the.lost.world-第10章

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　　　　Of　course；　they　could　figure　some　of　it　out。　A　lot　of　the　questions　had　to　do　with　the　vehicles　that　Dr。　Thorne　was　building　for　Dr。　Levine's　expedition。　But　most　of　the　time；　the　subjects　were　pletely　mysterious。
　　　　Occasionally；　Kelly　wondered　what　the　bearded　man　would　make　of　all　this。　She　wondered　whether　he　knew　something　they　did　not。　But　actually；　the　bearded　man　seemed　kind　of　lazy。　He　never　seemed　to　figure　out　that　Kelly　and　Arby　were　doing　errands　for　Dr。　Levine。
　　　　Right　now；　the　bearded　man　glanced　over　at　the　entrance　to　the　school；　ignoring　them。　They　walked　to　the　end　of　the　street；　and　sat　on　the　bench　to　wait　for　the　bus。

Tag

The　baby　snow　leopard　spit　the　bottle　out；　and　rolled　over　onto　its　back；　paws　in　the　air。　It　made　a　soft　mewing　sound。
　　　　〃She　wants　to　be　petted；〃　Elizabeth　Gelman　said。
　　　　Malcolm　reached　out　his　hand；　to　stroke　the　belly。　The　cub　spun　around；　and　sunk　its　tiny　teeth　into　his　fingers。　Malcolm　yelled。
　　　　〃She　does　that；　sometimes；〃　Gelman　said。　〃Dorje！　Bad　girl！　Is　that　any　way　to　treat　our　distinguished　visitor？〃　She　reached　out；　took　Malcolm's　hand。　〃It　didn't　break　the　skin；　but　we　should　clean　it　anyway。〃　They　were　in　the　white　research　laboratory　of　the　San　Francisco　Zoo；　at　three　o'clock　in　the　afternoon。　Elizabeth　Gelman；　the　youthful　head　of　research；　was　supposed　to　report　on　her　findings；　but　they　had　to　delay　for　the　afternoon　feeding　in　the　nursery。　Malcolm　had　watched　them　feed　a　baby　gorilla；　which　spit　up　like　a　human　baby；　and　a　koala；　and　then　the　very　cute　snow…leopard　cub。
　　　　〃Sorry　about　that；〃　Gelman　said。　She　took　him　to　a　side　basin；　and　soaped　his　hand。　〃But　I　thought　it　was　better　that　you　e　here　now；　when　the　regular　staff　is　all　at　the　weekly　conference。〃
　　　　〃Why　is　that？〃
　　　　〃Because　there's　a　lot　of　interest　in　the　material　you　gave　us；　Ian。　A　lot。〃　She　dried　his　hand　with　a　towel；　inspected　it　again。　〃I　think　you'll　survive。〃
　　　　〃What　have　you　found？〃　Malcolm　said　to　her。
　　　　〃You　have　to　admit；　it　is　very　provocative。　By　the　way；　is　it　from　Costa　Rica？〃
　　　　Keeping　his　voice　neutral；　Malcolm　said；　〃Why　do　you　say　that？〃
　　　　〃Because　there　are　all　these　rumors　about　unknown　animals　showing　up　in　Costa　Rica。　And　this　is　definitely　an　unknown　animal；　Ian。〃
　　　　She　led　him　out　of　the　nursery；　and　into　a　small　conference　room　He　dropped　into　a　chair；　resting　his　cane　on　the　table。　She　lowered　the　lights；　and　clicked　on　a　slide　protector。　〃Okay。　Here's　a　close…up　of　your　original　material；　before　we　be　an　our　examination。　As　you　see；　it　consists　of　a　fragment　of　animal　tissue　in　a　state　of　very　advanced　necrosis。　The　tissue　measures　four　centimeters　by　six　centimeters。　Attached　to　it　is　a　green　plastic　tag；　measuring　two　centimeters　square。　Tissue　cut　by　a　knife；　but　not　a　very　sharp　one。〃
　　　　Malcolm　nodded。
　　　　〃What'd　you　use；　Ian；　your　pocketknife？〃　〃Something　like　that。〃
　　　　〃All　right。　Let's　deal　with　the　tissue　sample　first。〃　The　slide　changed；　Malcolm　saw　a　microscopic　view。　〃This　is　a　gross　histologic　section　through　the　superficial　epidermis。　Those　patchy；　ragged　gaps　are　where　the　postmortem　necrotic　change　has　eroded　the　skin　surface。　But　what　is　interesting　is　the　arrangement　of　epidermal　cells。　You'll　notice　the　density　of　chromatophores；　or　pigment…bearing　cells。　In　the　cut　section　you　see　the　difference　between　melanophores　here；　and　allophores；　here。　The　overall　pattern　is　suggestive　of　a　lacerta　or　amblythynchtis。〃
　　　　〃You　mean　a　lizard？〃　Malcolm　said。
　　　　〃Yes；〃　she　said。　〃It　looks　like　a　lizard…though　the　Picture　is　not　entirely　consistent。〃　She　tapped　the　left　side　of　the　screen。　〃You　see　this　one　cell　here；　which　has　this　slight　rim；　in　section？　We　believe　that's　muscle。　The　chromatophore　could　open　and　close。　Meaning　that　this　animal　could　change　color；　like　a　chameleon。　And　over　here　you　see　this　large　oval　shape；　with　a　pale　center？　That's　the　pore　of　a　femoral　scent　gland。　There　is　a　waxy　substance　in　the　center　which　we　are　still　analyzing。　But　our　presumption　is　that　this　animal　was　male；　since　only　male　lizards　have　femoral　glands。〃
　　　　〃I　see；〃　Malcolm　said。
　　　　She　changed　the　slide；　Malcolm　saw　what　looked　like　a　close…up　of　a　sponge。　〃Going　deeper。　Here　we　see　the　Structure　of　the　subcutaneous　layers。　Highly　distorted；　because　of　gas　bubbles　from　the　clostridia　infection　that　bloated　the　animal。　But　you　can　get　a　sense　of　the　vessels　…　see　one　here　…　and　another　here　…　which　are　surrounded　by　smooth　muscle　fibers。　This　is　not　characteristic　of　lizards；　In　fact；　the　whole　appearance　of　this　slide　is　wrong　for　lizards；　or　reptiles　of　any　sort。〃
　　　　〃You　mean　it　looks　warm…blooded。〃
　　　　〃Right；〃　Gelman　said。　〃Not　really　mammalian；　but　perhaps　avian。　This　could　be；　oh；　I　don't　know；　a　dead　pelican。　Something　like　that。〃
　　　　〃Uh…huh。〃
　　　　〃Except　no　pelican　has　a　skin　like　that。〃
　　　　〃I　see；〃　Malcolm　said。
　　　　〃And　there　s　no　feathers。〃
　　　　〃Uh…huh。〃
　　　　〃Now；〃　Gelman　said；　〃we　were　able　to　extract　a　minute　quantity　of　blood　from　the　intra…arterial　spaces。　Not　much；　but　enough　to　conduct　a　microscopic　examination。　Here　it　is。〃
　　　　The　slide　changed　again。　He　saw　a　jumble　of　cells；　mostly　red　cells；　and　an　occasional　misshapen　white　cell。　It　was　confusing　to　look　at。
　　　　〃This　isn't　my　area；　Elizabeth；〃　he　said。
　　　　〃Well；　I'll　just　give　you　the　highlights；〃　she　said。　〃First　of　all；　nucleated　red　cells。　That's　characteristic　of　birds；　not　mammals。　Second；　rather　atypical　hemoglobin；　differing　in　several　base　pairs　from　other　lizards。　Third；　aberrant　white…cell　structure。　We　don't　have　enough　material　to　make　a　determination；　but　we　suspect　this　animal　has　a　highly　unusual　immune　system。
　　　　〃Whatever　that　means；〃　Malcolm　said；　with　a　shrug。
　　　　〃We　don't　know；　and　the　sample　doesn't　give　us　enough　to　find　out。　By　the　way；　can　you　get　more？〃
　　　　〃I　might　be　able　to；〃　he　said。
　　　　〃Where；　from　Site　B？〃
　　　　Malcolm　looked　puzzled。　〃Site　B？〃
　　　　〃Well；　that's　what's　embossed　on　the　tag。〃　She　changed　the　slide。　〃I　must　say；　Ian；　this　tag　is　very　interesting。　Here　at　the　zoo；　we　tag　animals　all　the　time；　and　we're　familiar　with　all　the　ordinary　mercial　brands　sold　around　the　world。　Nobody's　seen　this　tag　before。　Here　it　is；　magnified　ten　times。　The　actual　object　is　roughly　the　size　of　your　thumbnail。　Uniform　plastic　outer　surface；　attaches　to　the　animal　by　a　Teflon　coated；　stainless…steel　clip　on　the　other　side。　It's　a　rather　small　clip；　of　the　kind　used　to　tag　infants。　The　animal　you　saw　was　adult？〃
　　　　〃Presumably。〃
　　　　〃So　the　tag　was　probably　in　place　for　a　while；　ever　since　the　animal　was　young；〃　Gelman　said。　〃Which　makes　sense；　considering　the　degree　of　weathering。　You'll　notice　the　pitting　on　the　surface。　That's　very　Unusual。　This　plastic　is　Duralon；　the　stuff　they　use　to　make　football　helmets。　It's　extremely　tough；　and　this　pitting　can't　have　occurred　through　simple　wear。〃
　　　　〃Then　what？〃
　　　　〃It's　almost　certainly　a　chemical　reaction；　such　as　exposure　to　acid；　perhaps　in　aerosol　form。〃
　　　　〃Like　volcanic　fumes？〃　Malcolm　said。
　　　　〃That　could　do　it；　particularly　in　view　of　what　else　we've　learned。　You'll　notice　that　the　tag　is　rather　thick　…　actually；　it's　nine　millimeters　across。　And　it's　hollow。〃
　　　　〃Hollow？〃　Malcolm　said；　frowning。
　　　　〃Yes。　It　contains　an　inner　cavity。　We　didn't　want　to　open　it；　so　we　X…　rayed　it。　Here。〃　The　slide　changed。　Malcolm　saw　a　jumble　of　white　lines　and　boxes；　inside　the　tag。
　　　　〃There　appears　to　be　substantial　corrosion；　again　perhaps　from　acid　fumes。　But　there's　no　question　what　this　once　was。　It's　a　radio　tag；　Ian。　Which　means　that　this　unusual　animal；　this　warm…blooded　lizard　or　whatever　it　was；　was　tagged　and　raised　by　somebody　from　birth。　And　that's　the　part　that's　got　people　around　here　upset。　Somebody's　raising　these　things。　Do　you　know　how　that　happened？〃
　　　　〃I　haven't　the　faintest　idea；〃　Malcolm　said。
　　　　Elizabeth　Gelman　sighed。　〃You're　a　lying　son　of　a　bitch。〃
　　　　He　held　out　his　hand。　〃May　I　have　my　sample　back？〃
　　　　She　said；　〃Ian。　After　all　I've　done　for　you。〃
　　　　〃The　sample？〃
　　　　〃I　think　you　owe　me　an　explanation。〃
　　　　〃And　I　promise；　you'll　have　one。　In　about　two　weeks。　I'll　buy　dinner。〃
　　　　She　tossed　a　silver…foil　package　on　the　table。　He　picked　it　up；　and　slipped　it　in　his　pocket。　〃Thanks；　Liz。〃　He　got　up　to　go；　〃I　hate　to　run；　but　I've　got　to　make　a　call　right　away。〃
　　　　He　started　for　the　door；　and　she　said；　〃By　the　way；　how　did　it　die；　Ian？　This　animal。〃
　　　　He　paused。　〃Why　do　you　ask？〃
　　　　〃Because；　when　we　teased　up　the　skin　cells；　we　found　a　few　foreign　cells　under　the　outer　epidermal　layer。　Cells　belonging　to　another　animal。〃
　　　　〃Meaning　what？〃
　　　　〃Well；　it's　the　typical　picture　you　see　when　two　lizards　fight。　They　rub　against　each　other。　Cells　get　pushed　under　the　superficial　layer。〃
　　　　〃Yes；〃　he　said。　〃There　were　signs　of　a　fight　on　the　carcass。　The　annimal　had　been　wounded。〃
　　　　〃And　you　should　also　know　there　were　signs　of　chronic　vasoconstriction　in　the　arterial　vessels。　This　animal　was　under　stress；　Ian。　And　not　just　from　the　fight　that　wounded　it。　That　would　have　disappeared　in　early　postmortem　changes。　I'm　talking　about　chronic；　continuous　stress。　Wherever　this　creature　lived；　its　environment　was　extremely　stressful　and　dangerous。〃
　　　　〃I　see。〃
　　　　〃So。　How　e　a　tagged　animal　has　such　a　stressful　life？〃

At　the　entrance　to　the　zoo；　he　looked　around　to　see　if　he　was　being　followed；　then　stopped　at　a　pay　phone　and　dialed　Levine。　The　machine　picked　up；　Levine　wasn't　there。　Typical；　Malcolm　thought。　Whenever　you　needed　him　he　wasn't　there。　Probably　off　trying　to　get　his　Ferrari　out　of　impound　again。
　　　　Malcolm　hung　up；　and　headed　toward　his　car。

Thorne

〃Thorne　Mobile　Field　Systems〃　was　stenciled　in　black　lettering　on　a　large　rolling　metal　garage　door；　at　the　far　end　of　the　Industrial　Park。　There　was　a　regular　door　to　the　left。　Arby　pushed　the　buzzer　on　a　small　box　with　a　grille。　A　gruff　voice　said；　〃Go　away。〃
　　　　〃It's　us；　Dr。　Thorne。　Arby　and　Kelly。〃
　　　　〃Oh。　Okay。〃
　　　　There　was　a　click　as　the　door　unlocked；　and　they　walked　inside。　They　found　themselves　in　a　large　open　shed。　Workmen　were　making　modifications　on　several　vehicles；　the　air　smelled　of　acetylene；　engine　oil；　and　fresh　paint。　Directly　ahead　Kelly　saw　a　dark…green　Ford　Explorer　with　its　roof　cut　open；　two　assistants　stood　on　ladders；　fitting　a　large　flat　panel　of　black　solar　cells　over　the　top　of　the　car。　The　hood　of　the　Explorer　was　up；　and　the　V…6　engine　had　been　pulled　out；　workmen　were　now　lowering　a　small；　new　engine　in　its　place　…it　looked　like　a　rounded　shoebox；　with　the　dull　shine　of　aluminum　alloy。　Others　were　bringing　the　wide；　flat　rectangle　of　the　Hughes　converter　that　would　be　mounted　on　top　of　the　motor。
　　　　Over　to　the　right；　she　saw　the　two　RV　trailers　that　Thorne's　team　had　been　working　on　for　the　last　few　weeks。　They　weren't　the　usual　trailers　you　saw　people　driving　for　the　weekends。　One　was　enormous　and　sleek；　almost　as　big　as　a　bus；　and　outfitted　with　living　and　sleeping　quarters　for　four　people；　as　well　as　all　sorts　of　special　scientific　equipment。　It　was　called　〃Challenger〃　and　it　had　an　unusual　feature：　once　you　parked　it；　the　walls　could　slide　outward；　expanding　the　inside　dimensions。
　　　　The　Challenge