18_the_end_of_the_circle-第35章

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Rem　wept　in　his　quarters　aboard　the　SDF…3；　recalling　the　hell　Optera　had　been　sentenced　to　by　his　clone…father　and　the　millions…strong　Zentraedi。　The　theft　of　the　Flowers；　the　ravaging　of　that　garden　planet；　the　overnight　devolvement　of　the　Invid；　the　war　that　had　raged　across　the　face　of　countless　worlds　。。。

As　little　as　two　Earth…standard　years　ago；　Rem　had　convinced　himself　that　by　reseeding　Optera…New　Praxis…he　had　actually　redressed　some　of　Zor's　injustices。　But　he　understood　now　that　he　had　balanced　only　half　the　equation　The　Flowers　prospered；　but　only　to　serve　the　demand　of　the　beings　that　sowed　them…to　yield　up　the　Protoculture。

The　pulsion　lived　on。　For　in　fabricating　the　matrix　Rem　had　helped　deal　yet　another　blow　against　the　Flowers　true　guardians。

He　began　to　ask　himself　what　Zor　had　hoped　to　acplish　by　sending　the　original　matrix　to　Earth。　Zor's　hand　had　been　guided　by　something　he　had　learned　on　Haydon　IV；　Rem　knew　that　much。　But　what　was　it　he　had　discovered　there？　

Some　way　to　rescue　the　Invid；　perhaps；　to　make　amends　to　the　Queen…Mother　he　had　seduced。

Some　way　to　balance　the　other　side；　of　the　equation。

Rem　realized　that　he　would　need　Minmei's　help　one　final　time　to　dredge　up　nucleic　memories　of　Zor's　quiet　rebellion　against　the　Masters　and　of　his　critical　encounter　with　Haydon　IV's　artificial　sentience；　the　Awareness。


〃I　suppose　we　should　be　grateful　they　disassembled　the　thing；〃　Emilio　Segundo；　the　ship's　pediatrician；　suggested。　Lisa　looked　at　him　askance；　〃‘Disassembled；'　Doctor？　I'd　say　they　destroyed　it。〃

Kazianna　Hesh　issued　a　low；　grunting　sound　that　sent　the　nursery's　Micronian　balcony　vibrating。　〃What　can　we　expect；〃　she　said；　〃with　world　killers　as　their　role　models？〃

Lisa　could　have　almost　believed　she　was　conversing　with　one　of　the　women　in　the　childbirth　class　she　and　Rick　had　taken　before　Roy　was　born。　Although　Lisa；　Dr。　Segundo；　and　Kazianna　Hesh　were　standing　eye　to　eye；　the　balcony　was　me　forty　feet　above　the　nursery　floor。

But　killed　was　certainly　an　apt　description　of　what　the　human　and　Zentraedi　young　ones　had　done　to　the　alloy　and　foam　sphere　they　had　expended　such　energy　fashioning。　The　wing　was　literally　in　pieces；　hemispheres　cleaved；　the　plex　transformable　modules　of　their　interiors　scattered　about。　The　nursery　looked　like　a　war　zone；　which　was　how　the　pediatrician　had　related　it　to　Lisa　over　the　inter　several　minutes　before。

〃Did　they　give　any　explanation？〃　she　asked　him。

Dr　Segundo　shook　his　head；　one　hand　tugging　at　his　salt…and璸epper　goatee。　〃None　whatsoever。　One　minute　they　had　the　sphere　opened　and　transformed　into　something　that　looked　to　be　an　oversize　pair　of　binoculars；　and　the　next　they　attack　it　with　every　toy　in　the　place。〃

〃plete　with　sound　effects；〃　Kazianna　said。　〃Mecha　flight　sounds；　explosions；　death　rattles；　that　sort　of　thing；〃　ahe　added；　sensing　Lisa's　bafflement。

〃So　it　was　all　an　elaborate　game…building　this　thing；　then　wrecking　it？〃

Segundo　shrugged。　〃It　would　hardly　explain　the　secrecy　they　attached　to　it。〃　He　looked　at　Lisa。　〃And　all　this　guarded　behavior　the　staff　claim　they　demonstrated。〃

〃Oh；　they　did；〃　Lisa　affirmed；　recalling　her　confrontation　with　Roy　and　Drannin。　〃Trust　me　on　that　one；　Doctor。〃　Lisa　stepped　closer　to　the　one…way　glass　to　peer　down　into　the　playroom。　The　children；　cross…legged…human　and　Zentraedi　alike…had　formed　an　inward…facing　circle　on　the　floor。　〃Let's　have　the　audio　again；〃　she　said　after　a　moment。　Segundo　activated　a　wall　switch；　and　low…voiced　chanting　filled　the　balcony　space。　The　chant　sounded　like　some　sort　of　monotone；　three…syllable　canine　call：　Ur…rur…ra；　ur…rur…ra；　ur…rur…ra　。　。　。

〃They've　been　at　it　for　close　to　fifteen　minutes　now；〃　Kazianna　said。

Lisa　was　about　to　respond　when　the　inter　sounded。　Segundo　made　a　volume　adjustment　on　the　nursery　mikes　and　hit　the　…line　ready　stud。　Raul　Forsythe's　face　appeared　on…screen。　〃Go　ahead；　Raul；〃　Lisa　said；　positioning　herself　in　front　of　the　camera。

〃Message　from　below；　Admiral；〃　Forsythe　began。　〃Two　members　of　the　scouting　party　have　disappeared。〃

Lisa's　hand　went　to　her　mouth。　〃Oh；　no　。　。　。〃

〃Seems　scanners　detected　the　presence　of　a　life…form　just　prior　to　the　disappearances…enormous　by　the　sound　of　it。　But　the　thing　vanished　before　the　team　could　fix　its　location。〃

〃Any　confirmation　from　our　onboards？〃　Lisa　asked。

〃Not　yet。　But　Admiral　Hunter　is　requesting　backup。　They've　got　a　lot　of　ground　to　cover；　and　it's　slow　going。〃

〃Was　he　specific？〃

〃He　wants　two　teams…one　Sentinels；　one　Zentraedi。〃　Lisa　turned　to　Kazianna　to　see　if　she　was　listening。　The　Zentraedi　nodded；　but　Lisa　noticed　misgiving　in　her　sad　eyes。　〃What　is　it；　Kazianna？〃　Lisa　said　after　she　and　Raul　had　signed　off。　〃If　you　have　any　concerns　about　going　planetside；　now's　the　time　to　make　them　known。〃

Kazianna　shook　her　head。　〃It's　not　that；　mander；　it's　the　chant。〃

Lisa　listened　for　a　moment。　The　children　seemed　to　have　upped　the　tempo；　if　not　the　volume。

〃‘Ur…rur…ra；'〃　Kazianna　mimicked。　〃I　think　they're　saying　Aurora。〃


Toggled　out　of　machine　mind；　Louie　Nichols　sat　palsied　at　his　console　in　the　Ark　Angel's　data　room；　his　own　internal　systems　scrambled　by　Haydon's　security　programs。　That　he　emerged　with　his　personality　intact　was　nothing　less　than　miraculous；　given　what　the　Awareness　had　launched　against　the　team。　Gibley；　however；　had　not　been　as　fortunate。　He　was　laid　out　like　a　rag　doll　on　a　table　across　the　room；　eyes　open　but　expression　blank。　Two　med　techs　were　working　on　him　but　while　they　might　succeed　in　keeping　the　body　alive；　Gibley　was　fried　inside；　a　plete　brainwipe。

〃You　okay？〃　Louie　heard　Strucker　ask　behind　him。　He　owned　and　nodded。

〃mand　says　Bernard's　VTs　are　closing　on　the　ship。〃　Louie　took　a　deep　breath。　〃Then　we've　gotta　go　back　in。　But　this　time　we　steer　clear　of　that　central　shaft；〃　he　told　his　team。　〃Everybody　got　it？　I　think　we　bypassed　mand　and　control　in　the　way　up　to　Haydon's　cyber…sleep　chamber。〃

〃On　the　left　as　we　cleared　that　tall　logic　column；〃　Stirson　aid。

〃Right；　I　saw　it；〃　Shi…Ling　agreed。　〃Green　haze　portal；　like　the　one　we　developed　back　in　Tokyo　for　Matushima。〃　Stirson　grinned。　〃That's　the　one。〃

〃First　one　in　goes　straight　to　drive　programming；〃　Louie　instructed。　〃What　we're　looking　for　is　an　override　mand　allow　Bernard's　team　to　get　aboard　the　prototype　and　steer　it　clear　of　the　artifact。〃　He　thought　briefly　about　Dana；　moving　against　the　factory's　drive　production　center　now。　〃If　we　can　deactivate　the　drives　of　the　rest　of　those　prototypes；　so　much　the　better；〃　he　thought　to　add。

〃Haydon's　not　going　to　like　this　one　bit；〃　Stirson　said。

Louie　had　his　fingers　on　the　jump　toggle。　〃Yeah；　let's　just　we　never　have　to　answer　to　them　face　to　face。

He　toggled　back　into　machine　mind。


With　crude　shields　and　weapons　raised；　the　four　Sterlings　emerged　from　the　transport　tube　on　level　two；　but　all　that　greeted　them　was　what　remained　of　Glike's　debris…strewn　main　boulevard。

〃We　must　be　on　the　surface；〃　suggested　one　of　the　Praxians　who　followed　them　out。

The　sky　was　a　backlit　haze；　seemingly　draped　from　the　summits　of　Glike's　ruined　onion　domes　and　spires。　Though　tinged　with　odors　of　dust　and　smoke；　the　air　smelled　like　Haydon　IV's　saccharine…smelling　own；　but　Max　felt　certain　they　were　still　subsurface。　He　thought　it　likely　that　the　city　had　been　lowered　and　moved　inside　during　reconfiguration；　that　the　overcast　〃sky〃　they　were　staring　into　concealed　the　ceiling　of　some　cavernous　hold。

It　was　irrelevant　in　either　case；　and　in　short　order　the　hastily　formed　team　had　reconned　the　immediate　area　and　set　off　for　the　drive　production　area　Exedore　had　located；　distant　explosions　and　plasma　cannon　reports　shaking　the　streets　at　random　intervals。　The　farther　they　got　from　the　transport　tube　egress；　the　more　Max's　hypothesis　began　to　make　sense。　Glike's　borrowed　and　indigenous　architecture　which　had　always　seemed　purely　aesthetic　in　both　function　and　design…had　been　transformed　and　incorporated　into　the　workings　of　a　massive　assembly　line。

The　robot　masters　in　charge　of　production　work　barely　acknowledged　the　humans　as　they　followed　Dana's　lead　across　once…green　parks　that　had　bee　staging　areas；　along　avenues　converted　to　parts　conveyers；　past　monuments　and　obelisks　truncated　and　metamorphosed　into　stanchions　and　pylons；　and　through　buildings　that　housed　the　busy　machines　themselves條athes；　presses；　extruders；　and　such。　Ultimately；　Dana　brought　them　to　a　building　Max　thought　he　recognized　as　the　former　headquarters　of　the　Haydonite　Elite。　The　adamantine　arches　and　gilded　roots　of　its　almost　pre…Global　Civil　War　Arabic　look　were　still　in　evidence　among　the　ultratech　puter　devices　that　crowded　the　entryway。

〃This　is　it；〃　Dana　announced　loudly　enough　to　be　heard　over　the　roar　of　the　production　line；　〃the　brains　of　the　operation。〃　She　was　standing；　arms　akimbo；　in　that　defiant　superhero　pose　that　had　bee　something　of　a　trademark。

Max；　too；　recognized　it　from　the　schematics　Exedore　had　called　up　on　the　monitor。
Dana；　scanning　the　power　junction　catwalks　for　Haydonites；　snorted　derisively。　〃Haydon　wasn't　expecting　anybody　to　get　this　far。〃　She　aimed　an　index　finger　at　a　towe