bl.necroscope2-第67部分

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　〃But　it　lacks　intelligence。　And　as　I　said；　we'll　be　working　in　daylight。〃
　Again　the　Keogh　apparition　nodded。　I　suggest　you　move　in　on　Harkley　House　and　Bodescu　at　the　same　time。　By　now　he　has　to　be　pretty　sure　what　he　is　and　he's　probably　explored　his　vampire　powers；　though　from　what　we　know　of　him　he　doesn't　have　Thibor〃　or　Faethor's　cunning　or　insularity。　They　guarded　their　Wamphyri　identities…jealously！　They　didn't　go　around　making　more　vampires　unnecessarily。　On　the　other　hand　Yulian　Bodescu；　perhaps　because　he's　had　no　instruction；　is　a　time…bomb！　Frighten　him；　then　make　a　mistake　and　let　him　go　free；　and　he'll　go　like　wildfire；　a　vile　cancer　in　the　guts　of　all　humanity。
　Kyle　knew　he　was　right。　〃I　agree　with　you　on　the　timing；〃　he　said；　〃but　are　you　sure　you're　not　just　worrying　about　Bodescu　getting　to　Thibor　before　we　can　act　against　him？〃
　I　might　be；　the　apparition　frowned。　But　as　far　as　we　know　Bodescu　isn't　even　aware　of　the　cruciform　hills　and　what's　buried　there。　But　put　that　aside　for　now。　Tell　me；　do　your　men　in　England　know　what　has　to　be　done？　It　isn't　every　man　who'd　have　the　stomach　for　it。　it's　rough　work。　The　old　methods…the　stake；　decapitation；　fire　…there　are　no　other　ways。　Nothing　else　will　work。　It　can't　be　done　with　kid　gloves。　The　fire　at　Harkley　will　have　to　be　a　big　one。　A　bonfire！　Because　of　the　cellars。
　〃Because　we　don't　know　what's　down　there？　I　agree。　When　I　speak　to　my　men　tomorrow；　I'll　make　sure　they　fully　understand。　They　already　do；　I'm　sure；　but　I'll　make　absolutely　certain。　The　whole　house　has　to　go…from　the　cellars　up！　Yes；　and　maybe　down　a　little；　too。〃
　Good；　said　Keogh。　For　a　moment　he　stood　silent；　a　hologram　of　thin　blue　neon　wires。　He　seemed　a　little　uncertain；　about　something；　like　an　actor　needing　a　prompt。　Then　he　said：　Look；　I've　things　to　do。　There　are　people…dead　people…I　need　to　thank　properly　for　their　help。　And　i've　not　yet　worked　out　how　to　break　my　baby　son's　hold　on　me。　That's　being　a　problem。　So　if　you'll　excuse　me。
　Kyle　stepped　forward。　There　seemed　some　sort　of　air　of　finality　about　Harry　Keogh。　Kyle　wanted　to　hold　out　his　hand　but　knew　there　was　nothing　there。　Nothing　of　any　substance；　anyway。　〃Harry；〃　he　said。　〃Er；　give　them　our　thanks；　too。　Your　friends；　I　mean。〃
　I　will；　said　the　other。　He　smiled　a　wan　smile　and　disappeared　in　a　rapidly　dispersing　burst　of　foxfire。
　For　long　moments　there　was　a　breathless　silence。　Then　Kyle　turned　the　light　up　and　Krakovitch　drew　a　massive　breath　of　air。　Finally　he　expelled　it；　and　said：　〃And　now　…now　I　hope　you'll　agree　that　you　owe　me　something　of　an　explanation！〃
　Which　was　something　Kyle　could　only　go　along　with　。　。
　
　Harry　Keogh　had　done　all　he　could。　The　rest　of　it　lay　in　the　hands　of　the　physically　alive；　or　at　least　with　people　who　still　had　hands　to　accept　it。
　In　the　M？bius　continuum　Harry　felt　a　mental　tugging；　even　sleeping；　his　baby　son's　attraction　was　still　enormous。　Harry　Jnr　was　tightening　his　grip；　and　Harry　Snr　was　sure　that　he　had　been　right　about　the　infant：　he　was　drawing　on　his　mind；　leeching　his　knowledge；　absorbing　the　substance　of　his　id。　Soon　Harry　must　make　a　permanent　break。　But　how？　To　where？　What　would　be　left　of　him；　he　wondered；　if　he　were　pletely　absorbed？　Would　there　be　anything　left　at　all？
　Or　would　he　simply　cease　to　be　except　as　the　future　esoteric　talent　of　his　own　son？
　Using　the　M？bius　continuum；　Harry　could　always　plumb　the　future　to　find　the　answers　to　these　questions。　He　preferred　not　to　know　all　of　the　answers；　however；　for　the　future　seemed　somehow　inviolable。　It　wasn't　that　he　would　feel　a　cheat　but　rather　that　he　doubted　the　wisdom　of　knowing　the　future。
　For　like　the　past；　the　future　was　fixed；　if　Harry　saw　something　he　didn't　like；　would　he　try　to　avoid　it？　Of　course　he　would；　even　knowing　it　was　unavoidable。　Which　could　only　plicate　his　weird　existence　more　yet！
　The　one　single　glimpse　he　would　allow　himself　would　be　to　discover　if　indeed　he　had　any　future　at　all。　Which　for　Harry　Keogh　was　the　very　simplest　of　exercises。
　Still　fighting　his　son's　attraction；　he　found　a　future　door　and　opened　it；　gazed　out　upon　the　ever　expanding　future。　Against　the　subtly　shifting　darkness　of　the　fourth　dimension；　Earth's　myriad　human　life…lines　of　neon　blue　shot　away　into　a　sapphire　haze；　defining　the　length　of　lives　that　were　and　lives　still　to　e。　Harry's　line　sped　out　from　his　own　incorporeal　being…from　his　mind；　he　supposed　…and　wound　away　apparently　interminably。　But　he　saw　that　just　beyond　the　M？bius　door　it　took　on　a　course　lying　parallel　to　a　second　thread；　like　the　twin　strips　of　a　motorway　with　a　central　verge　or　barrier。　And　this　second　life…line；　Harry　supposed；　must　belong　to　Harry　Jnr。
　He　launched　himself　from　the　door　and　traversed　future　time；　following　his　own　and　the　infant　Harry's　threads。　Faster　than　the　life…lines　themselves；　he　propelled　himself　into　the　near　future。　He　witnessed　and　was　saddened　by　the　termination　of　many　blue　threads；　which　simply　dimmed　and　went　out；　for　he　knew　that　these　were　deaths；　and　he　saw　others　burst　brightly　into　existence　like　stars；　then　extend　themselves　into　brilliant　neon　filaments；　and　knew　that　these　were　births；　new　lives。　And　so　he　forged　a　little　way　forward。　Time　was　briefly　furrowed　in　his　wake　like　the　sea　behind　a　forging　ship；　before　closing　in　and　sealing　itself　once　more。
　Suddenly；　despite　the　fact　that　Harry　was　without　body；　he　felt　an　icy　blast　blowing　on　him　from　the　side。　It　could　hardly　be　a　physical　chill　and　must　therefore　be　of　the　psyche。　Sure　enough；　away　out　across　the　panorama　of　speeding　life…lines；　he　spied　one　that　was　as　different　as　a　shark　in　a　school　of　tuna。　For　this　one　was　scarlet…the　mark　of　a　vampire！
　And　quite　deliberately；　it　was　angling　in　towards　his　and　Harry　Jnr's　threads！　Harry　knew　panic。　The　scarlet　life…line　drifted　closer；　at　any　moment　it　must　converge　with　his　and　the　infant's。　Then　…Harry　Jnr's　life…thread　abruptly　veered　away　from　his　father's；　raced　off　at　a　tangent　on　its　own　amidst　an　ocean　of　weaving　blue　lines。　And　the　thread　of　Harry　Snr　followed　suit；　avoiding　the　vampire　thread's　thrust　and　turning　desperately　away。　The　action　had　looked　for　all　the　world　like　the　manoeuvring　of　drivers　on　some　otherworldly　race　track。　But　the　last　move　had　been　blind；　almost　instinctive；　and　Harry's　life…thread　seemed　now　to　careen；　out　of　control；　across　the　skein　of　future　time。
　Then；　in　another　moment；　Harry　witnessed　and　indeed　was　party　to　the　impossible…a　collision！　Another　blue　life…thread；　dimming；　crumbling；　disintegrating；　converged　with　his　out　of　nowhere。　The　two　seemed　to　bend　towards　each　other　as　by　some　mutual　attraction；　before　slamming　together　in　a　neon　blaze　that　was　much　brighter　and　speeding　on　as　one　thread。　Briefly　Harry　felt　the　presence…or　the　faint；　fading　echo…of　another　mind　superimposed　on　his　own。　Then　it　was　gone；　extinct；　and　his　thread　rushed　on　alone。
　He　had　seen　enough。　The　future　must　go　its　own　way。　（Which　it　surely　would。）　He　cast　about；　found　a　door　and　side…stepped　out　of　time　into　the　M？bius　continuum。　At　once　the　infant　Harry's　tractor　id　put　a　grapple　on　him　and　began　to　reel　him　in。　Harry　didn't　fight　it　but　merely　let　himself　drift　home。　Home　to　his　son's　mind　in　Hartlepool；　on　a　Sunday　night　early　in　the　autumn　of　1977。
　He　had　intended　to　talk　to　certain　new　friends　in　Romania；　but　that　would　have　to　wait。　As　for　his　〃collision〃　with　the　future　of　some　other　person：　he　hardly　knew　what　to　make　of　that。　But　in　the　brief　moment　before　its　expiry；　he　was　sure　that　he　had　recognised　that　fading　echo　of　a　mind。
　And　that　was　the　most　puzzling　thing　of　all。。。
　
　
　Chapter　Twelve
　Genoa　is　a　city　of　contrasts。　From　the　low…level　poverty　in　the　cobbled　alleys　and　sleazy　bars　of　its　waterfront　areas；　to　its　high…rise　luxury　apartments　looking　down　on　the　streets　from　broad　windows　and　spacious　sun…balconies；　from　the　immaculate　swimming　pools　of　the　rich　to　the　dirty；　oil…blackened　beaches；　from　the　shadowy；　claustrophobic　labyrinthine　alleys　down　in　the　guts　of　the　city　to　the　airy；　hugely　proportioned　stradas　and　piazzas…contrast　is　everywhere　evident。　Gracious　gardens　give　way　to　chasms　of　concr