Sphere (深海圆疑) 原版小说-第33部分

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zed　off　in　the　console　chair；　because　he　looked　up　abruptly；　startled　to　see　a　trim　black　seaman　in　uniform　standing　just　behind　him；　looking　over　his　shoulder　at　the　screens。
〃How's　it　going；　sir？〃　the　seaman　asked。　He　was　very　calm。　His　uniform　was　crisply　pressed。
Norman　felt　a　burst　of　tremendous　elation。　This　man's　arrival　at　the　habitat　could　mean　only　one　thing…the　surface　ships　must　be　back！　The　ships　had　returned；　and　the　subs　had　been　sent　down　to　retrieve　them！　They　were　all　going　to　be　saved！
〃Sailor；〃　Norman　said；　pumping　his　hand；　〃I'm　very　damn　glad　to　see　you。〃
〃Thank　you；　sir。〃
〃When　did　you　get　here？〃　Norman　asked。
〃Just　now；　Sir。〃
〃Do　the　others　know　yet？〃
〃The　others；　sir？〃
＇＇220＇＇　〃Yes。　There's；　uh；　there's　six　of　us　left。　Have　they　been　told　you're　here？〃
〃I　don't　know　the　answer　to　that；　sir。〃
There　was　a　flatness　to　this　man　that　Norman　found　odd。　The　sailor　was　looking　around　the　habitat；　and　for　a　moment　Norman　saw　the　environment　through　his　eyes…the　damp　interior；　the　wrecked　consoles；　the　foam…spattered　walls。　It　looked　like　they　had　fought　a　war　in　here。
〃We've　had　a　rough　time；〃　Norman　said。
〃I　can　see　that；　sir。〃
〃Three　of　us　have　died。〃
〃I'm　sorry　to　hear　that；　sir。〃
That　flatness　again。　Neutrality。　Was　he　being　proper？　Was　he　worried　about　a　pending　court…martial？　Was　it　something　else　entirely？
〃Where　have　you　e　from？〃　Norman　said。
〃e　from；　sir？〃
〃What　ship。〃
〃Oh。　The　Sea　Hornet；　sir。〃
〃It's　topside　now？〃
〃Yes；　sir；　it　is。〃
〃Well；　let's　get　moving；〃　Norman　said。　〃Tell　the　others　you're　here。〃
〃Yes；　sir。〃
The　seaman　went　away。　Norman　stood　and　shouted；　〃Yahoo！　We're　saved！〃


〃At　least　he　wasn't　an　illusion；〃　Norman　said；　staring　at　the　screen。　〃There　he　is；　big　as　life；　on　the　monitor。〃
〃Yes。　There　he　is。　But　where'd　he　go？〃　Beth　said。　For　the　last　hour；　they　had　searched　the　habitat　thoroughly。　There　was　no　sign　of　the　black　crewman。　There　was　no　sign　of　a　submarine　outside。　There　was　no　evidence　of　surface　ships。　The　balloon　they　had　sent　up　registered　eighty…knot　winds　and　thirty…foot　waves　before　the　wire　snapped。
So　where　had　he　e　from？　And　where　had　he　gone？　Fletcher　was　working　the　consoles。　A　screen　of　data　came　＇＇221＇＇　up。　〃How　about　this？　Log　of　ships　in　active　service　shows　no　vessel　currently　designated　Sea　Hornet。〃
Norman　said；　〃What　the　hell　is　going　on　here？〃
〃Maybe　he　was　an　illusion；〃　Ted　said。
〃Illusions　don't　register　on　videotape；〃　Harry　said。　〃Besides；　I　saw　him；　too。〃
〃You　did？〃　Norman　said。
〃Yeah。　I　had　just　woken　up；　and　I　had　had　this　dream　about　being　rescued；　and　I　was　lying　in　bed　when　I　heard　footsteps　and　he　walked　into　the　room。〃
〃Did　you　talk　to　him？〃
〃Yes。　But　he　was　funny。　He　was　dull。　Kind　of　boring。〃
Norman　nodded。　〃You　could　tell　something　wasn't　right　about　him。〃
〃Yes；　you　could。〃
〃But　where　did　he　e　from？〃　Beth　said。
〃I　can　think　of　only　one　possibility；〃　Ted　said。　〃He　came　from　the　sphere。　Or　at　least；　he　was　made　by　the　sphere。　By　Jerry。〃
〃Why　would　Jerry　do　that？　To　spy　on　us？〃
Ted　shook　his　head。　〃I've　been　thinking　about　this；〃　he　said。　〃It　seems　to　me　that　Jerry　has　the　ability　to　create　things。　Animals。　I　don't　think　that　Jerry　is　a　giant　squid；　but　Jerry　created　the　giant　squid　that　attacked　us。　I　don't　think　Jerry　wants　to　attack　us；　but；　from　what　Beth　was　telling　us；　once　he　made　the　squid；　then　the　squid　might　attack　the　habitat；　thinking　the　cylinders　were　its　mortal　enemy；　the　whale。　So　the　attack　happened　as　a　kind　of　accident　of　creation。〃
They　frowned；　listening。　To　Norman；　the　explanation　was　entirely　too　convenient。　〃I　think　there　is　another　possibility。　That　Jerry　is　hostile。〃
〃I　don't　believe　that；〃　Ted　said。　〃I　don't　believe　Jerry　is　hostile。〃
〃He　certainly　acts　hostile；　Ted。〃
〃But　I　don't　think　he　intends　to　be　hostile。〃
〃Whatever　he　intends；〃　Fletcher　said；　〃we　better　not　go　through　another　attack。　Because　the　structure　can't　take　it。　And　neither　can　the　support　systems。
＇＇222＇＇　〃After　the　first　attack；　I　had　to　increase　positive　pressure；〃　Fletcher　said；　〃in　order　to　fix　the　leaks。　To　keep　water　from　ing　in；　I　had　to　increase　the　pressure　of　the　air　inside　the　habitat　to　make　it　greater　than　the　pressure　of　the　water　outside。　That　stopped　the　leaks；　but　it　meant　that　air　bubbled　out　through　all　the　cracks。　And　one　hour　of　repair　work　consumed　nearly　sixteen　hours　of　our　reserve　air。　I've　been　worried　we'll　run　out　of　air。〃
There　was　a　pause。　They　all　considered　the　implications　of　that。
〃To　pensate；〃　Fletcher　said；　〃I've　dropped　the　internal　pressure　by　three　centimeters'　pressure。　We're　slightly　negative　right　now；　and　we　should　be　fine。　Our　air　will　last　us。　But　another　attack　under　these　conditions　and　we'll　crush　like　a　beer　can。〃
Norman　didn't　like　hearing　any　of　this；　but　at　the　same　time　he　was　impressed　with　Fletcher's　petence。　She　was　a　resource　they　ought　to　be　using；　he　thought。　〃Do　you　have　any　suggestions；　Teeny；　if　there's　another　attack？〃
〃Well；　we　have　something　in　Cyl　B　called　HVDS。〃
〃Which　is？〃
〃High　Voltage　Defense　System。　There's　a　little　box　in　B　that　electrifies　the　metal　walls　of　the　cylinders　at　all　times；　to　prevent　electrolytic　corrosion。　Very　slight　electrical　charge；　you　aren't　really　aware　of　it。　Anyway；　there's　another；　green　box　attached　to　that　one；　and　it's　the　HVDS。　It's　basically　a　low…amp　stepup　transformer　that　sends　two　million　volts　over　the　cylinder　surface。　Should　be　very　unpleasant　for　any　animal。〃
〃Why　didn't　we　use　it　before？〃　Beth　said。　〃Why　didn't　Barnes　use　it；　instead　of　risking…〃
〃…Because　the　Green　Box　has　problems；〃　Fletcher　said。　〃For　one　thing；　it's　really　sort　of　theoretical。　As　far　as　I　know；　it's　never　actually　been　used　in　a　real　undersea　work　situation。〃
〃Yes；　but　it　must　have　been　tested。〃
〃Yes。　And　in　all　the　tests；　it　started　fires　inside　the　habitat。〃
＇＇223＇＇　Another　pause；　while　they　considered　that。　Finally　Norman　said；　〃Bad　fires？〃
〃The　fires　tend　to　burn　the　insulation；　the　wall　padding。〃
〃The　fires　take　the　padding　off！〃
〃We'd　die　of　heat　loss　in　a　few　minutes。〃
Beth　said；　〃How　bad　can　a　fire　be？　Fires　need　oxygen　to　burn；　and　we've　only　got　two　percent　oxygen　down　here。〃
〃That's　true；　Dr。　Halpern；〃　Fletcher　said；　〃but　the　actual　oxygen　percentage　varies。　The　habitat　is　made　to　deliver　pulses　as　high　as　sixteen　percent　for　brief　periods；　four　times　an　hour。　It's　all　automatically　controlled；　you　can't　override　it。　And　if　the　oxygen　percentage　is　high；　then　fires　burn　just　fine…three　times　faster　than　topside。　They　easily　go　out　of　control。〃
Norman　looked　around　the　cylinder。　He　spotted　three　fire　extinguishers　mounted　on　the　walls。　Now　that　he　thought　about　it；　there　were　extinguishers　all　over　the　habitat。　He'd　just　never　really　paid　attention　before。
〃Even　if　we　get　the　fires　under　control；　they're　hell　on　the　systems；〃　Fletcher　said。　〃The　air　handlers　aren't　made　to　take　the　added　monoxide　by…products　and　soot。〃
〃So　what　do　we　do？〃
〃Last　resort　only；〃　Fletcher　said。　〃That'd　be　my　remendation。〃
The　group　looked　at　each　other；　nodded。
〃Okay；〃　Norman　said。　〃Last　resort　only。〃
〃Let's　just　hope　we　don't　have　another　attack。〃
〃Another　attack　。。。〃　There　was　a　long　silence　as　they　considered　that。　Then　the　gas…plasma　screens　on　Tina's　console　jumped；　and　a　soft　pinging　filled　the　room。
〃We　have　a　contact　on　peripheral　thermals；〃　Tina　said；　in　a　flat　voice。
〃Where？〃　Fletcher　said。
〃North。　Approaching。〃
And　on　the　monitor；　they　saw　the　words：
I　AM　ING。

*　*　*
＇＇224＇＇　They　turned　off　both　the　interior　and　exterior　lights。　Norman　peered　through　the　porthole；　straining　to　see　out　in　the　darkness。　They　had　long　ago　learned　that　the　darkness　at　this　depth　was　not　absolute；　the　waters　of　the　Pacific　were　so　clear　that　even　a　thousand　feet　down　some　light　registered　on　the　bottom。　It　was　very　slight…Edmunds　had　pared　it　to　starlight…but　Norman　knew　that　on　the　surface　you　could　see　by　starlight　alone。
Now　he　cupped　his　hands　by　the　sides　of　his　face　to　block　out　the　low　light　ing　from　Tina's　consoles；　waited　for　his　eyes　to　adjust。　Behind　him；　Tina　and　Fletcher　were　working　with　the　monitors。　He　heard　the　hiss　of　the　hydrophones　in　the　room。
It　was　all　happening　again。
Ted　was　standing　by　the　monitor；　saying；　〃Jerry；　can　you　hear　me？　Jerry；　are　you　listening？〃　But　he　wasn't　getting　through。
Beth　came　up　as　Norman　peered　out　the　porthole。　〃You　see　anything？〃
〃Not　yet。〃
Behind　them；　Tina　said；　〃Eighty　yards　and　closing　。。。　Sixty　yards。　You　want　sonar？〃
〃No　sonar；〃　Fletcher　said。　〃Nothing　to　make　ourselves　interesting　to　him。〃
〃Then　should　we　kill　the　electronics？〃
〃Kill　everything。〃
All　the　console　lights　went　out。　Now　there　was　just　the　red　glow　of　the　space　heaters　above　them。　They　sat　in　darkness　and　stared　out。　Norman　tried　to　remember　how　long　dark…vision　acmodation　required。　He　remembered　it　might　be　as　long　as　three　minutes。
He　began　to　see　shapes：　the　outline　of　the　grid　on　the　bottom　and；　dimly；　the　high　fin　of　the　spaceship；　rising　sharply　up。
Then　something　else。
A　green　glow　in　the　distance。　At　the　horizon。
〃It's　like　a　green　sunrise；〃　Beth　said。
The　glow　increased　in　intensity；　and　then　they　saw　an　amorphous　green　shape　with　lateral　streaks。　Norman　＇＇225＇＇　thought；　It's　just　like　the　image　we　saw　before。　It　looks　just　like　that。　He　couldn't　really　make　out　the　details。
〃Is　it　a　squid？〃　he　said。　〃Yes；〃　Beth　said。
〃I　can't　see。　。。。〃
〃You're　looking　at　it　end…on。　The　body　is　toward　us；　the　tentacles　behind；　partially　blocked　by　the　body。　That's　why　you　can't　see　it。〃
The　squid　grew　larger。　It　was　definitely　ing　toward　them。
Ted　ran　from　the　portholes　back　to　the　consoles。　〃Jerry；　are　you　listening？　Jerry？〃
〃Electronics　are　off；　Dr。　Fielding；〃　Fletcher　said。　〃Well；　let's　try　and　talk　to　him；　for　God's　sake。〃
〃I　think　we're　past　the　talking　stage　now；　sir。〃
The　squid　was　faintly　luminous；　the　entire　body　a　deep　green。　Now　Norman　could　see　a　sharp　vertical　ridge　in　the　body。　The　moving　tentacles　and　arms　were　clear。　The　outline　grew　larger。　The　squid　moved　laterally。
〃It's　going　around　the　grid。〃
〃Yes；〃　Beth　said。　〃They're　intelligent　animals；　they　have　the　ability　to　learn　from　experience。　It　probably　didn't　like　hitting　the　grid　before；　and　it　remembers。〃
The　squid　passed　the　spacecraft　fin；　and　they　could　gauge　its　size。　It's　as　big　as　a　house；　Norman　thought。　The　creature　slid　smoothly　through　the　water　toward　them。　He　felt　a　sense　of　awe；　despite　his　pounding　heart。
〃Jerry？　Jerry！〃
〃Save　your　breath；　Ted。〃
〃Thirty　yards；〃　Tina　said。　〃Still　ing。〃
As　the　squid　came　closer；　Norman　could　count　the　arms；　and　he　saw　the　two　long　tentacles；　glowing　lines　extending　far　beyond　the　body。　The　arms　and　tentacles　seemed　to　move　loosely　in　the　water；　while　the　body　made　rhythmic　muscular　contractions。　The　squid　propelled　itself　with　water；　and　did　not　use　the　arms　for　swimming。
〃Twenty　yards。〃
〃God；　it's　big；〃　Harry　said。
〃You　know；〃　Beth　said；　〃we're　the　first　people　in　human　＇＇226＇＇　history　to　see　a　free…swimming　giant　squid。　This　should　be　a　great　moment。〃
They　heard　the　gurgling；　the　rush　of　water　over　the　hydrophones；　as　the　squid　came　closer。
〃Ten　yards。〃
For　a　moment；　the　great　creature　turned　sideways　to　the　habitat；　and　they　could　see　its　profile…the　enormous　glowing　body；　thir