Chapter 4 Chapter 2 Longmount Virginia: Ita

Two beautiful Southern manor houses stood facing each other with a long stretch of land between them.Slightly undulating grassland; there are several beautiful circular bicycle lanes on the grassland and a car lane extending from the road behind the mountain; the car lane is two cars wide and paved with hundreds of gravels.On one side of one of the houses was a large warehouse, painted bright red with white sides, and on the other side was a long row of stables, also painted red with white sides.Some of the finest horses in the American South are bred here.Between the warehouse and the stables is a large and shallow goose pond, the quiet water reflects the blue sky.

In the 1960s, the original owners of both houses went to war and died on the battlefield.All survivors of both families are now deceased.Both houses were confiscated as government property in 1954.Ita's headquarters is located here. On a sunny day in October—the day after Andy and Charlie took a cab out of New York for Albany—at nine ten in the morning an old man in an English wool cycling cap rode toward one of the The house kicked away.His eyes are kind.Bright and bright.On the second mound behind him is the checkpoint he just passed - only when the computer's identification system approves your fingerprint, you can pass.The checkpoint is located between two barbed wires.A grid outside is seven feet high, and every sixty feet there are signs reading "CAUTION! LV NETWORK GOVERNMENT PROPERTY."The voltage is really not high during the day, and the dedicated generator at night will make its voltage reach fatal heights.Every morning, a team of five rangers patrols the grid in miniature golf carts, picking up the charred carcasses of animals: rats, moles.Hedgehogs, occasionally a stinking weasel, and sometimes a deer.Twice were human corpses, also charred.The outer and inner barbed wire are 10 feet apart.The Police University patrols the base facilities day and night in the inner grid.The police, mostly German pinschers, have been trained to stay away from charging grids.There are surveillance towers at the four corners of the base, which are still red walls and white borders.The towers are staffed by specialists in the use of a variety of lethal hardware weapons.The entire base is controlled by television monitors, with computers constantly scanning the screens.Longmont's facilities were impeccable.

The elderly man rode forward, smiling at everyone he met.A balding old man in a baseball cap was riding a thin-ankled pony.He raised his hand and greeted the cyclist, "Hello, Cap! It's a beautiful day today!" "Excellent." The cyclist nodded. "Have a good day, Henry." He got out of the car in front of the house on the north side and parked it.He took a deep breath of the fresh morning air" and trotted up the wide steps of the corridor, past the massive Doris columns. He opened the door and walked into the spacious reception room.A red-haired young woman is sitting at a desk with a book on statistical analysis open in front of her.She put one hand where she was looking, and put the other hand in the drawer, gently touching a small 38 pistol.

"Good morning, Josie," said the older man. "Hello, Cap. You're a little late, aren't you?" "My car broke down, honey." He stuck his thumb in the corresponding hole.There was a heavy rattling sound from the console, then a green light flashed on Josie's desk, and then it settled down, "Good job." "I'll be careful." She said mischievously crossing her legs. Cap laughed loudly and walked down the hall.Josie watched him go, hesitating for a moment whether to tell him that creepy old Varys had arrived about twenty minutes ago.He'll know right away, she thought with a sigh.Talking to that old goblin would have ruined the start of a good day.But he thought that a person in such a high position as Garp must have both hardships and hardships.

Cap's office is at the back of the house.Looking out from the large oriel window, one can enjoy the lawn, warehouse and the goose pond half-hidden by the white wood at the back.Rich McCain is out on the lawn, reclining on a small lawn mower.Cap stood at the window with his hands behind his back and watched him for a moment, then walked to the coffee machine in the corner of the room.He poured some coffee, added more milk to his 'U.S. Navy' cup, sat down and rang the intercom. "Hello, Rachel," he said. "Hi, Garp. Dr. Varys is-" "I got it," Cap said. "I got it. I smelled the old whore when I came in."

"Shall I tell him you're too busy today?" "Don't tell him that," Cap said grimly. "Just let him wait the whole fucking morning in the yellow drawing room. If he hasn't decided to go home by then, I think I can see him before lunch." .” "Okay, sir." Problem solved—at least for Rachel, and Cap resented the thought that Varys wasn't really her problem at all.And in fact, Varys is getting trickier now.He's lived too long to be of any use or influence, but we have Moy.We also have Rain Birds. Thinking of Rain Bird, Garp couldn't help but shudder in his heart.And he's not one to get scared easily.

He pressed the intercom again: "I want to go through the whole file on McGee again, Rachel. At ten thirty, I want to see Al Steinowitz. If my meeting with Al is over, " Varys isn't gone yet, you can let him in. " "Okay, Cap." Cap sat back in his chair, fingertips to fingertips.His gaze fell across the room to the portrait of George Patton on the wall.Patton stood with his legs apart on top of a tank, like he thought he was Duke Wayne. "If you don't weaken your opponent, life will be extremely difficult." He said to Parton's portrait, and then picked up the cup and sipped his own coffee slowly.

Ten minutes later, Rachel wheeled the file in on a library cart.There are six boxes of documents and reports in total.Four boxes of photos, and phone records.The McGee family's phones had been bugged since 1978. "Thanks, Rachel." "You're welcome. Mr. Steinowitz will be here at ten-thirty." "Of course he'll come, isn't Varys dead yet?" "I'm afraid not yet," she said with a smile. "He's just sitting outside watching Henry walk the horse." "Tearing his damn cigarettes?" Rachel covered her mouth and giggled like a schoolgirl, she nodded:

"He's wiped out half a pack of cigarettes." Cap grunted.After Rachel walked out of the office, he turned to look at the files.How many times had he seen them in the past eleven months?A dozen times?Twenty times?He could almost memorize the abstract.And if nothing happens to Al, he can catch the remaining two McGee before this week.The thought set off a small surge of excitement in his belly. He began flipping through McGee's files at random: a page here, a paragraph there.This is his way of reacquainting himself with the situation.His brain remained relatively calm, but his subconscious mind was running at high speed.What he needs now is not the details but a macroscopic grasp of the situation as a whole.Like the baseball players say, he needs to find the joystick.

Here is the record written by Varys himself, a younger Varys than now, but they were younger then), dated September 12, 1968.Half of the paragraphs caught Karp's attention... which is of great significance for the subsequent study of controllable psychological phenomena.Further experiments on animals would have the opposite effect (see Exhibit 1), and—as I emphasized at a panel meeting this summer—even if the Destiny Six is ​​only a fraction of what we imagine, Or any experiment on abnormal human body may lead to extremely serious consequences.With that being said, I stand by my suggestion...

You insisted that we inject Destiny Six into the control group of college students after all our excellent contingency planning for a failed trial, Karp thought.At the time, Varys had no qualms.Indeed not.At that time, his motto was to move forward at full speed, regardless of the flood behind him.Twelve people were injected with the drug, two of whom died, one during and one shortly after the experiment.The other two were hopelessly insane and crippled - one blind and one psychopathically paralyzed, and both are now imprisoned in the Moui concentration camp until the day their miserable lives come to an end Don't even think about it.So there are eight people left.One of them died in a car accident in 1972—not so much an accident as a suicide.Another jumped from the roof of the Cleveland Post Office in 1973, this time as an actual suicide; he left a note that read: "Can no longer bear the horrific visions in my head. Cleveland police put it down to suicidal depression and hallucinations after eye drugs.Cap and Ita chalked it up to a deadly Destiny Six hangover. Then there are six people left.Three of them committed suicide between 1974 and 1977, which brings the number of known suicides to four and the number of probable suicides to five—nearly half the total, you might say.On them with pistols.When they ended their lives by jumping from a rope or jumping from a height, the four known suicides all looked exactly like normal people.But who knows what kind of pain they were going through at that time?Does anyone really know? So there are three left. In 1977, the long-dormant Destiny VI experimental project became hot again.Since that year, a man named James Richardson, who now lives in Los Angeles, has been under long-term covert surveillance. He had participated in the Destiny Six experiments in 1969, and while under the influence of the drug, like all the other subjects who participated in the experiments, he displayed an astonishing set of talents: telekinesis.Wordless communication, and the most noticeable manifestation of it—at least from Ita's professional perspective—is mind control. But like everyone else, James Richardson seems to have completely lost the special functions caused by taking drugs as the effects of the drugs wear off. Follow-up surveys conducted in 1971, 1973 and 1975 turned up nothing.Even Varys, an ardent supporter of the Destiny VI project, had to admit it.The computer's successive random reads (although these reads have been far from random since the McGee's troubles started) did not show.to show any indication that Richardson was using psychic abilities—whether consciously or unconsciously.He graduated in 1971, and then gradually moved to the western United States.He had held a series of low-level management jobs--which didn't require any mind control--and now worked for Tai Liming. Also, he's a fucking gay. Cap sighed. They were still watching Richardson closely, but Cap himself believed the man was useless.That leaves just two people—Andie McGee and his wife.Ita naturally didn't let go of the unexpected good thing of their marriage, and of course Varys.He began to send countless papers to headquarters, thinking that any offspring of this marriage would be worth scrutinizing—he was too happy—and more than once Cap tried to tease Varys by telling him that they had heard Andie McGee has had a vasectomy.That would seal the old bastard's mouth forever.By then Varys had had a stroke; completely useless, turned into a good-for-nothing nuisance. The Destiny VI experiment was only conducted once.Test results were catastrophic" The aftermath cover-up was extensive, thorough, and costly. Orders were placed from above to indefinitely suspend further testing. Varys had plenty of screaming and whining that day, Garp thought... and he It did. But at the time there was no indication that the Russians or other powerful nations were interested in drug-induced psychic abilities, so the bigwigs above concluded that despite some positive results, the Destiny Six went Is one: Dead end, must be stopped. Considering its long-term results, a scientist who worked on the project once compared it to an airplane engine put in an old Ford. It works like a mess - yes - —until it hits the first obstacle, it will show superior performance.”Give us another 10,000 years of evolution. ’ The scientist had said, ‘We’ll try again. " Part of the problem was that the subjects also went into a state of near-mania when drug-induced psychic abilities were at their peak.There is no possibility of control. And on the other hand, the bigwigs up there pretty much mess things up.Cover up the death of an agent.or the death of a bystander during an operation - that's one thing; covering up the death of a student who suffered a heart attack, the disappearance of two other students, and the hysteria and hallucinations of others - is quite another up.Although one of the conditions for selecting these students as subjects was that they had as few close relatives as possible, they all had friends.The costs and risks are enormous.Nearly $700,000 has been spent trying to silence the relatives and friends, and at least one has been eliminated—the godfather of the student who tore his eye out.The godfather just refused to let it go, so he must investigate and find out.It turned out that the only place he could find was the bottom of the Baltimore Trench.He should still be lying there now, with two cement slabs chained to the remains of his legs. And, a lot of it—a damn big part of it—is luck. So year after year, the Destiny 6 project that was put on hold gets a budget allocation.The money was used to continue random monitoring of the survivors in case something happened—some pattern. Finally, one appeared. Cap rummaged through the pile of photos, and finally picked up a blurry 8 of the girl. Inches wide by 10 inches long in black and white.The photo was taken three years ago, when she was a prisoner, at Liberty Children's Kindergarten in Harrison: it was taken with a telephoto lens from the back of a bread van.The photo originally showed a large group of boys and girls playing, but it was enlarged later.In the end, there was only a smiling little girl left.She held the handle of the dancing silk with both hands, and her golden braids were flying in the air. Cap stared at the picture for a long time sadly.Due to the stroke, Varys understands what fear is.He now believes that the little girl should be eliminated.Although Varys is now an unpopular opposition faction, there are those who agree with him - those who hold real power.Karp sincerely hoped that things would not go to that point.He himself has three grandchildren, two of whom are about Charlene McGee's age. Naturally they were going to separate the girl from her father.Maybe a permanent separation.And he's almost certainly going to be wiped out--after he's used to the best of his ability, of course. It is ten fifteen.He pressed the intercom to connect with Rachel: "Is Albert Steinowitz here?" "Just arrived, sir." "Very well. Let him in, please." "I want you to take care of the finishing touches on this yourself, Al." "Okay, Cap." Albert Steinowitz was a small man with a sallow complexion and jet-black hair; in his youth he was sometimes mistaken for the actor Victor Jory.Cap and Steinowitz had been working together off-again for nearly eight years—indeed, they had both retired from the Navy—and it always seemed to him that Al was going to be in the hospital and never again. people who come out.He smokes non-stop (of course he doesn't here because it's not allowed here).His slow, stately gait endowed him with an uncanny nobility, an unfathomable nobility, a rare quality in any man.Cap had gone through the medical records of all first-level agents.He knew Albert's regal gait was an illusion; he suffered from severe hemorrhoids, for which he had been operated twice.He refuses a third operation because it might mean a colostomy bag dangling from his leg for the rest of his life, and his gait often reminds Cap of the mermaid who wanted to be human and her twins. Legs, feet pay the price. Cap thought her gait must be noble and elegant, too. "How long will it take you to get to Albany? Now he asked Al. "An hour after leaving here." "Very well. I won't keep you long. How's the situation over there?" Al crossed his little yellowish hands in his lap: "The state troopers are working very well with us. There are roadblocks on all the highways in and out of Albany. The roadblocks are in concentric circles around the Albany County Airfield. , covering thirty miles." "You're assuming they didn't get a ride." "We've got to," said Albert. "If they hitchhiked two hundred miles, of course we'd have to start all over again. But I'll bet they're in the ring." "Oh? Why is that, Arjunbert?" Karp asked, leaning forward.Apart from Rain Bird, Albert Steinowitz was without a doubt the best agent under Garp.He's smart, intuitive - if the job calls for it - and ruthless. "Part of it is feeling," said Albert, "and part of it is from the computer—we put everything we know about Andrew McGee for the past three years into the computer. We let it find anything to do with him." The laws related to the capabilities that may be possessed.” "He does have that ability, Al," Cap said softly, "and that's why this operation has been so subtle." "Okay. Go on." "The third question is, have you had specific, visible success at work since you joined the confidence club? Because people remember days when they were promoted or favored by their boss, their responses to this question With the utmost objectivity and reliability. They are very willing to talk. Karp, I find it a little strange. He did exactly what he promised.Of the sixteen, eleven were promoted—eleven.Of the remaining five, three had jobs where promotion was only possible at certain times. " "No one doubts McGee's ability," Karp said; "no one doubts anymore." "Yes. Now back to what we were going to talk about. These guys' sessions at the club lasted six weeks. Based on their answers to these key questions, the computer came up with four salient dates...that is, on For four days, McGee didn't give them a cliché like 'you can do it if you work hard', but gave them a real 'push'. The date we got was August 16th vs. September 1st day. September 19th and October 4th. " "What does that prove?" "Last night, he fucked that taxi driver. It was great. The guy is awesome! Still groggy, we think Andy McGee is sick and maybe not moving at all." Alber Looking at Garp intently, "The computer gave me a twenty-six percent chance that he's dead." "what?" "He's overused himself before and needs to stay in bed as a result. His brain can't take it, God knows why. Maybe a light hemorrhage, which is getting worse. The computer thinks there's more than a quarter Possibility he was dead, possibly from a heart attack, more likely from a stroke." "It's because he had to use that ability before his body recovered," Karp said. Albert nodded, and took out something wrapped in thin plastic paper from his pocket.He handed it to Cap.Cap looked at it and handed it back. "What is this?" he asked. "Nothing," Al said.He looked thoughtfully at the bill wrapped in plastic. "It's just McGee's fare to the taxi driver." "He took a ride from New York to Albany for a dollar? Uh?" Cap took the bill and looked at it with renewed interest. The banknotes were thrown on the table as if they were burned.He sat back in his chair and blinked hard. "You saw it too, eh?" Al asked. "Did you see it?" , Jesus Christ, I don't know what I saw. said Karp, reaching into a ceramic box for the smelling salts. "For a moment it didn't look like a $1,000 at all." "But now it looks like it?" " Karp looked at the bill carefully: "Of course it does now. It's Washington's head on it, exactly—Christ!" He slumped back into his chair, almost banging his head against the dark wooden wainscoting behind the desk.He stared at Al, "That face... seems to have changed all of a sudden. It seems to have an extra pair of glasses.Is it a trick? " "Hey, what a fucking brilliant trick," Al said, taking back the bill, "I've seen it before, but I can't see it now. I guess I'm used to it now...but swear to God I don't know why. Nothing, of course, just some kind of ridiculous hallucination. But I even recognized the face, it was Benjamin Franklin." "You got it from that cab driver. He stared fascinatedly at the bill, waiting for the change to appear again, but it was nothing but George Washington's face." Al smiled. "Yes," he said, "we took the bill and gave him a check for five hundred dollars. He did make a fortune." "why?" "Benjamin Franklin's head isn't on the five hundred dollars, it's on the hundred dollars. Apparently McGee didn't know that." "Let me take another look." Al hands Cap the one-dollar bill.Cap stared at it intently for two minutes.Just when he was going to hand the money back.The image above started shaking again.But at least this time he felt that the shaking was entirely in his head, not on or inside the bill. "I've got one more thing to tell you," Cap said. "I'm not sure yet, but I think Franklin is pictured on the bill without glasses. Otherwise, it..." He broke off, uncertain How to finish the sentence.He thought of the word "weird" and dismissed it. "Yeah," Al said. "The effect is wearing off anyway. I showed it to about half a dozen people this morning. Two of them thought they saw something, but it didn't look like the driver and the guy with him." That girl who lived with me was so strong." "So you reckon he overdid it this time?" "True. I doubt he'll be able to walk any longer. They may have slept in the woods; or in a remote motel. Perhaps they've broken into a summer cottage there. But I think they're around the corner , and we can catch them without trouble." "How many people do you need to do this?" "We've got enough people," Al said. "If you count the state troopers, there are over seven hundred guests at this little family reception. First-class guests. They'll go door to door. We've checked. All the hotels and motels in the immediate area of ​​Albany - more than 40 in all. We will now expand the search to the immediate area. A man and a little girl, they are very obvious targets, we will catch them. If he's dead, at least get the girl." Albert stood up. "I think I should go. I wish I could have been there while this was going on." "Of course you'll catch 'em. Bring 'em to me, Al." "I will." Albert said, walking towards the door. "Albert?" He turned around.A little man with a sickly face. "Who the hell is on the five hundred dollars? Did you find out?" Albert, Steinowitz smiled. "President McKinley," he said, "he was assassinated." He walked out, closing the door behind him gently, leaving Cap to think. Ten minutes later, Cap rang the intercom again: "Has Rain Bird returned from Venice, Rachel?" "Just got back yesterday," Rachel said.Karp seems well-trained in her.Disgust could still be heard in the polite tone. "Is he here or is he in Sanibel?" Ita has a health resort on Sanibel Island in Florida. Rachel was silent for a moment.She is checking the computer. "He's in Longmont, Cap. Arrived last night at eighteen. The plane was late. He might be sleeping." "Someone wake him up," Garp said. "I want to see him when Varys is gone. Is Varys still here?" "Saw him about fifteen minutes ago." "Okay, let Rain Bird come at noon." "Okay, sir." "You're such a nice girl, Rachel." "Thank you, sir." She sounded touched.Cap liked her, very much. "Please let Dr. Varys in, Rachel." He leaned back in his chair with his hands folded in front of him.He thought: Just to redeem my sin. On August 8, 1974, the same day Richard Nixon announced his resignation from the presidency, Dr. Joseph Varys suffered a stroke.It was a moderate brain "accident" from which his body never recovered.In Karp's view, he was not fully recovered psychologically either.Varys' interest in Destiny VI and its subsequent experiments only became so stubborn and urgent after the stroke. He walked into the room leaning on a cane.The sunlight from the bay window reflected off his round rimless glasses, making them look empty inside.His left hand is like a grasping claw; the slanted corner of his left mouth makes him look like he's constantly sneering. Rachel looked at Cap sympathetically over Varys' shoulder.Garp nodded to indicate that she could go.She left, closing the door gently. "Hello, doctor," Cap said solemnly. "How are things going?" Varys asked, sitting down with a grunt. "Secret," Cap said. "You understand, Joe. What can I do for you today? "I've seen the activity in this place," Varys said, ignoring Garp's question. "What else can I do sitting there all morning?" "Come if you don't have an appointment" "You thought you were going to catch 'em again," Varys said, "why call that killer Stanovitz? Maybe you'll catch 'em, maybe Yes. But you've thought that before, haven't you?" "What do you want, Joe?" Cap didn't want others to mention their previous failures. Oh, Christ, Cap thought, the old bastard is going to talk a lot. "Why am I still alive? Just to convince you to get rid of those two. Get rid of that James Richardson too. And those two guys from Mouy. Get rid of them all, Capeton Hollins Te, cleanse them, wipe them off the face of the earth." Cap sighed. Varys waved his paw at the cart and said, "I know you went through those files again." "I almost memorized them." Garp smiled slightly after finishing speaking.For the whole of last year he was there, 'swallowing' Destiny Six; and for the previous two years, it was an integral item on the agenda for every meeting. So in that sense, it's very important for Destiny Six Varys wasn't alone in his fascination. The difference is, I get paid for it.And to Varys it was just a hobby, a dangerous one. "You read, but you don't understand," said Varys. "Let me try again and tell you the truth, Capton Hollinster.  … Garp was about to object when he suddenly remembered the meeting between Rain Bird and Noon, so his face softened, becoming calm and even full of sympathy. "Okay," he said, "fire when you're ready." "You still think I'm a little crazy, don't you? A psychopath?" "You said that, but I didn't." "You should remember that I was the first to suggest the use of a mixture of titanium spectrum-lysergic acid phthalein diethylamine for testing." "Sometimes I wish you hadn't suggested that," Karp said.If he closed his eyes, he could still see Varys' first report, a two-hundred-page report on the prospect of a drug.The drug was originally called DLT, and later the technicians of the "Shenli" trial called it "Auxiliary Acid", and finally named it Destiny Six. Karp's predecessor approved the original project; this gentleman six years He was buried with full military ceremonies at Arlington Military Cemetery. "I mean my opinion should be taken seriously," Varys said.He seemed tired this morning, speaking slowly and hoarsely, the twisted sneer on the left side of his mouth remained motionless as he spoke. "I'm listening," Cap said. "As far as I know, I'm the only psychologist, or doctor, who can still talk to you. You people are blinded by one thing, and one thing only: this man and little girl's sympathy for America. What does it mean for security, or what it means for the future distribution of global power. From what we've been following up with this McGee, he's a gentle Rapstin. He can make..." Varys talked on and on.Garp's attention was temporarily diverted, however.Gentle Rapstin, he thought.The word sounded gorgeous, and he liked it.He wondered what he would say if he told Varys that the computer had found a strong one-in-four chance that McGee had cleared himself when he fled New York City?Maybe get overexcited.What if you showed him that fancy bill?Maybe I'll have another stroke.Cap covered his mouth at the thought to hide his smile. "I'm worried about the girl first." How many times had Varys told him?twenty?thirty?fifty times? "McGee and Tomlinson are married... a million percent. They should be stopped at all costs.But who could have predicted—” "You were very much in favor of it," Cap said, before adding dryly, "I'm sure if they had invited you, you would have played the role of father of the bride. "We didn't realize it at the time," Varys murmured. "I didn't realize until after the stroke. Anyway, Destiny Six is ​​just a synthetic copy of a pituitary preparation... a potent painkiller— Hallucinogens, we didn't know about them then, and we still don't. We know—or at least we're ninety-nine percent sure—that the drug's counterpart in the body produces occasional hyperactivity. Psychic abilities, and nearly all of us display them from time to time. The range is astonishing: precognition. Telekinesis. Mind control. Occasional superhuman powers. Temporary control of the nervous system. Did you know that in almost all biofeedback experiments, the pituitary suddenly becomes hyperactive?" Cap knew.Varys had told him countless times—that and all.There was no need to answer him, though; Varys' eloquence was at its peak this morning, and the sermon was excellent.Cap was determined to listen, and this was the last time.Let the old man have his way.For Varys, this is the finale. "Yes, it's true." Varys said.Answer yourself, "In a biofeedback experiment. In dreams, it is all active.People with pituitary gland injuries rarely dream normally.People with damage to the pituitary gland are extremely prone to brain disorders and blood cancers.The pituitary gland, Kapton Hollinster, from the perspective of biological evolution, it is the earliest endocrine gland in the human body.During a person's adolescence, it pumps its own weight of glandular secretions into the bloodstream.It is a very important gland, a very mysterious gland.If I believed that man has a soul, I would say it is in the pituitary. ... Cap grunted. "We know about these things," Varys said, "and we also know that Destiny Six somehow altered the physical structure of the pituitary glands of the test subjects. Even the one you call the 'quiet' '—James Richardson—the structure of the pituitary gland. The most important thing we can conclude from that little girl is that Destiny Six also somehow altered the chromosomal structure... this brain Changes to the pituitary gland can be a real change." "The X gene is inherited." "No," Varys said, "that's one of the many things you don't figure out, Capton Hollinster. Andrew McGee became a tuner after the experiment, Victoria Tomlinson Became a Y gene - she was also affected by drugs, but not in the same way as her husband. The woman maintained a low level of telekinesis. The man maintained a moderate level of mind control. But the little girl ，卡普顿·霍林斯特，这个女孩，她怎么样呢？我们并不确切知道。她是一个之基因。…… “我们打算找到答案。”卡普轻轻地说。 这时瓦里斯的两个嘴角都开始冷笑了。“你们打算找到答案。”他重复道，“当然，如果你坚持不懈，你当然可能……你们这些瞎眼、固执的笨蛋！”他闭上了眼睛，将一只手捂在上面。 卡普冷静地看着他。 瓦里斯说：“有件事你已经知道了——她可以引火。” "yes." “你假设她从母亲那里继承了心灵遥感能力。事实上你很相信这一点。” "yes." “当她还是个婴儿时，她完全无力控制这些……这些才能，我没有更好的词来形容它……” “一个小孩不能控制自己的大小便。”卡普说。他在列举档案中提出的一个例子，“不过当这小孩渐渐长大——” “是的，是的，我很熟悉这个类比。但是一个大些的孩子也会出事故。” 卡普微笑着回答：“我们会把她放在一间防火的屋子里。…… “一个牢房。” 卡普仍微笑着说：“如果你愿意这么说的话。” “我告诉你我的推断。'、瓦里斯说，“她不愿使用自己具有的这种能力。她对它非常害怕，而这种惧怕是她父母故意培养起来的。我有一个类似的例子，是关于我弟弟的孩子。房子里有许多火柴。弗雷迪想玩火柴。点着再把它们晃灭。他会兴高采烈地说'真可爱，真可爱'。于是我弟弟就开始打算制造一种恐惧感，要吓得他再也不敢玩火柴。他告诉弗雷迪说火柴头都是硫磺，'能够让他的牙齿腐烂掉光。而且看着擦亮的火柴最终会弄瞎他的眼睛，最后他抓着弗雷迪的手放在一根点着的火柴上，烧伤了他。 " “你的弟弟，”卡普喃喃道，“听起来可真令人钦佩。” “手上烧一个小红疤总比躺在烧伤病房，浑身湿裹。全身60%度烧伤好吧。”瓦里斯冷冷地说。 “把火柴放在他拿不到的地方不是更好吗？” “你能把恰莱恩。麦克吉的火柴放在她拿不到的地方吗？瓦里斯问道。 卡普缓缓点点头：“你有些道理，但是——…… “卡普顿·霍林斯特，问问你自己：当这孩子还是个婴儿时，安德鲁和维多利亚·麦克吉夫妇该有多痛苦？尤其是当他们把这种情况和过去的事不可避免地联系起来之后？奶瓶来晚了，娃娃在哭。与此同时，放在婴儿床上她身边的一只填充动物玩具开始冒烟起火。尿布湿了，娃娃在哭。片刻之后，篮子里的脏衣服开始自燃。你有这些记录，卡普顿·霍林斯特，你知道那房子里是如何乱成一团。每个房间中都有一个灭火器和一个烟雾报警器。 而且有一次起火的是她的头发，卡普顿·霍林斯特。他们冲进她的房间，发现她站在婴儿床上尖叫着，她的头发在着火。 " “是的。”卡普说，“这肯定使他们非常紧张。” “于是，”瓦里斯说，“他们不仅要训练她如何控制大小便。 他们还得教她怎样控制火。 " “控制火。”卡普沉思道。 “也就是说像我弟弟和他儿子弗雷迪那样，他们制造了一种心理恐惧。你刚才引用过我的那个类比，卡普顿·霍林斯特、那就让我们仔细看一看，什么是大小便训练？也就是造成一种心理恐惧。”猛然间，这老人的声音令人大吃一惊地拔高到一种尖利、颤微微的嗓音，就像一个女人在责骂一个孩子。卡普带着诧异和厌恶看着他。 “你这个坏孩子！”瓦里斯叫道，“看看你干了什么！这多脏，孩子，看见这有多脏吗？把它弄在裤子里多脏！大人们把它弄在裤子里吗？到马桶上去，孩子，到马桶上去。” “好了，好了。”卡普说道。He felt very uncomfortable. “这就是制造一种心理恐惧。”瓦里斯说，“大小便训练就是强迫孩子把注意力集中在自己最基本的生理现象上，如果注意目标是别的什么东西，我们也许会认为这有些病态。你也许会问，在孩子心中造成的这种恐惧感有多强烈？华盛顿大学的理查德。 代蒙教授对自己提出了这个问题，并且通过实验找出了答案。他招收了55名学生自愿者。他给他们灌足了白开水、苏打水，牛奶，直到他们迫切地想去厕所。经过一段规定的时间后，他对他们说可以去尿……但要尿在裤子里。 " “太恶心了！”卡普大声说。他很震惊也很恶心。这根本不是实验；而是一次堕落演习。 “看看这种心理恐惧在你脑子里是多么根深蒂固吧。”瓦里斯静静他说，“在你二十个月大时，你可不会认为这有那么恶心。 那时，当你要尿时，你就尿了。如果有人把你放在教皇的腿上而你想尿的话，你会照样那样做的。卡普顿·霍林斯特，代蒙试验的关键之处在于：大多数被试根本做不到。他们知道至少在试验过程中，常规已被抛在一边；他们都是独居一室，像在普通的厕所中一样……但是整整百分之八十八的人就是做不到。不管生理需要是多么强烈，但他们父母在他们心中造成的恐惧感更加强烈。 " “这只不过是毫无意义的猜想。”卡普简洁地说。 “不，不是的。我希望你比较一下大小便训练和玩火训练……和它们之间的显著差异，也就是完成前者和后者的迫切性的显著不同。如果一个孩子上厕所迟了，结果是什么？无关大局的不适。他的房间如果不经常通风就会有味道。做母亲的就会被拴在洗衣机旁。完事之后还要清洗地毯。最差的情况是如果妈妈太懒没有给他及时清洗，孩子会起疹子。但如果一个孩子会点火，那结果……” 他的双眼闪闪发光，左边的嘴角冷笑着。 “我对麦克吉夫妇作为父母的评价相当高。”瓦里斯说，“无论如何他们使她顺利地经过了这一关，我猜想他们很早就开始这项工作了，早于其他父母开始对孩子进行大小便训练的时间；没准在她会爬之前就开始了。孩子不能！孩子伤了你自己！不，不，不！坏孩子！坏孩子！坏——坏孩子！ “但是你们的计算机说她现在正在克服自己的恐惧感，卡普顿·霍林斯特，这正是最佳时机。她年轻，这种恐惧感还没有经过多年教化变得水泥般坚硬。而且她有父亲在身边！你意识到这一简单情况的重要性了吗？不，你没有。父亲是权威的象征。他掌握着女孩心中所有的心理活动。口的。肛门的。生殖器的；每种心理活动后边都是父亲那象征权威的身影，就像帘子后一个若隐若现的影子．对女儿来说，他就是摩西（《圣经）中犹太人的领袖，从上帝手中领取十戒）；法律就是他的法律，她并不知道这法律从何而来，但父亲将其巩固加强。他也许是惟一能够消除这道障碍的人。当在我们心中培养出心理恐惧的人死去时，这种心理恐惧会给我们带来极大的痛苦和烦恼。” 卡普瞥了一眼手表，发现瓦里斯在这儿已经呆了几乎四十分钟。简直像几个小时。“你·决说完了吗？我有另外一个约会——” “当心理恐惧消失时，就像暴雨过后大坝一泻千里。”瓦里斯轻轻他说，“我们的记录中有一个十九岁的乱交的女孩。她已经有过三百个情人。她的性欲极其亢奋，就像一个四十岁的妓女。 但她本来直到十七岁时还是个处女。她的父亲是个牧师。他反复对她讲，婚姻内的性关系是地狱并要遭天罚；性是原罪的结果。 当这样的心理恐惧垮掉时，就像是大坝崩塌。开始时有一两道裂缝，只有涓涓细流，没人注意。根据你们计算机提供的信息，这就是那个小女孩现在的情况，在她父亲的劝说下，她已经使用过自己的能力来帮助他。然后它便会一下子全部垮掉，喷出百万加仑的洪水，摧毁路上一切东西，淹死所有人。永远地改变地貌！ " 瓦里斯的嘎嘎声从一开始的低沉爬到1老人的声嘶力竭一一但与其说它庄严不如说它暴躁。 “听着。”他对卡普说，“就这一回，你听我说。摘下你的蒙眼布吧。那个男人本身并不可怕。他有些许能力，一个玩具，算不了什么、他自己知道这一点。他没能用它挣到一百万美元。他并没有统治国家和人民。他曾利用自己的能力帮助肥胖女人减肥。他曾利用它帮助怯懦的管理人员获得自信。他还不能经常使用这种能力，某种内在的生理因素制约着他，但那女孩却极其危险。她在和父亲一起逃亡，面临生死存亡的境地。她被吓坏了。 他也被吓坏了。恐惧使他也变得危险——不是由于他本人．而是因为你们在强迫他重新教育那女孩。你们在强迫他使那女孩改变她对自己体内能力的观念。你们在强迫他让那女孩使用它。 瓦里斯喘着粗气。 剧情概要已经演完——该尾声了——卡普平静地说：'你想说什么？ " “必须干掉那个男人，要快。在他还没有对他和妻子在那女孩的心中培养出来的心理恐惧做出更多的破坏之前，杀掉他。我相信那女孩也必须被干掉。因为破坏也许已经造成了。” “她毕竟只是个小女孩，瓦里斯。不错，她能引火。但你使这听起来像世界未日善恶的决战场。” “也许它会成为善恶决战场的。”瓦里斯说，“你不能被她的年龄和身材蒙蔽，而忘记之基因——可是你现在就忘记卞这一点，如果引火只是冰山的顶端呢？如果这能力变大呢？她才七岁：当约翰·米尔顿（英国十六世纪著名作家）七岁时，他也许只是个小男孩，拿着根木炭在地上用只有他爸爸妈妈才能看懂的字母写自己名字，他只是个小孩。而长大的约翰。米尔顿却写出了。” “我不知道你都在说些什么。”卡普简单地说。 “我是在说毁灭的潜在力量。我是在说一种与脑垂体有关的力量，而当一个小孩在恰莱恩·麦克吉这么大时，这种腺体还处于几乎休眠的状态。当她长成青年，当这种腺体从沉睡中醒来并且在二十个月内就成为人体中最强大的一种力量，从突然成熟的第一和第二性征中聚集一切能量直到在你眼前产生一片紫红一那时将会发生什么？如果你有个孩子，仅凭她的意志力就可以引起核爆炸，你会怎么办？” “这是我所听到的最疯狂的话。” “是吗，那就让我从疯狂再到彻底的癫狂吧，卡普顿·霍林斯特。假设今天早晨外面某个地方有个小女孩；在她体内有一种力量能够在某一天把我们的星球像射击场上的飞盘一样击成两半，而现在这种力量暂时正在休眠，你会怎么办？” 他们在沉默中互相对视。突然对讲机响了起来。 过了一会儿，卡普俯下身打开对讲机：“什么事，雷切尔？…… 真他妈希望这个老家伙能让他清静会儿，哪怕只是一小会儿。他就像只可怕的乌鸦，而这是卡普讨厌他的另一个原因。卡普自己是个志在必得的人，如果说他有什么不能容忍的话，那就是悲观主义者……'保密线路上有你的电话，”雷切尔说，“从服务区打来的。 " “好的，亲爱的，谢谢你。先让他等凡分钟，好吗？” "Okay, sir." 他坐回到椅子里：“我不得不中止这次会谈，瓦里斯博士。 你可以放心，我会认真考虑你所说的一切。 " “是吗？”瓦里斯问道。他僵硬的左嘴角看上去像是在嘲讽地冷笑。 "yes." 瓦里斯说：那女孩……麦克吉……和这个理查德逊……他们是一个错误不等式的最后三个标志，卡普顿·霍林斯特。擦掉他们。Restart.那女孩非常危险。 " “我会考虑你所说的一切。”卡普重复道。 “一定。”瓦里斯终于开始用拐杖撑着努力站起身来。他花了很长时间才勉强站了起来。 “冬天要来了。”他对卡普说，“我这把老骨头害怕冬天。” “你今晚住在隆芒恃吗？” “不，我回华盛顿。” 卡普犹豫了一下，然后说：“住五月花旅馆吧。我可能要和你联系。” 老人的眼中现出某种东西——感激？是的，几乎可以肯定是感激。“好的，卡普顿，霍林斯特。”他说完，拄着拐杖朝门口走去——个曾打开潘朵拉（希腊神话中，主神宙斯因为普罗米修斯为人类盗火而试图报复，他命火神用黏土造出一个美女一潘朵拉，并把她送往人间；她随身携带一个小匣子，里面装满各种灾难和祸患）匣子的老人，现在他不再是想让飞出来的东西工作而是想把它们统统射杀。 当门在他身后吱呀一声关上后，．卡普长出了一口气，拿起保密电话。 "Who is it?" “奥维尔·贾明森，先生。” “你抓到他们了吗，贾明森？” “还没有，先生，不过我们在机场发现了一些有趣的事。” "What is it?" “所有的公用电话亭都空了。在其中几个电话亭的地板上，我们发现了一些二十五和十美分的硬币。” “撬开的？” “不是，先生。这就是我为什么给你打电话。它们并没有被撬开，它们只是空了。电话公司要气疯了。” “我明白了，贾明森。” “这加'决了事情的进展。我们一直认为也许他会把孩子留在外边，独自一人住进旅馆。但不管怎么说，我们现在认为要找的是一个用一大堆硬币付帐的人。…… “也就是说如果他们确实住进了旅馆，而没有闯入某一个消夏营地。” "Yes, sir." “继续，奥贾。” “是，先生。谢谢你。”他听上去很高兴，因为卡普记住了他的小名。 卡普放下电话。他半闭着眼睛坐了五分钟，沉思着。秋日柔和的阳光从凸窗射进室内，照亮并温暖着房间。然后，他俯下身再次接通雷切尔。 “约翰·雨鸟在吗？” “是的，他在，卡普。” “再过五分钟让他进来。我要和服务区的诺威尔·贝茨通话。 阿尔到那儿之前是他负责任务的。 " “是，先生。”雷切尔有些犹豫地说道，“不过只能是不加密电话。是步话机。不是很——” “没关系，就这样。”他不耐烦地说。 接通电话要用两分钟。贝茨说话尖细而清脆。他是个好人——不是很有想象力，但却吃苦耐劳。在阿尔伯特·斯但诺维茨到达堡垒之前，卡普就希望这样的人守在那里，电话中终于传来诺威尔的声音，他告诉卡普他们已开始向邻近市镇扩展——奥克维尔，垂芒特，马塞洛塞特）黑斯廷斯·格兰，鲁顿。 “好的，诺威尔，这很好。”卡普说。他想起了瓦里斯说的话：“你们在强迫他重新教育那小女孩”；他想起了贾明森告诉他所有的电话亭都空了，不是麦克吉，而是那个小女孩干的；因为她现在并没倒下，她还点着了那个士兵的鞋；大概是无意的。要是瓦里斯知道卡普打算百分之五十地接受他的意见，他一定会高兴的——这老混蛋今天早晨令人吃惊地雄辩。 “情况有变化。”卡普说，“我们不得不清除那个男人。彻底清除。明白吗？” “彻底清除。”诺威尔简单他说，“是，先生。” “很好，诺威尔。”卡普轻轻他说。他放下电话，等着约翰·雨乌进来。 片刻之后，门开了。他就站在那里，庞大而丑陋。他有一半彻罗基印地安人血统，天生行动极其轻巧。如果你一直趴在桌上读书或写信，你根本不会察觉屋内还有另一个人。卡普知道这一点非常罕见。大多数人能够察觉屋内另外一个人的存在：瓦里斯有次曾经说这不是第六感官而是“最后”感官，是从输入五种正常感官的微不足道的信息中得出的。但如果这“另一个人”是雨鸟，你便不会察觉。有一次当大家在卡普的起居室喝波尔图葡萄酒时，阿尔·斯但诺维茨曾提到关于雨鸟的一件很奇怪的事：“他是我见过的惟一一个走路不碰前面空气的人。”卡普很高兴雨鸟是他们的人，因为他是卡普见过的人中惟一能令他胆寒的人。 雨乌是人中巨神。魔鬼。他身高六英尺八英寸，光亮的头发向后梳成一条短辫。十年前当他第二次在越南作战时，一枚克莱奠杀伤地雷在他面前爆炸，所以现在他的脸上肌肉成沟状。布满可怕的伤疤。他的左眼被炸飞，眼眶中空空如也只剩一个黑洞。 他拒绝接受手术或安装一只假眼。因为——据他说——当他到极乐世界的猎场去时，人们会要求他展示从战场上得来的伤疤。在他说这话时，你不知道是否该相信他；你不知道他是认真的，还是在出于某种他才知道的原因而捉弄你。 多年以来，雨乌一直是个非常出色的特工——一部分是因为他看起来丝毫不像个特工；不过最主要的还是因为在那张血肉面具之后他有一个敏捷。极其聪明的头脑。他能流利地使用四种语言，并能听懂其它三种。当他开口说话时，声音低沉。悦耳，而且彬彬有礼。 “下午好；卡普。” “已经下午了吗？”卡普吃惊地问。 雨鸟笑了，露出一嘴洁白的大牙——鲨鱼的牙齿，卡普想。 “已经过了十四分钟。”雨鸟说，“我在威尼斯的黑市上买了块西铁城电子表，漂亮极了，小小的黑色数字不停地在变。真是一大科技成果。我常想，卡普，我们在越南打战不是为了赢取战争而是为了演示科技成果。我们打战是为了创造廉价的数字手表。便携计算器。夜深人静的时候，我看着我的新手表。它告诉我死亡在向我走来，每一分每一秒。这真是好消息。” “坐下，老朋友。”卡普说。就像以往和雨鸟谈话一样，他觉得口干舌燥，同时还得控制自己那双总想在桌面上绞来绞去的手。尽管这样，他还是相信雨鸟是喜欢他的一如果真能说雨乌会喜欢什么人的话。 雨乌坐了下来。他穿着一条旧牛仔裤和一件退色的钱布雷衬衫。 “威尼斯怎么样？”卡普问道。 “正在下沉。”雨鸟说。 “如果你想干，我这儿有个活儿给你。是件小事，但是也许它会成为你相当感兴趣的一项任务。” “告诉我是什么。” “完全是自愿的。”卡普自顾往下说道，“你还在休假。” “告诉我是什么？”雨鸟轻声重复。于是卡普将自己的计划告诉了他。和雨鸟在一起才呆了十五分钟，可看起来像一个小时。 当这个庞大的印地安人离开时，卡普长长吁了一口气。同一个上午，瓦里斯和雨鸟——这会让任何人都受不了的。不过上午终于结束了，成果不小，再说谁知道今天下午会有什么事呢？他接通了雷切尔。 “什么事，卡普？” “我要在办公室吃午饭，亲爱的。帮我从餐厅拿点东西好吗？ 随便什么东西。It doesn't matter.谢谢你，雷切尔。 " 终于清静了。保密电话默默地伏在沉重的底盘上，塞满了微型电路、记录卡和上帝知道是什么的其它东西。当它再次响起时，很可能会是阿尔或诺威尔，告诉他纽约的事已经结束一一女孩抓住了，父亲死了。那可真是好消息。 卡普又闭上了眼。思绪和各式各样的谈话像巨大。懒散的风筝飘过他的脑海。意念控制。他们智囊团的人说麦克吉具备这种能力的机率极大。想象一下：像麦克吉这样的人在卡斯特罗或霍悔尼身边；想象一下他走到亲共的泰德·肯尼迪身边低声对他说自杀是最好的选择；想象一下这样的人在各式各样的共产党游击队的领袖身旁。不得不将他除掉确实是一件让他们丢脸的事。但是……能够创造出第一个就可以再创造出第二个。 那小女孩。瓦里斯说她有在某一天能够把我们的星球像射击场上的飞盘一样击成两半的力量……这当然很荒唐。瓦里斯已经疯狂得和DH·劳伦斯小说里的那个小男孩一样了——那孩子会把获胜赛马的毛拔下来。命运六号已经变成了瓦里斯杯子里的劣质咖啡，使他正常的思维能力发生了故障。她是个小姑娘，并不是世界未日时的武器。而且他们现在不得不依靠她，至少要有足够的时间记录她的所做所为。这样就可以重新启动命运六号试验项目。如果能够说服她为国家利益使用自己的能力，那就更好那就更好了，卡普正想着，秘密电话刺耳地响了起来。 卡普的脉博忽然加快。他一把抓起话筒。