Chapter 21 Every second counts

The presidential election is almost here.Jason wanted to use the time as cover. cure me.He once said.And he decided there was a way to do it.It's kind of like a folk remedy, not approved by the Drug Administration.But that treatment has been tried and tested for a long time.He made it very clear that whether I want to cooperate or not, he will seize this opportunity. Molly took away almost everything that was important to him, and I had to clean up the mess for her.I promised to help.I think of Edward once said to me: I hope you can take care of him, and I hope you can exercise judgment.It's kind of ironic to think about it, is this what I do now?

With the November election just a few days away, Van Novin briefed us on the process and the risks that come with it. It is not an easy task to meet and discuss with Van Noven.It wasn't the guards who swarmed around him like spider webs that were the trouble, though they weren't easy to communicate with either.The real trouble is the group of researchers and experts.Like a group of nectar-eating hummingbirds, they desperately dig into the Martian database brought by Van Novin.These men were academics of distinguished reputation.They were investigated by the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security and sworn to secrecy, at least for a short time.The Martian intelligence contained in the data bank brought to Earth by Wan Nuowen completely fascinated those scholars.According to statistics, the more than 500 digital archives cover astronomy, biology, mathematics, physics, medicine, history, and technology, and each archive contains a thousand pages.A lot of knowledge has surpassed the level of the earth.Even if we have a time machine and can dig out the entire collection of the Alexandria Library, I am afraid that it will not be able to cause a greater wave of academic exploration.

They had to finish their work before Van Novin's official appearance, so the pressure was high.Before foreign governments start asking to share databases, the federal government wants them to at least put together a brief catalog of them.The language used in the database is very close to English, but there are some Mars science symbols in it.The State Department intends to filter the entire database and give filtered backups to foreign governments.These backup files will remove some potentially valuable or dangerous technology, or just list the outline.The original full content will be classified as top secret.

Van Noven is the only one who can explain the loopholes in the Martian archives, so this group of scholars competes with each other and suspects each other in order to occupy Van Noven's time.Several times, I was kicked out of Vanovan's room by suave yet hysterical men and women who demanded fifteen minutes for discussion.Some of them are high energy physics groups, some are molecular biology groups.Wan Nuowen occasionally introduces those people to me, but they all have a bad face, especially the head of the medical team.When Van Novin publicly announced that I was his personal physician, the person in charge was almost on the verge of tachycardia.

However, in order to put those people at ease, Xiaojie hinted that I was only part of the social training course, outside of political activities and scientific work, to help Wan Nuowen get used to the social etiquette on Earth.And I assured the person in charge of the medical team that without her direct participation, I would never do any treatment for Van Novin.Those researchers began to talk a lot, saying that I was an opportunist, bewitching Wan Nuowen, so as to break into the inner circle.After Wan Nuowen's public appearance, I will sign a book publishing contract with good conditions.Rumors spread naturally without any clarification from us.These gossips serve our purpose.

Reading pharmacy databases was much easier than I expected.What Van Novin brought to Earth was the entire Martian Pharmacopoeia.He said that the contents in it are not available on the earth, and maybe one day he himself gets sick and needs to consult the pharmacopoeia for treatment.The medicines on the spacecraft were confiscated when he landed on Earth, but the government returned them to him when he was identified as ambassador.The government must have taken samples from those medicines. However, Wan Nuowen doubted that there was really a way to find out the uses of these high-tech medicines based on some crude analysis.Wan Nuowen gave Jason several bottles of raw potion.Jason used the cover of executive privileges to sneak those medicinal materials out of the foundation.

Wan Nuowen briefly explained to me the dosage, time, contraindications, and potential sequelae.Seeing that long list of post-use hazards made me a little nervous.Even on Mars, the transition to fourth-year mortality rate was as high as 0.1 percent, Vanovan said, and Jason's condition was compounded by atypical multiple sclerosis. However, if he does not accept life-extending medical treatment, Jason's end will be even more tragic.So, whether I agree or not, he will follow through.From a certain point of view, the doctor who prescribes it is Van Novin, not me.My role is just to watch the whole process and deal with some unintended side effects.If I think about it this way, I will feel less disturbed.However, if one day I go to court, it will be difficult for me to use this reason to defend myself.Maybe Vanovan was the one who prescribed it, but I was the one who injected it into Jason.

I'll be the one who actually does it. At that time, Wan Nuowen will not be with us at all.Xiaojie has asked for three weeks' leave in advance, from the end of November to the beginning of December.By that time, Wan Nuowen had become the focus of global attention and a household name.Everyone will know his name, even if it sounds a bit weird.Van Novin will deliver a speech at the United Nations and receive friendly greetings from countries all over the world.The leaders who came to pay their respects were also dictators, religious masters, presidents, and prime ministers with bloody hands.During that time, Jason happened to be going through the pain, sweating, nausea and vomiting, while on the road to health.

We had to find a place to hide, so that the violent reaction to the effects of the drug would not attract suspicion, and I would not attract attention while tending to him.But that place can't be too remote, and an ambulance must be called in an emergency.That place has to be comfortable and quiet. Jason said: I know an ideal place. where? He said: big house. I couldn't help laughing, only to realize he wasn't joking. ☆ After Luo Maisi visited the foundation, Jasmine also left.Regardless of Edward.She should have gotten as much money as Lawton promised her.It could have been Edward himself, or it could have been given to her by a private investigator.A week later, Diane called again.

It was Sunday afternoon and I was alone in the apartment.It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, but I had the blinds down.For a whole week, while I was busy seeing patients in the foundation's clinic, I secretly discussed with Van Noven and Xiaojie.However, by the end of the week, I found myself in a void.I thought to myself, being busy is a good thing, because when people get busy, they will be drowned in endless troubles every day, but at least you can understand what troubles are.Being busy will drive away the pain and make you forget about regrets.Repeating mechanical actions every day, that kind of life can make people live healthier, at least it is a delaying tactic.Effective, but, alas, temporary.Sooner or later the noise will die away, the crowd will disperse, and you will come home to a burned out light bulb, to an empty room, to a messy bed.

That feeling is hard.I don't even know how I'm supposed to feel.The pain in my heart is a mix of five flavors and a hundred feelings, contradicting each other, and I don't know which pain to feel first.You're better off without her.Xiaojie told me several times.He's right, but it's also a cliché: you're better off without her.I'd be better off if I could understand her.Is Jasmine using me, or punishing me for using her?My love for her is indifferent, even a bit hypocritical, but she ruthlessly abandoned my love for her own interests.Do the two of us owe nothing to anyone?I'd be better off if I understood all of this. When the phone rang, I felt a little uncomfortable.At the time, I was busy peeling the sheets off the mattress, rolling them up and carrying them to the laundry room, dumping a load of detergent and a vat of scalding hot water to wash the jasmine smell away.When doing this kind of thing, you definitely don't want someone to disturb you, because that will make you feel a little bit uncomfortable.But I was born to be the kind of person who had to pick up the phone.I answered the phone. Tyler?Diane said, is that you, Xiao Tai?Are you alone? I'm really the only one left. Great, so glad I finally found you.I want to tell you that we're changing our phone number and it won't be in the phone book.I'm afraid you won't find anyone when you want to find me She read a number, and I grabbed a tissue and wrote the number on it.Why don't you register your phone number?She and Simon usually only use ordinary landline phones, not mobile phones.I guess that's also a devout confession to God, like wearing a sweater and eating whole grains. The first reason is that Edward has been calling to harass, and several times he called in the middle of the night to teach Simon a lesson.Frankly, he sounded a little drunk.Edward hated Simon, had hated him from the beginning.However, he hasn't been in touch with us since we moved to Phoenix.Now he's calling again.Although it hurts a little not to contact, but like now it is even more unbearable. Molly must have stolen Diane's phone number too.She saw Diane's phone number from the chore management program on my computer, and copied it down for Edward.I can't explain this to Diane because that would violate my non-disclosure agreement.Likewise, I can't mention Vanovan or the Replicant Project.Instead, I told her that Jason and his father had a conflict over control of the Foundation, and Jason won.Perhaps this was what upset Edward. Diane said: Possibly.This happened to me just after the divorce. Who is divorced?Do you mean Edward and Carol? Didn't Jason tell you?Edward has been renting a house in Georgetown by himself since May.The divorce agreement has not yet been negotiated, but Carol should be allocated a big house, and Edward will pay for the cleaning and management fees.Everything else belongs to Edward.The divorce was initiated by Edward, not Carol.This is probably not difficult to understand.Carol has been addicted to alcohol for decades.She wasn't a very good mother, and she wasn't a very good wife to Edward. Do you mean you agree with it? Nor can it be said to be in favor.My opinion of Edward still hasn't changed.He was a terrible, indifferent dad.At least it is for me.I don't like him, and I don't care if I should.On the other hand, I'm not afraid of him, not like Jason is.Jason regarded him as an industrial giant who changed history, a figure who called the wind and rain at the peak of Washington's power Isn't he? He was very successful and very influential.But Xiaotai, all of this is relative.There are at least tens of thousands of people like Edward.People like Lawton.If his father and uncle hadn't given money to help him start his business back then, there would be no Edward today. Moreover, I believe they used money to help him just to evade taxes, and they didn't have any good intentions.However, Edward still has his own way.At that time, the emergence of time gyrations opened a door of opportunity, and he also seized that opportunity.It was for this reason that those in power took notice of his character.However, in the eyes of those big shots, Edward is just an upstart.In his bones, he is not from the prestigious Yale or Harvard schools at all, and he is not from the same country as those people.Therefore, no one will help me organize an upper-class social dance.In this community, we're just kids from poor families.What I mean is, this is a good community, but it is still divided into the traditional wealthy class and the economic upstart class.And we, of course, are the economic upstarts. I said: It probably looks different, at least our house looks different from across the lawn.How is Carol? Carol was still the same, living off the bottle.how about you?How are you and Molly? I said: Jasmine has gone. What do you mean by gone?Is she going shopping?still To go is to go.we broke up.I don't have a more tactful way of saying it. That's unfortunate, Tyler. Thanks, but that's the best, everyone says. Simon and I got by.Although I didn't ask, she said it anyway.The church business troubled him. Is there a fight again in the church? The Jordanian cathedral is now in some legal trouble.I don't know the details.We weren't directly involved, but Simon was very uncomfortable.Are you really all right?Your voice sounds hoarse. I said: It will always pass. ☆ The morning before the election, I packed a couple of boxes containing some laundry, a few science fiction books, and my medical kit.I drove to Jason's house to pick him up for the drive north to Virginia.Xiaojie still likes luxury cars, but we must keep a low profile along the way and not be too ostentatious.So, we decided to drive my Honda instead of his Porsche.Driving a Porsche interstate isn't very safe these days. During President Gulen's administration, life was very easy for those earning more than $500,000 a year, but it was difficult for others.This can be clearly seen from the road.The malls are closed, and in between is a long line of low-mass outlets.The parking lot is full of scrapped cars with no tires, and homeless people live in them.The town on the road is deserted, only the Stacy convenience store is still open, and the police car hides on the side of the road to catch speeding.This is probably the only source of income for the town.There are some warning signs set up by the state police station on the side of the road, which say that it is forbidden to stay at night, or if anyone calls an emergency call, the police will first check the number before rushing to help.Highway robbery is rampant, and the traffic of small cars on the roads is halfway there.Most of the cars we saw along the way were dilapidated 18-wheel trucks or camouflage military trucks at various military bases. Along the way, we didn't talk about that, and we didn't talk about the election.Elections are nothing to talk about because the results are already clear.Romes is polling well ahead of the other two main candidates and three lesser candidates.We also don't talk about the clone project or Van Novin, and certainly not about Edward.Lawton's business.We talked about our childhood, what good books we read recently.Most of the time, we didn't even speak in silence.I've previously downloaded a lot of music to the dash's sound system memory, most of it jazzy, racy stuff.I know Xiaojie likes this kind of music.For example, Charlie.Parker, Theronis.Monk, Sonny.Rollins.They've long since probed the space between popular music and celebrity music. At dusk, we had reached the big house. The house was brightly lit, and the large windows shone with a creamy golden light, reflecting the brilliant colors of the sky.Election season this year has been cold.carolLawton came down the porch to meet us.Her petite body is covered with a swirl woolen scarf and a knitted sweater.She looked wide awake.This can be seen from her steady steps, although it feels a bit deliberate. Jason slowly stretched his limbs and carefully stepped out of the seat on the right. Xiaojie's symptoms didn't seem to be obvious, similar to those in the past few days.With a little effort, he could make himself look completely normal.However, as soon as we got back to the big house, he completely relaxed and stopped pretending.When he walked through the hallway to the restaurant, his body was crooked.The servants at home are gone.Carol has made arrangements that we will be the only ones in the house for a few weeks.However, in case we would be hungry when we got home, the kitchen still left a large plate of cold cuts and vegetables.Jason slumped on the chair. Carol and I sat down with him too.The last time I saw Carol was at my mother's funeral, and she looked noticeably older now.Her hair has become very thin, and her pink scalp can be seen faintly, which looks a bit like a monkey.When I held her arm, it felt like a thin piece of dry wood wrapped under the silk of the dress.Her cheeks were thin, and there was a sharp, intense longing in her eyes.That's the look in the eyes of an alcoholic, only temporarily quit drinking now.I told her it was good to see her and she smiled a little sadly.Thank you, Taylor.I know how ugly I am now, like Gloria in the movie Sunset Boulevard.Shuangsheng.Thanks a lot, but don't do my close-ups right now.I couldn't understand what she was saying.But I can live with it.How is Jason? Still the same.I said. You are very good at deceiving people with sweet words.But I know uh, I can't say I know everything.However, I knew he was sick.He didn't tell me a lot.I also know that he is waiting for you to help him heal.What you're going to use is a folk remedy, but it works.She pulled her arm away from mine and stared into my eyes.The medicine you are going to use on him will work, right? I was so nervous that I didn't know what to say, so I had to say: Yes. He asked me to promise him not to ask questions.I thought to myself, it should be fine.Jason trusts you, so I trust you too.Although when I look at you, it feels a lot like looking at the little boy who lived across the lawn.But when I look at Jason, it's also like I'm looking at a small child, children who have been missing for so many years that I can't even remember where they got lost. ☆ I slept that night in a guest room in the big house.When I lived in the courtyard, I never went into that room, I just glanced at it by chance when I passed by the corridor. I only slept for a short time throughout the night, and the rest of the time I lay awake in bed, wondering if I had broken any law by coming here with Jason.I don't know which law or act Jason violated by smuggling the Martian drug out of the Foundation campus.However, I am well aware that I have become an accomplice. The next morning, Jason figured out where to hide those bottles.Those bottles were given to him by Wan Nuowen, which contained clear and transparent liquid, enough for four or five people.As we were leaving, he explained to me why we had to bring so many bottles.He said: Just in case.Don't be afraid if a suitcase is lost.Like a spare tire. Are you worried that someone will come and search? A picture suddenly appeared in my mind.Federal security agents in bio-hazard suits jammed the steps of the big house. Of course not, but taking precautions is not necessarily a bad thing.He looked at me very seriously, his eyes flicking to the left every few seconds.Symptoms reappeared.Are you a little worried? I said that if those spare medicines didn't need to be refrigerated, we could hide them in the little house across the lawn. Their chemical structure is very stable, Vanovan said, except at high temperatures like a thermonuclear explosion.However, if they were searching for a large house, they would cover the entire courtyard. I don't know how they search, I just know there is a good place no one can find it. Jason said: Take me to see. So, we walked across the lawn.Jason followed me, staggering a little.Not long after noon, today is the day of the general election.But walking across the lawn between the two houses feels like an ordinary day in autumn, an ordinary year.From the woodland surrounding the stream came a bird's cry, loud and clear at the beginning, but a bit rough at the end.Then, we walked to the door of my mother's house.I opened the door with the key, and there was a deep silence in the room. Every once in a while someone would come to clean the house and remove the dust.However, since my mother passed away, the house has been closed and few people come in.I have never been back to sort out her belongings, and we have no other relatives in the family.Carol would rather keep the house as it was than change it.However, you can feel the presence of time.It is clear.Time has always entrenched here, time regards this as its home.There was a long-sealed smell in the living room.Furniture that has not been used for many years, yellowed paper, and fabric fibers that have been dusty for many years, all of these seem to ooze the smell of raw materials.Carol later told me that in the winter she turned on the heat in her house to keep the pipes from freezing.In summer, she draws the curtains to keep out the sun.It's a bit chilly today, both inside and outside the house. Jason was shaking as he stepped across the threshold.He's been scrambling all morning, so he's handed me the spare pills.What he wanted to use was already left in the big house.The glass bottles containing the medicine were placed in a foam-lined leather bag, and the whole weight was about two to three hundred grams. He said a little embarrassedly: Even when she was still alive, I never came in.This is my first time here.Does it sound a little silly to say I miss her? No, how could you be stupid? I noticed as a kid that she was the first person to be nice to me.Only Belinda.As soon as Dupree entered the big house, you felt a warmth and kindness follow her in. I took him through the kitchen and came to a small door that was only half the height of the door, behind which was the basement.The Rawton Yards This little house was modeled after a New England farmhouse, but it could have been New England in its own right.Walking into the basement, there was a rough concrete ceiling overhead, so low that Jason had to stoop to follow me.The space is very small, there is only room for a radiator, a water heater, a washing machine, and a dryer.The air was colder here, and there was a damp mine smell. I crouched in the corner behind the radiator metal panels.It's a dusty corner that even professional cleaners can easily overlook.I told Xiaojie that there is a small piece of cracked stone wall here, which can be pried open with a little skill, and then you will see a small groove between the pine post and the bottom of the wall. Xiaojie said: It's very interesting.He was standing a meter behind me, across the bulky radiator.Tyler, what are you hiding in there?Outdated men's magazines? As a child, I hid some beloved toys here.It's not because I'm afraid of being stolen, but because it's fun, hiding it, and I'm the only one in the world who can find it.Later, I started hiding some of the more adolescent stuff, such as diaries and letters to Diane.For a while, I wanted to confide my love to Diane, and I kept that feeling in my diary and wrote to her.Those letters were never sent, or even finished.Of course, I didn't want to confess to Jason that I had other stuff in my stash, like some boring pictures I'd printed off of porn sites.In fact, a long time ago, I lost all these little secrets of committing crimes when I was young. Should have brought a flashlight.Xiaojie said.There is only one small light bulb on the ceiling, and the light is too weak to see the blind spot full of cobwebs. I remember one on the table next to the fuse box.There really are.I crawled out of the ditch and took the flashlight from Jason.The battery in the flashlight was almost dead, and the light emitted was very dim, as if it was steamy and foggy.But it was bright enough that I didn't have to touch for a long time to find the loose stone wall in no time.I removed the stone wall, then stuffed the tote bag in, moved the stone wall back, and put some whitewash to plug the side seam. I was about to climb out when the flashlight dropped to the floor and rolled in, into the cobwebbed shadows behind the radiator.I made a face and reached for it in the direction of the flashing lights.I felt for the handle of the flashlight, but also something else, something empty and hard: a box. I pull that box over. Xiaotai, are you almost finished? I said: Just a little while longer. I shone a flashlight on the box.That's a shoebox.There was a dusty New Balance logo on the box, and on it was written in thick black letters: Souvenir (School). This is the missing shoebox.The shoebox was upstairs on my mother's jewelry rack, but I couldn't find it the last time I came back from a funeral. Jason asks: Any questions? I said: nothing. Check back later.I pushed that shoebox back into place and crawled out of that dusty place.I stood up and clapped my hands.Probably ok. Jason said: Remember me before I forget. ☆ That night we watched the election results on the Rawdons' frighteningly large old TV.Carol couldn't find her glasses, so she leaned close to the TV, blinking all the time.She has been indifferent to politics for most of her life.Her famous quote: That's Edward's department.So, we had to explain to her who the candidates were.Still, she seemed to enjoy the atmosphere of the election.Whenever Jason cracked a little joke, Carol had a good laugh.Seeing her like that, Jason kept joking.From the way she smiled, I could vaguely see Diane's shadow. However, she gets tired quickly.She went to her room to sleep as soon as the state results were announced by roll call on the TV news.The results were not surprising, with Romes sweeping the votes of all the states in the Northeast and mostly in the Midwest and West.The south did not do well.Even in the South, though, the historic Democrats and Christian Conservatives are nearly tied. Later, the last of the candidates finally admitted defeat with a grim but gracious face.At this time, we started to clear the coffee cups on the table. I said: So, the good guys win. Xiaojie smiled.I'm really not sure which one of those people is reliable. Wasn't Ramesh nice to us? Maybe.Don't think Lomesh cares about the perihelion foundation or the replica project, though.He just hitched a ride, lowered the budget for the space program, took credit for it, and let others think it was a major breakthrough in his career.What he saves in the government budget goes to the military budget.That's why Edward couldn't win over those old partners in the aerospace circle and agitate their emotions against Lomax.Romax will not starve Boeing or Lockheed Martin.He just wanted to tell them to move. Moved to defense positions.I added a sentence.During the period when the time gyration first appeared, the world fell into chaos, and conflicts and conflicts were imminent.However, that was a long time ago.Maybe now is a good time to start rearming. If Ramesh's words are to be trusted. don't you believe him? I'm afraid not. After talking here, we went back to our room and went to bed. The next morning, I gave Jason his first shot.Xiaojie collapsed on the sofa in the large living room of Lawton's house, looking out the window.In a pair of jeans and a cotton shirt, he exudes a languid aristocratic air, feeling frail but at ease.I don't know if he is afraid, but at least I can't see it.He rolled up his right sleeve, exposing the crook of his arm. One bottle of potion was left in the big house, and the others were hidden in the small house.I took a syringe out of my bag, loaded it with a sterile needle, and drew clear liquid from the bottle.Van Novin has taught me the drill several times.This is the protocol for entering the fourth year.On Mars, they hold a quiet ceremony to prepare a comfortable place.Here we have the November sunshine and every second counts. Before the injection, I sterilized him with a sponge dipped in alcohol.I said: You'd better not watch it. He said: I want to see it.Let me see how you do it. He is forever wondering how things are done. ☆ After the injection, there was no immediate response.However, by noon the next day, Jason started to have a slight fever. He said it felt like a mild cold.Around three o'clock, though, he started begging me to take the thermometer and blood pressure monitor somewhere else.He meant, tell me to go away. It started to rain last night, and it rained heavily, and it continued until this afternoon.I turned up my collar to keep out the rain and ran across the lawn to my mother's house.I went down to the basement and found the shoebox that said memorabilia (school) and took it to the living room. rainy day.Through the curtains, the sky outside was dim, and the living room was dark.I turn on the light. My mother was fifty-six when she died.I have lived with her in this house for eighteen years, which is equivalent to one-third of her life.As for the previous two-thirds, she only picked a small part to tell me.Occasionally I would hear her chat about her native Binghamshire.For example, I know she lives with her father and stepmother.Her father was a real estate agent and her stepmother worked in a nursery.The house they lived in was on a very steep boulevard, and they were on top of it.When she was a child, she had a friend named Monica.plum.Near their house was a covered bridge, and the Little Wycliffe, and a Presbyterian church.After the age of sixteen, she stopped going to church.Except for her parents' funeral, she never went into that church again.However, she never told me about her time at Berkeley, why she wanted to study for an MBA, what her goals were in life, or why she married my dad. Once or twice she took the boxes down and let me see what was inside, just to show me what a hard time she had had before I was born.Those things are like evidence, Exhibit A, B, C, three boxes with souvenirs and sundries written on them.There are some relics of real history folded one by one and mixed in the box.For example, some yellowed newspaper headlines clippings, reporting terrorist attacks, ongoing wars, presidential elections, or the impeachment of the president.Also, there are some trinkets inside.As a kid I loved holding those trinkets and playing with them.There was also a dull fifty-cent piece from 1951, the year my father was born.In addition, there are four brown and pink shells that she picked up in Boston's Kirkus Cook Inlet. The souvenir (school) box was the least of my interest.Inside were the campaign badges of several Democratic presidential candidates, though none of those apparently ended up becoming president.I love the brightly colored badges.In addition, the box was full of her graduation certificate, a few pages torn from the graduation album, and a stack of small envelopes.I didn't even want to touch those things before, and I wasn't allowed to touch them. I open an envelope.Some clues can be seen from the content of the letter.First, it's a love letter, and second, the handwriting doesn't look like my dad's.Another keepsake (Marcus) box contained a bunch of letters from my dad, in a decidedly different handwriting than this one. Apparently, my mom had a sweetheart in college.It might be embarrassing if my dad finds out, because she married my dad just a week after graduation.However, in the eyes of others, this is not a big deal.The box would be hidden in the basement, probably not for that reason, because the box had been sitting on the shelf for several years. Did my mother hide the box in the basement?I don't know, who's going to be in this house from the time my mom had a stroke until I get home the next day?It was Carol who found her slumped on the sofa.Perhaps the servants of the big house helped clean up the house afterwards, and there must have been emergency personnel on the scene at the time to transfer her to the hospital.However, I can't think of any reason at all. Which of these people would take the souvenir (school) box downstairs and stuff it in the black ditch between the heating stove and the foot of the wall. Maybe it doesn't matter at all, there's no crime involved anyway, it's just that things are in a weird place.Maybe it's a local ghost.It seems that I will never guess it.Moreover, there is no need to worry about this kind of problem at all, because sooner or later everything in the house will be sold, or handed over to the cleaning company for recycling and discarded.I've been putting this off for a long time, and Carol's been putting it off for a long time.Seems like a long way off. However, that day has not yet come. That day has not yet come, so I have to put the souvenir (school) box back on the jewelry shelf, and put it between the souvenir (Marcus) and sundry boxes to fill the gap. ☆ To treat Jason, I asked Van Novon one of the most troubling medical questions.那就是，不同藥品交互作用的禁忌。我不能讓傑森停止服用硬化症的藥，因為那會導致他病情惡化。可是，我也很怕把兩種藥混在一起，一方面每天繼續吃硬化症藥，一方面又把萬諾文給的生化改造藥水打到他體內。 萬諾文向我擔保絕對沒有問題。生命延長處理法不是一種傳統的藥。我打進傑森血管裡面的比較像是一種生化電腦程序。傳統藥物通常是對蛋白質和細胞表面起作用。萬諾文的藥水處理的是ＤＮＡ本身。 然而，藥還是必須進入他的細胞才能夠起作用，而且，在進入細胞的過程中，必須協調傑森的血液化學結構和免疫系統不是嗎？萬諾文特別強調，這些都不會有問題。生命延長雞尾酒處理法是有彈性的，足以在任何生理狀況下產生作用，除非身體已經死亡。 可是，當年移民到火星上的人類並沒有非典型多發性硬化的基因，而且，火星人對傑森目前正在吃的藥一無所知。儘管萬諾文堅持說我的顧慮是多餘的，我卻發現他說話的時候很少笑。於是，我們也只能孤注一擲了。在我第一次幫他注射之前的一個禮拜，我已經減少傑森硬化症藥物的服用劑量。我並沒有停藥，只是減量。 這個策略似乎奏效了。當我們抵達大房子的時候，傑森雖然減少了服藥量，卻只顯現出輕微的症候群。於是，我們開始抱著樂觀的態度進行生命延長處理。 三天後，他發高燒。我想盡辦法都沒能讓他退燒。燒了一天，他幾乎都陷入半昏迷狀態。又過了一天，他的皮膚開始發紅起水泡。那天傍晚，他開始慘叫。 儘管我幫他打了嗎啡，還是沒有辦法讓他停止慘叫。 他的慘叫不是聲嘶力竭喊出來的，而比較像是呻吟，每隔一段時間就會大叫起來。那種聲音聽起來比較像是生病的狗，而不是人類。那是無意識的慘叫。當他清醒過來的時候，就不會再慘叫了，也不記得自己慘叫過。不過，他的喉嚨已經發炎了，而且很痛。 卡蘿裝出很勇敢的樣子，忍受這一切。房子裡有些地方幾乎聽不到傑森的哀號，例如後面的房間和廚房。大部分的時間她都待在那裡看書或是聽當地的廣播。然而，她顯然承受了很大的壓力。沒多久，她又開始喝酒了。 也許我不應該說開始。她喝酒從來就沒有停止過。她只不過是盡量少喝，讓自己還能夠保持一點清醒。徹底戒酒是很可怕的，而讓自己喝到爛醉如泥卻是充滿了誘惑。她在這兩種極端之間遊走。但願我這樣說不會顯得油嘴滑舌。卡蘿走在一條艱苦的路上。她能夠堅持下去是因為她愛她的兒子，儘管過去這許多年，她的愛彷彿像冬眠了一樣，睡得太沉。如今，傑森的痛苦哀號終於喚醒了她。 到了處理過程的第二個禮拜，我開始幫傑森吊點滴，隨時注意他愈來愈高的血壓。那天他看起來狀況還不錯，只不過外表有點嚇人。有些皮開肉綻的地方開始結痂，眼睛幾乎是夾在一團浮腫的肉塊裡。他的意識還算滿清醒的，還知道要問我萬諾文什麼時候會上電視第一次公開露面。其實時間還沒到，預定日期是在下個禮拜。不過，天黑的時候，他又陷入昏迷，開始呻吟。他清醒了好幾天，現在又開始了。他那種聲嘶力竭的哀嚎，聽了很難受。 但卡蘿受不了了。她出現在房間門口，淚流滿面，臉上的表情很嚴厲，憤怒到了極點。她說：泰勒，不准再繼續下去了！ I have already done my best.他對鎮靜劑沒有反應。我們最好明天早上再來討論。 你沒聽到他在慘叫嗎？ 怎麼會聽不到呢？ 她說：你都無所謂嗎？聽他這樣慘叫你都無動於衷嗎？Oh My God!就算他到墨西哥去找密醫也會比現在好得多。就算他去找心靈治療也會比現在好得多。你真的知道自己給他打了什麼藥嗎？你這個該死的密醫！Oh My God! 很不幸的是，她問的問題，我也已經開始想問自己了。I have no idea.我不知道自己究竟給他打了什麼藥，從嚴格的科學角度來看，真的不知道。我相信火星來的萬諾文，我相信他對我的承諾，然而，在卡蘿面前，我卻沒辦法理直氣壯地為自己辯護。我沒有預料到，整個過程會是如此困難，如此痛苦。那種痛苦是如此的明顯。是不是處理的過程出了什麼問題？藥水會不會根本就是無效的？ 小傑哀號了一聲，然後嘆了一口氣。卡蘿用手遮著耳朵。他很痛苦！你這個該死的蒙古大夫！你看看他！ 卡蘿 不要叫我卡蘿，你這個兇手！我要叫救護車！我要叫警察！ 我衝到門口去，抓住她的肩膀。我的手感覺得到她很脆弱，但她渾身卻散發出一股危險的力量，像一隻被困住的猛獸。卡蘿，妳聽我說。 幹什麼，我幹嘛要聽你說？ 因為妳的孩子把自己的命託付給我。卡蘿，妳聽我說。我需要人幫忙。我一直在照顧他，已經好幾天沒睡覺了。我已經撐不了多久了，我需要找個人在這裡陪他。一個真正懂醫學，能夠做出專業判斷的人。 你應該自己帶個護士來。 我是應該帶，但根本不可能。而且那不重要。我沒有護士，我需要妳來接替我。 好一會兒她才意會過來。她倒抽了一口氣，往後退。I? 據我所知，妳應該還有醫師執照。 我很久沒有幫人看病了幾十年了吧？幾十年了 我不是要妳動心臟手術。我只是要妳幫他量量血壓體溫。妳應該沒問題吧？ 她氣消了，有點受寵若驚。她有點怕，想了一下。然後，她很嚴厲地瞪著我。我為什麼要幫你？我為什麼要當幫兇，幫你折磨他？ 我一時還不知道要怎麼回答，背後卻突然有一個聲音說：噢，拜託妳。 那是傑森的聲音。這又是火星藥的另一個特徵，你隨時會清醒過來，但也隨時會陷入昏迷。顯然清醒的時刻來了。我轉身過去看他。 他對我扮個鬼臉，然後掙扎著想坐起來，卻坐不起來。他的眼神很清醒。 他叫了一聲媽媽，然後說：說真的，妳不覺得這樣罵泰勒有點不公平嗎？拜託妳聽泰勒的話，他知道自己在做什麼，我也知道自己在做什麼。 卡蘿瞪大眼睛看著他。可是我不會，我沒有，我沒辦法 然後她轉身走出房間，走路搖搖晃晃，一隻手扶著牆壁。 我整夜沒睡陪著小傑。到了早上，卡蘿又到房間來了。她看起來有點畏縮，不過卻很清醒。她說她要接替我。小傑現在很清醒，不見得需要人照顧。不過，我還是把小傑交給她了，然後跑去睡覺補眠。 我睡了十二個鐘頭。我回到房間的時候，卡蘿還在。小傑又昏迷了。卡蘿握著他的手，輕輕摸著他的額頭，那種慈祥的感覺是我從來沒有見過的。 ☆ 傑森的藥物處理已經進行一個半星期了，開始進入恢復期。看不出有什麼突然的轉變，也看不到奇蹟出現。不過，他清醒的時間愈來愈長了，血壓也恢復穩定，接近正常的標準。 那天晚上，萬諾文要在聯合國發表演說。我在大房子的傭人休息區找到一台手提電視，把那台電視搬到小傑的房間。演講快開始的時候，卡蘿也跑來跟我們一起看。 我覺得卡蘿並不相信萬諾文。 萬諾文到地球來訪問的消息，上禮拜三已經正式發布了。他的照片已經在電視和報紙的頭條新聞出現好幾天了。電視上還有一段現場報導，畫面上，總統搭著他的肩膀，兩個人一起走過白宮的草坪。白宮已經發表了明確的聲明，表示萬諾文是來幫助我們的，但是他也無法立即解決時間迴旋的問題，對假想智慧生物也不夠了解。一般民眾並沒有什麼激烈的反應。 今天晚上，他走上聯合國安理會會場的前台，登上講台。講台已經調整到適合他的高度。卡蘿說：有什麼稀奇呢，他的個子好小。 傑森說：不要小看他。他代表一個流傳久遠的文化，比我們人類的任何文化都更悠久。 卡蘿說：他看起來還比較像是《綠野仙蹤》裡的小矮人派來的代表。 當畫面的鏡頭拉到他臉部的特寫，他的威嚴就出來了。攝影師特別喜歡拍他的眼睛和他那神祕的微笑。他開始對著麥克風講話時，聲音很柔和。他刻意壓低自己的聲調，聽起來會比較像地球人在講話。 萬諾文說，他明白一般地球人會覺得這整件事很離奇。（不過，或許是因為有人對他疲勞轟炸，想不明白都難。）聯合國祕書長在開場介紹的時候說：事實上，我們活在一個奇蹟的年代。接下來，萬諾文模仿標準的中大西洋口音，謝謝大家對他的殷勤接待，表達了他對家鄉的思念，並說明他為什麼要離開火星來到地球。他說，火星是一個遙遠陌生的星球，但住在那裡的人同樣都是人類。火星是一個你會很想去親眼看看的世界，那裡的人很友善，風景很優美，但老實說，冬天冷得受不了。 卡蘿說：聽起來有點像加拿大。 接下來講到關鍵的問題了。大家都想知道假想智慧生物的來歷。很不巧，火星人知道的也很有限，比地球人好不到哪裡去。在他前來地球的途中，假想智慧生物已經把火星圍在時間迴旋裡面了。如今，火星人就像當年地球人一樣束手無策。 他說，他也猜不透假想智慧生物的動機。火星人已經為這個問題爭辯了好幾百年，可是，就連火星上最偉大的思想家也無法解決這個問題。萬諾文說，令人納悶的是，火星和地球被時間迴旋包圍的時候，正好都面臨了全球性的大災難。就像地球一樣，我們的人口已經接近飽和。在地球上，你們的工業和農業都依賴石油。而火星上根本沒有石油，我們依賴的是另外一種稀有資源，也就是氮元素。農作物的循環是靠氮元素來驅動的，因此，火星上能夠維持的人口數量也就受到很大的限制。在人口的控制上，火星人做得比地球人好一點，不過，那只是因為，早在我們的文明剛開始發展的時候，自然環境就已經迫使我們不得不認清這個問題。兩個星球可能都面臨經濟和農業崩潰的問題，面臨人類滅亡的悲慘命運。從前是，現在也是。就在危機暴發的邊緣，兩個星球都被時間迴旋包圍了。 也許假想智慧生物了解我們所面對的問題，才會採取這樣的行動。不過，我們實在無法確定。我們不知道他們究竟希望我們做什麼，是否希望我們做什麼。我們也不知道時間迴旋什麼時候會消失。除非我們能夠蒐集到更多假想智慧生物的第一手情報，否則，我們不可能會知道。 這個時候，攝影機又拉到他臉上的特寫。萬諾文說：還好，有一個辦法可以蒐集情報。我帶了一個計畫到地球來。我已經和很多人討論過這個計畫，包括葛蘭總統，剛當選的羅麥思總統，還有其他各國的元首。接下來，他開始說明複製體計畫的大綱。運氣好的話，我們可以查出來，假想智慧生物是不是也控制了別的星球，而那些星球的反應是什麼，地球最後會面臨什麼樣的命運。 當他開始談到奧爾特雲和自動催化回饋科技的時候，我注意到卡蘿的眼神已經開始呆滯起來。 電視上，萬諾文走下講台，底下的來賓大聲喝采，新聞主播開始消化他剛剛的演講，對觀眾轉述。卡蘿看起來很害怕。她說：這不可能是真的。傑森，他說的都是真的嗎？ 傑森很平靜地說：大部分都是真的。至於他剛剛講到的火星上的天氣，沒有親眼看到，我沒有把握。 我們真的已經面臨大災難了嗎？ 自從星星消失的那一天起，我們就已經面臨大災難了。 我是說他剛剛講到的石油問題，還有其他的問題。如果時間迴旋沒有出現，我們是不是都要餓死了？ 很多人都在挨餓。他們會挨餓是因為我們的關係。如果我們維持這種北美洲式的繁華生活，那麼，沒有榨乾整個地球的資源，不可能養活全球七十億人口。龐大的人口數字是無法抗拒的。是的，他說的是真的。如果時間迴旋沒有毀滅人類，全球的人口早晚也會慢慢消失。 那和時間迴旋有關係嗎？ Maybe.不過，我不確定。電視上的火星人也沒辦法確定。 你是在開玩笑吧。 no. 我覺得你是在開玩笑。不過，沒什麼關係。我知道我很無知。我不知道已經多少年沒有看報紙了。有一個原因是，我很怕在報紙上看到你爸爸的臉。電視節目我也只看下午的電視劇。下午的電視劇沒有火星人。我想，我大概很像小說裡寫的那個瑞普．Fan.溫克，睡了二十年之後醒過來，已經人事全非。我想，我已經睡了太久了。現在醒過來了，我卻不喜歡世界變成這個樣子。整個世界不是太可怕她用手指了指電視。就是太荒謬。 傑森輕聲細語地說：我們都是瑞普．Fan.溫克爾。我們都等著要醒過來。 ☆ 傑森的身體逐漸恢復，卡蘿的心情也跟著愈來愈好。她對傑森病情的後續發展愈來愈有興趣。我簡單跟她說明了小傑的非典型多發性硬化症。我告訴她，當年她從醫學院畢業的時候，這種病還沒有正式診斷出來。我拿小傑的病當擋箭牌，以免她追問火星人的生命延長處理法。她似乎明白這是雙方妥協的默契，而她也接受了。最重要的是，傑森破損的皮膚已經在復原了，我把他血液的樣本送到華盛頓的實驗室去化驗，結果顯示他的神經斑塊蛋白質已經大量減少了。 她還是不太願意談時間迴旋，不過，當我和小傑在他面前討論的時候，她好像也聽得很高興。我又想到許多年以前黛安教我的那首詩，郝士曼的詩：幼兒尚未知曉，已成大熊佳餚。 包圍卡蘿的大熊有很多隻，有些像時間迴旋那麼大，有些像酒精的分子那麼小。我想，也許她會很羨慕那個幼兒。 ☆ 萬諾文在聯合國現身之後，已經過了好幾天。有一天晚上，黛安打電話給我。她打到我的手機，而不是卡蘿家裡的電話。當時，我已經回到自己的房間，晚上輪到卡蘿照顧傑森。整個十一月，雨總是下了又停，停了又下。此刻又在下雨，房間的窗戶像一面濕淋淋的鏡子，反映著昏黃的光。 黛安說：你現在在大房子裡吧。 妳是不是打過電話給卡蘿了？ 我每個月都會打個電話給她。我是個乖女兒。有時候她沒有喝得太醉，還可以跟我講話。傑森怎麼樣了？ 我說：說來話長。他已經好一點了，沒什麼好擔心的。 我最恨聽到別人說這種話。 I know.不過我說的是真的。他是有點毛病，不過已經治好了。 你只能跟我說這些嗎？ 現在只能告訴妳這麼多。妳跟賽門還好嗎？上次她打電話給我的時候好像提到什麼犯法的問題。 她說：不太好。我們要搬家了。 搬去哪裡？ 反正就是離開鳳凰城，離開城市。約旦大禮拜堂已經暫時關閉了我以為你應該聽說過了。 I said: I don't know.我怎麼可能會聽說西南部一座大難教派的教堂面臨什麼財務問題呢我們又聊了一些別的事情，黛安說，等到她和賽門安頓好，就會打電話告訴我新的地址。好啊，有什麼不好，管他的。 結果，隔天晚上，我真的聽到約旦大禮拜堂的消息了。 那天晚上，卡蘿很反常的說她想看晚間新聞。傑森有點累了，不過還是很清醒。他也想看。於是，我們足足看了四十分鐘，從全球各地戰火頻傳到名人顯貴的官司纏訟。有些新聞看起來還滿有意思，例如，萬諾文的最新消息。他到比利時去和歐盟的官員會面。有一則好消息是烏茲別克那邊傳回來的，陸戰隊的先遣部隊終於得到了支持。還有一個特別節目報導心血管耗弱症候群和以色列的乳製品產業。 我們看到一段給人印象很深刻的畫面。推土機把一堆被撲殺的牛鏟進一個大墳墓裡，灑上石灰。五年前，同樣的事件也曾經重創日本的牛肉產業。從巴西到埃塞俄比亞，十幾個國家爆發了心血管耗弱，後來災情也控制住了。人類的心血管耗弱是可以用現代的抗生素治療的，可是，這種疾病卻常常死灰復燃，持續傷害第三世界國家的經濟。 可是，以色列的乳牛業者有嚴格的敗血病檢疫規程和試驗規程，所以，當地會流行心血管耗弱是始料未及的。更糟糕的是，首例病例，也就是第一宗感染的病例卻追蹤回溯到美國。有人把感染病菌的受精卵私運到以色列。 走私的源頭追溯到一個叫做世界之音的組織。那是美國境內的大難主義教派慈善團體，總部設在俄亥俄州辛辛那提市郊區的工業園區。為什麼世界之音要走私牛的受精卵到以色列去呢？後來發現，這件事和慈善活動無關。調查員從世界之音的贊助者身上循線追查到十幾家地下金控公司，再追查到一家大財團。財團的組成分子包括一些大大小小的大難主義教派的教會，時代主義教派的教會，還有一些外圍的政治團體。這些團體信奉一個共同的《聖經》教義。這個教義擷取自《聖經》<民數記>第十九章，並根據<馬太福音>和<提摩太書>推衍出某些結論。簡單地說，他們相信有一頭全身紅色的小牛將會誕生在以色列，那是耶穌基督二次降臨的預兆，也是主臨天下的開端。 那是一個古老的思想。極端的猶太教團體相信，在聖殿山上祭獻紅色小牛，象徵著彌賽亞的降臨。幾年前，這些極端分子曾經發動所謂的紅色小牛行動，攻擊耶路撒冷的圓頂清真寺，其中一次行動損毀了阿克薩清真寺，導致該地區差一點爆發戰爭。以色列政府全力鎮壓這些行動，結果卻只是把這些組織趕入地下。 報導說，世界之音贊助很多牧場，這些牧場遍佈美國中西部和西南部。他們很虔誠地投入活動，希望促使哈米吉多頓的世界末日善惡決戰早日來臨。他們想盡辦法要培殖一頭全身血紅的小牛。過去四十年來，已經有人貢獻了無數的小母牛，結果卻不盡理想。他們相信這頭紅色的小牛將會比之前的小母牛更優越。 這些農場採取組織化的行動，規避聯邦政府的檢驗和飼養規程。當牧場裡的牛隻爆發心血管耗弱時，他們甚至隱匿不報。病毒是從墨西哥的諾加勒斯市越過邊境蔓延而來的。遭到感染的受精卵孕育出含有大量紅色毛基因的種牛。然而，這些小種牛出生之後，大部分都很快就死於呼吸窘迫症。他們悄悄埋葬了屍體，可是已經太遲了。病毒感染已經擴散到成牛和幾個牧場的工人。 這次事件使得美國政府十分難堪。食品藥物管理局已經宣佈要檢討政策，而國安部也凍結了世界之音的銀行帳戶，並且對大難主義教派的資金募集會進行搜索。報導中出現了幾個畫面，聯邦調查員從不知名的建築物裡捧出一箱箱的文件，在幾座地下教堂的門口掛上鎖鏈。 播報員列舉了幾個名字。 其中一個名字就是約旦大禮拜堂。