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〃Yes。〃
〃They've been told；〃 somebody else said。 〃It went out on the scrambler an hour ago。〃
Then； thought Manchek； there would certainly be a reaction from Wildfire。 They could not afford to ignore this。
Unless they weren't reading their cables。 It had never occurred to him before； but perhaps it was possible they weren't reading the cables。 They were so absorbed in their work； they just weren't bothering。
〃There's the wreck；〃 somebody said。 〃Up ahead。〃
***
Each time Manchek saw a wreck； he was astonished。 Somehow； one never got used to the idea of the sprawl； the mess； the destructive force of a large metal object striking the earth at thousands of miles an hour。 He always expected a neat； tight little clump of metal； but it was never that way。
The wreckage of the Phantom was scattered over two square miles of desert。 Standing next to the charred remnants of the left wing； he could barely see the others； on the horizon； near the right wing。 Everywhere he looked； there were bits of twisted metal； blackened； paint peeling。 He saw one with a small portion of a sign still intact； the stenciled letters clear： DO NOT。 The rest was gone。
It was impossible to make anything of the remnants。 The fuselage； the cockpit； the canopy were all shattered into a million fragments； and the fires had disfigured everything。
As the sun faded； he found himself standing near the remains of the tail section； where the metal still radiated heat from the smoldering fire。 Half…buried in the sand he saw a bit of bone； he picked it up and realized with horror that it was human。 Long； and broken； and charred at one end； it had obviously e from an arm or a leg。 But it was oddly clean there was no flesh remaining； only smooth bone。
Darkness descended； and the post team took out their flashlights； the half…dozen men moving among； smoking metal； flashing their yellow beams of light about。
It was late in the evening when a biochemist whose name he did not know came up to talk with him。
〃You know；〃 the biochemist said； 〃it's funny。 That transcript about the rubber in the cockpit dissolving。〃
〃How do you mean？〃
〃Well； no rubber was used in this airplane。 It was all a synthetic plastic pound。 Newly developed by Ancro； they're quite proud of it。 It's a polymer that has some of the same characteristics as human tissue。 Very flexible； lots of applications。 〃
Manchek said； 〃Do you think vibrations could have caused the disintegration。〃
〃No；〃 the man said。 〃There are thousands of Phantoms flying around the world。 They all have this plastic。 None of them has ever had this trouble。〃
〃Meaning？〃
〃Meaning that I don't know what the hell is going on；〃 the biochemist said。
20。 Routine
SLOWLY； THE WILDFIRE INSTALLATION SETTLED into a routine； a rhythm of work in the underground chambers of a laboratory where there was no night or day； morning or afternoon。 The men slept when they were tired； awoke when they were refreshed； and carried on their work in a number of different areas。
Most of this work was to lead nowhere。 They knew that； and accepted it in advance。 As Stone was fond of saying； scientific research was much like prospecting： you went out and you hunted； armed with your maps and your instruments； but in the end your preparations did not matter； or even your intuition。 You needed your luck； and whatever benefits accrued to the diligent； through sheer； grinding hard work。
Burton stood in the room that housed the spectrometer along with several other pieces of equipment for radioactivity assays； ratio…density photometry； thermocoupling analysis； and preparation for X…ray crystallography。
The spectrometer employed in Level V was the standard Whittington model K…5。 Essentially it consisted of a vaporizer； a prism； and a recording screen。 The material to be tested was set in the vaporizer and burned。 The light from its burning then passed through the prism； where it was broken down to a spectrum that was projected onto a recording screen。 Since different elements gave off different wavelengths of light as they burned； it was possible to analyze the chemical makeup of a substance by analyzing the spectrum of light produced。
In theory it was simple； but in practice the reading of spectrometrograms was plex and difficult。 No one in this Wildfire laboratory was trained to do it well。 Thus results were fed directly into a puter； which performed the analysis。 Because of the sensitivity of the puter； rough percentage positions could also be determined。
Burton placed the first chip； from the black rock； onto the vaporizer and pressed the button。 There was a single bright burst of intensely hot light； he turned away； avoiding the brightness； and then put the second chip onto the lamp。 Already； he knew； the puter was analyzing the light from the first chip。
He repeated the process with the green fleck； and then checked the time。 The puter was now scanning the self…developing photographic plates； which were ready for viewing in seconds。 But the scan itself would take two hours die electric eye was very slow。
Once the scan was pleted； the puter would analyze results and print the data within five seconds。
The wall clock told him it was now 1500 hours three in the afternoon。 He suddenly realized he was tired。 He punched in instructions to the puter to wake him when analysis was finished。 Then he went off to bed。
***
In another room； Leavitt was carefully feeding similar chips into a different machine； an amino…acid analyzer。 As he did so； he smiled slightly to himself； for he could remember how it had been in the old days； before AA analysis was automatic。
In the early fifties； the analysis of amino acids in a protein might take weeks； or even months。 Sometimes it took years。 Now it took hours or at the very most； a day and it was fully automatic。
Amino acids were the building blocks of proteins。 There were twenty…four known amino acids； each posed of a half…dozen molecules of carbon； hydrogen； oxygen； and nitrogen。 Proteins were made by stringing these amino acids together in a line； like a freight train。 The order of stringing determined the nature of the protein whether it was insulin； hemoglobin； or growth hormone。 All proteins were posed of the same freight cars； the same units。 Some proteins had more of one kind of car than another； or in a different order。 But that was the only difference。 The same amino acids； the same freight cars； existed in human proteins and flea proteins。
That fact had taken approximately twenty years to discover。
But what controlled the order of amino acids in the protein？ The answer turned out to be DNA； the genetic…coding substance； which acted like a switching manager in a freightyard。
That particular fact had taken another twenty years to discover。
But then once the amino acids were strung together； they began to twist and coil upon themselves； the analogy became closer to a snake than a train。 The manner of coiling was determined by the order of acids； and was quite specific： a protein had to be coiled in a certain way； and no other； or it failed to function。
Another ten years。
Rather odd； Leavitt thought。 Hundreds of laboratories； thousands of workers throughout the world； all bent on discovering such essentially simple facts。 It had all taken years and years； decades of patient effort。
And now there was this machine。 The machine would not； of course； give the precise order of amino acids。 But it would give a rough percentage position： so much valine； so much arginine； so much cystine and proline and leucine。 And that； in turn； would give a great deal of information。
Yet it was a shot in the dark； this machine。 Because they had no reason to believe that either the rock or the green organism was posed even partially of proteins。 True； every living thing on earth had at least some proteins but that didn't mean life elsewhere had to have it。
For a moment； he tried to imagine life without proteins。 It was almost impossible： on earth； proteins were part of the cell wall； and prised all the enzymes known to man。 And life without enzymes？ Was that possible？
He recalled the remark of George Thompson； the British biochemist； who had called enzymes 〃the matchmakers of life。〃 It was true； enzymes acted as catalysts for all chemical reactions； by providing a surface for two molecules to e together and react upon。 There were hundreds of thousands； perhaps millions； of enzymes； each existing solely to aid a single chemical reaction。 Without enzymes； there could be no chemical reactions。
Without chemical reactions； there could be no life。
Or could there？
It was a long…standing problem。 Early in planning Wildfire； the question had been posed： How do you study a form of life totally unlike any you know？ How would you even know it was alive？
This was not an academic matter。 Biology； as George Wald had said； was a unique science because it could not define its subject matte