jefflong.yearzero-第50章

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　Barnum　and　Bailey　on　one　side。　A　painted　sign　in　front　of　the　tent　read　CENTER　FORNONLINEARSTUDIES。　Another　sign　declared　EQUATION　OFSTATE。Where　on　earth　am　I？　he　thought。
　She　reminded　him　of　a　rancher's　bride　in　some　old　B…movie；　tall　and　lean　in　a　man's　Levis　and　a　checkered　red　shirt。　Her　ponytail　hung　through　the　hole　at　the　back　of　her　baseball　cap。　It　saidJackson　Lab；　Of　Mice　and　Men。　Her　eyes　unsettled　him。　They　were　green　as　sea　ice。
　Electric　golf　carts　darted　past　them。　Campus　types…amazons　in　jog　bras；　bearded　whiz　kids；　wide…bottomed　brainiacs…flashed　by　on　battery…propelled　scooters　or　on　roller　blades　or　bicycles。　They　passed　buildings　with　exotic　names：　PLASMATHEORY；　HOSTPATHOGEN；　PRIONS；　LIVERFUNCTION。　He　pointed　at　a　building：　THEORETICALBIOLOGY。　〃Your　dragons　and　sea　monsters？〃　he　said。
　She　blinked。　She　got　it。　Humor。　Onward。Wrong　address；　he　thought　to　himself。
　〃You　want　Ochs；〃　she　continued。　〃Forget　him。　He's　part　of　the　regime。　You　need　to　know　that。　You're　safe　for　now。　I　can　clear　you　for　T/A3；　my　technical　area；　that's　it。　You'll　be　provided　food　and　lodging。　But　South　Sector's　off…limits。　Go　there；　and　you'll　never　e　back。〃
　South　Sector。He　filed　it　away。　Ochs's　home。
　She　stayed　a　full　step　ahead　of　him。　He　couldn't　seem　to　catch　up。　Biohazard　symbols　were　posted　everywhere；　so　prevalent　they　had　bee　part　of　the　landscape。　Local　artists　had　customized　the　menacing　three…pronged　〃flower〃　into　beautiful　arabesques　and　harmless　graffiti。　The　warnings　had　bee　decoration；　the　perils　had　bee　part　of　their　lifestyle。
　〃Where　are　we　going？〃　he　asked。
　〃Lunch。　You　look　like　a　poster　boy　for　yoga。〃
　〃I'm　going　to　need　to　talk　with　him；〃　he　said。
　〃That's　what　I'm　saying；〃　she　said。　〃Don't。〃
　〃Then　I　might　as　well　leave。〃　He　was　testing　the　limits。　Hers；　his；　he　couldn't　say。
　〃You　could；〃　she　said。　〃Or　you　could　give　it　a　little　time。〃　Her　ponytail　chased　her　shoulders。
　〃There's　not　much　time　out　there。〃
　She　stopped。　He　sidestepped　the　collision。　She　threw　her　hand　towards　a　squat　building。　〃Nirvana。　One　of　our　superputers。　In　the　old　days　it　stored　an　HIV　database。　Now　we　run　code　on　it　with　Corfu　data。　If　I　had　my　way；　we'd　still　have　the　Blue　Mountain。　But　Cavendish　took　it　with　him　into　South　Sector。　I　tried　to　stop　him。　It's　four　times　more　powerful。　Do　you　understand　what　I'm　saying？　There's　a　limit　to　my　power。〃
　They　crossed　a　bridge　named　Omega；　which　spanned　a　small　canyon。　Ahead　lay　the　city；　no　great　beauty；　but　bustling　and　alive。　A　white　van　pulled　alongside　them。　It　had　black　tinted　windows；　and　Nathan　Lee　saw　his　own　reflection。　Miranda　didn't　waste　a　glance　on　it。　After　ten　seconds；　the　van　drove　on。
　〃Los　Alamos　used　to　be　a　very　safe　town；〃　she　mented。　〃Then　it　grew　up。〃
　Partway　across　the　bridge；　the　snow　began　falling。　The　flakes　fell　out　of　a　blue　sky；　and　Nathan　Lee　stopped　to　let　them　gather　on　his　palms。　The　flakes　were　white　and　warm。　He　looked　around；　and　no　one　seemed　to　notice。
　Miranda　came　back　to　him。　〃Ashes；〃　she　said。　Her　baseball　cap　and　shoulders　were　sprinkled　with　it。
　Nathan　Lee　pinched　the　ash　between　his　fingers。　He　smelled　the　breeze。　〃A　forest　fire？〃　he　said。
　〃Burn　day；〃　she　told　him。
　〃Garbage？〃
　〃Medical　refuse；〃　she　said。　〃Intellectual　debris。　Don't　worry。　It　can't　hurt　you。　The　incinerators　burn　hot。　Two　thousand　degrees　Fahrenheit；　something　like　that。〃
　She　turned　and　went　on。　He　brushed　his　hands　clean；　and　continued　the　chase。
　They　entered　a　large　cafeteria　perched　on　the　edge　of　the　canyon。　The　view　was　five…star；　the　ambience　was　pure　junior　high　school。　There　were　boisterous　cliques　and　bookworms　jabbing　the　open　page　and　partners　bent　over　their　homework。　He　saw　plates　with　meatloaf　and　pan　pizza　and　squares　of　red　jello。　There　was　even　a　soda　machine　with　Pepsi　or　Coke；　regular　or　diet。　You　could　forget　the　rest　of　the　world　in　here。　Maybe　that　was　the　idea。
　Suddenly　he　was　famished。　He　didn't　belong　here；　but　all　of　a　sudden　he　was　hungry　for　this　place。　The　room　bulged　with　sunlight。　The　chrome　surfaces　sparkled。　The　people　were　at　peace。
　Even　standing　still　at　the　end　of　the　line；　Miranda　was　a　whirlwind。　Everyone　seemed　to　know　her。　People　approached　with　requests　and　small　emergencies。　Her　cell　phone　rang。　She　gave　her　attention　in　short；　laser　bursts。　He　tried　to　guess　her　age　under　the　cap　brim。　Late　twenties；　early　thirties？　She　was　necessary　to　them　all　somehow。　And　now　she　was　necessary　to　him。　He　was　baffled。
　She　handed　him　a　tray　and　plowed　into　the　buffet。　They　took　a　table　away　from　the　noise。　Her　fingers　were　polished　bright　orange　from　laboratory　chemicals。　Her　cheeseburger　disappeared　in　five　bites。
　Nathan　Lee　ate　sparingly。　His　hands　trembled。　Peas　spilled　from　his　fork。
　〃The　clinic　can　treat　your　malaria；〃　she　said。
　〃I've　got　malaria？〃
　〃We're　careful　up　here。　The　blood　test　screens　for　everything。〃　The　green　eyes　studied　him。　〃Which　jungle　did　you　pick　that　up　in？〃
　He　gave　up　on　the　peas。　〃It　started　in　Kansas。　I　wondered　about　that。〃
　〃Kansas？〃　She　thought。　〃Malaria？　Can　you　remember；　did　the　mosquitos　have　a　tilted　resting　position？　ClassicAnopheles。〃
　〃I　just　slapped　the　little　bastards。〃
　〃Bitches；　actually；〃　she　corrected　him。　〃The　disease　barriers　are　crashing。〃　Her　eyes　drifted　away　from　him。
　He　noticed；　on　the　wall　behind　her；　a　large　puterized　display　of　the　planet。　Red　signified　plague　zones；　and　blue　the　untouched　land　regions。　Great　ragged　holes　maimed　the　South　and　Northeast。　The　Pacific　Coast　states　were　a　single　bright　red　arc。　Washington；　D。C。；　was　no　more。　The　plague　had　been　so　close　at　his　heels？
　〃I　had　the　map　put　in　here　to　keep　people　focused；〃　she　said。　〃But　it　only　ruined　their　appetites。〃
　〃I　guess　so。〃　Somewhere　in　that　creeping　mass　of　color　was　his　daughter。
　〃That　was　for　about　ten　minutes。　Then　they　got　over　it。　Now　no　one　looks　up　there　anymore；　except　for　the　office　pools。　They　bet　on　where　the　virus　will　peak　next。　It's　my　fault。　I　jaded　them。〃
　〃How　much　time　is　left？〃　he　asked。
　〃That's　the　hundred…dollar　question。　New　strains　keep　jumping　up。　It's　difficult。〃
　〃Difficult？〃　He　pulled　his　attention　from　the　map。　Sweat　beaded　his　forehead。　He　wiped　it　with　a　paper　napkin。　They　had　everything　here。　And　the　best　they　could　e　up　with　was　〃difficult。〃　Not　that　he　cared。　He　had　his　own　needs；　starting　with　Ochs。。。and　a　sharp　knife。　He　had　the　knife　now；　a　steak　knife；　up　his　sleeve。　That　was　a　start。
　〃Do　you　know　who　we　are？〃　she　demanded。
　It　sounded　like　a　trick　question。　〃The　good　guys；〃　he　said。
　〃The　greatest　concentration　of　genius　in　history；〃　she　declared。　〃Forget　the　Manhattan　Project。　Forget　the　race　for　the　moon。　Forget　the　cancer　wars。　There's　never　been　so　much　intelligence　gathered　in　one　place　focused　on　one　goal　as　right　here；　right　now。〃
　After　all　the　poverty　and　mean　highways；　this　place　did　seem　different。　They　were　clean　and　unguarded。　Laughter　echoed　in　the　sunbeams。　For　the　first　time　in　memory；　he　didn't　smell　rank　sweat　or　fear。　Probably　not　one　carried　a　weapon。　They　didn't　hunch　defensively　over　their　plates。　No　one　wolfed　their　food。。。except　for　this　living　hurricane　across　the　table。　It　came　to　him。　They　were　gods　and　goddesses　in　Patagonia　shorts；　Bolle　sunglasses；　and；　here　and　there；　the　inevitable　argyle　socks。　Their　eyes　were　the　greatest　proof。　They　were　free。　Free　of　looking　over　their　shoulders；　of　scouring　the　ground；　of　measuring　their　neighbor。　They　had　faraway　eyes。
　〃And　I'm　losing　them；〃　Miranda　stated。　〃Experiments　start；　but　never　finish；〃　she　said。　〃Labs　are　mired。　Morale　is　plunging。　The　research　proposals　get　more　bizarre　by　the　day。　We're　not　scientists　anymore；　just　alchemists。　There's　no　peer　review；　no　time　for　tiered　testing；　no　publishing。　I　have　no　idea　what　most　of　these　people　are　doing　anymore。　Chasing　after　white　rabbits。〃
　Worry　lines　sprang　across　her　forehead；　and　for　a　minute　she　looked　very　old。　But　her　face　could　not　hold　the　age。　Suddenly　he　saw　through　the　circles　under　her　eyes　and　the　bowed　shoulders。　This　woman…this　mother　to　a　people…was　barely　more　than　a　teenager。　It　jarred　him。
　〃We're　falling　behind；〃　she　said。　〃Giving　up。　I've