cc.vixen03-第32部分

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　〃It　seems　you've　exhumed　an　excessive　amount　of　information　about　a　subject　that　belongs　buried。　I　had　to　be　certain　of　your　identity。〃
　〃Then　you're　satisfied　that　I'm　who　I　say　I　am？〃
　〃Yes；　I　called　your　boss　at　NUMA。　Jim　Sandecker　served　under　my　mand　in　the　Pacific　during　World　War　Two。　He　gave　me　an　impres…sive　list　of　your　credentials。　He　also　wanted　to　know　what　you　were　doing　in　Virginia　when　you　were　supposed　to　be　on　a　salvage　tender　off　the　coast　of　Georgia。〃
　〃I've　not　made　Admiral　Sandecker　privy　to　my　findings。〃
　〃Which；　as　you　claimed　earlier；　at　the　pond；　were　the　remains　of　Vixen　03。〃
　〃She　exists；　Admiral。　I've　touched　her。〃
　Bass's　eyes　flashed　with　hostility。　〃You're　not　only　bluffing；　Mr。　Pitt；　but　you're　also　lying。　I　demand　to　know　why。〃
　〃My　case　is　not　built　on　lies；〃　said　Pitt　evenly。　〃I　have　two　other　reputable　witnesses　and　videotaped　pictures　as　proof。〃
　A　look　of　inprehension　shadowed　Bass's　face。　〃Impossible！　She　disappeared　over　the　ocean。　We　spent　months　searching　for　her　and　didn't　find　a　trace。〃
　〃You　looked　in　the　wrong　place；　Admiral。　Vixen　03　lies　under　a　mountain　lake　in　Colorado。〃
　Bass's　tough　facade　seemed　to　dissolve；　and　in　the　moonlight　Pitt　suddenly　saw　him　as　a　tired；　worn　old　man。　The　admiral　lowered　the　pistol　and　swayed　drunkenly　toward　a　bench　at　the　edge　of　the　overlook。　Pitt　reached　out　a　hand　to　steady　him。
　Bass　nodded　thanks　and　sank　onto　the　bench。　〃I　suppose　it　had　to　happen　someday。　I　wasn't　fool　enough　to　think　the　secret　could　last　forever。〃　He　looked　up　and　clutched　Pitt's　arm。　〃The　cargo。　What　of　the　cargo？〃
　〃The　canisters　have　broken　their　moorings；　but　otherwise　they　seemed　reasonably　intact。〃
　〃Thank　God　for　that；　at　least；〃　sighed　Bass。　〃Colorado；　you　say。　The　Rocky　Mountains。　So　Major　Vylander　and　his　crew　never　made　it　out　of　the　state。〃
　〃The　flight　originated　in　Colorado？〃　asked　Pitt。
　〃Buckley　Field　was　Vixen　03's　point　of　origin。〃　He　held　his　head　in　his　hands。　〃What　went　wrong　so　early？　They　must　have　gone　down　shortly　after　takeoff。〃
　〃It　looks　as　though　they　had　mechanical　problems　and　tried　to　ditch　in　the　only　open　space　they　could　find。　It　being　winter；　the　lake　was　frozen　over；　and　they　were　fooled　into　thinking　they　were　ing　down　in　a　field。　The　weight　of　the　aircraft　then　broke　through　the　ice　and　sank　in　a　deep　section　of　the　lake；　deep　enough　so　that　after　the　ice　melted　in　the　spring；　her　outline　could　not　be　distinguished　from　the　air。〃
　〃And　all　this　time　we　thought。　。　。〃　Bass's　voice　trailed　off　and　he　sat　there　in　silence。　Finally　he　said　softly；　〃Those　canisters　must　be　re…trieved。〃　
　〃Do　they　contain　nuclear　material？〃　Pitt　asked。
　〃Nuclear　material　。　。　。〃　Bass　repeated；　his　tone　vague。　〃Is　that　what　you　think？〃
　〃The　date　stated　in　Vixen　O3's　flight　plan　could　have　put　her　in　the　South　Pacific　in　time　for　the　Bikini　H…bomb　tests。　I　also　found　a　metal　tag　on　one　of　the　crewmen；　marked　with　the　symbol　for　radioactivity。〃
　〃You　misread　the　evidence；　Mr。　Pitt。　True；　the　canisters　were　origi…nally　designed　to　house　nuclear　naval　shells。　But　the　night　Vylander　and　his　crew　disappeared　they　were　used　for　a　far　different　purpose。〃
　〃It's　been　suggested　they're　empty。〃
　Bass　sat　like　a　wax　statue。　〃If　only　it　were　that　simple；〃　he　murmured。　〃Unfortunately；　there　are　other　instruments　of　war　besides　the　nuclear　kind。　You　might　say　that　Vixen　03　and　her　crew　were　carriers。〃
　〃Carriers？〃
　〃A　plague；〃　said　Bass。　〃The　canisters　contain　the　Doomsday　organism。〃
　
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　An　uneasy　silence　settled　over　the　two　men　as　Pitt　digested　the　enormity　of　the　admiral's　revelation。
　〃I　see　by　your　expression　you　are　shocked；〃　said　Bass。
　〃　'Doomsday　organism；'　〃　Pitt　repeated　quietly。　〃It　has　a　terrifying　ring　of　finality　about　it。〃
　〃An　apt　description；　I　assure　you；〃　said　Bass。　〃Technically　speaking；　it　possessed　an　impressive…sounding　biochemical　name　that　was　thirty　letters　long　and　quite　unpronounceable。　The　military　designation；　though；　was　short　and　sweet。　We　simply　called　it　'QD；'　short　for　'quick　death。'　〃
　〃You　refer　to　this　'QD'　in　the　past　tense。〃
　The　admiral　made　a　helpless　gesture。　〃Force　of　habit。　Until　your　discovery　of　Vixen　03；　I　thought　none　still　existed。〃
　〃What　exactly　was　it？〃
　〃QD　was　the　ultimate　in　sophisticated　military　weaponry。　Thirty…five　years　ago　a　microbiologist　by　the　name　of　Dr。　John　Vetterly　chemically　created　an　artificial　form　of　life　that　in　turn　was　capable　of　producing　a　disease　strain　that　was　and　still　is　quite　unknown。　As　simply　as　I　can　put　it；　a　nondetectable；　unidentifiable　bacteriological　agent　able　to　inca…pacitate　a　living　human　or　animal　within　seconds　of　exposure　and　disrupt　the　vital　body　functions；　causing　death　three　to　five　minutes　later。〃
　〃Won't　nerve　gas　acplish　the　same　thing？〃
　〃Under　ideal　conditions；　yes。　But　meteorological　disturbances　such　as　wind　or　storm　or　extreme　temperatures　can　dilute　the　lethal　dosage　of　a　nerve　or　toxic　agent　when　it's　released　over　a　wide　area。　An　outbreak　of　QD；　on　the　other　hand；　can　ignore　the　weather　and　produce　a　localized　plague　that　is　extremely　tenacious。〃
　〃But　this　is　the　twentieth　century。　Surely　epidemics　can　be　con…trolled？〃
　〃If　the　microorganisms　can　be　detected　and　identified；　then　it's　possi…ble。　Decontamination　procedures；　inoculations　with　serums　and　antibi…otics　；　will　in　most　cases　slow　down　or　halt　a　raging　epidemic。　But　nothing　on　this　earth　could　stop　QD　once　it　grabbed　a　toehold　on　a　city。〃
　〃Then　how　did　QD　e　to　be　loaded　in　an　aircraft　in　the　middle　of　the　United　States？〃　Pitt　demanded。
　〃Elementary。　The　Rocky　Mountain　Arsenal　outside　of　Denver　was　the　nation's　primary　manufacturer　of　chemical　and　biological　weapons　for　over　twenty　years。〃
　Pitt　remained　silent　and　let　the　old　man　go　on。
　Bass　looked　out　at　the　panorama　below；　but　his　eyes　were　unfocused。　〃March　of　fifty…four；〃　he　said；　as　long…buried　events　began　unfolding　in　his　mind。　〃The　H…bomb　was　set　to　burst　over　Bikini。　I　was　placed　in　mand　of　the　QD　tests　because　Dr。　Vetterly　was　funded　by　the　Navy　and　I　was　an　expert　on　naval　ordnance。　I　thought　it　logical　at　the　time　to　conduct　experiments　cloaked　under　the　excitement　of　the　nuclear　explo…sion。　While　the　world　was　concentrating　on　the　main　event；　we　con…ducted　our　tests　on　Rongelo　Island；　four　hundred　miles　to　the　northeast；　totally　unnoticed。〃
　〃Rongelo；〃　Pitt　said　slowly。　〃The　destination　of　Vixen　03。〃
　Bass　nodded。　〃A　raw；　bleached　knob　of　coral　poking　through　the　sea　in　the　middle　of　nowhere。　Even　the　birds　shy　away　from　it。〃　Bass　paused　to　shift　his　position　on　the　bench。　〃I　scheduled　two　series　of　tests。　The　first　was　an　aerosol　device　that　scattered　a　small　amount　of　QD　over　the　atoll。　The　second　included　the　battleship　Wisconsin。　She　was　to　lie　back　twenty　miles　and　lob　a　warhead　with　QD　from　her　main　batteries。　That　test　never　took　place。〃
　〃Major　Vylander　failed　to　deliver　the　goods；〃　Pitt　surmised。
　〃The　contents　of　the　canisters；〃　Bass　acknowledged。　〃Naval　shells　armed　with　QD。〃
　〃You　could　have　ordered　up　another　supply。〃
　〃I　could；〃　Bass　agreed。　〃But　the　real　reason　I　halted　the　test　series　was　because　of　what　we　learned　after　the　aerosol　drop。　The　results　were　godawful　and　filled　all　who　shared　in　the　secret　with　a　feeling　of　horror。〃
　〃You　talk　as　though　the　island　was　devastated。〃
　〃Visually；　nothing　had　changed；〃　said　Bass；　his　voice　barely　audible。　〃The　white　sand　of　the　beach；　the　few　palms；　all　was　as　it　had　been。　The　test　animals　we　had　placed　on　the　island　were　all　dead；　of　course。　I　insisted　on　a　waiting　period　of　two　weeks　to　give　any　residual　effects　a　chance　to　dissipate　before　permitting　the　scientists　to　examine　the　results　firsthand。　Dr。　Vetterly　and　three　of　his　assistants　landed　on　the　beach　wearing　full　protective　clothing　and　breathing　apparatus。　Seven…teen　minutes　later；　all　were　dead。〃
　Pitt　fought　to　preserve　his　balance。　〃How　was　it　possible？〃
　〃Dr。　Vetterly　had　vastly　underestimated　his　discovery。　The　potency　of　other　lethal　agents　wears　off　after　a　time。　Conversely；　QD　gains　in　strength。　By　what　method　it　penetrated　the　scientists'　protective　gear　we　were　never　able　to　determine。〃
　〃Did　you　re