mc.theandromedastrein-第7章

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f　scientists　who　would　study　any　new　organism。　After　a　number　of　studies　of　team　position；　five　men　were　selected；　including　Jeremy　Stone　himself。　These　five　were　prepared　to　mobilize　immediately　in　the　event　of　a　biologic　emergency。
　
　　　Barely　two　years　after　his　letter　to　the　President；　Stone　was　satisfied　that　〃this　country　has　the　capability　to　deal　with　an　unknown　biologic　agent。〃　He　professed　himself　pleased　with　the　response　of　Washington　and　the　speed　with　which　his　ideas　had　been　implemented。　But　privately；　he　admitted　to　friends　that　it　had　been　almost　too　easy；　that　Washington　had　agreed　to　his　plans　almost　too　readily。
　
　　　Stone　could　not　have　known　the　reasons　behind　Washington's　eagerness；　or　the　very　real　concern　many　government　officials　had　for　the　problem。　For　Stone　knew　nothing；　until　the　night　he　left　the　party　and　drove　off　in　the　blue　military　sedan；　of　Project　Scoop。
　
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　　　〃It　was　the　fastest　thing　we　could　arrange；　sir；〃　the　Army　man　said。
　
　　　Stone　stepped　onto　the　airplane　with　a　sense　of　absurdity。　It　was　a　Boeing　727；　pletely　empty；　the　seats　stretching　back　in　long　unbroken　rows。
　
　　　〃Sit；　first　class；　if　you　like；〃　the　Army　man　said；　with　a　slight　smile。　〃It　doesn't　matter。〃　A　moment　later　he　was　gone。　He　was　not　replaced　by　a　stewardess　but　by　a　stern　MP　with　a　pistol　on　his　hip　who　stood　by　the　door　as　the　engines　started；　whining　softly　in　the　night。
　
　　　Stone　sat　back　with　the　Scoop　file　in　front　of　him　and　began　to　read。　It　made　fascinating　reading；　he　went　through　it　quickly；　so　quickly　that　the　MP　thought　his　passenger　must　be　merely　glancing　at　the　file。　But　Stone　was　reading　every　word。
　
　　　Scoop　was　the　brainchild　of　Major　General　Thomas　Sparks；　head　of　the　Army　Medical　Corps；　Chemical　and　Biological　Warfare　Division。　Sparks　was　responsible　for　the　research　of　the　CBW　installations　at　Fort　Detrick；　Maryland；　Harley；　Indiana；　and　Dugway；　Utah。　Stone　had　met　him　once　or　twice；　and　remembered　him　as　being　mild…mannered　and　bespectacled。　Not　the　sort　of　man　to　be　expected　in　the　job　he　held。
　
　　　Reading　on；　Stone　learned　that　Project　Scoop　was　contracted　to　the　Jet　Propulsion　Laboratory　of　the　California　Institute　of　Technology　in　Pasadena　in　1963。　Its　avowed　aim　was　the　collection　of　any　organisms　that　might　exist　in　〃near　space；　〃　the　upper　atmosphere　of　the　earth。　Technically　speaking；　it　was　an　Army　project；　but　it　was　funded　through　the　National　Aeronautics　and　Space　Administration；　a　supposedly　civilian　organization。　In　fact；　NASA　was　a　government　agency　with　a　heavy　military　mitment；　43　per　cent　of　its　contractual　work　was　classified　in　1963。
　
　　　In　theory；　JPL　was　designing　a　satellite　to　enter　the　fringes　of　space　and　collect　organisms　and　dust　for　study。　This　was　considered　a　project　of　pure　science　almost　curiosity　and　was　thus　accepted　by　all　the　scientists　working　on　the　study。
　
　　　In　fact；　the　true　aims　were　quite　different。
　
　　　The　true　aims　of　Scoop　were　to　find　new　life　forms　that　might　benefit　the　Fort　Detrick　program。　In　essence；　it　was　a　study　to　discover　new　biological　weapons　of　war。
　
　　　Detrick　was　a　rambling　structure　in　Maryland　dedicated　to　the　discovery　of　chemical…and…biological…warfare　weapons。　Covering　1；300　acres；　with　a　physical　plant　valued　at　100；000；000；　it　ranked　as　one　of　the　largest　research　facilities　of　any　kind　in　the　United　States。　Only　15　per　cent　of　its　findings　were　published　in　open　scientific　journals；　the　rest　were　classified；　as　were　the　reports　from　Harley　and　Dugway。　Harley　was　a　maximum…security　installation　that　dealt　largely　with　viruses。　In　the　previous　ten　years；　a　number　of　new　viruses　had　been　developed　there；　ranging　from　the　variety　coded　Carrie　Nation　（which　produces　diarrhea）　to　the　variety　coded　Arnold　（which　causes　clonic　seizures　and　death）。　The　Dugway　Proving　Ground　in　Utah　was　larger　than　the　state　of　Rhode　Island　and　was　used　principally　to　test　poison　gases　such　as　Tabun；　Sklar；　and　Kuff…11。
　
　　　Few　Americans；　Stone　knew；　were　aware　of　the　magnitude　of　U。S。　research　into　chemical　and　biological　warfare。　The　total　government　expenditure　in　CBW　exceeded　half　a　billion　dollars　a　year。　Much　of　this　was　distributed　to　academic　centers　such　as　Johns　Hopkins；　Pennsylvania；　and　the　University　of　Chicago；　where　studies　of　weapons　systems　were　contracted　under　vague　terms。　Sometimes；　of　course；　the　terms　were　not　so　vague。　The　Johns　Hopkins　program　was　devised　to　evaluate　〃studies　of　actual　or　potential　injuries　and　illnesses；　studies　on　diseases　of　potential　biological…warfare　significance；　and　evaluation　of　certain　chemical　and　immunological　responses　to　certain　toxoids　and　vaccines。〃
　
　　　In　the　past　eight　years；　none　of　the　results　from　Johns　Hopkins　had　been　published　openly。　Those　from　other　universities；　such　as　Chicago　and　UCLA；　had　occasionally　been　published；　but　these　were　considered　within　the　military　establishment　to　be　〃trial　balloons〃　examples　of　ongoing　research　intended　to　intimidate　foreign　observers。　A　classic　was　the　paper　by　Tendron　and　five　others　entitled　〃Researches　into　a　Toxin　Which　Rapidly　Uncouples　Oxidative　Phosphorylation　Through　Cutaneous　Absorption。〃
　
　　　The　paper　described；　but　did　not　identify；　a　poison　that　would　kill　a　person　in　less　than　a　minute　and　was　absorbed　through　the　skin。　It　was　recognized　that　this　was　a　relatively　minor　achievement　pared　to　other　toxins　that　had　been　devised　in　recent　years。
　
　　　With　so　much　money　and　effort　going　into　CBW；　one　might　think　that　new　and　more　virulent　weapons　would　be　continuously　perfected。　However；　this　was　not　the　case　from　1961　to　1965；　the　conclusion　of　the　Senate　Preparedness　Submittee　in　1961　was　that　〃conventional　research　has　been　less　than　satisfactory〃　and　that　〃new　avenues　and　approaches　of　inquiry〃　should　be　opened　within　the　field。
　
　　　That　was　precisely　what　Major　General　Thomas　Sparks　intended　to　do；　with　Project　Scoop。
　
　　　In　final　form；　Scoop　was　a　program　to　orbit　seventeen　satellites　around　the　earth；　collecting　organisms　and　bringing　them　back　to　the　surface。　Stone　read　the　summaries　of　each　previous　flight。
　
　　　Scoop　I　was　a　gold…plated　satellite；　cone…shaped；　weighing　thirty…seven　pounds　fully　equipped。　It　was　launched　from　Vandenberg　Air　Force　Base　in　Purisima；　California；　on　March　12；　1966。　Vandenberg　is　used　for　polar　（north　to　south）　orbits；　as　opposed　to　Cape　Kennedy；　which　launches　west　to　east；　Vandenberg　had　the　additional　advantage　of　maintaining　better　secrecy　than　Kennedy。
　
　　　Scoop　I　orbited　for　six　days　before　being　brought　down。　It　landed　successfully　in　a　swamp　near　Athens；　Georgia。　Unfortunately；　it　was　found　to　contain　only　standard　earth　organisms。
　
　　　Scoop　II　burned　up　in　reentry；　as　a　result　of　instrumentation　failure。　Scoop　III　also　burned　up；　though　it　had　a　new　type　of　plastic…and…tungsten…laminate　heat　shield。
　
　　　Scoops　IV　and　V　were　recovered　intact　from　the　Indian　Ocean　and　the　Appalachian　foothills；　but　neither　contained　radically　new　organisms；　those　collected　were　harmless　variants　of　S。　albus；　a　mon　contaminant　of　normal　human　skin。　These　failures　led　to　a　further　increase　in　sterilization　procedures　prior　to　launch。
　
　　　Scoop　VI　was　launched　on　New　Year's　Day；　1967。　It　incorporated　all　the　latest　refinements　from　earlier　attempts。　High　hopes　rode　with　the　revised　satellite；　which　returned　eleven　days　later；　landing　near　Bombay；　India。　Unknown　to　anyone；　the　34th　Airborne；　then　stationed　in　Evreux；　France；　just　outside　Paris；　was　dispatched　to　recover　the　capsule。　The　34th　was　on　alert　whenever　a　spaceflight　went　up；　according　to　the　procedures　of　Operation　Scrub；　a　plan　first　devised　to　protect　Mercury　and　Gemini　capsules　should　one　be　forced　to　land　in　Soviet　Russia　or　Eastern　Bloc　countries。　Scrub　was　the　primary　reason　for　keeping　a　single　paratroop　division　in　Western　Europe　in　the　first　half　of　the　1960's。
　
　　　Scoop　VI　was　recovered　uneventfully。　It　was　found　to　contain　a　previously　unknown　form　of　unicellular　organism；　coccobacillary　in　shape；　gram…negative；　coagulase；　and　triokinase…positive。　However；　it　proved　generally　benevolent　to　all　living　things　with　the　exception　of　domestic　female　chickens；　which　it　made　moderately　ill　for　a　four…day　period。
　
　　　Among　the　Detrick　staff；　hope　dimmed　for　the　successful　recovery　of　a　pathogen　from　the　Scoop　program。　Nonetheless；　Scoop　VII　was　launched　soon　after　Scoop　VI。　The　exact　date　is　classified　but　it　is　believed　to　be　February　5；　1967。　Scoop　VII　immediately　went　into　stable　orbit　with　an　apogee　of　317　miles　and　a　perigee　of　224　miles。　It　remained　in　orbit　for　two　and　a　half　days。　At　that　time；　the　satellite　abruptly　left　stable　orbit　for　unknown　reasons；　and　it　was　decided　to　bring　it　down　by　radio　mand。
　
　　　The　anticipated　landing　site　was　a　desolate　area　in　northeastern　Arizona。
　
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　　　Midway　through　the　flight；　his　reading　was　interrupted　by　an　officer　who　brought　him　a　telephone　and　then　stepped　a　respectful　distance　away　while　Stone　talked。
　
　　　〃Yes？〃　Stone　said；　feeling　odd。　He　was　not　accustomed　to　talking　on　the　telephone　in　the　middle　of　an　airplane　trip。
　　　〃General　Marcus　here；〃　a　tired　voice　said。　Stone　did　not　know　General　Marcus。　〃I　just　wanted　to　inform　you　that　all　members　of　the　team　have　been　called　in；　with　the　exception　of　Professor　Kirke。〃　

　
　　　〃What　happened？〃
　　　〃Professor　Kirke　is　in　the　hospital；〃　General　Marcus　said。　〃You'll　get　further　details　when　you　touch　down。〃
　
　　　The　conversation　ended；　Stone　gave　the　telephone　back　to　the　officer。　He　thought　for　a　minute　about　the　other　men　on　the　team；　and　wondered　at　their　reactions　as　they　were　called　out　of　bed。
　
　　　There　was　Leavitt；　of　course。　He　would　respond　quickly。　Leavitt　was　a　clinical　microbiologist；　a　man　experienced　in　the　treatment　of　infectious　disease。　Leavitt　had　seen　enough　plagues　and　epidemics　in　his　day　to　know　the　importance　of　quick　action。　Besides；　there　was　his　ingrained　pessimism；　which　never　deserted　him。　（Leavitt　had　once　said；　〃At　my　wedding；　all　I　could　think　of　was　how　much　alimony　she'd　cost　me。〃）　He　was　an　irritable；　grumbling；　heavyset　man　with　a　morose　face　and　sad　eyes；　which　seemed　to　peer　ahead　into　a　bleak　and　miserable　future；　but　he　was　also　thoughtful；　imaginative；　and　not　afraid　to　think　daringly。
　
　　　Then　there　was　the　pathologist；　Burton；　in　Houston。　Stone　had　never　liked　Burton　very　well；　though　he　acknowledged　his　scientific　talent。　Burton　and　Stone　were　different：　where　Stone　was　organized；　Burton　was　sloppy；　where　Stone　was　controlled；　Burton　was　impulsive；　where　Stone　was　confident；　Burton　was　nervous；　jumpy；　petulant。　Colleagues　referred　to　Burton　as　〃the　Stumbler；〃　partly　because　of　his　tendency　to　trip　over　his　untied　shoelaces　and　baggy　trouser　cuffs　and　partly　because　of　his　talent　for　tumbling　by　error　into　one　important　discovery　after　another。
　
　　　And　then　Kirke；　the　anthropologist　from　Yale；　who　apparently　was　not　going　to　be　able　to　e。　If　the　report　was　true；　Stone　knew　he　was　going　to　miss　him。　Kirke　was　an　ill…informed　and　rather　foppish　man　who　possessed；　as　if　by　accident；　a　superbly　logical　brain。　He　was　capable　of　grasping　the　essentials　of　a　p