jefflong.yearzero-第2部分

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ties。　They　were　prosperous　and　deeply　rooted　here。　Their　villas　had　mosaic　floors　and　windows　that　looked　out　onto　the　oases。　Then　suddenly　one　day　they　were　gone。〃
　〃Was　there　a　war？〃　asked　the　engineer。
　〃There　are　no　signs　of　violence；　no　layers　of　ash。〃
　The　engineer　gestured　at　the　landscape　beneath　them。　〃An　earthquake；　perhaps。〃
　〃The　villas　were　left　standing。　Herders　use　them　to　shelter　their　goats。〃
　〃What　happened　then？〃
　〃Some　small　thing；　probably。　A　gap　in　their　rhythm。　Maybe　a　crop　went　wrong。　Or　an　irrigation　canal　ruptured；　or　they　had　a　cold　winter　or　a　dry　summer。　Maybe　insects　came。　Or　a　rat　with　a　flea　with　some　exotic　flu。　Civilizations　are　such　fragile　things。〃
　Someone　across　the　aisle　called　out；　〃Damascus；〃　and　they　all　looked　out　the　windows。　It　was　no　different　from　Halab　and　Hims　and　other　cities　along　the　way。　From　this　height；　except　for　the　outer　ring　of　refugee　camps；　Nathan　Lee　would　have　guessed　the　city　had　been　extinct　for　centuries。　It　resembled　a　thousand　other　Levantinetels；　one　more　gray　pile　of　history　and　dust。〃Allah　irrahamhum；〃　one　of　the　Iraqi　physicians　declared。May　God　be　passionate　to　them。
　They　left　the　sight　behind。　The　engineer　resumed。　〃Why　e　at　this　time；　when　the　catastrophe　is　so　fresh？〃　he　asked。　〃And　why　Jerusalem？〃
　Nathan　Lee　shifted　his　eyes　away。　Ochs　answered。　〃The　awful　truth　is；〃　he　solemnly　confessed；　〃opportunity。　With　the　city　turned　inside　out；　the　past　lies　bared。　In　a　sense；　we're　here　to　conduct　an　autopsy。〃
　〃You　intend　to　go　into　the　remains？〃　the　engineer　asked。　〃It　will　be　very　dangerous。　The　aftershocks。　The　outbreak　of　disease。　It's　been　over　seven　days。　By　now；　the　dogs　will　all　be　rabid。　It　won't　be　safe　until　the　engineers　have　leveled　it。〃
　〃Precisely　why　we're　racing　to　get　there；〃　said　Ochs；　〃before　you　acplish　your　work。〃
　The　engineer　took　it　as　a　pliment。　〃Of　course；〃　he　said。　〃And　the　body　bags？〃
　〃Our　small　gift；〃　said　Ochs。
　〃But　you　mustn't　feel　guilty；〃　the　engineer　said　to　Nathan　Lee。
　〃Guilty？〃
　〃It　is　written　on　your　face。〃
　〃Never　mind　him；〃　Ochs　said　to　the　engineer。
　But　the　engineer　was　a　passionate　soul；　and　now　he　liked　Nathan　Lee。　He　gestured　at　the　other　passengers。　〃Each　of　us　bears　a　special　talent。　Some　go　to　feed　the　people；　some　to　heal；　some　to　handle　the　dead。　I　go　to　plete　the　destruction　with　bulldozers　and　plastique　so　that　the　rebuilding　may　begin。　And　you　are　here　to　find　meaning　in　the　bones。　Be　strong；　young　man。　It　takes　great　love　to　make　sense　of　God's　revenge。〃
　Nathan　Lee　wasn't　sure　how　to　respond。　〃Thank　you；〃　he　said。
　　
　NEARINGISRAEL；　THE　FLYING　CHANGED。　Wild　thermals　prowled　above　the　desert　sands。　The　pilots　tried　in　vain　to　evade　the　worst　of　it。　Their　blades　chopped　at　the　thermals。　The　thermals　chopped　right　back　at　them。　The　helicopter　shuddered　and　bucked；　pitching　savagely。　Far　below；　spontaneous　whirlwinds　leapt　about；　writing　wild；　cryptic　letters　in　the　sand。
　They　dodged　to　the　side；　the　pilots　searching　for　a　slipstream　through　the　thermals。　No　dice。　When　the　thermals　weren't　hurling　them　sunward；　they　were　plunging　into　troughs　and　crawling　for　altitude。　Strapped　tight；　the　passengers　suffered　their　brutal　entry　into　the　Holy　Lands。　Ochs　vomited　on　the　floor。　Nathan　Lee　offered　no　sympathy。　They　didn't　belong　here。　This　was　the　professor's　idea。　Soon　the　floor　was　slick　with　last　suppers。
　Nathan　Lee　pressed　the　wire　rims　onto　the　bridge　of　his　nose　and　closed　his　eyes。　He　thought　of　Grace。　His　seasickness　ebbed。　Who　would　she　take　after？　Honey…haired　Lydia　for　looks；　he　prayed。　He　saw　himself　as　a　plain　man。　His　face　was　thin；　his　eyes　were　narrow。　He　still　could　not　reckon　why　Lydia　had　chosen　his　tent　that　night。　Maybe　it　had　been　the　full　moon；　or　she'd　just　wanted　to　add　a　nomad　to　her　list。　Even　among　the　eccentrics　camped　out　in　the　anthro　department；　Nathan　Lee　was　notorious。　He'd　been　known　to　hunt　and　butcher　game　with　neolithic　flints。
　Nathan　Lee　did　hope　their　daughter　might　acquire　something　from　his　side　of　the　equation；　a　bit　of　pig　iron　to　temper　Lydia's　mercury。　Or　acid；　as　it　were。　The　honeymoon　was　over。　His　hot…blooded　desert　lover　had　turned　cold；　and　modern。　She　required　110　volts　twenty…four　hours　a　day；　it　turned　out；　for　everything　from　her　hair　drier　to　her　cellphone。　Their　wedding　night　had　been　invested　in　a　discussion　about　money。　She　was　going　for　her　MBA。　He　was　going　for。。。Jerusalem。
　At　last　they　topped　the　Golan　Heights　and　left　behind　the　desert　thermals。　But　as　they　entered　the　great；　long　trough　of　the　Dead　Sea　Rift；　Nathan　Lee　saw　the　destruction　was　only　beginning。　By　this　time　every　schoolchild　knew　from　television　that　800；000　megatons　of　energy　had　been　released　by　the　quake；　1；600　times　more　than　all　the　nuclear　explosions　in　war　and　peace　bined。　Tsunamis　had　erased　the　Gaza　Strip。　Like　ancient　Alexandria；　Tel　Aviv　lay　submerged　beneath　the　Mediterranean。　The　Sea　of　Galilee　had　emptied；　flooding　the　Jordan　River。　The　floor　of　the　Dead　Sea　had　dropped　fifty　feet。　Its　waters　reached　halfway　to　the　Gulf　of　Aqaba。
　The　cargo　bay　had　no　air　conditioning。　They　steadily　descended　below　sea　level　between　raw　limestone　walls。　To　their　right　and　left；　roads　and　pathways　terminated　in　midair。　It　was　spring。　The　trees　were　budding　green。　Lambs　bounded　to　their　mothers。　Finally　they　turned　west　and　climbed　out　of　the　depths。
　The　wreck　of　Jerusalem　lay　before　them。　Unlike　the　Syrian　cities；　it　was　still　in　its　death　throes。　Inky　smoke　hung　above　the　ruins。　Where　gas　lines　had　ruptured；　columns　of　flame　lanced　the　sky。
　Ochs　thumped　Nathan　Lee's　knee　with　an　immense　bear　paw。　He　was　elated。　Nathan　Lee　was　shocked。
　〃Haram；〃murmured　Nathan　Lee。　The　term　was　universal　in　this　part　of　the　world。　It　meantforbidden　orpity。　More　classically；　it　meant　tomb。
　The　engineer　heard　him。　Their　eyes　met。　For　some　reason　he　gave　him　a　blessing。　〃Keep　your　heart　pure　in　there。〃
　Nathan　Lee　looked　away。
　The　ship　flickered　from　place　to　place　along　the　wracked　perimeter。　White　tents　flashed　beneath　them　bearing　Red　Crosses　and　Red　Crescents。　Roofs　of　baby　blue　U。N。　plastic　fluttered　in　the　rotor　wash。
　Abruptly　the　helicopter　spun　to　earth。　Ochs　clutched　his　arm。　They　touched　down　hard　near　the　south　summit　of　the　Mount　of　Olives。
　No　one　waited　to　greet　them。　The　samaritans　simply　dismounted　into　vast　heat　upon　a　road　that　ran　above　the　city。　You　could　barely　see　Jerusalem　for　the　layer　of　black　petroleum　smoke。　Israeli　mandos　in　desert　camouflage　and　berets　rose　up　from　the　yellow　dust　to　herd　them　to　Camp　23。
　The　cases　of　body　bags　were　off…loaded。　Ochs　opened　one　box　and　took　several　of　the　bags。　He　left　the　rest　in　the　road；　and　led　Nathan　Lee　away　from　their　Trojan　Horse。　The　trick　had　worked。　They　were　in。
　　
　WHILEOCHS　SLEPT　OFF　HIS　JET　LAG；　Nathan　Lee　roamed　the　larger　Camp　23；　orienting　himself；　hunting　down　rumors；　harvesting　information。　Sunset　was　only　hours　away。
　Six　days　ago　there　had　been　no　Camp　23。　Now　it　lay　sprawled　and　shapeless　upon　the　slopes　of　Olivet；　a　Palestinian　collecting　point。　Before　the　quake；　locals　drove　up　the　meandering　road　to　picnic　and　gaze　upon　their　city。　Now　55；000　ghosts　occupied　an　overlook　of　vile　black　smoke。　The　unwashed　survivors　were　coated　white　with　cement　dust。　The　lime　in　the　cement　made　their　eyes　blood　red。　Their　massed　voices　buzzed　like　cicadas　in　the　heat。Allah；　Allah；　Allah；　they　wept。　Women　ululated。
　They　reached　out　with　filthy　hands。　Nathan　Lee　knew　better　than　to　meet　their　eyes。　He　felt　desolate。　He　had　nothing　for　them。　Some　would　be　dead　soon。　The　ground　was　muddy；　not　from　rain；　but　from　their　raw　sewage。　Cholera　was　going　to　rampage　through　them。　All　the　aid　workers　said　so。
　A　team　of　skinny　rescue　rats　from　West　Virginia　loaned　him　two　hardhats。　They　were　gaunt。　One　had　a　broken　arm　in　a　plastic　splint。　They　didn't　mark　their　calendar　in　days；　but　in　hours。　For　them；　time　had　started　the　minute　the　first　quake　hit；　171　hours　ago。　It　was　a　rule　of　thumb　that　after　the　first　48　hours；　the　chances　for　live　rescues　evaporated。　Their　work　was　done。　They　were　heading　home。　Nathan　Lee　asked　for　any　advice。
　〃Don't　go　down　there；〃　one　sai