經典科幻文學:《基本上無害 Mostly Harmless》第23章1

23

第二十三章

The news networks don’t like this kind of thing. They regard it as a waste. An incontrovertible spaceship arrives out of nowhere in the middle of London and it is sensational news of the highest magnitude. Another completely different one arrives three and a half hours later and somehow it isn’t.

新聞網不喜歡這檔子事。在他們看來這實在是浪費。一艘宇宙飛船從青天白日底下開進了倫敦，這就是最最激動人心的消息。三個半鐘頭之後又跑來艘完全不同的飛船，可不知怎麼的，這一回誰也激動不起來了。

‘ANOTHER SPACECRAFT!’ said the headlines and news stand billboards. ‘THIS ONE’S PINK.’ A couple of months later they could have made a lot more of it. The third spacecraft, half an hour after that, the little four berth Hrundi runabout, only made it on to the local news.

“有一艘飛船！”新聞上的頭版頭條說，“這回是粉紅色的。”可惜它沒出現在兩個月之後，否則大家準能好好炒炒這消息。等到了半個鐘頭第三艘飛船出現，新聞界已經完全失去興趣，那艘四艙的忽蘭蒂小型登陸艇只在地方新聞上露下臉，然後就沒聲音了。

Ford and Arthur had come screaming down out of the stratosphere and parked neatly on Portland Place. It was just after six-thirty in the evening and there were spaces free. They mingled briefly with the crowd that gathered round to ogle, then said loudly that if no one else was going to call the police they would, and made good their escape.

福特和阿瑟尖叫着衝出同溫層，乾淨利索地停在波特蘭區，剛過六點三十，泊車免費。人羣很快聚集起來對着飛船大眼瞪小眼，他倆也混進人堆裏，然後大聲嚷嚷說，要是還沒人叫警察，他們可要去叫了，並且就這麼成功的開溜。

‘Home…’ said Arthur, a husky tone creeping into his voice as he gazed, misty-eyed around him.

“家……”阿瑟打量着四周，眼睛霧濛濛的，聲音裏還鑽進些嘶啞的調子。

‘Oh don’t get all maudlin on me,’ snapped Ford. ‘We have to find your daughter and we have to find that bird thing.’

“哦，少跟我玩什麼感傷。”福特厲聲道，“我們得找到你女兒，還得找到那個鳥一樣的東西。”

‘How?’ said Arthur. ‘This is a planet of five and a half billion people, and…’

“怎麼找？”阿瑟問，“這星球上可有五十億人而且……”

‘Yes,’ said Ford. ‘But only one of them has just arrived from outer space in a large silver spaceship accompanied by a mechanical bird. I suggest we just find a television and something to drink while we watch it. We need some serious room service.’

“沒錯。”福特說，“可其中只有一個是帶着只機器鳥坐着艘銀色的大飛船從外太空來的。我建議我們只需要找臺電視機，一邊看一邊喝點東西。我們真的很需要些貨真價實的客房服務。”

They checked into a large two-bedroomed suite at the Langham. Mysteriously, Ford’s Dine-O-Charge card, issued on a planet over five thousand light years away, seemed to present the hotel’s computer with no problems.

他們在朗廷大酒店要了帶兩個臥室的套間，福特的“隨便吃”信用卡，儘管髮卡機構位於五千光年外的某個行星，但在酒店的電腦上卻似乎並沒有遇到什麼困難。