THIS time, the materialization was a painful process. Being separated from a thou-sand consciousnesses left Artemis with a deep sense of loss. For the first time in his life, he had completely belonged. He knew everyone, and they knew him. There would always be a bond between them all, though the specifics of others' memories were already fading.
Artemis felt like an adhesive2 plaster that had been ripped off an enormous limb, and flung on the ground. He lay on the earth shivering. Sharing consciousness had felt so right, that now it was as if he had just lost the use of several senses, including balance.
He opened his eyes, squinting3 through the sunlight. Sunlight! They were on Earth! Though where and when remained to be seen.
Artemis rolled on to his stomach, then struggled slowly to all fours. The others lay in the crater4, disorientated like him, but alive, judging by the moans and groans5. He himself felt fine, except for a darting6 pain in his left eye. His vision was sharp, but slightly yellowed, as though he was wear-ing pale sunglasses. Holly7 the soldier was already on her feet, coughing the ash from her lungs. When her airways8 were clear, she helped Artemis to his feet. She winked9 at Artemis. 'Blue sky. We did it.' Artemis nodded. 'Perhaps.'The wink10 drew his attention to her left eye. It seemed as though they hadn't made it through the tunnel unaltered.
'Look at me, Holly. Do you notice anything different?' 'This isn't anything to do with puberty, is it?' said Holly, smiling; then she noticed…
'Your eyes. They've changed. One blue and one hazel.' Artemis smiled. 'You too. We swapped11 in transit13. Just the eye as far as I can make out.'
Holly thought about this for a moment, then ran her hands over her head and body.
'Everything's in place, thank goodness. Except now I have a human eye.'
'It could have been a lot worse,' said Artemis. 'You could have been travelling with Mulch.'
Holly winced14. 'Now that you mention it.' A solitary15 blue dot of magic sparkled inside Holly's new eyeball, reducing it in size slightly.
'That's better,' she sighed. 'I had a blinder of a headache.
Your new eye must be too small; why don't you use your ill-gotten magic to fix it?'
Artemis tried, closed his eyes and concentrated. But nothing happened.
'It seems as though the transplant did not take. I must have used all I had in the tunnel.'
Holly punched his shoulder lightly. 'Maybe you passed it on to me. I feel great — that time tunnel was like a magi-cal mud bath. Maybe it's just as well that you lost your magic. The last thing the People need is a magical crimi-nal mastermind running around above ground.'
'A pity,' sighed Artemis. 'The possibilities were endless.'
'Here,' said Holly, taking his head in her hands. 'Let me fix you up.'
Her fingertip glowed blue and Artemis felt his new eye expand slightly in his socket17. A single tear ran down his cheek and the headache disappeared.
'A pity I was unable to do it myself. Being magical for even a short while was simply…'
'Magical?'
Artemis smiled. 'Exactly. Thank you, Holly.'
Holly smiled back. 'It's the least I can do for someone who brought me back to life.'
Qwan and No.l were on their feet. The old warlock was trying not to look too smug, and No.l was wiggling his tail experimentally.
'You never know what that tunnel will do to you,' he explained. 'I lost half a finger last time. It was my favourite finger too.'
'Rarely in my tunnels,' said Qwan. 'My tunnels are works of beauty. If the other warlocks were alive, they would give me a medal. Where is Qweffor, by the way?'
Qweffor was buried up to his waist in an ash mound19. Head down. Qwan and No.l hauled him out by the boots. He lay spluttering and snorting on the ground.
'Do you need a handkerchief?' asked No.l. 'All that ash and mucus coming out of your nose is horrible.'
Qweffor wiped his eyes with the back of his hand.
'Shut up, Runt!'
No.l took a step backwards20, which would prove not to be quite enough.
'Runt?' he squeaked21. 'You're not Qweffor, you're N'zall!'
'Abbot!' roared the demon22, reaching up and grasping No.l by the throat. 'The name is Abbot.'
Holly had her gun out and powered up before Abbot finished his sentence.
'Let him go, Abbot!' she shouted. 'You can't escape. There's nowhere to escape to. Your world is gone.'
The ex-pride leader was actually crying. 'I know it's gone. This runt took it from me! Now I will take his life from him.'
Holly sent a warning shot over Abbot's head. 'The next one is between your eyes, demon.'
Abbot hefted No.l, using him as a shield. 'Shoot now, elf. Put us both out of our misery23.'
A change had come over No.l. Initially24 he had been sniv-elling — standard No.l behaviour — but now the tears were drying on his cheeks, and his eyes were hard.
Every time things are going right for me, Abbot ruins it, he thought. I am so fed up of this demon. I wish he was gone.
This was a big breakthrough for No.l. Usually when he found himself in a bad situation, No.l wished himself away. This time he was wishing someone else would disappear. Enough was finally enough, so No.l broke through a life-time of conditioning and talked back to Abbot.
'I want to speak to Qweffor,' he said, in a trembling voice.
'Qweffor's gone!' shouted Abbot, spraying spittle on No.l's neck. 'All that is left is his magic. My magic!'
'I want to speak to Qweffor,' repeated his hostage, with a little more volume.
For Abbot, this latest insubordination was the wind that burst the dwarf25's bum-flap. Even though he was bereft26 of land and lackeys27, Abbot decided28 that he would not bear impudence29 from an imp18. He tossed No.l upwards30, spinning him in the air and gripping his shoulders as the imp descended31. No.l came down face to face with Abbot, the demon's horns brushing his ears. Abbot's eyes were wide and crazy, and his teeth were slick with saliva32.
'You're not long for life, little Runt.'
If Abbot had been paying closer attention to his captive, he might have noticed that N°l's eyes were filmed with blue, and his markings glowed and shimmered33. But, as usual, Abbot was only interested in his own plight34.
No.l wriggled35 his hands upwards, grabbing Abbot by the horns.
'How dare you!' said Abbot incredulously. Touching36 a demon's horns was tantamount to a challenge.
No.l stared into his captor's eyes. 'I said, I want to talk to Qweffor.'
Abbot heard him that time, because the voice wasn't No.l's. It was a voice of pure magic, layered with undeni-able power.
Abbot blinked. 'I'll… eh… see if he's in.'
It was too late for compliance37: No.l wasn't about to rein38 in his power now. He sent a magical probe into Abbot's brain via the horns. The horns glowed bright blue and then began shedding large brittle39 flakes40.
'Careful with the horns,' said Abbot blearily, then his eyes rolled back in his head. 'The ladies love the horns.'
No.l rooted round in Abbot's head for a while until he found Qweffor sleeping in a dark corner, in a place scien-tists would call the limbic system.
The problem, realized No.l, is that there is only room in every head for one consciousness. Abbot needs to go somewhere else.
And so, with this instinctive41 knowledge and absolutely no expertise42, No.l fed Qweffor's consciousness until it expanded, occupying the entire brain. It was not a perfect fit, and poor Qweffor would suffer from twitches43 and sudden loss of bowel44 control at public functions, a syndrome45 which would become known as Abbot's Revenge. But at least he was in control of a body, most of the time.
After several years and three hearings, fairy warlocks would manage to rehouse Abbot's consciousness in a lower life form. A guinea pig, to be precise. The guinea pig's own consciousness was soon subjugated46 by Abbot's. Warlock interns47 would often amuse themselves by throwing tiny swords into the pig's pen, and crack up watching the little piggy trying to pick them up.
Qweffor blinked Abbot's eyes.
'Thanks, Number One,' he said, placing the smaller warlock on the ground. 'He's always been too strong for me, but now he's gone. I'm free…' Qweffor studied his new arms. 'And I have muscles.'
Holly lowered her gun, resting a hand on her thigh48.
'That must be it. Surely our troubles are over?'
Artemis felt the earth tilt49 a fraction below them. He dropped to one knee, laying the flat of his hands on the ground.
'I hate to say this, Holly, but I think we're sinking.'
The sinking thing turned out not to be as serious as it sounded. Of course it was serious — after all, an island was sinking. But there was help at hand.
Holly realized this when her barely functional50 wrist computer was suddenly flooded with crackling LEP chatter51.
The sky is a projection52, she thought. They're waiting for us.
Suddenly, where there had been nothing, hundreds of fairy vehicles appeared in the air above the island. Emergency services air ambulances flew in decreasing circles, searching for landing spots. Huge demolition53 plat-forms were guided down by tugpods, and an LEP shuttle dropped straight into the volcano.
The pod had the slick lines of a teardrop and a non-reflective surface that made it difficult to see, even with the shield powered down.
'They were expecting us,' said Artemis, unsurprised. 'I thought as much.'
No.l sneezed. 'Thank goodness. I am so fed up of this volcano. It's going to take a month to get this crater stink54 out of my plates.'
'No, no,' said Qwan, linking his new apprentice55. 'You can vent56 your pores magically. It's a very handy talent.'
Holly waved her arms to attract the shuttle, though there was no need. The carrier's scanners would have already scanned, categorized and checked the LEP database for a match for each one of them.
The shuttle spun57 and reversed down to them tail first. Its jets blasted moving furrows58 in the ash.
'Wow,' said Qwan. 'Those ships are fabulous59. The People have been busy.' 364
'A lot has happened in ten thousand years,' said Holly, holding up her palms to show the pilot she was not hold-ing a weapon. Again, probably not necessary, but with Ark Sool in command of the LEP, nothing could be taken for granted.
Four grappler hooks shot from the corners of the shut-tle, smashing through the crater crust into the rock below. Once they had a solid grip, they reeled the craft in for a landing. The rear door slid across and Foaly came trotting60 down the ramp61, dressed in a custom-tailored, four-legged LEP jumpsuit. He skidded62 down the incline to Holly, digging his back hooves through the crust.
'Holly!' he said, hugging her tightly. 'You made it back. I knew you would.'
Holly hugged the centaur63 back.
'And I knew you'd be here waiting.'
Foaly reached an arm round Artemis's shoulders. 'Well, when Artemis Fowl64 says he'll be back, you know it's going to take a lot more than space and time to stop him.' Foaly shook hands with No.l and Qwan. 'I see you brought quite a few guests.'
Holly smiled, her teeth white against a face of streaked65 ash.
'Hundreds.'
'Anyone we need to worry about?'
'No. A few have been mesmerized66, but a couple of sessions in therapy should straighten that.'
'OK, I'll pass it on,' said the centaur. 'Now we have to cut the reunion short and board immediately. We have thirty minutes to sink this island and pack up this entire facility.'
Facility? thought Artemis. They've had time to set up a facil-ity. Just how long have we been away?
They climbed the ramp, and strapped67 themselves into gel-padded bucket seats in the sparsely68 furnished rear. There were no comforts here, just seats and gun racks. A medic fairy scanned them all in turn, then shot a cocktail69 of inoc-ulations and germ killers70 into their arms, just in case Hybras had brewed71 up any mutant diseases over the past ten thou-sand years. A true professional, the medic did not bat an eye examining Qwan and No.l, even though he'd never met their like before.
Foaly sat beside Holly.
'I can't tell you how good it feels to see you, Holly. I requested this assignment. I'm on leave from Section Eight. This entire facility is my design. Biggest single project I ever worked on, designed for a thirty-minute walkaway. I knew you'd make it back.'
Holly thought about that statement for a moment. She was an assignment?
The shuttle reeled in the grippers and peeled away from the crater wall. In seconds they breached72 the mouth like a bullet from a gun. The vibration73 was enough to rattle74 teeth for the first few seconds, then the stabilization75 fins76 snicked out the side and calmed the ride down. 366
'I am glad to see the end of that volcano,' said No.l, trying to appear casual, even though he was flying around in a metal teardrop. After all this was not his first flight.
Foaly laid the heel of his hand on the porthole rim16, peer-ing downwards77.
'You really are seeing the last of it. As soon as we have everybody off the island, those demolition rigs are going to turn the laser cutters on it. We're going to slice it up and then remote-deflate the buoys78 underneath79. Let 'er down slow. That way, no tidal waves. The water displace-ment alone was enough to send a few big rollers in towards Dublin, but we boiled 'em up from space. Once the island is down, we can pack up the shield and go home.'
'Oh,' said No.l, who hadn't understood much of what had been said.
Artemis looked out of the porthole at his elbow. On the island below, demons81 were being guided into shuttles by rescue teams. Once the crafts took off, they switched on their shields and shimmered from view.
'You gave us quite a scare, Holly,' laughed Foaly. 'Coming back twenty miles off target like that. We had to light a fire under our pilots to get over here and get the projection up. Luckily it's early in the morning, and the tide is low. We've got about half an hour before the first fishing boats get out here.'
'I see,' said Holly slowly. 'Big budget stuff. Sool must have been spitting fire.'
Foaly snorted. 'Sool? He can spit what he wants out of whatever end he wants. He got drummed out of the force a couple of years ago. Do you realize that traitor82 wanted to let the entire eighth family die off? The moron83 actually said as much in a memo1.'
Holly gripped the arms of her seat. 'A couple of years ago? How long have we been gone?'
Foaly snapped his fingers. 'Oh, uh, yeah. I wasn't supposed to just blurt84 it out. Sorry. I mean it's not seri-ous, like a thousand years or anything.'
'How long, Foaly?' demanded Holly.
The centaur thought about it for a moment. 'OK. You've been gone for nearly three years.'
Qwan reached over and slapped Artemis's shoulder. 'Three years! Nice going, Mud Boy. You must have one hell of a brain to get us that close. I wasn't expecting to see this side of the century.'
Artemis was stunned85. Three years! His parents hadn't seen him for three years. What torture had he put them through? How could he ever make up for it?
Foaly was trying to fill the shocked silence with infor-mation. 'Mulch has kept the PI firm ticking over. Well, more than that, actually - it's thriving. He signed up a new partner.You'll never guess who. Doodah Day. Another crim-inal turned do-gooder. Wait till he hears you're back. He calls me every day. I have a pain in my tail trying to explain quantum physics to that dwarf.'
Holly reached across and took Artemis's hand.
'There's only one way to look at this, Artemis. Think of all the lives you've saved. That's worth a few years, surely.'
Artemis could only stare straight ahead. Dying in the transfer would have been a grade one disaster; this was surely a grade two. What could he say? How could he explain himself?
'I need to get home,' he said, sounding for once like an actual fourteen-year-old. 'Foaly, would you tell the pilot where I live.'
The centaur chuckled86. 'Like every law enforcement agent under the world doesn't know where Artemis Fowl lives. Anyway, no need to go that far. Someone is wailing87 for you on shore. He's been there for quite a while.'
Artemis placed his forehead against the porthole. He felt so tired suddenly, as though he had actually been awake for three years. How could he even begin to explain events to his parents? He knew how they must be feeling — exactly how he felt when his father had gone missing. Perhaps he had already been declared dead, as his father had been? And even though his return would bring happiness, that pain would always be there underneath the surface.
Foaly was talking to the demons.
'Who's this little guy?' he asked, tickling88 No.l under the chin.
'That little guy is Number One,' said Qwan. 'He's the most powerful warlock on the planet. He could fry your brain by accident, say if you were tickling him under the chin, and he got irritated.'
The centaur withdrew his finger sharpish. 'I see. I like him. We're going to get along just fine. Why are you called Number One? Is that a nickname?'
No.l felt the magic inside him, comfortable like heated veins89. 'It was my imp name. But now, I think I'll keep it.'
Qwan was surprised. 'What? You don't want the QW name? That's traditional. We haven't had a Qwandri in a while. What about Qwerty?'
No.l shook his head. I am Number One. The name used to mark me out as different; now it makes me unique. I have no idea where we are, or where we're going, but I already feel more at home than I ever have.'
Foaly rolled his eyes. 'Excuse me while I get a tissue. Honestly, I thought you demons were warlike and stoic90. This little guy sounds like one of those cheap romance novels.'
'The little guy who could fry your brain,' Qwan reminded him.
'One of those cheap romance novels that I happen to adore,' said Foaly, backing away slowly.
No.l smiled contentedly91. He was alive, and he had helped to save the island. Finally he knew his place in the universe. Now that Abbot was taken care of, he could live his life the way he wanted to. And the first thing he would do, when things had settled down, would be to track down the demoness with the red markings very much like his own, and see if maybe she would share a meal with him. A cooked meal. It could be that they had a lot to talk about.
The shuttle slipped through the shield into the morn-ing sky. The jagged rocks of the Irish coast jutted92 out from waves, sun-speckled by the early light. It was going to be a fine day. There were trace clouds to the north, but noth-ing that could keep people inside for long.
There was a group of houses clustered around an inlet, and in the horseshoe harbour, fishermen were already on the sand, setting up their nets.
'This is your stop, Artemis,' said Foaly. 'We'll drop you behind the quay93 wall. I'll give you a call in a few days, for debriefing94.' The centaur reached out a hand, laying it on Artemis's shoulder. 'The People thank you for your efforts, but you know that everything you have learned is confidential95. Not even your parents, Artemis. You'll have to think of something besides the truth to tell them.'
'Of course,' said Artemis.
'Good. I didn't have to say it, I know. Anyway, the man you want is in the little cottage with the window boxes. Say hello from me.'
Artemis nodded numbly96. 'I will.'
The pilot swung in low, tucking the shuttle out of sight behind a deserted97, ramshackle stone building. When he was certain that there was nobody in the sight lines, the pilot hit a green light over the rear door.
Holly helped Artemis out of his chair.
'We never get to hang out,' she said.
Artemis half chuckled. 'I know. There's always a crisis.'
'If it's not goblin gangs, it's time-travelling demons.' Holly kissed him on the cheek. 'That was probably danger-ous. You being a pubescent volcano.'
'I've got it under control, just about.'
Holly pointed98 to her new blue eye. 'We'll always be a part of each other now.'
Artemis tapped the cheek below his fairy hazel eye. 'I'll keep an eye out for you.'
'Was that a joke? My goodness, you are changing.'
Artemis was a little dazed. 'Well, apparently99 I'm almost eighteen.'
'God help us all. Artemis Fowl, eligible100 to vote.'
Artemis chuckled. 'I've been voting for years.' He tapped his ring-phone. 'Call you later.'
'I have a feeling we'll have a lot to talk about.'
They hugged briefly101, but tightly, then Artemis walked down the ramp. He took three steps and looked back, but there was nothing there but sea and sky.
Artemis Fowl made for strange early morning viewing in the village of Duncade. A lone80 teenager in a tattered102 suit, leaving a trail of ash behind him as he climbed through a stone stile, and half stumbled along the quay front.
There was a small group ahead of him, leaning on a concrete bollard. One shaggily bearded fisherman was telling a wild story about a six-metre wave he had seen during the night which had simply evaporated before it reached the shore. He told the story well, complete with big arm gestures and whooshing103 noises. The other men nodded to his face, while behind his back winking104 and making drinky drinky motions with their hands.
Artemis ignored them, walking further down the quay front to the cottage with window boxes.
Window boxes? Who would have thought.
There was a keypad on the door — it looked out of place in such a rustic105 setting, but Artemis would have expected no less. He keyed in his own birthday, zero one zero nine, deactivating106 the lock and interior alarm.
It was dark inside, curtains drawn107, lights off. Artemis stepped inside to a spartan108 living area, with functional kitchen, one chair and a sturdy wooden table. There was no television, but rudimentary shelves had been erected109 to store hundreds of books on various subjects. As Artemis's eyes adjusted to the gloom, he could make out some of the titles. Gormenghast, The Art of War and Gone With the Wind being among them.
'You are full of surprises, old friend,' murmured Artemis, reaching out to touch the spine110 of Moby Dick.
As he traced the embossed title, a small red dot of light appeared on his fingertip.
'You know what that is?' said a low rumbling111 voice behind him. If thunder could speak, then this would be its voice.
Artemis nodded. This was no time for outbursts or sudden moves.
'Good. Then you know what happens if you do anything to upset me.'
Another nod.
'Excellent, you're doing very well. Now lace your fingers behind your head, and turn round.'
Artemis did as he was told, and found himself facing a huge man with a full beard and long hair drawn back in a ponytail. Both were flecked with grey. The man's face was familiar, but different. There were more lines round the eyes, and a deep frown slash112 between them.
'Butler?' said Artemis. 'Are you behind all that hair?'
Butler stepped back as though struck. His eyes widened and he swallowed rapidly, suddenly parched113.
'Artemis? Is it… You're the wrong age! I always thought -?'
'The time tunnel, old friend,' explained Artemis. 'I saw you only yesterday.'
Butler was not yet convinced. He moved quickly to the curtains, and in his haste pulled them, rail and all, away from the wall. The red light of sunrise flooded the small room. Butler turned to his young guest and took the boy's face in his hands. With massive thumbs, he wiped the grime from round Artemis's eyes.
What he saw in those eyes almost buckled114 his knees.
'Artemis, it is you. I had begun to think… No, no. I knew you would come back.' And then again with more belief. 'I knew it. I always knew it.'
The bodyguard115 wrapped Artemis in arms strong enough to break a bear's back. Artemis could have sworn he heard sobs116, but when Butler released him, he was his usual stoic self.
'Sorry about the beard, and the hair, Artemis. I was blending in with the natives. How was your… eh… trip?'
Artemis felt the sting of tears in his own eyes. 'Um, eventful. If it hadn't been for Holly, we never would have made it.'
Butler studied Artemis's face. 'Something is different. My God, your eyes!'
'Oh, yes. I have one of Holly's now. It's complicated.'
Butler nodded. 'We can swap12 stories later. There are calls to be made.'
'Calls?' said Artemis. 'More than one?'
Butler plucked a cordless phone from its cradle. 'There are your parents of course, but I should call Minerva too.'
Artemis was surprised. Pleasantly so. 'Minerva?'
'Yes. She's been over here several times. Almost every school holiday, in fact. We've become good friends. She's the one who started me reading fiction.'
'I see.'
Butler pointed the phone aerial at Artemis. 'It's Artemis this, and Artemis that. She has really built you up to be something special. You're going to have to work hard not to disappoint her.'
Artemis swallowed. He had been hoping for a break, not more challenges.
'Of course she's grown up a bit, even if you haven't,' continued Butler. 'And quite the beauty. Sharp as a samu-rai sword too. There's a young lady who could give you a run for your money at chess.'
Then again, thought Artemis. Nothing like a challenge to keep the brain active. But that could come later.
'My parents?'
'You just missed them. They were here yesterday, for the weekend. They stay in the local guest house whenever they can.' Butler laid a hand on Artemis's shoulder. 'These last few years. It's been terrible for them. I told them every-thing, Artemis. I had to.'
'Do they believe you?'
Butler shrugged117. 'Some days they do. Mostly my fairy stories just add to their pain. They think I've been driven mad with guilt118. And even though you're back, things will never be the same again. It would take a miracle to erase119 my stories, and their suffering.'
Artemis nodded slowly. A miracle. He lifted his hand. On the palm there was a slight graze from his climb over the quayside stile. Artemis concentrated and five blue sparks 376
of magic leaped from his fingertips and zeroed in on the graze, wiping it out like a cloth wiping dirt. He had more magic left than he had pretended.
'Maybe we can arrange a miracle.'
Butler was beyond further amazement120. 'That's a new trick,' he said laconically121.
'I picked up a little more than an eye in the time tunnel.'
'I see,' said Butler. 'Just don't do it around the twins.'
'Don't worry,' said Artemis. 'I won't.' Then his brain computed122 what Butler had actually said.
'What twins?'
Butler punched in the Fowl Manor123 phone number, smil-ing. 'Maybe time stood still for you, big brother, but it didn't for the rest of us.'
Artemis stumbled to the room's only chair and sank into it.
Big brother? he thought, and then…
Twins!
the END
收听单词发音 |
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memo
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| n.照会，备忘录；便笺；通知书；规章 | |
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adhesive
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| n.粘合剂；adj.可粘着的，粘性的 | |
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squinting
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| 斜视( squint的现在分词 )； 眯着眼睛； 瞟； 从小孔或缝隙里看 | |
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crater
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| n.火山口，弹坑 | |
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groans
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| n.呻吟，叹息( groan的名词复数 )；呻吟般的声音v.呻吟( groan的第三人称单数 )；发牢骚；抱怨；受苦 | |
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darting
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| v.投掷，投射( dart的现在分词 )；向前冲，飞奔 | |
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holly
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| n.[植]冬青属灌木 | |
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AIRWAYS
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| 航空公司 | |
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winked
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| v.使眼色( wink的过去式和过去分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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wink
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| n.眨眼，使眼色，瞬间；v.眨眼，使眼色，闪烁 | |
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swapped
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| 交换（工作）( swap的过去式和过去分词 )； 用…替换，把…换成，掉换（过来） | |
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swap
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| n.交换；vt.交换，用...作交易 | |
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transit
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| n.经过，运输；vt.穿越，旋转；vi.越过 | |
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winced
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| 赶紧避开，畏缩( wince的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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solitary
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| adj.孤独的，独立的，荒凉的；n.隐士 | |
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rim
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| n.(圆物的)边，轮缘；边界 | |
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socket
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| n.窝，穴，孔，插座，插口 | |
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imp
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| n.顽童 | |
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19
mound
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| n.土墩，堤，小山；v.筑堤，用土堆防卫 | |
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20
backwards
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| adv.往回地，向原处，倒，相反，前后倒置地 | |
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21
squeaked
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| v.短促地尖叫( squeak的过去式和过去分词 )；吱吱叫；告密；充当告密者 | |
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22
demon
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| n.魔鬼，恶魔 | |
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23
misery
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| n.痛苦，苦恼，苦难；悲惨的境遇，贫苦 | |
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24
initially
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| adv.最初，开始 | |
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25
dwarf
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| n.矮子，侏儒，矮小的动植物；vt.使…矮小 | |
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26
bereft
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| adj.被剥夺的 | |
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27
lackeys
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| n.听差( lackey的名词复数 )；男仆（通常穿制服）；卑躬屈膝的人；被待为奴仆的人 | |
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28
decided
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| adj.决定了的，坚决的；明显的，明确的 | |
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29
impudence
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| n.厚颜无耻；冒失；无礼 | |
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30
upwards
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| adv.向上，在更高处...以上 | |
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31
descended
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| a.为...后裔的，出身于...的 | |
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32
saliva
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| n.唾液，口水 | |
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33
shimmered
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| v.闪闪发光，发微光( shimmer的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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34
plight
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| n.困境，境况，誓约，艰难；vt.宣誓，保证，约定 | |
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35
wriggled
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| v.扭动，蠕动，蜿蜒行进( wriggle的过去式和过去分词 )；（使身体某一部位）扭动；耍滑不做，逃避（应做的事等） | |
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36
touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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37
compliance
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| n.顺从；服从；附和；屈从 | |
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38
rein
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| n.疆绳，统治，支配；vt.以僵绳控制，统治 | |
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39
brittle
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| adj.易碎的；脆弱的；冷淡的；(声音)尖利的 | |
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40
flakes
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| 小薄片( flake的名词复数 )； （尤指）碎片； 雪花； 古怪的人 | |
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41
instinctive
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| adj.(出于)本能的；直觉的；(出于)天性的 | |
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42
expertise
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| n.专门知识(或技能等)，专长 | |
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43
twitches
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| n.（使）抽动， （使）颤动， （使）抽搐( twitch的名词复数 ) | |
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44
bowel
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| n.肠(尤指人肠)；内部，深处 | |
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45
syndrome
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| n.综合病症；并存特性 | |
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46
subjugated
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| v.征服，降伏( subjugate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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47
interns
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| n.住院实习医生( intern的名词复数 )v.拘留，关押( intern的第三人称单数 ) | |
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48
thigh
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| n.大腿；股骨 | |
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49
tilt
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| v.(使)倾侧；(使)倾斜；n.倾侧；倾斜 | |
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50
functional
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| adj.为实用而设计的，具备功能的，起作用的 | |
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51
chatter
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| vi.／n.喋喋不休；短促尖叫；(牙齿)打战 | |
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52
projection
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| n.发射，计划，突出部分 | |
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53
demolition
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| n.破坏,毁坏,毁坏之遗迹 | |
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54
stink
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| vi.发出恶臭；糟透，招人厌恶；n.恶臭 | |
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55
apprentice
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| n.学徒，徒弟 | |
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56
vent
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| n.通风口，排放口；开衩；vt.表达，发泄 | |
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57
spun
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| v.纺，杜撰，急转身 | |
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58
furrows
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| n.犁沟( furrow的名词复数 )；（脸上的）皱纹v.犁田，开沟( furrow的第三人称单数 ) | |
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59
fabulous
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| adj.极好的；极为巨大的；寓言中的，传说中的 | |
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60
trotting
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| 小跑，急走( trot的现在分词 )； 匆匆忙忙地走 | |
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61
ramp
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| n.暴怒，斜坡，坡道；vi.作恐吓姿势，暴怒，加速；vt.加速 | |
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62
skidded
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| v.（通常指车辆） 侧滑( skid的过去式和过去分词 )；打滑；滑行；（住在）贫民区 | |
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63
centaur
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| n.人首马身的怪物 | |
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64
fowl
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| n.家禽，鸡，禽肉 | |
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65
streaked
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| adj.有条斑纹的，不安的v.快速移动( streak的过去式和过去分词 )；使布满条纹 | |
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66
mesmerized
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| v.使入迷( mesmerize的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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67
strapped
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| adj.用皮带捆住的，用皮带装饰的；身无分文的；缺钱；手头紧v.用皮带捆扎(strap的过去式和过去分词)；用皮带抽打；包扎；给…打绷带 | |
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68
sparsely
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| adv.稀疏地；稀少地；不足地；贫乏地 | |
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69
cocktail
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| n.鸡尾酒；餐前开胃小吃；混合物 | |
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70
killers
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| 凶手( killer的名词复数 )； 消灭…者； 致命物； 极难的事 | |
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71
brewed
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| 调制( brew的过去式和过去分词 )； 酝酿； 沏（茶）； 煮（咖啡） | |
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72
breached
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| 攻破( breach的现在分词 )； 破坏，违反 | |
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73
vibration
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| n.颤动，振动；摆动 | |
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74
rattle
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| v.飞奔，碰响；激怒；n.碰撞声；拨浪鼓 | |
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75
Stabilization
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| 稳定化 | |
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76
fins
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| [医]散热片；鱼鳍；飞边；鸭掌 | |
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77
downwards
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| adj./adv.向下的（地），下行的（地） | |
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78
buoys
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| n.浮标( buoy的名词复数 )；航标；救生圈；救生衣v.使浮起( buoy的第三人称单数 )；支持；为…设浮标；振奋…的精神 | |
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79
underneath
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| adj.在...下面，在...底下；adv.在下面 | |
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80
lone
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| adj.孤寂的，单独的；唯一的 | |
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81
demons
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| n.恶人( demon的名词复数 )；恶魔；精力过人的人；邪念 | |
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82
traitor
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| n.叛徒，卖国贼 | |
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83
moron
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| n.极蠢之人，低能儿 | |
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84
blurt
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| vt.突然说出，脱口说出 | |
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85
stunned
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| adj. 震惊的，惊讶的 动词stun的过去式和过去分词 | |
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86
chuckled
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| 轻声地笑( chuckle的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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87
wailing
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| v.哭叫，哀号( wail的现在分词 )；沱 | |
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88
tickling
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| 反馈，回授，自旋挠痒法 | |
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89
veins
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| n.纹理；矿脉( vein的名词复数 )；静脉；叶脉；纹理 | |
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90
stoic
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| n.坚忍克己之人，禁欲主义者 | |
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91
contentedly
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| adv.心满意足地 | |
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92
jutted
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| v.（使）突出( jut的过去式和过去分词 )；伸出；（从…）突出；高出 | |
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93
quay
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| n.码头，靠岸处 | |
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94
debriefing
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| n.任务报告，任务报告中提出的情报v.向（外交人员等）询问执行任务的情况( debrief的现在分词 ) | |
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95
confidential
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| adj.秘（机）密的，表示信任的，担任机密工作的 | |
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96
numbly
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| adv.失去知觉，麻木 | |
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97
deserted
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| adj.荒芜的，荒废的，无人的，被遗弃的 | |
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98
pointed
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| adj.尖的，直截了当的 | |
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99
apparently
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| adv.显然地；表面上，似乎 | |
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100
eligible
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| adj.有条件被选中的；(尤指婚姻等)合适(意)的 | |
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101
briefly
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| adv.简单地，简短地 | |
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102
tattered
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| adj.破旧的，衣衫破的 | |
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103
whooshing
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| v.（使）飞快移动( whoosh的现在分词 ) | |
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104
winking
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| n.瞬眼，目语v.使眼色( wink的现在分词 )；递眼色（表示友好或高兴等）；（指光）闪烁；闪亮 | |
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105
rustic
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| adj.乡村的，有乡村特色的；n.乡下人，乡巴佬 | |
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106
deactivating
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| v.解除动员( deactivate的现在分词 )；使无效；复员；使不活动 | |
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107
drawn
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| v.拖，拉，拔出；adj.憔悴的，紧张的 | |
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108
spartan
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| adj.简朴的，刻苦的；n.斯巴达；斯巴达式的人 | |
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109
ERECTED
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| adj. 直立的，竖立的，笔直的 vt. 使 ... 直立，建立 | |
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110
spine
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| n.脊柱，脊椎；(动植物的)刺；书脊 | |
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111
rumbling
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| n. 隆隆声, 辘辘声 adj. 隆隆响的 动词rumble的现在分词 | |
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112
slash
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| vi.大幅度削减；vt.猛砍，尖锐抨击，大幅减少；n.猛砍，斜线，长切口，衣衩 | |
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113
parched
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| adj.焦干的；极渴的；v.（使）焦干 | |
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114
buckled
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| a. 有带扣的 | |
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115
bodyguard
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| n.护卫，保镖 | |
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116
sobs
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| 啜泣（声），呜咽（声）( sob的名词复数 ) | |
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117
shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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118
guilt
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| n.犯罪；内疚；过失，罪责 | |
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119
erase
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| v.擦掉；消除某事物的痕迹 | |
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120
amazement
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| n.惊奇，惊讶 | |
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121
laconically
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| adv.简短地，简洁地 | |
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122
computed
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| adj.[医]计算的，使用计算机的v.计算，估算( compute的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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123
manor
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| n.庄园，领地 | |
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