09_the_final_nightmare-第13章
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Blue Bioroids came in at the Humans like maddened automaton hornets。 The call went out for the A…JACs to scramble； and the expedition's ships began throwing out a huge volume of fire to clear the way for them and hold the Bioroids off。
Once more； Marie Crystal led her Black Lions out in the A…JACs。 She was all bat leader； all Robotech warrior now； the regret and hurt from Sean's betrayal savagely thrust aside。 Leave love for fools； and let Marie Crystal do what she did best！
The Bioroids and the A…JACs swirled and struck； lighting an unnamed volume of space with thermonuclear lightning and sunfire。 The killing began at once； the casualties piled up。
Marie skeeted a Bioroid right off its Hovercraft； so that the circular platform went on； unguided； heading for infinite space。 She went to Battloid mode； ordering others to do the same； changing tactics abruptly and taking advantage of the foe's brief confusion。
Assault ships swept in； to hammer away at the larger expeditionary vessels and be volleyed at in reply。 Hulls were pierced through and through； blasts claimed Human and clone alike。 Space was a maelstrom of plasma…hot beams and blowtorching drives and the ugly flare of dying ships。
Professor Miles Cochran gathered up all of his nerve to ask； 〃Dr。 Zand； the Invid Nebula is so appallingly dangerous…it might even take hostile action against Emerson's force。 Are you certain we shouldn't give him some inkling of that？ Perhaps it's not too late。。。〃
There had been a tremor in his voice； he couldn't help it。 Cochran began to tremble as Zand turned that eerie stare upon him there in the grandiose； forbidden sanctuary of the Kommandatura in a Robotech…rococo chamber deep in the Earth。 Zand's eyes were all pupil； with no iris or white at all； his was a gaze no one could meet for long。
Even more unnerving than his eyes was the power radiating from him； which intimidated his handpicked disciples。 The power of Protoculture。 The outside world might see him as a slightly odd…looking researcher； the UEG's top scientific officer and adviser…a man of normal height and build with an unruly forelock； who dressed in a somewhat rumpled uniform。 An egghead。 But the seven men and one woman seated around the table knew differently。
The group met in a vaulted room that mixed the technological with the mystical。 Side by side with the latest puter equipment and with Zand's own systemry were musty copies of the Necronomicon and The Book of James； along with talismans and gnostic paraphernalia。 There was an enlargement of a satellite photo of the mound in which the wreckage of SDF…1 was buried。 Zand sat at the head of the black obsidian table staring at Cochran。
He said； almost delicately； 〃Do you think I expunged all mention of the Invid； the Matrix； and the Flower of Life from every record but our own just so that you could go blurting it to Leonard and his military imbeciles？ Or the fools at UEG？ Have I wasted so much time on you？〃
Cochran fought against a years…long habit of obedience to Zand； of self…sacrifice to the transcendent plan the scientist had enacted。 He and the few others who sat there…Beckett； Russo； and the rest…were the only ones on Earth aside from the man himself who knew just how much Zand had altered the course of history。
〃Confrontation is the whole point of the Shaping； don't you see？〃 Zand went on。 〃War is the whole point。 Do you think Dana Sterling's dormant powers will be released by anything short of the Apocalypse？〃
Data on the Invid and the Matrix and the rest of it； gathered from the Zentraedi leaders Exedore and Breetai； and from Captain Gloval； Miriya Sterling； and a few others； had been kept under tightest restrictions。 Once Lang； Hunter； and the rest left Earth on the SDF…3 mission； it hadn't taken Zand long to see to it that everyone who knew about that information either joined his cabal； or died。
〃The Protoculture's Shaping of history is moving toward a single Moment；〃 Zand reminded them all。 〃And that Moment is near； I can feel it。 I shall take ultimate advantage of that Moment。 Nothing will be allowed to stop it。〃
Cochran； a thin…faced； intense redhead； swallowed。 He had a brother in Emerson's strikeforce…who probably would soon bee a casualty of the Shaping； but Cochran knew that would not matter to Zand。
To make him feel even more unfortable； Cochran was seated next to Russo。 Russo was the former senator and head of the United Earth Defense Council。 He was the man whose ambitions and prejudices had made him； more than any other Human being； the source of the misjudgments and errors that had cost Earth so terribly in the First Robotech War。
Russo had no ambitions now； he was barely alive。 He was a vacant…eyed； doglike slave to Zand； very much a creature of the shadows； like his master。
Cochran managed； 〃I just thought…〃
〃You just thought to interfere with the Shaping so that your brother would be out of danger？〃 Zand cut in。 〃Don't look so surprised！ Why do you think your attempts to get him a transfer all failed？ It was because I was giving you a test； a test of loyalty。 You wavered； and so you failed。 Kill him。〃
The last words were soft； but they brought instant action。 Russo was out of his seat in an instant； pouncing on Cochran。 Beckett； on the other side…Cochran's colleague and friend since college…didn't hesitate either； helping Russo bring Cochran to the floor。
Zand's other disciples threw themselves into the fray； terrified of failing this newest test。 Even matronly Millicent Edgewick was there； kicking the doomed man。 Zand sat and watched； nibbling dried petals of the Flower of Life。
Cochran went down； his chair overturned。 His screams didn't last long。
CHAPTER SEVEN
The generals who let us die
so they can shake a fist…
They'd none of 'em be missed；
they'd none of 'em be missed！
Bowie Grant； 〃With Apologies to Gilbert and Sullivan〃
Bowie was tinkering with the keys again； trying not to think about the strikeforce expedition。 〃Doesn't that get boring？〃 Sean asked； leaning on the piano。
〃Not really。〃
〃I don't mean you； Bowie； I mean those two。〃
He pointed toward Dana and Louie； who were toiling over a simulator that looked as if it had been stripped； ponents lying everywhere。 Why they had chosen the readyroom to work in instead of one of the repair bays or maintenance workrooms was still unclear； except perhaps the fact that Dana kept trying to entice people into volunteering to help。
Dana had mandeered the simulator from the canteen on authority from R&D； and neither she nor Louie had slept that night。 On the other hand； as of yet no R&D support troops had shown up。
〃I'm starting to wonder if that Cromwell really wants Louie's gizmo for simulation training；〃 Sean murmured。
〃I just like machines；〃 Louie was expounding to Dana； as he reassembled things。 〃They expand Human potential and they never disappoint you； if you build 'em right。 Somebody with the right know…how could create the ideal society。 Unimpeded Intellect！ Machine Logic！〃
〃I didn't know you were such a romantic；〃 she said dryly。 Ideal society？ Boy； what a mechie！
Louie wanted to run the final test； but Dana pulled rank and he yielded amiably。 She pulled on a visor； hopped into the simulator； and the puter…modeled slaughter began。 It was a quantum leap from the old thinking cap； her score soared。
Elsewhere； the Tristar； Emerson's flagship； was fighting a desperate diversionary action； luring the main body of the enemy's forces one way so that the more badly damaged expedition ships could try to limp to ALUCE。
〃We can't take much more of this pounding！〃 Green growled； as the Tristar was jarred again by enemy fire。
〃I know；〃 Emerson said calmly。 〃Get me a precise position fix and tell the power section we'll need emergency max power in two minutes。〃
〃Sir；〃 Rochelle said and bent to the task。 Green turned a silent； questioning look on the man he had served for so long。
〃We're going to generate a singularity effect；〃 Emerson said。 They all knew he meant use of the mysterious 〃special apparatus〃 given him by R&D in a cryptic transfer that； rumor had it； could be traced to Zand himself。
The idea was to create a small black hole where
