[科幻]宿主- 第110部分

　I　felt　carefully　at　the　juncture　of　these　tight　strings；　at　the　tiny　joints；　no　bigger　than　pinheads。　I　stroked　
my　way　about　a　third　of　the　way　down。　I　could　have　counted；　but　that　would　have　taken　a　very　long　
time。　It　would　be　the　two　hundred　seventeenth　connection；　but　there　was　another　way　to　find　it。　There　it　
was；　the　little　ridge　that　made　this　joint　just　a　bit　bigger—a　seed　pearl　rather　than　a　pinhead。　It　was　
smooth　under　my　fingertip。

　I　pressed　against　it　with　gentle　pressure；　tenderly　massaging。　Kindness　was　always　the　way　of　the　souls。　
Never　violence。

　“Relax；”　I　breathed。

　And；　though　the　soul　could　not　hear　me；　it　obeyed。　The　harp　strings　loosened；　went　slack。　I　could　feel　
the　slither　as　they　retracted；　feel　the　slight　swelling　of　the　body　as　it　absorbed　them。　The　process　took　no　
more　than　a　few　beats　of　my　heart。　I　held　my　breath　until　I　felt　the　soul　undulate　under　my　touch。　
Wriggling　free。

　I　let　it　twist　itself　a　little　farther　out；　and　then　I　curled　my　fingers　gently　around　the　tiny；　fragile　body。　I　
lifted　it；　silver　and　gleaming；　wet　with　blood　that　was　quickly　shed　from　the　smooth　casing；　and　cradled　it　
in　my　hand。

　It　was　beautiful。　The　soul　whose　name　I’d　never　known　billowed　like　a　silver　wave　in　my　hand…　a　
lovely　feathered　ribbon。

　I　couldn’t　hate　the　Seeker　in　this　form。　An　almost　maternal　love　swept　through　me。

　“Sleep　well；　little　one；”　I　whispered。

　I　turned　toward　the　faint　hum　of　the　cryotank；　just　to　my　left。　Jared　held　it　low　and　angled；　so　it　was　a　
simple　matter　for　me　to　ease　the　soul　into　the　shockingly　cold　air　that　gusted　from　the　opening。　I　let　it　slide　
into　the　small　space　and　then　carefully　relatched　the　lid。　

　

and　then　I　hugged　it　to　my　chest。　The　outside　of　the　tank　was　the　same　temperature　as　the　warm　room。　I　

cradled　it　to　my　body；　protective　as　any　mother。

　I　looked　back　at　the　stranger　on　the　table。　Doc　was　already　dust…ing　Smooth　over　the　sealed　wound。　

We　made　a　good　team：　one　attending　to　the　soul；　the　other　to　the　body。　Everyone　was　taken　care　of。

　Doc　looked　up　at　me；　his　eyes　full　of　exhilaration　and　wonder。　“Amazing；”　he　murmured。　“That　was　

incredible。”　
“Good　job；”　I　whispered　back。　
“When　do　you　think　she’ll　wake　up？”　Doc　asked。　
“That　depends　on　how　much　chloroform　she　inhaled。”　
“Not　much。”　
“And　if　she’s　still　there。　We’ll　have　to　wait　and　see。”　
Before　I　could　ask；　Jared　lifted　the　nameless　woman　tenderly　from　the　cot；　rolled　her　face…up；　and　laid　

her　on　another；　cleaner　resting　place。　This　tenderness　did　not　move　me。　This　tenderness　was　for　the　

human；　for　Melanie。…　
Doc　went　with　him；　checking　her　pulse；　peeking　under　her　lids。　He　shone　a　flashlight　into　her　

unconscious　eyes　and　watched　the　pupils　constrict。　No　light　reflected　back　to　blind　him。　He　and　Jared　

exchanged　a　long　glance。　
“She　really　did　it；”　Jared　said；　his　voice　low。　
“Yes；”　Doc　agreed。　
I　didn’t　hear　Jeb　sidle　up　next　to　me。　
“Pretty　slick；　kid；”　he　murmured。　
I　shrugged。　
“Feeling　a　smidge　conflicted？”　
I　didn’t　answer。　
“Yeah。　Me；　too；　hon。　Me；　too。”　
Aaron　and　Brandt　were　talking　behind　me；　their　voices　rising　with　excitement；　answering　each　other’s　

thoughts　before　the　questions　were　spoken。　
No　conflict　there。　
“Wait　till　the　others　hear！”　

　

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”　
“We　should　go　get　some　—”　
“Right　now；　I’m　ready　—”　
“Hold　up；”　Jeb　cut　Brandt　off。　“No　soul　snatching　until　that　cryotank　is　safely　on　its　way　into　outer　


space。　Right；　Wanda？”　
“Right；”　I　agreed　in　a　firmer　voice；　hugging　the　tank　tighter　to　my　chest。　
Brandt　and　Aaron　exchanged　sour　glances。　
I　was　going　to　need　more　allies。　Jared　and　Jeb　and　Doc　were　only　three；　though　certainly　the　most　


influential　three　here。　Still；　they　would　need　support。　
I　knew　what　this　meant。　
It　meant　talking　to　Ian。　
Others；　too；　of　course；　but　Ian　would　have　to　be　one　of　them。　My　heart　seemed　to　slump　lower　in　my　


chest；　to　curl　limply　in　on　itself。　I’d　done　many　things　I　had　not　wanted　to　do　since　joining　the　humans；　but　
I　couldn’t　remember　any　this　sharply　and　pointedly　painful。　Even　deciding　to　trade　my　life　for　the　
Seeker’s—that　was　a　huge；　vast　hurt；　a　wide　field　of　ache；　but　it　was　almost　manageable　because　it　was　
so　tied　up　in　the　bigger　picture。　Telling　Ian　goodbye　was　a　razor…sharp　piercing；　it　made　the　greater　vision　
hard　to　see。　I　wished　there　was　some　way；　any　way；　to　save　him　from　the　same　pain。　There　wasn’t。

　The　only　thing　worse　would　be　telling　Jared　goodbye。　That　one　would　burn　and　fester。　Because　he　
wouldn’t　feel　pain。　His　joy　would　far　outweigh　any　small　regret　he　might　feel　over　me。　
As　for　Jamie；　well；　I　wasn’t　planning　on　facing　that　goodbye　at　all。


　“Wanda！”　Doc’s　voice　was　sharp。　
I　hurried　to　the　bed　Doc　was　hovering　over。　Before　I　got　there；　I　could　see　the　tiny　olive　hand　fisting　and　
unfisting　where　it　hung　over　the　edge　of　the　cot。


　“Ah；”　the　Seeker’s　familiar　voice　moaned　from　the　human　body。　“Ah。”　
The　room　went　utterly　silent。　Everyone　looked　at　me；　as　if　I　were　the　expert　on　humans。　
I　elbowed　Doc；　my　hands　still　wrapped　around　the　tank。　“Talk　to　her；”　I　whispered。　
“Um…　Hello？　Can　you　hear　me…　miss？　You’re　safe　now。　Do　you　understand　me？”　
“Ah；”　she　groaned。　Her　eyes　fluttered　open；　focused　quickly　on　Doc’s　face。　There　was　no　disfort　in　


her　expression—the　No　Pain　would　be　making　her　feel　wonderful；　of　course。　Her　eyes　were　onyx　black。　
They　darted　around　the　room　until　she　found　me；　and　recognition　was　quickly　followed　by　a　scowl。　She　
looked　away；　back　to　Doc。　

　

　CHAPTER　53

　Condemned

　The　Seeker’s　host　body　was　named　Lacey；　a　dainty；　soft；　feminine　name。Lacey。　As　inappropriate　as　the　

size；　in　my　opinion。　Like　naming　a　pit　bull　Fluffy。

　Lacey　was　just　as　loud　as　the　Seeker—and　still　a　plainer。

　“You’ll　have　to　forgive　me　for　going　on　and　on；”　she　insisted；　allowing　us　no　other　options。　“I’ve　been　

shouting　away　in　there　for　years　and　never　getting　to　speak　for　myself。　I’ve　got　a　lot　to　say　all　stored　up。”

　How　lucky　for　us。　I　could　almost　make　myself　glad　that　I　was　leaving。

　In　answer　to　my　earlier　question　to　myself；　no；　the　face　was　not　less　repugnant　with　a　different　

awareness　behind　it。　Because　the　awareness　was　not　so　very　different；　in　the　end。

　“That’s　why　we　don’t　like　you；”　she　told　me　that　first　night；　making　no　change　from　the　present　tense　or　
the　plural　pronoun。　“When　she　realized　that　you　were　hearing　Melanie　just　the　way　she　was　hearing　me；　it　
made　her　frightened。　She　thought　you　might　guess。　I　was　her　deep；　dark　secret。”　A　grating　laugh。　“She　
couldn’t　make　me　shut　up。　That’s　why　she　became　a　Seeker；　because　she　was　hoping　to　figure　out　some　
way　to　better　deal　with　resistant　hosts。　And　then　she　requested　being　assigned　to　you；　so　she　could　
watch　how　you　did　it。　She　was　jealous　of　you；　isn’t　that　pathetic？　She　wanted　to　be　strong　like　you。　It　

gave　us　a　real　kick　when　we　thought　Melanie　had　won。　I　guess　that　didn’t　happen；　though。　I　guess　you　
did。　So　why　did　you　e　here？　Why　are　you　helping　the　rebels？”

　I　explained；　unwillingly；　that　Melanie　and　I　were　friends。　She　didn’t　like　that。

　“Why？”　she　demanded。

　“She’s　a　good　person。”

　“But　why　does　she　likeyou？　”

　Same　reason。

　“She　says；　for　the　same　reason。”

　Lacey　snorted。　“Got　her　brainwashed；　huh？”

　Wow；　she’s　worse　than　the　first　one。

　Yes；I　agreed。I　can　see　why　the　Seeker　was　so　obnoxious。　Can　you　imagine　having　that　in　your　
head　all　the　time？

　I　wasn’t　the　only　thing　Lacey　objected　to。

　“Do　you　have　anywhere　better　to　live　than　these　caves？　It’s　sodirty　here。　Isn’t　there　a　house　
somewhere；　maybe？　What　do　you　mean　we　have　to　share　rooms？　Chore　schedule？　I　don’t　understand。　I　

　

　Jeb　had　given　her　the　usual　tour　the　next　day；　trying　to　explain；　through　clenched　teeth；　the　way　we　all　
lived　here。　When　they’d　passed　me—eating　in　the　kitchen　with　Ian　and　Jamie—he　threw　me　a　look　that　
clearly　asked　why　I　hadn’t　let　Aaron　shoot　her　while　that　was　still　an　option。

　The　tour　was　more　crowded　than　mine。　Everyone　wanted　to　see　the　miracle　for　themselves。　It　didn’t　
even　seem　to　matter　to　most　of　them　that　she　was…　difficult。　She　was　wele。　More　than　wele。　
Again；　I　felt　a　little　of　that　bitter　jealousy。　But　that　was　silly。　She　was　human。　She　represented　hope。　She　
belonged　here。　She　would　be　here　long　after　I　was　gone。

　Lucky　you；Mel　whispered　sarcastically。

　Talking　to　Ian　and　Jamie　about　what　had　happened　was　not　as　difficult　and　painful　as　I’d　imagined。

　This　was　because　they　were；　for　different　reasons；　entirely　clueless。　Neither　grasped　that　this　new　
knowledge　meant　I　would　be　leaving。

　With　Jamie；　I　understood　why。　More　than　anyone　else；　he　had　accepted　me　and　Mel　as　the　package　
deal　we　were。　He　was　able；　with　his　young；　open　mind；　to　grasp　the　reality　of　our　dual　personalities。　He　
treated　us　like　two　people　rather　than　one。　Mel　was　so　real；　so　present　to　him。　The　same　way　she　was　to　
me。　He　didn’t　miss　her；　because　he　had　her。　He　didn’t　see　the　necessity　of　our　separation。

　I　wasn’t　sure　why　Ian　didn’t　understand。　Was　he　too　caught　up　in　the　potential？　The　changes　this　would　
mean　for　the　human　society　here？　They　were　all　boggled　by　the　idea　that　getting　caught—the　end—was　
no　longer　a　finality。　There　was　a　way　to　e　back。　It　seemed　natural　to　him　that　I　had　acted　to　save　the　
Seeker；　it　was　consistent　with　his　idea　of　my　personality。　Maybe　that　was　as　far　as　he’d　considered　it。

　Or　maybe　Ian　just　didn’t　have　a　chance　to　think　it　all　through；　to　see　the　glaring　eventuality；　before　he　
was　distracted。　Distracted　and　enraged。

　“I　should　have　killed　him　years　ago；”　Ian　ranted　as　we　packed　what　we　needed　for　our　raid。　My　final　
raid；　I　tried　not　to　dwell　on　that。　“No；　our　mother　should　have　drowned　him　at　birth！”

　“He’s　your　brother。”

　“I　don’t　know　why　you　keep　saying　that。　Are　you　trying　to　make　me　feel　worse？”

　Everyone　was　furious　with　Kyle。　Jared’s　lips　were　welded　into　a　tight　line　of　rage；　and　Jeb　stroked　his　
gun　more　than　usual。

　Jeb　had　been　excited；　planning　to　join　us　on　this　landmark　raid；　his　first　since　I’d　e　to　live　here。　He　
was　particularly　keen　to　see　the　shuttle　field　up　close。　But　now；　with　Kyle　putting　us　all　in　danger；　he　felt　
he　had　to　stay　behind　just　in　case。　Not　getting　his　way　put　Jeb　in　a　foul　mood。

　“Stuck　behind　with　that　creature；”　he　muttered　to　himself；　rubbing　the　rifle　barrel　again—he　wasn’t　
getting　any　happier　about　the　new　member　of　his　munity。　“Missin’　all　the　fun。”　He　spit　on　the　floor。

　We　all　knew　where　Kyle　was。　As　soon　as　he’d　grasped　how　the　Seeker…worm　had　magically　
transformed　into　the　Lacey…human　in　the　night；　he’d　slipped　out　the　back。　I’d　been　expecting　him　to　lead　
the　party　demanding　the　Seeker’s　death　（I　kept　the　cryotank　always　cradled　in　my　arms；　I　slept　lightly；　

　

　Jared　was　the　one　to　realize　the　jeep　was　gone。　And　Ian　had　been　the　one　to　link　the　two　absences。

　“He’s　gone　after