Jurassic Park - Crichton Michael - Страница 82

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They moved Malcolm to another room in the lodge, to a clean bed. Hammond seemed to revive, and began bustling around, straightening up, "Well," he said, "at least disaster is averted."

"What disaster is that?" Malcolm said, sighing.

"Well," Hammond said, "they didn't get free and overrun the world."

Malcolm sat up on one elbow. "You were worried about that?"

"Surely that's what was at stake," Hammond said. "These animals, lacking predators, might get out and destroy the planet."

"You egomaniacal idiot" Malcolm said, in fury. "Do you have any idea what you are talking about? You think you can destroy the planet? My, what intoxicating power you must have." Malcolm sank back on the bed. "You can't destroy this planet. You can't even come close."

"Most people believe," Hammond said stiffly, "that the planet is in jeopardy."

"Well, it's not," Malcolm said.

"All the experts agree that our planet is in trouble."

Malcolm sighed. "Let me tell you about our planet," he said. "Our planet is four and a half billion years old. There has been life on this planet for nearly that long. Three point eight billion years. The first bacteria. And, later, the first multicellular animals, then the first complex creatures, in the sea, on the land. Then the great sweeping ages of animals-the amphibians, the dinosaurs, the mammals, each lasting millions upon millions of years. Great dynasties of creatures arising, flourishing, dying away, All this happening against a background of continuous and violent upheaval, mountain ranges thrust up and eroded away, cometary impacts, volcanic eruptions, oceans rising and falling, whole continents moving… Endless constant and violent change… Even today, the greatest geographical feature on the planet comes from two great continents colliding, buckling to make the Himalayan mountain range over millions of years. The planet has survived everything, in its time. It will certainly survive us."

Hammond frowned. "Just because it lasted a long time," he said, "doesn't mean it is permanent. If there was a radiation accident…"

"Suppose there was," Malcolm said. "Let's say we had a bad one, and all the plants and animals died, and the earth was clicking hot for a hunred thousand years. Life would survive somewhere-under the soil, or perhaps frozen in Arctic ice. And after all those years, when the planet was no longer inhospitable, life would again spread over the planet. The evolutionary process would begin again. It might take a few billion years for life to regain its present variety. And of course it would be very different from what it is now. But the earth would survive our folly. Life would survive our folly. Only we," Malcolm said, "think it wouldn't."

Hammond said, "Well, if the ozone layer gets thinner-"

"There will be more ultraviolet radiation reaching the surface. So what?"

"Well. It'll cause skin cancer."

Malcolm shook his head. "Ultraviolet radiation is good for life. It's powerful energy. It promotes mutation, change. Many forms of life will thrive with more UV radiation."

"And many others will die out," Hammond said.

Malcolm sighed. "You think this is the first time such a thing has happened? Don't you know about oxygen?"

"I know it's necessary for life."

"It is now, " Malcolm said. "But oxygen is actually a metabolic poison. It's a corrosive gas, like fluorine, which is used to etch glass. And when oxygen was first produced as a waste product by certain plant cells-say, around three billion years ago-it created a crisis for all other life on our planet. Those plant cells were polluting the environment with a deadly poison. They were exhaling a lethal gas, and building up its concentration. A planet like Venus has less than one percent oxygen. On earth, the concentration of oxygen was going up rapidly-five, ten, eventually twentyone percent! Earth had an atmosphere of pure poison! Incompatible with life! "

Hammond looked irritated. "So what is your point? That modern pollutants will be incorporated, too?"

"No," Malcolm said. "My point is that life on earth can take care of itself. In the thinking of a human being, a hundred years is a long time. A hundred years ago, we didn't have cars and airplanes and computers and vaccines… It was a whole different world. But to the earth, a hundred years is nothing. A million years is nothing. This planet lives and breathes on a much vaster scale. We can't imagine its slow and powerful rhythms, and we haven't got the humility to try. We have been residents here for the blink of an eye. If we are gone tomorrow, the earth will not miss us."

And we very well might be gone," Hammond said, huffing.

"Yes," Malcolm said. "We might."

"So what are you saying? We shouldn't care about the environment?"

"No, of course not."

"Then what?"

Malcolm coughed, and stared into the distance. "Let's be clear. The planet is not in jeopardy. We are in jeopardy. We haven't got the power to destroy the planet-or to save it. But we might have the power to save ourselves."

Four hours had passed. It was afternoon; the sun was falling. The air conditioning was back on in the control room, and the computer was functioning properly. As near as they could determine, out of twenty-four people on the island, eight were dead and six more were missing. The visitor center and the Safari Lodge were both secure, and the northern perimeter seemed to be clear of dinosaurs. They had called authorities in San Jose for help. The Costa Rican National Guard was on its way, as well as an air ambulance to carry Malcolm to a hospital. But over the telephone, the Costa Rican guard had been distinctly cautious- undoubtedly calls would go back and forth between San Jose and Washington before help was finally sent to the island. And now it was growing late in the day- if the helicopters did not arrive soon, they would have to wait until morning.

In the meantime, there was nothing to do but wait. The ship was returning; the crew had discovered three young raptors scampering about in one of the aft holds, and had killed the animals. On Isla Nublar, the immediate danger appeared to have passed; everyone was in either the visitor center or the lodge. Tim had gotten quite good with the computer, and he flashed up a new screen.

Total Animals 292____________________

Species Expected Found Ver

Tyrannosaurs 2 1 4.1

Maiasaurs 22 20??

Stegosaurs 4 1 3.9

Triceratops 8 6 3.1

Procompsognathids 65 64??

Othnielia 23 15 3.1

Velociraptors 37 27??

Apatosaurs 17 12 3.1

Hadrosaurs 11 5 3.1

Dilophosaurs 7 4 4.3

Pterosaurs 6 5 4.3

Hypsilophodontids 34 14??

Euoplocepbalids 16 9 4.0

Styracosaurs 18 7 3.9

Callovosaurs 22 13 4.1

Total 292 203

"What the hell is it doing now?" Gennaro said. "Now it says there are fewer animals?"

Grant nodded. "Probably."

Ellie said, "Jurassic Park is finally coming under control."

"Meaning what?"

"Equilibrium." Grant pointed to the monitors. On one of them, the hypsilophodonts leapt into the air as a pack of velociraptors entered the field from the west.

"The fences have been down for hours," Grant said. "The animals are mingling with each other. Populations reaching equilibriums true Jurassic equilibrium."

"I don't think it was supposed to happen," Gennaro said. "The animals were never supposed to mix."

"Well, they are."

On another monitor, Grant saw a pack of raptors racing at full speed across an open field toward a four-ton hadrosaur. The hadrosaur turned to flee, and one of the raptors lumped onto its back, biting into the long neck, while others raced forward, circled around it, nipped at its legs, leapt up to slash at the belly with their powerful claws. Within minutes, six raptors had brought down the larger animal.

Grant stared, silently.

Ellie said, "Is it the way you imagined?"

"I don't know what I imagined," he said. He watched the monitor. "No, not exactly."

Muldoon said quietly, "You know, it appears all the adult raptors are out right now."

Grant didn't pay much attention at first. He just watched the monitors, the interaction of the great animals. In the south, the stegosaur was swinging its spiked tail, warily circling the baby tyrannosaur, which watched it, bemused, and occasionally lunged forward to nip ineffectually at the spikes. In the western quadrant, the adult triceratopsians were fighting among themselves, charging and locking horns. One animal already lay wounded and dying.

Muldoon said, "We've got about an hour of good daylight left, Dr. Grant. If you want to try and find that nest."

"Right," Grant said. "I do."

"I was thinking," Muldoon said, "that, when the Costa Ricans come, they will probably imagine this island to be a military problem. Something to destroy as soon as possible."

"Damn right," Gennaro said.

"They'll bomb it from the air," Muldoon said. "Perhaps napalm, perhaps nerve gas as well. But from the air."

"I hope they do," Gennaro said. "This island is too dangerous. Every animal on this island must be destroyed, and the sooner the better."

Grant said, "That's not satisfactory." He got to his feet. "Let's get started. "

"I don't think you understand, Alan," Gennaro said. "It's my opinion that this island is too dangerous. It must be destroyed. Every animal on this island must be destroyed, and that's what the Costa Rican guard will do. I think we should leave it in their capable hands. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

"Perfectly," Grant said again.

"Then what's your problem?" Gennaro said. "It's a military operation. Let them do it."

Grant's back ached, where the raptor had clawed him. "No," he said. "We have to take care of it."

"Leave it to the experts," Gennaro said.

Grant remembered how he bhd found Gennaro, just six hours earlier, huddled and terrified in the cab of a truck in the maintenance building. And suddenly he lost his temper and slammed the lawyer up against the concrete wall. "Listen, you little bastard, you have a responsibility to this situation and you're going to start living up to it."

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