Station, стр. 98
He vowed that this time, he wouldn't turn down thehandshake.
Hadder thought of how this new meeting would go,even as he felt his body being lifted off the wet ground and slungover a thin shoulder. Hadder bounced up and down as his bearer ran,all the while imagining himself begging the glowing figure foranother chance, apologizing profusely for the random act ofviolence that sullied their first encounter, promising that theRage was a thing of the past.
While the sounds of battle faded in the distance,the heat of wildfires, the rumble of the ground shaking, and thecompressed air of eruptions continued to assault Hadder'smotionless body. Just as Hadder had grown accustomed to thebouncing stride, he was weightless, thrown powerfully into to thesmoke-filled air to crash into freezing water.
The cold attacked Hadder's skin as he sank, soakedthrough muscle to chill bone, and still, he was unable to move. So,this was the end, he thought as he came to rest on the muddybottom. Darkness then overtook him, his conscious mind finallyclicking off.
But not before a splash was heard far above him.
CHAPTER 29
Hadder's sense of touch returned to himfirst. He felt the hard, sandy ground beneath him, could detectitchy grains sneaking into his most sensitive crevices. Soundreturned next, with Hadder hearing the continued destruction ofStation from afar. Smell followed, the scents of blood, smoke, ash,and death thick in the air. Finally, Hadder worked up the energy toopen his eyes, frightened of what he might find.
The red eyes of Albany Rott stared down at Hadder.Gone were the fiery blazes that filled Rott's eyes on thebattlefield; his usual red embers were back in place. Hadder threwa weak punch at the man's face from his back, which Rott smoothlydodged. Hadder stumbled to his feet, stood there on wobbly legs,furious to be alive.
"Not again! Not again! Why won't you let medie?"
"I'm sorry, Marlin. I couldn't allow it."
"Where the hell are we?"
"Well outside of the Walls of Station. Look."
Hadder turned around and saw the city of Station inthe distance, clear under the large Idol Moon. The entire city wasablaze, including its impassable walls, and shook as if the desertground was threatening to swallow it whole. "Why have you donethis, Rott? Why let the city fall? Why kill every resident?" Hadderrefused to look away from the imploding city as he spoke.
"You still live."
"Everyone but me then!"
"I had to, Marlin."
"I don't believe it."
"In some things, even I am without choice."
"Tell me why."
"You might not understand."
"Tell me!"
"Before you can understand, you have to know who Iam."
Hadder finally turned back to face Albany Rott. "Andwho are you, Albany Rott? Beyond a mass murderer."
"You cannot murder that which has already died."
"Semantics. I ask you again. Who are you?"
Rott reached up and fingered the glimmering symbolbeneath his throat. "Do you know what this is, Marlin?" Haddershook his head in the negative. "This was my originalblueprint."
Confusion twisted Hadder's face. "Blueprint forwhat?"
"For what would become the human race."
Hadder felt his jaw fall open, realization hittingharder than the cold water had struck. "Are you trying to say thatyou…" Hadder's voice trailed off as he found himself unable to lendwords to the idea that was forming.
Rott saw his difficulty and answered for him. "I amyour creator, Marlin. I am the creator of all mankind and more. Thebirds you hear, the dogs you pet, the cows you eat; I amresponsible for all of it. The Earth, as you humans call it, was myproject. And mankind was my crowning achievement, an entity thatcould love so deeply one moment, and act so cruelly the next. Myproject was the envy of all, and humankind, especially, drew theattention of the heavens. You all were complex and vexing,surprising and disappointing. As you evolved under my care, evenmore attention fell upon you. Until you drew the greatest attentionof all."
Hadder could barely believe the words he was aboutto speak. "You mean God?"
"That's what you humans would call him. We have moreaccurate terms for him, but let's stick with God to make thingseasier and prevent your brain from melting. God took a liking to mylittle project, wanted more and more say over what was to be donehere. Things got messy, too many cooks and all that. Then one day,he decided that he wanted total control over the Earth. In thelanguage of the cosmos, I told him to fuck off. He didn't like thatone bit."
"You told God to fuck off?"
"No worse than punching him in the throat, Isuppose." Hadder's mouth snapped shut. Rott continued. "Anyway, Godhas a low tolerance for disobedience, can be a real prick, truth betold. He told me that if I loved the humans enough to quarrel withthe Almighty, I could live among them for eternity. And so, he sentme here to play in the dirt with the mortals. Never again to seethe glories of the Heavens. As you can see, the ruler of thisexistence is a petty creature indeed."
"How long have you been here, Rott?
"A long, long time, Marlin."
"Do you miss your home?"
"More than anything. This brings us to Station. Godreignited a dialogue with me many years ago, complaining abouthuman behavior and what he perceived to be your lack of growth. Hewondered why I didn't create a utopia for you all, one that wouldallow you to more effectively develop both emotionally andintellectually, one that would remove the need for violence ormelancholy. I told him that this was impossible, that these thingswere intrinsic in humans, were essential to their makeup. Hedisagreed. And, thus, our bet was made."
"What exactly was the bet?"
"I told him to provide me with some throwaways,humans who had completely given up or disrespected life. I wouldcreate a world for them, where the negative triggers of the Earthwouldn't exist. Money and jobs wouldn't be necessary. Anything theydisliked about themselves could be changed. All of the stressors ofthe world would be removed. Life would essentially be perfect."
"And the bet?"
"I said,