the.lost.world-第22章

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　　　　He　pointed　to　a　set　of　metal　doors　beyond　the　reception　desk；　leading　into　the　building　beyond。　The　doors　had　once　been　bolted　shut　and　locked　with　rusted　padlocks。　But　the　padlocks　now　lay　on　the　floor；　broken　open。
　　　　〃Let's　go　get　him；〃　Eddie　said；　heading　for　the　doors。　〃What　kind　of　a　snake　do　you　think　that　was？〃
　　　　〃I　don't　know。〃
　　　　〃Was　it　poisonous？〃
　　　　〃I　don't　know。〃
　　　　The　doors　opened　with　a　loud　creak。　The　three　men　found　themselves　in　a　blank　corridor；　with　broken　windows　along　one　wall；　and　dried　leaves　and　debris　on　the　floor。　The　walls　were　dirty　and　darkly　stained　in　several　places　with　what　looked　like　blood。　They　saw　several　doors　opening　off　the　corridor。　None　appeared　to　be　locked。
　　　　Plants　were　growing　up　through　rips　in　the　carpeted　floor。　Near　the　windows；　where　it　was　light；　vines　grew　thickly　over　the　cracked　walls。　More　vines　hung　down　from　the　ceiling。　Thorne　and　the　others　headed　down　the　hallway。　There　was　no　sound　except　their　feet　crunching　on　the　dried　leaves。
　　　　〃Getting　stronger；〃　Thorne　said；　looking　at　his　monitor。　〃He　must　be　somewhere　in　this　building。〃
　　　　Thorne　opened　the　first　door　he　came　to；　and　saw　a　plain　office：　a　desk　and　chair；　a　map　of　the　island　on　the　wall。　A　desk　lamp；　toppled　over　from　the　weight　of　tangled　vines。　A　puter　monitor；　with　a　film　of　mold。　At　the　far　end　of　the　room；　light　filtered　through　a　grimy　window。
　　　　They　went　down　the　hall　to　the　second　door；　and　saw　an　almost　identical　office：　similar　desk　and　chair；　similar　window　at　the　far　side　of　the　room。
　　　　Eddie　grunted。　〃Looks　like　we're　in　an　office　building；〃　he　said。
　　　　Thorne　went　on。　He　opened　the　third　door；　and　then　the　fourth。　More　offices。
　　　　Thorne　opened　the　fifth　door；　and　paused。
　　　　He　was　in　a　conference　room；　dirty　with　leaves　and　debris。　There　were　animal　droppings　on　the　long　wooden　table　in　the　center　of　the　room。　The　window　on　the　far　side　was　dusty。　Thorne　was　drawn　to　a　large　map；　which　covered　one　whole　wall　of　the　conference　room。　There　were　pushpins　of　various　colors　stuck　in　the　map。　Eddie　came　in；　and　frowned。
　　　　Beneath　the　map　was　a　chest　of　drawers。　Thorne　tried　to　open　them；　but　they　were　all　locked。　Malcolm　walked　slowly　into　the　room；　looking　around；　taking　it　in。　〃What's　this　map　mean？〃　Eddie　said。　〃You　have　any　idea　what　the　pins　are？〃
　　　　Malcolm　glanced　at　it。　〃Twenty　pins　in　four　different　colors。　Five　pins　of　each　color。　Arranged　in　a　pentagon；　or　anyway　a　five…pronged　pattern　of　some　kind；　going　to　all　parts　of　the　island。　I'd　say　it　looks　like　a　network。〃
　　　　〃Didn't　Arby　say　there　was　a　network　on　this　island？〃
　　　　〃Yes；　he　did。。。。Interesting。。。。〃
　　　　〃Well；　never　mind　that　now；〃　Thorne　said。　He　went　back　into　the　hallway　again；　following　the　signal　from　his　hand　unit。　Malcolm　closed　the　door　behind　them；　and　they　continued　on。　They　saw　more　offices；　but　no　longer　opened　the　doors。　They　followed　the　signal　from　Levine。
　　　　At　the　end　of　the　corridor　was　a　pair　of　sliding　glass　doors　marked　NO　ADMITTANCE　AUTHORIZED　PERSONNEL　ONLY。　Thorne　peered　through　the　glass；　but　he　could　not　see　much　beyond。　He　had　the　sense　of　a　large　space；　and　plex　machinery；　but　the　glass　was　dusty　and　streaked　with　grime。　It　was　difficult　to　see。
　　　　Thorne　said　to　Malcolm；　〃You　really　think　you　know　what　this　building　was　for？〃
　　　　〃I　know　exactly　what　it　was　for；〃　Malcolm　said。　〃It's　a　manufacturing　plant　for　dinosaurs。〃
　　　　〃Why；〃　Eddie　said；　〃would　anybody　want　that？〃
　　　　〃Nobody　would；〃　Malcolm　said。　〃That's　why　they　kept　it　a　secret。〃
　　　　〃I　don't　get　it；〃　Eddie　said。
　　　　Malcolm　smiled。　〃Long　story；〃　he　said。
　　　　He　slipped　his　hands　between　the　doors；　and　tried　to　pull　them　open；　but　they　remained　shut　fast。　He　grunted；　straining　with　effort。　And　then　suddenly；　with　a　metallic　screech；　they　slid　apart。
　　　　They　stepped　into　the　darkness　beyond。

Their　flashlights　shone　down　an　inky　corridor；　as　they　moved　forward。　〃To　understand　this　place；　you　have　to　go　back　ten　years；　to　a　man　named　John　Hammond；　and　an　animal　called　the　quagga。〃
　　　　〃The　what？〃
　　　　〃The　quagga；〃　Malcolm　said；　〃is　an　African　mammal；　rather　like　a　zebra。　It　became　extinct　in　the　last　century。　But　in　the　1980s；　somebody　used　the　latest　DNA…extraction　techniques　on　a　piece　of　quagga　hide；　and　recovered　a　lot　of　DNA。　So　much　DNA　that　people　began　to　talk　about　bringing　the　quagga　back　to　life。　And　if　you　could　bring　the　quagga　back　to　life；　why　not　other　extinct　animals？　The　dodo？　The　saber…toothed　tiger？　Or　even　a　dinosaur？〃
　　　　〃Where　could　you　get　dinosaur　DNA？〃　Thorne　said。
　　　　〃Actually；〃　Malcolm　said；　〃paleontologists　have　been　finding　fragments　of　dinosaur　DNA　for　years。　They　never　said　much　about　it；　because　they　never　had　enough　material　to　use　it　as　a　classification　tool。　So　it　didn't　seem　to　have　any　value；　it　was　just　a　curiosity；〃
　　　　〃But　to　re…create　an　animal；　you'd　need　more　than　DNA　fragments；〃　Thorne　said。　〃You'd　need　the　whole　strand。〃
　　　　〃That's　right；〃　Malcolm　said。　〃And　the　man　who　figured　out　how　to；　get　it　was　a　venture　capitalist　named　John　Hammond。　He　reasoned　that；　when　dinosaurs　were　alive；　insects　probably　bit　them；　and　sucked　their　blood；　just　as　insects　do　today。　And　some　of　those　insects　would　afterward　land　on　a　branch；　and　be　trapped　in　sticky　sap。　And　some　of　that　sap　would　harden　into　amber。　Hammond　decided　that；　if　you　drilled　into　insects　preserved　in　amber；　and　extracted　the　stomach　contents；　you　would　eventually　get　some　dino…DNA。〃
　　　　〃And　did　he？〃
　　　　〃Yes。　He　did；　And　he　started　InGen；　to　develop　this　discovery。　Hammond　was　a　hustler；　and　his　true　talent　was　raising　money。　He　figured　out　how　to　get　enough　money　to　do　the　research　to　go　from　a　DNA　strand　to　a　living　animal。　Sources　of　funding　weren't　immediately　apparent。　Because；　although　it　would　be　exciting　to　re…create　a　dinosaur；　it　wasn't　exactly　a　cure　for　cancer。
　　　　〃So　he　decided　to　make　a　tourist　attraction。　He　planned　to　recover　the　cost　of　the　dinosaurs　by　putting　them　in　a　kind　of　zoo　or　theme　park；　where　he　would　charge　admission。〃
　　　　〃Are　you　joking？〃　Thorne　said。
　　　　〃No。　Hammond　actually　did　it。　He　built　his　park　on　an　island　called　Isla　Nublar；　north　of　here；　and　he　planned　to　open　it　to　the　public　in　late　1989。　I　went　to　see　the　place　myself；　shortly　before　it　was　scheduled　to　open。　But　it　turned　out　Hammond　had　problems；〃　Malcolm　said。　〃The　park　systems　broke　down；　and　the　dinosaurs　got　free。　Some　visitors　were　killed。　Afterward；　the　park　and　all　its　dinosaurs　were　destroyed。〃
　　　　They　passed　a　window　where　they　could　look　out　over　the　plain；　at　the　herds　of　dinosaurs　browsing　by　the　river。　Thorne　said；　〃If　they　were　all　destroyed；　what's　this　island？〃
　　　　〃This　island；〃　Malcolm　said；　〃is　Hammond's　dirty　little　secret。　It's　the　dark　side　of　his　park。〃

They　continued　down　the　corridor。
　　　　〃You　see；〃　Malcolm　said；　〃visitors　to　Hammond's　park　at　Isla　Nublar　were　shown　a　very　impressive　genetics　lab；　with　puters　and　gene　sequencers；　and　all　sorts　of　facilities　for　hatching　and　growing　young　dinosaurs。　Visitors　were　told　that　the　dinosaurs　were　created　right　there　at　the　park。　And　the　laboratory　tour　was　entirely　convincing。
　　　　〃But　actually；　Hammond's　tour　skipped　several　steps　in　the　process　In　one　room；　he　showed　you　dinosaur　DNA　being　extracted。　In　the　next　room；　he　showed　you　eggs　about　to　hatch。　It　was　very　dramatic；　but　how　had　he　gotten　from　DNA　to　a　viable　embryo？　You　never　saw　that　critical　step。　It　was　just　presented　as　having　happened；　between　rooms。
　　　　〃The　fact　was；　Hammond's　whole　show　was　too　good　to　be　true。　For　example；　he　had　a　hatchery　where　the　little　dinosaurs　pecked　their　way　out　of　the　eggs；　while　you　watched　in　amazement。　But　there　were　never　any　problems　in　the　hatchery。　No　stillbirths；　no　deformities；　no　difficulties　of　any　sort。　In　Hammond's　presentation；　this　dazzling　technology　was　carried　off　without　a　hitch。
　　　　〃And　if　you　think　about　it；　it　couldn't　possibly　be　true。　Hammond　was　claiming　to　manufacture　extinct　animals　using　cutting…edge　technology。　But　with　any　new　manufacturing　technology；　initial　yields　are　low：　on　the　order　of　one　percent　or　less。　So　in　fact；　Hammond　must　have　been　growing　thousands　of　dinosaur　embryos　to　get　a　single　live　birth。　That　implied　a　giant　industrial　operation；　not　the　spotless　little　laboratory　we　were　shown。〃
　　　　〃You　mean　this　place；〃　Thorne　said。
　　　　〃Yes。　Here；　on　another　island；　in　secret；　away　from　public　scrutiny；　Hammond　was　free　to　do　his　research；　and　deal　with　the　unpleasant　truth　behind　his　beautiful　little　park。　Hammond's　little　genetic　zoo　was　a　showcase。　But　this　island　was　the　real　thing。　This　is　where　the　dinosaurs　were　made。〃
　　　　〃If　the　animals　at　the　zoo　were　destroyed；〃　Eddie　said；　〃how　e　they　weren't　destroyed　on　this　island；　too？〃
　　　　〃A　critical　question；〃　Malcolm　said。　〃We　should　know　the　answer　in　a　few　minutes。〃　He　shone　his　light　down　the　tunnel；　it　glinted　off　glass　walls。　〃Because；　if　I　am　not　mistaken；〃　he　said；　〃the　first　of　the　manufacturing　bays　is　just　ahead。〃

Arby

Arby　awoke；　sitting　upright　in　bed；　blinking　his　eyes　in　the　Morning　light　that　streamed　in　through　the　trailer　windows。　In　the　next　bunk；　Kelly　was　still　asleep；　snoring　loudly。
　　　　He　looked　out　the　window　at　the　entrance　to　the　big　building；　and　s　aw　that　the　adults　were　gone。　The　Explorer　was　standing　by　the　entrance；　but　there　was　no　one　inside　the　car。　Their　trailer　sat　isolated　'n　the　clearing　of　tall　grass。　Arby　felt　entirely　alone　…　frighteningly　alone　and　a　sudden　sense　of　panic　made　his　heart　pound。　He　never　should　have　e　here；　he　thought。　The　whole　idea　was　stupid。　And　Worst　Of　all；　it　had　been　his　plan。　The　way　they　had　huddled　together　in　the　trailer；　and　then　had　gone　back　to　Thorne's　office。　And　Kelly　had　talked　to　Thorne；　so　that　Arby　could　steal　the　key。　The　way　he　had　set　up　a　delayed　radio　message　to　be　transmitted　to　Thorne　so　that　Thorne　would　think　they　were　still　in　Woodside。　Arby　had　felt　very　clever　at　the　time；　but　now　he　regretted　it　all。　He　decided　that　he　had　to　call　Thorne　immediately。　He　had　to　turn　himself　in。　He　was　filled　with　an　overwhelming　desire　to　confess。
　　　　He　needed　to　hear　somebody's　voice。　That　was　the　truth。
　　　　He　walked　from　the　back　of　the　trailer；　where　Kelly　was　sleeping；　to　the　front；　and　turned　on　the　ignition　key　in　the　dashboard。　He　picked　up　the　radio　handset　and　said；　〃This　is　Arby。　Is　anybody　there？　Over。　This　is　Arby。〃
　　　　But　nobody　answered。　After　a　moment；　he　looked　at　the　dashboard　systems　monitor；　which　registered　all　the　systems　that　were　operative。　He　didn't　see　anything　about　munications。　It　occurred　to　him　that　the　munications　system　was　probably　hooked　into　the　puter。　He　decided　to　turn　the　puter　on。
　　　　So　he　went　back　to　the　middle　of　the　trailer；　unstrapped　the　keyboard；　plugged　it　in；　and　turned　the　puter　on。　There　was　a　menu　screen　that　said　〃Thorne　Field　Systems〃　and　underneath　that　a　listing　of　subsystems　inside　the　trailer。　One　of　them　was　radio　munications。　So　he　clicked　on　that；　and　turned　it　on。
　　　　The　puter　screen　showed　a　scrambled　hash　of　static。　At　the　bottom　was　a　mand　line　that　read：　〃Multiple　Frequency　Inputs　Received。　Do　you　want　to　Autotune？〃
　　　　Arby　didn't　know　what　that　meant；　but　he　was　fe