jefflong.yearzero-第34章

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virus　swept　them　under。
　Miranda　traveled　through　the　horrors　and　went　on；　searching　for　something；　though　she　did　not　know　what。　There　was　no　lack　of　partners　and　places　to　explore。　As　the　hyper…disease　advanced　and　nations　fell；　one　simply　moved　on　to　the　next　victim；　the　next　landscape。
　At　first　she　felt　dishonest；　or　at　least　contradictory。　Voyeurism　is　always　parasitic；　and　here　they　were；　parasite　hunters。　On　the　other　hand；　their　curiosity　was　natural。　History　was　being　made；　or　unmade。　Everyone　wanted　to　be　a　witness。　There　was　fort　in　that；　even　a　sort　of　immunity。　To　be　a　witness　implied　they　would　outlast　what　they　were　witnessing。　Watching；　they　could　remain　above　and　outside　of　what　they　watched。　It　was　a　form　of　pornography；　but　also　at　one　level；　a　duty。　Even　as　they　went　rooting　through　the　impending　death　of　mankind；　they　were　memorizing　what　had　been　forgotten；　seeing　what　human　eyes　no　longer　saw。　They　were　gathering　the　last　of　remembrance。
　One　night　Captain　Enote；　the　head　of　security　in　her　lab；　slipped　her　a　gift；　a　pink　stick'em　note　with　satellite　coordinates。　He　had　been　one　of　the　few　to　attend　Elise's　funeral；　despite　having　met　her　only　once。　He　had　showed　up　in　a　jacket　and　tie　and　stayed　at　the　back；　and　did　not　make　eye　contact　with　Miranda；　though　he'd　e　for　her　benefit。　This　was　the　first　time　she'd　spoken　to　him　since。　〃Try　this；〃　he　said。　〃Private　stock。　Africa。　Part　of　the　Navy　recon。　Keep　it　to　yourself；　please。　It's　supposed　to　be　classified。〃
　The　Captain　was　retired　military；　a　former　Marine；　and　it　didn't　surprise　Miranda　that　he　had　some　inside　connection　to　the　Navy　expedition。　She　knew　only　the　bare　bones　of　its　mission：　to　inherit　the　earth。　With　America　fast　being　the　last　and　only　nation　left　intact；　her　fleets　had　been　dispatched　to　investigate　and　catalogue　whatever　remained　on　the　other　continents。　The　aircraft　carriers　with　their　reconnaisance　planes　were　central　to　the　probe。　They　hovered　off　foreign　coasts；　documenting　the　state　of　the　cities　and　countryside；　their　aircraft　overflying　the　roads　and　rivers；　recording　any　remaining　military　assets；　gathering　data　on　the　condition　of　gold；　copper；　platinum；　uranium；　and　other　precious　mineral　mines；　judging　the　condition　of　shipping　and　land　transport　lanes；　and　generally　mapping　the　world　from　scratch。
　She　expected　a　soldier's　scene；　fighter　jets　screaming　off　the　deck。　But　when　Miranda　finally　found　the　spare　minute　to　link　up；　her　screen　abruptly　filled　with　green　mountains　and　green　rivers。　Her　minute　turned　into　an　hour。　The　land　moved　beneath　her　in　slow；　lush　waves。　It　was　a　paradise　down　there。
　Miranda　felt　like　she　had　entered　a　state　of　grace。　Here　and　there　she　caught　sight　of　the　plane's　shadow　casting　ahead。　Otherwise　she　might　have　been　drifting　on　a　cloud　top。　The　forest　gave　way　to　gorges　and　lakes。　Thousands　of　flamingoes　surged　up　in　a　long；　sinuous　queue；　and　it　was　like　watching　sound　waves　in　pink。　She　passed　above　a　bull　elephant　soloing　toward　the　secret　horizon。
　Next　morning；　she　found　the　Captain。　〃I　could　have　been　dreaming；〃　she　said。
　〃Thought　you　might　like　that；〃　he　said。　〃I've　been　following　her　from　the　start。　A　lot　of　months　now。〃
　〃Her？〃　said　Miranda。
　〃The　pilot；〃　he　said。
　There　was　so　much　to　ask　that　she　didn't　get　the　woman's　name；　and　after　that　her　namelessness　became　part　of　the　journey。　She　had　read　somewhere　that　monks　transcribing　texts　in　medieval　times　purposely　kept　themselves　anonymous；　and　that's　how　Miranda　came　to　regard　the　pilot；　not　as　a　vehicle；　but　a　hidden　hand。
　The　Captain　explained　how　the　battle　group's　two　nuclear　submarines　and　two　battle　cruisers　had　peeled　off　to　begin　exploring　the　coast　of　South　America　last　October。　The　aircraft　carrier　that　his　pilot　was　flying　from；　theTruman；　had　gone　to　Africa。　They　had　begun　their　reconnaisance　at　the　beginning：　zero　and　zero；　zero　degrees　latitude；　zero　degress　longitude；　in　the　Gulf　of　Guinea　off　the　coast　of　Gabon。　〃Heart　of　darkness　country；〃　said　the　Captain。　From　there　on；　it　had　been　like　the　movieOn　the　Beach；　but　without　the　beach。　Physical　contact　with　the　land　mass　was　forbidden。
　The　pilot's　Diamondback　squadron　had　four　F…14s；　each　mounted　with　a　pod　of　digital　cameras　and　an　infrared　scanner。　One　at　a　time；　they　would　head　due　east　bearing　parallel　to　the　equator；　then　return　west　along　a　slightly　lower　parallel；　all　the　while　beaming　their　data　back　to　the　intelligence　and　map　people　on　board　theTruman　。。。and　inadvertently　to　the　Captain；　and　now　Miranda。　Since　October；　four　months　ago；　the　carrier　had　worked　its　way　south　around　the　Cape　of　Good　Hope　and　gotten　almost　as　far　north　as　Kenya。
　〃You　missed　the　worst　of　it；〃　said　the　Captain。　In　the　space　of　an　African　summer；　a　half　billion　souls　had　vanished。　Week　after　week；　the　reconnaisance　teams　had　explored。　The　hand　of　man　was　everywhere。　Wellheads　still　pumped　oil　in　Gabon。　Villages　with　thatched　roofs　lay　like　setpieces　waiting　for　their　actors。　In　Capetown　the　picket　fences　stood　bright　white。　A　suburb　in　Johannesburg　still　had　electricity　and　its　street　lights　burned　bright　at　midday。　Now　only　the　animals　were　left。
　Night　after　night；　Miranda　traveled　on　the　wings　of　the　Navy　pilot。　To　do　their　recon　well；　she　learned；　one　had　to　loiter；　cruising　a　few　thousand　feet　off　the　ground　to　give　the　cameras　hanging　under　the　fuselage　the　best　views。　Flying　at　300　knots　and　slower　also　saved　fuel；　which　maximized　their　daily　exploring　range。　The　pilot　rarely　spoke；　usually　letting　her　navigator　radio　theTruman　when　they　had　reached　the　tip　of　their　daily　journey　and　were　heading　back　to　their　〃boat。〃　When　she　did　speak；　Miranda　liked　the　woman's　no…nonsense　voice。　It　sounded　vaguely　familiar；　the　accent；　the　economy　of　syllables。
　Working　northward；　the　Tomcat　flew　above　emerald　green　coffee　plantations　and　lakes　so　still　you　could　see　the　jet　rippling　in　the　water。　A　cheetah　was　not　distracted　as　it　ran　down　a　gazelle。　They　circled　volcanoes　in　Rwanda。　Africa　became　her　nightly　prayer。　Miranda　would　log　on　to　the　recon　for　an　hour　or　two；　then　fall　asleep；　forted。　Strangely；　the　closer　the　plague　came；　the　further　away　it　seemed。　The　havoc　had　grown　over。　Only　beauty　was　left。
　Miranda　was　certain　the　pilot　had　no　idea　she　had　electronic　passengers　watching　from　the　other　side　of　the　planet。　But　then　one　night　she　announced　that　theTruman　had　acplished　its　mission。　〃We've　finished　our　part　of　the　map；〃　she　said　softly。　〃If　you　can　hear　me；　I'm　ing　home；datchu。〃　Miranda　didn't　know　that　last　word；　but　it　lacked　the　jagged　consonance　of　military　diction。　It　seemed　tender　and　personal；　and　she　wondered　who　the　woman　could　have　been　talking　to。
　The　pilot　was　a　stranger　to　her；　nameless；　faceless。　But　the　news　filled　Miranda　with　joy。　〃She's　ing　home；〃　Miranda　told　the　Captain　next　morning。　It　was　unnecessary。　His　eyes　were　beaming。　That　was　her　first　hint。
　〃Datchu；〃she　repeated　the　word　from　last　night。　〃Is　that　you？〃
　〃My　wife　and　I；　we　still　call　herkola　t'sana；〃　the　Captain　answered。　〃Our　little　chile。　ing　home　at　last。〃
　
　11
　The　Petroglyphs
　
　FEBRUARY
　The　clone　lumbered　east　through　the　shin…high　snow。　He　fled　down　through　the　canyons；　away　from　the　sun；　out　into　the　wilderness。　His　clothing　hung　in　tatters。　His　blood　steamed　in　the　frozen　air。　It　turned　the　white　snow　pink；　leaving　a　trail　both　fleeting　and　indelible；　like　the　story　of　a　life；　or　afterlife；　whatever　this　was。
　He　might　have　guessed　the　gleaming　silver　coils　that　surrounded　their　city　would　have　thorns　like　knives。　It　was　a　supernatural　city；　brimming　with　sharp　edges。　In　his　country；　the　shepherds　sometimes　made　overnight　pens　of　bramble　bushes。　Here　even　the　bushes　were　made　of　iron。　He　had　nearly　flayed　himself　pulling　free。
　For　the　moment；　however；　he　was　on　his　feet　and　away　from　them。　The　mesas　loomed　on　either　side　of　this　wadi。　No　sun　this　deep。　In　the　distance；　a　desert　of　sorts　beckoned。　Where　it　led；　God　only　knew。
　He　had　never　witnessed　snow　with　his　own　eyes；　and　it　was　a　horror　to　him；　cold　and　beautiful　to　be　sure；　but　deceptive。　Underneath　the　blank；　smooth　surface　lay　rocks　that　twisted　and　threw　him。　The　wh