mc.prey-第34部分

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es　in　the　middle　of　the　rooms。　Concrete　walls；　concrete　floor。　There　was　another　door　in　the　second　room；　and　a　corrugated　rollup　door　for　truck　deliveries。　Hot　sunlight　came　in　through　wood…frame　windows。　The　air…conditioning　rumbled　noisily　but；　as　Mae　had　said；　the　rooms　were　still　hot。　I　closed　the　door　behind　me；　and　looked　at　the　seal。　It　was　just　ordinary　weather　stripping。　The　shed　was　definitely　not　airtight。　I　walked　along　the　shelves；　stacked　with　bins　of　spare　parts　for　the　fabrication　machinery；　and　the　labs。　The　second　room　had　more　mundane　items：　cleaning　supplies；　toilet　paper；　bars　of　soap；　boxes　of　cereal；　and　a　couple　of　refrigerators　filled　with　food。　I　turned　to　Mae。　〃Where　are　the　isotopes？〃
　〃Over　here。〃　She　led　me　around　a　set　of　shelves；　to　a　steel　lid　set　in　the　concrete　floor。　The　lid　was　about　three　feet　in　diameter。　It　looked　like　a　buried　garbage　can；　except　for　the　glowing　LED　and　keypad　in　the　center。　Mae　dropped　to　one　knee；　and　punched　in　a　code　quickly。　The　lid　lifted　with　a　hiss。
　I　saw　a　ladder　that　led　down　into　a　circular　steel　chamber。　The　isotopes　were　stored　in　metal　containers　of　different　sizes。　Apparently　Mae　could　tell　which　they　were　just　by　looking；　because　she　said；　〃We　have　Selenium…172。　Shall　we　use　that？〃
　〃Sure。〃
　Mae　started　to　climb　down　into　the　chamber。
　〃Will　you　fucking　cut　it　out？〃　In　a　corner　of　the　room；　David　Brooks　jumped　back　from　Charley　Davenport。　Charley　was　holding　a　big　spray　bottle　of　Windex　cleaner。　He　was　testing　the　squeeze　trigger　mechanism；　and　in　the　process　spraying　streaks　of　water　on　David。　It　didn't　look　accidental。　〃Give　me　that　damn　thing；〃　David　said；　snatching　the　bottle　away。　〃I　think　it　might　work；〃　Charley　said　blandly。　〃But　we'd　need　a　remote　mechanism。〃　From　the　first　room；　Rosie　said；　〃Would　this　work？〃　She　held　up　a　shiny　cylinder；　with　wires　dangling　from　it。　〃Isn't　this　a　solenoid　relay？〃
　〃Yes；〃　David　said。　〃But　I　doubt　it　can　exert　enough　force　to　squeeze　this　bottle。　Has　it　got　a　rating？　We　need　something　bigger。〃
　〃And　don't　forget；　you　also　need　a　remote　controller；〃　Charley　said。　〃Unless　you　want　to　stand　there　and　spray　the　fucker　yourself。〃
　Mae　came　up　from　below；　carrying　a　heavy　metal　tube。　She　walked　to　the　sink；　and　reached　for　a　bottle　of　straw…colored　liquid。　She　pulled　on　heavy　rubber…coated　gloves；　and　started　to　mix　the　isotope　into　the　liquid。　A　radiation　counter　over　the　sink　was　chattering。　Over　the　headset；　Ricky　said；　〃Aren't　you　guys　forgetting　something？　Even　if　you　have　a　remote；　how　are　you　going　to　get　the　cloud　to　e　to　it？　Because　I　don't　think　the　swarm　will　just　e　over　and　stand　there　while　you　hose　it　down。〃
　〃We'll　find　something　to　attract　them；〃　I　said。
　〃Like　what？〃
　〃They　were　attracted　to　the　rabbit。〃
　〃We　don't　have　any　rabbits。〃
　Charley　said；　〃You　know；　Ricky；　you　are　a　very　negative　person。〃
　〃I'm　just　telling　you　the　facts。〃
　〃Thank　you　for　sharing；〃　Charley　said。
　Like　Mae；　Charley　was　seeing　it；　too：　Ricky　had　dragged　his　feet　every　step　of　the　way。　It　was　as　if　Ricky　wanted　to　keep　the　swarms　alive。　Which　made　no　sense　at　all。　But　that's　how　he　was　behaving。
　I　would　have　said　something　to　Charley　about　Ricky；　but　over　our　headsets　everybody　heard　everything。　The　downside　of　modern　munications：　everybody　can　listen　in。　〃Hey　guys？〃　It　was　Bobby　Lembeck。　〃How's　it　ing？〃
　〃We're　getting　there。　Why？〃
　〃The　wind's　dropping。〃
　〃What　is　it　now？〃　I　said。
　〃Fifteen　knots。　Down　from　eighteen。〃
　〃That's　still　strong；〃　I　said。　〃We're　okay。〃
　〃I　know。　I'm　just　telling　you。〃
　From　the　next　room；　Rosie　said；　〃What's　thermite？〃　In　her　hand　she　held　a　plastic　tray　filled　with　thumb…sized　metal　tubes。
　〃Careful　with　that；〃　David　said。　〃It　must　be　left　over　from　construction。　I　guess　they　did　thermite　welding。〃
　〃But　what　is　it？〃
　〃Thermite　is　aluminum　and　iron　oxide；〃　David　said。　〃It　burns　very　hot…three　thousand　degrees…and　so　bright　you　can't　look　directly　at　it。　And　it'll　melt　steel　for　welding。〃
　〃How　much　of　that　have　we　got？〃　I　said　to　Rosie。　〃Because　we　can　use　it　tonight。〃
　〃There's　four　boxes　back　there。〃　She　plucked　one　tube　from　the　box。　〃So　how　do　you　set　'em　off？〃
　〃Be　careful；　Rosie。　That's　a　magnesium　wrapper。　Any　decent　heat　source　will　ignite　it。〃
　〃Even　matches？〃
　〃If　you　want　to　lose　your　hand。　Better　use　road　flares；　something　with　a　fuse。〃
　〃I'll　see；〃　she　said；　and　she　disappeared　around　the　corner。
　The　radiation　counter　was　still　clicking。　I　turned　to　the　sink。　Mae　had　capped　the　isotope　tube。　She　was　now　pouring　the　straw…colored　liquid　into　a　Windex　bottle。　〃Hey；　guys？〃　It　was　Bobby　Lembeck　again。　〃I'm　picking　up　some　instability。　Wind's　fluctuating　at　twelve　knots。〃
　〃Okay；〃　I　said。　〃We　don't　need　to　hear　every　little　change；　Bobby。〃
　〃I'm　seeing　some　instability；　is　all。〃
　〃I　think　we're　okay　for　the　moment；　Bobby。〃
　Mae　was　going　to　be　another　few　minutes；　in　any　case。　I　went　over　to　a　puter　workstation　and　turned　it　on。　The　screen　glowed；　there　was　a　menu　of　options。　Aloud；　I　said；　〃Ricky；　can　I　put　up　the　swarm　code　on　this　monitor？〃
　〃The　code？〃　Ricky　said。　He　sounded　alarmed。　〃What　do　you　want　the　code　for？〃
　〃I　want　to　see　what　you　guys　have　done。〃
　〃Why？〃
　〃Ricky；　for　Christ's　sake；　can　I　see　it　or　not？〃
　〃Sure；　of　course　you　can。　All　the　code　revisions　are　in　the　directory　slash　code。　It's　passworded。〃
　I　was　typing。　I　found　the　directory。　But　I　wasn't　being　allowed　to　enter　it。　〃And　the　password　is？〃
　〃It's　l…a…n…g…t…o…n；　all　lowercase。〃
　〃Okay。〃
　I　entered　the　password。　I　was　now　in　the　directory；　looking　at　a　list　of　program　modifications；　each　with　file　size　and　date。　The　document　sizes　were　large；　which　meant　that　these　were　all　programs　for　other　aspects　of　the　swarm　mechanism。　Because　the　code　for　the　particles　themselves　would　be　small…just　a　few　lines；　maybe　eight；　ten　kilobytes；　no　more。　〃Ricky。〃
　〃Yes；　Jack。〃
　〃Where's　the　particle　code？〃
　〃Isn't　it　there？〃
　〃God　damn　it；　Ricky。　Stop　screwing　around。〃
　〃Hey；　Jack；　I'm　not　responsible　for　the　archiving…〃
　〃Ricky；　these　are　workfiles；　not　archives；〃　I　said。　〃Tell　me　where。〃
　A　brief　pause。　〃There　should　be　a　subdirectory　slash　C…D…N。　It's　kept　there。〃
　I　scrolled　down。　〃I　see　it。〃
　Within　this　directory；　I　found　a　list　of　files；　all　very　small。　The　modification　dates　started　about　six　weeks　ago。　There　was　nothing　new　from　the　last　two　weeks。　〃Ricky。　You　haven't　changed　the　code　for　two　weeks？〃
　〃Yeah；　about　that。〃
　I　clicked　on　the　most　recent　document。　〃You　got　high…level　summaries？〃　When　these　guys　had　worked　for　me；　I　always　insisted　that　they　write　natural　language　summaries　of　the　program　structure。　It　was　faster　to　review　than　documentation　within　the　code　itself。　And　they　often　solved　logic　problems　when　they　had　to　write　it　out　briefly。　〃Should　be　there；〃　Ricky　said。
　On　the　screen；　I　saw：
　　
　/*Initialize*/
　For　j=1　to　L　x　V　do
　Sj　=　0　/*set　initial　demand　to　0/
　End　For
　For　i=l　to　z　do
　For　j　=　1　to　L　x　V　do
　ij　=　（state　（x；y；z））　/*agent　threshold　param*/
　？　ij　=　（intent　（Cj；Hj））　/*agent　intention　fill*/
　Response　=　0　/*　begin　agent　response*/
　Zone　=　z（i）　/*　intitial　zone　unlearned　by　agent*/
　Sweep　=1　/*　activate　agent　travel*/
　End　For
　End　For
　　
　/*Main*/
　For　kl=1　to　RVd　do
　For　tm=1　to　nv　do
　For　=　i　to　j　do　/*　tracking　surrounds*/
　？　ij　=　（intent　（Cj；Hj））　/*agent　intention　fill*/
　ij　　（state　（x；y；z））　/*agent　is　in　motion*/
　ikl　=　（filed　（x；y；z））　/*track　nearest　agents　*/
　　
　I　scanned　it　for　a　while；　looking　for　how　they　had　changed　it。　Then　I　scrolled　down　into　the　actual　code；　to　see　the　implementation。　But　the　important　code　wasn't　there。　The　entire　set　of　particle　behaviors　was　marked　as　an　object　call　to　a　something　titled　〃pstat_do。〃
　〃Ricky；〃　I　said；　〃what's　'pstat_do'？　Where　is　it？〃
　〃Should　be　there。〃
　〃It's　not。〃
　〃I　don't　know。　Maybe　it's　piled。〃
　〃Well　that　isn't　going　to　do　me　any　good；　is　it？〃　You　couldn't　read　piled　code。　〃Ricky；　I　want　to　see　that　damn　module。　What　is　the　problem？〃
　〃No　problem。　I　have　to　look　for　it；　is　all。〃
　〃Okay　。。。〃
　〃I'll　do　it　when　you　get　back。〃
　I　glanced　over　at　Mae。　〃Have　you　gone　through　the　code？〃
　She　shook　her　head。　Her　expression　seemed　to　say　it　was　never　going　to　happen；　that　Ricky　would　make　up　more　excuses　and　keep　putting　me　off。　I　didn't　understand　why。　I　was　there　to　advise　them　on　the　code；　after　all。　That　was　my　area　of　expertise。　In　the　next　room；　Rosie　and　David　were　poking　through　the　shelves　of　supplies；　looking　for　radio　relays。　They　weren't　having　any　success。　Across　the　room；　Charley　Davenport　farted　loudly　and　cried；　〃Bingo！〃
　〃Jesus；　Charley；〃　Rosie　said。
　〃You　shouldn't　hold　things　in；〃　Charley　said。　〃It　makes　you　sick。〃
　〃You　make　me　sick。〃　Rosie　said。
　〃Oh；　sorry。〃　Charley　held　up　his　hand；　showing　a　shiny　metal　contraption。　〃Then　I　guess　you　don't　want　this　remote…controlled　pression　valve。〃
　〃What？〃　Rosie　said；　turning。
　〃Are　you　kidding？〃　David　said；　going　over　to　look。
　〃And　it's　got　a　pressure　rating　of　ADC　twenty　pi。〃
　〃That　should　work　fine；〃　David　said。
　〃If　you　don't　fuck　it　up；〃　Charley　said。
　They　took　the　valve　and　went　to　the　sink；　where　Mae　was　still　pouring；　wearing　her　heavy　gloves。　She　said；　〃Let　me　finish　。。。〃
　〃Will　I　glow　in　the　dark？〃　Charley　said；　grinning　at　her。
　〃Just　your　farts；〃　Rosie　said。
　〃Hey；　they　already　do　that。　'Specially　when　you　light　'em。〃
　〃Jesus；　Charley。〃
　〃Farts　are　methane；　you　know。　Burns　with　a　hard　blue　gemlike　flame。〃　And　he　laughed。
　〃I'm　glad　you　appreciate　yourself；〃　Rosie　said。　〃Because　nobody　else　does。〃
　〃Ouch；　ouch；〃　Charley　said；　clutching　his　breast。　〃I　die；　I　die　。。。〃
　〃Don't　get　our　hopes　up。〃
　My　headset　crackled。　〃Hey　guys？〃　It　was　Bobby　Lembeck　again。　〃Wind's　just　dropped　to　six　knots。〃
　I　said；　〃Okay。〃　I　turned　to　the　others。　〃Let's　finish　up；　guys。〃
　David　said；　〃We're　waiting　for　Mae。　Then　we'll　fit　this　valve。〃
　〃Let's　fit　it　back　in　the　lab；〃　I　said。
　〃Well；　I　just　want　to　make　sure…〃
　〃Back　at　the　lab；〃　I　said。　〃Pack　it　up；　guys。〃
　I　went　to　the　window　and　looked　out。　The　wind　was　still　ruffling　the　juniper　bushes；　but　there　was　no　longer　a