jurassic.park-第21节

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How　things　used　to　happen　in　his　family；　Tim　corrected　himself。　Now　that　his　father　was　getting　a　divorce　from　his　mother；　things　would　probably　be　different。　His　father　had　already　moved　out；　and　even　though　it　was　weird　at　first；　Tim　liked　it。　He　thought　his　mother　had　a　boyfriend；　but　he　couldn't　be　sure；　and　of　course　he　would　never　mention　it　to　Lex。　Lex　was　heartbroken　to　be　separated　from　her　father；　and　in　the　last　few　weeks　she　had　bee　so　obnoxious　that…
　　　　〃Was　it　5027？〃　Grant　said。
　　　　〃I'm　sorry？〃　Tim　said。
　　　　〃The　tyrannosaurus　at　the　museum。　Was　it　5027？〃
　　　　〃Yes；〃　Tim　said。　〃How'd　you　know？〃
　　　　Grant　smiled。　〃They've　been　talking　about　fixing　it　for　years。　But　now　it　may　never　happen。〃
　　　　〃Why　is　that？〃
　　　　〃Because　of　what　is　taking　place　here；〃　Grant　said；　〃on　your　grandfather's　island。〃
　　　　Tim　shook　his　head。　He　didn't　understand　what　Grant　was　talking　about。　〃My　mom　said　it　was　just　a　resort；　you　know；　with　swimming　and　tennis。〃
　　　　〃Not　exactly；〃　Grant　said。　〃I'll　explain　as　we　walk　along。〃

Now　I'm　a　damned　babysitter；　Ed　Regis　thought　unhappily；　tapping　his　foot　as　he　waited　in　the　visitor　center。　That　was　what　the　old　man　had　told　him　him：　You　watch　my　kids　like　a　hawk；　they're　your　responsibility　for　the　weekend。
　　　　Ed　Regis　didn't　like　it　at　all。　He　felt　degraded。　He　wasn't　a　damn　babysitter。　And；　for　that　matter；　he　wasn't　a　damned　tour　guide；　even　for　VIPs。　He　was　the　head　of　public　relations　for　Jurassic　Park；　and　he　had　much　to　prepare　between　now　and　the　opening；　a　year　away。　Just　to　coordinate　with　the　PR　firms　in　San　Francisco　and　London；　and　the　agencies　in　New　York　and　Tokyo；　was　a　full…time　job…especially　since　the　agencies　couldn't　yet　be　told　what　the　resort's　real　attraction　was。　The　firms　were　all　designing　teaser　campaigns；　nothing　specific；　and　they　were　unhappy。　Creative　people　needed　nurturing。　They　needed　encouragement　to　do　their　best　work。　He　couldn't　waste　his　time　taking　scientists　on　tours。
　　　　But　that　was　the　trouble　with　a　career　in　public　relations…nobody　saw　you　as　a　professional。　Regis　had　been　down　here　on　the　island　off　and　on　for　the　past　seven　months；　and　they　were　still　pushing　odd　jobs　on　him。　Like　that　episode　back　in　January。　Harding　should　have　handled　that。　Harding；　or　Owens；　the　general　contractor。　Instead；　it　had　fallen　to　Ed　Regis。　What　did　he　know　about　taking　care　of　some　sick　workman？　And　now　he　was　a　damn　tour　guide　and　babysitter。　He　turned　back　and　counted　the　heads。　Still　one　short。
　　　　Then；　in　the　back；　he　saw　Dr。　Sattler　emerge　from　the　bathroom。　〃All　right；　folks；　let's　begin　our　tour　on　the　second　floor。〃

Tim　went　with　the　others；　following　Mr。　Regis　up　the　black　suspended　staircase　to　the　second　floor　of　the　building。　They　passed　a　sign　that　read：

CLOSED　AREA
AUTHORIZED　PERSONNEL　ONLY
BEYOND　THIS　POINT

　　　　Tim　felt　a　thrill　when　he　saw　that　sign。　They　walked　down　the　secondfloor　hallway。　One　wall　was　glass；　looking　out　onto　a　balcony　with　palm　trees　in　the　light　mist。　On　the　other　wall　were　stenciled　doors；　like　offices：　PARK　WARDEN　。。。　GUEST　SERVICES　。。。　GENERAL　MANAGER。　。　。　。
　　　　Halfway　down　the　corridor　they　came　to　a　glass　partition　marked　with　another　sign：

　　　　Underneath　were　more　signs：

CAUTION
Teratogenic　Substances
Pregnant　Women　Avoid　Exposure
To　This　Area

DANGER
Radioactive　Isotopes　In　Use
Carcinogenic　Potential
　　　　
　　　　Tim　grew　more　excited　all　the　time。　Teratogenic　substances！　Things　that　made　monsters！　It　gave　him　a　thrill；　and　he　was　disappointed　to　hear　Ed　Regis　say；　〃Never　mind　the　signs；　they're　just　up　for　legal　reasons。　I　can　assure　you　everything　is　perfectly　safe。〃　He　led　them　through　the　door。　There　was　a　guard　on　the　other　side。　Ed　Regis　turned　to　the　group。
　　　　〃You　may　have　noticed　that　we　have　a　minimum　of　personnel　on　the　island。　We　can　run　this　resort　with　a　total　of　twenty　people。　Of　course；　we'll　have　more　when　we　have　guests　here；　but　at　the　moment　there's　only　twenty。　Here's　our　control　room。　The　entire　park　is　controlled　from　here。〃
　　　　They　paused　before　windows　and　peered　into　a　darkened　room　that　looked　like　a　small　version　of　Mission　Control。　There　was　a　vertical　glass　see…through　map　of　the　park；　and　facing　it　a　bank　of　glowing　puter　consoles…　Some　of　the　screens　displayed　data；　but　most　of　them　showed　video　images　from　around　the　park。　There　were　just　two　people　inside；　standing　and　talking。
　　　　〃The　man　on　the　left　is　our　chief　engineer；　John　Arnold〃…Regis　pointed　to　a　thin　man　in　a　button…down　short…sleeve　shirt　and　tie；　smoking　a　cigarette…〃and　next　to　him；　our　park　warden；　Mr。　Robert　Muldoon；　the　famous　white　bunter　from　Nairobi。〃　Muldoon　was　a　burly　man　in　khaki；　sunglasses　dangling　from　his　shirt　pockct。　He　glanced　out　at　the　group；　gave　a　brief　nod；　and　turned　back　to　the　puter　screens。　〃I'm　sure　you　want　to　see　this　room；〃　Ed　Regis　said；　〃but　first；　let's　see　how　we　obtain　dinosaur　DNA。〃

The　sign　on　the　door　said　EXTRACTIONS　and；　like　all　the　doors　in　the　laboratory　building；　it　opened　with　a　security　card。　Ed　Regis　slipped　the　card　in　the　slot；　the　light　blinked；　and　the　door　opened。
　　　　Inside；　Tim　saw　a　small　room　bathed　in　green　light。　Four　technicians　in　lab　coats　were　peering　into　double…barreled　stereo　microscopes；　or　looking　at　images　on　high　resolution　video　screens。　The　room　was　filled　with　yellow　stones。　The　stones　were　in　glass　shelves；　in　cardboard　boxes；　in　large　pull…out　trays。　Each　stone　was　tagged　and　numbered　in　black　ink。
　　　　Regis　introduced　Henry　Wu；　a　slender　man　in　his　thirties。　〃Dr。　Wu　is　our　chief　geneticist。　I'll　let　him　explain　what　we　do　here。〃
　　　　Henry　Wu　smiled。　〃At　least　I'll　try；〃　he　said。　〃Genetics　is　a　bit　plicated。　But　you're　probably　wondering　where　our　dinosaur　DNA　es　from。〃
　　　　〃It　crossed　my　mind；〃　Grant　said。
　　　　〃As　a　matter　of　fact；〃　Wu　said；　〃there　are　two　possible　sources。　Using　the　Loy　antibody　extraction　technique；　we　can　sometimes　get　DNA　directly　from　dinosaur　bones。〃
　　　　〃What　kind　of　a　yield？〃　Grant　asked。
　　　　〃Well；　most　soluble　protein　is　leached　out　during　fossilization；　but　twenty　percent　of　the　proteins　are　still　recoverable　by　grinding　up　the　bones　and　using　Loy's　procedure。　Dr。　Loy　himself　has　used　it　to　obtain　proteins　from　extinct　Australian　marsupials；　as　well　as　blood　cells　from　ancient　human　remains。　His　technique　is　so　refined　it　can　work　with　a　mere　fifty　nanograms　of　material。　That's　fifty…billionths　of　a　gram。〃
　　　　〃And　you've　adapted　his　technique　here？〃　Grant　asked。
　　　　〃Only　as　a　backup；〃　Wu　said。　〃As　you　can　imagine；　a　twenty　percent　yield　is　insufficient　for　our　work。　We　need　the　entire　dinosaur　DNA　strand　in　order　to　clone。　And　we　get　it　here。〃　He　held　up　one　of　the　yellow　stones。　〃From　amber…the　fossilized　resin　of　prehistoric　tree　sap。〃
　　　　Grant　looked　at　Ellie；　then　at　Malcolm。
　　　　〃That's　really　quite　clever；〃　Malcolm　said；　nodding。
　　　　〃I　still　don't　understand；〃　Grant　admitted。
　　　　〃Tree　sap；〃　Wu　explained；　〃often　flows　over　insects　and　traps　them。　The　insects　are　then　perfectly　preserved　within　the　fossil。　One　finds　all　kinds　of　insects　in　amber…including　biting　insects　that　have　sucked　blood　from　larger　animals。〃
　　　　〃Sucked　the　blood；〃　Grant　repeated。　His　mouth　fell　open。　〃You　mean　sucked　the　blood　of　dinosaurs。
　　　　〃Hopefully；　yes。〃
　　　　〃And　then　the　insects　are　preserved　in　amber。　。　。　。〃　Grant　shook　his　head。　〃I'll　be　damned…that　just　might　work。〃
　　　　〃I　assure　you；　it　does　work；〃　Wu　said。　He　moved　to　one　of　the　microscopes；　where　a　technician　positioned　a　piece　of　amber　containing　a　fly　under　the　microscope。　On　the　video　monitor；　they　watched　as　he　inserted　a　long　needle　through　the　amber；　into　the　thorax　of　the　prehistoric　fly。
　　　　〃If　this　insect　has　any　foreign　blood　cells；　we　may　be　able　to　extract　them；　and　obtain　paleo…DNA；　the　DNA　of　an　extinct　creature。　We　won't　know　for　sure；　of　course；　until　we　extract　whatever　is　in　there；　replicate　it；　and　test　it。　That　is　what　we　have　been　doing　for　five　years　now。　It　has　been　a　long；　slow　process…but　it　has　paid　off。
　　　　〃Actually；　dinosaur　DNA　is　somewhat　easier　to　extract　by　this　process　than　mammalian　DNA。　The　reason　is　that　mammalian　red　cells　have　no　nuclei；　and　thus　no　DNA　in　their　red　cells。　To　clone　a　mammal；　you　must　find　a　white　cell；　which　is　much　rarer　than　red　cells。　But　dinosaurs　had　nucleated　red　cells；　as　do　modern　birds。　It　is　one　of　the　many　indications　we　have　that　dinosaurs　aren't　really　reptiles　at　all。　They　are　big　leathery　birds。〃
　　　　Tim　saw　that　Dr。　Grant　still　looked　skeptical；　and　Dennis　Nedry；　the　messy　fat　man；　appeared　pletely　uninterested；　as　if　he　knew　it　all　already。　Nedry　kept　looking　impatiently　toward　the　next　room。
　　　　〃I　see　Mr。　Nedry　has　spotted　the　next　phase　of　our　work；〃　Wu　said。　〃How　we　identify　the　DNA　we　have　extracted。　For　that；　we　use　powerful　puters。〃
　　　　They　went　through　sliding　doors　into　a　chilled　room。　There　was　a　loud　humming　sound。　Two　six…foot…tall　round　towers　stood　in　the　center　of　the　room；　and　along　the　walls　were　rows　of　waist…high　stainless…steel　boxes。　〃This　is　our　high…tech　laundromat；〃　Dr。　Wu　said。　〃The　boxes　along　the　walls　are　all　Hamachi…Hood　automated　gene　sequencers。　They　are　being　run；　at　very　high　speed；　by　the　Cray　XMP　superputer