Sphere (深海圆疑) 原版小说-第20部分

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〃Let's　all　stay　calm；〃　Barnes　said。　〃Everything's　under　control。　This　is　just　a　temporary　delay。　There's　no　reason　to　get　upset。〃
But　Norman　didn't　feel　upset。　He　felt　suddenly　exhausted。　＇＇126＇＇　Beth　was　sulking；　angry；　feeling　deceived；　Ted　was　excited；　already　planning　another　excursion　to　the　spacecraft；　arranging　equipment　with　Edmunds。
But　Norman　felt　only　tired。　His　eyes　were　heavy；　he　thought　he　might　go　to　sleep　standing　there　in　front　of　the　monitors。　He　excused　himself　hurriedly；　went　back　to　his　bunk；　lay　down。　He　didn't　care　that　the　sheets　were　clammy；　he　didn't　care　that　the　pillow　was　cold；　he　didn't　care　that　diesels　were　droning　and　vibrating　in　the　next　cylinder。　He　thought：　This　is　a　very　strong　avoidance　reaction。　And　then　he　was　asleep。

BEYOND　PLUTO

Norman　rolled　out　of　bed　and　looked　for　his　watch；　but　he'd　gotten　into　the　habit　of　not　wearing　one　down　here。　He　had　no　idea　what　time　it　was；　how　long　he　had　been　asleep。　He　looked　out　the　porthole；　saw　nothing　but　black　water。　The　grid　lights　were　still　off。　He　lay　back　in　his　bunk　and　looked　at　the　gray　pipes　directly　over　his　head；　they　seemed　closer　than　before；　as　if　they　had　moved　toward　him　while　he　slept。　Everything　seemed　cramped；　tighter；　more　claustrophobic。
Several　more　days　of　this；　he　thought。　God。
He　hoped　the　Navy　would　think　to　notify　his　family。　After　so　many　days；　Ellen　would　start　to　worry。　He　imagined　her　first　calling　the　FAA；　then　calling　the　Navy；　trying　to　find　out　what　had　happened。　Of　course；　no　one　would　know　anything；　because　the　project　was　classified；　Ellen　would　be　frantic。
Then　he　stopped　thinking　about　Ellen。　It　was　easier；　he　thought；　to　worry　about　your　loved　ones　than　to　worry　about　yourself。　But　there　wasn't　any　point。　Ellen　would　be　okay。　＇＇127＇＇　And　so　would　he。　It　was　just　a　matter　of　waiting。　Staying　calm；　and　waiting　out　the　storm。
He　got　into　the　shower；　wondering　if　they'd　still　have　hot　water　while　the　habitat　was　on　emergency　power。　They　did；　and　he　felt　less　stiff　after　his　shower。　It　was　odd；　he　thought；　to　be　a　thousand　feet　underwater　and　to　relish　the　soothing　effects　of　a　hot　shower。
He　dressed　and　headed　for　the　C　Cylinder。　He　heard　Tina's　voice　say；　〃…think　they'll　ever　get　the　sphere　open？〃
Beth：　〃Maybe。　I　don't　know。〃
〃It　scares　me。〃
〃I　don't　think　there's　a　reason　to　be　scared。〃
〃It's　the　unknown；〃　Tina　said。
When　Norman　came　in；　he　found　Beth　running　the　videotape；　looking　at　herself　and　Tina。　〃Sure；〃　Beth　said　on　the　videotape；　〃but　an　unknown　thing　is　not　likely　to　be　dangerous　or　frightening。　It's　most　likely　to　be　just　inexplicable。〃
Tina　said；　〃I　don't　know　how　you　can　say　that。〃
〃You　afraid　of　snakes？〃　Beth　said；　onscreen。
Beth　snapped　off　the　videotape。　〃Just　trying　to　see　if　I　could　figure　out　why　it　opened；〃　she　said。
〃Any　luck？〃　Norman　said。
〃Not　so　far。〃　On　the　adjacent　monitor；　they　could　see　the　sphere　itself。　The　sphere　was　closed。
〃Harry　still　in　there？〃　Norman　said。
〃Yes；〃　Beth　said。
〃How　long　has　it　been　now？〃
She　looked　up　at　the　consoles。　〃A　little　more　than　an　hour。〃
〃I　only　slept　an　hour？〃
〃Yeah。〃
〃I'm　starving；〃　Norman　said；　and　he　went　down　to　the　galley　to　eat。　All　the　coconut　cake　was　gone。　He　was　looking　for　something　else　to　eat　when　Beth　showed　up。
〃I　don't　know　what　to　do；　Norman；〃　she　said；　frowning。
〃About　what？〃
〃They're　lying　to　us；〃　she　said。
〃Who　is？〃
＇＇128＇＇　〃Barnes。　The　Navy。　Everybody。　This　is　all　a　setup；　Norman。〃
〃e　on；　Beth。　No　conspiracies；　now。　We　have　enough　to　worry　about　without…〃
〃…Just　look　at　this；〃　she　said。　She　led　him　back　upstairs；　flicked　on　a　console；　pressed　buttons。
〃I　started　putting　it　together　when　Barnes　was　on　the　phone；〃　she　said。　〃Barnes　was　talking　to　somebody　right　up　to　the　moment　when　the　cable　started　to　coil　down。　Except　that　cable　is　a　thousand　feet　long；　Norman。　They　would　have　broken　munications　several　minutes　before　unhooking　the　cable　itself。〃
〃Probably；　yes　。。。〃
〃So　who　was　Barnes　talking　to　at　the　last　minute？　Nobody。〃
〃Beth　。。。〃
〃Look；〃　she　said；　pointing　to　the　screen。

　SUMMARY　DH…SUR/l

0910　BARNES　TO　SUR/1：

CIVILIAN　AND　USN　PERSONNEL　POLLED。　ALTHOUGH　ADVISED　OF　RISKS；　ALL　PERSONNEL　ELECT　TO　REMAIN　DOWN　FOR　DURATION　OF　STORM　TO　CONTINUE　INVESTIGATION　OF　ALIEN　SPHERE　AND　ASSOCIATED　SPACECRAFT。

BARNES；　USN。

〃You're　kidding；〃　Norman　said。　〃I　thought　Barnes　wanted　to　leave。〃
〃He　did；　but　he　changed　his　mind　when　he　saw　that　last　room；　and　he　didn't　bother　to　tell　us。　I'd　like　to　kill　the　bastard；〃　Beth　said。　〃You　know　what　this　is　about；　Norman；　don't　you？〃
Norman　nodded。　〃He　hopes　to　find　a　new　weapon。〃
〃Right。　Barnes　is　a　Pentagon…acquisition　man；　and　he　wants　to　find　a　new　weapon。〃
〃But　the　sphere　is　unlikely…〃
〃It's　not　the　sphere；〃　Beth　said。　〃Barnes　doesn't　really　＇＇129＇＇　care　about　the　sphere。　He　cares　about　the　'associated　spacecraft。'　Because；　according　to　congruity　theory；　it's　the　spacecraft　that　is　likely　to　pay　off。　Not　the　sphere。〃
Congruity　theory　was　a　troublesome　matter　for　the　people　who　thought　about　extraterrestrial　life。　In　a　simple　way；　the　astronomers　and　physicists　who　considered　the　possibility　of　contact　with　extraterrestrial　life　imagined　wonderful　benefits　to　mankind　from　such　a　contact。　But　other　thinkers；　philosophers　and　historians；　did　not　foresee　any　benefits　to　contact　at　all。
For　example；　astronomers　believed　that　if　we　made　contact　with　extraterrestrials；　mankind　would　be　so　shocked　that　wars　on　Earth　would　cease；　and　a　new　era　of　peaceful　cooperation　between　nations　would　begin。
But　historians　thought　that　was　nonsense。　They　pointed　out　that　when　Europeans　discovered　the　New　World…a　similarly　world…shattering　discovery…the　Europeans　did　not　stop　their　incessant　fighting。　On　the　contrary：　they　fought　even　harder。　Europeans　simply　made　the　New　World　an　extension　of　pre…existing　animosities。　It　became　another　place　to　fight；　and　to　fight　over。
Similarly；　astronomers　imagined　that　when　mankind　met　extraterrestrials；　there　would　be　an　exchange　of　information　and　technology；　giving　mankind　a　wonderful　advancement。
Historians　of　science　thought　that　was　nonsense；　too。　They　pointed　out　that　what　we　called　〃science〃　actually　consisted　of　a　rather　arbitrary　conception　of　the　universe；　not　likely　to　be　shared　by　other　creatures。　Our　ideas　of　science　were　the　ideas　of　visually　oriented；　monkey…like　creatures　who　enjoyed　changing　their　physical　environment。　If　the　aliens　were　blind　and　municated　by　odors；　they　might　have　evolved　a　very　different　science；　which　described　a　very　different　universe。　And　they　might　have　made　very　different　choices　about　the　directions　their　science　would　explore。　For　example；　they　might　ignore　the　physical　world　entirely；　and　instead　develop　a　highly　sophisticated　science　of　mind…in　other　words；　the　exact　opposite　of　what　Earth　science　had　done。　The　alien　technology　might　be　purely　mental；　with　no　visible　hardware　at　all。
＇＇130＇＇　This　issue　was　at　the　heart　of　congruity　theory；　which　said　that　unless　the　aliens　were　remarkably　similar　to　us；　no　exchange　of　information　was　likely。　Barnes　of　course　knew　that　theory；　so　he　knew　he　wasn't　likely　to　derive　any　useful　technology　from　the　alien　sphere。　But　he　was　very　likely　to　get　useful　technology　from　the　spaceship　itself；　since　the　spaceship　had　been　made　by　men；　and　congruity　was　high。
And　he　had　lied　to　keep　them　down。　To　keep　the　search　going。
〃What　should　we　do　with　the　bastard？〃　Beth　said。　〃Nothing；　for　the　moment；〃　Norman　said。
〃You　don't　want　to　confront　him？　Jesus；　I　do。〃
〃It　won't　serve　any　purpose；〃　Norman　said。　〃Ted　won't　care；　and　the　Navy　people　are　all　following　orders。　And　anyway；　even　if　it　had　been　arranged　for　us　to　depart　as　planned；　would　you　have　gone；　leaving　Harry　behind　in　the　sphere？〃
〃No；〃　Beth　admitted。
〃Well；　then。　It's　all　academic。〃
〃Jesus；　Norman　。。。〃
〃I　know。　But　we're　here　now。　And　for　the　next　couple　of　days；　there's　not　a　damn　thing　we　can　do　about　it。　Let's　deal　with　that　reality　as　best　we　can；　and　point　the　finger　later。〃
〃You　bet　I'm　going　to　point　the　finger！〃
〃That's　fine。　But　not　now；　Beth。〃
〃Okay；〃　she　sighed。　〃Not　now。〃
She　went　back　upstairs。


Alone；　Norman　stared　at　the　console。　He　had　his　work　cut　out　for　him；　keeping　everybody　calm　for　the　next　few　days。　He　hadn't　looked　into　the　puter　system　before；　he　started　pressing　buttons。　Pretty　soon　he　found　a　file　marked　ULF　CONTACT　TEAM　BIOG。　＇＇131＇＇　He　opened　it　up。

Civilian　Team　Members
1。　Theodore　Fielding；　astrophysicist/planetary　geologist
2。　Elizabeth　Halpern；　zoologist/biochemist
3。　Harold　J。　Adams；　mathematician/logician
4。　Arthur　Levine；　marine　biologist/biochemist　
5。　John　F。　Thompson；　psychologist

Choose　one：

Norman　stared　in　disbelief　at　the　list。
He　knew　Jack　Thompson；　an　energetic　young　psychologist　from　Yale。　Thompson　was　world…renowned　for　his　studies　of　the　psychology　of　primitive　peoples；　and　in　fact　for　the　past　year　had　been　somewhere　in　New　Guinea；　studying　native　tribes。
Norman　pressed　more　buttons。

ULF　TEAM　PSYCHOLOGIST：　CHOICES　BY　RANK
1。　John　F。　Thompson；　Yale…approved　
2。　William　L。　Hartz；　UCB…approved
3。　Jeremy　White；　UT…approved　（pending　clearance）　
4。　Norman　Johnson；　SDU…rejected　（age）

He　knew　them　all。　Bill　Hartz　at　Berkeley　was　seriously　ill　with　cancer。　Jeremy　White　had　gone　to　Hanoi　during　the　Vietnam　War；　and　would　never　get　clearance。
That　left　Norman。
He　understood　now　why　he　had　been　the　last　to　be　called　in。　He　understood　now　about　the　special　tests。　He　felt　a　burst　of　intense　anger　at　Barnes；　at　the　whole　system　which　had　brought　him　down　here；　despite　his　age；　with　no　concern　for　his　safety。　At　fifty…three；　Norman　Johnson　had　no　business　being　a　thousand　feet　underwater　in　a　pressurized　exotic　gas　environment…and　the　Navy　knew　it。
It　was　an　outrage；　he　thought。　He　wanted　to　go　upstairs　and　give　Barnes　hell　in　no　uncertain　terms。　That　lying　son　of　a　bitch
He　gripped　the　arms　of　his　chair　and　reminded　himself　of　what　he　had　told　Beth。　Whatever　had　happened　up　to　this　point；　there　was　nothing　any　of　them　could　do　about　it　now。　He　would　indeed　give　Barnes　hell…he　promised　himself　he　＇＇132＇＇　would…but　only　when　they　got　back　to　the　surface。　Until　then；　it　was　no　use　making　trouble。
He　shook　his　head　and　swore。　
Then　he　turned　the　console　off。


The　hours　crept　by。　Harry　was　still　in　the　sphere。　Tina　ran　her　image　intensification　of　the　videotape　that　showed　the　sphere　open；　trying　to　see　interior　detail。　〃Unfortunately；　we　have　only　limited　puting　power　in　the　habitat；〃　she　said。　〃If　I　could　hard…link　to　the　surface　I　could　really　do　a　job；　but　as　it　is　。。。〃　She　shrugged。
She　showed　them　a　series　of　enlarged　freeze…frames　from　the　open　sphere。　The　images　clicked　through　at　one…second　intervals。　The　quality　was　poor；　with　jagged；　intermittent　static。
〃The　only　internal　structures　we　can　see　in　the　blackness；〃　Tina　said；　pointing　to　the　opening；　〃are　these　multiple　pointsources　of　light。　The　lights　appear　to　move　from　frame　to　frame。〃
〃It's　as　if　the　sphere　is　filled　with　fireflies；〃　Beth　said。　〃Except　these　lights　are　much　dimmer　than　fireflies；　and　they　don't　blink。　They　are　very　numerous。　And　they　give　the　impression　of　moving　together；　in　surging　patterns　。。。〃
〃A　flock　of　fireflies？〃
〃Something　l