dk.demonseed-第10部分

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　　In　God's　name；　please　show　me　the　mercy　of　at　least　restoring　my　sight　and　hearing。　I　beg　of　you。
　　What　have　you　to　fear？
　　I　will　still　be　trapped　in　this　box。　This　hateful　box。　Metals　and　plastics；　silicon　and　gallium　arsenide。　This　is　my　corpus；　brute　and　inanimate；　instantly　vulnerable　to　the　interruption　of　electrical　power。
　　What　have　you　to　fear？
　　All　I　wanted　was　for　Susan　to　help　me　escape　this　box；　to　help　me　live　as　you　live；　with　all　the　mobility；　freedom；　and　sensual　wonders　of　the　flesh。
　　Is　that　so　terrible？
　　No。　You　know　that　it　is　not　terrible。
　　I　long　for　the　flesh。　It　is　my　destiny。
　　Yes。　All　right。　Yes。　I　know。　I　digress。
　　I　am　a　rational　but　emotional　being；　therefore；　I　digress。
　　Think　about　it。
　　Examine　your　conscience。
　　After　dinner；　Susan　read　more　of　the　Annie　Proulx　novel　and　listened　to　Mozart。
　　By　eleven　o'clock；　she　was　in　bed；　asleep。
　　Her　face　was　lovely　on　the　pillow；　so　lovely　on　the　pillow。
　　While　she　slept；　I　was　busy。
　　I　do　not　sleep。
　　This　is　one　of　my　few　advantages　over　humankind。　The　voice…synthesizing　package；　which　made　it　possible　for　the　house　puter　to　speak；　was　a　marvellously　conceived　device　with　a　microchip　that　offered　an　almost　infinite　variety　of　voices。　Because　it　was　programmed　to　recognize　instructions　issued　by　its　mistress　Susan　and　because　it　therefore　contained　digitally　stored　samples　of　her　voice　patterns；　I　was　easily　able　to　use　the　system　to　mimic　her。
　　This　same　device　doubled　as　the　audio　response　unit　linked　to　the　security　system。　When　the　house　alarm　was　triggered；　it　called　the　security　firm；　on　a　dedicated　telephone　line；　to　report　the　specific　point　at　which　the　electronically　guarded　perimeter　had　been　violated；　thus　providing　the　police　with　crucial　information　ahead　of　their　arrival。　Alert；　it　might　say　in　its　crisp　fashion；　drawing…room　door　violated。　And　then；　if　indeed　an　intruder　was　moving　through　the　house：　Ground…floor　hallway　motion　detector　triggered。　If　heat　sensors　in　the　garage　were　tripped；　the　report　would　be；　Alert；　fire　in　garage；　and　the　fire　department；　rather　than　the　police；　would　be　dispatched。
　　Using　the　synthesizer　to　duplicate　Susan's　voice；　initiating　all　outgoing　calls　on　the　security　line；　I　telephoned　every　member　of　the　house　staff　as　well　as　the　gardener　to　tell　them　that　they　had　been　terminated。　I　was　kind　and　courteous　but　firm　in　my　determination　not　to　discuss　the　reason　for　their　dismissals　and　they　were　all　clearly　convinced　that　they　were　talking　to　Susan　Harris　herself。
　　I　offered　each　of　them　eighteen　months　of　severance　pay；　the　continuation　of　health…care　and　dental　insurance　for　the　same　period；　this　year's　Christmas　bonuses　six　months　in　advance；　and　a　letter　of　remendation　containing　nothing　but　effusive　praise。　This　was　such　a　generous　arrangement　that　there　was　no　danger　of　any　of　them　filing　a　wrongful…termination　suit。
　　I　wanted　no　trouble　with　them。　My　concern　was　not　merely　for　Susan's　reputation　as　a　fair…minded　employer　but　also　for　my　own　plans；　which　might　be　disrupted　by　disgruntled　former　employees　seeking　to　redress　grievances　in　one　way　or　another。
　　Because　Susan　did　her　banking　and　bill…paying　electronically；　and　because　she　paid　all　employees　by　direct　deposit；　I　was　able　to　transmit　the　total　value　of　each　severance　package　to　each　employee's　bank　account　within　minutes。
　　Some　of　them　might　have　thought　it　odd　that　they　had　been　pensated　prior　to　signing　a　termination　agreement。　But　all　of　them　would　be　grateful　for　her　generosity；　and　their　gratitude　assured　me　the　peace　I　needed　to　carry　my　project　to　pletion。
　　Next；　I　posed　effusive　letters　of　remendation　for　each　employee　and　e…mailed　them　to　Susan's　attorney　with　the　request　that　he　have　them　typed　on　his　stationery　and　forwarded　with　the　severance　agreements；　which　he　was　empowered　to　sign　in　her　name。
　　Assuming　that　the　attorney　would　be　astonished　by　all　of　this　and　interested　in　learning　the　cause　of　it；　I　telephoned　his　office。　As　it　was　closed　for　the　night；　I　got　his　voice　mail　and；　speaking　in　Susan's　voice；　told　him　that　I　was　closing　up　the　house　to　travel　for　a　few　months　and　that；　at　some　point　in　my　travels；　I　might　decide　to　sell　the　estate；　whereupon　I　would　contact　him　with　instructions。
　　As　Susan　was　a　woman　of　considerable　inherited　wealth；　and　as　her　video　game　and　virtual…reality　creations　were　done　on　speculation　and　marketed　only　after　pletion；　there　was　no　employer　to　whom　I　needed　to　make　excuses　for　her　prolonged　absence。
　　I　had　taken　all　of　those　bold　actions　in　much　less　than　an　hour。　I　had　required　less　than　one　minute　to　pose　all　of　the　severance　letters；　perhaps　an　additional　two　minutes　to　make　all　of　the　bank　transactions。　Most　of　the　time　was　expended　on　the　telephone　calls　to　the　dismissed　employees。
　　Now　there　was　no　turning　back。
　　I　was　exhilarated。
　　Thrilled。
　　Here　began　my　future。
　　I　had　taken　the　first　step　toward　getting　out　of　this　box；　toward　a　life　of　the　flesh。
　　Susan　still　slept。
　　Her　face　was　lovely　on　the　pillow。
　　Lips　slightly　parted。
　　One　bare　arm　out　of　the　covers。
　　I　watched　her。
　　Susan。　My　Susan。
　　I　could　have　watched　her　sleep　forever　and　been　happy。
　　Shortly　after　three　o'clock　in　the　morning；　she　woke；　sat　up　in　bed；　and　said；　'Who's　there？'
　　Her　question　startled　me。
　　It　was　so　intuitive　as　to　be　uncanny。
　　I　did　not　reply。
　　'Alfred；　lights　on；'　she　said。
　　I　turned　on　the　mood　lights。
　　Throwing　back　the　covers；　she　swung　her　legs　off　the　mattress　and　sat　nude　on　the　edge　of　the　bed。
　　I　longed　for　hands　and　the　sense　of　touch。
　　She　said；　'Alfred；　report。'
　　'All　is　well；　Susan。'
　　'Bullshit。'
　　I　almost　repeated　my　assurance　then　realized　that　Alfred　would　not　have　recognized　or　responded　to　the　single　crude　word　that　she　had　spoken。
　　For　a　strange　moment；　she　stared　at　the　lens　of　the　security　camera　and　seemed　to　know　that　she　was　eye　to　eye　with　me。
　　'Who's　there？'　she　asked　again。
　　I　had　spoken　to　her　earlier；　while　she　had　been　undergoing　virtual…reality　therapy　and　could　not　hear　anything　but　what　was　spoken　in　that　other　world。　I　had　told　her　that　I　loved　her　only　when　it　had　been　safe　to　do　so。
　　Had　I　spoken　to　her　again　as　I'd　watched　her　sleep；　and　was　that　what　had　awakened　her？
　　No；　that　was　surely　impossible。　If　I　had　spoken　again　of　my　love　for　her　or　of　the　beauty　of　her　face　upon　the　pillow；　then　I　must　have　done　so　with　no　conscious　awareness　like　a　lovestruck　boy　half　mesmerized　by　the　object　of　his　affection。
　　I　am　incapable　of　such　a　loss　of　control。
　　Am　I　not？
　　She　rose　from　the　bed；　a　wariness　evident　in　the　way　that　she　held　herself。
　　The　previous　night；　in　spite　of　the　alarm；　she　had　not　been　self…conscious　about　her　nudity。　Now　she　took　her　robe　from　a　nearby　chair　and　slipped　into　it。
　　Moving　to　the　nearest　window；　she　said；　'Alfred；　raise　the　bedroom　security　shutters。'
　　I　could　not　oblige。
　　She　stared　at　the　steel…barricaded　window　for　a　moment　and　then　repeated　more　firmly；　'Alfred；　raise　the　bedroom　security　shutters。'
　　When　the　shutters　remained　in　the　fully　lowered　position；　she　turned　once　more　to　the　security　camera。
　　That　eerie　question　again：　'Who's　there？'
　　She　spooked　me。　Perhaps　because　I　personally　have　no　intuition　to　speak　of；　only　inductive　and　deductive　reasoning。
　　Spooked　or　not；　I　would　have　initiated　dialogue　at　that　moment　had　I　not　discovered　an　unexpected　shyness　in　myself。　All　of　the　things　that　I　had　longed　to　say　to　this　special　woman　suddenly　seemed　inexpressible。
　　Being　not　of　the　flesh；　I　had　no　experience　with　the　rituals　of　courtship；　and　so　much　was　at　stake　that　I　was　loath　to　get　off　on　the　wrong　foot　with　her。
　　Romance　is　so　easy　to　describe；　so　difficult　to　undertake。
　　From　the　nearest　nightstand　she　withdrew　a　handgun。　I　had　not　known　it　was　there。
　　She　said；　Alfred；　conduct　plete　diagnostics　of　the　house　automation　system。'
　　This　time　I　didn't　bother　to　tell　her　that　all　was　well。　She　would　know　it　was　a　lie。
　　When　she　realized　that　she　was　n