讀過《科學怪人》，看過影片，再讀這篇小小說，便知道什麼是「科學怪人情結」( Frankenstein's Complex)
←圖片，《科學怪人》作者瑪利．雪萊。
科幻之母的嘆息 ‧黃海‧
二○五一年二月一日，地球上最先進的科學家，安排我接受一個祕密實驗，讓我進入人類集體無意識的世界裡，尋找一個叫瑪利‧雪萊的英國女人──她就是世界「科幻小說之母」，希望藉著我這個科幻作家與她溝通，找到當年她創造《科學怪人》的祕密，這部小說兩百多年來準確預測了科學進步帶來的惡果，幾乎所有嚴肅的科幻作品的主題意識，都有「科學怪人」的影子。
這時地球剛剛發生的智能機器人失控事件，造成比電影《機械公敵》更嚴重的災難，或許瑪利‧雪萊有所解釋，可以指引迷津。
我的腦袋和身體，被接通了無數的電極，與最新型的量子電腦相通，恍恍惚惚看見幻化萬千的形體和臉容如鬼怪幽靈般在太虛中飄盪，我認得出來的有艾西莫夫、愛因斯坦、費曼、胡適、吳大猷、毛澤東、孫中山、鄧小平、丘吉爾、羅斯福、川端康成、鄧麗君、李小龍、貓王普里斯來、約翰韋恩和數不清的各類人物動物和野獸生物，抱括大象林旺等等…
寫過將近五百本書的科幻科普大師艾西莫夫，對我的來訪有著無比好奇和興趣，我請教他科幻之母的下落，他也一問三不知，跟屁蟲似的尾隨著在我後頭。
飄呀飄的，飛呀飛的，越過或穿透摩天大樓、崇山峻嶺、森林巨樹、湖泊海洋、岩石地層，瞬間快意完成，旋轉變身急如閃電，努力尋找再尋找。
「喔，往地獄湖飛吧！」英國偉人丘吉爾咬著煙斗，指向一處火焰燒紅的天空下面，那兒有許多巍峩錯列的山峰，盤旋著數閃亮火紅的金蛇。
魔幻妖火四竄的地獄湖裡，我徬徨亂竄，與各種牛鬼蛇神衝擊擦撞。
直到我看到「科學怪人」活生生出現眼前，後面還飄站在人山人海的科學怪人，我一時魂飛魄散，趕緊反向逃竄，反正天崖海角任我飛嘛，最後我縮入北極冰山裡躲著，屏息觀看動靜，腦門閃過一道念頭：這不就是原著小說中科學家弗蘭肯斯垣被科學怪人追到北極殉難的所在地？
次一瞬間，還沒有讓我繼續思考的餘地，我便被科學怪人的兩手抓住，有如小雞被老鷹逮著，教我動彈不得。艾西莫夫卻在旁邊乾瞪眼，見死不救。
「哈哈哈…我們早知你來意啦…你瞧！」科學怪人笑得開心又詭異，指著身後突然變幻出的奇景…
轉眼間，無數的科學怪人從四面八方包圍過來，他們把瑪利‧雪萊和另一個女怪物帶來，在我面前好整以暇站著。
我簡短說明了來意；最後問：「機器人控制人類，造成許多危害，不知妳有何想法？」
「謝謝你來看我呀…」瑪利‧雪萊非常難過傷心，頻頻啜泣嘆息說：「今天是我來地獄湖兩百周年紀念日…他們才準你來探望我…因為我的小說還有另一個版本…祕密被出版，情節被模仿了…就是科學家弗蘭肯斯坦為科學怪人製造的新娘，實際上並沒有銷毀…」
艾西莫夫在旁邊低聲插話：「瑪利‧雪萊是一八五一年二月一日去世的。」
「哦，科幻之母，妳說科學怪人還有另一個不同的結局？」我問。
「不錯，科學怪人結婚了…多子多孫…遍布地球、銀河系。」
「我懂了，怪不得…」我記得原著《科學怪人》有過科學家為科學怪人製造另一個新娘的情節，但是弗蘭肯斯坦害怕帶來的可怕的後果，把新娘消滅了，卻造成科學怪人的僧恨報復之心，弗蘭肯斯坦一路追蹤科學怪人，最後不幸凍死在北極。
「這另一個版本，情節是相反的…」瑪利‧雪萊沮喪地說：「科學界不斷的模仿我另一版本的故事情節…終於發生機器人大災難…我也注定要在地獄裡煎敖一千年…」
瑪利‧雪萊哽咽著，再也說不下去了，抱著我痛哭起來。
科幻小說作家艾西莫夫在旁邊生氣的嘀咕：
「難怪我的機器人三定律，控制不了機器人！」（完）
（本文分別發表於2005年8月《幼獅文藝》及2006年《科學月刊》
The Sigh of Mofither Sci-fi
Au thor（原著）: Hwang Hai ( 黃海)
Traslator( 譯者） : Chiang Tsu-chien（蔣祖茜）
February 1st, 2051. The most advanced scientists on earth arranged a secret experiment, for which I was to enter the collective unconscious of mankind, and search for an English woman named Mary Shelley—Mother Sci-fi of the world. It was hoped that I, as a science fiction novelist, could talk to her and learn the secret of her creation: Frankenstein. For more than two hundred years, this novel has accurately predicted the harsh results of scientific progress. Traces of Frankenstein can be seen in the thematic consciousness of nearly all serious sci-fi works. At present, the intelligent robots that just went out of control on earth have caused a disaster worse than the one in the movie I, Robot. Perhaps Mary Shelley could provide an explanation which may give a few pointers.
Numerous electrodes connected to my brain and body, interlinked with the latest quantum computer model. In a daze, I saw a kaleidoscope of forms and faces drifting in the great void like ghosts and phantoms. Among them I recognized Isaac Asimov, Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman, Hu Shih, Wu Ta-You, Mao Ze-dong, Sun Yat-sen, Deng Xiao-ping, Winston Churchill, Franklin Roosevelt, Yasunari Kawabata, Teresa Teng, Bruce Lee, Elvis Presley, John Wayne, and countless other people, animals, beasts, and creatures of all sorts, including the war veteran elephant Lin Wang, etc.
Isaac Asimov, the master of science fiction and popular science who’s written nearly five hundred books, was immensely intrigued by my visit. I inquired him on the whereabouts of Mother Sci-fi, but he had no clue either, and tagged along like my shadow.
Floating, flying over skyscrapers, bedrock layers, lakes and seas, soaring mountains and high peaks, through forests and colossal trees. Swift and brisk, twisting and turning lightning quick, searching, searching, searching.
“Hey, let’s head to Inferno Lake!” A pipe clamped between his teeth, the great Englishman Winston Churchill pointed to a red-blazed sky, under which numerous towering peaks jutted out here and there, and where many shiny gold snakes of flaming red lay coiled. Here magical faerie fires dashed to and fro, and I scurried about uncertainly, colliding with and bumping into all sorts of demons and spirits.
Then I saw him: Frankenstein, the monster as large as life right before my eyes, still-floating behind in the sea of the crowd. Frightened out of my wits, I fled in the other direction. After all, this land was made for me to fly about. I finally ducked into an iceberg, holding my breath and on the lookout for any signs of activity. A thought suddenly crossed my mind: Wasn’t this where Victor Frankenstein died after chasing the monster to the North Pole in the original novel?
The next second, allowing no further thoughts, Frankenstein seized me with both his hands, like the cat that got the mouse, and I couldn’t budge an inch. Asimov just stood there, watching with folded arms.
“Ha ha ha…we know why you’re here, look!” Frankenstein laughed joyfully though eerily, pointing to the miraculous sight suddenly transformed behind him…
In a wink, myriads of Frankensteins surrounded us from all directions. They had brought Mary Shelley and another female monster, leisurely standing in front of me.
Briefly I explained my purpose for coming here. Finally I asked, “What are your thoughts on the issue of robots controlling humans, which has caused much harm?”
“Thank you for coming to visit me…” Terribly upset and heartbroken, Mary Shelley spoke with sobs and sighs, “Today is my two hundredth anniversary of arriving at Inferno Lake…that’s why they let you visit… my novel has another version…which has been secretly published, and the plot was imitated…the bride that Victor created for Frankenstein…but in fact she hasn’t been destroyed…”
“Mary Shelley died on February 1st, 1851,” Asimov said under his breath, cutting in from aside.
“Oh. Mother Sci-fi, you mean Frankenstein has another ending?” I asked.
“Yes. The monster got married…had children, grandchildren…everywhere on earth and throughout the galaxy.”
“I see, no wonder…,” I remembered that a scientist had created a bride for Frankenstein in the original Frankenstein, but Victor was terrified of the horrifying results it would bring, so he destroyed the bride. Hatred and vengeance stirred in Frankenstein, and he killed Victor’s bride. The scientist tracked down the monster all the way to the North Pole, but died before reaching him.
“In the other version, the plot is reversed…,” Mary Shelley said dejectedly, “People in the science field continuously imitated the plot of my other version…finally leading to the robot disaster…and I’m doomed to one thousand years of torment in hell…”
Choking with sobs, Mary Shelley was unable to speak, and cried bitterly into my arms.
Aside, sci-fi writer Asimov grumbled angrily, “No wonder my Three Laws of Robotics can’t control robots!” (The End)
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