jefflong.yearzero-第43部分

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　〃Yes；〃　said　Nathan　Lee。
　They　were　speechless。　The　bones　could　speak。　The　numbers　had　names。　As　Joe　pointed　out　in　disbelief；　holy　names。
　〃I'll　be　back　in　five　minutes；〃　Nathan　Lee　told　them。　〃Keep　listening　for　more。〃
　He　raced　up　to　the　Necro　Archives　and　rummaged　through　the　drawers；　and　raced　down　again。　Back　in　the　monitor　booth；　he　laid　a　heel　bone　in　front　of　them；　and　it　still　had　the　nail　driven　through　its　side。　〃Isaiah；〃　he　said。
　It　was　a　small　thing。　In　a　stainless　steel　cell　two　thousand　years　from　his　home；　a　nameless　man　had　reminded　himself　of　his　own　name。　But　now　the　guards　understood。　The　Year　Zero　had　just　opened　its　door　for　anyone　who　dared　to　enter。
　
　20
　Fire
　
　AUGUST　10
　As　the　chieftans　arrived　at　the　Council　chamber；　they　helped　themselves　to　Krispy　Kremes　and　Starbucks　blends；　the　last　of　the　franchises　kept　alive　by　soldiers'　wives。　Miranda　took　her　seat　at　the　long；　oval　table　with　the　other　lab　directors；　and　they　waited　for　Cavendish；　who　had　summoned　them。　They　had　no　idea　what　the　urgency　was。　His　office　had　simply　given　them　twenty　minutes　to　assemble。
　Maps　and　charts　were　hastily　being　pinned　to　the　walls。　A　large　video　screen　glowed　blue　and　empty　on　one　wall。　Miranda　looked　through　the　window　at　the　Pajarito　massif　looming　to　the　west；　the　remains　of　a　vast；　ancient　volcano　upon　which　other；　smaller　volcanoes　had　later　boiled　up　and　gone　dead。　Its　geology　fit　them　like　a　myth；　a　giant　mountain　underlying　all　their　smaller　mountains；　the　Lab　hiving　off　smaller　labs；　the　immense　energy　of　their　history　and　science　growing　cold　as　stone。
　She　glanced　around　the　table；　and　the　faces　were　weary。　The　hope　had　leached　from　their　eyes。　They　didn't　kibbitz　or　fire　jokes　or　buttonhole　one　another。　They　sat　and　quietly　waited　like　people　on　a　long　march　resting。　The　former　head　of　Virus　Diseases　in　WHO's　Geneva　headquarters　was　eating　doughnuts　beside　a　wispy　Nigerian　from　England's　Porton　Down；　once　the　leading　viral　diagnostic　lab　in　Europe。　The　ex…director　of　the　Institute　of　Tropical　Medicine　in　Antwerp　sat　across　from　the　ex…director　of　the　Institute　of　Tropical　Medicine　in　Hamburg。　A　dead　ringer　for　Omar　Sharif；　from　the　Aga　Khan　University　in　Karachi；　was　trying　to　keep　his　eyes　off　the　bosomy　blonde　from　Johannesburg's　Institute　of　Medical　Research。　On　the　streets　you　heard　French　and　Hindi　and　Russian　and　Chinese；　but　the　lingua　franca　was　American；　not　English；　but　American　with　its　slang　and　fighter…pilot　shorthand。
　Besides　the　virus　hunters　and　medical　ninja；　there　was　a　whole　zoo　of　cloning　and　bioengineering　expertise　here：　a　mouse　man；　a　cow　man；　a　sheep　lady；　even　a　snow　lion　specialist　who　had　spent　years　in　the　field　shooting　the　cats　with　sedative　darts　and　collecting　their　eggs　and　sperm　to　be　frozen　for　the　day　snow　lions　no　longer　existed。　Now　the　endangered　species　was　man。
　The　door　opened。　Cavendish　appeared；　wheeled　in　by　his　tall；　solemn　clone。　Cavendish's　gnomelike　face　seemed　more　pinched　and　weary　than　ever。　His　illnesses　were　whittling　him　down　to　a　twig。　Miranda　wanted　to　feel　sorry　for　him；　but　she　knew　Cavendish　didn't　pity　himself。　In　turn；　he　didn't　pity　anyone　else。
　A　happy；　rumpled；　dazed…looking　man　trailed　behind。　It　took　Miranda　a　minute　to　place　him。　He　was　with　atmospheric　sciences。　What　was　he　doing　here？　The　department　had　bee　something　of　an　antique。　Who　needed　a　five…day　forecast　anymore；　much　less　the　temperature　in　Timbuktu？　Global　warming？　No　one　cared。
　Cavendish　started　in　on　them　with　his　usual　bile。　〃You're　going　in　circles；〃　he　said。　〃I　see　it　between　the　lines　in　your　lab　reports。　The　paths　of　investigation　have　bent　back　upon　themselves。　It's　not　good　enough。〃
　〃And　a　very　good　morning　to　you；〃　someone　muttered　under　his　breath。
　〃But　we　have　made　a　discovery；〃　Cavendish　continued。　〃Maybe　it　means　something；　maybe　not。〃　He　gestured　with　a　finger。
　The　weather　man　stepped　forward。　Behind　him；　the　video　screen　came　alive　with　satellite　images　of　the　earth。　Clouds　hung　like　cotton　wisps。　The　planet　looked　serene。　〃Bob　Maples；　meteorology；〃　he　said。　He　couldn't　quit　grinning。　〃I　head　the　Red　Surveillance　team。〃
　Maples　clicked　a　remote　control。　The　earth　images　switched　color。　The　majestic　blue　ocean　turned　mottled　with　thermal　pools。　The　continental　masses　loomed　dark　except　for　North　America；　which　held　pools　and　veins　of　red　seepage。
　〃Just　to　summarize；〃　Maples　said；　〃Red　Surveillance　tracks　human　catabolism　on　a　mass　scale。〃　He　had　a　funeral　director's　delicacy。　We're　basically　a　sort　of　high…tech　morgue。　We　use　ASTER　technology；　Advanced　Spaceborne　Thermal　Emission　and　Reflection　Radiometer　instruments　built　into　various　satellite　platforms　to　track　groupings　of　gases　associated　with　deposition。　Red　is　the　pseudo…color　we　keyed　on　our　spectrographs　for　plumes　of　ammonia；　methane；　hydrogen　sulfide；　carbon　dioxide；　and　so　forth。〃
　Papers　rustled。　Throats　cleared。　They　knew　all　of　this。　Peering　through　their　satellite　lenses；　the　ASTER　specialists　had　bee　cartographers　of　the　extinction　event；　plotting　what　was　literally　the　last　gasp　of　dead　and　dying　cities。　Over　the　past　two　years；　they　had　watched　the　bright　red　flowers　of　gas　bloom　and　then　fade。　Miranda's　plague　map　was　nothing　more　than　a　pilation　of　all　the　plumes；　past　and　present。
　Maples　heard　their　impatience　and　hurried　through　a　series　of　beautiful　earth　shots；　cutting　to　the　chase。　〃For　months　there　have　been　no　measurable　death　plumes　outside　of　North　America；〃　he　said。　〃All　the　other　continents　went　dark　last　March。　Overseas；　the　human　die…off　is　plete。　We　pretty　much　quit　watching。　I　mean　there　was　nothing　more　to　look　for。〃　The　grin　returned。　〃Then　around　noon　today；　purely　by　accident；　one　of　my　people　switched　the　search　key。　He　programmed　for　heat；　anything　double　the　ambient　temperature。　At　the　time　he　was　hitchhiking　on　the　European　Union　weather　satellite。　Like　a　number　of　other　unattended　satellites；　it's　drifted　out　of　orbit；　more　space　junk　getting　ready　to　fall　from　the　sky。　But　the　optics　are　all　there；　and　it　happened　to　be　pointing　in　the　right　place　at　the　right　time。　And　this　is　what　he　found。〃
　The　rapid　montage　of　earth　shots　changed　color。　The　red　flipped　to　lime　green　and　black。　The　streaming　images　slowed　to　a　near　halt。　Miranda　could　just　make　out　the　dark　spur　of　the　Indian　subcontinent。　Along　the　bottom　margin　the　videotape　identified　itself：　EUMETSAT；　08/10；　12：04：52　PM　MST。〃　The　latitude　and　longitude　were　listed。　The　tape　advanced。　The　clock　counter　turned　to　12：05：09。
　〃There；〃　said　Maples。　〃Did　you　see　it？〃
　〃See　what？〃　someone　said。
　Maples　grinned　and　bobbed　his　head。　He　was　delighted。　〃Watch　again；　here。〃　He　pointed　at　the　arc　of　the　Bay　of　Bengal。　〃Calcutta。〃
　The　tape　replayed。　This　time　they　saw　it。　A　pinprick　of　light；　scarcely　a　twinkle。　Then　it　was　gone。
　〃Yes？〃　a　woman　said。
　〃Exactly；〃　said　Maples。　〃At　first　we　wrote　it　off　as　a　gremlin；　a　glitch　in　the　hardware。　Then　we　took　a　second　look。〃
　This　time　the　image　was　magnified。　The　tape　returned　to　12：04：52。　Calcutta　winked　at　them。　It　was　like　a　single　faint　star　in　a　universe　of　darkness。
　〃Fire；〃　said　Maples。
　No　one　moved　at　the　table。
　The　implications　were　staggering。　They　changed　everything。　No　one　dared　to　believe　it。
　〃Impossible；〃　the　WHO　head　challenged　him。
　〃I　know；　I　know；〃　Maples　bobbed；　all　teeth；　thrilled　to　be　of　help　at　last。
　〃Again；〃　someone　demanded。
　Maples　replayed　it。　He　jacked　the　zoom。　There　was　no　mistaking　it。　A　fire　had　been　burning　in　Calcutta　at　five　minutes　after　midnight　last　night。
　〃A　ruptured　gas　main；　nothing　more；〃　a　woman　remarked。
　〃That's　what　we　thought；〃　said　Maples。　〃It　couldn't　be　human。　Maybe　it　was　a　house　fire　sparked　by　lightning。　Or　an　explosion　caused　by　an　earthquake。　There's　all　kinds　of　bustibles　out　there。　A　thousand　other　things　it　could　be　besides　manmade。〃　Maples　was　waving　his　hands。　〃So　we　zoomed　the　lens。　We　programmed　for　98。6　degrees。　puter　enhanced　it。　And　this　is　what　we　got。〃
　The　pseudo…green　scale　magnified。　The　focus　sharpened。　The　nocturnal　image　rose　up　between　urban　ruins。　〃Human　body　heat。〃
　There　was　the　fire　glittering　brightly。　And　then　a　ghostly　figure…the　heat　signature　of　a　biped…approached　the　fire。　Man；　woman　or　child；　it　reached　a　stick　into　the　fire；　then　withdrew　and　sat　down。
　〃But　there's　no　one　left　out　there。　The　virus　passed　through　there　a　year　ago。〃　The　voice　was　raspy。　Miranda　didn't　look　to　see　who　was　speaking。　She　couldn't　tear　her　eyes　from　the　screen。
　〃Eleven　months　ago；　to　be　exact；〃　said　Maples。　He　was　ready　for　them。　He　hit　another　button。　〃September；　last　year；〃　he　said。　The　image　changed　to　his　Red　Surveillance　spectrograph。　The　Indian　subcontinent　was　acid　with　red　plumes。　It　looked　like　nuclear　weapons　going　off。　The　image　fast…forwarded。　The　red　plumes　stormed　north　as　villages　and　cities　putrefied。　The　ammonia　clouds　blossomed　brightest　above　the　cities。　The　great　rivers　turned　arterial　red。　At　last　the　red　tempest　faded；　then　disappeared。　The　subcontinent　returned　to　peace。　〃January；　this　year；〃　said　Maples。
　For　a　fleeting　moment；　Miranda　tried　to　remember　when　Nathan　Lee　had　fled。　He　must　have　been　running　just　ahead　of　that　viral　onslaught。　It　was　a　miracle　anyone　could　have　survived。　Yet　he　had。　And　so；　apparently；　had　someone　else；　though　differently。　Could　this　be　a　Category　One　Survivor？
　Maples　returned　to　the　ghostly　green　figure　sitting　in　front　of　the　fire。
　〃Do　you　know　what　this　means？〃　someone　whispered。
　〃It　would　be　wrong　to　jump　to　conclusions；〃　another　warned。
　〃A　survivor！〃　murmured　Miranda's　neighbor。　〃Category　One。〃
　Miranda　kept　staring　at　the　figure　on　the　screen。　It　could　have　been　a　caveman　crouching　close　to　his　little　tongue　of　flame；　all　alone　in　the　night。
　〃A　freak　occurrence；〃　a　voice　scoffed。　〃A　fluke。〃
　〃Exactly　what　we're　looking　for；〃　someone　retorted。
　〃Not　necessarily；〃　Cavendish　cautioned。　〃We　don't　know　what　we're　looking　at　here。　There　are　three　reasons　a　person　might　survive　a　parasite　this　lethal：　luck；　natural　resistance；　or　immunity。　We　saw　that　with　AIDS　and　Ebola　and　Marburg。〃
　〃We　also　saw　it　with　polio；　the　Black　Death；　and　every　other