21_before_the_invid_storm-第2章

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ple；　that　the　Global　Military　Police　had　managed　to　insert　an　espionage　operative　among　the　clone　population　of　the　Masters'　ships。　And　that　the　Mastersuntil　recentlybeen　tiptoeing　around　Monument　City　because　of　some　Protoculture…manufacturing　device　concealed　inside　the　SDF…1。　The　latest　rumor　to　e　down　the　well　was　that　the　Masters　had　issued　an　ultimatum　to　Supreme　mander　Leonard　that　humankind　either　abandon　Earth；　or　find　itself　caught　in　a　war　between　the　Masters　and　their　　enemies；　the　Invid。　

If　anyone　could　have　negotiated　an　accord　with　the　aliens；　it　would　have　been　Rolf　Emerson；　Dana　Sterling's　guardian。　And　now　Emerson　was　dead。　

Tears　coursing　down　her　cheeks；　Misa　gazed　absently　at　the　huge　fiber…optic　display　screen　on　the　wall　of　the　neighboring　residential　tower。　The　telepresence　known　as　EVE　had　once　dominated　that　and　other　screens；　but　EVE　was　long　gone；　gone　with　Zand　and　his　Protoculture　research　facility；　from　which　Zand's　conversations　with　the　Masters　had　taken　place。　With　nothing　but　advertisements　running　on　the　screens　ever　since；　was　it　any　wonder　that　Misa　preferred　to　stay　tuned　to　the　War　Channel？　

Moth　to　a　flame；　she　returned　her　attention　to　the　news　。。。　

Dead；　too；　by　all　accounts；　were　Anatole　Leonard　and　Chairman　Wyatt　Moran。　Word　had　it　that　Leonard；　the　Supreme　mander　of　the　Army　of　the　Southern　Cross；　had　blundered　definitively　at　the　end；　and；　by　rejecting　Emerson's　plea　to　consolidate　all　ground…based　forces；　had　allowed　the　Masters'　flagship　to　slip　through　Monument's　defenses。　

Cameras　positioned　near　the　Macross　memorial　relayed　a　dazzling　close…up　of　the　spade…fortress；　as　three　segmented　appendages　extruded　themselves　from　the　ship's　underside。　From　each　appendage　came　a　zigzagging　beam　of　light　as　bright　as　a　solar　prominence；　which　cleaved　the　tallest　of　the　mounds；　displacing　avalanches　of　trees；　boulders；　and　dirt　from　its　flat　top；　ultimately　exposing　the　headless　corpse　of　the　SDF…1　itself。　The　beams　intensified　and　merged；　and　more　of　the　dirt　and　debris　that　had　been　heaped　on　the　Super　Dimensional　Fortress　fell　away　or　was　incinerated。　

But　just　when　it　was　beginning　to　look　as　if　the　Masters　were　intent　on　levitatingif　not　resurrectingthe　fortress；　the　flagship　abruptly　powered　down；　tipped　to　one　side；　and　exploded。　

Then　something　even　more　unexpected　occurred：　the　explosion　appeared　to　arrest　itself。　Misa　thought　that　she　had　inadvertently　activated　the　wallscreen's　replay…and…pause　function；　but　not　a　moment　later　a　nova　flared　at　the　center　of　the　cleaved　mound　and　a　shaft　of　refulgent　energy　shot　upward　from　the　SDF…1；　engaging　and　somehow　dampening　the　blast　of　the　exploding　starship。　

Dampening；　but　not　entirely　containing　the　burst。　

There　was　no　way　to　stabilize　the　satellite…relayed　image　now。　The　ground　was　shaking　with　the　force　of　an　earthquake；　and　enormous　fragments　of　housings；　armor；　and　structural　members　were　pelting　the　two　standing　mounds　and　the　surrounding　plain　that　had　once　been　Lake　Gloval。　Atomized；　the　SDF…1　disappeared　in　what　at　first　seemed　to　be　a　storm　of　swirling　dust　particles；　but　in　close…up　looked　more　like　seeds　or　spores。　　Spores；　and　more：　petals；　leaves；　flowers；　entire　plantssucked　upward　and　sent　wafting　in　every　direction；　as　if　being　sown　　by　the　explosion　itself。　

Misa　gaped　at　the　wallscreen；　not　knowing　what　to　make　of　the　sight。　She　reached　a　trembling　hand　for　her　cup　of　green　tea　and　raised　it　to　her　lips。　Had　the　Earth　been　savedrescued　one　final　time　by　the　very　ship　that　had　started　it　all？　Or　had　something　more　sinister　than　defeat　been　visited　on　the　world？　


Dana　Sterling　marched　bravely　at　the　head　of　the　crowd；　the　side　arm　she　had　filched　from　Angelo　Dante　tucked　into　her　broad　leather　belt；　Polly　the　XT　pollinator　gamboling　at　her　feet。　She　felt　ravaged　in　every　part　of　herself；　burned　raw；　inside　and　out。　Rolf　Emerson；　Leonard；　and　Morandead　　。　The　afternoon　made　colder　by　strange　winds；　born　of　the　destruction　of　the　Masters'　flagship　and　the　SDF…1　mound。　The　sky　shrouded　by　black　smoke　from　the　funeral　pyre　that　had　been　Monument　City　。。。　

Behind　her　marched　the　rest　of　the　15th　ATACAngelo；　Bowie；　Sean；　and　Louiealong　with　Cosmic　Unit　manders　Marie　Crystal　and　Dennis　Brown；　Global　Military　Police　lieutenant　Nova　Satori；　Musica；　Mistress　of　the　Cosmic　Harp；　and　the　two　hundred　or　so　alien　clones　the　15th　had　rescued　from　the　Masters'　flagship。　

In　the　east　hung　a　great　roiling　cloud　of　spores　and　petals　that　had　been　funneled　into　the　upper　atmosphere　by　the　destroyed　flagship。　Dana　had　e　to　think　of　the　mushroom　cloud　as　a　transfer　station　for　the　seedlings　of　the　Flower　of　Life；　a　place　of　penultimate　appointment　where　they　hung　until　the　winds　dispersed　them　worldwide。　The　physical　and　spiritual　foodstuff　of　the　Invid；　the　Flowers　of　Life　were　harbingers　of　Earth's　next　cataclysm。　

To　many　it　would　appear　that　Zor　Prime　had　died　for　nothing；　having　sacrificed　his　life　to　prevent　the　Masters　from　retrieving　the　Protoculture　Matrix　hidden　by　his　namesake　aboard　the　SDF…1。　But　Dana　had　been　granted　a　glimpse　of　a　deeper　truthor　at　least　she　thought　she　had。　Mirroring　the　chaotic　dance　of　the　spores　overhead；　images　swirled　in　her　mind；　though　she　couldn't　say　which　were　the　by…products　of　real　events　and　which　were　flashbacks　of　hallucination。　

Her　recollection　of　those　final　moments　aboard　the　flagship　were　nothing　less　than　dreamlike。　The　plummeting　ship　。。。　Zor　Prime's　assassination　of　the　Master　named　Shaizan　。。。　Zor　Prime's　final　words　to　her。　〃They　brought　punishment　down　on　themselves　through　their　misuse　of　the　Protoculture；　and　I　am　the　instrument　of　that　punishment；　ordained　by　the　Shaping。〃　

The　Shaping。　Over　the　years　she'd　heard　the　term　bandied　about　by　the　disciples　of　Dr。　Emil　Lang　and　Lazlo　Zand；　both　of　whom　had　turned　Robotechnology　into　a　kind　of　religion；　with　Protoculture　as　its　demiurge。　But　to　hear　the　word　from　Zor　Prime's　lips　。。。　Was　he　crazy　at　the　end；　she　wondered；　or　merely　a　victim　of　the　Protoculture？　

Only　moments　earlier；　on　the　flagship；　as　a　consequence　of　touching　a　canister　of　the　Protoculture；　Dana　had　had　her　own　fling　with　madness：　a　vision　of　sorts；　fashioned　of　images　lifted　from　events　of　the　past　year；　mingled　with　others　whose　origins　she　couldn't　explain。　

She　recalled　a　green　field；　lush　with　the　Flowers　of　Life；　surrounded　by　hills　and　valesthough　only　her　Southern　Cross　body　armor　and　the　distant；　wind…blasted　crags　gave　any　hint　that　she　was　on　Earth。　Dark；　cloaked　figures　had　shown　her　a　youthful　image　of　herself　and　had　intimated　that　she　belonged　to　a　triumvirate　of　clones；　like　those　the　Masters　had　created　on　Tirol。　

She　had　rejected　the　suggestion；　even　if　it　wasn't　far　off　the　mark。　She　was；　after　all；　half　Zentraedi；　and　that　race　of　giant　warrior　clones　had　also　been　created　by　the　Masters。　And；　yes；　there　were　many　times　when　she　had　tried　to　deny　her　ancestry；　in　the　interest　of　fitting　in。　But　in　the　hallucination；　rejecting　the　alien　side　of　herself　had　landed　her　in　a　bleak　landscape；　among　skulls　and　bones　and　the　ash　piles　of　ten　thousand　cremations。　Only　to　be　rescued　from　her　exile