jurassic.park-第12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！


n　curiosity　about　the　island　in　Costa　Rica；　Grant　understood　that；　if　John　Hammond　asked　for　his　help；　he　would　give　it。　That　was　how　patronage　worked…how　it　had　always　worked。
　　　　The　little　jet　landed　and　rolled　quickly　toward　them。　Ellie　shouldered　her　bag。　The　iet　came　to　a　stop　and　a　stewardess　in　a　blue　uniform　opened　the　door。
　　　　Inside；　he　was　surprised　at　how　cramped　it　was；　despite　the　luxurious　appointments。　Grant　had　to　hunch　over　as　he　went　to　shake　Hammond's　hand。
　　　　〃Dr。　Grant　and　Dr。　Sattler；〃　Hammond　said。　〃It's　good　of　you　to　join　us。　Allow　me　to　introduce　my　associate；　Donald　Gennaro。〃
　　　　Gennaro　was　a　stocky；　muscular　man　in　his　mid…thirties　wearing　an　Armani　suit　and　wire…frame　glasses。　Grant　disliked　him　on　sight。　He　shook　hands　quickly。　When　Ellie　shook　hands；　Gennaro　said　in　surprise；　〃You're　a　woman。〃
　　　　〃These　things　happen；〃　she　said；　and　Grant　thought：　She　doesn't　like　him；　either…
　　　　Hammond　turned　to　Gennaro。　〃You　know；　of　course；　what　Dr。　Grant　and　Dr。　Sattler　do。　They　are　paleontologists。　They　dig　up　dinosaurs。〃　And　then　he　began　to　laugh；　as　if　he　found　the　idea　very　funny。
　　　　〃Take　your　seats；　please；〃　the　stewardess　said；　closing　the　door。　Immediately　the　plane　began　to　move。
　　　　〃You'll　have　to　excuse　us；〃　Hammond　said；　〃but　we　are　in　a　bit　of　a　rush。　Donald　thinks　it's　important　we　get　right　down　there。〃
　　　　The　pilot　announced　four　hours'　flying　time　to　Dallas；　where　they　would　refuel；　and　then　go　on　to　Costa　Rica；　arriving　the　following　morning。
　　　　〃And　how　long　will　we　be　in　Costa　Rica？〃　Grant　asked。
　　　　〃Well；　that　really　depends；〃　Gennaro　said。　〃We　have　a　few　things　to　clear　up。〃
　　　　〃Take　my　word　for　it；〃　Hammond　said；　turning　to　Grant。　〃We'll　be　down　there　no　more　than　forty…eight　hours。〃
　　　　Grant　buckled　his　seat　belt。　〃This　island　of　yours　that　we're　going　to…I　haven't　heard　anything　about　it　before。　Is　it　some　kind　of　secret？〃
　　　　〃In　a　way；〃　Hammond　said。　〃We　have　been　very；　very　careful　about　making　sure　nobody　knows　about　it；　until　the　day　we　finally　open　that　island　to　a　surprised　and　delighted　public。〃

Target　of　Opportunity

The　Biosyn　Corporation　of　Cupertino；　California；　had　never　called　an　emergency　meeting　of　its　board　of　directors。　The　ten　directors　now　sitting　in　the　conference　room　were　irritable　and　impatient。　It　was　8：00　p。m。　They　had　been　talking　among　themselves　for　the　last　ten　minutes；　but　slowly　had　fallen　silent。　Shuffling　papers。　Looking　pointedly　at　their　watches。
　　　　〃What　are　we　waiting　for？〃　one　asked。
　　　　〃One　more；〃　Lewis　Dodgson　said。　〃We　need　one　more。〃　He　glanced　at　his　watch。　Ron　Meyer's　office　had　said　he　was　ing　up　on　the　six　o'clock　plane　from　San　Diego。　He　should　be　here　by　now；　even　allowing　for　traffic　from　the　airport。
　　　　〃You　need　a　quorum？〃　another　director　asked。
　　　　〃Yes；〃　Dodgson　said。　〃We　do。〃
　　　　That　shut　them　up　for　a　moment。　A　quorum　meant　that　they　were　going　to　be　asked　to　make　an　important　decision。　And　God　knows　they　were；　although　Dodgson　would　have　preferred　not　to　call　a　meeting　at　all。　But　Steingarten；　the　head　of　Biosyn；　was　adamant。　〃You'll　have　to　get　their　agreement　for　this　one；　Lew；〃　he　had　said。
　　　　Depending　on　who　you　talked　to；　Lewis　Dodgson　was　famous　as　the　most　aggressive　geneticist　of　his　generation；　or　the　most　reckless。　Thirty…four；　balding；　hawk…faced；　and　intense；　he　had　been　dismissed　by　Johns　Hopkins　as　a　graduate　student；　for　planning　gene　therapy　on　human　patients　without　obtaining　the　proper　FDA　protocols。　Hired　by　Biosyn；　he　had　conducted　the　controversial　rabies　vaccine　test　in　Chile。　Now　he　was　the　head　of　product　development　at　Biosyn；　which　supposedly　consisted　of　〃reverse　engineering〃：　taking　a　petitor's　product；　tearing　it　apart；　learning　how　it　worked；　and　then　making　your　own　version。　In　practice；　it　involved　industrial　espionage；　much　of　it　directed　toward　the　InGen　corporation。
　　　　In　the　1980s；　a　few　genetic　engineering　panies　began　to　ask；　〃What　is　the　biological　equivalent　of　a　Sony　Walkman？〃　These　panies　weren't　interested　in　pharmaceuticals　or　health；　they　were　interested　in　entertainment；　sports；　leisure　activities；　cosmetics；　and　pets。　The　perceived　demand　for　〃consumer　biologicals〃　in　the　1990s　was　high。　InGen　and　Biosyn　were　both　at　work　in　this　field。
　　　　Biosyn　had　already　achieved　some　success；　engineering　a　new；　pale　trout　under　contract　to　the　Department　of　Fish　and　Game　of　the　State　of　Idaho。　This　trout　was　easier　to　spot　in　streams；　and　was　said　to　represent　a　step　forward　in　angling。　（At　least；　it　eliminated　plaints　to　the　Fish　and　Came　Department　that　there　were　no　trout　in　the　streams。）　The　fact　that　the　pale　trout　sometimes　died　of　sunburn；　and　that　its　flesh　was　soggy　and　tasteless；　was　not　discussed。　Biosyn　was　still　working　on　that；　and…
　　　　The　door　opened　and　Ron　Meyer　entered　the　room；　slipped　into　a　seat。　Dodgson　now　had　his　quorum。　He　immediately　stood。
　　　　〃Gentlemen；〃　he　said；　〃we're　here　tonight　to　consider　a　target　of　opportunity：　InGen。〃
　　　　Dodgson　quickly　reviewed　the　background。　InGen's　start…up　in　1983；　with　Japanese　investors。　The　purchase　of　three　Cray　XMP　superputers。　The　purchase　of　Isla　Nublar　in　Costa　Rica。　The　stockpiling　of　amber。　The　unusual　donations　to　zoos　around　the　world；　from　the　New　York　Zoological　Society　to　the　Rantbapur　Wildlife　Park　in　India。
　　　　〃Despite　all　these　clues；〃　Dodgson　said；　〃we　still　had　no　idea　where　InGen　might　be　going。　The　pany　seemed　obviously　focused　on　animals；　and　they　had　hired　researchers　with　an　interest　in　the　past…paleoblologists；　DNA　phylogeneticists；　and　so　on。
　　　　〃Then；　in　1987；　InGen　bought　an　obscure　pany　called　Millipore　Plastic　Products　in　Nashville；　Tennessee。　This　was　an　agribusiness　pany　that　had　recently　patented　a　new　plastic　with　the　characteristics　of　an　avian　eggshell。　This　plastic　could　be　shaped　into　an　egg　and　used　to　grow　chick　embryos。　Starting　the　following　year；　InGen　took　the　entire　output　of　this　millipore　plastic　for　its　own　use。〃
　　　　〃Dr。　Dodgson；　this　is　all　very　interesting…〃
　　　　〃At　the　same　time；〃　Dodgson　continued；　〃construction　was　begun　on　Isla　Nublar；　This　involved　massive　earthworks；　including　a　shallow　lake　two　miles　long；　in　the　center　of　the　island。　Plans　for　resort　facilities　were　let　out　with　a　high　degree　of　confidentiality；　but　it　appears　that　InGen　has　built　a　private　zoo　of　large　dimensions　on　the　island。〃
　　　　One　of　the　directors　leaned　forward　and　said；　〃Dr。　Dodgson。　So　what？〃
　　　　〃It's　not　an　ordinary　zoo；〃　Dodgson　said。　〃This　zoo　is　unique　in　the　world。　It　seems　that　InGen　has　done　something　quite　extraordinary。　They　have　managed　to　clone　extinct　animals　from　the　past。〃
　　　　〃What　animals？〃　　　
　　　　〃Animals　that　hatch　from　eggs；　and　that　require　a　lot　of　room　in　a　zoo。〃
　　　　〃What　animals？〃
　　　　〃Dinosaurs；〃　Dodgson　said。　〃They　are　cloning　dinosaurs。〃

The　consternation　that　followed　was　entirely　misplaced；　in　Dodgson's　view。　The　trouble　with　money　men　was　that　they　didn't　keep　up：　they　had　invested　in　a　field；　but　they　didn't　know　what　was　possible。
　　　　In　fact；　there　had　been　discussion　of　cloning　dinosaurs　in　the　technical　literature　as　far　back　as　1982。　With　each　passing　year；　the　manipulation　of　DNA　had　grown　easier。　Genetic　material　had　already　been　extracted　from　Egyptian　mummies；　and　from　the　hide　of　a　quagga；　a　zebra…like　African　animal　that　had　bee　extinct　in　the　1880s。　By　1985；　it　seemed　possible　that　quagga　DNA　might　be　reconstituted；　and　a　new　animal　grown。　If　so；　it　would　be　the　first　creature　brought　back　from　extinction　solely　by　reconstruction　of　its　DNA。　If　that　was　possible；　what　else　was　also　possible？　The　mastodon？　The　saber…toothed　tiger？　The　dodo？
　　　　Or　even　a　dinosaur？
　　　　Of　course；　no　dinosaur　DNA　was　known　to　exist　anywhere　in　the　world。　But　by　grinding　up　large　quantities　of　dinosaur　bones　it　might　be　possible　to　extract　fragments　of　DNA。　Formerly　it　was　thought　that　fossilization　eliminated　all　DNA。　Now　that　was　recognized　as　untrue。　If　enough　DNA　fragments　were　recovered；　it　might　be　possible　to　clone　a　living　animal。
　　　　Back　in　1982；　the　technical　problems　had　seemed　daunting。　But　there　was　no　theoretical　barrier。　It　was　merely　difficult；　expensive；　and　unlikely　to　work；　Yet　it　was　certainly　possible；　if　anyone　cared　to　try。
　　　　InGen　had　apparently　decided　to　try。
　　　　〃What　they　have　done；〃　Dodgson　said；　〃is　build　the　greatest　single　tourist　attraction　in　the　history　of　the　world。　As　you　know；　zoos　are　extremely　popular。　Last　year；　more　Americans　visited　zoos　than　all　professional　baseball　and　football　games　bined。　And　the　Japanese　love　zoos…there　are　fifty　zoos　in　Japan；　and　more　being　built。　And　for　this　zoo；　InGen　can　charge　whatever　they　want；　Two　thousand　dollars　a　day；　ten　thousand　dollars　a　day　。　。　。　And　then　there　is　the　merchandising。　The　picture　books；　T…shirts；　video　games；　caps；　stuffed　toys；　ic　books；　and　pets。〃
　　　　〃Pets？〃
　　　　〃Of　course。　If　InGen　can　make　full…size　dinosaurs；　they　can　also　make　pygmy　dinosaurs　as　household　pets。　What　child　won't　want　a　little　dinosaur　as　a　pet？　A　little　patented　animal　for　their　very　own。　InGen　will　sell　millions　of　them。　And　InGen　will　engineer　them　so　that　these　pet　dinosaurs　can　only　eat　InGen　pet　food。　。　。　。〃
　　　　〃Jesus；〃　somebody　said。
　　　　〃Exactly；〃　Dodgson　said。　〃The　zoo　is　the　centerpiece　of　an　enormous　enterprise。〃
　　　　〃You　said　these　dinosaurs　will　be　patented？〃
　　　　〃Yes。　Genetically　engineered　animals　can　now　be　patented。　The　Supreme　Court　ruled　on　that　in　favor　of　Harvard　in　1987。　InGen　will　own　its　dinosaurs；　and　no　one　else　can　legally　make　them。〃
　　　　〃What　prevents　us　from　creating　our　own　dinosaurs？〃　someone　said。
　　　　〃Nothing；　except　that　they　have　a　five…year　start。　It'll　be　almost　impossible　to　catch　up　before　the　end　of　the　century。〃
　　　　He　paused。　〃Of　course；　if　we　could　obtain　examples　of　their　dinosaurs；　we　could　reverse　engineer　them　and　make　our　own；　with　enough　modifications　in　the　DNA　to　evade　their　patents。〃
　　　　〃Can　we　obtain　examples　of　their　dinosaurs？〃
　　　　Dodgson　paused。　〃I　believe　we　can；　yes。〃
　　　　Somebody　cleared　his　throat。　〃There　wouldn't　be　anything　illegal　about　it。　。　。　。〃
　　　　〃Oh　no；〃　Dodgson　said　quickly。　〃Nothing　illegal。　I'm　talking　about　a　legitimate　source　of　their　DNA。　A　disgruntled　employee；　or　some　trash　improperly　disposed　of；　something　like　that。〃
　　　　〃Do　you　have　a　legitimate　source；　Dr。　Dodgson？〃
　　　　〃I　do；〃　Dodgson　said。　〃But　I'm　afraid　there　is　some　urgency　to　the　decision；　because　InGen　is　experiencing　a　small　crisis；　and　my　source　will　have　to　act　within　the　next　twenty…four　hours。〃
　　　　A　long　silence　descended　over　the　room。　The　men　looked　at　the　secretary；　taking　notes；　and　the　tape　recorder　on　the　table　in　front　of　her。
　　　　〃I　don't　see　the　need　for　a　formal　resolution　on　this；〃　Dodgson　said。　〃Just　a　sense　of　the　room；　as　to　whether　you　feel　I　should　proceed。　。　。　。〃
　　　　Slowly　the　heads　nodded。
　　　　Nobody　spoke。　Nobody　went　on　record。　They　just　nodded　silently。
　　　　〃Thank　you　for　ing；　gentlemen；〃　Dodgson　said。　〃I'll　take　it　from　here。〃

Airport

Lewis　Dodgson　entered　the　coffee　shop　in　the　departure　building　of　the　San　Francisco　airport　and　looked　around　quickly。　His　man　was　already　there；　waiting　at　the　counter。　Dodgson　sat　down　next　to　him　and　placed　the　briefcase