mc.theandromedastrein- 第9节

　
　　　Therefore；　when　Stone's　mittee　submitted　an　early　draft　of　the　Life　Analysis　Protocol；　which　detailed　the　way　any　living　thing　could　be　studied；　the　Defense　Department　responded　with　an　outright　appropriation　of　22；000；000　for　the　construction　of　a　special　isolated　laboratory。　（This　rather　large　sum　was　felt　to　be　justified　since　the　project　had　application　to　other　studies　already　under　way。　In　1965；　the　whole　field　of　sterility　and　contamination　was　one　of　major　importance。　For　example；　NASA　was　building　a　Lunar　Receiving　Laboratory；　a　high…security　facility　for　Apollo　astronauts　returning　from　the　moon　and　possibly　carrying　bacteria　or　viruses　harmful　to　man。　Every　astronaut　returning　from　the　moon　would　be　quarantined　in　the　LRL　for　three　weeks；　until　decontamination　was　plete。　Further；　the　problems　of　〃clean　rooms〃　of　industry；　where　dust　and　bacteria　were　kept　at　a　minimum；　and　the　〃sterile　chambers〃　under　study　at　Bethesda；　were　also　major。　Aseptic　environments；　〃life　islands；〃　and　sterile　support　systems　seemed　to　have　great　future　significance；　and　Stone's　appropriation　was　considered　a　good　investment　in　all　these　fields。）
　
　　　Once　money　was　funded；　construction　proceeded　rapidly。　The　eventual　result；　the　Wildfire　Laboratory；　was　built　in　1966　in　Flatrock；　Nevada。　Design　was　awarded　to　the　naval　architects　of　the　Electric　Boat　Division　of　General　Dynamics；　since　GD　had　considerable　experience　designing　living　quarters　on　atomic　submarines；　where　men　had　to　live　and　work　for　prolonged　periods。
　
　　　The　plan　consisted　of　a　conical　underground　structure　with　five　floors。　Each　floor　was　circular；　with　a　central　service　core　of　wiring；　plumbing；　and　elevators。　Each　floor　was　more　sterile　than　the　one　above；　the　first　floor　was　non…sterile；　the　second　moderately　sterile；　the　third　stringently　sterile；　and　so　on。　Passage　from　one　floor　to　another　was　not　free；　personnel　had　to　undergo　decontamination　and　quarantine　procedures　in　passing　either　up　or　down。
　
　　　Once　the　laboratory　was　finished；　it　only　remained　to　select　the　Wildfire　Alert　team；　the　group　of　scientists　who　would　study　any　new　organism。　After　a　number　of　studies　of　team　position；　five　men　were　selected；　including　Jeremy　Stone　himself。　These　five　were　prepared　to　mobilize　immediately　in　the　event　of　a　biologic　emergency。
　
　　　Barely　two　years　after　his　letter　to　the　President；　Stone　was　satisfied　that　〃this　country　has　the　capability　to　deal　with　an　unknown　biologic　agent。〃　He　professed　himself　pleased　with　the　response　of　Washington　and　the　speed　with　which　his　ideas　had　been　implemented。　But　privately；　he　admitted　to　friends　that　it　had　been　almost　too　easy；　that　Washington　had　agreed　to　his　plans　almost　too　readily。
　
　　　Stone　could　not　have　known　the　reasons　behind　Washington's　eagerness；　or　the　very　real　concern　many　government　officials　had　for　the　problem。　For　Stone　knew　nothing；　until　the　night　he　left　the　party　and　drove　off　in　the　blue　military　sedan；　of　Project　Scoop。
　
　　　***
　
　　　〃It　was　the　fastest　thing　we　could　arrange；　sir；〃　the　Army　man　said。
　
　　　Stone　stepped　onto　the　airplane　with　a　sense　of　absurdity。　It　was　a　Boeing　727；　pletely　empty；　the　seats　stretching　back　in　long　unbroken　rows。
　
　　　〃Sit；　first　class；　if　you　like；〃　the　Army　man　said；　with　a　slight　smile。　〃It　doesn't　matter。〃　A　moment　later　he　was　gone。　He　was　not　replaced　by　a　stewardess　but　by　a　stern　MP　with　a　pistol　on　his　hip　who　stood　by　the　door　as　the　engines　started；　whining　softly　in　the　night。
　
　　　Stone　sat　back　with　the　Scoop　file　in　front　of　him　and　began　to　read。　It　made　fascinating　reading；　he　went　through　it　quickly；　so　quickly　that　the　MP　thought　his　passenger　must　be　merely　glancing　at　the　file。　But　Stone　was　reading　every　word。
　
　　　Scoop　was　the　brainchild　of　Major　General　Thomas　Sparks；　head　of　the　Army　Medical　Corps；　Chemical　and　Biological　Warfare　Division。　Sparks　was　responsible　for　the　research　of　the　CBW　installations　at　Fort　Detrick；　Maryland；　Harley；　Indiana；　and　Dugway；　Utah。　Stone　had　met　him　once　or　twice；　and　remembered　him　as　being　mild…mannered　and　bespectacled。　Not　the　sort　of　man　to　be　expected　in　the　job　he　held。
　
　　　Reading　on；　Stone　learned　that　Project　Scoop　was　contracted　to　the　Jet　Propulsion　Laboratory　of　the　California　Institute　of　Technology　in　Pasadena　in　1963。　Its　avowed　aim　was　the　collection　of　any　organisms　that　might　exist　in　〃near　space；　〃　the　upper　atmosphere　of　the　earth。　Technically　speaking；　it　was　an　Army　project；　but　it　was　funded　through　the　National　Aeronautics　and　Space　Administration；　a　supposedly　civilian　organization。　In　fact；　NASA　was　a　government　agency　with　a　heavy　military　mitment；　43　per　cent　of　its　contractual　work　was　classified　in　1963。
　
　　　In　theory；　JPL　was　designing　a　satellite　to　enter　the　fringes　of　space　and　collect　organisms　and　dust　for　study。　This　was　considered　a　project　of　pure　science　almost　curiosity　and　was　thus　accepted　by　all　the　scientists　working　on　the　study。
　
　　　In　fact；　the　true　aims　were　quite　different。
　
　　　The　true　aims　of　Scoop　were　to　find　new　life　forms　that　might　benefit　the　Fort　Detrick　program。　In　essence；　it　was　a　study　to　discover　new　biological　weapons　of　war。
　
　　　Detrick　was　a　rambling　structure　in　Maryland　dedicated　to　the　discovery　of　chemical…and…biological…warfare　weapons。　Covering　1；300　acres；　with　a　physical　plant　valued　at　100；000；000；　it　ranked　as　one　of　the　largest　research　facilities　of　any　kind　in　the　United　States。　Only　15　per　cent　of　its　findings　were　published　in　open　scientific　journals；　the　rest　were　classified；　as　were　the　reports　from　Harley　and　Dugway。　Harley　was　a　maximum…security　installation　that　dealt　largely　with　viruses。　In　the　previous　ten　years；　a　number　of　new　viruses　had　been　developed　there；　ranging　from　the　variety　coded　Carrie　Nation　（which　produces　diarrhea）　to　the　variety　coded　Arnold　（which　causes　clonic　seizures　and　death）。　The　Dugway　Proving　Ground　in　Utah　was　larger　than　the　state　of　Rhode　Island　and　was　used　principally　to　test　poison　gases　such　as　Tabun；　Sklar；　and　Kuff…11。
　
　　　Few　Americans；　Stone　knew；　were　aware　of　the　magnitude　of　U。S。　research　into　chemical　and　biological　warfare。　The　total　government　expenditure　in　CBW　exceeded　half　a　billion　dollars　a　year。　Much　of　this　was　distributed　to　academic　centers　such　as　Johns　Hopkins；　Pennsylvania；　and　the　University　of　Chicago；　where　studies　of　weapons　systems　were　contracted　under　vague　terms。　Sometimes；　of　course；　the　terms　were　not　so　vague。　The　Johns　Hopkins　program　was　devised　to　evaluate　〃studies　of　actual　or　potential　injuries　and　illnesses；　studies　on　diseases　of　potential　biological…warfare　significance；　and　evaluation　of　certain　chemical　and　immunological　responses　to　certain　toxoids　and　vaccines。〃
　
　　　In　the　past　eight　years；　none　of　the　results　from　Johns　Hopkins　had　been　published　openly。　Those　from　other　universities；　such　as　Chicago　and　UCLA；　had　occasionally　been　published；　but　these　were　considered　within　the　military　establishment　to　be　〃trial　balloons〃　examples　of　ongoing　research　intended　to　intimidate　foreign　observers。　A　classic　was　the　paper　by　Tendron　and　five　others　entitled　〃Researches　into　a　Toxin　Which　Rapidly　Uncouples　Oxidative　Phosphorylation　Through　Cutaneous　Absorption。〃
　
　　　The　paper　described；　but　did　not　identify；　a　poison　that　would　kill　a　person　in　less　than　a　minute　and　was　absorbed　through　the　skin。　It　was　recognized　that　this　was　a　relatively　minor　achievement　pared　to　other　toxins　that　had　been　devised　in　recent　years。
　
　　　With　so　much　money　and　effort　going　into　CBW；　one　might　think　that　new　and　more　virulent　weapons　would　be　continuously　perfected。　However；　this　was　not　the　case　from　1961　to　1965；　the　conclusion　of　the　Senate　Preparedness　Submittee　in　1961　was　that　〃conventional　research　has　been　less　than　satisfactory〃　and　that　〃new　avenues　and　approaches　of　inquiry〃　should　be　opened　within　the　field。
　
　　　That　was　precisely　what　Major　General　Thomas　Sparks　intended　to　do；　with　Project　Scoop。
　
　　　In　final　form；　Scoop　was　a　program　to　orbit　seventeen　satellites　around　the　earth；　collecting　organisms　and　bringing　them　back　to　the　surface。　Stone　r