jefflong.yearzero-第51部分

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s　barely　more　than　a　teenager。　It　jarred　him。
　〃We're　falling　behind；〃　she　said。　〃Giving　up。　I've　tried　everything　I　know。　I　even　brought　in　a　group　of　medicine　men　to　purify　us。　Navajo　and　Zuni　shamen。　Nothing　works。〃　She　rapped　her　knuckles　on　the　table。
　〃People　pray　for　you；〃　he　said。
　〃What？〃　She　seemed　to　e　awake。
　〃On　my　way　across　America；　at　their　meals；　when　they　say　grace；　when　it's　time　to　put　the　kids　to　bed；　they　add　a　little　blessing　for　Los　Alamos。〃
　She　frowned。　〃They　shouldn't　do　that。〃
　〃It　sounds　like　you　can　use　some　extra　help。〃
　〃How　about　you。　Do　you　pray　for　us？〃
　〃No。〃
　〃Me　either；〃　she　said。　〃We　have　enough　voodoo　up　here。〃
　〃They're　with　you；　that's　what　I　meant。〃
　His　eyes　flickered　to　the　doomsday　map。　Tendrils　of　plague　dangled　from　Chicago；　a　crimson　man　o'war。
　〃Keep　working　at　that；〃　she　said；　pointing　at　his　hamburger。　〃I　have　a　meeting。　I'll　have　someone　in　the　office　get　you　settled。　Take　the　afternoon　off。〃
　〃I　want　to　thank　you；〃　he　started。
　〃I　know；〃　she　said。　〃You're　much　obliged。　You　owe　me　a　life。　Don't　worry；　you'll　work　it　off。〃
　〃You　have　work　for　me？〃
　〃I'm　going　to　have　to　justify　you　somehow；〃　she　said。　〃Is　it　true　you　were　an　anthropologist？〃
　〃That　was　the　plan。〃
　〃You　looted　the　Golgotha　site？〃
　Ochs；　he　thought。　No　sense　fudging　it。　〃Bones。　Bits　of　wood。　Metal　splinters。〃
　〃And　you　were　a　prisoner？〃　She　had　him　cold。
　〃Yes。〃
　〃Perfect；〃　she　said；　and　left。
　　
　THEY　ISSUED　HIMa　tiny　apartment　in　the　city　and　gave　him　a　clearance　badge　for　Alpha　Lab。　Everything　else　was　free　to　any　citizen：　food；　clothing；　a　bicycle。　His　first　evening　he　stood　by　the　window　for　hours；　bewitched；　and　shy。　It　was　a　city　of　light。
　This　was　Georgia　O'Keeffe　country。　The　sunset　was　fire。　On　the　rooftops　of　surrounding　apartment　buildings；　families　and　friends　gathered　to　barbecue；　drink　microbrews；　and　watch　the　close　of　day。　In　the　far　distance；　the　Sangre　de　Christo　mountains　lived　up　to　their　name；　running　bloody　with　light。
　Darkness　never　truly　descended。　Los　Alamos　had　patched　together　its　own　nuclear　power　plant　with　spare　parts　and　surplus　plutonium。　The　city　was　brighter　than　an　amusement　park。　The　streets　were　brilliant。　Music　played　on　stereos。　He　left　his　window　open；　and　the　mountain　air　was　cool。　Across　the　way；　a　young　couple　danced。　It　was　lovely。　At　last　he　drew　the　curtains　and　went　to　sleep。
　Miranda　woke　him　at　three　in　the　morning。　He　thought　it　was　a　dream。　He　hadn't　heard　a　telephone　ring　in　three　years。　〃They　found　your　saddlebags　right　where　you　said；〃　she　said。　〃We've　had　a　look。　Most　of　the　specimens　were　worthless。　Two　or　three　might　have　some　promise。　I　thought　you　might　want　to　see。〃
　〃Tomorrow？〃　he　said。
　〃Today　is　tomorrow；〃　she　said。
　〃You　mean　right　now？〃
　〃Aren't　you　curious　to　see　what　you　begat？〃
　　
　SHE　GAVE　HIMa　running　tour　of　Alpha　Lab's　buried　parts。　It　was；　he　prehended；　less　an　introduction　to　the　building　and　work；　than　to　an　idea。　They　paused　at　one　window；　and　his　saddlebags　were　in　one　corner；　with　the　contents　of　the　Smithsonian　packet　spread　out　on　a　work　table；　cut　to　pieces；　and　neatly　tagged。　They　entered　a　hallway　lined　with　freezers。　〃Our　database。〃　She　opened　a　big　freezer　door。　Frost　poured　out　like　smoke。　The　thermometer　read　minus…70　degrees。　She　took　the　lid　off　a　Styrofoam　packet　numbered　with　magic　marker；　and　hundreds　of　thin　vials　of　yellow　fluid　stood　nested　in　holes。
　She　ran　her　fingers　along　the　freezers。　〃Jerusalem；〃　she　said。　〃Four　hundred　and　twenty…three　souls　from　the　first　century。　Or　at　least　their　DNA。　Which　is　the　same　thing；　in　a　way。〃
　〃These　e　from　the　bones？〃
　〃Bones；　teeth；　hard　tissue。　Dried　blood　chips　from　wood　and　metal　fragments。〃
　〃That's　not　possible；〃　he　said。　He　wasn't　pletely　unfamiliar　with　genetic　archaeology。　〃You　can　only　extract　DNA　from　soft　tissue。　It　has　to　be　preserved。〃
　〃You've　been　out　of　the　loop　a　few　years。〃　She　patted　his　arm　condescendingly。
　〃Stem　cells；〃　he　stated。　He　wanted　to　sound　knowing；　or　at　least　not　pletely　benighted。　Intellectual　pride？　he　wondered　to　himself。　What　pride？　Was　he　trying　to　impress　this　woman？　He　scoffed　at　himself。
　〃Stem　cells　are　too　primitive　for　what　we're　doing；〃　she　said。　〃Too　generic。　They'll　grow　into　anything　you　want；　and　we　tried　them　in　the　beginning。　But　what　we　needed　were　clones　who　might　be　carrying　immune　responses　to　the　virus。　That　meant　selecting　a　more　developed　cell　from　the　samples。　Lymphocytes。　T…cells。　B…cells；　C…cells。　The　whole　family。　Memory　cells。〃
　〃I　could　have　used　a　few　more　of　those　back　in　grade　school；〃　joked　Nathan　Lee。　He'd　forgotten。　This　was　the　No　Humor　zone。
　〃Wrong　kind　of　memory；〃　she　said。　〃T…cells　memorize　immune　responses　and　store　them　away　for　a　rainy　day。　Take　chicken　pox。　Over　the　centuries；　our　ancestors　were　exposed　to　it；　and　with　time　they　co…evolved　with　the　parasite。　A　killer　gradually　became　a　benign　gradeschool　disease。　Now　whenever　you're　exposed　to　chicken　pox；　your　memory　cells　remember　its　protein　configuration　and　tell　your　body　to　manufacture　the　exact　antivirus　to　destroy　it。　The　memory　cells　are　like　ancient　libraries。　They　hold　the　secrets　of　thousands　of　microbes　our　ancestors　survived。〃
　Their　next　stop；　or　pause；　was　at　the　PCR　room。　Polymerase　chain　reaction　was　a　method　of　dividing　the　double　strands　of　DNA　and　synthetically　creating　two　helixes　from　one。　The　two　became　four；　the　four　became　eight；　ad　infinitum。　Twelve　machines　the　size　of　pinball　machines　were　quietly　at　work。　Everything　was　automatic。
　He　was　struck　by　the　blending　of　the　ordinary　and　high　tech。　Among　the　PCR　machines　and　puter　screens　and　electron　microscope　〃towers〃　lay　mon　household　utensils：　a　teflon　spatula；　pyrex　pans；　a　baker's　measuring　cup；　a　corkscrew。　YellowedDilbert　andFar　Side　cartoons　were　favored　wall　decor。　Pictures　of　children　mingled　with　out…of…date　copies　ofNature　andOutside。
　Miranda　led　him　into　a　lab　and　she　showed　him　an　unraveled　strand　of　DNA　floating　in　a　beaker。　〃One　of　your　guys；〃　she　said。
　〃This　is　from　the　relics？〃
　She　nodded；　staring　at　the　strands。　〃You　wouldn't　believe　how　empty　the　human　genome　is；〃　she　said。　〃It's　humbling。　At　the　genetic　level；　we're　practically　worms　and　flies。〃
　Nathan　Lee　tried　to　guess　what　any　of　this　had　to　do　with　him。
　〃It's　all　a　matter　of　executive　intelligence；〃　she　said。　〃The　Blind　Watchmaker；　tinkering　at　random。〃
　〃God？〃　he　said。
　〃Chance；〃　she　hastily　answered。
　She　showed　him　how　to　twirl　the　strand　around　a　glass　straw　like　a　piece　of　spaghetti。　〃Now　what　happens？〃　he　asked。
　〃For　this　little　fellow？　We'll　stain　him　with　marker　dyes　and　search　for　mutations　and　disease　genes。〃
　〃Corfu？〃
　〃The　memory　of　it；〃　she　reiterated。
　〃And　then？〃
　〃If　he　shows　promise；　bring　him　through。〃
　〃Through　what？〃
　〃This　way；〃　she　said。
　They　gloved　and　masked　before　entering　a　large；　hot　room　murky　with　humidity　and　low…lit　with　blue　night　lights。
　〃My　brood；〃　she　softly　said。　〃Yours；　too。〃　Her　cheekbones　were　slick　and　blue。
　Then　he　noticed　the　big　sacs　floating　in　spherical　tanks。　Each　contained　a　human　form；　large　and　heavy。　They　were　growing　people　in　here。
　〃From　the　relics？〃　he　said。　His　mind　whirled。　They　went　into　the　next　chamber。　Divers　floated　in　a　big　glass　tank。　One　of　the　tanks　descended　into　the　water。　The　divers　scissored　open　the　sac　with　the　casual　precision　of　butchers。
　A　human　being　slid　through　the　incision；　his　hair　and　beard　gliding　in　the　water　like　long；　black　Medusa　snakes。　His　finger　and　toenails　were　like　pale　bony　globes。　Nathan　Lee　saw　the　man　open　his　eyes。　He　blinked。　He　opened　his　arms　wide；　and　his　body　was　feeble。　The　muscles　lacked　tone。　He　had　a　eunuch's　soft　tummy　and　thin　neck。　Then　the　divers　were　hauling　him　out　of　view。
　〃He's　from　an　earlier　batch。　In　all　we've　birthed　over　fifteen　hundred　of　them；　usually　multiples　of　the　most　promising　ones。　Your　three　won't　be　ready　for　another　thirteen　weeks。〃
　Nathan　Lee　was　stupefied。　The　great　mystery　of　the　place　folded　into　itself。　Absurdly；　he　had　tears　in　his　eyes。
　〃Is　it　so　terrible？〃　she　asked。　He　didn't　wipe　away　his　tears。
　〃I　don't　know；〃　he　said。　H