jefflong.yearzero-第22部分

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　The　heartbeat　quickened。　〃Sir　Benjamin　votes　for　death；　then；〃　Cavendish　said。　〃And　the　rest　of　you？〃
　Abbot　watched　the　brinksmanship。　He　knew　the　oute；　or　thought　he　did。　The　child　would　be　born。　But　not　before　Cavendish　bent　them　to　his　will。　He　was　assaulting　their　hypocrisy。　Human　cloning　was　the　other　shoe　waiting　to　drop。　For　years　people　had　been　pretending　the　shoe　was　in　a　state　of　zero　gravity。　They　had　the　technology；　the　genetic　map；　the　skills。。。but　not　the　daring。
　The　band　of　scientists　stood　silent。　The　heart　drummed　faster　over　the　speakers；　urgent；　profound。　Elise　spoke　up。　〃You've　twisted　nature　inside　out；〃　she　said。
　〃What's　new？〃　Cavendish　replied。　〃Include　yourselves。　It's　what　we　do。〃
　〃It　is　precisely　what　we　do　not　do。　That　is　Sir　Benjamin's　point。〃
　Abbot　waited。　Would　Cavendish　shrug？　Call　them　fools？　He　was　smarter　than　that。　〃As　I　learned　the　story；〃　he　replied　evenly；　〃Prometheus　did　not　ask　the　gods　for　permission　to　borrow　fire。　He　reached　out　his　hand。　And　he　snatched　it　from　them。〃
　〃And　was　punished　for　eternity；〃　Elise　reminded　him。
　〃Yes；　but　he　knew　the　risks。　And　he　took　them；〃　said　Cavendish。　〃And　he　lit　our　darkness。〃
　The　fetal　monitor　beat　at　them。　The　figure　inside　the　sac　had　started　to　struggle　weakly。　Floating　in　the　tank　of　water；　Miranda　ran　her　hand　over　the　sides　as　if　to　soothe　the　unborn　child。
　Elise　resisted　Cavendish。　〃Why？〃　she　said。
　〃To　quote　the　great　Oppenheimer；〃　Cavendish　said；　〃when　you　see　something　that's　technically　sweet；　you　go　ahead　and　do　it。〃
　〃But　what's　the　purpose？〃
　Cavendish　shrugged。　〃Who　knows？　Someone　will　find　one　someday；　I'm　sure。〃
　All　eyes　fixed　on　Elise。　She　was　Cavendish's　boss。　He　had　surrendered　authority　to　her；　but　only　to　force　her　surrender　to　him。
　〃Deliver　the　poor　thing；〃　she　muttered。
　〃As　you　wish。〃　Cavendish　gave　a　single　decisive　tap　at　a　key　on　his　wheelchair's　puter　panel。　It　was　the　signal。
　One　of　the　divers　snipped　the　colored　wires　with　a　pair　of　scissors。　The　heartbeat　fell　silent。　In　the　silence；　they　heard　a　distant　voice　counting　down　to　zero。　The　wires　were　drawn　up　and　out　of　the　water。
　A　scalpel　appeared　in　Miranda's　hand。　She　made　a　careful　incision。　The　sac　opened。　Its　contents　gushed　out　in　a　pinkish　plume。　The　plume　obscured　their　view。　The　other　divers　helped　open　the　incision　as　the　scalpel　moved。　As　they　peeled　away　the　placental　sleeve；　more　organic　debris　floated　outward。　Between　the　divers　and　the　plume；　it　was　impossible　to　see　the　newborn。
　Then　the　clone　drifted　free。　He　began　to　sink　like　a　falling　climber；　upside　down；　the　umbilical　cord　trailing　like　slack　rope。　Abbot　thought　the　scalpel　must　have　slipped；　because　a　long　black　stream　floated　from　the　head。　It　wasn't　blood；　though；　but　hair；　three　or　four　feet　of　it。
　Miranda　kicked　hard　and　dove　lower。　In　slow　motion；　she　opened　her　arms　and　caught　him　from　below。　His　hair　settled　around　her　shoulders。
　This　was　no　infant。　The　clone　opened　his　arms　and　unfolded　his　legs；　and　at　the　end　of　each　limb　was　a　rack　of　curled；　tangled　nails。　He　had　a　beard。　A　whole　lifetime　of　hair　and　nails；　Abbot　realized。　The　clone's　body　hair　was　stark　black　against　skin　that　had　never　seen　the　sun。
　The　other　divers　joined　Miranda；　and　together；　cradling　the　man　between　them；　they　drafted　upwards。　As　they　passed　the　observation　windows；　the　clone　suddenly　woke　to　his　new　world。　He　opened　his　eyes。　And　they　were　blue。　Cornflower　blue。　〃Look！〃　someone　gasped。
　Inside　her　dive　mask；　even　Miranda　appeared　shocked。
　The　face　was　unmistakable。　Cavendish　had　cloned　himself。　It　grew　more　audacious　than　that。
　The　eyes　opened　wider。　The　clone　turned　his　head；　taking　in　the　surroundings。　He　noticed　the　audience　of　scientists　watching　from　the　other　side　of　the　glass。　A　faint　smile　appeared　in　his　streaming　beard。
　〃Did　you　see　that？〃　Abbot　whispered　to　Elise。
　〃Of　course；　I　saw；〃　she　seethed。　〃He's　doomed　us。　The　genie　is　out　of　the　bottle　now。〃
　〃No；　Elise。　The　smile。　He　smiled。　He　recognized　us。〃
　
　6
　Monster
　
　KATHMANDU/BADRIGHOTJAIL
　THIRTEENMONTHSLATER
　Like　a　gargoyle　in　wirerims；　Nathan　Lee　sat　crosslegged　in　the　windowsill　with　Grace's　storybook　in　his　lap。　He'd　been　at　work　with　it　for　nearly　a　year。　It　was　early　in　the　morning。　Blue　fog　lapped　against　what　were　left　of　his　toes。　Behind　him　on　the　floor；　three　lepers　lay　dreaming　in　a　huddle。
　The　palace　belonged　to　me；he　neatly　printed。At　night　I　listened　to　my　heart　beating　and　the　quiet　claws　of　gecko　lizards。　To　the　lizards；　I　was　king。
　He　left　a　four…inch　space　for　art　work。　That　would　e　later；　maybe　an　aerial　view　of　an　Escher…style　maze。　Or　a　naturalist　sketch　of　a　gecko。　He'd　always　been　pretty　fair　at　drawing。　He　would　give　it　a　thin　sepia　wash；　or　gently　lay　in　some　water　colors　with　a　dry　brush。　One　had　to　be　careful　painting　on　this　old　rice　paper。
　I　could　look　down　and　spy　people　going　about　their　ordinary　lives。He　bent　close　to　see　the　ink　on　the　page。　His　candle　kept　flickering　in　the　tin　lantern。But　no　matter　how　loud　I　shouted；　no　one　seemed　to　notice　me。　No　one；　until　the　day　a　little　girl　happened　to　look　up　at　my　window。
　He　loved　this　hour。　He　had　made　a　habit　of　waking　first　among　the　prisoners。　All　too　soon　the　dawn　would　break　wide　open。　Roosters　would　screech；　dogs　would　bark。　Nine　hundred　men　and　boys　would　fill　the　yard；　muttering　prayers　and　hawking　up　the　taste　of　night；　clamoring；　washing；　bartering　for　extra　rations　of　rice　or　for　old　Hindi　movie　magazines　or　rags　of　clothing。　The　noise　would　stretch　into　night；　the　clockwork　of　volleyballs　batting　back　and　forth　and　chess　pieces　clicking　and　lunatics　chanting。　But　for　now；　his　peace　held　and　he　could　pretend　to　be　alone　with　his　daughter。
　Long　ago；　Badrighot　Prison　had　been　a　Rana　palace。　At　this　hour；　in　this　fog；　it　was　easy　to　make　out　the　bygone　glory。　In　buildings　now　occupied　by　murderers　and　political　prisoners　and　rapists；　rajas　once　listened　to　music。　From　terraces　where　prisoners　now　grew　small　red　tomatoes　and　ginger　roots；　princes　used　to　fly　kites。　Monkeys　had　capered　in　an　arbor　that　no　longer　existed。　Elephants　and　peacocks　had　drunk　from　a　pool　with　emerald　green　lotuses。　He　had　discovered　all　of　this　and　woven　it　into　his　storybook。
　The　former　palace　had　bee　his　escape。　Ironically　it　was　escape　that　had　brought　him　here。　Since　being　jailed　fourteen　months　ago；　Nathan　Lee　had　gotten　loose　three　times。　He　wasn't　very　good　at　it。　The　longest　his　freedom　had　ever　lasted　was　fifteen　minutes。
　After　his　third　escape；　they　had　transferred　him　to　this　medieval　pound　with　its　towering　brick　walls。　He'd　gotten　five　years　added　to　his　twenty。　As　an　extra　punishment；　they'd　placed　him　with　the　lepers。　It　amounted　to　a　death　sentence。　It　wasn't　the　leprosy　that　concerned　Nathan　Lee。　He　knew　it　was　rarely　contagious。　But　the　lepers　were　regarded　as　walking　dead。　They　received　less　food　than　the　other　prisoners。　Even　on　a　full　ration；　Nathan　Lee　knew　he　would　never　last　a　quarter　century　in　this　Third　World　sewer。
　The　leper　asylum　stood　off　by　itself　and　was　considered　more　secure　than　the　other　buildings。　It　was　like　a　box　within　a　box。　The　guards　watched　it；　but　so　did　the　prisoners。　Even　the　untouchables　loathed　to　have　lepers　mingling　with　the　general　population。　Like　geese；　prisoners　would　cry　the　alarm　if　anyone　tried　to　leave　the　building。　The　one　person　lower　than　them　all　was　their　sole　Westerner。　Their　one　and　only　man　eater。
　Nathan　Lee　remembered　his　trial　only　vaguely；　as　part　of　a　larger　nightmare　of　interrogation　and　jail　and　the　horror　of　his　frostbitten　toes　blackening　on　the　bone。　He　remembered　the　pitiless　Indian　doctor　with　his　scissors　more　than　the　judges　or　lawyers。　Apparently　some　kind　of　animal　had　gotten　to　Rinchen's　body　before　the　authorities　did。　Gruesome　photos　were　introduced　showing　the　ravaged　corpse　tangled　in　Nathan　Lee's　pink　climbing　rope。　Once　the　charge　of　cannibalism　was　raised；　the　American　consular　officer　had　quit　sitting　behind　Nathan　Lee　in　the　courtroom。　TheMen's　Journal　writer　had　moved　closer。
　In　a　sworn　deposition　delivered　by　diplomatic　pouch；　Professor　David　Ochs　claimed　Nathan　Lee　had　tried　to