猫、老鼠 和霓虹耗子 Of Rats and Cats and Neon Mice

作者：Ariel Lawrence

一个医生在光滑的桥面上跌跌撞撞地走着。他的脚踝与脚掌的通路断开了，只好伸手扶住残旧的桥栏。一瞬间，竟迷失了方向。他的眼光从通勤天桥湿漉漉的桥面向外滑去，掠过了上中区那金属、玻璃和永恒的灯光组成的无尽集合。

The doctor stumbles on the slick bridge. His hand reaches out for the worn guardrail as his foot loses connection to the wiring in his ankle. For a moment, he is disoriented. His vision slips from the wet floor plates of the commuter overpass to the unending assembly of metal, glass, and perpetual light that is Upper Central.他眨眨眼，挥去眼前的光彩，重新连上了增强义足。排线中还残留着一道模糊的记忆，是之前的用户留下的——真贵啊……He blinks away the brightness and reconnects his augmented foot. Etched in the circuit there is a faded memory from the last user—it was expensive…而且尺寸还大了一半——他的意识不怀好意地回了一句。这个模组原来的主人是个上城区的富人。他胆子很小，不敢给后巷里找的外科医师支付可追溯来源的信用点。所以医生就拿这个东西当做一个二手的、瞧不起人的谢礼。Also a size and a half too big, his own mind echoes back sourly. The mod is a belittling, secondhand thank you from a rich upper-sector patient too scared to pay traceable credits to his back alley physician.自从到手以来，医生已经对处理器进行过五六次擦除处理，但仍然有一些残迹深藏在硅片中，像一枚怎样也抹不掉的指纹。他咕哝一声，甩脱了回忆。这是个让人很不舒服的提醒，不断地告诫医生，传统的解剖学如果硬要介入更昂贵的技术领域时会发生什么事情。The doctor has scrubbed the processor half a dozen times since acquiring it, but there are still old impressions trapped in the silicon, like a fingerprint that can’t quite be rubbed off. He grunts and shakes off the recollection. It is a discomforting reminder of what happens when common anatomy tries to plug into technology above its pay grade.他稀疏的发梢滑下几点水滴，掉在微米镜片后面。桥头远端的光芒变得一片模糊。可是今早的通报里并没有水分冷凝的消息。那种手足无措的感觉又来了，今天的意外让他到现在还没回过神来。医生抚摸着胸前口袋里的东西。一支生物惰性的塑胶套筒。武器级的。他在二十转之前就想着退休，而这一单就够了。Water drips through the strands of the doctor’s thinning hair and gets behind his micron-glasses, blurring the lights on the far side of the bridge. Condensing moisture hadn’t been listed in the morning’s announcements. Then again, the doctor hadn’t been prepared for much of what landed in his lap today. He pets the bio-inert plastic sleeve in his breast pocket. Weapons grade. Enough for the retirement he had promised himself twenty revs ago.医生一个人站在大桥上。桥面是厚实的金属板与碳纤维加强的塑料铸成的，连接着下城和通往上中区的机械升降机。和他一道下来的通勤族们早就急匆匆地散进了黑暗的棚屋还有接引市场不见天日的支巷里。他又咕哝了一声，努力加快脚步，继续蹒跚着穿过大桥。医生抬手抹了一把脸上溪流似的水。他老了，但即使是他这个年纪，也没见过真正的雨。只记得这上亿个器官的呼吸循环彼此堆叠而成的悲哀聚合体。The doctor is alone on the thick span of metal and fiber-reinforced plastic that connects the lower sectors to the mechanized lifts of Upper Central. The commuter crowd he had come down with has disappeared quickly into the darkened stalls and shaded side alleys of the transition market. He grunts again and tries to hurry, continuing his hobbled pace across the bridge. He wipes a hand over the wetness now running in rivers down his face. He is old, but even he isn’t old enough to remember real rain—only this sad concentration of a hundred million organic breathing cycles stacked one top of another.在他身后，升降机的磁轨放慢了速度。大门准备再次开启，放出新一波增强人体媾和而成的浪潮，涌进迷宫般的市场里。医生又摸了摸胸口的退休保证，冒险回头飞快地瞥了一眼。The magnetic thrum of the lift behind him slows as the doors prepare to release a new tide of enhanced humanity into the market mazes. The doctor gives his retirement package one more pat and ventures a quick look back.气动门嘶嘶地滑开，露出幽暗的升降机里一大片漠然的陌生脸孔。医生松了口气。

The pneumatics hiss open, revealing the elevator’s darkness and a sea of unknown faces. The doctor releases the breath he was holding.

“接引层。小心脚下。” 广播里传出一个数字合成的通报声。

“Transition level. Proceed with caution,” a digitized voice announces.人群纷纷戴上遮光镜，扯起合成绒布的罩帽盖住头顶，既能防水，也可以避开上中区逼人心魄的光辉。他们就像一群训练有素的耗子，挤挤挨挨地涌上了桥面。The crowd engages their light shades and pulls up hoods of synthetic duvetyne to shield them against the drizzle and Upper Central’s oppressive glow. Like well-trained mice, they scurry eagerly onto the bridge.这时，医生看见了一个虎视眈眈的金属身影，在人群中高出一个头来。And that’s when the doctor sees it: a predatory metal shadow that stands a head taller than the surrounding crowd.他的呼吸骤然紧促，在镜片上蒙了一层雾气。恐惧像一支渐进的旋律弥漫而起。His breath fogs his glasses in a growing rhythm of panic.那个身影踏进了漫射的光雾中。瘦削的轮廓通体发黑，碳纤维缠裹着沉重的伺服电机形成了精悍的肌肉。投射下来的眩光被喷砂表面的胸甲完全吸收了。医生辨认出了那副黯淡的皮毛领子，像一只山猫似的绕在阳极氧化钢的乌黑脖颈上。但是这些都不足为奇，最让医生骨头发颤的是那个影子所戴的面具。面具本身模糊不清，只有滚滚的水流与脉动不停的全息标志发出的光芒映出了轮廓。The shadow steps into the ambient light. Its lean shape is all dark, wiry muscles of carbon fiber braided over heavy servos. His jet-colored chest plating swallows the glare from above. The doctor recognizes the matted fur collar, coiled like a feral cat, around a neck of dark, anodized steel. But it is the contours of the shadow’s featureless mask, defined now only by the drip of falling water and the reflection of the pulsating holo-signs, that rattles the doctor to his inadequate, common bones.卡达·烬。Khada Jhin.医生想要后退，却又在金属桥面上滑了一跤。他抓住桥栏时还刮掉了几处关节上的血肉。人们一心想着离开降水和刺眼的光亮，把医生推倒在地上，全然没有察觉他正被恐惧扼住了喉咙。The doctor tries to back away. He slips again on the metal plating. The flesh of one set of knuckles scrapes on the handholds of the bridge as he catches himself. The crowd, focused only on getting out of the wet and the light, pushes the doctor down, indifferent to the fear that is choking him.医生手脚并用在地上爬着。肉体的和金属的脚碾碎了他的手指，踩进了地面的格栅里。他不能起来。然而，人潮开始变得稀疏，很快就会把他暴露了。他双手发颤着擦掉眼睛里的水。镜片在混乱中不知掉到哪里去了。血与眼泪混在一起。突然间，他眼前的景象变得清明起来：不远处的一个水汽置换机正在吐出大团的灰暗气云，裹挟着下城潮湿腐败的气息。这是他的救命稻草。The doctor scrambles on his hands and knees. Real and metal feet crush his fingers into the bridge grating. He can’t keep up. The swarm of people giving the doctor cover begins to thin, exposing him to his pursuer. He wipes the moisture from his eyes with shaky hands, his glasses lost in the chaos. Blood mixes with tears. His vision clears for a moment; the sight of a moisture converter promises salvation. The vent is belching murky clouds of stale, humid air from the lower sectors.他刚爬到置换机后面，人潮的尾巴就过去了。他弓腰瑟缩在角落，嘴唇微张轻轻地喘着气。接引市场的迷宫只有几米远。只要他能溜进去，就能完全消失，彻底摆脱那个阴魂不散的身影。He reaches the sanctuary just as the last of the crowd breaks away. He cowers, wheezing through barely parted lips. The labyrinth of the transition markets is just a few meters away. If he can make it there he can disappear, away from the shadow that haunts him.置换机沉重的呼吸渐渐放慢。最后一个通勤族钻进了接引市场，合上了一扇废弃摊点的玻璃镜门。医生从门上的反光里看到，那个身影举起一杆瘦长的脉冲步枪扛在了肩上。辨认不清的面具闪过一道像素化的血红光芒。The moisture converter slows its labored breath. The last commuter vanishes into the transition market, revealing a mirror-glass display in an abandoned stall. In its reflection, the doctor watches the metal shadow raise a long pulse rifle to its shoulder. The faceless mask winks to life in a pixelated slash of angry red.医生迎着上城的光芒挑高了脑袋——原本视线之外的一切开始在他眼底重新聚焦。他眯起眼睛乞求着，但霓虹漫天的未来光景却充耳不闻。更不要说是他这个渺小又孤单的生物了。The doctor tilts his head up to the glow of the upper sectors—anything to escape the focus now taking aim. He squints his eyes and begs, but the neon future is not listening. Especially not to such a small and solitary creature.隔着雨帘，医生听见了金属的咔嗒声。是脉冲步枪的保险栓，错不了的。他的手抚上了心口，护住自己唯一的珍宝。在塑胶套筒的后面，他摸到的是自己疯狂的心跳。Through the rain, the doctor hears the unmistakable metal click of the pulse rifle’s safety. His hand goes to his chest, shielding the one real treasure he carries. Through the plastic sleeve of the package, he can feel his heart racing.无可匹敌的强光从头顶倾泻而下，在医生牲口似的脑袋里灌进了临死前最后一个念头。As the unflinching light from above bears down on him, it fills the doctor’s animal brain with one last mortal thought.一切都不过是未来的囊中之物。

There is nothing the future will not take.

“暂停回放。”

“Freeze playback.”

在上一次针对我召开的行为听证会上，我问聆讯的官员，到底要付出什么才能去中心。其中一个人说，你必须做好准备用自己的一部分作为交换。一次次的升级能让你在源计划的体系里节节攀升，但与此同时就会不断地攫取属于你的自我。我相当坦白地跟他们说，我觉得没有哪个正常脑子的人会愿意付出那样的代价，就为了一小块晶亮的硅片，或是一个耀眼的标牌。

At my last performance hearing, I asked the reviewing officers what it took to make it in Central. One of them said you had to be ready to trade a piece of yourself—that every upgrade would take you higher up PROJECT’s command line, but would cost some more of who you were in the bargain. Rather bluntly I told them I didn’t think anyone in their right mind would pay that kind of price. Not for a little clean silicon, and a fancy logotype.

他们集体大笑。然后给我升了职。

They all laughed. And then they promoted me.

现在，我眼前的图像正在微微抖动，一道带状的干扰纹横穿其中。医生死前最后一刻的三维全息图静止在空中。他的脸昂向天空，表情半是恐惧半是顺从。他脑后几厘米远的地方有一道从脉冲步枪射出的血红弧光。片刻之后，高凝聚等离子体就会在他的脑袋上烧出一个洞。

Now, the image in front of me wavered as a ribbon of static washed through it. The tri-dimensional hologram of the doc’s body was suspended in what would be his last living moment. His face was tipped up to the sky, his features a mix of fear and acceptance. Centimeters from the back of his head was an arc of red from a pulse rifle. Another tick or two forward in time, and the concentrated plasma would melt a hole through the man’s head.

“蔚，你暂停太快了。后面才精彩。”

“You stopped before the best part, Vi.”

这是给我新配的搭档莫斯利。他伸了个懒腰，打了个哈欠。年轻时的肌肉与地心引力对抗多年，终于败下阵来，口袋似地挂在他的肚子上。在办公桌前与犯罪继续斗争，他就不会错过任何一顿营养餐了。

Mosley, my newly assigned partner, stretched and yawned. What could have been muscle in his early years had lost the fight against gravity and sagged down to his middle. Fighting crime behind a desk had ensured he hadn’t missed any nutritional breaks.

但他现在肯定是饿了。我第三次注意到，莫斯利的眼睛根本离不开我的升职数据块。今天早上，我的新队长把这东西砰地扔到我桌上，随之而来的还有她衷心的祝贺，与这位眼睛溜圆的新搭档。

But he sure is hungry. I noted for the third time that Mosley couldn’t keep his eyes off my promotion data cube. My new captain had plunked it down on the desk that morning for me, tossing in her hearty congratulations and my new beady-eyed partner.

我看着莫斯利，他终于不再抵抗自己的贪念了。他从桌上抓起数据块，心不在焉地在一双软绵绵的手之间抛来接去。

I watched as Mosley finally gave in to his greed. He picked up the small cube off the vid desk and tossed it absently between his soft hands.

“你还没装上这些新的子程序吗？”他坐立不安，可却装出一副随口问问的语气。

“You still haven’t installed these new subroutines yet?” His voice was artificially light as he fidgeted.

我把手指关节捏得咔咔响。

I cracked my knuckles.

桌上还放着我的阿特拉斯拳套。这对沉重的拳头是典型的下城执法官风格。很多新兵会给他们的两条细腿升级，这样就能在奉命出击的时候方便和犯人保持一定的距离。可我才不介意靠得更近。钝重的拳套非常适合我，就像一双手套似的。而且，因为不需要永久植入，完全不必担心会有别人的记忆盘踞在线路里。不过，我在中心受训的时候，这对拳头确实也吸引了一些异样的目光。但是当我的右勾拳直接打穿了钛合金人偶的胸膛时，报道长官脸上的嘲笑就消失了。

My ATLAS gauntlets were on the desk. They were the bulky, standard issue of enforcers in the lower sectors. Most recruits upgraded double-quick to something that put more distance between them and whoever they’d been told to bring in, but I never minded getting close. Their blunt power fit me like a glove, too, and with no permanent install there was zero chance of someone else’s memories wandering around in the wiring. Still, I had gotten a few looks during my Central training-check, but the signing officer stopped smirking when my right hook caved in the chest of a titanium test dummy.

“你这就是在浪费时间。”莫斯利说。不幸的是，他看到我没搭理他就以为自己可以继续说下去。“一个恶人罪有应得。就这么简单。队长想知道我们什么时候能让升降机重新开放。我们没法让那么多通勤的人空等下去。”

“You’re wasting your time anyway,” Mosley continued. Unfortunately, he thought me not answering meant that he should keep talking. “A bad doctor met a bad end. End of case. Captain wants to know when we’re going to put that lift back in service. Can’t hold up the commuters much longer.”

我没理他。在下城这块地方，一杆没有注册过的脉冲步枪在一百米外把人的头盖骨给去离子化了，这可不是什么常见的“罪有应得”。这是职业的人做的。我转过去，对着屋里的人工智能说。

I ignored him. In the lower districts, our bad ends didn’t usually involve cranial de-ionization at a hundred meters with an unregistered pulse rifle. This had been a professional hit. I turned my attention to the A.I. in the room.

“继续检查。逐步倒放。”

“Resume review. Step back.”

“需指明时间步长。” 人工智能嘲讽地说。看来就连视频扫描仪也不想继续掺和这个案子。

“Specify time increment,” the artificial voice taunted. Even the vid-scanner didn’t seem to want to get with the program.

一阵烦闷的情绪像一把粗糙的刀锋，震动着划过我的脑海。我六点才打的卡，而现在上层的这些条条框框已经让我心生恶意。我甚至更愿意在组装区齐膝盖深的废料堆里跋涉。

I could feel the rough edge of frustration vibrating through me. I had only been clocked on since 0600, and the upper sector regulations were already more annoying than wading through knee-high scrap in the assembly levels.

我现在就是想出去痛快地追追犯人。顺便一路上砸点儿东西。那就再好不过了。我闷闷地哼了一下，吹开了脸前的碎发。

What I needed was a good chase. Maybe hit a few things along the way. That would have been just fine. I grunted and blew the loose hair out of my face.

今天是第一天，蔚。好好表现。交交朋友。别捶东西。我在脑海里重复着今早的冥想，深深地吸了口气。

First day, Vi. Best behavior. Make friends. Do not punch anything. I repeated my morning’s mantra and took a deep breath.

“三格——不，四格一步。”我尽可能地以最大的耐心对机器说道。

“Three—no, four ticks,” I told the machine as patiently as I could.

图像再次抖动起来，全息模型倒放的速度变得非常缓慢。我看着那枚光弹，直到它离开监控摄像头的范围退进了升降机。升降机里一片漆黑。里头的监控已经被干扰了。我能把握的线索只有半空中的那一粒微芒。

The image wavered again, this time the holographic model clicked back ever so slightly. I tracked the light ballistic as it entered the range of the security feed outside the elevator. Inside the lift was darkness. The security feed there had been tampered with. The spark of light that hung in the air was all I had to go on.

“根据弹道的入射径路，推断嫌犯的身高和武器类型。”我说。

“Based on ballistic entrance, extrapolate height of suspect and weapon type,” I said.

黑暗里的光芒，随着计算的蜂鸣声微微跃动。纤细的霓虹光线勾勒出一个多边形的轮廓。杀手身材很高……但除此之外，这个渲染图像没有更进一步的细节。

Lights flickered in the dark, humming as the calculation churned. A polygonal outline was traced in thin rays of neon. The killer was on the tall side… but other than that, I didn’t have much to go on from the rendering.

“这都是假的。”我低吼道。在下城区，我们办案从来不靠这些炫酷的全息影像。“就凭这么一个电脑模型，我们要怎么开始查？”

“None of this is real,” I grumbled. In the lower sectors, we didn’t work cases through fancy holo-vids. “How are we supposed to find anything staring at a computer model?”

“查询错误。重述你的问题。”我怀疑这个人工智能是故意被编写成这种高高在上的态度的。又或许，这家伙的品性是从它的创造者那里继承的。

“Query error. Restate question.” I wondered if the A.I. had been programmed to be patronizing. Or perhaps this one had taken on personality traits of its maker.

莫斯利笑了：“这是我们这里办事的手段，警探。”他故意强调了一下我的新头衔，想要我明白我已经不再是在下城干苦力的了。“不过是偶尔有一只老鼠钻了空子，但只要咱们头顶的光没灭，一切就万事大吉。而且你得这么想，我们现在不是干干净净舒舒服服的么？”

Mosley laughed. “That’s how it works up here, detective.” He hit my new title harder, trying to drive home that I was free of the lower sector grind. “An occasional rat slips through the cracks, but as long as the lights stay on above us, it’s all good. And look at it this way, we stay nice and clean.”

他这套虚情假意的安慰让我咬紧了牙。我把目光从模型上挪开，盯着莫斯利。我也没法责怪他什么。他现在大部分的注意力都放在我的数据块上。

The half-hearted consolation had me gritting my teeth. I looked up from the simulation at Mosley. I couldn’t blame him. Most of his attention was still focused on my data cube.

“所以，你要不要装上这个东西？”他问。

“So are you gonna install this or what?” he asked.

我关掉了全息图。投影已经没有什么有用的信息了。“我不相信升级。”我轻声说。

I shut off the holo-vid. I wasn’t going to get any more useful data out of projected light. “I don’t trust upgrades,” I said quietly.

他终于看向了我：“孩子，这可不是什么下城区的便宜货。”他拿着数据块在我眼前晃晃。“这是真家伙。从上面来的。”数据块反射着视频终端发出的光线，显眼地映出上面源计划集团实验室的倒三角标志。“你知道这东西是新的，最起码也是好好擦干净了的。”

He finally looked at me. “Kid, this isn’t some lower-sector hand-me-down.” He flashed the cube at me. “This is the real deal. It came from upstairs.” The lights of the vid console reflected off it, highlighting the upside-down triangle of PROJECT’s corporate lab. “You know it’s fresh, or at least been properly wiped.”

很明显，莫斯利想要这东西。我揉了揉起自己的后颈。

It was clear Mosley wanted it. I rubbed the back of my neck.

“我刚装过一个，不到一个循环之前。”我撒了个谎。“所以不想装过量了。”我从桌上提起我的老伙计。“而且，这对拳头仍然很好用。”我朝他伸出一只手，示意他把数据块给我。

“I just had one, less than a cycle ago,” I lied. “Don’t want to overcharge.” I picked up my old gauntlets off the desk. “Besides, these still work just fine.” I held out a hand for the data cube.

社交礼节在他的心底翻腾，最后挤出了一滴虚汗。我觉得他正在犹豫要不要把这个子程序当场吞掉。但他只是皱了一下眉，然后把数据块递给了我。

The strain of social politeness glistened over him in a fine sweat. I figured he was fighting the urge not to shove the subroutines in right then. But he just frowned, and handed it over.

“下一个循环就是我下一次升级的时候，要是你确定不想要这东西的话……”他提议道。

“My next upgrade is due in a cycle, if you decide you don’t want it after all…” he offered.

我转过身，朝出口走去。

I turned away and started walking toward the exit

“我会告诉你的。”我头也不回地说。“搭档。”

“I’ll let you know,” I called over my shoulder. “Partner.”

“喂，你要去哪儿？”莫斯利的声音里有一丝关切，但不算多。

“Hey, where are you going?” There was a fraction of concern in Mosley’s voice, but not much.

我穿上拳套，走进了升降机。

I slipped my gauntlets on and stepped into the lift.

“去干点脏活儿。”

“To get my hands dirty.”

楼层数字不停地向下倒数着，我站在高速升降机里，盯着失效的监控头。微米镜头上蒙着一层灰暗。来杀医生的人知道中心的眼线无处不在。升降机里空空荡荡，我可以自在地活动肩膀，两臂向后伸展开来。平时这个大盒子里被中心的工人们塞得满满当当，因为他们的账面额度都付不起上面的房租。现在升降机已经暂停了服务，直到中心解决了医生的案子为止。

I stared at the inoperative security sensor while the levels counted down on the high-speed elevator. Its micron-glass eye was clouded and dull. Whoever had come for the doctor knew Central would be watching. I rolled my shoulders and stretched my arms out behind me, taking advantage of the empty lift. Normally the large, boxy conveyor would be packed to the brim with Central workers with credit accounts that couldn’t afford the rent upstairs. The elevator was out of service to civilians until Central closed the case on the doctor’s death.

应该说，直到我解决了案子为止。对于莫斯利而言，一个无照医生的被害完全不值得中断每天的通勤服务，影响中心的效率。升降机猛然加速，一瞬间我感觉到了失重。我下意识地关掉了拳套上的惯性阻尼，靠着它们的重量把我拖住。片刻后，升降机停稳了，身上的重量也回来了。

Until I closed the case. To Mosley, an unlicensed doc’s murder wasn’t worth holding up the daily commute and the efficiency of Central’s machine. The lift accelerated and for a moment I felt weightless. I flicked the inertial dampeners off in my gauntlets out of habit, letting their mass ground me. A tick later the elevator came to a full stop and shoved me back into my body.

前面的门滑向一边。潮湿的空气里传出一个数字合成的声音。“接引层。小心脚下。”

The door in front of me slid open. A digitized voice called out into the humid air. “Transition level. Proceed with caution.”

我拉起遮光镜，从升降机的黑暗中谨慎地走到了笼罩大桥的光雾里。下城区还是老样子，又潮又黏。我能感觉到水汽在我的脖子上凝结，就在发梢接触到皮肤的位置。

I engaged my light shade, stepping cautiously out of the darkness of the lift and into the bridge’s ambient glow. As usual in the lower sectors, it was damp. I could feel the moisture bead on my neck where the tips of my hair touched my skin.

属桥面上空无一人，大桥和市场连接处的摊点也没有半个人影。通勤升降机的停摆也把附近的生意都关掉了。所以不可能碰到什么目击者了，哪怕他们愿意和警察聊聊。

The span of connecting metal was empty and the vendor stalls where the bridge met the market were also vacant. A commuter lift out of commission shut down all the surrounding business. No chance running into any witnesses, even if they would be willing to talk to the police.

我在桥上走了几步，回头看向升降机。升降机被设定成手动模式，所以这团黑乎乎的大盒子要等待我的指令才能返回中心。根据推算的高度，这里就是杀手开枪时所站的位置。只要再往前一步，杀手就会被大桥上的监控拍到。从这儿算起来，医生藏身的水汽置换机差不多在一百米开外。这杀手绝对不是业余角色。

I walked out onto the bridge a few paces and turned to face the lift. Set on manual mode, the elevator and its darkness would wait for my command before returning to Central. Given the approximate height calculated, this was where the killer stood when they fired. A step more and they would have been seen by the bridge’s security feed outside the elevator. The moisture converter the doctor had tried to hide behind was nearly a hundred meters away. The killer was definitely not an amateur.

我看向桥面甲板。金属表面上有一些刮擦的痕迹。我蹲下身，仔细地检查起来。这是新近留下的。任何划痕要是超过一天以上就会出现明显的氧化现象。而谋杀发生以来，大桥和升降机都一直处于关闭状态。我扫描了划痕，遮光镜底端跳进一串数字。如果这些痕迹是杀手留下的，那么这个人就比所有正常的增强体都要重得多。

I looked at the deck plates of the bridge. There were a few scrapes in the metal. I crouched down to take a closer look. They were recent. Anything more than a day or two would have more noticeable water oxidation. The elevator and bridge had been closed since the murder. I scanned the depth, a string of numbers appearing in the bottom corner of my light shade. If the marks had been made by the killer, then that individual was significantly heavier than a normal augmented humanoid.

我几乎可以确知城区公告板的新闻会怎么说了。中心会报道的是，一个拆卸店的医生被武装工人给灭了，或者是类似的方便说辞。

I could almost hear the sector bulletin now. Central reports chop-shop doc vaporized by armed auto-laborer, or something equally convenient.

一股不正常的风把湿发吹到我的脸上。从遮光镜边缘我能看见大桥上仍然是空的。我吸了吸鼻子。是臭氧。我绷紧了肩膀上的肌肉，打开拳套上的充能耦合器，一边膝盖跪在了甲板上。

An irregular air current pushed my wet hair against my face. Out of the corner of my light shade I could see the bridge was still empty. I sniffed. Ozone. The muscles in my shoulders tensed. I flicked the charging coupler in my gloves on and let one knee drop to the deck plating.

“你知道，在公共通勤区域进行六级的持续潜行已经违反了中心辖区的管制条例。”我对着空气宣布道。

“You know, level six continuous stealth in a public commuter space is a violation of Central municipal codes,” I announced to the empty air.

面前的一滩水轻轻一颤。拳套立时传来了充能的振动。一记上钩铁拳结结实实地砸到了什么东西。还没等我的微笑完全展开，我的拳头就被一股看不见的力量抓住了。

A puddle of water trembled slightly in front of me. The vibration of power built inside my gauntlets. I launched one metal fist in a heavy uppercut, connecting against something solid. The smile barely had time to uncurl on my face before the wrist of my leading glove was caught in an unseen grip.

拳头的冲力太大了。我被隐身人顺势撞了个踉跄，重重地摔在了桥面的栅栏上。幸好身体上的嵌板勉强吸收了地面的冲击。

The momentum was too much. Locked in a tumble with an invisible assailant, I hit the metal grates of the bridge hard, my body paneling barely absorbing the impact.

空气一荡，这位新来的朋友现出了身形。在我后面。上方的光晕令我眯起了眼睛才看了个大概。这是个女人，身上穿着武器级的人造橡胶护甲。光子漂白的长发束成一条紧凑的马尾，看起来非常严肃。她眼睛里闪着寒光，架在手腕上的十字弩定定地指着我的额头。

The air wavered as my new friend uncloaked. On my back, I squinted to get a better look without the halo of light from above. It was a woman in weapons-grade elastomeric body armor. Long photon-bleached hair was gathered up in a tight tail, giving her a severe look. The light in her eyes was cold, and her wrist-mounted crossbolt was pointed directly at my forehead.“I’m gonna guess that’s not registered,” I groaned as I sat up.

“我猜那东西是没有注册的吧。”我呻吟着坐了起来。

The woman’s lips were held in tense concentration, as if she were calculating the solution to some mathematical equation. Probably finding the quickest one that ends in my death, I figured.

女人紧绷着嘴唇，仿佛正在计算什么数学公式。我想，说不定等式的右边就是我的死期。

“Badge serial 20121219. Enforcer, lower sector. Promoted to Central at zero-six-hundred today,“ she said evenly. “Congratulations, detective.”

“徽章编号20121219。执法官，下城区。今天0600时升入中心。”她平静地说。“祝贺你，警探。”

Her voice was a digitized growl, but I thought I heard a note of curiosity now that she had the upper hand—or rather, bolt.

她的声音是数字合成的低吼，但既然她已经占了上风，我却似乎听出了一丁点儿好奇。

She continued, “You knew I was a danger, and yet you still came at me.”

她继续说：“你知道我是个危险分子，但你还是来找我了。”

“Promotion’s been kinda stressful,” I said. “Maybe I just needed to punch something.”

“升职还是有些压力的。我可能就是想出来砸点儿东西。”我说。

“Your records list you were dispensed a PROJECT promotion cube this morning,” The woman gave my gear a secondary scan. “You haven’t installed the subroutine.”

“记录显示今早他们给你分配了一个源计划的数据块。”她再次扫描了我的装备。“但你还没有把子程序装上。”

“Whoa there, getting a little personal, aren’t you—”

“喂，这是私事，你不是要——”

“I have a need for it,” she interrupted.

“我需要那东西。”她打断了我。

“Are you over-charged?” I rubbed the back of my head with my oversized metal glove, roughing my hair into wet spikes. “I’m a tick away from hauling you off to Central.”

“你是不是数据过量了？”我揉着脖子，超大尺寸的金属拳头把头发搓成了湿漉漉的尖刺。“我马上就要把你押送回中心去。”

“You can try,” the woman said, her crossbolt still aimed at me.

“你试试看。”她说着，手里的十字弩仍然瞄着我。

I let out a bitter laugh. “Fair enough. How about a few pleasantries before we go exchanging gifts.” The sarcasm snapped in my voice processor. “Your name.”

我干笑一声：“挺公平的。不如这样，在我们交换礼物之前，先客套一下如何。”我的讽刺在语音处理器中戛然而止。“你的姓名。”

“Classified.” The flatline of her lips broke into a predatory smile. “If I tell you, I would have to kill you.”

“保密。”她绷紧的唇线弯出一个掠食者的微笑。“要是我和你说了，我就得杀了你。”

I decided she wasn’t the type to joke. I looked more closely at her suit and weapons and changed the subject.

现在我明白了，她不是开得起玩笑的那种人。我仔细端详了她的装备和武器，换了个话题。

“Doesn’t look like you need an upgrade.” I gestured to her wrist. “That pretty crossbolt alone is higher level than most of the pieces in Central’s standard arsenal.”

“看起来你也不需要升级嘛。”我指指她的手腕。“那支漂亮的手弩，比中心大多数标准武器都要高级。”

“I’m hunting something.”

“我在追捕。”

“That makes two of us,” I said.

“那我们就是一条线上的了。”我说。

“The data cube.”

“数据块。”

There wasn’t anything standard issue about her, but she still contained the one constant in Central: in the end, everybody wanted a piece of somebody else.

她身上没有一件东西是标配产品，但她倒是和中心的人有一个共同点：到头来，每个人都想从另一个人那里索要什么。

Before I could respond, a call came over my private comm. Static filled my earpiece.

我还没说话，私人通信器里就传来了呼叫。静电声灌进我的耳塞。

“Vi? Vi, you there?” It was Mosley. Fear coated his voice like a cold sweat. “I-I think… I might need some backup… uh, partner…”

“蔚？蔚，你在吗？” 是莫斯利。他声音发抖，被恐惧的冷汗包裹着。“我——我觉得我需要帮手……呃，需要搭档……”

“Little busy, Mosley.” I read the time off the lower corner of my visor. “Shouldn’t you be clocked off?”

“莫斯利，我有点儿忙。”我看了一眼目镜角落的时钟。“你不是应该下班了吗？”

“Look, just come and help me out, okay?”

“你就来帮个忙，行吗？”

“I’m sure a local enforcer would be closer,” I said, watching the woman’s face in front of me. “They can handle—”

“你附近肯定有别的地区执法官。”我看着女人的脸说：“他们能处理——”

“I’m sending you my location.”

“我把地址发给你。”

A pinprick of light showed up six sectors down. “The Heap’s a little out of Central’s jurisdiction, Mosley,” I sighed.

六个城区之下亮起了一个小光点。“废堆似乎不在中心的管辖范围内，莫斯利。”我叹了口气。

The Heap wasn’t so much a place as a rathole of unsavory outcasts. It was hard to track, as the congregation was seldom in the same spot for more than a cycle, mostly due to the fact it took residence in condemned structures about to be refactored. It was an easy place to pick up unregistered hackers, black market weapons, or “gently used” off-cycle upgrades. We tolerated its existence in the lower sectors because it made it easy to round up suspects when you needed them. But it was also an easy place to get yourself permanently wiped if you weren’t careful.

废堆就是令人厌恶的不法之徒聚集的老鼠窝。很难追查，因为这个窝点不会在一个地方呆上超过一个循环的时间。主要原因是废堆总是藏在即将被重新规划的废弃建筑里。在那里，你可以轻易地地找到没有登记的黑客、来自黑市的武器，或者是“来路干净的”升级品，不受循环限制的那种。我们容许废堆的存在，是因为有需要的时候可以更容易地查到嫌犯。但另一方面，要是大意的话，你也会轻易地被这个地方吞吃得一干二净。

“I pick up jobs. You know, ‘off the record’ as far as the day job is concerned.” Mosley’s choked half-explanation was spiked with panic. It was hard to imagine his softness as hired muscle. “Listen, I know we just started together, but this guy’s going to kill me. I don’t have anyone else to call.”

“我自己找的工作。你知道吗，就是那种不会被记录在案的活计。”莫斯利遮遮掩掩地解释道，音调里全是恐慌。很难想象一个雇佣兵会有这样软弱的时候。“听着，我知道我们今天才认识，但这家伙打算杀了我。我找不到别的帮手了。”Damn. “On my way. Stay—”

该死。 “这就来，你等——”

The connection clicked off abruptly. I hit the bridge with a gauntleted fist, denting the metal grating, and looked up at the weapons-grade mystery still standing over me. Her crossbolt hadn’t moved a micrometer.

通讯突然中断了。我一拳敲在金属地面上，砸出一个凹陷。全副武装的神秘女人仍然站在那儿。手弩纹丝不动。

I got up, taking my chances that she probably wouldn’t shoot me.

我赌她兴许不会射我一箭，便站了起来。

“I’ve got to go. There’s a lift down to the lower sectors on the other side of the bridge. If I disable the safety and manually ride the speed control, I can probably make it before my partner spills his drink on the wrong person.” I turned to leave. “Consider this a warning,” I added dryly. “Get that weapon of yours licensed, or next time I’ll have to write you an infraction.”

“我得走了。桥那头有台升降机可以去底下。要是我解除安全阀，开启手动控制的话，说不定就能在我的搭档把水泼到别人身上之前赶到。”我转身要走。“警告你啊，”我干巴巴地补了一句：“拿你的武器去注册，不然下次见到你我就要开单子了。”

“The Heap will have your man dead before that lift reaches the next level,” the woman called after me. “How about something a little faster?”

“电梯还没到下一层，你的人就会死在废堆里。”她在我身后说。“要不要试试更快的办法？”

An arcing crackle and a waft of ozone turned me around.

耳边传来电弧的噼啪声，还有浓烈的臭氧气味。我转回了头。

A personal combat hyper-cycle decloaked. The humid air was starting to condense into rain again, but the water repelled off the bike’s black aerographite panels. I could feel the pulse from the magnetic drive as she started it up.

眼前出现了一架私人武装超高速机车。潮湿的空气开始凝结成雨水，但水滴打在全碳气凝胶的表盘上就滑开了。她发动了机车，我可以感觉到磁力引擎的震动。

I gave a low whistle. “That is definitely not registered.”

我低声吹了个口哨。“这玩意儿百分之百是没有注册的。”

“Correct.”

“正确。”

“You don’t look like the kind that gives out free rides.”

“你看起来不像是会让人搭便车的人。”

“A ride for that promotion cube,” she said evenly, revving the engine. “Think of it as a speed upgrade instead.”

“车钱就用你的数据块抵了。”她淡淡地说，同时扭大了引擎。“就当是给你的移动速度升级了吧。”

I looked into the woman’s eyes. She could have just shot me and taken what she wanted.

我盯着她的眼睛。她大可以把我射倒，拿了东西完事。

“I don’t trust upgrades,” I said.

“我不信任升级。”我说。

I walked over and settled myself behind her on the bike.

我走过去，跨上车坐在她身后。

“You shouldn’t.” She tipped the cycle’s wheel over the side of the bridge. “By the way, the name is Vayne.”

“你也不必信任。”她把车轮提上桥边。“顺便告诉你，我叫薇恩。”

我眼前掠过一片垂直急升的霓虹，一眨眼就过了六个城区。我紧紧盯着目镜里莫斯利的位置，以免把上一餐吃的营养包吐在这台漂亮坐骑的后座上。

Six sectors passed in a blur of vertical neon. I tracked Mosley’s position in my light shade to keep from vomiting my last nutri-pack all over the back of Vayne’s pretty ride.

薇恩把机车藏在一个可以俯瞰废堆的消防出口，唯一的痕迹就是一股隐约的酸性气味。我戴上一副紫外光目镜，看着夜晚来来往往的人群。

Vayne stashed the cycle on a fire egress overlooking the Heap, the only tell being a faint, acrid tang lingering in the air. I watched the coming and goings of the evening crowds through a pair of ultra-V binoculars.

街上比平时更繁忙。就好像有人摇了一下晚餐铃，把街头巷尾长着疥疮的公猫全都招来了。

It was busier than usual. It looked like someone rang the dinner bell for every mangey tomcat in the neighborhood.

“他在那里。”我从屁股后面的战术口袋里掏出数据块递给薇恩。“拿着。免得我忘了车钱。”

“He’s in there.” I turned to Vayne and pulled the data cube from one of the tactical pouches on my hip. “Here. Before I forget my bus fare.”

“讲信用的警察。像你这样的现在可不多了。”薇恩接过数据块，打量了一番废堆的新近景象。“这一转可真是世风日下了。”

“An honest cop. Not many of you left in the wild.” Vayne took the cube and sized up the latest incarnation of the Heap. “This rev seems less upstanding than the last one.”

我点点头。“我还在这样的地方打过架，感觉就像是昨天的事情。”

I nodded. “Feels like it was only yesterday I was breaking up fistfights in joints like this.”

“谁说不是呢。”薇恩的冷笑又出现了。她检查了一下另一把更大的十字弩的动力腔。“你要是不想打头阵，我就上了。”

“It was.” Vayne’s cold smile was back. She checked the powercell of the larger crossbow she carried. “I take it you don’t want to go in the front door.”

“这事儿有那么好玩吗？”我说。“你不必来这儿的。”

“Where’s the fun in that?” I said. “You don’t have to come.”

“喜欢打打杀杀的可不止你一个。”

“You’re not the only who feels like hitting something.”

我耸耸肩，绕到了建筑后面，寻找非承重的墙面。这已经是一座危楼，所以我得小心。要是我把这栋楼给弄塌了，而莫斯利还在里面的话，对他可没有半点好处。

I shrugged and walked around the back, examining the building’s structure for the non-load bearing walls. The building was condemned and I needed to be careful. It wouldn’t do Mosley much good if I brought the whole thing down on top of him while he was still inside.

我找到了一个好位置，打开拳套里的耦合器。然后，我把这一天里每一公斤的不满都集中到拳头上，狠狠地砸了出去。

I zeroed in on a sweet spot and charged the coupler in my gauntlet, hitting the wall with every kilogram of the day’s frustration.

碳纤维构成的蜂巢墙面早已年深月久，我两拳就开出了一个洞，足够三个人并排穿过。我拍拍身上的碎屑，走进了昏暗的建筑。

The old carbon honeycomb crumbled with two solid hits. The hole was big enough to pass through in three. I brushed off the bits building as I stepped through into the darkness.

我运气还不错。这是一间库房。售后市场的散装义肢从地面一直堆到天花板上。看上去没有一件的来路是干净的。不过话说回来，能直接买得起刚出厂的升级零件的人，都在离这里好多个、好多个城区的头顶上。

I had gotten lucky. It was a storeroom stacked floor to ceiling with aftermarket limbs. None of them looked remotely clean. But then again, actually buying personal upgrades fresh off the factory line was something for people in the sectors far, far above us.

我推开几条塑料门帘，露出了一个更大的房间，里面波动着幽暗的蓝光和紫色的荧光。音乐中低沉的贝斯与我的胸甲一同共振起来。我指了指高处的坐席。

I pushed aside some plastic sheeting to reveal a larger room pulsing with dim blue and violet fluorescents. The bass-heavy music vibrated in my chest plating. I gestured to a raised seating area.

“是他吗？”薇恩侵入了我的内部通讯频道，并且接上了她自己的，所以我可以在脑海里清楚地听到她的声音。虽然仍然很低，但没有了语音处理器的效果。她朝一个壮硕的背影扬了扬下巴。那人独自坐在一张昏暗的台子边。

“That him?” Vayne had hacked my internal comm and privacy-linked it with hers, so I heard her voice clearly in my mind. It was still low, but lacked the artifacts of her voice processor. She nodded at a bulky shape seated by himself at a low-light table.

“入侵中心探员的私人通讯器是足够坐牢的重罪。”我回答道。“我不打算问你是从哪里学到这门手艺的。”

“Hacking a Central officer’s private comm is a jailable violation,” I replied. “I’m not going to ask where you learned to do that.”

薇恩笑了。那人面前的柔光反射出一双溜圆的大眼睛，是莫斯利。我点点头。

Vayne smiled. I looked over to see Mosley’s beady eyes reflected in the soft glow in front of him, and nodded.

“没错，是他。”

“Yes, that’s him.”

我把拳套的能量稍微推高了一点，在破烂的地面上投出一团橘黄色的光。废堆的人都很明白这光线的意思，一言不发地纷纷让开了。

I let just a little bit of energy cycle through my gauntlets, lighting the broken flooring in pools of orange. The Heap residents in front of me knew those lights and stepped aside with no questions.

我拖了张椅子放在莫斯利的桌前。台子上的光线微微闪烁。我注意到这地方最近刚刚被拿来当做进行神经手术的临时手术台。证据就是莫斯利的杯子旁放着的小桶，里面装着不少牙齿。没有经过中心认证的数据端口通常都会选择最方便的神经接入——臼齿底下是最容易处理的。

I pulled a chair over to Mosley’s table. The table light flickered and I noted that the booth had also recently served as a makeshift medical bay for neural surgery, evidenced by the small bucket of teeth sitting next to Mosley’s drink. Those without Central sanctioned data ports jacked into whatever nerve bundles were available—the ones beneath the molars were especially easy to tap.

莫斯利看到了薇恩：“你没说你会带朋友来啊，蔚。”

Mosley looked up at Vayne. “Y-you didn’t say you were bringing a friend, Vi.”

“升级了。”薇恩说。

“An upgrade,” Vayne corrected.

我身子前倾，把两只拳套都摆在了桌上，差点儿打翻了小桶。我翻开目镜，好好地看着莫斯利真正的、脆弱的双眼。

I leaned forward, putting both gloved fists on the table, nearly upsetting the tooth bucket. I flipped my light shade up so I could look Mosley in his real, fragile eyes.

“我应该多带些人手来这地方的。要不是为了找什么东西，你也不会到废堆来。所以，你在找什么，莫斯利？”

“Thought I might need some backup in a place like this. You don’t come to the Heap unless you’re looking for something. What were you looking for, Mosley?”

拳套的关节被激荡的能量刺得发痒。

The knuckles of my gauntlets itched with unspent energy.

“他不想要我的东西……所以我跟他说了你有升级品。”莫斯利眼眶湿润，言辞闪烁。“我想着他要是有兴趣，我能说服你卖给我。他说，他说如果我能把你叫下来……”

“He didn’t want what I had… and then I told him about your upgrade.” Mosley’s voice wavered and his eyes watered. “Figured if he was interested, I could get you to sell it to me. He said… he said if I could get you down here…”

“你的买家在哪？”薇恩扫视着四周游荡的恶棍们，问道。

“Where’s your buyer?” Vayne scanned the crowd of miscreants milling around.

一束细细的红光，指住了莫斯利的胸口正中心。

A thin beam of red light flicked on, centered directly on the hollow of Mosley’s chest.

建筑里老旧的公共通讯频道里传来一个异常冷静的声音：“在这里，亲爱的。”

A preternaturally calm voice came over the building’s old crowd comm link. “Right here, my dear.”

我看见薇恩的脸色突然变了。她低吼道：“烬。”每个下城区的执法官都能分辨出这种声调的含义。

I looked over to see Vayne’s face had erupted into a snarl. Every lower sector enforcer knew that voice pattern. “Jhin,” she growled.

“特勤中尉薇恩，多么美妙的惊喜啊。你看起来好多了。伤感呐，你的小队成员们，但你把他们的东西都利用得不错。尤其是那把十字弩的升级。”

“Special Lieutenant Vayne, what a delightful surprise. You’re looking so much better. Sad, what happened to your squad, but you do wear them so well. That crossbolt upgrade is especially nice.”

“烬？莫斯利，你的买家是卡达·烬？”我盯着这位新搭档还在傻笑的脸。他毫无抵抗地点了点头。烬是个臭名昭著的增强体黑客，尤其喜欢那些高等级的升级件。据说，他以前是个混黑市的技术工，但是有一次活儿做得不干净，反而差点把自己给抹干净了。结果就是严重的人格分裂。我最近一次下载的通报里提到，他后来一直在抢别人身上的好东西。就算他最开始时不是疯子，他往自己身上插了这么多别人的零件，估计脑子也没有多少正常的部分了。

“Jhin? Your buyer is Khada Jhin, Mosley?” I looked at the simpering fool that was my newly assigned partner. He nodded meekly. Jhin was a notorious augment hacker with a taste for high-clearance upgrades. Word was, he had been a black-market tech that had almost gotten completely wiped in a rough job. Severe personality fragmentation. Last bulletin I downloaded said he’d been taking the shiny bits of other people ever since. Even if he hadn’t started out fragged, there couldn’t be much sanity left after so many pieces of other people had been plugged into him.

而且听起来，薇恩和他之前交过手。

And it sounded like he and Vayne knew each other from a previous engagement.

“这日子越来越有意思了。”我压着嗓子说。

“This day keeps getting better and better,” I said under my breath.

烬大笑起来。失真的狂笑让我的脊椎底升起一股冷意。

Jhin laughed. The psychopathy under the distortion sent a chill up my spine.

“我要把你碎尸万段，你这病毒。”薇恩朝着没有行迹的声音说。她已经绷到极限了。

“I will break you piece by piece, you virus.” Vayne said to the disembodied voice. She was wire-taut.

“晚点儿再说，亲爱的。先来解决我要的东西。”烬的声音变成了令人胆寒的低语。“升级品呢。”

“Maybe later, my dear. This is about what I want.” Jhin’s voice faded to a low, unnerving hum. “The upgrade.”

“已经不是她的了。”薇恩掏出数据块，高举到眼前。

“It’s not hers to sell.” Vayne withdrew the data cube and held it up.

“可惜啊。”烬叹气道。“我多么希望你已经把子程序安装好了呢。哎，这样一来——我只好重写一下第三幕了。”

“Disappointing,” Jhin sighed. “I had so hoped you’d installed it first. Ah, well—I will have to rewrite the third act.”

一声极高音调的刺耳呼啸，伴随着一道红色的离子团从我和莫斯利之间飞过。我没戴遮光镜，炽烈的光芒把我闪得眼前一黑。嘈杂的背景音突然静止，又立刻变成了恐慌的叫喊。我闻到了恐惧，还有硅片烧焦的味道。泪水冲进眼眶，我不停地眨眼想要抹去氖离子留下的光斑。

There was a high-pitched whine as an arc of red plasma seared the air between me and Mosley. Without my light shade up, the high intensity light left me visionless. The background noise of people and tech stopped and was replaced with panic. The smell of fear and seared silicon filled my nose. My eyes teared up and I blinked to clear the neon burn.

透过重重残影，我看到拳套的关节位置被烧焦了，莫斯利胸前有一个穿透的空洞。哪怕没有中心的法医套件，我也能断定这就是在桥上杀掉医生的同一把武器。

Through the after-images, I could see the knuckles of one gauntlet were singed and there was a hole in Mosley that went right on through to the other side. I didn’t need a Central forensics kit to tell me it was the same weapon that melted the doc on the bridge.

“那只老鼠就在这里。”薇恩在通讯器里对我说。“我要杀了他。他要的就是这个。”她把数据块扔给了我。“小心别中枪。”

“That rat is here,” Vayne said over our comm link, “and I’m going to kill it. He wants this.” She tossed me the promotion cube. “Try not to get shot.”

我抓住数据块的同时，薇恩便消失了。废堆基本上已经空无一人。要论驱散人群的效果，一发去离子化的电浆显然是最好的。我的拳套再次充能，琥珀色的光芒照亮了黑暗。

I caught the upgrade as Vayne vanished into stealth mode. The Heap was nearly empty. Nothing like a pulse of de-ionizing plasma to get people moving. I charged the coupler in my gauntlets and their amber glow lit up the darkness.

机械化的笑声在屋内回荡着。公共频道里传来静电的滋啦声。

Jhin’s mechanized laugh echoed off the walls. There was a hiss of static in the crowd comm.

“啊，啊，啊，探员。戴着手套的猫可抓不住耗子哟。”他说着，发出猫一样的咕噜声。

“Ah, ah, ah, detective. A cat in gloves catches no mice,” he purred.

“卡达·烬。”我大声说。“你因多项谋杀而被通缉。”我看着高处的阁楼，寻觅着红色的光点。“并且你刚刚还杀掉了我的搭档。”

“Khada Jhin,” I announced, “you are wanted on multiple counts of murder.” I watched the upper areas of an open loft, looking for the tell-tale red light. “And you melted my partner, too.”

“反正你也不喜欢他。你说了什么来着？”广播里咔嗒一声，然后是检索语音文件时的滋滋响。“啊，没错，就是这个……”

“You didn’t like him anyway. What was it you said?” There was a crackle and another hiss as an audio file was searched. “Ah, yes. Here we are...”

滋啦声一停，我听到了自己的声音。“我不信任升级。”

The hissing stopped. I heard my own voice in the crowd comm. “I don’t trust upgrades.”

“好手艺。”我绕过一堆堆废弃的电子设备，继续我的狩猎。“我有你要的东西。”

“Nice trick.” I stepped around the discarded piles of old tech, continuing my hunt. “I have what you want.”

“你的新朋友不喜欢你的礼物吗？”更大的笑声在我四周来回反射。墙角的碎玻璃交织成一大片破碎的倒影，有什么东西掠过去了。“她也不喜欢升级噢。她有没有跟你说过她的旧搭档？她的小队？”

“Your new friend didn’t like the gift?” More laughter echoed around me. Movement grazed the corner of a piece of mirror-glass that had cracked into a web of broken reflections. “She doesn’t like upgrades either. Did she tell you about her last partners? About her team?”

我没有回答，继续向他最后出现的位置靠近。

I did not reply. I continued to advance toward his last position.

“他们都死了。”我听见烬阴森的笑声。他很……怎么说呢，如果非要用人类描述情感的词汇套在一个几乎全身都是机器的家伙身上，应该是兴奋吧。“尤其是特勤中尉肖娜·薇恩。当然了，他们重造了她。她很特别。”

“They all died.” I could hear Jhin’s dark smile. He was delighted, if a man that was mostly machine could still feel anything like that. “Especially Special Lieutenant Shauna Vayne. They rebuilt her of course. She was special.”

“谁？”我让他继续说话，说不定就会让我找到破绽。“谁把她重造了？”

“Who?” I asked, hoping if I kept him talking, he would be more prone to mistakes. “Who rebuilt her?”

“当然是源计划啊。你这只蠢猫。他们重造了我们所有人。”他尖利的笑声穿透了高频，失真得令我耳朵生疼。“但等我完事之后，他们就要在你身上花更大的力气……”

“PROJECT of course, you silly kitten. They rebuild all of us.” His cackle broke the high frequency and distorted painfully in my ear. “But they may have a much harder time with you when I’m done...”

黑暗中射出一枚金属的圆柱体。我翻滚着避开。圆柱体打在一堆破烂上，引起一阵爆炸，然后穿过去又炸开了另一堆碎片。

A cylinder of metal shot out of the darkness. I dove out of the way—It hit a pile of debris, a small explosion ripping through the scrap, before bouncing and exploding against a second pile.

“她和你说过他们是怎么死的吗？”我听见烬兴奋不已的呼吸声。我慢慢站起来，发现自己肚子上有一个红点。就在五十米远的地方，我能看见一个高瘦的金属身影正在瞄准。

“Did she tell you how they died?” I could hear Jhin’s excited breathing over the comm. I stood up slowly, to find a pinpoint of red light centered on my belly. Fifty meters away, I could read the tall, metal shadow taking aim.

烬又笑了：“那是——”

Jhin cackled with laughter again. “It was—”

“一个陷阱。”内部频道里出现了薇恩的声音。就在烬旁边，她现出了身形。

“A trap,” Vayne’s voice came over our internal link, her outline decloaking right next to him.

我跑了起来。薇恩的十字弩在黑暗里闪了一下，又一下，再一下。但每一下她都要翻滚着躲开烬的回击。在近距离平射情况下，烬的武器准头就没那么好了，但周围的墙壁却很快变得千疮百孔。

I took off at a run, watching as Vayne’s crossbolt lit the dark once, twice, three times, but each time she tumbled away as Jhin returned fire. His weapon was less accurate at point-blank range, but still blew out the nearby walls quite effectively.

薇恩跳起来，一把将那个身影扑倒在地。我几乎就到两人身边了。

Vayne leapt towards him, taking the metal shadow down to the ground. I was almost to them.

“准备好了吗，小猫们？”烬嘶声道。“看看你们能跑多快喽。”

“Are you ready, my kittens?” Jhin hissed. “It’s time to see how well you run.”

一个数字合成声突然开始广播：“手动过载。爆破程序执行中。城区重整即将开始。”危楼的层层污秽下，高音喇叭和橘色的灯光苏醒了。这些藏污纳垢的城区会经常性地被查封拆除，为顶上矗立的建筑群让出新的地基。

A digitized voice announced, “Manual override. Demolition sequence engaged. Sector refactoring imminent.” Amber lights and slumbering klaxons awakened under the grime of the condemned building. Ill-fated sectors like this one were regularly sealed and collapsed to provide new foundations for the towering structures above.

我听不清通知后面的内容，因为一连串的小型爆破开始席卷废堆。混凝土结构开始四分五裂，混杂着金属的悲鸣。

I couldn’t hear if there was more to the warning, as a series of small explosions began to rip through the Heap. Metal whined as concrete supports gave way.

烬和薇恩猛地分开。薇恩在地上滚了一圈站起身来。我生生停住脚步，加入了对峙。这是我头一次这么近地与烬面对面。他肩膀里的一台伺服电机正在不停地搏动。我觉得这人身上应该已经完全没有了血肉的部分。他没有脸，只有一个蜘蛛形状的脑袋架在钢制的脖子上。

Jhin and Vayne broke apart, and she rolled to her feet. I stopped short, completing the standoff. It was the first time I had seen Jhin up close. He reset a servo in his shoulder with an unsettling, mechanical pop. I don’t think there was any flesh left to the man. He had no face, only a spider-like drone seated on a neck of steel.

“来啊，中尉。射我啊。”烬大张双臂，仿佛要给薇恩一个拥抱。“这不是你一直以来梦寐以求的吗？”

“Go on, lieutenant. Shoot me.” Jhin opened his arms wide as if he would embrace Vayne. “It’s what you’ve always wanted.”

薇恩从背上取下那柄更大的十字弩。弩膛两边张开了金属臂。

She unslung the larger crossbow from her back, its metal arms unfolding from the barrel.

“薇恩！”我尽力压过周围的噪音大喊：“我们得走了！马上！”

“Vayne!” I shouted over the din. “We have to go! Now!”

“猎杀结束了。”薇恩低声说着，仔细地瞄准了他。“你已经是死人了。”

“This hunt is over,” Vayne growled, taking careful aim. “You are a dead man.”

“如果我还算是个人的话。”烬异常冷静地说。

“If only I were still merely a man,” Jhin said, too calmly.

薇恩扣下了扳机。弩箭正中烬的前胸，他整个人向后飞了出去，钉在了水泥柱上。烬的金属骨骼可怖地抽搐了一下，然后就断电了。蜘蛛一样的脸也暗了下去。

She fired the bolt. It hit him in the chest, knocking him back off his feet and spearing him into a concrete column. He was pinned. Jhin’s metal skeleton gave a shocked vibration as it de-powered. His spider-like face went dark.

“薇恩！”我看向她，但她却没有看我。她的眼中除了烬再装不下别的。

“Vayne!” I looked at her, but she didn’t see me. She didn’t see anyone but Jhin.

片刻过后，烬那张黑色的哑光脸孔亮起了红色的霓虹光点，靠着伺服电机从他身上匆匆滑落，看起来是打算要逃跑。

A tick later, the glossy black drone that was Jhin’s face lit up with spots of red neon. Servos disengaged and it scuttled down the body, looking to make its escape.

“砸了那东西！”薇恩大吼。她的手腕不停地射出小团的电浆，但那蜘蛛脑袋像昆虫一样，敏捷地躲开了。

“Smash that thing!” Vayne yelled. She fired small bolts of plasma from her wrist, but the drone dodged them with insect-like reflexes.

它落在一根柱子附近。我狠命一拳打在水泥上，塑胶包络的柱体应声炸裂。蜘蛛脑袋弹起来附在了天花板上。薇恩还在不停射击，但是它飞掠而过，钻进了角落里的一道缝隙，消失在了黑暗中。

It landed on a nearby column. I punched the concrete hard, the web of plastic mesh exploding, and the drone was launched towards the ceiling. Vayne continued shooting at the spidery thing as it skittered into a crack in the corner, and disappeared into the darkness.

薇恩头顶的另一块天花板已经松了。没时间废话了——我沉下肩膀朝她冲刺，一把抱住她冲出一扇窗口，掉进了旁边的一栋建筑。

Another piece of the ceiling came loose over Vayne’s head. There was no time to ask permission—I tucked my shoulder and ran at her, knocking her through a blacked-out window into a neighboring structure.

我们重重地摔在地上，碎玻璃像雨一样落下来。我看着中心城区的重重高楼降下来，把废堆化作一片齑粉。

We landed hard, a shower of glass raining down. I watched in disbelief as the stacked weight of Central crushed the current Heap into a pile of nothing.

“该死的第一天。”我喃喃地说。我张开拳套的手指活动了一下，看看是不是还能用，恰好发现手里还握着数据块。我递给薇恩。“是你的东西。”

“Hell of a first day,” I murmured. I flexed the fingers of my gauntlets open to make sure they still worked. I was still holding the promotion upgrade. I offered it to Vayne. “I believe this is yours.”

她怒气冲冲地站起来，眼睛里迸射着怒火。一道弧光，紧接着一声轻响，最后是一股臭氧的味道袭来。薇恩消失在夜色里。

She got to her feet, seething with waves of anger. The light in her eyes focused into points of intense rage. There was an arc and a hiss, and a final waft of ozone filled the air as Vayne vanished into the night.

“警探，你把我的仇人放跑了。”她的声音在我的脑中回荡。“一个升级品可不够。”

“You took a piece of my vengeance from me, detective,” her voice echoed in my mind. “An upgrade cannot settle that debt.”

废墟附近非常安静。到处覆盖着碳黑的碎渣和扭曲的钢筋。一个小虫子似的东西在垃圾堆里探了出来。几条黑色的蜘蛛腿从掘开的洞口伸出来。甲壳上蒙了一层灰，但完好无损。它转了几圈，重新定位了方向。冷凝液溅落下来，把它洗得一尘不染——然而无论怎样都洗不干净。

The area around the collapsed structure is quiet . The rough blanket of crushed carbon and bent steel crumbles, giving way to a small, insect-like creature emerging from the chaos. Black spider legs push out from a collapsed burrow. The gloss of its carapace is dusty, but intact. It turns to the cardinal directions, reorienting itself to the world. Spatters of condensation start to fall, washing it clean, but never clean enough.一个瘦长的金属影子踩过碎石，跪在了小虫子旁边。A tall, metal shadow steps over the rubble and kneels before the insect drone.合金质地的虫子爬上一条碳纤维的大腿，经过黯淡蒙尘的皮毛领子，最后坐在了阳极氧化钢的脊椎顶端。虫子沐浴在上城区投下的永恒光影中，一边重新与身体接上了电路。The alloy spider crawls up a leg of braided carbon fiber, past a dusty and matted fur collar, and seats itself on the spine of anodized steel. Bathed in the ambient, ever-present glow from the upper sectors, the drone’s circuitry reconnects with its body.影子抬手把胸前的纤维甲片推到一边，将手指伸到身体的电镀表层底下摸索着，然后从碳纤维的体腔里挖出了一根短箭。箭头闪着光，毫发无损。影子手指发力捏碎了箭杆，露出细细的一条带状电路。它将这块电路小心翼翼地插进脸皮下的一个接口，就像是外科医生在做手术一样。柔软的黑色面具立刻闪烁出一片红光。The metal shadow raises its arm, pushes aside the fabric panels of the vest it wears, and digs a finger into its own body plating. The probing exploration extracts a short bolt from the carbon fiber mesh. The pulsing tip is still intact. Strong fingers carefully crush the bolt’s casing, revealing a thin ribbon of circuitry. With a surgeon’s precision, the ribbon is connected to a small port behind the creature’s face. The smooth, black contours of the mask flash to life in a pattern of red light.影子的胸腔里逐渐升起一支数字合成的吟唱，然后突变成一连串咯咯哒哒的瘆人笑声。这笑声在陡峭的建筑表面来回折射，一路攀援，直达顶端。A digital humming builds from within the metal shadow, erupting in a clipped harmonic of sadistic laughter. It echoes, bouncing back and forth across the sheer verticality of the sector until it reaches the very top.“成为我的作品。”烬对着头顶洋洋洒洒的霓虹迷宫轻语道。“你将得以超脱。”

“Through my work,” Jhin whispers to the maze of neon above. “You shall transcend.”