jefflong.yearzero-第48节

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ittling　him　down　to　a　twig。　Miranda　wanted　to　feel　sorry　for　him；　but　she　knew　Cavendish　didn't　pity　himself。　In　turn；　he　didn't　pity　anyone　else。
　A　happy；　rumpled；　dazed…looking　man　trailed　behind。　It　took　Miranda　a　minute　to　place　him。　He　was　with　atmospheric　sciences。　What　was　he　doing　here？　The　department　had　bee　something　of　an　antique。　Who　needed　a　five…day　forecast　anymore；　much　less　the　temperature　in　Timbuktu？　Global　warming？　No　one　cared。
　Cavendish　started　in　on　them　with　his　usual　bile。　〃You're　going　in　circles；〃　he　said。　〃I　see　it　between　the　lines　in　your　lab　reports。　The　paths　of　investigation　have　bent　back　upon　themselves。　It's　not　good　enough。〃
　〃And　a　very　good　morning　to　you；〃　someone　muttered　under　his　breath。
　〃But　we　have　made　a　discovery；〃　Cavendish　continued。　〃Maybe　it　means　something；　maybe　not。〃　He　gestured　with　a　finger。
　The　weather　man　stepped　forward。　Behind　him；　the　video　screen　came　alive　with　satellite　images　of　the　earth。　Clouds　hung　like　cotton　wisps。　The　planet　looked　serene。　〃Bob　Maples；　meteorology；〃　he　said。　He　couldn't　quit　grinning。　〃I　head　the　Red　Surveillance　team。〃
　Maples　clicked　a　remote　control。　The　earth　images　switched　color。　The　majestic　blue　ocean　turned　mottled　with　thermal　pools。　The　continental　masses　loomed　dark　except　for　North　America；　which　held　pools　and　veins　of　red　seepage。
　〃Just　to　summarize；〃　Maples　said；　〃Red　Surveillance　tracks　human　catabolism　on　a　mass　scale。〃　He　had　a　funeral　director's　delicacy。　We're　basically　a　sort　of　high…tech　morgue。　We　use　ASTER　technology；　Advanced　Spaceborne　Thermal　Emission　and　Reflection　Radiometer　instruments　built　into　various　satellite　platforms　to　track　groupings　of　gases　associated　with　deposition。　Red　is　the　pseudo…color　we　keyed　on　our　spectrographs　for　plumes　of　ammonia；　methane；　hydrogen　sulfide；　carbon　dioxide；　and　so　forth。〃
　Papers　rustled。　Throats　cleared。　They　knew　all　of　this。　Peering　through　their　satellite　lenses；　the　ASTER　specialists　had　bee　cartographers　of　the　extinction　event；　plotting　what　was　literally　the　last　gasp　of　dead　and　dying　cities。　Over　the　past　two　years；　they　had　watched　the　bright　red　flowers　of　gas　bloom　and　then　fade。　Miranda's　plague　map　was　nothing　more　than　a　pilation　of　all　the　plumes；　past　and　present。
　Maples　heard　their　impatience　and　hurried　through　a　series　of　beautiful　earth　shots；　cutting　to　the　chase。　〃For　months　there　have　been　no　measurable　death　plumes　outside　of　North　America；〃　he　said。　〃All　the　other　continents　went　dark　last　March。　Overseas；　the　human　die…off　is　plete。　We　pretty　much　quit　watching。　I　mean　there　was　nothing　more　to　look　for。〃　The　grin　returned。　〃Then　around　noon　today；　purely　by　accident；　one　of　my　people　switched　the　search　key。　He　programmed　for　heat；　anything　double　the　ambient　temperature。　At　the　time　he　was　hitchhiking　on　the　European　Union　weather　satellite。　Like　a　number　of　other　unattended　satellites；　it's　drifted　out　of　orbit；　more　space　junk　getting　ready　to　fall　from　the　sky。　But　the　optics　are　all　there；　and　it　happened　to　be　pointing　in　the　right　place　at　the　right　time。　And　this　is　what　he　found。〃
　The　rapid　montage　of　earth　shots　changed　color。　The　red　flipped　to　lime　green　and　black。　The　streaming　images　slowed　to　a　near　halt。　Miranda　could　just　make　out　the　dark　spur　of　the　Indian　subcontinent。　Along　the　bottom　margin　the　videotape　identified　itself：　EUMETSAT；　08/10；　12：04：52　PM　MST。〃　The　latitude　and　longitude　were　listed。　The　tape　advanced。　The　clock　counter　turned　to　12：05：09。
　〃There；〃　said　Maples。　〃Did　you　see　it？〃
　〃See　what？〃　someone　said。
　Maples　grinned　and　bobbed　his　head。　He　was　delighted。　〃Watch　again；　here。〃　He　pointed　at　the　arc　of　the　Bay　of　Bengal。　〃Calcutta。〃
　The　tape　replayed。　This　time　they　saw　it。　A　pinprick　of　light；　scarcely　a　twinkle。　Then　it　was　gone。
　〃Yes？〃　a　woman　said。
　〃Exactly；〃　said　Maples。　〃At　first　we　wrote　it　off　as　a　gremlin；　a　glitch　in　the　hardware。　Then　we　took　a　second　look。〃
　This　time　the　image　was　magnified。　The　tape　returned　to　12：04：52。　Calcutta　winked　at　them。　It　was　like　a　single　faint　star　in　a　universe　of　darkness。
　〃Fire；〃　said　Maples。
　No　one　moved　at　the　table。
　The　implications　were　staggering。　They　changed　everything。　No　one　dared　to　believe　it。
　〃Impossible；〃　the　WHO　head　challenged　him。
　〃I　know；　I　know；〃　Maples　bobbed；　all　teeth；　thrilled　to　be　of　help　at　last。
　〃Again；〃　someone　demanded。
　Maples　replayed　it。　He　jacked　the　zoom。　There　was　no　mistaking　it。　A　fire　had　been　burning　in　Calcutta　at　five　minutes　after　midnight　last　night。
　〃A　ruptured　gas　main；　nothing　more；〃　a　woman　remarked。
　〃That's　what　we　thought；〃　said　Maples。　〃It　couldn't　be　human。　Maybe　it　was　a　house　fire　sparked　by　lightning。　Or　an　explosion　caused　by　an　earthquake。　There's　all　kinds　of　bustibles　out　there。　A　thousand　other　things　it　could　be　besides　manmade。〃　Maples　was　waving　his　hands。　〃So　we　zoomed　the　lens。　We　programmed　for　98。6　degrees。　puter　enhanced　it。　And　this　is　what　we　got。〃
　The　pseudo…green　scale　magnified。　The　focus　sharpened。　The　nocturnal　image　rose　up　between　urban　ruins。　〃Human　body　heat。〃
　There　was　the　fire　glittering　brightly。　And　then　a　ghostly　figure…the　heat　signature　of　a　biped…approached　the　fire。　Man；　woman　or　child；　it　reached　a　stick　into　the　fire；　then　withdrew　and　sat　down。
　〃But　there's　no　one　left　out　there。　The　virus　passed　through　there　a　year　ago。〃　The　voice　was　raspy。　Miranda　didn't　look　to　see　who　was　speaking。　She　couldn't　tear　her　eyes　from　the　screen。
　〃Eleven　months　ago；　to　be　exact；〃　said　Maples。　He　was　ready　for　them。　He　hit　another　button。　〃September；　last　year；〃　he　said。　The　image　changed　to　his　Red　Surveillance　spectrograph。　The　Indian　subcontinent　was　acid　with　red　plumes。　It　looked　like　nuclear　weapons　going　off。　The　image　fast…forwarded。　The　red　plumes　stormed　north　as　villages　and　cities　putrefied。　The　ammonia　clouds　blossomed　brightest　above　the　cities。　The　great　rivers　turned　arterial　red。　At　last　the　red　tempest　faded；　then　disappeared。　The　subcontinent　returned　to　peace。　〃January；　this　year；〃　said　Maples。
　For　a　fleeting　moment；　Miranda　tried　to　remember　when　Nathan　Lee　had　fled。　He　must　have　been　running　just　ahead　of　that　viral　onslaught。　It　was　a　miracle　anyone　could　have　survived。　Yet　he　had。　And　so；　apparently；　had　someone　else；　though　differently。　Could　this　be　a　Category　One　Survivor？
　Maples　returned　to　the　ghostly　green　figure　sitting　in　front　of　the　fire。
　〃Do　you　know　what　this　means？〃　someone　whispered。
　〃It　would　be　wrong　to　jump　to　conclusions；〃　another　warned。
　〃A　survivor！〃　murmured　Miranda's　neighbor。　〃Category　One。〃
　Miranda　kept　staring　at　the　figure　on　the　screen。　It　could　have　been　a　caveman　crouching　close　to　his　little　tongue　of　flame；　all　alone　in　the　night。
　〃A　freak　occurrence；〃　a　voice　scoffed。　〃A　fluke。〃
　〃Exactly　what　we're　looking　for；〃　someone　retorted。
　〃Not　necessarily；〃　Cavendish　cautioned。　〃We　don't　know　what　we're　looking　at　here。　There　are　three　reasons　a　person　might　survive　a　parasite　this　lethal：　luck；　natural　resistance；　or　immunity。　We　saw　that　with　AIDS　and　Ebola　and　Marburg。〃
　〃We　also　saw　it　with　polio；　the　Black　Death；　and　every　other　pandemic　in　human　history；〃　said　Miranda。　〃But　the　point　here　is　that　we've　never　seen　it　with　Corfu。　An　immunity　event！〃
　Her　thoughts　ricocheted。　This　changed　everything；　potentially。　Ever　since　Corfu　had　broken　loose　and　run　rampant；　they　had　been　searching　for　survivors。　That　was　the　whole　excuse　for　cloning　the　Year　Zero　specimens：　they　had　needed　to　reach　back　in　time　to　find　any　survivors　of　the　virus；　even　of　the　more　benign；　ancient　strain。　But　here；　in　the　heart　of　Calcutta；　squatted　a　modern　survivor。
　〃There's　more；〃　interrupted　Maples。　〃Once　we　identified　the　Calcutta　event；　we　started　a　puter　search　for　more　campfires；　not　just　in　India；　but　on　all　the　continents　and　major　islands；　and　not　just　for　last　night　but　for　all　the　nights　for　six　months　past。　There　are　millions　of　images　to　investigate；　and　the　search　will　go　on　for　weeks　or　months。　But　look　at　what　we've　found　in　a　few　short　hours！〃
　The　images　began　dancing　around　the　world。　The　date　codes　on　the　margins　changed　back　and　forth。　It　was　September　in　Spain；　June　in　Borneo；　February　in　Moscow。　Now　that　they　knew　what　to　look　for；　the　tableful　of　scientists　spotted　the　pinpoints　of　light　with　increasing　ease。　They　got　up　from　the　table　and　gathered　in　front　of　the　video　screen；　pressing　together；　barking　at　each　new　discovery。
　In　the　space　of　five　minutes；　with　Maples　guiding　them；　they　found　evidence　of　at　least　nineteen　other　survival　〃events；〃　as　the　Red　Surveillance　team　had　already　christened　the　campfires。　Maples　was　like　a　puppy。　〃I've　assigned　some　of　my　ASTER　crew　to　examine　old　tapes　for　fires　first；　body　heat　second。　The　fires　are　most　pronounced。　They're　tagging　each　of　these　events　and　tracking　backwards　and　forwards　in　time。　We　now　know　that　the　Calcutta　event　has　been　occurring　in　the　same　place　for　the　past　three　weeks。　Fires　have　also　been　located　in　Rome；　Perth；　Phnom　Penh；　Kinshasa；　and　Vladivostok。　From　one　night　to　another；　some　have　moved　from　place　to　place。　That　suggests　migration。　Opportunistic。　Or　driven　by　fear