FIRSTVINTAGEEBOOKSEDITION,MAY2012

Copyright©1969byCentesis

Copyright©1988byMichaelCrichton

Allrightsreserved.PublishedintheUnitedStatesbyVintageBooks,adivisionofRandomHouse,Inc.,NewYork.Originallypublishedinthe

UnitedStatesbyAlfredA.Knopf,NewYork,in1969,andsimultaneouslyinGreatBritainbyJonathanCapeLimited,London.SubsequentlypublishedinGreatBritainbyArrow,adivisionof

RandomHouseLimited,London,in1993.

Thisisaworkoffiction.Names,characters,places,andincidentseitheraretheproductoftheauthor’simaginationorareused

fictitiously.Anyresemblancetoactualpersons,livingordead,events,orlocalesisentirelycoincidental.

VintageeISBN:978-0-307-81641-2

www.vintagebooks.com

v3.1_r1

forA.C.D.,M.D.whofirstproposedtheproblem

Contents

Cover

TitlePage

Copyright

Dedication

Epigraph

Acknowledgments

Day1-Contact

1-TheCountryofLostBorders

2-Vandenberg

3-Crisis

4-Alert

Day2-Piedmont

5-TheEarlyHours

6-Piedmont

7-“AnUnusualProcess”

8-Directive7–12

9-Flatrock

10-StageI

11-Decontamination

Day3-Wildfire

12-TheConference

13-LevelV

14-Miscellaneous

15-MainControl

16-Autopsy

17-Recovery

18-TheNoonConference

19-Crash

20-Routine

21-TheMidnightConference

Day4-Spread

22-TheAnalysis

23-Topeka

24-Evaluation

25-Willis

26-TheSeal

27-ScaredtoDeath

28-TheTest

29-ThreeMinutes

Day5-Resolution

30-TheLastDay

Epilogue

References

AbouttheAuthor

BooksbyMichaelCrichton

Thesurvivalvalueofhumanintelligencehasneverbeensatisfactorilydemonstrated.

JEREMYSTONE

Increasingvisionisincreasinglyexpensive.

R.A.JANEK

ANDROMEDASTRAIN

ANDROMEDASTRAIN

THISFILEISCLASSIFIEDTOPSECRET

Examination by unauthorized persons is acriminal offense punishable by fines andimprisonmentupto20yearsand$20,000.

DO NOT ACCEPT FROM COURIER IFSEALISBROKEN

Thecourierisrequiredbylawtodemandyour card 7592. He is not permitted torelinquish this filewithout such proof ofidentity.

MACHINESCOREREVIEWBELOW

Acknowledgments

THIS BOOK RECOUNTS the five-day history of a majorAmericanscientificcrisis.

As in most crises, the events surrounding the Andromeda Strainwere a compound of foresight and foolishness, innocence andignorance.Nearlyeveryoneinvolvedhadmomentsofgreatbrilliance,andmomentsofunaccountablestupidity.Itisthereforeimpossibletowriteabouttheeventswithoutoffendingsomeoftheparticipants.

However,Ithinkitisimportantthatthestorybetold.Thiscountrysupportsthelargestscientificestablishmentinthehistoryofmankind.New discoveries are constantly being made, and many of thesediscoveries have important political or social overtones. In the nearfuture,wecanexpectmorecrisesonthepatternofAndromeda.ThusIbelieve it is useful for the public to be made aware of the way inwhichscientificcrisesarise,andaredealtwith.

InresearchingandrecountingthehistoryoftheAndromedaStrain,I received the generous help ofmany peoplewho felt as I did, andwhoencouragedmetotellthestoryaccuratelyandindetail.

MyparticularthanksmustgotoMajorGeneralWillisA.Haverford,UnitedStatesArmy;LieutenantEverettJ.Sloane,UnitedStatesNavy(Ret.);CaptainL.S.Waterhouse,UnitedStatesAirForce(VandenbergSpecial Projects Division); Colonel Henley Jackson and ColonelStanleyFriedrich,bothofWrightPatterson;andMurrayCharlesofthePentagonPressDivision.

FortheirhelpinelucidatingthebackgroundoftheWildfireProject,I must thank Roger White, National Aeronautics and SpaceAdministration(HoustonMSC);JohnRoble,NASAKennedyComplex13; Peter J. Mason, NASA Intelligence (Arlington Hall); Dr. FrancisMartin,UniversityofCalifornia(Berkeley)andthePresident’sScienceAdvisoryCouncil;Dr.MaxByrd,USIA;KennethVorhees,WhiteHousePress Corps; and Professor Jonathan Percy of the University ofChicago(GeneticsDepartment).

For their review of relevant chapters of the manuscript, and fortheirtechnicalcorrectionsandsuggestions, IwishtothankChristian

P. Lewis, Goddard Space Flight Center; Herbert Stanch, Avco, Inc.;James P. Baker, Jet Propulsion Laboratory; Carlos N. Sandos,California Institute of Technology; Dr. Brian Stack, University ofMichigan; Edgar Blalock, Hudson Institute; Professor Linus Kjelling,the RAND Corporation; Dr. Eldredge Benson, National Institutes ofHealth.

Lastly, Iwishtothanktheparticipants intheWildfireProjectandtheinvestigationoftheso-calledAndromedaStrain.Allagreedtoseeme and, with many, my interviews lasted over a period of days.Furthermore, I was able to draw upon the transcripts of theirdebriefing,whicharestoredinArlingtonHall(SubstationSeven)andwhichamounted tomore than fifteen thousandpagesof typewrittenmanuscript. Thismaterial, stored in twenty volumes, represents thefull story of the events at Flatrock, Nevada, as told by each of theparticipants,andIwasthusabletoutilizetheirseparateviewpointsinpreparingacompositeaccount.

This is a rather technical narrative, centering on complex issues ofscience.Whereverpossible, Ihaveexplained thescientificquestions,problems,and techniques. Ihaveavoided the temptation to simplifyboththe issuesandtheanswers,and if thereadermustoccasionallystrugglethroughanaridpassageoftechnicaldetail,Iapologize.

Ihavealso tried to retain the tensionandexcitementofevents inthese five days, for there is an inherent drama in the story ofAndromeda, and if it is a chronicle of stupid, deadly blunders, it isalsoachronicleofheroismandintelligence.

M.C.Cambridge,MassachusettsJanuary1969

day1

CONTACT

1

TheCountryofLostBorders

AMANWITHBINOCULARS.Thatishowitbegan:withamanstandingbythesideoftheroad,onacrestoverlookingasmallArizonatown,onawinternight.

LieutenantRoger Shawnmust have found the binoculars difficult.Themetalwould be cold, andhewould be clumsy in his fur parkaandheavygloves.Hisbreath,hissingoutintothemoonlitair,wouldhave fogged the lenses. Hewould be forced to pause towipe themfrequently,usingastubbyglovedfinger.

Hecouldnothaveknownthefutilityofthisaction.Binocularswereworthlesstoseeintothattownanduncoveritssecrets.Hewouldhavebeen astonished to learn that the men who finally succeeded usedinstrumentsamilliontimesmorepowerfulthanbinoculars.

Thereissomethingsad,foolish,andhumanintheimageofShawnleaning against a boulder, propping his arms on it, and holding thebinocularstohiseyes.Thoughcumbersome,thebinocularswouldatleastfeelcomfortableandfamiliarinhishands.Itwouldbeoneofthelastfamiliarsensationsbeforehisdeath.

Wecan imagine,and try to reconstruct,whathappened fromthatpointon.

LieutenantShawnsweptoverthetownslowlyandmethodically.Hecouldseeitwasnotlarge,justahalf-dozenwoodenbuildings,setoutalongasinglemainstreet.Itwasveryquiet:nolights,noactivity,nosoundcarriedbythegentlewind.

He shifted his attention from the town to the surrounding hills.Theywere low,dusty, andblunted,with scrubbyvegetationandanoccasionalwitheredyuccatreecrustedinsnow.Beyondthehillsweremorehills,and then the flatexpanseof theMojaveDesert, tracklessandvast.TheIndianscalledittheCountryofLostBorders.

Lieutenant Shawn found himself shivering in the wind. It wasFebruary,thecoldestmonth,anditwasafterten.Hewalkedbackup

theroad toward theFordEconovan,with the largerotatingantennaon top.Themotorwas idling softly; itwas theonly soundhecouldhear.Heopened the reardoors and climbed into theback, shuttingthedoorsbehindhim.

Hewasenvelopedindeep-redlight:anightlight,sothathewouldnotbeblindedwhenhesteppedoutside.Intheredlightthebanksofinstrumentsandelectronicequipmentglowedgreenly.

Private Lewis Crane, the electronics technician, was there, alsowearing a parka.Hewas hunched over amap,making calculationswithoccasionalreferencetotheinstrumentsbeforehim.

ShawnaskedCraneifhewerecertaintheyhadarrivedattheplace,andCrane confirmed that they had. Bothmenwere tired: they haddrivenalldayfromVandenberg,insearchofthelatestScoopsatellite.NeitherknewmuchabouttheScoops,exceptthattheywereaseriesofsecretcapsulesintendedtoanalyzetheupperatmosphereandthenreturn.ShawnandCranehadthejoboffindingthecapsulesoncetheyhadlanded.

In order to facilitate recovery, the satellites were fitted withelectronic beepers that began to transmit signals when they camedowntoanaltitudeoffivemiles.

Thatwaswhythevanhadsomuchradio-directionalequipment.Inessence,itwasperformingitsowntriangulation.InArmyparlanceitwas known as single-unit triangulation, and it was highly effective,thoughslow.Theprocedurewassimpleenough:thevanstoppedandfixed its position, recording the strength and direction of the radiobeamfromthesatellite.Oncethiswasdone,itwouldbedriveninthemost likely direction of the satellite for a distance of twentymiles.Thenitwouldstopandtakenewcoordinates.Inthisway,aseriesoftriangulationpointscouldbemapped,and thevancouldproceed tothesatellitebyazigzagpath,stoppingeverytwentymilestocorrectany error. Themethodwas slower than using two vans, but it wassafer—theArmyfeltthattwovansinanareamightarousesuspicion.

Forsixhours,thevanhadbeenclosingontheScoopsatellite.Nowtheywerealmostthere.

Crane tapped the map with a pencil in a nervous way andannounced the name of the town at the foot of the hill: Piedmont,Arizona.Population forty-eight;bothmen laughedover that, though

they were both inwardly concerned. The Vandenberg ESA, orEstimatedSiteofArrival,hadbeen twelvemilesnorthofPiedmont.Vandenbergcomputedthissiteonthebasisofradarobservationsand1410computertrajectoryprojections.Theestimateswerenotusuallywrongbymorethanafewhundredyards.

Yet there was no denying the radio-directional equipment, whichlocated the satellite beeper directly in the center of town. Shawnsuggested that someone from the town might have seen it comingdown—itwouldbeglowingwiththeheat—andmighthaveretrievedit,bringingitintoPiedmont.

This was reasonable, except that a native of Piedmont whohappened upon an American satellite fresh from space would havetoldsomeone—reporters,police,NASA,theArmy,someone.

Buttheyhadheardnothing.

Shawn climbed back down from the van, with Crane scramblingafterhim,shiveringasthecoldairstruckhim.Together,thetwomenlookedoutoverthetown.

Itwas peaceful, but completely dark. Shawn noticed that the gasstation and the motel both had their lights doused. Yet theyrepresentedtheonlygasstationandmotelformiles.

AndthenShawnnoticedthebirds.

Inthelightofthefullmoonhecouldseethem,bigbirds,glidinginslowcirclesoverthebuildings,passinglikeblackshadowsacrossthefaceof themoon.Hewonderedwhyhehadn’tnoticed thembefore,andaskedCranewhathemadeofthem.

Cranesaidhedidn’tmakeanythingof them.Asa joke,headded,“Maybethey’rebuzzards.”

“That’swhattheylooklike,allright,”Shawnsaid.

Cranelaughednervously,hisbreathhissingoutintothenight.“Butwhyshouldtherebebuzzardshere?Theyonlycomewhensomethingisdead.”

Shawn lit a cigarette, cupping his hands around the lighter,protectingtheflamefromthewind.Hesaidnothing,butlookeddownat thebuildings, theoutlineof the little town.Thenhe scanned thetown once more with binoculars, but saw no signs of life or

movement.

Atlength,heloweredthebinocularsanddroppedhiscigaretteontothecrispsnow,whereitsputteredanddied.

He turned to Crane and said, “We’d better go down and have alook.”

2

Vandenberg

THREE HUNDRED MILES AWAY, in the large, square,windowless room that served as Mission Control for Project Scoop,LieutenantEdgarComroesatwithhisfeetonhisdeskandastackofscientific-journal articles before him.Comroewas serving as controlofficer for thenight; itwasadutyhe filledonceamonth,directingthe evening operations of the skeleton crew of twelve. Tonight, thecrewwasmonitoringtheprogressandreportsofthevancodedCaperOne,nowmakingitswayacrosstheArizonadesert.

Comroe disliked this job. The room was gray and lighted withfluorescentlights;thetonewassparselyutilitarianandComroefoundit unpleasant. He never came to Mission Control except during alaunch,whentheatmospherewasdifferent.Thentheroomwasfilledwith busy technicians, each atwork on a single complex task, eachtensewiththepeculiarcoldanticipationthatprecedesanyspacecraftlaunch.

Butnightsweredull.Nothingeverhappenedatnight.Comroetookadvantage of the time and used it to catch up on reading. Byprofessionhewasacardiovascularphysiologist,withspecial interestinstressesinducedathigh-Gaccelerations.

Tonight, Comroe was reviewing a journal article titled“StoichiometricsofOxygen-CarryingCapacityandDiffusionGradientswithIncreasedArterialGasTensions.”Hefounditslowreading,andonly moderately interesting. Thus he was willing to be interruptedwhen the overhead loudspeaker, which carried the voicetransmissionsfromthevanofShawnandCrane,clickedon.

Shawn said, “This is Caper One to Vandal Deca. Caper One toVandalDeca.Areyoureading.Over.”

Comroe,feelingamused,repliedthathewasindeedreading.

“We are about to enter the town of Piedmont and recover thesatellite.”

“Verygood,CaperOne.Leaveyourradioopen.”

“Roger.”

Thiswasaregulationoftherecoverytechnique,asoutlinedintheSystems RulesManual of Project Scoop. The SRMwas a thick graypaperback that sat at one corner of Comroe’s desk,where he couldrefer to it easily. Comroe knew that conversation between van andbasewastaped,andlaterbecamepartofthepermanentprojectfile,buthehadneverunderstoodanygoodreasonforthis.Infact,ithadalways seemed to him a straightforward proposition: the van wentout,gotthecapsule,andcameback.

He shrugged and returned to his paper on gas tensions, only halflisteningtoShawn’svoiceasitsaid,“Wearenowinsidethetown.Wehavejustpassedagasstationandamotel.Allquiethere.Thereisnosign of life. The signals from the satellite are stronger. There is achurchhalfablockahead.Therearenolightsoractivityofanykind.”

Comroeputhisjournaldown.ThestrainedqualityofShawn’svoicewasunmistakable.NormallyComroewouldhavebeenamusedatthethought of two grownmenmade jittery by entering a small, sleepydeserttown.ButheknewShawnpersonally,andheknewthatShawn,whateverothervirtueshemighthave,utterlylackedanimagination.Shawncouldfallasleepinahorrormovie.Hewasthatkindofman.

Comroebegantolisten.

Overthecracklingstatic,heheardtherumblingofthevanengine.Andheheardthetwomeninthevantalkingquietly.

Shawn.“Prettyquietaroundhere.”

Crane:“Yessir.”

Therewasapause.

Crane:“Sir?”

Shawn:“Yes?”

Crane:“Didyouseethat?”

Shawn:“Seewhat?”

Crane:“Backthere,onthesidewalk.Itlookedlikeabody.”

Shawn:“You’reimaginingthings.”

Another pause, and then Comroe heard the van come to a halt,brakessquealing.

Shawn:“Jesus.”

Crane:“It’sanotherone,sir.”

Shawn:“Looksdead.”

Crane:“ShallI—”

Shawn:“No.Stayinthevan.”

Hisvoicebecamelouder,moreformal,asheranthroughthecall.“ThisisCaperOnetoVandalDeca.Over.”

Comroe picked up the microphone. “Reading you. What’shappened?”

Shawn,hisvoicetight,said,“Sir,weseebodies.Lotsofthem.Theyappeartobedead.”

“Areyoucertain,CaperOne?”

“ForChrist’ssake,”Shawnsaid.“Ofcoursewe’recertain.”

Comroesaidmildly,“Proceedtothecapsule,CaperOne.”

Ashedidso,helookedaroundtheroom.Thetwelveothermeninthe skeleton crew were staring at him, their eyes blank, unseeing.Theywerelisteningtothetransmission.

Thevanrumbledtolifeagain.

Comroeswunghisfeetoffthedeskandpunchedthered“Security”buttononhisconsole.ThatbuttonautomaticallyisolatedtheMissionControl room.Noonewouldbeallowed inoroutwithoutComroe’spermission.

Thenhepickedupthetelephoneandsaid,“GetmeMajorManchek.M-A-N-C-H-E-K.Thisisastatcall.I’llhold.”

Manchekwasthechiefdutyofficerforthemonth,themandirectlyresponsibleforallScoopactivitiesduringFebruary.

While he waited, he cradled the phone in his shoulder and lit acigarette. Over the loudspeaker, Shawn could be heard to say, “Dotheylookdeadtoyou,Crane?”

Crane:“Yessir.Kindofpeaceful,butdead.”

Shawn: “Somehow they don’t really look dead. There’s somethingmissing.Something funny…But they’reallover.Mustbedozensofthem.”

Crane:“Liketheydroppedintheirtracks.Stumbledandfallendowndead.”

Shawn:“Alloverthestreets,onthesidewalks…”

Anothersilence,thenCrane:“Sir!”

Shawn:“Jesus.”

Crane: “You see him?Theman in thewhite robe,walking acrossthestreet—”

Shawn:“Iseehim.”

Crane:“He’sjuststeppingoverthemlike—”

Shawn:“He’scomingtowardus.”

Crane: “Sir, look, I thinkwe should get out of here, if you don’tmindmy—”

Thenextsoundwasahigh-pitchedscream,andacrunchingnoise.Transmission ended at this point, and Vandenberg Scoop MissionControlwasnotabletoraisethetwomenagain.

3

Crisis

GLADSTONE,UPONHEARINGOFthedeathof“Chinese”Gordon in Egypt, was reported to have muttered irritably that hisgeneralmight have chosen amore propitious time to die: Gordon’sdeath threw the Gladstone government into turmoil and crisis. Anaidesuggestedthatthecircumstanceswereuniqueandunpredictable,towhichGladstonecrosslyanswered:“Allcrisesarethesame.”

Hemeantpoliticalcrises,ofcourse.Therewerenoscientificcrisesin1885,andindeednonefornearlyfortyyearsafterward.Sincethentherehavebeeneightofmajor importance; twohave receivedwidepublicity. It is interesting that both the publicized crises—atomicenergyandspacecapability—haveconcernedchemistryandphysics,notbiology.

Thisistobeexpected.Physicswasthefirstofthenaturalsciencestobecomefullymodernandhighlymathematical.Chemistryfollowedin the wake of physics, but biology, the retarded child, lagged farbehind. Even in the time of Newton and Galileo, men knew moreaboutthemoonandotherheavenlybodiesthantheydidabouttheirown.

It was not until the late 1940’s that this situation changed. Thepostwarperiodusheredinaneweraofbiologicresearch,spurredbythediscoveryofantibiotics.Suddenlytherewasbothenthusiasmandmoney for biology, and a torrent of discoveries poured forth:tranquilizers, steroidhormones, immunochemistry, the genetic code.By1953thefirstkidneywastransplantedandby1958thefirstbirth-control pills were tested. It was not long before biology was thefastest-growing field in all science; it was doubling its knowledgeevery ten years. Farsighted researchers talked seriously of changinggenes, controlling evolution, regulating the mind—ideas that hadbeenwildspeculationtenyearsbefore.

And yet there had never been a biologic crisis. The AndromedaStrainprovidedthefirst.

According to Lewis Bornheim, a crisis is a situation in which apreviouslytolerablesetofcircumstancesissuddenly,bytheadditionofanotherfactor,renderedwhollyintolerable.Whethertheadditionalfactorispolitical,economic,orscientifichardlymatters:thedeathofanationalhero,theinstabilityofprices,oratechnologicaldiscoverycan all set events inmotion. In this sense, Gladstonewas right: allcrisesarethesame.

The noted scholar Alfred Pockran, in his study of crises (Culture,Crisis and Change), has made several interesting points. First, heobserves that every crisis has its beginnings long before the actualonset. Thus Einstein published his theories of relativity in 1905–15,fortyyearsbeforehisworkculminatedintheendofawar,thestartofanage,andthebeginningsofacrisis.

Similarly, in the early twentieth century, American, German, andRussian scientists were all interested in space travel, but only theGermans recognized themilitary potential of rockets. And after thewar, when the German rocket installation at Peenemünde wascannibalizedby theSovietsandAmericans, itwasonly theRussianswho made immediate, vigorous moves toward developing spacecapabilities. The Americans were content to tinker playfully withrockets—and ten years later, this resulted in an American scientificcrisis involving Sputnik, American education, the ICBM, and themissilegap.

Pockran also observes that a crisis is compounded of individualsandpersonalities,whichareunique:

It is as difficult to imagineAlexander at theRubicon, andEisenhower atWaterloo, as it is difficult to imagine DarwinwritingtoRooseveltaboutthepotentialforanatomicbomb.Acrisis ismadebymen,whoenter intothecrisiswiththeirown prejudices, propensities, and predispositions. A crisis isthe sum of intuition and blind spots, a blend of facts notedandfactsignored.

Yetunderlyingtheuniquenessofeachcrisisisadisturbingsameness.A characteristicof all crises is theirpredictability,in retrospect.They seemtohaveacertain inevitability, theyseempredestined.Thisisnottrueofallcrises,butitistrueofsufficientlymanytomakethemosthardenedhistoriancynicalandmisanthropic.

InthelightofPockran’sarguments,itisinterestingtoconsiderthebackground and personalities involved in the Andromeda Strain. Atthe time of Andromeda, there had never been a crisis of biologicalscience,andthefirstAmericansfacedwiththefactswerenotdisposedto think in terms of one. Shawn and Crane were capable but notthoughtfulmen,andEdgarComroe,thenightofficeratVandenberg,thoughascientist,wasnotpreparedtoconsideranythingbeyondtheimmediate irritation of a quiet evening ruined by an inexplicableproblem.

According to protocol, Comroe called his superior officer, MajorArthur Manchek, and here the story takes a different turn. ForManchekwasbothpreparedanddisposed toconsideracrisisof themostmajorproportions.

Buthewasnotpreparedtoacknowledgeit.

***

MajorManchek,hisfacestillcreasedwithsleep,satontheedgeofComroe’sdeskandlistenedtothereplayofthetapefromthevan.

When it was finished, he said, “Strangest damned thing I everheard,”andplayeditoveragain.Whilehedidso,hecarefullyfilledhispipewithtobacco,litit,andtampeditdown.

ArthurManchekwasanengineer,aquietheavysetmanplaguedbylabilehypertension,whichthreatenedtoendfurtherpromotionsasanArmyofficer.Hehadbeenadvisedonmanyoccasionstoloseweight,but had been unable to do so. He was therefore consideringabandoning theArmy for a career as a scientist in private industry,wherepeopledidnotcarewhatyourweightorbloodpressurewas.

ManchekhadcometoVandenbergfromWrightPattersoninOhio,where he had been in charge of experiments in spacecraft landingmethods. His job had been to develop a capsule shape that couldtouch down with equal safety on either land or sea. Manchek hadsucceeded in developing three new shapes thatwere promising; hissuccessledtoapromotionandtransfertoVandenberg.

Here he did administrative work, and hated it. People boredManchek; the mechanics of manipulation and the vagaries ofsubordinatepersonalityheldnofascinationforhim.HeoftenwishedhewerebackatthewindtunnelsofWrightPatterson.

Particularly on nights when he was called out of bed by somedamnfoolproblem.

Tonighthefelt irritable,andunderstress.Hisreactiontothiswascharacteristic:hebecameslow.Hemovedslowly,hethoughtslowly,heproceededwithadullandploddingdeliberation.Itwasthesecretofhissuccess.Wheneverpeoplearoundhimbecameexcited,Manchekseemed to growmore disinterested, until he appeared about to fallasleep.Itwasatrickhehadforremainingtotallyobjectiveandclear-headed.

Nowhesighedandpuffedonhispipeasthetapespunoutforthesecondtime.

“Nocommunicationsbreakdown,Itakeit?”

Comroe shook his head. “We checked all systems at this end.Weare still monitoring the frequency.” He turned on the radio, andhissingstaticfilledtheroom.“Youknowabouttheaudioscreen?”

“Vaguely,” Manchek said, suppressing a yawn. In fact, the audioscreenwasasystemhehaddevelopedthreeyearsbefore.Insimplestterms, itwas a computerizedway to findaneedle in ahaystack—amachineprogramthat listened toapparentlygarbled, randomsoundand picked out certain irregularities. For example, the hubbub ofconversationatanembassycocktailpartycouldberecordedandfedthrough the computer, which would pick out a single voice andseparateitfromtherest.

Ithadseveralintelligenceapplications.

“Well,”Comroesaid,“afterthetransmissionended,wegotnothingbut the staticyouhearnow.Weput it through theaudio screen, toseeifthecomputercouldpickupapattern.Andweranitthroughtheoscilloscopeinthecorner.”

Across the room, the green face of the scope displayed a jaggeddancingwhiteline—thesummatedsoundofstatic.

“Then,”Comroesaid,“wecutinthecomputer.Likeso.”

He punched a button on his desk console. The oscilloscope linechangedcharacterabruptly.Itsuddenlybecamequieter,moreregular,withapatternofbeating,thumpingimpulses.

“Isee,”Mancheksaid.Hehad,infact,alreadyidentifiedthepattern

and assessed its meaning. His mind was drifting elsewhere,consideringotherpossibilities,widerramifications.

“Here’stheaudio,”Comroesaid.Hepressedanotherbuttonandtheaudioversionofthesignalfilledtheroom.Itwasasteadymechanicalgrindingwitharepetitivemetallicclick.

Mancheknodded.“Anengine.Withaknock.”

“Yessir.Webelievethevanradioisstillbroadcasting,andthattheengineisstillrunning.That’swhatwe’rehearingnow,withthestaticscreenedaway.”

“Allright,”Mancheksaid.

Hispipewentout.Hesuckedonitforamoment,thenlititagain,removed it from his mouth, and plucked a bit of tobacco from histongue.

“Weneedevidence,”hesaid,almosttohimself.Hewasconsideringcategoriesofevidence,andpossiblefindings,contingencies…

“Evidenceofwhat?”Comroesaid.

Manchek ignored the question. “Havewe got a Scavenger on thebase?”

“I’mnotsure,sir.Ifwedon’t,wecangetonefromEdwards.”

“Then do it.”Manchek stood up. He hadmade his decision, andnowhefelt tiredagain.Aneveningof telephonecalls facedhim,aneveningofirritableoperatorsandbadconnectionsandpuzzledvoicesattheotherend.

“We’llwantaflybyoverthattown,”hesaid.“Andacompletescan.Allcanisterstocomedirectly.Alertthelabs.”

He also ordered Comroe to bring in the technicians, especiallyJaggers.ManchekdislikedJaggers,whowaseffeteandprecious.ButManchekalsoknewthatJaggerswasgood,andtonightheneededagoodman.

At11:07p.m.,Samuel“Gunner”Wilsonwasmovingat645milesperhourovertheMojaveDesert.Upaheadinthemoonlight,hesawthetwinleadjets,theirafterburnersglowingangrilyinthenightsky.Theplanes had a heavy, pregnant look: phosphorus bombs were slungbeneaththewingsandbelly.

Wilson’s plane was different, sleek and long and black. It was aScavenger,oneofsevenintheworld.

The Scavengerwas the operational versionof theX-18. Itwas anintermediate-range reconnaissance jetaircraft fullyequipped fordayornight intelligence flights. Itwas fittedwith two side-slung 16mmcameras, one for the visible spectrum, and one for low-frequencyradiation. In addition it had a center-mount Homans infraredmultispexcameraaswellas theusualelectronicandradio-detectiongear.Allfilmsandplateswere,ofcourse,processedautomaticallyintheair,andwerereadyforviewingassoonastheaircraftreturnedtobase.

AllthistechnologymadetheScavengeralmostimpossiblysensitive.Itcouldmaptheoutlinesofacity inblackout,andcouldfollowthemovements of individual trucks and cars at eight thousand feet. Itcould detect a submarine to a depth of two hundred feet. It couldlocateharborminesbywave-motiondeformitiesanditcouldobtainaprecisephotographofafactoryfromtheresidualheatofthebuildingfourhoursafterithadshutdown.

So the Scavenger was the ideal instrument to fly over Piedmont,Arizona,inthedeadofnight.

Wilson carefully checked his equipment, his hands fluttering overthe controls, touching each button and lever,watching the blinkinggreenlightsthatindicatedthatallsystemswereinorder.

Hisearphonescrackled.Theleadplanesaidlazily,“Cominguponthetown,Gunner.Youseeit?”

He leaned forward in the crampedcockpit.Hewas low,only fivehundred feetaboveground,and foramomenthecould seenothingbutablurofsand,snow,andyuccatrees.Then,upahead,buildingsinthemoonlight.

“Roger.Iseeit.”

“Okay,Gunner.Giveusroom.”

Hedroppedback,puttinghalfamilebetweenhimselfandtheothertwoplanes. Theywere going into theP-square formation, for directvisualization of target by phosphorus flare. Direct visualizationwasnot really necessary; Scavenger could function without it. ButVandenbergseemedinsistentthattheygatherallpossibleinformation

aboutthetown.

Theleadplanesspread,movingwideuntiltheywereparalleltothemainstreetofthetown.

“Gunner?Readytoroll?”

Wilsonplacedhis fingersdelicatelyover thecamerabuttons.Fourfingers:asifplayingthepiano.

“Ready.”

“We’regoinginnow.”

Thetwoplanesswoopedlow,dippinggracefullytowardthetown.Theywerenowverywideandseeminglyinchesabovethegroundastheybegantoreleasethebombs.Aseachstrucktheground,ablazingwhite-hotspherewentup,bathingthetowninanunearthly,glaringlightandreflectingoffthemetalunderbelliesoftheplanes.

Thejetsclimbed, theirrunfinished,butGunnerdidnotseethem.Hisentireattention,hismindandhisbody,wasfocusedonthetown.

“Allyours,Gunner.”

Wilson did not answer. He dropped his nose, cracked down hisflaps, and felt a shudderas theplane sank sickeningly, likea stone,towardtheground.Belowhim,theareaaroundthetownwaslightedfor hundreds of yards in every direction. He pressed the camerabuttonsandfelt,ratherthanheard,thevibratingwhirofthecameras.

For a longmoment he continued to fall, and then he shoved thestickforward,andtheplaneseemedtocatchintheair,tograb,andliftandclimb.Hehada fleetingglimpseof themainstreet.Hesawbodies, bodies everywhere, spreadeagled, lying in the streets, acrosscars…

“Jesus,”hesaid.

Andthenhewasup,stillclimbing,bringingtheplanearoundinaslowarc,preparingforthedescentintohissecondrunandtryingnotto think of what he had seen. One of the first rules of airreconnaissance was “Ignore the scenery”; analysis and evaluationwerenotthejobofthepilot.Thatwaslefttotheexperts,andpilotswho forgot this, who became too interested in what they werephotographing,gotintotrouble.Usuallytheycrashed.

Astheplanecamedownintoaflatsecondrun,hetriednottolookattheground.Buthedid,andagainsawthebodies.Thephosphorusflareswere burning low, the lightingwas darker,more sinister andsubdued.Butthebodieswerestillthere:hehadnotbeenimaginingit.

“Jesus,”hesaidagain.“SweetJesus.”

ThesignonthedoorsaidDATAPROSSEXEPSILON,andunderneath,inredlettering,ADMISSIONBYCLEARANCECARDONLY.Insidewasacomfortablesortofbriefingroom:screenononewall,adozensteel-tubingandleatherchairsfacingit,andaprojectorintheback.

WhenManchekandComroeenteredtheroom,Jaggerswasalreadywaiting for them, standing at the front of the room by the screen.Jaggers was a short man with a springy step and an eager, ratherhopeful face.Thoughnotwell likedonthebase,hewasnonethelesstheacknowledgedmasterofreconnaissanceinterpretation.Hehadthesortofmindthatdelightedinsmallandpuzzlingdetails,andwaswellsuitedtohisjob.

JaggersrubbedhishandsasManchekandComroesatdown.“Wellthen,” he said. “Might as well get right to it. I think we havesomethingtointerestyoutonight.”Henoddedtotheprojectionistintheback.“Firstpicture.”

The room lights darkened. Therewas amechanical click, and thescreenlightedtoshowanaerialviewofasmalldeserttown.

“Thisisanunusualshot,”Jaggerssaid.“Fromourfiles.TakentwomonthsagofromJanos12,ourreconsatellite.Orbitingatanaltitudeof onehundred and eighty-sevenmiles, as you know.The technicalquality here is quite good. Can’t read the license plates on the carsyet,butwe’reworkingonit.Perhapsbynextyear.”

Manchekshiftedinhischair,butsaidnothing.

“You can see the town here,” Jaggers said. “Piedmont, Arizona.Population forty-eight, and not much to look at, even from onehundred and eighty-seven miles. Here’s the general store; the gasstation—noticehowclearlyyoucanreadGULF—andthepostoffice;themotel.Everythingelseyouseeisprivateresidences.Churchoverhere.Well:nextpicture.”

Anotherclick.Thiswasdark,withareddishtint,andwasclearlyanoverview of the town in white and dark red. The outlines of the

buildingswereverydark.

“We begin here with the Scavenger IR plates. These are infraredfilms, as you know, which produce a picture on the basis of heatinstead of light. Anything warm appears white on the picture;anythingcoldisblack.Nowthen.Youcanseeherethatthebuildingsare dark—they are colder than the ground. As night comes on, thebuildingsgiveuptheirheatmorerapidly.”

“What are those white spots?” Comroe said. There were forty orfiftywhiteareasonthefilm.

“Those,”Jaggerssaid,“arebodies.Someinsidehouses,someinthestreet.Bycount,theynumberfifty.Inthecaseofsomeofthem,suchas thisonehere,youcanmakeout the four limbsandheadclearly.Thisbodyislyingflat.Inthestreet.”

Helitacigaretteandpointedtoawhiterectangle.“Asnearlyaswecan tell, this is anautomobile.Notice it’sgotabrightwhite spotatoneend.Thismeansthemotorisstillrunning,stillgeneratingheat.”

“Thevan,”Comroesaid.Mancheknodded.

“Thequestionnowarises,”Jaggerssaid,“areallthesepeopledead?Wecannotbecertainaboutthat.Thebodiesappeartobeofdifferenttemperatures.Forty-sevenarerathercold,indicatingdeathsometimeago.Threearewarmer.Twoofthoseareinthiscar,here.”

“Ourmen,”Comroesaid.“Andthethird?”

“Thethirdisratherpuzzling.Youseehimhere,apparentlystandingor lying curled in the street. Observe that he is quite white, andthereforequitewarm.Ourtemperaturescansindicatethatheisaboutninety-five degrees, which is a little on the cool side, but probablyattributable to peripheral vasoconstriction in the night desert air.Dropshisskintemperature.Nextslide.”

Thethirdfilmflickedontothescreen.

Manchekfrownedatthespot.“It’smoved.”

“Exactly.This filmwasmadeonthesecondpassage.Thespothasmovedapproximatelytwentyyards.Nextpicture.”

Athirdfilm.

“Movedagain!”

“Yes.Anadditionalfiveortenyards.”

“Soonepersondownthereisalive?”

“That,”Jaggerssaid,“isthepresumptiveconclusion.”

Manchekclearedhisthroat.“Doesthatmeanit’swhatyouthink?”

“Yessir.Itiswhatwethink.”

“There’samandownthere,walkingamongthecorpses?”

Jaggers shruggedand tapped the screen. “It isdifficult toaccountforthedatainanyothermanner,and—”

At that moment, a private entered the room with three circularmetalcanistersunderhisarm.

“Sir,wehavefilmsofthedirectvisualizationbyP-square.”

“Runthem,”Mancheksaid.

Thefilmwasthreadedintoaprojector.Amomentlater,LieutenantWilsonwasusheredintotheroom.Jaggerssaid,“Ihaven’treviewedthesefilmsyet.Perhapsthepilotshouldnarrate.”

MancheknoddedandlookedatWilson,whogotupandwalkedtothe front of the room,wiping his hands nervously on his pants.Hestoodalongsidethescreenandfacedhisaudience,beginninginaflatmonotone:“Sir,myflybysweremadebetween11:08and11:13p.m.thisevening.Thereweretwo,astartfromtheeastandareturnfromthewest,doneatanaveragespeedoftwohundredandfourteenmilesperhour,atamedianaltitudebycorrectedaltimeterofeighthundredfeetandan—”

“Justaminute,son,”Mancheksaid,raisinghishand.“This isn’tagrilling.Justtellitnaturally.”

Wilsonnoddedandswallowed.Theroomlightswentdownandtheprojector whirred to life. The screen showed the town bathed inglaringwhitelightastheplanecamedownoverit.

“This ismyfirstpass,”Wilsonsaid.“East towest,at11:08.We’relooking from the left-wing camera which is running at ninety-sixframes per second. As you can see, my altitude is falling rapidly.Straightaheadisthemainstreetofthetarget…”

Hestopped.Thebodieswereclearlyvisible.Andthevan,stopped

inthestreet,itsrooftopantennastillturningslowrevolutions.Astheplane continued its run, approaching the van, they could see thedrivercollapsedoverthesteeringwheel.

“Excellent definition,” Jaggers said. “That fine-grain film reallygivesresolutionwhenyouneed—”

“Wilson,”Mancheksaid,“wastellingusabouthisrun.”

“Yessir,”Wilsonsaid,clearinghis throat.Hestaredat thescreen.“At this time Iamrightover target,where Iobserved thecasualtiesyouseehere.Myestimateatthattimewasseventy-five,sir.”

Hisvoicewasquietandtense.Therewasabreakinthefilm,somenumbers,andtheimagecameonagain.

“Now I am coming back for my second run,” Wilson said. “Theflaresarealreadyburninglowbutyoucansee—”

“Stopthefilm,”Mancheksaid.

The projectionist froze the film at a single frame. It showed thelong,straightmainstreetofthetown,andthebodies.

“Goback.”

Thefilmwasrunbackward,thejetseemingtopullawayfromthestreet.

“There!Stopitnow.”

The frame was frozen. Manchek got up and walked close to thescreen,peeringofftooneside.

“Lookatthis,”hesaid,pointingtoafigure.Itwasamaninknee-lengthwhiterobes,standingandlookingupattheplane.Hewasanoldman,withawitheredface.Hiseyeswerewide.

“Whatdoyoumakeofthis?”MancheksaidtoJaggers.

Jaggersmovedclose.Hefrowned.“Runitforwardabit.”

The filmadvanced.Theycouldclearly see theman turnhishead,rollhiseyes,followingtheplaneasitpassedoverhim.

“Nowbackward,”Jaggerssaid.

The film was run back. Jaggers smiled bleakly. “The man looksalivetome,sir.”

“Yes,”Mancheksaidcrisply.“Hecertainlydoes.”

Andwiththat,hewalkedoutoftheroom.Asheleft,hepausedandannouncedthathewasdeclaringastateofemergency;thateveryoneon thebasewas confined toquartersuntil furthernotice; that therewouldbenooutsidecallsorcommunication;andthatwhattheyhadseeninthisroomwasconfidential.

Outside in the hallway, he headed for Mission Control. Comroefollowedhim.

“I want you to call GeneralWheeler,”Manchek said. “Tell him IhavedeclaredanSOEwithoutproperauthorization, andaskhim tocomedownimmediately.”Technicallynoonebutthecommanderhadtherighttodeclareastateofemergency.

Comroesaid,“Wouldn’tyourathertellhimyourself?”

“I’vegototherthingstodo,”Mancheksaid.

4

Alert

WHEN ARTHUR MANCHEK stepped into the smallsoundproofed booth and sat down before the telephone, he knewexactlywhathewasgoing todo—buthewasnotvery surewhyhewasdoingit.

As one of the senior Scoop officers, he had received a briefingnearlyayearbeforeonProjectWildfire.Ithadbeengiven,Manchekremembered, by a short little man with a dry, precise way ofspeaking. He was a university professor and he had outlined theproject.Manchek had forgotten the details, except that therewas alaboratory somewhere, and a team of five scientists who could bealerted to man the laboratory. The function of the team wasinvestigation of possible extraterrestrial life forms introduced onAmericanspacecraftreturningtoearth.

Manchekhadnotbeentoldwhothefivemenwere;heknewonlythataspecialDefenseDepartmenttrunklineexistedforcallingthemout.Inordertohookintotheline,onehadonlytodialthebinaryofsome number.He reached into his pocket andwithdrew hiswallet,thenfumbledforamomentuntilhefoundthecardhehadbeengivenbytheprofessor:

INCASEOFFIRENotifyDivision87EmergenciesOnly

Hestaredatthecardandwonderedwhatexactlywouldhappenifhedialedthebinaryof87.Hetriedtoimaginethesequenceofevents:Whowouldhetalkto?Wouldsomeonecallhimback?Wouldtherebeaninquiry,areferraltohigherauthority?

Herubbedhiseyesandstaredatthecard,andfinallyheshrugged.Onewayortheother,hewouldfindout.

Hetoreasheetofpaperfromthepadinfrontofhim,nexttothetelephone,andwrote:

Thiswas the basis of the binary system: base two raised to somepower.Twotothezeropowerwasone;twotothefirstwastwo;twosquared was four; and so on. Manchek quickly wrote another linebeneath:

Then he began to add up the numbers to get a total of 87. Hecircledthesenumbers:

And then he drew in the binary code. Binary numbers weredesigned for computers which utilize an on-off, yes-no kind oflanguage.Amathematicianoncejokedthatbinarynumbersweretheway people who have only two fingers count. In essence, binarynumbers translatednormalnumbers—which requireninedigits, anddecimal places—to a system that depended on only two digits, oneandzero.

Mancheklookedatthenumberhehadjustwritten,andinsertedthedashes:1–110–1010.Aperfectlyreasonabletelephonenumber.

Manchekpickedupthetelephoneanddialed.

Thetimewasexactlytwelvemidnight.

day2

PIEDMONT

5

TheEarlyHours

THEMACHINERYWASTHERE.Thecables,thecodes,theteleprinters had all been waiting dormant for two years. It onlyrequiredManchek’scalltosetthemachineryinmotion.

When he finished dialing, he heard a series ofmechanical clicks,andthenalowhum,whichmeant,heknew,thatthecallwasbeingfed into one of the scrambled trunk lines. After a moment, thehumming stopped and a voice said, “This is a recording. State yournameandyourmessageandhangup.”

“MajorArthurManchek,VandenbergAirForceBase,ScoopMissionControl. I believe it is necessary to call up aWildfire Alert. I haveconfirmatoryvisualdataat thispost,whichhas justbeenclosed forsecurityreasons.”

As he spoke it occurred to him that itwas all rather improbable.Even the tape recorderwould disbelieve him.He continued to holdthetelephoneinhishand,somehowexpectingananswer.

But there was none, only a click as the connection wasautomaticallybroken.The linewasdead;hehungupand sighed. Itwasallveryunsatisfying.

Manchek expected to be called back within a few minutes byWashington;heexpectedtoreceivemanycallsinthenextfewhours,andsoremainedatthephone.Yethereceivednocalls,forhedidnotknow that the process he had initiated was automatic. Oncemobilized, the Wildfire Alert would proceed ahead, and not berecalledforatleasttwelvehours.

Within ten minutes of Manchek’s call, the following messageclatteredacross the scrambledmaximum-security cablerunitsof thenation:

UNIT

TOPSECRET

CODEFOLLOWS

AS

CBW9/9/234/435/6778/90

PULGCOORDINATESDELTA8997

MESSAGEFOLLOWS

AS

WILDFIREALERTHASBEENCALLED.

REPEATWILDFIREALERTHASBEEN

CALLED.COORDINATESTOREAD

NASA/AMC/NSCCOMBDEC.

TIMEOFCOMMANDTOREAD

LL-59–07ONDATE.

FURTHERNOTATIONS

AS

PRESSBLACKFACE

POTENTIALDIRECTIVE7-L2

ALERTSTATUSUNTILFURTHERNOTICE

ENDMESSAGE

DISENGAGE

This was an automatic cable. Everything about it, including theannouncementofapressblackoutandapossibledirective7–12,wasautomatic,andfollowedfromManchek’scall.

Fiveminuteslater,therewasasecondcablewhichnamedthemenontheWildfireteam:

UNIT

TOPSECRET

CODEFOLLOWS

AS

CBW9/9/234/435/6778/900

MESSAGEFOLLOWS

AS

THEFOLLOWINGMALEAMERICAN

CITIZENSAREBEINGPLACED

ONZEDKAPPASTATUS.PREVIOUS

TOPSECRETCLEARANCEHASBEEN

CONFIRMED.THENAMESARE+

STONE,JEREMY 81

LEAVITT,PETER 04

BARTON,CHARLES 51

CHRISTIANSENKRIKECANCELTHISLINECANCELTHISLINECAN

TOREADAS

KIRKE,CHRISTIAN 142

HALL,MARK l77

ACCORDTHESEMENZEDKAPPASTATUSUNTILFURTHERNOTICE

ENDMESSAGEENDMESSAGE

Intheory,thiscablewasalsoquiteroutine;itspurposewastonamethe fivememberswhowerebeinggivenZedKappa status, the codefor“OK”status.Unfortunately,however,themachinemisprintedoneof the names, and failed to reread the entire message. (Normally,whenoneoftheprintoutunitsofasecrettrunklinemiswrotepartofamessage,theentiremessagewasrewritten,orelseitwasrereadbythecomputertocertifyitscorrectedform.)

Themessagewasthusopentodoubt.InWashingtonandelsewhere,a computer expert was called in to confirm the accuracy of themessage,bywhat iscalled“reverse tracing.”TheWashingtonexpertexpressedgrave concernabout thevalidityof themessage since the

machinewasprintingoutotherminormistakes,suchas“L”whenitmeant“I.”

Theupshotofallthiswasthatthefirsttwonamesonthelistwereaccordedstatus,whiletherestwerenot,pendingconfirmation.

Allison Stone was tired. At her home in the hills overlooking theStanfordcampus,sheandherhusband,thechairmanoftheStanfordbacteriology department, had held a party for fifteen couples, andeveryone had stayed late. Mrs. Stone was annoyed: she had beenraised in official Washington, where one’s second cup of coffee,offered pointedly without cognac, was accepted as a signal to gohome.Unfortunately,shethought,academicsdidnotfollowtherules.She had served the second cup of coffee hours ago, and everybodywasstillthere.

Shortly before one a.m., the doorbell rang.Answering it, shewassurprisedtoseetwomilitarymenstandingsidebysideinthenight.They seemed awkward and nervous to her, and she assumed theywerelost;peopleoftengotlostdrivingthroughtheseresidentialareasatnight.

“MayIhelpyou?”

“I’msorrytodisturbyou,ma’am,”onesaidpolitely.“ButisthistheresidenceofDr.JeremyStone?”

“Yes,”shesaid,frowningslightly.“Itis.”

She lookedbeyondthe twomen, to thedriveway.Abluemilitarysedan was parked there. Another man was standing by the car; heseemedtobeholdingsomethinginhishand.

“Doesthatmanhaveagun?”shesaid.

“Ma’am,”themansaid,“wemustseeDr.Stoneatonce,please.”

Itallseemedstrangetoher,andshefoundherself frightened.Shelookedacrossthelawnandsawafourthman,movinguptothehouseandlookingintothewindow.Inthepalelightstreamingoutontothelawn,shecoulddistinctlyseetherifleinhishands.

“What’sgoingon?”

“Ma’am,wedon’twanttodisturbyourparty.PleasecallDr.Stonetothedoor.”

“Idon’tknowif—”

“Otherwise,wewillhavetogogethim,”themansaid.

Shehesitatedamoment,thensaid,“Waithere.”

She steppedback and started to close thedoor, but onemanhadalreadyslippedintothehall.Hestoodnearthedoor,erectandverypolite,withhishatinhishand.“I’ll justwaithere,ma’am,”hesaid,andsmiledather.

Shewalkedbacktotheparty,tryingtoshownothingtotheguests.Everyone was still talking and laughing; the room was noisy anddensewithsmoke.ShefoundJeremyinacorner,inthemidstofsomeargument about riots. She touched his shoulder, and he disengagedhimselffromthegroup.

“I know this sounds funny,” she said, “but there is some kind ofArmymaninthehall,andanotheroutside,andtwootherswithgunsoutonthelawn.Theysaytheywanttoseeyou.”

For a moment, Stone looked surprised, and then he nodded. “I’lltakecareofit,”hesaid.Hisattitudeannoyedher;heseemedalmosttobeexpectingit.

“Well,ifyouknewaboutthis,youmighthavetold—”

“Ididn’t,”hesaid.“I’llexplainlater.”

Hewalkedout to thehallway,where theofficerwasstillwaiting.Shefollowedherhusband.

Stonesaid,“IamDr.Stone.”

“CaptainMorton,” theman said.Hedidnotoffer to shakehands.“There’safire,sir.”

“Allright,”Stonesaid.Helookeddownathisdinnerjacket.“DoIhavetimetochange?”

“I’mafraidnot,sir.”

To her astonishment, Allison saw her husband nod quietly. “Allright.”

He turned toherandsaid, “I’vegot to leave.”His facewasblankandexpressionless,anditseemedtoherlikeanightmare,hisfacelikethat,whilehespoke.Shewasconfused,andafraid.

“Whenwillyoubeback?”

“I’mnotsure.Aweekortwo.Maybelonger.”

She tried tokeephervoice low,but she couldn’thelp it, shewasupset.“Whatisit?”shesaid.“Areyouunderarrest?”

“No,”hesaid,withaslightsmile.“It’snothinglikethat.Makemyapologiestoeveryone,willyou?”

“Buttheguns—”

“Mrs. Stone,” themilitaryman said, “it’s our job to protect yourhusband.Fromnowon,nothingmustbeallowedtohappentohim.”

“That’s right,” Stone said. “You see, I’m suddenly an importantperson.”Hesmiledagain,anodd,crookedsmile,andgaveherakiss.

And then, almost before she knew what was happening, he waswalkingoutthedoor,withCaptainMortonononesideofhimandtheotherman on the other. Themanwith the riflewordlessly fell intoplacebehindthem;themanbythecarsalutedandopenedthedoor.

Thenthecarlightscameon,andthedoorsslammedshut,andthecarbackeddownthedriveanddroveoffintothenight.Shewasstillstandingbythedoorwhenoneofherguestscameupbehindherandsaid,“Allison,areyouallright?”

Andsheturned,andfoundshewasabletosmileandsay,“Yes,it’snothing.Jeremyhadtoleave.Thelabcalledhim:anotheroneofhislate-nightexperimentsgoingwrong.”

Theguestnoddedandsaid,“Shame.It’sadelightfulparty.”

Inthecar,Stonesatbackandstaredatthemen.Herecalledthattheirfaceswereblankandexpressionless.Hesaid,“Whathaveyougotforme?”

“Got,sir?”

“Yes, dammit. What did they give you for me? They must havegivenyousomething.”

“Oh.Yessir.”

Hewashandedaslimfile.StenciledonthebrowncardboardcoverwasPROJECTSUMMARY:SCOOP.

“Nothingelse?”Stonesaid.

“Nosir.”

Stonesighed.HehadneverheardofProjectScoopbefore; thefilewouldhavetobereadcarefully.Butitwastoodarkinthecartoread;therewouldbetimeforthatlater,ontheairplane.Hefoundhimselfthinking back over the last five years, back to the rather oddsymposium on Long Island, and the rather odd little speaker fromEnglandwhohad,inhisownway,begunitall.

In the summer of 1962, J. J. Merrick, the English biophysicist,presentedapapertotheTenthBiologicalSymposiumatColdSpringHarbor,LongIsland.Thepaperwasentitled“FrequenciesofBiologicContact According to Speciation Probabilities.” Merrick was arebellious, unorthodox scientist whose reputation for clear thinkingwas not enhanced by his recent divorce or the presence of thehandsome blond secretary he had brought with him to thesymposium.Following thepresentationofhispaper, therewas littleseriousdiscussionofMerrick’s ideas,whichwere summarizedat theendofthepaper.

Imustconclude that the firstcontactwithextraterrestrial lifewillbe determined by the known probabilities of speciation. It is anundeniable fact that complex organisms are rare on earth, whilesimpleorganismsflourishinabundance.Therearemillionsofspeciesofbacteria,andthousandsofspeciesofinsects.Thereareonlyafewspecies of primates, and only four of great apes. There is but onespeciesofman.

Withthisfrequencyofspeciationgoesacorrespondingfrequencyinnumbers. Simple creatures are much more common than complexorganisms.Therearethreebillionmenontheearth,andthatseemsagreatmanyuntilweconsiderthattenorevenonehundredtimesthatnumberofbacteriacanbecontainedwithinalargeflask.

Allavailableevidenceontheoriginoflifepointstoanevolutionaryprogressionfromsimpletocomplexlifeforms.Thisistrueonearth.Itisprobablytruethroughouttheuniverse.Shapley,Merrow,andothershave calculated the number of viable planetary systems in the nearuniverse.Myowncalculations,indicatedearlierinthepaper,considerthe relative abundance of different organisms throughout theuniverse.

Myaimhasbeen todetermine theprobabilityof contactbetween

manandanotherlifeform.Thatprobabilityisasfollows:

FORM PROBABILITY

Unicellularorganismsorless(nakedgeneticinformation)

.7840

Multicellularorganisms,simple .1940

Multicellularorganisms,complexbutlackingcoordinatedcentralnervoussystem

.0140

Multicellularorganismswithintegratedorgansystemsincludingnervoussystem

.0078

Multicellularorganismswithcomplexnervoussystemcapableofhandling7+data(humancapability)

.0002

1.0000

Theseconsiderationsleadmetobelievethatthefirsthumaninteraction with extraterrestrial life will consist of contactwithorganismssimilarto,ifnotidenticalto,earthbacteriaorviruses.Theconsequencesofsuchcontactaredisturbingwhenonerecallsthat3percentofallearthbacteriaarecapableofexertingsomedeleteriouseffectuponman.

Later, Merrick himself considered the possibility that the firstcontactwouldconsistofaplaguebroughtbackfromthemoonbythefirstmentogothere.Thisideawasreceivedwithamusementbytheassembledscientists.

OneofthefewwhotookitseriouslywasJeremyStone.Attheageofthirty-six,Stonewasperhapsthemostfamouspersonattendingthesymposiumthatyear.HewasprofessorofbacteriologyatStanford,aposthehadheldsincehewasthirty,andhehadjustwontheNobelPrize.

ThelistofStone’sachievements—disregardingtheparticularseriesofexperimentsthatledtotheNobelPrize—isastonishing.In1955,hewasthefirsttousethetechniqueofmultiplicativecountsforbacterialcolonies.In1957,hedevelopedamethodforliquid-puresuspension.In1960,StonepresentedaradicalnewtheoryofoperonactivityinE.coli andS. tabuli, anddeveloped evidence for thephysical natureofthe inducerandrepressorsubstances.His1958paperon linearviraltransformations opened broad new lines of scientific inquiry,particularly among the Pasteur Institute group in Paris, whichsubsequentlywontheNobelPrizein1966.

In1961,StonehimselfwontheNobelPrize.TheawardwasgivenforworkonbacterialmutantreversionthathehaddoneinhissparetimeasalawstudentatMichigan,whenhewastwenty-six.

Perhaps the most significant thing about Stone was that he haddone Nobel-caliber work as a law student, for it demonstrated thedepthandrangeofhis interests.Afriendoncesaidofhim:“Jeremyknows everything, and is fascinated by the rest.” Already he wasbeing compared to Einstein and to Bohr as a scientist with aconscience,anoverview,anappreciationofthesignificanceofevents.

Physically, Stone was a thin, balding man with a prodigiousmemory that catalogued scientific facts and blue jokes with equalfacility. But his most outstanding characteristic was a sense ofimpatience,thefeelingheconveyedtoeveryonearoundhimthattheywerewasting his time.He had a bad habit of interrupting speakersand finishing conversations, a habit he tried to control with onlylimitedsuccess.Hisimperiousmanner,whenaddedtothefactthathehadwontheNobelPrizeatanearlyage,aswellasthescandalsofhisprivate life—he was four times married, twice to the wives ofcolleagues—didnothingtoincreasehispopularity.

Yet it was Stone who, in the early 1960’s, moved forward ingovernment circles as one of the spokesmen for the new scientificestablishment.Hehimselfregardedthisrolewithtolerantamusement—“a vacuum eager to be filledwith hot gas,” he once said—but infacthisinfluencewasconsiderable.

Bytheearly1960’sAmericahadreluctantlycometorealizethatitpossessed, as a nation, the most potent scientific complex in thehistoryoftheworld.Eightypercentofallscientificdiscoveriesinthepreceding three decades had been made by Americans. The United

Stateshad75percentof theworld’scomputers,and90percentoftheworld’s lasers. The United States had three and a half times asmanyscientistsastheSovietUnionandspentthreeandahalftimesas much money on research; the U.S. had four times as manyscientists as the European Economic Community and spent seventimes as much on research. Most of this money came, directly orindirectly, fromCongress,andCongress feltagreatneed formen toadvisethemonhowtospendit.

Duringthe1950’s,allthegreatadvisershadbeenphysicists:Tellerand Oppenheimer and Bruckman andWeidner. But ten years later,withmoremoney forbiologyandmoreconcern for it, anewgroupemerged, ledbyDeBakey inHouston,Farmer inBoston,HeggermaninNewYork,andStoneinCalifornia.

Stone’sprominencewasattributabletomanyfactors:theprestigeofthe Nobel Prize; his political contacts; his most recent wife, thedaughterofSenatorThomasWayneofIndiana;hislegaltraining.AllthiscombinedtoassureStone’srepeatedappearancebeforeconfusedSenate subcommittees—and gave him the power of any trustedadviser.

Itwas this samepower thatheused so successfully to implementtheresearchandconstructionleadingtoWildfire.

Stone was intrigued by Merrick’s ideas, which paralleled certainconcepts of his own. He explained these in a short paper entitled“SterilizationofSpacecraft,”printedinScienceand later reprinted inthe British journal Nature. The argument stated that bacterialcontamination was a two-edged sword, and that man must protectagainstbothedges.

Previous to Stone’s paper,most discussion of contamination dealtwiththehazardstootherplanetsofsatellitesandprobesinadvertentlycarrying earth organisms. This problemwas considered early in theAmerican space effort; by 1959,NASA had set strict regulations forsterilizationofearth-originprobes.

The object of these regulations was to prevent contamination ofotherworlds.Clearly,ifaprobewerebeingsenttoMarsorVenustosearch for new life forms, it would defeat the purpose of theexperimentfortheprobetocarryearthbacteriawithit.

Stoneconsideredthereversesituation.Hestatedthatitwasequally

possible for extraterrestrial organisms to contaminate the earth viaspace probes. He noted that spacecraft that burned up in reentrypresentednoproblem,but“live”returns—mannedflights,andprobessuch as the Scoop satellites—were anothermatter entirely.Here, hesaid,thequestionofcontaminationwasverygreat.

His paper created a brief flurry of interest but, as he later said,“nothingveryspectacular.”Therefore, in1963hebegananinformalseminargroupthatmettwicemonthlyinRoom410,onthetopfloorof the Stanford Medical School biochemistry wing, for lunch anddiscussion of the contamination problem. It was this group of fivemen—StoneandJohnBlackofStanford,SamuelHoldenandTerenceLisset of Cal Med, and Andrew Weiss of Berkeley biophysics—thateventually formed the early nucleus of the Wildfire Project. Theypresentedapetition to thePresident in1965, ina letterconsciouslypatterned after the Einstein letter toRoosevelt, in 1940, concerningtheatomicbomb.

StanfordUniversityPaloAlto,Calif.

June10,1965

ThePresidentoftheUnitedStates

TheWhiteHouse

1600PennsylvaniaAvenue

Washington,D.C.

DearMr.President:

Recenttheoreticalconsiderationssuggestthatsterilizationproceduresof returning space probes may be inadequate to guarantee sterilereentry to this planet’s atmosphere. The consequence of this is thepotentialintroductionofvirulentorganismsintothepresentterrestrialecologicframework.

It is our belief that sterilization for reentry probes and mannedcapsules can never be wholly satisfactory. Our calculations suggestthat even if capsules received sterilizing procedures in space, theprobabilityofcontaminationwouldstillremainoneintenthousand,and perhapsmuchmore. These estimates are based upon organizedlifeasweknowit;otherformsoflifemaybeentirelyresistanttoour

sterilizingmethods.

Wethereforeurgetheestablishmentofafacilitydesignedtodealwithanextraterrestriallifeform,shouldoneinadvertentlybeintroducedtothe earth. The purpose of this facility would be two-fold: to limitdissemination of the life form, and to provide laboratories for itsinvestigationandanalysis,withaviewtoprotectingearthlifeformsfromitsinfluence.

We recommend that such a facility be located in an uninhabitedregionoftheUnitedStates;thatitbeconstructedunderground;thatitincorporate all known isolation techniques; and that it be eguippedwith a nuclear device for self-destruction in the eventuality of anemergency. So far aswe know, no formof life can survive the twomillion degrees of heat which accompany an atomic nucleardetonation.

Yoursverytruly,

JeremyStoneJohnBlackSamuelHoldenTerenceLissetAndrewWeiss

Response to the letterwasgratifyinglyprompt.Twenty-fourhourslater,Stonereceivedacall fromoneof thePresident’sadvisers,andthefollowingdayheflewtoWashingtontoconferwiththePresidentandmembersoftheNationalSecurityCouncil.Twoweeksafterthat,heflewtoHoustontodiscussfurtherplanswithNASAofficials.

Although Stone recalls one or two cracks about “the goddampenitentiary for bugs,” most scientists he talked with regarded theproject favorably. Within a month, Stone’s informal team washardened into an official committee to study problems ofcontaminationanddrawuprecommendations.

This committee was put on the Defense Department’s AdvanceResearchProjectsListandfundedthroughtheDefenseDepartment.Atthattime,theARPLwasheavilyinvestedinchemistryandphysics—ion sprays, reversal duplication, pimeson substrates—but there wasgrowing interest in biologic problems. Thus one ARPL group wasconcernedwithelectronicpacingofbrainfunction(aeuphemismformind control); a second had prepared a study of biosynergics, the

futurepossible combinationsofmanandmachines implanted insidethe body; still another was evaluating Project Ozma, the search forextraterrestriallifeconductedin1961–4.Afourthgroupwasengagedin preliminary design of amachine thatwould carry out all humanfunctionsandwouldbeself-duplicating.

All these projectswere highly theoretical, and allwere staffed byprestigious scientists. Admission to the ARPL was a mark ofconsiderable status, and it ensured future funds for implementationanddevelopment.

Therefore,whenStone’scommitteesubmittedanearlydraftoftheLifeAnalysisProtocol,whichdetailedthewayanylivingthingcouldbe studied, the Defense Department responded with an outrightappropriationof$22,000,000fortheconstructionofaspecialisolatedlaboratory. (This rather large sumwas felt to be justified since theprojecthadapplicationtootherstudiesalreadyunderway. In1965,the whole field of sterility and contamination was one of majorimportance. For example, NASA was building a Lunar ReceivingLaboratory, a high-security facility for Apollo astronauts returningfrom themoon and possibly carrying bacteria or viruses harmful toman.Everyastronautreturningfromthemoonwouldbequarantinedin the LRL for three weeks, until decontamination was complete.Further, the problems of “clean rooms” of industry,where dust andbacteriawerekept at aminimum,and the “sterile chambers”understudy at Bethesda, were also major. Aseptic environments, “lifeislands,” and sterile support systems seemed to have great futuresignificance, and Stone’s appropriation was considered a goodinvestmentinallthesefields.)

Once money was funded, construction proceeded rapidly. Theeventualresult,theWildfireLaboratory,wasbuiltin1966inFlatrock,Nevada. Designwas awarded to the naval architects of the ElectricBoat Division of General Dynamics, since GD had considerableexperience designing living quarters on atomic submarines, wheremenhadtoliveandworkforprolongedperiods.

The plan consisted of a conical underground structure with fivefloors.Eachfloorwascircular,withacentralservicecoreofwiring,plumbing, and elevators. Each floor was more sterile than the oneabove;thefirstfloorwasnonsterile,thesecondmoderatelysterile,thethirdstringentlysterile,andsoon.Passagefromonefloortoanother

was not free; personnel had to undergo decontamination andquarantineproceduresinpassingeitherupordown.

Once the laboratory was finished, it only remained to select theWildfireAlertteam,thegroupofscientistswhowouldstudyanyneworganism. After a number of studies of team composition, fivemenwere selected, including Jeremy Stone himself. These five wereprepared to mobilize immediately in the event of a biologicemergency.

BarelytwoyearsafterhislettertothePresident,Stonewassatisfiedthat“thiscountryhasthecapabilitytodealwithanunknownbiologicagent.”HeprofessedhimselfpleasedwiththeresponseofWashingtonand the speed with which his ideas had been implemented. Butprivately,headmittedtofriendsthatithadbeenalmosttooeasy,thatWashingtonhadagreedtohisplansalmosttooreadily.

Stone could not have known the reasons behind Washington’seagerness,ortheveryrealconcernmanygovernmentofficialshadfortheproblem.ForStoneknewnothing,untilthenightheleftthepartyanddroveoffinthebluemilitarysedan,ofProjectScoop.

“Itwasthefastestthingwecouldarrange,sir,”theArmymansaid.

Stonesteppedontotheairplanewithasenseofabsurdity.ItwasaBoeing 727, completely empty, the seats stretching back in longunbrokenrows.

“Sitfirstclass,ifyoulike,”theArmymansaid,withaslightsmile.“Itdoesn’tmatter.”Amomentlaterhewasgone.HewasnotreplacedbyastewardessbutbyasternMPwithapistolonhishipwhostoodbythedoorastheenginesstarted,whiningsoftlyinthenight.

Stone sat back with the Scoop file in front of him and began toread. It made fascinating reading; he went through it quickly, soquicklythattheMPthoughthispassengermustbemerelyglancingatthefile.ButStonewasreadingeveryword.

ScoopwasthebrainchildofMajorGeneralThomasSparks,headoftheArmyMedical Corps, Chemical and BiologicalWarfareDivision.Sparks was responsible for the research of the CBW installations atFort Detrick, Maryland, Harley, Indiana, and Dugway, Utah. Stonehad met him once or twice, and remembered him as being mild-manneredandbespectacled.Notthesortofmantobeexpectedinthe

jobheheld.

Readingon,StonelearnedthatProjectScoopwascontractedtotheJetPropulsionLaboratoryoftheCaliforniaInstituteofTechnologyinPasadenain1963.Itsavowedaimwasthecollectionofanyorganismsthatmightexist in“near space,” theupperatmosphereof theearth.Technically speaking, it was an Army project, but it was fundedthrough the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, asupposedly civilian organization. In fact, NASA was a governmentagency with a heavy military commitment; 43 per cent of itscontractualworkwasclassifiedin1963.

Intheory,JPLwasdesigningasatellitetoenterthefringesofspaceand collect organisms and dust for study. This was considered aprojectofpurescience—almostcuriosity—andwas thusacceptedbyallthescientistsworkingonthestudy.

Infact,thetrueaimswerequitedifferent.

The true aims of Scoop were to find new life forms that mightbenefittheFortDetrickprogram.Inessence,itwasastudytodiscovernewbiologicalweaponsofwar.

Detrick was a rambling structure in Maryland dedicated to thediscovery of chemical-and-biological-warfare weapons. Covering1,300acres,withaphysicalplantvaluedat$100,000,000,itrankedas one of the largest research facilities of any kind in the UnitedStates. Only 15 per cent of its findings were published in openscientific journals; the restwere classified, aswere the reports fromHarleyandDugway.Harleywasamaximum-securityinstallationthatdealtlargelywithviruses.Intheprevioustenyears,anumberofnewviruses had been developed there, ranging from the variety codedCarrieNation(whichproducesdiarrhea)tothevarietycodedArnold(which causes clonic seizures and death). The Dugway ProvingGround in Utahwas larger than the state of Rhode Island andwasusedprincipally to testpoisongases suchasTabun,Sklar,andKuff-11.

FewAmericans,Stoneknew,wereawareof themagnitudeofU.S.research intochemicalandbiologicalwarfare.The totalgovernmentexpenditure inCBWexceededhalf a billion dollars a year.Much ofthis was distributed to academic centers such as Johns Hopkins,Pennsylvania, and the University of Chicago, where studies of

weapons systemswere contractedundervague terms. Sometimes,ofcourse,thetermswerenotsovague.TheJohnsHopkinsprogramwasdevised to evaluate “studies of actual or potential injuries andillnesses, studies on diseases of potential biological-warfaresignificance, and evaluation of certain chemical and immunologicalresponsestocertaintoxoidsandvaccines.”

Inthepasteightyears,noneoftheresultsfromJohnsHopkinshadbeenpublishedopenly.Thosefromotheruniversities,suchasChicagoand UCLA, had occasionally been published, but these wereconsideredwithin themilitaryestablishment tobe“trialballoons”—examples of ongoing research intended to intimidate foreignobservers.AclassicwasthepaperbyTendronandfiveothersentitled“Researches into a Toxin Which Rapidly Uncouples OxidativePhosphorylationThroughCutaneousAbsorption.”

Thepaperdescribed,butdidnotidentify,apoisonthatwouldkillaperson in less than aminute andwas absorbed through the skin. Itwas recognized that this was a relatively minor achievementcomparedtoothertoxinsthathadbeendevisedinrecentyears.

With somuchmoneyandeffortgoing intoCBW,onemight thinkthat new and more virulent weapons would be continuouslyperfected. However, this was not the case from 1961 to 1965; theconclusionoftheSenatePreparednessSubcommitteein1961wasthat“conventionalresearchhasbeenlessthansatisfactory”andthat“newavenues and approaches of inquiry” should be opened within thefield.

ThatwaspreciselywhatMajorGeneralThomasSparksintendedtodo,withProjectScoop.

In final form, Scoop was a program to orbit seventeen satellitesaroundtheearth,collectingorganismsandbringingthembacktothesurface.Stonereadthesummariesofeachpreviousflight.

Scoop I was a gold-plated satellite, cone-shaped, weighing thirty-seven pounds fully equipped. Itwas launched fromVandenberg AirForceBaseinPurisima,California,onMarch12,1966.Vandenbergisused for west-to-east orbits, as opposed to Cape Kennedy, whichlaunches east-to-west; Vandenberg had the additional advantage ofmaintainingbettersecrecythanKennedy.

Scoop Iorbited for sixdaysbeforebeingbroughtdown. It landed

successfully in a swampnearAthens,Georgia.Unfortunately, itwasfoundtocontainonlystandardearthorganisms.

ScoopIIburnedupinreentry,asaresultofinstrumentationfailure.Scoop III also burned up, though it had a new type of plastic-and-tungsten-laminateheatshield.

ScoopsIVandVwererecoveredintactfromtheIndianOceanandthe Appalachian foothills, but neither contained radically neworganisms; those collected were harmless variants of S. albus, acommoncontaminantofnormalhumanskin.These failures led toafurtherincreaseinsterilizationprocedurespriortolaunch.

ScoopVIwaslaunchedonNewYear’sDay,1967.Itincorporatedallthelatestrefinementsfromearlierattempts.Highhopesrodewiththerevised satellite, which returned eleven days later, landing nearBombay, India. Unknown to anyone, the 34th Airborne, thenstationed in Evreux, France, just outside Paris, was dispatched torecover the capsule. The 34th was on alert whenever a spaceflightwentup,accordingtotheproceduresofOperationScrub,aplanfirstdevisedtoprotectMercuryandGeminicapsulesshouldonebeforcedto land in Soviet Russia or Eastern Bloc countries. Scrub was theprimary reason for keeping a single paratroop division in WesternEuropeinthefirsthalfofthe1960’s.

Scoop VI was recovered uneventfully. It was found to contain apreviously unknown form of unicellular organism, coccobacillary inshape,gram-negative,coagulase,andtriokinase-positive.However, itprovedgenerallybenevolenttoalllivingthingswiththeexceptionofdomesticfemalechickens,whichitmademoderatelyillforafour-dayperiod.

Among theDetrick staff,hopedimmed for the successful recoveryof a pathogen from the Scoop program.Nonetheless, ScoopVIIwaslaunched soon after Scoop VI. The exact date is classified but it isbelieved to be February 5, 1967. Scoop VII immediately went intostableorbitwithanapogeeof317milesandaperigeeof224miles.Itremainedinorbit for twoandahalfdays.At that time, thesatelliteabruptlyleftstableorbitforunknownreasons,anditwasdecidedtobringitdownbyradiocommand.

The anticipated landing site was a desolate area in northeasternArizona.

Midwaythroughtheflight,hisreadingwasinterruptedbyanofficerwhobroughthimatelephoneandthensteppedarespectfuldistanceawaywhileStonetalked.

“Yes?”Stonesaid,feelingodd.Hewasnotaccustomedtotalkingonthetelephoneinthemiddleofanairplanetrip.

“General Marcus here,” a tired voice said. Stone did not knowGeneralMarcus.“Ijustwantedtoinformyouthatallmembersoftheteamhavebeencalledin,withtheexceptionofProfessorKirke.”

“Whathappened?”

“ProfessorKirkeisinthehospital,”GeneralMarcussaid.“You’llgetfurtherdetailswhenyoutouchdown.”

The conversation ended; Stone gave the telephone back to theofficer.Hethoughtforaminuteabouttheothermenontheteam,andwonderedattheirreactionsastheywerecalledoutofbed.

TherewasLeavitt,ofcourse.Hewouldrespondquickly.Leavittwasa clinical microbiologist, a man experienced in the treatment ofinfectiousdisease.Leavitthadseenenoughplaguesandepidemicsinhisdaytoknowtheimportanceofquickaction.Besides,therewashisingrained pessimism, which never deserted him. (Leavitt had oncesaid, “Atmywedding, all I could think of was howmuch alimonyshe’dcostme.”)Hewasanirritable,grumbling,heavysetmanwithamorose faceandsadeyes,which seemed topeerahead intoableakandmiserablefuture;buthewasalsothoughtful,imaginative,andnotafraidtothinkdaringly.

Then there was the pathologist, Burton, in Houston. Stone hadnever likedBurtonverywell, thoughheacknowledgedhis scientifictalent.BurtonandStoneweredifferent:whereStonewasorganized,Burton was sloppy; where Stone was controlled, Burton wasimpulsive; where Stone was confident, Burton was nervous, jumpy,petulant. Colleagues referred to Burton as “the Stumbler,” partlybecauseofhis tendency to tripoverhisuntied shoelaces andbaggytrouser cuffs and partly because of his talent for tumbling by errorintooneimportantdiscoveryafteranother.

AndthenKirke,theanthropologistfromYale,whoapparentlywasnotgoing tobeable tocome. If thereportwas true,Stoneknewhewasgoingtomisshim.Kirkewasanill-in-formedandratherfoppish

manwhopossessed,asifbyaccident,asuperblylogicalbrain.Hewascapable of grasping the essentials of a problem and manipulatingthemtogetthenecessaryresult;thoughhecouldnotbalancehisowncheckbook,mathematicians often came to him for help in resolvinghighlyabstractproblems.

Stonewasgoingtomissthatkindofbrain.Certainlythefifthmanwouldbenohelp.StonefrownedashethoughtaboutMarkHall.Hallhad been a compromise candidate for the team; Stone would havepreferred a physicianwith experience inmetabolic disease, and thechoice of a surgeon instead had been made with the greatestreluctance.TherehadbeengreatpressurefromDefenseandtheAECto accept Hall, since those groups believed in the Odd ManHypothesis;intheend,Stoneandtheothershadgivenin.

Stone did not know Hall well; he wondered what he would saywhenhewasinformedofthealert.Stonecouldnothaveknownofthegreatdelay innotifyingmembersof the team.Hedidnotknow, forinstance, thatBurton, thepathologist,wasnotcalleduntil fivea.m.,or that Peter Leavitt, the microbiologist, was not called until sixthirty,thetimehearrivedatthehospital.

AndHallwasnotcalleduntilfiveminutespastseven.

Itwas,MarkHallsaidlater,“ahorrifyingexperience.Inaninstant,Iwastakenfromthemostfamiliarofworldsandplungedintothemostunfamiliar.”At six forty-five,Hallwas in thewashroomadjacent toOR7,scrubbingforhisfirstcaseoftheday.Hewasinthemidstofaroutinehehadcarriedoutdailyforseveralyears;hewasrelaxedandjokingwiththeresident,scrubbingwithhim.

When he finished, he went into the operating room, holding hisarms before him, and the instrument nurse handed him a towel, towipehishandsdry.Alsointheroomwasanotherresident,whowaspreppingthebodyforsurgery—applyingiodineandalcoholsolutions—andacirculatingnurse.Theyallexchangedgreetings.

At the hospital, Hall was known as a swift, quick-tempered, andunpredictablesurgeon.Heoperatedwithspeed,workingnearlytwiceasfastasothersurgeons.Whenthingswentsmoothly,helaughedandjokedasheworked,kiddinghisassistants,thenurses,theanesthetist.But if thingsdidnotgowell, if theybecameslowanddifficult,Hallcouldturnblacklyirritable.

Likemostsurgeons,hewasinsistentuponroutine.Everythinghadto be done in a certain order, in a certain way. If not, he becameupset.

Becausetheothersintheoperatingroomknewthis,theylookeduptowardtheoverheadviewinggallerywithapprehensionwhenLeavittappeared.Leavittclickedontheintercomthatconnectedtheupstairsroomtotheoperatingroombelowandsaid,“Hello,Mark.”

Hallhadbeendrapingthepatient,placinggreensterileclothsoverevery part of the body except for the abdomen.He looked upwithsurprise.“Hello,Peter,”hesaid.

“Sorrytodisturbyou,”Leavittsaid.“Butthisisanemergency.”

“Havetowait,”Hallsaid.“I’mstartingaprocedure.”

He finisheddrapingandcalled for theskinknife.Hepalpated theabdomen,feelingforthelandmarkstobeginhisincision.

“Itcan’twait,”Leavittsaid.

Hallpaused.He setdown the scalpeland lookedup.Therewasalongsilence.

“Whatthehelldoyoumean,itcan’twait?”

Leavitt remained calm. “You’ll have to break scrub. This is anemergency.”

“Look, Peter, I’ve got a patient here.Anesthetized.Ready to go. Ican’tjustwalk—”

“Kellywilltakeoverforyou.”

Kellywasoneofthestaffsurgeons.

“Kelly?”

“He’sscrubbingnow,”Leavittsaid.“It’sallarranged.I’llexpecttomeetyouinthesurgeon’schangeroom.Inaboutthirtyseconds.”

Andthenhewasgone.

Hallglaredateveryoneintheroom.Noonemoved,orspoke.Afteramoment, he stripped off his gloves and stompedout of the room,swearingonce,veryloudly.

HallviewedhisownassociationwithWildfireas tenuousatbest. In1966hehadbeenapproachedbyLeavitt,thechiefofbacteriologyof

thehospital,whohadexplainedinasketchywaythepurposeoftheproject.Hall found it all rather amusing andhadagreed to join theteam, if his services ever became necessary; privately, he wasconfidentthatnothingwouldevercomeofWildfire.

Leavitt had offered to giveHall the files onWildfire and to keephimuptodateontheproject.Atfirst,Hallpolitelytookthefiles,butitsoonbecameclearthathewasnotbotheringtoreadthem,andsoLeavitt stopped giving them to him. If anything, this pleased Hall,whopreferrednottohavehisdeskcluttered.

A year before, Leavitt had asked him whether he wasn’t curiousabout something thathehadagreed to joinand thatmightat somefuturetimeprovedangerous.

Hallhadsaid,“No.”

Now,inthedoctors’room,Hallregrettedthosewords.Thedoctors’roomwas a small place, lined on all four walls with lockers; therewerenowindows.Alargecoffeemakersatinthecenteroftheroom,with a stack of paper cups alongside. Leavittwas pouring himself acup,hissolemn,basset-houndfacelookingmournful.

“Thisisgoingtobeawfulcoffee,”hesaid.“Youcan’tgetadecentcupanywhereinahospital.Hurryandchange.”

Hallsaid,“Doyoumindtellingmefirstwhy—”

“I mind, I mind,” Leavitt said. “Change: there’s a car waitingoutsideandwe’realreadylate.Perhapstoolate.”

He had a gruffly melodramatic way of speaking that had alwaysannoyedHall.

There was a loud slurp as Leavitt sipped the coffee. “Just as Isuspected,”hesaid.“Howcanyoutolerateit?Hurry,please.”

Hallunlockedhislockerandkickeditopen.Heleanedagainstthedoorandstrippedawaytheblackplasticshoecoversthatwerewornin the operating room to prevent buildup of static charges. “Next, Isuppose you’re going to tell me this has to do with that damnedproject.”

“Exactly,”Leavittsaid.“Nowtrytohurry.Thecariswaitingtotakeustotheairport,andthemorningtrafficisbad.”

Hallchangedquickly,notthinking,hismindmomentarilystunned.

Somehow he had never thought it possible. He dressed andwalkedout with Leavitt toward the hospital entrance. Outside, in thesunshine, he could see the olive U.S. Army sedan pulled up to thecurb,itslightflashing.Andhehadasudden,horriblerealizationthatLeavittwasnotkidding,thatnobodywaskidding,andthatsomekindofawfulnightmarewascomingtrue.

For his own part, Peter Leavitt was irritated with Hall. In general,Leavitthadlittlepatiencewithpracticingphysicians.ThoughhehadanM.D.degree,Leavitthadneverpracticed,preferringtodevotehistime to research. His field was clinical microbiology andepidemiology, and his specialty was parasitology. He had doneparasiticresearchallovertheworld;hisworkhadledtothediscoveryoftheBraziliantapeworm,Taeniarenzi,whichhehadcharacterizedinapaperin1953.

As he grew older, however, Leavitt had stopped traveling. Publichealth,hewasfondofsaying,wasayoungman’sgame;whenyougotyourfifthcaseofintestinalamebiasis,itwastimetoquit.Leavittgothis fifth case inRhodesia in 1955.Hewas dreadfully sick for threemonths and lost forty pounds.Afterward, he resignedhis job in thepublichealthservice.Hewasofferedthepostofchiefofmicrobiologyat thehospital,andhehad taken it,with theunderstanding thathewouldbeabletodevoteagoodportionofhistimetoresearch.

Within the hospital he was known as a superb clinicalbacteriologist, buthis real interest remainedparasites. In theperiodfrom1955to1964hepublishedaseriesofelegantmetabolicstudiesonAscarisandNecatorthatwerehighlyregardedbyotherworkersinthefield.

Leavitt’sreputationhadmadehimanaturalchoiceforWildfire,anditwasthroughLeavittthatHallhadbeenaskedtojoin.LeavittknewthereasonsbehindHall’sselection,thoughHalldidnot.

WhenLeavitthadaskedhim to join,Hallhaddemanded toknowwhy.“I’mjustasurgeon,”hehadsaid.

“Yes,”Leavittsaid.“Butyouknowelectrolytes.”

“So?”

“That may be important. Blood chemistries, pH, acidity andalkalinity,thewholething.Thatmaybevital,whenthetimecomes.”

“But there are a lot of electrolyte people,” Hall had pointed out.“Manyofthembetterthanme.”

“Yes,”Leavitthadsaid.“Butthey’reallmarried.”

“Sowhat?”

“Weneedasingleman.”

“Why?”

“It’snecessarythatonememberoftheteambeunmarried.”

“That’scrazy,”Hallhadsaid.

“Maybe,”Leavitthadsaid.“Maybenot.”

***

They left the hospital and walked up to the Army sedan. A youngofficerwaswaitingstiffly,andsalutedastheycameup.

“Dr.Hall?”

“Yes.”

“MayIseeyourcard,please?”

Hallgavehimthelittleplasticcardwithhispictureonit.Hehadbeen carrying the card in hiswallet formore than a year; itwas arather strange card—with just a name, a picture, and a thumbprint,nothingmore.Nothingtoindicatethatitwasanofficialcard.

The officer glanced at it, then at Hall, and back to the card. Hehandeditback.

“Verygood,sir.”

He opened the rear door of the sedan. Hall got in and Leavittfollowed,shieldinghiseyesfromtheflashingredlightonthecartop.Hallnoticedit.

“Somethingwrong?”

“No.Justneverlikedflashinglights.Remindsmeofmydaysasanambulance driver, during thewar.” Leavitt settled back and the carstartedoff.“Nowthen,”hesaid.“Whenwereachtheairfield,youwillbegivenafiletoreadduringthetrip.”

“Whattrip?”

“You’llbetakinganF-104,”Leavittsaid.

“Where?”

“Nevada. Try to read the file on theway.Oncewe arrive, thingswillbeverybusy.”

“Andtheothersintheteam?”

Leavittglancedathiswatch.“Kirkehasappendicitisand is in thehospital.Theothershavealreadybegunwork.Rightnow,theyareinahelicopter,overPiedmont,Arizona.”

“Neverheardofit,”Hallsaid.

“Nobodyhas,”Leavittsaid,“untilnow.”

6

Piedmont

AT 9:59 A.M. ON THE SAME MORNING, a K-4 jethelicopter lifted off the concrete ofVandenberg’smaximum-securityhangarMSH-9andheadedeast,towardArizona.

ThedecisiontoliftofffromanMSHwasmadebyMajorManchek,whowasconcernedabouttheattentionthesuitsmightdraw.Becauseinside thehelicopterwere threemen,apilotand twoscientists,andall three wore clear plastic inflatable suits, making them look likeobesemenfromMars,or,asoneofthehangarmaintenancemenputit,“likeballoonsfromtheMacy’sparade.”

As the helicopter climbed into the clear morning sky, the twopassengersinthebellylookedateachother.OnewasJeremyStone,theotherCharlesBurton.BothmenhadarrivedatVandenbergjustafew hours before—Stone from Stanford and Burton from BaylorUniversityinHouston.

Burton was fifty-four, a pathologist. He held a professorship atBaylor Medical School and served as a consultant to the NASAMannedSpaceflightCenter inHouston.EarlierhehaddoneresearchattheNationalInstitutesinBethesda.Hisfieldhadbeentheeffectsofbacteriaonhumantissues.

It is one of the peculiarities of scientific development that such avital fieldwas virtuallyuntouchedwhenBurton came to it. Thoughmen had known germs caused disease since Henle’s hypothesis of1840,bythemiddleof thetwentiethcenturytherewasstillnothingknown about why or how bacteria did their damage. The specificmechanismswereunknown.

Burton began, like so many others in his day, with Diplococcuspneumoniae,theagentcausingpneumonia.Therewasgreatinterestinpneumococcusbeforetheadventofpenicillinintheforties;afterthat,both interest and research money evaporated. Burton shifted toStaphylococcus aureus, a common skin pathogen responsible for“pimples” and “boils.” At the time he began his work, his fellow

researchers laughedathim; staphylococcus, likepneumococcus,washighly sensitive to penicillin. They doubted Burton would ever getenoughmoneytocarryonhiswork.

Forfiveyears,theywereright.Themoneywasscarce,andBurtonoften had to go begging to foundations and philanthropists. Yet hepersisted,patientlyelucidatingthecoatsofthecellwallthatcausedareaction inhost tissue andhelping todiscover thehalf-dozen toxinssecretedby thebacteria to breakdown tissue, spread infection, anddestroyredcells.

Suddenly,inthe1950’s,thefirstpenicillin-resistantstrainsofstaphappeared.Thenewstrainswerevirulent,andproducedbizarredeaths,oftenbybrainabscess.AlmostovernightBurton foundhisworkhadassumedmajor importance; dozens of labs around the countrywerechanging over to study staph; itwas a “hot field.” In a single year,Burtonwatchedhisgrantappropriationsjumpfrom$6,000ayearto$300,000.Soonafterward,hewasmadeaprofessorofpathology.

Lookingback,Burton feltnogreatpride inhisaccomplishment; itwas,heknew,amatterofluck,ofbeingintherightplaceanddoingtherightworkwhenthetimecame.

Hewonderedwhatwould come of being here, in this helicopter,now.

Sittingacross fromhim,JeremyStonetriedtoconcealhisdistasteforBurton’sappearance.BeneaththeplasticsuitBurtonworeadirtyplaid sport shirt with a stain on the left breast pocket; his trouserswerecreasedandfrayedandevenhishair,Stonefelt,wasunrulyanduntidy.

Hestaredoutthewindow,forcinghimselftothinkofothermatters.“Fiftypeople,”hesaid,shakinghishead.“DeadwithineighthoursofthelandingofScoopVII.Thequestionisoneofspread.”

“Presumablyairborne,”Burtonsaid.

“Yes.Presumably.”

“Everyone seems to have died in the immediate vicinity of thetown,”Burtonsaid.“Aretherereportsofdeathsfartherout?”

Stone shook his head. “I’m having the Army people look into it.They’re working with the highway patrol. So far, no deaths have

turnedupoutside.”

“Wind?”

“Astrokeofluck,”Stonesaid.“Lastnightthewindwasfairlybrisk,ninemilesanhour to thesouthandsteady.Butaroundmidnight, itdied.Prettyunusualforthistimeofyear,theytellme.”

“Butfortunateforus.”

“Yes.” Stone nodded. “We’re fortunate in another way as well.There is no important area of habitation for a radius of nearly onehundredandtwelvemiles.Outsidethat,ofcourse,thereisLasVegastothenorth,SanBernardinotothewest,andPhoenixtotheeast.Notnice,ifthebuggetstoanyofthem.”

“Butaslongasthewindstaysdown,wehavetime.”

“Presumably,”Stonesaid.

For thenexthalfhour, the twomendiscussed thevectorproblemwith frequent reference to a sheaf of outputmaps drawnup duringthenightbyVandenberg’scomputerdivision.Theoutputmapswerehighly complex analyses of geographic problems; in this case, themapswerevisualizationsofthesouthwesternUnitedStates,weightedforwinddirectionandpopulation.

ANOTEONTHEOUTPUTMAPS: these threemaps are intended asexamples of the staging of computerbase output mapping. The firstmapisrelativelystandard,withtheadditionofcomputercoordinatesaroundpopulationcentersandotherimportantareas.

The second map has been weighted to account for wind andpopulationfactors,andisconsequentlydistorted.

Thethirdmapisacomputerprojectionof theeffectsofwindand

populationinaspecific“scenario.”

None of these outputmaps is from theWildfire Project. They aresimilar,buttheyrepresentoutputfromaCBWscenario,nottheactualWildfirework.

(courtesyGeneralAutonomicsCorporation)

Discussionthenturnedto the timecourseofdeath.Bothmenhadheardthetapefromthevan;theyagreedthateveryoneatPiedmontseemedtohavediedquitesuddenly.

“Even if you slit aman’s throat with a razor,” Burton said, “youwon’t getdeath that rapidly.Cuttingboth carotidsand jugulars stillallows ten to forty seconds before unconsciousness, and nearly aminutebeforedeath.”

“AtPiedmont,itseemstohaveoccurredinasecondortwo.”

Burtonshrugged.“Trauma,”hesuggested.“Ablowtothehead.”

“Yes.Oranervegas.”

“Certainlypossible.”

“It’sthat,orsomethingverymuchlikeit,”Stonesaid.“Ifitwasanenzymatic block of some kind—like arsenic or strychnine—we’dexpect fifteen or thirty seconds, perhaps longer. But a block ofnervous transmission, or a block of the neuromuscular junction, orcortical poisoning—that could be very swift. It could beinstantaneous.”

“If it is a fast-acting gas,” Burton said, “it must have highdiffusibilityacrossthelungs—”

“Or the skin,” Stone said. “Mucous membranes, anything. Anyporoussurface.”

Burton touched the plastic of his suit. “If this gas is so highlydiffusible…”

Stonegaveaslightsmile.“We’llfindout,soonenough.”

Overtheintercom,thehelicopterpilotsaid,“Piedmontapproaching,gentlemen.Pleaseadvise.”

Stonesaid,“Circleonceandgiveusalookatit.”

Thehelicopterbankedsteeply.Thetwomenlookedoutandsawthe

town below them. The buzzards had landed during the night, andwerethicklyclusteredaroundthebodies.

“Iwasafraidofthat,”Stonesaid.

“Theymay represent a vector for infectious spread,” Burton said.“Eatthemeatofinfectedpeople,andcarrytheorganismsawaywiththem.”

Stonenodded,staringoutthewindow.

“Whatdowedo?”

“Gas them,” Stone said. He flicked on the intercom to the pilot.“Haveyougotthecanisters?”

“Yessir.”

“Circleagain,andblanketthetown.”

“Yessir.”

Thehelicoptertilted,andswungback.Soonthetwomencouldnotseethegroundforthecloudsofpale-bluegas.

“Whatisit?”

“Chlorazine,” Stone said. “Highly effective, in low concentrations,on aviary metabolism. Birds have a high metabolic rate. They arecreatures that consist of little more than feathers andmuscle; theirheartbeatsareusuallyaboutone-twenty,andmanyspecieseatmorethantheirownweighteveryday.”

“Thegasisanuncoupler?”

“Yes.It’llhitthemhard.”

Thehelicopterbankedaway,thenhovered.Thegasslowlyclearedinthegentlewind,movingofftothesouth.Soontheycouldseethegroundagain.Hundredsofbirdslaythere;afewflappedtheirwingsspastically,butmostwerealreadydead.

Stonefrownedashewatched.Somewhere,inthebackofhismind,he knew he had forgotten something, or ignored something. Somefact, some vital clue, that the birds provided and he must notoverlook.

Overtheintercom,thepilotsaid,“Yourorders,sir?”

“Gotothecenterofthemainstreet,”Stonesaid,“anddroptherope

ladder. You are to remain twenty feet above ground. Do not putdown.Isthatclear?”

“Yessir.”

“Whenwehaveclimbeddown,youaretoliftofftoanaltitudeoffivehundredfeet.”

“Yessir.”

“Returnwhenwesignalyou.”

“Yessir.”

“Andshouldanythinghappentous—”

“IproceeddirectlytoWildfire,”thepilotsaid,hisvoicedry.

“Correct.”

Thepilot knewwhat thatmeant.Hewasbeingpaid according tothe highest Air Force pay scales: he was drawing regular pay plushazardous-duty pay, plus non-wartime special-services pay, plusmission-over-hostile-territorypay, plusbonus airtimepay.Hewouldreceive more than a thousand dollars for this day’s work, and hisfamily would receive an additional ten thousand dollars from theshort-termlifeinsuranceshouldhenotreturn.

Therewasareasonforthemoney:ifanythinghappenedtoBurtonandStoneontheground,thepilotwasorderedtoflydirectlytotheWildfire installation and hover thirty feet above ground until suchtime as the Wildfire group had determined the correct way toincineratehim,andhisairplane,inmidair.

Hewasbeingpaid to takea risk.Hehadvolunteered for the job.Andheknew thathighabove, circlingat twenty thousand feet,wasanAir Force jetwith air-to-airmissiles. Itwas the job of the jet toshootdownthehelicoptershouldthepilotsufferalast-minutelossofnerveandfailtogodirectlytoWildfire.

“Don’tslipup,”thepilotsaid.“Sir.”

The helicoptermaneuvered over themain street of the town andhung in midair. There was a rattling sound: the rope ladder beingreleased.Stonestoodandpulledonhishelmet.Hesnappedshutthesealer and inflated his clear suit, puffing it up aroundhim.A smallbottleofoxygenonhisbackwouldprovideenoughairfortwohours

ofexploration.

HewaiteduntilBurtonhadsealedhissuit,andthenStoneopenedthehatchandstareddownattheground.Thehelicopterwasraisingaheavycloudofdust.

Stoneclickedonhisradio.“Allset?”

“Allset.”

Stone began to climb down the ladder. Burtonwaited amoment,then followed.Hecouldseenothing in theswirlingdust,but finallyfelt his shoes touch the ground. He released the ladder and lookedover. He could barely make out Stone’s suit, a dim outline in agloomy,duskyworld.

The ladder pulled away as the helicopter lifted into the sky. Thedustcleared.Theycouldsee.

“Let’sgo,”Stonesaid.

Movingclumsilyintheirsuits,theywalkeddownthemainstreetofPiedmont.

7

“AnUnusualProcess”

SCARCELYTWELVEHOURSafter the first knownhumancontact with the Andromeda Strain was made at Piedmont, Burtonand Stone arrived in the town. Weeks later, in their debriefingsessions, both men recalled the scene vividly, and described it indetail.

Themorningsunwasstilllowinthesky;itwascoldandcheerless,casting long shadows over the thinly snow-crusted ground. Fromwheretheystood,theycouldlookupanddownthestreetatthegray,weathered wooden buildings; but what they noticed first was thesilence.Exceptforagentlewindthatwhinedsoftlythroughtheemptyhouses,itwasdeathlysilent.Bodieslayeverywhere,heapedandflungacrossthegroundinattitudesoffrozensurprise.

But there was no sound—no reassuring rumble of an automobileengine,nobarkingdog,noshoutingchildren.

Silence.

The twomen looked at eachother. Theywerepainfully aware ofhowmuchtherewastolearn,todo.Somecatastrophehadstruckthistown, and theymust discover all they could about it. But they hadpracticallynoclues,nopointsofdeparture.

They knew, in fact, only two things. First, that the troubleapparently began with the landing of Scoop VII. And second, thatdeathhadovertakenthepeopleofthetownwithastonishingrapidity.If itwasadiseasefromthesatellite,thenitwaslikenootherinthehistoryofmedicine.

For a long time the men said nothing, but stood in the street,looking about them, feeling the wind tug at their oversized suits.Finally,Stonesaid,“Whyaretheyalloutside,inthestreet?Ifthiswasadiseasethatarrivedatnight,mostofthepeoplewouldbeindoors.”

“Not only that,” Burton said, “they’remostlywearing pajamas. Itwasacoldnight lastnight.You’dthinktheywouldhavestoppedto

putonajacket,oraraincoat.Somethingtokeepwarm.”

“Maybetheywereinahurry.”

“Todowhat?”Burtonsaid.

“Toseesomething,”Stonesaid,withahelplessshrug.

Burtonbentoverthefirstbodytheycameto.“Odd,”hesaid.“Lookatthewaythisfellowisclutchinghischest.Quiteafewofthemaredoingthat.”

Looking at the bodies, Stone saw that the hands of many werepressedtotheirchests,someflat,someclawing.

“Theydidn’tseemtobeinpain,”Stonesaid.“Theirfacesarequitepeaceful.”

“Almostastonished,infact,”Burtonnodded.“Thesepeoplelookcutdown,caughtinmidstride.Butclutchingtheirchests.”

“Coronary?”Stonesaid.

“Doubt it. They should grimace—it’s painful. The same with apulmonaryembolus.”

“Ifitwasfastenough,theywouldn’thavetime.”

“Perhaps.ButsomehowIthinkthesepeoplediedapainlessdeath.Whichmeanstheyareclutchingtheirchestsbecause—”

“Theycouldn’tbreathe,”Stonesaid.

Burton nodded. “It’s possible we’re seeing asphyxiation. Rapid,painless,almostinstantaneousasphyxiation.ButIdoubtit.Ifapersoncan’t breathe, the first thing he does is loosen his clothing,particularlyaroundtheneckandchest.Lookatthatmanthere—he’swearing a tie, and he hasn’t touched it. And that woman with thetightlybuttonedcollar.”

Burtonwasbeginningtoregainhiscomposurenow,aftertheinitialshockofthetown.Hewasbeginningtothinkclearly.Theywalkeduptothevan,standinginthemiddleofthestreet,itslightsstillshiningweakly. Stone reached in to turn off the lights. He pushed the stiffbody of the driver back from thewheel and read the name on thebreastpocketoftheparka.

“Shawn.”

ThemansittingrigidlyinthebackofthevanwasaprivatenamedCrane. Bothmen were locked in rigor mortis. Stone nodded to theequipmentintheback.

“Willthatstillwork?”

“Ithinkso,”Burtonsaid.

“Thenlet’sfindthesatellite.That’sourfirstjob.Wecanworrylaterabout—”

He stopped. He was looking at the face of Shawn, who hadobviously pitched forward hard onto the steering wheel at themomentofdeath.Therewasa large, arc-shapedcutacrosshis face,shatteringthebridgeofhisnoseandtearingtheskin.

“Idon’tgetit,”Stonesaid.

“Getwhat?”Burtonsaid.

“Thisinjury.Lookatit.”

“Veryclean,”Burtonsaid.“Remarkablyclean,infact.Practicallynobleeding…”

Then Burton realized. He started to scratch his head inastonishment,buthishandwasstoppedbytheplastichelmet.

“Acutlikethat,”hesaid,“ontheface.Brokencapillaries,shatteredbone,tornscalpveins—itshouldbleedlikehell.”

“Yes,” Stone said. “It should. And look at the other bodies. Evenwherethevultureshavechewedattheflesh:nobleeding.”

Burtonstaredwithincreasingastonishment.Noneofthebodieshadlostevenadropofblood.Hewonderedwhytheyhadnotnoticeditbefore.

“Maybethemechanismofactionofthisdisease—”

“Yes,” Stone said. “I think you may be right.” He grunted anddragged Shawn out of the van, working to pull the stiff body frombehind thewheel. “Let’sget thatdamnedsatellite,”he said.“This isreallybeginningtoworryme.”

Burton went to the back and pulled Crane out through the reardoors,thenclimbedinasStoneturnedtheignition.Thestarterturnedoversluggishly,andtheenginedidnotcatch.

Stonetriedtostart thevanforseveralseconds, thensaid,“Idon’tunderstand.Thebatteryislow,butitshouldstillbeenough—”

“How’syourgas?”Burtonsaid.

There was a pause, and Stone swore loudly. Burton smiled, andcrawledoutoftheback.Togethertheywalkedupthestreettothegasstation, found a bucket, and filled it with gas from the pump afterspendingseveralmomentstryingtodecidehowitworked.Whentheyhadthegas,theyreturnedtothevan,filledthetank,andStonetriedagain.

Theenginecaughtandheld.Stonegrinned.“Let’sgo.”

Burton scrambled into the back, turned on the electronicequipment, and started the antenna rotating. He heard the faintbeepingofthesatellite.

“The signal’s weak, but still there. Sounds over to the leftsomewhere.”

Stoneput thevan ingear.Theyrumbledoff, swervingaroundthebodies inthestreet.Thebeepinggrewlouder.Theycontinueddownthe main street, past the gas station and the general store. Thebeepingsuddenlygrewfaint.

“We’vegonetoofar.Turnaround.”

IttookawhileforStonetofindreverseonthegearshift,andthentheydoubledback,tracingtheintensityofthesound.Itwasanotherfifteenminutesbeforetheywereabletolocatetheoriginofthebeepstothenorth,ontheoutskirtsofthetown.

Finally,theypulledupbeforeaplainsingle-storywoodframehouse.Asigncreakedinthewind:Dr.AlanBenedict.

“Mighthaveknown,”Stonesaid.“They’dtakeittothedoctor.”

Thetwomenclimbedoutofthevanandwentuptothehouse.Thefrontdoorwasopen,banging in thebreeze.Theyentered the livingroom and found it empty. Turning right, they came to the doctor’soffice.

Benedict was there, a pudgy, white-haired man. He was seatedbeforehisdesk,withseveraltextbookslaidopen.Alongonewallwerebottles, syringes, pictures of his family and several others showingmen in combat uniforms.One showed a group of grinning soldiers;

thescrawledwords:“ForBenny,fromtheboysof87,Anzio.”

Benedicthimselfwasstaringblanklytowardacorneroftheroom,hiseyeswide,hisfacepeaceful.

“Well,”Burtonsaid,“Benedictcertainlydidn’tmakeitoutside—”

Andthentheysawthesatellite.

Itwasupright,asleekpolishedconethreefeethigh,anditsedgeshad been cracked and seared from the heat of reentry. It had beenopenedcrudely,apparentlywiththehelpofapairofpliersandchiselthatlayonthefloornexttothecapsule.

“Thebastardopenedit,”Stonesaid.“Stupidsonofabitch.”

“Howwashetoknow?”

“Hemighthaveaskedsomebody,”Stonesaid.Hesighed.“Anyway,heknowsnow.Andsodoforty-nineotherpeople.”Hebentoverthesatellite and closed the gaping, triangular hatch. “You have thecontainer?”

Burtonproducedthefoldedplasticbagandopeneditout.Togethertheyslippeditoverthesatellite,thensealeditshut.

“Ihopetohellthere’ssomethingleft,”Burtonsaid.

“Inaway,”Stonesaidsoftly,“Ihopethereisn’t.”

TheyturnedtheirattentiontoBenedict.Stonewentovertohimandshookhim.Themanfellrigidlyfromhischairontothefloor.

Burtonnoticedtheelbows,andsuddenlybecameexcited.Heleanedoverthebody.“Comeon,”hesaidtoStone.“Helpme.”

“Dowhat?”

“Striphimdown.”

“Why?”

“Iwanttocheckthelividity.”

“Butwhy?”

“Justwait,”Burtonsaid.HebeganunbuttoningBenedict’sshirtandloosening his trousers. The two men worked silently for somemoments,untilthedoctor’sbodywasnakedonthefloor.

“There,”Burtonsaid,standingback.

“I’llbedamned,”Stonesaid.

There was no dependent lividity. Normally, after a person died,bloodseepedtothelowestpoints,drawndownbygravity.Apersonwho died in bed had a purple back from accumulated blood. ButBenedict,whohaddied sittingup,hadnoblood in the tissueofhisbuttocksorthighs.

Orinhiselbows,whichhadrestedonthearmsofthechair.

“Quite a peculiar finding,” Burton said. He glanced around theroomandfoundasmallautoclaveforsterilizinginstruments.Openingit,heremovedascalpel.Hefitteditwithablade—carefully,soasnottopuncturehisairtightsuit—andthenturnedbacktothebody.

“We’lltakethemostsuperficialmajorarteryandvein,”hesaid.

“Whichis?”

“Theradial.Atthewrist.”

Holdingthescalpelcarefully,Burtondrewthebladealongtheskinoftheinnerwrist, justbehindthethumb.Theskinpulledbackfromthe wound, which was completely bloodless. He exposed fat andsubcutaneoustissue.Therewasnobleeding.

“Amazing.”

He cut deeper. There was still no bleeding from the incision.Suddenly,abruptly,he struckavessel.Crumbling red-blackmaterialfelloutontothefloor.

“I’llbedamned,”Stonesaidagain.

“Clottedsolid,”Burtonsaid.

“Nowonderthepeopledidn’tbleed.”

Burtonsaid,“Helpmeturnhimover.”Together,theygotthecorpseontoitsback,andBurtonmadeadeepincisionintothemedialthigh,cutting down to the femoral artery and vein. Again there was nobleeding, and when they reached the artery, as thick as a man’sfinger,itwasclottedintoafirm,reddishmass.

“Incredible.”

Hebegananotherincision,thistimeintothechest.Heexposedtheribs, then searched Dr. Benedict’s office for a very sharp knife. He

wantedanosteotome,but could findnone.He settled for the chiselthat had been used to open the capsule. Using this he broke awayseveral ribs to expose the lungs and the heart. Again there was nobleeding.

Burtontookadeepbreath,thencutopentheheart,slicingintotheleftventricle.

The interior was filled with red, spongy material. There was noliquidbloodatall.

“Clottedsolid,”hesaid.“Noquestion.”

“Anyideawhatcanclotpeoplethisway?”

“Thewholevascularsystem?Fivequartsofblood?No.”Burtonsatheavily in thedoctor’s chair and stared at the bodyhehad just cutopen. “I’ve never heard of anything like it. There’s a thing calleddisseminated intravascular coagulation, but it’s rare and requires allsortsofspecialcircumstancestoinitiateit.”

“Couldasingletoxininitiateit?”

“Intheory,Isuppose.Butinfact,thereisn’tatoxinintheworld—”

Hestopped.

“Yes,”Stonesaid.“Isupposethat’sright.”

He picked up the satellite designated Scoop VII and carried itoutsidetothevan.Whenhecameback,hesaid,“We’dbettersearchthehouses.”

“Beginninghere?”

“Mightaswell,”Stonesaid.

ItwasBurtonwho foundMrs. Benedict. Shewas a pleasant-lookingmiddle-agedladysittinginachairwithabookonherlap;sheseemedabouttoturnthepage.Burtonexaminedherbriefly,thenheardStonecalltohim.

He walked to the other end of the house. Stone was in a smallbedroom,bentoverthebodyofayoungteen-ageboyonthebed.Itwas obviously his room: psychedelic posters on the walls, modelairplanesonashelftooneside.

Theboylayonhisbackinbed,eyesopen,staringattheceiling.His

mouth was open. In one hand, an empty tube of model-airplanecementwas tightlyclenched;allover thebedwereemptybottlesofairplanedope,paintthinner,turps.

Stonesteppedback.“Havealook.”

Burtonlookedinthemouth,reachedafingerin,touchedthenow-hardenedmass.“GoodGod,”hesaid.

Stonewasfrowning.“Thistooktime,”hesaid.“Regardlessofwhatmadehimdo it, it took time.We’ve obviously beenoversimplifyingeventshere.Everyonedidnotdieinstantaneously.Somepeoplediedintheirhomes;somegotoutintothestreet.Andthiskidhere…”

Heshookhishead.“Let’schecktheotherhouses.”

On the way out, Burton returned to the doctor’s office, steppingaroundthebodyofthephysician.Itgavehimastrangefeelingtoseethe wrist and leg sliced open, the chest exposed—but no bleeding.There was something wild and inhuman about that. As if bleedingwereasignofhumanity.Well,hethought,perhapsitis.Perhapsthefactthatwebleedtodeathmakesushuman.

ForStone,Piedmontwasapuzzlechallenginghimtocrackitssecret.Hewasconvincedthatthetowncouldtellhimeverythingaboutthenatureof thedisease, its courseandeffects. Itwasonlyamatterofputtingtogetherthedataintheproperway.

Buthehadtoadmit,as theycontinuedtheirsearch, that thedatawereconfusing:

Ahousethatcontainedaman,hiswife,andtheiryoungdaughter,allsittingaroundthedinnertable.Theyhadapparentlybeenrelaxedandhappy,andnoneofthemhadhadtimetopushbacktheirchairsfromthetable.Theyremainedfrozeninattitudesofcongeniality,smilingateach other across the plates of now-rotting food, and flies. Stonenoticed the flies, which buzzed softly in the room. He would, hethought,havetoremembertheflies.

An old woman, her hair white, her face creased. She was smilinggently as she swung from a noose tied to a ceiling rafter. The ropecreakedasitrubbedagainstthewoodoftherafter.

Atherfeetwasanenvelope.Inacareful,neat,unhurriedhand:“Towhomitmayconcern.”

Stone opened the letter and read it. “The day of judgment is athand.Theearthand thewaters shallopenupandmankindshallbeconsumed.MayGodhavemercyonmysoulanduponthosewhohaveshownmercytome.Tohellwiththeothers.Amen.”

Burton listened as the letter was read. “Crazy old lady,” he said.“Seniledementia.Shesaweveryonearoundherdying,andshewentnuts.”

“Andkilledherself?”

“Yes,Ithinkso.”

“Prettybizarrewaytokillherself,don’tyouthink?”

“Thatkidalsochoseabizarreway,”Burtonsaid.

Stonenodded.

RoyO. Thompson,who lived alone. From his greasy coveralls theyassumed he ran the town gas station. Roy had apparently filled hisbathtubwithwater, thenkneltdown, stuckhishead in, andheld itthereuntilhedied.Whentheyfoundhimhisbodywasrigid,holdinghimselfunderthesurfaceofthewater;therewasnooneelsearound,andnosignofstruggle.

“Impossible,”Stonesaid.“Noonecancommitsuicidethatway.”

LydiaEverett,aseamstress inthetownwhohadquietlygoneouttothebackyard,satinachair,pouredgasolineoverherself,andstruckamatch. Next to the remains of her body they found the scorchedgasolinecan.

WilliamArnold,amanof sixty sitting stiffly inachair in the livingroom,wearinghisWorldWarIuniform.Hehadbeenacaptaininthatwar, and he had become a captain again, briefly, before he shothimselfthroughtherighttemplewithaColt.45.Therewasnobloodin the room when they found him; he appeared almost ludicrous,sittingtherewithaclean,dryholeinhishead.

A tape recorder stood alongside him, his left hand resting on thecase.BurtonlookedatStonequestioningly,thenturnediton.

Aquavering,irritablevoicespoketothem.

“Youtookyoursweettimecoming,didn’tyou?StillIamgladyouhavearrivedatlast.Weareinneedofreinforcements.Itellyou,it’s

beenonehellofabattleagainsttheHun.Lost40percentlastnight,goingoverthetop,andtwoofourofficersareoutwiththerot.Notgoingwell,notatall.IfonlyGaryCooperwashere.Weneedmenlikethat,themenwhomadeAmericastrong.Ican’ttellyouhowmuchitmeans tome,with thosegiantsout there in the flyingsaucers.Nowthey’reburningusdown,andthegasiscoming.Youcanseethemdieandwedon’thavegasmasks.Noneatall.ButIwon’twaitforit.Iamgoingtodotheproperthingnow.IregretthatIhavebutonelifetokillformycountry.”

Thetaperanon,butitwassilent.

Burtonturneditoff.“Crazy,”hesaid.“Starkravingmad.”

Stonenodded.

“Someofthemdiedinstantly,andtheothers…wentquietlynuts.”

“Butweseemtocomebacktothesamebasicquestion.Why?Whatwasthedifference?”

“Perhaps there’s a graded immunity to this bug,” Burton said.“Some people are more susceptible than others. Some people areprotected,atleastforatime.”

“Youknow,”Stonesaid,“therewasthatreportfromtheflybys,andthosefilmsofamanalivedownhere.Onemaninwhiterobes.”

“Youthinkhe’sstillalive?”

“Well, I wonder,” Stone said. “Because if some people survivedlonger than others—long enough to dictate a taped speech, or toarrangeahanging—thenyouhavetoaskyourselfifsomeonemaybedidn’tsurviveforaverylongtime.Youhavetoaskyourselfifthereisn’tsomeoneinthistownwhoisstillalive.”

Itwasthenthattheyheardthesoundofcrying.

Atfirstitseemedlikethesoundofthewind,itwassohighandthinand reedy, but they listened, feeling puzzled at first, and thenastonished.Thecryingpersisted,interruptedbylittlehackingcoughs.

Theyranoutside.

Itwasfaint,anddifficulttolocalize.Theyranupthestreet,anditseemedtogrowlouder;thisspurredthemon.

Andthen,abruptly,thesoundstopped.

The twomen came to a halt, gasping for breath, chests heaving.They stood in the middle of the hot, deserted street and looked ateachother.

“Havewelostourminds?”Burtonsaid.

“No,”Stonesaid.“Weheardit,allright.”

They waited. It was absolutely quiet for several minutes. Burtonlookeddownthestreet,atthehouses,andthejeepvanparkedattheotherend,infrontofDr.Benedict’shouse.

Thecryingbeganagain,veryloudnow,afrustratedhowl.

Thetwomenran.

Itwasnotfar,twohousesupontherightside.Amanandawomanlay outside, on the sidewalk, fallen and clutching their chests. Theyranpastthemandintothehouse.Thecryingwasstilllouder;itfilledtheemptyrooms.

Theyhurriedupstairs,clamberingup,andcametothebedroom.Alargedoublebed,unmade.Adresser,amirror,acloset.

Andasmallcrib.

Theyleanedover,pullingbacktheblanketsfromasmall,veryred-faced, very unhappy infant. The baby immediately stopped cryinglongenoughtosurveytheirfaces,enclosedintheplasticsuits.

Thenitbegantohowlagain.

“Scaredhelloutofit,”Burtonsaid.“Poorthing.”

He picked it up gingerly and rocked it. The baby continued toscream.Itstoothlessmouthwaswideopen,itscheekspurple,andtheveinsstoodoutonitsforehead.

“Probablyhungry,”Burtonsaid.

Stonewasfrowning.“It’snotveryold.Can’tbemorethanacoupleofmonths.Isitaheorashe?”

Burtonunwrappedtheblanketsandcheckedthediapers.“He.Andhe needs to be changed. And fed.” He looked around the room.“There’sprobablyaformulainthekitchen…”

“No,”Stonesaid.“Wedon’tfeedit.”

“Whynot?”

“Wedon’tdoanythingtothatchilduntilwegetitoutofthistown.Maybe feeding ispartof thediseaseprocess;maybe thepeoplewhoweren’thitsohardorsofastweretheoneswhohadn’teatenrecently.Maybethere’ssomethingprotectiveabout-thisbaby’sdiet.Maybe…”Hestopped.“Butwhateveritis,wecan’ttakeachance.We’vegottowaitandgethimintoacontrolledsituation.”

Burtonsighed.HeknewthatStonewasright,buthealsoknewthatthebabyhadn’tbeenfedforatleasttwelvehours.Nowonderthekidwascrying.

Stone said, “This is a very important development. It’s a majorbreak forus,andwe’vegot toprotect it. I thinkwe shouldgobackimmediately.”

“Wehaven’tfinishedourheadcount.”

Stone shook his head. “Doesn’tmatter.We have somethingmuchmore valuable than anything we could hope to find. We have asurvivor.”

Thebabystoppedcryingforamoment,stuckitsfingerinitsmouth,andlookedquestioninglyupatBurton.Then,whenhewascertainnofoodwasforthcoming,hebegantohowlagain.

“Toobad,”Burtonsaid,“hecan’ttelluswhathappened.”

“I’mhopinghecan,”Stonesaid.

They parked the van in the center of the main street, beneath thehovering helicopter, and signaled for it to descendwith the ladder.Burton held the infant, and Stone held the Scoop satellite—strangetrophies,Stonethought,fromaverystrangetown.Thebabywasquietnow; he had finally tired of crying and was sleeping fitfully,awakeningatintervalstowhimper,thensleepagain.

The helicopter descended, spinning up swirls of dust. Burtonwrappedtheblanketsaboutthebaby’sfacetoprotecthim.Theladdercamedownandheclimbedup,withdifficulty.

Stonewaitedontheground,standingwiththecapsuleinthewindanddustandthumpynoisefromthehelicopter.

And,suddenly,herealizedthathewasnotaloneonthestreet.Heturned,andsawamanbehindhim.

Hewasanoldman,withthingrayhairandawrinkled,wornface.

Heworealongnightgownthatwassmudgedwithdirtandyellowedwithdust, andhis feetwerebare.He stumbledand tottered towardStone.Hischestwasheavingwithexertionbeneaththenightgown.

“Whoareyou?”Stonesaid.Butheknew:themaninthepictures.Theonewhohadbeenphotographedbytheairplane.

“You…”themansaid.

“Whoareyou?”

“You…didit…”

“Whatisyourname?”

“Don’thurtme…I’mnotliketheothers…”

Hewas shakingwith fearashe staredatStone inhisplastic suit.Stone thought,Wemust look strange to him. Likemen fromMars,menfromanotherworld.

“Don’thurtme…”

“Wewon’thurtyou,”Stonesaid.“Whatisyourname?”

“Jackson. Peter Jackson. Sir. Please don’t hurtme.”Hewaved tothebodiesinthestreet.“I’mnotliketheothers…”

“Wewon’thurtyou,”Stonesaidagain.

“Youhurttheothers…”

“No.Wedidn’t.”

“They’redead.”

“Wehadnothing—”

“You’re lying,” he shouted, his eyes wide. “You’re lying to me.You’renothuman.You’reonlypretending.YouknowI’masickman.Youknowyoucanpretendwithme. I’masickman. I’mbleeding, Iknow.I’vehadthis…this…this…”

He faltered, and then doubled over, clutching his stomach andwincinginpain.

“Areyouallright?”

Themanfelltotheground.Hewasbreathingheavily,hisskinpale.Therewassweatonhisface.

“Mystomach,”hegasped.“It’smystomach.”

Andthenhevomited.Itcameupheavy,deep-red,richwithblood.

“Mr.Jackson—”

Butthemanwasnotawake.Hiseyeswereclosedandhewaslyingonhisback.Foramoment,Stonethoughthewasdead,butthenhesawthechestmoving,slowly,veryslowly,butmoving.

Burtoncamebackdown.

“Whoishe?”

“Ourwanderingman.Helpmegethimup.”

“Ishealive?”

“Sofar.”

“I’llbedamned,”Burtonsaid.

TheyusedthepowerwinchtohoistuptheunconsciousbodyofPeterJackson,andthenlowereditagaintoraisethecapsule.Then,slowly,BurtonandStoneclimbedtheladderintothebellyofthehelicopter.

They did not remove their suits, but instead clipped on a secondbottle of oxygen to give themanother twohours of breathing time.ThatwouldbesufficienttocarrythemtotheWildfireinstallation.

The pilot established a radio connection to Vandenberg so thatStonecouldtalkwithMajorManchek.

“Whathaveyoufound?”Mancheksaid.

“Thetownisdead.Wehavegoodevidenceforanunusualprocessatwork.”

“Becareful,”Mancheksaid.“Thisisanopencircuit.”

“Iamawareofthat.Willyouorderupa7–12?”

“I’lltry.Youwantitnow?”

“Yes,now.”

“Piedmont?”

“Yes.”

“Youhavethesatellite?”

“Yes,wehaveit.”

“Allright,”Mancheksaid.“I’llputthroughtheorder.”

8

Directive7–12

DIRECTIVE 7–12 WAS A PART of the final WildfireProtocolforactionintheeventofabiologicemergency.Itcalledforthe placement of a limited thermonuclear weapon at the site ofexposureof terrestrial life toexogenousorganisms.Thecode for thedirectivewasCautery,sincethefunctionofthebombwastocauterizetheinfection—toburnitout,andthuspreventitsspread.

Asasinglestep intheWildfireProtocol,Cauteryhadbeenagreeduponbytheauthoritiesinvolved—Executive,State,Defense,andAEC—aftermuchdebate.TheAEC,alreadyunhappyabouttheassignmentofanucleardevicetotheWildfirelaboratory,didnotwishCauterytobe accepted as a program; State and Defense argued that anyabovegroundthermonucleardetonation,forwhateverpurpose,wouldhaveseriousrepercussionsinternationally.

ThePresidentfinallyagreedtoDirective7–12,butinsistedthatheretaincontroloverthedecisiontouseabombforCautery.Stonewasdispleasedwiththisarrangement,buthewasforcedtoacceptit;thePresident had been under considerable pressure to reject thewholeidea and had compromised only after much argument. Then, too,therewastheHudsonInstitutestudy.

The Hudson Institute had been contracted to study possibleconsequences of Cautery. Their report indicated that the Presidentwouldfacefourcircumstances(scenarios)inwhichhemighthavetoissue the Cautery order. According to degree of seriousness, thescenarioswere:

1.A satellite ormanned capsule lands in an unpopulated area of theUnited States. The President may cauterize the area with littledomesticuproarandsmalllossoflife.TheRussiansmaybeprivatelyinformed of the reasons for breaking the Moscow Treaty of 1963forbiddingabovegroundnucleartesting.

2.Asatelliteormannedcapsule lands inamajorAmericancity. (TheexamplewasChicago.)TheCauterywillrequiredestructionofalarge

land area and a largepopulation,with great domestic consequencesandsecondaryinternationalconsequences.

3. A satellite or manned capsule lands in a major neutralist urbancenter. (New Delhi was the example.) The Cautery will entailAmerican intervention with nuclear weapons to prevent furtherspread of disease. According to the scenarios, therewere seventeenpossible consequences of American-Soviet interaction following thedestructionofNewDelhi.Twelveleddirectlytothermonuclearwar.

4.Asatelliteormannedcapsule lands inamajorSovieturbancenter.(TheexamplewasStalingrad.)CauterywillrequiretheUnitedStatestoinformtheSovietUnionofwhathashappenedandtoadvisethatthe Russians themselves destroy the city. According to the HudsonInstitutescenario,thereweresixpossibleconsequencesofAmerican-Russian interaction following this event, and all six led directly towar. Itwas therefore advised that if a satellite fellwithin Soviet orEastern Bloc territory the United States not inform the Russians ofwhathadhappened.Thebasisofthisdecisionwasthepredictionthata Russian plague would kill between two and five million people,while combined Soviet-American losses from a thermonuclearexchange involving both first- and second-strike capabilities wouldcometomorethantwohundredandfiftymillionpersons.

As a result of the Hudson Institute report, the President and hisadvisers felt thatcontrolofCautery,andresponsibility for it, shouldremain within political, not scientific, hands. The ultimateconsequences of the President’s decision could not, of course, havebeenpredictedatthetimeitwasmade.

WashingtoncametoadecisionwithinanhourofManchek’sreport.The reasoning behind the President’s decision has never been clear,butthefinalresultwasplainenough:

ThePresidentelectedtopostponecallingDirective7–12fortwenty-four to forty-eight hours. Instead, he called out the National Guardand cordoned off the area around Piedmont for a radius of onehundredmiles.Andhewaited.

9

Flatrock

MARKWILLIAMHALL,M.D., sat in the tight rear seatoftheF-104fighterandstaredoverthetopoftherubberoxygenmaskatthefileonhisknees.Leavitthadgivenittohimjustbeforetakeoff—a heavy, thick wad of paper bound in gray cardboard. Hall wassupposedtoreaditduringtheflight,buttheF-104wasnotmadeforreading; there was barely enough room in front of him to hold hishandsclenchedtogether,letaloneopenafileandread.

YetHallwasreadingit.

Onthecoverof the filewasstenciledWILDFIRE,andunderneath,anominousnote:

THISFILEISCLASSIFIEDTOPSECRET.Examinationbyunauthorizedpersonsisacriminaloffensepunishablebyfinesandimprisonmentupto20yearsand$20,000.

When Leavitt gave him the file, Hall had read the note andwhistled.

“Don’tyoubelieveit,”Leavittsaid.

“Justascare?”

“Scare,hell,”Leavittsaid.“Ifthewrongmanreadsthisfile,hejustdisappears.”

“Nice.”

“Readit,”Leavittsaid,“andyou’llseewhy.”

Theplane flighthad takenanhourand fortyminutes, cruising ineerie, perfect silence at 1.8 times the speed of sound. Hall hadskimmed through most of the file; reading it, he had found, wasimpossible.Muchofitsbulkof274pagesconsistedofcross-referencesand interservice notations, none ofwhich he could understand. Thefirstpagewasasbadasanyofthem:

THISISPAGE1OF274PAGES

PROJECT:WILDFIRE

AUTHORITY:NASA/AMC

CLASSIFICATION:TOPSECRET(NTKBASIS)

PRIORITY:NATIONAL(DX)

SUBJECT: Initiationofhigh-security facility topreventdispersionoftoxicextraterrestrialagents.

CROSSFILE: Project CLEAN, Project ZEROCONTAMINANTS, ProjectCAUTERY

SUMMARYOFFILECONTENTS:

Byexecutiveorder,constructionofa facility initiatedJanuary1965.Planning stage March 1965. Consultants Fort Detrick and GeneralDynamics(EBD)July1965.Recommendationformultistoryfacilityinisolated location for investigation of possible or probablecontaminatoryagents.SpecificationsreviewedAugust1965.Approvalwith revision same date. Final drafts drawn and filed AMC underWILDFIRE (copies Detrick, Hawkins). Choice of site northeastMontana, reviewed August 1965. Choice of site southwest Arizona,reviewed August 1965. Choice of site northwest Nevada, reviewedSeptember1965.NevadasiteapprovedOctober1965.

Construction completed July 1966. Funding NASA, AMC, DEFENSE(unaccountable reserves). Congressional appropriation formaintenanceandpersonnelundersame.

Majoralterations:milliporefilters,seepage74.Self-destructcapacity(nuclear), page 88. Ultraviolet irradiators removed, see page 81.SingleManHypothesis(OddManHypothesis),page255.

PERSONNEL SUMMARIES HAVE BEEN ELIMINATED FROM THISFILE.PERSONNELMAYBEFOUNDINAMC(WILDFIRE)FILESONLY.

Thesecondpage listed thebasicparametersof thesystem,as laiddownbytheoriginalWildfireplanninggroup.Thisspecifiedthemostimportantconceptoftheinstallation,namelythatitwouldconsistofroughly similar, descending levels, all underground. Each would bemoresterilethantheoneabove.

THISISPAGE2OF274PAGES

PROJECT:WILDFIRE

PRIMARYPARAMETERS

1.THEREARETOBEFIVESTAGES:

Stage I: Non-decontaminated, but clean. Approximates sterility ofhospital operating room or NASA clean room. No time delay ofentrance.

Stage II: Minimal sterilization procedures: hexachlorophene andmethitol bath, not requiring total immersion. One-hour delay withclothingchange.

StageIII:Moderatesterilizationprocedures:total-immersionbath,UVirradiation, followed by two-hour delay for preliminary testing.Afebrile infections of UR and GU tracts permitted to pass. Viralsymptomatologypermittedtopass.

Stage IV: Maximal sterilization procedures: total immersion in fourbaths of biocaine,monochlorophin, xantholysin, and prophynewithintermediatethirty-minuteUVandIRirradiation.Allinfectionhaltedat this stage on basis of symptomatology or clinical signs. Routinescreeningofallpersonnel.Six-hourdelay.

StageV:Redundantsterilizationprocedures:nofurtherimmersionsortesting,butdestructclothingx2perday.Prophylacticantibiotics forforty-eighthours.Dailyscreenforsuperinfection,firsteightdays.

2.EACHSTAGEINCLUDES:

1.Restingquarters,individual

2.Recreationquarters,includingmovieandgameroom

3.Cafeteria,automatic

4.Library,withmainjournalstransmittedbyXeroxorTVfrommainlibraryLevelI.

5.Shelter,ahigh-securityantimicrobialcomplexwithsafetyineventoflevelcontamination.

6.Laboratories:

a)biochemistry,withallnecessaryequipmentforautomaticamino-acid analysis, sequence determination, O/R potentials, lipid andcarbohydratedeterminationsonhuman,animal,othersubjects.

b) pathology, with EM, phase and LM, microtomes and curingrooms.Five full-timetechnicianseach level.Oneautopsyroom.Oneroomforexperimentalanimals.

c) microbiology, with all facilities for growth, nutrient, analytic,immunologicstudies.Subsectionsbacterial,viral,parasitic,other.

d)pharmacology,withmaterial fordose-relationandreceptor sitespecificitystudiesofknowncompounds.Pharmacytoincludedrugsasnotedinappendix.

e)mainroom,experimentalanimals.75geneticallypurestrainsofmice;27ofrat;17ofcat;12ofdog;8ofprimate.

f)nonspecificroomforpreviouslyunplannedexperiments.

8.Surgery: forcareandtreatmentofstaff, includingoperating-roomfacilitiesforacuteemergencies.

9.Communications: forcontactwithother levelsbyaudiovisualandothermeans.

COUNTYOURPAGES

REPORTANYMISSING

PAGESATONCE

COUNTYOURPAGES

As Hall continued to read, he found that only on Level I, thetopmost floor, would there be a large computer complex for dataanalysis,butthatthiscomputerwouldserveallotherlevelsonatime-sharing basis. This was considered feasible since, for biologicproblems, real time was unimportant in relation to computer time,andmultipleproblemscouldbefedandhandledatonce.

Hewasleafingthroughtherestofthefile,lookingforthepartthatinterested him—the Odd Man Hypothesis—when he came upon apagethatwasratherunusual.

THISISPAGE255OF274PAGES

BY THE AUTHORITY OF THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE THISPAGEFROMAHIGH-SECURITYFILEHASBEENDELETED

THEPAGEISNUMBER:twohundredfifty-five/255

THEFILEISCODED:Wildfire

THESUBJECTMATTER

DELETEDIS:OddManHypothesis

PLEASENOTETHATTHISCONSTITUTESALEGALDELETIONFROMTHEFILEWHICHNEEDNOTBEREPORTEDBYTHEREADER.

MACHINESCOREREVIEWBELOW

255WILDFIRE255

Hallwasfrowningatthepage,wonderingwhatitmeant,whenthepilotsaid,“Dr.Hall?”

“Yes.”

“Wehave justpassedthe lastcheckpoint,sir.Wewill touchdowninfourminutes.”

“All right.” Hall paused. “Do you know where, exactly, we arelanding?”

“Ibelieve,”saidthepilot,“thatitisFlatrock,Nevada.”

“Isee,”Hallsaid.

Afewminuteslater,theflapswentdown,andheheardawhineastheairplaneslowed.

NevadawastheidealsiteforWildfire.TheSilverStateranksseventhinsize,butforty-ninthinpopulation;itistheleast-densestateintheUnionafterAlaska.Particularlywhenoneconsidersthat85percentofthestate’s440,000peopleliveinLasVegas,Reno,orCarsonCity,the population density of 1.2 persons per square mile seems wellsuited for projects such as Wildfire, and indeed many have beenlocatedthere.

Along with the famous atomic site at Vinton Flats, there is theUltra-EnergyTestStationatMartindale,andtheAirForceMedivatorUnit near Los Gados. Most of these facilities are in the southerntriangleofthestate,havingbeenlocatedthereinthedaysbeforeLasVegasswelledtoreceivetwentymillionvisitorsayear.Morerecently,governmentteststationshavebeenlocatedinthenorthwestcornerofNevada, which is still relatively isolated. Pentagon classified listsinclude five new installations in that area; the nature of each isunknown.

10

StageI

HALL LANDED SHORTLYAFTERNOON, the hottest partof the day. The sun beat down from a pale, cloudless sky and theairfieldasphaltwassoftunderhisfeetashewalkedfromtheairplaneto the smallquonsethutat theedgeof the runway.Feelinghis feetsink into the surface,Hall thought that the airfieldmust have beendesignedprimarilyfornightuse;atnightitwouldbecold,theasphaltsolid.

The quonset hut was cooled by two massive, grumbling airconditioners.Itwasfurnishedsparsely:acardtableinonecorner,atwhich twopilots sat, playingpoker anddrinking coffee.A guard inthecornerwasmakingatelephonecall;hehadamachinegunslungoverhisshoulder.HedidnotlookupasHallentered.

Therewasacoffeemachinenearthetelephone.Hallwentoverwithhis pilot and they each poured a cup. Hall took a sip and said,“Where’sthetown,anyway?Ididn’tseeitaswewerecomingin.”

“Don’tknow,sir.”

“Haveyoubeenherebefore?”

“Nosir.It’snotonthestandardruns.”

“Well,whatexactlydoesthisairfieldserve?”

At that moment, Leavitt strode in and beckoned to Hall. Thebacteriologist ledhimthroughthebackof thequonsetand thenoutinto theheatagain, toa light-blueFalcon sedanparked in the rear.Therewerenoidentifyingmarksofanykindonthecar;therewasnodriver.LeavittslippedbehindthewheelandmotionedforHalltogetin.

AsLeavittputthecaringear,Hallsaid,“Iguesswedon’trateanymore.”

“Ohyes.Werate.Butdriversaren’tusedouthere.Infact,wedon’tuse any more personnel than we have to. The number of wagging

tonguesiskepttoaminimum.”

Theysetoffacrossdesolate,hillycountryside.Inthedistancewerebluemountains,shimmeringintheliquidheatofthedesert.Theroadwas pock-marked and dusty; it looked as if it hadn’t been used foryears.

Hallmentionedthis.

“Deceptive,”Leavitt said.“Wetookgreatpainsabout it.Wespentnearlyfivethousanddollarsonthisroad.”

“Why?”

Leavittshrugged.“Hadtogetridofthetractortreadmarks.Ahellofalotofheavyequipmenthasmovedovertheseroads,atonetimeoranother.Wouldn’twantanyonetowonderwhy.”

“Speakingofcaution,”Hallsaidafterapause,“Iwasreadinginthefile.Somethingaboutanatomicself-destructdevice—”

“Whataboutit?”

“Itexists?”

“Itexists.”

Installationofthedevicehadbeenamajorstumblingblockintheearlyplans forWildfire. Stoneand theothershad insisted that theyretain control over the detonate/no detonate decision; the AEC andtheExecutivebranchhadbeenreluctant.Noatomicdevicehadbeenputinprivatehandsbefore.StonearguedthatintheeventofaleakintheWildfirelab,theremightnotbetimetoconsultwithWashingtonandget aPresidentialdetonateorder. Itwas a long timebefore thePresidentagreedthatthismightbetrue.

“Iwasreading,”Hallsaid,“thatthisdeviceissomehowconnectedwiththeOddManHypothesis.”

“Itis.”

“How?ThepageonOddManwastakenfrommyfile.”

“Iknow,”Leavittsaid.“We’lltalkaboutitlater.”

The Falcon turned off the potted road onto a dirt track. The sedanraisedaheavycloudofdust,anddespitetheheat,theywereforcedtorollupthewindows.Halllitacigarette.

“That’llbeyourlast,”Leavittsaid.

“Iknow.Letmeenjoyit.”

On their right, they passed a sign that said GOVERNMENTPROPERTYKEEPOFF,but therewasno fence,noguard,nodogs—justabattered,weatherbeatensign.

“Greatsecuritymeasures,”Hallsaid.

“We try not to arouse suspicion. The security is better than itlooks.”

Theyproceededanothermile,bouncingalongthedirtrut,andthencameoverahill.SuddenlyHall sawa large, fencedcircleperhapsahundredyards indiameter.The fence,henoticed,was ten feethighand sturdy; at intervals itwas lacedwithbarbedwire. Insidewasautilitarianwoodenbuilding,andafieldofcorn.

“Corn?”Hallsaid.

“Ratherclever,Ithink.”

Theycametotheentrancegate.AmanindungareesandaT-shirtcameoutandopeneditforthem;heheldasandwichinonehandandwas chewing vigorously as he unlocked the gate. He winked andsmiledandwavedthemthrough,stillchewing.Thesignbythegatesaid:

GOVERNMENTPROPERTYU.S.DEPARTMENTOFAGRICULTUREDESERTRECLAMATIONTESTSTATION

Leavittdrovethroughthegatesandparkedbythewoodenbuilding.Heleftthekeysonthedashboardandgotout.Hallfollowedhim.

“Nowwhat?”

“Inside,” Leavitt said. They entered the building, coming directlyintoa small room.Aman inaStetsonhat, checked sport shirt, andstringtiesatataricketydesk.Hewasreadinganewspaperand,likethe man at the gate, eating his lunch. He looked up and smiledpleasantly.

“Howdy,”hesaid.

“Hello,”Leavittsaid.

“Helpyoufolks?”

“Justpassingthrough,”Leavittsaid.“OnthewaytoRome.”

Themannodded.“Haveyougotthetime?”

“Mywatchstoppedyesterday,”Leavittsaid.

“Durnshame,”themansaid.

“It’sbecauseoftheheat.”

Theritualcompleted,themannoddedagain.Andtheywalkedpasthim,outoftheanteroomanddownacorridor.Thedoorshadhand-printed labels: “Seedling Incubation”; “Moisture Control”; “SoilAnalysis.” A half-dozen people were at work in the building, all ofthemdressedcasually,butallofthemapparentlybusy.

“Thisisarealagriculturalstation,”Leavittsaid.“Ifnecessary,thatmanatthedeskcouldgiveyouaguidedtour,explainingthepurposeofthestationandtheexperimentsthataregoingon.Mostlytheyareattemptingtodevelopastrainofcornthatcangrowinlow-moisture,high-alkalinitysoil.”

“AndtheWildfireinstallation?”

“Here,”Leavittsaid.Heopenedadoormarked“Storage”andtheyfound themselves staring at a narrow cubicle lined with rakes andhoesandwateringhoses.

“Stepin,”Leavittsaid.

Halldid.Leavittfollowedandclosedthedoorbehindhim.Hallfeltthefloorsinkandtheybegantodescend,rakesandhosesandall.

Inamoment,hefoundhimselfinamodern,bareroom,lightedbybanksofcoldoverheadfluorescentlights.Thewallswerepaintedred.The only object in the roomwas a rectangular,waist-high box thatremindedHallofapodium.Ithadaglowinggreenglasstop.

“Stepuptotheanalyzer,”Leavittsaid.“Placeyourhandsflatontheglass,palmsdown.”

Halldid.Hefeltafainttinglinginhisfingers,andthenthemachinegaveabuzz.

“Allright.Stepback.”Leavittplacedhishandsonthebox,waitedforthebuzz,andthensaid,“Nowwegooverhere.Youmentionedthesecurity arrangements; I’ll show them to you before we enterWildfire.”

Henoddedtoadooracrosstheroom.

“Whatwasthatthing?”

“Finger- and palm-print analyzer,” Leavitt said. “It is fullyautomatic.Readsacompositeoftenthousanddermatographiclinessoit can’tmake amistake; in its storage banks it has a record of theprintsofeveryoneclearedtoenterWildfire.”

Leavittpushedthroughthedoor.

Theywerefacedwithanotherdoor,markedSECURITY,whichslidbacknoiselessly.Theyenteredadarkenedroominwhichasinglemansatbeforebanksofgreendials.

“Hello,John,”Leavittsaidtotheman.“Howareyou?”

“Good,Dr.Leavitt.Sawyoucomein.”

LeavittintroducedHalltothesecurityman,whothendemonstratedthe equipment to Hall. There were, the man explained, two radarscanners located in the hills overlooking the installation; theywerewellconcealedbutquiteeffective.Thencloserin,impedencesensorswereburiedintheground;theysignaledtheapproachofanyanimallifeweighingmorethanonehundredpounds.Thesensorsringedthebase.

“We’venevermissedanythingyet,”themansaid.“Andifwedo…”Heshrugged.ToLeavitt:“Goingtoshowhimthedogs?”

“Yes,”Leavittsaid.

Theywalkedthroughintoanadjoiningroom.Therewereninelargecages there, and the room smelled strongly of animals. Hall foundhimselflookingatnineofthelargestGermanshepherdshehadeverseen.

Theybarkedathimasheentered,but therewasno sound in theroom.Hewatchedinastonishmentastheyopenedtheirmouthsandthrewtheirheadsforwardinabarkingmotion.

Nosound.

“TheseareArmy-trainedsentrydogs,”thesecuritymansaid.“Bredforviciousness.Youwearleatherclothesandheavygloveswhenyouwalk them. They’ve undergone laryngectomies, which is why youcan’thearthem.Silentandvicious.”

Hallsaid,“Haveyouever,uh,usedthem?”

“No,”thesecuritymansaid.“Fortunatelynot.”

Theywereinasmallroomwithlockers.Hallfoundonewithhisnameonit.

“We change in here,” Leavitt said. He nodded to a stack of pinkuniforms in one corner. “Put those on, after you have removedeverythingyouarewearing.”

Hall changed quickly. The uniforms were loose-fitting one-piecesuitsthatzippeduptheside.Whentheyhadchangedtheyproceededdownapassageway.

Suddenlyanalarmsoundedandagateinfrontofthemslidclosedabruptly.Overhead,awhite lightbegan to flash.Hallwasconfused,anditwasonlymuchlaterthatherememberedLeavittlookedawayfromtheflashinglight.

“Something’swrong,”Leavittsaid.“Didyouremoveeverything?”

“Yes,”Hallsaid.

“Rings,watch,everything?”

Halllookedathishands.Hestillhadhiswatchon.

“Goback,”Leavittsaid.“Putitinyourlocker.”

Hall did. When he came back, they started down the corridor asecondtime.Thegateremainedopen,andtherewasnoalarm.

“Automaticaswell?”Hallsaid.

“Yes,” Leavitt said. “It picks up any foreign object. When weinstalledit,wewereworriedbecauseweknewitwouldpickupglasseyes,cardiacpacemakers,falseteeth—anythingatall.Butfortunatelynobodyontheprojecthasthesethings.”

“Fillings?”

“Itisprogrammedtoignorefillings.”

“Howdoesitwork?”

“Somekindof capacitancephenomenon. Idon’t reallyunderstandit,”Leavittsaid.

Theypassedasignthatsaid:

YOUARENOWENTERINGLEVELIPROCEEDDIRECTLYTOIMMUNIZATIONCONTROL

Hall noticed that all the walls were red. He mentioned this toLeavitt.

“Yes,”Leavittsaid.“Alllevelsarepaintedadifferentcolor.LevelIisred;II,yellow;III,white;IV,green;andV,blue.”

“Anyparticularreasonforthechoice?”

“It seems,” Leavitt said, “that theNavy sponsored some studies afewyearsbackonthepsychologicaleffectsofcoloredenvironments.Thosestudieshavebeenappliedhere.”

TheycametoImmunization.Adoorslidbackrevealingthreeglassbooths.Leavittsaid,“Justsitdowninoneofthem.”

“Isupposethisisautomatic,too?”

“Ofcourse.”

Hallenteredaboothandclosedthedoorbehindhim.Therewasacouch,andamassofcomplexequipment.Infrontofthecouchwasatelevisionscreen,whichshowedseverallightedpoints.

“Sitdown,”saidaflatmechanicalvoice.“Sitdown.Sitdown.”

Hesatonthecouch.

“Observe the screenbefore you.Placeyourbodyon the couch sothatallpointsareobliterated.”

Helookedatthescreen.Henowsawthatthepointswerearrangedintheshapeofaman:

Heshiftedhisbody,andonebyonethespotsdisappeared.

“Very good,” said the voice. “We may now proceed. State your

namefortherecord.Lastnamefirst,firstnamelast.”

“MarkHall,”hesaid.

“Stateyournamefortherecord.Lastnamefirst,firstnamelast.”

Simultaneously,onthescreenappearedthewords:

SUBJECTHASGIVENUNCODABLERESPONSE

“Hall,Mark.”

“Thank you for your cooperation,” said the voice. “Please recite,‘Maryhadalittlelamb.’”

“You’rekidding,”Hallsaid.

There was a pause, and the faint sound of relays and circuitsclicking.Thescreenagainshowed:

SUBJECTHASGIVENUNCODABLERESPONSE

“Pleaserecite.”

Feelingratherfoolish,Hallsaid,“Maryhadalittlelamb,itsfleecewaswhite as snow, and everywhere thatMarywent, the lambwassuretogo.”

Anotherpause.Thenthevoice:“Thankyouforyourcooperation.”Andthescreensaid:

ANALYZERCONFIRMSIDENTITYHALL,MARK

“Pleaselistenclosely,”saidthemechanicalvoice.“Youwillanswerthe following questions with a yes or no reply. Make no otherresponse. Have you received a smallpox vaccinationwithin the lasttwelvemonths?”

“Yes.”

“Diphtheria?”

“Yes.”

“TyphoidandparatyphoidAandB?”

“Yes.”

“Tetanustoxoid?”

“Yes.”

“Yellowfever?”

“Yes,yes,yes.Ihadthemall.”

“Just answer the question please. Uncooperative subjects wastevaluablecomputertime.”

“Yes,”Hall said, subdued.Whenhehad joined theWildfire team,he had undergone immunizations for everything imaginable, evenplagueandcholera,whichhadtoberenewedeverysixmonths,andgamma-globulinshotsforviralinfection.

“Have you ever contracted tuberculosis or other mycobacterialdisease,orhadapositiveskintestfortuberculosis?”

“No.”

“Haveyouevercontractedsyphilisorotherspirochetaldisease,orhadapositiveserologicaltestforsyphilis?”

“No.”

“Have you contracted within the past year any gram-positivebacterial infection, such as streptococcus, staphylococcus, orpneumococcus?”

“No.”

“Anygram-negativeinfection,suchasgonococcus,meningeococcus,proteus,pseudomonas,salmonella,orshigella?”

“No.”

“Haveyoucontractedanyrecentorpastfungalinfection,includingblastomycosis, histoplasmosis, or coccidiomycosis, or had a positiveskintestforanyfungaldisease?”

“No.”

“Have you had any recent viral infection, including poliomyelitis,hepatitis,mononucleosis,mumps,measles,varicella,orherpes?”

“No.”

“Anywarts?”

“No.”

“Haveyouanyknownallergies?”

“Yes,toragweedpollen.”

Onthescreenappearedthewords:

ROGEENPALEN

Andthenafteramoment:

UNCODABLERESPONSE

“Pleaserepeatyourresponseslowlyforourmemorycells.”

Verydistinctly,hesaid,“Ragweedpollen.”

Onthescreen:

RAGWEEDPOLLENCODED

“Areyouallergictoalbumen?”continuedthevoice.

“No.”

“This ends the formal questions. Please undress and return to thecouch,obliteratingthepointsasbefore.”

Hedidso.Amomentlater,anultravioletlampswungoutonalongarmandmovedclosetohisbody.Nexttothelampwassomekindofscanningeye.Watchingthescreenhecouldseethecomputerprintofthescan,beginningwithhisfeet.

“This is a scan for fungus,” the voice announced. After severalminutes,Hallwasorderedtolieonhisstomach,andtheprocesswasrepeated. Hewas then told to lie on his back oncemore and alignhimselfwiththedots.

“Physicalparameterswillnowbemeasured,” thevoice said.“Youarerequestedtoliequietlywhiletheexaminationisconducted.”

A variety of leads snaked out at him and were attached bymechanicalhands tohisbody.Somehecouldunderstand—thehalf-dozen leadsoverhischest foranelectrocardiogram,and twenty-oneonhisheadforanelectroencephalogram.Butotherswerefixedonhisstomach,hisarms,andhislegs.

“Pleaseraiseyourlefthand,”saidthevoice.

Hall did. From above, a mechanical hand came down, with anelectriceyefixedoneithersideofit.ThemechanicalhandexaminedHall’s.

“Placeyourhandon theboard to the left.Donotmove.Youwillfeelaslightprickastheintravenousneedleisinserted.”

Halllookedoveratthescreen.Itflashedacolorimageofhishand,with the veins showing in a pattern of green against a bluebackground.Obviouslythemachineworkedbysensingheat.Hewasabouttoprotestwhenhefeltabriefsting.

Helookedback.Theneedlewasin.

“Nowthen,justliequietly.Relax.”

Forfifteenseconds,themachinerywhirredandclattered.Thentheleadswerewithdrawn.ThemechanicalhandsplacedaneatBand-Aidovertheintravenouspuncture.

“Thiscompletesyourphysicalparameters,”thevoicesaid.

“CanIgetdressednow?”

“Pleasesitupwithyourrightshoulderfacingthetelevisionscreen.Youwillreceivepneumaticinjections.”

Agunwithathickcablecameoutofonewall,pressedupagainsttheskinofhis shoulder,and fired.Therewasahissingsoundandabriefpain.

“Nowyoumaydress,”saidthevoice.“Beadvisedthatyoumayfeeldizzyforafewhours.YouhavereceivedboosterimmunizationsandgammaG. If you feel dizzy, sit down. If you suffer systemic effectssuchasnausea,vomiting,orfever,reportatoncetoLevelControl.Isthatclear?”

“Yes.”

“The exit is to your right. Thank you for your cooperation. This

recordingisnowended.”

***

Hall walked with Leavitt down a long red corridor. His arm achedfromtheinjection.

“Thatmachine,”Hall said.“You’dbetternot let theAMAfindoutaboutit.”

“Wehaven’t,”Leavittsaid.

In fact, the electronic body analyzer had been developed bySandemanIndustriesin1965,underageneralgovernmentcontracttoproducebodymonitorsforastronautsinspace.Itwasunderstoodbythegovernmentatthattimethatsuchadevice,thoughexpensiveatacostof$87,000each,wouldeventuallyreplacethehumanphysicianas a diagnostic instrument. The difficulties, for both doctor andpatient, of adjusting to this new machine were recognized byeveryone.ThegovernmentdidnotplantoreleasetheEBAuntil1971,andthenonlytocertainlargehospitalfacilities.

Walkingalongthecorridor,Hallnoticedthatthewallswereslightlycurved.

“Whereexactlyarewe?”

“OntheperimeterofLevelI.Toourleftareallthelaboratories.Totherightisnothingbutsolidrock.”

Several peoplewerewalking in the corridor. Everyonewore pinkjumpsuits.Theyallseemedseriousandbusy.

“Wherearetheothersontheteam?”Hallsaid.

“Righthere,”Leavittsaid.HeopenedadoormarkedCONFERENCE7,and theyentereda roomwitha largehardwood table.Stonewasthere, standing stiffly erect and alert, as if he had just taken a coldshower. Alongside him, Burton, the pathologist, somehow appearedsloppyandconfused,andtherewasakindoftiredfrightinhiseyes.

Theyallexchangedgreetingsandsatdown.Stonereachedintohispocketandremovedtwokeys.Onewassilver,theotherred.Theredonehadachainattachedtoit.HegaveittoHall.

“Putitaroundyourneck,”hesaid.

Halllookedatit.“What’sthis?”

Leavittsaid,“I’mafraidMarkisstillunclearabouttheOddMan.”

“Ithoughtthathewouldreaditontheplane—”

“Hisfilewasedited.”

“I see.” Stone turned to Hall. “You know nothing about the OddMan?”

“Nothing,”Hallsaid,frowningatthekey.

“Nobodytoldyouthatamajorfactorinyourselectiontotheteamwasyoursinglestatus?”

“Whatdoesthathavetodo—”

“Thefactofthematteris,”Stonesaid,“thatyouaretheOddMan.Youarethekeytoallthis.Quiteliterally.”

Hetookhisownkeyandwalkedtoacorneroftheroom.Hepusheda hidden button and the wood paneling slid away to reveal aburnishedmetalconsole.Heinsertedhiskeyintoalockandtwistedit. A green light on the console flashed on; he stepped back. Thepanelingslidintoplace.

“Atthe lowest levelof this laboratory isanautomaticatomicself-destruct device,” Stone said. “It is controlled from within thelaboratory. I have just inserted my key and armed the mechanism.Thedevice is ready for detonation. The key on this level cannot beremoved;itisnowlockedinplace.Yourkey,ontheotherhand,canbeinsertedandremovedagain.Thereisathree-minutedelaybetweenthe time detonation locks in and the time the bomb goes off. Thatperiodistoprovideyoutimetothink,andperhapscallitalloff.”

Hallwasstillfrowning.“Butwhyme?”

“Becauseyouaresingle.Wehadtohaveoneunmarriedman.”

Stoneopened a briefcase andwithdrewa file.He gave it toHall.“Readthat.”

ItwasaWildfirefile.

“Page255,”Stonesaid.

Hallturnedtoit.

Project:Wildfire

ALTERATIONS

1. Millipore Filters, insertion into ventilatory system. Initial specfiltersunilayerstyrilene,withmaximalefficiencyof97.4%trapping.Replacedin1966whenUpjohndevelopedfilterscapableoftrappingorganismsof size up to onemicron.Trapping at 90%efficiencyperleaf, causing triple-layered membrance to give results of 99.9%.Infectiveratioof.1%remaindertoolowtobeharmful.Costfactoroffour- or five-layeredmembrance removing all but .001%consideredprohibitive for added gain. Tolerance parameter of 1/1,000consideredsufficient.Installationcompleted8/12/66.

2.AtomicSelf-DestructDevice,changeindetonatorclose-gaptimers.SeeAEC/Deffile77–12–0918.

3. Atomic Self-Destruct Device, revision of core maintenanceschedulesforKtechnicians,seeAEC/Warburgfile77–14–0004.

4.Atomic Self-DestructDevice, final commanddecision change. SeeAEC/Deffile77–14–0023.SUMMARYAPPENDED.

SUMMARY OF ODD MAN HYPOTHESIS: First tested as nullhypothesis by Wildfire advisory committee. Grew out of testsconductedbyUSAF(NORAD)todeterminereliabilityofcommandersin making life/death decisions. Tests involved decisions in tenscenariocontexts,withprestructuredalternativesdrawnupbyWalterReed Psychiatric Division, after n-order test analysis by biostatisticsunit,NIH,Bethesda.

Test given to SAC pilots and groundcrews, NORAD workers, andothers involved in decision-making or positive-action capacity. Tenscenarios drawn up by Hudson Institute; subjects required to makeYES/NO decision in each case. Decisions always involvedthermonuclearorchem-bioldestructionofenemytargets.

Data on 7420 subjects tested by H1H2 program for multifactorialanalysis of variance; later test by ANOVAR program; finaldiscrimination by CLASSIF program. NIH biostat summarizes thisprogramasfollows:

Itistheobjectofthisprogramtodeterminetheeffectivenessofassigning individuals to distinct groups on the basis of scoreswhichcanbequantified.Theprogramproducesgroupcontoursand probability of classification for individuals as a control of

data.

Program prints: mean scores for groups, contour confidencelimits,andscoresofindividualtestsubjects.

K.G.Borgrand,Ph.D.NIH

RESULTS OF ODDMAN STUDY: The study concluded that marriedindividuals performed differently from single individuals on severalparametersof the test.Hudson Instituteprovidedmeananswers, i.e.theoretical“right”decisions,madebycomputeronbasisofdatagivenin scenario. Conformance of study groups to these right answersproducedanindexofeffectiveness,ameasureoftheextenttowhichcorrectdecisionsweremade.

Group IndexofEffectiveness

Marriedmales .343

Marriedfemales .399

Singlefemales .402

Singlemales .824

Thedata indicatethatmarriedmenchoosethecorrectdecisiononlyonceinthreetimes,whilesinglemenchoosecorrectlyfouroutoffivetimes. The group of singlemaleswas then broken down further, insearchofhighlyaccuratesubgroupswithinthatclassification.

Group IndexofEffectiveness

Singlemales,total .824

Military:

commissionedofficer .655

noncommissionedofficer .624

Technical:

engineers .877

groundcrews .901

Service:

maintenanceandutility .758

Professional:

scientists .946

These results concerning the relative skill of decision-makingindividuals should not be interpreted hastily. Although it wouldappear that janitors are better decision-makers than generals, thesituation is in reality more complex. PRINTED SCORES ARESUMMATIONS OF TEST AND INDIVIDUAL VARIATIONS. DATAMUSTBEINTERPRETEDWITHTHISINMIND.Failuretodosomayleadtototallyerroneousanddangerousassumptions.

Applicationof study toWildfire commandpersonnel conductedatrequest of AEC at time of implantation of self-destruct nuclearcapacity. Test given to all Wildfire personnel; results filed underCLASSIF WILDFIRE: GENERAL PERSONNEL (see ref. 77–14–0023).Specialtestingforcommandgroup.

Name IndexofEffectiveness

Burton .543

Reynolds .601

Kirke .614

Stone .687

Hall .899

Results of special testing confirm the Odd Man Hypothesis,that an unmarried male should carry out command decisionsinvolvingthermonuclearorchem-bioldestructcontexts.

WhenHallhadfinishedreading,hesaid,“It’scrazy.”

“Nonetheless,” Stone said, “itwas the onlywaywe could get thegovernmenttoputcontroloftheweaponinourhands.”

“Youreallyexpectmetoputinmykey,andfirethatthing?”

“I’m afraid you don’t understand,” Stone said. “The detonationmechanismisautomatic.Shouldbreakthroughoftheorganismoccur,withcontaminationofallLevelV,detonationwill takeplacewithinthreeminutesunlessyoulockinyourkey,andcallitoff.”

“Oh,”Hallsaid,inaquietvoice.

11

Decontamination

ABELL RANG SOMEWHERE on the level; Stone glancedupatthewallclock.Itwaslate.Hebegantheformalbriefing,talkingrapidly,pacingupanddowntheroom,handsmovingconstantly.

“As you know,” he said, “we are on the top level of a five-storyunderground structure. According to protocol it will take us nearlytwenty-four hours to descend through the sterilization anddecontamination procedures to the lowest level. Therefore wemustbeginimmediately.Thecapsuleisalreadyonitsway.”

He pressed a button on a console at the head of the table, and atelevisionscreenglowedtolife,showingthecone-shapedsatelliteinaplastic bag,making its descent. Itwas being cradled bymechanicalhands.

“The central core of this circular building,” Stone said, “containselevatorsandserviceunits—plumbing,wiring,thatsortofthing.Thatiswhere you see the capsule now. Itwill be deposited shortly in amaximum-sterilizationassemblyonthelowestlevel.”

HewentontoexplainthathehadbroughtbacktwoothersurprisesfromPiedmont.ThescreenshiftedtoshowPeterJackson, lyingonalitter,withintravenouslinesrunningintobotharms.

“Thismanapparently survived thenight.Hewas theonewalkingaround when the planes flew over, and he was still alive thismorning.”

“What’shisstatusnow?”

“Uncertain,” Stone said. “He is unconscious, andhewas vomitingblood earlier today.We’ve started intravenousdextrose to keephimfedandhydrateduntilwecangetdowntothebottom.”

Stone flicked a button and the screen showed the baby. It washowling, strapped down to a tiny bed. An intravenous bottle wasrunningintoaveininthescalp.

“This little fellow also survived last night,” Stone said. “So webroughthimalong.Wecouldn’treallyleavehim,sinceaDirective7–12wasbeing called.The town isnowdestroyedbyanuclearblast.Besides,heandJacksonare livingclueswhichmayhelpusunravelthismess.”

Then, for the benefit of Hall and Leavitt, the two men disclosedwhat they had seen and learned at Piedmont. They reviewed thefindingsof rapiddeath, thebizarre suicides, theclottedarteriesandthelackofbleeding.

Halllistenedinastonishment.Leavittsatshakinghishead.

Whentheywerethrough,Stonesaid,“Questions?”

“Nonethatwon’tkeep,”Leavittsaid.

“Thenlet’sgetstarted,”Stonesaid.

Theybeganatadoor,whichsaidinplainwhiteletters:TOLEVELII.Itwasaninnocuous,straightforward,almostmundanesign.Hallhadexpectedsomethingmore—perhapsasternguardwithamachinegun,orasentrytocheckpasses.Buttherewasnothing,andhenoticedthatnoonehadbadges,orclearancecardsofanykind.

HementionedthistoStone.“Yes,”Stonesaid.“Wedecidedagainstbadges early on. They are easily contaminated and difficult tosterilize; usually they are plastic and high-heat sterilization meltsthem.”

Thefourmenpassedthroughthedoor,whichclangedshutheavilyand sealed with a hissing sound. It was airtight. Hall faced a tiledroom,emptyexceptforahampermarked“clothing.”Heunzippedhisjumpsuit anddropped it into thehamper; therewas abrief flashoflightasitwasincinerated.

Then,lookingback,hesawthatonthedoorthroughwhichhehadcome was a sign: “Return to Level I is NOT Possible Through thisAccess.”

He shrugged. The other men were already moving through theseconddoor,markedsimplyEXIT.Hefollowedthemandsteppedintocloudsofsteam.Theodorwaspeculiar,afaintwoodsysmellthatheguessed was scented disinfectant. He sat down on a bench andrelaxed, allowing the steam to envelop him. It was easy enough to

understandthepurposeofthesteamroom:theheatopenedthepores,andthesteamwouldbeinhaledintothelungs.

The fourmenwaited, saying little, until their bodieswere coatedwithasheenofmoisture,andthenwalkedintothenextroom.

LeavittsaidtoHall,“Whatdoyouthinkofthis?”

“It’slikeagoddamRomanbath,”Hallsaid.

Thenextroomcontainedashallowtub(“ImmerseFeetONLY”)andashower.(“Donotswallowshowersolution.Avoidundueexposuretoeyesandmucousmembranes.”)Itwasallveryintimidating.Hetriedtoguesswhatthesolutionswerebysmell,butfailed;theshowerwasslippery,though,whichmeantitwasalkaline.HeaskedLeavittaboutthis, and Leavitt said the solution was alpha chlorophin at pH 7.7.Leavittsaidthatwheneverpossible,acidicandalkalinesolutionswerealternated.

“Whenyouthinkaboutit,”Leavittsaid,“we’vefaceduptoquiteaplanningproblemhere.Howtodisinfectthehumanbody—oneofthedirtiest things in the known universe—without killing the person atthesametime.Interesting.”

He wandered off. Dripping wet from the shower, Hall lookedaround for a towel but found none. He entered the next room andblowersturnedonfromtheceilinginarushofhotair.Fromthesidesof the room, UV lights clicked on, bathing the room in an intensepurple light.He stood there until a buzzer sounded, and the dryersturnedoff.Hisskintingledslightlyasheenteredthelastroom,whichcontainedclothing.Theywerenotjumpsuits,butratherlikesurgicaluniforms—light-yellow, a loose-fitting top with a V-neck and shortsleeves; elastic banded pants; low rubber-soled shoes, quitecomfortable,likeballetslippers.

Theclothwassoft,somekindofsynthetic.HedressedandsteppedwiththeothersthroughadoormarkedEXITTOLEVELII.Heenteredtheelevatorandwaitedasitdescended.

Hall emerged to find himself in a corridor. The walls here werepaintedyellow,notredastheyhadbeenonLevelI.Thepeopleworeyellowuniforms.Anursebytheelevatorsaid,“Thetimeis2:47p.m.,gentlemen.Youmaycontinueyourdescentinonehour.”

They went to a small room marked INTERIM CONFINEMENT. It

contained a half-dozen couches with plastic disposable covers overthem.

Stonesaid,“Betterrelax.Sleepifyoucan.We’llneedalltherestwecangetbeforeLevelV.”HewalkedovertoHall.“Howdidyoufindthedecontaminationprocedure?”

“Interesting,”Hallsaid.“YoucouldsellittotheSwedesandmakeafortune.ButsomehowIexpectedsomethingmorerigorous.”

“Just wait,” Stone said. “It gets tougher as you go. Physicals onLevelsIIIandIV.Afterwardtherewillbeabriefconference.”

Then Stone lay down on one of the couches and fell instantlyasleep.Itwasatrickhehadlearnedyearsbefore,whenhehadbeenconductingexperimentsaroundtheclock.Helearnedtosqueezeinanhourhere,twohoursthere.Hefoundituseful.

Theseconddecontaminationprocedurewassimilartothefirst.Hall’syellowclothing,thoughhehadwornitjustanhour,wasincinerated.

“Isn’tthatratherwasteful?”heaskedBurton.

Burtonshrugged.“It’spaper.”

“Paper?Thatcloth?”

Burtonshookhishead.“Notcloth.Paper.Newprocess.”

Theysteppedintothefirsttotal-immersionpool.InstructionsonthewalltoldHalltokeephiseyesopenunderwater.Totalimmersion,hesoondiscovered,wasguaranteedbythesimpledeviceofmakingtheconnection between the first room and the second an underwaterpassage.Swimmingthrough,he feltaslightburningofhiseyes,butnothingbad.

Thesecondroomcontainedarowofsixboxes,glass-walled,lookingratherliketelephonebooths.Hallapproachedoneandsawasignthatsaid,“Enterandclosebotheyes.Holdarmsslightlyawayfrombodyand stand with feet one foot apart. Do not open eyes until buzzersounds.BLINDNESSMAYRESULTFROMEXPOSURETOLONG-WAVERADIATION.”

Hefollowedthedirectionsandfeltakindofcoldheatonhisbody.It lasted perhaps five minutes, and then he heard the buzzer andopened his eyes. His body was dry. He followed the others to acorridor, consisting of four showers.Walking down the corridor, he

passed beneath each shower in turn. At the end, he found blowers,whichdriedhim,andthenclothing.Thistimetheclothingwaswhite.

Theydressed,andtooktheelevatordowntoLevelIII.

There were four nurses waiting for them; one took Hall to anexaminingroom.Itturnedouttobeatwo-hourphysicalexamination,givennotbyamachinebutbyablank-faced, thoroughyoungman.Hall was annoyed, and thought to himself that he preferred themachine.

The doctor did everything, including a complete history: birth,education, travel, family history, past hospitalizations and illnesses.And an equally complete physical.Hall became angry; itwas all sodamnedunnecessary.But thedoctor shrugged andkept saying, “It’sroutine.”

Aftertwohours,herejoinedtheothers,andproceededtoLevelIV.

Four total-immersion baths, three sequences of ultraviolet andinfraredlight,twoofultrasonicvibrations,andthensomethingquiteastonishingattheend.Asteel-walledcubicle,withahelmetonapeg.The sign said, “This is an ultraflash apparatus. To protect head andfacial hair, placemetal helmet securely on head, then press buttonbelow.”

Hallhadneverheardofultraflash,andhefolloweddirections,notknowingwhat to expect. He placed the helmet over his head, thenpressedthebutton.

Therewasasingle,brief,dazzlingburstofwhitelight,followedbyawaveofheat that filled the cubicle.He felt amomentof pain, soswifthehardlyrecognizedituntilitwasover.Cautiously,heremovedthehelmetandlookedathisbody.Hisskinwascoveredwithafine,white ash—and then he realized that the ash was his skin, or hadbeen: themachine had burned away the outer epithelial layers. Heproceeded to a shower and washed the ash off. When he finallyreachedthedressingroom,hefoundgreenuniforms.

Another physical. This time they wanted samples of everything:sputum,oralepithelium,blood,urine,stool.Hesubmittedpassivelytothetests,examinations,questions.Hewastired,andwasbeginningtofeel disoriented. The repetitions, the new experiences, the colors onthewalls,thesameblandartificiallight…

Finally, hewas brought back to Stone and the others. Stone said,“Wehavesixhoursonthislevel—that’sprotocol,waitingwhiletheydothelabtestsonus—sowemightaswellsleep.Downthecorridorare rooms,markedwith your names. Further down is the cafeteria.We’llmeetthereinfivehoursforaconference.Right?”

Hall foundhis room,markedwith a plastic door tag.He entered,surprisedtofinditquitelarge.Hehadbeenexpectingsomethingthesize of a Pullman cubicle, but this was bigger and better-furnished.Therewasabed,achair,asmalldesk,andacomputerconsolewithbuilt-in TV set. He was curious about the computer, but also verytired.Helaydownonthebedandfellasleepquickly.

Burtoncouldnotsleep.HelayinhisbedonLevelIVandstaredattheceiling,thinking.Hecouldnotgettheimageofthattownoutofhismind,orthosebodies,lyinginthestreetwithoutbleeding…

Burton was not a hematologist, but his work had involved somebloodstudies.Heknewthatavarietyofbacteriahadeffectsonblood.Hisown researchwith staphylococcus, for example,had shown thatthisorganismproducedtwoenzymesthatalteredblood.

Onewastheso-calledexotoxin,whichdestroyedskinanddissolvedred cells. Another was a coagulase, which coated the bacteria withproteintoinhibitdestructionbywhitecells.

Soitwaspossiblethatbacteriacouldalterblood.Anditcoulddoitmany differentways: strep produced an enzyme, streptokinase, thatdissolvedcoagulatedplasma.Clostridiaandpneumococciproducedavariety of hemolysins that destroyed red cells.Malaria and amebaealsodestroyedredcells,bydigestingthemasfood.Otherparasitesdidthesamething.

Soitwaspossible.

But it didn’t help them in finding out how the Scoop organismworked.

Burton tried to recall the sequence for blood clotting. Herememberedthatitoperatedlikeakindofwaterfall:oneenzymewassetoff,andactivated,whichactedonasecondenzyme,whichactedonathird;thethirdonafourth;andsoon,downthroughtwelveorthirteensteps,untilfinallybloodclotted.

And vaguely he remembered the rest, the details: all the

intermediate steps, the necessary enzymes, the metals, ions, localfactors.Itwashorriblycomplex.

Heshookhisheadandtriedtosleep.

Leavitt,theclinicalmicrobiologist,wasthinkingthroughthestepsinisolation and identification of the causative organism. He had beenoveritbefore;hewasoneoftheoriginalfoundersofthegroup,oneofthemenwhodeveloped theLifeAnalysisProtocol.Butnow,on thevergeofputtingthatplanintoeffect,hehaddoubts.

Twoyearsbefore,sittingaroundafter lunch,talkingspeculatively,ithadallseemedwonderful.Ithadbeenanamusingintellectualgamethen,akindofabstracttestofwits.Butnow,facedwitharealagentthat caused real and bizarre death, he wondered whether all theirplanswould prove to be so effective and so complete as they oncethought.

The first steps were simple enough. They would examine thecapsule minutely and culture everything onto growth media. Theywould be hoping like hell to come up with an organism that theycouldworkwith,experimenton,andidentify.

And after that, attempt to find out how it attacked. There wasalready the suggestion that it killed by clotting the blood; if thatturnedouttobethecase,theyhadagoodstart,butifnot,theymightwastevaluabletimefollowingitup.

The example of cholera came to mind. For centuries, men hadknown that cholera was a fatal disease, and that it caused severediarrhea,sometimesproducingasmuchasthirtyquartsoffluidaday.Menknewthis,but theysomehowassumedthat the lethaleffectsofthe disease were unrelated to the diarrhea; they searched forsomethingelse:anantidote,adrug,awaytokilltheorganism.Itwasnotuntilmoderntimesthatcholerawasrecognizedasadiseasethatkilled throughdehydrationprimarily; ifyoucouldreplaceavictim’swater losses rapidly, he would survive the infection without otherdrugsortreatment.

Curethesymptoms,curethedisease.

But Leavittwondered about the Scoop organism. Could they curethe disease by treating the blood clotting? Or was the clottingsecondarytosomemoreseriousdisorder?

Therewasalsoanotherconcern,anagging fear thathadbotheredhim since the earliest planning stages of Wildfire. In those earlymeetings, Leavitt had argued that the Wildfire team might becommittingextraterrestrialmurder.

Leavitthadpointedout that allmen,nomatterhow scientificallyobjective,hadseveralbuilt-inbiaseswhendiscussinglife.Onewastheassumption that complex life was larger than simple life. It wascertainly true on the earth. As organisms became more intelligent,theygrewlarger,passingfromthesingle-celledstagetomulticellularcreatures,andthentolargeranimalswithdifferentiatedcellsworkingingroupscalledorgans.Onearth, the trendhadbeen toward largerandmorecomplexanimals.

But this might not be true elsewhere in the universe. In otherplaces, lifemightprogress in theoppositedirection—towardsmallerandsmallerforms.Justasmodernhumantechnologyhadlearnedtomakethingssmaller,perhapshighlyadvancedevolutionarypressuresled to smaller life forms. Therewere distinct advantages to smallerforms: lessconsumptionof rawmaterials, cheaper spaceflight, fewerfeedingproblems…

Perhaps themost intelligent life form on a distant planetwas nolarger thana flea.Perhapsno larger thanabacterium. In that case,the Wildfire Project might be committed to destroying a highlydevelopedlifeform,withouteverrealizingwhatitwasdoing.

This conceptwas not unique to Leavitt. It had been proposed byMertonatHarvard,andbyChalmersatOxford.Chalmers,amanwithakeensenseofhumor,hadusedtheexampleofamanlookingdownonamicroscopeslideandseeingthebacteriaformedintothewords“Take us to your leader.” Everyone thought Chalmers’s idea highlyamusing.

YetLeavitt couldnotget itoutofhismind.Because it justmightturnouttobetrue.

Beforehefellasleep,Stonethoughtabouttheconferencecomingup.And the business of themeteorite. He wondered what Nagy wouldsay,orKarp,iftheyknewaboutthemeteorite.

Probably,hethought, itwoulddrivetheminsane.Probably itwilldriveusallinsane.

Andthenheslept.

Delta sector was the designation of three rooms on Level I thatcontained all communications facilities for theWildfire installation.All intercomandvisual circuitsbetween levelswere routed throughthere,aswerecablesfortelephoneandteletypefromtheoutside.Thetrunk lines to the library and the central storage unit were alsoregulatedbydeltasector.

Inessenceitfunctionedasagiantswitchboard,fullycomputerized.The three rooms of delta sectorwere quiet; all that could be heardwas the softhumof spinning tapedrumsand themuted clickingofrelays.Onlyonepersonworkedhere,asinglemansittingataconsole,surroundedbytheblinkinglightsofthecomputer.

Therewasnorealreasonforthemantobethere;heperformednonecessaryfunction.Thecomputerswereself-regulating,constructedtorun check patterns through their circuits every twelveminutes; thecomputersshutdownautomaticallyiftherewasanabnormalreading.

According to protocol, the man was required to monitor MCNcommunications,whichweresignaledbytheringingofabellontheteleprinter.When the bell rang, he notified the five level commandcenters that the transmissionwas received.Hewas also required toreport any computer dysfunction to Level I command, should thatunlikelyeventoccur.

day3

WILDFIRE

12

TheConference

“TIMETOWAKEUP,SIR.”

MarkHall opened his eyes. The roomwas litwith a steady, palefluorescentlight.Heblinkedandrolledoveronhisstomach.

“Timetowakeup,sir.”

Itwasabeautifulfemalevoice,softandseductive.Hesatupinbedandlookedaroundtheroom:hewasalone.

“Hello?”

“Timetowakeup,sir.”

“Whoareyou?”

“Timetowakeup,sir.”

Hereachedoverandpushedabuttononthenightstandbyhisbed.Alightwentoff.Hewaitedforthevoiceagain,butitdidnotspeak.

Itwas,hethought,ahellofaneffectivewaytowakeamanup.Asheslippedintohisclothes,hewonderedhowitworked.Itwasnotasimple tape, because it worked as a response of some sort. ThemessagewasrepeatedonlywhenHallspoke.

Totesthistheory,hepushedthenightstandbuttonagain.Thevoicesaidsoftly,“Doyouwishsomething,sir?”

“I’dliketoknowyourname,please.”

“Willthatbeall,sir?”

“Yes,Ibelieveso.”

“Willthatbeall,sir?”

Hewaited.Thelightclickedoff.Heslippedintohisshoesandwasabouttoleavewhenamalevoicesaid,“Thisistheanswering-servicesupervisor, Dr. Hall. I wish you would treat the project moreseriously.”

Hall laughed. So thevoice responded to comments, and tapedhis

replies.Itwasacleversystem.

“Sorry,”hesaid,“Iwasn’tsurehowthethingworked.Thevoiceisquiteluscious.”

“The voice,” said the supervisor heavily, “belongs toMiss GladysStevens,whoissixty-threeyearsold.She lives inOmahaandmakesher living tapingmessages for SAC crews and other voice-remindersystems.”

“Oh,”Hallsaid.

Helefttheroomandwalkeddownthecorridortothecafeteria.Ashe walked, he began to understand why submarine designers hadbeen called in to planWildfire.Without his wristwatch, he had noidea of the time, or even whether it was night or day. He foundhimself wondering whether the cafeteria would be crowded,wonderingwhetheritwasdinnertimeorbreakfasttime.

As it turned out, the cafeteria was almost deserted. Leavitt wasthere;he said theotherswere in the conference room.Hepushedaglass of dark-brown liquid over to Hall and suggested he havebreakfast.

“What’sthis?”Hallsaid.

“Forty-two-five nutrient. It has everything needed to sustain theaverageseventy-kilogrammanforeighteenhours.”

Halldranktheliquid,whichwassyrupyandartificiallyflavoredtotaste like orange juice. It was a strange sensation, drinking brownorangejuice,butnotbadaftertheinitialshock.Leavittexplainedthatit had been developed for the astronauts, and that it containedeverythingexceptair-solublevitamins.

“Forthat,youneedthispill,”hesaid.

Hall swallowed the pill, then got himself a cup of coffee from adispenserinthecorner.“Anysugar?”

Leavitt shook his head. “No sugar anywhere here. Nothing thatmightprovideabacterialgrowthmedium.Fromnowon,we’reallonhigh-proteindiets.We’llmakeallthesugarweneedfromtheproteinbreakdown.Butwewon’tbegettinganysugarintothegut.Quitetheopposite.”

Hereachedintohispocket.

“Oh,no.”

“Yes,” Leavitt said. He gave him a small capsule, sealed inaluminumfoil.

“No,”Hallsaid.

“Everyoneelsehas them.Broad-spectrum.Stopbyyour roomandinsertitbeforeyougointothefinaldecontaminationprocedures.”

“Idon’tminddunkingmyself inallthosefoulbaths,”Hallsaid.“Idon’tmindbeingirradiated.ButI’llbegoddammed—”

“Theidea,”Leavittsaid,“isthatyoubeasnearlysterileaspossibleonLevelV.Wehavesterilizedyour skinandmucousmembranesofthe respiratory tract as best we can. But we haven’t done a thingabouttheGItractyet.”

“Yes,”Hallsaid,“butsuppositories?”

“You’llgetusedtoit.We’realltakingthemforthefirstfourdays.Not, of course, that they’ll do any good,” he said,with the familiarwry,pessimisticlookonhisface.Hestood.“Let’sgototheconferenceroom.StonewantstotalkaboutKarp.”

“Who?”

“RudolphKarp.”

Rudolph Karp was a Hungarian-born biochemist who came to theUnited States from England in 1951. He obtained a position at theUniversityofMichiganandworkedsteadilyandquietlyforfiveyears.Then, at the suggestion of colleagues at theAnnArborobservatory,Karp began to investigatemeteoriteswith the intent of determiningwhethertheyharboredlife,orshowedevidenceofhavingdonesointhe past. He took the proposal quite seriously and worked withdiligence, writing no papers on the subject until the early 1960’s,whenCalvinandVaughnandNagyandotherswerewritingexplosivepapersonsimilarsubjects.

The arguments and counter-arguments were complex, but boileddowntoasimplesubstrate:wheneveraworkerwouldannouncethathe had found a fossil, or a proteinaceous hydrocarbon, or otherindication of lifewithin ameteorite, the criticswould claim sloppylab technique and contamination with earth-origin matter andorganisms.

Karp,withhiscareful,slowtechniques,wasdeterminedtoendthearguments once and for all. He announced that he had taken greatpainstoavoidcontamination:eachmeteroriteheexaminedhadbeenwashed in twelve solutions, including peroxide, iodine, hypertonicsalineanddiluteacids.Itwasthenexposedtointenseultravioletlightfor a period of two days. Finally, itwas submerged in a germicidalsolutionandplaced inagerm-free, sterile isolationchamber; furtherworkwasdonewithinthechamber.

Karp, upon breaking open his meteorites, was able to isolatebacteria.Hefoundthattheywerering-shapedorganisms,ratherlikeatiny undulating inner tube, and he found they could grow andmultiply. He claimed that, while they were essentially similar toearthly bacteria in structure, being based upon proteins,carbohydrates,andlipids,theyhadnocellnucleusandthereforetheirmannerofpropagationwasamystery.

Karp presented his information in his usual quiet, unsensationalmanner, and hoped for a good reception. He did not receive one;instead, he was laughed down by the Seventh Conference ofAstrophysicsandGeophysics,meetinginLondonin1961.Hebecamediscouraged and set his work with meteorites aside; the organismswere later destroyed in an accidental laboratory explosion on thenightofJune27,1963.

Karp’s experience was almost identical to that of Nagy and theothers.Scientistsinthe1960’swerenotwillingtoentertainnotionsoflife existing in meteorites; all evidence presented was discounted,dismissed,andignored.

A handful of people in a dozen countries remained intrigued,however.OneofthemwasJeremyStone;anotherwasPeterLeavitt.ItwasLeavittwho, someyearsbefore,had formulated theRuleof48.The Rule of 48was intended as a humorous reminder to scientists,andreferredtothemassiveliteraturecollectedinthelate1940’sandthe1950’sconcerningthehumanchromosomenumber.

For years it was stated thatmen had forty-eight chromosomes intheircells;therewerepicturestoproveit,andanynumberofcarefulstudies. In1953, agroupofAmerican researchers announced to theworldthatthehumanchromosomenumberwasforty-six.Oncemore,therewere pictures to prove it, and studies to confirm it. But theseresearchersalsowentbacktoreexaminetheoldpictures,andtheold

studies—andfoundonlyforty-sixchromosomes,notforty-eight.

Leavitt’s Rule of 48 said simply, “All Scientists Are Blind.” AndLeavitt had invoked his rule when he saw the reception Karp andothers received. Leavitt went over the reports and the papers andfoundnoreasontorejectthemeteoritestudiesoutofhand;manyoftheexperimentswerecareful,wellreasoned,andcompelling.

HerememberedthiswhenheandtheotherWildfireplannersdrewupthestudyknownastheVectorThree.AlongwiththeToxicFive,itformedoneofthefirmtheoreticalbasesforWildfire.

TheVectorThreewasareportthatconsideredacrucialquestion:Ifabacterium invaded theearth, causinganewdisease,wherewouldthatbacteriumcomefrom?

Afterconsultationwithastronomersandevolutionarytheories, theWildfire group concluded that bacteria could come from threesources.

Thefirstwasthemostobvious—anorganism,fromanotherplanetor galaxy, which had the protection to survive the extremes oftemperature and vacuum that existed in space. Therewas no doubtthat organisms could survive—there was, for instance, a class ofbacteria known as thermophilic that thrived on extreme heat,multiplyingenthusiasticallyintemperaturesashighas70°C.Further,itwasknownthatbacteriahadbeenrecoveredfromEgyptiantombs,where they had been sealed for thousands of years. These bacteriawerestillviable.

The secret lay in the bacteria’s ability to form spores, molding ahardcalcificshellaroundthemselves.Thisshellenabledtheorganismto survive freezing or boiling, and, if necessary, thousands of yearswithout food. It combined all the advantages of a space suit withthoseofsuspendedanimation.

Therewas no doubt that a spore could travel through space. Butwasanotherplanetorgalaxythemostlikelysourceofcontaminationfortheearth?

Here, the answer was no. Themost likely source was the closestsource—theearthitself.

Thereportsuggestedthatbacteriacouldhaveleftthesurfaceoftheearth eons ago, when life was just beginning to emerge from the

oceans and the hot, baked continents. Such bacteria would departbeforethefishes,beforetheprimitivemammals,longbeforethefirstape-man.Thebacteriawouldheadupintotheair,andslowlyascenduntiltheywereliterallyinspace.Oncethere,theymightevolveintounusualforms,perhapsevenlearningtoderiveenergyforlifedirectlyfrom the sun, instead of requiring food as an energy source. Theseorganisms might also be capable of direct conversion of energy tomatter.

Leavitthimselfsuggestedtheanalogyoftheupperatmosphereandthe depths of the sea as equally inhospitable environments, butequallyviable. In thedeepest,blackest regionsof theoceans,whereoxygenationwaspoor,andwherelightneverreached,lifeformswereknowntoexist inabundance.Whynotalso inthefarreachesof theatmosphere?True,oxygenwasscarce.True,foodhardlyexisted.Butifcreaturescouldlivemilesbeneaththesurface,whycouldtheynotalsolivefivemilesaboveit?

And if there were organisms out there, and if they had departedfromthebakingcrustoftheearthlongbeforethefirstmenappeared,thentheywouldbeforeigntoman.Noimmunity,noadaptation,noantibodies would have been developed. They would be primitivealienstomodernman,inthesamewaythattheshark,aprimitivefishunchanged for ahundredmillion years,was alien anddangerous tomodernman,invadingtheoceansforthefirsttime.

Thethirdsourceofcontamination,thethirdofthevectors,wasatthe same time themost likely and themost troublesome. This wascontemporary earth organisms, taken into space by inadequatelysterilizedspacecraft.Onceinspace,theorganismswouldbeexposedto harsh radiation, weightlessness, and other environmental forcesthatmightexertamutageniceffect,alteringtheorganisms.

Sothatwhentheycamedown,theywouldbedifferent.

Take up a harmless bacteria—such as the organism that causespimples, or sore throats—and bring it back in a new form, virulentandunexpected.Itmightdoanything.Itmightshowapreferencefortheaqueoushumoroftheinnereye,andinvadetheeyeball.Itmightthriveontheacidsecretionsofthestomach.Itmightmultiplyonthesmallcurrentsofelectricityaffordedbythehumanbrainitself,drivemenmad.

Thiswholeideaofmutatedbacteriaseemedfarfetchedandunlikelyto the Wildfire people. It is ironic that this should be the case,particularlyinviewofwhathappenedtotheAndromedaStrain.ButtheWildfire team staunchly ignoredboth the evidenceof their ownexperience—that bacteria mutate rapidly and radically—and theevidenceoftheBiosatellitetests,inwhichaseriesofearthformsweresentintospaceandlaterrecovered.

Biosatellite II contained, among other things, several species ofbacteria. Itwas later reported that thebacteriahad reproducedataratetwentytothirtytimesnormal.Thereasonswerestillunclear,buttheresultsunequivocal:spacecouldaffectreproductionandgrowth.

Andyetnoone inWildfirepaidattentionto this fact,until itwastoolate.

Stonereviewedtheinformationquickly,thenhandedeachofthemacardboard file. “These files,” he said, “contain a transcript ofautoclock records of the entire flight of Scoop VII. Our purpose inreviewingthetranscriptistodetermine,ifpossible,whathappenedtothesatellitewhileitwasinorbit.”

Hallsaid,“Somethinghappenedtoit?”

Leavittexplained. “The satellitewas scheduled fora six-dayorbit,sincetheprobabilityofcollectingorganismsisproportionaltotimeinorbit.Afterlaunch,itwasinstableorbit.Then,onthesecondday,itwentoutoforbit.”

Hallnodded.

“Start,”Stonesaid,“withthefirstpage.”

Hallopenedhisfile.

AUTOCLOCKTRANSCRIPT

PROJECT:SCOOPVII

LAUNCHDATE:

ABRIDGEDVERSION.FULLTRANSCRIPT

STOREDVAULTS179-99,VDBGCOMPLEX

EPSILON.

“No point in dwelling on this,” Stone said. “It is the record of aperfect launch. There is nothing here, in fact, nothing for the nextninety-six hours of flight, to indicate any difficulty on board thespacecraft.Nowturntopage10.”

Theyallturned.

TRACKTRANSCRIPTCONT’D

SCOOPVII

LAUNCHDATE:–

ABRIDGEDVERSION

“Whataboutvoicecommunicationduringthecriticalperiod?”

“TherewerelinkupsbetweenSydney,Kennedy,andGrandBahama,all routed throughHouston.Houston had the big computer aswell.Butinthisinstance,Houstonwasjusthelpingout;alldecisionscamefrom Scoop Mission Control in Vandenberg. We have the voicecommunicationatthebackofthefile.It’squiterevealing.”

TRANSCRIPTOFVOICECOMMUNICATIONS

SCOOPMISSIONCONTROL

VANDENBERGAFB

HOURS0096:59TO0097:39

THISISACLASSIFIEDTRANSCRIPT.

ITHASNOTBEENABRIDGEDOREDITED.

Hallsaid,“Whataboutthedeletedpassages?”

“MajorManchekatVandenbergtoldme,”Stonesaid,“thattheyhadtodowiththeRussiancraft inthearea.ThetwostationseventuallyconcludedthattheRussianshadnot,eitheraccidentallyorpurposely,brought down the Scoop satellite. No one has since suggesteddifferently.”

Theynodded.

“It’s tempting,” Stone said. “The Air Forcemaintains a watchdogfacility in Kentucky that tracks all satellites in earth orbit. It has adualfunction,bothtofollowoldsatellitesknowntobeinorbitandtotracknewones.Thereare twelve satellites inorbit at this time thatcannotbeaccounted for; inotherwords, theyarenotours, andarenottheresultofannouncedSovietlaunches.ItisthoughtthatsomeoftheserepresentnavigationsatellitesforSovietsubmarines.Othersarepresumedtobespysatellites.ButtheimportantthingisthatRussianornot,thereareahellofalotofsatellitesupthere.AsoflastFriday,theAirForcereportedfivehundredandeighty-sevenorbitingbodiesaround the earth. This includes some old, nonfunctioning satellitesfromtheAmericanExplorer seriesand theRussianSputnikseries. Italsoincludesboostersandfinalstages—anythinginstableorbitlargeenoughtoreflectbackaradarbeam.”

“That’salotofsatellites.”

“Yes,andthereareprobablymanymore.TheAirForcethinksthereisalotofjunkoutthere—nuts,bolts,scrapsofmetal—allinmoreorlessstableorbit.Noorbit,asyouknow,iscompletelystable.Withoutfrequentcorrections,anysatellitewilleventuallydecayoutandspiraldowntoearth,burningupintheatmosphere.Butthatmaybeyears,evendecades,afterthelaunch.Inanyevent,theAirForceestimatesthatthetotalnumberofindividualorbitingobjectscouldbeanythinguptoseventy-fivethousand.”

“Soacollisionwithapieceofjunkispossible.”

“Yes.Possible.”

“Howaboutameteor?”

“That is the other possibility, and the one Vandenberg favors. Arandomevent,mostlikelyameteor.”

“Anyshowersthesedays?”

“None,apparently.Butthatdoesnotruleoutameteorcollision.”

Leavittclearedhisthroat.“Thereisstillanotherpossibility.”

Stonefrowned.HeknewthatLeavittwasimaginative,andthatthistrait was both a strength and a defect. At times, Leavitt could bestartling and exciting; at others, merely irritating. “It’s ratherfarfetched,” Stone said, “to postulate debris from some extragalacticsourceotherthan—”

“I agree,” Leavitt said. “Hopelessly farfetched. No evidence for itwhatever.ButIdon’tthinkwecanaffordtoignorethepossibility.”

A gong sounded softly. A lush female voice, which Hall nowrecognizedasthatofGladysStevensofOmaha,saidsoftly,“Youmayproceedtothenextlevel,gentlemen.”

13

LevelV

LEVELVWASPAINTEDaquietshadeofblue,andtheyallworeblueuniforms.BurtonshowedHallaround.

“Thisfloor,”hesaid,“islikealltheothers.It’scircular.Arrangedina series of concentric circles, actually.We’reon theouterperimeternow; this is where we live and work. Cafeteria, sleeping rooms,everythingisouthere.Justinsideisaringoflaboratories.Andinsidethat,sealedofffromus,isthecentralcore.That’swherethesatelliteandthetwopeoplearenow.”

“Butthey’resealedofffromus?”

“Yes.”

“Thenhowdowegettothem?”

“Haveyoueverusedaglovebox?”Burtonasked.

Hallshookhishead.

Burton explained that glove boxes were large clear plastic boxesusedtohandlesterilematerials.Theboxeshadholescutinthesides,andglovesattachedwithanairtightseal.Tohandlethecontents,youslippedyourhandsintotheglovesandreachedintothebox.Butyourfingersnevertouchedthematerial,onlythegloves.

“We’vegoneonestepfurther,”Burtonsaid.“Wehavewholeroomsthatarenothingmore thanglorifiedgloveboxes. Insteadofagloveforyourhand,there’sawholeplasticsuit,foryourentirebody.You’llseewhatImean.”

TheywalkeddownthecurvedcorridortoaroommarkedCENTRALCONTROL. Leavitt and Stone were there, working quietly. CentralControlwasacrampedroom,stuffedwithelectronicequipment.Onewallwasglass,allowingtheworkerstolookintotheadjacentroom.

Throughtheglass,Hallsawmechanicalhandsmovingthecapsuleto a table and setting it down.Hall,who had never seen a capsulebefore,watchedwith interest. Itwas smaller thanhehad imagined,

nomorethanayardlong;oneendwassearedandblackenedfromtheheatofreentry.

The mechanical hands, under Stone’s direction, opened the littlescoop-shapedtroughinthesideofthecapsuletoexposetheinterior.

“There,” Stone said, taking his hands from the controls. Thecontrolslookedlikeapairofbrassknuckles;theoperatorslippedhisown hands into them and moved his hands as he wanted themechanicalhandstomove.

“Our next step,” he said, “is to determine whether there is stillanythinginthecapsulewhichisbiologicallyactive.Suggestions?”

“Arat,”Leavittsaid.“UseablackNorway.”

The black Norway rat was not black at all; the name simplydesignated a strain of laboratory animal, perhaps the most famousstrain in all science. Once, of course, it had been both black andNorwegian;butyearsofbreedingandcountlessgenerationshadmadeit white, small, and docile. The biological explosion had created ademandforgeneticallyuniformanimals.Inthelastthirtyyearsmorethan a thousand strains of “pure” animals had been evolvedartificially.InthecaseoftheblackNorwegian,itwasnowpossiblefora scientist anywhere in theworld to conduct experimentsusing thisanimalandbeassuredthatotherscientistselsewherecouldrepeatorenlargeuponhisworkusingvirtuallyidenticalorganisms.

“Follow with a rhesus,” Burton said. “We will want to get ontoprimatessoonerorlater.”

Theothersnodded.Wildfirewasprepared toconductexperimentswith monkeys and apes, as well as smaller, cheaper animals. Amonkey was exceedingly difficult to work with: the little primateswere hostile, quick, intelligent. Among scientists, the New Worldmonkeys, with their prehensile tails, were considered particularlytrying.Many a scientist had engaged three or four lab assistants tohold down a monkey while he administered an injection—only tohavetheprehensiletailwhipup,graspthesyringe,andflingitacrosstheroom.

Thetheorybehindprimateexperimentationwasthattheseanimalswere closer biologically to man. In the 1950’s, several laboratorieseven attempted experiments on gorillas, going to great trouble and

expense to work with these seemingly most human of animals.However, by 1960 it had been demonstrated that of the apes, thechimpanzeewas biochemicallymore likeman than the gorilla. (Onthe basis of similarity to man, the choice of laboratory animals isoften surprising. For example, the hamster is preferred forimmunologicalandcancer studies, sincehis responsesare so similarto man’s, while for studies of the heart and circulation, the pig isconsideredmostlikeman.)

Stone put his hands back on the controls, moving them gently.Through theglass, they saw theblackmetal fingersmove to the farwall of the adjoining room, where several caged lab animals werekept, separated from the room by hinged airtight doors. The wallremindedHalloddlyofanautomat.

Themechanical hands opened one door and removed a rat in itscage,broughtitintotheroom,andsetitdownnexttothecapsule.

The rat looked around the room, sniffed the air, andmade somestretchingmovementswith itsneck.Amoment later it floppedoverontoitsside,kickedonce,andwasstill.

Ithadhappenedwithastonishingspeed.Hallcouldhardlybelieveithadhappenedatall.

“MyGod,”Stonesaid.“Whatatimecourse.”

“Thatwillmakeitdifficult,”Leavittsaid.

Burtonsaid,“Wecantrytracers…”

“Yes.We’llhavetousetracersonit,”Stonesaid.“Howfastareourscans?”

“Milliseconds,ifnecessary.”

“Itwillbenecessary.”

“Trytherhesus,”Burtonsaid.“You’llwantapostonit,anyway.”

Stone directed the mechanical hands back to the wall, openinganotherdoorandwithdrawingacagecontainingalargebrownadultrhesus monkey. The monkey screeched as it was lifted and bangedagainstthebarsofitscage.

Then it died, after flinging one hand to its chest with a look ofstartledsurprise.

Stoneshookhishead.“Well,atleastweknowit’sstillbiologicallyactive.WhateverkilledeveryoneinPiedmontisstillthere,andstillaspotentasever.”Hesighed.“Ifpotentistheword.”

Leavittsaid,“We’dbetterstartascanofthecapsule.”

“I’ll take these dead animals,” Burton said, “and run the initialvectorstudies.ThenI’llautopsythem.”

Stoneworked themechanicalhandsoncemore.Hepickedup thecages that held the rat and monkey and set them on a rubberconveyorbeltattherearoftheroom.ThenhepressedabuttononacontrolconsolemarkedAUTOPSY.Theconveyorbeltbegantomove.

Burton left the room, walking down the corridor to the autopsyroom,knowingthattheconveyorbelt,madetocarrymaterials fromonelabtoanother,wouldhaveautomaticallydeliveredthecages.

Stonesaid toHall, “You’re thepracticingphysicianamongus. I’mafraidyou’vegotarathertoughjobrightnow.”

“Pediatricianandgeriatrist?”

“Exactly. See what you can do about them. They’re both in ourmiscellaneous room, the room we built precisely for unusualcircumstances like this. There’s a computer linkup there that shouldhelpyou.Thetechnicianwillshowyouhowitworks.”

14

Miscellaneous

HALL OPENED THE DOOR marked MISCELLANEOUS,thinking to himself that his jobwas indeedmiscellaneous—keepingaliveanoldmanandatinyinfant.Bothofthemvitaltotheproject,andbothofthem,nodoubt,difficulttomanage.

Hefoundhimselfinanothersmallroomsimilartothecontrolroomhehadjustleft.Thisonealsohadaglasswindow,lookinginwardtoacentral room. In the room were two beds, and on the beds, PeterJackson and the infant. But the incredible thing was the suits:standingupright in theroomwere fourclearplastic inflatedsuits intheshapeofmen.Fromeachsuit,atunnelranbacktothewall.

Obviously, one would have to crawl down the tunnel and thenstandupinsidethesuit.Thenonecouldworkwiththepatientsinsidetheroom.

Thegirlwhowastobehisassistantwasworkingintheroom,bentover the computer console. She introduced herself as Karen Anson,andexplainedtheworkingofthecomputer.

“This is just one substation of theWildfire computer on the firstlevel,” she said. “There are thirty substations throughout thelaboratory,allpluggingintothecomputer.Thirtydifferentpeoplecanworkatonce.”

Hallnodded.Time-sharingwasaconceptheunderstood.Heknewthatasmanyas twohundredpeoplehadbeenable touse the samecomputer at once; the principle was that computers operated veryswiftly—in fractions of a second—while people operated slowly, inseconds or minutes. One person using a computer was inefficient,because it took several minutes to punch in instructions, while thecomputersataroundidle,waiting.Onceinstructionswerefedin,thecomputer answered almost instantaneously. This meant that acomputer was rarely “working,” and by permitting a number ofpeople to ask questions of the computer simultaneously, you couldkeepthemachinemorecontinuouslyinoperation.

“If the computer is really backed up,” the technician said, “theremaybeadelayofoneortwosecondsbeforeyougetyouranswer.Butusually it’s immediate. What we are using here is the MEDCOMprogram.Doyouknowit?”

Hallshookhishead.

“It’s amedical-data analyzer,” she said. “You feed in informationand it will diagnose the patient and tell you what to do next fortherapy,ortoconfirmthediagnosis.”

“Soundsveryconvenient.”

“It’s fast,” she said. “All our lab studies are done by automatedmachines.Sowecanhavecomplexdiagnosesinamatterofminutes.”

Hall looked through the glass at the two patients. “What’s beendoneonthemsofar?”

“Nothing. At Level I, they were started on intravenous infusions.PlasmaforPeterJackson,dextroseandwaterforthebaby.Theybothseem well hydrated now, and in no distress. Jackson is stillunconscious.Hehasnopupillarysignsbutisunresponsiveandlooksanemic.”

Hallnodded.“Thelabsherecandoeverything?”

“Everything. Even assays for adrenal hormones and things likepartialthromboplastintimes.Everyknownmedicaltestispossible.”

“Allright.We’dbettergetstarted.”

She turned on the computer. “This is how you order laboratorytests,”shesaid.“Usethis lightpenhere,andcheckoff thetestsyouwant.Justtouchthepentothescreen.”

Shehandedhimasmallpenlight,andpushedtheSTARTbutton.

Thescreenglowed.

Hall stared at the list. He touched the tests he wanted with thepenlight; they disappeared from the screen. He ordered fifteen ortwenty,thensteppedback.

The screen went blank for a moment, and then the followingappeared:

TESTSORDEREDWILLREQUIREFOREACH

SUBJECT

20CCWHOLEBLOOD

L0CCOXALATEDBLOOD

L2CCCITRATEDBLOOD

15CCURINE

The technician said, “I’ll draw the bloods if you want to dophysicals.Haveyoubeeninoneoftheseroomsbefore?”

Hallshookhishead.

“It’s quite simple, really. We crawl through the tunnels into thesuits.Thetunnelisthensealedoffbehindus.”

“Oh?Why?”

“Incasesomethinghappenstooneofus.Incasethecoveringofthesuitisbroken—theintegrityofthesurfaceisruptured,astheprotocolsays. In that case, bacteria could spread back through the tunnel totheoutside.”

“Sowe’resealedoff.”

“Yes.Wegetairfromaseparatesystem—youcanseethethinlinescominginoverthere.Butessentiallyyou’reisolatedfromeverything,whenyou’re in that suit. Idon’t thinkyouneedworry, though.Theonlywayyoumightpossiblybreakyoursuitistocutitwithascalpel,and the gloves are triple-thickness to prevent just such anoccurrence.”

Sheshowedhimhowtocrawlthrough,andthen,imitatingher,hestoodupinsidetheplasticsuit.Hefeltlikesomekindofgiantreptile,moving cumbersomely about, dragging his tunnel like a thick tailbehindhim.

After a moment, there was a hiss: his suit was being sealed off.Thenanotherhiss,andtheairturnedcoldasthespeciallinebegantofeedairintohim.

Thetechniciangavehimhisexamininginstruments.Whileshedrewblood from the child, taking it from a scalp vein, Hall turned hisattentiontoPeterJackson.

Anoldman,andpale:anemia.Alsothin:firstthought,cancer.Second

thought, tuberculosis, alcoholism, some other chronic process. Andunconscious: he ran through the differential in his mind, fromepilepsytohypoglycemicshocktostroke.

Hall later stated that he felt foolishwhen the computer providedhimwithadifferential, completewithprobabilitiesofdiagnosis.Hewasnotatthattimeawareoftheskillofthecomputer,thequalityofitsprogram.

HecheckedJackson’sbloodpressure.Itwaslow,85/50.Pulsefastat110.Temperature97.8.Respirations30anddeep.

Hewentoverthebodysystematically,beginningwiththeheadandworking down. When he produced pain—by pressing on the nervethrough the supraorbital notch, just below the eyebrow—the mangrimacedandmovedhisarmstopushHallaway.

Perhaps hewas not unconscious after all. Perhaps just stuporous.Hallshookhim.

“Mr.Jackson.Mr.Jackson.”

Themanmadenoresponse.Andthen,slowly,heseemedtorevive.Hallshoutedhisnameinhisearandshookhimhard.

PeterJacksonopenedhiseyes,justforamoment,andsaid,“Go…away…”

Hall continued to shakehim,butJackson relaxed,going limp,hisbodyslippingbackto itsunresponsivestate.Hallgaveup,returningto his physical examination. The lungs were clear and the heartseemed normal. There was some tenseness of the abdomen, andJackson retched once, bringing up some bloody drooling material.Quickly,Halldidabasolyte test forblood: itwaspositive.Hedidarectalexamandtestedthestool.Itwasalsopositiveforblood.

Heturnedtothetechnician,whohaddrawnallthebloodsandwasfeedingthetubesintothecomputeranalysisapparatusinonecorner.

“We’vegotaGIbleederhere,”hesaid.“Howsoonwilltheresultsbeback?”

She pointed to a TV screen mounted near the ceiling. “The labreportsareflashedbackassoonastheycomein.Theyaredisplayedthere,andontheconsoleintheotherroom.Theeasyonescomebackfirst.Weshouldhavehematocritintwominutes.”

Hallwaited.Thescreenglowed,thelettersprintingout:

JACKSON.PETER

LABORATORYANALYSES

TEST NORMAL VALUE

HEMATOCRIT 38–54 21

“Halfnormal,”Hallsaid.HeslappedanoxygenmaskonJackson’sface, fixed the straps, and said, “We’ll need at least four units. Plustwoofplasma.”

“I’llorderthem.”

“Tostartassoonaspossible.”

Shewent tophone thebloodbankonLevel II andasked them tohurryon the requisition.Meantime,Hall turnedhis attention to thechild.

It hadbeen a long time sincehehad examinedan infant, andhehadforgottenhowdifficultitcouldbe.Everytimehetriedtolookattheeyes,thechildshutthemtightly.Everytimehelookeddownthethroat,thechildclosedhismouth.Everytimehetriedtolistentotheheart,thechildshrieked,obscuringallheartsounds.

Yet he persisted, remembering what Stone had said. These twopeople,dissimilarthoughtheywere,nonethelessrepresentedtheonlysurvivors of Piedmont. Somehow they had managed to beat thedisease.Thatwasa linkbetweenthetwo,betweentheshriveledoldman vomiting blood and the pink young child, howling andscreaming.

At first glance, they were as different as possible; they were atoppositeendsofthespectrum,sharingnothingincommon.

Andyettheremustbesomethingincommon.

IttookHallhalfanhourtofinishhisexaminationofthechild.Attheendofthattimehewasforcedtoconcludethattheinfantwas,tohis exam, perfectly normal. Totally normal. Nothing the least bitunusualabouthim.

Exceptthat,somehow,hehadsurvived.

15

MainControl

STONE SAT WITH LEAVITT in the main control room,lookingintotheinnerroomwiththecapsule.Thoughcramped,maincontrolwascomplexandexpensive:ithadcost$2,000,000,themostcostlysingleroomintheWildfireinstallation.Butitwasvitaltothefunctioningoftheentirelaboratory.

Maincontrolservedasthefirststepinscientificexaminationofthecapsule. Its chief function was detection—the room was geared todetect and isolate microorganisms. According to the Life AnalysisProtocol, there were three main steps in the Wildfire program:detection,characterization,andcontrol.Firsttheorganismhadtobefound. Then it had to be studied and understood. Only then couldwaysbesoughttocontrolit.

Maincontrolwassetuptofindtheorganism.

LeavittandStonesatsidebysideinfrontofthebanksofcontrolsand dials. Stone operated the mechanical hands, while Leavittmanipulatedthemicroscopicapparatus.Naturallyitwasimpossibletoenter the room with the capsule and examine it directly. Robot-controlled microscopes, with viewing screens in the control room,wouldaccomplishthisforthem.

An early question had beenwhether to utilize television or somekindofdirectvisual linkup.Televisionwascheaperandmoreeasilyset up; TV image-intensifiers were already in use for electronmicroscopes, X-ray machines, and other devices. However, theWildfiregroupfinallydecidedthataTVscreenwastooimprecisefortheir needs; even a double-scan camera,which transmitted twice asmany linesas theusualTVandgavebetter imageresolution,wouldbe insufficient. In the end, the group chose a fiber optics system inwhich a light image was transmitted directly through a snakelikebundleofglassfibersandthendisplayedontheviewers.Thisgaveaclear,sharpimage.

Stonepositionedthecapsuleandpressed theappropriatecontrols.

A black box moved down from the ceiling and began to scan thecapsulesurface.Thetwomenwatchedtheviewerscreens.

“Startwith five power,” Stone said. Leavitt set the controls. Theywatched as the viewer automatically moved around the capsule,focusing on the surface of the metal. They watched one completescan,thenshifteduptotwenty-powermagnification.Atwenty-powerscantookmuchlonger,sincethefieldofviewwassmaller.Theystillsaw nothing on the surface: no punctures, no indentations, nothingthatlookedlikeasmallgrowthofanykind.

“Let’sgotoonehundred,”Stonesaid.Leavittadjustedthecontrolsandsatback.Theywerebeginningwhattheyknewwouldbealongand tedious search. Probably they would find nothing. Soon theywouldexaminetheinteriorofthecapsule;theymightfindsomethingthere.Ortheymightnot.Ineithercase,theywouldtakesamplesforanalysis,platingoutthescrapingsandswabsontogrowthmedia.

Leavittglancedfromtheviewingscreenstolookintotheroom.Theviewer,suspendedfromtheceilingbyacomplexarrangementofrodsand wires, was automatically moving in slow circles around thecapsule.Helookedbacktothescreens.

Therewere three screens inmain control, and all showed exactlythe same field of view. In theory, they could use three viewersprojectingontothreescreens,andcoverthecapsuleinonethirdthetime.Buttheydidnotwanttodothat—atleast,notnow.Bothmenknewthattheirinterestandattentionwouldfatigueasthedayworeon.Nomatterhowhardtheytried,theycouldnotremainalertallthetime.Butiftwomenwatchedthesameimage,therewaslesschanceofmissingsomething.

The surface area of the cone-shaped capsule, thirty-seven incheslong and a foot in diameter at the base, was just over 650 squareinches. Three scans, at five, twenty, and one hundred power, tookthemslightlymorethantwohours.Attheendofthethirdscan,Stonesaid,“Isupposeweoughttoproceedwiththe440scanaswell.”

“But?”

“I am tempted to go directly to a scan of the interior. Ifwe findnothing,wecancomebackoutsideanddoa440.”

“Iagree.”

“Allright,”Stonesaid.“Startwithfive.Ontheinside.”

Leavitt worked the controls. This time, it could not be doneautomatically;theviewerwasprogrammedtofollowthecontoursofanyregularlyshapedobject,suchasacube,asphere,oracone.Butitcouldnotprobetheinteriorofthecapsulewithoutdirection.Leavittset the lenses at five diameters and switched the remote viewer tomanualcontrol.Thenhedirected itdown into the scoopopeningofthecapsule.

Stone,watchingthescreen,said,“Morelight.”

Leavittmadeadjustments.Fiveadditionalremotelightscamedownfromtheceilingandclickedon,shiningintothescoop.

“Better?”

“Fine.”

Watchinghisownscreen,Leavittbegantomovetheremoteviewer.Ittookseveralminutesbeforehecoulddoitsmoothly;itwasdifficultto coordinate, rather like trying to write while you watched in amirror.Butsoonhewasscanningsmoothly.

The five-power scan took twenty minutes. They found nothingexcept a small indentation the size of a pencil point. At Stone’ssuggestion,whentheybeganthetwenty-powerscantheystartedwiththeindentation.

Immediately, they saw it: a tinyblack fleckof jaggedmaterialnolargerthanagrainofsand.Thereseemedtobebitsofgreenmixedinwiththeblack.

Neither man reacted, though Leavitt later recalled that he was“tremblingwithexcitement. Ikept thinking, if this is it, if it’s reallysomethingnew,somebrandnewformoflife…”

However,allhesaidwas,“Interesting.”

“We’d better complete the scan at twenty power,” Stone said.Hewas working to keep his voice calm, but it was clear that he wasexcitedtoo.

Leavittwantedtoexaminethe fleckathigherpower immediately,butheunderstoodwhat Stonewas saying.They couldnot afford tojump to conclusions—any conclusions. Their only hope was to begrindingly,interminablythorough.Theyhadtoproceedmethodically,

toassurethemselvesateverypointthattheyhadoverlookednothing.

Otherwise,theycouldpursueacourseofinvestigationforhoursordays,only to find it endednowhere, that theyhadmadeamistake,misjudgedtheevidence,andwastedtime.

SoLeavittdidacompletescanoftheinteriorattwentypower.Hepaused,onceortwice,whentheythoughttheysawotherpatchesofgreen,andmarkeddownthecoordinatessotheycouldfindtheareaslater, under highermagnification.Half an hour passed before Stoneannouncedhewassatisfiedwiththetwenty-powerscan.

They took a break for caffeine, swallowing two pills with water.The teamhad agreed earlier that amphetamines shouldnot beusedexceptintimesofseriousemergency;theywerestockedintheLevelVpharmacy,butforroutinepurposescaffeinewaspreferred.

Theaftertasteof thecaffeinepillwassour inhismouthasLeavittclicked in the hundred-power lenses, and began the third scan. Asbefore, they startedwith the indentation, and the small black flecktheyhadnotedearlier.

It was disappointing: at higher magnification it appeared nodifferent from their earlier views, only larger. They could see,however,thatitwasanirregularpieceofmaterial,dull,lookinglikerock.Andtheycouldseethereweredefinitelyflecksofgreenminedonthejaggedsurfaceofthematerial.

“Whatdoyoumakeofit?”Stonesaid.

“Ifthat’stheobjectthecapsulecollidedwith,”Leavittsaid,“itwaseithermovingwithgreatspeed,orelse it isveryheavy.Because it’snotbigenough—”

“Toknockthesatelliteoutoforbitotherwise.Iagree.Andyetitdidnotmakeaverydeepindentation.”

“Suggesting?”

Stone shrugged. “Suggesting that itwas either not responsible fortheorbitalchange,orthatithassomeelasticpropertieswedon’tyetknowabout.”

“Whatdoyouthinkofthegreen?”

Stone grinned. “You won’t trap me yet. I am curious, nothingmore.”

Leavittchuckledandcontinuedthescan.Bothmennowfeltelatedandinwardlycertainoftheirdiscovery.Theycheckedtheotherareaswhere they had noted green, and confirmed the presence of thepatchesathighermagnification.

Buttheotherpatcheslookeddifferentfromthegreenontherock.Foronething,theywerelarger,andseemedsomehowmoreluminous.For another, the borders of the patches seemed quite regular, androunded.

“Like small drops of green paint, spattered on the inside of thecapsule,”Stonesaid.

“Ihopethat’snotwhatitis.”

“Wecouldprobe,”Stonesaid.

“Let’swaitfor440.”

Stoneagreed.Bynowtheyhadbeenscanningthecapsulefornearlyfour hours, but neitherman felt tired. Theywatched closely as theviewingscreensblurred foramoment, the lenses shifting.When thescreens cameback into focus, theywere looking at the indentation,and the black fleckwith the green areas. At thismagnification, thesurfaceirregularitiesoftherockwerestriking—itwaslikeaminiatureplanet,withjaggedpeaksandsharpvalleys.ItoccurredtoLeavittthatthis was exactly what they were looking at: a minute, completeplanet,withitslifeformsintact.Butheshookhishead,dismissingthethoughtfromhismind.Impossible.

Stonesaid,“Ifthat’sameteor,it’sdamnedfunny-looking.”

“Whatbothersyou?”

“That left border, over there.” Stone pointed to the screen. “Thesurface of the stone—if it is stone—is rough everywhere except onthatleftborder,whereitissmoothandratherstraight.”

“Likeanartificialsurface?”

Stone sighed. “If I keep looking at it,” he said, “I might start tothinkso.Let’sseethoseotherpatchesofgreen.”

Leavitt set the coordinates and focused the viewer. A new imageappeared on the screens. This time, itwas a close-up of one of thegreen patches. Under highmagnification the borders could be seenclearly. They were not smooth, but slightly notched: they looked

almostlikeagearfromtheinsideofawatch.

“I’llbedamned,”Leavittsaid.

“It’snotpaint.Thatnotchingistooregular.”

As theywatched, it happened: the green spot turnedpurple for afraction of a second, less than the blink of an eye. Then it turnedgreenoncemore.

“Didyouseethat?”

“Isawit.Youdidn’tchangethelighting?”

“No.Didn’ttouchit.”

Amomentlater,ithappenedagain:green,aflashofpurple,greenagain.

“Amazing.”

“Thismaybe—”

And then, as theywatched, the spot turned purple and remainedpurple.Thenotchesdisappeared;thespothadenlargedslightly,fillingintheV-shapedgaps. Itwasnowacompletecircle. Itbecamegreenoncemore.

“It’sgrowing,”Stonesaid.

They worked swiftly. The movie cameras were brought down,recording from five angles at ninety-six frames per second. Anothertime-lapsecameraclickedoff framesathalf-second intervals.Leavittalso brought down two more remote cameras, and set them atdifferentanglesfromtheoriginalcamera.

Inmain control, all three screens displayed different views of thegreenspot.

“Canwegetmorepower?Moremagnification?”Stonesaid.

“No.Yourememberwedecided440wasthetop.”

Stoneswore.Toobtainhighermagnification,theywouldhavetogoto a separate room, or else use the electron microscopes. In eithercase,itwouldtaketime.

Leavittsaid,“Shallwestartcultureandisolation?”

“Yes.Mightaswell.”

Leavittturnedtheviewersbackdowntotwentypower.Theycouldnow see that therewere four areas of interest—three isolated greenpatches,andtherockwithitsindentation.Onthecontrolconsole,hepressedabuttonmarkedCULTURE,andatrayatthesideoftheroomslid out, revealing stacks of circular, plastic-covered petri dishes.Insideeachdishwasathinlayerofgrowthmedium.

The Wildfire project employed almost every known growthmedium. The media were jellied compounds containing variousnutrientsonwhichbacteriawouldfeedandmultiply.Alongwiththeusual laboratory standbys—horse and sheep blood agar, chocolateagar, simplex, Sabourad’s medium—there were thirty diagnosticmedia,containingvarioussugarsandminerals.Thentherewereforty-three specialized culture media, including those for growth oftuberculebacilliandunusualfungi,aswellasthehighlyexperimentalmedia,designatedbynumbers:ME-997,ME-423,ME-A12,andsoon.

With the tray of media was a batch of sterile swabs. Using themechanical hands, Stone picked up the swabs singly and touchedthemtothecapsulesurface,thentothemedia.Leavittpuncheddatainto the computer, so that theywould know laterwhere each swabhadbeentaken.Inthismanner,theyswabbedtheoutersurfaceoftheentire capsule, and went to the interior. Very carefully, using highviewermagnification,Stonetookscrapings fromthegreenspotsandtransferredthemtothedifferentmedia.

Finally,heusedfineforcepstopickuptherockandmoveitintacttoacleanglassdish.

Thewholeprocess tookbetter than twohours.At theendof thattime,LeavittpunchedthroughtheMAXCULTcomputerprogram.Thisprogramautomaticallyinstructedthemachineinthehandlingofthehundredsofpetridishestheyhadcollected.Somewouldbestoredatroom temperature and pressure, with normal earth atmosphere.Others would be subjected to heat and cold; high pressure andvacuum; lowoxygenandhighoxygen; lightanddark.Assigning theplatestothevariouscultureboxeswasa jobthatwouldtakeamandaystoworkout.Thecomputercoulddoitinseconds.

When the programwas running, Stone placed the stacks of petridishesontheconveyorbelt.Theywatchedasthedishesmovedofftothecultureboxes.

Therewasnothingfurthertheycoulddo,exceptwaittwenty-fourtoforty-eighthours,toseewhatgrewout.

“Meantime,”Stonesaid,“wecanbeginanalysisofthispieceofrock—ifitactuallyisrock.HowareyouwithanEM?”

“Rusty,” Leavitt said.Hehadnotusedan electronmicroscope fornearlyayear.

“ThenI’llpreparethespecimen.We’llalsowantmassspectometrydone.That’sallcomputerized.Butbeforewedothat,weoughttogotohigherpower.What’sthehighestlightmagnificationwecangetinMorphology?”

“Athousanddiameters.”

“Thenlet’sdothatfirst.PunchtherockthroughtoMorphology.”

Leavitt looked down at the console and pressed MORPHOLOGY.Stone’smechanicalhandsplacedtheglassdishwiththerockontotheconveyorbelt.

Theylookedatthewallclockbehindthem.Itshowed1100hours;theyhadbeenworkingforelevenstraighthours.

“Sofar,”Stonesaid,“sogood.”

Leavittgrinned,andcrossedhisfingers.

16

Autopsy

BURTON WAS WORKING in the autopsy room. He wasnervousandtense,stillbotheredbyhismemoriesofPiedmont.Weekslater,inreviewinghisworkandhisthoughtsonLevelV,heregrettedhisinabilitytoconcentrate.

Because in his initial series of experiments, Burton made severalmistakes.

Accordingtotheprotocol,hewasrequiredtocarryoutautopsiesondead animals, but he was also in charge of preliminary vectorexperiments.Inallfairness,Burtonwasnotthemantodothiswork;Leavittwouldhavebeenbettersuitedtoit.ButitwasfeltthatLeavittwasmoreusefulworkingonpreliminaryisolationandidentification.

SothevectorexperimentsfelltoBurton.

They were reasonably simple and straightforward, designed toanswerthequestionofhowthediseasewastransmitted.Burtonbeganwith a series of cages, lined up in a row. Each had a separate airsupply;theairsuppliescouldbeinterconnectedinavarietyofways.

Burton placed the corpse of the dead Norway rat, which wascontained in an airtight cage, alongside another cage containing aliving rat.He punched buttons; airwas allowed to pass freely fromonecagetotheother.

Thelivingratfloppedoveranddied.

Interesting, he thought. Airborne transmission. He hooked up asecondcagewithaliverat,butinsertedamilliporefilterbetweenthelivinganddeadratcages.Thisfilterhadperforations100angstromsindiameter—thesizeofasmallvirus.

He opened the passage between the two cages. The rat remainedalive.

Hewatchedforseveralmoments,untilhewassatisfied.Whateveritwas that transmitted the disease, it was larger than a virus. He

changed the filter, replacing itwith a larger one, and then anotherstilllarger.Hecontinuedinthiswayuntiltheratdied.

Thefilterhadallowedtheagenttopass.Hecheckedit:twomicronsin diameter, roughly the size of a small cell.He thought to himselfthathehad just learnedsomethingveryvaluable indeed: thesizeoftheinfectiousagent.

Thiswasimportant,forinasinglesimpleexperimenthehadruledoutthepossibilitythataproteinorachemicalmoleculeofsomekindwas doing the damage. At Piedmont, he and Stone had beenconcernedaboutagas,perhapsagasreleasedaswastefromthelivingorganism.

Yet,clearly,nogaswasresponsible.Thediseasewastransmittedbysomething the size of a cell that was very much bigger than amolecule,orgasdroplet.

The next step was equally simple—to determine whether deadanimalswerepotentiallyinfectious.

Hetookoneofthedeadratsandpumpedtheairoutofitscage.Hewaiteduntil theairwas fullyevacuated. In thepressure fall, theratruptured,burstingopen.Burtonignoredthis.

When hewas sure all air was removed, he replaced the air withfresh,clean,filteredair.Thenheconnectedthecagetothecageofalivinganimal.

Nothinghappened.

Interesting, he thought. Using a remotely controlled scalpel, hesliced open the dead animal further, to make sure any organismscontainedinsidethecarcasswouldbereleasedintotheatmosphere.

Nothinghappened.Theliveratscamperedaboutitscagehappily.

Theresultswerequiteclear:deadanimalswerenotinfectious.Thatwas why, he thought, the buzzards could chew at the Piedmontvictimsandnotdie.Corpsescouldnottransmitthedisease;onlythebugsthemselves,carriedintheair,coulddoso.

Bugsintheairweredeadly.

Bugsinthecorpsewereharmless.

In a sense, this was predictable. It had to do with theories of

accommodation and mutual adaptation between bacteria and man.Burtonhadlongbeeninterestedinthisproblem,andhadlecturedonitattheBaylormedicalschool.

Most people, when they thought of bacteria, thought of diseases.Yet the fact was that only 3 per cent of bacteria produced humandisease;therestwereeitherharmlessorbeneficial.Inthehumangut,forinstance,therewereavarietyofbacteriathatwerehelpfultothedigestiveprocess.Manneededthem,andrelieduponthem.

Infact,manlivedinaseaofbacteria.Theywereeverywhere—onhis skin, in his ears and mouth, down his lungs, in his stomach.Everythingheowned,anythinghetouched,everybreathhebreathed,wasdrenchedinbacteria.Bacteriawereubiquitous.Mostofthetimeyouweren’tawareofit.

Andtherewasareason.Bothmanandbacteriahadgottenusedtoeachother,haddevelopedakindofmutualimmunity.Eachadaptedtotheother.

And this, in turn, for a very good reason. It was a principle ofbiology that evolution was directed toward increased reproductivepotential. A man easily killed by bacteria was poorly adapted; hedidn’tlivelongenoughtoreproduce.

Abacteriathatkilleditshostwasalsopoorlyadapted.Becauseanyparasitethatkillsitshostisafailure.Itmustdiewhenthehostdies.The successful parasites were those that could live off the hostwithoutkillinghim.

And the most successful hosts were those that could tolerate theparasite,oreventurnittoadvantage,tomakeitworkforthehost.

“Thebestadaptedbacteria,”Burtonusedtosay,“aretheonesthatcauseminordiseases,ornoneatall.Youmaycarry the samesinglecellofStrep.viridiansonyourbodyforsixtyorseventyyears.Duringthat time,youaregrowingand reproducinghappily; so is theStrep.YoucancarryStaph.aureus around, andpayonly thepriceof someacneandpimples.Youcancarrytuberculosis formanydecades;youcancarrysyphilisforalifetime.Theselastarenotminordiseases,buttheyaremuchlessseverethantheyoncewere,becausebothmanandorganismhaveadapted.”

Itwasknown,forinstance,thatsyphilishadbeenavirulentdisease

fourhundredyearsbefore,producinghugefesteringsoresalloverthebody, often killing in weeks. But over the centuries, man and thespirochetehadlearnedtotolerateeachother.

Such considerations were not so abstract and academic as theyseemedatfirst.IntheearlyplanningofWildfire,Stonehadobservedthat40percentofallhumandiseasewascausedbymicroorganisms.Burton had countered by noting that only 3 per cent of allmicroorganismscauseddisease.Obviously,whilemuchhumanmiserywas attributable to bacteria, the chances of any particular bacteriabeing dangerous to man were very small. This was because theprocessofadaptation—offittingmantobacteria—wascomplex.

“Mostbacteria,”Burtonobserved, “simplycan’t livewithinamanlong enough to harm him. Conditions are, one way or another,unfavorable.Thebodyistoohotortoocold,tooacidortooalkaline,thereistoomuchoxygenornotenough.Man’sbodyisashostileasAntarcticatomostbacteria.”

Thismeantthatthechancesofanorganismfromouterspacebeingsuitedtoharmmanwereveryslim.Everyonerecognizedthis,butfeltthat Wildfire had to be constructed in any event. Burton certainlyagreed,butfeltinanoddwaythathisprophecyhadcometrue.

Clearly,thebugtheyhadfoundcouldkillmen.Butitwasnotreallyadapted to men, because it killed and died within the organism. Itcouldnotbetransmittedfromcorpsetocorpse.Itexistedforasecondortwoinitshost,andthendiedwithit.

Satisfyingintellectually,hethought.

But practically speaking they still had to isolate it, understand it,andfindacure.

Burton already knew something about transmission, and somethingabout the mechanism of death: clotting of the blood. The questionremained—Howdidtheorganismsgetintothebody?

Because transmission appeared to be airborne, contact with skinand lungs seemed likely. Possibly the organisms burrowed rightthroughtheskinsurface.Ortheymightbeinhaled.Orboth.

Howtodetermineit?

He considered putting protective suitings around an experimental

animal to cover all but themouth. Thatwas possible, but itwouldtakealongtime.Hesatandworriedabouttheproblemforanhour.

Thenhehituponamorelikelyapproach.

Heknew that theorganismkilledbyclottingblood.Very likely itwouldinitiateclottingatthepointofentranceintothebody.Ifskin,clottingwould startnear the surface. If lungs, itwouldbegin in thechest,radiatingoutward.

This was something he could test. By using radioactively taggedblood proteins, and then following his animals with scintillometerscans,hecoulddeterminewhereinthebodythebloodfirstclotted.

Hepreparedasuitableanimal,choosingarhesusmonkeybecauseitsanatomywasmorehumanthanarat’s.Heinfusedtheradioactivetagging substance, a magnesium isotope, into the monkey andcalibrated the scanner. After allowing equilibration, he tied themonkeydownandpositionedthescanneroverhead.

Hewasnowreadytobegin.

Thescannerwouldprintoutitsresultsonaseriesofhumanblockoutlines.Hesetthecomputerprintingprogramandthenexposedtherhesustoaircontainingthelethalmicroorganism.

Immediately,theprintoutbegantoclatteroutfromthecomputer:

Itwasalloverinthreeseconds.Thegraphicprintouttoldhimwhathe needed to know, that clotting began in the lungs and spread

outwardthroughtherestofthebody.

But there was an additional piece of information gained. Burtonlatersaid,“Ihadbeenconcernedthatperhapsdeathandclottingdidnot coincide—or at least did not coincide exactly. It seemedimpossible to me that death could occur in three seconds, but itseemedevenmoreunlikelythatthetotalbloodvolumeofthebody—fivequarts—couldsolidifyinsoshortaperiod.Iwascurioustoknowwhether a single crucial clotmight form, in thebrain, perhaps, andtherestofthebodyclotataslowerpace.”

Burton was thinking of the brain even at this early stage of hisinvestigation.Inretrospect,itisfrustratingthathedidnotfollowthislineofinquirytoitslogicalconclusion.Hewaspreventedfromdoingthisbytheevidenceofthescans,whichtoldhimthatclottingbeganinthelungsandprogressedupthecarotidarteriestothebrainoneortwosecondslater.

SoBurtonlostimmediateinterestinthebrain.Andhismistakewascompoundedbyhisnextexperiment.

Itwasasimpletest,notpartoftheregularWildfireProtocol.Burtonknew that death coincided with blood clotting. If clotting could beprevented,coulddeathbeavoided?

He took several rats and injected them with heparin, ananticoagulatingdrug—preventingblood-clotformation.Heparinwasarapid-acting drug widely used in medicine; its actions werethoroughly understood. Burton injected the drug intravenously invarying amounts, ranging from a low-normal dose to a massivelyexcessivedose.

Thenheexposedtheratstoaircontainingthelethalorganism.

The first rat, with a low dose, died in five seconds. The othersfollowed within a minute. A single rat with a massive dose livednearlythreeminutes,buthealsosuccumbedintheend.

Burtonwasdepressedbytheresults.Althoughdeathwasdelayed,itwas not prevented. The method of symptomatic treatment did notwork.

Heputthedeadratstooneside,andthenmadehiscrucialmistake.

Burtondidnotautopsytheanticoagulatedrats.

Instead,he turnedhisattention to theoriginalautopsyspecimens,thefirstblackNorwayratandthefirstrhesusmonkeytobeexposedto the capsule.He performed a complete autopsy on these animals,butdiscardedtheanticoagulatedanimals.

Itwouldbeforty-eighthoursbeforeherealizedhiserror.

The autopsies he performed were careful and good; he did themslowly,remindinghimselfthathemustoverlooknothing.Heremovedthe internal organs from the rat and monkey and examined each,removingsamplesforboththelightandelectronmicroscopes.

To gross inspection, the animals had died of total, intravascularcoagulation.Thearteries,theheart,lungs,kidneys,liverandspleen—alltheblood-containingorgans—wererockhard,solid.Thiswaswhathehadexpected.

He carried his tissue slices across the room to prepare frozensectionsformicroscopicexamination.Aseachsectionwascompletedby his technician, he slipped it under themicroscope, examined it,andphotographedit.

The tissues were normal. Except for the clotted blood, there wasnothingunusualaboutthematall.Heknewthatthesesamepiecesoftissue would now be sent to the microscopy lab, where anothertechnician would prepare stained sections, using hematoxylin-eosin,periodic acid-Schiff, and Zenker-formalin stains. Sections of nervewouldbestainedwithNisslandCajalgoldpreparations.Thisprocesswould take anadditional twelve to fifteenhours.He couldhope, ofcourse,thatthestainedsectionswouldrevealsomethingmore,buthehadnoreasontobelievetheywould.

Similarly, he was unenthusiastic about the prospects for electronmicroscopy. The electron microscope was a valuable tool, butoccasionally it made things more difficult, not easier. The electronmicroscope could provide great magnification and clear detail—butonly if you knew where to look. It was excellent for examining asinglecell,orpartofacell.But firstyouhadtoknowwhichcell toexamine.Andtherewerebillionsofcellsinahumanbody.

At theendof tenhoursofwork,he satback to considerwhathehadlearned.Hedrewupashortlist:

1. The lethal agent is approximately 1 micron in size.

Thereforeit isnotagasormolecule,orevenalargeproteinorvirus.It isthesizeofacell,andmayactuallybeacellofsomesort.

2. The lethal agent is transmitted by air. Dead organismsarenotinfectious.

3. The lethal agent is inspired by the victim, entering thelungs.There itpresumablycrossesover intothebloodstreamandstartscoagulation.

4.The lethalagentcausesdeath throughcoagulation.Thisoccurswithinseconds,andcoincideswithtotalcoagulationoftheentirebodyvascularsystem.

5.Anticoagulantdrugsdonotpreventthisprocess.

6.Nootherpathologicabnormalitiesareknowntooccurinthedyinganimal.

Burtonlookedathislistandshookhishead.Anticoagulantsmightnotwork,butthefactwasthatsomethingstoppedtheprocess.Therewasawaythatitcouldbedone.Heknewthat.

Becausetwopeoplehadsurvived.

17

Recovery

AT1147HOURS,MarkHallwasbentoverthecomputer,staring at the console that showed the laboratory results fromPeterJacksonandtheinfant.Thecomputerwasgivingresultsastheywerefinishedby theautomated laboratory equipment; bynow,nearly allresultswerein.

Theinfant,Hallobserved,wasnormal.Thecomputerdidnotmincewords:

SUBJECTCODED-INFANT-SHOWSALLLABORATORYVALUESWITHINNORMALLIMITS

However, Peter Jacksonwas another problementirely.His resultswereabnormalinseveralrespects.

SUBJECTCODEDJACKSON,PETER

LABORATORYVALUESNOTWITHINNORMALLIMITSFOLLOW

TEST NORMAL VALUE

HEMATOCRIT 38–54 21INITIAL

25REPEAT

29REPEAT

33REPEAT

37REPEAT

BUN 10–20 50

COUNTSRETIC 1 6

BLOODSMEARSHOWSMANYIMMATUREERYTHROCYTEFORMS

TEST NORMAL VALUE

PROTIME L2 12

BLOODPH 7.40 7.31

SGOT 40 75

SEDRATE 9 29

AMYLASE 70–200 450

Someoftheresultswereeasytounderstand,otherswerenot.Thehematocrit, for example, was rising because Jackson was receivingtransfusionsofwholebloodandpackedredcells.TheBUN,orbloodureanitrogen,wasatestofkidneyfunctionandwasmildlyelevated,probablybecauseofdecreasedbloodflow.

Other analyses were consistent with blood loss. The reticulocytecount was up from 1 to 6 per cent—Jackson had been anemic forsometime.Heshowedimmaturered-cellforms,whichmeantthathisbodywas struggling to replace lostblood,andsohad toputyoung,immatureredcellsintocirculation.

The prothrombin time indicated that while Jackson was bleedingfrom somewhere in his gastrointestinal tract, he had no primarybleedingproblem:hisbloodclottednormally.

ThesedimentationrateandSGOTwereindicesoftissuedestruction.SomewhereinJackson’sbody,tissuesweredyingoff.

But thepHof thebloodwasabitofapuzzle.At7.31, itwas tooacid, thoughnot strikingly so.Hallwas at a loss to explain this. Sowasthecomputer.

SUBJECTCODEDJACKSON,PETER

DIAGNOSTICPROBABILITIES

1.ACUTEANDCHRONICBLOODLOSSETIOLOGYGASTROINTESTINAL.884NOOTHERSTATISTICALLYSIGNIFICANTSOURCES.

2.ACIDOSISETIOLOGYUNEXPLAINEDFURTHERDATAREQUIREDSUGGESTHISTORY

Hall read theprintout and shrugged.The computermight suggest

hetalktothepatient,butthatwaseasiersaidthandone.Jacksonwascomatose, and if he had ingested anything tomake his blood acid,theywouldnotfindoutuntilherevived.

Ontheotherhand,perhapshecouldtestbloodgases.Heturnedtothecomputerandpunchedinarequestforbloodgases.

Thecomputerrespondedstubbornly.

PATIENTHISTORYPREFERABLETOLABORATORYANALYSES

Halltypedin:“Patientcomatose.”

Thecomputerseemedtoconsiderthis,andthenflashedback:

PATIENT MONITORS NOT COMPATIBLE WITHCOMAEEGSHOWSALPHAWAVESDIAGNOSTICOFSLEEP

“I’llbedamned,”Hallsaid.HelookedthroughthewindowandsawthatJacksonwas,indeed,stirringsleepily.Hecrawleddownthroughthetunneltohisplasticsuitandleanedoverthepatient.

“Mr.Jackson,wakeup…”

Slowly, he opened his eyes and stared at Hall. He blinked, notbelieving.

“Don’tbefrightened,”Hallsaidquietly.“You’resick,andwehavebeentakingcareofyou.Doyoufeelbetter?”

Jacksonswallowed,andnodded.Heseemedafraidtospeak.Butthepallorofhisskinwasgone;hischeekshadaslightpinkishtinge;hisfingernailswerenolongergray.

“Howdoyoufeelnow?”

“Okay…Whoareyou?”

“IamDr.Hall. Ihavebeentakingcareofyou.Youwerebleedingverybadly.Wehadtogiveyouatransfusion.”

Henodded,acceptingthisquitecalmly.Somehow,hismannerrungabellforHall,whosaid,“Hasthishappenedtoyoubefore?”

“Yes,”hesaid.“Twice.”

“Howdidithappenbefore?”

“Idon’tknowwhere Iam,”he said, lookingaround the room.“Is

thisahospital?Whyareyouwearingthatthing?”

“No,thisisn’tahospital.ItisaspeciallaboratoryinNevada.”

“Nevada?” He closed his eyes and shook his head. “But I’m inArizona…”

“Notnow.Webroughtyouhere,sowecouldhelpyou.”

“Howcomethatsuit?”

“WebroughtyoufromPiedmont.TherewasadiseaseinPiedmont.Youarenowinanisolationchamber.”

“YoumeanI’mcontagious?”

“Well,wedon’tknowforsure.Butwemust—”

“Listen,”hesaid,suddenlytryingtogetup,“thisplacegivesmethecreeps.I’mgettingoutofhere.Idon’tlikeithere.”

He struggled in the bed, trying to move against the straps. Hallpushedhimbackgently.

“Justrelax,Mr.Jackson.Everythingwillbeallright,butyoumustrelax.You’vebeenasickman.”

Slowly,Jacksonlayback.Then:“Iwantacigarette.”

“I’mafraidyoucan’thaveone.”

“Whatthehell,Iwantone.”

“I’msorry,smokingisnotallowed—”

“Lookhere,youngfella,whenyou’velivedaslongasIhaveyou’llknowwhatyoucandoandwhatyoucan’tdo.Theytoldmebefore.Noneof thatMexicanfood,no liquor,nobutts. I tried it foraspell.Youknowhowthatmakesabodyfeel?Terrible,justterrible.”

“Whotoldyou?”

“Thedoctors.”

“Whatdoctors?”

“Those doctors in Phoenix. Big fancy hospital, all that shinyequipmentandall thoseshinywhiteuniforms.Real fancyhospital. Iwouldn’thavegonethere,exceptformysister.Sheinsisted.Shelivesin Phoenix, you know, with that husband of hers, George. Stupidninny.Ididn’twantnofancyhospital,Ijustwantedtorestup,isall.

Butsheinsisted,soIwent.”

“Whenwasthis?”

“Lastyear.Juneitwas,orJuly.”

“Whydidyougotothehospital?”

“Whydoesanybodygotothehospital?Iwassick,dammit.”

“Whatwasyourproblem?”

“Thisdamnstomachofmine,sameasalways.”

“Bleeding?”

“Christ, bleeding. Ever time I hiccoughed I came up with blood.Neverknewabodyhadsomuchbloodinit.”

“Bleedinginyourstomach?”

“Yeah.LikeIsaid,Ihaditbefore.Alltheseneedlesstuckinyou”—he nodded to the intravenous lines—“and all the blood going intoyou. Phoenix last year, and thenTucson the year before that.Now,Tucsonwasarightniceplace.Rightnice.Hadmeaprettylittlenurseand all.” Abruptly, he closed his mouth. “How old are you, son,anyhow?Youdon’tseemoldenoughtobeadoctor.”

“I’masurgeon,”Hallsaid.

“Surgeon!Ohnoyoudon’t.Theykepttryingtogetmetodoit,andIkeptsaying,Notonyoursweetlife.Noindeedy.Nottakingitoutofme.”

“You’vehadanulcerfortwoyears?”

“Abitmore.Thepainsstartedoutoftheclearblue.ThoughtIhadatouchofindigestion,youknow,untilthebleedingstartedup.”

Atwo-yearhistory,Hallthought.Definitelyulcer,notcancer.

“Andyouwenttothehospital?”

“Yep.Fixedmeupfine.Warnedmeoffspicy foodsandhardstuffandcigarettes.AndItried,sonny,Isuredid.Butitwasn’tnogood.Amangetsusedtohispleasures.”

“Soinayear,youwerebackinthehospital.”

“Yeah.BigoldplaceinPhoenix,withthatstupidninnyGeorgeandmysistervisitingmeeveryday.He’sabook-learningfool,youknow.

Lawyer. Talks real big, but he hasn’t got the sense God gave agrasshopper’sbehind.”

“AndtheywantedtooperateinPhoenix?”

“Suretheydid.Nooffense,sonny,butanydoctor’lloperateonyou,givehimhalf a chance. It’s theway they think. I just told them I’dgone this far with my old stomach, and I reckoned I’d finish thestretchwithit.”

“Whendidyouleavethehospital?”

“Must have been early August sometime. First week, orthereabouts.”

“And when did you start smoking and drinking and eating thewrongfoods?”

“Nowdon’t lectureme, sonny,”Jacksonsaid.“I’vebeen living forsixty-nineyears,eatingall thewrong foodsanddoingall thewrongthings.Ilikeitthatway,andifIcan’tkeepitup,wellthenthehellwithit.”

“Butyoumusthavehadpain,”Hallsaid,frowning.

“Oh,sure,itkickedupsome.SpeciallyifIdidn’teat.ButIfoundawaytofixthat.”

“Yes?”

“Sure.Theygavemethismilkstuffatthehospital,andwantedmeto keep on with it. Hundred times a day, in little sips. Milk stuff.Tastedlikechalk.ButIfoundabetterthing.”

“Whatwasthat?”

“Aspirin,”Jacksonsaid.

“Aspirin?”

“Sure.Worksrealnice.”

“Howmuchaspirindidyoutake?”

“Fair bit, toward the end. I was doing a bottle a day. You knowthembottlesitcomesin?”

Hall nodded. No wonder the man was acid. Aspirin wasacetylsalicylic acid, and if it was taken in sufficient quantities, itwould acidify you. Aspirin was a gastric irritant, and it could

exacerbatebleeding.

“Didn’tanybodytellyouaspirinwouldmakethebleedingworse?”heasked.

“Sure,” Jackson said. “They told me. But I didn’t mind none.Becauseitstoppedthepains,see.That,plusalittlesqueeze.”

“Squeeze?”

“Red-eye.Youknow.”

Hallshookhishead.Hedidn’tknow.

“Sterno.Pinklady.Youtakeit,see,andputitincloth,andsqueezeitout…”

Hallsighed.“YouweredrinkingSterno,”hesaid.

“Well,onlywhenIcouldn’tgetnothingelse.Aspirinandsqueeze,see,reallykillsthatpain.”

“Sternoisn’tonlyalcohol.It’smethanol,too.”

“Doesn’t hurt you, does it?” Jackson asked, in a voice suddenlyconcerned.

“Asamatterof fact, itdoes. Itcanmakeyougoblind,anditcanevenkillyou.”

“Well,hell,itmademefeelbetter,soItookit,”Jacksonsaid.

“Did this aspirin and squeeze have any effect on you? On yourbreathing?”

“Well,nowyoumentionit,Iwasatadshortofbreath.Butwhatthehell,Idon’tneedmuchbreathatmyage.”

Jacksonyawnedandclosedhiseyes.

“You’reawfulfullofquestions,boy.Iwanttosleepnow.”

Halllookedathim,anddecidedthemanwasright.Itwouldbebestto proceed slowly, at least for a time. He crawled back down thetunnelandouttothemainroom.Heturnedtohisassistant:

“OurfriendMr.Jacksonhasatwo-yearhistoryofulcer.We’dbetterkeepthebloodgoinginforanothercoupleofunits,thenwecanstopand see what’s happening. Drop an NG tube and start icewaterlavage.”

Agongrang,echoingsoftlythroughtheroom.

“What’sthat?”

“The twelve-hourmark. Itmeanswehave tochangeourclothing.Anditmeansyouhaveaconference.”

“Ido?Where?”

“TheCRoffthediningroom.”

Hallnodded,andleft.

Indeltasector,thecomputershummedandclickedsoftly,asCaptainArthur Morris punched through a new program on the console.CaptainMorriswasaprogrammer;hehadbeensenttodeltasectorbythecommandonLevelIbecausenoMCNmessageshadbeenreceivedfor nine hours. It was possible, of course, that there had been noprioritytransmissions;butitwasalsounlikely.

And if there had been unreceived MCN messages, then thecomputerswerenotfunctioningproperly.CaptainMorriswatchedasthecomputerranitsusualinternalcheckprogram,whichreadoutasallcircuitsfunctioning.

Unsatisfied, he punched in the CHECKLIM program, a morerigoroustestingofthecircuitbanks.Itrequired0.03secondsforthemachine to come back with its answer: a row of five green lightsblinkedontheconsole.Hewalkedovertotheteleprinterandwatchedasittyped:

MACHINEFUNCTIONONALLCIRCUITS

WITHINRATIONALINDICES

He lookedandnodded, satisfied.Hecouldnothaveknown,ashestoodbeforetheteleprinter,thattherewasindeedafault,butthatitwaspurelymechanical,notelectronic,andhencecouldnotbetestedonthecheckprograms.Thefaultlaywithintheteleprinterboxitself.Thereasliverofpaperfromtheedgeoftherollhadpeeledawayand,curlingupward,had lodgedbetweenthebellandstriker,preventingthebellfromringing.ItwasforthisreasonthatnoMCNtransmissionshadbeenrecorded.

Neithermachinenormanwasabletocatchtheerror.

18

TheNoonConference

ACCORDINGTOPROTOCOL, the teammet every twelvehours for a brief conference, atwhich resultswere summarized andnewdirections planned. In order to save time the conferenceswereheldinasmallroomoffthecafeteria;theycouldeatandtalkatthesametime.

Hallwasthelasttoarrive.Heslippedintoachairbehindhislunch—two glasses of liquid and three pills of different colors—just asStonesaid,“We’llhearfromBurtonfirst.”

Burtonshuffledtohisfeetandinaslow,hesitantvoiceoutlinedhisexperimentsandhisresults.Henotedfirstthathehaddeterminedthesizeofthelethalagenttobeonemicron.

StoneandLeavitt lookedateachother.Thegreen flecks theyhadseenweremuchlargerthanthat;clearly,infectioncouldbespreadbyamerefractionofthegreenfleck.

Burton next explained his experiments concerning airbornetransmission,andcoagulationbeginningatthelungs.Hefinishedwithhisattemptsatanticoagulationtherapy.

“Whatabouttheautopsies?”Stonesaid.“Whatdidtheyshow?”

“Nothingwedon’talreadyknow.Theblood isclotted throughout.Nootherdemonstrableabnormalitiesatthelight-microscopelevel.”

“Andclottingisinitiatedatthelungs?”

“Yes.Presumablytheorganismscrossovertothebloodstreamthere—ortheymayreleaseatoxicsubstance,whichcrossesover.Wemayhaveananswerwhenthestainedsectionsarefinished.Inparticular,we will be looking for damage to blood vessels, since this releasestissuethromboplastin,andstimulatesclottingatthesiteofdamage.”

StonenoddedandturnedtoHall,whotoldofthetestscarriedouton his two patients.He explained that the infantwas normal to alltests and that Jackson had a bleeding ulcer, for which he was

receivingtransfusions.

“He’srevived,”Hallsaid.“Italkedwithhimbriefly.”

Everyonesatup.

“Mr.Jacksonisacrankyoldgoatofsixty-ninewhohasatwo-yearhistoryofulcer.He’sbledouttwicebefore:twoyearsago,andagainlastyear.Eachtimehewaswarnedtochangehishabits;eachtimehewentbacktohisoldways,andbeganbleedingagain.Atthetimeofthe Piedmont contact, he was treating his problems with his ownregimen:abottleofaspirinaday,andsomeSternoon topof it.Hesaysthislefthimalittleshortofbreath.”

“Andmadehimacidoticashell,”Burtonsaid.

“Exactly.”

Methanol, when broken down by the body, was converted toformaldehydeandformicacid.Incombinationwithaspirin,itmeantJackson was consuming great quantities of acid. The body had tomaintain its acid-base balance within fairly narrow limits or deathwouldoccur.Onewaytokeepthebalancewastobreatherapidly,andblowoffcarbondioxide,decreasingcarbonicacidinthebody.

Stone said, “Could this acid have protected him from theorganism?”

Hallshrugged.“Impossibletosay.”

Leavittsaid,“Whatabouttheinfant?Wasitanemic?”

“No,”Hallsaid.“Butontheotherhand,wedon’tknowforsurethatit was protected by the samemechanism. It might have somethingentirelydifferent.”

“Howabouttheacid-basebalanceofthechild?”

“Normal,”Hallsaid.“Perfectlynormal.Atleastitisnow.”

Therewasamomentofsilence.FinallyStonesaid,“Well,youhavesome good leads here. The problem remains to discover what, ifanything, that childand thatoldmanhave in common.Perhaps, asyousuggest,thereisnothingincommon.Butforastart,wehavetoassume that they were protected in the same way, by the samemechanism.”

Hallnodded.

BurtonsaidtoStone,“Andwhathaveyoufoundinthecapsule?”

“We’dbettershowyou,”Stonesaid.

“Showuswhat?”

“Somethingwebelievemayrepresenttheorganism,”Stonesaid.

ThedoorsaidMORPHOLOGY.Inside,theroomwaspartionedintoaplace for the experimenters to stand, and a glass-walled isolationchamberfurtherin.Gloveswereprovidedsothemencouldreachintothechamberandmoveinstrumentsabout.

Stonepointedtotheglassdish,andthesmallfleckofblackinsideit.

“Wethinkthisisour‘meteor,’”hesaid.“Wehavefoundsomethingapparentlyaliveonitssurface.Therewerealsootherareaswithinthecapsulethatmayrepresentlife.We’vebroughtthemeteorinheretohavealookatitunderthelightmicroscope.”

Reachingthroughwiththegloves,Stoneset theglassdish intoanopeninginalargechromebox,thenwithdrewhishands.

“The box,” he said, “is simply a light microscope fitted with theusual image intensifiers and resolution scanners.We cangoup to athousanddiameterswithit,projectedonthescreenhere.”

LeavittadjusteddialswhileHallandtheothersstaredattheviewerscreen.

“Tenpower,”Leavittsaid.

On the screen, Hall saw that the rockwas jagged, blackish, dull.Stonepointedoutgreenflecks.

“Onehundredpower.”

Thegreenfleckswerelargernow,veryclear.

“We think that’s our organism. We have observed it growing; itturnspurple,apparentlyatthepointofmitoticdivision.”

“Spectrumshift?”

“Ofsomekind.”

“Onethousandpower,”Leavittsaid.

Thescreenwasfilledwithasinglegreenspot,nestleddowninthe

jagged hollows of the rock. Hall noticed the surface of the green,whichwassmoothandglistening,almostoily.

“Youthinkthat’sasinglebacterialcolony?”

“We can’t be sure it’s a colony in the conventional sense,” Stonesaid.“UntilweheardBurton’sexperiments,wedidn’t think itwasacolonyatall.Wethoughtitmightbeasingleorganism.Butobviouslythesingleunitshavetobeamicronor less insize; this ismuchtoobig. Therefore it is probably a larger structure—perhaps a colony,perhapssomethingelse.”

Astheywatched,thespotturnedpurple,andgreenagain.

“It’sdividingnow,”Stonesaid.“Excellent.”

Leavittswitchedonthecameras.

“Nowwatchclosely.”

The spot turned purple and held the color. It seemed to expandslightly, and for a moment, the surface broke into fragments,hexagonalinshape,likeatilefloor.

“Didyouseethat?”

“Itseemedtobreakup.”

“Intosix-sidedfigures.”

“I wonder,” Stone said, “whether those figures represent singleunits.”

“Orwhethertheyareregulargeometricshapesallthetime,orjustduringdivision?”

“We’llknowmore,”Stonesaid,“aftertheEM.”HeturnedtoBurton.“Haveyoufinishedyourautopsies?”

“Yes.”

“Canyouworkthespectrometer?”

“Ithinkso.”

“Thendothat.It’scomputerized,anyway.We’llwantananalysisofsamplesofboththerockandthegreenorganism.”

“You’llgetmeapiece?”

“Yes.”StonesaidtoLeavitt:“CanyouhandletheAAanalyzer?”

“Yes.”

“Sametestsonthat.”

“Andafractionation?”

“Ithinkso,”Stonesaid.“Butyou’llhavetodothatbyhand.”

Leavitt nodded; Stone turned back to the isolation chamber andremovedaglassdishfromthelightmicroscope.Hesetittooneside,beneathasmalldevicethat lookedlikeaminiaturescaffolding.Thiswasthemicrosurgicalunit.

Microsurgerywas a relatively new skill in biology—the ability toperform delicate operations on a single cell. Using microsurgicaltechniques,itwaspossibletoremovethenucleusfromacell,orpartof the cytoplasm, as neatly and cleanly as a surgeon performed anamputation.

Thedevicewasconstructedtoscaledownhumanhandmovementsinto fine, precise miniature motions. A series of gears andservomechanismscarriedoutthereduction;themovementofathumbwastranslatedintoashiftofaknifeblademillionthsofaninch.

Using a high magnification viewer, Stone began to chip awaydelicatelyat theblackrock,untilhehad two tiny fragments.Hesetthemasideinseparateglassdishesandproceededtoscrapeawaytwosmallfragmentsfromthegreenarea.

Immediately,thegreenturnedpurple,andexpanded.

“Itdoesn’tlikeyou,”Leavittsaid,andlaughed.

Stone frowned. “Interesting. Do you suppose that’s a nonspecificgrowthresponse,oratrophicresponsetoinjuryandirradiation?”

“Ithink,”Leavittsaid,“thatitdoesn’tliketobepokedat.”

“Wemustinvestigatefurther,”Stonesaid.

19

Crash

FOR ARTHUR MANCHEK, there was a certain kind ofhorrorinthetelephoneconversation.Hereceiveditathome,havingjust finished dinner and sat down in the living room to read thenewspapers.Hehadn’tseenanewspaperinthelasttwodays,hehadbeensobusywiththePiedmontbusiness.

Whenthephonerang,heassumedthatitmustbeforhiswife,butamomentlatershecameinandsaid,“It’sforyou.Thebase.”

He had an uneasy feeling as he picked up the receiver. “MajorManchekspeaking.”

“Major, this is Colonel Burns at Unit Eight.” Unit Eight was theprocessingandclearingunitofthebase.PersonnelcheckedinandoutthroughUnitEight,andcallsweretransmittedthroughit.

“Yes,Colonel?”

“Sir,wehaveyoudown fornotificationof certain contingencies.”His voicewas guarded; hewas choosing hiswords carefully on theopenline.“I’minformingyounowofanRTMcrashforty-twominutesagoinBigHead,Utah.”

Manchek frowned. Why was he being informed of a routinetraining-missioncrash?Itwashardlyhisprovince.

“Whatwasit?”

“Phantom,sir.EnrouteSanFranciscotoTopeka.”

“Isee,”Mancheksaid,thoughhedidnotseeatall.

“Sir,Goddardwanted you to be informed in this instance so thatyoucouldjointhepostteam.”

“Goddard?WhyGoddard?” For amoment, as he sat there in theliving room, staring at the newspaper headline absently—NEWBERLIN CRISIS FEARED—he thought that the colonel meant LewisGoddard,chiefofthecodessectionofVandenberg.Thenherealizedhe meant Goddard Spaceflight Center, outside Washington. Among

other things, Goddard acted as collating center for certain specialprojects that fell between the province of Houston and thegovernmentalagenciesinWashington.

“Sir,” Colonel Burns said, “the Phantom drifted off its flight planfortyminutesoutofSanFranciscoandpassedthroughAreaWF.”

Manchekfelthimselfslowingdown.Akindofsleepinesscameoverhim.“AreaWF?”

“Thatiscorrect,sir.”

“When?”

“Twentyminutesbeforethecrash.”

“Atwhataltitude?”

“Twenty-threethousandfeet,sir.”

“Whendoesthepostteamleave?”

“Halfanhour,sir,fromthebase.”

“Allright,”Mancheksaid.“I’llbethere.”

Hehungupandstaredatthephonelazily.Hefelttired;hewishedhecouldgotobed.AreaWFwasthedesignationforthecordoned-offradiusaroundPiedmont,Arizona.

Theyshouldhavedroppedthebomb,hethought.Theyshouldhavedroppedittwodaysago.

At the timeof thedecision todelayDirective7–12,Manchekhadbeenuneasy. But officially he could not express an opinion, andhehad waited in vain for the Wildfire team, now located in theunderground laboratory, to complain to Washington. He knewWildfire had been notified; he had seen the cable that went to allsecurityunits;itwasquiteexplicit.

YetforsomereasonWildfirehadnotcomplained.Indeed,theyhadpaidnoattentiontoitwhatever.

Veryodd.

And now there was a crash. He lit his pipe and sucked on it,considering the possibilities. Overwhelming was the likelihood thatsome green trainee had daydreamed, gone off his flight plan,panicked, and lost control of the plane. It had happened before,

hundredsoftimes.Thepostteam,agroupofspecialistswhowentouttothesiteofthewreckagetoinvestigateallcrashes,usuallyreturnedaverdict of “AgnogenicSystemsFailure.” Itwasmilitarydoubletalkforcrashofunknowncause;itdidnotdistinguishbetweenmechanicalfailureandpilotfailure,butitwasknownthatmostsystemsfailureswerepilotfailures.Amancouldnotaffordtodaydreamwhenhewasrunningacomplexmachineattwothousandmilesanhour.Theprooflay in the statistics: thoughonly9per cent of flights occurred afterthepilothadtakena leaveorweekendpass, these flightsaccountedfor27percentofcasualties.

Manchek’s pipewent out.He stood, dropping thenewspaper, andwentintothekitchentotellhiswifehewasleaving.

“This is movie country,” somebody said, looking at the sandstonecliffs,thebrilliantreddishhues,againstthedeepeningblueofthesky.And itwas true,manymovieshadbeen filmed in thisareaofUtah.ButManchekcouldnotthinkofmoviesnow.AshesatinthebackofthelimousinemovingawayfromtheUtahairport,heconsideredwhathehadbeentold.

DuringtheflightfromVandenbergtosouthernUtah,thepostteamhadheardtranscriptsoftheflighttransmissionbetweenthePhantomandTopekaCentral.Forthemostpartitwasdull,exceptforthefinalmomentsbeforethepilotcrashed.

Thepilothadsaid:“Somethingiswrong.”

Andthen,amomentlater,“Myrubberairhoseisdissolving.Itmustbethevibration.It’sjustdisintegratingtodust.”

Perhaps ten seconds after that, a weak, fading voice said,“Everythingmadeofrubberinthecockpitisdissolving.”

Therewerenofurthertransmissions.

Manchekkepthearingthatbriefcommunication,inhismind,overandover.Eachtime,itsoundedmorebizarreandterrifying.

He lookedout thewindowat the cliffs.The sunwas settingnow,andonlythetopsofthecliffswerelightedbyfadingreddishsunlight;thevalleys lay indarkness.He lookedaheadat theother limousine,raisingasmalldustcloudasitcarriedtherestoftheteamtothecrashsite.

“Iused to lovewesterns,” somebodysaid.“Theywereall shotouthere.Beautifulcountry.”

Manchek frowned. It was astonishing to him how people couldspend somuch time on irrelevancies.Or perhaps itwas just denial,theunwillingnesstofacereality.

The realitywas cold enough: the Phantom had strayed into AreaWF, going quite deep for a matter of six minutes before the pilotrealizedtheerrorandpullednorthagain.However,once inWF,theplanehadbeguntolosestability.Andithadfinallycrashed.

Hesaid,“HasWildfirebeeninformed?”

Amember of the group, a psychiatrist with a crew cut—all postteams had at least one psychiatrist—said, “You mean the germpeople?”

“Yes.”

“They’ve been told,” somebody else said. “It went out on thescrambleranhourago.”

Then, thoughtManchek, therewould certainlybea reaction fromWildfire.Theycouldnotaffordtoignorethis.

Unless theyweren’t reading their cables. Ithadneveroccurred tohim before, but perhaps it was possible—they weren’t reading thecables. They were so absorbed in their work, they just weren’tbothering.

“There’sthewreck,”somebodysaid.“Upahead.”

Each timeManchek sawawreck,hewasastonished.Somehow,onenever got used to the idea of the sprawl, themess—the destructiveforceofa largemetalobjectstrikingtheearthat thousandsofmilesanhour.Healwaysexpectedaneat,tightlittleclumpofmetal,butitwasneverthatway.

ThewreckageofthePhantomwasscatteredovertwosquaremilesofdesert.Standingnexttothecharredremnantsoftheleftwing,hecould barely see the others, on the horizon, near the right wing.Everywhere he looked, therewere bits of twistedmetal, blackened,paintpeeling.Hesawonewithasmallportionofa signstill intact,thestenciledlettersclear:DONOT.Therestwasgone.

Itwasimpossibletomakeanythingoftheremnants.Thefuselage,

the cockpit, the canopywere all shattered into amillion fragments,andthefireshaddisfiguredeverything.

Asthesunfaded,hefoundhimselfstandingneartheremainsofthetail section,where themetal still radiatedheat from the smolderingfire.Half-buriedinthesandhesawabitofbone;hepickeditupandrealized with horror that it was human. Long, and broken, andcharredatoneend,ithadobviouslycomefromanarmoraleg.Butitwasoddlyclean—therewasnofleshremaining,onlysmoothbone.

Darkness descended, and the post team took out their flashlights,the half-dozen men moving among smoking metal, flashing theiryellowbeamsoflightabout.

Itwas late in the eveningwhenabiochemistwhosenamehedidnotknowcameuptotalkwithhim.

“Youknow,”thebiochemistsaid,“it’sfunny.Thattranscriptabouttherubberinthecockpitdissolving.”

“Howdoyoumean?”

“Well, no rubberwas used in this airplane. Itwas all a syntheticplasticcompound.NewlydevelopedbyAncro;they’requiteproudofit.It’sapolymerthathassomeofthesamecharacteristicsashumantissue.Veryflexible,lotsofapplications.”

Manchek said, “Do you think vibrations could have caused thedisintegration?”

“No,” the man said. “There are thousands of Phantoms flyingaround theworld.Theyallhave thisplastic.Noneof themhaseverhadthistrouble.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that I don’t know what the hell is going on,” thebiochemistsaid.

20

Routine

SLOWLY,theWildfireinstallationsettledintoaroutine,arhythmofwork intheundergroundchambersofa laboratorywheretherewasnonightorday,morningorafternoon.Themensleptwhenthey were tired, awoke when they were refreshed, and carried ontheirworkinanumberofdifferentareas.

Most of this work was to lead nowhere. They knew that, andaccepted it in advance. As Stone was fond of saying, scientificresearchwasmuch like prospecting: youwent out and you hunted,armed with your maps and your instruments, but in the end yourpreparationsdidnotmatter,orevenyourintuition.Youneededyourluck, and whatever benefits accrued to the diligent, through sheer,grindinghardwork.

Burton stood in the room that housed the spectrometer along withseveral other pieces of equipment for radioactivity assays, ratio-densityphotometry, thermocouplinganalysis,andpreparation forX-raycrystallography.

The spectrometer employed in Level V was the standardWhittingtonmodelK-5.Essentiallyitconsistedofavaporizer,aprism,and a recording screen. The material to be tested was set in thevaporizerandburned.Thelightfromitsburningthenpassedthroughtheprism,whereitwasbrokendowntoaspectrumthatwasprojectedonto a recording screen. Since different elements gave off differentwavelengths of light as they burned, it was possible to analyze thechemicalmakeup of a substance by analyzing the spectrum of lightproduced.

In theory it was simple, but in practice the reading ofspectrometrogramswascomplexanddifficult.NooneintheWildfirelaboratory was trained to do it well. Thus results were fed directlyinto a computer, which performed the analysis. Because of thesensitivityofthecomputer,roughpercentagecompositionscouldalsobedetermined.

Burtonplacedthefirstchip,fromtheblackrock,ontothevaporizerandpressed thebutton.Therewasa singlebrightburstof intenselyhot light;he turnedaway,avoidingthebrightness,andthenput thesecond chip onto the lamp. Already, he knew, the computer wasanalyzingthelightfromthefirstchip.

Herepeatedtheprocesswiththegreenfleck,andthencheckedthetime. The computer was now scanning the self-developingphotographicplates,whichwerereadyforviewinginseconds.Butthescanitselfwouldtaketwohours—theelectriceyewasveryslow.

Oncethescanwascompleted,thecomputerwouldanalyzeresultsandprintthedatawithinfiveseconds.

The wall clock told him it was now 1500 hours—three in theafternoon. He suddenly realized he was tired. He punched ininstructionstothecomputertowakehimwhenanalysiswasfinished.Thenhewentofftobed.

In another room, Leavitt was carefully feeding similar chips into adifferentmachine, an amino-acid analyzer. As he did so, he smiledslightlytohimself,forhecouldrememberhowithadbeenintheolddays,beforeAAanalysiswasautomatic.

In the early fifties, theanalysis of aminoacids in aproteinmighttake weeks, or evenmonths. Sometimes it took years. Now it tookhours—orattheverymost,aday—anditwasfullyautomatic.

Amino acids were the building blocks of proteins. There weretwenty-four known amino acids, each composed of a half-dozenmolecules of carbon,hydrogen, oxygen, andnitrogen.Proteinsweremadebystringingtheseaminoacidstogetherinaline,likeafreighttrain.Theorder of stringingdetermined thenature of theprotein—whetheritwasinsulin,hemoglobin,orgrowthhormone.Allproteinswere composed of the same freight cars, the same units. Someproteinshadmoreofonekindofcar thananother,or inadifferentorder. But thatwas the only difference. The same amino acids, thesamefreightcars,existedinhumanproteinsandfleaproteins.

Thatfacthadtakenapproximatelytwentyyearstodiscover.

Butwhat controlled the order of amino acids in the protein?Theanswer turned out to be DNA, the genetic-coding substance, whichactedlikeaswitchingmanagerinafreight-yard.

Thatparticularfacthadtakenanothertwentyyearstodiscover.

Butthenoncetheaminoacidswerestrungtogether,theybegantotwistandcoiluponthemselves;theanalogybecameclosertoasnakethana train.Themannerof coilingwasdeterminedby theorderofacids,andwasquitespecific:aproteinhadtobecoiled inacertainway,andnoother,oritfailedtofunction.

Anothertenyears.

Ratherodd,Leavittthought.Hundredsoflaboratories,thousandsofworkersthroughouttheworld,allbentondiscoveringsuchessentiallysimplefacts.Ithadalltakenyearsandyears,decadesofpatienteffort.

And now there was this machine. The machine would not, ofcourse, give the precise order of amino acids. But it would give aroughpercentagecomposition:somuchvaline,somucharginine,somuchcystineandprolineandleucine.Andthat,inturn,wouldgiveagreatdealofinformation.

Yet itwas a shot in the dark, thismachine. Because they had noreason to believe that either the rock or the green organism wascomposedevenpartiallyofproteins.True,everylivingthingonearthhadatleastsomeproteins—butthatdidn’tmeanlifeelsewherehadtohaveit.

For a moment, he tried to imagine life without proteins. It wasalmost impossible:onearth,proteinswerepartof thecellwall, andcomprisedalltheenzymesknowntoman.Andlifewithoutenzymes?Wasthatpossible?

HerecalledtheremarkofGeorgeThompson,theBritishbiochemist,who had called enzymes “the matchmakers of life.” It was true;enzymesactedascatalysts forallchemicalreactions,byprovidingasurface for two molecules to come together and react upon. Therewere hundreds of thousands, perhaps millions, of enzymes, eachexisting solely to aid a single chemical reaction. Without enzymes,therecouldbenochemicalreactions.

Withoutchemicalreactions,therecouldbenolife.

Orcouldthere?

It was a long-standing problem. Early in planning Wildfire, thequestion had been posed: How do you study a form of life totally

unlikeanyyouknow?Howwouldyouevenknowitwasalive?

Thiswasnotanacademicmatter.Biology,asGeorgeWaldhadsaid,was a unique science because it could not define its subjectmatter.Nobody had a definition for life. Nobody knewwhat itwas, really.The old definitions—an organism that showed ingestion, excretion,metabolism, reproduction, and so on—were worthless. One couldalwaysfindexceptions.

The group had finally concluded that energy conversion was thehallmarkoflife.Alllivingorganismsinsomewaytookinenergy—asfood,orsunlight—andconvertedittoanotherformofenergy,andputittouse.(Virusesweretheexceptiontothisrule,butthegroupwaspreparedtodefinevirusesasnonliving.)

Forthenextmeeting,Leavittwasaskedtopreparearebuttaltothedefinition.Hepondereditforaweek,andreturnedwiththreeobjects:aswatchofblackcloth,awatch,andapieceofgranite.Hesetthemdownbeforethegroupandsaid,“Gentlemen,Igiveyouthreelivingthings.”

Hethenchallengedtheteamtoprovethattheywerenotliving.Heplaced the black cloth in the sunlight; it became warm. This, heannounced,wasanexampleofenergyconversion—radiantenergytoheat.

Itwasobjectedthatthiswasmerelypassiveenergyabsorption,notconversion. It was also objected that the conversion, if it could becalledthat,wasnotpurposeful.Itservednofunction.

“Howdoyouknowitisnotpurposeful?”Leavitthaddemanded.

Theythenturnedtothewatch.Leavittpointedtotheradiumdial,which glowed in the dark. Decay was taking place, and light wasbeingproduced.

Themen argued that this wasmerely release of potential energyheld in unstable electron levels. But there was growing confusion;Leavittwasmakinghispoint.

Finally,theycametothegranite.“Thisisalive,”Leavittsaid.“Itisliving,breathing,walking,andtalking.Onlywecannotseeit,becauseitishappeningtooslowly.Rockhasalifespanofthreebillionyears.Wehavea lifespanof sixtyor seventyyears.Wecannot seewhat ishappeningtothisrockforthesamereasonthatwecannotmakeout

thetuneonarecordbeingplayedattherateofonerevolutioneverycentury.Andtherock,foritspart,isnotevenawareofourexistencebecausewearealiveforonlyabriefinstantofitslifespan.Toit,wearelikeflashesinthedark.”

Hehelduphiswatch.

Hispointwasclearenough,andtheyrevisedtheirthinkinginoneimportantrespect.Theyconcededthatitwaspossiblethattheymightnot be able to analyze certain life forms. It was possible that theymightnotbeabletomaketheslightestheadway,theleastbeginning,insuchananalysis.

ButLeavitt’sconcernsextendedbeyondthis,tothegeneralproblemof action in uncertainty. He recalled reading Talbert Gregson’s“Planning the Unplanned” with close attention, poring over thecomplexmathematicalmodelstheauthorhaddevisedtoanalyzetheproblem.ItwasGregson’sconvictionthat:

All decisions involving uncertainty fall within two distinctcategories—thosewithcontingencies,andthosewithout.Thelatteraredistinctlymoredifficulttodealwith.

Most decisions, and nearly all human interaction, can beincorporated intoacontingenciesmodel.Forexample,aPresidentmaystartawar,amanmaysellhisbusiness,ordivorcehiswife.Suchanactionwillproduceareaction;thenumberofreactionsisinfinitebut thenumberofprobable reactions ismanageably small.Before making a decision, an individual can predict variousreactions,andhecanassesshisoriginal,orprimary-mode,decisionmoreeffectively.

But there is also a category which cannot be analyzed bycontingencies. This category involves events and situations whichareabsolutely unpredictable, not merely disasters of all sorts, butthosealsoincludingraremomentsofdiscoveryandinsight,suchasthose which produced the laser, or penicillin. Because thesemoments are unpredictable, they cannot be planned for in anylogicalmanner.Themathematicsarewhollyunsatisfactory.

Wemayonlytakecomfortinthefactthatsuchsituations,forillorforgood,areexceedinglyrare.

Jeremy Stone, working with infinite patience, took a flake of the

greenmaterialanddroppeditintomoltenplastic.Theplasticwasthesizeandshapeofamedicinecapsule.Hewaiteduntil the flakewasfirmlyimbedded,andpouredmoreplasticoverit.Hethentransferredtheplasticpilltothecuringroom.

Stoneenviedtheotherstheirmechanizedroutines.Thepreparationofsamplesforelectronmicroscopywasstilladelicatetaskrequiringskilled human hands; the preparation of a good sample was asdemanding a craft as that ever practiced by an artisan—and tookalmost as long to learn. Stone hadworked for five years before hebecameproficientatit.

Theplasticwascuredinaspecialhigh-speedprocessingunit,butitwouldstilltakefivehourstohardentoproperconsistency.Thecuringroomwouldmaintainaconstanttemperatureof61°C.witharelativehumidityof10percent.

Oncetheplasticwashardened,hewouldscrapeitaway,andthenflakeoffasmallbitofgreenwithamicrotome.Thiswouldgointotheelectronmicroscope.Theflakewouldhavetobeoftherightthicknessandsize,asmallroundshaving1,500angstromsindepth,nomore.

Onlythencouldhelookatthegreenstuff,whateveritwas,atsixtythousanddiametersmagnification.

That,hethought,wouldbeinteresting.

In general, Stone believed the work was going well. They weremaking fine progress, moving forward in several promising lines ofinquiry. Butmost important, they had time. Therewas no rush, nopanic,noneedtofear.

The bomb had been dropped on Piedmont. That would destroyairborne organisms, and neutralize the source of infection.Wildfirewastheonlyplacethatanyfurtherinfectioncouldspreadfrom,andWildfirewasspecificallydesignedtopreventthat.Shouldisolationbebroken in the lab, the areas that were contaminated wouldautomatically seal off. Within a half-second, sliding airtight doorswouldclose,producinganewconfigurationforthelab.

This was necessary because past experience in other laboratoriesworkinginso-calledaxenic,orgerm-free,atmospheresindicatedthatcontamination occurred in 15 per cent of cases. The reasons wereusually structural—a seal burst, a glove tore, a seam split—but the

contaminationoccurred,nonetheless.

AtWildfire, theywere prepared for that eventuality. But if it didnot happen, and the oddswere itwould not, then they couldworksafelyhereforanindefiniteperiod.Theycouldspendamonth,evenayear,workingontheorganism.Therewasnoproblem,noproblematall.

Hall walked through the corridor, looking at the atomic-detonatorsubstations. He was trying tomemorize their positions. There werefive on the floor, positioned at intervals along the central corridor.Each was the same: small silver boxes no larger than a cigarettepacket.Eachhada lock for thekey,agreen light thatwasburning,andadark-redlight.

Burtonhadexplainedthemechanismearlier.“Therearesensorsinall theduct systemsand inall the labs.Theymonitor theair in therooms by a variety of chemical, electronic, and straight bioassaydevices. The bioassay is just a mouse whose heartbeat is beingmonitored. If anything goes wrong with the sensors, the labautomaticallysealsoff.Ifthewholeflooriscontaminated,itwillsealoff,andtheatomicdevicewillcutin.Whenthathappens,thegreenlightwillgoout,andtheredlightwillbegintoblink.Thatsignalsthestart of the three-minute interval. Unless you lock in your key, thebombwillgooffattheendofthreeminutes.”

“AndIhavetodoitmyself?”

Burtonnodded. “Thekey is steel. It is conductive.The lock has asystemwhichmeasuresthecapacitanceofthepersonholdingthekey.Itrespondstogeneralbodysize,particularlyweight,andalsothesaltcontentofsweat.It’squitespecific,actually,foryou.”

“SoI’mreallytheonlyone?”

“You really are. And you only have one key. But there’s acomplicating problem. The blueprints weren’t followed exactly; weonly discovered the error after the labwas finished and the deviceinstalled. But there is an error: we are short three detonatorsubstations.Thereareonlyfive,insteadofeight.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaning that if the floor starts tocontaminate,youmust rush tolocateyourselfatasubstation.Otherwisethereisachanceyoucould

besealedoffinasectorwithoutasubstation.Andthen,intheeventof a malfunction of the bacteriologic sensors, a false positivemalfunction,thelaboratorycouldbedestroyedneedlessly.”

“Thatseemsaratherseriouserrorinplanning.”

“Itturnsout,”Burtonsaid,“thatthreenewsubstationsweregoingtobeaddednextmonth.But thatwon’thelpusnow. Just keep theprobleminmind,andeverything’llbeallright.”

Leavittawokequickly,rollingoutofbedandstartingtodress.Hewasexcited:hehadjusthadanidea.Afascinatingthing,wild,crazy,butfascinatingashell.

Ithadcomefromhisdream.

He had been dreaming of a house, and then of a city—a huge,complex, interconnecting city around thehouse.Aman lived in thehouse, with his family; the man lived and worked and commutedwithinthecity,movingabout,acting,reacting.

Andthen, inthedream,thecitywassuddenlyeliminated, leavingonly the house. How different things were then! A single house,standing alone, without the things it needed—water, plumbing,electricity, streets. And a family, cut off from the supermarkets,schools, drugstores. And the husband, whose work was in the city,interrelatedtoothersinthecity,suddenlystranded.

Thehousebecameadifferentorganismaltogether.Andfromthattothe Wildfire organism was but a single step, a single leap of theimagination…

HewouldhavetodiscussitwithStone.Stonewouldlaugh,asusual—Stone always laughed—but he would also pay attention. Leavittknewthat,inasense,heoperatedastheideamanfortheteam.Themanwhowouldalwaysprovidethemostimprobable,mind-stretchingtheories.

Well,Stonewouldatleastbeinterested.

Heglancedat theclock.2200hours.Gettingontowardmidnight.Hehurriedtodress.

Hetookoutanewpapersuitandslippedhisfeetin.Thepaperwascoolagainsthisbareflesh.

And then suddenly itwaswarm.A strange sensation.He finished

dressing,stood,andzippeduptheone-piecesuit.Asheleft,helookedonceagainattheclock.

2210.

Oh,Christ,hethought.

It had happened again.And this time, for tenminutes.What hadgone on? He couldn’t remember. But it was ten minutes gone,disappeared, while he had dressed—an action that shouldn’t havetakenmorethanthirtyseconds.

He sat down again on the bed, trying to remember, but he couldnot.

Tenminutesgone.

Itwas terrifying. Because itwas happening again, though he hadhopeditwouldnot.Ithadn’thappenedformonths,butnow,withtheexcitement,theoddhours,thebreakinhisnormalhospitalschedule,itwasstartingoncemore.

For a moment, he considered telling the others, then shook hishead.He’dbeallright.Itwouldn’thappenagain.Hewasgoingtobejustfine.

He stood.He had been on hisway to see Stone, to talk to Stoneaboutsomething.Somethingimportantandexciting.

Hepaused.

Hecouldn’tremember.

The idea, the image, the excitement was gone. Vanished, erasedfromhismind.

HeknewthenthatheshouldtellStone,admitthewholething.ButheknewwhatStonewouldsayanddoifhefoundout.Andheknewwhat it would mean to his future, to the rest of his life, once theWildfire Project was finished. Everything would change, if peopleknew.Hecouldn’teverbenormalagain—hewouldhave toquithisjob, do other things, make endless adjustments. He couldn’t evendriveacar.

No,he thought.Hewouldnot sayanything.Andhewouldbeallright:aslongashedidn’tlookatblinkinglights.

Jeremy Stone was tired, but knew he was not ready for sleep. He

pacedupanddownthecorridorsofthelaboratory,thinkingaboutthebirdsatPiedmont.Heranovereverything theyhaddone:howtheyhad seen thebirds, how theyhadgassed themwith chlorazine, andhowthebirdshaddied.Hewentoveritinhismind,againandagain.

Because he was missing something. And that something wasbotheringhim.

At the time, while he had been inside Piedmont itself, it hadbothered him. Then he had forgotten, but his nagging doubts hadbeen revived at the noon conference,whileHallwas discussing thepatients.

SomethingHallhadsaid,somefacthehadmentioned,wasrelated,in someoffway, to thebirds.Butwhatwas it?Whatwas theexactthought,theprecisewords,thathadtriggeredtheassociation?

Stoneshookhishead.Hesimplycouldn’tdigitout.Theclues,theconnection,thekeyswereallthere,buthecouldn’tbringthemtothesurface.

Hepressedhishandstohishead,squeezingagainstthebones,andhedamnedhisbrainforbeingsostubborn.

Likemany intelligentmen,Stone tooka rather suspiciousattitudetoward his own brain, which he saw as a precise and skilled buttemperamentalmachine.Hewas never surprisedwhen themachinefailedtoperform,thoughhefearedthosemoments,andhatedthem.Inhisblackesthours,Stonedoubtedtheutilityofallthought,andallintelligence.Thereweretimeswhenheenviedthelaboratoryratsheworkedwith;theirbrainsweresosimple.Certainlytheydidnothavethe intelligence todestroy themselves; thatwasapeculiar inventionofman.

Heoftenarguedthathumanintelligencewasmore trouble than itwasworth.Itwasmoredestructivethancreative,moreconfusingthanrevealing, more discouraging than satisfying, more spiteful thancharitable.

There were times when he saw man, with his giant brain, asequivalenttothedinosaurs.Everyschoolboyknewthatdinosaurshadoutgrown themselves, had become too large and ponderous to beviable.Nooneeverthoughttoconsiderwhetherthehumanbrain,themost complex structure in the known universe, making fantastic

demandsonthehumanbodyintermsofnourishmentandblood,wasnot analogous. Perhaps the human brain had become a kind ofdinosaurformanandperhaps,intheend,wouldprovehisdownfall.

Already, the brain consumed one quarter of the body’s bloodsupply. A fourth of all blood pumped from the heart went to thebrain,anorganaccountingforonlyasmallpercentageofbodymass.If brains grew larger, andbetter, thenperhaps theywould consumemore—perhaps somuch that, like an infection, theywould overruntheirhostsandkillthebodiesthattransportedthem.

Or perhaps, in their infinite cleverness, theywould find away todestroythemselvesandeachother.Thereweretimeswhen,ashesatat State Department or Defense Department meetings, and lookedaroundthetable,hesawnothingmorethanadozengray,convolutedbrainssittingonthetable.Nofleshandblood,nohands,noeyes,nofingers.Nomouths,nosexorgans—alltheseweresuperfluous.

Just brains. Sitting around, trying to decide how to outwit otherbrains,atotherconferencetables.

Idiotic.

He shook his head, thinking that he was becoming like Leavitt,conjuringupwildandimprobableschemes.

Yet,therewasasortoflogicalconsequencetoStone’sideas.Ifyoureally fearedandhatedyourbrain,youwouldattempt todestroy it.Destroyyourown,anddestroyothers.

“I’mtired,”hesaidaloud,andlookedatthewallclock.Itwas2340hours—almosttimeforthemidnightconference.

21

TheMidnightConference

THEYMETAGAIN, in the same room, in the sameway.Stoneglancedattheothersandsawtheyweretired;noone,includinghimself,wasgettingenoughsleep.

“We’re going at this too hard,” he said. “We don’t need to workaround the clock, and we shouldn’t do so. Tired men will makemistakes,mistakes in thinking andmistakes in action.We’ll start todrop things, to screw things up, to work sloppily. And we’ll makewrongassumptions,drawincorrectinferences.Thatmustn’thappen.”

Theteamagreedtogetatleastsixhourssleepineachtwenty-four-hourperiod.Thatseemedreasonable,sincetherewasnoproblemonthesurface;theinfectionatPiedmonthadbeenhaltedbytheatomicbomb.

Their belief might never have been altered had not Leavittsuggestedthattheyfileforacodename.Leavittstatedthattheyhadanorganismandthatitrequiredacode.Theothersagreed.

Inacorneroftheroomstoodthescramblertypewriter.Ithadbeenclatteringalldaylong,typingoutmaterialsentinfromtheoutside.Itwas a two-way machine; material transmitted had to be typed inlowercaseletters,whilereceivedmaterialwasprintedoutincapitals.

Noonehadreallybotheredtolookattheinputsincetheirarrivalon Level V. Theywere all too busy; besides,most of the input hadbeenroutinemilitarydispatchesthatweresenttoWildfirebutdidnotconcern it. Thiswas becauseWildfirewas one of theCoolerCircuitsubstations,known facetiouslyas theTopTwenty.These substationswerelinkedtothebasementoftheWhiteHouseandwerethetwentymost important strategic locations in the country. Other substationsincluded Vandenberg, Kennedy, NORAD, Patterson, Detrick, andVirginiaKey.

Stone went to the typewriter and printed out his message. Themessage was directed by computer to Central Codes, a station thathandled the coding of all projects subsumed under the system of

Cooler.

Thetransmissionwasasfollows:

openlinetotransmit

UNDERSTANDTRANSMITSTATEORIGIN

stoneprojectwildfire

STATEDESTINATION

centralcodes

UNDERSTANDCENTRALCODES

messagefollows

SEND

have isolated extraterrestrial organism secondary toreturn of scoop seven wish coding for organism endmessage

TRANSMITTED

There followed a long pause. The scrambler teleprinter hummedand clicked, but printed nothing. Then the typewriter began to spitoutamessageonalongrollofpaper.

MESSAGEFROMCENTRALCODESFOLLOWS

UNDERSTANDISOLATIONOFNEWORGANISMPLEASE

CHARACTERIZE

ENDMESSAGE

Stone frowned. “But we don’t know enough.” However, theteleprinterwasimpatient:

TRANSMITREPLYTOCENTRALCODES

Afteramoment,Stonetypedback:

messagetocentralcodesfollowscannotcharacterizeatthistimebutsuggesttentativeclassificationasbacterialstrainendmessage

MESSAGEFROMCENTRALCODESFOLLOWS

UNDERSTANDREQUESTFORBACTERIALCLASSIFICATIONOPENINGNEWCATEGORYCLASSIFICATIONACCORDINGTOICDASTANDARDREFERENCECODEFORYOURORGANISMWILLBEANDROMEDACODEWILLREADOUTANDROMEDASTRAINFILEDUNDERICDALISTINGSAS053.9[UNSPECIFIEDORGANISM]FURTHERFILINGASE866[AIRCRAFTACCIDENT]THISFILINGREPRESENTSCLOSESTFITTOESTABLISHEDCATEGORIES

Stonesmiled.“Itseemswedon’tfittheestablishedcategories.”

Hetypedback:

understandcodingasandromedastrainacceptedendmessage

TRANSMITTED

“Well,”Stonesaid,“that’sthat.”

Burton had been looking over the sheaves of paper behind theteleprinter. The teleprinterwrote itsmessages out on a long roll ofpaper,whichfellintoabox.Thereweredozensofyardsofpaperthatnoonehadlookedat.

Silently,hereadasinglemessage,toreitfromtherestofthestrip,andhandedittoStone.

1134/443/KK/Y-U/9

INFORMATIONSTATUS

TRANSMITTOALLSTATIONS

CLASSIFICATIONTOPSECRET

REQUESTFORDIRECTIVE7–12RECEIVEDTODAYBY

EXECANDNSC-COBRA

ORIGINVANDENBERG/WILDFIRE

CORROBORATIONNASA/AMC

AUTHORITYPRIMARYMANCHEK,ARTHUR,MAJORUSA

INCLOSEDSESSIONTHISDIRECTIVEHASNOT

BEENACTEDUPON

FINALDECISIONHASBEENPOSTPONEDTWENTY

FOURTOFORTYEIGHTHOURS

RECONSIDERATIONATTHATTIME

ALTERNATIVETROOPDEPLOYMENTACCORDINGTO

DIRECTIVE7–11NOWINEFFECT

NONOTIFICATION

ENDMESSAGE

TRANSMITALLSTATIONS

CLASSIFICATIONTOPSECRET

ENDTRANSMISSION

Theteamstaredat themessage indisbelief.Noonesaidanythingforalongtime.Finally,Stoneranhisfingersalongtheuppercornerofthesheetandsaidinalowvoice,“Thiswasa443.ThatmakesitanMCNtransmission.Itshouldhaverungthebelldownhere.”

“There’snobellonthisteleprinter,”Leavittsaid.“OnlyonLevelI,atsectorfive.Butthey’resupposedtonotifyuswhenever—”

“Getsectorfiveontheintercom,”Stonesaid.

Tenminuteslater,thehorrifiedSergeantMorrishadconnectedStonetoRobertson,theheadofthePresident’sScienceAdvisoryCommittee,whowasinHouston.

Stone spoke for several minutes with Robertson, who expressedinitialsurprisethathehadn’theardfromWildfireearlier.Therethenfollowedaheateddiscussionof thePresident’sdecisionnot tocallaDirective7–12.

“ThePresidentdoesn’ttrustscientists,”Robertsonsaid.“Hedoesn’tfeelcomfortablewiththem.”

“It’s your job to make him comfortable,” Stone said, “and youhaven’tbeendoingit.”

“Jeremy—”

“There are only two sources of contamination,” Stone said.“Piedmont,andthisinstallation.We’readequatelyprotectedhere,but

Piedmont—”

“Jeremy,Iagreethebombshouldhavebeendropped.”

“Thenwork on him. Stay on his back. Get him to call a 7–12 assoonaspossible.Itmayalreadybetoolate.”

Robertsonsaidhewould,andwouldcallback.Beforehehungup,hesaid,“Bytheway,anythoughtsaboutthePhantom?”

“Thewhat?”

“ThePhantomthatcrashedinUtah.”

There was a moment of confusion before the Wildfire groupunderstood that they had missed still another important teleprintermessage.

“Routine training mission. The jet strayed over the closed zone,though.That’sthepuzzle.”

“Anyotherinformation?”

“Thepilotsaidsomethingabouthisairhosedissolving.Vibration,orsomething.Hislastcommunicationwasprettybizarre.”

“Likehewascrazy?”Stoneasked.

“Likethat,”Robertsonsaid.

“Isthereateamatthewrecksitenow?”

“Yes,we’rewaitingforinformationfromthem.Itcouldcomeatanytime.”

“Pass it along,” Stone said. And then he stopped. “If a 7–11wasordered,insteadofa7–12,”hesaid,“thenyouhavetroopsintheareaaroundPiedmont.”

“NationalGuard,yes.”

“That’sprettydamnedstupid,”Stonesaid.

“Look,Jeremy,Iagree—”

“When the firstonedies,”Stonesaid,“Iwant toknowwhen,andhow. And most especially, where. The wind there is from the eastpredominantly.IfyoustartlosingmenwestofPiedmont—”

“I’llcall,Jeremy,”Robertsonsaid.

The conversation ended, and the team shuffled out of theconference room. Hall remained behind a moment, going throughsomeoftherollsinthebox,notingthemessages.Themajoritywereunintelligible to him, a weird set of nonsense messages and codes.Afteratimehegaveup;hedidsobeforehecameuponthereprintednews itemconcerning thepeculiardeathofOfficerMartinWillis,oftheArizonahighwaypatrol.

day4

SPREAD

22

TheAnalysis

WITH THE NEW PRESSURES of time, the results ofspectrometry and amino-acid analysis, previously of peripheralinterest,suddenlybecamemattersofmajorconcern.Itwashopedthattheseanalyseswouldtell,inaroughway,howforeigntheAndromedaorganismwastoearthlifeforms.

Itwas thuswith interest that Leavitt and Burton looked over thecomputerprintout,acolumnoffigureswrittenongreenpaper:

Whatall thismeantwassimpleenough.Theblackrockcontainedhydrogen, carbon, and oxygen, with significant amounts of sulfur,silicon, and selenium, and with trace quantities of several otherelements.

The green spot, on the other hand, contained hydrogen, carbon,nitrogen, and oxygen. Nothing else at all. The two men found itpeculiar that the rock and the green spot should be so similar inchemical makeup. And it was peculiar that the green spot shouldcontainnitrogen,whiletherockcontainednoneatall.

Theconclusionwasobvious: the “black rock”wasnot rockatall,but some kind of material similar to earthly organic life. It wassomethingakintoplastic.

Andthegreenspot,presumablyalive,wascomposedofelementsinroughlythesameproportionasearth life.Onearth, thesesamefourelements—hydrogen,carbon,nitrogen,andoxygen—accountedfor99percentofalltheelementsinlifeorganisms.

The men were encouraged by these results, which suggestedsimilaritybetweenthegreenspotandlifeonearth.Theirhopeswere,however,short-livedastheyturnedtotheaminoacidanalysis:

AMINOACIDANALYSISDATAOUTPUT

PRINT

SAMPLE1–BLACKOBJECTUNIDENTIFIEDORIGIN-

SAMPLE2–GREENOBJECTUNIDENTIFIEDORIGIN-

SAMPLE1 SAMPLE2

NEUTRALAMINOACIDS

GLYCINE 00.00 00.00

ALANINE 00.00 00.00

VALINE 00.00 00.00

ISOLEUCINE 00.00 00.00

SERINE 00.00 00.00

THREONINE 00.00 00.00

LEUCINE00.00 00.00

AROMATICAMINOACIDS

PHENYLALANINE 00.00 00.00

TYROSINE 00.00 00.00

TRYPTOPHAN00.00 00.00

SULFURICAMINOACIDS

CYSTINE 00.00 00.00

CYSTEINE 00.00 00.00

METHIONINE00.00 00.00

SECONDARYAMINOACIDS

PROLINE 00.00 00.00

HYDROXYPROLINE00.00 00.00

DICARBOXYLICAMINOACIDS

ASPARTICACID 00.00 00.00

GLUTAMICACID00.00 00.00

BASICAMINOACIDS

HISTIDINE 00.00 00.00

ARGININE 00.00 00.00

LYSINE 00.00 00.00

HYDROXYLYSINE00.00 00.00

TOTALAMINOACIDCONTENT 00.00 00.00

ENDPRINT

ENDPROGRAM

-STOP-

“Christ,”Leavittsaid,staringattheprintedsheet.“Willyoulookatthat.”

“Noaminoacids,”Burtonsaid.“Noproteins.”

“Lifewithoutproteins,”Leavittsaid.Heshookhishead; itseemedasifhisworstfearswererealized.

On earth, organisms had evolved by learning to carry outbiochemical reactions in a small space, with the help of proteinenzymes.Biochemistswerenowlearningtoduplicatethesereactions,butonlybyisolatingasinglereactionfromallothers.

Living cells were different. There, within a small area, reactionswerecarriedoutthatprovidedenergy,growth,andmovement.Therewasnoseparation,andmancouldnotduplicatethisanymorethanaman could prepare a complete dinner from appetizers to dessert bymixingtogethertheingredientsforeverythingintoasinglelargedish,cookingit,andhopingtoseparatetheapplepiefromthecheesediplateron.

Cellscouldkeepthehundredsofseparatereactionsstraight,usingenzymes. Each enzymewas like a singleworker in a kitchen, doingjustonething.Thusabakercouldnotmakeasteak,anymorethanasteakgrillercouldusehisequipmenttoprepareappetizers.

But enzymes had a further use. They made possible chemicalreactions that otherwise would not occur. A biochemist couldduplicate the reactions by using great heat, or great pressure, orstrong acids. But the human body, or the individual cell, could nottoleratesuchextremesofenvironment.Enzymes,thematchmakersoflife,helpedchemicalreactionstogoforwardatbodytemperatureandatmosphericpressure.

Enzymeswereessentialtolifeonearth.Butifanotherformoflifehad learned to do without them, it must have evolved in a whollydifferentway.

Therefore,theyweredealingwithanentirelyalienorganism.

Andthisinturnmeantthatanalysisandneutralizationwouldtakemuch,muchlonger.

IntheroommarkedMORPHOLOGY,JeremyStoneremovedthesmallplastic capsule inwhich the green fleckhadbeen imbedded.He setthe now-hard capsule into a vise, fixing it firmly, and then took adentaldrilltoit,shavingawaytheplasticuntilheexposedbaregreenmaterial.

Thiswasadelicateprocess,requiringmanyminutesofconcentratedwork.Attheendofthattime,hehadshavedtheplasticinsuchawaythathehadapyramidofplastic,withthegreenfleckatthepeakofthepyramid.

Heunscrewedtheviseandliftedtheplasticout.Hetookit tothemicrotome,aknifewitharevolvingbladethatcutverythinslicesofplasticandimbeddedgreentissue.Thesesliceswereround;theyfellfromtheplasticblockintoadishofwater.Thethicknessoftheslicecouldbemeasuredbylookingatthelightasitreflectedofftheslices—ifthelightwasfaintsilver,theslicewastoothick.If,ontheotherhand,itwasarainbowofcolors,thenitwastherightthickness,justafewmoleculesindepth.

That was how thick they wanted a slice of tissue to be for theelectronmicroscope.

WhenStonehadasuitablepieceoftissue,helifteditcarefullywithforceps and set it onto a small round copper grid. This in turnwasinserted into a metal button. Finally, the button was set into theelectronmicroscope,andthemicroscopesealedshut.

TheelectronmicroscopeusedbyWildfirewastheBVJmodelJJ-42.Itwasahigh-intensitymodelwithanimage-resolutionattachment.Inprinciple, the electron microscope was simple enough: it workedexactly like a lightmicroscope, but insteadof focusing light rays, itfocusedanelectronbeam.Light is focusedbylensesofcurvedglass.Electronsarefocusedbymagneticfields.

In many respects, the EM was not a great deal different fromtelevision,andinfact,theimagewasdisplayedonatelevisionscreen,a coated surface that glowed when electrons struck it. The greatadvantage of the electron microscope was that it could magnifyobjectsfarmorethanthelightmicroscope.Thereasonforthishadtodowith quantummechanics and thewaveform theory of radiation.ThebestsimpleexplanationhadcomefromtheelectronmicroscopistSidneyPolton,alsoaracingenthusiast.

“Assume,”Poltonsaid,“thatyouhavearoad,withasharpcorner.Nowassumethatyouhavetwoautomobiles,asportscarandalargetruck.When the truck tries to go around the corner, it slips off theroad; but the sports car manages it easily. Why? The sports car islighter, and smaller, and faster; it is better suited to tight, sharpcurves.Onlarge,gentlecurves,theautomobileswillperformequallywell,butonsharpcurves,thesportscarwilldobetter.

“Inthesameway,anelectronmicroscopewill‘holdtheroad’betterthana lightmicroscope.Allobjectsaremadeof corners,andedges.Theelectronwavelengthissmallerthanthequantumoflight.Itcutsthe corners closer, follows the road better, and outlines it moreprecisely.Withalightmicroscope—likeatruck—youcanfollowonlyalargeroad.Inmicroscopictermsthismeansonlyalargeobject,withlarge edges and gentle curves: cells, and nuclei. But an electronmicroscope can follow all the minor routes, the byroads, and canoutline very small structures within the cell—micochondria,ribosomes,membranes,reticula.”

In actual practice there were several drawbacks to the electronmicroscope,whichcounterbalanceditsgreatpowersofmagnification.Foronething,becauseitusedelectronsinsteadoflight,theinsideof

themicroscopehadtobeavacuum.Thismeantitwasimpossibletoexaminelivingcreatures.

But the most serious drawback had to do with the sections ofspecimen.Thesewereextremelythin,makingitdifficulttogetagoodthree-dimensionalconceptoftheobjectunderstudy.

Again, Polton had a simple analogy. “Let us say you cut anautomobileinhalfdownthemiddle.Inthatcase,youcouldguessthecomplete, ‘whole’structure.But ifyoucutaverythinslicefromtheautomobile, and if you cut it on a strange angle, it could bemoredifficult. In your slice, you might have only a bit of bumper, andrubbertire,andglass.Fromsuchaslice,itwouldbehardtoguesstheshapeandfunctionofthefullstructure.”

Stonewasawareofallthedrawbacksashefittedthemetalbuttoninto theEM,sealed it shut,andstarted thevacuumpump.Heknewthe drawbacks and he ignored them, because he had no choice.Limited as it was, the electronmicroscope was their only availablehigh-powertool.

He turned down the room lights and clicked on the beam. Headjusted several dials to focus the beam. In a moment, the imagecameintofocus,greenandblackonthescreen.

Itwasincredible.

JeremyStonefoundhimselfstaringatasingleunitoftheorganism.It was a perfect, six-sided hexagon, and it interlocked with otherhexagonsoneachside.Theinteriorofthehexagonwasdividedintowedges, each meeting at the precise center of the structure. Theoverall appearance was accurate, with a kind of mathematicalprecisionhedidnotassociatewithlifeonearth.

Itlookedlikeacrystal.

He smiled: Leavitt would be pleased. Leavitt liked spectacular,mind-stretching things. Leavitt had also frequently considered thepossibilitythatlifemightbebaseduponcrystalsofsomekind,thatitmightbeorderedinsomeregularpattern.

HedecidedtocallLeavittin.

Assoonashearrived,Leavittsaid,“Well,there’souranswer.”

“Answertowhat?”

Early sketch by Jeremy Stone of hexagonal Andromedaconfiguration.

PhotocourtesyProjectWildfire

“To how this organism functions. I’ve seen the results ofspectrometryandamino-acidanalysis.”

“And?”

“Theorganismismadeofhydrogen,carbon,oxygen,andnitrogen.But it has no amino acids at all.None.Whichmeans that it has noproteinsasweknowthem,andnoenzymes.Iwaswonderinghowitcouldsurvivewithoutprotein-basedorganization.NowIknow.”

“Thecrystallinestructure.”

“Looks like it,” Leavitt said, peering at the screen. “In threedimensions,it’sprobablyahexagonalslab,likeapieceoftile.Eight-sided, with each face a hexagon. And on the inside, those wedge-shapedcompartmentsleadingtothecenter.”

“Theywouldservetoseparatebiochemicalfunctionsquitewell.”

“Yes,”Leavittsaid.Hefrowned.

“Somethingthematter?”

Leavittwas thinking, remembering somethinghehad forgotten.Adream, about a house and a city. He thought for a moment and itbegan tocomeback tohim.Ahouseandacity.Theway thehouse

workedalone,andthewayitworkedinacity.

Itallcameback.

“You know,” he said, “it’s interesting, the way this one unitinterlockswiththeothersaroundit.”

“You’rewonderingifwe’reseeingpartofahigherorganism?”

“Exactly. Is thisunitself-sufficient, likeabacterium,or is it justablockfromalargerorgan,oralargerorganism?Afterall,ifyousawasinglelivercell,couldyouguesswhatkindofanorganitcamefrom?No.Andwhat goodwouldonebrain cell bewithout the rest of thebrain?”

Stonestaredatthescreenforalongtime.“Aratherunusualpairofanalogies. Because the liver can regenerate, can grow back, but thebraincannot.”

Leavittsmiled.“TheMessengerTheory.”

“Onewonders,”Stonesaid.

The Messenger Theory had come from John R. Samuels, acommunications engineer. Speaking before the Fifth AnnualConference on Astronautics and Communication, he had reviewedsometheoriesaboutthewayinwhichanalienculturemightchoosetocontactothercultures.Hearguedthatthemostadvancedconceptsin communications in earth technology were inadequate, and thatadvancedcultureswouldfindbettermethods.

“Letussayaculturewishestoscantheuniverse,”hesaid.“Letussaytheywishtohaveasortof‘coming-outparty’onagalacticscale—to formally announce their existence. They wish to spew outinformation, clues to their existence, in everydirection.What is thebestwaytodothis?Radio?Hardly—radioistooslow,tooexpensive,anditdecaystoorapidly.Strongsignalsweakenwithinafewbillionmiles. TV is even worse. Light rays are fantastically expensive togenerate. Even if one learned a way to detonate whole stars, toexplodeasunasakindofsignal,itwouldbecostly.

“Besidesexpense,allthesemethodssufferthetraditionaldrawbackto any radiation, namely decreasing strength with distance. A lightbulbmaybe unbearably bright at ten feet; itmay be powerful at athousandfeet;itmaybevisibleattenmiles.Butatamillionmiles,it

iscompletelyobscure,becauseradiantenergydecreasesaccordingtothefourthpoweroftheradius.Asimple,unbeatablelawofphysics.

“Soyoudonotusephysics to carryyour signal.Youusebiology.You create a communications system that does not diminish withdistance, but rather remains as powerful amillionmiles away as itwasatthesource.

“In short, you devise an organism to carry your message. Theorganismwouldbeself-replicating,cheap,andcouldbeproducedinfantastic numbers. For a few dollars, you could produce trillions ofthem,andsend themoff inalldirections into space.Theywouldbetough, hardy bugs, able to withstand the rigors of space, and theywould grow and duplicate and divide. Within a few years, therewould be countless numbers of these in the galaxy, speeding in alldirections,waitingtocontactlife.

“And when they did? Each single organism would carry thepotentialtodevelopintoafullorgan,orafullorganism.Theywould,upon contacting life, begin to grow into a complete communicatingmechanism.Itislikespewingoutabillionbraincells,eachcapableofregrowing a complete brain under the proper circumstances. Thenewlygrownbrainwouldthenspeaktothenewculture—informingitof thepresenceof theother,andannouncingways inwhichcontactmightbemade.”

Samuels’stheoryoftheMessengerBugwasconsideredamusingbypracticalscientists,butitcouldnotbediscountednow.

“Do you suppose,” Stone said, “that it is already developing intosomekindoforganofcommunication?”

“Perhapsthecultureswilltellusmore,”Leavittsaid.

“OrX-raycrystallography,”Stonesaid.“I’llorderitnow.”

LevelVhadfacilitiesforX-raycrystallography,thoughtherehadbeenmuchheateddiscussionduringWildfireplanningastowhethersuchfacilitieswerenecessary.X-ray crystallography represented themostadvanced, complex, and expensive method of structural analysis inmodernbiology.Itwasalittlelikeelectronmicroscopy,butonestepfurtheralongtheline.Itwasmoresensitive,andcouldprobedeeper—butonlyatgreatcostintermsoftime,equipment,andpersonnel.

The biologist R. A. Janek has said that “increasing vision is

increasinglyexpensive.”Hemeantbythisthatanymachinetoenablemen to see finer or fainter details increased in cost faster than itincreased in resolving power. This hard fact of research wasdiscovered first by the astronomers, who learned painfully thatconstruction of a two-hundred-inch telescope mirror was far moredifficult and expensive than construction of a one-hundred-inchmirror.

Inbiology thiswas equally true.A lightmicroscope, for example,wasasmalldeviceeasilycarriedbyatechnicianinonehand.Itcouldoutlineacell,andforthisabilityascientistpaidabout$1,000.

An electron microscope could outline small structures within thecell.TheEMwasalargeconsoleandcostupto$100,000.

In contrast, X-ray crystallography could outline individualmolecules. Itcameasclose tophotographingatomsassciencecouldmanage.But thedevicewas thesizeofa largeautomobile, filledanentire room, required specially trained operators, and demanded acomputerforinterpretationofresults.

This was because X-ray crystallography did not produce a directvisualpictureoftheobjectbeingstudied.Itwasnot,inthissense,amicroscope, and it operated differently from either the light orelectronmicroscope.

Itproducedadiffractionpatterninsteadofanimage.Thisappearedas a pattern of geometric dots, in itself rather mysterious, on aphotographicplate.Byusingacomputer,thepatternofdotscouldbeanalyzedandthestructurededuced.

It was a relatively new science, retaining an old-fashioned name.Crystalswereseldomusedanymore;theterm“X-raycrystallography”dated from the days when crystals were chosen as test objects.CrystalshadregularstructuresandthusthepatternofdotsresultingfromabeamofXraysshotatacrystalwereeasiertoanalyze.ButinrecentyearstheXrayshadbeenshotat irregularobjectsofvaryingsorts. The X rays were bounced off at different angles. A computercould“read”thephotographicplateandmeasuretheangles,andfromthis work back to the shape of the object that had caused such areflection.

The computer at Wildfire performed the endless and tediouscalculations. All this, if done by manual human calculation, would

takeyears,perhapscenturies.Butthecomputercoulddoitinseconds.

“Howareyoufeeling,Mr.Jackson?”Hallasked.

TheoldmanblinkedhiseyesandlookedatHall,inhisplasticsuit.

“Allright.Notthebest,butallright.”

Hegaveawrygrin.

“Uptotalkingalittle?”

“Aboutwhat?”

“Piedmont.”

“Whataboutit?”

“Thatnight,”Hallsaid.“Thenightitallhappened.”

“Well,Itellyou.I’velivedinPiedmontallmylife.Traveledabit—beentoLA,andevenuptoFrisco.WentasfareastasSt.Louis,whichwas farenough forme.ButPiedmont, that’swhere I’ve lived.And Ihavetotellyou—”

“Thenightitallhappened,”Hallrepeated.

Hestopped,andturnedhisheadaway.“Idon’twanttothinkaboutit,”hesaid.

“Youhavetothinkaboutit.”

“No.”

Hecontinuedtolookawayforamoment,andthenturnedbacktoHall.“Theyalldied,didthey?”

“Not all. One other survived.” He nodded to the crib next toJackson.

Jacksonpeeredoveratthebundleofblankets.“Who’sthat?”

“Ababy.”

“Baby?MustbetheRitterchild.JamieRitter.Realyoung,isit?”

“Abouttwomonths.”

“Yep. That’s him. A real little heller. Just like the old man. OldRitterlikestokickupastorm,andhiskid’sthesameway.Squallingmorning,noon,andnight.Familycouldn’tkeepthewindasopen,onaccountofthesqualling.”

“IsthereanythingelseunusualaboutJamie?”

“Nope.Healthyasawaterbuffalo,excepthesqualls.Irememberhewassquallinglikethedickensthatnight.”

Hallsaid,“Whatnight?”

“The night Charley Thomas brought the damned thing in.We allseen it,of course. It camedown likeoneof themshooting stars, allglowing, and landed just to the north. Everybody was excited, andCharleyThomaswentofftogetit.CamebackabouttwentyminuteslaterwiththethinginthebackofhisFordstationwagon.Brand-newwagon.He’srealproudofit.”

“Thenwhathappened?”

“Well,weall gatheredaround, lookingat it.Reckoned itmustbeone of those space things.Annie figured itwas fromMars, but youknowhowAnnieis.Letshermindcarryheroff,attimes.Therestofus, we didn’t feel it was no Martian thing, we just figured it wassomething sent up from Cape Canaveral. You know, that place inFloridawheretheyshoottherockets?”

“Yes.Goon.”

“So, once we figured that out good and proper, we didn’t knowwhattodo.NothinglikethateverhappenedinPiedmont,youknow.Imean,oncewehadthattouristwiththegun,shotuptheComancheChiefmotel, but thatwasback in ’48andbesides, hewas just aGIhad a little too much to drink, and there were exterminatingcircumstances.His gal runout onhimwhile hewas inGermanyorsomedamnplace.Nobodygavehimabadtime;weunderstoodhowitwas.Butnothinghappenedsince, really.Quiet town.That’swhywelikeit,Ireckon.”

“Whatdidyoudowiththecapsule?”

“Well,wedidn’tknowwhattodowithit.Al,hesaidopen’erup,but we didn’t figure that was right, especially since it might havesomescientificstuffinside,sowethoughtawhile.AndthenCharley,whogotit inthefirstplace,Charleysays,let’sgiveittoDoc.That’sDoc Benedict. He’s the town doctor. Actually, he takes care ofeverybody around, even the Indians. But he’s a good fella anyhow,andhe’sbeentolotsofschools.Gotthesedegreesonthewalls?Well,we figuredDocBenedictwouldknowwhat todowith the thing.So

webroughtittohim.”

“Andthen?”

“OldDocBenedict,he’snot sooldactually,he looks ’erover realcareful,likeitwashispatient,andthenheallowsashowitmightbeathingfromspace,anditmightbeoneofours,oritmightbeoneoftheirs.Andhesayshe’lltakecareofit,andmaybemakeafewphonecalls,andleteverybodyknowinafewhours.See,DocalwaysplayedpokerMondaynightswithCharleyandAlandHerbJohnstone,overat Herb’s place, and we figured that he’d spread the word aroundthen.Besides,itwasgettingonsuppertimeandmostofuswereabithungry,soweallkindofleftitwithDoc.”

“Whenwasthat?”

“Boutseven-thirtyorso.”

“WhatdidBenedictdowiththesatellite?”

“Took it inside his house. None of us saw it again. It was abouteight,eight-thirtythatitallstartedup,yousee.Iwasoveratthegasstation,havingachatwithAl,whowasworkingthepumpthatnight.Chillynight,butIwantedachattotakemymindoffthepain.Andtogetsomesodafromthemachine,towashdowntheaspirinwith.Also,Iwasthirsty,squeezemakesyourightthirsty,youknow.”

“You’dbeendrinkingSternothatday?”

“Boutsixo’clockIhadsome,yes.”

“Howdidyoufeel?”

“Well,whenIwaswithAl,Ifeltgood.Littledizzy,andmystomachwaspainingme,butIfeltgood.AndAlandmeweresittinginsidetheoffice,youknow,talking,andsuddenlyheshouts,‘OhGod,myhead!’Heupsandrunsoutside,andfallsdown.Rightthereinthestreet,notawordfromhim.

“Well, I didn’t knowwhat tomakeof it. I figuredhehadaheartattackor a shock, buthewasprettyyoung for that, so Iwent afterhim.Onlyhewasdead.Then…theyallstartedcomingout.IbelieveMrs.Langdon,theWidowLangdon,wasnext.Afterthat,Idon’trecall,therewassomanyofthem.Justpouringoutside,itseemedlike.Andthey just grab their chests and fall, like they slipped. Only theywouldn’tgetupafterward.Andneverawordfromanyofthem.”

“Whatdidyouthink?”

“I didn’t know what to think, it was so damned peculiar. I wasscared, Idon’tmind tellingyou,but I tried to staycalm. I couldn’t,naturally. My old heart was thumping, and I was wheezin’ andgaspin’.Iwasscared.Ithoughteverybodywasdead.ThenIheardthebabycrying,soIknewnoteverybodycouldbedead.AndthenIsawtheGeneral.”

“TheGeneral?”

“Oh,wejustcalledhimthat.Hewasn’tnogeneral,justbeeninthewar,andlikedtoberemembered.Older’nme,heis.Nicefella,PeterArnold.Steadyasarockallhislife,andhe’sstandingbytheporch,allgot up in hismilitary clothes. It’s dark, but there’s amoon, and heseesmeinthestreetandhesays,‘Thatyou,Peter?’Webothgotthesamename,see.AndIsays, ‘Yes it is.’Andhesays, ‘Whatthehell’shappening? Japs coming in?’ And I think that’s a mighty peculiarthingforhimtobesaying.Andhesays,‘IthinkitmustbetheJaps,cometokillusall.’AndIsay,‘Peter,yougoneloco?’Andhesayshedon’t feel too good and he goes inside. Course, hemust have goneloco, ’cause he shot himself. But others went loco, too. It was thedisease.”

“Howdoyouknow?”

“People don’t burn themselves, or drown themselves, if they gotsense,do they?All themin that townweregood,normal folksuntilthatnight.Thentheyjustseemedtogocrazy.”

“Whatdidyoudo?”

“Ithoughttomyself,Peter,you’redreaming.Youhadtoomuchtodrink.SoIwenthomeandgot intobed,andfiguredI’dbebetter inthemorning.Onlyaboutteno’clock,Ihearanoise,andit’sacar,soIgooutside to seewho it is. It’s somekindof car, youknow,oneofthose vans. Two fellers inside. I go up to them, anddamnbut theydon’tfalloverdead.Scariestthingyoueversaw.Butit’sfunny.”

“What’sfunny?”

“Thatwastheonlyothercartocomethroughallnight.Normally,there’slotsofcars.”

“Therewasanothercar?”

“Yep.Willis, the highway patrol. He came through about fifteen,thirtysecondsbeforeitallstarted.Didn’tstop,though;sometimeshedoesn’t.Dependsifhe’slateonhisschedule;he’sgotaregularpatrol,youknow,hehastostickto.”

Jacksonsighedandlethisheadfallbackagainstthepillow.“Now,”he said, “ifyoudon’tmind, I’mgoing togetme some sleep. I’malltalkedout.”

Heclosedhiseyes.Hallcrawledbackdownthetunnel,outof theunit, and sat in the room looking through the glass at Jackson, andthebabyinthecribalongside.Hestayedthere,justlooking,foralongtime.

23

Topeka

THEROOMWASHUGE,thesizeofafootballfield.Itwasfurnishedsparsely,justafewtablesscatteredabout.Insidetheroom,voicesechoedasthetechnicianscalledtoeachother,positioningthepieces of wreckage. The post teamwas reconstructing thewreck inthisroom,placingtheclumpsof twistedmetal fromthePhantominthesamepositionsastheyhadbeenfoundonthesand.

Onlythenwouldtheintensiveexaminationbegin.

MajorManchek, tired,bleary-eyed, clutchinghis coffeecup, stoodin a corner and watched. To him, there was something surrealisticabout the scene: a dozen men in a long, white-washed room inTopeka,rebuildingacrash.

Oneofthebiophysicistscameuptohim,holdingaclearplasticbag.HewavedthecontentsunderManchek’snose.

“Justgotitbackfromthelab,”hesaid.

“Whatisit?”

“You’llneverguess.”Theman’seyesgleamedinexcitement.

Allright,Manchekthoughtirritably,I’llneverguess.“Whatisit?”

“Adepolymerizedpolymer,”thebiochemistsaid,smackinghislipswithsatisfaction.“Justbackfromthelab.”

“Whatkindofpolymer?”

Apolymerwasarepeatingmolecule,builtupfromthousandsofthesameunits,likeastackofdominos.Mostplastics,nylon,rayon,plantcellulose,andevenglycogeninthehumanbodywerepolymers.

“ApolymeroftheplasticusedontheairhoseofthePhantomjet.Thefacemasktothepilot.Wethoughtasmuch.”

Manchek frowned.He looked slowlyat thecrumblyblackpowderinthebag.“Plastic?”

“Yes.Apolymer,depolymerized.Itwasbrokendown.Nowthat’sno

vibrationeffect.It’sabiochemicaleffect,purelyorganic.”

Slowly,Manchekbegan tounderstand. “Youmean something toretheplasticapart?”

“Yes, you could say that,” the biochemist replied. “It’s asimplification,ofcourse,but—”

“Whattoreitapart?”

The biochemist shrugged. “Chemical reaction of some sort. Acidcoulddoit,orintenseheat,or…”

“Or?”

“Amicroorganism,Isuppose.Ifoneexistedthatcouldeatplastic.IfyouknowwhatImean.”

“Ithink,”Mancheksaid,“thatIknowwhatyoumean.”

He left the room and went to the cable transmitter, located inanotherpartofthebuilding.HewroteouthismessagetotheWildfiregroup,andgaveittothetechniciantotransmit.Whilehewaited,hesaid,“Hastherebeenanyreplyyet?”

“Reply,sir?”thetechnicianasked.

“FromWildfire,”Mancheksaid.Itwasincredibletohimthatnoonehadactedupon thenewsof thePhantomcrash. Itwas soobviouslylinked…

“Wildfire,sir?”thetechnicianasked.

Manchek rubbed his eyes. He was tired: he would have toremembertokeephisbigmouthshut.

“Forgetit,”hesaid.

After his conversationwith Peter Jackson,Hallwent to see Burton.Burtonwas in theautopsy room,goingoverhis slides from thedaybefore.

Hallsaid,“Findanything?”

Burton stepped away from the microscope and sighed. “No.Nothing.”

“I keep wondering,” Hall said, “about the insanity. Talking withJackson remindedme of it. A large number of people in that townwent insane—or at least became bizarre and suicidal—during the

evening.Manyofthosepeoplewereold.”

Burtonfrowned.“So?”

“Old people,” Hall said, “are like Jackson. They have lots wrongwiththem.Theirbodiesarebreakingdowninavarietyofways.Thelungsarebad.Theheartsarebad.Theliversareshot.Thevesselsaresclerotic.”

“Andthisaltersthediseaseprocess?”

“Perhaps. Ikeepwondering,Whatmakesapersonbecomerapidlyinsane?”

Burtonshookhishead.

“And there’s something else,” Hall said. “Jackson recalls hearingonevictimsay,justbeforehedied,‘OhGod,myhead.’”

Burtonstaredawayintospace.“Justbeforedeath?”

“Justbefore.”

“You’rethinkingofhemorrhage?”

Hallnodded.“Itmakessense,”hesaid.“Atleasttocheck.”

IftheAndromedaStrainproducedhemorrhageinsidethebrainforanyreason,thenitmightproducerapid,unusualmentalaberrations.

“Butwealreadyknowtheorganismactsbyclotting—”

“Yes,”Hallsaid,“inmostpeople.Notall.Somesurvive,andsomegomad.”

Burton nodded. He suddenly became excited. Suppose that theorganism acted by causing damage to blood vessels. This damagewouldinitiateclotting.Anytimethewallofabloodvesselwastorn,orcut,orburned,thentheclottingsequencewouldbegin.Firstplateletswouldclumparound the injury,protecting it,preventingblood loss.Thenredcellswouldaccumulate.Thenafibrinmeshwouldbindalltheelements together.And finally, the clotwouldbecomehardandfirm.

Thatwasthenormalsequence.

Butifthedamagewasextensive,ifitbeganatthelungsandworkeditsway…

“I’mwondering,”Hallsaid,“ifourorganismattacksvesselwalls.If

so,itwouldinitiateclotting.Butifclottingwerepreventedincertainpersons,thentheorganismmighteatawayandcausehemorrhageinthosepersons.”

“And insanity,” Burton said, hunting through his slides.He foundthreeofthebrain,andcheckedthem.

Noquestion.

The pathology was striking.Within the internal layer of cerebralvesselsweresmalldepositsofgreen.Burtonhadnodoubtthat,underhighermagnification,theywouldturnouttobehexagonalinshape.

Quickly,hecheckedtheotherslides,forvesselsinlung,liver,andspleen. Inseveral instanceshe foundgreenspots in thevesselwalls,butneverintheprofusionhefoundforcerebralvessels.

ObviouslytheAndromedaStrainshowedapredilectionforcerebralvasculature.Itwasimpossibletosaywhy,butitwasknownthatthecerebral vessels are peculiar in several respects. For instance, undercircumstancesinwhichnormalbodyvesselsdilateorcontract—suchasextremecold,orexercise—thebrainvasculaturedoesnotchange,butmaintainsasteady,constantbloodsupplytothebrain.

In exercise, the blood supply to muscle might increase five totwenty times. But the brain always has a steady flow: whether itsowner is taking an examor a nap, choppingwoodorwatchingTV.Thebrainreceivesthesameamountofbloodeveryminute,hour,day.

Thescientistsdidnotknowwhythisshouldbe,orhow,precisely,the cerebral vessels regulate themselves. But the phenomenon isknown to exist, and cerebral vessels are regarded as a special caseamong the body’s arteries and veins. Clearly, something is differentaboutthem.

Andnowtherewasanexampleofanorganismthatdestroyedthempreferentially.

But as Burton thought about it, the action of Andromeda did notseemsounusual.Forexample,syphiliscausesaninflammationoftheaorta, a very specific, peculiar reaction. Schistosomiasis, a parasiticinfection,showsapreferenceforbladder,intestine,orcolonicvessels—dependingonthespecies.Sosuchspecificitywasnotimpossible.

“But there’s another problem,” he said. “In most people, the

organism begins clotting at the lungs. We know that. Presumablyvesseldestructionbeginsthereaswell.Whatisdifferentabout—”

Hestopped.

Herememberedtheratshehadanticoagulated.Theoneswhohaddiedanyway,buthadhadnoautopsies.

“MyGod,”hesaid.

Hedrewoutoneof the rats fromcold storageandcut it open. Itbled.Quicklyheincisedthehead,exposingthebrain.Therehefoundalargehemorrhageoverthegraysurfaceofthebrain.

“You’vegotit,”Hallsaid.

“Iftheanimalisnormal,itdiesfromcoagulation,beginningatthelungs. But if coagulation is prevented, then the organism erodesthroughthevesselsofthebrain,andhemorrhageoccurs.”

“Andinsanity.”

“Yes.” Burton was now very excited. “And coagulation could beprevented by any blood disorder. Or too little vitamin K.Malabsorption syndrome. Poor liver function. Impaired proteinsynthesis.Anyofadozenthings.”

“Allmorelikelytobefoundinanoldperson,”Hallsaid.

“DidJacksonhaveanyofthosethings?”

Halltookalongtimetoanswer,thenfinallysaid,“No.Hehasliverdisease,butnotsignificantly.”

Burtonsighed.“Thenwe’rebackwherewestarted.”

“Not quite. Because Jackson and the baby both survived. Theydidn’t hemorrhage—as far as we know—they survived untouched.Completelyuntouched.”

“Meaning?”

“Meaningthattheysomehowpreventedtheprimaryprocess,whichis invasion of the organism into the vessel walls of the body. TheAndromedaorganismdidn’tgettothelungs,orthebrain.Itdidn’tgetanywhere.”

“Butwhy?”

“We’llknowthat,”Hallsaid,“whenweknowwhyasixty-nine-year-

oldSternodrinkerwithanulcerislikeatwo-month-oldbaby.”

“Theyseemprettymuchopposites,”Burtonsaid.

“They do, don’t they?” Hall said. It would be hours before herealized Burton had given him the answer to the puzzle—but ananswerthatwasworthless.

24

Evaluation

SIRWINSTONCHURCHILLONCESAID that “true geniusresides in the capacity for evaluation of uncertain, hazardous, andconflicting information.” Yet it is a peculiarity of theWildfire teamthat, despite the individual brilliance of team members, the groupgrosslymisjudgedtheirinformationatseveralpoints.

One is reminded of Montaigne’s acerbic comment: “Men understressarefools,andfoolthemselves.”CertainlytheWildfireteamwasunder severe stress, but theywere also prepared tomakemistakes.Theyhadevenpredictedthatthiswouldoccur.

What they did not anticipate was the magnitude, the staggeringdimensionsoftheirerror.Theydidnotexpectthattheirultimateerrorwould be a compound of a dozen small clues that were missed, ahandfulofcrucialfactsthatweredismissed.

The teamhadablind spot,whichStone later expressed thisway:“We were problem-oriented. Everything we did and thought wasdirected toward finding a solution, a cure to Andromeda. And, ofcourse,wewere fixedon theevents thathadoccurredatPiedmont.We felt that if we did not find a solution, no solution would beforthcoming, and the whole world would ultimately wind up likePiedmont.Wewereveryslowtothinkotherwise.”

Theerrorbegantotakeonmajorproportionswiththecultures.

StoneandLeavitthadtakenthousandsofculturesfromtheoriginalcapsule.Thesehadbeenincubatedinawidevarietyofatmospheric,temperature,andpressureconditions.Theresultsofthiscouldonlybeanalyzedbycomputer.

UsingtheGROWTH/TRANSMATRIXprogram,thecomputerdidnotprint out results from all possible growth combinations. Instead, itprinted out only significant positive andnegative results. It did thisafter firstweighingeachpetridish,andexamininganygrowthwithitsphotoelectriceye.

When Stone and Leavitt went to examine the results, they foundseveral striking trends.Their firstconclusionwas thatgrowthmediadidnotmatteratall—theorganismgrewequallywellonsugar,blood,chocolate,plainagar,orsheerglass.

However, the gases in which the plates were incubated werecrucial,aswasthelight.

Ultraviolet light stimulated growth under all circumstances. Totaldarkness,andtoalesserextentinfraredlight,inhibitedgrowth.

Oxygen inhibited growth in all circumstances, but carbon dioxidestimulatedgrowth.Nitrogenhadnoeffect.

Thus, best growth was achieved in 100-per cent carbon dioxide,lighted by ultraviolet radiation. Poorest growth occurred in pureoxygen,incubatedintotaldarkness.

“Whatdoyoumakeofit?”Stonesaid.

“Itlookslikeapureconversionsystem,”Leavittsaid.

“Iwonder,”Stonesaid.

He punched through the coordinates of a closed-growth system.Closed-growth systems studied bacterial metabolism by measuringintake of gases and nutrients, and output of waste products. Theywerecompletelysealedandself-contained.Aplant insuchasystem,for example,would consume carbondioxide andgive offwater andoxygen.

CULTUREDESIG–779.223,187,

ANDROMEDAMEDIADESIG—779ATMOSPHEREDESIG—223LUMINDESIG–L87UV/HIFINALSCANNERPRINT

An example of a scanner printout from the photoelectric eye thatexamined all growth media. Within the circular petri dish thecomputer has noted the presence of two separate colonies. Thecoloniesare“read”intwo-millimeter-squaresegments,andgradedbydensityonascalefromonetonine.

But when they looked at the Andromeda Strain, they foundsomethingremarkable.Theorganismhadnoexcretions. If incubatedwith carbon dioxide and ultraviolet light, it grew steadily until allcarbondioxidehadbeenconsumed.Thengrowthstopped.Therewasnoexcretionofanykindofgasorwasteproductatall.

Nowaste.

“Clearlyefficient,”Stonesaid.

“You’dexpectthat,”Leavittsaid.

Thiswasanorganismhighlysuitedtoitsenvironment.Itconsumedeverything,wastednothing.Itwasperfectforthebarrenexistenceofspace.

He thought about this for a moment, and then it hit him. It hitLeavittatthesametime.

“GoodChrist.”

Leavitt was already reaching for the phone. “Get Robertson,” hesaid.“Gethimimmediately.”

“Incredible,”Stonesaidsoftly.“Nowaste.Itdoesn’trequiregrowthmedia. It cangrow in thepresenceof carbon,oxygen,and sunlight.Period.”

“I hope we’re not too late,” Leavitt said, watching the computerconsolescreenimpatiently.

Stone nodded. “If this organism is really converting matter toenergy, and energy tomatter—directly—then it’s functioning like alittlereactor.”

“Andanatomicdetonation…”

“Incredible,”Stonesaid.“Justincredible.”

Thescreencametolife;theysawRobertson,lookingtired,smokingacigarette.

“Jeremy, you’ve got to give me time. I haven’t been able to getthroughto—”

“Listen,”Stonesaid,“IwantyoutomakesureDirective7–12isnotcarried out. It is imperative: no atomic device must be detonatedaroundtheorganisms.That’sthelastthingintheworld,literally,thatwewanttodo.”

Heexplainedbrieflywhathehadfound.

Robertsonwhistled. “We’d justprovidea fantastically richgrowthmedium.”

“That’sright,”Stonesaid.

TheproblemofarichgrowthmediumwasapeculiarlydistressingonetotheWildfireteam.Itwasknown,forexample,thatchecksandbalancesexist in thenormalenvironment.Thesemanage todampentheexuberantgrowthofbacteria.

Themathematics of uncontrolled growth are frightening.A singlecellofthebacteriumE.coliwould,underidealcircumstances,divideevery twenty minutes. That is not particularly disturbing until youthinkaboutit,butthefactisthatbacteriamultiplygeometrically:onebecomestwo,twobecomefour,fourbecomeeight,andsoon.Inthisway, it can be shown that in a single day, one cell ofE. coli couldproduceasuper-colonyequal insizeandweighttotheentireplanetearth.

This never happens, for a perfectly simple reason: growth cannotcontinue indefinitely under “ideal circumstances.” Food runs out.Oxygen runs out. Local conditions within the colony change, andcheckthegrowthoforganisms.

On the other hand, if you had an organism that was capable ofdirectly convertingmatter to energy, and if you provided it with ahugerichsourceofenergy,likeanatomicblast…

“I’llpassalongyour recommendation to thePresident,”Robertsonsaid.“He’llbepleasedtoknowhemadetherightdecisiononthe7–

12.”

“Youcancongratulatehimonhisscientificinsight,”Stonesaid,“forme.”

Robertsonwasscratchinghishead.“I’vegotsomemoredataonthePhantomcrash.ItwasovertheareawestofPiedmontattwenty-threethousandfeet.Thepostteamhasfoundevidenceofthedisintegrationthepilotspokeof,butthematerialthatwasdestroyedwasaplasticofsomekind.Itwasdepolymerized.”

“Whatdoesthepostteammakeofthat?”

“Theydon’tknowwhatthehelltomakeofit,”Robertsonadmitted.“And there’s something else. They found a few pieces of bone thathavebeen identifiedashuman.Abit ofhumerusand tibia.Notablebecausetheyareclean—almostpolished.”

“Fleshburnedaway?”

“Doesn’tlookthatway,”Robertsonsaid.

StonefrownedatLeavitt.

“Whatdoesitlooklike?”

“It looks likeclean,polishedbone,”Robertsonsaid. “Theysay it’sweird as hell. And there’s something else. We checked into theNational Guard around Piedmont. The 112th is stationed in ahundred-mile radius, and it turns out they’ve been running patrolsintotheareaforadistanceoffiftymiles.They’vehadasmanyasonehundredmenwestofPiedmont.Nodeaths.”

“None?You’requitesure?”

“Absolutely.”

“Were there men on the ground in the area the Phantom flewover?”

“Yes.Twelvemen.Theyreportedtheplanetothebase,infact.”

Leavittsaid,“Soundsliketheplanecrashisafluke.”

Stonenodded.ToRobertson: “I’m inclined toagreewithPeter. Intheabsenceoffatalitiesontheground…”

“Maybeit’sonlyintheupperair.”

“Maybe.Butweknowatleastthismuch:weknowhowAndromeda

kills. Itdoessobycoagulation.Notdisintegration,orbone-cleaning,oranyotherdamnedthing.Bycoagulation.”

“All right,” Robertson said, “let’s forget the plane for the timebeing.”

Itwasonthatnotethatthemeetingended.

Stone said, “I think we’d better check our cultured organisms forbiologicpotency.”

“Runsomeofthemagainstarat?”

Stonenodded.“Makesureit’sstillvirulent.Stillthesame.”

Leavittagreed.Theyhadtobecarefultheorganismdidn’tmutate,didn’tchangetosomethingradicallydifferentinitseffects.

As they were about to start, the Level Vmonitor clicked on andsaid,“Dr.Leavitt.Dr.Leavitt.”

Leavitt answered. On the computer screen was a pleasant youngmaninawhitelabcoat.

“Yes?”

“Dr.Leavitt,wehavegottenourelectroencephalogramsbackfromthecomputercenter.I’msureit’sallamistake,but…”

Hisvoicetrailedoff.

“Yes?”Leavittsaid.“Issomethingwrong?”

“Well,sir,yourswerereadasgradefour,atypical,probablybenign.Butwewouldliketorunanotherset.”

Stonesaid,“Itmustbeamistake.”

“Yes,”Leavittsaid.“Itmustbe.”

“Undoubtedly,sir,”themansaid.“Butwewouldlikeanothersetofwavestobecertain.”

“I’mratherbusynow,”Leavittsaid.

Stonebroke in, talkingdirectly to the technician.“Dr.LeavittwillgetarepeatEEGwhenhehasthechance.”

“Verygood,sir,”thetechniciansaid.

Whenthescreenwasblank,Stonesaid,“Therearetimeswhenthis

damnedroutinegetsonanybody’snerves.”

Leavittsaid,“Yes.”

They were about to begin biologic testing of the various culturemediawhenthecomputerflashedthatpreliminaryreportsfromX-raycrystallography were prepared. Stone and Leavitt left the room tocheck the results, delaying the biologic tests of media. This was amost unfortunate decision, for had they examined the media, theywouldhaveseenthattheirthinkinghadalreadygoneastray,andthattheywereonthewrongtrack.

25

Willis

X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHY ANALYSIS showed that theAndromeda organism was not composed of component parts, as anormal cellwas composedofnucleus,mitochondria, and ribosomes.Andromedahadno subunits, no smaller particules. Instead, a singlesubstance seemed to form the walls and interior. This substanceproducedacharacteristicprecessionphotograph,orscatterpatternofXrays.

Lookingattheresults,Stonesaid,“Aseriesofsix-sidedrings.”

“Andnothingelse,”Leavittsaid.“Howthehelldoesitoperate?”

Thetwomenwereatalosstoexplainhowsosimpleanorganismcouldutilizeenergyforgrowth.

“Arathercommonringstructure,”Leavittsaid.“Aphenolicgroup,nothingmore.Itshouldbereasonablyinert.”

“Yetitcanconvertenergytomatter.”

Leavittscratchedhishead.Hethoughtbacktothecityanalogy,andthebrain-cellanalogy.Themoleculewassimpleinitsbuildingblocks.It possessed no remarkable powers, taken as single units. Yetcollectively,ithadgreatpowers.

“Perhaps there is a critical level,” he suggested. “A structuralcomplexity thatmakespossiblewhat isnotpossible ina similarbutsimplestructure.”

“Theoldchimp-brainargument,”Stonesaid.

Leavitt nodded. As nearly as anyone could determine, the chimpbrain was as complex as the human brain. There were minordifferencesinstructure,butthemajordifferencewassize—thehumanbrainwaslarger,withmorecells,moreinterconnections.

And that, in some subtle way, made the human brain different.(ThomasWaldren,theneurophysiologist,oncejokinglynotedthatthemajordifferencebetween the chimpandhumanbrainwas that “we

canusethechimpasanexperimentalanimal,andnotthereverse.”)

Electron-densitymappingofAndromeda structureasderived frommicrographic studies. It was this mapping which disclosed activityvariationswithinanotherwiseuniformstructure.

PhotocourtesyProjectWildfire

Stone and Leavitt puzzled over the problem for several minutesuntil they came to the Fourier electron-density scans. Here, theprobability of finding electrons was mapped for the structure on achartthatresembledatopologicalmap.

They noticed something odd. The structure was present but theFouriermappingwasinconstant.

“Italmostlooks,”Stonesaid,“asifpartofthestructureisswitchedoffinsomeway.”

“It’snotuniformafterall,”Leavittsaid.

Stone sighed, looking at themap. “Iwish to hell,” he said, “thatwe’dbroughtaphysicalchemistalongontheteam.”

Unspokenwastheaddedcomment,“insteadofHall.”

Tired,Hall rubbedhis eyes and sipped the coffee,wishinghe couldhavesugar.Hewasaloneinthecafeteria,whichwassilentexceptforthemutedtickingoftheteleprinterinthecorner.

Afteratimehegotupandwentovertotheteleprinter,examiningtherollsofpaperthathadcomefromit.Mostoftheinformationwas

meaninglesstohim.

ButthenhesawoneitemwhichhadcomefromtheDEATHMATCHprogram.DEATHMATCHwasanews-scanningcomputerprogramthatrecorded all significant deaths according to whatever criterion thecomputerwas fed. In thiscase, thecomputerwasalerted topickupall deaths in the Arizona-Nevada-California area, and to print themback.

Theitemhereadmighthavegoneunnoticed,wereitnotforHall’sconversationwithJackson.Atthetime,ithadseemedlikeapointlessconversationtoHall,productiveof littleandconsumingagreatdealoftime.

Butnow,hewondered.

PRINTPROGRAM

DEATHWATCH

DEATHMATCH/998

SCALE7,Y,0.X,4,0

PRINTAS

ITEMFROMASSOCIATEDPRESSVERBATIM778–778

BRUSH RIDGE, ARIZ.– – –,: An Arizona highway patrol officerwasallegedly involved in the death today of five persons in a highwaydiner.MissSallyConover,waitressattheDine-ezedineronRoute15,tenmilessouthofFlagstaff,wasthesolesurvivoroftheincident.

Miss Conover told investigators that at 2:40 a.m., Officer MartinWillisenteredthedinerandorderedcoffeeanddonut.OfficerWillishad frequently visited the diner in the past. After eating, he statedthathehadasevereheadacheandthat“hisulcerwasactingup.”MissConover gave him two aspirin and a tablespoon of bicarbonate ofsoda. According to her statement, Officer Willis then lookedsuspiciouslyattheotherpeopleinthedinerandwhispered,“They’reafterme.”

Before the waitress could reply, Willis took out his revolver andshottheothercustomersinthediner,movingmethodicallyfromonetothenext,shootingeachintheforehead.Then,heallegedlyturnedto Miss Conover and, smiling, said “I love you, Shirley Temple,”placedthebarrelinhismouth,andfiredthelastbullet.

Miss Conover was released by police here after questioning. Thenamesofthedeceasedcustomersarenotknownatthistime.

ENDITEMVERBATIM

ENDPRINT

ENDPROGRAM

TERMINATE

Hall remembered that Officer Willis had gone through Piedmontearlier in the evening—just a fewminutes before the disease brokeout.Hehadgonethroughwithoutstopping.

Andhadgonemadlateron.

Connection?

He wondered. There might be. Certainly, he could see manysimilarities: Willis had an ulcer, had taken aspirin, and had,eventually,committedsuicide.

That didn’t prove anything, of course. It might be a whollyunrelatedseriesofevents.Butitwascertainlyworthchecking.

He punched a button on the computer console. The TV screenlightedandagirlataswitchboard,withaheadsetpressingdownherhair,smiledathim.

“I want the chiefmedical officer for the Arizona highway patrol.Thewesternsector,ifthereisone.”

“Yessir,”shesaidbriskly.

Afewmomentslater,thescreencamebackon.Itwastheoperator.“WehaveaDr.Smithsonwho is themedicalofficer for theArizonahighwaypatrolwestofFlagstaff.Hehasnotelevisionmonitorbutyoucanspeaktohimonaudio.”

“Fine,”Hallsaid.

There was a crackling, and a mechanical hum. Hall watched thescreen, but the girl had shut down her own audio and was busyansweringanothercall fromelsewhereintheWildfirestation.Whilehe watched her, he heard a deep, drawling voice ask tentatively,“Anyonethere?”

“Hello,Doctor,”Hallsaid.“ThisisDr.MarkHall,in…Phoenix.I’m

calling for some information about one of your patrolmen, OfficerWillis.”

“The girl said itwas some government thing,” Smithson drawled.“Thatright?”

“Thatiscorrect.Werequire—”

“Dr. Hall,” Smithson said, still drawling, “perhaps you’d identifyyourselfandyouragency.”

ItoccurredtoHallthattherewasprobablyalegalprobleminvolvedinOfficerWillis’sdeath.Smithsonmightbeworriedaboutthat.

Hallsaid,“Iamnotatlibertytotellyouexactlywhatitis—”

“Well, look here, Doctor. I don’t give out information over thephone,andespecially Idon’twhen the fellerat theotherendwon’ttellmewhatit’sallabout.”

Halltookadeepbreath.“Dr.Smithson,Imustaskyou—”

“Askallyouwant.I’msorry,Isimplywon’t—”

Atthatmoment,abellsoundedontheline,andaflatmechanicalvoicesaid:

“Attention please. This is a recording. Computer monitors haveanalyzedcablepropertiesofthiscommunicationandhavedeterminedthat the communication is being recorded by the outside party. Allpartiesshouldbeinformedthatthepenaltyforoutsiderecordingofaclassified government communication is a minimum of five years’prison sentence. If the recording is continued this connection willautomaticallybebroken.Thisisarecording.Thankyou.”

Therewasalongsilence.HallcouldimaginethesurpriseSmithsonwasfeeling;hefeltithimself.

“What the hell kind of a place are you calling from, anyhow?”Smithsonsaid,finally.

“Turnitoff,”Hallsaid.

Therewasapause,aclick,then:“Allright.It’soff.”

“Iamcallingfromaclassifiedgovernmentinstallation,”Hallsaid.

“Well,lookhere,mister—”

“Let me be perfectly plain,” Hall said. “This is a matter of

considerable importance and it concerns Officer Willis. No doubtthere’s a court inquiry pending on him, and no doubt you’ll beinvolved.WemaybeabletodemonstratethatOfficerWilliswasnotresponsible for his actions, that he was suffering from a purelymedical problem. Butwe can’t do that unless you tell uswhat youknowabouthismedicalstatus.Andifyoudon’ttellus,Dr.Smithson,and tell us damned fast, we can have you locked away for twelveyears for obstructing an official government inquiry. I don’t carewhether you believe that or not. I’m telling you, and you’d betterbelieveit.”

Therewasaverylongpause,andfinallythedrawl:“Noneedtogetexcited,Doctor.Naturally,nowthatIunderstandthesituation—”

“DidWillishaveanulcer?”

“Ulcer?No. Thatwas justwhat he said, orwas reported to havesaid.HeneverhadanulcerthatIknowof.”

“Didhehaveanymedicalproblem?”

“Diabetes,”Smithsonsaid.

“Diabetes?”

“Yeah.Andhewasprettycasualabout it.Wediagnosedhimfive,sixyearsago,at theageof thirty.Hadapretty severecase.Weputhimoninsulin,fiftyunitsaday,buthewascasual,likeIsaid.Showedupinthehospitalonceortwiceincoma,becausehewouldn’ttakehisinsulin.Saidhehated theneedles.Wealmostputhimoff the force,becausewewereafraidto lethimdriveacar—thoughthe’dgointoacidosis at the wheel and conk out. We scared him plenty and hepromised to go straight. That was three years ago, and as far as Iknow,hetookhisinsulinregularlyfromthenon.”

“You’resureofthat?”

“Well,Ithinkso.Butthewaitressatthatrestaurant,SallyConover,toldoneofourinvestigatorsthatshefiguredWillishadbeendrinking,because shecould smell liquoronhisbreath.And Iknow fora factthatWillisnevertouchedadropinhislife.Hewasoneoftheserealreligiousfellows.Neversmokedandneverdrank.Alwaysledacleanlife. That was why his diabetes bothered him so: he felt he didn’tdeserveit.”

Hallrelaxedinhischair.Hewasgettingnearnow,comingcloser.Theanswerwaswithinreach;thefinalanswer,thekeytoitall.

“Onelastquestion,”Hallsaid.“DidWillisgothroughPiedmontonthenightofhisdeath?”

“Yes.Heradioedin.Hewasalittlebehindschedule,buthepassedthrough.Why?Isitsomethingaboutthegovernmenttestsbeingheldthere?”

“No,”Hallsaid,buthewassureSmithsondidn’tbelievehim.

“Well,listen,we’restuckherewithabadcase,andifyouhaveanyinformationwhichwould—”

“Wewillbeintouch,”Hallpromisedhim,andclickedoff.

Thegirlattheswitchboardcamebackon.

“Isyourcallcompleted,Dr.Hall?”

“Yes.ButIneedinformation.”

“Whatkindofinformation?”

“IwanttoknowifIhavetheauthoritytoarrestsomeone.”

“Iwillcheck,sir.Whatisthecharge?”

“Nocharge.Justtoholdsomeone.”

There was a moment while she looked over at her computerconsole.

“Dr. Hall, you may authorize an official Army interview withanyone involved in project business. This interviewmay last up toforty-eighthours.”

“Allright,”Hallsaid.“Arrangeit.”

“Yessir.Whoistheperson?”

“Dr.Smithson,”Hallsaid.

The girl nodded and the screen went blank. Hall felt sorry forSmithson, but not very sorry; the man would have a few hours ofsweating,butnothingmoreseriousthanthat.AnditwasessentialtohaltrumorsaboutPiedmont.

Hesatbackinhischairandthoughtaboutwhathehadlearned.Hewasexcited,andfeltonthevergeofanimportantdiscovery.

Threepeople:

Adiabeticinacidosis,fromfailuretotakeinsulin.

AnoldmanwhodrankSternoandtookaspirin,alsoinacidosis.

Ayounginfant.

One had survived for hours, the other two had survived longer,apparentlypermanently.Onehadgonemad, theother twohadnot.Somehow,theywereallinterrelated.

Inaverysimpleway.

Acidosis. Rapid breathing. Carbon-dioxide content. Oxygensaturation. Dizziness. Fatigue. Somehow they were all logicallycoordinated.AndtheyheldthekeytobeatingAndromeda.

At that moment, the emergency bell sounded, ringing in a high-pitched,urgentwayasthebright-yellowlightbegantoflash.

Hejumpedupandlefttheroom.

26

TheSeal

INTHECORRIDOR,hesawtheflashingsignthatindicatedthesourceofthetrouble:AUTOPSY.Hallcouldguesstheproblem—somehowthesealshadbeenbroken,andcontaminationhadoccurred.Thatwouldsoundthealarm.

As he ran down the corridor, a quiet, soothing voice on theloudspeakers said, “Seal has been broken inAutopsy. Seal has beenbrokeninAutopsy.Thisisanemergency.”

Hislabtechniciancameoutofthelabandsawhim.“Whatisit?”

“Burton,Ithink.Infectionspread.”

“Isheallright?”

“Doubtit,”Hallsaid,running.Sheranwithhim.

Leavitt came out of the MORPHOLOGY room and joined them,sprintingdownthecorridor,aroundthegentlecurves.Hallthoughttohimself thatLeavittwasmovingquitewell, foranolderman,whensuddenlyLeavittstopped.

Hestoodrivetedtotheground.Andstaredstraightforwardattheflashingsign,andthelightaboveit,blinkingonandoff.

Halllookedback.“Comeon,”hesaid.

Thenthetechnician:“Dr.Hall,he’sintrouble.”

Leavitt was not moving. He stood, eyes open, but otherwise hemighthavebeenasleep.Hisarmshunglooselyathissides.

“Dr.Hall.”

Hallstopped,andwentback.

“Peter,boy,comeon,weneedyour—”

Hesaidnothingmore,forLeavittwasnotlistening.Hewasstaringstraight forwardat theblinking light.WhenHallpassedhishand infront of his face, he did not react. And then Hall remembered the

other blinking lights, the lights Leavitt had turned away from, hadjokedoffwithstories.

“Thesonofabitch,”Hallsaid.“Now,ofalltimes.”

“Whatisit?”thetechniciansaid.

A smalldribbleof spittlewas coming from the cornerof Leavitt’smouth.Hall quickly steppedbehindhimand said to the technician,“Get in front of him and cover his eyes. Don’t let him look at theblinkinglight.”

“Why?”

“Becauseit’sblinkingthreetimesasecond,”Hallsaid.

“Youmean—”

“He’llgoanyminutenow.”

Leavittwent.

Withfrighteningspeed,hiskneesgavewayandhecollapsedtothefloor. He lay on his back and his whole body began to vibrate. Itbeganwithhishandsandfeet,theninvolvedhisentirearmsandlegs,andfinallyhiswholebody.Heclenchedhisteethandgaveagasping,loudcry.Hisheadhammeredagainst the floor;Hall slippedhis footbeneaththebackofLeavitt’sheadandlethimbangagainsthistoes.Itwasbetterthanhavinghimhitthehardfloor.

“Don’t try to open his mouth,” Hall said. “You can’t do it. He’sclenchedtight.”

Astheywatched,ayellowstainbegantospreadatLeavitt’swaist.

“Hemaygointostatus,”Hallsaid.“Gotothepharmacyandgetmeahundredmilligramsofphenobarb.Now.Inasyringe.We’llgethimontoDilantinlater,ifwehaveto.”

Leavittwascrying,throughhisclenchedteeth,likeananimal.Hisbodyrappedlikeatenserodagainstthefloor.

A fewmoments later, the technician came backwith the syringe.HallwaiteduntilLeavitt relaxed,untilhisbodystopped its seizures,andthenheinjectedthebarbiturate.

“Staywithhim,”hesaidtothegirl.“Ifhehasanotherseizure,justdowhatIdid—putyourfootunderhishead.Ithinkhe’llbeallright.

Don’ttrytomovehim.”

AndHallrandowntotheautopsylab.

Forseveralseconds,hetriedtoopenthedoortothelab,andthenherealizedithadbeensealedoff.Thelabwascontaminated.Hewentonto main control, and found Stone looking at Burton through theclosed-circuitTVmonitors.

Burtonwas terrified.His facewaswhite andhewas breathing inrapid,shallowgasps,andhecouldnotspeak.Helookedexactly likewhathewas:amanwaitingfordeathtostrikehim.

Stonewas trying to reassure him. “Just take it easy, boy. Take iteasy.You’llbeokay.Justtakeiteasy.”

“I’mscared,”Burtonsaid.“OhChrist,I’mscared…”

“Just take it easy,” Stone said in a soft voice. “We know thatAndromeda doesn’t dowell in oxygen.We’re pumping pure oxygenthroughyourlabnow.Forthemoment,thatshouldholdyou.”

Stone turned to Hall. “You took your time getting here. Where’sLeavitt?”

“Hefitted,”Hallsaid.

“What?”

“Yourlightsflashatthreepersecond,andhehadaseizure.”

“What?”

“Petitmal. Itwent on to a grand-mal attack: tonic clonic seizure,urinary incontinence, the whole bit. I got him onto phenobarb andcameassoonasIcould.”

“Leavitthasepilepsy?”

“That’sright.”

Stonesaid,“Hemustnothaveknown.Hemustnothaverealized.”

And then Stone remembered the request for a repeatelectroencephalogram.

“Oh,”Hallsaid,“heknew,allright.Hewasavoidingflashinglights,which will bring on an attack. I’m sure he knew. I’m sure he hasattacks where he suddenly doesn’t know what happened to him,wherehe just loses a fewminutes fromhis life and can’t remember

whatwenton.”

“Isheallright?”

“We’llkeephimsedated.”

Stone said, “We’ve got pure oxygen running into Burton. Thatshould help him, untilwe know somethingmore.” Stone flicked offthe microphone button connecting voice transmission to Burton.“Actually, itwill take severalminutes to hook in, but I’ve told himwe’ve already started. He’s sealed off in there, so the infection isstoppedatthatpoint.Therestofthebaseisokay,atleast.”

Hallsaid,“Howdidithappen?Thecontamination.”

“Sealmust have broken,” Stone said. In a lower voice, he added,“We knew it would, sooner or later. All isolation units break downafteracertaintime.”

Hallsaid,“Youthinkitwasjustarandomevent?”

“Yes,”Stonesaid.“Justanaccident.Somanyseals,somuchrubber,of such-and-such a thickness. They’d all break, given time. Burtonhappenedtobetherewhenonewent.”

Hall didn’t see it so simply. He looked in at Burton, who wasbreathingrapidly,hischestheavinginterror.

Hallsaid,“Howlonghasitbeen?”

Stone looked up at the stop-clocks. The stop-clocks were specialtimingclocksthatautomaticallycutinduringemergencies.Thestop-clockswerenowtimingtheperiodsincethesealbroke.

“Fourminutes.”

Hallsaid,“Burton’sstillalive.”

“Yes,thankGod.”AndthenStonefrowned.Herealizedthepoint.

“Why,”Hallsaid,“ishestillalive?”

“Theoxygen…”

“Yousaidyourself theoxygen isn’t runningyet.What’sprotectingBurton?”

Atthatmoment,Burtonsaidovertheintercom,“Listen.Iwantyoutotrysomethingforme.”

Stoneflickedonthemicrophone.“What?”

“Kalocin,”Burtonsaid.

“No.”Stone’sreactionwasimmediate.

“Dammit,it’smylife.”

“No,”Stonesaid.

Hallsaid,“Maybeweshouldtry—”

“Absolutelynot.Wedon’tdare.Notevenonce.”

Kalocinwasperhapsthebest-keptAmericansecretofthelastdecade.Kalocin was a drug developed by Jensen Pharmaceuticals in thespringof1965,anexperimentalchemicaldesignatedUJ-44759W,orK-9intheshortabbreviation.IthadbeenfoundasaresultofroutinescreeningtestsemployedbyJensenforallnewcompounds.

Likemost pharmaceutical companies, Jensen tested all newdrugswitha scatterapproach, running thecompounds througha standardbatteryof testsdesigned topickupany significantbiologicactivity.Thesetestswererunonlaboratoryanimals—rats,dogs,andmonkeys.Thereweretwenty-fourtestsinall.

Jensen found something rather peculiar about K-9. It inhibitedgrowth.Aninfantanimalgiventhedrugneverattainedfulladultsize.

This discoveryprompted further tests,whichproduced evenmoreintriguingresults.Thedrug,Jensenlearned,inhibitedmetaplasia,theshiftofnormalbodycells toanewandbizarre form,aprecursor tocancer. Jensen became excited, and put the drug through intensiveprogramsofstudy.

By September 1965, there could be no doubt: Kalocin stoppedcancer. Through an unknown mechanism, it inhibited thereproduction of the virus responsible for myelogenous leukemia.Animals taking the drug did not develop the disease, and animalsalready demonstrating the disease showed amarked regression as aresultofthedrug.

The excitement at Jensen could not be contained. It was soonrecognized that the drug was a broad-spectrum antiviral agent. Itkilledthevirusofpolio,rabies,leukemia,andthecommonwart.And,oddlyenough,Kalocinalsokilledbacteria.

Andfungi.

Andparasites.

Somehow, the drug acted to destroy all organisms built on aunicellular structure, or less. It had no effect on organ systems—groups of cells organized into larger units. The drug was perfectlyselectiveinthisrespect.

In fact, Kalocin was the universal antibiotic. It killed everything,eventheminorgermsthatcausedthecommoncold.Naturally,therewere side effects—the normal bacteria in the intestines weredestroyed,sothatallusersofthedrugexperiencedmassivediarrhea—butthatseemedasmallpricetopayforacancercure.

InDecember1965,knowledgeofthedrugwasprivatelycirculatedamonggovernmentagenciesandimportanthealthofficials.Andthenforthefirsttime,oppositiontothedrugarose.Manymen,includingJeremyStone,arguedthatthedrugshouldbesuppressed.

Buttheargumentsforsuppressionseemedtheoretical,andJensen,sensing billions of dollars at hand, fought hard for a clinical test.Eventually the government, the HEW, the FDA, and others agreedwithJensenandsanctionedfurtherclinicaltestingovertheprotestsofStoneandothers.

InFebruary1966,apilotclinicaltrialwasundertaken.It involvedtwentypatientswithincurablecancer,andtwentynormalvolunteersfromtheAlabamastatepenitentiary.Allfortysubjectstookthedrugdaily for one month. Results were as expected: normal subjectsexperienced unpleasant side effects, but nothing serious. Cancerpatientsshowedstrikingremissionofsymptomsconsistentwithcure.

OnMarch1,1966, the fortymenwere takenoff thedrug.Withinsixhours,theywerealldead.

ItwaswhatStonehadpredictedfromthestart.Hehadpointedoutthatmankindhad,over centuriesof exposure,developeda carefullyregulatedimmunitytomostorganisms.Onhisskin,intheair,inhislungs,gut, andevenbloodstreamwerehundredsofdifferentvirusesandbacteria.Theywerepotentiallydeadly,butmanhadadaptedtothemovertheyears,andonlyafewcouldstillcausedisease.

All this represented a carefully balanced state of affairs. If youintroducedanewdrugthatkilledallbacteria,youupsetthebalance

and undid the evolutionarywork of centuries. And you opened theway to superinfection, the problem of new organisms, bearing newdiseases.

Stonewasright:thefortyvolunteerseachhaddiedofobscureandhorriblediseasesnoonehadeverseenbefore.Onemanexperiencedswellingofhisbody,fromheadtofoot,ahot,bloatedswellinguntilhe suffocated from pulmonary edema. Another man fell prey to anorganismthatateawayhisstomachinamatterofhours.Athirdwashitbyavirusthatdissolvedhisbraintoajelly.

Andsoitwent.

Jensen reluctantly took the drug out of further study. Thegovernment, sensing that Stone had somehowunderstoodwhatwashappening, agreed to his earlier proposals, and viciously suppressedallknowledgeandexperimentationwiththedrugKalocin.

Andthatwaswherethematterhadrestedfortwoyears.

NowBurtonwantedtobegiventhedrug.

“No,”Stonesaid.“Notachance.Itmightcureyouforawhile,butyou’dneversurvivelater,whenyouweretakenoff.”

“That’seasyforyoutosay,fromwhereyouare.”

“It’snoteasyformetosay.Believeme, it’snot.”Heputhishandover themicrophoneagain.ToHall: “Weknow thatoxygen inhibitsgrowthoftheAndromedaStrain.That’swhatwe’llgiveBurton.Itwillbegood forhim—makehima littlegiddy,a little relaxed,andslowhisbreathingdown.Poorfellowisscaredtodeath.”

Hallnodded.Somehow,Stone’sphrasestuckinhismind:scaredtodeath.Hethoughtaboutit,andthenbegantoseethatStonehadhituponsomethingimportant.Thatphrasewasaclue.Itwastheanswer.

Hestartedtowalkaway.

“Whereareyougoing?”

“I’vegotsomethinkingtodo.”

“Aboutwhat?”

“Aboutbeingscaredtodeath.”

27

ScaredtoDeath

HALLWALKEDBACKTOHISLABandstaredthroughtheglassattheoldmanandtheinfant.Helookedatthetwoofthemandtriedtothink,buthisbrainwasrunninginfranticcircles.Hefounditdifficult to think logically, and his earlier sensation of being on thevergeofadiscoverywaslost.

For severalminutes, he stared at the oldmanwhile brief imagespassedbeforehim:Burtondying,hishandclutchedtohischest.LosAngeles in panic, bodies everywhere, cars going haywire, out ofcontrol…

It was then that he realized that he, too, was scared. Scared todeath.Thewordscamebacktohim.

Scaredtodeath.

Somehow,thatwastheanswer.

Slowly,forcinghisbraintobemethodical,hewentoveritagain.

Acopwithdiabetes.A copwhodidn’t takehis insulinandhadahabitofgoingintoketoacidosis.

AnoldmanwhodrankSterno,whichgavehimmethanolism,andacidosis.

Ababy,whodid…what?Whatgavehimacidosis?

Hall shookhishead.Always,hecameback to thebaby,whowasnormal,notacidotic.Hesighed.

Takeitfromthebeginning,hetoldhimself.Belogical.Ifamanhasmetabolicacidosis—anykindofacidosis—whatdoeshedo?

Hehastoomuchacidinhisbody.Hecandiefromtoomuchacid,justasifhehadinjectedhydrochloricacidintohisveins.

Toomuchacidmeantdeath.

But the body could compensate. By breathing rapidly. Because inthatmanner,thelungsblewoffcarbondioxide,andthebody’ssupply

ofcarbonicacid,whichwaswhatcarbondioxideformedintheblood,decreased.

Awaytogetridofacid.

Rapidbreathing.

AndAndromeda?Whathappenedtotheorganism,whenyouwereacidoticandbreathingfast?

Perhaps fast breathing kept the organism from getting into yourlungslongenoughtopenetratetobloodvessels.Maybethatwastheanswer. But as soon as he thought of it, he shook his head. No:somethingelse.Somesimple,directfact.Somethingtheyhadalwaysknown,butsomehowneverrecognized.

Theorganismattackedthroughthelungs.

Itenteredthebloodstream.

It localized in the walls of arteries and veins, particularly of thebrain.

Itproduceddamage.

Thisledtocoagulation.Whichwasdispersedthroughoutthebody,orelseledtobleeding,insanity,anddeath.

But inorder toproduce such rapid, severedamage, itwould takemanyorganisms.Millionsuponmillions,collectinginthearteriesandveins.Probablyyoudidnotbreatheinsomany.

Sotheymustmultiplyinthebloodstream.

Atagreatrate.Afantasticrate.

Andifyouwereacidotic?Didthathaltmultiplication?

Perhaps.

Again,heshookhishead.BecauseapersonwithacidosislikeWillisorJacksonwasonething.Butwhataboutthebaby?

The baby was normal. If it breathed rapidly, it would becomealkalotic—basic, too little acid—not acidotic. The babywould go totheoppositeextreme.

Hall looked through the glass, and as he did, the baby awoke.Almost immediately it began to scream, its face turning purple, thelittle eyes wrinkling, the mouth, toothless and smooth-gummed,

shrieking.

Scaredtodeath.

Andthenthebirds,withthefastmetabolicrate,thefastheartrates,thefastbreathingrates.Thebirds,whodideverythingfast.They,too,survived.

Breathingfast?

Wasitassimpleasthat?

Heshookhishead.Itcouldn’tbe.

Hesatdownandrubbedhiseyes.Hehadaheadache,andhefelttired. He kept thinking of Burton, who might die at any minute.Burton,sittingthereinthesealedroom.

Hall felt the tension was unbearable. He suddenly felt anoverwhelmingurgetoescapeit,togetawayfromeverything.

The TV screen clicked on.His technician appeared and said, “Dr.Hall,wehaveDr.Leavittintheinfirmary.”

AndHallfoundhimselfsaying,“I’llberightthere.”

Heknewhewasactingstrangely.TherewasnoreasontoseeLeavitt.Leavittwasallright,perfectlyfine,innodanger.Ingoingtoseehim,Hall knew that he was trying to forget the other, more immediateproblems.Asheenteredtheinfirmary,hefeltguilty.

Histechniciansaid,“He’ssleeping.”

“Post-ictal,”Hallsaid.Personsafteraseizureusuallyslept.

“ShallwestartDilantin?”

“No.Waitandsee.Perhapswecanholdhimonphenobarb.”

He began a slow and meticulous examination of Leavitt. Histechnicianwatchedhimandsaid,“You’retired.”

“Yes,”saidHall.“It’spastmybedtime.”

On a normal day, he would now be driving home on theexpressway. So would Leavitt: going home to his family in PacificPalisades.TheSantaMonicaExpressway.

He saw it vividly for a moment, the long lines of cars creepingslowlyforward.

Andthesignsbythesideoftheroad.Speedlimit65maximum,40minimum.Theyalwaysseemedlikeacrueljokeatrushhour.

Maximumandminimum.

Cars that drove slowly were a menace. You had to keep trafficmovingata fairly constant rate, littledifferencebetween the fastestandtheslowest,andyouhadto…

Hestopped.

“I’vebeenanidiot,”hesaid.

Andheturnedtothecomputer.

In later weeks, Hall referred to it as his “highway diagnosis.” Theprincipleof itwassosimple,soclearandobvious,hewassurprisednoneofthemhadthoughtofitbefore.

He was excited as he punched in instructions for the GROWTHprogram into the computer;hehad topunch in thedirections threetimes;hisfingerskeptmakingmistakes.

Atlasttheprogramwasset.Onthedisplayscreen,hesawwhathewanted: growth of Andromeda as a function of pH, of acidity-alkalinity.

Theresultswerequiteclear:

ACIDITYOFMEDIUMASLOGH–IONCONCENTRATION

CORRECTEDFORSKEWMEANS,MODES,S.D.FOUNDINCORREL/PRINT

MM–76CALLCOORDINATESO,Y,88,Z,09.

REVIEWCHECK

ENDPRINT

TheAndromedaStraingrewwithinanarrowrange.Ifthemediumforgrowthwas tooacid, theorganismwouldnotmultiply. If itwastoobasic,itwouldnotmultiply.OnlywithintherangeofpH7.39to7.42woulditgrowwell.

Hestaredatthegraphforamoment,thenranforthedoor.Onhisway out he grinned at his assistant and said, “It’s all over. Ourtroublesarefinished.”

Hecouldnothavebeenmorewrong.

28

TheTest

INTHEMAINCONTROLROOM,Stonewaswatching thetelevisionscreenthatshowedBurtoninthesealedlab.

“Theoxygen’sgoingin,”Stonesaid.

“Stopit,”Hallsaid.

“What?”

“Stopitnow.Puthimonroomair.”

Hall was looking at Burton. On the screen, it was clear that theoxygenwasbeginning toaffecthim.Hewasno longerbreathing sorapidly;hischestmovedslowly.

Hepickedupthemicrophone.

“Burton,”hesaid,“thisisHall.I’vegottheanswer.TheAndromedaStraingrowswithinanarrowrangeofpH.Doyouunderstand?Averynarrowrange.Ifyou’reeitheracidoticoralkalotic,you’llbeallright.Iwantyoutogointorespiratoryalkalosis.Iwantyoutobreatheasfastasyoucan.”

Burton said, “But this is pure oxygen. I’ll hyperventilate and passout.I’malittledizzynow.”

“No.We’reswitchingbacktoair.Nowstartbreathingasfastasyoucan.”

Hall turned back to Stone. “Give him a higher carbondioxideatmosphere.”

“Buttheorganismflourishesincarbondioxide!”

“Iknow,butnotatanunfavorablepHoftheblood.Yousee,that’stheproblem:airdoesn’tmatter,butblooddoes.WehavetoestablishanunfavorableacidbalanceforBurton’sblood.”

Stonesuddenlyunderstood.“Thechild,”hesaid.“Itscreamed.”

“Yes.”

“Andtheoldfellowwiththeaspirinhyperventilated.”

“Yes.AnddrankSternobesides.”

“Andbothofthemshottheiracid-basebalancetohell,”Stonesaid.

“Yes,”Hallsaid.“Mytroublewas,Iwashungupontheacidosis.Ididn’tunderstandhowthebabycouldbecomeacidotic.Theanswer,ofcourse,wasthatitdidn’t.Itbecamebasic—toolittleacid.Butthatwasallright—youcouldgoeitherway,toomuchacidortoolittle—aslongasyougotoutofthegrowthrangeofAndromeda.”

HeturnedbacktoBurton.“Allrightnow,”hesaid.“Keepbreathingrapidly.Don’tstop.Keepyourlungsgoingandblowoffyourcarbondioxide.Howdoyoufeel?”

“Okay,”Burtonpanted.“Scared…but…okay.”

“Good.”

“Listen,”Stonesaid,“wecan’tkeepBurtonthatwayforever.Soonerorlater—”

“Yes,”Hallsaid.“We’llalkalinizehisblood.”

ToBurton:“Lookaroundthelab.DoyouseeanythingwecouldusetoraiseyourbloodpH?”

Burtonlooked.“No,notreally.”

“Bicarbonateofsoda?Ascorbicacid?Vinegar?”

Burtonsearched franticallyamong thebottlesandreagentson thelabshelf,andfinallyshookhishead.“Nothingherethatwillwork.”

Hallhardlyheardhim.HehadbeencountingBurton’srespirations;theywereuptothirty-fiveaminute,deepandfull.Thatwouldholdhim for a time, but sooner or later he would become exhausted—breathingwashardwork—orpassout.

Helookedaroundthelabfromhisvantagepoint.Anditwaswhiledoingthis thathenoticedtherat.AblackNorway,sittingcalmly initscageinacorneroftheroom,watchingBurton.

Hestopped.

“Thatrat…”

It was breathing slowly and easily. Stone saw the rat and said,“Whatthehell…”

Andthen,astheywatched,thelightsbegantoflashagain,andthecomputerconsoleblinkedon:

“Christ,”Stonesaid.

“Wheredoesthatgasketlead?”

“It’soneofthecoregaskets;itconnectsallthelabs.Themainsealis—”

Thecomputercamebackon.

They lookedat thescreen inastonishment.“Something iswrong,”Stonesaid.“Verywrong.”

Inrapidsuccessionthecomputerflashedthenumberofninemoregasketsthatwerebreakingdown.

“Idon’tunderstand…”

AndthenHallsaid,“Thechild.Ofcourse!”

“Thechild?”

“Andthatdamnedairplane.Itallfits.”

“Whatareyoutalkingabout?”Stonesaid.

“The child was normal,” Hall said. “It could cry, and disrupt itsacid-basebalance.Wellandgood.ThatwouldpreventtheAndromedaStrainfromgettingintoitsbloodstream,andmultiplying,andkillingit.”

“Yes,yes,”Stonesaid.“You’vetoldmeallthat.”

“Butwhathappenswhenthechildstopscrying?”

Stonestaredathim.Hesaidnothing.

“I mean,” Hall said, “that sooner or later, that kid had to stopcrying. It couldn’t cry forever.Sooneror later itwould stop,and itsacid-base balance would return to normal. Then it would bevulnerabletoAndromeda.”

“True.”

“Butitdidn’tdie.”

“Perhapssomerapidformofimmunity—”

“No. Impossible.Thereareonly twoexplanations.When thechildstopped crying, either the organismwas no longer there—had beenblownaway,clearedfromtheair—orelsetheorganism—”

“Changed,”Stonesaid.“Mutated.”

“Yes. Mutated to a noninfectious form. And perhaps it is stillmutating. Now it is no longer directly harmful to man, but it eatsrubbergaskets.”

“Theairplane.”

Hallnodded.“Nationalguardsmencouldbeontheground,andnotbeharmed.Butthepilothadhisaircraftdestroyedbecausetheplasticwasdissolvedbeforehiseyes.”

“SoBurtonisnowexposedtoaharmlessorganism.That’swhytheratisalive.”

“That’swhyBurton is alive,”Hall said. “The rapidbreathing isn’tnecessary.He’sonlyalivebecauseAndromedachanged.”

“Itmaychangeagain,”Stonesaid,“andifmostmutationsoccurattimes ofmultiplication,when the organism is growingmost rapidly—”

Thesirenswentoff,andthecomputerflashedamessageinred.

GASKETINTEGRITYZERO.LEVELVCONTAMINATEDANDSEALED.

StoneturnedtoHall.“Quick,”hesaid,“getoutofhere.There’snosubstationinthislab.Youhavetogotothenextsector.”

Foramoment,Halldidnotunderstand.Hecontinuedtosit inhisseat, and then, when the realization hit him, he scrambled for thedoor and hurried outside to the corridor. As he did so he heard ahissing sound, anda thumpas amassive steel plate slidout fromawallandclosedoffthecorridor.

Stone saw it and swore. “That does it,” he said. “We’re trappedhere.Andifthatbombgoesoff,it’llspreadtheorganismalloverthesurface.Therewillbeathousandmutations,eachkillinginadifferent

way.We’llneverberidofit.”

Over the loudspeaker, a flat mechanical voice was saying, “Thelevelisclosed.Thelevelisclosed.Thisisanemergency.Thelevelisclosed.”

Therewasamomentof silence, and thena scratching soundasanew recording came on, and Miss Gladys Stevens of Omaha,Nebraska,saidquietly,“Therearenowthreeminutes toatomicself-destruct.”

29

ThreeMinutes

ANEWRISINGANDFALLINGsirencameon,andall theclockssnappedtheirhandsbackto1200hours,andthesecondhandsbegan to sweepout the time.Thestop-clocksallglowedred,withagreenlineonthedialtoindicatewhendetonationwouldoccur.

And themechanical voice repeated calmly, “There are now threeminutestoself-destruct.”

“Automatic,”Stonesaidquietly.“Thesystemcutsinwhentheleveliscontaminated.Wecan’tletithappen.”

Hallwasholdingthekey inhishand.“There’snowaytoget toasubstation?”

“Notonthislevel.Eachsectorissealedfromeveryother.”

“Buttherearesubstations,ontheotherlevels?”

“Yes…”

“HowdoIgetup?”

“Youcan’t.Alltheconventionalroutesaresealed.”

“What about the central core?” The central core communicatedwithalllevels.

Stoneshrugged.“Thesafeguards…”

Hall remembered talking to Burton earlier about the central-coresafeguards. In theory, once inside the central core you could gostraight to the top. But in practice, there were ligamine sensorslocatedaroundthecoretopreventthis.Originallyintendedtopreventescapeoflabanimalsthatmightbreakfreeintothecore,thesensorsreleased ligamine, a curarederivative thatwaswater-soluble, in theform of a gas. There were also automatic guns that fired ligaminedarts.

Themechanicalvoice said,“Therearenowtwominutes forty-fivesecondstoself-destruct.”

Hallwasalreadymovingbackintothelabandstaringthroughtheglassintotheinnerworkarea;beyondthatwasthecentralcore.

Hallsaid,“Whataremychances?”

“Theydon’texist,”Stoneexplained.

Hallbentoverandcrawledthroughatunnelintoaplasticsuit.Hewaiteduntilithadsealedbehindhim,andthenhepickedupaknifeandcutawaythetunnel,likeatail.Hebreathedintheairofthelab,whichwascoolandfresh,andlacedwithAndromedaorganisms.

Nothinghappened.

Backinthelab,Stonewatchedhimthroughtheglass.Hallsawhislipsmove,butheardnothing;thenamomentlaterthespeakerscutinandheheardStonesay,“—bestthatwecoulddevise.”

“Whatwas?”

“Thedefensesystem.”

“Thanksverymuch,”Hallsaid,movingtowardtherubbergasket.Itwascircularandrathersmall,leadingintothecentralcore.

“There’sonlyonechance,”Stonesaid.“Thedosesarelow.They’recalculated for a ten-kilogram animal, like a largemonkey, and youweigh seventy kilograms or so. You can stand a fairly heavy dosebefore—”

“BeforeIstopbreathing,”Hallsaid.Thevictimsofcuraresuffocateto death, their chest muscles and diaphragms paralyzed. Hall wascertainitwasanunpleasantwaytodie.

“Wishmeluck,”hesaid.

“Therearenowtwominutesthirtysecondstoself-destruct,”GladysStevenssaid.

Hall slammed the gasketwithhis fist, and it crumbled in adustycloud.Hemovedoutintothecentralcore.

Itwassilent.Hewasawayfromthesirensandflashinglightsof thelevel, and intoa cold,metallic, echoing space.Thecentral corewasperhaps thirty feetwide,paintedautilitariangray; thecore itself, acylindrical shaft of cables and machinery, lay before him. On thewallshecouldseetherungsofaladderleadingupwardtoLevelIV.

“I haveyouon theTVmonitor,” Stone’s voice said. “Start up theladder.Thegaswillbeginanymoment.”

A new recorded voice broke in. “The central core has beencontaminated,” it said. “Authorized maintenance personnel areadvisedtocleartheareaimmediately.”

“Go!”Stonesaid.

Hallclimbed.Ashewentupthecircularwall,helookedbackandsawpalecloudsofwhitesmokeblanketingthefloor.

“That’sthegas,”Stonesaid.“Keepgoing.”

Hallclimbedquickly,handoverhand,movinguptherungs.Hewasbreathinghard,partlyfromtheexertion,partlyfromemotion.

“Thesensorshaveyou,”Stonesaid.Hisvoicewasdull.

Stone was sitting in the Level V laboratory, watching on theconsolesasthecomputerelectriceyespickedupHallandoutlinedhisbodymovingup thewall.ToStonehe seemedpainfullyvulnerable.Stone glanced over at a third screen, which showed the ligamineejectors pivoting on their wall brackets, the slim barrels comingaroundtotakeaim.

“Go!”

On the screen, Hall’s body was outlined in red on a vivid greenbackground. As Stonewatched, a crosshair was super-imposed overthebody, centeringon theneck.The computerwasprogrammed tochoose a regionofhighblood flow; formost animals, theneckwasbetterthantheback.

Hall,climbingupthecorewall,wasawareonlyofthedistanceandhisfatigue.Hefeltstrangelyandtotallyexhausted,asifhehadbeenclimbing for hours. Then he realized that the gaswas beginning toaffecthim.

“Thesensorshavepickedyouup,”Stonesaid.“Butyouhaveonlytenmoreyards.”

Hall glanced back and saw one of the sensor units. Itwas aimeddirectlyathim.Ashewatched,itfired,asmallpuffofbluishsmokespurting from the barrel. There was a whistling sound, and thensomethingstruckthewallnexttohim,andfelltotheground.

“Missedthattime.Keepgoing.”

Another dart slammed into the wall near his neck. He tried tohurry, tried tomove faster. Above, he could see the door with theplainwhitemarkingsLEVELIV.Stonewasright;lessthantenyardstogo.

A third dart, and then a fourth. He still was untouched. For anironicmomenthefeltirritation:thedamnedcomputersweren’tworthanything,theycouldn’tevenhitasimpletarget…

Thenextdartcaughthimintheshoulder,stingingasitenteredhisflesh,andthentherewasasecondwaveofburningpainastheliquidwasinjected.Hallswore.

Stonewatched it all on themonitor. The screen blandly recordedSTRIKEandthenproceededtorerunatapeofthesequence,showingthe dart moving through the air, and hitting Hall’s shoulder. Itshoweditthreetimesinsuccession.

Thevoicesaid,“Therearenowtwominutestoself-destruct.”

“It’salowdose,”StonesaidtoHall.“Keepgoing.”

Hallcontinuedtoclimb.Hefeltsluggish,likeafour-hundred-poundman,buthecontinued toclimb.He reached thenextdoor just as adartslammedintothewallnearhischeekbone.

“Nasty.”

“Go!Go!”

Thedoorhadasealandhandle.Hetuggedatthehandlewhilestillanotherdartstruckthewall.

“That’sit,that’sit,you’regoingtomakeit,”Stonesaid.

“Therearenowninetysecondstoself-destruct,”thevoicesaid.

Thehandlespun.Withahissofairthedoorcameopen.Hemovedintoaninnerchamberjustasadartstruckhislegwithabrief,searingwave of heat. And suddenly, instantly, he was a thousand poundsheavier. Hemoved in slowmotion as he reached for the door andpulleditshutbehindhim.

“You’reinanairlock,”Stonesaid.“Turnthenextdoorhandle.”

Hallmoved toward the inner door. Itwas severalmiles away, an

infinite trip, adistancebeyondhope.His feetwere encased in lead;hislegsweregranite.Hefeltsleepyandachinglytiredashetookonestep,andthenanother,andanother.

“Therearenowsixtysecondstoself-destruct.”

Timewas passing swiftly. He could not understand it; everythingwassofast,andhewassoslow.

The handle.He closed his fingers around it, as if in a dream.Heturnedthehandle.

“Fightthedrug.Youcandoit,”Stonesaid.

Whathappenednextwasdifficulttorecall.Hesawthehandleturn,and the door open; he was dimly aware of a girl, a technician,standing in the hallway as he staggered through. She watched himwithfrightenedeyesashetookasingleclumsystepforward.

“Helpme,”hesaid.

She hesitated; her eyes got wider, and then she ran down thecorridorawayfromhim.

Hewatchedherstupidly,andfelltotheground.Thesubstationwasonlyafewfeetaway,aglittering,polishedmetalplateonthewall.

“Forty-fivesecondstoself-destruct,”thevoicesaid,andthenhewasangry because the voice was female, and seductive, and recorded,becausesomeonehadplanneditthisway,hadwrittenoutaseriesofinexorablestatements,likeascript,whichwasnowbeingfollowedbythe computers, together with all the polished, perfectmachinery ofthe laboratory. It was as if this was his fate, planned from thebeginning.

Andhewasangry.

Later,Hallcouldnotrememberhowhemanagedtocrawlthefinaldistance;norcouldherememberhowhewasabletogettohiskneesandreachupwiththekey.Hedidremembertwistingit inthelock,andwatchingasthegreenlightcameonagain.

“Self-destructhasbeencanceled,”thevoiceannounced,asifitwerequitenormal.

Hall slid to the floor,heavy,exhausted,andwatchedasblacknessclosedinaroundhim.

day5

RESOLUTION

30

TheLastDay

AVOICEFROMVERYFARAWAYsaid,“He’sfightingit.”

“Ishe?”

“Yes.Look.”

And then, amoment later,Hall coughedas somethingwaspulledfromhisthroat,andhecoughedagain,gaspedforair,andopenedhiseyes.

Aconcernedfemalefacelookeddownathim.“Youokay?Itwearsoffquickly.”

Halltriedtoanswerherbutcouldnot.Helayverystillonhisback,andfelthimselfbreathe.Itwasalittlestiffatfirst,butsoonbecamemucheasier,his ribsgoing inandoutwithout effort.He turnedhisheadandsaid,“Howlong?”

“About forty seconds,” the girl said, “as nearly as we can figure.Forty seconds without breathing. You were a little blue when wefound you, but we got you intubated right away, and onto arespirator.”

“Whenwasthat?”

“Twelve,fifteenminutesago.Ligamineisshort-acting,butevenso,wewereworriedaboutyou.…Howareyoufeeling?”

“Okay.”

He lookedaroundtheroom.Hewas in the infirmaryonLevel IV.Onthefarwallwasatelevisionmonitor,whichshowedStone’sface.

“Hello,”Hallsaid.

Stonegrinned.“Congratulations.”

“Itakeitthebombdidn’t?”

“Thebombdidn’t,”Stonesaid.

“That’sgood,”Hallsaid,andclosedhiseyes.Hesleptformorethan

anhour,andwhenheawokethetelevisionscreenwasblank.AnursetoldhimthatDr.StonewastalkingtoVandenberg.

“What’shappening?”

“Accordingtopredictions,theorganismisoverLosAngelesnow.”

“And?”

Thenurseshrugged.“Nothing.Itseemstohavenoeffectatall.”

“None whatsoever,” Stone said, much later. “It has apparentlymutated toabenign form.We’re stillwaiting forabizarre reportofdeath or disease, but it’s been six hours now, and it gets less likelywitheveryminute.Wesuspectthatultimatelyitwillmigratebackoutof theatmosphere,sincethere’s toomuchoxygendownhere.ButofcourseifthebombhadgoneoffinWildfire…”

Hallsaid,“Howmuchtimewasleft?”

“Whenyouturnedthekey?Aboutthirty-fourseconds.”

Hallsmiled.“Plentyoftime.Hardlyevenexciting.”

“Perhapsfromwhereyouwere,”Stonesaid.“ButdownonLevelV,itwas very exciting indeed. I neglected to tell you that in order toimprove the subterranean detonation characteristics of the atomicdevice, all air is evacuated from Level V, beginning thirty secondsbeforeexplosion.”

“Oh,”Hallsaid.

“But things are now under control,” Stone said. “We have theorganism, and can continue to study it. We’ve already begun tocharacterize a variety of mutant forms. It’s a rather astonishingorganism in its versatility.” He smiled. “I think we can be fairlyconfident that the organism will move into the upper atmospherewithout causing further difficulty on the surface, so there’s noproblem there. And as for us down here, we understand what’shappeningnow,intermsofthemutations.That’stheimportantthing.Thatweunderstand.”

“Understand,”Hallrepeated.

“Yes,”Stonesaid.“Wehavetounderstand.”

EPILOGUE

OFFICIALLY, THE LOSS OF ANDROS V, the mannedspacecraft that burned up as it reentered the atmosphere, wasexplainedonthebasisofmechanicalfailure.Thetungsten-and-plastic-laminateheatshieldwassaidtohaveerodedawayunderthethermalstress of returning to the atmosphere, and an investigation wasorderedbyNASAintoproductionmethodsfortheheatshield.

InCongress,andinthepress,therewasclamorforsaferspacecraft.As a result of governmental and public pressure, NASA elected topostponefuturemannedflightsforanindefiniteperiod.Thisdecisionwas announced by JackMarriott, “the voice of Andros,” in a pressconference at the Manned Spaceflight Center in Houston. A partialtranscriptoftheconferencefollows:

Q:Jack,whendoesthispostponementgointoeffect?

A:Immediately.RightasItalktoyou,weareshuttingdown.

Q:Howlongdoyouanticipatethisdelaywilllast?

A:I’mafraidthat’simpossibletosay.

Q:Coulditbeamatterofmonths?

A:Itcould.

Q:Jack,coulditbeaslongasayear?

A:It’sjustimpossibleformetosay.Wemustwaitforthefindingsoftheinvestigativecommittee.

Q:DoesthispostponementhaveanythingtodowiththeRussiandecisiontocurtailtheirspaceprogramafterthecrashofZond19?

A:You’dhavetoasktheRussiansaboutthat.

Q:IseethatJeremyStoneisonthelistoftheinvestigativecommittee.Howdidyouhappentoincludeabacteriologist?

A:ProfessorStonehasservedonmanyscientificadvisorycouncilsinthepast.Wevaluehisopiniononabroadrangeofsubjects.

Q:WhatwillthisdelaydototheMars-landingtargetdate?

A:Itwillcertainlysettheschedulingback.

Q:Jack,howfar?

A:I’lltellyoufrankly,it’ssomethingthatallofusherewouldliketoknow.WeregardthefailureofAndrosVasascientificerror,abreakdowninsystemstechnology,andnotasaspecificallyhumanerror.Thescientistsaregoingovertheproblemnow,andwe’llhavetowaitfortheirfindings.Thedecisionisreallyoutofourhands.

Q:Jack,wouldyourepeatthat?

A:Thedecisionisoutofourhands.

REFERENCES

Listed below is a selected bibliography of unclassified documents,reports,andreferencesthatformedthebackgroundtothebook.

DAYONE

1. Merrick, J. J. “Frequencies of Biologic Contact According toSpeciation Probabilities,” Proceedings of the Cold Spring HarborSymposia10:443–57.

2.Toller,G.G.EssenceandEvolution.NewHaven: YaleUniv. Press,1953.

3.Stone,J.,etal.“MultiplicativeCountsinSolidPlating,”J.Biol.Res.17:323–7.

4.Stone, J., etal. “Liquid-PureSuspensionandMonolayerMedia:AReview,”Proc.Soc.Biol.Phys.9:101–14.

5.Stone,J.,etal.“LinearViralTransformationMechanisms,”Science107:2201–4.

6.Stone,J.“SterilizationofSpacecraft,”Science112:1198–2001.

7. Morley, A., et al. “Preliminary Criteria for a Lunar ReceivingLaboratory,”NASAFieldReports,#7703A,123pp.

8.Worthington,A.,etal.“TheAxenicEnvironmentandLifeSupportSystemsDelivery,”JetPropulsionLabTech.Mem.9:404–11.

9. Ziegler, V. A., et al. “Near Space Life: A Predictive Model forRetrievalDensities,”Astronaut.Aeronaut.Rev.19:449–507.

10. Testimony of Jeremy Stone before the Senate Armed ServicesSubcommittee,SpaceandPreparednessSubcommittee(seeAppendix).

11.Manchek,A.“AudiometricScreeningbyDigitalComputer,”Ann.Tech.7:1033–9.

12. Wilson, L. O., et al. “Unicentric Directional Routing,” J. SpaceComm.43:34–41.

13. Project Procedures Manual: Scoop. U.S. Gov’t Printing Office,

publication#PJS-4431.

14. Comroe, L. “Critical Resonant Frequencies in Higher VertebrateAnimals,”Rev.Biol.Chem.109:43–59.

15.Pockran,A.Culture,CrisisandChange.Chicago:Univ.ofChicagoPress,1964.

16. Manchek, A. “Module Design for High-Impact Landing Ratios,”NASAFieldReports#3–3476.

17.Lexwell,J.F.,etal.“SurveyTechniquesbyMultipleSpectrology,”USAFTechnicalPubs.,#55A-789.

18. Jaggers, N. A., et al. “The Direct Interpretation of InfraredIntelligenceData,”Tech.Rev.Soc.88:111–19.

19. Vanderlink, R. E. “Binominate Analysis of PersonalityCharacteristics:APredictiveModel,”Pubs.NIMH3:199.

20.Vanderlink,R.E.“MulticentricProblemsinPersonnelPrediction,”Proc.Symp.NIMH13:404–512.

21. Sanderson, L. L. “Continuous Screen Efficiency in PersonnelReview,”Pubs.NIMH5:98.

DAYTWO

1.Metterlinck,J.“CapacitiesofaClosedCable-LinkCommunicationsSystemwithLimitedEntryPoints,”J.SpaceComm.14:777–801.

2. Leavitt, P. “Metabolic Changes in Ascaris with EnvironmentalStress,”J.Microbiol.Parasitol.97:501–44.

3. Herrick, L. A. “Induction of Petit-Mal Epilepsy with FlashingLights,”Ann.Neurol.8:402–19.

4. Burton, C., et al. “Endotoxic properties of Staphylococcus aureus,”NEJM14:11–39.

5. Kenniston, N. N., et al. “Geographics by Computer: A CriticalReview,”J.Geog.Geol.98:1–34.

6. Blakley, A. K. “Computerbase Output Mapping as a PredictiveTechnique,”Ann.Comp.Tech.18:8–40.

7.Vorhees,H.G.“TheTimeCourseofEnzymaticBlockingAgents,”J.

Phys.Chem.66:303–18.

8.Garrod,D.O.“EffectsofChlorazineonAviaryMetabolism:ARate-DependentDecoupler,”Rev.Biol.Sci.9:13–39.

9.Bagdell,R. L. “PrevailingWinds in the SouthwestUnited States,”Gov.WeatherRev.81:291–9.

10. Jaegers,A.A.Suicideand ItsConsequences.AnnArbor:MichiganUniv.Press,1967.

11. Revell, T. W. “Optical Scanning in Machine-Score Programs,”Comp.Tech.12:34–51.

12. Kendrew, P. W. “Voice Analysis by Phonemic Inversion,” Ann.Biol.Comp.Tech.19:35–61.

13. Ulrich, V., et al. “The Success of Battery Vaccinations inPreviouslyImmunizedHealthySubjects,”Medicine180:901–6.

14.Rodney,K.G.“ElectronicBodyAnalyzerswithMultifocalInput,”NASAFieldReports#2–223–1150.

15. Stone, J., et al. “Gradient Decontamination Procedures to LifeTolerances,”Bull.Soc.Biol.Microbiol.16:84–90.

16.Howard, E. A. “Realtime Functions in Autoclock Transcription,”NASAFieldReports#4–564–0002.

17.Edmundsen,T.E.“LongWaveAsepsisGradients,”Proc.Biol.Soc.13:343–51.

DAYTHREE

1.Karp, J. “SporulationandCalciumDipicolonateConcentrations inCellWalls,”Microbiol.55:180.

2. Weekly Reports of the United States Air Force Satellite TrackingStations,NASARes.Pubs,—.

3.Wilson,G.E.“Glove-boxAsepsisandAxenicEnvironments,”J.Biol.Res.34:88–96.

4.Yancey,K.L.,et.al.“SerumElectrophoresisofPlasmaGlobulinsinManandtheGreatApes,”Nature89:1101–9.

5. Garrison, H. W. “Laboratory Analysis by Computer: A Maximin

Program,”Med.Adv.17:9–41.

6. Urey, W. W. “Image Intensification from Remote Modules,” JetPropulsionLabTech.Mem.33:376–86.

7.Isaacs,I.V.“PhysicsofNon-ElasticInteractions,”Phys.Rev.80:97–104.

8.Quincy,E.W.“VirulenceasaFunctionofGradientAdaptationtoHost,”J.Microbiol.99:109–17.

9.Danvers, R. C. “ClottingMechanisms inDisease States,”Ann. Int.Med.90:404–81.

10.Henderson,J.W.,etal.“SalicylismandMetabolicAcidosis,”Med.Adv.23:77–91.

DAYFOUR

1.Livingston,J.A.“AutomatedAnalysisofAminoAcidSubstrates,”J.Microbiol.100:44–57.

2. Laandgard, Q. X-Ray Crystallography. New York: Columbia Univ.Press,1960.

3.Polton,S.,etal.“ElectronWaveformsandMicroscopicResolutionRatios,”Ann.Anatomy5:90–118.

4.Twombley, E.R., et al. “TissueThromboplastin inTimedReleasefromGradedIntimalDestruction,”Path.Res.19:1–53.

5. Ingersoll, H. G. “Basal Metabolism and Thyroid Indices in BirdMetabolicStressContexts,”J.Zool.50:223–304.

6.Young,T.C.,etal.“DiabeticKetoacidosisInducedbyTimedInsulinWithdrawal,”Rev.Med.Proc.96:87–96.

7. Ramsden, C. C. “Speculations on a Universal Antibiotic,”Nature112:44–8.

8. Yandell, K. M. “LigamineMetabolism in Normal Subjects,” JAJA44:109–10.

DAYFIVE

1. Hepley, W. E., et al. “Studies in Mutagenic Transformation of

BacteriafromNon-virulenttoVirulentForms,”J.Biol.Chem.78:90–9.

2.Drayson,V.L.“DoesManHaveaFuture?”TechRev.119:1–13.

ABOUTTHEAUTHOR

MichaelCrichton’s novels includeThe Andromeda Strain, The GreatTrainRobbery,Congo,JurassicPark,RisingSun,Disclosure,andTheLostWorld. Hewas also the creator of the television seriesER. Crichtondiedin2008.

BooksbyMichaelCrichton

TheAndromedaStrain

TheTerminalMan

TheGreatTrainRobbery

EatersoftheDead

Congo

Sphere

Travels

JurassicPark

RisingSun

TheLostWorld

Disclosure

Airframe

Timeline