Behind the wheel of the high-velocity police cruiser, Anderton outlined what the minority report tape contained. Lisa listened without comment, her face pinched and strained, her hands clasped tensely in her lap. Below the ship, the war-ravaged rural countryside spread out like a relief map, the vacant regions between cities crater-pitted and dotted with the ruins of farms and small industrial plants.
"I wonder," she said, when he had finished, "how many times this has happened before."
"A minority report? A great many times."
"I mean, one precog misphased. Using the report of the others as data—superseding them." Her eyes dark and serious, she added, "Perhaps a lot of the people in the camps are like you."
"No," Anderton insisted. But he was beginning to feel uneasy about it, too. "I was in a position to see the card, to get a look at the report. That's what did it."
"But-" Lisa gestured significantly. "Perhaps all of them would have reacted that way. We could have told them the truth."
"It would have been too great a risk," he answered stubbornly.
Lisa laughed sharply. "Risk? Chance? Uncertainty1? With precogs around?"
Anderton concentrated on steering2 the fast little ship. "This is a unique case," he repeated. "And we have an immediate3 problem. We can tackle the theoretical aspects later on. I have to get this tape to the proper people—before your bright young friend demolishes4 it."
"You're taking it to Kaplan?"
"I certainly am." He tapped the reel of tape which lay on the seat between them. "He'll be interested. Proof that his life isn't in danger ought to be of vital concern to him."
From her purse, Lisa shakily got out her cigarette case. "And you think he'll help you."
"He may—or he may not. It's a chance worth taking."
"How did you manage to go underground so quickly?" Lisa asked. "A completely effective disguise is difficult to obtain."
"All it takes is money," he answered evasively.
As she smoked, Lisa pondered. "Probably Kaplan will protect you," she said. "He's quite powerful."
"I thought he was only a retired5 general."
"Technically—that's what he is. But Witwer got out the dossier on him. Kaplan heads an unusual kind of exclusive veterans' organization. It's actually a kind of club, with a few restricted members. High officers only—an international class from both sides of the war. Here in New York they maintain a great mansion6 of a house, three glossy-paper publications, and occasional TV coverage7 that costs them a small fortune."
"What are you trying to say?"
"Only this. You've convinced me that you're innocent. I mean, it's obvious that you won't commit a murder. But you must realize now that the original report, the majority report, was not a fake. Nobody falsified it. Ed Witwer didn't create it. There's no plot against you, and there never was. If you're going to accept this minority report as genuine you'll have to accept the majority one, also."
Reluctantly, he agreed. "I suppose so."
"Ed Witwer," Lisa continued, "is acting8 in complete good faith. He really believes you're a potential criminal—and why not? He's got the majority report sitting on his desk, but you have that card folded up in your pocket."
"I destroyed it," Anderton said, quietly.
Lisa leaned earnestly toward him. "Ed Witwer isn't motivated by any desire to get your job," she said. "He's motivated by the same desire that has always dominated you. He believes in Precrime. He wants the system to continue. I've talked to him and I'm convinced he's telling the truth."
Anderton asked, "Do you want me to take this reel to Witwer? If I do—he'll destroy it."
"Nonsense," Lisa retorted. "The originals have been in his hands from the start. He could have destroyed them any time he wished."
"That's true." Anderton conceded. "Quite possibly he didn't know."
"Of course he didn't. Look at it this way. If Kaplan gets hold of that tape, the police will be discredited9. Can't you see why? It would prove that the majority report was an error. Ed Witwer is absolutely right. You have to be taken in—if Precrime is to survive. You're thinking of your own safety. But think, for a moment, about the system." Leaning over, she stubbed out her cigarette and fumbled10 in her purse for another. "Which means more to you—your own personal safety or the existence of the system?"
"My safety," Anderton answered, without hesitation11.
"You're positive?"
"If the system can survive only by imprisoning12 innocent people, then it deserves to be destroyed. My personal safety is important because I'm a human being. And furthermore—"
From her purse, Lisa got out an incredibly tiny pistol. "I believe," she told him huskily, "that I have my finger on the firing release. I've never used a weapon like this before. But I'm willing to try."
After a pause, Anderton asked: "You want me to turn the ship around? Is that it?"
"Yes, back to the police building. I'm sorry. If you could put the good of the system above your own selfish—"
"Keep your sermon," Anderton told her. "I'll take the ship back. But I'm not going to listen to your defense13 of a code of behavior no intelligent man could subscribe14 to."
Lisa's lips pressed into a thin, bloodless line. Holding the pistol tightly, she sat facing him, her eyes fixed15 intently on him as he swung the ship in a broad arc. A few loose articles rattled16 from the glove compartment17 as the little craft turned on a radical18 slant19, one wing rising majestically20 until it pointed21 straight up.
Both Anderton and his wife were supported by the constraining22 metal arms of their seats. But not so the third member of the party.
Out of the corner of his eye, Anderton saw a flash of motion. A sound came simultaneously23, the clawing struggle of a large man as he abruptly24 lost his footing and plunged25 into the reinforced wall of the ship. What followed happened quickly. Fleming scrambled26 instantly to his feet, lurching and wary27, one arm lashing28 out for the woman's pistol. Anderton was too startled to cry out. Lisa turned, saw the man—and screamed. Fleming knocked the gun from her hand, sending it clattering29 to the floor.
Grunting30, Fleming shoved her aside and retrieved31 the gun. "Sorry," he gasped32, straightening up as best he could. "I thought she might talk more. That's why I waited."
"You were here when—" Anderton began—and stopped. It was obvious that Fleming and his men had kept him under surveillance. The existence of Lisa's ship had been duly noted33 and factored in, and while Lisa had debated whether it would be wise to fly him to safety, Fleming had crept into the storage compartment of the ship.
"Perhaps," Fleming said, "you'd better give me that reel of tape." His moist, clumsy fingers groped for it. "You're right—Witwer would have melted it down to a puddle34."
"Kaplan, too?" Anderton asked numbly35, still dazed by the appearance of the man.
"Kaplan is working directly with Witwer. That's why his name showed on line five of the card. Which one of them is the actual boss, we can't tell. Possibly neither." Fleming tossed the tiny pistol away and got out his own heavy-duty military weapon. "You pulled a real flub in taking off with this woman. I told you she was back of the whole thing."
"I can't believe that," Anderton protested. "If she—"
"You've got no sense. This ship was warmed up by Witwer's order. They wanted to fly you out of the building so that we couldn't get to you. With you on your own, separated from us, you didn't stand a chance."
A strange look passed over Lisa's stricken features. "It's not true," she whispered. "Witwer never saw this ship. I was going to supervise—"
"You almost got away with it," Fleming interrupted inexorably. "We'll be lucky if a police patrol ship isn't hanging on us. There wasn't time to check." He squatted36 down as he spoke37, directly behind the woman's chair. "The first thing is to get this woman out of the way. We'll have to drag you completely out of this area. Page tipped off Witwer on your new disguise, and you can be sure it has been widely broadcast."
Still crouching38, Fleming seized hold of Lisa. Tossing his heavy gun to Anderton, he expertly tilted39 her chin up until her temple was shoved back against the seat. Lisa clawed frantically40 at him; a thin, terrified wail41 rose in her throat. Ignoring her, Fleming closed his great hands around her neck and began relentlessly42 to squeeze.
"No bullet wound," he explained, gasping43. "She's going to fall out—natural accident. It happens all the time. But in this case, her neck will be broken first."
It seemed strange that Anderton waited so long. As it was, Fleming's thick ringers were cruelly embedded44 in the woman's pale flesh before he lifted the butt45 of the heavyduty pistol and brought it down on the back of Fleming's skull46. The monstrous47 hands relaxed. Staggered, Fleming's head fell forward and he sagged48 against the wall of the ship. Trying feebly to collect himself, he began dragging his body upward. Anderton hit him again, this time above the left eye. He fell back, and lay still.
Struggling to breathe, Lisa remained for a moment huddled49 over, her body swaying back and forth50. Then, gradually, the color crept back into her face.
"Can you take the controls?" Anderton asked, shaking her, his voice urgent.
"Yes, I think so." Almost mechanically she reached for the wheel. "I'll be all right. Don't worry about me."
"This pistol," Anderton said, "is Army ordnance51 issue. But it's not from the war. It's one of the useful new ones they've developed. I could be a long way off but there's just a chance—"
He climbed back to where Fleming lay spread out on the deck. Trying not to touch the man's head, he tore open his coat and rummaged52 in his pockets. A moment later Fleming's sweat-sodden wallet rested in his hands.
Tod Fleming, according to his identification, was an Army Major attached to the Internal Intelligence Department of Military Information. Among the various papers was a document signed by General Leopold Kaplan, stating that Fleming was under the special protection of his own group—the International Veterans' League.
Fleming and his men were operating under Kaplan's orders. The bread truck, the accident, had been deliberately53 rigged.
It meant that Kaplan had deliberately kept him out of police hands. The plan went back to the original contact in his home, when Kaplan's men had picked him up as he was packing. Incredulous, he realized what had really happened. Even then, they were making sure they got him before the police. From the start, it had been an elaborate strategy to make certain that Witwer would fail to arrest him.
"You were telling the truth," Anderton said to his wife, as he climbed back in the seat. "Can we get hold of Witwer?"
Mutely, she nodded. Indicating the communications circuit of the dashboard, she asked: "What—did you find?"
"Get Witwer for me. I want to talk to him as soon as I can. It's very urgent."
Jerkily, she dialed, got the closed-channel mechanical circuit, and raised police headquarters in New York. A visual panorama54 of petty police officials flashed by before a tiny replica55 of Ed Witwer's features appeared on the screen.
"Remember me?" Anderton asked him.
Witwer blanched56. "Good God. What happened? Lisa, are you bringing him in?" Abruptly his eyes fastened on the gun in Anderton's hands. "Look," he said savagely57, "don't do anything to her. Whatever you may think, she's not responsible."
"I've already found that out," Anderton answered. "Can you get a fix on us? We may need protection getting back."
"Back!" Witwer gazed at him unbelievingly. "You're coming in? You're giving yourself up?"
"I am, yes." Speaking rapidly, urgently, Anderton added, "There's something you must do immediately. Close off the monkey block. Make certain nobody gets it—Page or anyone else. Especially Army people."
"Kaplan," the miniature image said.
"What about him?"
"He was here. He—he just left."
Anderton's heart stopped beating. "What was he doing?"
"Picking up data. Transcribing58 duplicates of our precog reports on you. He insisted he wanted them solely59 for his protection."
"Then he's already got it," Anderton said. "It's too late."
Alarmed, Witwer almost shouted: "Just what do you mean? What's happening?"
"I'll tell you," Anderton said heavily, "when I get back to my office."
收听单词发音 |
1
uncertainty
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| n.易变，靠不住，不确知，不确定的事物 | |
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steering
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| n.操舵装置 | |
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immediate
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| adj.立即的；直接的，最接近的；紧靠的 | |
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demolishes
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| v.摧毁( demolish的第三人称单数 )；推翻；拆毁（尤指大建筑物）；吃光 | |
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retired
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| adj.隐退的，退休的，退役的 | |
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mansion
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| n.大厦，大楼；宅第 | |
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coverage
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| n.报导，保险范围，保险额，范围，覆盖 | |
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acting
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| n.演戏，行为，假装；adj.代理的，临时的，演出用的 | |
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discredited
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| 不足信的，不名誉的 | |
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fumbled
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| （笨拙地）摸索或处理（某事物）( fumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 乱摸，笨拙地弄； 使落下 | |
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hesitation
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| n.犹豫，踌躇 | |
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imprisoning
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| v.下狱，监禁( imprison的现在分词 ) | |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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subscribe
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| vi.(to)订阅，订购；同意；vt.捐助，赞助 | |
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fixed
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| adj.固定的，不变的，准备好的；(计算机)固定的 | |
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rattled
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| 慌乱的，恼火的 | |
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compartment
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| n.卧车包房，隔间；分隔的空间 | |
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radical
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| n.激进份子，原子团，根号；adj.根本的，激进的，彻底的 | |
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slant
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| v.倾斜，倾向性地编写或报道；n.斜面，倾向 | |
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majestically
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| 雄伟地； 庄重地； 威严地； 崇高地 | |
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pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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constraining
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| 强迫( constrain的现在分词 )； 强使； 限制； 约束 | |
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simultaneously
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| adv.同时发生地，同时进行地 | |
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abruptly
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| adv.突然地，出其不意地 | |
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plunged
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| v.颠簸( plunge的过去式和过去分词 )；暴跌；骤降；突降 | |
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scrambled
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| v.快速爬行( scramble的过去式和过去分词 )；攀登；争夺；（军事飞机）紧急起飞 | |
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wary
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| adj.谨慎的，机警的，小心的 | |
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lashing
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| n.鞭打；痛斥；大量；许多v.鞭打( lash的现在分词 )；煽动；紧系；怒斥 | |
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clattering
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| 发出咔哒声（clatter的现在分词形式） | |
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grunting
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| 咕哝的，呼噜的 | |
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retrieved
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| v.取回( retrieve的过去式和过去分词 )；恢复；寻回；检索（储存的信息） | |
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gasped
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| v.喘气( gasp的过去式和过去分词 )；喘息；倒抽气；很想要 | |
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noted
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| adj.著名的，知名的 | |
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puddle
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| n.(雨)水坑，泥潭 | |
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numbly
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| adv.失去知觉，麻木 | |
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squatted
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| v.像动物一样蹲下( squat的过去式和过去分词 )；非法擅自占用（土地或房屋）；为获得其所有权；而占用某片公共用地。 | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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crouching
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| v.屈膝，蹲伏( crouch的现在分词 ) | |
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tilted
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| v. 倾斜的 | |
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frantically
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| ad.发狂地, 发疯地 | |
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wail
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| vt./vi.大声哀号，恸哭；呼啸，尖啸 | |
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relentlessly
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| adv.不屈不挠地；残酷地；不间断 | |
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gasping
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| adj. 气喘的, 痉挛的 动词gasp的现在分词 | |
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embedded
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| a.扎牢的 | |
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butt
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| n.笑柄；烟蒂；枪托；臀部；v.用头撞或顶 | |
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skull
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| n.头骨；颅骨 | |
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monstrous
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| adj.巨大的；恐怖的；可耻的，丢脸的 | |
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sagged
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| 下垂的 | |
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huddled
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| 挤在一起（huddle的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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forth
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| adv.向前；向外，往外 | |
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ordnance
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| n.大炮，军械 | |
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rummaged
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| 翻找，搜寻( rummage的过去式和过去分词 )； 已经海关检查 | |
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deliberately
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| adv.审慎地；蓄意地；故意地 | |
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panorama
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| n.全景，全景画，全景摄影，全景照片[装置] | |
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replica
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| n.复制品 | |
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56
blanched
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| v.使变白( blanch的过去式 )；使（植物）不见阳光而变白；酸洗（金属）使有光泽；用沸水烫（杏仁等）以便去皮 | |
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savagely
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| adv. 野蛮地，残酷地 | |
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58
transcribing
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| （用不同的录音手段）转录( transcribe的现在分词 )； 改编（乐曲）（以适应他种乐器或声部）； 抄写； 用音标标出（声音） | |
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solely
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| adv.仅仅，唯一地 | |
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