mc.theandromedastrein- 第34部分

　
　　　***
　
　　　Leavitt　awoke　quickly；　rolling　out　of　bed　and　starting　to　dress。　He　was　excited：　he　had　just　had　an　idea。　A　fascinating　thing；　wild；　crazy；　but　fascinating　as　hell。
　
　　　It　had　e　from　his　dream。
　
　　　He　had　been　dreaming　of　a　house；　and　then　of　a　city　a　huge；　plex；　interconnecting　city　around　the　house。　A　man　lived　in　the　house；　with　his　family；　the　man　lived　and　worked　and　muted　within　the　city；　moving　about；　acting；　reacting。
　
　　　And　then；　in　the　dream；　the　city　was　suddenly　eliminated；　leaving　only　the　house。　How　different　things　were　then！　A　single　house；　standing　alone；　without　the　things　it　needed　water；　plumbing；　electricity；　streets。　And　a　family；　cut　off　from　the　supermarkets；　schools；　drugstores。　And　the　husband；　whose　work　was　in　the　city；　interrelated　to　others　in　the　city；　suddenly　stranded。
　
　　　The　house　became　a　different　organism　altogether。　And　from　that　to　the　Wildfire　organism　was　but　a　single　step；　a　single　leap　of　the　imagination。。。
　
　　　He　would　have　to　discuss　it　with　Stone。　Stone　would　laugh；　as　usual　Stone　always　laughed　but　he　would　also　pay　attention。　Leavitt　knew　that；　in　a　sense；　he　operated　as　the　idea　man　for　the　team。　The　man　who　would　always　provide　the　most　improbable；　mind…stretching　theories。
　
　　　Well；　Stone　would　at　least　be　interested。
　
　　　He　glanced　at　the　clock。　2200　hours。　Getting　on　toward　midnight。　He　hurried　to　dress。
　
　　　He　took　out　a　new　paper　suit　and　slipped　his　feet　in。　The　paper　was　cool　against　his　bare　flesh。
　
　　　And　then　suddenly　it　was　warm。　A　strange　sensation。　He　finished　dressing；　stood；　and　zipped　up　the　one…piece　suit。　As　he　left；　he　looked　once　again　at　the　clock。
　
　　　22：10。
　
　　　Oh；　geez；　he　thought。
　
　　　It　had　happened　again。　And　this　time；　for　ten　minutes。　What　had　gone　on？　He　couldn't　remember。　But　it　was　ten　minutes　gone；　disappeared；　while　he　had　dressed　an　action　that　shouldn't　have　taken　more　than　thirty　seconds。
　
　　　He　sat　down　again　on　the　bed；　trying　to　remember；　but　he　could　not。
　
　　　Ten　minutes　gone。
　
　　　It　was　terrifying。　Because　it　was　happening　again；　though　he　had　hoped　it　would　not。　It　hadn't　happened　for　months；　but　now；　with　the　excitement；　the　odd　hours；　the　break　in　his　normal　hospital　schedule；　it　was　starting　once　more。
　
　　　For　a　moment；　he　considered　telling　the　others；　then　shook　his　head。　He'd　be　all　right。　It　wouldn't　happen　again。　He　was　going　to　be　just　fine。
　
　　　He　stood。　He　had　been　on　his　way　to　see　Stone；　to　talk　to　Stone　about　something。　Something　important　and　exciting。
　
　　　He　paused。
　
　　　He　couldn't　remember。
　
　　　The　idea；　the　image；　the　excitement　was　gone。　Vanished；　erased　from　his　mind。
　
　　　He　knew　then　that　he　should　tell　Stone；　admit　the　whole　thing。　But　he　knew　what　Stone　would　say　and　do　if　he　found　out。　And　he　knew　what　it　would　mean　to　his　future；　to　the　rest　of　his　life；　once　the　Wildfire　Project　was　finished。　Everything　would　change；　if　people　knew。　He　couldn't　ever　be　normal　again　he　would　have　to　quit　his　job；　do　other　things；　make　endless　adjustments。　He　couldn't　even　drive　a　car。
　
　　　No；　he　thought。　He　would　not　say　anything。　And　he　would　be　all　right：　as　long　as　he　didn't　look　at　blinking　lights。
　
　　　***
　
　　　Jeremy　Stone　was　tired；　but　knew　he　was　not　ready　for　sleep。　He　paced　up　and　down　the　corridors　of　the　laboratory；　thinking　about　the　birds　at　Piedmont。　He　ran　over　everything　they　had　done：　how　they　had　seen　the　birds；　how　they　had　gassed　them　with　chlorazine；　and　how　the　birds　had　died。　He　went　over　it　in　his　mind；　again　and　again。
　
　　　Because　he　was　missing　something。　And　that　something　was　bothering　him。
　
　　　At　the　time；　while　he　had　been　inside　Piedmont　itself；　it　had　bothered　him。　Then　he　had　forgotten；　but　his　nagging　doubts　had　been　revived　at　the　noon　conference；　while　Hall　was　discussing　the　patients。
　
　　　Something　Hall　had　said；　some　fact　he　had　mentioned；　was　related；　in　some　off　way；　to　the　birds。　But　what　was　it？　What　was　the　exact　thought；　the　precise　words；　that　had　triggered　the　association？
　
　　　Stone　shook　his　head。　He　simply　couldn't　dig　it　out。　The　clues；　the　connection；　the　keys　were　all　there；　but　he　couldn't　bring　them　to　the　surface。
　
　　　He　pressed　his　hands　to　his　head；　squeezing　against　the　bones；　and　he　damned　his　brain　for　being　so　stubborn。
　
　　　Like　many　intelligent　men；　Stone　took　a　rather　suspicious　attitude　toward　his　own　brain；　which　he　saw　as　a　precise　and　skilled　but　temperamental　machine。　He　was　never　surprised　when　the　machine　failed　to　perform；　though　he　feared　those　moments；　and　hated　them。　In　his　blackest　hours；　Stone　doubted　the　utility　of　all　thought；　and　all　intelligence。　There　were　times　when　he　envied　the　laboratory　rats　he　worked　with；　their　brains　were　so　simple。　Certainly　they　did　not　have　the　intelligence　to　destroy　themselves；　that　was　a　peculiar　invention　of　man。
　
　　　He　often　argued　that　human　intelligence　was　more　trouble　than　it　was　worth。　It　was　more　destructive　than　creative；　more　confusing　than　revealing；　more　discouraging　than　satisfying；　more　spiteful　than　charitable。
　
　　　There　were　times　when　he　saw　man；　with　his　giant　brain；　as　equivalent　to　the　dinosaurs。　Every　schoolboy　knew　that　dinosaurs　had　outgrown　themselves；　had　bee　too　large　and　ponderous　to　be　viable。　No　one　ever　thought　to　consider　whether　the　human　brain；　the　most　plex　structure　in　the　known　universe；　making　fantastic　demands　on　the　human　body　in　terms　of　nourishment　and　blood；　was　not　analogous。　Perhaps　the　human　brain　had　bee　a　kind　of　dinosaur　for　man　and　perhaps；　in　the　end；　would　prove　his　downfall。
　
　　　Already；　the　brain　consumed　one　quarter　of　the　body's　blood　supply。　A　fourth　of　all　blood　pumped　from　the　heart　went　to　the　brain；　an　organ　accounting　for　only　a　small　percentage　of　body　mass。　If　brains　grew　larger；　and　better；　then　perhaps　they　would　consume　more　perhaps　so　much　that；　like　an　infection；　they　would　overrun　their　hosts　and　kill　the　bodies　that　transported　them。
　
　　　Or　perhaps；　in　their　infinite　cleverness；　they　would　find　a　way　to　destroy　themselves　and　each　other。　There　were　times　when；　as　he　sat　at　State　Department　or　Defense　Department　meetings；　and　looked　around　the　table；　he　saw　nothing　more　than　a　dozen　gray；　convoluted　brains　sitting　on　the　table。　No　flesh　and　blood；　no　hands；　no　eyes；　no　fingers。　No　mouths；　no　sex　organs　all　these　were　superfluous。
　
　　　Just　brains。　Sitting　around；　trying　to　decide　how　to　outwit　other　brains；　at　other　conference　tables。
　
　　　Idiotic。
　
　　　He　shook　his　head；　thinking　that　he　was　being　like　Leavitt；　conjuring　up　wild　and　improbable　schemes。
　
　　　Yet；　there　was　a　sort　of　logical　consequence　to　Stone's　ideas。　If　you　really　feared　and　hated　your　brain；　you　would　attempt　to　destroy　it。　Destroy　your　own；　and　destroy　others。
　
　　　〃I'm　tired；〃　he　said　aloud；　and　looked　at　the　wall　clock。　It　was　2340　hours　almost　time　for　the　midnight　conference。
　
　　　21。　The　Midnight　Conference
　
　　　THEY　MET　AGAIN；　IN　THE　SAME　ROOM；　IN　THE　SAME　way。　Stone　glanced　at　the　others　and　saw　they　were　tired；　no　one；　including　himself；　was　getting　enough　sleep。
　
　　　〃We're　going　at　this　too　hard；〃　he　said。　〃We　don't　need　to　work　around　the　clock；　and　we　shouldn't　do　so。　Tired　men　will　make　mistakes；　mistakes　in　thinking　and　mistakes　in　action。　We'll　start　to　drop　things；　to　screw　things　up；　to　work　sloppily。　And　we'll　make　wrong　assumptions；　draw　incorrect　inferences。　That　mustn't　happen。〃
　
　　　The　team　agreed　to　get　at　least　six　hours　sleep　in　h　c
　
　　　twenty…four…hour　period。　That　seemed　reasonable；　Since　there　was　no　problem　on　the　surface；　the　infection　at　Piedmont　had　been　halted　by　the　atomic　bomb。
　
　　　Their　belief　might　never　have　been　altered　had　not　Leavitt　suggested　that　they　file　for　a　code　name。　Leavitt　stated　that　they　had　an　organism　and　that　it　required　a　code。　The　others　agreed。
　
　　　In　a　corner　of　the　room　stood　the　scrambler　typewriter。　It　had　been　clattering　all　day　long；　typing　out　material　sent　in　from　the　outside。　It　was　a　two…way　machine；　material　transmitted　had　to　be　typed　in　lowercase　letters；　while　received　material　was　printed　out　in　capitals。
　
　　　No　one　had　really　bothered　to　look　at　the　input　since　their　arrival　on　Level　V。　They　were　all　too　busy；　besides；　most　of　the　input　had　been　routine　military　dispatches　that　were　sent　to　Wildfire　but　did　not　concern　it。　This　was　because　Wildfire　was　one　of　the　Cooler　Circuit　substations；　known　facetiously　as　the　Top　Twenty。　These　substations　were　linked　to　the　basement　of　the　White　House　and　were　the　twenty　most　important　strategic　locations　in　the　country。　Other　substations　included　Vandenberg；　Kennedy；　NORAD；　Patterson；　Detrick；　and　Virginia　Key。　
　
　　　
　　　Stone　went　to　the　typewriter　and　printed　out　his　message。　The　message　was　directed　by　puter　to　Central　Codes；　a　station　that　handled　the　coding　of　all　projects　subsumed　under　the　system　of　Cooler。　
　
　　　
　　　The　transmission　was　as　follows：
　
　　　open　line　to　transmit　
　
　　　UNDERSTAND　TRANSMIT　STATE　ORIGIN
　
　　　stone　project　wildfire
　
　　　STATE　DESTINATION
　
　　　central　codes
　
　　　UN