按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
UNDERSTAND TRANSMIT STATE ORIGIN
stone project wildfire
STATE DESTINATION
central codes
UNDERSTAND CENTRAL CODES
message follows
SEND
have isolated extraterrestrial organism secondary to return of scoop seven wish coding for organism end message
TRANSMITTED
There followed a long pause。 The scrambler teleprinter hummed and clicked； but printed nothing。 Then the typewriter began to spit out a message on a long roll of paper。
MESSAGE FROM CENTRAL CODES FOLLOWS
UNDERSTAND ISOLATION OF NEW ORGANISM PLEASE CHARACTERIZE
END MESSAGE
Stone frowned。 〃But we don't know enough。〃 However； the teleprinter was impatient：
TRANSMIT REPLY TO CENTRAL CODES
After a moment； Stone typed back：
message to central codes follows
cannot characterize at this time but suggest tentative classification as bacterial strain
end message
MESSAGE FROM CENTRAL CODES FOLLOWS
UNDERSTAND REQUEST FOR BACTERIAL CLASSIFICATION
OPENING NEW CATEGORY CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO ICDA STANDARD REFERENCE CODE FOR YOUR ORGANISM WILL BE ANDROMEDA CODE WILL READ OUT ANDROMEDA
FILED UNDER ICDA LISTINGS AS 053。9 ＇UNSPECIFIED ORGANISM＇
FURTHER FILING AS E866 ＇AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT＇ THIS FILING REPRESENTS CLOSEST FIT TO ESTABLISHED CATEGORIES
Stone smiled。 〃It seems we don't fit the established categories。〃
He typed back：
understand coding as andromeda strain
accepted
end message
TRANSMITTED
〃Well；〃 Stone said； 〃that's that。〃
Burton had been looking over the sheaves of paper behind the teleprinter。 The teleprinter…wrote its messages out on a
long roll of paper； which fell into a box。 There were dozens of yards of paper that no one had looked at。
Silently； he read a single message； tore it from the rest of the strip； and handed it to Stone。
1134/443/KK/Y…U/9
INFORMATION STATUS
TRANSMIT TO ALL STATIONS
CLASSIFICATION TOP SECRET
REQUEST FOR DIRECTIVE 7…12 RECEIVED TODAY BY EXEC AND NBC…COBRA
ORIGIN VANDENBERG/WILDFIRE CORROBORATION NASA/AMC
AUTHORITY PRIMARY MANCHEK； ARTHUR； MAJOR USA
IN CLOSED SESSION THIS DIRECTIVE HAS NOT BEEN ACTED UPON FINAL DECISION HAS BEEN POSTPONED TWENTY FOUR TO FORTY EIGHT HOURS RECONSIDERATION AT THAT TIME ALTERNATIVE TROOP DEPLOYMENT ACCORDING TO DIRECTIVE 7…11 NOW IN EFFECT
NO NOTIFICATION
END MESSAGE
TRANSMIT ALL STATIONS
CLASSIFICATION TOP SECRET
END TRANSMISSION
The team stared at the message in disbelief。 No one said anything for a long time。 Finally； Stone ran his fingers along the upper corner of the sheet and said in a low voice； 〃This was a 443。 That makes it an MCN transmission。 It should have rung the bell down here。〃
〃There's no bell on this teleprinter；〃 Leavitt said。 〃Only on Level I； at sector five。 But they're supposed to notify us whenever〃
〃Get sector five on the inter；〃 Stone said。
***
Ten minutes later； the horrified Captain Mortis had connected Stone to Robertson； the head of the President's Science Advisory mittee； who was in Houston。
Stone spoke for several minutes with Robertson； pressed initial surprise that he hadn't heard from earlier。 There then followed a heated discussion of the President's decision not to call a Directive 7…12。
〃The President doesn't trust scientists；〃 Roberts（ 〃He doesn't feel fortable with them。〃
〃It's your job to make him fortable；〃 Stone said； 〃and you haven't been doing it。〃
〃Jeremy〃
〃There are only two sources of contamination；〃 Stone said。 〃Piedmont； and this installation。 We're adequately protected here； but Piedmont〃
〃Jeremy； I agree the bomb should have been dropped。〃
〃Then work on him。 Stay on his back。 Get him 7…12 as soon as possible。 It may already be too late。〃
Robertson said he would； and would call back。 Before he hung up； he said； 〃By the way； any thoughts about the Phantom？〃
〃The what？〃
〃The Phantom that crashed in Utah。〃
There was a moment of confusion before the Wildfire group understood that they had missed still another important teleprinter message。
〃Routine training mission。 The jet strayed over the closed zone； though。 That's the puzzle。〃
〃Any other information？〃
〃The pilot said something about his air hose dissolving。 Vibration； or something。 His last munication was bizarre。〃
〃Like he was crazy？〃 Stone asked。
〃Like that；〃 Robertson said。
〃Is there a team at the wreck site now？〃
〃Yes； we're waiting for information from them。 It could e at any time。〃
〃Pass it along；〃 Stone said。 And then he stopped。 〃If a 7…11 was ordered； instead of a 7…12；〃 he said； 〃then you have troops in the area around Piedmont。〃
〃National Guard； yes。〃
〃That's pretty damned stupid；〃 Stone said。
〃Look； Jeremy； I agree〃
〃When the first one dies；〃 Stone said； 〃I want to know when； and how。 And most especially； where。 The wind there is from the east predominantly。 If you start losing men west of Piedmont〃
〃I'll call； Jeremy；〃 Robertson said。
The conversation ended； and the team shuffled out of the conference room。 Hall remained behind a moment； going through some of the rolls in the box； noting the messages。 The majority were unintelligible to him； a weird set of nonsense messages and codes。 After a time he gave up； he did so before he came upon the reprinted news item concerning the peculiar death of Officer Martin Willis； of the Arizona highway patrol。
DAY 4
Spread
22。 The Analysis
WITH THE NEW PRESSURES OF TIME； THE RESULTS of spectrometry and amino…acid analysis； previously of peripheral interest； suddenly became matters of major concern。 It was hoped that these analyses would tell； in a rough way； how foreign the Andromeda organism was to earth life forms。
It was thus with interest that Leavitt and Burton looked over the puter printout； a column of figures written on green paper：
MASS SPECTROMETRY DATA OUTPUT PRINT
PERCENTAGE OUTPUT SAMPLE 1 … BLACK OBJECT UNIDENTIFIED ORIGIN
＇Diagram of chemistry of the rock from H to Br＇
ALL HEAVIER METALS SHOW ZERO CONTENT
SAMPLE 2 … GREEN OBJECT UNIDENTIFIED ORIGIN
＇Diagram of chemistry of green object＇
ALL HEAVIER METALS SHOW ZERO CONTENT
END PRINT
END PROGRAM
…STOP…
What all this meant was simple enough。 The black rock contained hydrogen； carbon； and oxygen； with significant amounts of sulfur； silicon； and selenium； and with trace quantities of several other elements。
The green spot； on the other hand； contained hydrogen； carbon； nitrogen； and oxygen。 Nothing else at all。 The two men found it peculiar that the rock and the green spot should be so similar in chemical makeup。 And it was peculiar that the green spot should contain nitrogen； while the rock contained none at all。
The conclusion was obvious： the 〃black rock〃 was not rock at all； but some kind of material similar to earthly organic life。 It was something akin to plastic。
And the green spot； presumably alive； was posed of elements in roughly the same proportion as earth life On earth； these same four elements hydrogen； carbon； nitrogen； and oxygen accounted for 99 per cent of all the elements in life organisms。
The men were encouraged by these results； which suggested similarity between the green spot and life on earth。 Their hopes were； however； short…lived as they turned to the amino…acid analysis：
AMINO ACID ANALYSIS
＇graphic of amino acid analysis all zeroes＇
TOTAL AMINO ACID CONTENT
00。00 00。00
END PRINT
END PROGRAM
… STOP …
〃Damn；〃 Leavitt said； staring at the printed sheet。 〃Will you look at that。〃
〃No amino acids；〃 Burton said。 〃No proteins。〃
〃Life without proteins；〃 Leavitt said。 He shook his head； it seemed as if his worst fears were realized。
On earth； organisms had evolved by learning to carry out biochemical reactions in a small space； with the help of protein enzymes。 Biochemists were now learning to duplicate these reactions； but only by isolating a single reaction from all others。
Living cells were different。 There； within a small area； reactions were carried out that provided energy； growth； and movement。 There was no separation； and man could not duplicate this any more than a man could prepare a plete dinner from appetizers to dessert by mixing together the ingredients for everything into a single large dish； cooking it； and hoping to separate the apple pie from the cheese dip later on。
Cells could keep the hundreds of separate reactions straight； using enzymes。 Each enzyme was like a single worker in a kitchen； doing just one thing。 Thus a baker could not make a steak； any more than a steak griller could use his equipment to prepare appetizers。
But enzymes had a further use。 They made possible chemic