jefflong.yearzero-第63章

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aves　steamed　when　the　men　broke　them　open。　Soon　they　were　all　pulling　meat　from　the　lamb　with　their　fingers。
　The　meal　went　on　for　hours。
　The　sky　and　food　worked　magic　on　them。　With　greasy　chins　and　full　stomachs；　the　clones　began　to　talk；　at　first　quietly；　then　with　more　clarity　and　excitement。　Even　two　thousand　years　ago；　they　would　have　been　unknown　to　each　other。　Jerusalem　in　the　first　century　had　probably　contained　fifty　thousand　people　or　more。　At　the　height　of　religious　festivals；　thousands　more　from　throughout　the　land　had　poured　through　the　gates。　For　the　time　being；　though　they　had　Jerusalem…and　now　their　captivity…in　mon；　everyone　was　equally　a　stranger。
　Men　stood　to　walk　off　their　fullness。　The　cameras　jinked　right　and　left；　their　remote　operators　trying　to　follow　everyone。　The　drowsy　ones　pillowed　their　heads　on　their　arms　and　took　naps　beneath　the　tree。
　The　sight　of　human　faces　and　the　sound　of　their　own　language　revived　them　with　amazing　speed。　The　inconsolable　ones　who　howled　at　night　were　pacified。　Men　held　each　other's　hands　and　walked　in　the　sunlight。　Some　chattered　like　long…lost　cousins；　Izzy　eavesdropping　at　their　heels。　Matthew　and　others　wandered　about　with　tears　running　down　their　faces。　Ezra　and　Jacob　kept　bursting　into　great　laughs　hailing　God　in　the　heavens。
　Sitting　on　his　heels；　Nathan　Lee　let　the　rhythm　of　the　yard　gather　around　him。　Several　clones　had　begun　aggressively　striding　around　the　perimeter　in　clockwise　circles；　their　sandals　slapping。　A　man　faced　each　of　the　walls　and　proclaimed　his　name　with　a　thump　of　his　chest。　Two　others；　philosophers　ormagi　perhaps；　entered　some　deep　discussion　about　the　meaning　of　the　parking　stripes。
　The　man　who　held　his　attention　most　was　the　fugitive。　He　kept　apart　from　the　rest；　quietly　circling　the　walls。　There　was　no　impatience　in　him。　He　didn't　look　up　at　the　sky。　He　didn't　examine　the　walls。　Nathan　Lee　could　tell　he　was　already　thinking　of　escape。
　Now　that　they　were　mixed　together；　the　clones'　differences　became　more　apparent。　In　their　steel　cells；　they　were　mainly　distinct　because　of　their　behavioral　tics。　But　out　here　in　the　open　air；　moving　about；　you　could　see　the　variety　of　men　whose　remains…for　one　reason　or　another…had　e　to　litter　the　roadside　beyond　the　walls　of　old　Jerusalem。　There　were　tall　men；　squat　men；　lively　men；　wary　introverts。　Soon　their　words　and　the　way　they　walked　were　revealing　the　men　they　had　been；　bullies；　sorcerers；　merchants；　herders；　sycophants；　slaves；　and　peasants。　They　had　e　from　many　places　before　ending　up　at　Golgotha。
　Not　everyone　entered　into　the　pany。　One　poor　fellow　stood　in　place；　hooting　over　his　shoulder；　possessed。　Another　developed　the　sudden　urge　to　publicly　masturbate；　and　was　driven　away　with　annoyed　shouts。　But　aside　from　these　broken　misfits；　there　was　remarkably　little　mental　illness。　For　men　who　had　been　so　badly　abused；　they　had　done　a　remarkable　job　at　holding　onto　their　dignity。
　A　bark　of　recognition　suddenly　echoed　in　the　courtyard。　Two　of　the　clones　embraced　and　began　shouting　excitedly。　Izzy　lingered　by　them；　then　came　over　and　squatted　beside　Nathan　Lee。　Apparently　one　of　the　men　was　the　great…grandfather　of　the　other。　They　had　died　ninety　years　apart；　but　looked　like　identical　twins；　both　of　them　twenty…five　years　old　and　with　hawk　noses　and　tight　black　curls。　They　kept　touching　each　other's　faces。
　Another　shout　of　recognition：　Izzy　listened。　Two　of　the　men　had　been　crucified　back　to　back。　They　had　never　seen　each　other's　faces；　but　somehow　recognized　each　other's　voices。　With　great　animated　disbelief；　each　felt　the　other's　limbs　and　checked　for　the　lash　wounds　and　broken　bones　that　had　marked　their　last　days　together。　Weeping；　one　told　of　the　other's　final　breaths。　He　said　it　had　been　like　watching　his　own　child　die。
　　
　ALL　AFTERNOONtheir　discoveries　unfolded。　More　and　more；　they　began　to　piece　together　family　ties　or　identify　neighboring　villages　or　shared　trades。　Before　Nathan　Lee's　eyes；　they　were　being　a　tribe；　fused　by　their　lost　worlds　and　this　strange　new　heaven　or　hell。
　Like　a　bird　of　prey；　Izzy　cast　off　and　came　back；　bearing　new　stories。　〃It's　too　much；　too　much；〃　he　kept　saying　to　Nathan　Lee。　〃I'm　missing　so　much。　They're　giving　me　a　headache。〃　Then　he　would　fly　off　again　to　snag　more　tales。
　Three　men　came　over　and　stood　above　Nathan　Lee。　〃Who　are　you？〃　they　asked。
　〃Nathaniel；〃　he　said。
　〃Where　is　your　village？〃
　〃Gurrr…byaa；　td'oo…rraa…n'e；〃he　answered。North。　The　mountains。　He　and　Izzy　had　decided　that　was　the　safest　disguise　for　him；　a　mountain　yokel　on　the　far　edges　of　Aramaic　country。
　One　asked　him　something　about　Jerusalem。　Guessing；　he　answered；〃saa…paarr…chee。〃　He　had　been　a　traveler。　That　seemed　to　satisfy　them；　and　they　continued　their　rounds；　interrogating　other　prisoners。　Gathering　a　database；　Nathan　Lee　realized。　Organizing。
　He　steeped　in　the　words；　gaining　the　cadence；　expanding　his　grasp。　Aramaic　was　not　a　pretty　language；　heavy　on　consonants；　very　guttural；　very　macho。　Helped　out　by　their　body　language；　he　was　able　to　pick　up　the　gist　of　some　of　their　conversations。
　One　topic　of　fascination　was　their　new　bodies。　They　talked　about　their　bodies　as　if　they　were　exotic　animals。　It　didn't　matter　if　they　had　died　when　they　were　seventeen　or　seventy；　Miranda's　magic　had　resurrected　them　in　their　physical　prime。　Their　bodies　were　metabolically　twenty…five　years　old。。。and　free　of　their　previous　defects。　The　marks　of　their　crucifixion　were　erased。
　Most　were　satisfied　with　the　new　vessels　into　which　they　had　been　born。　Slaves　who　had　been　tattooed　for　ownership　seemed　lost　without　their　tattoos。　Men　whose　broken　bones　had　set　crookedly　two　thousand　years　ago；　or　whose　spines　had　grown　bent；　were　awestruck　by　their　new　bodies。　Warriors　who　had　lost　an　arm　or　leg　were　whole　again。　Skin　diseases；　gout；　and　arthritis　had　vanished。　The　jury　seemed　to　be　mixed。　Resurrection　was　bad；　but　also　good。
　〃I　was　never　this　tall；〃　one　marveled。
　Another　patted　his　soft　belly　and　pulled　at　the　fat。　〃I　look　like　a　rich　man；〃　he　gloated。
　They　opened　their　robes　to　pare　lab　scars　or　show　how　birth…marks　had　been　erased。　They　gestured　at　their　genitalia　with　disgust；　and　Nathan　Lee　finally　understood　that　they　were　scandalized　to　find　their　circumcisions　reversed。
　〃Who　said　life　would　be　easy？〃　a　big　man　said。
　〃Why　are　we　here？〃
　〃When　will　my　family　arrive？〃
　They　were　irrepressible。　The　yard　had　been　swept　of　debris；　but　they　found　all　kinds　of　strange　artifacts：　a　bottle　cap；　a　pair　of　sunglasses　some　scientist　had　left　perched　on　one　of　the　tree　branches；　pieces　of　wire；　nails；　and　several　dollars'　worth　of　nickels；　pennies；　and　quarters。　The　coins　were　examined　and　debated　with　great　interest。
　As　the　sun　sank；　the　pit　grew　colder。　They　added　more　logs　to　the　fire。　Someone　broke　off　a　bough　of　green　needles　and　laid　it　on　the　flames；　and　a　pungent　smoke　rose　up。　Men　gathered；　mumbling　prayers；　passing　their　hands　through　the　smoke；　drawing　it　into　their　lungs。　It　was　a　universal　habit。　All　you　needed　for　an　altar　was　a　place　out　of　the　wind。
　A　group　formed　and　began　kneeling　and　prostrating；　touching　their　foreheads　to　the　ground。　〃How　can　that　be？〃　Nathan　Lee　muttered　to　Izzy。　〃Mohammed　wasn't　born　for　another　five　hundred　years。〃
　〃Where　do　you　think　the　Muslims　picked　up　the　habit？〃　Izzy　asked。　〃From　the　early　Christians。　Do　you　hear　them？〃
　〃Abwoon　d'bwashmaya；〃they　chanted　together。〃Nethqadash　shmakh；　teytey　makuthakh。〃
　〃Our　father　in　heaven；　sacred　is　thy　name；　thy　kingdom　e；〃Izzy　translated。　His　eyes　were　gleaming。　〃It's　the　Lord's　Prayer；　pretty　much　the　way　Jesus　would　have　spoken　it。〃
　Nathan　Lee　darted　a　glance　at　the　cameras　and　all　were　fixed　on　the　knot　of　primitive　Christians。　For　the　most　part；　the　Christians　were　ignored　by　the　other　clones。　It　would　have　been　just　one　more　New　Age　cult　to　them。　In　fact；　only　two　of　the　clones　seemed　to　be　paying　the　slightest　attention。　One　was　the　man　so　certain　this　was　Egypt；　and　his　eyes　were　narrowed　and　musing。　The　other　was　the　fugitive；　who　stood　back；　as　if　he　had　been　thrown　into　a　pit　of　lions。
　
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