it had no outside door. Its ceiling had been
untouched. Jackson and two other barmaids were there at all times in the
sequence, and would have seen anybody go past them behind the bar. Anybody
jumping the bar would have definitely gotten noticed. So they focused
first on the bar, looking for his attack. / ¥u¦³¤GÓ¤èªk±o¨ì³q©¹ÀxÂëǪº¤J¤f: ©Î±q¦bº»¤¤©Î¦b¥¦¤§¤W
-¥¦¨S¦³¥~±ªºªù¡C ¥¦ªº¤ÑªáªO¤w¸g¬O¥¼Ä²¤Îªº¡C ³Ç§J´Ë©M¨ä¥L¤GÓ°s§a¤k¨ÍÁ`¬O¦b¨º¸Ì¦b¨º§Ç¦C, ¦Ó¥B·|¦bº»¤¤¶V¹L¥L̨£¨ì¥ô¦ó¤H¥h¡C ¥ô¦ó¤H¸õÅD°s§a±N·|¤@©w¤w¸g±o¨ìª`·N¡C
¦]¦¹¥L̦b°s§a¤Wº¥ý¶°¤¤,§ä´M¥Lªº§ðÀ»¡C
"Wait a minute," Jay said. "Run that back." Jun rewound
the loop back, until he pointed to the spot. "There- right there."
/ " µ¥Ô¤ÀÄÁ ",³¾»¡¡C " ¶]¨ºI± " ¡C ¤»¤ë§âÀô¦A¨ü¶Ë¦^¨Ó,ª½¨ì¥L«ü¦V¦aÂI¡C "¨º¸Ì-
´N¦b¨º¸Ì¡C"
"How did this happen?" Jun asked in alarm. To the computer¡¦s
voice command, she ordered, "Enhance, ten times." / " ³o¦p¦óµo¥Í
"? ¤»¤ë¦bĵ³ø¤¤°Ý¡C ¹ï¹q¸£ªºÁnµ«ü¥O¡A¦o©R¥O,"´£°ª,¤Q¦¸".
The computer enlarged the image, flooding the system¡¦s screen with the
area. The image was still blurry, for a period of only two seconds, from
all sides. / ¹q¸£ÂX¤j¤F¼v¹³, ¬x¤ô¥ÆÀÝ©M°Ï°ìªº¨t²Î¿Ã¹õ¡C ¼v¹³¤´µM¬O¼Ò½kªº,¹ï©ó¤@®É´Áªº¥u¦³¤G¬í,±q©Ò¦³ªºÃä¡C
Jun groaned, rubbing her forehead. "He got the surveillance..."
/ ¤»¤ë©D§u,À¿¦oªº«eÃB¡C "¥L±o¨ì¤FºÊµø¡C¡C¡C"
Jay ran the loop forward fifty seconds, seeing Jackson turning to the
storeroom and freezing, running back, girl screaming, crowd exploding.
He slowed the segment down, frame-by-frame, then the image suddenly went
fuzzy, just barely out of focus again. "Oh, very tidy." He looked
up over his shoulder at Mareccu and David, who had just entered the room,
followed by the other two. "Proves one thing- our boy has friends
in high places." / ³¾¶]Àô¦V«eªº¤¤Q¬í,¨£¨ìÂà¦VÀxÂëǩM¾®©Tªº³Ç§J´Ë,¦V«á¦a¶],¤k«Ä¦y¥s,¾ÖÀ½Ãz¬µ¡C ¥L¨Ï¤ù¬q´îºC
,Åé®æ-³Q-Åé®æ,µM«á¼v¹³¬ðµM¥h¤F¼Ò½k,¶È¶È´X¥G¦A¤@¦¸±qµJÂI¡C "®@,«D±`¾ã»ôªº". ¥L¬Ý¦b¥LªºªÓ¤§¤W¤W±¦b Mareccu
©M¤j½Ã, èè¤~¶i¤J©Ð¶¡, ³Q¥t¥~¤G¸òÀH¡C "ÃÒ©ú¤@¥ó¨Æª«-§Ú̪º¨k«Ä¦b°ªªº¦a¤è¤¤¦³ªB¤Í".
"Doesn¡¦t explain the witness reports," David said, studying
a few of the sheets. "Gallactor couldn¡¦t have entranced so many so
quickly, without our security sensing a source harmonic." / "
¤£¸ÑÄÀ¥ØÀ»ªÌ³ø§i ",¤j½Ã»¡, ¾Ç²ß¤Ö¼Æªº±i¡C " Gallactor µLªk¤w¸g¤J¤f³o»ò¦h¦p¦¹ªº§Ö,¨S¦³§Ú̪º¦w¥þ´úª¾¨Ó·½©Mµ".
"But he let me see him," Jay stated, rising up. In twelve hours
of investigation by themselves and the two other teams they had just concluded
a video conference with, little headway had been gained. There was the
newly enhanced and digitized surveillance sequences, all the crimelab
work on the blood that showed nothing but Kelley¡¦s typing, and the diagnosis
of wounds that bore the signature of a six-inch blade. There was the manhunt
across eight counties of the Bay Area, and yet they still had nothing.
Nothing but male Caucasian six-something-odd, hair and clothes that could
easily be changed in an alleyway, no face but what Kelley might have seen.
No traces, no face. Jay¡¦s frustration, as he popped another three Excedrins
and focused on the next sequence of the loop, as Jun ran it past where
he had his gun pointed down at his target and the image of the crowds
below the balcony faded again, was becoming mightily amplified. / "
¦ý¬O¥LÅý§Ú¨£¨ì¥L ",³¾³¯z,Å÷¥ß¡C ¦b¤Q¤G¤p®Éªº½Õ¬d¤¤¿W¦Û©M¨ä¥L¤GÓ¤p²Õ¥L̤w¸g³Q¶È¶ÈÁ`µ²¤@Ó¼v¹³·|ij,¤pªº«e¶i¤w¸g³Q±o¨ì¡C ¨º¸Ì¬O¨º³Ìªñ´£°ª¦Ó¥B¼Æ¦r¤ÆºÊµø§Ç¦C,
©Ò¦³ªº crimelab ³B²z¦å¥H¤°»ò¤]¤£Åã¥Ü¦ý¬O³ÍµÜ¦¡ªº, ©M·ÐÂZ¤»¦Tªº¤M¾Wñ¦rªº³Ð¶Ë¶EÂ_¡C ¦³¾î¹L®üÆW°Ï°ìªº¤KÓ¿¤ªº·j¯Á¡A¦Ó¥B¤´µM¥L̤´µM¤°»ò¤]¤£¦³¡C
°£¤F¨k©Êªº°ª¥[¯Á¤H¤§¥~ªº¨S¨Æ¤»-¬Y¨Æ-©_¼Æªº, ÀY¾v©M¥i¥H®e©ö¦a¦b¤@Ó¤p«Ñ¤¤³Q§ïÅܪº¦çªA¡A¨S¦³Áy¦ý¬O¤°»ò³ÍµÜ¥i¯à¨£¨ì¡C ¨S¦³²ª¸ñ,¨S¦³Áy¡C
³¾ªº®À§é,·í¥L¨ú¥X¥t¥~¤T Excedrins ¨Ã¥B§â«¤ß¶°¤¤¦bÀôªº¤U§Ç¦C, ¦]¬°¤»¤ë¶]¥¦¥L³Q¦A¤@¦¸Åý¥Lªº¦b¶§¥x¤U±¦b¥Lªº¥Ø¼Ð©M¸s²³ªº¼v¹³³Q«ü¥X¤U¨Óªººj¤w¿Æ¦âªº¹L¥h¤§®É,¥¿¦bÅܦ¨±j¯P¦aÂX¤j¡C
The telephone purred politely, and David reached over to open the receiver¡¦s
conference call line for the receptionist¡¦s crisp voice, informing that
a Max Iverson calling from San Francisco General¡¦s security was waiting
urgently. "Thank you, Lauren." David said. "Patch him through
visual, please." / ¹q¸Ü purred ¦³Â§»ª¦a¡A¦Ó¥B¤j½Ã¦ù¹L¤â¥h¬°±µ«Ýûªº¯ÜÁnµ¥´¶}±µ¦¬¾¹ªº¹q¸Ü·|ij½u,§iª¾±qª÷¤s¤W±Nªº¦w¥þ©I¥sªº³Ì¤j
Iverson ¥¿¦bºò«æ¦aµ¥Ô¡C "ÁÂÁ§A,Lauren". ¤j½Ã»¡¡C " ¸Éºó¥L§¹¦¨ªºµøı,½Ð".
The wall monitor suddenly flooded to life, and at the opposite end the
tall silver-haired EDC agent turned to face the camera in the security
center of the hospital. "Dave, I think you might want to see this."
/ Àð¾À¹ï¥Í¬¡¬ðµMºÊµø¥ÆÀÝ¡A¦Ó¥B¦b¬Û¤Ïªºµ²§ô°ªªº»ÈÀY¾vªº EDC ¥N²z¤H·Ç³Æ±¹ïÂå°|ªº¦w¥þ¤¤¤ßªº¬Û¾÷¡C "¤j½Ã,§Ú»{¬°§A¥i¯à·Qn¨£¨ì³o".
The visual suddenly snapped to show newly recovered video from the intensive
care unit, still raw and unenhanced. The view was from the door of Kelley¡¦s
enclosure to the window beyond. "They missed this on first monitoring,"
Iverson said, his voice interjecting over the video. "But we re-ran
the hour¡¦s loop after you left, and found this. Watch the window."
/ ¨ºµøıªº¬ðµM«rÂ_³ÌªñÅã¥Ü§ä¦^¨Ó¦Û¥[Å@¯f©Ðªº¿ý¼v±a , µM¦Ó¥Íªº¦×¦Ó¥B¤£´£°ª¡C µø³¥±q³ÍµÜªºªþ¥óªù¨ìµ¡¤á¶W¹L¡C " ¥LÌ·Q©À¦b²Ä¤@ÓºÊÅ¥¤Wªº³o
",Iverson »¡,¥Lªº¦b¿ý¼v±a¤§¤W´¡¼LªºÁnµ¡C "¦ý¬O¦b§AÂ÷¶}, ¦Ó¥Bµo²{³o¤§«á¡A§Ú̦A¶]¤p®ÉªºÀô¡C ¬Ýµ¡¤á¡C"
The audio had been mercifully cut out. Kelley was screaming, wailing and
kicking with every ounce of her might, and when Jay gave Mareccu a startled
glance at her attack on Key, Mareccu silenced him with a warning look
and the slight lift of his hand. Then they all saw him. / ÁnÀW¤w¸g³Q¤¯·O¤Á³Î¥X¡C
³ÍµÜ¥¿¦b¥H¨C¯s¥qªº¦o¤O¶q¦y¥s, ´d¹Ä¦Ó¥B½ð¡A¦Ó¥B·í³¾¦b¹ïÆ_°Íªº¦o§ðÀ»µ¹¤©¤F Mareccu ³Q¾_Å媺¤@¿h®ÉÔ,Mareccu ¥Îĵ§iªº¯«±¡©M¥Lªº¤â·L¤pÁ|°_¨Ï¥L¦wÀR¡C
µM«á¥LÌ¥þ³¡¨£¨ì¥L¡C
Mareccu¡¦s eyes widened just imperceptibly, then narrowed down again. "ICU¡¦s
three stories up," he stated in alarm. "And there¡¦s no balconies
on that side. What the hell are we dealing with here?" / Mareccu's
ªº²´·ú¶È¶È¤£¥iı¦aÂX¤j,µM«á¦A¤@¦¸ÁY¤p¡C " ICU's ªº¤TÓ¬G¨Æ´£°ª ",¥L¦bĵ³ø¤¤³¯z¡C " ¦Ó¥B¨S¦³¦b¨ºÃä¤Wªº¶§¥x¡C
§ÚÌ¥¿¦b³o¸Ì³B²z¤°»ò?"
Beside him, Jay was as much in shocked surprise. "That¡¦s him..."
/ ¦b¥L®ÇÃä¡A³¾¬O¦p¾_°Êªº·N¥~«Ü¦h¡C "¨º¬O¥L¡C¡C¡C"
The image was then frozen on the monitor, and beyond the sight of Key¡¦s
struggle over Kelley¡¦s firm clamp on his neck was a black-coated man outside
of the glass. He was standing like a demented peeping tom looking in a
room but staring upward, staring out, directly at them. Staring with a
cheerfully black and rock-steady gaze that marked them all, as though
he was present now, seeing through the hardware and satellite links that
had gathered and delivered the image from the hospital straight to the
dumbstruck group now watching it, and greeting them all. Mocking them.
Saying hello. / ¼v¹³µM«á¦bºÊµø¾¹¤W³Qáµ²¡A¦Ó¥B¶W¹L¦b³ÍµÜ¤½¥q¤WªºÆ_°ÍÄvª§ªºµø¤O¦b¥Lªº²ä¤l¤WªºÁ³µ·¹X¬O¦b¬Á¼þªº¥~Ãä¶Â¦â¥~±Âл\ªº¨k¤H¡C
¥L¹³¶¶«K±´³X¤@өж¡¦ý¬Oª`µøªº¤@Óµo¨gªº¦³°½¿s¨gªº¤H¤@¼Ë¥H¤W¯¸¥ß,ª`µø¥X,ª½±µ¦a¦b¥LÌ¡C ¥H°ª°ª¿³¿³¶Â¦â©M©¥¥Û- ©wºAªºª`µøª`µø¼Ð¥Ü¤F¥LÌ¥þ³¡,¦n¹³¥L²{¦b¦b³õ,¨£¨ì¹LµwÅé©M¤H³y½Ã¬P²{¦b³s±µ¨º¤w¸g»E¶°¦Ó¥B»¼°e±qÂå°|ª½½u¨ì±i¤fµ²¦Þªº¹ÎÅé¼v¹³¬Ý¥¦,
¦Ó¥B¥þ³¡ªï±µ¥LÌ¡C ¼J§Ë¥LÌ¡C »¡«¢Åo¡C
And grinning. / ¦Ó¥BÅS¾¦¦Ó¯º¡C
"Okay, this might tickle a little bit..." With a warm smile
and a flourish the dermatologist wielded the laserpen and began to work
his magic. / "¦n¡A³o¥i¯à¯ÞªÏ¤p¤@ÂIÂI¡C¡C¡C" ÂǥѤ@Ó·Å·xªº·L¯º©M¤@¬¡ÅD¥Ö½§¾ÇªÌ¨Ï¥Î¤F laserpen
¦Ó¥B¶}©l¤u§@¥LªºÅ]³N¡C
Kelley laid back in the reclining chair and tried not to squirm or smile.
He was right, it did tickle, and even burned a little in spots where the
healing tissue was still raw. The stitches were out, and with light strokes
like an artist detailing a mural with an airbrush, the dermatologist carved
away the scarring in microscopic layers, a little at a time, leaving good
healthy skin. Albeit lighter and shinier than the untouched regions on
her face, but open to heal flawlessly without blemish. / ³ÍµÜ¦b¾a¦b´È¤l¤¤¦V«á¦a©ñ¸m¦Ó¥B¹Á¸Õ¤£Ä¯°Ê©ÎªÌ·L¯º¡C
¥L¬O¥¿½Tªº, ¥¦°µ¤F¯ÞªÏ, ¦Ó¥B¬Æ¦Ü¦bªv¡Á¡ªº¯½Â´«~¤´µM¬O¥Íªº¦aÂI¤¤µy·L¿U¿N¡C ¤@°w¥~¥X, ©M¥Ñ©ó¹³¤@ӥΤ@Óªoº£¼QÃú¾¹¡A¦³ÀJ¨èªºÂ÷¶}Åã·LÃ誺¼h¨ºÓµ²¬Íªº¥Ö½§¾ÇªÌ²Ó»¡¾ÀµeªºÃÀ³N®aªº»´µ§¹º,¨C¦¸µy·L
,Â÷¶}¦n°·±dªº¥Ö½§¡C ÁöµM¤ñ¦b¦oªºÁy¤W¥¼Ä²¤Îªº°Ï°ì»´©M¦³¥ú¿A, ¦ý¬O¤½¶}¨S¦³¦ÃÂI²@µL·å²«¦aªv¡¡C
The doctor had positioned a mirror over her head by a clamp so that she
could see what was going on. "Oh, wow..." she murmured in wonder,
careful not to flex the muscles of her jaw too much or flinch. It was
the first of a month-long regimen of treatments that would scrub away
the facial scars; the rest on her arms were going to take longer. The
horrible slash on her neck was still in suturing but covered by a light
layer of bandaging and her turtleneck shirt. In only one week since the
attack her condition had improved fast, and with the laser all her depression
and anger was slowly burning away. / Âå¥Í¤w¸g³Q¤@ÓÁ³µ·¹X©ñ¸m¦b¦oªºÀY¤W¤@±Ãè¤l¡A¥H«K¦o¥i¥H¨£¨ì¥¿¦bÄ~ÄòªºªF¦è¡C
"®@,«z¡C¡C¡C"¦o¦b©_Âݤ¤§C»y, ¤p¤ßªº¤£n¦AÅs¦±¦oªºÃE¦Ù¦×¤Ó¦h©Î°hÁY¡C ¥¦¬O¤@Ó±N·|Â÷¶}¥Î¤OÀ¿¬~Áyªº¬Í²ªªvÀøªºªø¹F¤@¤ëÄá¥Íªº²Ä¤@Ó;
¦b¦oªº¤âÁu¤Wªº¨ä¾lªÌ±Nn®³§ó¤[¡C ¦b¦oªº²ä¤l¤Wªº¥i©È±×½u¤´µM¬O¦bÂǵÛÁ^±aªº»´¼h©M¦oªº®MÀYŨmÁ_¦X¦ý¬O²[»\¤è±¡C ¦b¥u¦³§ðÀ»«á¤@¬P´Á¦oªº±¡ªp¤w¸g§ï¨}ÂN§Ù¡A¦Ó¥B¥Ñ©ó¹p®g¦o©Ò¦³ªº¤£´º®ð©M©Á«ãºCºC¦a¥¿¦b¿U¿NÂ÷¶}¡C
Key sat at her side, marveling at the speed that the scarring was being
wiped away. He wouldn¡¦t have cared one way or the other: Kelley was still
the same elegant beauty. Yet somebody unnamed and unfound had carved her
like a Thanksgiving turkey, defaced her like vandals razoring the priceless
canvas of a de Milo, and it hugely hurt. But now, as she held his hand
and watched with sparkling eyes at the progress of the doctor, Key felt
it all melting away. Now Kelley would smile again, and people wouldn¡¦t
stop and stare. / Æ_°Í§¤¦b¦oªº¨Ãä«e,¹ï¨ºµ²¬Í¥¿¦b³Q±½°£ªº³t«×¹É¹ÉºÙ©_¡C ¥L¤£·|Ãö¤ß¤@Ó¤èªk©Î¥t¤@Ó: ³ÍµÜ¤´µM¬O¬Û¦PªºÀu¶®¬ü¤H¡C
µM¦Ó¨S³zÅS¦W¦rªº¤H¦Ó¥B¤£µo²{¦³¤F¦³ÀJ¨èªº¦o¦PÃþ¤@°¦·P®¦¸`¤õÂû,¶Ë·´¦oªº«c¤M de Milo ªºµL»ù¦|¥¬ , ©M¥¨¤j¦a³Q¶Ë®`ªº¥¦¬Û¦üªº¯}ÃaªÌ¥~ªí¡C
¦ý¬O²{¦b, ·í°µ¦o¦bÂå¥Íªº¶i¨B¥H°{°{µo¥úªº²´·ú®³µÛ¤F¥Lªº¤â¦Ó¥B¬Ý,Æ_°Í·Pı¥¦©Ò¦³ªºº²¤ÆÂ÷¶}¡C ²{¦b³ÍµÜ¦A¤@¦¸±N·|·L¯º¡A¦Ó¥B¤H±N¤£°±¤î¦Ó¥Bª`µø¡C
But it wasn¡¦t over, oh no. Not by a long shot. / ¦ý¬O¥¦¤£µ²§ô, ªí¥ÜÅå³Y¸¹½X¤£Âǵ۪øªºª`®g¡C
Since the images from the hospital had been sliced, spliced, enhanced,
studied, and stored, their target had not surfaced. Their commander had
been the first to warn that the guy was waiting for a drop in guard, or
worse yet: was reporting back to superiors. Who he was nobody in the entire
EDC or ISO network had any idea, and even with the added help of the eastern-based
government agencies alongside, the profile was shaky at best. They had
a face to add to the body, nothing more. And how he was able to float
outside of the hospital building without the accompanying heat signature
of some kind of hybrid personal hovercraft was beyond the scope of anyone¡¦s
imaginations, alarming the EDC to the possibility of some new Gallactor
technology. And so the stateside hunt went on. / ¬JµM¨Ó¦ÛÂå°|ªº¼v¹³¤w¸g³Q¤Á¦¨Á¡¤ù,±µ¦X,´£°ª,¾Ç²ß,
¦Ó¥BÀx¦s¡A¥L̪º¥Ø¼Ð¨S¦³¤É¦Ü¤ô±¡C ¥L̪º«ü´§©x¤w¸g¬O²Ä¤@ĵ§i¡A³Ã¥ë¥¿¦bµ¥Ô¦u½Ãªº¤U° , ©Î§óÃaªº¨ÆµM¦Ó: ¥¿¦b¹ïªøªÌ¦V«á¦a³ø§i¡C ¥L¬O³Q¦³¥ô¦óªº·Qªk¾ãÓªº
EDC ©ÎªÌ°ê»Ú¼Ð·Ç²Õ´ºô¸ôªº¤£«n¤§¤H½Ö¡A¦Ó¥B¬Æ¦Ü¥H¥HªF¤è¤H¬°°ò¦ªº¬F©²¾÷Ãöªºªþ¥[À°¦£¾a¡A´yø¥R¨ä¶q¬O°Ê·nªº¡C ¥L̦³¤F¤@ÓÁy¼W¥[¨ì¨Åé,
§ó¦hªº¨S¨Æ¡C ¦Ó¥B¥L¦p¦ó¯à°÷¦b¨S¦³¬YºØ²V¦XªºÓ¤H hovercraft ªº³¦ñ¼öñ¦rªºÂå°|«Ø¿vª«ªº¥~ÃäÄƯB¬O¶W¹L¥ô¦ó¤Hªº½d³ò·Q¹³,¨Ï¹ï¤@¨Ç·sªº
Gallactor §Þ³Nªº¥i¯à©Êªº EDC Åå·W¡C ¦Ó¥B¦p¦¹¦b¬ü°êªº°l®·Ä~Äò¡C
Key was still very hesitant to ask of Kelley the exact descriptions of
events in her attack, and she hadn¡¦t volunteered. She was painfully silent
about the whole thing, and any effort that David or the other investigators
had made to gently prod her had ended with either her dismal silence or
lashing and tearful attack. Key understood, and at times had ripped the
investigators over for their insistence in trying her, even taking one
by the shirt and tossing him out the door of her hospital room. Kelley
was willing to say that the man had said no word to her when he faced
her, and then she¡¦d blacked out. Any more had reduced her to bitter tears.
Nor did she remember her attack at Key, and he didn¡¦t push her there either.
He¡¦d forgiven her completely, figuring that in her delirium she thought
that he was the assailant, and had brushed the whole incident off. / Æ_°Í¤´µM¬O«D±`¿ðºÃ³ÍµÜ°Ý¦oªº§ðÀ»¨Æ¥óªººë½T´yz¡A¦Ó¥B¦o¨S¦³§ÓÄ@¡C
¨ì³B¦oµhW¨HÀq¾ãÓªº¨Æª«, ©M¥ô¦óªº§V¤O¤j½Ã©ÎªÌ¨ä¥L½Õ¬dû¤w¸g«õ³vº¥¦aÂW¦o¤w¸gµ²§ô¥Ñ©ó©Î¦oªº³±Æ{¨HÀq©ÎÃ@¥´©M§t²\ªº§ðÀ»¡C Æ_°Í¤F¸Ñ, ¦Ó¥B¦³®É¤w¸g¦b¹Á¸Õ¦o¤è±µ²§ô¬°¥L̪º°í«ù¼¹¶}½Õ¬dû,
¬Æ¦Ü°Ê¤H³QŨm¦Ó¥B§ëÂY¥X¥L¦oªºÂå°|©Ð¶¡ªºªù¡C ³ÍµÜÄ@·N»¡¡A·í¥L±¹ï¤F¦oªº®ÉÔ¡A¨k¤H¨S¦³¹ï¦o»¡¦r,µM«á¦o¦³Åܶ¡C ¥ô¦ó¤w¸g¦hÅý¦oÅܦ¨Wªº²\ºw¡C
¤]¤£¦o¦bÆ_°Í°O±o¦oªº§ðÀ»¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¨S¦³±À°Ê¦oªº¦b¨º¸Ì¤]¡C ¥L¤w¸g§¹¥þ¦aì½Ì¦o,¦b¦o»{¬°¥L¬O§ðÀ»ªÌ, ¦Ó¥B¤w¸g¨«¶}²¨¨ê¾ãÓªº¨Æ¥ó¦oºë¯«¿ù¶Ã¤¤ºtºâ¨º¡C
The session over, Key took her to Sausolito, driving quickly and deftly
though downtown traffic in his jeep; wishing that more people would splurge
for hovercars, wishing that he could initiate transmutation and whistle
through in the Tracker. For now they had to be normal civilian folk stumbling
through life. The Phoenix was still in submerged dock at NAS Alameda,
the handful of family members under heavy guard. The best their helmsman
could do was speak to his family long distance; Allyson and Sara fearfully
waiting on Crescent Coral Island, his father and younger brother bitching
good-naturedly about the boredom of not being able to cruise the gulf
in their fishing trawler. All of that good shrimping, going to waste.
Prices to pay, suddenly come due. / ·|ijµ²§ô¡AÆ_°Í®³¤F¦o¨ì Sausolito, «Ü§Ö¦a¦Ó¥B±Ó±¶¼ô½m¦a¾r¾pÁöµM¥Lªº¦N´¶¨®ªº¥«¤¤¤ßªº¥æ³q;
Ä@§ó¦hªº¤H±N·|¬° hovercars ¬¯Ä£,Ä@¥L¥i¥H¦b°lÂܪ̤¤¶}©lÅܧΦӥB§j¤fï¹L¡C ¦]¬°²{¦b¥LÌ¥²¶·¬O²Ì˹L¥Í¬¡ªº¥¿±`¥¥Áªº¤HÌ¡C »ñ°Ä«°¤´µM¦b
NAS ´²¨B¹D¸ôªº¤ô¥±¤Uªº½XÀY¤¤,¦b«ªº¦u½Ã¤§¤Uªº¤@§â®a®x¦¨û¡C ³Ì¦n¥L̪º²ë¤â¥i¥H°µ¬O¸ò¥Lªº®a®xªøªº¶ZÂ÷»¡¸Ü; Allyson ©M²ïY»áµ¥Ô·s¤ë§Îªº¬À·ä®q¡A¥Àª¯¦n³Bªº¥L¤÷¿Ë©M§Ì§Ì-Ãö©óÁo©ú¨µ¯è¥L̪º³¨³½©ì¼´²îªº®üÆW¤£¦s¦bªº¹½·Ð
naturedly¡C ©Ò¦³¨ºÓ½¼ªº¦n³B, ¥h®ö¶O¡C »ù®æ¤ä¥I,¬ðµM¨ÓÀ³±oªºªF¦è¡C
Key also mildly missed not being able to drive with the top down, whipping
around with the open air and a fuck-it attitude to the world and snipers
at large. Now the hardtop was fitted snugly over the rollbars, all kevlar
and bullet-proof glass, and the weight of it was a bitch to steer. Wide-ovals,
he told himself. Yeah. Off-road snow mud balloon wides by Goodyear. Nothing
but the best for me and mine. Sure they¡¦d type over the transmutation
cycle. Who cares? / ¤]¬X©M¦a½Õµ¿ù¹L¤£¯à°÷©M³»¦y¤H¾r¾p¦V¤Uªº, ¦bªþªñªºÃ@¥´¥H¤á¥~©M¤@©Ê¥æ- ¥¦ºA«×¹ï¥@¬É©Mª®À»¤â¦Û¥Ñ¦Û¦b¡C
²{¦bµw³»¨T¨®³Q¦b rollbars ¡A©Ò¦³ªº kevlar ©M¨¾¼u¬Á¼þ¤§¤WµÎ¾A¦a¾A¦X¡A¦Ó¥B¥¦ªº«¶q¬O¤Þ¾Éªº¤@Ó¥Àª¯¡C ¼eªº-¾ò¶ê§Î,¥L§i¶D¤F¥L¦Û¤v¡C
¬Oªº¡C »·- ¹D¸ô³·ªd¼sÁï¦a¥Ñ©T¯S²§²rº¦¡C °£¤F³Ì¦n¤§¥~ªº¨S¨Æ¬°§Ú©M§Úªº¡C ·íµM¥ḺN·|¦bÅܧΩP´Á¤§¤W¥´¦r¡C ½ÖÃö¤ß?
Halfway up the boulevard to the Golden Gate, Kelley suddenly touched his
arm, and Key turned to her. She looked near tears, and without hesitation
Key swerved over to the curb and killed the engine. "Honey, what¡¦s
the matter?" he asked, fear sudden and nauseating. / ¦b¨ìª÷ªºªùªL½®¤j¹D¤W±¥b¸ô¦a¡A³ÍµÜ¬ðµM¸IIJ¤F¥Lªº¤âÁu¡A¦Ó¥B¹ï¦oÆ_°ÍÂà¡C
¦o¦b²\ºwªºªþªñ¬Ý, ¦Ó¥B¨S¦³¼È°±Æ_°Í¨Ï²æ¶}¦b¹ï§í¨î¤§¤W¦Ó¥B±þ¤F¤ÞÀº¡C "¸Á»e,«ç»ò¤F"? ¥L°Ý,¬ðµMªº©M§@¹Ãªº®£Äß¡C
Kelley was rallying to keep her composure but failing fast. She took a
deep breath, and he saw panic fly through her features like startled birds.
Instantly his hackles were up and in three quick turns of the head he
had the entire world under tactical. / ³ÍµÜ¥¿¦b¶°µ²«O¦s¦oªºÂíÀR¦ý¬O¥¢±ÑÂN§Ù¡C ¦o§@¤F²`ªº©I§l¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¸g¹L¦oªº¯S¼x¬Û¦üªº¾_Åå³¾¨£¨ìÅå·Wªº»aÃÇ¡C
¥ß§Y¦a¥LªºÀV³¡ªø¦Ð¤ò¬O¦V¤Wªº©M¦b¥L¦³¤F¾ãÓªº¥@¬É¤TÓÀYªº§Ö±ÛÂत¦b¾Ô³Nªº¤§¤U¡C
"I can¡¦t go there," she finally stammered. "If I stay in
Marin..." and she let out a shuddering breath, "I¡¦ll go nuts.
I think I really need to work or I¡¦ll go nuts thinking about this thing..."
Her eyes were pleading and terrified. Back to the bar? Key¡¦s conscious
shouted. There where it happened? / " §Ú¤£¯à¥h¨º¸Ì ",¦o³Ì«á¤f¦Y¡C "¦pªG§Ú¯d¦b°¨ªL¡C¡C¡C"
¦Ó¥B¦o©ñ¥X¾Ô·X©I§l ",§Ú±N§ì¨g¡C §Ú¯uªº·Q§Ú»Ýn¤u§@©ÎªÌ§Ú±N¶i¦æ·Q³o¤@¥ó¨Æª«ªº°íªG¡C¡C¡C"¦oªº²´·ú¬O¶DÄ@ªº©M¨üÅåÀ~ªº¡C
¨ì°s§aªºI±? Æ_°Í¦³·NÃѪº©I³Û¡C ¦b¨º¸Ì¥¦µo¥Íþ¸Ì?
But it made sense, how boredom and loneliness would drive someone in her
situation insane. She needed an outlet, and despite it being the location
of the attack, the nightclub would provide the comfort of familiar surroundings
and friendly faces, which would work to renew her strength. / ¦ý¬O¥¦§@¤F·Pı,
¹½·Ð©M±I¹æ±N·|¦b¦oªº±¡§Î¤¤¾r¾p¬Y¤Hªº¤è¦¡±wºë¯«¯fªº¡C ¦o»Ýn¤F¤@Ó¥X¤f, ©M¾¨ºÞ¥¦§@¬°§ðÀ»ªº¦aÂI,©]Á`·|±N·|´£¨Ñ¼ô±xÀô¹Òªº¦w¼¢©M¤Í¦nªºÁy,³o±N·|¤u§@§ó·s¦oªº¤O¶q¡C
And strength in numbers, maybe? The others were still there, or close
by at the estate, waiting with maddening patience, not able to pinpoint
the attacker¡¦s origin and grind it to the ground until he made the first
move on them. / ¦Ó¥B¼Æ¦rªº¤O¶q,¤]³\? ¨ä¾lªÌ¤´µM¦b¨º¸Ì, ©Îµ²§ô³Q¦b¤£°Ê²£,¥H¥O¤Hµo¨gªº@©Êµ¥Ô, ¤£¬OÁo©ú¹ï¦a±ºë½T¦a§ä¨ì§ðÀ»ªÌªº°_·½¦Ó¥B¿i¥¦ª½¨ì¥L§@¤F¦b¥L̤Wªº²Ä¤@¦¸²¾°Ê¡C
"Please take me to your place," she begged. "Let me stay
there?" / " ½Ð§â§Ú±a¨ì§Aªº¦a¤è ",¦o½Ð¨D¡C " Åý§Ú¦b¨º¸Ì°±¯d "?
He couldn¡¦t say no. / ¥LµLªk»¡¸¹½X
So he turned the jeep around, and burned his way back to downtown. / ¦]¦¹¥L±N¦N´¶¨®Âà¦^ÀY,
¦Ó¥B¿U¿N¤F¥Lªºªð¦^¥«¤¤¤ß°Ïªº¤èªk¡C
He didn¡¦t see her turn her head aside to look out the passenger window,
fearfully biting her lip. Nor did he see the meteoric whicker of light
that flashed across her eyes, like a scarlet snap of electricity sparkling
in her corneas. / ¥L¦b¤@Ãä¨S¦³¨£¨ì¦oªº½ü¨ì¾÷·|¦oªºÀY¤p¤ß¼«Èµ¡¤á,»á«r¦oªº®B¡C ¤]¤£¥L¨£¨ì¶V¹L¦oªº²´·ú°{²{ªº¥ú¬y¬P whicker
¶Ü, ¹³¦b¦oªº¨¤½¤¤¤°{Ã{ªº¹qªÎ´´¦â¤jÁn¥w½|¡C
The jeep¡¦s heater was on full, yet she had to wrap her arms around her
chest, shivering miserably. / ¦N´¶¨®ªº¥[¼ö¾¹¦b¥þ³¡¤W,µM¦Ó¦o¥²¶·¦b¦oªº¯Ý©P³ò¥]¸Ë¦oªº¤âÁu,«D±`¤£©¯¦aŸ§Ý¡C
Key steered slowly into the underground parking, heading for the reserved
area that faced the street level exit for fast getaways. The security
remote clipped to his rearview flashed green, and ahead the field canceled
out with a rippling blue shimmer and allowed him to pass through. / Æ_°ÍºCºC¦a¶i¤J¦a¤Uªº°±¨®¤§¤º¤Þ¾É,µ¹±¹ïµó¹D¤ô·Çªº¨IÀq¹è¨¥ªº°Ï°ì¼ÐÃD¬°§Ö³tªº´ç°²°h¥X¡C
»»»·ªº¦w¥þװŨì¥Lªº³Q°{²{ºñ¦âªº rearview ¡A¦Ó¥B¦V«e¦a»â°ì¥H¤@Ó¨ÏÂŦ⪺·L¥ú°_º§º¬¨ú®ø¥X¦Ó¥BÅý¥L³q¹L¹L¡C
Rob and Jay were there. The Dodge was parked nose out straight ahead,
and in the darkness of the corner slot, Key could see the form of the
massive black Shelby Mustang shining like the back of a predator. Key
breathed a sigh of relief. Inside, he hurried Kelley through the empty
nightclub, and on the second floor balcony he paused a moment at the opened
door of the loft. Jay and Robert were inside, two different laptop PCs
and rolls of maps and schematics spread all over the pool table. Rob looked
up, and Key motioned to him that he was going to be upstairs. The helmsman
nodded, and waved him off. / ·m¹Ü¡A¦Ó¥B³¾¦b¨º¸Ì¡C ¨ºÁ׶}³Q°±¨®»ó¤l¥~±ªºµ§ª½¦a¦V«e¦a¡A¦Ó¥B¦b¨¤¸¨¦ì¸mªº¶Â·t¤è±¡AÆ_°Í¥i¥H¨£¨ìÃe¤jªº¶Â¦âÁº¸¤ñ³¥°¨ªº§Î¦¡¥ú«Gªº°_¨Ó¹³±°¹ÜªÌªºI±¤@¼Ë¡C
Æ_°ÍÃP¤F¤@¤f®ð¡C ¤º³¡,¥L¸g¹LªÅªº©]Á`·|¶Ê«P³ÍµÜ, ©M¦b¥L¦b³»¼Óªº³Q¥´¶}ªºªù¼È°±¤ù¨èªº¤G¼Ó¶§¥x¤W¡C ³¾©Mù«k¯S¦b¸Ì±,¤GÓ¦a¹Ï©M¹Ïªíªº¤£¦P½¥¤W«¬¹q¸£Ó¤H¹q¸£©M±²ª«¦b¥þ¦À®à¤l¶Ç§G¡C
·m¹Ü¬Ý¦b,¤W±¦Ó¥BÆ_°Í¹ï¥L¹B°Ê¥L±N·|¬O¼Ó¤Wªº¡C ²ë¤âÂIÀY, ¦Ó¥B¨«¶}´§»R¤F¥L¡C
Up in the apartment Key tossed the duffel bag of her clothes aside and
double locked the door. Kelley stood in the middle of the room with her
arms wrapped tight around her chest while he ran a check of the whole
area, moving quickly from one room to the other, opening closets, checking
the old iron fire escape outside. More and more he was beginning to think
that this was a bad idea. He¡¦d never thought of how vulnerable they were
in normal day to day activity- none of them ever bothered to even worry
about it. It was suddenly nerve-wracking, like a policeman or soldier
just realizing that a murderer could follow him home and strike like a
bad virus. / ¦V¤W¦b¤½´JÆ_°Í¤¤¦b¤@Ãä§ëÂY¦oªº¦çªA²Ê©O¤j¦ç³U¤l¡A¦Ó¥B¥[¿Âê¤Fªù¡C ·í¥L¶]¾ãÓªº°Ï°ì¤ä²¼ªº®ÉÔ¡A¦b©M¦oªº¤âÁu©Ð¶¡ªº¤¤¥¡³Q¯¸¥ßªº³ÍµÜ¦b¦oªº¯Ý©P³òºòºò¦a¥]¸Ë,±q¤@өж¡¨ì¥t¤@Ó¡A²Ä¤@¦¸ªº¾ÀÃo«Ü§Ö¦a²¾°Ê¡A¥~±ÀˬdªºÅK¤Ó¥ªù¡C
¶V¨Ó¶V¦hªº¥L¥¿¦b¶}©l»{¬°³o¬O¤@Ó®t«lªº·Qªk¡C ¥L±q¥¼·Q¨ì¦p¦ó©ö¨ü¶Ë®`ªº¥L̬O¦b¥¿±`ªº¤é¤l¤º¨ì¤é¤l¬¡°Ê-¥L̨S¦³¤@Ó´¿¸g·ÐÂZ¬Æ¦Ü¬°¥¦¾á¼~¡C ¥¦¬ðµM·´Ãa¯«¸g,¹³¤@Óĵ¹î©ÎªÌx¤H¶È¶È¤F¸Ñ¤@Ó¥û¤â¥i¥H¸òÀH¥L¦^®a¦Ó¥B¹³®t«lªº¯f¬r¤@¼Ë§ðÀ»¡C
Precisely why the G-Forcer second and helmsman were waiting below. / ºë½T¦a
G- Forcer ªº¬í©M²ë¤â¬°¤°»ò¥¿¦b¤U±µ¥Ô¡C
Or maybe they were all wrong. That it was just another freak occurrence,
a psycho out for a good time at their expense. / ©Î¤]³\¥LÌ¥þ³¡¬O¿ù»~ªº¡C þ¤@¥¦¬O½T¹ê¥t¥~©_²§ªºµo¥Í,
¤@Ӻ믫¯f±w¥X¦Û¹ï©ó¦nªº®É¶¡¥Ñ¥LÌ¥I¿ú¡C
ICU¡¦s three stories up! What the hell are we dealing with here? / ICU's
ªº¤TÓ¬G¨Æ´£°ª! §ÚÌ¥¿¦b³o¸Ì³B²z¤°»ò?
"I don¡¦t know..." Key murmured. ¡¥This might not be such a good
idea, Kelley." / "§Ú¤£ª¾¹D¡C¡C¡C"Æ_°Í§C»y¡C ³o¤£¥i¯à¬O¤@Ó¦p¦¹¦n·Qªk¡A³ÍµÜªº¡¥¡C"
But it was too late. Kelley was already curled up on the bed. Key slid
in behind her, pulling the quilt over them, holding her tight. He gave
the back of her neck a soft kiss. She was trembling like a leaf in hurricane
wind. / ¦ý¬O¥¦¤Ó±ß¡C ³ÍµÜ¤w¸g¦b§É¤W³Q»lÁY¦Óª×¡C Æ_°Í·Æ°Ê¦b¦o«á±,©Ô¦b¥L̤Wªº´Ö³Q¡Aºòºò¦a®»¦í¦o¡C ¥Lµ¹¤©¤F¦oªº²ä¤lI±¤@Ó³nªº§k¡C
¦o¬Oµo§Ýªº¦PÃþÁü··ªº¤@¤ù¸¡C
With a fitful sigh, she quietly drifted off into sleep. / ÂǥѤ@ÁnÂ_Â_ÄòÄòªº¼Û®§¡A¦o¦wÀR¦a¶i¤JºÎ¯v¤§¤º¨«¶}º}¬y¡C
Key couldn¡¦t. / Æ_°ÍµLªk¡C
He doubted he could ever sleep again. / ¥LÃhºÃ¥L´¿¸g¦A¤@¦¸¥i¥HºÎı¡C
Jay pushed himself back from the pool table, rubbing his eyes as he did.
The migraine that had started a few hours before was simply not going
to fade off. / ³¾±q¦À®à¤l¦V«á¦a±À°Ê¤F¥L¦Û¤v, À¿¥Lªº²´·ú·í¥L°µ¤§®É¡C ¤w¸g¶}©l¼ÆÓ¤p®Éªº°¾ÀYµh¦b¬O¤§«e¥u¬O¤£¥h¨«¶}¿Æ¦â¡C
"Original plans don¡¦t show a damned thing," Rob said, absorbed
in the newly reconned architectural prints of Jun¡¦s building, dated from
the nineteenth century and yellowed with age. Beside him were more recent
prints from the seven remodels and renovations the building had gone through
since, and on Jay¡¦s laptop was the 3-D modeling from the latest, the interior
design of Jun¡¦s nightclub. "He couldn¡¦t have gotten in any other
way without first chopping a hole in the wall, at least." / "
³Ìªìªºp¹º¤£Åã¥Ü¤@¥ó¸Ó¦ºªº¨Æª« ", ·m¹Ü»¡,¦b³Ìªñ reconnaissance ªºÂ²ÁY¦rªº¤»¤ë«Ø¿vª«ªº«Ø¿v¦L¨ê¤¤§l¦¬,±q¤Q¤E¥@¬ö°_¬ù·|¦Ó¥B¥H¦~ÄÖ¶À¦â¡C
¦b¥L®ÇÃä¬O§ó³Ìªñªº¦L¨ê±q¨º¤C§ï³y©M×´_«Ø¿vª«¤w¸g¥h¹L¦]¬°, ¦Ó¥B¦b³¾ªº½¥¤W«¬¹q¸£¤W¬O 3-¨Ó¦Û³Ìªñªº D ¥é»s¡A¤»¤ëªº©]Á`·|ªº«Ç¤º³]p¡C "¥LµLªk¤£»Ýn²Ä¤@ªººIÂ_´N¤w¸g¥H¥ô¦ó¨ä¥Lªº¤è¦¡±o¨ìÀð¾Àªº¤@Ó¬},¦Ü¤Ö".
Jay nodded acknowledgement as he went behind the bar to find something
to drink. A trapdoor or access covered by near constant remodeling had
been one of the first hypotheses to the assailant¡¦s entry of the storeroom,
but nothing in the building¡¦s plans revealed such, and there had been
no physical signs of entry, forced or otherwise. He came back to the table
with a Pepsi in hand. "So either Gallactor has some kind of camouflage
and hovercraft tech we don¡¦t know about yet or this guy¡¦s a ghost."
He winced as he twisted the bottle¡¦s cap off, spikes of pain spearing
through his right hand from the action. / ·í¥L¥h¦bº»¤¤µo²{ªº®ÉÔ¡A³¾ÂIÀY¤F½T»{ªF¦è³Ü¡C ¤@Ó¦aªOªù©Î¨ú±o³Qªñ±`¼Æ§ï³y²[»\¤w¸g¬O¹ï§ðÀ»ªÌªºÀxÂëǪº¶i¤J²Ä¤@Ó°²©w¤§¤@,
¦ý¬O¤°»ò¤]¨S¦³¦b«Ø¿vª«ªºp¹º¤¤Åã¥Ü¦p¦¹ªº, ¦Ó¥B¤w¸g¨S¦³¶i¤Jªº¹ê»Ú²Å¸¹, ±j¢©Î¨ä¥¦ªº¡C ¥L¥H¤âªº¤@Ӧʨƥi¼Ö¦^¨ì®à¤l¡C " ¦p¦¹©Î
Gallactor ¦³¬YºØ°°¸Ë©M hovercraft ¬ì§Þ§Ṳ́£ª¾¹DµM¦Ó©Î³oӳå몺¤@Ó°". ·í¥L¨«¶}À¾¤F²~¤lªºµLÃä´Uªº®ÉÔ¡A¥L¬ÈÁY,¥Ù¹L¨Ó¦Û¦æ°Êªº¥L¥k¤âªºµhWªø°v¡C
Rob snorted. "¡¥Possible ID is Casper the Unfriendly Ghost. Last seen
in haunted Portsmouth nightclub, recommend action by paranormal physicist
and or exorcist.¡¦ That¡¦ll go over real well. But then again, after what
we saw in the Yamashina incident, I¡¦ll believe almost anything."
/ ·m¹Ü¼QµÛ®ð§ËÅT»ó¤l¡C " ¡¥¥i¯àªº¨¥÷ÃÒ¬O³Í´µ´¶º¸¨º¤£¤Íµ½¦a°¡C ³Ì«á¦b±`¨ìªº¾ë¯ýT´µ©]Á`·|¤¤¨£¨ì, ³Q¶W¹L¥¿±`ª«²z¾ÇªÌ±ÀÂ˦æ°Ê©M©Î
exorcist¡C'That'll Åܵ²§ô¯u¥¿±o¦n¡C ¦ý¬O¦A¤@¦¸µM«á¡A¦b§Ú̦b Yamashina ¨Æ¥ó¤¤¨£¨ìªº¤§«á¡A§Ú±N´X¥G¬Û«H¥ô¦ó¨Æ¡C"
"And thanks for rekindling the memory of that particular mission,"
Jay told him with a look of disgust. His hand was still flashing pinpoints
of pain. He tried clenching and unclenching his fist to work it away,
growing worried when it didn¡¦t. / " ¦Ó¥B¦AÂI¤õ¨ºÓ¯S§Oªº¥ô°È°O¾ÐªºÁÂÁÂ",³¾¥Î¹½´cªº¯«±¡§i¶D¥L¡C
¥Lªº¤â¤´µM¬OµhWªº°{Ã{·¥¤p¤§ª«¡C ¥L¹Á¸Õºò´¤©M§Ë¶}¥Lªº®±ÀYÂ÷¶}¤u§@¥¦, ¼W¥[µJ¼{·í¥¦¨S¦³¡C
"Yeah, what was that on the G-Forcer Nausea Scale, a high seven?"
Rob grinned, delighted that he¡¦d gotten under Jay¡¦s skin. "Did you
know we¡¦re still picking bits of tissue out of the warship¡¦s intakes?"
/ "¬Oªº,¦b G- Forcer ªº¤ÏG¨è«×¤Wªº¨º¬O¤°»ò, ¤@°ªªº¤C"? ·m¹ÜÅS¾¦¦Ó¯º,¨Ï¥L¤w¸g¦b³¾ªº¥Ö½§¤§¤U±o¨ì°ª¿³¡C
" §A»{ÃѧṲ́´µM¬OxÄ¥ªºÄá¨ú¬D¿ïÁ¡ªº¯½Â´«~ªº¤@ÂIÂI¶Ü "?
Jay ignored him. Now flashes were radiating up his arm into his shoulders.
Oh, no, he thought miserably, knowing immediately it was going to be exactly
like the last five or six times- sometimes preceded by a migraine, sometimes
not- the pain in his hand, shooting towards his back, followed by worse.
Not now. Anytime but now. / ³¾©¿²¤¤F¥L¡C ²{¦b°{¥ú¥¿¦b¶i¤J¥LªºªÓ¤§¤º¦b¥Lªº¤âÁu¤W±©ñ®g¡C ®@,¤£¡A¥L«D±`¤£©¯¦a·Q,
¥ß¨èª¾¹D¥¦±Nn§¹¥þ¹³³Ì«á¤©Î¤»¦¸- ³Q¤@Ó°¾ÀYµh¦³®É¤§«e, ¦³®É¤£-¥Lªº¤âµhW,¦V¥LªºI³¡®gÀ»,³Q§óÃaªº¨Æ¸òÀH¡C ¤£¬O²{¦b¡C ÀH®É°£¤F²{¦b¤§¥~¡C
He went out to the fire escape¡¦s balcony, hoping the foggy forty-degree
weather would chill him back into focus. The nausea kicked in anyway,
right on cue. It had to be nothing more than his cerebonics reacting to
the migraines, he reasoned, because it had already forced him in to EDC¡¦s
medical twice and they¡¦d found nothing wrong both times. Nothing, even
though at worst it caused him to pass out, the symptom that frightened
him the most because he didn¡¦t want to be incapacitated during the progress
of a mission, have worse happen to the rest of the team because of it,
or be forced to leave the team altogether. He leaned against the railing
and lowered his head onto his arms, now positive that he was going to
be sick. / ¥L¥~¥X¨ì¤Ó¥ªùªº¶§¥x,§Æ±æÃú²`ªº¥|¤QÓµ{«×ªº¤Ñ®ð±N·|¶i¤JµJÂI¤§¤º§â¥LÅܧN¦^¨Ó¡C ¤ÏG½ð¦bµL½×¦p¦ó,¦b¶}ºÝ¤WªºÅv§Q¡C ¥¦¥²¶·¤£¬O¤°»ò¶W¹LªF¦è¥Lªº
cerebonics °¾ÀYµh²£¥Í¤ÏÀ³, ¦]¬°¥¦¤w¸g±j¢¥L¤F¡A©Ò¥H¥L»¡ªA¦b¹ï EDC's Âå¥Í¨â¦¸¦Ó¥B¥ḺN·|µo²{²@¤£¿ù»~ªº¨âªÌ®É¥N¡C ²@¤£¡A§Y¨Ï³ÌÃa¥¦¾ÉP¥L©üË,
ÅåÀ~¤F¥L¤j³¡¤ÀªºÄpª¬¦]¬°¥L¦b¥ô°Èªº¶i¨B´Á¶¡¨S¦³·Qn·íµL¤O, §óÃa¦a¦³¦]¬°¥¦µo¥Í¦b¤p²Õªº¨ä¥¦³¡¤À¤W, ©Î¥þ³¡¤£±o¤£Â÷¶}¤p²Õ¡C ¥L¦b¥Lªº¤âÁu¤§¤Wʾa§ß¤â¦Ó¥B°§C¤F¥LªºÀY,¿n·¥ªº¥L±Nn¥Í¯f¤Fªº²{¦b¡C
And that was when he heard Kelley scream. / ¦Ó¥B¨º¬O·í¥LÅ¥¨ì³ÍµÜ¦y¥s¡C
Key felt his hardwiring snap and fry his senses like a flashburn. / Æ_°Í·Pı¥Lªº
hardwiring ¤jÁn¥w½|©Mªo¬µ¹ª«¥Lªº¹³ flashburn ªº·Pı¡C
Kelley was in a tight ball, whimpering. Her skin was as cold as ice, as
white as a sheet, her features pale in the darkness like the face of a
ghost. / ³ÍµÜ¬O¦b¤@Óºòªº²y¤¤,¶ã«|¡C ¦oªº¥Ö½§¬O¹³¦B¤@¼Ëªº´H§N,¹³±i¤@¼Ëªº¥Õ¦â¡A»a¥Õªº¦o¯S¼x¦b¶Â·t¤è±³ßÅw°ªºÁy¡C
Or someone who had seen one. / ©Î¤w¸g¨£¨ì¥Lªº¬Y¤H¡C
Key slapped his wristband into activation. ¡¥Robbie, he¡¦s here!" he
shouted. Kelley was staring out the window, and he gathered her up into
his arms. No one was there but Kelley was mewling -no no no don't make
me I don't want to please don't make me- "Somewhere outside- he¡¦s
here!" / Æ_°Í©çÀ»¥Lªº³S¤f¶i¨Ï¬¡°Ê¤§¤º¡C ¡¥ Robbie,¥L¦b³o¸Ì!"¥L©I³Û¡C ³ÍµÜ¥¿¦bª`µø¥Xµ¡¤á¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¶i¤J¥Lªº¤âÁu¤§¤º¦V¤W»E¶°¤F¦o¡C
¨S¦³¤H¦b¨º¸Ì¡A¦ý¬O³ÍµÜ¥¿¦b§Cª_Án - ¨S¦³¨S¦³¨S¦³¤£»s³y§Ú§Ú¤£·Qn½Ð¤£»s³y§Ú- "¬Y³B¥~±-¥L¦b³o¸Ì"!
The window was clear. He let go of Kelley and flipped on the lights: the
apartment was empty. He unlocked the door just in time for the helmsman
to rush through. Rob headed for the bedroom window, and when Key caught
the flash of someone outside he nearly jumped out of his skin and sent
his bolas crashing through the glass. No-! it was Jay, taking the fire
escape in seconds, knowing that his prey preferred the higher ground.
Climbing fast. Hitting the roof. And meeting face to face for the first
time. / µ¡¤á¬O²M·¡ªº¡C ¥LÅý³ÍµÜ¥h¦Ó¥B¦b¥ú¤W¥Î«üÀY¼u: ¤½´J¬OªÅªº¡C ¥L¬°²ë¤â¶È¶È¤Î®É¶}±Ò¤Fªù¶Ê«P¹L¡C ¹ï©óª×«Çµ¡¤á¬O¦L¦³©ïÀYªº·m¹Ü¡A¦Ó¥B·íÆ_°Í¥~±¬Y¤H¤Þ°_°{¥ú¥L´X¥G¸õÅDÂ÷¥Lªº¥Ö½§¦Ó¥B°e¤F¥Lªº¼²¸H¹L¬Á¼þªº®M¤û÷¡C
¤£-! ¥¦¬O³¾,¦b´X¬íÄÁ¤§¤º¦û¾Ú¤Ó¥ªù¡Aª¾¹D¥LªºÂyª«°¾·R¤F§ó°ªªº¦a±¡C §Ö³t¦aªºÃkµn¡C ¸I¼²«Î³»¡C ¦Ó¥B²Ä¤@¦¸±¹ï±ªº·|ij¡C
"I new you¡¦d hang around, m¡¦man!" Riley cheered. "I just
knew it!" / " §Ú·sªº§A±N·|¹C¿º,m'man"! ¿à§Q¹ª»R¡C " §Úè誾¹D¥¦ "!
Riley was standing right out in the open like a posted target. Jay silently
leaped forward and caught him around the neck, and the two of them tumbled
back in a sprawling heap, Riley laughing and whooping all the way down
like a rider on a bronco. Jay scrambled to his feet, ready to drive three
quillspikes into Riley¡¦s side and end the whole mess right here and now.
Riley rolled aside and spun off, his grin a crescent glitter in the darkness.
He faced the G-Forcer, braced and ready for the next rush, chuckling darkly
at the whole hysterical joke. / ¿à§Q´N¦b¥~¯¸¥ß¦bÅS¤Ñ¤U³ßÅw¤@Ó¦³¦a¦ìªº¥Ø¼Ð¡C ³¾ÀqÀq¦a¦V«e¦a¸õÅD¦Ó¥B¦b²ä¤lªº©P³ò®·®»¥L¡A¦Ó¥B¥L̤¤ªº¤GÓ¦bÂX®i°ï¤¤¦V«á¦a¶^¸¨,¯º©M¥s³Û©Ò¦³ªº¤è¦¡¿à§Q¹³¦b¤@Ó³¥°¨¤Wªº¤@ÓÃM¤h¤@¼ËåP¸¨¡C
³QÃk½t¨ì¥Lªº¸}³¾,´N¦b³o¸Ì©M²{¦b¹w³Æ¾r¾p¤T quillspikes ¶i¿à§Qªº¨Ãä¦Ó¥Bµ²§ô¾ãÓªºÂø¶Ã¡C ¿à§Q¦b¤@Ãä±²¨Ã¥B·s¼W¤À¤½¥q, ¥LªºÅS¾¦¯º¶Â·tªº·s¤ë§ÎªºÀéÄê¡C
¥L±¹ï¤F G-Forcer, ¤ä¼µ©M¹w¥ý¹ï©ó¤U¥^«P,¦b¾ãÓªº·²´µ©³¨½ªº¯º¸Ü·t¦Y¦Yªº¯º¡C
The G-Forcer was a dark shadow straight ahead. Riley tensed- this was
going to be sooo easy- and then something swung in front of his face.
Riley parried it off, twisting aside to evade the object, and faced back
expecting another forward attack. / G-Forcer ¦V«e¦aµ§ª½¦a¬O¤@Ӷ·tªº¼v¹³¡C ³Q©Ôºòªº¿à§Q- ³o±Nn¬O
sooo ®e©öªº-µM«á¬Y¨Æ¦b¥LªºÁy¤§«e·nÂ\¡C ¿à§Q¨«¶}¾×¶}¤F¥¦, §áÂà®Ç¥Õ°kÁת«Åé, ¦Ó¥B¦V«á¦a±¹ï´Á«Ý¥t¥~¦V«eªº§ðÀ»¡C
Instead, Jay had rounded off to one side and caught Riley from behind
left. He¡¦d thrown a worn-off chunk of roofing at Riley and gotten him
to flinch to the right- perfect. Riley actually blinked. Jay landed on
him blindside like a ton of bricks. Drove him hard face down to the ground,
grinding his head into the roof. Wrenched his left arm up and over his
back clear to the neck, hard enough to make him want to howl for mercy.
About to see just how far the carbon-steel spikes could sink between ribs
number three and four. / ¬Û¤Ïªº¡A³¾¤w¸g¨«¶}§â¨ìÃä§Ë¶ê¦Ó¥B®·®»¿à§Q±q¦b¥ªÃä«á±¡C ¥L¤w¸g¥á¦b¿à§Qªº¤@ӫγ»»\ªkªº¿i·l-
»·¤j¶ô¦Ó¥B±o¨ì¥L¹ïÅv§Q¬ÈÁY-§¹¦¨¦¡¡C ¿à§Q¹ê»Ú¤W¯w²´¡C ³¾¦b¥L¨¤Wµn³° , blindside ³ßÅw¤@¾·ªº¿j¶ô¡C ¹ï¦a±¾r¾pÃøªºÁyåP¸¨ªº¥L,¿i¥LªºÀY¶i«Î³»¡C
²r§á¥Lªº¥ª¤âÁu´£°ª©M¦b¥LªºI³¡¤§¤W²M·¡ªº¨ì²ä¤l, Ãøªº¥R¨¬¨Ï¥L·Qn¬°¤¯·O¨g§p¡C ¤j¬ù¨s³º¨£¨ìºÒ¿ûªø°v¥i¥H¦b¤T©M¥|¸¹¦Ø°©¤§¶¡¤U¨I¦h»·¡C
"Oh no, I don¡¦t think so," Riley stated calmly, and with a sudden
burst of strength far more than normal for a man his size, he reared upwards
and tossed Jay clear off. He jumped to his feet with easy grace and positioned
himself to deliver the first of many crushing blows. / " ®@¤£¡A§Ú¤£³o»ò»{¬°",¿à§Q¥ÀR¦a³¯z,
©M¥Ñ©ó¤O¶qªº¬ðµM¯}µõ¶W¹L±`ºA¬°¤@Ó¨k¤H¥Lªº¤j¤p,¥L¥H¤W¾i¨|¦Ó¥B²M·¡¦a¨«¶}§ëÂY¤F³¾¡C ¥L¥H®e©öªºÀu¶®¸õ¨ì¥Lªº¸}¦Ó¥B©ñ¸m¤F¥L¦Û¤vµ¹¤©³\¦h¥´¯}±o¤äÂ÷¯}¸Hªº¥´À»º¥ýÓ¡C
Surprised by the sudden move, Jay quickly regained himself as Riley came
back around and launched another strike. Instantly he reappraised his
adversary and added the possibility of some unknown body-enhancing practice
to the lineup of other intangibles this man had exhibited so far. Yet
despite Riley¡¦s unnatural display of power Jay knew his own reflexes and
motion were far faster than even this adversary could muster, and he met
every blow with faster parries and dead-accurate strikes against Riley¡¦s
head and body mass. After a few seconds Riley¡¦s action began to take on
a sense of urgency and doubt as the G-Forcer¡¦s intensity eclipsed his
own. Riley wobbled back bleeding from a final, crushing blow across his
head, eyes concussion-dazed and rolling in different directions. Jay rounded
him, unexhausted, reaching back for his shuriken¡¦s sheath to finish him
off. / Âǵ۬ðµMªº²¾°Ê¦YÅå,·í¿à§Q¦bªþªñ¦^¨Ó¨Ã¥B¶}©l¤F¥t½}¤uªº®ÉÔ¡A³¾«Ü§Ö¦a¨ú¦^¤F¥L¦Û¤v¡C ¥ß§Y¦a¥L«·sµû¦ô¤F¥Lªº¼Ä¤â¦Ó¥B¼W¥[¤F¨ä¥LÃø¥H©úÁAªº³o¤@Ó¨k¤Hªº°}®e¤@¨Ç¥¼ª¾ªº´£°ª¨Å骺½m²ß¥i¯à©Ê¨ì²{¦b¬°¤î¤w¸g®i²{¡C
µM¦Ó¾¨ºÞ¤O¶q³¾ªº¿à§Q¤£¦ÛµM®iÄýª¾¹D¥L¦Û¤vªº¤Ï®g©M¹B°Ê¬O»»»·¦a§Ö³t¦a³Ó©ó¥©Zªº³o¤@ӼĤâ¥i¥H¥l¶°¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¹J¨£¨C¥´À»§ó§Ö³t¦a¾×¶}©M¹ï§Ü¿à§QªºÀY©M¨Åé¤j²³ªº¦º-
¥¿½Tªº½}¤u¡C ·í G- Forcer's ªº±j«×¤Þ°_¤é»kªº®ÉÔ¡A¦b¼Æ¬í¤§«á¿à§Qªº¦æ°Ê¶}©l©Ó¾á¢¤Á©Ê·P©MÃhºÃ¥L¦Û¤vªº¡C ¿à§Q¦V«á¦a·n°Ê¨Ó¦Ûµ²§½ªº¥X¦å
, ¾î¹L¥LªºÀY¥´¯}±o¤äÂ÷¯}¸Hªº¥´À»,ª`·N¿E°Ê-¨Ï¦b¤£¦Pªº¤è¦V¤¤ºu°Ê¯íµM¦Ó¥B¡C ³¾§â¥L§Ë¶ê¤F,¥¼ºÉªº, ¬°¥Lªº shuriken's ªºÀT¦V«á¦a¨ì¹Fµ²§ô¥Lªº©Ê©R¡C
Suddenly Riley straightened, wiping away blood from his mouth, squaring
his shoulders with a cocky shrug. Something red sparkled through his now
focused eyes, and he flashed a broad, beaming grin. / ¬ðµM¿à§Q§Ëª½, À¿«øÂ÷¶}¨Ó¦Û¥Lªº¼L¦å,¥Îź¶ÆªºÁqªÓ¤@P¥LªºªÓ¡C
¬õ¦âªºªF¦è°{Ä£¹L , ¥Lªº²{¦b¶°¤¤¤F²´·ú¡A¦Ó¥B¥L°{²{¤F¤j½d³ò¤S¥ú«GªºÅS¾¦¯º¡C
Jay paused, watching Riley¡¦s abnormal gaze and abrupt recovery with dawning
uncertainty. "What the hell are you?" / ³¾¼È°±,¥Î¾å¤£½T©w¬Ý¿à§Qªº¤£¥¿±`ªºª`µø©M¬ðµMªº«ì´_¡C
" §A¬O§@¤°»òªº "?
Riley¡¦s smile widened. "More than you can imagine." He lunged
forward with astonishing, murderous speed. / ¿à§Qªº·L¯ºÂX¤j¡C " ¶W¹L§A¯à·Q¹³".
¦³ªÍªº¥L¥H¥iÅ岧¤S¤¿¬½ªº³t«×Âà±H¡C
His speed nearly caught Jay off-guard again- when Riley jumped at him
he swung with three of his shuriken imbedded between his fingers, razored
tips pointing out, but caught nothing but Riley¡¦s overcoat. Pain exploded
through his head when Riley connected with a hammering punch, causing
him to drop. Jay¡¦s temper boiled over at his own lapse and the seemingly
unlimited supply of surprises Riley was producing, and with his own flashing
speed he caught Riley and threw him to the ground. Now any question of
what gave his adversary that kind of unnatural power flew out the window;
Jay¡¦s earlier intention of killing him was back in priority. Whatever
it was that fed Riley his strength again became irrelevant, for with every
defensive move and uninhibited strike he would weaken Riley once more
and pummel him into a bloody mass. Jay¡¦s cerebonics were rolling with
their familiar combat-heightened fire, a thrum that he barely paid attention
to even in battle, until that moment, when something went horribly wrong.
/ ¥Lªº³t«×´X¥G¨«¶}®·®»¤F³¾- ¦u½Ã¦A¤@¦¸ - ·í¿à§Q¦b¥L¸õÅDªº®ÉÔ¥L¥H¥Lªº shuriken ¤¤ªº¤T·nÂ\¦b¥Lªº¤â«ü¤§¶¡¨Ï´¡¤J,«c¤M¤F«ü¥Xªº³»ºÝ,
¦ý¬O¥u®·®»¿à§Qªº¥~®M¤j¦ç¡C ·í¿à§Q¥H¤@ÓÂñ¥´¥´¬}¾¹³s±µªº®ÉÔ¡AµhWÃz¬µ¹L¥LªºÀY, ¾ÉP¥L°§C¡C ¦b¥L¦Û¤vªº¹L¥¢©M·N¥~¿à§Qªºªí±¤WµL¨î¸Éµ¹³QªmÄ˦ӷ¸¥XªºµÊ®ð¥¿¦b²£¥Íªº³¾,¦Ó¥B¥Ñ©ó¥L¦Û¤vªº°{Ã{³t«×¥L¹ï¦a±®·®»¤F¿à§Q¦Ó¥B¥á¥L¡C
¥ô¦óµ¹¤©¤F¥Lªº¤£¦ÛµM¤O¶qªºÃþ«¬¸¤Fµ¡¤áªº¼Ä¤âªF¦èªº°ÝÃD²{¦b; ±þ®`ªº³¾§ó¦ªº·N¹Ï¥L¦bÀu¥ý¤è±¦^¨Ó¡C µL½×¥¦¬O¨º¤°»òÁý¤F¥Lªº¤O¶q¦A¤@¦¸Åܦ¨¤£¬Û¤zªº¿à§Q,¦]¬°¥Ñ©ó¨C¤@¨¾¿mªº²¾°Ê©M¤£¨ü¨îªº½}¤u¥L±N·|¦A¤@¦¸«d®z¿à§Q¦Ó¥B¥Î®±ÀY¥´¥L¶i¦å¸{ªº¤j²³¤§¤º¡C
cerebonics ¥¿¦b¥H¥L̪º¼ô±x¾Ô°«¥[±jªº¤õºu°Êªº³¾¡A¥L´X¥G¬Æ¦Ü¦b¾Ôª§¤¤ª`·Nªº¤@Ó´Ãä,ª½¨ì¤ù¨è,·í¬Y¨Æ¥i©È¦a¿ù»~¥hªº®ÉÔ¡C
Searing white pain flooded through Jay¡¦s hardwiring, exploding in his
head and raking down his shoulders and right arm like a high ripping arson
burn. His scream was loud enough to be heard on the streets below, and
people on the sidewalk before the bar all stopped what they were doing
and nervously looked skyward towards that long agonized cry. / ¯NµJ¥Õ¦âªºµhW¥ÆÀݹL³¾ªº
hardwiring,¦b¥LªºÀY¤¤Ãz¬µ©M¦V²î§À¤U¨Ó¥LªºªÓ©M¥k¤âÁu³ßÅw¤@Ó°ªªº³»«ÓÁa¤õ¿N¶Ë¡C ¥Lªº¦y¥sÁn°÷¤jÁn¨Ó¦b¤U±ªºµó¹D¤W³QÅ¥¨ì, ©M¦b¤H¦æ¹D¤Wªº¤H¦b°s§a¥þ³¡°±¤î¤F¥LÌ¥¿¦b°µ¦Ó¥Bºò±i¦a¬Ý°_¨Ó¦V¤ÑªÅ¤§«e¦Vþ¤@ªøªº¨ÏúÁn·Ð´o¤F¡C
Riley stood up, brushing himself off and running his fingers through his
rumpled hair. "Hey, what¡¦s the matter?" he asked condescendingly,
and with a little surprise that he couldn¡¦t hide. "Did I hit you
too hard or something?" / ¿à§Q¯¸°_¨Ó, ²¨¨ê¥L¦Û¤vÂ÷¶}¦Ó¥B¸g¹L¥Lªº§Ë¿¨ÀY¾v¶]¥Lªº¤â«ü¡C "¶Ù,«ç»ò¤F"?
¥LÁ¾»¹¦a°Ý, ©M¥Ñ©ó¥LµLªkÂ꺤p¤p·N¥~¡C " §Ú¤ÓÃøªº¸I¼²§A¶Ü©Î¬Y¨Æ"?
Jay somehow managed to stand, staggering back a few feet before falling
to one knee. Pain was rolling down his shoulders and arm in sizzling sheets.
He couldn¡¦t catch his breath. Riley slowly circled him, softly laughing,
reveling in the sudden turn of events. Say hey, baby, he thought. Let¡¦s
rock. / ³¾¤£ª¾¦ó¬G³]ªk¯¸,°Ñ®t¦b¸¨¨ì¤@Ó½¥¤§«e¤ä«ù¤@¨Ç¸}¡C µhW¥¿¦b¼R¼R°µÁn±i¤è±ºu°Ê¤U¨Ó¥LªºªÓ©M¤âÁu¡C ¥LµLªk¨Ï¥L«Ì®§¡C ¿à§QºCºC¦a¥]³ò¤F¥L,¬X©M¦a¯º¡A¦b¨Æ¥óªº¬ðµM±ÛÂत¨gÅw§@¼Ö¡C
µo¨¥Åv¶Ù¡AÀ¦¨à,¥L·Q¡C Åý§ÚÌ·n°Ê¡C
"NOOO!" Kelley screamed, pushing out of Key¡¦s protective embrace.
"No no no I won¡¦t-!" / " NOOO"! ³ÍµÜ¦y¥s,±À°ÊÂ÷Æ_°Íªº«OÅ@¾Ö©ê¡C "
¨S¦³¨S¦³¨S¦³§Ú¤£±N-"!
Shaking, Jay reached under his jacket for the Sig Sauer, but was barely
able to hold it any higher than Riley¡¦s kneecaps. His vision swam out
of focus. Riley strode forward, and brutally kicked the weapon out of
Jay¡¦s hand, sending it clattering away out of reach. / ·n°Ê,³¾¬° Sig Sauer
¦b¥Lªº§¨§J¤§¤U¨ì¹F, ¦ý¬O´X¥GµLªk¤ä¼µ¥¦¥ô¦óªº¤ñ¿à§Q°ªªº½¥»\°©¡C ¥Lªºµø³¥´åªaÂ÷µJÂI¡C ¿à§Q¦V«e¦aÁÚ¤j¨B¨«, ¦Ó¥B´Ý§Ô¦a§âªZ¾¹½ð¥X³¾ªº¤â,°e¥¦¥Ñ©ó½d³òµo¥X¼M°ÕÁnÂ÷¶}¡C
"Having some problems?" Riley asked, bending low. "What,
not as strong as you thought you were?" Riley cackled. Suddenly,
Jay¡¦s right arm went numb entire. / ¦³¤@¨Ç°ÝÃD? ¿à§Q°Ý,Ås¦±§CÂI¡C "¤°»ò, ¤£¦p±jªº·í°µ§A»{¬°§A¬O"?
¿à§Q«£«£¦a¥s¡C ¬ðµM¡A³¾ªº¥k¤âÁuÅܳ¤ì¾ãÓªº¡C
Riley turned and walked to the ledge of the roof, leaving the G-Forcer
on the ground behind him. He leaned over, peering into the darkness of
the alleyway and the opened window on the third floor that sent a golden
shaft of light against the brick of the building next door. He saw the
shadows of the people inside. "Yoohoo!" he called down. "Luva
my life, are you down there?" / ¿à§QÂà¦V¦Ó¥B¨«¸ô¥h«Î³»ªº©¥¬[,Â÷¶}¦b¥L«á±ªº¦a±¤Wªº G- Forcer
¡C ¥Lµ²§ôʾa, ¶i¤J¦b²Ä¤T°e¤F¹ï§Ü«Ø¿vª«¹j¾Àªº¿j¶ô¤@Ó¥úªºª÷¶b¼Ó¤Wªº¤p«Ñ¶Â·t©M³Q¥´¶}ªºµ¡¤á¤§¤º¾®µø¡C ¥L¨£¨ì¸Ì±ªº¤H¼v¹³¡C "
Yoohoo"! ¥L½Ð¨D¡C " Luva §Úªº¥Í¬¡, §A¦b¨º¸Ì¬O¤U¨Ó"?
Kelley screamed, clenching her hands around her head. Key tried to reach
for her and pull her away but suddenly her eyes snapped wide and focused
on him like highbeams on a deer. Her corneas had gone a phosphorescent
ocher. The expression on her face was pure psychopathic terror. Her lunge
at him was as quick as a predatory savanna cat. / ³ÍµÜ¦y¥s,¦b¦oªºÀY©P³òºò´¤¦oªº¤â¡C Æ_°Í¸ÕµÛ¤Î©ó¦o¦Ó¥B©Ô¦oÂ÷¶}¡A¦ý¬O¬ðµM¦oªº²´·ú¼sÁï¦a«rÂ_¦Ó¥B¹³¦b¤@°¦³À¤Wªº
highbeams ¤@¼Ë§â«¤ß¶°¤¤¦b¥L¡C ¦oªº¨¤½¤¤w¸g¥h¤@µo¥XÁC¥úªºªü¡C ¦b¦oªºÁy¤Wªí¹F¬O¯Âºéªººë¯«¯fªº®£©Æ¡C ¦b¥Lªº¦o¨ë¬O¹³¤@°¦±°¹Üªº¤j¯óì¿ß¤@¼Ëªº§Ö¡C
Key saw it coming and twisted aside, avoiding her flying body, but somehow
she spun back and swung her arm in a wide backhand, her balled fist slamming
into the side of his head. Sparkling pain erupted behind his eyes, and
he collapsed like a shot buffalo. Blood flowed over his forehead. Kelley
moved aside and then came back over him; she had something in her hand.
Oh my God, Key thought disjointedly. She¡¦s gonna brain me with my statue
of Pluto the dog. / ÃöÁ䪺¿÷¤l¥¦¨ÓÁ{©M¤Ï±`ªº®Ç¥Õ,ÁקK¦o¸¨Åé,¦ý¬O¤£ª¾¦ó¬G¦o¦V«á¦a§Ö³t±ÛÂà¦Ó¥B·nÂ\¤F¤@Ó¼eªº¤Ï©ç¦o¤âÁu,¦o²y¤F²rµM¦a¼²¶i¥LªºÀYÃä®±ÀY¡C
°{°{µo¥úªºµhW¦b¥Lªº²´·ú«á±Ãzµo¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¹³¤@°¦ª`®g¤ô¤û¤@¼Ë˶ò¡C ¦å¦b¥Lªº«eÃB¤§¤W¬y°Ê¡C ³ÍµÜ¦b¤@Ãä©MµM«á²¾°Ê¦b¥L¤§¤W¦^¨Ó; ¦o¦b¦oªº¤â¤¤¦³¬Y¨Æ¡C
®@§Úªº¤W«Ò , Æ_°Í¤£¦³±µÁ_¦a·Q¡C ¦o¥¿¦b©M§Úªºß¤ý¬PªºÀJ¹³ª¯¥h¸£§Ú¡C
Outside the window, he heard somebody up above laughing like merry hell.
/ ¦bµ¡¤á¤§¥~¡A¥L¦b¯º¬Û¦üªº§Ö¼Ö¦aº»¤W±¦V¤WÅ¥¨ì¤F¬Y¤H¡C
Riley whooped, and suddenly his war-cry was cut off by a massive fist
around his throat. / ¿à§Q¥s³Û, ©M¬ðµM¥Lªº¾Ôª§-úÁn¦b¥Lªº«|³ï©P³ò³Q¤@ÓÃe¤jªº®±ÀY¤ÁÂ_¤F¡C
Rob had climbed up the underside of the escape, keeping his frame under
darkness, and as silent as smoke he¡¦d reached up right under Riley and
took a handful. Riley looked down and saw about two hundred and eighty
pounds of snarling navyman about to snap him in two. / ·m¹Ü¦³ª¦¤W°k¤`ªº¤U±,¦b¶Â·t¤§¤U«O¦s¥LªºÅé®æ,¦Ó¥B¹³·Ï¤@¼Ëªº¨HÀq¥L¦³¦b¿à§Q¤U±ªºÅv§Q¤W±¨ì¹F¦Ó¥B±a¤F¤Ö¼Æ¡C
¿à§Q¬Ý¤U¨Ó©M¨ì³BÃö©ó¤G¦Ê¤K¤Q½S§q¥sªº navyman ªº¿÷¤l«rÂ_¥L¦b¤G¡C
At the same moment, Kelley shrieked again, throwing the statuette down
and falling back against the wall. "I won¡¦t!¡¦ she bellowed. "DO
YOU HEAR ME I WON¡¦T KILL HIM-!" / ¦b¬Û¦Pªº¤ù¨è¡A³ÍµÜ¦A¤@¦¸¦y¥s,§â¤pÀJ¹³¥á¤U¨Ó¦Ó¥BºM°h¹ï§ÜÀð¾À¡C
" §Ú¤£±N!'¦o«ã§q¡C "§AÅ¥¨ì§Ú§Ú±N¤£±þ¥L¶Ü-"!
Oh yes you will little girl Do it now / ®@¬Oªº§A¤p¤k«Ä±N²{¦b°µ¥¦¶Ü
Her wail was the most tortured thing Key had ever heard. Something had
her. He¡¦d seen Gallactor take populations by suggestion, and something
just like it had her planted firm. Kelley collapsed, sobbing. Her features
rippled, changed. Her eyes were like stoked coals. Something had her,
something was twisting her, and dazed and blinking back blood Key watched
in horror as her hand reached out for a shuriken that had dropped on the
floor and grasped it hard enough to send blood welling from her clenched
fingers. / ¦oªº´d¹Ä¬O´¿¸g³Q«þ°Ý¨Æª«Æ_°Íªº¤j³¡¤À¤w¸gÅ¥¨ì¡C ¬Y¨Æ¦³¤F¦o¡C ¥L¤w¸g³Q«Øij , ©M¥¿ª½ªºªF¦è¨£¨ì Gallactor
±a¤H¤f¹³¥¦¦oºØ´Ó¤½¥q¤F¡C ³ÍµÜ˶ò,µo¥X¶ã«|Ánµ¡C ¦oªº¯S¼x°_º§º¬,§ïÅÜ¡C ¦oªº²´·ú¹³ stoked ·Ñ¡C ¬Y¨Æ¦³¤F¦o,¬Y¨Æ¬O§áÂ઺¦o, ¦Ó¥B¯íµM¡A¦Ó¥B·í¦oªº¤â¬°±q¦o´é¥Xªº¦åºò´¤¤F¤â«üªº¤w¸g¦b¦aªO¤W°§C¦Ó¥B§ì¦í°e¬O°÷Ãøªº
shuriken ¨ì¹F¥Xªº®ÉÔ¡A¯w²´«á±ªº¦åÆ_°ÍÅ宣¦a¬Ý¡C
O God o God o what the hell is it o Kelley I¡¦m so sorry / O ¤W«Ò o ¤W«Ò o
¥¦¬O¤°»ò o ³ÍµÜ§Ú¬O³o»òÃø¹Lªº
Lying on the floor he lashed out with his left leg in a blindingly fast
kick and clipped the side of her head. Her head snapped back and she dropped
like a haybale, her body spasaming once on the floor before falling limp.
Key cried out at her fall and the concussion he knew he¡¦d just given her.
He pulled her up into his arms, moaning in remorse for his action, cradling
her limp and unconscious body, agonizing over just what the bloody hell
was going on here-! / ½ö¦b¦aªO¤W¥L¥H¨Ï¤H¯t¥Ø§Ö³tªº½ð¥L¥ªÃ䪺»LÃ@¥´¥X¦Ó¥BװŤF¦oªºÀYÃä¡C ¦b¸¨¤Uªº¶_¦æ«eªº¦aªO¤W¹³ haybale
¡A¦oªº¨Åé spasaming ¤@¼Ë´¿¸g°§Cªº¦V«á¦a³Q«rÂ_ªº¦oÀY©M¦o¡C Æ_°Í¦b¦oªº¬î¤Ñ©M¥L»{ÃÑ¥Lèè¤~µ¹¦oªº¿E°Ê¤j¥s¡C ¥L¶i¤J¥Lªº¤âÁu¤§¤º§â¦o©Ô°_¨Ó
,¬°¥Lªº¦æ°Ê¦b¾Ò®¬¤è±©D§u,©ñ¦b·nÄx¤º¦oªº¬X³n©MµL·NÃѪº¨Åé, W´oªºµ²§ô¨s³º¤°»ò¦å¸{ªº¦aº»¬OÄ~Äò¶i¦æ³o¸Ì-!
Up on the roof, Riley tried to pry Rob¡¦s hand loose. "Hey there,"
he gasped, gapeing in surprise at the sudden intrusion. "How ya doin¡¦?"
/ ¦V¤W¦b«Î³»¤W¡A¿à§Q¸ÕµÛ¥´Å¥·m¹Ü¤â¸Ñ©ñ¡C " ¶Ù¨º¸Ì",¥L³Ý®ð,¦b¬ðµMªºÂô¤J·N¥~¤¤µõ¶}¡C " ¦p¦ó ya doin'"?
With the same rush of strength that had surprised Jay, Riley broke Rob¡¦s
hold and wriggled away. Rob couldn¡¦t get another hold on him; he was hanging
by his left hand gripped around the escape¡¦s railing. Riley stumbled off,
and Rob started to swing himself up when Riley suddenly hammered his left
hand with one booted foot. Rob saw something flash in Riley¡¦s hand- he
was climbing over, about to slice him. He fell back from the pain of the
kick on his hand, dropping down to evade the knife. A million miles below
he heard vehicles, the high whine of a motorcycle approaching the alley
underneath, and shouting voices. Riley was leering at him, and the blade
was coming down. / ÂǥѤw¸g¨Ï³¾¦YÅ媺¤O¶q¬Û¦P¥^«P¡A¿à§QÂ_±¼·m¹Ü§â´¤¦Ó¥Bį°ÊÂ÷¶}¡C ·m¹ÜµLªk±o¨ì¦b¥L¤Wªº¥t¥~§â´¤; ¥L¥¿¦bÂǵۥLªº¦b°k¤`ªº§ß¤â©P³ò³Q§ìºòªº¥ª¤âÄa±¾¡C
·í¿à§Q¬ðµM¥Î¬ï¹uªº¸}Âñ¥´¥Lªº¥ª¤â®ÉÔ¿à§Q¨«¶}²ÌË, ¦Ó¥B·m¹Ü¶}©l¦V¤W·nÂ\¥L¦Û¤v¡C ·m¹Ü¬Y¨Æ¦b¿à§Qªº¤â¤¤°{²{ªº¿÷¤l-¥Lµ²§ô¬OÃk½t¦Óµnªº, ¤j¬ù¤Á¦¨Á¡¤ù¥L¡C
¥L±q¦b¥Lªº¤â¤W½ðµhWºM°h , °§C¤U¨Ó°kÁפM¡C ¦Ê¸Uù¦b¥LÅ¥¨ì¤F¨®½ø¡A¦b¤U±±µªñ¤p¸ôªº¼¯¦«¨®ªº°ª©ê«è¤U±, ¦Ó¥B©I³ÛÁnµ¡C ¿à§Q¥¿¦b¥L°e¬îªi¡A¦Ó¥B¤M¾W¥¿¦b¤U¨Ó¡C
Riley suddenly pitched forward, shoved brutally from behind, and tumbled
over the top with a yelp of surprise. He scrabbled hard for a grip on
the ledge and managed to keep his hands over the concrete, his body crashing
painfully against the wall. He tried desperately to haul himself up before
the helmsman could reach over and yank him off, and managed to swing one
arm over the side. / ¿à§Q¬ðµM¦V«e¦a²Ï¨c, ´Ý§Ô¦a±q«á±ªº³¡¤À±ÀÀ½, ¦Ó¥B¶^¸¨¶W¹L«×¥Ñ©ó¤@Án·N¥~ªº¥s³Û¡C ¥L¹ï©ó¦b©¥¬[¤Wªººò´¤§V¤O¦a¼ã¯ó¦a¼g¨Ã¥B³]ªk«O¦s¦b²V¾®¤g¤Wªº¥L¤â,¥Lªº¤Ï¹ïÀð¾ÀµhW¦a¼²¸Hªº¨Åé¡C
¦b²ë¤â¥i¥H¨«¶}¦ù¹L¤â¥h¦Ó¥B±j©Ô¥L, ¦Ó¥B³]ªk·nÂ\¦bÃä¤Wªº¤@°¦¤âÁu¤§«e , ¥L±j¯P¦a¸ÕµÛ¦V¤W©ì¥L¦Û¤v¡C
Then Jay was over him, slumping against the concrete ledge, reaching out
to take a huge handful of Riley¡¦s hair into his left fist. / µM«á³¾¬O¦b¥L¤§¤W
,²rµM±¼¸¨¹ï§Ü¨ãÅ骺©¥¬[,»P®³¿à§QªºÀY¾v·¥¤j¤Ö¼Æ¶i¥Lªº¥ªÃä®±ÀY¤§¤º±µÄ²¡C
"Okay," Riley said, his smile complacently easy and disarming.
"You got me." / " ¦n " ¡A¿à§Q»¡, º¡¨¬®e©ö©M¦ü®ø°£ªº¥L·L¯º¡C " §A±o¨ì¤F§Ú
" ¡C
Jay slowly shook his head. His eyes were flaming pain and solid killing
rage. / ³¾ºCºC¦a·nÀY¡C ¥Lªº²´·ú¬O¿U¿NªºµhW©M©TÅé±þ®`ªº¼««ã¡C
"You¡¦re not dead yet," he growled. / " §A¤´µM¨S¦³¦º ",¥L«ã§p¡C
He shoved Riley¡¦s head back. / ¥L§â¿à§QÀY±ÀÀ½¦^¨Ó¡C
And let go. / ¦Ó¥BÅý¥h¡C
Riley howled as his hold on the edge slipped. He disappeared, and Rob
took no notice of his falling body as he climbed up to the roof to Jay,
but didn¡¦t hear the thud of his body hitting bottom. Rob glanced over
when he reached the top, and felt his hardwiring trip in startled shock.
Riley wasn¡¦t there. There was no body, no wide puddle of human wreckage
anywhere below the ten-story building. / ¿à§Q¨g§p¦p¦b³Q·Æ˪ºÃä½t¤Wªº¥L§â´¤¡C ¥L®ø¥¢, ¦Ó¥B·m¹Ü·í¥L¹ï³¾ª¦¤W¨ì«Î³»,
¦ý¬O¨S¦³Å¥¨ì¥Lªº¸I¼²©³³¡ªº¨Åé¯yÀ»Án¡A¨S®³¥Lªº¸¨¤U¨Å骺ª`·N¡C ·í¥L¨ì¹F¤F³»ºÝ, ¦Ó¥B·Pı¤F¾_Å媺ÅåÀ~¥L hardwiring ®È¦æªº®ÉÔ¡A·m¹ÜÂsÄý¡C
¿à§Q¤£¦b¨º¸Ì¡C ¨S¦³¨Åé,¦b¤Q¼h¼Ó°ªªº«Ø¿vª«¤U±¦b¥ô¦ó¦a¤èªº¨S¦³¤HÃþ´Ý¾lªº¼sªx¤ô¦À¡C
Jay had collapsed, crumpling against the wall of the ledge. "You
okay?" Rob shouted out to him. He got no answer. / ³¾¤w¸g˶ò,§Ë½K¹ï§Ü©¥¬[ªºÀð¾À¡C
" §A¦n"? ¹ï¥L·m¹Ü¤j¥s¡C ¥L¨S¦³¤Fµª®×¡C
He reached Jay¡¦s body and cradled him up. Rob couldn¡¦t find any wounds
yet Jay was trembling like a live wire, every muscle locked, and he was
hyperventilating in tremendous pain. His spiral down into shock was sudden
and abrupt, promptly passing out in Rob¡¦s arms. / ¥L¦V¤WÁpµ¸¤F³¾ªº¨Åé¦Ó¥B©ñ¦b·nÄx¤º¤F¥L¡C
·m¹ÜµLªkµo²{¥ô¦óªº³Ð¶ËµM¦Ó¹³¬¡ªº¹q½u³¾¬Oµo§Ýªº,¨C§ô¦Ù¦×Âê¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¬O¥¨¤jªºµhW hyperventilating ¡C ¥LªºÁ³±Û§Î¤§ª«¤U¨Ó¬O¶i¤JÅåÀ~¤§¤º¬ðµMªº©M¬ðµMªº,
±Ó±¶¦a©ü˦b·m¹Ü¤âÁu¡C
"No, you¡¦re not," Rob sighed, carrying him up. / " ¤£¡A§A¬O¤£",
·m¹Ü¼Û®§,Äâ±a¥L¼W¥[¡C
Rob swatted at the plans on the pool table, sending them scattering onto
the floor. "All this has been just bullshit! We¡¦re deluding ourselves
by thinking this is just an ordinary Blackbird assassin, or at the least
a solo nutcase who took a liking to the bar instead of the Russian bakery
next door. I- I don¡¦t even know what we¡¦re dealing with anymore!"
Rob ran one hand over his hair, nervously looking around the loft. "Jesus,
Marc, how the hell do we stop him?" / ¦b¦À®à¤l¤Wªºp¹º·m¹Ü¥Î¤O¥´¤U¥h,¦b¦aªO¤§¤W§â´²§G¬£»ºµ¹¥LÌ¡C
" ©Ò¦³ªº³o¤w¸g¬O¥¿ª½ªºJ»¡! §ÚÌ¥¿¦bÂǥѥu·Q³o°g´b§Ú̦ۤv¬O¤@Ó¥±`ªº¤s³¾Ãþ·t±þªÌ, ©Î¦b³Ì¤Ö±N¤@Ó·R¦n±a¨ì°s§a¥N´À«X°êÄÑ¥]©±¹j¾Àªº³æ¿W
nutcase¡C §Ú- §Ú¬Æ¦Ü¤£ª¾¹D§ÚÌ¥¿¦b¤£¦A³B²zªº!" ·m¹Ü¶]¤@²¾¥æ¥LªºÀY¾v,ºò±i¦a¥|³B¬Ý¬Ý³»¼Ó¡C "C¿q¡A°¨¥i,§Ú̦p¦óªý¤î¥L"?
"Whatever he is, he can¡¦t be immune to a bullet or a blade. When
he shows up again, we need to be ready." "I thought we were.
I was right there, and Jay was so close-" / "µL½×¥L¬O¤°»ò,¥L¤£¯à¹ï¤@Ó¤l¼u©Î¤M¾W¬O§K¬Ìªº¡C
·í¥L¦A¤@¦¸¥X²{ªº®ÉÔ,§ÚÌ»Ýn·Ç³Æ¦n¡C" "§Ú»{¬°¡A§Ú̬O¡C §Ú´N¦b¨º¸Ì¡A¦Ó¥B³¾¬O¦p¦¹±µªñ-"
"That¡¦s what bothers me." Mareccu admitted to his helmsman,
gaze dark and deeply worried. / " ¨º¬O·ÐÂZ§ÚªºªF¦è " ¡C Mareccu ©Ó»{¥Lªº²ë¤â,
ª`µø¶Â·t¨Ã¥B²`²`¦a¾á¼~¡C
"Kelley? Can you hear me?" / "³ÍµÜ? §A¯àÅ¥¨ì§Ú¶Ü?"
David Anderson was beside her, shining a penlight into her now benign
pupils, seeing both quickly constrict in normal automatic response. Key
was behind her, tearfully bandaging the gash he¡¦d delivered on the side
of her head, letting his own wound slowly bleed in penance. David glanced
at him, but didn¡¦t say anything. / ¦b¦o®ÇÃä¤j½Ã¦w¼w»¹¬O, °{Ã{¤@Óµ§§Î¹qµ©¶i¦oªº²{¦b¤§¤º¨}©Êªº¾Ç¥Í,«Ü§Ö¦a¨£¨ì¨âªÌ¦b¥¿±`ªº¦Û°Ê¦^À³¤¤À£ÁY¡C
Æ_°Í¦b¦o«á±,§t²\¦aÁ^±a¥L¦³¦b¦oªºÀYÃä¤W»¼°eªº¬å±o«Ü²`ªº¶Ë¤f,ºCºC¦aÅý¥L¦Û¤vªº³Ð¶Ë¦bÄb®¬¤è±¬y¦å¡C ¤j½Ãª`µø¥L, ¦ý¬O¨S¦³»¡¥ô¦ó¨Æ¡C
"Oww.." Kelley moaned, raising her quivering and bandaged hand
to touch her head, and tears immediately began their trek down her crumpled
face. / "Oww¡C¡C"³ÍµÜ©D§u, ¾i¨|¦oŸ§Ý¦Ó¥BÁ^±a¤F¤â¸IIJ¦oªºÀY,¦Ó¥B²\ºw¥ß¨è¶}©l , ¥L̪º¨¯Wªø³~®È¦æåP¸¨
, ¦o§Ë½K¤FÁy¡C
"Who is he?" David asked with infinite gentleness, strange coming
from the man who advised heads of state on the issues and scientific strategy
of war, and sent the commands of action to their own. Now he looked rumpled,
his light hair long uncombed, his normal three-piece suit replaced by
a dark knit sweater and casual slacks. His eyes behind the gold-rimmed
glasses were circled by fatigue and worry. / " ¥L¬O½Ö "? ¤j½Ã¥HµL½aªº·Å¶¶°Ý,
©_©Çªº¨ÓÁ{±qÄU§i¤F¦bijÃD©M¾Ôª§ªº¬ì¾Çµ¦²¤¤Wªº°ê®a¤¸º, ¦Ó¥B°e¤F¦æ°Êªº«ü¥O¨k¤H¨ì¥L̦ۤvªº¡C ²{¦b¥L¬Ý§Ë¿¨,¥Lªº»´ÀY¾v´÷±æ¤£®ÞÀY¾v,¥Lªº³Q¶Â·t´À´«ªº¥¿±`¤T¥ó¤@®Mªº¶D³^½s´¤ò¦ç©M°¸µMªºÃPªø¿Ç¡C
¦b¶Àª÷Æ^Ã䪺²´Ãè«á±ªº¥L²´·ú³Q¯h²Ö©M·Ð´o¥]³ò¤F¡C
Kelley opened her eyes, and they all saw the panic riding in her like
death astride the hounds of hell. Jun reached down to Key¡¦s shoulder,
and she knew that the bleak thrum she felt ripple under her touch was
the dying signature of his breaking heart. / ³ÍµÜ¥´¶}¤F¦oªº²´·ú¡A¦Ó¥B¥LÌ¥þ³¡¸óµÛ¨£¨ì¦oªº¬Û¦ü¦º¤`ªºÅå·WÃM¦aº»ªºÂy¤ü¡C
¤»¤ë¦ù¤â®³¤U¨ìÆ_°ÍªºªÓ¡A¦Ó¥B¦oª¾¹D¡A¦o·Pı¦b¦oªºÄ²Ä±¤U±ªºº§ªi¿½·æªºÂ´Ãä¬O¥L¶Ë¤ßªº««¦ºÃ±¦r¡C
David took both of her hands. "Help us catch him," he pleaded.
"Can you do that? Can you fight him off?" / ¤j½Ã±a¤F¦oªº¨âÓ¤â¡C "
À°§U§ÚÌ®·®»¥L ",¥LÅGÅ@¡C "§A¯à°µ¨º¶Ü? §A¯à¨«¶}¹ï§Ü¥L¶Ü?"
Kelley shuddered, and David¡¦s heart froze at the sudden snap of fiery
light in her eyes. What was holding her? And how? She wasn¡¦t numb to the
suggestion; all Key had described was that she was fighting it, whatever
it was, yet she was also being overpowered a little at a time. She was
being commanded to kill. That much was clear. Yet there was no detectable
harmonic. Whatever was holding her was somehow deeper, planted miles under
her entire psyche, overwriting itself into her mind and memory and soul.
/ ³ÍµÜ¾Ô·X¡A¦Ó¥B¤j½Ãªº¤ß¦b¦oªº²´·ú¿K¼ö¥úªº¬ðµM¤jÁn¥w½|áµ²¡C ¤°»ò¥¿¦b®»¦í¦o? ¦Ó¥B¦p¦ó? ¦o¹ï«Øij¤£¬O³Â¤ìªº; ©Ò¦³ªºÆ_°Í¤w¸g´yz¬O¦o¥¿¦b¹ï§Ü¥¦,µL½×¥¦¬O¤°»ò,µM¦Ó¦o¤]¥¿¦b¨C¦¸µy·L³QÀ»±Ñ¡C
¦o¥¿¦b³Q©R¥O±þ¡C ¨º»ò¦h¬O²M·¡ªº¡C µM¦Ó¨S¦³¥iµoıªº©Mµ¡C ¤£½×¤°»ò¥¿¦b®»¦í , ¦o¬O¤£ª¾¦ó¬G¤ñ¸û²`,ºØ´Ó¤F¦b¦oªº¾ãÓÆF»î¤U±ªºù,¶i¤J¦oªº¤ß©M°O¾Ð©MÆF»î¤§¤º¼g±o¹L¦h¥¦¥»¨¡C
And she was losing. / ¦Ó¥B¦o¥¿¦b¥¢¥h¡C
Kelley inhaled a long shuddering breath, squeezing her eyes shut, gripping
David¡¦s hands so tight it sent shooting pain up into his shoulders. He
didn¡¦t budge. He kept his gaze on her, searching for clues, hunting for
reason, seeing her tortured struggle that could have very well been Jun¡¦s.
/ ³ÍµÜ§l¤J¤Fªøªº¾Ô·X©I§l,À½À£¦oªº²´·úÃö¤W, §ìºò¤j½Ãªº¤â¦p¦¹ªººòºò¥¦°e®gÀ»µhW¦b¶i¤J¥LªºªÓ¤§¤º¤W±¡C ¥L¨S¦³²¾°Ê¡C ¥L«O«ù¤F¦b¦o¤Wªº¥Lª`µø,´M§ä½u¯Á¡A¬°²z¥ÑÂ\°Ê¡A¨£¨ì¦o«þ°Ý¤F¥i¥H¦³±o«Ü¦n¬O¤»¤ëªºÄvª§¡C
And there was another nagging thought, one that Mareccu had echoed aloud
to him in private just minutes before. / ¦Ó¥B¦³¥t¥~¼G¥oªº·Qªk, ¤@Ó Mareccu ¤w¸g¤jÁn¦a¹ï¥L¦b¥¿ª½ªº¤ÀÄÁ¥H«e¨p©³¤UÀHÁnªþ©M¡C
What¡¦s taking them so long? / ¤°»ò¥¿¦b¥L̪á¤F¦p¦¹ªøªº®É¶¡?
They¡¦re toying with us. / ¥LÌ¥¿¦b©M§Ú̪±§Ë¡C
Looks that way, doesn¡¦t it? And Mareccu¡¦s eyes had been wild and lionic
in tight-reined frustration: Mareccu, who had slowly over the years since
his father¡¦s death developed the doctrine that all the world¡¦s ills could
be cured by a sortie in the Eagle Sharp; who by a natural motion or turn
of the head frighteningly reminded David of Kennaru den Waseru, as though
his lost Rigan friend had suddenly returned alive to fight this war so
far and lonely from his own native home. / ®e»ª¨º¼Ë¡A¤£¬O¶Ü? ¦Ó¥B Mareccu's ªº²´·ú¤w¸g¬O¯î³¥©M
lionic ¦bºòªº-¾r¶¿®À§é: Mareccu, ºCºC¦a¦b¼Æ¦~¥H¨Ó¦³¦]¬°¥Lªº¤÷¿Ë¦º¤`µo®i¤F©Ò¦³ªº¥@¬É¯e¯f¥i¯à³QÆN°ª½Õªº¤@Ó¬ðÀ»ªvÀøªº±Ð¸q;
½ÖÂǵۤ@Ó¦ÛµM¹B°Ê©ÎÀYªº±ÛÂà¥O¤H®£Äߦa¨Ï¤j½Ã·Q°_ Kennaru Ã~¥Þ Waseru, ¦n¹³¥Lªº°g¥¢ Rigan ªB¤Í¤w¸g³Q¬ðµM¬¡µÛÂkÁÙ¨ì²{¦b¬°¤î¹ï§Ü³o¤@Ó¾Ôª§©M©t³æªº±q¥L¦Û¤vªº¥»°ê®a¡C
"I don¡¦t know who he is," Kelley suddenly blurted out. "But
he¡¦s here! He¡¦s here all of the time-!" / " §Ú¤£ª¾¹D¥L¬O½Ö ",³ÍµÜ¬ðµM½Ä¤f»¡¥X¥X¡C
"¦ý¬O¥L¦b³o¸Ì! ¥L¦b³o¸Ì©Ò¦³ªº®É¶¡-!"
She broke down into hard grating sobs. "He- they..." She looked
up at Jun, the color in her face draining. "They were after you first.
They didn¡¦t know who the others were but it could see you. It could see
you...through his eyes, it could see you!" / ¦o¶i¤JÃøªº¦]´ú¶qì¦]©ñ¸m©ó³±·¥®g½uºÞ«eªº®Õ·Ç¹õ°ãª_¤§¤º±Y¼ì¡C
"¥L- ¥LÌ¡C¡C¡C" ¦o¬Ý¦b¤»¤ë¤W±, ÃC¦â¥¿¹ïµÛ±Æ¥X·¾¥~¡C "¥L̬O¦b§A¤§«áº¥ý¡C ¥L̨S¦³ª¾¹D , ½Ö¨ä¾lªÌ¥u¬O¥¦¥i¥H¨£¨ì§A¡C
¥¦¥i¥H¨£¨ì§A¡C¡C¡C¸g¹L¥Lªº²´·ú¡A¥¦¥i¥H¨£¨ì§A!"
Jun¡¦s face turned white. "What?" Kelley was making little sense
but the idea that Gallactor had gotten a clear identification of any of
them made her blood run cold. / ¤»¤ëªºÁyÅܥզ⪺¡C " ¤°»ò "? ³ÍµÜ¥¿¦b¤£¦XÅÞ¿è¦ý¬O
Gallactor ¤w¸g¦³¤@Ó²M·¡½T»{ªº·Qªk¥ô¦óªº¥L̨Ϧoªº¦å¦¨¬°©b¶]´H§N¡C
Kelley cried, her words pouring out in a sudden torrent, halting Japanese
and English mixed into a maddened and desperate babbling that Jun could
barely keep up with. But her words sent bolts down Jun¡¦s limbs nonetheless.
She dropped down and took Kelley by the arms, holding them with intense
tightness. Kelley was now nearly incoherent. "-it¡¦s so old-! it¡¦s
so old and it can see us all-! it sees through his eyes and mine and it¡¦s
so old!! / ³ÍµÜú, ¦b¬ðµMªº©b¬y¤¤Ëªº¦o©Ò»¡ªº¸Ü , °±¤î¤é¥»¤H©M^°ê¤H²V¦X¶i¤J¤@¤§¤º¨Ïµo¨g©M¤»¤ëµLªk»°¤Wªºµ´±æÄǦޡC ¦ý¬O³Q°eªº¦o©Ò»¡ªº¸ÜµM¦Ó¬¦í¤U¨Ó¤»¤ëªº¥|ªÏ¡C
¦o°§C¤U¨Ó¦Ó¥B±a¤F¤âÁuªº³ÍµÜ,¥Î±j¯Pªº°í©T®»¦í¥LÌ¡C ³ÍµÜ¬O²{¦b´X¥G¤£³s³e¡C "- ¥¦¬O¦p¦¹ÂÂ-! ¥¦¬O¦p¦¹Â¡A¦Ó¥B¥¦¯à¨£¨ì§ÚÌ©Ò¦³ªº-!
¥¦¨£¨ì¹L¥Lªº²´·ú©M§Úªº¦Ó¥B¥¦¬O¦p¦¹ÂÂ!!
"Who?" Jun demanded, giving Kelley a sharp shake to break her
from her delirium. "Is it Katse? Is it named Katse?" / "
½Ö "? ¤»¤ën¨D, µ¹³ÍµÜ¾U§Qªº·n°Ê±q¦oªººë¯«¿ù¶Ã¥´¯}¦o¡C "¥¦¬O Katse ¶Ü? ¥¦¥s°µ Katse ¶Ü?"
Kelley blinked, suddenly befuddled. Her eyes swam over with confusion,
her voice suddenly small. "k...katse...?" / ¯w²´ªº³ÍµÜ,¬ðµM¨Ï©ü°g¡C ¦oªº²´·úµ²§ô¥H²V¶Ã´åªa,
¬ðµM¤pªº¦oÁnµ¡C "k¡C¡C¡Ckatse¡C¡C¡C?"
Mareccu moved through the darkened garage in silence, heading for the
vehicles. Jay¡¦s Shelby was a dark shadow in the corner. Mareccu looked
through its windshield and found it empty, then turned towards Rob¡¦s truck.
/ Mareccu ²¾°Ê¹L¨HÀqªº³Q§Ë·tªº¨®®w,¥h¨®½ø¡C ³¾Áº¸¤ñ¬O¨¤¸¨ªº¤@Ӷ·tªº¼v¹³¡C ¬Ý¹L¥¦ªº¾×·¬Á¼þªº Mareccu ¦Ó¥Bµo²{¥¦²MªÅ,
µM«áÂà¦V·m¹Ü¥d¨®¡C
Jay was stretched out over the truck¡¦s rear bench seat on his back, arms
folded over his forehead. / ³¾¦b¥d¨®ªº«á±ªø´È¤l¤§¤W³Q¦ù®i¥X¦b¥LªºI³¡¤Wªº®y¦ì,¤âÁu¦b¥Lªº«eÃB¤§¤WºPÅ|¡C
Mareccu tried the handle; it was locked. Without saying a word he pulled
out Rob¡¦s keyless remote from his jacket pocket and pointed it at the
hood, hearing the sharp two-toned disarm chirp, and Jay¡¦s low groaned
Oh, fuck... / Mareccu ¹Á¸Õ¤F¬`; ¥¦³QÂê¡C ¨S¦³»¡¤@Ó¥L©Ô¥Xªº¦r·m¹ÜµLÁ䪺»»»·±q¥Lªº§¨§J¦bÀY¤y¸Ë«ü¦b¤f³U¸Ì¨Ã¥B¥¦, Å¥ÃÒ·|¨º¾U§Qªº¤G-
¦³Án½Õªº¸Ñ°£ªZ¸Ë³å³åÁn, ¦Ó¥B³¾ªº§CÂI©D§u®@,©Ê¥æ¡C¡C¡C
Mareccu pulled the rear door open. "Come out." / Mareccu ©Ô¤F«á±ªºªù¤½¶}¡C
" ¥X¨Ó " ¡C
"Marc, leave me alone." / " °¨¥i,§OºÞ§Ú " ¡C
"I need to know what happened up there." / " §Ú»Ýnª¾¹Dµo¥ÍªºªF¦è¦b¨º¸Ì¤W±".
Jay looked at him, expression frankly pissed, and it was a long moment
before he answered. "I don¡¦t know." / ³¾¬Ý¥L¡A©Z¥Õ©Á«ãªºªí¹F¡A¦Ó¥B¥¦¦b¥L¦^µªªøªº¤ù¨è¤§«e¡C
" §Ú¤£ª¾¹D " ¡C
"I don¡¦t believe you," Mareccu stated flatly. / " §Ú¤£¬Û«H§A",Mareccu
¥¥¦a³¯z¡C
Jay rose, slowly sliding out of the truck to face him. / ³¾¤W¤É, ºCºC¦a·ÆÂ÷¥d¨®±¹ï¥L¡C
Mareccu watched him closely. He was outraged but Mareccu could also easily
read the pain behind his eyes. "You¡¦ve been sick for a long time,
Jay," he said softly. "What¡¦s wrong?" / Mareccu ÄY±K¦a¬Ý¤F¥L¡C
¥L³Qâ°d¡A¦ý¬O Mareccu ¥i¥H¤]®e©ö¦aŪ¦b¥Lªº²´·ú«á±ªºµhW¡C "§A¤w¸g¥Í¯f¤F¦³«Üªøªº¤@¬q®É¶¡,³¾",¥L¬X©M¦a»¡¡C
" «ç»ò¦^¨Æ "?
"Marc, I have no idea how he could have survived that fall-"
/ "°¨¥i, §Ú¤w¸g¨S¦³·Qªk¦p¦ó¥L¥i¯à¨º¬î¤ÑÄ~Äò¥Í¦s-"
"But you still could have snapped him in half." Mareccu moved
in close, blocking him against the truck. "You were sick before we
even left for Hontwalh, and you damned near passed out in that base from
it before getting shot." His voice rose in fraying anger. "Robbie
heard you scream on the roof and thought you¡¦d been gored! Talk to me!"
/ " ¦ý¬O§A¤´µM¥i¯à§â¥L«rÂ_¦¨¤@¥b". Mareccu ·h¶iµ²§ô,¤Ï¹ï¥d¨®ªýÂ_¥L¡C " ¦b§Ú̬Ʀܫe©¹ Hontwalh
¤§«e , §A¥Í¯f¤F¡A¦Ó¥B§A¦b¦³ª`®g¤§«e±µªñ¦b¨Ó¦Û¥¦ªº¨º¤@Ó°ò¦¤¤©ü˶A©G " ¡C ¥LªºÁnµ¦b¿i·l©Á«ã¤è±¤W¤É¡C "Robbie
¦b«Î³»¤WÅ¥¨ì§A¦y¥s¨Ã¥B»{¬°§A¤w¸g³QÁ_¥H¸ÉÃË! ©M§Ú»¡¸Ü!"
Jay¡¦s right-handed strike was whiplash fast and solid enough to send Mareccu
back hard against the car. Jay backed away from the truck, giving himself
room to face him down. "Don¡¦t worry about things that don¡¦t concern
you," Jay said, voice low and wavering with bolted down hurt and
anger. / ³¾ªººD¥Î¥k¤âªº½}¤u¤Ï¹ï¨T¨®¨¬°÷¬OÃ@¤lªº³»ºÝÂN§Ù©M©TÅé§â Mareccu °e¦^¨ÓÃøªº¡C ³¾¸ú¶}¥d¨®, µ¹¥L¦Û¤v©Ð¶¡§â¥L±¹ï¤U¨Ó¡C
" ¤£n¬°¤£±¾¼{ªº¨Æª«¾á¼~§A",³¾»¡,Ánµ§CÂI¦Ó¥B°Ê·n¥Ñ©ó¬¦í¤U¨Ó¶Ë®`¦Ó¥B¿E«ã¡C
Mareccu slowly straightened, rubbing the side of his jaw. "All right,"
he said easily, and Jay relaxed, discussion over. / Mareccu ºCºC¦a§Ëª½,À¿¥LªºÃEÃä¡C
" ¦nªº ",¥L®e©ö¦a»¡¡A¦Ó¥B³¾©ñÃP,µ²§ôªº°Q½×¡C
"I guess we¡¦ll have to settle this the hard way-" Mareccu growled,
and moved with deadly quick precision, punching Jay twice over the face
and ribline, sending him staggering back. / " §Ú²q´ú§Ú̱N¥²¶·¦w¹y³oÓÃøªº¤èªk-"¥HP©Rªº§Öºë±K³Q«ã§p,
¦Ó¥B²¾°Êªº Mareccu,¦bÁy©M ribline ¤§¤W¥H®±«À»³¾¨â¦¸¡A§â·n®Ì±ý˪ºI±¬£»ºµ¹¥L¡C
"Oh, you bastard," Jay hissed, parrying the next two off by
slapping Mareccu back and slamming the side of his hand across his face.
Pain sparkled behind Mareccu¡¦s eyes for just a moment, long enough to
nearly miss Jay¡¦s sudden and crippling-intended back-kick coming in lightning
speed with every ounce of his two-ten behind it. / "®@, §A¨p¥Í¤l",³¾µo¥X¼NÁn,
¾×¶}¤UÓ¤H¤G¨«¶}ÂǵۥX©_¦a§Ö Mareccu ¦V«á¦a¦Ó¥B²rµMÃö¤W¾î¹L¥LªºÁy¥L¤âÃä¡C µhW¦b Mareccu's ªº²´·ú«á±°{Ä£¥u¬O¤ù¨è, ´÷±æ¥R¨¬´X¥G·Q©À³¾¬ðµMªº¦Ó¥B·l¶Ë-¦V«á¦a·Qn-¶i¨Ó°{¹qªº½ð¥H¦b¥¦«á±ªº¥L¨C¯s¥q¤G¤Q¥[³t¡C
Mareccu barely caught him, twisting him off-balance and down, and Jay
had no choice but to fall beneath him. Mareccu couldn¡¦t hold him down
for long, as he sensed his second¡¦s ire harden from simple defensive into
full combat mode, and his last rational thought before letting his own
fury run unleashed was that they were going to end up killing each other.
Jay rolled himself around and out from Mareccu¡¦s grip and kicked him full
in the stomach, sending him stumbling back winded for breath, and searing
with enraged dissension. / Mareccu ´X¥G®·®»¤F¥L,¨«¶}§áÂà¥L- ¥¿Å©M¦V¤Uªº, ¦Ó¥B³¾¨S¦³¿ï¾Ü°£¤F¤§¥~¦b¥L¤§¤U¸¨¤U¡C
Mareccu µLªk§â¥L®»¦í¤U¨Ó¬°ªøªº,·í¥L·Pı , ¥Lªº¬í©Á«ã±q²³æªº¦u¶Õ¨ì§¹¾ãªº¾Ô°«¼ÒºAÅܵw¡A¦Ó¥B¦b¨Ï¥L¦Û¤vªº¼««ã¶]¤§«e¸Ñ©ñªº¥L³Ì«áªº²z©Ê·Qªk¬O¥ḺNnµ²§ô±þ®`ªº©¼¦¹¤§®É¡C
³¾±q Mareccu's ªººò´¤¦bªþªñ©M¦b¥~±²¥L¦Û¤v¦Ó¥B½ð¤F¥LGªº¥þ³¡,¬£»º¥L¹ï©ó©I§l¬O³z¹L·ªº¦V«á¦a²ÌË, ¦Ó¥B¥H¿E«ãªº·N¨£¤£¦X¯NµJ¡C
Far beyond any caution and into full rage, Jay leaped and drove Mareccu
down to the ground. Held him up just slightly by the neck of his jacket
to deliver a punishing blow. He caught Jay¡¦s fist just millimeters from
his face and wrenched back, tossing Jay upward and off, jumping back up
to his feet. Jay smashed him hard across the face. Blood welled inside
his mouth and he spat it out, eyes glittering pure malevolence and disgust,
and returned the blow without pulling an inch. Jay faltered, stunned by
the brutal blow, opened up wide above his left eye and bleeding. Mareccu
moved in for the final strike. Forethought flew out the window, replaced
by chilling calculation for targeting the most debilitating blow he could
muster, hating himself all the same. / »»»·¦a¶W¹L¥ô¦óªº¤p¤ß¦Ó¥B¶i¤J§¹¥þªº¼««ã¤§¤º¡A³¾¹ï¦a±¸õÅD¦Ó¥B§â
Mareccu ¶}¨®¤U¨Ó¡C ¨Ç·L¦aÂǵۥLªº§¨§J²ä¤l¦V¤W¶È¶È®»¦í¤F¥Lµ¹¤©³B»@¥´À»¡C ¥L¦V«á¦a®·®»¤F¨Ó¦Û¥LªºÁy³¾®±ÀY¥¿ª½ªº¤½Âç¦Ó¥B²r§á, §ëÂY³¾¦V¤Wªº©M»·,¦V«á¦aª½¨ì¥Lªº¸}¸õÅD¡C
³¾¶V¹LÁy§V¤O¦a¯»¸H¤F¥L¡C ¦å¦b¥Lªº¼L¸Ì´é¥X¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¨S¦³©Ô¦T»´¥´¥X¥¦,ª`·NÀéÄê¯Âºéªº´c·N©M¹½´c, ¦Ó¥BÂkÁÙ¤F¥´À»¡C ³¾¤ä§^¦a»¡,Âǵ۴ݧԪº¥´À»¨Ï·wË,
¦³¸Üª½»¡¼eªº¦b¥L¥ªÃ䪺²´·ú©M¥X¦å¤W±¡C Mareccu ¬°³Ì«áªº½}¤u·h¶i¡C ¦Ò¼{±N¨Ó¸¥Xµ¡¤á, ¬°ºË·Ç¥L¥i¥H¥l¶°ªº³Ì¥O¤H°I®zªº¥´À»¡A¤´µM´U¤l¥L¦Û¤v³QµL±¡pºâ´À´«¡C
With fluid and lethal grace Jay shifted aside, the cunning move out of
the blue and catching Mareccu in total surprise as he caught his arm and
viciously threw him down. Flat on his back, the last thing he saw before
he heard the high wailing shriek shrilling from somewhere up above was
Jay¡¦s move for the kill, his scream sending Mareccu¡¦s blood freezing into
curdling knots. / »P²GÅé©MP©RªºÀu¶®³¾§ïÅܤF®Ç¥Õ, ¬¾·âªº²¾°Ê±qÁ`·N¥~ªºÂŦâ©M©ö¶Ç¬Vªº Mareccu ·í¥L®·®»¤F¥Lªº¤âÁu¨Ã¥B¨¸´c¦a§â¥L¥á¤U¨Ó¡C
¦b¥LªºI³¡¤Wªº¤½´J, ³Ì«á¤@¥ó¨Æª«¥L¨£¨ì¥H«e¥L³QÅ¥¨ì°ª«×´d¹Ä¦y¾UªºÅTÁn¥Î¦y¾UªºÁnµ»¡±q¬Y³B¦V¤W¦b¤W±¬O±þªº³¾²¾°Ê,¥Lªº¶i¤J¨Ï¾®µ²µ²¤§¤º°e Mareccu's
ªº¦å¾®©Tªº¦y¥sÁn¡C
Then his wristband suddenly flashed, and they both froze in the reaction
to the alarm. Kelley was screaming, higher than anything Mareccu could
have thought humanly possible, keening in the trap of insanity. Jay¡¦s
focus shifted off Mareccu to straight ahead, and suddenly he was lifted
up and slammed against the truck with a horrible crushing thump, hard
enough to rock the rig back on its wheels. Mareccu rolled aside next to
Jay¡¦s crumpled and prone body. And then Riley¡¦s arm shot out in a shining
silver thrust. / µM«á¥Lªº³S¤f¬ðµM°{²{¡A¦Ó¥B¥LÌdz£¦b¹ïĵ³øªº¤ÏÀ³¤è±áµ²¡C ³ÍµÜ¥¿¦b¦y¥s, ¤ñ¸û°ªªº¤ñ¸û¥ô¦ó¨Æ Mareccu
¥i¯à·Q¤HÃþ¥i¯à,¦bºÆ¨gªº°é®M¤¤¾W§Qªº¡C ³¾ªºµJÂI¦V«e¦aµ§ª½¦a§â¨«¶} Mareccu ²¾¨ì¡A¦Ó¥B¬ðµM¥L³Q¤@Ó¥i©Èªº¥´¯}±o¤äÂ÷¯}¸Hªº«¥´Á|°_¦Ó¥B²rµMÃö¤W¹ï§Ü¥d¨®,
§V¤O¦a¨¬°÷¦b¥¦ªº½ü¤l¤W¦V«á¦a·n°Êp¿Ñ¡C Mareccu ºò¾F³Q§Ë½Kªº³¾©MÁ¥ñªº¨Åé¦b¤@Ãä±²¡C µM«á¿à§Qªº¤âÁu¦b¥ú«Gªº»È±À¶i¤¤ªº¥~®gÀ»¡C
Mareccu screamed as the blade speared flaming agony deep into his side
and ripped upwards, was pulled out and sent chopping deep again. Riley
was over him, leering in happy sociopathic joy. Blood was pouring out
of his side. He could feel fluid warmth soaking his clothes, seeping through
his hand. Riley cackled, moving off. He sidestepped around and brutally
kicked Jay, bellowing "-and stay down!" / ·í¤M¾W¥H¤W¥Ù¿U¿Nªº·¥¤jµhW²`³B¶i¥Lªº¨Ãä¦Ó¥B¼¹¶}ªº®ÉÔ¡A
Mareccu ¦y¥s,³Q©Ô¥X¨Ã¥B°e¦A¤@¦¸ºIÂ_²`³B¡C ¦b¥L¤§¤W¿à§Q¬O,¦b§Ö¼Öªº¤ÏªÀ·|ªºÅw³ß¤è±°e¬îªi¡C ¦å¥¿¦b±q¥Lªº¨Ãä·¸¥X¡C ¥L¥i¥H·Pı®ûªw¥Lªº¦çªA¡Aº¯¥X¹L¥Lªº¤â¬y°Êªº·Å·x¡C
¿à§Q«£«£¦a¥s,Â÷¶}¡C ¥L°kÁצb¦Ó¥B©P³ò´Ý§Ô¦a½ð¤F³¾, «ã§q "- ¦Ó¥B°±¯d¤U¨Ó"!
Shuddering in pain and his vision swimming a sparkling gray, Mareccu managed
to raise to his knees. He reached under his jacket for the compact sheath.
Pulled out his boomerang blade. Gripped it hard enough to send sharp pangs
through his hand, sizzling up his hardwiring and charging unconsciousness
away. Riley was silhouetted against the lights from the street outside,
just a few paces away. An easy toss. Easy. / ¦bµhW©M¥Lªº´åªa¤@ºØ°{°{µo¥úªº¦Ç¦âµø³¥¤¤¾Ô·X,Mareccu
³]ªk¤É°_¨ì¥Lªº½¥¡C ¥L¬°ºò´êªºÀT¦b¥Lªº§¨§J¤§¤U¨ì¹F¡C ©Ô¥X¥Lªº¦^¸´Î¤M¾W¡C §ìºò¤F¥¦Ãøªº¥R¨¬¸g¹L¥Lªº¤â°e¾U§Qªº¼@µh,¦b¥Lªº hardwiring
¤W±¼R¼R°µÁn¦Ó¥BµL·NÃѤ§»·n»ù¡C ¿à§Q³Q´yø¦¨°¼±¼v¹ï§Ü¨Ó¦Ûµó¹Dªº¥ú¥~±,¥u¬O¤@¨Ç³t«×¤§»·¡C ®e©öªº§ëÂY¡C ®e©öªº¡C
"Here you go, baby doll," Riley said, standing aside and sweeping
his hand showingly to the two fallen men. "All for you!" / "§A¥h³o¸Ì¤F,À¦¨à«½«½",¿à§Q»¡,¦b¤@Ã䯸¥ß¦Ó¥B¦¨ÁZ¹ï¤G¦ì¼Z¸¨ªº¨k¤H±½°£¥Lªº¤â¡C
" ¥þ³¡¬°§A "!
Mareccu couldn¡¦t believe his eyes. / Mareccu µLªk¬Û«H¥Lªº²´·ú¡C
Kelley was standing beside Riley in the light beam of one of the lot¡¦s
lamps, tears streaming down her face. / ³ÍµÜ¥¿¦b¹B®ðªº¿O¤§¤@ªº»´¥ú½uªº¿à§Q®ÇÃ䯸¥ß,©î·´¬y¦oªºÁy¡C
Pointing Jay¡¦s handgun right at his chest. / ¥H³¾¤âºjÅv§QºË·Ç¥Lªº¯Ý¡C
TO BE CONTINUED / ¬OÄ~Äòªº
Disclaimer and Author¡¦s Rant: This is a work of Gatchaman/Battle of the
Planets fan fiction. / ³d¥ô³W½dÁn©ú©M§@®aªº²Ê¨¥: ³o¬O¦æ¬Pªº¤@Ó Gatchaman/ ¾Ôª§ªº¤u§@¨g¼öªÌ¤p»¡¡C
Characters copyright Gatchaman: Tatsunoko Productions; Battle of the Planets:
Sandy Frank Productions. / өʪ©Åv Gatchaman: Tatsunoko »s³y; ¦æ¬Pªº¾Ôª§: ®á}ªkÄõ§J»s³y¡C
Fan fiction c Katharine Foust-Martin, edited by Wendy Dinsmore. Please
do not reproduce or transfer electronically without the permission of
the author, thanks. / ݵ¤p»¡ c ³ÍÂĵY Foust-°¨¤B, ³Q·Å¸¦ Dinsmore ½s¿è¡C ½Ð¤£n¦A¥Í©ÎªÌ¨S¦³§@®aªº³\¥i¹q¤l¦aÂಾ,ÁÂÁ¡C
WARNING: Contains scenes of adult situations and extremely graphic violence.
/ ĵ§i: ¥]§t¦¨¤H±¡§Î©M«D±`¹Ï¸Ñªº¼É¤O²{³õ¡C
INVADER / «I²¤ªÌ
Part Three / ³¡¥÷¤T
Alternative Gatchaman/BotP Universe Fanfiction (c) Tatsunoko Prod.; Sandy
Frank Productions / ´À¥N¿ï¾Ü Gatchaman/ BotP ¦t©z Fanfiction(c) Tatsunoko ¨ë°w¡C;
®á}ªkÄõ§J»s³y
Fiction (c) by Katharine Foust-Martin, January 1996; rev. February-March
2002. / ³ÍÂĵY Foust ªº¤p»¡ (c)-°¨¤B,1996 ¦~¤@¤ë; ¨Ï¥[³t°jÂà¡C ¤G¤ë-2002 ¦~¤T¤ë.
Time at march is a constant, regular thing: a cadence kept by track of
minutes and seconds out of regulation of the planetary body in motion,
and the tides in ceaseless rise and fall. Life lasts years, history lasts
millennia through the lives of its interpreters. Yet sometimes in the
perception of the mind's eye time can speed or slow, and standing before
the sagging form of the G-Force commander Kelley Takahashi felt it freeze
like ice, cease like death, crash in a mental collision like a flaming
fatal wreck on the Interstate 580. She felt the thing in her head as the
closeness of some high-thrumming power, and in the recesses of her mind
she saw its two blood ocher eyes open in a profane corona behind the assassin's
head and settle on her. Kelley couldn't resist anymore, no more than she
could feel the weight of the gun firm in her outstretched hand. It made
her numb, so very numb. / ®É¶¡¦b¹C¦æ¬O¤@Ó±`¼Æ¡A¤@¯ëªº¨Æª«: ³Q¼Æ¤ÀÄÁªºy¹D«O«ùªºÃý«ß¦Ó¥B¤£Åý¬í¾aªñ¹B°Êªº¦æ¬P¨Å骺±ø¨Ò
, ©M¤£°±ªº¼W¥[¼é©M¬î¤Ñ¡C ¥Í¬¡¥h¦~, ¾ú¥v¤WÓ´X¤d¦~¸g¹L¥¦ªºÂ½Ä¶ûªº¥Í©R¡C µM¦Ó¦³®É¦b·Q¹³¤Oªºª¾Ä±¤è±®É¶¡¯à¥[³t©ÎªÌ´îºC, ¦Ó¥B¯¸¥ß¦b¨º¤§«e¤U««§Î¦¡ªº
G- ¤O¶qªº«ü´§©x³ÍµÜ Takahashi ·Pı¥¦áµ²°_¨Ó¹³¦B¤@¼Ë, °±¤î¬Û¦üªº¦º¤`,¦b¹³¤@Ó¿U¿Nªº¦º¤`¨Æ¬G¦b¦{»Úªº 580 ¤Wªº´ÝÀe¤ß´¼ªº¸I¼²¤¤¼Y·´¡C
¦o¦b¦oªºÀY¤¤·Pı¨Æª«¦p¤@¨Ç«ü¼u°ª«×ªº¤O¶q±µªñ¡A¦Ó¥B¦b¦oªº¤ß¥ð·|¤¤¦o¨£¨ì¥¦ªº¤G¦åªü²´·ú¦b¦o¤Wªº¦b·t±þªÌªºÀY©Mªø´È«á±ªº¤@Ó¤£·qªº¹q·w¤¤¥´¶}¡C
³ÍµÜµLªk¤£¦A©è§Ü, ¨S¦³©ó¦o¥i¥H·Pı¦oªº¦ù¶}¤âºj¤½¥qªº«¶q¡C ¥¦¨Ï¦o³Â¤ì,¦p¦¹ªº«D±`³Â¤ì¡C
Beside her, Riley looked at the wounded Rigan and sensed the panic rising
in him. Riley cracked a knowing smile, the holder of some shared secret.
/ ¦b¦o®ÇÃä¡A¿à§Q¦b¥L¸Ì±¬Ý¨ü¶Ëªº Rigan ¦Ó¥B·PıÅå·Wªº¤W¤É¡C ¿à§Q§Ë¸H¤@ӳվǪº·L¯º,¤@¨Çªº«ù¦³¤H¤À¨É¤F¯µ±K¡C
"Tell him," he spoke, gently blowing into the shell of her ear
and sending rippling thrill through her body in tingling and licentiously
erotic arousal. "Tell him how you killed the others, so that it¡¦ll
be the last thing he knows." / " §i¶D¥L ",¥L»¡, ³vº¥¦a¶i¤J¦oªº¦Õ¦·¨©´ß¤§¤º§j¦Ó¥B°e¦b¿³¾Ä¤è±¸g¹L¦oªº¨Åé¨Ï¾_Ÿ°_º§º¬©MÀH«K©Ê·RªºÄ±¿ô¡C
" §i¶D¥L§A¦p¦ó±þ¤F¨ä¾lªÌ,©Ò¥H¥¦±N¬O¥Lª¾¹Dªº³Ì«á¤@¥ó¨Æª«".
And could it be that Mareccu¡¦s heart broke in that frozen fragment of
time, at the thought of Jun lying in a jumbled and bloody pile in a corner
of her dead brother¡¦s floor? The blade was forgotten in his hand as he
saw Kelley slowly nod in trance-like obedience. Her lips parted to speak,
and her expression was as blank and compliant as a tethered cow¡¦s milliseconds
before the mortal chop of the slaughterhouse knife. Riley saw the wild
panic in the commander¡¦s eyes and was confident that it had indeed, with
the calm satisfaction of a job well done. / ¦Ó¥B¥¦¥i¥H¬O Mareccu's ªº¤ßÂô¤J®É¶¡ªº¨ºÓ§Ná¸H¤ù¶Ü,
¦b¤»¤ëªº·Qªk½ö¦b¤@¤¤ÄeÂø©M¦oªº¦º¥S§Ìªº¦aªO¤@Ó¨¤¸¨ªº¦å¸{°ï? ·í¥LºCºC¦a¨£¨ì³ÍµÜªº®ÉÔ¡A¤M¾W¦b¥Lªº¤â¤¤³Q§Ñ°O¦b¹³¹Ú¤Û¤§¹Ò¤@¼ËªºªA±q¤è±ÂIÀY¡C
¦oªº®B¤À¶}»¡¡A¦Ó¥B¦oªºªí¹F¹³³QÁå®êªº¥À¤û¤@¼ËªºªÅ¥Õ©M¶¶±q¬O¦b±O±þ³õ¤Mªº¤£§K¤@¦º¦×¤ù«eªº²@¬í¡C ¿à§Q¿÷¤l«ü´§©xªº²´·ú³¥©Êªº®£·W©M¬O¦Û«Hªº¥¦½T¦³,Âǥѫܦn¦a³Q°µªº¤u§@¥ÀRº¡¨¬¡C
Kelley began to speak, and her voice dragged out in a sleepy breath as
it whispered to her, whickered to her, sang and crooned and lowed like
wind over blasted and condemned lands. But somehow in the back of her
mind the spark of a thought began to form, held for dear life, and grew.
It was her lover, some distant memory of her friend and confidant, a lingering
mental picture of life and things held dear. Her desolate sigh was the
rustle of dead twigs. She closed her eyes. She could sense Riley on her
right like a black shadow. Bleak remorse tugged inside her heart with
the sharp bite of a mauling dog. Her hand tensed over the butt of the
gun and began to squeeze. / ·í¥¦¹ï¦o¦Õ»yªº®ÉÔ¡A³ÍµÜ¶}©l»¡¡A¦Ó¥B¦oªºÁnµ¦bµt¥Fªº©I§l¤è±©ì©Ô¥X, whickered
¹ï¦o, °Û¦Ó¥B§CÁnºq°Û¦Ó¥B§CÂI¦PÃþ¦bºR´Ý¦Ó¥BÄþ³d¤g¦a¤§¤WÂà°Ê¡C ¦ý¬O¤£ª¾¦ó¬G¦b¦oªº¤ß«á±·Qªkªº¤õªá¶}©l§Î¦¨,¬°¿Ë·Rªº¥Í¬¡®³µÛ, ¦Ó¥B¦¨ªø¡C
¥¦¬O¦oªº·R¤H¡A¤@¨Ç¦oªºªB¤Í©M¤ß¸¡ªB¤Íªº»·°O¾Ð, ¤@³r¯d¥Í¬¡©M¨Æª«ªº¤ß´¼·Ó¤ù®»¦í¤F¿Ë·Rªº¡C ¦oªº¯î²D¼Û®§¬O¦º¤pªKªº¨F¨FÁn¡C ¦oÃö³¬¤F¦oªº²´·ú¡C
¦o¥i¥H·Pı , ¦b¦oªºÅv§Q¤Wªº¿à§Q³ßÅw¤@Ӷ¦⪺¼v¹³¡C ¿½·æªº¾Ò®¬¥H¥´¶Ëª¯ªº¾U§Q«r¦b¦oªº¤ß¸Ì¥Î¤O©Ô¡C ¦oªº¤â¦bºjªº·ÏÀY¤§¤W©Ôºò¦Ó¥B¶}©lºò´¤¡C
"I killed them," she shuddered. "I killed them all..."
/ " §Ú±þ¤F¥LÌ ",¦o¾Ô·X¡C "§Ú¥þ³¡±þ¤F¥LÌ¡C¡C¡C"
She suddenly swung the gun up and straight at Riley's startled face. Something
in her mind screamed in shrill exclamation, and hit her head like a crashing
slap. "Like this!" / ¦o¬ðµM¦b³Q¾_ÅåÁyªº¿à§Q¦V¤W¦Ó¥Bµ§ª½¦a·nÂ\¤Fºj¡C ¬Y¨Æ¦b¦oªº¤ß¤¤¦b¦y¾UªºÅå©I¤¤¦y¥s,
¦Ó¥BÀ»¤¤¤F¦oªº¹³µ´¹ïªººQÀY¡C " ³ßÅw³o"!
She pulled the trigger with the last ounce of reflex action she had, and
in that instant swallowing pain took her in screaming agony and twisted
deep like a knife in her heart to the hilt. Riley had flung his hands
up like frightened birds as the same bawling voice pealed in his head,
a warning cry much too late, and so the bullet crashed into Riley's chest,
tore straight through, and knocked him flat onto the ground. / ¦o¥Î¦o¦³, ¦Ó¥B¦b§]µhWªº¨º¥ß§Y¤¤¦b¦y¥s¤è±±a¤F¦o·¥¤jªºµhW©M¤Ï±`ªº¹³¹ï¬`ªº¦b¦o¤ß¤@¤ä¤Mªº²`³B¤Ï®g¦æ°Êªº³Ì«á¯s¥q©ÔªO¾÷¡C
·í¤@¼Ëªº¤j¥sÁnµ¦b¥LªºÀY¡A§ó¥[¤Ó±ßªºÄµ§iúÁn¤¤¤jÁn»ïÅTªº®ÉÔ¡A¿à§Q¤w¸g§ë , ¥Lªº¤â¹³ÅåÀ~ªº³¾¤@¼Ë´£°ª¡A¦Ó¥B¤l¼u¦b¦a±¤§¤WåP¸¨¿à§Qªº¯Ý,¬ï¶Vµ§ª½¦a¼¹¯},
¦Ó¥BºVÀ»¤F¥L¤½´J¡C
Kelley turned, her expression livid with triumphant joy. She'd done it,
fooled the assassin, fooled that thing riding in him. Now she had to end
this misery quickly, before they caught her again, before they twisted
her back and melted her will. She risked a glance down at Riley and saw
his eyes mark her with stupefied rage. At the same time she faintly heard
Key's shout at the entrance of the parking garage. She dropped the weapon
and ran away, flying past Key's reaching grasp and out into the street,
as though all of hell's demons were riding a cavalry charge straight down
onto her heels. / ³ÍµÜÂà,¹ï±o³ÓªºÅw³ß·P¨ì¹]¦âªº¦oªí¹F¡C ¦o¤w¸g°µ¥¦,·M§Ë·t±þªÌ,·M§Ë·f¼¥Lªº¨º¤@¥ó¨Æª«¡C ²{¦b¦o¥²¶·«Ü§Ö¦aµ²§ô³o´dºG,¦b¥L̦A¤@¦¸®·®»¤F¦o¤§«e,¦b¥LÌÀ¾¤F¦oªºI³¡¦Ó¥B¿Ä¤Æ¤F¦oªº·N§Ó¤§«e¡C
¦o¦b¥Lªº²´·ú§â¦o°µ°O¸¹©ó¨Ï³Â¾Kªº¼««ã¿à§Q©M¿÷¤l§â¤@¿h«_µÛªº¦MÀI¤U¨Ó¡C ¦P®É¦o·L®z¦a¦b°±¨®ªº¨®®w¤J¤fÅ¥¨ìÆ_°Íªº©I³Û¡C ¦o°§C¤FªZ¾¹¦Ó¥B°k¨«,
¸ªº¹L¥hÆ_°Í¨ì¹F§â´¤¦Ó¥B¶i¤Jµó¹D¤§¤º¦b¥~¡A¦n¹³©Ò¦³Å]°¥¿¦bÃM¤@¶µÃM§L¶O¥Îªº¦aº»µ§ª½¦a¦b¦oªº¸}«á¸ò¤§¤WåP¸¨¡C
Kelley stumbled off the curb onto the street and was nearly plowed over
by passing traffic, tires squealing high and horns blaring long and loud.
Running out onto the sidewalk from the underground garage Key watched
in horror as she stopped out in the middle of the oncoming lanes and stood
calmly as a huge delivery van bore down on her from behind. She slowly
turned to face it with a faint smile of relief, as though she wanted to
be hit. / ªøªº©M¤jÁnªº¦bµó¹D¤§¤W¨«¶}³Q²Ì˧í¨î¨Ã¥B´X¥G³QÂǥѸg¹L¥æ³q¡A½üLµo¥X¦y¾Uªº¥sÁn°ª«×©M³â¥z°ªÁn»ï¥sµ²§ô¥Î²p¯Ñ¥Ðªº³ÍµÜ¡C ·í¤@½ø·¥¤jªº»¼°e³f¨®½Ä¦V¦oªº®ÉÔ¡A·í¦o¦b±µªñªº¤p¸ô¤¤¥¡¤¤ªº¥~°±¤î¦Ó¥B¥ÀR¦a¯¸¥ßªº®ÉÔ¡A¦b¨Ó¦Û¦a¤Uªº¨®®wÆ_°Íªº¤H¦æ¹D¤§¤W¥Î§¹Å宣¦a¬Ý±q«á±¡C
¦oºCºC¦a·Ç³Æ¥Î¤@Ó¦w¤ßªº·L®z·L¯º±¹ï¥¦,¦n¹³¦o·Qn³Q¥´¡C
But the driver was quick and the rig slid to a halt just inches from her
uptilted head. Seeing it miss by a breath she broke in panic and dodged
around with gazelle's grace, sprinting down the opposite sidewalk, rushing
past startled pedestrians, knocking some over. Key set out after her,
ignoring the thin trickle of blood still running a slow ooze down his
left eye. He stretched himself out, lengthening into a flat sprint, feeling
his whipcorded nerves sing and flame down his legs in desperate surges.
He had to catch her. Hide her. Take her into safety, if there was such
a thing. Quickly, before Gallactor took her back. / ¦ý¬O¾r¾pû¬O§Öªº¡A¦Ó¥Bp¿Ñ·Æ°Ê¨ì°±¤î¶È¶È±q³Q¦V¤WÀYªº¦oºCºC«e¶i¡C
ÂǵۦoÂô¤J®£·W¦Ó¥B¥HÀü²ÜªºÀu¶®¦bªþªñÁ׶}ªº©I§l¨£¨ì¥¦¿ù¹L,ªu¬Û¤Ïªº¤H¦æ¹D¦V¤U¾Ä¤O¦Ó¶]¡A¶Ê«P³Q¾_Åå¦æ¤H,µ²§ôºV¤@¨Çªº¹L¥h¡C Æ_°Í«Å¥¬¦b¦o¤§«á,¤£²z¸B¦åªº½Gºw¤´µM§âºCªº³nªd¶]¤U¨Ó¥Lªº¥ªÃä²´·ú¡C
¥L¦b¥~¦ù®i¥L¦Û¤v,¶i¤J¤@Ó¥©Zªºµu¶ZÂ÷Áɶ]¤§¤º¥[ªø, ·Pı¥Lªº whipcorded ¯«¸g°Û¦Ó¥BµI¿N¤U¨Óµ´±æªº´é²{¥L»L¡C ¥L¥²¶·®·®»¦o¡C Âæo¡C
®³¦o¶i¦w¥þ¤§¤º, ¦pªG¦³¤@¥ó¦p¦¹¨Æª«¡C «Ü§Ö¦a¡A¦b Gallactor ±a¤F¦oªºI³¡¤§«e¡C
Mareccu fell to one side, unable to keep balance any longer. The pain
under his ribcage reduced to a far-off drone, his head buzzing with shock
and blood loss. It was all in a wide pool under his knees. Ahead of him
Riley was lying flat on his back, and his arms were twitching with the
nervous-system glitches of the dying. Light-years away he could hear Jun's
calling voice, and oh the blessed relief that was, that he'd been wrong
all along and she was still with him after all. His own hardwiring was
a sluggish march through his limbs, vision already fuzzy and doubling
in the glittering gray cloud of approaching unconsciousness. / Mareccu
¸¨¨ìÃä, ¤£¯à¨Ï¥¿Å«O«ù¥ô¦óªº¤ñ¸ûªøªº¡C ¦b¥Lªº ribcage ¤U±ªºµhWÂର¤@Ó»»»·ªº¶¯¸Á, ©MÅåÀ~©M¥¢¦åªº¥LÀYµo¸Áµ¡C ¥¦¥þ³¡¬O¦b¥Lªº½¥¤U±ªº¤@Ó¼eªº¦À¤¤¡C
¦b¥L¤§«e¿à§Q¥¿¦b»¡ÁÀ¦b¥LªºI³¡¤Wªº¤½´J¡A¦Ó¥B¥Lªº¤âÁu¥¿¦b¥H««¦ºªÌªº¯«¸g¨t²Î¹L¥¢²r©Ô¡C ¥ú¦~¤§»·¥L¥i¥HÅ¥¨ì¤»¤ë©I¥sÁnµ, ©Mªí¥ÜÅå³Y¨ü¯¬ºÖªº¦w¤ß¬O,¥L¦V«e¤w¸g¿ù»~©Ò¦³¡A¦Ó¥B¦o¤´µM²¦³º©M¥L¦b¤@°_¡C
¥L¦Û¤vªº hardwiring ¸g¹L¥Lªº¥|ªÏ¬O°½Ãiªº¹C¦æ, µø³¥¤w¸g¼Ò½k¦Ó¥B¥[¿¦b¨ºÀéÄê±µªñµL·NÃѪº¦Ç¦â¶³¡C
Riley was looking at him. / ¿à§Q¥¿¦b¬Ý¥L¡C
Not in the unfocused and dying gaze of the mortally wounded, but with
the sudden open-eyed snap of truck high-beams flashing up in a tunnel.
Riley tried to stand, slowly at first and then wobbling unsteadily on
his booted feet, stumbling once and falling to one knee. He burned Mareccu
with a disdainful glare, as though his pride was more wounded than his
chest, royally pissed over getting his shirt dirty rather than at the
fist-sized hole low under his shoulder. Fucking bitch, Mareccu faintly
heard in a low growl. Riley shook his head in sullen disgust. From outside
came the alarmed shouts of several people. Riley's face twisted into a
beaten snarl. His eyes were shining klieg lamps. He staggered drunkenly
to his feet, then turned away and stumbled off into the darkness. / ¤£¦b¤£µJÂI©Ò¦bªº©M««¦ºª`µø¤è±¨º¤£§K¤@¦º¦a¶Ë,
¦ý¬O¥Ñ©ó¥d¨®»·¿Oªº¬ðµM¤½¶}- ²´¤jÁn¥w½|°{²{¦b¦bÀG¹D¤¤¤W±¡C ¿à§Q¸ÕµÛ¯¸, °_¥ýºCºC¦aµM«á¦b¥Lªº¬ï¹u¸}¤W¤£¦w©w¦a·n°Ê¡A²Ìˤ@¦¸¦Ó¥B¸¨¨ì¤@Ó½¥¡C
¥L¥Î»´½°ªº°{Ä£¥ú¿U¿N Mareccu,¦n¹³¥Lªº¦Û¶Æ¤ñ¥Lªº¯Ý¨ü¶Ë, ¬°¤ý©Á«ã¦b±o¨ì¥LªºÅ¨m»êż¤§¤W¤£Ä@¦b®±ÀY³W¼Ò¬}¦b¥LªºªÓ¤U±ªº§CÂI¡C ©Ê¥æ¥Àª¯,Mareccu
·L®z¦a¦b¤@Ó§Cªº§pÁn¤¤Å¥¨ì¡C ¿à§Q¦b·Y«ãªº¹½´c¤è±·nÀY¡C ±q¥~±³Q´£¥X¤@¨Ç¤Hªº³Q©I³ÛÅå·Wªº¡C ¿à§QªºÁyÀ¾¶i¤J¤@¤§¤º®Á¥´ªº§q¥s¡C ¥Lªº²´·ú¥¿¦b°{Ã{
klieg ¿O¡C ¥L³Q°s¾K¦aÂÚ¶\¨ì¥Lªº¸}, µM«á±NÂ÷¶}¦Ó¥B²Ì˨«¶}Åܦ¨¶Â·t¡C
It was more than the commander could take. Or believe. / ¥¦¶W¹L«ü´§©x¥i¥H®³¡C ©Î¬Û«H¡C
Then his awareness abruptly blazed out into left field, and he valiantly
fought it off, willing his eyesight to work. He couldn't feel Jun rolling
him over, barely heard her calling out for help. Her face was a distant
blur. Sirens? Were those sirens? Long wailing banshee shrieks, he'd never
heard anything more terrifying in his life. No, that wasn't it, it was
himself, and his father had just gone in a brilliant fire-fall. Cold,
suddenly cold concrete under him. Blood was running down his side and
flooding under his back, flooding up his throat in a choking rush, he
couldn't breathe. Oh God, he heard somebody moan. Something was being
wrapped around his stomach. Jun was over him, both hands pressed onto
his side, fists clamped over a mess of blood-saturated flannel shirt.
Oh Juney, I'm so sorry- he moved so fast too fast...was he speaking in
Marjillian Rigan? He couldn't tell. Juney, do angels really come from
Japan? He decided that they did. Reality, stretching in a thin black line
in the back of his consciousness, becoming thinner and thinner, voices
drawling out into long echoing nonsense. Okay? Yeah, sure, this isn't
so bad. I've been through worse, haven't I? / µM«á¥LªºÄ±¹î¬ðµM¦a¶i¤J¯d¤Uªº»â°ì¤§¤º¿U¿N¥X¡A¦Ó¥B¥L^«i¦a¨«¶}¥´¥M¤F¥¦,
¼Ö·Nªº¥Lµø¤O¤u§@¡C ¥LµLªk·Pı¤»¤ëµ²§ôºu°Ê¥L, ´X¥GÅ¥¨ì¦o¤j¥s¨DÀ°¦£¡C ¦oªºÁy¬O¤@»·ªº¼Ò½k¡C ¤k®ü§¯? ¨º¨Ç¬O¤k®ü§¯¶Ü¡H ¤[´d¹Ä¤k§¯ºë¦y¾UªºÅTÁn,¥L¦³±q¤£Å¥¨ì¤F¥ô¦ó¨Æ§ó¦b¥Lªº¥Í¬¡¤è±ÅåÀ~¡C
¤£¡A¨º¤£¬O¥¦,¥¦¬O¥L¦Û¤v¡A¦Ó¥B¥Lªº¤÷¿Ëèè¤~¶i¤JÀéÄꪺ¤õ-¬î¤Ñ¡C ´H§N,¦b¥L¤U±ªº¬ðµM´H§Nªº²V¾®¤g¡C ¦å¥¿¦b¶]¤U¨Ó¦b¥LªºI³¡¤U±ªº¥L¨Ãä©M¬x¤ô¥ÆÀÝ,¬x¤ô¥ÆÀÝ´£°ª²¿®§ªº¥^«P¥L«|³ï,¥LµLªk©I§l¡C
®@¤W«Ò,¥LÅ¥¨ì¬Y¤H©D§u¡C ¬Y¨Æ¥¿¦b¥LªºG©P³ò³Q¥]¸Ë¡C ¤»¤ë¬O¦b¥L¤§¤W ,¨âªÌªº¤â¦b¥Lªº¨Ã䤧¤WÀ£¶i,®±ÀY¦b¦å- ¹¡©MªºªkÄõµ³Å¨mªº¤@¹Î¶Ã¤§¤W§¨ºò¡C
®@ Juney, §Ú¬O¦p¦¹Ãø¹L-¥L¤Ó§Ö³tªº³o»ò²¾°Ê§Ö³t¦a¡C¡C¡C¥L¥¿¦b Marjillian Rigan ¤¤»¡¶Ü? ¥LµLªk§i¶D¡C Juney,¯uªº°µ¤Ñ¨Ï¨Ó¦Û¤é¥»?
¥L¨M©w¥LÌ°µ¡C ¨Æ¹ê,¦b¥Lªº·NÃѫᱪº¤@±ø½Gªº¶Â¦â½u¤¤¦ù®i,Åܦ¨¶V¨Ó¶VÁ¡,¶i¤JªøªºÀHÁnªþ©MµL·N¸qªº¨Æ¤§¤ºÃi¬v¬v¦a»¡¥XªºÁnµ¡C ¦n? ¬Oªº,·íµM¡A³o¤£¬O¦p¦¹Ãa¡C
§Ú¤w¸g¬O§¹¦¨ªº§óÃa¨Æ,¤£¬O¶Ü?
Blocks away Key saw a medical hovercraft scream overhead and past, weaving
through the tight downtown architecture in desperate hurry. Key felt his
nerves kick: the ship had carried EDC markings. The sidewalk was crowded,
packed with barhopping humanity, and nowhere could he see Kelley's head
in fast retreat. But he kept going, heading in the direction of her own
house. On the way he summoned on his people and ordered the sweep, starting
with the dozen or so taxicab companies and their passenger logs, the police
on foot and mobile. Waited for the replies to flood in as he took the
steps to her flat in fast leaps. Rushed past her nosy landlady who'd come
out in her housecoat to see who was running up the stairs. Pushed past
her and plowed right through the door of Kelley's home with the woman
screaming behind him and other tenants poking their heads out of their
doors at the sudden intruder. / ªý¶ëÂ÷¶}ÃöÁ䪺¿÷¤lÂå¾Çªº hovercraft ¦y¥sÁnÃB¥~¶}¾P©M¹L¥h,³z¹Lµ´±æªº¥^¦£ºò¥«¤¤¤ßªº«Ø¿v¾ÇªºÂ´°Ê¡C
Æ_°Í·Pı¥Lªº¯«¸g½ð: ²î¤w¸gÄâ±a EDC ¦L°O¡C ¤H¦æ¹D³Q¾ÖÀ½,¸Ëº¡±q³o®a³Ü¨ì¨º®a¤H©Ê¡A¦Ó¥BµL³B¥L¥i¥H¦b§Ö³tªº¥ð®§´J©Ò¤¤¨£¨ì³ÍµÜªºÀY¶Ü¡C ¦ý¬O¥L«O«ù¬y¦æ,¦b¦o¦Û¤v©Ð¤lªº¤è¦V¤¤´Â¦V¡C
¦b³~¤¤¥L¦b¥Lªº¥Á±Ú¨¤W¥l³ê¨Ã¥B©R¥O¤F±½°£,¥H¼Æ¤QÓ¶}©l¥ª¥kpµ{¨®¤½¥q©M¥L̪º¼«È¶ê¤ì, ĵ¹î¨«¸ô©M¦æ°Ê¹q¸Ü¡C ·í¥L±Ä¨ú¤F§Ö³tªº¸õÅD¦o¤½´Jªº¨BÆJ®ÉÔ¡Aµ¥ÔµªÂиÁ¾Ö¦Ó¦Ü¡C
¶V¹L¦oªº¥¿¦b¼Ó±è¤W±¶]ªº¦b¦o®a±`ªA¤¤³Q¥X¨Ó¨£¨ìªº»ó¤l¤jªº¤k©ÐªF who'd ¶Ê«P¡C ¹ý©³¦a±ÀÀ½¦oªº¦Ó¥B¥Î²p¯Ñ¥Ð©M¦b¥L©M¦b¬ðµMªº«I¤JªÌ±q¥L̪ºªù¼·¶}¥L̪ºÀY¨ä¥Lªº¯²¦a¤H«á±¦y¥sªº¤k¤H³ÍµÜªº®aªù¡C
Her place was empty. / ¦oªº¦a¤è¬OªÅªº¡C
He moved fast through it anyway. Living room, empty. Bedroom, nothing.
Kitchenette? Nothing. Closets- hidden inside? No. His desperation amplified
to high voltage fright. He'd missed her, lost in the Baytown scene. Other
friends¡¦ homes? He plopped himself down on her bed, thumbing through her
address book, ignoring the landlady's Japanese admonishments. He called
three different numbers and left three messages, call this number, yes,
it's urgent! Oh, Kelley, where are you? He gave up in the apartment, and
ran back down to the street. Now the sweep reports were filtering in.
Negative. Police? Negative. BART? / ¥L§Ö³t¦a¸g¹L¥¦µL½×¦p¦ó²¾°Ê¡C «ÈÆU,²MªÅ¡C ª×«Ç,¨S¨Æ¡C Kitchenette?
¨S¨Æ¡C ¾ÀÃo- Âöi¸Ì±? ¸¹½X¥Lªºªq³à¹ï°ªªº¹qÀ£ÅåÀbÂX¤j¡C ¥L¦³·Q©À¦o,¦b Baytown ²{³õ¤¤¥¢¥h¡C ¨ä¥LªºªB¤Í®a? ¥L¦b¦oªº§É¤W¨Ïplop¦a±¼¤U¤F¥L¦Û¤v¤U¨Ó,¥H©æ«ü¼·§Ë¹L¦oªº³q°T¿ý¡A¤£²z¸B¤k©ÐªFªº¤é¥»ÄU§i¡C
¥L¥s°µ¤F¤TÓ¤£¦Pªº¼Æ¦r¦Ó¥B¯d¤U¤F¤TÓ°T®§,¥´³o¤@ӼƦr, ¬Oªº¡A¥¦¬Oºò«æªº! ®@,³ÍµÜ,§A¦bþ¸Ì? ¥L¦b¤½´J¤¤©ñ±ó, ¦Ó¥B¦V«á¦a¶]¤U¨Ó¨ìµó¹D¡C
²{¦b±½°£³ø§i¬O¹LÂo¦b¡C §_©w¡C ĵ¹î? §_©w¡C ã¨kÀï?
Yes, his mind hammered. The Bay Area Rapid Transit system had a station
a few more blocks away and he gave a mental kick to himself for not remembering,
but he'd never had to use it. Neither did Kelley, as close as she lived
to the bar. He ran down the street and swung into the enclosure. The platform
was loaded with people waiting for the southbound 11:38. He slowly worked
his way through, almost pouncing on the back of a woman who turned her
Hispanic-featured face aside at the last moment before he jumped on her.
He moved off, embarrassed, heart thudding Lars Ulrich rock. Logic told
him that she was among the living, lost in this waiting crowd. Prudence
told him that it was hopeless, that he'd never find her any more than
he'd find a lost rare coin under some street-side sewer grate. That the
only way he'd ever see her again would be when she came back to kill them
all -would be if she was found, maybe hiding in some doorway, waiting
for daylight, waiting for some other friend or acquaintance to pick her
up. Please get me? I'm stuck without bus money, I'm so embarrassed, thanks.
He stood aside to call on an update of the sweep. Still negative. Now
his fear was in full gallop. The platform was packed; finding anyone in
the weekend¡¦s midnight partying throng was next to impossible. A pack
of bar-hopping party girls giggled past, giving him coy come-hither glances.
Key saw a litter can against one of the station's cement support pillars,
and jumped on top of it for a better look around. Now he had everybody's
heads accurately scoped out, and stood looking for Kelley's form. / ¬Oªº¡A¥L¤ßÂñ¥´¡C
®üÆW°Ï°ì¨³³tªº¸g¹L¨t²Î¦³¤F¤@Ó¨®¯¸¦A¹L´X°Ï¬q¤§»·¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¹ï¥L¦Û¤vµ¹¤©¤F¤ß´¼ªº½ð¬°¤£°O±o,¦ý¬O¥L¦³±q¤£¥²¶·¨Ï¥Î¥¦¡C ³ÍµÜ¤]¨S¦³ ,¹³³Q©~¦í¨ì°s§aªº¦o¤@¼Ëªº±µªñ¦a¡C
¥Lªuµó¹D¦V¤U¶]¦Ó¥B¶i¤Jªþ¥ó¤§¤º·nÂ\¡C ¤ë¥x»Pµ¥Ô©¹«nªº 11:38 ªº¤H¤@°_¸Ë¸ü¡C ¥LºCºC¦a¤u§@¬ï¶Vªº¥L¤èªk,´X¥G¦bÂà¦oªº¦è¯Z¤úªº¤k¤HI±¤WÅ̦í-¦b³Ì«á¤ù¨è¦b¤@Ãä¥HÁy¬°¯S¦â¦b¥L¤§«e¸õ¤W¦o¡C
¥LÂ÷¶},§xµ~,¯y¦a¸¨¤U Lars Ulrich ©¥¥Ûªº¤ß¡C ÅÞ¿è§i¶D¤F¥L¦o¬O¦b¥Í¬¡¤§¤¤,¦bԸɸs²³¨¤W¥¢¥h¡C ¼f·V§i¶D¤F¥L¥¦¬OµL§Æ±æªº¡A¥L¦³±q¤£µo²{¦o¥ô¦ó©ó¥L±N·|µo²{¦b¤@¨Çµó¹D-
Ã䪺¤U¤ô¹DÄl¿{¤U±ªº¤@Ó¥¢¥hªºµ}¨uµw¹ô¡C °ß¤@ªº¤èªk¥L´¿¸g¦A¤@¦¸±N·|¨£¨ì¦o ·í¦o¦^¨Ó¥þ³¡±þ¥L̪º®ÉÔ¡A±N·|¬O -¦pªG¦o³Qµo²{¡A±N·|¬O, ¤]³\Âæb¤@¨Çªù¤f¤¤,µ¥Ô¥Õ±Þ,
µ¥Ô¤@¨Ç¨ä¥LªºªB¤Í©ÎªÌ¬ÛÃѪ̱µ¸ü¦o¡C ½Ð±o¨ì§Ú? §Ú¨S¦³¤½¦@¨T¨®¿ú³Q´ÛÄF,§Ú¦p¦¹³Q§xµ~,ÁÂÁ¡C ¥L¦b¤@Ã䯸¥ß©e°U±½°£ªº§ó·s¡C ¨Ï§_©w¦wÀR¡C
²{¦b¥Lªº®£Ä߬O¦b§¹¾ãªº¯e¹£¤¤¡C ¤ë¥x³Q¥]¸Ë; ¦bÄÒ¸s²³ªº¶g¥½¤È©]¤ºµo²{¥ô¦ó¤H¬O¤UӨ줣¥i¯àªº¡C ¤@¸s³æ¸}¸õ°s§aªºÄÒ¤k«Ä¦Y¦Y¦a¯º¤F¹L¥h,µ¹¥LÀS¨åªº»¤´b¤Hªº¤@¿h¡C
¤Ï¹ï¨®¯¸ªº¤ôªd¤§¤@ªºÃöÁä¿÷¤l¤@Ó©U§£Åø¤l¤ä«ù¬W¤l, ¦Ó¥B¦bªþªñ¬°§ó¦nªº¯«±¡¥¦¸õ¤W³»ºÝ¡C ²{¦b¥L¥¿½T¦aÅý¨CÓ¤H³£«e¶i½d³ò¥X, ¦Ó¥B¯¸µÛ§ä´M³ÍµÜªº§Î¦¡¡C
He spotted her in the last car, hunched down in a seat between two fatigued
and homebound businessmen. / ¥L¦b³Ì«á¤@½ø¨T¨®¤¤¬Ý¨£¦o,¦b¤G¨Ï¦^°êªº°Ó¤H¯h³Ò©M¤§¶¡ªº¤@Ó®y¦ì¤¤Ås¸y¾mI¤U¨Ó¡C
Key dove for the closing doors of the railcar, and Kelley saw his lunge
and paled in pure terror. She jumped up and sprinted for the opposite
end and the doors to the adjacent cars, as though Key was the assassin
himself. Then the train was moving, Key running alongside and screaming
for its controller to pull it to a stop, but it was useless, the train
was speeding out fast into the run south to Daly City. Key skidded to
a stop, and in panicked desperation raised his communicator and screamed
for Jun. / ¬°®ð°Ê¨®ªºµ²§ôªùªºÃöÁäÂF¤l,¦Ó¥B³ÍµÜ¦b¯Âºéªº®£©Æ¤¤¨£¨ì¤F¥Lªº¨ë¦Ó¥BÅÜ»a¥Õ¡C ¦o¸õÅD¦b¦Ó¥B¤W±¬°¹ï¬s³sªº¨T¨®¬Û¤Ïªºµ²§ô©Mªù¾Ä¤O¦Ó¶],¦n¹³Æ_°Í¬O·t±þªÌ¥L¦Û¤v¡C
µM«á¤õ¨®¥¿¦b²¾°Ê, Æ_°Í¶]¾aµÛ¦Ó¥B¦y¥sÅý¥¦ªº±±¨î¤Hû©Ô¥¦¨ì¤@Ó°±¤î,¦ý¬O¥¦¬O¨S¦³¥Îªº,¤õ¨®¶i¤J©b¶]¤§¤º¥¿¦b§Ö³t¦a¥[³t¥X¹ïÀ¹§Q«°¥«ªº«n¤è¡C Æ_°Í«b¨®¨ì¤@Ó°±¤î,
¦Ó¥B¦b¨Ïªq³à®£·Wªº¤¤¾i¨|¤F¥Lªº³q°T¾¹¦Ó¥B¦y¥s¤»¤ë¡C
What are you doing? No no no run away! Get away from me! / §A¥¿¦b°µ¤°»ò? ¨S¦³¨S¦³¨S¦³©b¶]¤§»·!
»·Â÷§Ú!
Her mind screamed in tsunami panic, as she saw Key bearing down on her
and nearly making the jump into the packed cowyard of the subway car.
How she managed to get away without being caught, God may know, she did
not. As she saw him trying to catch the train at the end of the platform,
screaming for her to stop and come back, all she could do was pray no
no no please don¡¦t follow me it can see you! She didn't know if her escape
was blind luck or some dark intervention by the thing in her mind. All
she knew was that it was there, talking to her, shrieking at her, sending
her mentally into a reeling downward spiral, and that man was its walking
legion. Oh, how she wanted to go home. But home was death, for her, for
her love. / ¦oªº¤ß¦b®ü¼S®£·W¤è±¦y¥s, ¦]¬°¦o¨£¨ìÆ_°Í½Ä¦V¦o¦Ó¥B´X¥G»s³y¸õÅD¶i¦aÅK¨®´[ªº³Q¥]¸Ëªº cowyard ¤§¤º¡C ¦o¦p¦ó³]ªk¨S¦³³Q®·®»°kÂ÷,¤W«Ò¥i¯àª¾¹D,
¦o¨S¦³¡C ´N¦p¦o¨£¨ì¥L¹Á¸Õ¦b¤ë¥xµ²§ôªº®ÉÔ®·®»¤õ¨®ªº,¦y¥sÅý¦o°±¤î¦Ó¥B¦^¨Ó, ¥þ³¡¦o¥i¥H°µ¬O¬èë¨S¦³¨S¦³¨S¦³½Ð¤£n¸òÀH§Ú¥¦¯à¨£¨ì§A! ¬O§_¦oªº°k¤`¬O¦oªº¤ß¨Æª«ªºª¼¥Ø¹B®ð©Î¤@¨Ç¶Â·t¤z¯A¡A¦o¨S¦³ª¾¹D¡C
¥þ³¡¦oª¾¹D¬O¥¦¦b¨º¸Ì, ©M¦o»¡¸Ü,¦b¦o¦y¥s, ¶i¤J¤@Ó±²´c©Ê´`Àô©ó¶b¤W¤§¤º¤ß²z¤W¬£»º¦o,¦Ó¥B¨º¤@Ó¨k¤H¬O¥¦ªº¨B¦æx¹Î¡C ®@,¦o·Qn¦^®aªº¤è¦¡¡C
¦ý¬O®a¬O¦º¤`,¬°¦o,¹ï©ó¦oªº·R¡C
Small in the back of her mind was a nagging little thought, a warning
voice that was her own. It spoke the distinct understanding that if she
allowed herself to be caught by Key then the assassin would be able to
see him, it would be able to see him, and both would swoop down for the
kill. Was it the reason why she felt she had to stay away from their base
in Marin, and that which had given her enough resistance to shoot Riley?
She supposed that it was. Rational thought, fighting through the mystery
that had her trapped. / ¤pªº¦b¦o¤ß«á±¬O¤@Ó¼G¥oªº¤p·Qªk¡A¤@ºØĵ§iªº¦o¦Û¤vªºÁnµ¡C ¥¦»¡¤F²M·¡ªº²z¸Ñ¡A¦pªG¦o¤¹³\¤F¦o¦Û¤v³QÆ_°Í®·®»
, ¨º»ò·t±þªÌ±N·|¯à°÷¨£¥L,¥¦±N·|¯à°÷¨£¥L¡A¦Ó¥B¨âªÌ±N·|¬°±þ§ì¨ú¤U¨Ó¡C ¦o¬°¤°»ò·Pı¦o¬O²z¥Ñ¥²¶·±q°¨ªLªº¥LÌ°ò¦Â÷¶} , ©M¤w¸g´£¨Ñ¦oªº®gÀ»¿à§Q¥R¨¬ªº§Ü©Ú?
¦o±À·Q¡A¥¦¬O¡C ²z©Êªº·Qªk,¸g¹L¦³¦o³´¤J§x¹Òªº¯µ±K¾Ô°«¡C
Suddenly, she began to sense that in history past there had been others
in her exact same plight. Light years away on Riga there had been many
like her, who heard the same voice in their heads and souls. It had directed
them to wage and maintain war. Even though later, when through their own
strength and resolution they¡¦d denied the rush of power in their souls
and had willed it away, the wars it had wished for were in motion and
devastating entire regions on that planet. / ¬ðµM¡A¦o¶}©l¦b¹L¥hªº¨º¸Ì¤w¸g¦b¦oªººë½T¬Û¦Pªº±¡ªp¤¤¬O¨ä¥¦ªº¾ú¥v¤¤·Pı¨º¡C
»´ªº¼Æ¦~¤§¤[¦b Riga ¤W¤w¸g¦³³\¦h¹³¦o¡AÅ¥¨ì¤F¥L̪ºÀY©MÆF»îªº¬Û¦PÁnµ¡C ¥¦¤w¸g«ü¥Ü¥Ḻq¨Æ¦Ó¥Bºû«ù¾Ôª§¡C §Y¨Ï¤ñ¸û¿ðªº,·í³z¹L¥L̦ۤvªº¤O¶q©M¨Mij¥L̤w¸g§_»{¥L̪ºÆF»î¤O¶qªº¥^«P¨Ã¥B¤w¸g¨M·N¥¦Â÷¶}ªº®ÉÔ,
¾Ôª§¦]¬°¬O¦b¨º¦æ¬P¤Wªº¹B°Ê©M¯}Ãa©Êªº¾ãӰϰ줤¡A¥¦¤w¸gÄ@¡C
She couldn¡¦t understand how they denied its power, for they had all died
in the madness it caused, all died for their rebellion by its swallowing
force after managing to set flame to what would be the civil war that
finally drove it away. Did she sense that struggle in its mind's eye?
Could she see, just for a befuddling moment, the faces of those men, who
had heard it whispering in their souls and yet would not let themselves
be led to betrayal against their own people and loves? / ¦oµLªk¤F¸Ñ¥L̦p¦ó§_»{¤F¥¦ªº¤O¶q,
¦]¬°¥L̤w¸g¥þ³¡¦º©óºÆ¨g , ¥¦¤Þ°_,¥þ³¡¬°¥¦¦b³]ªk¨ì±N·|¬O³Ì«á¾r¾p¥¦Â÷¶}ªº¤º¾ÔªF¦è³]©w¤õµK¤§«á§]¤O¶qªº¥L̿ѤϦº¡C ¦o·Pı¥¦ªº·Q¹³¤Oªº¨ºÄvª§¶Ü?
¥i¥H¦o¨£¨ì, ¶È¶È¨Ï©ü°g¤ù¨è¡A¨º¨Ç¨k¤HªºÁy¡A¦Ó¥B¥L̤w¸gÅ¥¨ì¥¦¦b¥L̪ºÆF»î¤¤¦Õ»y¦Ó¥B¦Û¤v¤´µM±N¤£Åý³Q¾ÉP¹ï§Ü¥L̦ۤvªº¤H©M·RªºI«q?
They called it a merjei¡Ka taker, she fuzzily thought, and felt brief amazement
at the discovery, like somebody who had been taught an important word
in a foreign language. How appropriate, she decided with a little of the
old cynicism that she¡¦d had before it invaded her. / ¥LÌ»{¬°¥¦¬O merjei ¡K¤@Ó¨úªÌ,¦o¼Ò½k·Q,
¦Ó¥B¦bµo²{·Pı²µuªºÅå´j, ¹³¤w¸g³Q¥H¤@ºØ¥~°ê»y¨¥±Ð¤@Ó«nªº¦r¬Y¤H¡C ¦p¦ó¾A·íªº, ¦o¨M©w¥Ñ©óµy·L¦o¦³¦³¦b¥¦¤§«e«I²¤¦oªºÂ¼«¥@¶ú«U¡C
At that moment, a rippling flare of pain swept through her head, affirming
that these revelations were true and deliberate to prove the futility
of resistance. It assured its strength, its history, and its hold on her.
It gave her no doubt that Key would be next. Then Jun, then Jay, then
all the rest, one by one. / ¦¹¨è¡AµhWªº¨Ï°{¥ú°_º§º¬²M±½¹L¦oªºÀY,Â_¨¥³o¨Ç´¦ÅS¬O¯u¹êªº©M²`«ä¼ô¼{ÃÒ©ú©è§ÜªºµL¥Î¡C
¥¦«Oµý¤F¥¦ªº¤O¶q¡A¥¦ªº¾ú¥v , ©M¦b¦o¤Wªº¥¦§â´¤¡C ¥¦´£¨Ñ¤FÆ_°Í±N·|¬O¤U¤@Óªº¦o¨S¦³ÃhºÃ¡C µM«á¤»¤ë, µM«á³¾, µM«á©Ò¦³ªº¨ä¾lªÌ, ¤@¤@ÂI¤§«e¡C
Kelley pushed through three successive cars, crying in terror and black,
enveloping dread. All of the passengers ignored her, either looking in
blank directions or focused on magazines and evening papers, and didn't
acknowledge the tear-streaked girl run-walking past in high panic, glancing
terrified over her shoulder as she went. Nor did the few transit police
riding along, who all seemed to be preoccupied with discussions with one
another. Somehow Kelley doubted they'd notice her even if she took them
by the lapels of their uniforms and shook them, or grabbed one of their
weapons from an exposed holster and shot all seventeen rounds into the
railcar's roof. / ³ÍµÜ±À°Ê¹L¤T½ø³sÄòªº¨T¨®,¦b®£©Æ©M¶Â¦â¤¤úª_¡A¥]«Ê®£Äß¡C ©Ò¦³ªº¼«È©¿²¤¤F¦o, ¤£¬O¶¶«K±´³XªÅ¥Õªº¤è¦V´N¬O§â«¤ß¶°¤¤¦bÂø»x©M±ß¤W¤å¥ó,
¦Ó¥B¨S¦³©Ó»{²\ºw¥[±ø¯¾ªº¤k«Ä¶]- ¨B¦æªº¹L¥h¦b°ªªº®£·W¤è±, ¿h°{¨üÅåÀ~ªº¦b¦oªÓ¤§¤W·í¦o¥h¤§®É¡C ¦V«eÃMªº«Ü¤Ö¸g¹Lĵ¹î¤]¨S¦³, ¥þ³¡¦ü¥G¹ï©M©¼¦¹ªº°Q½×·P¨ì³Q¥ý¥e¡C
¤£ª¾¦ó¬G³ÍµÜÃhºÃ¡A§Y¨Ï¦oÂǵۥL̪º¨îªA½»â±a¤F¥L̦ӥB·n°Ê¤F¥LÌ, ©Î§ì¨ú¤F¨Ó¦Û¤@Ó¼ÉÅSªº¥Ö®M¥L̪ºªZ¾¹¤§¤@¦Ó¥B®gÀ»©Ò¦³ªº¤Q¤CÓ¦^¦X¶i®ð°Ê¨®ªº«Î³»¡A¥ḺN·|ª`·N¦o¡C
The voice inside chuckled in agreement. / Ánµ¤º³¡¦b¨óij¤¤¦Y¦Yªº¯º¡C
She turned, looking over her shoulder, suddenly aware of each muscle and
tendon in her neck creaking in the act of moving her head, and saw him
standing behind her at the other end of the car. / ¦oÂà¦V,ÂsÄý¦oªºªÓ, ¬ðµMª¾¹D¦oªº¦b²¾°Ê¦oªºÀY¦æ¬°¤¤§@ÁÓªîÁnªº²ä¤l¨C§ô¦Ù¦×©M¸x,
¦Ó¥B¨£¨ì¤F¥L¦b¨T¨®ªº¥t¤@ºÝªº¦o«á±¯¸¥ß¡C
He was holding one hand over his chest. Behind his fingers, the thin trickle
of blood slowed to an ooze, then stopped. He removed his hand, and she
stared in dawning horror as the stain of blood gradually receded. It was
as though reality was reversing itself and the patch of red was being
suctioned away from beneath, and she knew with dark certainty that the
wound underneath was likewise rapidly healing as well. / ¥L¥¿¦b´¤¦í¤@²¾¥æ¥Lªº¯Ý¡C
¦b¥Lªº¤â«ü«á±¡A¦åªº½Gºw´îºC¨ì³nªd,µM«á°±¤î¡C ¥L²¾¨«¤F¥Lªº¤â¡A¦Ó¥B¦o¦b¾åÅåÀb¤¤ª`µø¦p³vº¥¦a³Q«á°hªº¦å¦Ã¬V¡C ¥¦¬O¡A¦n¹³¨Æ¹ê¥¿¦bÄAË¥¦¥»¨¡A¦Ó¥B¬õ¦âªº¸H®h¥¿¦b³Q§lÂ÷¶}±q¦b,¤§¤U¦Ó¥B¦o¥H³Ð¶Ë¦b¤U±¥¿¦b¦P¼Ë¦a§Ö³t¦a¤]ªv¡ªº¶Â·t½T©wª¾¹D¡C
Riley nodded grimly, his eyes flashing wry humor, glowing like colonial
gaslamps. He shook his head at her in the impatient exasperation of a
warden, a slaver, a cold and hard taskmaster. / ¿à§QÄY®æ¦aÂIÀY, ¥Lªº²´·ú°{Ã{ªº§á¬n«ÕÀq,¥Õ¼öªº¬Û¦ü´Þ¥Áªº
gaslamps¡C ¥L¦b¨åº»©xªº¤£@·Ð´o«ã¡A¤@Ó¥£Áõ°Ó¤H¤¤¦b¦o·nÀY,´H§Nªº©MÃø taskmaster¡C
The Rigans called it the Taker, and it drove them mad. / Rigans »{¬°¥¦¬O¨úªÌ¡A¦Ó¥B¥¦¨Ï¥L̵o¨g¡C
Kelley moaned, dropping to her knees in sobbing despair. Riley moved forward,
reaching down to take her back. / ³ÍµÜ©D§u,¦bµo¥X¶ã«|Ánµµ´±æ¤è±°§C¨ì¦oªº½¥¡C ¿à§Q¦V«e¦a²¾°Ê, ¦ù¤â®³¤U±a¦oªºI³¡¡C
Now the risk of capture was so incredibly big it defied Jun's scope of
defense, but this was nothing that could be kept away from Gallactor's
black assassin. The only two sources they could use for treatment of the
gaping wounds under Mareccu's ribcage were either at Crescent Coral Island
or on the Phoenix, and they had to risk being followed. His Rigan lineage
was unique, and nowhere else on the continent, no where else on the entire
planet, was another like him. He was as far as they knew the only Rigan-Terran
cross alive, and so in constant preparation the EDC kept his own regenerable
tissue samples and several pints of his own stored blood at hand on the
island and the ship, just in case his injuries were mortal enough to be
in need of such measures. For there was no other donor but himself, and
while his physique was close enough to the human to make little difference
on the operation table, his DNA typing was a biological puzzle yet unsolved,
unduplicable unless he was alive and able to supply the template for growth
structuring. At that moment, there was no time. The commander of G-Force
was bleeding to death under Jun¡¦s hands. / ²{¦b§ì¨úªº·ÀI¬O¦p¦¹ªºµLªk¸m«H¤jªº¥¦ÂƵø¤F¤»¤ëªº¨¾½Ã½d³ò¡A¦ý¬O³o¬O¥i¯à»·Â÷
Gallactor's ªº¶Â¦â·t±þªÌªº¨S¨Æ¡C ¥LÌ¥i¥H¬°¦b Mareccu's ªº ribcage ¤U±ªºÁ_»Ø³Ð¶ËªºªvÀø¨Ï¥Îªº¥u¦³¤GÓ¨Ó·½¬O¡A©Î¦b·s¤ë§Îªº¬À·ä®q©ÎªÌ¦b»ñ°Ä«°¤W¡A¦Ó¥B¥LÌ¥²¶·«_µÛ³Q¸òÀHªº¦MÀI¡C
¥Lªº Rigan ¦å²Î¬O¿W¯Sªº, ©MµL³B§Oªº¦b¤j³°¤W, ¨S¦³¦bþ¸Ì§Oªº¦b¾ãÓªº¦æ¬P¤W,¹³¥L¤@¼Ë¬O¥t¥~¡C ¥L¬O·í»»»·¦a·í°µ¥L̪¾¹D°ß¤@ªº Rigan-Terran
¬¡µÛ¥æ¤e,¦Ó¥B¦b«ùÄòªº·Ç³Æ¤¤ EDC ¦b®q©M²î¤W¦b¤âÃä«O«ù¤FÀx¦s¦åªº¥L¦Û¤vªº regenerable Á¡ªº¯½Â´«~¥L¦Û¤vªº¼Ë¥»©M¤@¨Ç«~²æ,¶È¶È¥H¨¾¸U¤@¥Lªº¨ü¶Ë°÷¤£§K¤@¦º¨Ó»Ýn¦p¦¹ªº±¹¬I¡C
¦]¬°¨S¦³¨ä¥Lªº®½ÃؤH¦ý¬O¥L¦Û¤v,¦Ó¥B·í¥LªºÅé®æ¹ï¤HÃþ°÷±µªñ¨Ó¦³¦b¤â³N®à¤l¤Wªº¤p¤£¦Pªº®ÉÔ,¥Lªº DNA ¥´¦r¬O¤@ӥͪ«ªºÁ¼ÃDµM¦Ó¥¼¸Ñ¨M, unduplicable
°£«D¥L¬O¦³¬¡¤Oªº©MÁo©ú¬°¥Íªøºc¦¨¨ÑÀ³«¬ªO¡C ¦¹¨è,¨S¦³®É¶¡¡C G ªº«ü´§©x-¤O¶q¥¿¦b¤»¤ëªº¤â¤§¤U¥X¦å¦º¤F¡C
Alameda, she heard the helmsman shout to the medics as the EDC hovercraft
lowered out on the street, ordering the destination to the warship. Rob
rolled Jay over and pressed one hand against his neck, looking for a pulse.
After finding it he pulled away in alarm, seeing his hand foamed thick
with blood. / ´²¨B¹D¸ô,·í EDC hovercraft ¦bµó¹D¤Wªº¥~°§Cªº®ÉÔ¡A¦oÅ¥¨ì¤F¹ï`½¶ÄÝ´Óª«ªº²ë¤â©I³Û,©R¥O¹ïxÄ¥ªº¥Øªº¦a¡C
µ²§ô·m¹Ü±²³¾¦Ó¥BÀ£¶i¤F¹ï§Ü¥Lªº²ä¤l¤@°¦¤â,§ä´M¯ß»K¡C ¦bµo²{¥¦¤§«á¥L¦bĵ³ø¤¤¶}¨«,«p¦a¥H¦å¨£¨ì¥Lªº¤â°_ªwªj¡C
"Where¡¦d he go, Jay?" Rob demanded, hollering over the hovercraft¡¦s
engine noise and through the G-Forcer second¡¦s delirium. / " Where'd
¥L¥h,³¾"? ·m¹Ün¨D,¦b hovercraft's ªº¤ÞÀº¾¸µ¤§¤W©M¸g¹L G- Forcer ªº¬íºë¯«¿ù¶Ã¥s³Û¡C
All Jay could do was shake his head in dazed bewilderment and whisper
the words "...I don't know-" to him, before promptly sinking
back into unconsciousness. / ©Ò¦³ªº³¾¥i¥H°µ¬O·n°Ê¯íµMªº§x´b¥LÀY¦Ó¥B¦Õ»y¦r ".¡C¡C§Ú¤£ª¾¹D-"¹ï¥L,¦b±Ó±¶¦a¨I¨Sªð¦^µL·NÃѤ§«e¡C
Moments later Jun heard Key's summons on her wristband flash in urgency,
and as the EDC personnel fell out around them in a wide armed perimeter,
Mareccu opened his eyes in foggy shock trauma and found hers. He silently
waved her off. Go on. Before the rest of us get killed. She saw the helmsman's
look of solid and hostile conviction- he would stand sentry with them
at Alameda and let nothing get by. Jun nodded at the resolution in his
features, confident in his guard. She waited until they were loaded onto
the hovercraft, until its loading gates snapped shut and the ship began
its eastern ascent over the skyline. / ¼Æ¤ù¨è¤§«á¤»¤ëÅ¥¨ì¦b¦oªº³S¤f¤WªºÆ_°Í¥l³ê¢¤Á©Êªº°{¥ú,¦Ó¥B·í
EDC ¤Hû¦bªþªñ¦b¼eªºªZ¸Ë©Pªø¤¤ª§§n¥LÌ,Mareccu ¥´¶}¤FÃú²`ªº¥O¤H·P¨ì·N¥~ªº¥~¶Ë¥L²´·ú¦Ó¥Bµo²{¦oªº¡C ¥LÀqÀq¦a¨«¶}´§»R¤F¦o¡C Ä~Äò¡C
¦b§Ú̪º¨ä¾lªÌ±o¨ì±þ¤§«e¡C ¦o¨£¨ì²ë¤âªº¯«±¡°íµwªº©MÃh¼Ä·Nªº©w¸o- ¥L±N·|¦b´²¨B¹D¸ô©M¥L̯¸¨Bï¦Ó¥B¤°»ò¤]¤£Åý¸g¹L¡C ¤»¤ë¦b¥Lªº¯S¼x¨MijÂIÀY,
¦Û«Hªº¦b¥L¦u½Ã¤¤¡C ¦oµ¥Ôª½¨ì¥L̳Q¸ü¤J hovercraft, ª½¨ì¥¦ªºt¸üªù«rÂ_Ãö³¬ªº¦Ó¥B²î¶}©l¤F¦b¤Ñ²P¤Wªº¥¦ªF¤èªº¤Wª@¡C
Jun turned and sprinted for her motorcycle, ignoring the crowd that had
gathered at the garage's entrance. She nearly ran a few of them over when
she sent her Ducati screaming out onto the street and into that glittering
night. / ¤»¤ë¬°¦oªº¼¯¦«¨®Âà¦Ó¥B¾Ä¤O¦Ó¶],¤£²z¸B¤w¸g¦b¨®®wªº¤J¤f»E¶°ªº¸s²³¡C ¦o´X¥G¶]¤Ö¼Æªº¥L̵²§ô·í¦o°e¤F¦oªº Ducati ¦bµó¹D¤§¤W¤j¥sªº®ÉÔ©M¶i¤JÀéÄê©]±ßªº¨º¤§¤º¡C
"Not very smart, pretty girl," Riley breathed into Kelley¡¦s
ear. His hold on her arm was iron-heavy and twisting upward. "What,
you thought you could escape? Whole continents of Rigans couldn¡¦t get
away, so what makes you think that you can? We¡¦re not done with you yet,
so don't even try to run. Don't even think about it." / " ¤£¬O«ÜÁo©ú¤Sº}«Gªº¤k«Ä
",¿à§Q¶i¤J³ÍµÜªº¦Õ¦·¤§¤º©I§l¡C ¦b¦oªº¤âÁu¤Wªº¥L§â´¤¬OÅK- «ªº¦Ó¥B¥H¤W§áÂà¡C "¤°»ò,§A»{¬°§A¥i¥H°k²æ? Rigans
ªº¾ãÓ¤j³°µLªk°kÂ÷, ¦]¦¹¤°»ò¨Ï§A»{¬°§A¯à? §Ú̦ܤµÁÙ¤£»P§A¤@°_°µ, ¦]¦¹¬Æ¦Ü¤£¸ÕµÛ¶]¡C ¬Æ¦Ü¤£·Q¥¦¡C"
"Please," Kelley cried softly. She was very much at the end
of her strength. "Please, I'll do anything, just don't hurt me anymore."
/ " ½Ð ",³ÍµÜ¬X©M¦aú¡C ¦o«D±`¬O¦b¦oªº¤O¶qµ²§ôªº®ÉÔ¡C "½Ð,§Ú±N°µ¥ô¦ó¨Æ,´N¬O¤£¦A¶Ë®`§Ú".
"Of course we¡¦re not going to hurt you," Riley soothed, brushing
her hair back with his other hand. "We wouldn¡¦t dream of it. We like
you too much." "I don't want to fight anymore." / "
·íµM§Ṳ́£±N¶Ë®`§A ",¿à§Q¯u¹ê,¥H¥Lªº¨ä¥L¤â§â¦oªºÀY¾v²¨¨ê¦^¨Ó¡C "§Ṳ́£·|¦Ò¼{¥¦¡C §Ú̳ßÅw§A¤Ó¦h¡C" "
§Ú¤£·Qn¤£¦A¹ï§Ü " ¡C
Riley kissed her forehead. "It¡¦s okay¡Kit¡¦ll be all over real soon."
/ ¿à§Q§k¤F¦oªº«eÃB¡C " ¥¦¬O¥¦±N«Ü§Ö¥þ³¡µ²§ô¯u¥¿ªº¦n¡K " ¡C
Riley smiled warmly. He supposed it was still possible to use her to make
amends, correct the original intention of killing the Swan first (oops,
Riley thought with wily humor) but hey what the hell, he had all the time
in the world. Time to correct mistakes, make those small amends, complete
the quest and march happily on to even bigger and better quests and conquests
close at hand. He sat, all puffed with the happy yet unshareable secret
he had in his head, fighting the intense urge to just jump up in front
of all of those meatbags riding along with him and scream: Guess what?
You're all gonna be dead in about two months! / ¿à§Q¿Ë¤Á¦a·L¯º¡C ¥L±À·Q¥¦¤´µM¬O¥i¯à¨Ï¥Î¦o§@½ßÀv,
º¥ý (°Ú,¿à§Q¥H¨Ï¥Îp¿Ñªº«ÕÀq·Q) §ï¥¿±þ®`¤ÑÃZªº³Ìªì·N¹Ï¦ý¬O¶Ù¤°»ò¦aº»,¥L©l²×¦b¥@¬É¤W¦³¡C ®É¶¡§ï¥¿¿ù»~,§@¨º¨Ç¤pªº½ßÀv, §¹¦¨±´¯Á¨Ã¥B§Ö¼Ö¦a¹C¦æ¦b¹ï§ó¬Æ¦Ü¤ñ¸û¤j©M¦n±´¯Á©M¾Ô³Ó±µªñ¦a¦b¤âÃ䤧¤W¡C
¥L§¤µÛ,¥þ³¡¥H¥L¦³¦b¥LªºÀY¤¤§Ö¼Öªº¤´µMµLªk¤À¨Éªº¯µ±K¼Q¥X,¦b©Ò¦³¨º¨Ç meatbags ¤§«e³s¦P¥L©M¦y¥sÁn¤@°_ÃM¤W±¹ï§Ü¹ï¥¿ª½ªº¸õÅD±j¯Pªº©IÆ~:
²q´ú¤°»ò? §A¥þ³¡¥¿¦b¥h¦b¤j¬ù¤GӤ뤺¦º!
Kelley was so cute, all weepy and slumped as he wrapped one arm over her
shoulders and rocked her like a baby. Hey, all was back on track, right?
Only a bit behind schedule, but no problem. Already he could feel the
bullet's path healing under his shoulder, (what an interesting sensation
that was!) and the companion voice thrummed agreeably. / ³ÍµÜ¬O¦p¦¹¥i·R¤S©Ò¦³ªº weepy
¦Ó¥B·í¥L¥]¸Ë¤F¦b¦oªºªÓ¤W¤@°¦¤âÁu¦Ó¥B·n°Ê¦oªº¦PÃþ¤@ÓÀ¦¨à¡A²rµM±¼¸¨¡C ¶Ù,¥þ³¡¬O¦by¹D¤WªºI±,¹ï¤£¹ï? ¥u¦³¦b®É¶¡ªí«á±ªº¤@ÂIÂI , ¦ý¬O¨S¦³°ÝÃD¡C
¤w¸g¥L¥i¥H·Pı¤l¼u§Ú̦b¥LªºªÓ¤§¤Uªv¡ªº¸ô®|,( ¤°»ò¦³½ìªº·Pı¬O!) ¦Ó¥BªB¤ÍÁnµ´r§Ö¦a«ü¼u¡C
He turned to one of the transit policemen riding along. "Hey, officer?
Where's the next stop from here?" "16th Street and Mission,"
the cop answered with eyes as blank as a sheep's, and resumed his earlier
conversation with his partner as though Riley hadn't even been there at
all. Cool, Riley thought. Take care of the Swan there, then turn around
on the next train to downtown, head on back to finish the job. / ¥LÂà¦V¦V«eÃMªº¸g¹Lĵ¹î¤§¤@¡C
"¶Ù¡A©xû? ¤U¤@Ó°±¤î¦bþ¸Ì±q¦b³o¸Ì?" " 16 µó©M¥ô°È ", ĵ©x¥H²´·ú¹³¦Ïªº¤@¼ËªÅ¥Õ¦^µª,
¦Ó¥B©M¥Lªº¦X¹Ù¤H«·s¶}©l¤F¥Lªº§ó¦¥æ½Í¦n¹³¬Æ¦Ü³Q¦³¤£¬O¦b¥þ³¡ªº¨º¸Ì¿à§Q¡C §N«o,¿à§Q·Q¡C ¦b¨º¸Ì·ÓÅU¤ÑÃZ,µM«á¦b¤U¤@¦C¤õ¨®¤W¦^¹LÀY¨ì¥«¤¤¤ß°Ï,
«e¶i¦b¦V«á¦a¤§¤W§¹¦¨¤u§@¡C
"Gonna rock their world," he cooed, kissing the curve of her
neck. "Rock and roll, baby ... rock and roll." / " ¥h·n°Ê¥L̪º¥@¬É",
¥L cooed,§k¦oªº²ä¤l¦±½u¡C "·nºu, Áa®e¡C¡C¡C ·nºu¡C"
Kelley shivered, peering out from over his arm at the nonsense advertisements
on the walls of the railcar, waiting for abetment. / ³ÍµÜ¥´Å¸, ¾®µø¥X±q¦b¥Lªº¤âÁu¤§¤W¦b®ð°Ê¨®ªºÀð¾À¤WªºµL·N¸qªº¨Æ¼s§i,µ¥Ôº´°Ê¡C
Jun sent the superbike shrieking up to the corner of the curb, engine
racing. Key leaped up from the bus stop bench and vaulted aboard, snugging
the spare helmet over his head and gripping the passenger holds under
the seat behind Jun's rear for dear life in anticipation for the sudden
bulletshot of acceleration he knew would come. She didn't disappoint him.
/ ¤»¤ë°e¤Fª½¨ì§í¨î¡A¤ÞÀºÄvÁɪº¨¤¸¨¦y¥sªº¶W¯Å¼¯¦«¨®¡C Æ_°Í¸õÅD¦b±q¤½¦@¨T¨®¯¸ªø´È¤l¤W±©M¦³¶ê³»ªº¦b¸¾÷¤W¡A¹ï©ó¥Lª¾¹Dªº¥[³t¬ðµM bulletshot
¨Ï¾ã¼ä°®²b¦b¥LªºÀY¤W¦h¾lªº¿û²¯¦Ó¥B¦b¹w´Á¤¤¬°¿Ë·Rªº¥Í¬¡§ìºò¦b¤»¤ëªº«á±«á±ªº®y¦ì¤U±ªº¼«È§â´¤±N·|¨Ó¡C ¦o¨S¦³¨Ï¥L¥¢±æ¡C
Key knew from the elapsed time on the BART scheduling that the train's
next reachable stop was up at 16th before speeding on to Daly City. Kelley
would be trapped the entire ride to the stop, and if they could whip through
the evening pack of traffic fast enough, there they'd be able to corner
her and whisk her away to hiding. Only problem: it was night, Kelley was
insane, and the assassin could be on her tail. / Æ_°Í±q¦bã¨kÀï¦w±Æp¹º¤è±ªº³Q¹L¥hªº®É¶¡°_ª¾¹D¤õ¨®ªº¤UÓ¥i¨ì¹Fªº°±¤î¦V¤W¬O¦b²Ä
16 ¦b¥[³t¤§«e¦b¨ìÀ¹§Q«°¥«¤§¤W¡C ³ÍµÜ±N·|³Q§x¦í¹ï°±¤îªº¾ãÓ¼§¤, ¦Ó¥B¦pªG¥LÌ¥i¥HÃ@¥´¹L¥æ³qªº±ß¤W¥]»q°÷§Ö³tªº, ¦b¨º¸Ì¥ḺN·|¯à°÷¢¦Ü¤@¶¨¦o¦Ó¥B¨³³t±a¨«¦o¨ìÂáC
¥u¦³°ÝÃD: ¥¦¬O©]±ß,³ÍµÜ¬O±wºë¯«¯fªº¡A¦Ó¥B·t±þªÌ¥i¯à¬O¦b¦oªº§À³¡¤W¡C
Or eating it, Key thought blackly. / ©Î¦Yªº¥¦,Æ_°Í¶Â¦â¦a·Q¡C
It was a mixed blessing that he couldn't see the train at all, or he'd
have seen Riley nuzzling along her neck as she sat wire-tight and motionless
in solid fear of the man. Key would have leaped right off of the bike
at full throttle in a suicidal rush to charge the train in full transmuted
battle mode. Kelley knew they had to be close, could imagine the motorcycle
blazing on the surface at matching speed and weaving deftly through the
thick traffic like a bird whipping through high timber, Key riding pillion
behind Jun. Kelley cringed. She didn't want them to follow, and there
was no way she could warn them off if they were. Oh no, please no, he'd
see them. / ¥¦¬O¥L¥i¥H¤@ÂI¤]¤£¨£¨ì¤õ¨®ªº²V¦X¯¬ºÖ,©Î·í¦o§¤µÛ¤F¹q½uªº®ÉÔ¡A¥L¦³¤w¸g¨£¨ì¦V«e±N»ó´¡¤J¦oªº²ä¤l¿à§Q- ºòªº©M¤£°Êªº¦b¨k¤Hªº°íµw®£Äߤ¤¡C
Æ_°Í·|¦b¦Û±þªº¥^«P§¹¾ãªº¸`¬y»Ö¸}½ñ¨®¥¿½T¦a¨«¶}¸õÅDn»ù³Q¨Ï¾Ôª§¼ÒºAÅܧΪº¥þ³¡¤õ¨®¡C ³ÍµÜ»{ÃÑ¡A¥LÌ¥²¶·¬O±µªñªº,¥i¥H·Q¹³«pªº¥æ³q©Ò³ßÅw¤@Ó³¾Ã@¥´§¹¦¨ªº°ª¤ì§÷ªº¦b»P³t«×©M´°Ê¬Û°t±Ó±¶¼ô½m§¹¦¨¬O¿K¿Uªº¦bªí±¤Wªº¼¯¦«¨®,ÃM¦b¤»¤ë«á±ªº°ü¤k¥Î°¨¾bªºÆ_°Í¡C
³ÍµÜ¬ÈÁY¡C ¦pªG¥L̬O¡A¦o¨S¦³·Qn¥L̸òÀH, ¦Ó¥B¨S¦³¦o·|ĵ§i¥LÌÂ÷¶}ªº¤èªk¡C ®@¤£,¤£½Ð,¥L±N·|¨£¨ì¥LÌ¡C
Riley sat back as relaxed as any evening commuter, one booted foot propped
up sideways on the bench seat, humming lightly. He watched the others
with speculative detachment, like a surgeon contemplating somebody's malignant
tumor. / ¿à§Q³S¤â®ÇÆ[¦p¥ô¦óªº±ß¤W³q¶ÔªÌ¡A³ÄÃ䪺¦bªø´È¤l®y¦ì¤Wªº³Q¤ä«ùªº¬ï¹u¸}©Ò©ñÃP,»´»´ªº¶ä¶ä¥s¡C ¥L¥Î«ä¯Á©Êªº¤ÀÂ÷¬Ý¨ä¾lªÌ, ¹³¤@¦ìª`µø¬Y¤H¦³´c·Nªº¸~½F¥~¬ìÂå¥Í¡C
Jun dipped the Ducati down into the turn onto 12th Street towards where
the tracks curved out under the boulevard, in a tight swerve so deep Key
felt the fabric of his jeans being pulled by the asphalt underneath. A
heartbeat later she sent the machine screaming low around another turn
west onto Mission. He didn't care, Jun was that good. Around him there
was an outburst of screeching tires as vehicles evaded the Ducati, drivers
startled by the rocketing bike blaring their horns in surprised anger.
Down the street, a limousine slid across and stopped in the middle of
an intersection, stuck in the congealed flow, and Jun came down to about
one second of hitting the thing dead broadside at better than sixty miles
per hour. She threw her weight down into a panicked evasive turn around
the limo¡¦s tail as another car screeched to a stop behind it and almost
sandwiched them to the closeness of mere centimeters; Key felt the car's
bumper painfully glance against his leg. Jun's accelerating shootout from
between the vehicles and the oncoming traffic around them was a life-or-death
maneuver that bordered on the suicidal. Rushing headlamp light dazzled
Key's eyes and then faded behind as she powered down the boulevard towards
16th. / ¤»¤ë®û , Ducati ¦b 12 µó¤§¤W¶i¤J±ÛÂध¤ºåP¸¨¦V¦b¦p¦¹²`Æ_°Í·Pı¤F¥Lªº³Q¦b¤U±³Q¬fªo©Ôªº¤û¥J¿ÇªºÂ´ª«ºò²æ¸¨¤¤y¹D¦bªL½®¤j¹D¤§¤UÅs¥Xþ¸Ì¡C
¤ñ¸û¿ðªº¤@Ӥ߸õ¦o¦b¥ô°È¤§¤W¦V¦èªº¥t¤@Ó±ÛÂ઺©P³ò°e¾÷¾¹¦y¥s§CÂI¡C ¥L¨S¦³Ãö¤ß, ¤»¤ë¬O¨º»ò¦nªº¡C ·í¨®½ø°kÁפF Ducati ¡A³Q°ªÁn»ï¥s·P¨ìÅå³Yªº©Á«ã¥L̪º³â¥zµo®g¤õ½b¸}½ñ¨®¾_Å媺¾r¾pûªº®ÉÔ¡A¦bªþªñ¥L¦³¦yµÛÁnµÁ¿½üLªºÃzµo¡C
åP¸¨µó¹D¡A¤@Ó³Q·Æ°Ê¹Lªº¤j«¬»¨µØÃ⨮¦Ó¥B¦b¤Q¦r¸ô¤fªº¤¤¥¡¤¤°±¤î,¦b³Q¨Ïáµ²ªº¬yµ{¤¤ªþµÛ¡A¦Ó¥B¤»¤ë°§C¦Ü¸I¼²¨Æª«¦ºªº¾î¦C«ü¦Vªº¤j¬ù¬í¦b¤ñ¤»¤Qù¦nªº¨C¤p®É¡C
¦o¥á , ¦oªº«¶qåP¸¨¶i¤J¤@¤§¤º¦b limo's ªº§À³¡©P³ò¨Ï°kÁתº±ÛÂண·W·í¥t¤@½ø¨T¨®¦yµÛÁnµÁ¿¨ì¦b¥¦«á±ªº¤@Ó°±¤î¨Ã¥B´X¥G¹ï¶È¶È¤½¤Àªº±µªñ´¡¤J¤F¥LÌ;
Æ_°Í·Pı¤F½w½Ä¾×µhW¦a¿h°{¹ï§Ü¥Lªº»L¨T¨®ªº¡C ¤»¤ëªº¥[³tºj¾Ô±q¦b¨®½ø©M±µªñªº¥æ³q¤§¶¡¦bªþªñ¥L̬O¥Í¬¡-©ÎªÌ-ªñ¥G¦Û±þªÌªº¦º¤`ºt²ß¡C ¶Ê«P«e¿O¥ú¨ÏÆ_°Íªº²´·ú²´ªá¤FµM«á¤w¿Æ¦âªº«á±³¡¤À·í¦oªuªL½®¤j¹D¦V¤U¦³¤O¶q¦V²Ä
16¡C
The train slowed to an easy stop at the station. Riley and Kelley were
the only ones off at that late hour. Taking Kelley by the arm out of the
enclosure, he looked over his shoulder out towards the street and saw
the Ducati bearing down. He took a long casual look around. Yep, this
was a nice quiet spot. Already he could feel the air around him crackle
like the swell of jaundiced ozone before the storm. Soon it would come
and reality would twist like a prairie funnel-cloud. Perfect place for
a showdown. / ¤õ¨®¦b¨®¯¸´îºC¨ì¤@Ó®e©öªº°±¤î¡C ¿à§Q©M³ÍµÜ¬O¦b¨ºÓ¤p®É©³¨«¶}°ß¤@ªº¤@¨Ç¡C ±qªþ¥ó¨ú¥X¤âÁuªº³ÍµÜ,¥L¦Vµó¹D¦b¥~ÂsÄý¥LªºªÓ¦Ó¥B¤U¨Ó¨£¨ì
Ducati Á|¤î¡C ¥L¦bªþªñ±aªøªº°¸µM¯«±¡¡C Yep,³o¬O¬ü¦nªº¦wÀR¦aÂI¡C ¤w¸g¥L¥i¥H¦bªþªñ·PıªÅ®ð¥L¹³¦b¼É·«B«eªº±w¶À¯n¯f¯ä®ñªº¼W¤j¤@¼Ëµo¥X°ÔÁn¡C
«Ü§Ö¥¦±N·|¨Ó¡A¦Ó¥B¨Æ¹ê±N·|¹³¤@Ó¤j¯óìº|¤æ¤@¼ËÀ¾-¶³¡C ¬°¤@ÓÅuµPªº§¹¬ü¦a¤è¡C
Then a deep snarling grin crossed his features. A thought had just occurred
to him. Kelley was useless, 0-for-three. But the Swan... / µM«á¤@Ó§q¥sÅS¾¦¯ºªº²`³B¥æ¤e¤F¥Lªº¯S¼x¡C
¤@Ó·Qªk¹ï¥Lèè¤~µo¥Í¡C ³ÍµÜ¬O¨S¦³¥Îªº,0-¬°-¤T¡C ¦ý¬O¤ÑÃZ¡C¡C¡C
Rushing cataclysm in his head, giving its approval. Riley threw back his
head and cackled long insane laughter. Oh, what a beautiful punchline
to the whole escapade that would be! Kelley cringed back, face sheet-white,
feeling it begin to swell and spill like the malign flood it was but helpless
to stop it. It was in front of her, falling across her vision like a rippling
curtain of heat over a baked desert road. Kelley mewled, understanding
its intention, hearing it give its orders to Riley like the eager growl
of predators closing in on a dying animal. All she could do was stand
and watch. She didn't even have a chance to raise her hands up to try
to flag Jun down. Her warning cry died in her chest like the last croak
of the trapped prey. / ¶Ê«P¥LªºÀY¤j¬x¤ô,´£¨Ñ¥¦ªºÃÙ¦¨¡C ¿à§QÂY¦^¥LªºÀY¦Ó¥B«£«£¦a¥s¤[±wºë¯«¯fªº¯º¡C ®@, ¤°»ò¹ï±N·|¬Oªº¾ãÓ²§±`¥Xyªº¦æ¬°¬üÄRªº
punchline! ¦V«á¦a³Q¬ÈÁYªº³ÍµÜ , Áy±i-¥Õ¦â , ·Pı¥¦¶}©l¹³¦³®`ªº¬x¤ô¤@¼Ë¼W¤j¦Ó¥B·¸¥X , °±¤î¥¦¬O¥u¤£¹LµL§Uªº¡C ¦b¦o¤§«e¥¦¬O,¶V¹L¦oªº¹³¼ö¨Ï±b°_º§º¬¦b¤@¤§¤W¯MµH¯îíuªº¹D¸ôµø³¥¸¨¤U¡C
³Q§Cª_Án,¤F¸Ñ¥¦ªº·N¹Ï, Å¥¥¦¹³±°¹ÜªÌªº¼ö¤ß§pÁnµ²§ô¤@¼Ë§â¥¦ªº¦¸§Çµ¹¿à§Qªº³ÍµÜ¦b¤@°¦««¦ºªº°Êª«¤W¡C ¥þ³¡¦o¥i¥H°µ¬O»O¤l©M¤â¿ö¡C ¦o¬Æ¦Ü¨S¦³¤@Ó¾÷·|¦V¤WÁ|°_¦oªº¤â¸Õ¨ì¤»¤ëåP¸¨ªººX¤l¡C
¦oªºÄµ§iúÁn¹³³´¤J§x¹ÒªºÂyª«³Ì«áÜÓÜÓÁn¤@¼Ë¦º©ó¦oªº¯Ý¡C
Now in the clear and looking for a shortcut Jun spotted the station straight
ahead, where cement pylons stood in staggered columns to separate motor
traffic from the pedestrian-only thoroughfare. Key cringed in new rollercoaster
fear; he lowered his shoulders down like a novice jockey on a runaway
horse and his grip on the seat froze into a solid white-knuckled lock.
Jun never braked the machine down. She stretched out and down, and there
was a sudden backwards thrust and the high squeal of torque as she downshifted
a gear. Without letting up she slalomed the posts with heart-ripping twisting
skill, pumping the machine back up to full speed once clear with the powerful
leap of a carrier's catapult takeoff. The bike tore down the lane in milliseconds.
The man was a dark shadow straight in front of her, Kelley a hunched rag
doll in his clenched hand. / ²{¦b¦b¨º²M·¡ªº¦Ó¥B§ä´M¤@Ó±¶®|¤»¤ë¦V«e¦aµ§ª½¦a¬Ý¨£¤F¨®¯¸,¦b¤ôªd¶ðªù¦bÂÚ¶\ªº±MÄ椤¯¸¥ß°Ï¹j°¨¹Fªº¥æ³q©M°ß¦æ¤H³q¸ôªº¦a¤è¡C
Æ_°Í¦b·sªº¶³¾]¸¨®®£Äߤ¤¬ÈÁY; ¥L°§C , ¥LªºªÓåP¸¨¦b¤@¤Ç°k¤`ªº°¨¤W¦PÃþ¤@Ó·s¤âÁÉ°¨ªºÃM®v¦Ó¥BåP¸¨¦b®y¦ì¤Wªº¥Lºò´¤¶i¤J¤@Ó°íµwªº¥Õ¦â¥H«ü¸`¥´ªºÂꤧ¤ºáµ²¡C
¤»¤ë±q¤£·Ù¨® , ¾÷¾¹åP¸¨¡C ·í¦o½Õ¦Ü§CÀɤF¤@Ó¤u¨ãªº®ÉÔ¡A¦o¦ù®i¥X¦Ó¥BåP¸¨, ¦Ó¥B¦V«á¦³¬ðµM±À¶i©MÂà¤O¯xªº°ª¦y¥s¡C ¨S¦³¦b¦o¤W±Åý¥Î¤ß»Ùê·Æ³·Áɾ¦ì-³»«Óªº§áÂà§Þ³N
, ©â¬¦¾÷¾¹¦V«á¦aª½¨ì¥þ³t´¿¸g¥H¹B°eªÌªºµo®g¾÷°_¸ªº¦³¤O¸õÅD²M°£¡C ¸}½ñ¨®©î·´²@¬íªº¤p¸ô¡C ¨k¤H¦b¦o¤§«e¬O¤@Ӷ·tªº¼v¹³ª½½u, ³ÍµÜ¥Lªººò´¤¤âªº¤@Ó³QÅs¸y¾mIªº¸H¥¬«½«½¡C
The Ducati's headlamp pierced the air with a wide brilliant arc. Flashed
across Riley's face in a beaming scimitar. / Ducati's ªº«e¿O¥Î¤@Ó¼eªºÀéÄê©·¨ë¬ïªÅ®ð¡C
¶V¹L¤@Ó¥ú«GªºÅs¤M¿à§QªºÁy°{²{¡C
Then with all the catastrophic violence of a mid-air collision the Ducati
was struck, by something unseen yet with crushing impact the machine was
literally blocked as though it had plowed into a cement barrier, and screaming
high it was sent flipping end over end and crashing onto the ground. The
machine skidded for several yards before wrapping itself around a lamppost
in a smoking mess of mangled steel and fiberglass, and both Key and Jun
were slammed down hard into tumbling heaps onto the ground. Jun was flattened
in a broken sprawl, and shuddering terribly she tried to get up, trying
to at least raise to her hands and knees before his attack came. She was
barely able to get her helmet off to raise her head, looking in shocked
stupefaction for what in God's name had just hit her. Small runnels of
blood were flowing down her arms. The leather of her jacket was ripped
from the impact. Pain jack-hammered up and down her body, her right hip
was molten fire. She looked up and saw Riley striding towards her, something
big, metallic, and looking very much like a bayonet extending from his
hand. Black fear rose in her like a bubbling sewer. Her arms and hands
were shock-numb from the fall and she couldn't reach her weapon. / ¦n¹³¥¦¤w¸g¶i¤J¤@Ó¤ôªd»Ùꤧ¤º¥Î²p¯Ñ¥Ð,
¦Ó¥B¦y¥s¥¦³Q°e¦b¦a±¤§¤W¥Î«üÀY¼u¦bµ²§ô¤Wªºµ²§ô¦Ó¥B¼²¸Hªº°ª«×¡AµM«á¥H Ducati ³Q¥´ªºªÅ¤¤¸I¼²ªº©Ò¦³´dºG¼É¤O¡AÂǵۥ¼¨£¹LªºªF¦è¤´µM¥H¥´¯}±o¤äÂ÷¯}¸Hªº½ÄÀ»¾÷¾¹·Ó¦r±¤W¦a³Qªý¶ë¡C
¾÷¾¹¦b¥]¸Ë¯È¥»¨¤§«e¬°¤@¨Ç½X«b¨®¶Ã¤Áªº¿û©M¬Á¼þÅÖºûªº©âµÒÂø¶Ãªº¤j¬ù¤@Óµó¿O¬W¡A¦Ó¥BÆ_°Í©M¤»¤ë³Q§V¤O¦a¶i¤J¦b¦a±¤§¤W¶^¸¨°ï¤§¤º²rµMÃö¤W¤U¨Ó¡C
¤»¤ë¦b¤@ÓÃa±¼ªº¦ù¶}¤â¨¬¦ÓºÎ¤¤³QÅÜ¥, ¦Ó¥B¾Ô·X¥i©È¦a¦o¸ÕµÛ°_§É,¹ï¹ï¦b¥Lªº§ðÀ»«eªº¦o¤â©M½¥ªº¦Ü¤Ö¤W¤É¹Á¸Õ³Q´£¥X¡C ¦o´X¥GµLªk±H¥X¦oªº¿û²¯©ï°_¦oªºÀY,
¶¶«K±´³X¾_°Êªº³Â¾K¬°¤°»ò¥H¤W«Ò¤§¦W¥u¬O¦³¸I¼²¦oªº¡C ¦åªº¤p¤pªe¥¿¦b¬y°Ê¤U¨Ó¦oªº¤âÁu¡C ¦oªº§¨§J¥Ö²±q½ÄÀ»³Q¼¹¶}¡C ¨Ï´¡®yµhW-¤W¤U¦aÂñ¥´¦oªº¨Åé,¦oªº¥¿½TÁv³¡¬O·»¤Æªº¤õ¡C
¦o¬Ý¦b¦Ó¥B¤W±¨£¨ì¤F¦V¦o¡A¤jªºªF¦èÁÚ¤j¨B¨«ªº¿à§Q,ª÷Äݪº, ¦Ó¥B¬Ý°_¨Ó«D±`¬Û¦ü¤@Ó±q¥Lªº¤â©µ¦ùªº¨ë¤M¡C ¶Â¦âªº®£Äߦb¦oªº¦PÃþ¤@Ó°_ªw¤U¤ô¹D¤¤¤W¤É¡C
¦oªº¤âÁu©M¤â¬O¾_°Ê- ³Â¤ìªº±q¬î¤Ñ°_¦Ó¥B¦oµLªk¨ì¹F¦oªºªZ¾¹¡C
A ki-yiing scream howled through the night like a wolf at war and Riley
was knocked flying, Key all over his back. They crashed to the street
in a mess of flailing arms and legs, and Key was smashing him down with
every ounce of his strength, pummeling him non-stop for every inch of
his life. Jun saw through the fog of her approaching shock that he had
the lines of his bolas wrapped around his right fist and was beating the
assassin into a bloody mess with the steel egg-shaped pair. / ¤@Án ki- yiing
ªº¦y¥sÁn¨g§p¹L¦b¾Ôª§©M¿à§Qªº©]±ß¦PÃþ¤@°¦¯T³QºVÀ»¸,¨ì³B½Õµ¥LªºI³¡¡C ¥L̥γs{¥´¤â©M»L¦b¤@¹Î¶Ã¤¤¼M°Õ¤@Án±¼¦bµó¹D¡A¦Ó¥BÆ_°Í¥¿¦b¥H¨C¯s¥qªº¥L¤O¶q§â¥L¯»¸H¤U¨Ó,¹ï©ó¨C¦Tªº¥L¥Í¬¡¬Oª½¹Fªº¥Î®±ÀY¥´¥L¡C
¤»¤ë¨£¨ì¹L±µªñ¥L¥]¸Ë¥Lªº®M¤û÷ªº½u¦b¥Lªº¥¿½T®±ÀYªº©P³ò¨Ã¥B¥¿¦b¥H¿ûªº³J§ÎÂùÃøË·t±þªÌ¶i¦å¸{ªºÂø¶Ã¤§¤ºªºÅåÀ~¦oÃú¡C
Features darkening with annoyance, Riley twisted under Key's weight and
smashed him in the head with a single wrecking-ball swing. Key instantly
collapsed into a flat and unmoving pile. Oh, this is just too much, Jun
thought. He'd just kicked back while she rode right into his trap. She
didn't know what had just mangled her and her bike but there was no doubt
it had come from him, and kneeling in high-raving pain as she watched
him get up to retrieve his dropped knife, there was nothing she could
do to stop him. / ¥H·Ð´o¡A¦bÆ_°Íªº«¶q¤§¤U³QÀ¾¨Ã¥B¦b©M¥¢¨Æ- ²yªº·nÂ\ÀY¤¤¯»¸H¥Lªº¿à§Q§Ë·tªº¯S¼x¡C ¶i¤J¥©Zªº©M¤£·P¤Hªº°ï¤§¤º¥ß§Y¦a½ÕµË¶ò¡C
®@,³o¬O¶È¶È¤Ó¦h,¤»¤ë·Q¡C ·í¦o¶i¤J¥Lªº°é®M¤§¤º¥¿½T¦aÃMªº®ÉÔ¡A¥L¦³èè¬ðµM«á°h¡C ·í¦o¬Ý¥L»°¤Wªº®ÉÔ¡A¦o¨S¦³ª¾¹Dèè¤~¶Ã¤Á¦o©M¦oªº¸}½ñ¨®¡A¦ý¬O¨S¦³¥¦¤w¸g¨Ó¦Û¥L,
¦Ó¥B¦b°ª«×- J»¡ªºµhW¤¤¸÷ªºÃhºÃªF¦è¨ú¦^¥Lªº°§C¤M,¦³¦o¥i¥H°µªý¤î¥Lªº¨S¨Æ¡C
Suddenly Kelley had her by the collar, and with a primeval growl she proceeded
to drag Jun aside. Jun reached up to grab her arm, screaming in pain.
Kelley wasn't listening. / ¬ðµM³ÍµÜÂǵۦç»â¦³¤F¦o¡A¦Ó¥B¥Ñ©ó¤@Óªì´Áªº§pÁn¦oµÛ¤â¶i¦æ¦b¤@Ãä©ì©Ô¤»¤ë¡C ¤»¤ë¨ì¹F¦b¤W±§ì¨ú¦oªº¤âÁu,
¦y¥sµhWªº¡C ³ÍµÜ¨S¦³¦bÅ¥¡C
"It was supposed to be you!" Kelley screamed in pure lunacy.
But what was that on her face- seriousness, sanity? Jun blinked in stupor
from the wreck and her friend's attack. Kelley screamed at her again.
"It was supposed to be you!" / " ¥¦¬O±À·Q·í§A"! ³ÍµÜ¦b¯Âºéªººë¯«¥¢±`¤¤¦y¥s¡C
¦ý¬O¦b¦oªºÁy¤W¨º¬O¤°»ò-ÄY«,¯«´¼°·¥þ? ¤»¤ë¦b¨Ó¦Û´ÝÀe©M¦oªºªB¤Í§ðÀ»ªºµL·Pı¤¤¯w²´¡C ³ÍµÜ¦A¤@¦¸¦b¦o¦y¥s¡C " ¥¦¬O±À·Q·í§A"!
Jun decided that she had to be dreaming. Yes, nothing but a massive hung-over
combat-fatigue-posttraumatic whatever syndrome aftershock hallucinating
nightmare. Her vision started to gray out, shock swallowing her senses.
It was another few seconds and about three of Kelley¡¦s babbling nonsense
screams at her before she realized what she could be seeing here- Kelley
was faking it? No, warning her. As Kelley had tried to do before in Key¡¦s
apartment, when she¡¦d collapsed into raving hysterics and made so sense
whatsoever. -they were after you first. They didn¡¦t know who the others
were but it could see you. It could see you...through his eyes, it could
see you- Jun nearly blacked out. It was just too much. Kelley shook Jun's
head like a beaten rag doll's. "Don't you understand?" Kelley
screeched. "It's after YOU!!!" / ¤»¤ë¨M©w¦o¥²¶·°µ¹Ú¡C ¬Oªº, ¨S¨Æ°£¤F¤@¤§¥~Ãe¤jªº¦Q-
¦b°g±m¸Ë³Æ¤§¤W - posttraumatic ¨Ï²£¥Í¤Ûı¹ÚÆLªº¥ô¦ó¨Öµo¯gª¬¾l¾_¡C ¦oªºµø³¥¶}©lÅܦǦâ¥X,§]¦oªº·PıÅåÀ~¡C ¥¦¬O¥t´X¬í¡A¦Ó¥B¤j¬ù¦b¦o¤F¸Ñ¦o¥i¯à¦b³o¸Ì¨£¨ìªº¤§«e
, ³ÍµÜªº¶¢§èµL·N¸qªº¨Æ¤¤¤T¦b¦o¦y¥s- ³ÍµÜ¥¿¦b°²³y¥¦? ¤£,ĵ§i¦o¡C ·í³ÍµÜ¤w¸g¹Á¸Õ°µ¦bÆ_°Íªº¤½´J¤¤¤§«e, ·í¦o¦³¶i¤JJ»¡ªº·²´µ©³¨½µo§@ªº¤H¤§¤ºË¶ò¦Ó¥B»s³yªº®ÉÔ·PıµL½×¤°»ò¡C
-¥L̬O¦b§A¤§«áº¥ý¡C ¥L̨S¦³ª¾¹D , ½Ö¨ä¾lªÌ¥u¬O¥¦¥i¥H¨£¨ì§A¡C ¥¦¥i¥H¨£¨ì§A¡C¡C¡C¸g¹L¥Lªº²´·ú¡A¥¦¥i¥H¨£¨ì§A- ¤»¤ë´X¥GÅܶ¡C ¥¦¬O¶È¶È¤Ó¦h¡C
³ÍµÜ·n°Ê¤FÀY³ßÅw¤@Ó®Á¥´ªº¸H¥¬«½«½ªº¤»¤ë¡C " §A¨S¤F¸Ñ¶Ü "? ³ÍµÜ¦yµÛÁnµÁ¿¡C "¥¦¦b§A¤§«á!!!"
"Kelley..." Riley warned, his voice a low growl, unnatural lamplight
sight nailing her in impatience through the smear of blood on his face.
"She's ours now. Get away from her, girl." / "³ÍµÜ¡C¡C¡C"¿à§Qĵ§i,
¥LªºÁnµ¤@Ó§Cªº§pÁn,¤£¦ÛµMªº¿O¤õ¬Ý¨£¸g¹L¦b¥LªºÁy¤W¦å¦Ã¸ñ¦b©Ê«æ¤è±¥Î°v°v¨c¦o¡C "¦o¬O§Ú̪º²{¦b¡C »·Â÷¦o,¤k«Ä¡C"
Kelley hissed like a cat, holding Jun back, glaring at the assassin. /
³ÍµÜ¹³¤@°¦¿ß¤@¼Ëµo¥X¼NÁn,±±¨î¤»¤ë, °{Ä£ªº¦b·t±þªÌ¡C
Jun's eyes snapped open, attention front and center. Kelley was facing
the assassin, her hair in sweaty ropes and her pupils backlit ocher like
the lava oozing from a shield volcanic fault. Jun felt chills rip down
her hardwiring. What did Kelley mean? Did all of Gallactor know who they
were, or was it somehow worse, so terrible that Gallactor and its warlord
were suddenly immaterial, even trivial, and at the root of the problem
was something even more powerful and evil and unstoppable. From the beginning
of the war, there had been speculation of a superior source of command
in Gallactor, a higher order for Berg Katse to report to. Rigan historians
and informants close to Gallactor personnel reported that it was alien
in origin, an entity that directly instructed the Gallactor warlord. An
incredible notion, but there was no other explanation to the sight of
entire cities' populations overrun by harmonic suggestion much the way
Kelley had been, and the force needed to overwhelm people like that was
far beyond the scope of any human will or creation. In a free-wheeling
tidalwave of recollection like the proverbial life-flying-by-the-eyes,
Jun remembered every mission, every meeting with other intelligence heads,
every scrap of information and detail they had all managed to scrape together
to clarify its identity. They¡¦d never been able to find a definitive answer
as to who, or what, it was. Now she was about to finally witness it, proof
at last, and yet it would also be her worst nightmare. It would be bigger
than anything imaginable, apocalyptic, consuming, as devastating as a
ten-megaton explosion. / ¤»¤ëªº²´·ú«rÂ_¤F¤½¶}¡Aª`·N«e±©M¤¤¤ß¡C ³ÍµÜ¥¿¦b±¹ï·t±þªÌ , ¥X¦½ªº²Ê÷©M¦oªº¾Ç¥Í backlit
ªº¦oÀY¾vªü¹³±q¤@Ó¨¾¿mª«¤õ¤sªº¹L¥¢º¯¥Xªºº²©¥¡C ¤»¤ë·Pı´H§Nµõ²ª¤U¨Ó¦oªº hardwiring ¡C ³ÍµÜ·N¿×¤°»ò? °µ©Ò¦³ Gallactor
ª¾¹D¥L̬O½Ö, ©Î¥¦¤£ª¾¦ó¬G§óÃa¦a, ¦p¦¹ªº¥i©È¥HP©ó Gallactor ©M¥¦ªºx»Ö¬O¬ðµM«Dª«½è¡M¬Æ¦Üº¾²Ó, ¦Ó¥B¦b°ÝÃDªº®Ú¬O¬Æ¦Ü§ó¦³¤OªºªF¦è¶Ü©M¨¸´cªº©MµLªk¨î¤îªº¡C
±q¾Ôª§ªº¶}©l,¤w¸g¦³ Gallactor ªº¤@Ó«ü¥OªºÀu¶V¨Ó·½ªº±À´ú, ¤@ӧ󰪪º¦¸§Ç¬°¦B¤s Katse ³ø§i¡C Rigan ¾ú¥v¾Ç®a©M³qª¾ªÌµ²§ô¹ï
Gallactor ¤Hû¦b°_·½¤è±³ø§i¤F¥¦¬O¥~°êªº,¤@Óª½±µ¦a±Ð¤F Gallactor x»Öªº¹êÅé¡C ¤@ÓÃø¥H¸m«HªºÆ[©À, ¦ý¬O¨S¦³¹ï½Õ©M«Øijªº¾ãÓ«°¥«ªº¤H¤f¶W¶V»~®tªºµø¤O¨ä¥Lªº¸ÑÄÀ«Ü¦h¤è¦¡³ÍµÜ¬O,¦Ó¥B³Q»Ýn¹³¨º¤@¼Ë²T¨S¤Hªº¤O¶q¬O»·ªº¶W¹L¥ô¦ó¤HÃþªº½d³ò·N§Ó©Î³Ð³y¡C
¦b¤@¦Û¥Ñªº-±ÛÂ๳¿Î»yªº¥Í¬¡ - ¸ªº - ³Q - ¨º - ²´·úªº°O¾Ð tidalwave, ¤»¤ë°O±o¨CÓ¥ô°È¡A¨ä¥Lªº´¼¤OÀYªº¨C·|½Í, ¸ê®Æ©M²Ó¸`ªº¨C¤p¤ù¥L̤w¸g¥þ³¡³]ªk¤@°_¨í±¼¼á²M¥¦ªº¨¥÷¡C
¥L̦³±q¤£¯à°÷µo²{¤@Ó©wªºµª®×Ãö©ó½Ö, ©Î¤°»ò,¥¦¬O¡C ²{¦b¦o¥¿n³Ì«á¥ØÀ»¥¦, ÃÒ©ú³Ì«á¡A¦Ó¥B¤´µM¥¦¤]±N·|¬O¦o³ÌÃaªº¹ÚÆL¡C ¥¦±N·|¬O¤ñ¥i·Q¹³ªºªF¦è¤jªº¡M±Ò¥Ü¿ýªº¡M±j¯Pªº,
·í°µ·´Ãa¦p¤@Ó¤QӦʸU¾·ªºÃz¬µ¡C
Riley saw her fear and smiled blackly. Something shimmered around his
body; Jun¡¦s hardwiring kicked at the unnatural sight of it. Whatever it
was, it was close. Searching with guided-missile precision, zeroing on
her with invincible wrath, and making her nerves thrum like pebbles on
the ground before a trampling stampede. "Gutted your friend back
there," he teased. He stepped forward, knife in hand. "Just
imagine what we can do to you." / ¿à§Q¶Â¦â¦a¨£¨ì¤F¦oªº®£ÄߦӥB·L¯º¡C ¬Y¨Æ¦b¥Lªº¨Åé©P³òµo°{Ã{¤§¥ú;
¤»¤ëªº hardwiring §Ü©Ú¥¦ªº¤£¦ÛµMµø¤O¡C µL½×¥¦¬O¤°»ò,¥¦¬Oµ²§ô¡C ¥Ñ©ó«ü¾É´M§ä-¸¼uºë±K,¥H¤£¯à©ºªAªº¼««ã¦b¦o¨¤WÂk¹s,¦Ó¥B¨Ï¦oªº¯«¸g¹³¦b¤@Ó½î½ñÅåÀ~©b°k«eªº¦b¦a±¤Wªº¤p¶ê¥Û¤@¼Ë«ü¼u¡C
" §â§AªºªB¤Í·´·l¦^¨Ó¨º¸Ì ",¥L´Ût¡C ¥L¦V«e¦a½ñ,¦b¤â¤¤¥Î¤M¤Á³Î¡C " ¶È¶È·Q¹³§Ú̯à¹ï§A°µªº "
¡C
At his mention of Mareccu, the commander immediately entered her thoughts.
He was under transmutation and engaged in chillingly brutal combat during
some past mission, and she clung to the memory like the drowning clutching
a life preserver. Then it sizzled into a white haze and she was over his
slashed body. Blood was running and soaking her hands to her wrists. She
could feel its stickiness on her skin under her leathers right now. He
was dying, right under her hands he was dying... / ¦b¥Lªº´£¤Î Mareccu ¤§¨Æ¡A«ü´§©x¥ß¨è¶i¤J¤F¦oªº·Qªk¡C
¥L¦b¤@¨Ç¹L¥hªº¥ô°È®ÉÔ¬O¦bÅܧΤ§¤U¦Ó¥B±Mª`µL±¡´Ý§Ôªº¾Ô°«¡A¦Ó¥B¦oÂHªþ©ó , °O¾Ð³ßÅw§ì¨c¤@ӱϥͥΨ㪺·Ä¦º¡C µM«á¥¦¶i¤J¤@¤ù¥Õ¦âªºÁ¡Ãú¤§¤º¼R¼R°µÁn©M¦o¬O¦b¥Lªº´î°£¨Å餧¤W¡C
¦å¥¿¦b¶]©M®ûªw¹ï¦oªº¤âµÃ¦o¤â¡C ¦o¥i¥H¥ß¨è·Pı¦b¦oªº¥Ö²¤U±ªº¦b¦o¥Ö½§¤Wªº¥¦ÂH©Ê¡C ¥L¬O¦º¤`,¦b¦oªº¥L¦º¤`ªº¤â¤U±ªºÅv§Q¡C¡C¡C
"I really don¡¦t want to hurt you, though," Riley said with a
suddenly sincere tone, and his abrupt shift in demeanor made Jun think
for a moment that he was just another regular guy. "I mean, you are
the most gorgeous woman I¡¦ve seen since¡Kwell, since her." He made
an offhand gesture at Kelley. "No, really- I¡¦m serious. I¡¦d love
get to know you a little better. Nothing too heavy at first¡Kwe can start
slow. You know, just talk for a little while, share some drinks, trade
phone numbers¡K" His eyes were shining a deep phosphorescent red.
It was a hypnotic gaze that focused on Jun, locked her solid, and instantly
made her want to listen, to believe every word he was saying. "I
know this great club in the Portsmouth District. Would you like to go
with me?" / " ¦ý¬O,§Ú¯uªº¤£·Qn¶Ë®`§A ",¿à§Q¥H¤@Ó¬ðµM¸ÛÀµªº©ú·t»¡¡A¦Ó¥BºA«×ªº¥L¬ðµMªºÅܤƨϤ»¤ë·Q¤@·|¨à¥L¬O½T¹ê¥t¥~¤@¯ëªº³Ã¥ë¡C
"§Úªº·N«ä¬O,§A¬O§Ú¤w¸g¦Û±q¡K¥H«á¨£¨ì±o¦nªº³ÌµØÄRªº¤k¤H,¦Û±q¦o¥H«á". ¥L¦b³ÍµÜ»s³y¤@Ó§Y®Éªº¤â¶Õ¡C "¤£,¯uªº-
§Ú¬OÄY«ªº¡C §Ú±N·|·R¶}©lµy·L§ó»{ÃѧA¡C °_¥ý¤Ó«ªº¡K¨S¨Æ§Ú̯àºC¦a¶}©l¡C §Aª¾¹D, ¥¿ª½ªº½Í¸Ü¹ï©ó¤p¤pªº¤@·|¨à,¤À¨É¤@¨Ç¶¼®Æ, ¹q¸Ü¼Æ¡Kªº¶T©ö"
¥Lªº²´·ú¥¿¦b°{Ã{¤@²`¤Jµo¥XÁC¥ú¬õ¦âªº¡C ¥¦¬O§â«¤ß¶°¤¤¦b¤»¤ë,Âê¤F¦oªº©TÅé, ¦Ó¥B¥ß§Y¦a§@¤F¦oªº»ÝnÅ¥ªº¶Ê¯vª`µø, ¬Û«H¥L¥¿¦b»¡ªº¨CÓ¦r¡C
"§Ú¦b¾ë¯ýT´µ°Ï°ì¤¤ª¾¹D´ÎªºÑ¼Ö³¡¡C §AÄ@·N©M§Ú¥h¶Ü?"
"No," Jun trembled, trying to stand up, but her hip blazed pain
and she could only stumble onto one knee. / " ¤£ " ¡A¤»¤ë¾Ô·X, ¹Á¸Õ¯¸°_¨Ó,¦ý¬O¦oªºÁv³¡¿U¿N¤FµhW¡A¦Ó¥B¦o¤~¥i¥H¦b¤@Ó½¥¤§¤W²ÌË¡C
"Oh please," Riley scoffed. "He's gone. Not that he was
much of anything, anyway. I can do far better for you." He gave her
an easy, self-assured grin that told her he was right, that his power
was broader than brotherhood, stronger than love. He held his hand out
to her. "Give it up, baby. He's as dead as a doornail and there's
three to go." / " ®@½Ð",¿à§Q¼J¯º¡C "¥L¤£¨£¤F¡C ¤£¨º¥L¬O³\¦hªº¥ô¦ó¨Æ,µL½×¦p¦ó¡C
§Ú¯à¬°§A»»»·¦a§ó°µ¡C" ¥Lµ¹¤©¤F¦o®e©ö¡A§i¶D¤F¦o¥L¬O¥¿½Tªº¦³¦Û«HªºÅS¾¦¯º, ¨º¥Lªº¤O¶q¬O¤ñ¤â¨¬±¡½Ë¤j½d³òªº,¤ñ·R±j§§ªº¡C ¥L¹ï¦o¦b¥~®³µÛ¥Lªº¤â¡C
"©ñ±ó¥¦,À¦¨à¡C ¥L¬O¹³¤@Óªù°v¤@¼Ëªº¦º¡A¦Ó¥B¨º¸Ì¬O¤T¥h¡C"
What? she mentally screamed, an ice pick nailing deep into her heart,
and on the heels of that: how could he know-? It was so simple, really.
He couldn¡¦t. He was trying to psyche her out. She refused to take the
bait; she knew better. She'd seen Mareccu loaded into the EDC hovercraft
and knew that he was safe, so unless this guy had a rocket launcher in
his coat pocket or an entire Gallactor armada was waiting at Alameda,
she knew he was lying. / ¤°»ò? ¦o¤ß²z¤W¦y¥s,¤@ӥΰv°v¨c²`³B¶i¦oªº¤ß¤§¤ºªº¦BÀ@, ©M¦b¨ºªº¸}«á¸ò¤W: ¥L¦p¦ó¥i¥Hª¾¹D-?
¥¦¬O¦p¦¹Â²³æ,¯uªº¡C ¥LµLªk¡C ¥L¥¿¦b¹Á¸Õ¨ìÆF»î¦oªº¦b¥~¡C ¦o©Úµ´±Ä¨ú»ç; ¦oª¾¹D§ó¦h¡C ¦o¤w¸g¨£¨ì³Q¸ü¤J EDC hovercraft ¨Ã¥Bª¾¹Dªº
Mareccu ¡A¥L¬O¦w¥þªº¡A¦]¦¹¡A°£«D³o¤@ӳå릳¥Lªº¥~®M¤@Ó¤õ½bµo®gªÌ¤f³U¡A©ÎªÌ¤@Ó¾ãÓªº Gallactor Ä¥¶¤¥¿¦b´²¨B¹D¸ôµ¥Ô,¦o»{ÃÑ¥L¥¿¦b»¡ÁÀ¡C
In the same instant, Jun finally understood what Kelley had been trying
to tell her. -it can see us all! It sees through his eyes and mine- /
¦b¬Û¦Pªº¥ß§Y¤¤¡A¤»¤ë³Ì«á¤F¸Ñ¤°»ò³ÍµÜ¤w¸g¹Á¸Õ§i¶D¦o¡C -¥¦¯à¥þ³¡¨£¨ì§ÚÌ! ¥¦¨£¨ì¹L¥Lªº²´·ú©M§Úªº-
So the assassin was the thing's eyes, sent to point her out and chop her
up in an exhibit of Gallactor's strength and brutality to her people.
Why me- because it could see me easier than the rest? Jun thought dazedly.
Was that why Kelley had been attacked instead, because she looked a little
like herself? Was that why Kelley wouldn't let herself be taken to the
Marin base because she realized what the assassin¡¦s intentions were? Had
the rest been attacked at the bar because¡Kno wonder. Kelley was there.
It all jumbled over and over in Jun¡¦s mind like a stinging insect swarm.
It was a blind thing. It needed the assassin for eyes, and an instrument
for murder. It had pointed at Kelley by mistake, so why not rectify the
mistake to a degree by using Kelley as an assassin to seek out and kill
the squad for him? Be in a perverse way an assistant, an apprentice, a
slave... Now it was about to mend the mistake all together by taking Jun
instead. Oh, no- / ¦p¦¹·t±þªÌ¬O¨Æª«ªº²´·ú,°e¹ï¦oªº¥Á±Ú¦b Gallactor's ªº¤O¶q©M´Ý§Ôªº®iÄý«~¤¤«ü¥X¦o¦Ó¥B±N¦o¤Á¸H¡C
¬°¤°»ò§Ú-¦]¬°¥¦¥i¥H¨£¨ì¤ñ¨ä¾lªÌ®e©öªº§Ú? ¤»¤ë¯íµM¦a·Q¡C ¦]¬°¦o¬Ý°_¨Óµy·L¬Û¦ü¦o¦Û¤v¡A©Ò¥H¨º¬O , ³ÍµÜ¬°¤°»ò§ï¬°¤w¸g³Q§ðÀ»¶Ü? ¬O³ÍµÜ¬°¤°»ò±N¤£Åý¦o¦Û¤v³Q³ß·R°¨ªL°ò¦¦]¬°¦o¤F¸Ñ·t±þªÌªº·N¹Ï¬O¤°»ò?
¦³¤F¨ä¾lªÌ¦b°s§a³Q§ðÀ»¦]¬°¡K¤£¨¬¬°©_ªº¡C ³ÍµÜ¦b¨º¸Ì¡C ¥¦¥þ³¡¦b¹³¨ë¤Hªº©øÂθs¤»¤ëªº¤ß¤¤¤@¦A¦aÄeÂø¡C ¥¦¬O¤@¥óª¼¥Øªº¨Æª«¡C ¥¦¬°²´·ú»Ýn¤F·t±þªÌ,
©M¬°¿Ñ±þ»Ýn¤F¤@Ó¤u¨ã¡C ¥¦¤w¸g¿ù»~¦aºË·Ç³ÍµÜ, ¦]¦¹¬°¤°»òÂǥѥH³ÍµÜ§@¬°¤@Ó·t±þªÌ¬°¥L´M§ä¦Ó¥B±þ¤p¶¤¤£«D±`q¥¿¿ù»~? ¤@Ó§U²z¡A¤@ӾǮ{,¤@Ó¥£Áõ¥H¤@¨Ä±iªº¤è¦¡¬O¡C¡C¡C
²{¦b¥¦¥¿nÂǥѧאּªá¤»¤ë¤@°_קï¿ù»~¡C ®@,¤£-
Jun watched in horror as widening coils of ocher light began to wind from
within the assassin, spread out like fog moving through mountain timber,
and reach outward in probing tendrils. It was looking for her, swirling
in searching patterns, and then focusing on her form. Oh yes she heard
it murmur, a live thing, a malign thing. She screamed at its needling
force, clamping her hands over her ears as brilliant white pain pressed
against her head. Panic jacked her cerebonics with blowout fire. You will
do just fine / ·íÂX¤j±²ªº®ÉÔ¡A¤»¤ëÅ宣¦a¬Ýªü¥ú¶}©l±q·t±þªÌ¤§¤ºÂà°Ê, ¶Ç¶}¦PÃþ³QÃúÅ¢¸n²¾°Ê¹L¤s¤ì§÷, ¦Ó¥B¦b±´¬d¨÷Ž¤è±¦V¥~¨ì¹F¡C
¥¦¥¿¦b§ä´M¦o,¦b·j¯Áªº¨å«¬¤¤·n®Ì, µM«á¦b¦oªº§Î¦¡¤Wªº»EµJ¡C ®@¬Oªº¦oÅ¥¨ì¥¦§C»y,¤@¥ó¬¡ªº¨Æª«,¤@¥ó¦³®`ªº¨Æª«¡C ¦o¦b¥¦ªº¥Î°wÁ_¤O¶q¦y¥s,©w¦ì¦p³QÀ£¹ï§Ü¦oªºÀYÀéÄꪺ¥Õ¦âµhWªº¦b¦o¦Õ¦·¤Wªº¦o¤â¡C
®£·W¥ÎÃzµõ¤õ©ï°_¦oªº cerebonics ¡C §A±N¥u¬O°µ»@´Ú
"RUN!!" Kelley shrieked, pulling Jun to her feet. "Oh God-
RUN!!" / "¶]!!"³ÍµÜ¦y¥s,©Ô¤»¤ë¹ï¦oªº¸}¡C " ®@¤W«Ò-©b¶]!!"
"KELLEEEEYYYYY!!!" Riley thundered, and his voice was rolling
apocalypse, echoing synchronicity to that upheaving force. It suddenly
exploded from him, tearing through the air like shrapnel from a landmine,
and ripped over Jun¡¦s abraded skin with flame-thrower force. They were
done using Kelley and now it was on its way to take her. Take her and
send her on a killing rush. Annihilate her people, it commanded, and God
help her she almost let it come. / "KELLEEEEYYYYY!!!"¿à§Q¥´¹p¡A¦Ó¥B¥LªºÁnµ¥¿¦bºu°Ê±Ò¥Ü,ÀHÁnªþ©M¹ï¨ºÁ|°_¤O¶qªº¦P®Éµo¥Í¡C
¥¦¬ðµM±q¥LÃz¬µ,§èµõ¹L¹³¨Ó¦Û¤@Ó¦a¹pªº¶}ªá¼uªºªÅ®ð, ¦Ó¥B¦b³Q¥Î¤õµK¼Q®g¾¹¤O¶qÀ¿¶Ë¥Ö½§ªº¤»¤ë¥H¨Ó¼¹¶}¡C ¥L̳Q°µ¨Ï¥Î³ÍµÜ¡A¦Ó¥B²{¦b¥¦¦b«e©¹±a¦oªº³~¤¤¡C
¦b±þ®`ªº¥^«P¤W±a¦o¦Ó¥B¬£»º¦o¡C ®ø·À¦oªº¥Á±Ú, ¥¦©R¥O¡A¦Ó¥B¤W«ÒÀ°§U¦o¦o´X¥GÅý¥¦¨Ó¡C
"I can't stop it!" Kelley screamed. "Oh Juney I don't know
how to stop it-!" / " §Ú¤£¯à°±¤î¥¦ "! ³ÍµÜ¦y¥s¡C " ®@ Juney §Ú¤£ª¾¹D¸Ó¦p¦ó°±¤î¥¦-"!
How can I? / ¦p¦ó¯à§Ú?
Jun felt every hardwired nerve in her body suddenly shriek in response
to it: raper, destroyer, that invader of souls. / ¤»¤ë¦b¦oªº¨Å餤·Pı¨C hardwired
¹ª°_«i®ð¬ðµM¦^À³¥¦¦y¥s: »´ºV,¯}ÃaªÌ,ÆF»îªº¨º¤@Ó«I²¤ªÌ¡C
She closed her eyes from it and held in her breath; her heart slammed
in terror. / ¦o¦b¦oªº©I§l¤è±Ãö³¬¤F¨Ó¦Û¥¦ªº¦o²´·ú¦Ó¥B®³µÛ; ¦oªº¤ß¦b®£©Æ¤¤²rµMÃö¤W¡C
Defensive instinct born of long combat experience completely took over.
/ §¹¥þ¦aªø¾Ô°«¥X¥Í¸gÅ窺¦u¶Õ¥»¯à±µºÞ¡C
And the transmutation wave ripped through her body like a sizzling current
overload. / ¦Ó¥BÅܧΪi®ö¼¹¶}¹L¦oªº¨Åé³ßÅw¤@¼R¼R°µÁn²{¦bªº¶W¸ü¡C
She felt it hit- like tearing metal in the collision of massive vehicles
she felt it hit, and the crushing blow sent light and heat rolling in
sprawling sheets. Her leathers were sliding over her limbs, squeezing
her skin, covering her wounds. Pain squealed up and down her hardwiring
from it, and it was unbearable, burning, paralyzing. Her tortured scream
raked the living. Key heard her, feeling its burn through the daze of
unconsciousness, and o onechan she was being pulled apart in that unholy
impact. The assassin was being rocked on his feet from it, cascading from
his body in a crackling storm of light and force that exploded out as
it had entered him before- seeking, searching, stabbing. / ¦o·Pı¥¦¹³¸I¼²¤@¼Ëªº§èµõÃe¤j¨®½øªº¸I¼²ª÷Äݦo·Pı¥¦³Q¥´¡A¦Ó¥B¥´¯}±o¤äÂ÷¯}¸Hªº¥´À»»´¸Ë¦a°e¦Ó¥B¦bÂX®i±i¤è±¥[¼ö±ÛÂà¡C
¦oªº¥Ö²¥¿¦b¦oªº¥|ªÏ¤§¤W·Æ,À½À£¦oªº¥Ö½§¡A¥]§tªº¦o³Ð¶Ë¡C µhW¤W¤U¦aµo¥X¦y¾Uªº¥sÁn¨Ó¦Û¥¦ªº¦o hardwiring ¡A¦Ó¥B¥¦¬OµLªk§Ô¨üªº¡M¿U¿Nªº,³Â·ô¡C
¦o«þ°Ý , ¦y¥sÁn¦V²î§À¤F¥Í¬¡¡C Æ_°ÍÅ¥¨ì¤F¦o, ·Pı¥¦ªº¿N¶Ë§¹¦¨¨ºµL·NÃÑ , ©M¦o¥¿¦b¨ººØ¤£¯«¸tªº½ÄÀ»¤¤³Q¤À§O¦a©Ôªº o onechan
¯íµM¡C ·t±þªÌ¥¿¦b¨Ó¦Û¥¦ªº¥L¸}¤W³Q·n°Ê, ±q¤@°}¥ú©MÃz¬µ¥Xªº¤O¶q¯Ü¥Ö¼É·«Bªº¥L¨Å馨Âr¥¬¸¨¤U·í¥¦¤w¸g¶i¤J¥L¦b-¤§«e´M¨D,´M§ä,¨ë¬ïªº¡C
Key saw it suddenly pool in frustrated coils of nonsuccess, and unable
to pierce its target or recoil out of its hurling momentum back into its
host, it had only one place to go. / ÃöÁ䪺¿÷¤l¥¦¬ðµM¦b«D¦¨¥\ªº¥¢±æ±²¤¤§iµo, ©M¤£¯à¨ë¬ï¥¦ªº¥Ø¼Ð©ÎªÌ°h«oÂ÷¥¦¶i¤J¥¦ªº¥D¤H¤§¤º§â°Ê¤O¥Î¤O§ëÂY¦^¨Ó,¤£¹L¤@©ñ¸m¥h¡A¥¦¦³¡C
-O KELLEY NO!- / - O ³ÍµÜ¤£!-
It nailed Kelley like a battering ram through rotted castle gates. Burned
her and impaled her, and with arms flung in rapturous acceptance she let
it come. It was a pounding tidal current as hard and brutal as it had
come millennia before, cracking through her soul as it had cracked through
the Pleistocene ice. Her last willful motion was to turn her head towards
Key, her eyes locking on his one last time. He heard her clamoring scream,
telling him what to do. Key leaped up, sliding his hand along the sheath
in his belt, and raised his fist now deep with steel. Riley was frozen
in the light as it ripped from him and flooded all over Kelley. It would
be Riley's second and last tactical error, for in that moment of absolution
Key plunged the shuriken deep, their razor lengths spearing Riley¡¦s spine
and popping his right kidney like a ripe tomato. Kelley smiled at him,
beaming in her love and relief. Seeing Riley collapse almost made the
pain worthwhile, almost made carrying the thing endurable. / ¥¦¥Î°v°v¨c , ³ÍµÜ¸g¹L»GÄꪺ«°³ùªù³ßÅw¤@Ó¯}«°ºl¡C
¿U¿N¤F¦o¦Ó¥B¨ë¤F¦o, ¦Ó¥B»P¤âÁu¦b¦oÅý¥¦¨Óªº¿³°ª±m¯Pªº»{¦P¤è±§ë¡C ¥¦¹³¥¦¥H«e¤w¸g¨Ó´X¤d¦~¤@¼ËªºÃø©M´Ý§Ô¬O¤@ÓºV¼é¦Áªº´é¬y, §Ë¸H¹L¦oªºÆF»î·í¥¦¤w¸g§Ë¸H¹L§ó·s¥@¦B¤§®É¡C
¦o«ùÄò , ¥ô©Êªº¹B°Ê¬OÂà¹ï©óÆ_°Íªº¦oÀY, ¦oªº²´·úÂê©w¦b¥Lªº¤§¤W¤@¤W¦¸¡C ¥LÅ¥¨ì¤F¦o³ÙÄW¦y¥sÁn¡A§i¶D¥L¸Ó°µ¤°»ò¡C Æ_°Í¸õÅD¦b,¤W±ªuµÛ¥Lªº±a¤lÀT·Æ¥Lªº¤â,
¦Ó¥B²{¦b²`¤J¦a¥H¿û¤É°_¤F¥Lªº®±ÀY¡C ·í¥¦±q¥L¼¹¶}¦Ó¥B¨ì³B¥ÆÀݳ͵ܪº®ÉÔ¡A¿à§Q¦b¥ú¤¤³Qáµ²¡C ¥¦±N·|¬O¿à§Qªº¬í©M³Ì«áªº¾Ô³N¿ù»~, ¬°¦b¤ù¨èªº³QˤU
shuriken ²`³Bªº§K¸oÆ_°Í¡A¥L̪º¥Ù¿à§Qªº¯á´Õ¦Ó¥B¨ú¥X¥Lªº¹³¤@Ó¦¨¼ôªº¿»X¥¿½TªºµÇ«c¤Mªø«×¤¤¡C ³ÍµÜ¦b¥L·L¯º, ¥ú«Gªº¦b¦o·R©M¦w¤ß¤è±¡C
´X¥G¨£¨ì¿à§Q±Y¼ì¨ÏµhWȱoªá®É¶¡,´X¥G¨ÏÄâ±a¨Æª«¥i§Ô¨üªº¡C
Something screamed- something that wailed higher than even the Phoenix
tearing across the sky in flames. As Riley dropped with a dead thump under
Key's hands, he saw Kelley suddenly be tossed by it, be lifted up like
a doll and then sent crashing down hard enough to shake the ground. It
screamed again, raging, bellowing. Tearing apart in its rage and defeat
it flung Key down like a rag, and from the ground he reached out for Kelley
and took her hand. Kelley¡¦s skin was like ice, yet burning with brilliant
fire under that thing's onslaught. / ¬Y¨Æ¦y¥s- ´d¹Ä¤ñ¬Æ¦Ü»ñ°Ä«°§ó°ª§èµõªº¬Y¨Æ¶V¹L¤õµKªº¤ÑªÅ¡C ´N¦p¿à§Q¥H¦bÆ_°Íªº¤â¤U±ªº¤@Ó¦ºªº«¥´°§Cªº,
¥L¨£¨ì³ÍµÜ¬ðµM³Q¥¦§ëÂY, ³QÁ|°_¹³¤@Ó«½«½µM«á§V¤O¦a¨¬°÷°e¼²¸H¤U¨Ó·n°Ê¦a±¡C ¥¦¦A¤@¦¸¦y¥s,¨g¼Éªº,«ã§q¡C ¤À§O¦a¦b¥¦ªº¼««ã©M¥¢±Ñ¤è±§èµõ¥¦§ë
, Æ_°Í¹³¤@Ó¸H¥¬åP¸¨¡A¦Ó¥B±q¦a±¥L¹ï©ó³ÍµÜ¨ì¹F¥X¨Ã¥B®³¤F¦oªº¤â¡C ³ÍµÜªº¥Ö½§¹³¦B,¤´µM¦b¨ºÓ¨Æª«ªº¬ðÀ»¤§¤U¥HÀéÄꪺ¤õ¿U¿N¡C
Her hand squeezed his, the drowning reaching for the savior. / ¦oªº¤âºò´¤¥Lªº,¤Î©ó±Ï§UªÌªº·Ä¦º¡C
And the last of it pummeled her body in punishment and took her whole.
/ ¦Ó¥B¥¦ªº³Ì«áªÌ¥Î®±ÀY¥´¤F³B»@ªº¦o¨Åé¦Ó¥B±Ä¨ú¤F¦oªº¥þ³¡¡C
Key had no idea of how long he'd lain unconscious on the ground, only
that sooner or later somebody must have found them because sirens were
warbling far down the street and approaching fast. He slowly tried to
sit up, but couldn't because every muscle and bone in his body was screaming
a soprano concert. The best he could manage was a crawl. He found Jun
flattened and bloody on the ground. Reaching for her, he canceled her
transmutation, and then cradled her up and waited for help to come. The
change was as quick as the pop of a bubble and all that was left was her
torn black motorcycle leathers, her skin horribly abraded and bruised
underneath, her hair clotted around her neck and down her back. The Ducati
itself was a pitiful thing, mangled beyond recognition as though a hand
from heaven had reached down and crumpled it like a wad of used aluminum
foil. The ocean wind picked up, carrying with it the closing wail of the
sirens, dusting them with dirt from the parking lot, brushing his face
like a farewell kiss. / Æ_°Í¦³¨S¦³·Qªk¥L¤w¸g½öª×¦h¤[µL·NÃѪº¦b¦a±¤W, ¥u¦³¨º¦]¬°¤k®ü§¯¥¿¦b»»»·¦a³¾»ï¤U¨Óµó¹D¡A©Ò¥H¿ð¦¬Y¤H¤@©w´¿¸gµo²{¥L̹L¦Ó¥B±µªñÂN§Ù¡C
¥LºCºC¦a¸ÕµÛ¼õ©], ¦ý¬OµLªk¦]¬°¥Lªº¨Åé¨C§ô¦Ù¦×©M°©ÀY¥¿¦b¦y¥s¤@Ó¤k°ªµµ¼Ö·|¡C ¥L¥i¥H³B²zªº³Ì¦n¬Oª¦¦æ¡C ¥Lµo²{¤»¤ë³QÅÜ¥¨Ã¥B¦å¸{ªº¦b¦a±¤W¡C
¤Î©ó¦o,¥L¨ú®ø¤F¦oªºÅܧÎ, µM«á©ñ¦b·nÄx¤º¦o´£°ª¦Ó¥Bµ¥ÔÀ°¦£¨ì¨Ó¡C ¹³ªwªjªº¬y¦æ¼Ö¦±¤@¼Ëªº§Ö§ïÅܬO¡A¦Ó¥B³Q¯d¤Uªº¥þ³¡¬O , ¦o³Q¼¹¶}¶Â¦âªº¼¯¦«¨®¥Ö²,¦oªº¥Ö½§¥i©È¦a¦b¤U±À¿¶Ë¦Ó¥B¥´¶Ë,
¦oªºÀY¾v¾®µ²¦b¦oªº²ä¤l©P³ò©MåP¸¨¦oªºI³¡¡C Ducati ¥»¨¬O¤@¥ó·O´dªº¨Æª«, ¶Ã¤Á¶W¹L©Ó»{¦n¹³¨Ó¦Û¤Ñ°óªº¤@°¦¤â¤w¸g¹³¤@ӨϥιL¾Tºäªº¶ñ®Æ¦ù¤â®³¤U¦Ó¥B§Ë½K¥¦¡C
¤j®ü·³vº¥«ì´_ ,¥H¥¦Äâ±a¤k®ü§¯ªºµ²§ô´d¹Ä, ¥´±½¥L̥ѩó¨Ó¦Û°±¨®³õªº¦Ã«¯¡A²¨¨ê¥LªºÁy³ßÅwÃã§O§k¡C
Kelley was gone. / ³ÍµÜ¤£¨£¤F¡C
"Jesus, Dave...I don't know what to say. He was just too fast for
us, and we still don't have a handle on who he is or where he came from."
Max Iverson showed it, his expression embarrassed and puzzled all at once.
"We couldn't even lift prints, for Christ's sake. There was nothing
left that we could even touch. Only thing we know for a fact is that whoever
it was, it wasn't Berg Katse. The profiles Jun made definitely don't match.
But if he was one of Gallactor's people..." / "C¿q¡A¤j½Ã¡C¡C¡C§Ú¤£ª¾¹D¸Ó»¡¤°»ò¡C
¥L½T¹ê¹ï§Ú̬O¤Ó§Ö³tªº¡A¦Ó¥B§Ṳ́´µM¨S¦³¤@Ó¬`¦b¥L¬O½Ö©ÎªÌ¥L¨Ó¦Ûþ¸Ì¤§¤W¡C"³Ì¤j Iverson Åã¥Ü¤F¥¦, ¬ðµM¨Ï§x´b§xµ~¦Ó¥Bªº¥Lªí¹F¡C
"§Ú̵Lªk¬Æ¦ÜÁ|°_¦L¨ê,¹ï©ó°ò·þªº½t¬G¡C ¦³³Q¯d¤U§ÚÌ¥i¥H¬Æ¦Ü±µÄ²ªº¨S¨Æ¡C ¥u¦³µ¹¤@ºØ¨Æ¹êªº§Ú̪¾¹Dªº¨Æª«¬O¨ºµL½×¥¦¬O½Ö,¥¦¤£¬O¦B¤s
Katse¡C ´yø¤@©w³Q°µªº¤»¤ë¤£¬Û°t¡C ¦ý¬O¦pªG¥L¬O Gallactor's ªº¤H¤§¤@¡C¡C¡C"
David silently nodded, concurring with the EDC agent. "That's all,
then." / ¤j½ÃÀqÀq¦aÂIÀY,©M EDC ¥N²z¤H·N¨£¬Û¦P¡C " ¨º¬O©Ò¦³ªº,µM«á".
Iverson spread his hands out wide, letting them fall in defeat at his
sides. "I don't know what else we can do. Wait, I guess..."
/ Iverson ¼sÁï¦a¦b¥~¶Ç§G¥Lªº¤â,¦b¥Lªº¨Ãä¦b¥¢±Ñ¤è±¨Ï¥L̸¨¤U¡C " §Ú¤£ª¾¹D¤°»ò§_«h§Ú̯వ¡C µ¥Ô,§Ú²q´ú¡C¡C¡C"
"Leave the units on yellow-alert standby." David ordered. "Level
three." / " Â÷¶}¦b¶À¦â- ĵ§Ù³Æ¥Î¤Wªº³æ¦ì " ¡C ¤j½Ã©R¥O¡C " ¤ô·Ç¤T ".
"You got it." The agent turned and quickly left the briefing
room. / " §A±o¨ì¤F¥¦ " ¡C ¥N²z¤HÂà¦V¨Ã¥B«Ü§Ö¦a¯d¤U¤F²³ø©Ð¶¡¡C
Key, sitting motionless on a corner sofa, his face as blank in shock as
it had been for hours. / ½Õµ, §¤µÛ¤£°Êªº¦b¤@±i¨¤¸¨¨Fµo¤W, ¦pÅåÀ~ªºªÅ®æ¥LÁy·í¥¦¤§®É¬Oªø¹F¼Æ¤p®É¤§¤[¡C
"You're sure?" David repeated gently, picking up a thread of
Jun's statement from before. / " §A½T©w "? ¤j½Ã³vº¥¦a«½Æ, ¬B°_¤@±ø¤»¤ëªº³¯z½u±q¦b¤§«e¡C
"I couldn't see it." Jun's voice was barely above a whisper.
Her expression was as steady as a rock but draped in pain, both arms wrapped
in layers of bandaging and her fingers purpled and swollen where they
showed from the neck of the cotton. David noticed that her left hand was
trembling slightly, and made a mental note to have the medics run a test
of the nerve impulses there, just in case. / " §ÚµLªk¨£¨ì¥¦ " ¡C ¤»¤ëªºÁnµ´X¥G¤Wz¦Õ»y¡C
¦oªºªí¹F¬O¹³¤@¶ô©¥¥Û¤@¼ËªºÃ©w¦ý¬O©ÜµÛµhW¡A³Q¸Ë¶iÁ^±aªº¼h¨âªÌªº¤âÁu©M¦oªº³Qµµ¦â¦Ó¥B¨ÏÅܤjªº¤â«ü , ¥Ḻq´Öªáªº²ä¤lÅã¥Üªº¦a¤è¡C ¤j½Ãª`·N¦oªº¥ª¤â¨Ç·L¦a¬Oµo§Ý,
¦Ó¥B§@¤F¤@Ó±}°O¦b¨º¸ÌÅý`½¶ÄÝ´Óª«¶i¦æ¯«¸gªº¤@Ó´ú¸Õ½Ä°Ê, ¶È¶È¥H¨¾¸U¤@¡C
"I don't know what it looked like," she continued. "But
I think¡K" She shuddered just slightly, as though she could feel it
coming in the dark like a black galloping force out of nowhere. Bearing
down on her like a high-speeding Peterbuilt on a mountain road, a sheer
cliff stretching to the heavens on one side and a bottomless precipice
on the other, and nowhere to run but straight away as it howled down onto
her heels. She had the sudden impulse to run, as strong as a zebra¡¦s in
the midst of a stalking pride, knowing that they were no longer at the
top of the food chain. But then, uncertainty? Optimism? David saw the
mix flash across her features like a passing breeze. / " §Ú¤£ª¾¹D¥¦¬Ý°_¨Ó¹³¤°»ò
",¦oÄ~Äò¡C " ¦ý¬O§Ú·Q¡K " ¦o¶È¶È¨Ç·L¦a¾Ô·X, ¦n¹³¦o¥i¥H·Pı¥¦¦b¶Â·t¤¤¨Ó³ßÅwµL³B¸¹£¤O¶qÂ÷ªº¶Â¦â¡C ½Ä¦V¦oªº¦PÃþ¦b¤@±ø¤s¹D¸ô¡A¹ï¦b¥t¤@Ó¤Wªº¦bÃä©M¤@ÓµL©³³¡ªºÄa±V®k¾À¤Wªº¤Ñ°ó¦ù®iªºµ´¹ïÄa±V¤Wªº¾r¨®¶W³t°ª«×ªº
Peterbuilt, ©MµL³B¶]¦ý¬O¥ß¨è·í¥¦¦b¦oªº¸}«á¸ò¤§¤W¨g§p¤U¨Ó¡C ¦o¦³¤F¬ðµMªº½Ä°Ê¶], ¹³´³°¨ªº¤@¼Ë±j¦b®¨®¨¾aªñ¦Û¶Æ¤§¤¤, ª¾¹D¥L̤£¦A¦b¹ª«Ã쪺³»ºÝ¡C
¦ý¬OµM«á,¤£½T©w? ¼ÖÆ[¥D¸q? ¤j½Ã¨£¨ì²V¦X°{¥ú¾î¹L¦oªº¹³¸g¹Lªº·L·¯S¼x¡C
"I...I think it might have been blinded by the birdstyle," she
finished, hopefulness in her voice. "All I know is that it couldn't
reach me through the change- it couldn't get to me. One second I was hearing
it in my head... I heard the Blackbird say that Marc was dead..."
she stopped, voice wavering as she tried to steel herself down, willing
the tears back. "And then I felt it pull back like we react when
bright light hits our eyes." / "§Ú¡C¡C¡C§Ú»{¬°¥¦¥i¯à³Q³Q birdstyle ª¼¤H,"¦o§¹¦¨,¦oªºÁnµ¦³§Æ±æ¡C
" ¥þ³¡§Úª¾¹D¬O¥¦µLªk³z¹L§ïÅÜÁpµ¸§Ú-¥¦µLªk¨ì¹F§Ú¡C §Ú¥¿¦b§ÚªºÀY¤¤Å¥¥¦ªº¬í¡C¡C¡C §ÚÅ¥¨ì¤s³¾Ãþ»¡°¨¥i¦º¡C¡C¡C" ¦o°±¤î,
·í¦o¸ÕµÛ¨Ï¦o¦Û¤v°í¦p¿û¡A«Åz°Ê·n¦V¤U¤S¼Ö·Nªº²\ºwI±¡C " µM«á·í©ú«Gªº¥úÀ»¤¤§Ú̪º²´·ú®ÉÔ§Ú·Pı¥¦©Ô°_¨Ó©M§Ú̦V«á¦a¹³¤ÏÀ³ "
¡C
And nothing else, David knew. No waiting squad, no assault. Jun and Key
had been left there on the ground, and they had nothing less to expect
from Gallactor than an immediate strike upon the knowledge of G-Force's
identities and location. He didn't think they'd ever find out what the
entity was, Gallactor's own or whatever, any more than they'd ever pry
out the Blackbird¡¦s identity. His body had been scraped up off of the
ground and delivered to CCI, and there the autopsy had been attempted
but unceremoniously dropped at the first cut of the knife when his skin
peeled back like a rotted fruit and collapsed into a quivering burnt-out
shell. The smell of it alone had been staggering, overwhelming the veteran
pathologists who were attempting the autopsy, sending them reeling into
violent shock. Even in full hazmat bodysuits with in-fed oxygen, it was
impossible. The sight of it was beyond human capacity. So they burned
the corpse, no farther along than they had been before: no name to connect
to the face, no source, no history, no claim. They would never know, just
as they would never be sure why Kelley had been overrun by the power it
brought along. Or how she¡¦d managed to drive herself to escape it by taking
a fatal leap off of a pier miles away, to be found later on washed up
on the Embarcadero. / ¦Ó¥BµL¨ä¥L¨Æ¡A¤j½Ãª¾¹D¡C ¨S¦³Ô¸É¤p¶¤,¨S¦³§ðÀ»¡C ¤»¤ë©MÆ_°Í¤w¸g³Q¯d¤U¦b¦a±¤Wªº¨º¸Ì¡A¦Ó¥B¥L̤°»ò¤]¤£Åý¤ñ¸û¤Öªº¦b
G- ¤O¶q¨¥÷©M¦aÂIªºª¾ÃѤ§¤W¶W¹L¥ß§Yªº½}¤u±q Gallactor ´Á«Ý¡C ¥L¨S¦³»{¬°¡A¥LÌ´¿¸g±N·|µo²{¹êÅé¬O¤°»ò, Gallactor's
¦Û¤vªº©ÎªÌ¥ô¦óªº, ¥ô¦ó©ó¥LÌ´¿¸g±N·|¥´Å¥¤s³¾Ãþªº¨¥÷¡C ¥Lªº¨Åé¤w¸g³Q¨í±¼¦bÂ÷¶}¤W±¦a±¦Ó¥B»¼°e¨ì CCI, ¦Ó¥B¦b¨º¸ÌÅç«Í¤w¸g³Q¹Á¸Õ¦ý¬O·í¥Lªº¥Ö½§¹³³Q»GÄꪺ¤ôªG¤@¼Ë¦V«á¦a¥Öªº®ÉÔ¤£©ë»ö¦¡¦a¦b¤Mªº²Ä¤@«d´î°§C¦Ó¥B˶ò¶i¤J¤@Ÿ§Ý¤§¤º¿U¿N
- ¥X¦Û¨©´ß¡C ¥¦ªº¨ý¹D¤w¸g¿W¦Û¦a¬O·n®Ì±ý˪º, À£Ë©Êªº¥¿¦b¹Á¸ÕÅç«Í,¬£»º¥L̶i¤J¼É¤OªºÅåÀ~¤§¤º©ó¶b¤Wªº°h¥îx¤H¯f²z¾ÇªÌ¡C ¬Æ¦Ü¦b§¹¾ãªº
hazmat ºò¨¦ç¿Ç¤¤¥Ñ©ó¦b-Áý¤F®ñ,¥¦¬O¤£¥i¯àªº¡C ¥¦ªºµø¤O¬O¶W¹L¤HÃþªº¯à¤O¡C ¦]¦¹¥LÌ¿U¿N¤F«ÍÅé, ¨S¦³§ó»·ªº¦V«e¤ñ¸û¥L̬O¥H«e: ¨S¦³¦W¦r³s±µ¨ìÁy,¨S¦³¨Ó·½¡A¨S¦³¾ú¥v¡A¨S¦³n¨D¡C
¥ḺN·|µLªkª¾¹D, ¥¿¦p¥ḺN·|µLªk½T©w³ÍµÜ¬°¤°»ò¤w¸g¬O¥¦±aªº¤O¶q¶W¶V»~®t¡C ©Î¦o¦³¦p¦ó³]ªk¨Ï¦o¦Û¤vÂǥѲ汼¤@¦¸P©Rªº¸õÅD¨Ó°k²æ¥¦½XÀYù¤§»·,
µy«á¦b¬~¤§¤W³Qµo²{¦b¦b Embarcadero ¤W¤W±¡C
Sitting on the sofa in stony silence, speaking rarely, eyes downcast and
bleak with grief, Key had his own suspicions. Kelley wanted the assassin
dead, he said to David in a voice so toneless it was painful to hear.
Key knew she wanted him dead in that last moment of light explosion and
screaming pain pummeling onto Jun, because it was about to ride Jun down.
Why? Answer had seemed perfectly simple at the moment, but the more Key
worked it his mind the more insane it sounded- they'd been able to save
scores of people under Gallactor¡¦s hypnotic influence before, hadn't they?
What made Kelley so different? She looked a little like Jun. And as long
as that thing possessed her, as long as she was alive, it could use her.
/ ¦b±µLªí±¡¨HÀq¤è±§¤¦b¨Fµo¤W,«Ü¤Ö¦a»¡, ª`·N®ð¾kªº©M¿½·æªº¥Ñ©ó¶Ëµh¡AÆ_°Í¦³¤F¥L¦Û¤vªº²qºÃ¡C ³ÍµÜ·Qn·t±þªÌ¦º, ¥L¹ï¦b¤@ºØÁnµªº¤j½Ã»¡¦p¦¹µ½ÕÅ¥¨ì¬OµhWªº¡C
Æ_°Í»{ÃÑ¡A¦o¦b¨º§¹¥þ¦a·Qn¥L¤W¤ù¨èªº»´Ãz¬µ¦Ó¥B¦y¥sµhW¥Î®±ÀY¥´¦b¤»¤ë¤§¤W¡A¦]¬°¥¦¥¿n§â¤»¤ëÃM¤U¨Ó¡C ¬°¤°»ò? µª®×¦¹¨è·U§ó±wºë¯«¯f¤w¸g¦ü¥G«D±`²³æ,
¦ý¬O·U§óÃöÁä¤u§@¥¦¥Lªº¤ß , ¥¦Å¥-¥L̤w¸g¯à°÷¥H«e¦b Gallactor's ªº¶Ê¯v¼vÅT¤O¤§¤U¸`¬Ù±o¤Àªº¤H,¤£¬O¶Ü? ¤°»ò¨Ï³ÍµÜ¦p¦¹¤£¦P?
¦o¬Ý¤Fµy·L¬Û¦üªº¤»¤ë¡C ¦Ó¥B¥un¨º¤@¥ó¨Æª««ù¦³¤F¦o, ¥un¦o¬¡µÛ,¥¦¥i¥H¨Ï¥Î¦o¡C
Key could barely hold his grief down. He couldn't remember a worse loss
since- since three years before? His own anguished scream rode harmonic
in his heart. Never in his life had he felt so miserable, so despondent.
/ Æ_°ÍµLªk¤ä¼µ , ¥Lªº¶ËµhåP¸¨¡C ¥L¦b¤T¦~¥H«e¦Û¦Û±q- «áªº¤§«áµLªk°O±o¤@Ó§óÁVªº·l¥¢? ¥L¦Û¤vªºµhW¦y¥sÁnÃM¥Lªº¤ß©Mµ¡C ±q¤£¦b¥Lªº¥Í¬¡¤è±·Pı¥L¦p¦¹´dºG,¦p¦¹³à®ð¡C
Jun was at a loss, unable to explain it any further. Her fingers began
to tremble even worse. She imagined Gallactor waiting, holding back as
the EDC scrambled to investigate the incident, and then attacking after
no conclusion could be made and everyone else fell back into routine.
/ ¤»¤ë¬O§x´b, ¤£¯à§ó¶i¤@¨B¸ÑÄÀ¥¦¥ô¦ó¡C ¦oªº¤â«ü¶}©l¾Ô·X¥©Zªº§óÃa¨Æ¡C ¦o·Q¹³¤F Gallactor µ¥Ô, §â«ù¦V«á¦a·í³Q·mµÛªº EDC
½Õ¬d¨Æ¥ó¤§®É, µM«á§ðÀ»¦b¨S¦³µ²½×¥i¯à³Q°µ¡A¦Ó¥B¨ä¥L¤H¶i¤J¨Ò¦æ¤½¨Æ¤§¤ººM°h¤§«á¡C
"Have you heard from Masake or Onishii?" she asked. / "
§A±q Masake ©Î Onishii Å¥¨ì¤F"? ¦o°Ý¡C
"No." David abruptly stood and moved over to the massive glass
pane that walled the north side of his office, separating the space from
the vastness of the undersea Pacific. He gazed out at the water, depths
lit by the base¡¦s myriad of external lights. Masake and Onishii had been
the wingmen of Mareccu¡¦s Rigan father Kennaru, had infiltrated the Gallactor
Syndicate along with him, and there they remained after Kennaru¡¦s death.
Reporting only to David, they were the EDC¡¦s closest contacts to the inner
operations of Gallactor. Deeper worry became evident in his features at
the silence of the two Rigan spies, who had not contacted him in months.
"I¡¦m positive they¡¦d know about this and any follow-up Gallactor
would have planned. If their intelligence does know who you are, something
that large can¡¦t be easily confined to top ranks." He watched a few
fish cruise by. "But on the other hand, they might be no farther
along with your identifications than we are with theirs. There was no
wire on the Blackbird, so for all we know, whatever he knew of you could
have died with him." / " ¸¹½X " ¤j½Ã¬ðµM¦a¯¸µÛ¦Ó¥B²¾°Ê¦b¨ìÀð¾À¤F¥Lªº¿ì¤½«ÇªºÃä¥_³¡ªºÃe¤j¬Á¼þµ¡¬Á¼þ¤§¤W,¤À¶}¨Ó¦Û®ü±¤Uªº¤Ó¥¬vªº¥¨¤jªÅ¶¡¡C
¥L¦b¤ô¡A³Q°ò¦ªº¥~³¡¥úªº¸Uµo«Gªº²`«×¥~ª`µø¡C Masake ©M Onishii ¤w¸g¬O Mareccu's ªº Rigan ¤÷¿Ë Kennaru
ªº wingmen,¤w¸g³s¦P¥L¤@°_®û¼í Gallactor ¥ø·~Áp¦X¡A¦Ó¥B¦b¨º¸Ì¥L̦b Kennaru's ªº¦º¤`¤§«á«O«ù¡C ¥u¦³¹ï¤j½Ã³ø§i,¥L̬O¹ï
Gallactor ªº¤º³¡¤â³Nªº EDC's ³Ì¾aªñªº³sµ¸¡C §ó²`ªº·Ð´o¦b¤G¦ì Rigan ¶¡¿Òªº¨HÀq¥L¯S¼x¤¤Åܦ¨ÅãµÛ, ¶¡¿Ò¦b¼ÆӤ뤺¨S¦³³sµ¸¥L¡C
"§Ú¬O¿n·¥ªº¥ḺN·|ª¾¹D³o¡A¦Ó¥B¥ô¦óªº±µ³s Gallactor ·|pµe¡C ¦pªG¥L̪º´¼¤O½T¹êª¾¹D§A¬O½Ö,¤j¤j¦a¤£¯à®e©ö¦a½L¾Úªº¬Y¨Æ¶W¶V±Æ¦W¡C"
¥L¬Ý¤F¤@¨Ç³½¨µ¯è³Q¡C "¦ý¬O¤ñ¸û§Ú̬O¥Ñ©ó¥L̪º¡A¥t¤@¤è±¡A¥LÌ¥i¯à§ó»·ªº³s¦P§Aªº½T»{¤@°_¨S¦³¡C ¨S¦³¦b¤s³¾Ãþ¤Wªº¹q½u¡A¦]¦¹¡A¬°¥þ³¡§Ú̪¾¹D,
µL½×¥Lª¾¹D¤°»ò§A¥i¯à©M¥L¦º¡C"
"We can¡¦t sit around waiting for them," Jun pressed. "Not
while Gallactor thinks we¡¦re weakened and fair game¡K" "I know,"
David returned, a little sharply, frustrated by the agreement that Masake
had pressed on him. At the beginning of the Rigans¡¦ tenure in Gallactor,
their lines of communication had been through a carefully guarded and
encrypted two-way connection, with David the sole EDC user. When Kennaru
died, the other two feared their covers in the syndicate were at risk
of compromise. Masake insisted from then on that their communication would
be one-way through himself only, and only if there was little chance of
internal Gallactor tracing. / " §Ṳ́£¯àµL©Ò¨Æ¨Æµ¥Ô¥LÌ ",¤»¤ëÀ£¶i¡C "
¤£·í Gallactor »{¬°¡A§Ú̳Q«d®zªº®ÉÔ©M¤½¥ªº¤ñÁÉ¡K" " §Úª¾¹D ",¤j½ÃÂkÁÙ,µy·L¾U§Q¦a, ¥¢±æªºÂǵÛ
Masake ¤w¸g¦b¥L¤§¤WÀ£ªº¨óij¡C ¦b Rigans' ªº¶}©l¦b Gallactor ¤¤ªº¥ô´Á, ¥L̪º¤@±Æ·¾³q¬O¸g¹L¤@¤p¤ß¦a«O½Ã¦Ó¥B½s¥[±K½XÂù¦æ¹Dªº³s±µ,ÂǥѤj½Ã°ß¤@ªº
EDC ¨Ï¥ÎªÌ¡C ·í Kennaru ¦ºªº®ÉÔ,¥t¥~¤G®`©È¥ø·~Áp¦Xªº¥Ḻ»Å@³B©ó§´¨ó·ÀI¡C Masake °í«ù±qµM«á¥u¦b¥L̪º·¾³q¤W±N·|¸g¹L¥L¦Û¤v¬O³æ¦æ¹Dªº,
¦Ó¥B¥u¦³·í¦pªG¦³«Ü¤Öªº¤º¦b Gallactor °lÂܪº¾÷·|¡C
David sadly looked aside at Key, still silent and unresponsive. / ¤j½Ã´d¶Ë¦a¦b¤@Ãä¬Ý¦bÃöÁ䪺¡M¤´µM¨HÀq©M¤ÏÀ³¿ð¶wªº¡C
After a long moment, Jun asked: "Can they still be reached from our
side?" / ¦bªøªº¤ù¨è¤§«á¡A¤»¤ë°Ý: " ¥L̯ऴµM±q§Ú̪º¨Ãä³Q¨ì¹F¶Ü "?
"There¡¦s the old connection," David replied, still at the window.
"I doubt it¡¦s safe, even if Masake allowed it to remain live."
/ " ¦³Âªº³s±µ ",¤j½ÃµªÂÐ,¦bµ¡¤á¦wÀR¡C " §ÚÃhºÃ¥¦¬O«OÀI½c,§Y¨Ï Masake ¤¹³\¤F¥¦²{³õ«O«ù "
¡C
Jun looked down at her damaged hands. "We need to be sure. We can¡¦t
afford to have the Beta squads or anyone else wasting time on assumptions
if Gallactor is preparing something in secret." / ¤»¤ë©¹¤U¬Ý¦o³Q·lÃaªº¤â¡C "§Ú̪º½T»Ýn¡C
§Ṳ́£¯àt¾á¦³¨©¥¦¤p¶¤©ÎªÌ¨ä¥L¥ô¦ó¤H¦b°²©w¤W®ö¶O®É¶¡¦pªG Gallactor ¥¿¦b¯µ±K¦a·Ç³Æ¬Y¨Æ¡C"
David inwardly agreed. They could sweep through the usual suspect nations,
round up the usual suspect factions, but in the end it would achieve nothing.
Gallactor was expert at striking without warning, with factions previously
unknown and from locations no one had even considered a threat. / ¤j½Ã¦V¤ºªº¦P·N¡C
¥LÌ¥i¥H±½°£¹L¥±`ªº¶ûºÃ¥Ç°ê®a,¦b¥±`ªº¶ûºÃ¥Ç¬£¨t¤W±§Ë¶ê¡A¦ý¬O¦b¥Øªº¤¤¥¦±N·|¤°»ò¤]¤£¹F¦¨¡C Gallactor ¦b¨S¦³Äµ§i¥´À»¬O±M®aªº,
¥ý«eÂǥѬ£¨t¥¼ª¾ªÌ¦Ó¥B±q¦aÂI¨S¦³¤H¤w¸g³Q¬Æ¦Ü¦Ò¼{¤@ºØ«Â¯Ù¡C
David went back to his private study. Jun followed, stiff and slow. With
his telephone David requested an aide to come and pick up Key; moments
later an assistant arrived to gently lead the shock-numb corpsman to his
quarters. After they left, David accessed a small terminal set in the
corner of his desk, a simple keypad connected to a shielded communication
thread. / ¤j½Ã¦^¥h¥Lªº¨p¤H¬ã¨s¡C ¤»¤ë¸òÀH,»øµw¦a©MºC¦a¡C »P¥Lªº¹q¸Ü¤j½Ã¦b¤@°_½Ð¨D¤F¤@Ó§U¤â¨Ó¦Ó¥B¬B°_Æ_°Í; ¼Æ¤ù¨è¤§«á¤@Ó§U²z¨ì¹F³vº¥¦a¤Þ¾ÉÅåÀ~-
³Â¤ìªº³°xÂåÅ@§L¨«¦V¥Lªº¥|¤À¤§¤@¡C ¦b¥LÌÂ÷¶}¤§«á¡A¤j½Ã¨ú±o¤F¥Lªº®Ñ®à¨¤¸¨ªº¤@Ó¤pªº²×ÂI²Õ,¤@Ó²³æªº«öÁä°Ï³s±µ¨ì¤@±ø³Q¾B½ªªº·¾³q½u¡C
He opened the link, the first time he'd used it in years. The last time
had been when a message was urgently sent from the outside, the precursor
to events that had led to the Van Allen disaster. This time, his need
to know of Gallactor's awareness was too urgent to bypass to stricter
methods that Masake insisted on using. Do they know, David wanted to ask.
How much time do we have? / ¥L¥´¶}¤F³sµ², ²Ä¤@®É¶¡¥L¦h¦~¨Ó¦³¨Ï¥Î¤F¥¦¡C ³Ì«á¤@¦¸¬O·í¤@Ó°T®§ºò«æ¦a±q¥~±³Q¶Ç¹Fªº®ÉÔ,¤w¸g¾ÉP³f¨®¦ãÛ¨aº×ªº¨Æ¥ó¥ýÅXªÌ¡C
³o¦¸¡Aª¾¹D Gallactor's ªºÄ±¹î¥L»Ýn¬O¤Óºò«æ¦ÓµLªk¬Ù²¤¨ì Masake °í«ù¨Ï¥Îªº§óÄY¼Fªº¤èªk¡C ¥L̪¾¹D,¤j½Ã·Qn°Ý¡C §Ú̦³¦h¤Ö®É¶¡?
It was a long time before the petite LCD screen registered an affirmation,
other end available and patiently waiting for his message. The protocol
had been for each end to submit identifying code, verbally delivered,
before sending queries or news after the confirmation of the code¡¦s authenticity.
/ ¥¦³Qµn°OªÖ©w¡A¥i±oªº¥t¤@ºÝ¦Ó¥B§Ô@¦aµ¥Ô¥Lªº°T®§¼b¤p LCD ¿Ã¹õ¤§«eªºªø®É¶¡¡C °O¿ý´¿¸g¨ì¹L¬°¨CÓµ²§ô°e¥æÃѧO±K½X,¤fz¦a»¼°e, ¥H«e°e¦b±K½Xªº½T¹ê©ÊªºÃÒ¹ê«áªº¬d¸ß©Î·s»D¡C
David sent the code; they traded nervous glances afterward. It was just
a short sentence, a stanza. Jun didn't understand the words. Neither did
David. They supposed that Mareccu might, perhaps not. It was an odd syntax
of indistinct syllables, a confusing phonetic mix of two separate languages.
/ ¤j½Ã°e¤F±K½X; ¥L̵M«á¥æ©ö¤Fºò±iªº¤@¿h¡C ¥¦¥u¬O¤@Óµu¥y¤l,¤@Ó¸`¡C ¤»¤ë¨S¦³¤F¸Ñ¦r¡C ¤j½Ã¤]¨S¦³¡C ¥ḺÀ·Q , Mareccu ¥i¯à,¤]³\¤£¡C
¥¦¬O¤£©úÁAµ¸`ªº©_¼Æ»yªk¡A¤@Ó¤GºØ³æ¿Wªº»y¨¥§x´b»y¨¥²V¦X¡C
French, intermingled with Marjillian Rigan. / ªk°ê¤H,¥H Marjillian Rigan ²V¤J¡C
There was no immediate reply. Neither of them found it unusual, given
the delicacy of their interaction with the Rigan spies, yet Jun prayed
it wasn¡¦t because the code had been intercepted anyway. Even if so, she
doubted Gallactor cryptographers would be able to unscramble the phonetic
pattern. The mix of languages was an effective technique, an idea that
made her wonder if it was inspired by Mareccu¡¦s hybrid lineage. / ¨S¦³¥ß§YªºµªÂСC
¥L̳£¤£µo²{¥¦¤£´M±`ªº,µ¹©Mºë½oªº¥L̤¬°Êªº Rigan ¶¡¿Ò, µM¦Ó¤»¤ë¬èë , ¥¦¬O¤£¦]¬°±K½XµL½×¦p¦ó¤w¸g³QÄdºI¡C §Y¨Ï¦p¦¹¡A¦oÃhºÃ Gallactor
Ķ¸Ñ±K½XªÌ±N·|¯à°÷¨Ï¦^´_쪬»y¨¥ªº¨å«¬¡C »y¨¥ªº²V¦X¬O¦³®Äªº§Þ³N¡A¤@Ó»s³y¤F¦oªº©_ÂÝ·Qªk¬O§_¥¦³Q Mareccu's ªº²V¦X¦å²Î¿Eµo¤F¡C
Or perhaps an older reference of high honor- Sabine Dumeneau had been
the first to approach the Rigan Kennaru when he landed on Earth, and through
interaction with him was able to translate his warning to the governments
of Earth about Gallactor¡¦s presence and methods of attack. The Earth Defense
Command was formed as a result of the warning, and with his mission complete,
Kennaru returned to Riga, Sabine at his side. / ©Î¤]³\°ªªººaÅA§óªº°Ñ¦Ò- ·í¥L¦b¦a²y¤Wµn³°,
¦Ó¥B³z¹L©M¥Lªº¤¬°Ê¯à°÷Ãö©ó Gallactor's ªº¥X²{©M§ðÀ»ªº¤èªk±N¥LªºÄµ§i½Ķ¦¨¦a²yªº¬F©²®ÉÔ¡AÂÄ»«¤Hªº Dumeneau ¤w¸g¬O±µªñ
Rigan Kennaru ªº²Ä¤@¡C ¦a²y¨¾½Ã«ü¥Oĵ§iªºµ²ªG³Q§Î¦¨, ©M¥Ñ©ó¥Lªº¥ô°È§¹¥þªº,Kennaru ¦b¥Lªº¨Ãä¦^¨ì Riga ÂÄ»«¤H¡C
After a while, fatigue finally took Jun and she fell asleep on one of
the sofas outside in David¡¦s office, confident he¡¦d wake her when the
Rigans replied. He waited at his desk, silent with deepening uneasiness.
/ ¦b¤@·|¨à¤§«á¡A¯h²Ö³Ì«áªá¤»¤ë¡A¦Ó¥B¦o¦b¤j½Ãªº¿ì¤½«Ç¤¤ªº¥~±¨Fµo¤§¤@¤WºÎµÛ¤F, ¦Û«Hªº·í Rigans µªÂЪº®ÉÔ¡A¥L±N·|¥s¿ô¦o¡C ¥L¦b¥Lªº®Ñ®àµ¥Ô,
¨HÀqªº¥Ñ©ó¥[²`¤£µÎ¾A¡C
When a response finally came, Jun only half-heard it as a drowsy, dreamlike
murmur. For a moment she thought that perhaps David had turned on the
broad flat-screen television on the far wall of his study, and set the
channel to one of the international news networks. The voice was female,
speaking quickly and tersely in French. / ·í¤@Ó¦^À³³Ì«á¨Óªº®ÉÔ,°ß¤@ªº¤@¥b¤»¤ë-Å¥¨ì¤F¥¦¦p©ü©ü±ýºÎ¤S¹Ú¤@¯ëªº§C»y¡C
¤@·|¨à¦o»{¬°¡A¤]³\¤j½Ã¤w¸g¥´¶}¦b¥Lªº¬ã¨s»·Àð¾À¤Wªº¤j½d³òªº¤½´J- ¿Ã¹õªº¹qµø, ¦Ó¥B±NÀW¹D³]©w¬°°ê»Úªº·s»Dºô¸ô¤§¤@¡C Ánµ¬O¤k©Êªº,«Ü§Ö¦a¦Ó¥B²¼ä¦a¥Îªk°ê»y»¡¡C
Then she heard David, quietly and simply saying, "Thank you."
/ µM«á¦oÅ¥¨ì¤F¤j½Ã,¦wÀR¦a¦Ó¥B¥u¬O±Ôz," ÁÂÁ§A " ¡C
Jun snapped upright. The door to his study was closed, but even asleep
her heightened hearing had picked up their voices- his, and the other¡KRigan?
Woman? / ¤»¤ëª½¥ß¦a«rÂ_¡C ¹ï¥Lªº¬ã¨sªù³QÃö³¬¡A¦ý¬O¬Æ¦Ü¼ôºÎ¦oªº¥[±jÅ¥ÃÒ·|¤w¸g¬B°_¥L̪ºÁnµ-¥Lªº,¥t¤@Ó¡K Rigan ©O? ¤k¤H?
"Dave?" she called out, and when he didn¡¦t answer she hurried
through the door. "Was that-?" / " ¤j½Ã "? ¦o¤j¥s, ¦Ó¥B·í¥L¨S¦³À³¦o¶Ê«P¹Lªùªº®ÉÔ¡C
" ¨º¬O-"?
She found him slightly slumped in his chair, from relief or a resigned
gravity, she couldn¡¦t tell. There was a strange disappointment in his
features, and Jun¡¦s heart gave a jarring kick. / ¦o¦b¥Lªº´È¤l¤¤µo²{¥L¨Ç·L¦a³Q²rµM±¼¸¨,±q¦w¤ß©ÎªÌ»{©Rªº¦a¤ß¤Þ¤O¡A¦oµLªk§i¶D¡C
¦³¥Lªº¯S¼x©_©Çªº¥¢±æ¡A¦Ó¥B¤»¤ëªº¤ß´£¨Ñ¤FÁӪ½ð¡C
"They say that there¡¦s no sign Gallactor has identified you, and
that no operations are in motion or planned in relation to that."
He gave a low sigh. "We¡¦re back to where we were before." /
" ¥LÌ»¡¨S¦³²Å¸¹ Gallactor ¤w¸gÃѧO§A,¦Ó¥B¨S¦³¤â³N¦b¹B°Ê¤¤©ÎªÌÃö©ó¨ºpµe". ¥Lµ¹¤©¤F¤@Án§Cªº¼Û®§¡C "
§Ú̦^¨Ó¨ì§ÚÌ¥H«eþ¸Ì".
Jun lowered herself into another chair, searching his eyes for an explanation
of the stranger at the other end of the Rigan¡¦s wire, and the reason behind
his unbroken dolefulness. "That wasn¡¦t Masake," she said. /
¤»¤ë¶i¤J¥t¤@±i´È¤l¤§¤º°§C¦o¦Û¤v,¦b Rigan's ªº¹q½u¥t¤@ºÝ¬°¯¥Í¤Hªº¤@ºØ¸ÑÄÀ´M§ä¥Lªº²´·ú, ©M¦b¥Lªº¤£Ãa±¼ªº´d«s«á±ªº²z¥Ñ¡C "
¨º¤£¬O Masake",¦o»¡¡C
"You needed the sleep so I didn¡¦t wake you when the line reopened,"
he said lowly. He suddenly averted his eyes to look down at the floor,
and Jun¡¦s pulse jumped at his sudden avoidance. "I¡¦m sorry to say
that I¡¦m glad I did. I didn¡¦t expect to hear from that one." / "
§A»Ýn¤FºÎ¯v¡A¦p¦¹·í½u«¶}ªº®ÉÔ¡A§Ú¨S¦³¥s¿ô§A ",¥L¦ì¸m§C¤Uªº»¡¡C ¥L¬ðµMÁקK¤F¥Lªº²´·ú©¹¤U¬Ý¦aªO¡A¦Ó¥B¤»¤ëªº¯ß»K¦b¥Lªº¬ðµMÁקK¸õÅD¡C
" §Ú·P¨ì©êºp»¡§Ú«Ü°ª¿³§Ú°µ¡C §Ú¨S¦³´Á«Ý±q¨º¤@ÓÅ¥¨ì¡C"
"Who?" Jun asked, her alarm increasing. "I heard a woman-"
/ " ½Ö "? ¤»¤ë°Ý, ³vº¥¼W¥[ªº¦oĵ³ø¡C "§ÚÅ¥¨ì¤F¤@Ó¤k¤H-"
David finally looked at her. "I¡¦m also sorry to say that you shouldn¡¦t
know of her. I wanted all of you to be aware the moment she was brought
in, but Masake insisted that it couldn¡¦t be allowed." / ¤j½Ã³Ì«á¬Ý¦o¡C "
§Ú¤]«ÜÃø¹L»¡§A¤£À³¸Óª¾¹D¦o¡C §Ú·Qn§A¥þ³¡¬Oª¾¹Dªº¦o³Q¤Þ¶iªº¤ù¨è,¦ý¬O Masake °í«ù¤F¥¦µLªk³Q¤¹³\¡C"
For a long moment, Jun stared at him in incredulity as the disclosure
sank in, and dozens of questions sprinted through her head like outriders
to her shock. How long has she been inside? How many others are there-?
/ ªøªº¤ù¨è¡A·í¼ÉÅS·Æ¸¨ªº®ÉÔ¡A¤»¤ë¦b¤£©ö¬Û«H¤¤¨nµÛ¥L¬Ý¦b,¦Ó¥B´X¤QÓ°ÝÃD¾Ä¤O¦Ó¶]¹L¦oªº¹³¹ï¦oªºÅåÀ~ outriders ªºÀY¡C ¦o¤w¸g¦b¸Ì±¦h¤[?
¦h¤Ö¨ä¥¦¦³-?
Suddenly her eyes darkened, leveling on him the calm yet chillingly furious
glare of the newly betrayed. "How long have you known?" / ¬ðµM¦oªº³Q§Ë·tªº²´·ú¡A¦b¥L¨¤W®ø°£¥ÃµM¦ÓµL±¡¨g«ã°{Ä£¥ú¨º³Ìªñ¥X½æ¡C
" §A¤w¸gª¾¹D¦h¤[ "?
"Three years," David quietly replied. / ¤T¦~,¤j½Ã¦wÀR¦aµªÂСC
Jun visibly winced at his answer. That would place this new spy in Gallactor
at roughly the same time that Mareccu¡¦s father was discovered spying in
the syndicate, and consequently killed in the Van Allen disaster. "After
the way Kennaru blew his cover, Masake didn¡¦t want any more compromises,"
David continued. "He restricted our communications as you know, but
soon after he contacted me once to inform he¡¦d brought in a fourth. Masake
called her an onnerru, and wouldn¡¦t claim any more than that. He refused
to give any specifics as to rank or position, or even her heritage. /
¤»¤ë¬Ý±o¨£¦a¦b¥Lªºµª®×¬ÈÁY¡C ¨º¦b·§²¤¦a¬Û¦Pªº®É¶¡±N·|§â³o¦ì·sªº¶¡¿Ò©ñ¦b Gallactor ¤÷¿Ë³Qµo²{¦b¥ø·~Áp¦X¤¤°»¹î, ¦Ó¥Bµ²ªG¦b³f¨®¦ãÛ¨aº×¤è±±þªº
Mareccu's¡C " ¦b¤èªk Kennaru §j¥Lªº±»Å@¤§«á¡A Masake ¨S¦³·Qn¥ô¦óªº§´¨ó ",¤j½ÃÄ~Äò¡C "·í§Aª¾¹Dªº®ÉÔ¡A¥L¨î¤F§Ú̪º·¾³q,
¦ý¬O¦b¥L³sµ¸¤F§Ú¤@¦¸§iª¾¥L¦³¤Þ¶i¥|¤À¤§¤@¤£¤[«á¡C Masake ©I¥s¤F¦oªº onnerru, ¦Ó¥B±N¤£n¨D¥ô¦ó©ó¨º¡C ¥L©Úµ´´£¨Ñ¥ô¦óªº¯S©Ê·í°µ±Æ¦C©ÎªÌ©ñ¸m,
©Î¨Ï¦oªº¿ò²£¬Ûµ¥¡C
"He demanded that all of the EDC, especially Marc and Jay, cannot
know that she is there." / " ¥Ln¨D©Ò¦³ªº EDC,¤×¨ä°¨¥i©M³¾,¤£¯à°÷ª¾¹D¦o¦b¨º¸Ì".
Jun suddenly felt cold. She understood Marjillian Rigan well enough to
recognize the word, it¡¦s meaning of secrecy, and the ramifications it
carried for the EDC, for themselves, for Mareccu. / ¤»¤ë¬ðµMı±o´H§N¡C ¦o¤F¸Ñ Marjillian
Rigan ¦nªº¥R¨¬»{ÃѦr,¥¦¬O¯µ±Kªº·N¿×, ©M¤ÀªK¥¦¬° EDC Äâ±a,¬°¦Û¤v,¹ï©ó Mareccu¡C
And then rage hit her like an explosion, boiling through her hardwiring
and instantly making her head and her hands throb. "Do you have any
idea how many holes you blew through Marc¡¦s trust," she asked, her
voice soft but completely frozen. "When he found out you were hiding
his father¡¦s presence in Gallactor?" She slowly shook her head, the
motion slight but enough to broadcast the totality of her repugnance.
"How could you do it again?" / µM«áµo«ã¥´¦oªº¦PÃþ¤@ÓÃz¬µ, ªmÄ˪º¸g¹L¦oªº hardwiring
¦Ó¥B¥ß§Y¦a»s³y¦oªºÀY©M¦oªº¤â±ª°Ê¡C " §A¦³¥ô¦óªº·Qªk§A§j¹L°¨¥iªº«H¿à¦h¤Ö¬}¶Ü ",¦o°Ý, ³nªº¦ý¬O§¹¥þáµ²ªº¦oÁnµ¡C
" ·í³Qµo²{§Aªº¥L¥¿¦bÂà Gallactor ªº¥L¤÷¿Ëªº¥X²{®ÉÔ "? ¦oºCºC¦a·nÀY, ¹B°Ê»´½°¦ý¬O¥R¨¬¼s¼½¦oªº¶û´cÁ`Åé¡C
" ¦A¤@¦¸§A¦p¦ó¥i¥H°µ¥¦ "?
"I never would have if I¡¦d been given the choice." At that moment
David looked as angry as she, disappointment and regret plain in his expression.
"It was arranged without my knowledge, and I presume she was already
in place by the time Masake notified me. I told him it was reckless, considering
how much Gallactor moves their personnel around. And foolish, given how
intensely we hunt them." / " ¦pªG°²¦p§Ú¬O¡A§Ú±q¤£±N·|¦³µ¹¿ï¾Ü". ¦¹¨è¤j½Ã¹³¦o¤@¼Ëªº¥Í®ð¬Ý,
¥¢±æ¦Ó¥B¬°¥Lªºªí¹F¥ì·P¨ì¿ò¾Ñ¡C " ¥¦¨S¦³§Úªºª¾ÃѳQ¦w±Æ¡A¦Ó¥B§Ú°²©w¦o¬O¤w¸g¾A·í¦a³Q®É¶¡ Masake ³qª¾¤F§Ú¡C §Ú§i¶D¤F¥L¥¦¬O³¿²õªº,±q¦U¤è±¨Ó¬Ý
Gallactor ¦bªþªñ²¾°Ê¥L̪º¤Hû¦h¤Ö¡C ¦Ó¥B·MÄøªº, µ¹¤©ªº§Ú̬¼Ây¥L̦a¦h±j¯P¡C"
"Yes," Jun said, backing away as though looking for an outlet
for her anger. "And even though we understand the nature of Masake
and Onishii¡¦s mission, and are at least halfway confident they can keep
themselves out of our way, what if there¡¦s more? What if we¡¦ve already
killed some?" / " ¬Oªº " ¡A¤»¤ë»¡, ¤ä«ùÂ÷¶}¦n¹³¬°¦oªº©Á«ã§ä´M¤@Ó¥X¤f¡C "
¦Ó¥B§Y¨Ï§Ṳ́F¸Ñ Masake ©M Onishii's ªº¥ô°È©Ê½è, ¦Ó¥B¦Ü¤Ö¤¤³~¦Û«Hªº¥L̯à±q§Ú̪º¤èªk«O¦s¥L̦ۤv, ¤°»ò¦pªG¨º¸Ì¬O§ó¦hªº?
¤°»ò¦pªG§Ṳ́w¸g±þ¤@¨Ç¤F?"
"He didn¡¦t admit to more than her. If she has company, there¡¦s no
way we can know." "I can¡¦t keep something like this from Marc,"
Jun stated. "It was insult enough to hide his father¡¦s condition.
Doing it to him again is criminal. After what¡¦s happened before, he deserves
to know." "I know that," David retorted. "Don¡¦t you
think I wanted to inform all of you? This was Masake¡¦s call. This was
his intention. He believes that if anyone in the EDC finds out, then there
might be hesitation in our maneuvers against Gallactor for fear of friendly-fire
casualties. That would hobble us, and worst of all make Gallactor suspect
we are holding back to protect a spy. He¡¦s absolutely right. You know
how thoroughly Gallactor sweeps their organization for spies, and what
they do to them afterward. As you said, you have some confidence they
can stay out of your way. You¡¦ll have to keep the same faith that she
can as well." / " ¥L¨S¦³©Ó»{¶W¹L¦o¡C ¦pªG¦o¦³¤½¥q,¨S¦³§Ú̯ા¹Dªº¤èªk¡C" "
§Ú¤£¯à«O¦s°_¨Ó¦³ÂI¹³¨Ó¦Û°¨¥iªº³o ",¤»¤ë³¯z¡C "¥¦¬O¥R¨¬ÂÃ¥Lªº¤÷¿Ë±¡ªpªº«V°d¡C ¦A¤@¦¸°µ¥¦µ¹¥L¬O¥Ç¸oªº¡C ¦b³Qµo¥ÍªºªF¦è¤§«á¦b,¤§«e¥L¸Ó±o¨ìª¾¹D¡C"
" §Úª¾¹D¨º ",¤j½Ã¤Ï»é¡C "§A¨S»{¬°§Ú·Qn§iª¾¥þ³¡§A¶Ü? ³o¬O Masake's ªº©I¥s¡C ³o¬O¥Lªº·N¹Ï¡C
¥L¬Û«H¡A¦pªG¥ô¦ó¤H¦b EDC ¤¤µo²{, ¨º»ò±©®£¤Í¦n- ¤õ·N¥~¨Æ¥ó¦b¹ï§Ü Gallactor ªº§Ú̺t²ß¤¤¥i¯à¦³¼È°±¡C ¨º±N·|ªýê§ÚÌ, ©M³ÌÃa¥þ³¡¨Ï
Gallactor ÃhºÃ§ÚÌ¥¿¦b§í¨î«OÅ@¤@¦ì¶¡¿Ò¡C ¥L§¹¥þ¥¿½T¡C §Aª¾¹D Gallactor ¬°¶¡¿Ò±½°£¥L̪º²Õ´¦a¦h¹ý©³, ©M¥L̵M«á¹ï¥LÌ°µªº¡C
´N¦p§A»¡ªº,§A¦³¥L̯à§Aªº¤èªk¥~¥Xªº¤@¨Ç«H¤ß¡C §A±N¥²¶·¤]«O¦s¦o¯à«O¦sªº¬Û¦P«H¤ß¡C"
"It won¡¦t be that easy for her," Jun said. She suddenly had
an intense urge to slam her fist into his head, anything to make him see
common sense. "You realize, that a woman spying in Gallactor will
have only one possible rank besides a common support role." She nodded
at his look of acquiescence. "She¡¦ll be a Devil Star, David. The
one classification that we- especially Jay- will go out of our way to
kill on sight. Does Masake understand that?" / " ¥¦¹ï¦o±N¤£¬O¨º»ò®e©öªº
",¤»¤ë»¡¡C ¦o¬ðµM¦³¤F±j¯Pªº©IÆ~²rµMÃö¤W¦oªº®±ÀY¶i¥LªºÀY¤§¤º, ¥ô¦ó¨Æ¨Ï¥L¨£¨ì±`ÃÑ¡C "§A¤F¸Ñ, ¨º¥u¦b Gallactor
¤¤°»¹îªº¤@Ó¤k¤H±N¦³°£¤F¤@Ó´¶³qªº¤ä«ù¨¤¦â¥H¥~ªº¥i¯à±Æ¦W". ¦o¦b¥LªºÀq³\¯«±¡ÂIÀY¡C "¦o±N¬O¤@ÓÅ]°¬P¡A¤j½Ã¡C ¤ÀÃþ¨º§ÚÌ-
¤×¨ä³¾- ·N§ÓÂ÷¶}¦bµø¤O¤Wªº¨ì±þ§Ú̪º¸ô¡C Masake ¤F¸Ñ¨º¶Ü?"
"I¡¦m sorry, Jun. This is the way it has to be." David¡¦s voice
sounded hollow in her ears. "It¡¦s Masake¡¦s decision, and we have
no choice in the matter." / "¹ï¤£°_,¤»¤ë¡C ³o¬O¥¦¥²¶·¬Oªº¤è¦¡¡C"¤j½ÃªºÁnµ¦b¦oªº¦Õ¦·¤¤Å¥°_¨ÓªÅ¡C
" ¥¦¬O Masake's ªº¨M©w¡A¦Ó¥B§Ų́S¦³¨Æ¥óªº¿ï¾Ü " ¡C
Jun pointed back at his desk. "Then you better get back on that line
and warn her," she hissed. "Before Jay turns her into a pincushion."
/ ¤»¤ë¦b¥Lªº®Ñ®à¦V«á¦a«ü¡C " µM«á§A§ó¦b¨º¤@±ø½u¤W¦V«á¦a±o¨ì¦Ó¥Bĵ§i¦o ",¦oµo¥X¼NÁn¡C " ¦b³¾±N¦oÅܦ¨¤@Ó°w¹Ô¤§«e
".
She could barely face Mareccu. / ¦oµLªk±¹ï Mareccu ¡C
When she finally found enough courage to enter his quarters she found
him half-asleep in bed, desultorily channel-surfing. His midsection was
covered by layers of bandaging, and his eyes were still smoggy from the
cocktail of morphine painkillers that the medics had tailored to plow
through his alien-hybrid physiognomy. It was a mix that would instantly
kill a normal human, but only barely pushed Mareccu¡¦s pain into a mild
drone. / ·í¦o³Ì«áµo²{¥R¨¬ªº«i®ð¶i¤J¦oµo²{¥L¤@¥bªº¥L¥|¤À¤§¤@ªº®ÉÔ- ºÎ¼ô¤Fªº¦b§É¤¤,Âø¶ÃµL³¹¦a¤Þ¾É-½Ä®ö¡C ¥Lªº¤¤¥¡³¡¤À³QÁ^±aªº¼h²[»\¤F¡A¦Ó¥B¥Lªº²´·ú±q`½¶ÄÝ´Óª«¤w¸gÁ_»s¥Î²p¯Ñ¥Ð¹L¥Lªº¥~¹´-
²V¦Xªº±¬Û¶Ü°Ø¤îµhÃĪºÂû§À°s¤´µM¬O·ÏÃú°gº©ªº¡C ¥¦¬O¤@Ó±N·|¥ß§Y¦a±þ¤@Ó¥¿±`ªº¤HÃþ, ¦ý¬O°ß¤@ªº´X¥G±À°Ê Mareccu's ªºµhW¶i¤@Ó·Å©Mªº¶¯¸Á¤§¤ºªº²V¦X¡C
He noticed her drawn, pale look. "It¡¦s not that bad." / ¥Lª`·N¦o³Qµe,»a¥Õªº¯«±¡¡C
" ¥¦¤£¬O¨º»òÃaªº " ¡C
You think it¡¦s not? Jun was suddenly mauled by the wish to tell him, tell
him everything. It¡¦s worse than you realize. From now on, every time we
go out I¡¦ll have to wonder if our people are going to be on the receiving
end of a Bird Missile, a shuriken, or a boomerang blade. I¡¦ll have to
pray that when we push the ship into the Fiery Phoenix, we won¡¦t be roasting
anyone on our side in the mecha we¡¦re against. I¡¦ll have to fear that
one of the Devil Stars we kill is really not, and worst of all I¡¦ll have
to lie to you. / §A»{¬°¡A¥¦¬O¤£? ¤»¤ë¬ðµM³Q§Æ±æ¥´¶Ë¤F§i¶D¥L,§i¶D¥L¨C¥ó¨Æª«¡C ¥¦¤ñ§A§óÁV¤F¸Ñ¡C ±q²{¦b¶}©l¡A¨C¤@¦¸§ÚÌ¥X¥h¦pªG§Ú̪º¥Á±Ú¥¿¦b¥h¦b³¾¸¼uªº¦¬¨üµ²§ô¡A
shuriken, ©Î¦^¸´Î¤M¾W¤W¡A§Ú±N¥²¶·ÃhºÃ¡C §Ú±N¥²¶·¬èë¡A·í§Ú̱À°Ê²î¶i¿K¼öªº»ñ°Ä«°ªº®ÉÔ, §Ú̱N¤£¦b mecha ªº§Ų́Ãä¤W¯M¯N¥ô¦ó¤H§Ú̬O¤Ï¹ï¡C
§Ú±N¥²¶·®`©È¡AÅ]°¤§¤@¥Dºt§Ú̱þ¯uªº¤£, ©M¥þ³¡ªº³ÌÃa§Ú±N¥²¶·¹ï§A»¡ÁÀ¡C
Tears began to brim at the corners of her eyes. She pushed them back,
trying to look hopeful, at ease, game-faced. Mareccu scooted aside to
make room for her, and she slid beside, careful not to bump his left side
or her still painful hands. / ²\ºw¶}©l¦b¦oªº²´·ú¨¤¸¨º¡¡C ¦o§â¥ḺÀ°Ê¦^¨Ó, ¹Á¸Õ¦b¦w¶h¬Ý°_¨Ó¦³§Æ±æ¤ñÁÉ-±¹ï¡C
Mareccu ¦b¤@Ãä»´§Ö¦a©b¶]Åý¥XªÅ¶¡µ¹¦o¡A¦Ó¥B¦o·Æ°Ê¦b,®ÇÃä¤p¤ßªº¤£n¦A¸I¼²¥Lªº¥ªÃä©Î¦oªº¤´µMµhWªº¤â¡C
"Dr. Martinez says you¡¦re still anemic," she said instead, trying
very hard to shove Devil Stars from her head. "And-" / "
Martinez ³Õ¤h»¡§A¤´µM¬O³h¦åªº",¦o§ï¬°»¡, «D±`§V¤O¦a¹Á¸Õ±ÀÀ½¨Ó¦Û¦oªºÀYÅ]°¬P¡C "¦Ó¥B-"
"Lost a lot of blood," he reminded, wearily shaking his head.
"So busy beating the shit out of each other, we never even saw him
coming. Fuck." He found a local station broadcasting a short news-break,
a run-down of the day¡¦s headlines. One of the bulletins was of the Grant
Street precinct¡¦s continued investigation into the mysterious assaults
at a Portsmouth nightclub. "Did you find out anything?" / "
¥¢¥hªº³\¦h¦å ",¥L´£¿ô,¯h¦a·nÀY¡C "¦p¦¹¦£µÛ©¼¦¹ªº¼³·ÀÁT,§Ú̱q¤£¬Æ¦Ü¨£¨ì¥L¨ÓÁ{¡C ©Ê¥æ¡C"¥Lµo²{¦a¤è¨®¯¸¼s¼½¤@«hµu·s»D-¥ð®§,¤Ñªº¤j¼ÐÃDªº¨ë±þ¥X§½¡C
¤½§i¤§¤@¬O±Â»Pµó¹D¿ï°ÏªºÄ~Äò²`¤J½Õ¬d¯«¯µªº§ðÀ»¦b¤@Ó¾ë¯ýT´µ©]Á`·|¡C " §Aµo²{¥ô¦ó¨Æ¶Ü "?
"Yes," Jun replied, and once again the truth threatened to leap
out of her like a horse clearing a fence. "David¡KDavid was able to
contact the Parreji," she said, referring to Masake and Onishii by
the Marjillian Rigan terminology for wingmen. "He used the old connection."
She looked down at her hands, trying not to notice his look of surprise
at Masake¡¦s willingness to break his own security protocol. "They
said that Gallactor isn¡¦t moving against us right now. There doesn¡¦t seem
to be any indication that they¡¦ve caught on to who we are." / "
¬Oªº " ¡A¤»¤ëµªÂСA¦Ó¥B¦A¤@¦¸¨Æ¹ê«Â¯Ù¸õÅDÂ÷¦oªº¦PÃþ°¨²M±½³òÀð¡C " ¤j½Ã¡K¤j½Ã¯à°÷³sµ¸ Parreji",¦o»¡,Ãö©ó
wingmen °Ñ·Ó Marjillian Rigan ¥ÎÃ㪺 Masake ©M Onishii ¡C " ¥L¨Ï¥Î¤Fªº³s±µ "
¡C ¦o©¹¤U¬Ý¦oªº¤â,¹Á¸Õ¤£n¦A¦b Masake's ªº¦Û°Ê¦Ûµoª`·N¥Lªº·N¥~¯«±¡¥´¯}¥L¦Û¤vªº¦w¥þ°O¿ý¡C "¥LÌ»¡¤F Gallactor
¨S¦³¦b¥ß¨è²¾°Ê¹ï§Ü§ÚÌ¡C ¨º¸Ì¦ü¥G¤£¬O¥L̤w¸g©ú¥Õªº¥ô¦ó«ü¥Ü , §Ú̬O½Ö¡C"
Mareccu sighed, a serious worry now diminished. "This one¡¦s over,
then." / Mareccu ¼Û®§,ÄY«ªº·Ð´o²{¦b´î¤Ö¡C " ³o¤@Óµ²§ô,µM«á".
Jun lightly touched his tousled hair, grief once again threatening to
surface. Another disaster has already started. / ¤»¤ë»´»´ªº¸IIJ¤F¥Lªº tousled ÀY¾v,
¶Ëµh¦A¤@¦¸®£À~¤É¦Ü¤ô±¡C ¥t¨aº×¤w¸g¶}©l¤F¡C
"Yes, it seems so," she said. "I hope so." / "
¬Oªº¡A¥¦³o»ò¦ü¥G ",¦o»¡¡C " §Ú³o»ò§Æ±æ " ¡C
Days later Jun wound her way to the surface of the island, to the grassy
hillside just up a ways from the lengths of the six airstrips and staging
areas that dominated the land. Looking up she spotted a distant lighter
blue speck against the deepness of the late afternoon sky- a heavy cruiser
in geo-stationary orbit. Ahead of her AC-30 Hunters were taking off and
landing in fast one-minute increments, flying practice sorties over the
ocean in a deadly aerial choreography as though daring Gallactor to advance,
filling the air with their thunder. / ¼Æ¤Ñ¨ü¶Ë¨ì®qªºªí±¦o¸ôªº¸û«á¤»¤ë, ¨ìºñ¦âªº ¹³¯óªº¤s©Y¶È¶È´£°ª¨Ó¦Û¤»Ó¸¾÷¶]¹Dªºªø«×¤@Ó¤èªk¦Ó¥BÁ|¦æ¤ä°t¤F¤g¦aªº°Ï°ì¡C
¬d¦o¬Ý¨£¤F¹ï§Ü¤È«á©³¤ÑªÅªº²`¤@Ó»·ªº¤ñ¸û»´ªºÂŦⴳÂI-geo ªº«¨µ¬vÄ¥-ÀR¤îªºy¹D¡C ¦b¦oªº AC-30 Ây¤H¤§«e¥¿¦b°_¸¦Ó¥B¦bÂN§Ù¤¤µn³°¤@¤ÀÄÁªº¼W¶q,
¸P©Rªº¤Ñ½u¦b¤j®ü¤Wªº½m²ß¬ðÀ»»RÁгN¦n¹³¤jÁxªº Gallactor «e¶i,¥Î¥L̪º¹p¹q¶ñ¥RªÅ®ð¡C
The bandages had been long since removed and the tissues on her forearms
were healing back nicely; her right hip and knee no longer bothered her
and her walk was free of any limp. Yet still she worried things in her
mind, ran it over and over in her head, looking for some way it could
have come out differently. And still nobody knew what that alien force
was, or even its true name. All lost in Kelley, and the dead Blackbird
who had been their would-be assassin. / Á^±a¦Û±q²¾°Ê¥H«á¤w¸g¬Oªøªº¡A¦Ó¥B¦b¦oªº«eÁu¤WªºÁ¡¯½Â´«~¥¿¦b¦V«á¦a«Ü¦nªv¡;
¦oªº¥¿½TÁv³¡¦Ó¥B¤£¦A½¥¦æ·ÐÂZ¦o¦Ó¥B¦oªº´²¨B§K©ó¥ô¦ó¶_¦æ¡C ¤´µMµM¦Ó¦o¾á¼~¦oªº¤ß¨Æª«,¦b¦oªºÀY¤¤¤@¦A¦a¶]¥¦, §ä´M¤@¨Ç¤èªk¥¦¥i¯à¤£¦P¦a¥X¨Ó¡C
¦Ó¥BµM¦Ó¨S¦³¤Hª¾¹D¨ºÓ¥~°êªº¤O¶q¬O¤°»ò, ©Î¨Ï¥¦ªº¯u¹ê¦W¦r¬Ûµ¥¡C ¥þ³¡¦b³ÍµÜ , ©M¤w¸g¬O¥L̪º¨Ë¬°·t±þªÌªº¦º¤s³¾Ãþ¤¤¥¢¥h¡C
Jun followed the track of one of the Hunters as it dove down in evasion
just meters over the surface of the ocean and snapped around, climbing
back up in a viciously hard power vertical shot. Milliseconds later it
was curving down and around to the tail of its former pursuer. Boom, Jun
thought. You're dead. The pilot's motion had been surgical. If it weren't
for the cumbersome lines of the AC-30 instead of the sleek needle of the
Sharp, she would've swore that had come from Mareccu. She watched the
pilot soar off, sick and saddened by the burden Masake had unwittingly
planted on her shoulders. Mareccu deserved to know about the additional
spy more than anyone else, even more so than Jay, and with all her soul
she wanted to tell them but Masake¡¦s intentions had forced an override
over all veracity. It wasn¡¦t fair, her heart cried, not for Mareccu, not
for any of them. / ¤»¤ë¸òÀH¤FÂy¤H¤§¤@ªºy¹D·í¥¦ÂF¤l¦b°kÁפ¤åP¸¨¶È¶È¦bªþªñ¥Hp¶q¾¹p¶q¤W±ªº¤j®üªí±¦Ó¥B«rÂ_,¦V«á¦a¦V¤W¦b««ª½®gÀ»ªº¨¸´cÃøªº¤O¶q¤è±ªºÃkµn¡C
¤ñ¸û¿ðªº²@¬í¥¦¥¿¦bÅs¦±¤U¨Ó¦Ó¥B¦bªþªñ¨ì¥¦ªº«e°l»°ªÌªº§À³¡¡C «æ³tµo®i,¤»¤ë·Q¡C §A¦º¡C ¸¦æûªº¹B°Ê¤w¸g¬O¥~¬ìªº¡C ¦pªG¤£¬O AC-30 ªº°Q¹½½u¥N´À°ª½Õªº¥ú·Æ°w,
¦o would've ©G½|¥H¤w¸g¨Ó¦Û Mareccu ¡C ¦o¨«¶}¬Ý¸¦æû°ª¸½d³ò, ¯f¤H¦Ó¥B³Qt¾á Masake ´d¶Ë¤w¸g³Q¤£ª¾±¡¦b¦oªºªÓ¤WºØ´Ó¡C
Mareccu ¸Ó±o¨ìª¾¹D¥t¥~ªº¶¡¿Ò¶W¹L¨ä¥L¥ô¦ó¤H,¨Ï³¾¬Ûµ¥¤ñ§ó¦p¦¹, ¦Ó¥B¥Ñ©ó¦o©Ò¦³ªºÆF»î¦o·Qn§i¶D¥LÌ¡A¦ý¬O Masake's ªº·N¹Ï¤w¸g±j¢¤@¦b©Ò¦³ªº»¡¯u¹ê¸Ü¤§¤W±óµ´¡C
¥¦¤£¬O¤½¥ªº,¦o¤ßú, ¤£¹ï©ó Mareccu, ¤£¹ï©ó¥L̤§¤¤ªº¥ô¦ó¤@Ó¡C
Another Hunter blasted close over her head, near enough for her to glimpse
the scoreboard painted below its canopy. Two quick sonic booms split the
air like cannon shots from the higher-flying members of the wing, grim
and uncompromising warnings to their enemy at large. She missed Kelley,
mourning that despite all their firepower, they hadn¡¦t been able to save
her. / ¦b¦oªºÀY¤W¬\µäªºµ²§ô¥t¤@ÓÂy¤H,¦b¥R¨¬ªºªþªñÅý¦o§ë¥H¤@¿h¦b¥¦ªº¤ÑÁO¤U±³Qµeªº°O¤ÀªO¡C ¤G§ÖªºµªiÁcºa¤ÀÂ÷¹³¤j¯¥¨Ó¦Û¯Í»Hªº¤ñ¸û°ª-
¸¦¨ûªºª`®gªÅ®ð¡A¦Û¥Ñ¦Û¦bªº¹ï¥L̪º¼Ä¤H§N»Åªº©M¤£Åý¨BªºÄµ§i¡C ¦o¿ù¹L¤F³ÍµÜ, «s±¥¨º¾¨ºÞ¥LÌ©Ò¦³ªº¤õ¤O¡A¥L̤w¸g³Q¤£¯à°÷¸Ñ±Ï¦o¡C
If any good was to come out of it, perhaps it was there on the sprawling
undersea base, capped with the hilly patch of ground that was striped
with airfields and security-shielded for miles in all directions. Jun
remembered one moment from just the day before, when something magical
had happened right about where she was standing. They came so dearly,
those magical moments when suddenly all was right with the world, so rare
she could count them on the fingers of one hand. Things that could make
the war almost endurable, even when friends had to be seen into the ground.
/ ¦pªG¥ô¦óªº¦n³B¬O±q¥¦¥X¨Ó,¤]³\¥¦¦b¨ºÂX®i®ü±¤Uªº°ò¦¤W¦b¨º¸Ì,¥H¹ï¸¾÷³õ©M¦w¥þ·P¨ì¦³´³¯¾ªº¦a±¦h¥C³®¸H®h³Ó¹L-¬°ù©¹¥|±¤K¤è¾B½ª¡C ¤»¤ë°O±o¤ù¨è±q¦b¤Ñ¥H«e¶È¶È,
·íÅ]³NªºªF¦è¤w¸g¥¿½T¦aµo¥Íªº®ÉÔÃö©ó¦o¯¸µÛþ¸Ì¡C ¥L̨Ӧp¦¹ªº²`²`, ¨º¨ÇÅ]³Nªº¤ù¨è·í¬ðµM¥þ³¡¬O¥Ñ©ó¥@¬ÉÅv§Qªº®ÉÔ, ¦p¦¹µ}¨u¦o¥i¥H¦b¤@°¦¤âªº¤â«ü¤Wpºâ¥LÌ¡C
¥i¥H¨Ï¾Ôª§´X¥G¥i§Ô¨üªº¨Æª«,§Y¨Ï·íªB¤Í¥²¶·³QÀ˵ø¦a±¡C
On that day Jun had seen Sara Glenn actually cracking genuine smiles,
as she stood with her mother and a small clutch of teachers and physicians
on the surface of the island, watching Sara as she romped around the flight
staging infields with Jay¡¦s dog. It was then when Allyson had confided
that Sara felt so secure and comfortable on base, she was being weaned
off her medications. There were a few other kids at CCI, offspring of
the many people that served the base in both military and scientific tenures;
whole families lived under the protective wing of the entire Pacific Operation
where within the armor of Crescent Coral they lived, played, and were
schooled. Sara had forged friendships in their group, and while she never
lost that bleak and distant stare that Key had suddenly developed himself,
perhaps in them and all their experiences in the bloody treachery of the
war she'd found some strength. All because of the crashing panic caused
by Kelley¡¦s attacker, when Sara and her mother were quickly ferried to
the base¡¦s safety until the situation could be cleared. / ¦b¨º¤Ñ¤»¤ë¤w¸g¨£¨ì²ïY®æ¦C¹ê»Ú¤W«Ü§Ö¯u¥¿ªº·L¯º,
¦]¬°¦o©M¦oªº¥À¿Ë©M¦Ñ®v©MÂå®v¹ï®qªºªí±¤p§ìºò¯¸¥ß, ¬Ý²ïY·í¦o¦b©M³¾ªºª¯Á|¦æ¯Ñ¦aªº¸¦æ©P³ò¶Ã¸õ¦aª±A¤§®É¡C ·í Allyson ¤w¸g¦RÅSªº®ÉÔ¡A¥¦µM«á¡A²ïY¦b°ò¦¤Wı±o¦p¦¹¦w¤ß©MµÎªA,¦o¥¿¦b¦oªºÃĪ«ªvÀø¥~³Q¨ÏÂ_¥¤¡C
¦b CCI ¦³¤@¨Ç¨ä¥Lªº¤p«Ä,¦bx¨Æ©M¬ì¾Çªº¥ô´Á¤¤ªA§Ð¤F°ò¦ªº³\¦h¤Hªº¤l®]; ¾ãÓªº®a®x¦b¾ãÓªº¤Ó¥¬vªº¤â³N«OÅ@¯Í»H¤§¤U©~¦í¥L̦bþ¸Ì¦b·s¤ë§Î¬À·äªº²¯¥Ò¸Ì±©~¦í,ª±,
¦Ó¥B³Q±Ð¡C ²ïY¤w¸g°°³y¥L̪º¹ÎÅé¤Í½Ë, ¦Ó¥B·í¦o±q¤£¥¢¥hªº®ÉÔ¨º¿½·æªº©MÆ_°Í¤w¸g³Q¬ðµMµo®i¥L¦Û¤vªº»·ª`µø,¤]³\¦b¾Ôª§ªº¦å¸{«q°fªº¥LÌ©M¥LÌ©Ò¦³ªº¸gÅç¤è±¦o±N·|µo²{¤@¨Ç¤O¶q¡C
¦]¬°¥Ñ³ÍµÜªº§ðÀ»ªÌ©Ò¤Þ°_ªºµ´¹ï®£·W¥þ³¡¡A·í²ïY©M¦oªº¥À¿Ë«Ü§Ö¦a¹ï°ò¦ªº¦w¥þ³Q´ç²îªº®ÉÔª½¨ì±¡§Î¥i¯à³Q²M°£ªº¡C
Another AC-30 dipped down over the island. It coursed the island's entire
length in a simulated flashbomb run, then ripped high back into the sky.
A brilliant and lethal display, the show of firepower and resilience.
/ ¥t¥~ AC-30 ¤U¨Ó¹M¤Î®q®û¡C ¥¦½Òµ{¤F³Q¼ÒÀÀªº flashbomb ªº®q¾ãÓªºªø«×©b¶],µM«á¶i¤J¤ÑªÅ¤§¤º°ª«×¦a¦V«á¦a¼¹¶}¡C ¤@ÓÀéÄꪺ©MP©Rªº®iÄý,¤õ¤O©M¼u©Ê¯àªºªíºt¡C
Proof that if anything, they had tenacity. That and courage, and strength
in numbers. / ÃÒ©ú¦pªG¥ô¦ó¨Æ,¥L̦³¤F©T°õ¡C ¨º©M«i®ð , ©M¼Æ¦rªº¤O¶q¡C
On both sides of the war. / ¦b¨âªÌ¾Ôª§ªºÃä¤W¡C
In time, it was able to twist and wind its way back into its domain, and
settled there, like poison sifting down into a pristine lake. It was burning,
coiling turbulently, enlightened. It was excited, and impatient. / ¤Î®É¡A¥¦¯à°÷¶i¤J¥¦ªº»â°ì¤§¤ºÀ¾¦Ó¥B§â¥¦ªº¤èªkÂà°Ê¦^¨Ó,
¦Ó¥B¦b¨º¸Ì¦w¹y,¹³¶i¤J¤@Óì¨Óªº´ò¤§¤º¿z¼»¤U¨Óªº¬rÃÄ¡C ¥¦¥¿¦b¿U¿N,¨g¼É¦a½L¶,³Q±Òµoªº¡C ¥¦³Q¨ë¿Eªº, ©M¤£@·Ð¡C
Berg Katse had long sensed its approach as the change ebbed its way through
her body, and like the change it was slow, growing as the maleness dwindled
inside of her, pooling as her body filled out in languid curves, warmth
rolling under her skin in libertine waves. The change came in calm rhythms,
sometimes painful, mostly not, in the count of the cycles written by her
master, her mentor, heart, creator, lover. She waited, building inside,
changing inside, as it rolled home and coalesced against her skin. / ¦B¤s
Katse ¤w¸g³Q¤[¬ï¶V·Pı¦p§ïÅÜ ebbed ªº¥¦¤è¦¡¥¦ªº¤èªk¦oªº¨Åé, ¦Ó¥B³ßÅw§ïÅÜ¥¦ºC, ¼W¥[·í¦o¨k©Ê´î¤Ö¶i¸Ì±¤§®É,§iµo¦p¦oªº¦b¯hªº¦±½u¤¤³Q¶ñ¼gªº¨Åé¡A©ñ¿ºªÌªi®öªº¦b¦o¥Ö½§¤U±ªº·Å·xºu°Ê¡C
§ïÅܶi¨Ó¥ÀRªº±Û«ß, ¦³®ÉµhWªº, ¤j³¡¥÷¤£,¦b³Q¦oªº¥D¤H,¦oªº¨}®v¡A¤ß¡A³Ð«ØªÌ¡A·R¤H¼gªº©P´Áp¼Æ¤¤¡C ¦o³Qµ¥Ô,«Ø¿v¤º³¡,§ïÅܤº³¡, ·í°µ¥¦±²®a¦Ó¥B¦X¨Ö¹ï§Ü¦oªº¥Ö½§¡C
It twined around her hair, feathered over her breasts, brushed over and
under the robes dressing her thin frame with long and dissolute waves
before curling back into its void. Eyes as vulpine as an October moon
beheld her, and it spoke. / ¥¦¦b¦oªºÀY¾v©P³ò·b,¦b¦oªº¯Ý³¡¤§¤W¥Î¦Ð¤òÂл\,¦b±²¦±ªð¦^¥¦ªºªÅµê¤§«e¦b©M¤§¤W¼eÃPªø³T¬ï¦ç¤§¤U²¨¨ê©Mªøªº©M©ñ¿ºªºªi®ö¦o½GªºÅé®æ¡C
²´·ú¦pª°¯Wªº¦p¤ë«G¤Q¤ë¬Ý¦o¡A¦Ó¥B¥¦»¡¡C
"It doesn't matter," Katse replied softly, her uncovered eyes
sparkling in its light, her hair fanning down her back in long golden
waves, her voice the soft breath of a child's. "Everything you wanted
will be ready soon. We have time; they do not." She smiled gently,
lovingly. / " ¥¦¤£¦³«¤jÃö«Y ",Katse ¬X©M¦aµªÂÐ,¦o´¦¥Ü¤F¦b¥¦ªº¿O¡A¦oªº¦bªøª÷ªi®ö¤¤¦V«á¦aݵ¤U¨Ó¦oªºÀY¾v¤¤°{Ã{ªº²´·ú,
¦oªºÁnµ«Ä¤lªº³n©I§l¡C "§A·Qnªº¨C¥ó¨Æª«±N¹w¥ý«Ü§Ö¡C §Ú̦³®É¶¡; ¥L̤£¡C"¦o³vº¥¦a·L¯º,Áé·R¦a¡C
For their time was indeed very, very, short. / ¥L̪º®É¶¡¬Oªº½T«D±`«D±`,µu¡C
And the whole world was destined to fall into her hands. / ¦Ó¥B¾ãÓ¥@¬Éµù©wn±¼¤J¦oªº¤â¡C
It was eight-thirty, the moon was riding full and high over the needle
of the Trans America building, and the interior of the Shiratori was as
empty as a desert ghost town. / ¥¦¬O¤K - ¤T¤Q, ¤ë«G¥¿¦bÃM¦b Trans ¬ü°ê«Ø¿vª«ªº°w¤W¥þ³¡©M°ª«×¡A¦Ó¥B
Shiratori ªº¤º³¡¬O¹³¤@Ó¯îíuªº¼o±ó¥«Âí¤@¼ËªºªÅ¡C
The two G-Forcer pilots stood on the iron balcony of the fire escape,
long into the case of Samuel Adams between them. Behind them the loft
was dark, the bar below closed until further notice, the sidewalks outside
nearly deserted. / ¦b¤Ó¥ªùªºÅK¶§¥x¤W³Q¯¸¥ßªº¤G¦ì G- Forcer ªº¸¦æû,¶i¤J¦b¥L̤§¶¡ªº¶ëÁ[º¸¨È·íªº±¡§Î¤§¤º´÷±æ¡C
¦b¥LÌ«á±³»¼Ó«Ü¶Â·t,¤U±ªº°s§aÃö³¬¨ì¤ñ¸û¶i¤@¨Bªºª`·N, ¤H¦æ¹D¥~±´X¥G¼o±óªº¡C
Mareccu gingerly moved down for another bottle, pressing one hand against
the suturing holding his abdomen in. The medics had warned him against
drinking, but the hell with them- his hybrid lineage allowed for more
than the usual man's capacity for hard booze, and beer barely made a dent.
Almost ironic, how he was able to drink both Jay and Rob clean under the
table. Funny thing. He twisted the cap off with an almost angry motion
and sent the metal flying across the alley with a snap of his fingers,
hearing it ricochet off somewhere in the darkness. There were times when
he wished he could get so wasted that he could barely stand up, numb himself
until he could forget, if only for a little while. But he wouldn't, even
if he could. Duty, demand, and combat precision, always needed unburdened
in war. / Mareccu ¤p¤ßÁlÁl¦a¬°¥t¤@¤ä²~¤l²¾°Ê¤U¨Ó,À£¢¹ï§Ü¨ºÁ_¦Xªº¤@°¦¤â´¤¦í¥Lªº¸¡³¡¶i¤J¡C `½¶ÄÝ´Óª«¤w¸gĵ§i¥L¤£n³Ü,
¦ý¬O¦aº»¥Ñ©ó¥LÌ- ¥Lªº²V¦X¦å²Î¦Ò¼{¨ì¶W¹L¥±`ªº¨k¤H¯à¤O¦]¬°§V¤O¦a»¨¶¼,¦Ó¥B°à°s´X¥G»s³y¤F¤@Ó¥W²ª¡C ´X¥G§N¼J, ¥L¯à°÷³Üªº¤è¦¡¨âªÌªº³¾¦Ó¥B·m¹Ü¦b®à¤l¤§¤U²M²z¡C
¦n¯ºªº¨Æª«¡C ¥L¨«¶}¥H¤@Ó´X¥G¥Í®ðªº¹B°ÊÀ¾¤FµLÃä´U¦Ó¥B°e¤F¾î¹L¸©M¥Lªº¤â«ü¤jÁn¥w½|ªº¤p¸ôª÷ÄÝ, Å¥¥¦¸õÂ÷¶}¬Y³B¦b¶Â·t¤è±¡C ¦³¥LÄ@ªº®É¥N¥L·|¦p¦¹ªº®ö¶O¥HP©ó¥LµLªk¯¸°_¨Ó,
¨Ï¥L¦Û¤v³Â¤ìª½¨ì¥L·|§Ñ°O, ¦pªG¥u¦³¤p¤pªº¤@·|¨à¡C ¦ý¬O¥L¤£±N·|,§Y¨Ï¥L¥i¥H¡C ³d¥ô¡An¨D©M¾Ô°«ºë±K, Á`¬O»Ýn¦b¾Ôª§¤¤¨ø³f¡C
Earlier he had gone after Key and found him still sitting on Kelley's
grave, cemetery flowers and trees swaying under the coastal winds that
carried rain and fog so much like the Marjillian high range climates before
the snows. Found him and stayed beside him in silence, patiently waiting.
When Key finally did rise to meet his commander's eyes, Mareccu had seen
something in his that was similar to the mixture of grief and pain that
not only rode in Jay's but in his own as well. Coldness, and maybe even
hate, he knew, would come in time. There was only unbearable pain from
loss for now, like raw steel ready to be forged into the cutting blade.
Why, Key had asked, and he had no idea how to adequately answer¡Kfate,
chance, the misfortune of being caught in mistaken identity...and something
hard had bitten inside. Jun had been meant the entire time, they all knew
it, and nothing would ever erase the remorse or guilt, or blind the hindsight.
/ ¦¨Ç®ÉÔ¥L¤w¸g¤´µM°l¨DÆ_°Í¦Ó¥Bµo²{¥L¦b³ÍµÜªº¹Ó¥Þ¤Wªº®y¦ì¦w±Æ, ¹Ó¦a¦bÄâ±a¤F«B¡A¦Ó¥B³QÃúÅ¢¸nªº®ü©¤·¤§¤U¶}ªá¦Ó¥Bª¦¤W¾ð·n°Ê³o»ò¦h¹³ Marjillian
°ª«×±Æ¦C¦b³·«eªº®ðÔ¡C ¦b¥L®ÇÃä¦b¨HÀq¤è±µo²{¥L¦Ó¥B°±¯d,§Ô@¦aµ¥Ô¡C ·íÆ_°Í³Ì«á½T¹ê¤W¤É¹J¨£¥Lªº«ü´§©xªº²´·ú®ÉÔ, Mareccu ¤w¸g¨£¨ì¬Y¨Æ¦b¥Lªºþ¤@»P¶Ëµhªº²V¦XÃþ¦ü¦Ó¥BµhW¤£¥u·f¼³¾¦ý¬O¦b¥L¦Û¤vªº¤]¡C
´H§N, ¦Ó¥B¤]³\¬Æ¦Ü¼¨«ë,¥Lª¾¹D, ±N·|¤Î®É¨Ó¡C ¥u¦³¨Ó¦Û·l¥¢ªºµLªk§Ô¨üªºµhW²{¦b,¹³¥Íªº¦×¿û¶i¤J¾U§Qªº¤M¾W¤§¤º¹w³Æ·í°°³y¡C ¬°¤°»ò,Æ_°Í¤w¸g°Ý¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¨S¦³·Qªk¸Ó¦p¦ó¨¬°÷¦a¦^µª¡K©R¹B¡A¾÷·|¡A¦b¥Ç¿ùªº¨¥÷¤¤³Q§ä¥Xªº¤£©¯¡C¡C¡C¦Ó¥B¬Y¨Æ¤w¸g§V¤O¦a«r¶i¸Ì±¡C
¤»¤ë¤w¸g³Q·N¿×¾ãÓªº®É¶¡, ¥LÌ¥þ³¡ª¾¹D¥¦,¦Ó¥B¨S¨Æ´¿¸g±N·|©Ù±¼¾Ò®¬©Î¸o¦æ , ©Îª¼¤Hºjªº·Óªù¡C
"God help me, I'm so afraid for them," Rob was saying. "But
where else can they stay...hide, but Crescent Coral? What if it comes
back after Allie and Sara besides us?" He was trembling, rage and
fear bubbling to the surface, his hand shaking horribly as he held the
bottle's neck to take another drink. / " ¤W«ÒÀ°§U§Ú,§Ú¹ï¥L̬O¦p¦¹®`©È ",
·m¹Ü¥¿¦b»¡¡C " ¦ý¬O¦bþ¸Ì§Oªº¥L̯ఱ¯d¶Ü¡C¡C¡CÃ~¥Ö , ¦ý¬O·s¤ë§Îªº¬À·ä? ¤°»ò¦pªG¥¦¦b°£¤F§ÚÌ¥H¥~ªº Allie ©M²ïY¤§«á¦^¨Ó?"
¥L¬Oµo§Ýªº,¼««ã©M¹ïªí±°_ªwªº®£Äß, ¥Lªº¤â¥i©È¦a·n°Ê·í¥L®³µÛ¤F²~¤lªº²ä¤l±a¥t¤@ºØ¶¼®Æ¤§®É¡C
"I don't know ," Mareccu softly replied. Oh damn me, that is
so weak- I can't do any better? He's right. It's always been borrowed
time, only now we're smart enough to know it. But what can we do- we can't
predict how they think or how they move. All we can do is try to be ready
for the next disaster, and try to make sense of the ones that hit despite
anything we do. Suddenly the ale felt nauseating to him. / " §Ú¤£ª¾¹D
",Mareccu ¬X©M¦aµªÂСC ®@¶A©G§Ú, ¨º¬O¦p¦¹®z- §Ú¦n¤@ÂI¤£¯à°µ? ¥L¬O¥¿½Tªº¡C ¥¦Á`¬O³Q¬O¾l¥Í,¥u¦³²{¦b§ÚÌ°÷Áo©ú¨Óª¾¹D¥¦¡C
¦ý¬O§Ú̯వ¤°»ò-§Ṳ́£¯à¹w´ú¥L̦p¦ó·Q©ÎªÌ¥L̦p¦ó²¾°Ê¡C ¥þ³¡§Ú̯వ¬O¹Á¸Õ¬°¤U¨aº×°µ¦n·Ç³Æ, ¦Ó¥B¸ÕµÛ¤F¸Ñ¤@¨Ç¸I¼²¾¨ºÞ¥ô¦ó¨Æ§ÚÌ°µ¡C ¬ðµM³Á°s¹ï¥Lı±o§@¹Ã¡C
"I don't even want to think about it. Losing everything, losing Allie...I
don't know if I could handle it. Four years ago I thought I was out of
my fucking mind when I proposed, did you know that? I wouldn't have even
let myself fall in love with her if she hadn't been so patient with me
and this job...but she understands. She knew what could happen, but up
until two months ago she didn¡¦t let it eat at her. But now Kelley is gone
and we¡¦re so bloody damn scared because now they¡¦re targets too, and I
know it's even worse for you-" / "§Ú¬Æ¦Ü¤£·Qn·Q¥¦¡C ¥¢¥h¨C¥ó¨Æª«,¥¢¥h Allie¡C¡C¡C¬O§_§Ú¥i¥H³B²z¥¦¡A§Ú¤£ª¾¹D¡C
¦b¥|¦~¥H«e§Ú»{¬°¡A·í§Ú´£Ä³ªº®ÉÔ¡A§Ú¶W¥X§Ú©Ê¥æ¤ß,§Aª¾¹D¨º¶Ü? §Ú¬Æ¦Ü±N·|¨S¦³Åý§Ú¦Û¤v·R¤W¦o°²¦p¦o¤£¹ï§Ú©M³o¤@Ó¤u§@·P¨ì¦p¦¹§Ô@¡C¡C¡C¦ý¬O¦o¤F¸Ñ¡C
¦oª¾¹D¥i¥Hµo¥Í, ¦ý¬O´£°ªªºªF¦èª½¨ì¦b¤GÓ¤ë¥H«e¦o¦b¦o¨S¦³Åý¥¦¦Y¡C ¦ý¬O²{¦b³ÍµÜ¤£¨£¤F¡A¦Ó¥B§Ú̬O¦p¦¹¦å¸{¤@ÂIÅåÀ~¡A¦]¬°²{¦b¥L̤]¬O¥Ø¼Ð¡A¦Ó¥B§Úª¾¹D¥¦¬Æ¦Ü§ó§óÃaªº¨Æµ¹§A-"
"It is," Mareccu wearily admitted. "Nothing I want to go
through again." / " ¥¦¬O ",Mareccu ¯h¦a©Ó»{¡C " §Ú©Ò·Qnªº³£¤£¦A¤@¦¸¥h¹L".
Rob had never seen him look so old and tired in his entire life, and the
sight sent alarmed flashes down his hardwiring. "Again?" he
asked in a small voice, shocked at his commander's comment. "But
I thought-" / ¦b¥Lªº¾ãӥͬ¡¤è±±q¤£·m¹Ü¦³¨£¨ì¥L¬Ý°_¨Ó¦p¦¹Â©M¯h²Ö¡A¦Ó¥B°eªºµø¤O§â°{¥ú¥Lªº hardwiring Åå·W¤U¨Ó¡C
" ¦A¤@¦¸ "? ¥L¦b¤@ºØ¤pªºÁnµ¤¤°Ý,¦b¥Lªº«ü´§©xªº·N¨£¾_°Ê¡C "¦ý¬O§Ú·Q-"
Mareccu wry sideways smile carried faint amusement at Rob's reaction.
"That Jun was my first? What, all of you think I'd just fallen off
the hayrack? Shit, Robbie..." / §á¬nªº Mareccu ³ÄÃ䪺·L¯ºÄâ±a¤F·L®zªº®T¼Ö¦b·m¹Ü¤ÏÀ³¡C "¨º¤»¤ë¬O§Úªº²Ä¤@?
¤°»ò,§A¥þ³¡»{¬°§Úèè¤~±q hayrack ¶^¤U¨Ó? ÁT,Robbie¡C¡C¡C"
Rob closed his mouth with a snap. If it weren't for the gravity of the
month¡¦s events it would have been almost comical. / ·m¹Ü¥Î¤jÁn¥w½|Ãö³¬¥Lªº¼L¡C ¦pªG¤£¬O¤ëªº¨Æ¥ó¦a¤ß¤Þ¤O¥¦´X¥G¦n¯º¡C
"Jun once asked me why I had taken so long." He gave a soft
laugh, heavy with regret. "At the time I almost told her. I eventually
did, but it didn't change anything. She's like Allie, she understands.
We trust each other in our abilities, enough to not be afraid for each
other when its time to fight, and no- I do worry," he broke, as if
blocking the outburst that he knew was going to cave out of his helmsman.
"But we both know that if we let it dominate then it's all over.
For her, for me, for our work, and we'll both get killed. I'm no stranger
to this, and neither is she. We've been here before." / " ¤»¤ë´¿¸g°Ý¤F§Ú
, §Ú¬°¤°»ò¤w¸g®³¦p¦¹ªº¤[ " ¡C ¥Lµ¹¤©¤F¤@Án³nªº¯º, «ªº¥Ñ©ó¿ò¾Ñ¡C "·í§Ú´X¥G§i¶D¤F¦oªº®ÉÔ¡C §Ú³Ì«á°µ¡A¦ý¬O¥¦¨S¦³§ïÅÜ¥ô¦ó¨Æ¡C
¦o¹³ Allie,¦o¤F¸Ñ¡C §ÚÌ«H¿à§Ú̪º¯à¤O©¼¦¹, ¥R¨¬ªº¨ì¤£¬°©¼¦¹®`©È·í¥¦ªº®É¶¡¹ï§Ü, ©M¤£- §Ú°µ·Ð´o,"¥LÂ_±¼,¦n¹³ªýÂ_¥Lª¾¹DªºÃzµo±Nn¥W³´Â÷¥Lªº²ë¤â¡C
"¦ý¬O§ÚÌdz£ª¾¹D¡A¦pªG§ÚÌÅý¥¦¤ä°t , ¨º»ò¥¦¥þ³¡µ²§ô¡C ¬°¦o¡A¬°§Ú¡A¹ï©ó§Ú̪º¤u§@¡A¦Ó¥B§Ų́âÓ±N±o¨ì±þ¡C §Ú¤£¬O¯¥Í¤H¨ì³o¡A¦Ó¥B¦o¤]¤£¬O¡C
§ÚÌ¥H«e¤w¸g¦b³o¸Ì¡C"
Rob slowly nodded, remembering how Jun had to destroy a lover she'd known
long before, when he had returned revealed as a Gallactor Blackbird. How
much had that ripped her apart? He had no real way of knowing, but he
remembered how she didn't want to be talked to, touched, or even looked
at, by any of them, or anybody, for weeks afterward. / ·m¹Ü±oºCºCÂIÀY, °O±o·í¥L¤w¸gÂkÁÙÅã¥Ü¦p¤@Ó
Gallactor ¤s³¾Ãþªº®ÉÔ¤»¤ë¥²¶·¦p¦ó¯}Ãa¦o¤w¸g¥H«e¤[ª¾¹Dªº¤@Ó·R¤H¡C ¦h¤Ö¦³¨º¤À§O¦a¼¹¶}¤F¦o? ¥L¨S¦³ª¾¹Dªº¯u¥¿¤èªk¡A¦ý¬O¥L°O±o¦o¦p¦ó¨S¦³·Qn·í»¡¸Ü¨ì,±µÄ²,
©Î¬Æ¦Ü¬Ý,ÂǵۥL̤§¤¤ªº¥ô¦ó¤@Ó, ©Î¥ô¦ó¤H, ªø¹F¼ÆÓ¬P´Á¤§¤[µM«á¡C
Mareccu's gaze traveled far out over the street and the canyons of high-rises
dominating the skyline, where the fog was beginning to coast inland and
twine around the buildings like a gray blanket over the sleeping. Pain
sifted across his features. / Mareccu's ªºª`µø¹M¤Îµó¹D©M¤ä°t¤Ñ²Pªº°ª¼Ó®l¨¦¦b¥~»»»·¦a®È¦æ, Ãú¥¿¦b¶}©l¦b¤º³°ªu®ü©¤¦Ó¦æ¦Ó¥B¦b«Ø¿vª«ªº©P³ò·b³ßÅw¦bºÎ¯v¤Wªº¤@±ø¦Ç¦âªº¤ò´à¡C
µhW¶V¹L¥Lªº¯S¼x¿z¼»¡C
"A year before Anderson called us in for cerebonic fitting and the
formation of the squad, I was stationed on the Stennis out of Coronado,
part of the new 24th tactical wing. One of the other pilots was Michelle
Kim, a lieutenant like me." / "¦w¼w»¹¤§«eªº¤@¦~¬° cerebonic ÁܽЧŲ́Ӱt¥ó©M¤p¶¤ªº§Î¦¨,§Ú±q
Coronado ³Q¸m©ó Stennis, ·s¤Hªº³¡¥÷²Ä 24°¦¾Ô³Nªº¯Í»H¡C ¨ä¥L¸¦æû¤§¤@¬O»e³·¨à¦N©i , ¹³§Ú¤@¼Ëªº¤@Ó¤¤±L¡C"
He turned back towards Rob, expression frank and a breadth amazed from
the memory of actions and times before, the look of I can't believe I
did that, and he unhesitantly went on. "Now you'd think, that on
a carrier two people couldn't find an ounce of privacy anywhere. But we
did- we could love each other in peace and quiet, and she taught me more
about living than I could ever dream of in places that she knew on that
boat. Any doubts or hesitation?" He grinned, slow and easy. "I
was too young to care, or maybe too stupid, but I loved her for it. She
was dear." / ¥L§é¦^¦V·m¹Ü,©Z¥Õªºªí¹F©M¥H«e±q¦æ°Ê©M®É¥Nªº°O¾Ð¦YÅ媺¼e«×,§Úªº¯«±¡¤£¯à¬Û«H¡A§Ú°µ¤F¨º¡A¦Ó¥B¥L¤£¿ðºÃ¦aÄ~Äò¡C
"²{¦b§A±N·|·Q, ¨º¦b¤@Ó¹B°eªÌ¨¤W¤GÓ¤HµLªkµo²{Áô¨pªº¯s¥q¥ô¦ó¦a¤è¡C ¦ý¬O§ÚÌ°µ-§ÚÌ¥i¥H·R©M¥©M¦wÀRªº©¼¦¹¡A¦Ó¥B¦oÃö©ó¦í¦h±Ð§Ú³Ó©ó§Ú´¿¸g¥i¥H¦b¦o¦b¨º¤@¿´²î¤Wª¾¹Dªº¦a¤è¤¤¹Ú¨ì¡C
¥ô¦óªºÃhºÃ©Î¼È°±?"¥LÅS¾¦¦Ó¯º, ºC¦a©M®e©öªº¡C "§Ú¬O¤Ó¦~»´¦ÓµLªkÃö¤ß, ©Î¤]³\¤Ó·MÄø,¦ý¬O§Ú¬°¥¦·R¦o¡C ¦o¬O¿Ë·Rªº¡C"
Then his smile slowly died, and his eyes were suddenly far off again,
miles away, decades older. "One day I'm out on the deck watching
her roll down for a landing when suddenly there's a huge blowout in her
port engine. I could hear the air boss over the comm, calling her to restart
the cell and power up, but she can't, she's too low already. Screaming
at her to 'power, power, eject, eject'..." / µM«á¥Lªº·L¯ººCºC¦a¦º¡A¦Ó¥B¥Lªº²´·ú¬ðµM¬O»·ªºÂ÷¶}¦A¤@¦¸,ù¤§»·,¤Q¦~¸ê²`ªÌ¡C
"·í¬ðµM¦³¦oªº´ä¤f¤ÞÀºªº¤@Ó·¥¤jªºÃzµõ¡A¦³¤@¤Ñ§Ú¦b¥ÒªO¤W¥~¥X¹ï©óµn³°¬Ý¦oªº±²ª«åP¸¨¡C §Ú¥i¥H¦b comm ¤§¤WÅ¥¨ìªÅ®ð«ü´§, ©I¥s¦o«·s¶}©l²ÓM¦Ó¥B¦³¤O¶q¦b,¤W±¦ý¬O¦o¤£¯à,¦o¤w¸g¤Ó§C¡C
¦b¦o¦y¥s¨ì '¤O¶q,¨Ï, ¦³¤O¶q³v©ñ,³v©ñ'.¡C¡C"
Rob stood frozen. All the world and time had ground to a crashing stop.
/ ·m¹Ü¯¸µÛáµ²ªº¡C ©Ò¦³ªº¥@¬É©M®É¶¡¤w¸g¿i¨ì¤@Óµ´¹ïªº°±¤î¡C
"Her ship flipped down into the water and broke apart on impact,"
Mareccu finished with flat finality. "And all I could do was stand
there and watch her die." / " ¦oªº²î¶i¤J¤ô¤§¤º¥Î«üÀY¼u¤U¨Ó¦Ó¥B¦b½ÄÀ»¤W¤À§O¦aÂ_±¼ ",Mareccu
¥Î§¹¥©Zªº³Ì«á¡C " ¦Ó¥B¥þ³¡§Ú¥i¥H°µ¦b¨º¸Ì¬O»O¤l¦Ó¥B¬Ý¦oªº»ë¤l".
For a long time they stood in silence, Rob not able to think of anything
to say. Mareccu leaned against the railing, holding his forgotten bottle
of beer loosely over the side, staring emptily out over the street and
the people walking along it. / ¦³«Üªøªº¤@¬q®É¶¡¥L̦b¨HÀq¤è±¯¸¥ß, ·m¹Ü¤£¬OÁo©ú·Q¨ì¥ô¦ó¨Æ»¡¡C Mareccu
ʾa§ß¤â,ÃP¦¢¦a¹M¤ÎÃä´¤¦í°à°sªº¥L§Ñ°O²~¤l¡AªuµÛ¥¦¦bµó¹D©M¤H¤§¤W¦b¥~ªÅµê¦aª`µø¨B¦æ¡C
"It's not going to get any easier, is it?" Rob said weakly.
Mareccu thought about it for a moment, trying to find any portent of hope
or optimism possible on the horizon, then finally shook his head, seeing
none. / "¥¦¤£±NÅܱo¤ñ¸û®e©ö, ¬O¥¦"? ·L®z¦a·m¹Ü»¡¡C Mareccu ·Q¥¦¤@·|¨à, ¹Á¸Õµo²{¥ô¦ó§Æ±æ©ÎªÌ¼ÖÆ[¥D¸qªº«e¥ü¥i¯àªº§Y±N
,µM«á³Ì«á·nÀY,¨£¨ì¨S¦³¤H¡C
Standing against the railing, he suddenly let the bottle slip through
his fingertips over the edge. The half-empty bottle dropped, seemed to
descend for years like the last seconds of a bridge-jumping suicide's
awareness, then crashed on the ground in a wide splattering explosion
of dusk brown shards and foam. It shattered like the flashburns of bombs
and missiles they'd seen impact the land below, shattered like the white
firestorm that had rolled across the sky in a continent-wide flash that
burned his eyes and his father all at once. / ¯¸¥ß¹ï§Ü§ß¤â,¥L¬ðµM¸g¹L¦bÃä½t¤Wªº¥L«ü¦yÅý²~¤l·Æ¡C
¤@¥b- ªÅªº²~¤l°§C,¦ü¥G¹³³Ì«á¬íªº¤@Ó¸õÅD¾ôªº¦Û±þı¹î°ªø¹F¼Æ¦~¤§¤[,µM«á¦b¼eªº¨Ï¤ôµ¥¸ÂqÁ¡¼Ç½Å¦â¸H¤ù©MªwªjªºÃz¬µ¦a±¤W¼Y·´¡C ¥¦¹³¬µ¼uªº
flashburns ¥´¸H¡A¦Ó¥B¥L̤w¸g¨£¨ìªº¦b¤U±¼vÅT¤g¦a, ¹³¤w¸g¾î¹L±²¬ðµM¿U¿N¤F¥Lªº²´·ú©M¥Lªº¤÷¿Ë¤j³°- ¼sªxªº°{¥ú¤ÑªÅªº¥Õ¦â¤jÃzµo¥´¸H¡C
"No," Mareccu said softly to himself, the premonition growing
more and more apparent by the moment. / " ¤£ " ¡A Mareccu ¬X©M¦a¹ï¥L¦Û¤v»¡,
¶V¨Ó¶V¼W¥[ªº¹w§i©úÅ㪺¦b¤ù¨è¤§«e¡C
"No, it won't." / "¤£, ¥¦¤£±N".
*****
c KFM January 1996, March 2002 Disturbed World Productions/Canon Fodder,
Inc. / c KFM 1996 ¦~¤@¤ë,2002 ¦~¤T¤ë ÂZ¶Ãªº¥@¬É»s³y/¤é¥»¨Î¯à¤½¥q°¨®Æ,¤½¥q
¡m¦^¤W¤@¶¡n
¡@
|