《halo:the fall of the reach》《光晕:致远星的沦陷》第一章 Chapter2中英对照


第二章
1130小时,2517年8月17日(军事日历)/波江座星系统,波江2,极乐城
1130 Hours, August 17, 2517 (Military Calendar) /Eridanus Star System, Eridanus 2, Elysium City
橙色的太阳在极乐城119号小学的操场上撒下了炽热的光芒。
The orange sun cast a fiery glow on the playground of Elysium City Primary Education Facility No. 119.
哈尔西博士和凯斯中尉站在帆布遮阳篷的半阴影下,看着孩子们尖叫着互相追逐,爬上钢格子,掠过那里的引力球。
Dr. Halsey and Lieutenant Keyes stood in the semishade of a canvas awning and watched children asthey screamed and chased one another and climbed on steel lattices and skimmed gravballs across therepulsor courts.
凯斯中尉穿着便服看起来非常不舒服。他穿着宽松的灰色西装,白色衬衫,没有打领带。哈尔西博士发现他突然的尴尬很迷人。
Lieutenant Keyes looked extremely uncomfortable in civilian clothes. He wore a loose gray suit, a white shirt, and no tie. Dr. Halsey found his sudden awkwardness charming.
当他抱怨衣服太宽松太邋遢时,她几乎笑了。他本质上是纯粹的军事。即使没有穿制服,中尉也僵硬地站着,仿佛他永远在全神贯注。
When he had complained the clothes were too loose and sloppy, she had almost laughed. He was pure military to the core. Even out of uniform, the Lieutenant stood rigid, as if he were at perpetual attention.
“这里很好,”她说。“这个殖民地不知道他们有多好,乡村生活方式,无污染,没有拥挤,还有可控的天气。
“It’s nice here,” she said. “This colony doesn’t know how good they’ve got it. Rural lifestyle. No pollution. No crowding. Climate-controlled weather.”
中尉咕哝了一声,试图抚平丝绸夹克上的皱纹。
The Lieutenant grunted an acknowledgment as he tried to smooth the wrinkles out of his silk jacket.
“放松,”她说。“我们现在应该是父母,为我们的小姑娘寻找合适学校。她把胳膊滑过他的胳膊,虽然她会认为这样的壮举是不可能的,但中尉站得更直了。
“Relax,” she said. “We’re supposed to be parents inspecting the school for our little girl.” She slipped her arm through his, and although she would have thought such a feat impossible, the Lieutenant stood even straighter.
她叹了口气,松开拉住他的胳膊,打开钱包,取出一个掌上电脑。她调整了宽草帽的帽檐,以遮挡正午的眩光。轻点手指,她访问并扫描了她收集的关于他们这次任务的文件。
She sighed and pulled away from him, opened her purse, and retrieved a palm-sized pad. She adjusted the brim of her wide straw hat to shade the pad from the noon glare. With a tap of her finger, she accessed and scanned the file she had assembled of their subject.

117号拥有她在最初研究中标记的所有遗传标记 - 他接近科学可以确定的完美对象。但哈尔西博士知道,要使这个项目发挥作用,需要的不仅仅是理论上的完美。人不仅仅是他们基因的集合体。
Number 117 had all the genetic markers she had flagged in her original study—he was as close to a perfect subject for her purposes as science could determine. But Dr. Halsey knew it would take more than theoretical perfection to make this project work. People were more than the sum of their genes.
有环境因素、突变、从小习得的道德观,以及其他一百多个因素,可能使这位候选人变得无法接受。
There were environmental factors, mutations, learned ethics, and a hundred other factors that could make this candidate unacceptable.
档案中的图片显示了一个典型的六岁男孩。他有一头乱蓬蓬的棕色头发,调皮的笑容显出他少了一颗门牙。他的脸上点缀着几颗雀斑。很好——她可以以此来确认他的身份。
The picture in the file showed a typical six-year-old male. He had tousled brown hair and a sly grin that revealed a gap between his front teeth. A few freckles were speckled across his checks. Good—she could match the patterns to confirm his identity.
“我们的目标。”当她将掌上电脑移向中尉以便他可以看到那个男孩时,哈尔西博士注意到这张照片已经是四个月以前的了。难道ONI没有意识到这些孩子的变化有多快吗?马虎。她记下了定期要求更新图片,直到第三阶段研究开始。
“Our subject.” As she angled the pad toward the Lieutenant so he could see the boy, Dr. Halsey noticed that the picture was four months old. Didn’t ONI realize how fast these children changed? Sloppy. She made a note to request updated pictures on a regular basis until phase three started.
“是他吗?”中尉低声说。
“Is that him?” the Lieutenant whispered.
哈尔西博士抬起头。
Dr. Halsey looked up.
中尉向操场尽头的一座小山坡点了点头。那座山的山顶是光秃秃的泥土,没有一点植物。十几个男孩互相推搡——抓住,扭打,滚下斜坡,然后站起来,跑回来,然后再重新一遍。
The Lieutenant nodded to a grassy hill at the end of the playground. The crest of that hill was bare dirt, scuffed clean of all vegetation. A dozen boys pushed and shoved one another—grabbed, tackled, rolled down the slope, and then got up, ran back, and started the process over.
“山丘之王,”哈尔西博士说。
“King of the hill,” Dr. Halsey remarked.
一个男孩站在山顶上。他打倒, 推开和踢下其他所有试图爬上来的孩子。
One boy stood on the crest. He blocked, pushed, and strong-armed all the other children.
哈尔西博士用她的数据板对着他,并记录了这一事件以供以后研究。她放大了这个目标以获得更好的观察。这个男孩笑了笑,露出了同样的缺牙。她瞬间定格这个画面,她将他的雀斑与存档的照片相匹配。
Dr. Halsey pointed her data pad at him and recorded this incident for later study. She zoomed in on the subject to get a better look. This boy smiled and showed the same small gap between his front teeth. A split-second freeze frame and she matched his freckles to the picture on file.
“那就是我们的孩子。”
“That’s our boy.”
他比其他孩子高出一颗头,而且——就如他表现的那样——也更强壮。另一个男孩从后面抓住了他。117号抱住那个男孩的头,笑着把他像玩具一样丢下山坡。
He was taller than the other children by a full head, and—if his performance in the game was any indicator—stronger as well. Another boy grabbed him from behind in a headlock. Number 117 peeled the boy off, and—with a laugh—tossed him down the hillside like a toy.
哈尔西博士期待一个具有完美身体和惊人智力的样标。没错,这个目标强壮而快速,但他也很肮脏和粗鲁。
Dr. Halsey had expected a specimen of perfect physical proportions and stunning intellect. True, thesubject was strong and fast, but he was also dirty and rude.
再一次,在这些实地研究中必须面对不切实际的主观看法。她真正期待的是什么?他是一个六岁的男孩——充满生机和不受控制的情感,像风一样可预测。
Then again, unrealistic and subjective perceptions had to be confronted in these field studies. What did she really expect? He was a six-year-old boy—full of life and unchecked emotion and as predictable as the wind.
三个男孩联合起来对付他。两个人抓住他的腿,一个人搂着他的胸膛。他们四人都从山上滚了下来。117号拳打脚踢,咬他的攻击者,直到他们松开并逃到安全距离。他站起来,重回了山顶,撞开了另一个男孩,大喊着他是这的真正之王。
Three boys ganged up on him. Two grabbed his legs and one threw his arms around his chest. They all tumbled down the hill. Number 117 kicked and punched and bit his attackers until they let go and ran away to a safe distance. He rose and tore back up the hill, bumping another boy and shouting that he was king.
“他看起来,”中尉开始说,“嗯,非常有活力。
“He seems,” the Lieutenant started, “um, very animated.”
“是的,”哈尔西博士说。“我们也许可以用这个。”
“Yes,” Dr. Halsey said. “We may be able to use this one.”
她扫视了一眼操场。唯一的成年人正在抚一个摔伤的女孩站起来;她带着她走向医务室。
She glanced up and down the playground. The only adult was helping a girl get to her feet after falling down and scraping her elbow; she marched her towards the nurse’s office.
“留在这里看着,中尉,”她说,把数据板递给他。“我要凑近仔细看看。”
“Stay here and watch me, Lieutenant,” she said, and passed him the data pad. “I’m going to have a closer look.”
中尉想说些什么,但哈尔西博士走开了,然后半慢跑着穿过操场上彩绘的跳房子广场。一阵微风吹拂着她的太阳裙,她不得不用一只手抓住下摆,另一只手抓住草帽的帽檐。她放慢了速度,小跑着,在离山脚四米的地方停了下来。
The Lieutenant started to say something, but Dr. Halsey walked away, then half jogged across the painted lines of hopscotch squares on the playground. A breeze caught her sundress and she had to clutch the hem with one hand, grabbing the brim of her straw hat with the other. She slowed to a trot and halted four meters from the base of the hill.
孩子们停下脚步,转过身来。
The children stopped and turned.
“你有麻烦了,”一个男孩说,然后推了117号。
“You’re in trouble,” one boy said, and pushed Number 117.
他把那个男孩推开,然后直视着哈尔西博士的眼睛。其他孩子移开了视线。一些孩子带着尴尬的笑容,另一些孩子慢慢移开了脚步。
He shoved the boy back and then looked Dr. Halsey squarely in the eyes. The other children looked away; some wore embarrassed smirks, and a few slowly backed off.
然而,她的对象却挑衅地站在那里。他要么确信她不会惩罚他,要么他根本就不害怕。她看到他的脸颊上有一块淤青,裤子的膝盖被撕裂了,嘴唇也裂开了。
Her subject, however, stood there defiantly. He was either confident she wasn’t going to punish him—or he simply wasn’t afraid. She saw that he had a bruise on his cheek, the knees of his pants were torn, and his lip was cracked.
哈尔西博士走近了三步。几个孩子不由自主地向后退了三步。
Dr. Halsey took three steps closer. Several of the children took three involuntary steps backward.
“我可以和你谈谈吗?”她问,并继续盯着她的目标。
“Can I speak with you, please?” she asked, and continued to stare at her subject.
他最终移开了目光,耸了耸肩,然后慢慢下了山。其他孩子咯咯地笑着,发出叽叽喳喳的声音;一个人向他扔了一块鹅卵石。117号没有理会他们。
He finally broke eye contact, shrugged, and then lumbered down the hill. The other children giggled and made tsking sounds; one tossed a pebble at him. Number 117 ignored them.
哈尔西医生把他带到附近的沙坑边上,停了下来。
Dr. Halsey led him to the edge of the nearby sandpit and stopped.
“你叫什么名字?”她问。
“What’s your name?” she asked.
“我叫约翰,”他说。男孩伸出手。
“I’m John,” he said. The boy held out his hand.
哈尔西博士没想到会有身体接触。男孩的父亲一定教过他礼仪,或者这个男孩非常擅于模仿。她握了握他的手,惊讶于他不大的手掌中强壮的力量。“很高兴认识你。”
Dr. Halsey didn’t expect physical contact. The subject’s father must have taught him the ritual, or theboy was highly imitative.She shook his hand and was surprised by the strength in his miniscule grip. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
她半跪下来。“我想问你,你在做什么?”
She knelt so she was at his level. “I wanted to ask you what you were doing?”
“赢”他说。
“Winning,” he said.
哈尔西博士笑了笑。他不怕她。她也怀疑他把她推下山会没有什么困难。“你喜欢玩游戏,”她说。“我也是。”
Dr. Halsey smiled. He was unafraid of her . . . and she doubted that he’d have any trouble pushing her off the hill, either.“You like games,” she said. “So do I.”
他叹了口气。“是的,但他们上周让我下棋。这很无聊。赢简直太容易了。他急促地吸了一口气。“或者——我们可以玩重力球吗?他们不让我再打重力球了,但也许如果你告诉他们没关系?”
He sighed. “Yeah, but they made me play chess last week. That got boring. It’s too easy to win.” Hetook a quick breath. “Or—can we play gravball? They don’t let me play gravball anymore, but maybe ifyou tell them it’s okay?”
“我有一个不同的游戏,我想让你试试,”她告诉他。“看。”她把手伸进钱包,拿出一个金属盘。她把它翻过来,它在阳光下闪闪发光。“很久以前,人们就使用这样的硬币作为货币,当时地球是我们生活的唯一星球。
“I have a different game I want you to try,” she told him. “Look.” She reached into her purse and brought out a metal disk. She turned it over and it gleamed in the sun. “People used coins like this for currency a long time ago, when Earth was the only planet we lived on.”
他的眼睛盯着那个硬币。他伸手要去拿。
His eyes fixed on the object. He reached for it.
哈尔西博士把它移开,继续在拇指和食指之间翻转。“每一面都是不同的。你明白吗?一边有一个长发男人的脸。另一边有一只鸟,叫鹰,它抓着——”
Dr. Halsey moved it away, continuing to flip it between her thumb and index finger. “Each side is different. Do you see? One has the face of a man with long hair. The other side has a bird, called an eagle, and it’s holding—”
“箭,”约翰说。
“Arrows,” John said.
“是的。“好。”他的视力一定非常出色,才能在这么远的地方看到这样的细节。“我们将在游戏中使用这枚硬币。如果你赢了,你可以获得它。
“Yes. Good.” His eyesight must be exceptional to see such detail so far away. “We’ll use this coin in ourgame. If you win you can keep it.”
约翰把目光从硬币上移开,又看了看她,眯了眯眼,然后说:“好吧。不过,我总是赢。这就是为什么他们不再让我玩重力球了。
John tore his gaze from the coin and looked at her again, squinted, then said, “Okay. I always win, though. That’s why they won’t let me play gravball anymore.”
“我相信你会的。”
“I’m sure you do.”
“什么游戏?”
“What’s the game?”
“这很简单。我就这样掷硬币。她甩了甩手腕,拇指一弹,硬币划出一道弧线,在空中旋转,落在沙子里。“不过,下次,在它落地之前,我希望你告诉我,它是脸还是握箭的鹰朝上。
“It’s very simple. I toss the coin like this.” She flicked her wrist, snapped her thumb, and the coin arced, spinning into the air, and landed in the sand. “Next time, though, before it lands, I want you to tell me if it will fall with the face of the man showing or with the eagle holding the arrows.”
“我知道了。”约翰紧张起来,弯曲膝盖,但眼光似乎没有在看着哈尔西博士和这个硬币。
“I got it.” John tensed, bent his knees, and then his eyes seemed to lose their focus on her and the coin.
哈尔西博士拿起这个硬币。“准备好了吗?”
Dr. Halsey picked up the quarter. “Ready?”
约翰微微点头。
John gave a slight nod.
哈尔茜把硬币迅速弹向空中,以保证旋转的速度足够快。
She tossed it, making sure there was plenty of spin.
约翰用一种奇怪的目光注视着它。他跟随它上升,然后向下到地面 - 他突然伸出手,从空中拿走了硬币。
John’s eyes watched it with that strange distant gaze. He tracked it as it went up, and then down towardthe ground—his hand snapped out and snatched the quarter out of the air.
他举起合拢的手。“鹰!”他喊道。
He held up his closed hand. “Eagle!” he shouted.
她试探性地伸手握住他的手,捏开了那只小拳头。
She tentatively reached for his hand and peeled open the tiny fist.
硬币在他的手掌中:鹰在橙色的阳光下闪闪发光。
The quarter lay in his palm: the eagle shining in the orange sun.
有没有可能,当他抓住它时,他看到了是哪一边......或者更不可能的是,他可以选择自己希望的一边?她希望中尉记录下来。她希望中尉把能把这段记录下来
Was it possible that he saw which side was up when he grabbed it . . . or more improbably, could havepicked which side he wanted? She hoped the Lieutenant had recorded that. She should have told him tokeep the data pad trained on her.
约翰收回了手。“我可以留着,对吧?你就是这么说的。
John retracted his hand. “I get to keep it, right? That’s what you said.”
“是的,你可以保留它,约翰。她对他笑了笑,然后停了下来。
“Yes, you can keep it, John.” She smiled at him—then stopped.
她不应该用他的名字。这是一个不好的迹象。她负担不起喜欢她的测试对象的奢侈。她必须从心里摒弃自己的情感。她必须保持专业距离。她不得不。。。因为几个月后117号可能就活不下去了。
She shouldn’t have used his name. That was a bad sign. She couldn’t afford the luxury ofliking her testsubjects. She mentally stepped away from her feelings. She had to maintain a professional distance. Shehad to . . . because in a few months Number 117 might not be alive.
“我们可以再玩一次吗?”
“Can we play again?”
哈尔西博士站了起来,后退了一步。“恐怕这是我唯一的一个。我现在必得走了,”
Dr. Halsey stood and took a step back. “That was the only one I had, I’m afraid. I have to leave now,”
她告诉他。“回去和你的朋友玩吧。”
she told him. “Go back and play with your friends.”
“谢谢。”他跑回去,对其他男孩喊道:“看!
“Thanks.” He ran back, shouting to the other boys, “Look!”
哈尔西博士大步走向中尉。沥青上反射的阳光感觉太热了,她突然不想在外面。她想回到船上,那里很阴凉。她想离开这个星球。
Dr. Halsey strode to the Lieutenant. The sun reflecting off the asphalt felt too hot, and she suddenly didn’t want to be outside. She wanted to be back in the ship, where it was cool and dark. She wanted to get off this planet.
她走到帆布遮阳篷下,对中尉说:“告诉我你记录下来了。
She stepped under the canvas awning and said to the Lieutenant, “Tell me you recorded that.”
他把数据板递给她,一脸疑惑。“是的。这到底是怎么回事?
He handed her the data pad and looked puzzled. “Yes. What was it all about?’
哈尔西博士检查了记录,然后将一份副本传送给了汉号上的托兰保管。
Dr. Halsey checked the recording and then sent a copy ahead to Toran on the Han for safekeeping.
“我们筛选这些受试者的某些遗传标记,”她说。“力量,敏捷,甚至攻击性和智力的倾向。但是我们无法对所有内容进行测试。比如说运气。
“We screen these subjects for certain genetic markers,” she said. “Strength, agility, even predispositions for aggression and intellect. But we couldn’t remote test for everything. We don’t test for luck.”
“运气?”凯斯中尉问道。“你相信运气,博士?”
“Luck?” Lieutenant Keyes asked. “You believe in luck, Doctor?”
“当然不是,”她轻蔑地挥挥手说。“但我们有一百五十个测试对象需要考虑,而设施和资金只占这个数字的一半。这是一个简单的数学消除,中尉。那个孩子是幸运儿之一——要么是他比别人更棒。
“Of course not,” she said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “But we have one hundred and fifty test subjects to consider, and facilities and funding for only half that number. It’s a simple mathematical elimination, Lieutenant. That child was one of the lucky ones—either that or he is extraordinarily fast.
无论如何,他成功了。
Either way, he’s in.”
“我不明白,”凯斯中尉说,他开始摆弄他口袋里的烟斗。
“I don’t understand,” Lieutenant Keyes said, and he started fiddling with the pipe he carried in his pocket.
“我希望这种情况继续下去,中尉,”哈尔西博士平静地回答。为了你,我希望你永远不明白我们在做什么。
“I hope that continues, Lieutenant, ” Dr. Halsey replied quietly. “For your sake, I hope you never understand what we’re doing.”
她最后一次看117号——约翰。他玩得很开心,跑着,笑着。
She looked one last time at Number 117—at John. He was having so much fun, running and laughing.
有那么一刻,她羡慕这个男孩的纯真;她的纯真早已逝去ii。生存与死亡,幸运与否,她谴责她将给这个男孩带来巨大的痛苦和磨难。
For a moment she envied the boy’s innocence; hers was long dead. Life or death, lucky or not, she was condemning this boy to a great deal of pain and suffering.
但必须这样做。
But it had to be done.
