Sphere (深海圆疑) 原版小说-第39章
按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页,按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页,按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部!
————未阅读完?加入书签已便下次继续阅读!
Harry stepped aside; and Ted typed; DID YOU MAKE A JOURNEY?
YES。 DID YOU MAKE A JOURNEY?
YES; Ted typed。
I MAKE A JOURNEY。 YOU MAKE A JOURNEY。 WE MAKE A JOURNEY TOGETHER。 I AM HAPPY。
Norman thought; He said he is happy。 Another expression of emotion; and this time it didn't seem to e from a book。 The statement appeared direct and genuine。 Did that mean that the alien had emotions? Or was he just pretending to have them; to be playful or to make them fortable?
〃Let's cut the crap;〃 Barnes said。 〃Ask him about his weapons。〃
〃I doubt he'll understand the concept of weapons。〃
〃Everybody understands the concept of weapons;〃 Barnes said。 〃Defense is a fact of life。〃
〃I must protest that attitude;〃 Ted said。 〃Military people always assume that everyone else is exactly like them。 This alien may not have the least conception of weapons or defense。 He may e from a world where defense is wholly irrelevant。〃
〃Since you're not listening;〃 Barnes said; 〃I'll say it again。 Defense is a fact of life。 If this Jerry is alive; he'll have a concept of defense。〃
〃My God;〃 Ted said。 〃Now you're elevating your idea of defense to a universal life principle…defense as an inevitable feature of life。〃
Barnes said; 〃You think it isn't? What do you call a cell membrane? What do you call an immune system? What do ''190'' you call your skin? What do you call wound healing? Every living creature must maintain the integrity of its physical borders。 That's defense; and we can't have life without it。 We can't imagine a creature without a limit to its body that it defends。 Every living creature knows about defense; I promise you。 Now ask him。〃
〃I'd say the Captain has a point;〃 Beth said。
〃Perhaps;〃 Ted said; 〃but I'm not sure we should introduce concepts that might induce paranoia…〃
〃…I'm in charge here;〃 Barnes said。
The screen printed out:
IS YOUR JOURNEY NOW FAR FROM YOUR LOCATION?
〃Tell him to wait a minute。〃
Ted typed; PLEASE WAIT。 WE ARE TALKING。
YES I AM ALSO。 I AM DELIGHTED TO TALK TO MULTIPLE ENTITIES FROM MADE IN THE U。S。A。 I AM ENJOYING THIS MUCH。
THANK YOU; Ted typed。
I AM PLEASED TO BE IN CONTACT WITH YOUR ENTITIES。 I AM HAPPY FOR TALKING WITH YOU。 I AM ENJOYING THIS MUCH。
Barnes said; 〃Let's get off…line。〃
The screen printed; PLEASE DO NOT STOP。 I AM ENJOYING THIS MUCH。
Norman thought; I'll bet he wants to talk to somebody; after three hundred years of isolation。 Or had it been even longer than that? Had he been floating in space for thousands of years before he was picked up by the spacecraft?
This raised a whole series of questions for Norman。 If the alien entity had emotions…and he certainly appeared to…then there was the possibility of all sorts of aberrant emotional responses; including neuroses; even psychoses。 Most human beings when placed in isolation became seriously disturbed rather quickly。 This alien intelligence had been isolated for hundreds of years。 What had happened to it during that time? Had it bee neurotic? Was that why it was childish and demanding now?
DO NOT STOP。 I AM ENJOYING THIS MUCH。
〃We have to stop; for Christ's sake;〃 Barnes said。
''191'' Ted typed; WE STOP NOW TO TALK AMONG OUR ENTITIES。
IT IS NOT NECESSARY TO STOP。 I DO NOT CARE TO STOP。
Norman thought he detected a petulant; irritable tone。 Perhaps even a little imperious。 I do not care to stop…this alien sounded like Louis XIV。
IT IS NECESSARY FOR US; Ted typed。
I DO NOT WISH IT。
IT IS NECESSARY FOR US; JERRY。
I UNDERSTAND。
The screen went blank。
〃That's better;〃 Barnes said。 〃Now let's regroup here and formulate a game plan。 What do we want to ask this guy?〃
〃I think we better acknowledge;〃 Norman said; 〃that he's showing an emotional reaction to our interaction。〃
〃Meaning what?〃 Beth said; interested。
〃I think we need to take the emotional content into account in dealing with him。〃
〃You want to psychoanalyze him?〃 Ted said。 〃Put him on the couch; find out why he had an unhappy childhood?〃
Norman suppressed his anger; with some difficulty。 Beneath that boyish exterior lies a boy; he thought。 〃No; Ted; but if Jerry does have emotions; then we'd better consider the psychological aspects of his response。〃
〃I don't mean to offend you;〃 Ted said; 〃but; personally; I don't see that psychology has much to offer。 Psychology's not a science; it's a form of superstition or religion。 It simply doesn't have any good theories; or any hard data to speak of。 It's all soft。 All this emphasis on emotions…you can say anything about emotions; and nobody can prove you wrong。 Speaking as an astrophysicist; I don't think emotions are very important。 I don't think they matter very much。〃
〃Many intellectuals would agree;〃 Norman said。
〃Yes。 Well;〃 Ted said; 〃we're dealing with a higher intellect here; aren't we?〃
〃In general;〃 Norman said; 〃people who aren't in touch ''192'' with their emotions tend to think their emotions are unimportant。〃
〃You're saying I'm not in touch with my emotions?〃 Ted said。
〃If you think emotions are unimportant; you're not in touch; no。〃
〃Can we have this argument later?〃 Barnes said。
〃Nothing is; but thinking makes it so;〃 Ted said。
〃Why don't you just say what you mean;〃 Norman said angrily; 〃and stop quoting other people?〃
〃Now you're making a personal attack;〃 Ted said。
〃Well; at least I haven't denied the validity of your field of study;〃 Norman said; 〃although without much effort I could。 Astrophysicists tend to focus on the far…off universe as a way of evading the realities of their own lives。 And since nothing in astrophysics can ever be finally proven…〃
〃……That's absolutely untrue;〃 Ted said。
〃…Enough! That's enough!〃 Barnes said; slamming his fist on the table。 They fell into an awkward silence。
Norman was still angry; but he was also embarrassed。 Ted got to me; he thought。 He finally got to me。 And he did it in the simplest possible way; by attacking my field of study。 Norman wondered why it had worked。 All his life at the university he'd had to listen to 〃hard〃 scientists…physicists and chemists…explain patiently to him that there was nothing to psychology; while these men went through divorce after divorce; while their wives had affairs; their kids mitted suicide or got in trouble with drugs。 He'd long ago stopped responding to these arguments。
Yet Ted had gotten to him。
〃…return to the business at hand;〃 Barnes was saying。 〃The question is: what do we want to ask this guy?〃
WHAT DO WE WANT TO ASK THIS GUY?
They stared at the screen。
〃Uh…oh;〃 Barnes said。
UHOH。
〃Does that mean what I think it means?〃
DOES THAT MEAN WHAT EYE THINK IT MEANS?
''193'' Ted pushed back from the console。 He said loudly; 〃Jerry; can you understand what I am saying?〃
YES TED。
〃Great;〃 Barnes said; shaking his head。 〃Just great。〃
I AM HAPPY ALSO。
ALIEN NEGOTIATIONS
〃Norman;〃 Barnes said; 〃I seem to remember you covered this in your report; didn't you? The possibility that an alien could read our minds。〃
〃I mentioned it;〃 Norman said。
〃And what were your remendations?〃
〃I didn't have any。 It was just something the State Department asked me to include as a possibility。 So I did。〃
〃You didn't make any remendations in your report?〃
〃No;〃 Norman said。 〃To tell you the truth; at the time I thought the idea was a joke。〃
〃It's not;〃 Barnes said。 He sat down heavily; stared at the screen。 〃What the hell are we going to do now?〃
DO NOT BE AFRAID。
〃That's fine for him to say; listening to everything we say。〃 He looked at the screen。 〃Are you listening to us now; Jerry?〃
YES HAL。
〃What a mess;〃 Barnes said。
Ted said; 〃I think it's an exciting development。〃
Norman said; 〃Jerry; can you read our minds?〃
YES NORMAN。
〃Oh brother;〃 Barnes said。 〃He can read our minds。〃
Maybe not; Norman thought。 He frowned; concentrating; and thought; Jerry; can you hear me?
The screen remained blank。
Jerry; tell me your name。
''194'' The screen did not change。
Maybe a visual image; Norman thought。 Perhaps he can receive a visual image。 Norman cast around in his mind for something to visualize; chose a sandy tropical beach; then a palm tree。 The image of the palm tree was clear; but; then; he thought; Jerry wouldn't know what a palm tree was。 It wouldn't mean anything to him。 Norman thought he should choose something that