《雙尾貓與機器人9000號》連載 （雙語科幻兒童故事）

Chapter 1

第一章

When they got to know each other a little better, the Cat o’ Two Tails told Robot9000 that she was grateful he didn't bring up her extra tail when they first met two days ago.

當他們相互熟悉一些以後, 雙尾貓便對機器人9000號說，自己很高興他沒有問起她為什麼多出一條尾巴。

"I've always been pretty insecure about that," she said while setting up a water collector under a sad looking plant that looked halfway between a cactus and a rock. "After all, it's why the humans sent me here. I'm just a genetic defect to them."

「我一直對這條尾巴感到尷尬來著，」她一邊在一棵可憐巴巴的，長得像石頭一樣的仙人掌上裝接水器，一邊說。「正是因為我的基因出了錯誤，人類才會把我送來這裡的。」

"I hope you no longer experience that quandary," Robot9000 replied. "there's only two of us here, and you are aware I have no emotions and hence no judgmental attitudes."

「我希望妳不會再產生此種煩擾，」機器人9000號回答。「此處只有我們兩個，而且妳也知道我不存在感情功能，因此也不會對妳持有任何評判態度。」

"Thanks. I wish I had no emotion," said the Cat o’ Two Tails. "But more than that, I wish I had opposable thumbs." She tried to tie a knot in a piece of string with her teeth. "Even your claw hands are better than these paws."

「謝啦，我也希望我沒有感情功能，」雙尾貓說。「我更希望的, 是我能長一雙大拇指出來，」她吃力地試著用牙齒給一段繩子打結。「就連你的機械爪子也比我的腳掌好用。」

"They are suitable for your evolutionary purpose," Robot9000 said matter of factly. "Although for this planet with little vegetation except cactii, you may need to evolve other means of interacting with your environment."

「妳的腳爪已經可以滿足妳的進化需求，」9000號乾巴巴地說。「但是在這個乾旱缺水的小行星，妳也許需要演化出其他與周邊環境互動的生理特徵。」

Cat o’ Two Tails rolled her eyes. "I also wish you had a sense of humor."

雙尾貓白了他一眼。「我還希望你能有點幽默感。」

"Humor is likely to be unnecessary for my purpose."

「幽默感對於我的存在目的沒有任何必要。」

"What IS your purpose?"

「你的存在目的到底是什麼呀？」

"I cannot find that information in my memory bank. Although the probability that it is related to this textile strip is high, since it has co-existed with me since my earliest memory files." Robot9000 tugged at the yellow scarf around his waist. The cloth was aged and dusty yet still tough to the touch. "However, I cannot find its origin in my memory files."

「我無法在我的記憶庫中找到這項信息。但是我的存在目的很有可能與這塊紡織品有關，因為它出現在我最早的記憶檔案中。」機器人9000號拉拉他腰間繫的一條黃圍巾。布料雖然已經髒舊，但仍然很結實。「儘管如此，我在記憶庫中無法查到它的來源。」

"Well, I wish I had that kind of freedom. You don't need to feel bad over what happened or miss anyone." Cat o’ Two Tails’ eyes gleamed. "The other hyperintelligent pets at the lab were like my family. When the humans said my extra tail was a genetic defect, and that my personality was not suitable for kids, the other animals never pushed me away. When the humans thought I was dead and decided to send me through the garbage portal, they created a distraction so I would come through alive."

「真不錯啊，我也希望我有那種自由，不用因為被驅逐而感到難過，也不用想念任何人。」她的眼睛閃閃發光。「實驗室研發的其他超智慧寵物都像我的家人。人類說我的尾巴是基因錯亂啦，說我的性格不符合他們的需要啦，其他的寵物都沒有排擠我。人類以為我已被撲殺，要把我送入跨維度垃圾傳送門的時候，它們製造混亂場面分散注意力，讓我活著混了過去。」

"If you were sent through the portal, then logically I may also have been sent through the portal." Robot9000 extrapolated. "Unless of course, I have always been a part of this planet and gained sentience, which would indicate this planet was populated by my makers at some point in the past, which would indicate - " he paused. "The query must be posited as to where they are now."

「如果妳被送入傳送門來到這裡，那麼順這個邏輯我也有可能是穿越傳送門來此。」9000號推斷道。「當然除非我生於此處，那便意味著在過去的某個時段我的創造者曾經存在於此，那便意味著—」他微微停頓了一下。「那便意味著存在一個疑問：我的創造者當下在何處？」

"And... that's not in your memory bank?"

「那… 我猜這也不在你的記憶庫裡吧？」

"Negative."

「否定。」

Cat o’ Two Tails sighed. "Either way, this tiny rock sucks. But I have to survive here somehow and at least you have some technical knowledge on how things work." She glanced at the poorly constructed water collector. "Also, you have the closest thing to thumbs around here."

雙尾貓嘆了口氣。「這個小行星實在是一個爛地方。但是無論如何，我總得在這裡生存，而你至少有些技術知識。」她瞄了一眼那座製造粗陋的接水器。「此外，你的機械爪子用起來更像人類靈活的手指。」

"Affirmative. Aiding intelligent sentient organisms in their survival with the premise of not causing harm to anyone is an extension of the laws of robotics. I will assist."

「確認。在不傷害任何人的前提下幫助智慧生物得以存活，是機器人法則的延伸。我會提供輔助。」

*

The tiny satellite was riddled with garbage and mechanical parts. Mostly engines, tires and batteries from discarded human cars that were sent here when humans discovered that they could discard their garbage through interdimensional portals to random stars in other universes. Earth had become a garden due to this discovery, opting to send away everything that clashed with the ideal utopia in the minds of the elite, out of sight and out of mind.

這顆小小的行星上撒滿了垃圾和生鏽的機械零件，大多數是人類發現跨維度傳送門可以用來向遙遠的無名行星運送垃圾之後，傳送的舊家電，電子廢料和汽車零件。地球由於這個發現已經變成了花園，所有的廢物與那些無法融入這個美麗花園的事物都被送走，眼不見為淨。

The Cat o’ Two Tails found a lot of mutated rats nesting amongst the garbage that she was able to catch for food. The rats were presumably the result of a couple of lab rats that, like her, were mistakenly thought to have been exterminated before being sent through the portal, but instead landed here and interbred. They were extremely high in protein and made for great energy snacks throughout the day.

雙尾貓在垃圾堆裡發現了許多基因變異的老鼠。這些老鼠的祖先也許與她一樣，是被誤以為已被撲殺的實驗白鼠，被送入跨維門後在此衍生。它們身上的精肉很多，為雙尾貓提供了寶貴的蛋白質。

She found something strange while on such a hunt, a week after she arrived. She was about to catch a rat with 3 eyes when it scurried under a rusty chassis, and she dived in after it only to be faced with what looked like a small, highly intricate box with a yellow light flashing on it.

到達行星的一個星期後，雙尾貓發現了一件奇怪的東西。她對一隻長了三隻眼睛的肥鼠窮追不捨，跟著老鼠鑽入一個幾乎銹爛的車身殼底。老鼠沒有捉到，但她卻發現一隻小小的製作精細的金屬盒子半埋在土裡，盒體上嵌入的一枚小燈泡閃爍著黃色的光。

Robot9000 examined it when she brought it back to him. "It seems to serve the function of a location beacon."

機器人9000號在她歸來後細細地檢查了這個盒子。「這似乎是一個定位信標器。」

"Location beacon? Located by whom?"

「定位？從哪裡定位啊？」

"Unclear. I must examine it further and determine the location from where the signal is being broadcast."

「不清楚。我必須進一步檢視，才能確認信號從哪裡發出。」

While Robot9000 performed his scan, Cat o’ Two Tails gazed at the rising blue exoplanet in the distance that their tiny satellite revolved around. Must be a lotta fish there, she thought as she drifted in and out of sleep.

機器人9000號進行掃描時，雙尾貓凝視著這枚小衛星所環繞的藍色外行星在遠方緩緩升起。那顆行星像一顆深藍色的玻璃珠，令雙尾貓想起地球上的大海。那行星上一定有很多魚，她想著，漸漸開始打盹。

“The signal is being broadcast from this planet, approximately 12 miles away to the North." Robot9000 announced half an hour later.

「信號是從這個星球播出的，大約以北12英里，」機器人半個小時後宣布。

"You're kidding,” Cat answered. “Haven't you already mapped this moon? I'd probably have already hiked way out if I didn't have to, you know, collect cactus juice and catch rats so I don't die."

「你開玩笑吧，」雙尾貓詫異地回答。「你難道還沒有走遍這整個星球嗎？我要是不需要為保命抓老鼠和收集植物水的話，早就走得很遠啦。」

"Negative. I have had no cause to venture more than 5 miles from my current location."

「否定。我從未有過任何理由從我現在的位置挪動五英里以上。」

"Don't you ever feel curious?"

「你從未對五英里之外的世界覺得好奇麼？」

"I've had no impetus to make new discoveries on this planet."

「否定。我不具有在此行星上尋求新事物的衝動。」

" But we need to find where this signal is coming from! You said there's only the two of us on this planet and now there’s some geek with a ham radio out there! Maybe he has a can of Spam! God I miss Spam. We have to go." Cat o’ Two Tails shook her tails wildly.

「可是我們必須找出這個信號的源頭啊！你說我們是這個小行星上唯一的智慧生物，可是現在證明不遠處有某個會玩短波的四眼！說不定他甚至會有午餐肉罐頭吃，天啊，我好想念午餐肉。我們必須要去！」雙尾貓的兩條尾巴興奮地抖動著。

“But I have no cause to discover the origin of this signal. I do not consume Spam.”

「可是我沒有理由找出這個信號的源頭。我不食用午餐肉罐頭。」

Cat looked at Robot9000 sadly. “How about friendship as a cause? That’s what friends do – help each other.”

雙尾貓難過地看著機器人9000號。「那，友誼算不算一個理由呢？朋友就是這樣相互幫助的啊。」

Robot9000 pondered this for a moment. "Affirmative. Social cohesion is necessary for synergic efficiency. I will assist."

機器人9000號對此思考了一陣。

「確認。社會團結性對於互動效率是必要的。我會提供輔助。」

*

未完待續！