mc.theandromedastrein-第20节

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　　　Four　total…immersion　baths；　three　sequences　of　ultraviolet　and　infrared　light；　two　of　ultrasonic　vibrations；　and　then　something　quite　astonishing　at　the　end。　A　steel…walled　cubicle；　with　a　helmet　on　a　peg。　The　sign　said；　〃This　is　an　ultraflash　apparatus。　To　protect　head　and　facial　hair；　place　metal　helmet　securely　on　head；　then　press　button　below。〃　
　
　　　Hall　had　never　heard　of　ultraflash；　and　he　followed　directions；　not　knowing　what　to　expect。　He　placed　the　helmet　over　his　head；　then　pressed　the　button。
　
　　　There　was　a　single；　brief；　dazzling　burst　of　white　light；　followed　by　a　wave　of　heat　that　filled　the　cubicle。　He　felt　a　moment　of　pain；　so　swift　he　hardly　recognized　it　until　it　was　over。　Cautiously；　he　removed　the　helmet　and　looked　at　his　body。　His　skin　was　covered　with　a　fine；　white　ash　and　then　he　realized　that　the　ash　was　his　skin；　or　had　been：　the　machine　had　burned　away　the　outer　epithelial　layers。　He　proceeded　to　a　shower　and　washed　the　ash　off。　When　he　finally　reached　the　dressing　room；　he　found　green　uniforms。
　
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　　　Another　physical。　This　time　they　wanted　samples　of　everything：　sputum；　oral　epithelium；　blood；　urine；　stool。　He　submitted　passively　to　the　tests；　examinations；　questions。　He　was　tired；　and　was　beginning　to　feel　disoriented。　The　repetitions；　the　new　experiences；　the　colors　on　the　walls；　the　same　bland　artificial　light。。。
　
　　　Finally；　he　was　brought　back　to　Stone　and　the　others。　Stone　said；　〃We　have　six　hours　on　this　level　that's　protocol；　waiting　while　they　do　the　lab　tests　on　us　so　we　might　as　well　sleep。　Down　the　corridor　are　rooms；　marked　with　your　names。　Further　down　is　the　cafeteria。　We'll　meet　there　in　five　hours　for　a　conference。　Right？〃
　
　　　Hall　found　his　room；　marked　with　a　plastic　door　tag。　He　entered；　surprised　to　find　it　quite　large。　He　had　been　expecting　something　the　size　of　a　Pullman　cubicle；　but　this　was　bigger　and　better…furnished。　There　was　a　bed；　a　chair；　a　small　desk；　and　a　puter　console　with　built…in　TV　set。　He　was　curious　about　the　puter；　but　also　very　tired。　He　lay　down　on　the　bed　and　fell　asleep　quickly。
　
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　　　Burton　could　not　sleep。　He　lay　in　his　bed　on　Level　IV　and　stared　at　the　ceiling；　thinking。　He　could　not　get　the　image　of　that　town　out　of　his　mind；　or　those　bodies；　lying　in　the　street　without　bleeding。。。
　
　　　Burton　was　not　a　hematologist；　but　his　work　had　involved　some　blood　studies。　He　knew　that　a　variety　of　bacteria　had　effects　on　blood。　His　own　research　with　staphylococcus；　for　example；　had　shown　that　this　organism　produced　two　enzymes　that　altered　blood。
　
　　　One　was　the　so…called　exotoxin；　which　destroyed　skin　and　dissolved　red　cells。　Another　was　a　coagulase；　which　coated　the　bacteria　with　protein　to　inhibit　destruction　by　white　cells。
　
　　　So　it　was　possible　that　bacteria　could　alter　blood。　And　it　could　do　it　many　different　ways：　strep　produced　an　enzyme；　streptokinase；　that　dissolved　coagulated　plasma。　Clostridia　and　pneumococci　produced　a　variety　of　hemolysins　that　destroyed　red　cells。　Malaria　and　amebae　also　destroyed　red　cells；　by　digesting　them　as　food。　Other　parasites　did　the　same　thing。
　
　　　So　it　was　possible。
　
　　　But　it　didn't　help　them　in　finding　out　how　the　Scoop　organism　worked。
　
　　　Burton　tried　to　recall　the　sequence　for　blood　clotting。　He　remembered　that　it　operated　like　a　kind　of　waterfall：　one　enzyme　was　set　off；　and　activated；　which　acted　on　a　second　enzyme；　which　acted　on　a　third；　the　third　on　a　fourth；　and　so　on；　down　through　twelve　or　thirteen　steps；　until　finally　blood　clotted。
　
　　　And　vaguely　he　remembered　the　rest；　the　details：　all　the　intermediate　steps；　the　necessary　enzymes；　the　metals；　ions；　local　factors。　It　was　horribly　plex。
　
　　　He　shook　his　head　and　tried　to　sleep。
　
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　　　Leavitt；　the　clinical　microbiologist；　was　thinking　through　the　steps　in　isolation　and　identification　of　the　causative　organism。　He　had　been　over　it　before；　he　was　one　of　die　original　founders　of　the　group；　one　of　the　men　who　developed　the　Life　Analysis　Protocol。　But　now；　on　the　verge　of　putting　that　plan　into　effect；　he　had　doubts。
　
　　　Two　years　before；　sitting　around　after　lunch；　talking　speculatively；　it　had　all　seemed　wonderful。　It　had　been　an　amusing　intellectual　game　then；　a　kind　of　abstract　test　of　wits。　But　now；　faced　with　a　real　agent　that　caused　real　and　bizarre　death；　he　wondered　whether　all　their　plans　would　prove　to　be　so　effective　and　so　plete　as　they　once　thought。
　
　　　The　first　steps　were　simple　enough。　They　would　examine　the　capsule　minutely　and　culture　everything　onto　growth　media。　They　would　be　hoping　like　hell　to　e　up　with　an　organism　that　they　could　work　with；　experiment　on；　and　identify。
　
　　　And　after　that；　attempt　to　find　out　how　it　attacked。　There　was　already　the　suggestion　that　it　killed　by　clotting　the　blood；　if　that　turned　out　to　be　the　case；　they　had　a　good　start；　but　if　not；　they　might　waste　valuable　time　following　it　up。
　
　　　The　example　of　cholera　came　to　mind。　For　centuries；　men　had　known　that　cholera　was　a　fatal　disease；　and　that　it　caused　severe　diarrhea；　sometimes　producing　as　much　as　thirty　quarts　of　fluid　a　day。　Men　knew　this；　but　they　somehow　assumed　that　the　lethal　effects　of　the　disease　were　unrelated　to　the　diarrhea；　they　searched　for　something　else：　an　antidote；　a　drug；　a　way　to　kill　the　organism。　It　was　not　until　modern　times　that　cholera　was　recognized　as　a　disease　that　killed　through　dehydration　primarily；　if　you　could　replace　a　victim's　water　losses　rapidly；　he　would　survive　the　infection　without　other　drugs　or　treatment。
　
　　　Cure　the　symptoms；　cure　the　disease。
　
　　　But　Leavitt　wondered　about　the　Scoop　organism。　Could　they　cure　the　disease　by　treating　the　blood　clotting？　Or　was　the　clotting　secondary　to　some　more　serious；　disorder？
　
　　　There　was　also　another　concern；　a　nagging　fear　that　had　bothered　him　since　the　earliest　planning　stages　of　Wildfire。　In　those　early　meetings；　Leavitt　had　argued　that　the　Wildfire　team　might　be　mitting　extraterrestrial　murder。
　
　　　Leavitt　had　pointed　out　that　all　men；　no　matter　how　scientifically　objective；　had　several　built…in　biases　when　discussing　life。　One　was　the　assumption　that　plex　life　was　larger　than　simple　life。　It　was　certainly　true　on　the　earth。　As　organisms　became　more　intelligent；　they　grew　larger；　passing　from　the　single…celled　stage　to　multicellular　creatures；　and　then　to　larger　animals　with　differentiated　cells　working　in　groups　called　organs。　On　earth；　the　trend　had　been　toward　larger　and　more　plex　animals。
　
　　　But　this　might　not　be　true　elsewhere　in　the　universe。　In　other　places；　life　might　progress　in　the　opposite　direction　toward　smaller　and　smaller　forms。　Just　as　modern　human　technology　had　learned　to　make　things　smaller；　perhaps　highly　advanced　evolutionary　pressures　led　to　smaller　life　forms。　There　were　distinct　advantages　to　smaller　forms：　less　consumption　of　raw　materials；　cheaper　spaceflight；　fewer　feeding　problems。。。
　
　　　Perhaps　the　most　intelligent　life　form　on　a　distant　planet　was　no　larger　than　a　flea。　Perhaps　no　larger　than　a　bacterium。　In　that　case；　the　Wildfire　Project　might　be　mitted　to　destroying　a　highly　developed　life　form；　without　ever　realizing　what　it　was　doing。
　
　　　This　concept　was　not　unique　to　Leavitt。　It　had　been　proposed　by　Merton　at　Harvard；　and　by　Chalmers　at　Oxford。　Chalmers；　a　man　with　a　keen　sense　of　humor；　had　used　the　example　of　a　man　looking　down　on　a　microscope　slide　and　see　in　the　bacteria　formed　into　the　words　〃Take　us　to　your　leader。〃　Everyone　thought　Chalmers's　idea　highly　amusing。
　
　　　Yet　Leavitt　could　not　get　it　out　of　his　mind。　Because　it　just　might　turn　out　to　be　true。
　
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　　　Before　he　fell　asleep；　Stone　thought　about　the　conference　ing　up。　And　the　business　of　the　meteorite。　He　wondered　what　Nagy　would　say；　or　Karp；　if　they　knew　about　the　meteorite。
　
　　　Probably；　he　thought；　it　would　drive　them　insane。　Probably　it　will　drive　us　all　insane。
　
　　　And　then　he　slept。
　
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　　　Delta　sector　was　the　designation　of　three　rooms　on　Level　I　that　contained　all　munications　facilities　for　the　Wildfire　installation。　All　inter　and　visual　circuits　between　levels　were　routed　through　there；　as　were　cables　for　telephone　and　teletype　from　the　outside。　The　trunk　lines　to　the　library　and　the　central　storage　unit　were　also　regulated　by　delta　sector。
　
　　　In　essence　it　functioned　as　a　giant　switchboard；　fully　puterized。　The　three　rooms　of　delta　sector　were　quiet；　all　that　could　be　heard　was　the　soft　hum　of　spinning　tape　drums　and　the　muted　clicking　of　relays。　Only　one　person　worked　here；　a　single　man　sitting　at　a　console；　surrounded　by　the　blinking　lights　of　the　puter。
　
　　　There　was　no　real　reason　for　the　man　to　be　there；　he　performed　no　necessary　function。　The　puters　were　self…regulating；　constructed　to　run　check　patterns　through　their　circuits　every　twelve　minutes；　the　puters　shut　down　automatically　if　there　was　an　abnormal　reading。
　
　　　According　to　protocol；　the　man　was　required　to　monitor　MCN　munications；　which　were　signaled　by　the　ringing　of　a　bell　on　the　teleprinter。　When　the　bell　rang；　he　notified　the　five　level　mand　centers　that　the