michael crichton.congo-第6章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


ncel　us　out　and　let　the　Euro…Japanese　consortium　try　their　luck。　There　are　thirty　Japanese　trade　officials　in　Kinshasa　right　now；　spending　yen　like　water。〃
　〃I　think　that's　right；〃　Travis　said。　〃If　it　became　known　that　our　expedition　is　in　trouble。〃
　〃It'll　bee　known　the　minute　we　apply　for　visas。〃
　〃We　won't　apply　for　them。　As　far　as　anybody　knows；〃　Travis　said；　〃we　still　have　an　expedition　in　Virunga。　If　we　put　a　second　small　team　into　the　field　fast　enough；　nobody　will　ever　know　that　it　wasn't　the　original　team。〃
　〃But　what　about　the　specific　personnel　visas　to　cross　the　borders；　the　manifests…〃
　〃Details；〃　Travis　said。　〃That's　what　liquor　is　for；〃　referring　to　bribes；　which　were　often　liquor。　In　many　parts　of　the　world；　expedition　teams　went　in　with　crates　of　liquor　and
　boxes　of　those　perennial　favorites；　transistor　radios　and　Polaroid　cameras。
　〃Details？　How're　you　going　to　cross　the　border？〃
　〃We'll　need　a　good　man　for　that。　Maybe　Munro。〃
　〃Munro？　That's　playing　rough。　The　Zaire　government　hates　Munro。〃
　〃He's　resourceful；　and　he　knows　the　area。〃
　Martin；　the　diplomatic　expert；　cleared　his　throat　and　said；　〃I'm　not　sure　I　should　be　here　for　this　discussion。　It　looks　to　me　as　if　you　are　proposing　to　enter　a　sovereign　state　with　an　illegal　party　led　by　a　former　Congo　mercenary　soldier　　　　　
　〃Not　at　all；〃　Travis　said。　〃I'm　obliged　to　put　a　support　party　into　the　field　to　assist　my　people　already　there。　Happens　all　the　time。　I　have　no　reason　to　think　anybody　is　in　trouble；　just　a　routine　support　party。　I　haven't　got　time　to　go　through　official　channels。　I　may　not　be　showing　the　best　judgment　in　whom　I　hire；　but　it's　nothing　more　serious　than　that。〃
　By　11：45　P。M。　on　the　night　of　June　13；　the　main　sequencing　of　the　next　ERTS　expedition　had　been　worked　out　and　confirmed　by　the　puter。　A　fully　loaded　747　could　leave　Houston　at　8　P。M。　the　following　evening；　June　14；　the　plane　could　be　in　Africa　on　June　15　to　pick　up　Munro　〃or　someone　like　him〃；　and　the　full　team　could　be　in　place　in　the　Congo　on　June　17。
　In　ninety…six　hours。
　
　From　the　main　data　room；　Karen　Ross　could　look　through　the　glass　walls　into　Travis's　office　and　see　the　arguments　taking　place。　In　her　logical　way；　she　concluded　that　Travis　had　〃Q'd〃　himself；　meaning　that　he　had　drawn　false　conclusions　from　insufficient　data；　and　had　said　Q。E。D。　too　soon。　Ross　felt　there　was　no　point　in　going　back　into　the　Congo　until　they　knew　what　they　were　up　against。　She　remained　at　her　console；　checking　the　image　she　had　recovered。
　Ross　bought　this　image…but　how　could　she　make　Travis　buy　it？
　In　the　highly　sophisticated　data…processing　world　of　ERTS；　there　was　a　constant　danger　that　extracted　information　would　begin　to　〃float〃…that　the　images　would　cut　loose　from　reality；　like　a　ship　cut　loose　from　its　moorings。　This　was　true　particularly　when　the　database　was　put　through　multiple　manipulations…when　you　were　rotating　106　pixels　in　puter…generated　hyperspace。
　So　ERTS　evolved　other　ways　to　check　the　validity　of　images　they　got　back　from　the　puter。　Ross　ran　two　check　programs　against　the　gorilla　image。　The　first　was　called　APNF；　for　Animation　Predicted　Next　Frame。
　It　was　possible　to　treat　videotape　as　if　it　were　movie　film；　a　succession　of　stills。　She　showed　the　puter　several　〃stills〃　in　succession；　and　then　asked　it　to　create　the　Predicted　Next　Frame。　This　PNF　was　then　checked　against　the　actual　next　frame。
　She　ran　eight　PNFs　in　a　row；　and　they　worked。　If　there　was　an　error　in　the　data　handling；　it　was　at　least　a　consistent　error。
　Encouraged；　she　next　ran　a　〃fast　and　dirty　threespace。〃　Here　the　flat　video　image　was　assumed　to　have　certain　three…dimensional　characteristics；　based　on　gray…scale　patterns。　In　essence；　the　puter　decided　that　the　shadow　of　a　nose；　or　a　mountain　range；　meant　that　the　nose　or　mountain　range　protruded　above　the　surrounding　surface。　Succeeding　images　could　be　checked　against　these　assumptions。　As　the　gorilla　moved；　the　puter　verified　that　the　flat　image　was；　indeed；　three…dimensional　and　coherent。
　This　proved　beyond　a　doubt　that　the　image　was　real。
　She　went　to　see　Travis。
　〃Let's　say　I　buy　this　image；〃　Travis　said；　frowning。　〃I　still　don't　see　why　you　should　take　the　next　expedition　in。〃
　Ross　said；　〃What　did　the　other　team　find？〃
　〃The　other　team？〃　Travis　asked　innocently。
　〃You　gave　that　tape　to　another　salvage　team　to　confirm　my　recovery；〃　Ross　said。
　Travis　glanced　at　his　watch。　〃They　haven't　pulled　any…
　thing　out　yet。〃　And　he　added；　〃We　all　know　you're　fast　with　the　database。〃
　Ross　smiled。　〃That's　why　you　need　me　to　take　the　expedition　in；〃　she　said。　〃I　know　the　database；　because　I　generated　the　database。　And　if　you　intend　to　send　another　team　in　right　away；　before　this　gorilla　thing　is　solved；　the　only　hope　you　have　is　for　the　team　leader　to　be　fast　onsite　with　the　data。　This　time；　you　need　a　console　hotdogger　in　the　field。　Or　the　next　expedition　will　end　up　like　the　last　one。　Because　you　still　don't　know　what　happened　to　the　last　expedition。〃
　Travis　sat　behind　his　desk；　and　stared　at　her　for　a　long　time。　She　recognized　his　hesitation　as　a　sign　that　he　was　weakening。
　〃And　I　want　to　go　outside；〃　Ross　said。
　〃To　an　outside　expert？〃
　〃Yes。　Somebody　on　our　grant　list。〃
　〃Risky；〃　Travis　said。　〃I　hate　to　involve　outside　people　at　this　point。　You　know　the　consortium　is　breathing　down　our　necks。　You　up　the　leak　averages。〃
　''It's　important；''　Ross　insisted。
　Travis　sighed。　〃Okay；　if　you　think　it's　important。〃　He　sighed　again。　〃Just　don't　delay　your'team。〃
　Ross　was　already　packing　up　her　hard　copy。
　
　Alone；　Travis　frowned；　turning　over　his　decision　in　his　mind。　Even　if　they　ran　the　next　Congo　expedition　slambam；　in　and　out　in　less　than　fifteen　days；　their　fixed　costs　would　still　exceed　three　hundred　thousand　dollars。　The　Board　was　going　to　scream…sending　an　untried；　twenty…four…year…old　kid；　a　girl；　into　the　field　with　this　kind　of　responsibility。　Especially　on　a　project　as　important　as　this　one；　where　the　stakes　were　enormous；　and　where　they　had　already　fallen　behind　on　every　timeline　and　cost　projection。　And　Ross　was　so　cold；　she　was　likely　to　prove　a　poor　field　leader；　alienating　the　others　in　the　team。
　Yet　Travis　had　a　hunch　about　the　Ross　Glacier。　His　management　philosophy；　tempered　in　his　rain…dancing　days；　was　always　to　give　the　project　to　whoever　had　the　most　to　gain　from　success…or　the　most　to　lose　from　failure。
　He　turned　to　face　his　console；　mounted　beside　his　desk。　〃Travis；〃　he　said；　and　the　screen　glowed。
　〃Psychograph　file；〃　he　said。
　The　screen　showed　call　prompts。
　〃Ross；　Karen；〃　Travis　said。
　The　screen　flashed　THINKING　A　MOMENT。　That　was　the　programmed　response　which　meant　that　information　was　being　extracted。　He　waited。
　Then　the　psychograph　summary　printed　out　across　the　screen。　Every　E　RI　S　employee　underwent　three　days　of　intensive　psychological　testing　to　determine　not　only　skills　but　potential　biases。　The　assessment　of　Ross　would；　he　felt；　be　reassuring　to　the　Board。
　
　HIGHLY　INTELLIGENT　/　LOGICAL　/　FLEXIBLE　/　RESOURCEFUL　/　DATA　INTUITIVE　/　THOUGHT　PROCESSES　SUITED　TO　RAPIDLY　CHANGING　REAL…TIME
　CONTEXTS　/　DRIVEN　TO　SUCCEED　AT　DEFINED　GOALS　/　CAPABLE　SUSTAINED　MENTAL　EFFORT　/
　
　It　looked　like　the　perfect　description　of　the　next　Congo　team　leader。　He　scanned　down　the　screen；　looking　for　the　negatives。　These　were　less　reassuring。
　
　YOUTHFUL…RUTHLESS　/　TENUOUS　HUMAN　RAPPORT　/
　DOMINEERING　/　INTELLECTUALLY　ARROGANT　/　INSENSITIVE　/　DRIVEN　TO　SUCCEED　AT　ANY　COST　/
　
　And　there　was　a　final　〃flopover〃　notation。　The　very　concept　of　personality　flopover　had　been　evolved　through　ERTS　testing。　It　suggested　that　any　dominant　personality　trait　could　be　suddenly　reversed　under　stress　conditions：　parental　personalities　could　flop　over　and　turn　childishly　petulant；　hysterical　personalities　could　bee　icy　calm…or　logical　personalities　could　bee　illogical。
　FLOPOVER　MATRIX：　DOMINANT　（POSSIBLY　UNDESIRABLE　）　OBJECTIVITY　MAY　BE　LOST　ONCE　DESIRED　GOAL　IS　PERCEIVED　CLOSE　AT　HAND　/　DESIRE　FOR　SUCCESS　MAY　PROVOKE　DANGEROUSLY　ILLOGICAL　RESPONSES　/　PARENTAL　FIGURES　WILL　BE　ESPECIALLY　DENIGRATED　/　SUBJECT　MUST　BE　MONITORED　IN　LATE
　STAGE　GOAL