Sphere (深海圆疑) 原版小说-第13章

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＇＇58＇＇　〃Petty　Officer　First　Class；　Data　Processing；　sir；〃　she　said　formally。　Jane　Edmunds　wore　spectacles　and　stood　stiffly。　She　reminded　Norman　of　a　librarian。
〃Data　Processing　。。。〃　Ted　said。
〃My　mission　is　to　keep　all　the　digital　recordings；　visual　materials；　and　videotapes；　sir。　Every　aspect　of　this　historic　moment　is　being　recorded；　and　I　keep　everything　neatly　filed。〃　Norman　thought：　She　is　a　librarian。
〃Oh；　excellent；〃　Ted　said。　〃I'm　glad　to　hear　it。　Film　or　tape？〃
〃Tape；　sir。〃
〃I　know　my　way　around　a　video　camera；〃　Ted　said；　with　a　smile。　〃What're　you　putting　it　down　on；　half…inch　or　threequarter？〃
〃Sir；　we　use　a　datascan　image　equivalent　of　two　thousand　pixels　per　side…biased　frame；　each　pixel　carrying　a　twelvetone　gray　scale。〃
〃Oh；〃　Ted　said。
〃It's　a　bit　better　than　mercial　systems　you　may　be　familiar　with；　sir。〃
〃I　see；〃　Ted　said。　But　he　recovered　smoothly；　and　chatted　with　Edmunds　for　a　while　about　technical　matters。
〃Ted　seems　awfully　interested　in　how　we're　going　to　record　this；〃　Barnes　said；　looking　uneasy。
〃Yes；　he　seems　to　be。〃　Norman　wondered　why　that　troubled　Barnes。　Was　Barnes　worried　about　the　visual　record？　Or　did　he　think　Ted　would　try　to　hog　the　show？　Would　Ted　try　to　hog　the　show？　Did　Barnes　have　any　worries　about　having　this　appear　to　be　a　civilian　operation？
〃No；　the　exterior　lights　are　a　hundred…fifty…watt　quartz　halogen；〃　Edmunds　was　saying。　〃We're　recording　at　equivalent　of　half　a　million　ASA；　so　that's　ample。　The　real　problem　is　backscatter。　We're　constantly　fighting　it。〃
Norman　said；　〃I　notice　your　support　team　is　all　women。〃
〃Yes；〃　Barnes　said。　〃All　the　deep…diving　studies　show　that　women　are　superior　for　submerged　operations。　They're　physically　smaller　and　consume　less　nutrients　and　air；　they　have　better　social　skills　and　tolerate　close　quarters　better；　and　they　are　physiologically　tougher　and　have　better　endurance。
＇＇59＇＇　The　fact　is；　the　Navy　long　ago　recognized　that　all　their　submariners　should　be　female。〃　He　laughed。　〃But　just　try　to　implement　that　one。〃　He　glanced　at　his　watch。　〃We'd　better　move　on。　Ted？〃
They　went　on。　The　final　cylinder；　E　Cyl；　was　more　spacious　than　the　others。　There　were　magazines；　a　television；　and　a　large　lounge；　and　on　the　deck　below　was　an　efficient　mess　and　a　kitchen。　Seaman　Rose　Levy；　the　cook；　was　a　redfaced　woman　with　a　Southern　accent；　standing　beneath　giant　suction　fans。　She　asked　Norman　whether　he　had　any　favorite　desserts。
〃Desserts？〃
〃Yes　sir；　Dr。　Johnson。　I　like　to　make　everybody's　favorite　dessert；　if　I　can。　What　about　you；　you　have　a　favorite；　Dr。　Fielding？〃
〃Key　lime　pie；〃　Ted　said。　〃I　love　key　lime　pie。〃
〃Can　do；　sir；〃　Levy　said；　with　a　big　smile。　She　turned　back　to　Norman。　〃I　haven't　heard　yours　yet；　Dr。　Johnson。〃
〃Strawberry　shortcake。〃
〃Easy。　Got　some　nice　New　Zealand　strawberries　ing　down　on　the　last　sub　shuttle。　Maybe　you'd　like　that　shortcake　tonight？〃
〃Why　not；　Rose；〃　Barnes　said　heartily。
Norman　looked　out　the　black　porthole　window。　From　the　portholes　of　D　Cyl；　he　could　see　the　rectangular　illuminated　grid　that　extended　across　the　bottom；　following　the　half…mile…long　buried　spacecraft。　Divers；　illuminated　like　fireflies；　moved　over　the　glowing　grid　surface。
Norman　thought：　I　am　a　thousand　feet　beneath　the　surface　of　the　ocean；　and　we　are　talking　about　whether　we　should　have　strawberry　shortcake　for　dessert。　But　the　more　he　thought　about　it；　the　more　it　made　sense。　The　best　way　to　make　somebody　fortable　in　a　new　environment　was　to　give　him　familiar　food。
〃Strawberries　make　me　break　out；〃　Ted　said。
〃I'll　make　your　shortcake　with　blueberries；〃　Levy　said；　not　missing　a　beat。
〃And　whipped　cream？〃　Ted　said。　
〃Well　。。。〃
＇＇60＇＇　〃You　can't　have　everything；〃　Barnes　said。　〃And　one　of　the　things　you　can't　have　at　thirty　atmospheres　of　mixed　gas　is　whipped　cream。　Won't　whip。　Let's　move　on。〃


Beth　and　Harry　were　waiting　in　the　small；　padded　conference　room；　directly　above　the　mess。　They　both　wore　jumpsuits　and　heated　jackets。　Harry　was　shaking　his　head　as　they　arrived。　〃Like　our　padded　cell？〃　He　poked　the　insulated　walls。　〃It's　like　living　in　a　vagina。〃
Beth　said；　〃Don't　you　like　going　back　to　the　womb；　Harry？〃
〃No；〃　Harry　said。　〃I've　been　there。　Once　was　enough。〃
〃These　jumpsuits　are　pretty　bad；〃　Ted　said；　plucking　at　the　clinging　polyester。
〃Shows　your　belly　nicely；〃　Harry　said。
〃Let's　settle　down；〃　Barnes　said。
〃A　few　sequins；　you　could　be　Elvis　Presley；〃　Harry　said。
〃Elvis　Presley's　dead。〃
〃Now's　your　chance；〃　Harry　said。
Norman　looked　around。　〃Where's　Levine？〃
〃Levine　didn't　make　it；〃　Barnes　said　briskly。　〃He　got　claustrophobic　in　the　sub　ing　down；　and　had　to　be　taken　back。　One　of　those　things。〃
〃Then　we　have　no　marine　biologist？〃
〃We'll　manage　without　him。〃
〃I　hate　this　damn　jumpsuit；〃　Ted　said。　〃I　really　hate　it。〃
〃Beth　looks　good　in　hers。〃
〃Yes；　Beth　works　out。〃
〃And　it's　damp　in　here；　too；〃　Ted　said。　〃Is　it　always　so　damp？〃
Norman　had　noticed　that　humidity　was　a　problem；　everything　they　touched　felt　slightly　wet　and　clammy　and　cold。　Barnes　warned　them　of　the　danger　of　infections　and　minor　colds；　and　handed　out　bottles　of　skin　lotion　and　ear　drops。
〃I　thought　you　said　the　technology　was　all　worked　out；〃　Harry　said。
〃It　is；〃　Barnes　said。　〃Believe　me；　this　is　plush　pared　to　the　habitats　ten　years　ago。〃
＇＇61＇＇　〃Ten　years　ago；〃　Harry　said；　〃they　stopped　making　habitats　because　people　kept　dying　in　them。〃
Barnes　frowned。　〃There　was　one　accident。〃
〃There　were　two　accidents；〃　Harry　said。　〃A　total　of　four　people。〃
〃Special　circumstances；〃　Barnes　said。　〃Not　involving　Navy　technology　or　personnel。〃
〃Great；〃　Harry　said。　〃How　long　did　you　say　we　going　to　be　down　here？〃
〃Maximum；　seventy…two　hours；〃　Barnes　said。
〃You　sure　about　that？〃
〃It's　Navy　regs；〃　Barnes　said。
〃Why？〃　Norman　asked；　puzzled。
Barnes　shook　his　head。　〃Never；〃　he　said；　〃never　ask　a　reason　for　Navy　regulations。〃
The　inter　clicked；　and　Tina　Chan　said；　〃Captain　Barnes；　we　have　a　signal　from　the　divers。　They　are　mounting　the　airlock　now。　Another　few　minutes　to　open。〃
The　feeling　in　the　room　changed　immediately；　the　excitement　was　palpable。　Ted　rubbed　his　hands　together。　〃You　realize；　of　course；　that　even　without　opening　that　spacecraft；　we　have　already　made　a　major　discovery　of　profound　importance。〃
〃What's　that？〃　Norman　said。
〃We've　shot　the　unique　event　hypothesis　to　hell；〃　Ted　said；　glancing　at　Beth。
〃The　unique　event　hypothesis？〃　Barnes　said。
〃He's　referring；〃　Beth　said；　〃to　the　fact　that　physicists　and　chemists　tend　to　believe　in　intelligent　extraterrestrial　life；　while　biologists　tend　not　to。　Many　biologists　feel　the　development　of　intelligent　life　on　Earth　required　so　many　peculiar　steps　that　it　represents　a　unique　event　in　the　universe；　that　may　never　have　occurred　elsewhere。〃
〃Wouldn't　intelligence　arise　again　and　again？〃　Barnes　said。
〃Well；　it　barely　arose　on　the　Earth；〃　Beth　said。　〃The　Earth　is　4。5　billion　years　old；　and　single…celled　life　appeared　3。9　billion　years　ago…almost　immediately；　geologically　speaking。　But　life　remained　single…celled　for　the　next　three　billion　＇＇62＇＇　years。　Then　in　the　Cambrian　period；　around　six　hundred　million　years　ago；　there　was　an　explosion　of　sophisticated　life　forms。　Within　a　hundred　million　years；　the　ocean　was　full　of　fish。　Then　the　land　became　populated：　Then　the　air。　But　nobody　knows　why　the　explosion　occurred　in　the　first　place。　And　since　it　didn't　occur　for　three　billion　years；　there's　the　possibility　that　on　some　other　planet；　it　might　never　occur　at　all。
〃And　even　after　the　Cambrian；　the　chain　of　events　leading　to　man　appears　to　be　so　special；　so　chancy；　that　biologists　worry　it　might　never　have　happened。　Just　consider　the　fact　that　if　the　dinosaurs　hadn't　been　wiped　out　sixty…five　million　years　ago…by　a　et　or　whatever…then　reptiles　might　still　be　the　dominant　form　on　Earth；　and　mammals　would　never　have　had　a　chance　to　take　over。　No　mammals；　no　primates。　No　primates；　no　apes。　No　apes；　no　man　。。。　There　are　a　lot　of　random　factors　in　evolution；　a　lot　of　luck。　That's　why　biologists　think　intelligent　life　might　be　a　unique　event　in　the　universe；　only　occurring　here。〃
〃Except　now；〃　Ted　said；　〃we　know　it's　not　a　unique　event。　Because　there　is　a　damn　big　spacecraft　out　there。〃
〃Personally；〃