Chapter 50 Section VIII

"My motherland is called Thailand, and its king is also named Rama, which is the same as the name of our spaceship. Your grandpa, grandma, even my father and mother may still live there. They live in a place called Nan Ben's town. Look, here it is." Nye pointed to a dot on the map, and the boys began to lose focus. "They're too young," she thought. "It's too hard for a four-year-old, even a bright one, to comprehend all this." "Okay, now you can go out and play." Nai said, folding the map. Galileo and Keppler put on thick coats, picked up a football and rushed into the street, kicking each other back and forth.

"Xianzhi, how much they miss you!" Nai looked at the child, "How can I be both a mother and a father by myself?" Nye always reminded the children in their geography lessons that all the inhabitants of New Eden came from Earth.Nye showed the children a map of the world on Earth, discussed continents, land and seas with them, and taught the children to find Japan, their father's homeland, on the map.All this made Nai very homesick and made her feel very lonely. "Maybe, none of you need to learn this." Nai thought, looking at the children playing football in the dim light.

Eponina came this way.She picked up the ball that was rolling on the ground and threw it to the children. Nai smiled at her friend: "Nice to meet you, today I will have another day of smiling face." "What's the matter, Nye," Eponina asked. "Life in Avalon is getting you down? It's Sunday, and you don't have to work in the gun factory, and the kids don't have to go to the center." Two women entered the room. "Your current living conditions must not be the cause of your depression." Eponina shook Nai's arm and said, "The three of you, mother and child, still have at least one big room, half a bathroom and a bathroom shared by five families. You still what do you want?"

Nye smiled, hugged Eponina and said, "You've helped me a lot." "Mommy, Mommy." After a while, Kepler stood by the door and said nervously, "Here he is again... talking to Galileo." Nye and Eponina hurried to the door: a disheveled man was kneeling beside Galileo, and the little boy was visibly terrified. The man held a piece of paper with a drawing of a man with long hair and a beard. "You know the face, don't you?" said the man stubbornly. "It's Mr. Richard Walkerfield, isn't it?" Nye and Eponina approached them cautiously. "I told you last time," Nye said firmly, "don't bother my boy. Go back to your ward, right away! Or I'll call the police."

There was a crazy look in the man's eyes. "I saw him again yesterday," he said. "He looked like Jesus, but it was Richard Walkerfield, unmistakable. I fired at him and they attacked me, five of them, They tore my face off..." The man began to cry. A hospital orderly came running across the street and took him away.The madman walked and yelled, "I saw him! I know I did. Believe me!" Galileo cried in fright, and Nai Gong lowered himself down to comfort his son. "Mother, do you think that man really saw Mr. Walkerfield?" asked the little boy. "Mother doesn't know either," Nye said, casting a glance at Eponina, "but we'd rather believe it's true." The boys fell asleep in their respective beds in the corner, Nye and Evelyn in two Sit down on a chair.

"It was rumored that she was very ill," said Eponina calmly. "They barely fed her and tortured her in every way." "Nicole will never give in," said Nye proudly. "I wish I had her courage and strength." "Ellie and Turner haven't been allowed to see her for half a year...Nicole doesn't know she has a granddaughter." "Ellie told me last week that she begged Nakamura to let her see her mother," Nye said. "I was worried about Ellie, and she was acting impulsive." Eponina smiled: "Ellie is wonderful, even though she is so naive. She always thinks that if she obeys all the laws of the residential area, Nakamura will let her go."

"It's also possible ... especially since Ellie still thinks her father is alive," Nye said. "After Richard disappeared, she talked to everyone who claimed to have seen Richard." "All the rumors about Richard keep her hopeful," Eponina said. "We should always be hopeful." The conversation was momentarily interrupted. "How are you, Eponina?" Nye asked. "You let yourself..." "No," interrupted Eponina, "I've always been honest with myself...I'm going to die, but I don't know when...why am I still struggling to live? Avalon's conditions are better than ours. The conditions in the detention center are not good, if it wasn't for the children in the school..."

At this time, footsteps came from outside the door.Nye and Eponina sat there motionless, and if their conversation was recorded by Nakamura's robot, then... The door was knocked open suddenly, and the two women were startled.Max Puckett staggered in and joked to them, "You're under arrest for plotting rebellion." Max was carrying a large wooden box, and two women helped him put the box in the corner. Max took off his heavy coat and said, "I'm sorry I'm so late, ladies, but there's nothing I can do." "Is there any more food coming into the barracks?" Nai whispered, pointing to the sleeping twin sons.

Max nodded, and said in a low voice: "The king of Japan mentioned to me at any time that the troops can only march and fight after eating." "That's Napoleon's motto," Eponina said with a sardonic smile. "I don't think you've heard it in Arkansas." "Oh, oh, the lovely female teacher is in a good mood tonight." Max said, taking a cigarette from the cigarette case in his shirt pocket. "Maybe I should cherish her talent." Eponina laughed, jumped up and snatched Max's cigarette and said, "Thanks, Max. We're not having any fun here..."

"Look here!" Max said with a smile, "I don't want to come here to hear you moaning, I came to Avalon for your beautiful faces... If you are still depressed like this, I will take the corn and tomatoes ..." "Corn and tomatoes?" Nye and Eponina screamed, rushing to the box. "The kids haven't had fresh produce in months," Nye said excitedly, watching Max use a steel rod Pried open the box. "Dispose of these things carefully." Max said seriously. "You know I'm doing this illegally. There's hardly enough fresh food to supply the army and government leaders. But I think you deserve to eat these foods, not the poured out ones." Leftovers."

Eponina hugged Max and said, "Thank you." "My child and I are very grateful to you, Max," Nye said. "I don't know how to repay you." The two women sat down again, and Max sat down on the ground between them."By the way, I ran into Patrick O'Toole in the second residence and he said hello," he said. "How is he?" Eponina asked. "Not so good," Max said. "He enlisted, got Katie to convince him to go into the Army. I'm sure if Nicole or Richard had told him once, he wouldn't have done it. I think now he knows the mistake he made. He didn’t say anything, but I could feel his pain. Nakamura deliberately arranged for him to go to the front because of Nicole.” "Is the war over?" Eponina asked. "I think it's over, but I don't know if that Japanese king is going to start another war... The soldiers say that there is very little resistance left, and they are almost inside the brown cylinder." Nai leaned towards Max: "I heard that there is a kind of super-intelligent creature living in the cylinder, and they are completely different from the iyunniao." Max smiled: "God knows what to believe? Nakamura has manipulated the TV, the newspapers, and they will say what he wants them to say. Now rumors are flying around... I have also encountered some strange aliens in that residential area. Plants, I'm used to seeing them." "I have to go," Max said, standing up. "It's time for the mistress to go to bed." He glanced at Eponina and said, "Do you want someone to take you home?" "That depends on who it is," Eponina said with a smile.A few minutes later, Max and Eponina were at her shack on the streets of Avalon.Max threw away the cigarette they shared and trampled it to pieces.He said, "Would you rather have someone..." "Yes, Max, of course I would." Eponina sighed, "If there is anyone, it must be you." She stared bravely into his eyes, "I'm afraid that once, even just once, I will Can't control myself. Also, if you get RV-41 by accident, I will never forgive myself in my life." Eponina leaned her body close to Max, not wanting him to see her tearful eyes: "Thank you for everything you have done for me. You are a good man, Max Puckett, maybe this madness The only one in the universe." A knock on the door woke Eponina from her sleep. "It's us, Eponina," she heard Allie's voice. "If it's too early, we'll come back later, before you go to school. Robert worries we'll have a busy day in the psych ward." Eponina put on her pajamas: "Wait, I'll come." She opened the door for a friend.Ellie is wearing a nurse's gown with her daughter Nicole on her back.The child was wrapped tightly to protect against the cold. "Can I come in?" "Of course," said Eponina, "I'm sorry, I didn't hear..." "It was too sudden for us to come here at this time." Ellie said, "But if it wasn't early in the morning, we might not be able to get out after arriving at the hospital. There are too many things to do." "How do you feel?" asked Dr. Turner.He was standing in front of Eponina with an inspection device, and some information was being displayed on the monitor. "I feel a little tired." Eponina said, "Maybe it's a psychological effect. Since you told me that my heart started to die two months ago, I've been imagining a heart attack every day." Ellie tapped the keyboard to confirm that all important inspection data were stored in the computer.Eponina looked at the monitor and asked, "How's the new system, Robert?" "We have tried many times and failed. Ed Stafford said that it may be because our experiments are not enough... Also, we lack a good data management system. However, we are quite satisfied with the overall effect." Ellie said to Eponina: "This is really a lifesaver." She was still typing on the keyboard, "Our funds are limited, and there are many casualties in the war. Without this automatic instrument, we would not be able to preserve the files of the RV-41 virus. " "We just want to use more of Nicole's original technology." Robert Turner said, "I never thought she was so proficient in the internal monitoring system." The doctor looked at some abnormal curves that appeared on the monitor. Li said, "Honey, can you print this? I want to show Ed." "An update on your mother?" Eponina asked Allie near the end of the inspection. "We saw Katie the night before yesterday," Ellie said slowly, "she made a deal with Nakamura and McMillan..." Her voice trailed off, "Katie said whatever, 'Settlement Day ' There will always be a trial." "Has she seen Nicole?" "No, as far as we know, no one has ever seen Mom. A Garcia robot delivers her meals, and a Tiasso robot checks her up once a month." Little Nicole was awakened, sobbing softly on her mother's back. Eponina touched the child's little face and said, "It's so soft." The little girl opened her eyes and began to cry. "I want to nurse her, is there still time, Robert?" Ellie asked. Dr. Turner looked at his watch and said, "Well, we're almost done. Wilma Margolin and Bill Tucker both live down the block, and I can go there by myself and come back." "Can I not go to you?" "It's a little difficult," he said with a smile, "especially poor Tucker." "Bill Tucker is dying slowly," Allie explained to Eponina. "He is living alone in pain. The government has canceled euthanasia, and there is nothing we can do." After a while, Dr. Turner said to Eponina, "There is no other atrophy in your data, thank the Lord." Eponina didn't listen to the doctor and was imagining herself dying slowly in pain. "No, I'm not going to let that happen, never! Once I'm useless...Max can give me a gun." "Sorry, I haven't woken up yet, what are you talking about?" Eponina asked. "Your condition has not deteriorated." The doctor kissed Eponina's cheek and walked towards the door. "I'll be back in twenty minutes," he said to Allie. "He's so tired, working non-stop... he'll be very worried when he stops," Allie said to her friend as she sat down on the dirty floor, leaning her back against a corner.She held little Nicole in her arms and watched her suck. "I went for a walk with Ben yesterday and he was very happy," Eponina said. "He loves walking with you on Sundays. That's all he has left of him, except when I visit him once in a while... You know how much I appreciate you." "Stop it. I like Ben, and he's settling himself down pretty well now. He's not a bit of a whiner and whiner like some guy with RV-41 or someone forced to work in a gun factory." "He buried his pain so deep," Ellie said. "Ben was smarter than anyone thought. He didn't like the ward, but he knew he couldn't take care of himself, and he didn't want to be a burden to anyone..." Speaking of this, Ellie's eyes were filled with tears, and her body trembled slightly.Little Nicole stopped feeding and looked at her mother. "Are you all right?" Eponina asked.Ellie shook her head resolutely and wiped away her tears.Little Nicole started sucking again. "Witnessing other people's pain is a pretty brutal thing, it breaks the heart," Ellie said. The guards checked their ID cards carefully, then handed them to a uniformed guard behind him who sat next to a computer rack.The second guard entered their details into the computer and returned the ID card to the first guard. "Why is this happening?" Ellie asked when she was out of hearing of the guards. "That person looks at our photos every day. He did this every day for the last month, and now he can let us in just by looking at it." "That's his job," replied Robert. "He feels important and important. If they don't, they don't show their power." "It turns out that using a robot to manage the entry program is much smoother." "Nakamura is very afraid that the ghost of Richard Walkerfield will appear at any time and confuse the robot." They walked a little further in silence: "Honey, you don't think my father is still alive, do you?" Turner hesitated for a moment and said, "Yes, dear." He was surprised by Ellie's directness: "I don't think he's still alive, but I hope he is." Robert and Ellie walked to the edge of the village: "Ellie, talking about your father reminds me of something I wanted to discuss with you... Do you remember when I told you that Ed Stafford was working on Is it a subject?" Allie shook her head. "He wanted to divide the entire population into genetics. He thought that by dividing it, though arbitrary, it would give clues to people who were prone to the same disease. I don't quite agree with him, but I know people on Earth Do the same research, and people who are genetically similar are predisposed to similar diseases." Ellie paused and looked at her husband puzzled. "Why are you discussing this with me? Please tell me what exactly you want to tell me?" "Wait a minute, I'll talk about it," Turner said. "We don't know what to think about it either. After Ed's first structuring, there were two people who didn't belong to either group." Ellie stared at Turner as if he was talking nonsense. "These two are your brother Ben and you," Turner said nervously. "You're also in the category that doesn't belong to any group." "Should I be worried about this?" Ellie asked after they had walked another 30 meters in silence. "I don't think so," said Robert nonchalantly. "This is just one of Ed's research projects. Maybe he's made a mistake. . . but what if some kind of cosmic ray changes your Genetic structure, that's interesting." They walked to the central square, and Ellie turned and kissed her husband: "It's very interesting, dear. But I have to admit, I still don't understand what it is." A large bicycle rack occupies a large area of ​​the square, and this former railway station has been converted into bicycle storage.All residents except the head of government now use only bicycles for transportation, whereas previously they all used electronic cars. Shortly after the war began, train service to New Eden was interrupted.All trains were shipped to gun factories to be made into weapons.In the middle of the war, the Defense Committee requisitioned all the cars. Ellie and Robert ride bicycles side by side by Shakespeare Lake.Little Nicole has already woken up, and is silently taking care of everything around her.They passed the park where the 'Settlement Day' picnic was held and continued north. "Robert," Ellie said seriously, "have you thought about what I talked to you about last night?" "About Nakamura and politics?" "Yes. I still think we should all object to him delaying the election until the end of the war... You have a high reputation in the residential area, and most of the medical staff will follow your leadership... Nye also thinks that the Avalon District Workers can go on strike." "I can't," Turner said after a moment's silence. "Why not, dear?" "I don't think it will help...Ellie, in your ideal world, everyone acts on principles and values, but in real life, that is not the case. Opposing Nakamura will only result in us being imprisoned. What about our daughter ?Also, can the research on RV-41 virus just go aground and leave those poor patients behind? Things will get worse and worse, and the hospital will be more and more short-staffed...Many people will become victims of our idealism. As As a doctor, I cannot accept this result." Ellie stopped her bicycle 500 meters away from the buildings in the Central District. "Why are we stopping here?" her husband asked. "They're still waiting for us at the hospital." "I want to spend five minutes looking at the trees, smelling the flowers and cuddling our little Nicole." Ellie sat down and held little Nicole in her lap.Seeing the little daughter patted her chubby little hands on the grass, neither of them made a sound. Ellie spread out a blanket on the grass and gently placed her daughter on it.Leaning close to her husband, wrapping her arms around his neck, she said, "I love you, Robert, very, very much. But I must say, sometimes I don't agree with you at all."