michael crichton.congo-第5章

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　〃Do　we　know　what　happened　out　there？〃
　〃No；〃　Travis　said。　〃But　we　will。〃
　〃How？〃
　〃From　the　tapes。〃
　〃Those　tapes　are　a　mess。〃
　〃So　far；〃　Travis　said。　And　he　called　in　the　specialty　teams　of　console　hotdoggers。　Travis　had　long　since　concluded　that　although　ERTS　could　wake　up　political　advisers　around　the　world；　they　were　most　likely　to　get　information　in…house。　〃Everything　we　know　from　the　Congo　field　expedition；〃　he　said；　〃is　registered　on　that　final　videotape。　I　want　a　seven…band　visual　and　audio　salvage；　starting　right　now。　Because　that　tape　is　all　we　have。〃
　The　specialty　teams　went　to　work。
　
　
　3。　Recovery
　
　
　ERTS　REFERRED　TO　THE　PROCESS　AS　〃DATA　RECOVERY；〃　or　sometimes　as　〃data　salvage。〃　The　terms　evoked　images　of　deep…sea　operations；　and　they　were　oddly　appropriate。
　To　recover　or　salvage　data　meant　that　coherent　meaning　was　pulled　to　the　surface　from　the　depths　of　massive　electronic　information　storage。　And；　like　salvage　from　the　sea；　it　was　a　slow　and　delicate　process；　where　a　single　false　step　meant　the　irretrievable　loss　of　the　very　elements　one　was　trying　to　bring　up。　ERTS　had　whole　salvage　crews　skilled　in　the　art　of　data　recovery。　One　crew　immediately　went　to　work　on　the　audio　recovery；　another　on　the　visual　recovery。
　But　Karen　Ross　was　already　engaged　in　a　visual　recovery。
　The　procedures　she　followed　were　highly　sophisticated；　and　only　possible　at　ERTS。
　Earth　Resources　Technology　was　a　relatively　new　pany；　formed　in　1975　in　response　to　the　explosive　growth　of　information　on　the　Earth　and　its　resources。　The　amount　of　material　handled　by　ERTS　was　staggering：　just　the　Landsat　imagery　alone　amounted　to　more　than　five　hundred　thousand　pictures；　and　sixteen　new　images　were　acquired　every　hour；　around　the　clock。　With　the　addition　of　conventional　and　draped　aerial　photography；　infrared　photography；　and　artificial　aperture　side…looking　radar；　the　total　information　available　to　ERTS　exceeded　two　million　images；　with　new　input　on　the　order　of　thirty　images　an　hour。　All　this　information　had　to　be　catalogued；　stored；　and　made　available　for　instantaneous　retrieval。　ERTS　was　like　a　library　which　acquired　seven　hundred　new　books　a　day。　It　was　not　surprising　that　the　librarians　worked　at　fever　pitch　around　the　clock。
　Visitors　to　ERTS　never　seemed　to　realize　that　even　with　puters；　such　data…handling　capacity　would　have　been　impossible　ten　years　earlier。　Nor　did　visitors　understand　the　basic　nature　of　the　ERTS　information…they　assumed　that　the　pictures　on　the　screens　were　photographic；　although　they　were　not。
　Photography　was　a　nineteenth…century　chemical　system　for　recording　information　using　light…sensitive　silver　salts。　ERTS　utilized　a　twentieth…century　electronic　system　for　recording　information；　analogous　to　chemical　photographs；　but　very　different。　Instead　of　cameras；　ERTS　used　multi…spectral　scanners；　instead　of　film；　they　used　CCTs…puter　patible　tapes。　In　fact；　ERTS　did　not　bother　with　〃pictures〃　as　they　were　ordinarily　understood　from　old…fashioned　photographic　technology。　ERTS　bought　〃data　scans〃　which　they　converted　to　〃data　displays；〃　as　the　need　arose。
　Since　the　ERTS　images　were　just　electrical　signals　recorded　on　magnetic　tape；　a　great　variety　of　electrical　image　manipulation　was　possible。　ERTS　had　837　puter　programs　to　alter　imagery：　to　enhance　it；　to　eliminate　unwanted　elements；　to　bring　out　details。　Ross　used　fourteen　programs　on　the　Congo　videotape…particularly　on　the　static…filled　section　in　which　the　hand　and　face　appeared；　just　before　the　antenna　was　smashed。
　First　she　earned　out　what　was　called　a　〃wash　cycle；〃　getting　rid　of　the　static。　She　identified　the　static　lines　as　occurring　at　specific　scan　positions；　and　having　a　specific　gray…scale　value。　She　instructed　the　puter　to　cancel　those　lines。
　The　resulting　image　showed　blank　spaces　where　the　static　was　removed。　So　she　did　〃fill…in…the…blanks〃…instructing　the　puter　to　introject　imagery；　according　to　what　was　around　the　blank　spaces。　In　this　operation　the　puter　made　a　logical　guess　about　what　was　missing。
　She　now　had　a　static…free　image；　but　it　was　muddy　and　indistinct；　lacking　definition。　So　she　did　a　〃high…priced　spread〃…intensifying　the　image　by　spreading　the　gray…scale　values。　But　for　some　reason　she　also　got　a　phase　distortion　that　she　had　to　cancel；　and　that　released　spiking　glitches　previously　suppressed；　and　to　get　rid　of　the　glitches　she　had　to　run　three　other　programs。
　Technical　details　preoccupied　her　for　an　hour；　until　suddenly　the　image　〃popped；〃　ing　up　bright　and　clean。　She　caught　her　breath　as　she　saw　it。　The　screen　showed　a　dark；　brooding　face　with　heavy　brows；　watchful　eyes；　a　flattened　nose；　prognathous　lips。
　Frozen　on　the　video　screen　was　the　face　of　a　male　gorilla。
　
　Travis　walked　toward　her　from　across　the　room；　shaking　his　head。　〃We　finished　the　audio　recovery　on　that　hissing　noise。　The　puter　confirms　it　as　human　breathing；　with　at　least　four　separate　origins。　But　it's　damned　strange。　According　to　the　analysis；　the　sound　is　ing　from　inhalation；　not　exhalation；　the　way　people　usually　make　sounds。〃
　〃The　puter　is　wrong；〃　Ross　said。　〃It's　not　human。〃　She　pointed　to　the　screen；　and　the　face　of　the　gorilla。
　Travis　showed　no　surprise。　〃Artifact；〃　he　said。
　〃It's　no　artifact。〃
　〃You　did　fill…in…the…blanks；　and　you　got　an　artifact。　The　tag　team's　been　screwing　around　with　the　software　at　lunch　again。〃　The　tag　team…the　young　software　programmers…　had　a　tendency　to　convert　data　to　play　highly　sophisticated　versions　of　pinball　games。　Their　games　sometimes　got　sub…routed　into　other　programs。
　Ross　herself　had　plained　about　it。　〃But　this　image　is　real；〃　she　insisted；　pointing　to　the　screen。
　〃Look；〃　Travis　said；　〃last　week　Harry　did　fill…in…the…blanks　on　the　Karakorum　Mountains　and　he　got　back　a　lunar　landing　game。　You're　supposed　to　land　next　to　the　McDonald's　stand；　all　very　amusing。〃　He　walked　off。　〃You'd　better　meet　the　others　in　my　office。　We're　setting　advance　times　to　get　back　in。〃
　〃I'm　leading　the　next　team。〃
　Travis　shook　his　head。　〃Out　of　the　question。〃
　〃But　what　about　this？〃　she　said；　pointing　to　the　screen。
　〃I'm　not　buying　that　image；〃　Travis　said。　〃Gorillas　don't　behave　that　way。　It's　got　to　be　an　artifact。〃　He　glanced　at　his　watch。　〃Right　now；　the　only　question　I　have　is　how　fast　we　can　put　a　team　back　in　the　Congo。〃
　
　4。Return　Expedition
　
　TRAVIS　HAD　NEVER　HAD　ANY　DOUBTS　IN　HIS　MIND
　about　going　back　in；　from　the　first　time　he　saw　the　videotapes　from　the　Congo；　the　only　question　was　how　best　to　do　it。　He　called　in　all　the　section　heads：　Accounts；　Diplo；　Remote；　Geo；　Logistics；　Legal。　They　were　all　yawning　and　rubbing　their　eyes。　Travis　began　by　saying；　〃I　want　us　back　in　the　Congo　in　ninety…six　hours。〃
　Then　he　leaned　back　in　his　chair　and　let　them　tell　him　why　it　couldn't　be　done。　There　were　plenty　of　reasons。
　〃We　can't　assemble　the　air　cargo　units　for　shipment　in　less　than　a　hundred　and　sixty　hours；〃　Cameron；　the　logistics　man　said。
　〃We　can　postpone　the　Himalaya　team；　and　use　their　units；〃　Travis　said。
　〃But　that's　a　mountain　expedition。〃
　〃You　can　modify　the　units　in　nine　hours；〃　Travis　said。
　〃But　we　can't　get　equipment　to　fly　it　out；〃　Lewis；　the　transport　master；　said。
　〃Korean　Airlines　has　a　747　cargo　jet　available　at　SFX。　They　tell　me　it　can　be　down　here　in　nine　hours。〃
　〃They　have　a　plane　just　sitting　there？〃　Lewis　said；　incredulous。
　〃I　believe；〃　Travis　said；　〃that　they　had　a　last…minute　cancellation　from　another　customer。〃
　Irwin；　the　accountant；　groaned。　〃What'd　that　cost？〃
　〃We　can't　get　visas　from　the　Zaire　Embassy　in　Washington　in　time；〃　Martin；　the　diplomatic　man；　said。　〃And　there　is　serious　doubt　they'd　issue　them　to　us　at　all。　As　you　know；　the　first　set　of　Congo　visas　were　based　on　our　mineral　exploration　rights　with　the　Zaire　government；　and　our　MERs　are　non…exclusive。　We　were　granted　permission　to　go　in；　and　so　were　the　Japanese；　the　Germans；　and　the　Dutch；　who've　formed　a　mining　consortium。　The　first　ore…body　strike　takes　the　contract。　If　Zaire　suspects　that　our　expedition　is　in　trouble；　they'll　just　cancel　us　out　and　let　the　Euro…Japanese　consortium　try　their　luck。　There　are　thirty　Japanese　trade