jurassic.park-第30章

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　　　　John　Hammond　wrinkled　his　nose；　as　if　he　smelled　something　disagreeable。　〃Aesthetics？〃　he　repeated。
　　　　They　were　standing　in　the　living　room　of　Hammond's　elegant　bungalow；　set　back　among　palm　trees　in　the　northern　sector　of　the　park。　The　living　room　was　airy　and　fortable；　fitted　with　a　half…dozen　video　monitors　showing　the　animals　in　the　park。　The　file　Wu　had　brought；　stamped　ANIMAL　DEVELOPMENT：　VERSION　4。4；　lay　on　the　coffee　table。
　　　　Hammond　was　looking　at　him　in　that　patient；　paternal　way。　Wu；　thirty…three　years　old；　was　acutely　aware　that　he　had　worked　for　Hammond　all　his　professional　life。　Hammond　had　hired　him　right　out　of　graduate　school。
　　　　〃Of　course；　there　are　practical　consequences　as　well；〃　Wu　said。　〃I　really　think　you　should　consider　my　remendations　for　phase　two。　We　should　go　to　version　4。4。〃
　　　　〃You　want　to　replace　all　the　current　stock　of　animals？〃　Hammond　said。
　　　　〃Yes；　I　do。〃
　　　　〃Why？　What's　wrong　with　them？〃
　　　　〃Nothing；〃　Wu　said；　〃except　that　they're　real　dinosaurs。〃
　　　　〃That's　what　I　asked　for；　Henry；〃　Hammond　said；　smiling。　〃And　that's　what　you　gave　me。〃
　　　　〃I　know；〃　Wu　said。　〃But　you　see。　。　。〃　He　paused。　How　could　he　explain　this　to　Hammond？　Hammond　hardly　ever　visited　the　island。　And　it　was　a　peculiar　situation　that　Wu　was　trying　to　convey。　〃Right　now；　as　we　stand　here；　almost　no　one　in　the　world　has　ever　seen　an　actual　dinosaur。　Nobody　knows　what　they're　really　like。〃
　　　　〃Yes　。　。　。〃
　　　　〃The　dinosaurs　we　have　now　are　real；〃　Wu　said；　pointing　to　the　screens　around　the　room；　〃but　in　certain　ways　they　are　unsatisfactory；　Unconvincing。　I　could　make　them　better。〃
　　　　〃Better　in　what　way？〃
　　　　〃For　one　thing；　they　move　too　fast；〃　Henry　Wu　said。　〃People　aren't　accustomed　to　seeing　large　animals　that　are　so　quick。　I'm　afraid　visitors　will　think　the　dinosaurs　look　speeded　up；　like　film　running　too　fast。〃
　　　　〃But；　Henry；　these　are　real　dinosaurs。　You　said　so　yourself。〃
　　　　〃I　know；〃　Wu　said。　〃But　we　could　easily　breed　slower；　more　domesticated　dinosaurs。〃
　　　　〃Domesticated　dinosaurs？〃　Hammond　snorted。　〃Nobody　wants　domesticated　dinosaurs；　Henry。　They　want　the　real　thing。〃
　　　　〃But　that's　my　point；〃　Wu　said。　〃I　don't　think　they　do。　They　want　to　see　their　expectation；　which　is　quite　different。〃
　　　　Hammond　was　frowning。
　　　　〃You　said　yourself；　John；　this　park　is　entertainment；〃　Wu　said。　〃And　entertainment　has　nothing　to　do　with　reality。　Entertainment　is　antithetical　to　reality。〃
　　　　Hammond　sighed。　〃Now；　Henry；　are　we　going　to　have　another　one　of　those　abstract　discussions？　You　know　I　like　to　keep　it　simple。　The　dinosaurs　we　have　now　are　real；　and…〃
　　　　〃Well；　not　exactly；〃　Wu　said。　He　paced　the　living　room；　pointed　to　the　monitors。　〃I　don't　think　we　should　kid　ourselves。　We　haven't　re…created　the　past　here。　The　past　is　gone。　It　can　never　be　re…created。　What　we've　done　is　reconstruct　the　past…or　at　least　a　version　of　the　past。　And　I'm　saying　we　can　make　a　better　version。〃
　　　　〃Better　than　real？〃
　　　　〃Why　not？〃　Wu　said。　〃After　all；　these　animals　are　already　modified。　We've　inserted　genes　to　make　them　patentable；　and　to　make　them　lysine　dependent。　And　we've　done　everything　we　can　to　promote　growth；　and　accelerate　development　into　adulthood。〃
　　　　Hammond　shrugged。　〃That　was　inevitable。　We　didn't　want　to　wait。　We　have　investors　to　consider。〃
　　　　〃Of　course。　But　I'm　'ust　saying；　why　stop　there？　Why　not　push　ahead　to　make　exactly　the　kind　of　dinosaur　that　we'd　like　to　see？　One　that　is　more　acceptable　to　visitors；　and　one　that　is　easier　for　us　to　handle？　A　slower；　more　docile　version　for　our　park？〃
　　　　Hammond　frowned。　〃But　then　the　dinosaurs　wouldn't　be　real。〃
　　　　〃But　they're　not　real　now；〃　Wu　said。　〃That's　what　I'm　trying　to　tell　you。　There　isn't　any　reality　here。〃　He　shrugged　helplessly。　He　could　see　he　wasn't　getting　through。　Hammond　had　never　been　interested　in　technical　details；　and　the　essence　of　the　argument　was　technical。　How　could　he　explain　to　Hammond　about　the　reality　of　DNA　dropouts；　the　patches；　the　gaps　in　the　sequence　that　Wu　had　been　obliged　to　fill　in；　making　the　best　guesses　he　could；　but　still；　making　guesses；　The　DNA　of　the　dinosaurs　was　like　old　photographs　that　had　been　retouched；　basically　the　same　as　the　original　but　in　some　places　repaired　and　clarified；　and　as　a　result…
　　　　〃Now；　Henry；〃　Hammond　said；　putting　his　arm　around　Wu's　shoulder。　〃If　you　don't　mind　my　saying　so；　I　think　you're　getting　cold　feet。　You've　been　working　very　hard　for　a　long　time；　and　you've　done　a　hell　of　a　job…a　hell　of　a　job…and　it's　finally　time　to　reveal　to　some　people　what　you've　done。　It's　natural　to　be　a　little　nervous。　To　have　some　doubts。　But　I　am　convinced；　Henry；　that　the　world　will　be　entirely　satisfied。　Entirely　satisfied。〃
　　　　As　he　spoke；　Hammond　steered　him　toward　the　door。
　　　　〃But；　John；〃　Wu　said。　〃Remember　back　in　'87；　when　we　started　to　build　the　containment　devices？　We　didn't　have　any　full…grown　adults　yet；　so　we　had　to　predict　what　we'd　need…　We　ordered　big　taser　shockers；　cars　with　cattle　prods　mounted　on　them；　guns　that　blow　out　electric　nets。　All　built　specially　to　our　specifications。　We've　got　a　whole　array　of　devices　now　and　they're　all　too　slow。　We've　got　to　make　some　adjustments。　You　know　that　Muldoon　wants　military　equipment：　TOW　missiles　and　laser…guided　devices？〃
　　　　〃Let's　leave　Muldoon　out　of　this；〃　Hammond　said。　〃I'm　not　worried。　It's　just　a　zoo；　Henry。〃
　　　　The　phone　rang；　and　Hammond　went　to　answer　it。　Wu　tried　to　think　of　another　way　to　press　his　case。　But　the　fact　was　that；　after　five　long　years；　Jurassic　Park　was　nearing　pletion；　and　John　Hammond　lust　wasn't　listening　to　him　any　more。

There　had　been　a　time　when　Hammond　listened　to　Wu　very　attentively。　Especially　when　he　had　first　recruited　him；　back　in　the　days　when　Henry　Wu　was　a　twenty…eight…year…old　graduate　student　getting　his　doctorate　at　Stanford　in　Norman　Atherton's　tab。
　　　　Atherton's　death　had　thrown　the　lab　into　confusion　as　well　as　mourning；　no　one　knew　what　would　happen　to　the　funding　or　the　doctoral　programs。　There　was　a　lot　of　uncertainty；　people　worried　about　their　careers。
　　　　Two　weeks　after　the　funeral；　John　Hammond　came　to　see　Wu。　Everyone　in　the　lab　knew　that　Atherton　had　had　some　association　with　Hammond；　although　the　details　were　never　clear。　But　Hammond　had　approached　Wu　with　a　directness　Wu　never　forgot。
　　　　〃Norman　always　said　you're　the　best　geneticist　in　his　lab；〃　he　said。　〃What　are　your　plans　now？〃
　　　　〃I　don't　know。　Research。〃
　　　　〃You　want　a　university　appointment？〃
　　　　〃Yes。〃
　　　　〃That's　a　mistake；〃　Hammond　said　briskly。　〃At　least；　if　you　respect　your　talent。〃
　　　　Wu　had　blinked。　〃Why？〃
　　　　〃Because；　let's　face　facts；〃　Hammond　said。　〃Universities　are　no　longer　the　intellectual　centers　of　the　country。　The　very　idea　is　preposterous。　Universities　are　the　backwater。　Don't　look　so　surprised。　I'm　not　saying　anything　you　don't　know。　Since　World　War　II；　all　the　really　important　discoveries　have　e　out　of　private　laboratories。　The　laser；　the　transistor　the　polio　vaccine；　the　microchip；　the　hologram；　the　personal　puter；　magnetic　resonance　imaging；　CAT　scans…the　list　goes　on　and　on。　Universities　simply　aren't　where　it's　happening　any　more。　And　they　haven't　been　for　forty　years。　If　you　want　to　do　something　important　in　puters　or　genetics；　you　don't　go　to　a　university。　Dear　me；　no。〃
　　　　Wu　found　he　was　speechless。
　　　　〃Good　heavens；〃　Hammond　said；　〃what　must　you　go　through　to　start　a　new　project？　How　many　grant　applications；　how　many　forms；　how　many　approvals？　The　steering　mittee？　The　department　chairman？　The　university　resources　mittee？　How　do　you　get　more　work　space　if　you　need　I　。　t？　More　assistants　if　you　need　them？　How　long　does　all　that　take？　A　brilliant　man　can't　squander　precious　time　with　forms　and　mittees。　Life　is　too　short；　and　DNA　too　long。　You　want　to　make　your　mark。　If　you　want　to　get　something　done；　stay　out　of　universities。〃
　　　　In　those　days；　Wu　desperately　wanted　to　make　his　mark。　John　Hammond　had　his　full　attention。
　　　　〃I'm　talking　about　work；　〃　Hammond　continued。　〃Real　acplishment。　What　does　a　scientist　need　to　work？　He　needs　time；　and　he　needs　money。　I'm　talking　about　giving　you　a　five…year　mitment；　and　ten　million　dollars　a　year　in　funding。