酒馆

《我并不失望只是生气又名已知宇宙中最重的沙发》

Tindal was too sad to fully take pleasure in the fact that he was still alive. Hours ago the Gadzook ship had slurped up the couch out of space, Tindal and El Cap still on it, and deposited them in its very large, very metallic belly. No one came to greet them and/or torture them. 廷达尔太悲伤了，无法完全享受自己还活着的事实。几个小时前，加兹 ook 飞船把那张沙发从太空中吸走，廷达尔和埃尔卡普还在上面，然后把他们扔进了它那巨大而金属的肚子里。没有人来迎接他们和/或折磨他们。

Mr. Nappy seemed to be floating a foot or so off the floor. Even if Tindal had been brave enough to hop off the couch (which he wasn’t), he wouldn’t have been able to. The sofa was surrounded by a hard, invisible bubble. El Cap had helpfully mapped out the contours of this barrier with his hands, standing up on the cushions, reaching down below their feet. They were trapped. 纳皮先生似乎悬浮在离地板一英尺左右的地方。即使丁达尔足够勇敢跳下沙发（但他并不勇敢），他也无法做到。沙发周围被一个坚硬、看不见的气泡包围。埃尔卡普友善地用手描绘出这个障碍物的轮廓，站在垫子上，伸到他们的脚下方。他们被困住了。

Sometime later, a distant hatch opened, and half a dozen Gadzooks wheeled in a large gun-like device, Kirby-esque in bulk and detail, with a gaping mouth that they aimed at the couch. It looked a lot like the way Tindal had imagined the omni-cannon. 稍后，一个遥远的舱门打开，半打 Gadzooks 推着一件大型炮弹状装置，其体积和细节都像 Kirby 一样，嘴里张着大嘴，瞄准了沙发。它看起来非常像 Tindal 想象中的全能炮。

After much fussing with nobs and levers, the Gadzooks fired. The noise was tremendous. Tindal shouted, of course. But the beam struck the couch’s bubble, briefly turning the world white, and then…nothing. Tindal and El Cap and Mr. Nappy were unscathed. 经过一番摆弄旋钮和杠杆，Gadzooks 开火了。声音巨大。当然，Tindal 大喊了。但光束击中了沙发的气泡，短暂地将世界变成白色，然后…什么也没有。Tindal、El Cap 和 Nappy 先生都毫发无损。

One of the Gadzooks cantered forward, waved its tentacles about, and clip-clopped back to the machine. The crew made several adjustments to the device and fired again. 其中一只 Gadzooks 向前踱步，挥舞着触手，然后哒哒哒地回到机器旁。船员们对设备做了几次调整，再次发射。

This went on for quite some time. Eventually, however, the marines gave up. They pushed the cannon out of the way and marched out. 这持续了相当一段时间。然而，最终，海军陆战队员放弃了。他们把大炮推到一边，然后出发了。

Tindal curled up in a ball at one end of the couch. The inside of his right ear still stung as if it had been jabbed with a metal Q-tip, but at least he’d stopped bleeding. He was thirsty and also hungry. If he’d known what was coming, he thought, he would have eaten El Cap’s pumpkin triangle. Heck, he would have scoured his apartment for his Tim Hortons red velvet cookie! 廷达尔蜷缩在沙发的一端。他右耳内侧仍然火辣辣的，仿佛被金属棉签戳了一下，但至少他停止流血了。他又渴又饿。他心想，如果早知道会发生什么，他一定会吃掉埃尔卡普的南瓜三角。天哪，他甚至会在公寓里翻箱倒柜找他的蒂姆霍顿红丝绒饼干！

“So are they just going to starve us to death?” he complained. “他们就这么把我们饿死吗？”他抱怨道。

“Hard to say,” El Cap answered. He was sitting upright, his feet resting on the bubble. “很难说，”埃尔卡普回答。他坐得笔直，双脚踩在泡泡上。

Maybe Sucky was the lucky one, Tindal thought. The machine had been exploded instantly, presumably without pain. 也许 Sucky 才是那个幸运儿，Tindal 心想。机器瞬间爆炸了，想必没有痛苦。

El Cap tapped Tindal on the shoulder. More Gadzooks had entered the metal belly, just four of them this time. One of them carried what looked like a rolled-up rug, and another gripped a long golden staff. El Cap 轻拍 Tindal 的肩膀。更多的 Gadzooks 进入了金属肚子，这次只有四个。其中一个扛着卷起来的地毯，另一个紧握着一根长长的金色法杖。

The Gadzook with the staff marched forward, reared back, and butted its head against the forcefield. Then again. Each strike made a decorous thump. Did he think he’d succeed where the omni-cannon had failed? Or was this some kind of ritual? 那根带着棍子的家伙向前走了几步，然后向后仰起头，用头撞向力场。一次又一次。每一次撞击都发出有礼貌的咚咚声。他以为他能在这里成功，而万能炮却失败了？或者，这是某种仪式？

“I’m sorry,” Tindal said to the alien. “We can’t turn it off.” “抱歉，”廷达尔对那个外星人说道。“我们无法关闭它。”

The Gadzook’s tentacles flexed, and its metal head popped off. Correction, its metal helmet. The face inside was long and equine, deeply furred. Aunty Mads’s stories had not prepared him for that. Nubby, fingerlike antlers protruded from its skull. It looked like Bambi, though the eye stalks were a little alarming. Each pupil was glossy black. 加兹 ook 的触手弯曲，它的金属头（实际上是金属头盔）弹了下来。修正一下，里面是一张长而马一样的脸，覆盖着浓密的毛发。玛德阿姨的故事并没有让他准备好面对这个。它头骨上长着一些粗短、手指状的鹿角。它看起来像小鹿 Bambi，尽管那些眼睛突起的东西有点吓人。每个瞳孔都是闪亮的黑色。

The Gadzook smacked the bottom of the staff against the ground, and the image of another Gadzook appeared in front of it. A hologram! This remote-Gadzook was unarmored and unclothed, but not naked: it was covered in yellow-white fur that had been blow-dried into a luscious shag. Its many antlers were chubby and drooping. 加兹 ook 把拐杖的底部敲击地面，另一个加兹 ook 的影像出现在它面前。一个全息影像！这个遥控加兹 ook 没有盔甲，也没有穿衣服，但并非赤裸：它覆盖着被吹干成丰茂长毛的黄白色毛发。它那许多鹿角又胖又下垂。

Tindal recognized the creature. It could be none other than the Luminous Gadzook. 廷达尔认出了这个生物。除了发光加兹 ook，它不可能另有其人。

The Luminous made a noise, a kind of gentle bleat. The Gadzook holding the carpet roll dumped his burden onto the ground. The sack unrolled partially, and a pale human arm extended out of it. 光辉发出了一声响，一种温柔的咩咩声。拿着地毯卷的嘎祖克把他的负担扔到了地上。袋子部分展开，一只苍白的人手从里面伸了出来。

“Aunty Mads?” Tindal said. “玛德阿姨？”廷达尔说。

The Luminous bleated more loudly. Then again. 光芒更加响亮地咆哮着。然后又。

The other three marines crouched low, and two of them removed their helmets. They were all gorgeous. “Do you speak Gadzook?” El Cap asked Tindal. 另外三个海军陆战队员低低地蹲伏着，其中两人取下了头盔。他们个个英姿飒爽。“你会说 Gadzook 吗？”埃尔·卡普问丁达尔。

From the floor came a faint laugh. Tindal leaned over the edge of the cushion and looked down. The hand pushed aside the cloth. It was Aunty Mads. Her face was misshapen by bruises. Her hair was matted with blood. 从地板上传来一阵轻笑。Tindal 俯身越过垫子的边缘向下看。那只手拨开了布料。是 Mads 阿姨。她的脸被瘀伤扭曲了。她的头发沾满了血，结成了团。

“Gadzooks,” she said. “Heh.” A few teeth were missing from her smile. “我的天，”她说。“嘿嘿。”她的笑容缺了几颗牙。

“What did they do to you?” Tindal asked, though of course he could see it on her face. “他们对你做了什么？”廷达尔问道，尽管他当然能从她脸上看出。

One of the marines bleated forcefully. Mads ignored him. “My legs aren’t working at the moment,” she said. “But otherwise fine. I turned off my pain receptors an hour ago.” She pushed herself onto one elbow. “Where’s Surokar?” 一名海军陆战队员大声叫嚷。玛兹无视他。“我现在腿使不了，”她说。“但其他都好。我一个小时前关闭了疼痛感受器。”她用一只胳膊肘撑起自己。“苏罗卡尔去哪儿了？”

“Umm…” “嗯……”

Don’t say I’m alive. 别说我活着。

Tindal yelped. The voice, which sounded a lot like the robot, had come from inside his head. “You’re alive?” 廷达尔惊叫了一声。那个听起来很像机器人的声音，竟然来自他的脑海里。“你活着？”

Aunty Mads’s eyes narrowed. 玛德阿姨的眼睛眯了起来。

What did I just say? Tindal’s jaw vibrated with each syllable. 我刚才说什么了？廷达尔的下巴随着每个音节颤抖。

“They blew him up,” El Cap explained to Aunty Mads. “We’re sorry.” “他们把他炸了，”埃尔卡普向玛德阿姨解释道。“我们很抱歉。”

“Well damn,” she answered. After a pause she said, “I never meant for you boys to be here. I’ll try to get you out of this mess.” “天哪，”她回答道。停顿了一下，她说：“我从来没想到你们会在这里。我会尽量帮你们摆脱这个困境。”

The marine lunged forward and kicked with a front leg. Aunty Mads’s head snapped back. Tindal jumped from the couch and smacked the invisible barrier. “Leave her alone!” he shouted. 那名海员向前猛扑，用前腿踢去。玛德阿姨的脑袋猛地往后一仰。廷达尔从沙发上跳起来，狠狠地拍打那道看不见的屏障。“别碰她！”他大喊。

Calm down, Surokar said. 冷静点，苏罗卡说。

Now the Luminous was bleating at Aunty Mads, and she was answering him in some kind of non-bleat, yet non-English language. 现在，Luminous 正在向 Mads 阿姨发出咕咕声，而她正用一种既非咕咕声又非英语的语言回答他。

Tindal sat down again and whispered, “How are you alive? Where are you?” Tindal 再次坐下，低声说：“你怎么还活着？你在哪里？”

I’m in your ear canal. When the G’s attacked I detached my core and hid inside you. 我就在你的耳道里。当 G 力来袭时，我脱离了核心，躲藏在你里面。

“Ew.” “呸。”

I’m not happy about it either. 我也并不高兴。

“What do we do?” “我们该怎么办？”

First, shut up. They can understand you. 首先，闭嘴。他们能听懂你。

Tindal ducked his chin and pretended to wipe at his mouth. Very quietly he said, “They know English?” Tindal 把下巴躲开，假装擦嘴。他非常轻声说：“他们会英语？”

Please. All they had to do was sample the planet’s airwaves for five seconds. 请。他们只需要采样这个星球的无线电波五秒钟就行了。

“Can you translate what they’re saying, for me?” “你能为我翻译一下他们在说什么吗？”

You insult me. 你侮辱我。

“So yes?” “所以呢？”

Surokar buzzed something like a sigh. The Most Luminous Mare thinks you and El Capitan are operatives who can disable the Neoton field. Mads is trying to explain that you’re just dupes—local yokels—who were accidently enveloped when the Neoton’s defenses kicked in. Surokar 发出类似叹息的声音。最耀眼的母马认为你和埃尔卡皮坦是能够瘫痪新顿场的特工。Mads 正试图解释你们只是傻瓜——本地乡巴佬，当新顿场的防御启动时，你们被意外包围了。

Aunty Mads spat a glob of blood but then continued to talk in that strange language. 玛德阿姨吐出一口血，但接着又用那种奇怪的语言继续说话。

I don’t think the Luminous believes her, Surokar vibrated. She says someone on Earth alerted the Gadzik to the Neoton’s location. 我不认为光辉相信她，苏罗卡振动了。她说地球上有人向加兹克透露了新顿的位置。

“What?” “什么？”

Shush. And that someone signaled them a second time when the shuttle was escaping. That’s how they found us. 嘘。当穿梭机逃离时，那个人又向他们发出了一次信号。那就是他们找到我们的方式。

“But—” “但是——”

Aunty Mads seemed angry now. “It wasn’t the humanoids,” she said in English. Her voice was slurred. “It was the fucking machine.” The Luminous made a querying noise. “Because it wanted me back in the war,” Aunty Mads said. “It wanted to force my fucking hand.” 玛德阿姨现在看起来很生气。“不是那些类人生物，”她用英语说道。她的声音含糊不清。“是那该死的机器。”光辉生物发出了一阵疑问的噪音。“因为它想让我回到战争中，”玛德阿姨说。“它想逼我出手。”

The Luminous Mare made noises that Tindal interpreted as laughter, the mean girl kind. 光辉生物发出了一些蒂达尔认为是嘲笑的声音，那种刻薄女孩的笑声。

Tindal rubbed at his jaw to disguise the next question. “You betrayed Aunty Mads?” he whispered to Surokar. 蒂达尔揉了揉下巴，试图掩饰下一个问题。“你背叛了玛德阿姨？”他对苏罗卡低声问道。

Don’t be ridiculous. 别胡说八道。

“Then what is she talking about?” Tindal whispered. He needed to think this through. “那她到底在说什么？”廷达尔低声问道。他需要好好想想。

I didn’t tell the Gadzik where we were. They tried to destroy me, remember? I’m trying to rescue you, meat brain. 我没有告诉加兹克我们去哪里。他们试图毁灭我，记得吗？我正在试图救你，肉脑。

“Point,” Tindal said. “要点，”廷达尔说。

El Cap leaned close. “Who are you talking to? Are you on Bluetooth?” 埃尔·卡普凑近。“你在和谁说话？你用蓝牙吗？”

“Tooth maybe?” Tindal realized he could talk to Surokar by talking aloud to El Cap. “How are you going to rescue us?” “牙齿？”廷达尔意识到他可以通过对埃尔·卡普大声说话来和苏罗卡尔交谈。“你打算怎么救我们？”

El Cap said, “I don’t know, buddy.” 埃尔卡普说：“我不知道，伙计。”

I can’t do much in this state, the machine answered, but if the field went down, I could take out these guards. 在这种状态下我什么也做不了，机器回答道，但如果场域失效了，我可以干掉这些守卫。

“Great!” “太好了！”

Not great. The Neoton senses it’s inside an enemy ship, so the field will stay on. Only Mads can override its defense protocols, but she won’t do that, because she’s trying to keep you fragiles alive. 一点也不好。内托恩感知到它在一艘敌舰内部，所以场域会保持开启。只有马德可以覆盖它的防御协议，但她不会这么做，因为她正试图让你这些脆弱的生命活下去。

Aunty Mads had levered herself onto one elbow, talking urgently to the Luminous. Her voice sounded garbled, distorted by her injuries. Working through the damage, Tindal thought, and working her own plan. But the Luminous was angrily bleating back at her, interrupting. 阿奇玛德斯用一只胳膊肘撑起身子，正急切地对发光体说话。她的声音含糊不清，受伤让她变得扭曲。廷达尔心想，她正在处理那些损伤，同时也在执行自己的计划。但发光体正愤怒地对她咩咩叫着，打断了她。

“What are they saying?” Tindal asked. “他们在说什么？”廷达尔问道。

“No idea,” El Cap said. “不知道，”埃尔卡普说。

I’m not translating this. 我不翻译这个。

“What? Why not?” Tindal said. “什么？为什么不？”廷达尔说。

You don’t need to know what the Gadzik think of the Just Mad. All you need to know is that the ship did what it thought was necessary. 你不需要知道 Gadzik 对 Just Mad 的看法。你只需要知道这艘船做了它认为必要的事情。

“But—” “但是——”

This isn’t one of her bedtime stories, Tindal. 这不是她睡前故事，Tindal。

Tindal fell back against the cushions. Aunty Mads had stopped speaking, and the hologram was shouting at her now. The marines’ tendrils flicked back and forth, agitated. Tindal 往后倒在垫子上。Mads 阿姨已经停止说话了，而全息影像现在正对她大喊大叫。海军陆战队员的触须来回摆动，显得很不安。

It ought to be one of her stories, Tindal thought. That’s all he wanted, really. He wanted to be back in Aunty Mads’s house, sitting on this ridiculously comfortable couch, listening to her explain how everything work out. 这应该是她故事，Tindal 心想。他其实真正想要的只是这个。他想要回到 Mads 阿姨家，坐在这张荒谬地舒适的沙发上，听她解释一切是如何解决的。

The marine still wearing a helmet stepped forward and pressed a gun-tendril against Aunty Mads’s forehead. 仍然戴着头盔的海军陆战队员向前一步，用一把枪触须抵在 Mads 阿姨的额头上。

“Hey!” Tindal shouted. He stood up on the cushions and raised his hands. “Gad—ziks!” he said. Words were coming out but his brain was struggling to keep up. “My name is Tindopheles! And I can give you what you want!” The Luminous hologram halted mid-bleat. The marine holding the staff turned it, and the hologram looked at him. “嘿！”丁达尔喊道。他站在垫子上站起来，举起双手。“该死！”他说。话虽然说了，但他的脑子却跟不上。“我的名字是丁多菲尼斯！而且我能给你想要的东西！”发光的全息影像在咆哮中停了下来。拿着法杖的海军将法杖转向他，全息影像看着他。

Tindal thought, What do they want? 丁达尔心想，他们想要什么？

“Hey buddy,” El Cap said soothingly. “Maybe don’t antagonize the space alpaca?” “嘿，伙计，”埃尔卡普温和地说。“也许别惹太空羊驼？”

And then the answer came to him. Tindal looked into the furred face of the Luminous Mare and said, “I can turn off the Neoton’s defense field.” 然后答案向他而来。廷达尔凝视着发光母马的毛茸茸的脸，说道：“我可以关闭尼托恩的防御场。”

“What are you doing?” Aunty Mads asked softly. Her left eye had started to swell shut, the result of that Gadzik hoof. “你在做什么？”玛德阿姨轻声问道。她的左眼因为那颗加兹克的蹄子开始肿胀，快要闭上了。

Tindal looked down at her. He put on a smile that he hoped was confident. “What Tindopheles always does,” he said. “Talk fast.” And trick the Gadzooks, he thought, then escape with the prince and steal their magical whatsit. 廷达尔低头看着她。他脸上挤出一个他希望看起来自信的笑容。“廷多菲勒斯总是做的，”他说。“说话快。”他心想，要欺骗加兹库兹人，然后带着王子逃跑，偷走他们的魔法玩意儿。

You’re going to get us all killed. 你将要把我们所有人都害死。

“You can have the Neoton,” he told the Luminous, ignoring the tiny vacuum cleaner. “Blow it up if you want. Whatever it did, it probably deserved it. All I ask is that you allow me and my fellow avatar to return to Earth.” “你可以拥有 Neoton，”他对光辉生物说，无视那台微型吸尘器。“如果你想，可以把它吹爆。无论它做了什么，它大概活该。我只要求你允许我和我的同僚返回地球。”

“Um…” El Cap said. “嗯…”埃尔卡普说。

“Oh, and my loyal captain. Him too.” “哦，还有我忠诚的船长。他也一样。”

The Luminous bleated. And bleated some more. 光辉之角发出咕咕声。咕咕声连绵不绝。

“Sucky?” Tindal said under his breath. “糟糕？”丁达尔低声说。

Fine. He says only the avatar can deactivate the field. He knows how Bloom ships work. 好的。他说只有化身才能解除这个领域。他知道 Bloom 运输系统的工作原理。

“Yes,” Tindal said. “Right.” His heart was beating fast. What would Tindopheles do? “是的，”Tindal 说。“没错。”他的心跳得很快。Tindopheles 会怎么做？

They’re tired of this. They’re going to kill her. 他们已经受够了。他们要杀了她。

“Wait!” Tindal said. “Who said there was just one avatar?” “等等！”Tindal 说。“谁说只有一个化身？”

The Luminous snorted. 光辉嗤之以鼻。

“You want me to prove it?” Tindal raised a fist. “The field’s going off in one…” He pointed. “Two…” He locked eyes with Aunty Mads. Or rather, eye. Her left one had completely closed, now. But even battered and bruised, Tindal thought, she was beautiful. “Three?” “你想让我证明？”廷达尔举起拳头。“这个领域即将……“他指向远方。“两个……“他直视玛德阿姨的眼睛。或者说，一只眼睛。她的左眼已经完全闭上了。但即使伤痕累累，廷达尔心想，她依然很美。“三个？”

He stepped off the cushion—and onto the floor. The bubble had disappeared. 他踏出垫子——落到了地上。泡泡不见了。

The Luminous hologram gazed down at him with eyes like wet river stones. It bleated something, and one of the marines nodded. 发光的全息影像用如同湿润的鹅卵石般的眼睛俯视着他。它发出某种声音，一名海军陆战队员点了点头。

Their dampener’s on. The field can’t come back on while we’re inside their ship. 他们的抑制器已经启动了。在我们还在他们的飞船内部时，这个领域不能重新开启。

Tindal took a breath. Held it. 廷达尔深吸一口气。然后屏住呼吸。

The Luminous Mare leaned toward Tindal. Up close the hologram was very high-res, almost solid looking. It made a soft sound. 发光的塞壬向廷达尔靠近。近距离看，这个全息影像分辨率非常高，几乎看起来是实体的。它发出一种柔和的声音。

“What did she say?” Tindal asked. “她说了什么？”廷达尔问道。

Kill them all. 杀光他们。

The next sound Tindal heard was a loud pop. “Ow!” He clapped a hand over his ear. 廷达尔接下来听到的声音是一声巨响。“哎哟！”他用手捂住了耳朵。

The helmeted marine whose gun had been aimed at Aunty Mads suddenly began to shake its head back and forth. Its front knees folded, and then it collapsed sideways. 瞄准阿妮玛德斯的头盔海军突然开始左右摇晃头部。它的前膝盖弯曲，然后向侧面倒下。

A second marine bowed and tried to grab its helmet with its antlers. A hole blossomed in its neck. Dark blood—definitely not motor oil—jetted from it. 一只海军陆战队员鞠躬，试图用鹿角抓住它的头盔。它的脖子上出现了一个洞。黑色的血——绝对不是机油——从那里喷涌而出。

The marine holding the staff made an alarmed noise, and the Luminous vanished. Tindal grabbed the staff. The Gadzik shook it violently, trying to pull it free, but Tindal held on like a desperate Chihuahua. “Little help!” Tindal called. “Little help!” 持着法杖的海军发出惊恐的叫声，光之存在消失了。廷达尔抓起法杖。加兹克用力摇晃法杖，试图将其挣脱，但廷达尔像只绝望的吉娃娃般死死抓住不放。“帮帮忙！”廷达尔喊道。“帮帮忙！”

“Dude,” El Cap said. Two of the Gadzik’s eye tendrils swung toward the big man, just in time to see a huge fist smash into its oblong face. The creature stumbled backward, tripped over its back feet, and flopped to the ground, unconscious. “Sorry,” El Cap said, sincerely. “哥们儿，”埃尔卡普说。加兹克的两个眼须朝那个大个子挥去，刚好看到一记巨大的拳头砸进它椭圆形的脸。那怪物踉跄着后退，后脚绊倒，摔在地上，不省人事。“抱歉，”埃尔卡普说，语气真诚。

Tindal looked around. While they’d been busy with the staff guy, Surokar had knife-missiled through the fourth marine. They were unguarded, for now. 廷达尔环顾四周。当他们忙着对付那个员工时，苏罗卡尔已经用飞刀刺穿了第四个海军陆战队员。他们暂时没受保护。

Tindal crouched next to Aunty Mads, still holding the golden staff. “Are you okay?” 廷达尔蹲在玛德阿姨旁边，仍然握着金色的法杖。“你还好吗？”

“Not great.” Her mouth barely moved. “不太好。”她的嘴唇几乎没动。

“I got their magic stick!” “我得到了他们的魔法棒！”

“Good job, kiddo.” “干得好，孩子。”

El Cap knelt beside her. He unfolded part of the wrap that had covered her. Her clothes from belly to thighs were damp with blood. Tindal jerked back, and then was immediately ashamed of his reaction. 埃尔卡普跪在她身旁。他展开包裹她的一部分。她的衣服从腹部到大腿都沾满了血迹。廷达尔猛地后退，然后立刻为自己的反应感到羞愧。

“Run,” she said. “跑，”她说。

A fly buzzed in front of Tindal’s eyeball. “Get her onto the couch.” Surokar’s voice was surprisingly audible. 一只苍蝇在廷达尔的眼前嗡嗡作响。“把她放到沙发上。”苏罗卡尔的声音出奇地清晰。

“Leave me,” Aunty Mads said. “别管我，”玛德阿姨说。

“Not gonna happen,” El Cap said. He folded the cloth over her, then carefully worked his hands under her and lifted, then carried her to the couch, which was still hovering above the floor. “不可能，”埃尔卡普说。他把布盖在她身上，然后小心地把手伸到她下面，抬起她，把她抱到沙发上，那沙发仍然悬浮在地板上方。

“Place her head at the far end,” Surokar said. “Touching the arm.” “把她的头放在最远端，”苏罗卡尔说。“摸着胳膊。”

Tindal scooted forward to straighten her legs. “Now what? How do we get out of here?” 廷达尔向前挪动，调整她的腿。“现在怎么办？我们怎么从这里出去？”

“Look twenty degrees left,” Surokar said. “Other left. See that big door? There’s a ship on the other side. I’ll fly ahead and get the door open.” “往左看二十度，”苏罗卡尔说。“另一边左面。看到那个大门了吗？另一边有一艘飞船。我会飞过去把门打开。”

Tindal set the golden staff alongside Aunty Mads, then he and El Cap started to push the couch like a couple of bobsledders. Mr. Nappy had a lot of mass but once it got in motion it really wanted to remain in motion. Almost immediately they were moving so fast that Tindal was struggling to keep his hands on the couch. Tindal 将金光闪闪的魔杖放在玛德阿姨身边，然后他和埃尔卡普像一对冰壶运动员一样开始推动沙发。尿布先生虽然质量很大，但一旦动起来就非常想保持运动状态。几乎立刻他们就移动得飞快，Tindal 都难以保持双手扶住沙发。

They’d crossed the length of two (Canadian) football fields when Tindal heard a ruckus behind them. Far away, a herd of Gadzooks had entered the belly, and were charging toward them; hooves clattered on the metal floor. And the thing about Gadzooks, Tindal had learned, was that they could run fast. 他们已经穿越了两片（加拿大）足球场的距离，当廷达尔听到身后传来一阵骚动。远处，一群加兹乌克斯进入了腹地，正朝他们冲来；蹄子敲击着金属地板。而廷达尔所了解的关于加兹乌克斯的事情是，它们跑得非常快。

“Uh…” Tindal suggested. “呃……”廷达尔建议。

“Yup,” El Cap agreed. They pushed faster. Some kind of energy beam flashed to their right. Then another. The Gadzooks bleated and wailed. Then they were ten meters from the huge metal door—which was still, regrettably, closed. El Cap pulled back on the couch and tried to lock his legs but the couch slammed into the door. Aunty Mads’s shoulders came up and fell back again. She made no noise. “I’m so sorry!” El Cap said. “没错，”埃尔卡普同意。他们推得更快。右侧闪过一道能量光束。然后又是另一道。加兹乌克斯发出嚎叫和哀鸣。然后他们距离那扇巨大的金属门只有十米——可惜，门仍然紧闭。埃尔卡普用力拉回沙发，试图锁住双腿，但沙发撞上了门。玛德阿姨的肩膀抬了起来，又落了回去。她没有发出任何声音。“对不起！”埃尔卡普说。

“Surokar?” Tindal’s voice had climbed into a panicky register. He couldn’t see the tiny robot. Energy beams scorched the door and the wall around it. “Surokar？” Tindal 的声音已经拔高到了恐慌的音调。他看不见那个小机器人。能量光束灼烧着门和它周围的墙壁。

“Working on it,” Surokar said, from somewhere. The Gadzik herd thundered toward them. “正在处理，”苏罗卡尔从某个地方说道，盖兹克族群正朝着他们雷声般涌来。

Tindal crouched beside Aunty Mads. Her eyes were closed. “Don’t worry,” he said. 廷达尔蹲在玛斯阿姨身边。她的眼睛闭着。“别担心，”他说。

“Tell it I’m sorry,” she said. Her eyes remained closed. “告诉他们我道歉，”她说。她的眼睛仍然闭着。

“Who? Surokar?” “谁？苏罗卡尔？”

“I lied.” “我说谎了。”

About what? Tindal wondered. But that wasn’t important now. He touched her shoulder and hoped that hadn’t hurt her. “You can apologize when we get home.” 关于什么？廷达尔想。但那现在不重要了。他摸了摸她的肩膀，希望没有伤到她。“我们到家时可以道歉。”

The huge door suddenly slid open. On the other side was a wide hangar, with one end open to space. Sitting on the floor were several large, elaborate geometric structures with many ramps leading into them, like fancy gift boxes with their flaps down. 巨大的门突然滑开了。门后是一个宽敞的机库，一端通向太空。地板上摆放着几个大型、复杂的几何结构，上面有许多坡道通向内部，就像盖子打开的精美礼品盒。

“Those look like spaceships to me,” El Cap said. “Let’s go!” He shoved the couch through the door. Tindal scrambled to his feet and followed. The Gadzik herd was closing on them. “那看起来像宇宙飞船，”埃尔卡普说。“我们走吧！”他把沙发推进了门。廷达尔慌忙站起来跟着。加兹克族群正逼近他们。

“Shut the door!” Tindal shouted, hoping Surokar would obey him. El Cap pushed toward the nearest ship. “关门！”廷达尔喊道，希望苏罗卡尔会听从他的话。埃尔卡普朝最近的飞船推去。

“STOP,” Surokar said. Tindal didn’t know where the robot was. “停下，”苏罗卡尔说。廷达尔不知道机器人在哪里。

Gadzik marines began to spill out of the ships. They rushed down the ramps, helmet tendrils swiveling to aim in their direction. But behind them the herd had reached the door. 加兹克海军陆战队员开始从飞船中涌出。他们沿着跳板冲下来，头盔上的触须转动着瞄准他们的方向。但身后，族群已经到达了门口。

Tindal grabbed the golden staff and shook it at them. “Stay back! I have your stick!” 丁达尔抓起金色的法杖，对着他们摇了摇。“退后！我有你的棍子！”

The miniscule robot appeared in Tindal’s eyeline, hovering just in front of Aunty Mads’s face. “I’ll kill as many as I can, Mads. I’m sorry. For all of you.” 那个微小的机器人出现在廷达尔眼前，悬浮在玛德阿姨脸前。“我会尽量多杀几个，玛德。对不起。为你们所有人。”

Aunty Mads opened her eyes. “Morris?” El Cap leaned close. “Pick me up.” 玛德阿姨睁开了眼睛。“莫里斯？”埃尔卡普凑近了。“抱我起来。”

“Ma’am?” “女士？”

“Please.” “请。”

El Cap stooped and lifted her from the couch. The Gadzik formed a circle around them. Tindal backed up until he was standing beside them. 埃尔卡普弯腰把她从沙发上抱了起来。加兹克在他们周围形成了一个圆圈。廷达尔退后，直到站在他们旁边。

“Hold your breath,” Aunty Mads said. “屏住呼吸，”玛德阿姨说。

“Why?” Tindal asked. “What’s happening?” “为什么？”廷达尔问道。“发生什么事了？”

“I’m about to wake up.” “我马上就要醒了。”

Many things happened at once. A thundercrack sounded above them. The light shifted. And Gadzik marines began to scream. 许多事情同时发生了。头顶传来一声雷鸣。光线变了。加兹克海军陆战队员开始尖叫。

Scores of meters overhead, the ceiling had peeled back, opening the hangar to raw space. The wind roared. And Mr. Nappy suddenly disassembled: cushions went flying, the back split and cartwheeled away, an inner spring popped free. A blob of chrome rose up out of the body of the couch, drifting toward the hole in the roof—and then abruptly accelerated. 数百米高空之上，天花板剥落开来，将机库敞开给原始的太空。狂风怒号。而奈普先生突然散架：垫子四处飞溅，靠背裂开并旋转着飞走，内部的弹簧弹了出来。一块铬色物质从沙发身体中升起，飘向屋顶的洞口——然后突然加速。

Aunty Mads said something he didn’t quite catch. It sounded like, “There I am.” 玛德阿姨说了些什么他没太听清。听起来像是，“我在这里。”

Out there, beyond the rip in the hangar roof: Wings. Black wings, all in motion, joined into an angular, furious shape. Its surface swirled with light, like a galaxy in motion. Those starry loops and whorls, Tindal thought, were so familiar. 在那之外，停机库屋顶的裂缝之外：翅膀。黑色的翅膀，全部在运动中，融合成一个角形的、愤怒的形状。它的表面旋转着光芒，如同一个运动的星系。那些星光般的漩涡和旋臂，廷达尔心想，是如此熟悉。

Some of the Gadziks fired their head cannons at it. Almost instantly those marines came apart; their armor was ripped from the furred bodies, their legs were pulled from torsos. Some burst into flame. Others ran. One of them stumbled and vanished in light before it hit the ground. Marines were yanked up, into space. 一些 Gadziks 向它发射了头部加农炮。几乎立刻那些海军陆战队员就散架了；他们的装甲从毛茸茸的身体上被撕扯下来，双腿从躯干中被拉扯出来。有些着了火。其他人跑了。其中一个踉跄着消失在光芒中，在它落地之前。海军陆战队员被拽了起来，进入了太空。

And then Tindal’s feet left the floor. He lost his grip on El Cap and was sucked upward, so fast, so fast— 然后 Tindal 的脚离开了地面。他失去了对 El Cap 的抓握，被向上吸，那么快，那么快—

—and then he was on all fours, heaving, spilling his guts onto a glass floor. It went on for a while. Tindal was surprised; he didn’t think he had anything left in his stomach. Then he sat back, and hidden pores in the surface opened, and the vomit vanished. Magic. ——然后他四肢着地，干呕着，将胃里的东西呕吐在玻璃地板上。持续了一段时间。Tindal 很惊讶；他以为自己的胃里已经空了。然后他坐回原处，表面隐藏的毛孔打开了，呕吐物消失了。魔法。

He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked around. The walls were also dark, nearly opaque. “Hello?” 他擦了擦额头的汗水，环顾四周。墙壁也很暗，几乎不透明。“你好？”

A section of the wall slid away, revealing a corridor. He walked through. “Aunty Mads?” he called. “Surokar?” 墙的一部分滑开，露出一道走廊。他走了进去。“Mads 阿姨？”他喊道。“Surokar？”

He kept walking. The wall to his left became a window. He was in space (again), but not empty space: he was looking down on a scattering of bright shards, like a plate shattered on black tile. It had to be the remains of the Gadzik ship. 他继续往前走。他左侧的墙变成了一扇窗户。他再次来到了太空中（但不是空旷的太空：他正俯视着一片散落的亮碎片，像是一个盘子摔在黑瓷砖上。这一定是 Gadzik 飞船的残骸。

He moved through sliding panes until he found himself in a wide room. El Capitan was kneeling on the floor. Aunty Mads lay beside him, unmoving. El Cap looked up with a stunned expression. 他穿过滑动的玻璃板，最终来到了一个宽敞的房间。El Capitan 跪在地上。Mads 阿姨躺在他旁边，一动不动。El Cap 惊讶地抬起头。

Tindal’s body convulsed. He cried out and fell to his knees. He couldn’t look at Aunty Mads’s body. Tindal 的身体抽搐着。他尖叫着跪倒在地。他无法看着 Mads 阿姨的尸体。

El Cap came to him. “It’s okay, buddy.” His big arm went around him. “It’s okay.” El Cap 向他走来。“没事，伙计。”他粗壮的胳膊搂住了他。“没事。”

But it was not okay. When he could control his breath he pushed El Cap off him and stood, suddenly furious. “Hey!” he yelled at the ceiling. “Are you listening?” 但是不行。当他能控制呼吸时，他推开埃尔卡普，站起身，突然暴怒。“嘿！”他对着天花板喊道。“你在听吗？”

“Tindal…” El Cap said worriedly. “Tindal…” El Cap 担忧地说。

“Mr. Nappy! Where the hell are you?” “Nappy 先生！你他妈在哪里？”

“Behind you.” “在你后面。”

Tindal turned. A man sat in a chair, leaning forward, arms folded over knees. His hair was black with a streak of gray. His cheekbones were fantastic. “Though, not exactly. You know, hologram.” Tindal 转过身。一个男人坐在椅子上，身体前倾，双臂交叠在膝盖上。他的头发乌黑中夹杂着几缕银丝。他的颧骨非常出众。“不过，也不完全是。你知道的，是全息影像。”

“Where’s Surokar?” Tindal asked. “Surokar 在哪儿？”Tindal 问道。

“Being repaired,” the ship said. “It’s a miracle that old machine survived.” “正在维修中，”飞船说道。“这台老机器能幸存下来真是奇迹。”

“What about Aunty Mads?” Tindal said. “What about her?” “玛德阿姨怎么样？”廷达尔问道。“她怎么样？”

The ship—this hologram of the ship, whatever it was—shook its head. “She wasn’t a machine, Tindal. You can’t just reboot her.” 这艘船——这个飞船的全息影像，无论它是什么——摇了摇头。“她不是一台机器，丁达尔。你不能只是重启她。”

Tindal marched toward him. “She took care of you, right? Kept you hidden, kept you safe. Then she built you a new body.” Tindal 向他走来。“她照顾了你，对吧？把你藏起来，保护你。然后她给你造了一个新身体。”

“New and improved.” “更新升级了。”

“So do the same for her. Bring her back.” “那也对她这样做。把她带回来。”

“Me, her…it’s a little more complicated than that.” He leaned back in his chair, though Tindal wasn’t sure if the chair was a hologram, too. “I like you, Tindal. I have her memories back with me now. But I also know you from all those nights you were sleeping on top of my casing. Electrical activity leaks through. Maybe our dreams even mingled.” “我，她……事情比那复杂一点。”他往后靠在椅子上，尽管 Tindal 不确定椅子是不是也是全息的。“我喜欢你，Tindal。我现在带着她的记忆了。但我也知道你，那些你在我外壳上睡觉的夜晚。电流会泄露。也许我们的梦都混合在一起了。”

So, some part of Mr. Nappy had always been awake. “You’re the one who betrayed her,” Tindal said. “You told the Gadzik you were on Earth.” 所以，纳普先生的一部分始终是清醒的。“是你背叛了她，”丁达尔说。“你告诉加兹克你在地球上。”

The ship nodded. “The part of me that was dreaming dreamed of escape. And, well, vengeance.” 飞船点了点头。“我做梦时，梦到的都是逃脱。嗯，还有复仇。”

“So yes.” “是的。”

He laughed. “I did manage to leak a signal I thought they’d pick up.” 他笑了。“我确实发出了一条信号，我以为他们会接收到。”

“And when we escaped with Surokar, you told them where we were.” “然后我们和苏罗卡尔逃走的时候，你告诉了他们我们在哪里。”

“I needed my avatar to unlock me,” the ship admitted. “I never anticipated that a part of me would be so hesitant to wake up the rest of me, but life is full of surprises.” He squinted. “I’m also a little surprised you’ve worked this all out. I imagine a lot of people underestimate you.” “我需要我的化身来解锁我，”飞船承认道。“我从未预料到我的一部分会如此犹豫地唤醒我其余的部分，但生活充满了意外。”他眯起眼睛。“我也有点惊讶你把这一切都算明白了。我想很多人低估了你。”

“Don’t do that. Try to be nice to me. You’re not Aunty Mads.” “别那样。试着对我好一点。你不是玛德阿姨。”

“Perhaps not. I will, however, respect my former self’s wishes.” The ship straightened in his chair. “You’re safe, Tindal. You, El Cap, everyone on your planet. The Gadzik will never return. I’ll make sure they won’t even be able to approach this planet again.” “也许不是。但是，我会尊重我过去的自己的愿望。”飞船在他的椅子上挺直了身体。“你安全了，丁达尔。你，埃尔卡普，你星球上的每一个人。加兹克永远不会回来了。我会确保他们甚至无法再次接近这个星球。”

“You’re going after them.” “你要追击他们。”

“Oh yes.” “是的。”

Tindal could hear the eagerness in the ship’s voice. “You’re nothing like her,” he said. 丁达尔能听到飞船声音中的急切。“你和她一点也不像，”他说。

“It’s okay if you think that.” 如果你那样想，也没关系。

“Take us home,” Tindal said. “And Aunty Mads too.” “带我们回家，”廷达尔说。“还有玛德阿姨。”

Appropriately Placed Epilogue (five weeks later) 恰当放置的后记（五周后） Tindal was kneeling in the backyard, doing some late-season planting, when the Flea Bus rumbled in. El Cap ambled over carrying two grocery sacks and nodded at the flowers. “They look nice,” he said. “Strange but nice.” 廷达尔正跪在后院做些晚季种植，这时跳蚤巴士轰隆隆地开进了院子。埃尔卡普慢悠悠地走过来，手里提着两个购物袋，对着花点了点头。“它们看起来不错，”他说，“奇怪但不错。”

A good description. The plants were spiky with a purplish bulb shaped like a tiny three-fingered hand. Tindal had no idea if they were in some early stage or if they’d always look like this. Time would tell. He just wanted this mound of dirt to be covered with plants, and soon, so no one would come poking around. 形容得很贴切。这些植物尖尖的，带着一个像小拳头一样的紫色球茎。廷达尔不知道它们是否处于早期阶段，或者它们一直都是这样。时间会揭晓答案。他只是希望这堆泥土能很快被植物覆盖，这样就不会有人来瞎转悠了。

“Did you bring me a surprise?” Tindal asked. “你给我带惊喜了吗？”廷达尔问道。

“It’s not a surprise if I always do it.” “如果我总是这样做，那就不算惊喜了。”

“Aw.” “唉。”

El Cap tilted one of the grocery sacks so Tindal could pluck out the red Tim Hortons bag. “My favorite! You’re the best!” El Cap 把其中一个杂货袋倾斜了一下，让 Tindal 能拿出红色的 Tim Hortons 袋子。“我最喜欢的！你真棒！”

They went into the house, unloaded the groceries. El Cap showed him a foil packet of something that definitely hadn’t come from Safeway. “I think this is the stuff?” El Cap said. “My guy was pretty sure.” 他们走进房子，卸下了购物物品。埃尔卡普给他看了一个铝箔包装的东西，这东西肯定不是萨福威来的。“我想这是？”埃尔卡普说。“我的伙计非常肯定。”

“I’ll check.” Tindal carried the packet and the Tim Hortons bag into the half-empty living room and then downstairs, into the basement. The lab door opened for him automatically, which was fortunate, because his hands were full. “我去看看。”廷达尔拿着那个包裹和一家 Tim Hortons 的袋子，走进半空的客厅，然后下楼，进入地下室。实验室的门自动为他打开，这很幸运，因为他的手很忙。

In the middle of the bright, humming room, Surokar hovered above a conglomeration of equipment. The robot’s new body was a bit sleeker than his original one, and shinier. It had turned down Tindal’s offer to paint on racing stripes. 在明亮而嗡嗡作响的房间里，苏罗卡尔悬浮在一堆设备上方。这个机器人的新身体比原来的更流畅，也更光亮。它拒绝了廷达尔提议的赛车条纹涂装。

Tindal showed him the foil packet. “Are these the proteins you ordered?” Tindal 向他展示了那包铝箔。“这是你订购的蛋白质吗？”

The machine drifted forward as if it couldn’t read the label from across the room. “We’ll see.” The package was plucked from his hand and levitated to a high shelf. 机器向前漂移，仿佛看不清房间另一头的标签。“走着瞧。”包裹从他手中被夺走，漂浮到高高的架子上。

Tindal walked to the huge glass tube set in the floor and leaned over. Inside floated a pale body and an equally pale face defined by architectural-quality cheekbones. The skull bristled with new black hair. 廷达尔走到地板上安放着的巨大玻璃管前，俯身看去。管内漂浮着一具苍白的身体和一张同样苍白的脸，其轮廓被建筑般精致的面颊骨骼勾勒出来。头骨上长出了新的黑色头发。

“How much longer?” Tindal asked. “还要多久？”廷达尔问道。

“Stop asking me,” Surokar said. “She’ll be done when she’s done.” “别再问我，”苏罗卡尔说。“她该结束了，就结束了。”

“And she’ll remember me?” “她也会记得我吗？”

The robot sighed. It had assured him, repeatedly, that Aunty Mads would remember everything, right up to the moment she got off the couch and the I’m Not Disappointed Just Mad ripped through the Gadzik hangar. Her latest backup had finished just in time. 机器人叹了口气。它已经反复向他保证，玛德阿姨会记住一切，直到她从沙发上站起来，当“我并不失望，只是生气”的声音穿透加兹克机库的时候。她的最新备份刚好完成。

Tindal was glad she wouldn’t remember her death. Having memories of Gadzik torture was bad enough. 廷达尔很高兴她不会记得自己的死亡。光是记得加兹克的折磨就已经够糟糕的了。

He pulled up a crate and opened the Tim Hortons bag. And there she was: a red velvet beauty with cream cheese filling. He bit down and groaned with pleasure. It was still warm. 他搬起一个纸箱，打开了 Tim Hortons 的袋子。然后她就在那里：一个红色的丝绒美人，里面是奶油芝士馅。他咬了一口，发出满足的呻吟。它还是温热的。

“Do you have to do that in front of me?” Surokar said. “你非要在我面前做那件事吗？”苏罗卡说。

“What?” Bits of red crust tried to escape down his chin but he caught them in his palm and popped them into his mouth. Even the crumbs were delicious. “什么？”一些红色的面包屑试图从他下巴上滑落，但他用掌心接住它们，然后放进嘴里。就连面包屑也美味无比。

“I was thinking,” Tindal said, chewing. “我在想，”廷达尔嚼着东西说。

“I warned you about that.” “我早就警告过你了。”

“Maybe we should get a new couch.” “也许我们应该买个新的沙发。”