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He　glanced　at　his　watch。　〃I'm　going　to　brief　the　team　members　at　eleven　hundred　hours。　I　want　you　to　e　along；　and　see　what　you　think　about　the　team　members；〃　Barnes　said。　〃After　all；　we　followed　your　ULF　report　remendations。〃
You　followed　my　remendations；　Norman　thought　with　a　sinking　feeling。　Jesus　Christ；　I　was　just　paying　for　a　house。
〃I　knew　you'd　jump　at　the　opportunity　to　see　your　ideas　put　into　practice；〃　Barnes　said。　〃That's　why　I've　included　you　on　the　team　as　the　psychologist；　although　a　younger　man　would　be　more　appropriate。〃
〃I　appreciate　that；〃　Norman　said。
〃I　knew　you　would；〃　Barnes　said；　smiling　cheerfully。　He　extended　a　beefy　hand。　〃Wele　to　the　ULF　Team；　Dr。　Johnson。〃

BETH

An　ensign　showed　norman　to　his　room；　tiny　and　gray；　more　like　a　prison　cell　than　anything　else。　Norman's　day　bag　lay　on　his　bunk。　In　the　corner　was　a　puter　console　and　a　keyboard。　Next　to　it　was　a　thick　manual　with　a　blue　cover。
He　sat　on　the　bed；　which　was　hard；　unweling。　He　leaned　back　against　a　pipe　on　the　wall。
〃Hi；　Norman；〃　a　soft　voice　said。　〃I'm　glad　to　see　they　dragged　you　into　this。　This　is　all　your　fault；　isn't　it？〃　A　woman　stood　in　the　doorway。
Beth　Halpern；　the　team　zoologist；　was　a　study　in　contrasts。　She　was　a　tall；　angular　woman　of　thirty…six　who　could　be　called　pretty　despite　her　sharp　features　and　the　almost　masculine　quality　of　her　body。　In　the　years　since　Norman　had　last　seen　her；　she　seemed　to　have　emphasized　her　masculine　side　even　more。　Beth　was　a　serious　weight…lifter　and　runner；　the　veins　and　muscles　bulged　at　her　neck　and　on　her　forearms；　and　her　legs；　beneath　her　shorts；　were　powerful。　Her　hair　was　cut　short；　hardly　longer　than　a　man's。
At　the　same　time；　she　wore　jewelry　and　makeup；　and　she　moved　in　a　seductive　way。　Her　voice　was　soft；　and　her　eyes　were　large　and　liquid；　especially　when　she　talked　about　the　living　things　that　she　studied。　At　those　times　she　became　almost　maternal。　One　of　her　colleagues　at　the　University　of　Chicago　had　referred　to　her　as　〃Mother　Nature　with　muscles。〃
Norman　got　up；　and　she　gave　him　a　quick　peck　on　the　cheek。　〃My　room's　next　to　yours；　I　heard　you　arrive。　When　did　you　get　in？〃
〃An　hour　ago。　I　think　I'm　still　in　shock；〃　Norman　said。　〃Do　you　believe　all　this？　Do　you　think　it's　real？〃
〃I　think　that's　real。〃　She　pointed　to　the　blue　manual　next　to　his　puter。
Norman　picked　it　up：　Regulations　Governing　Personnel　＇＇23＇＇　Conduct　During　Classified　Military　Operations。　He　thumbed　through　pages　of　dense　legal　text。
〃It　basically　says；〃　Beth　said；　〃that　you　keep　your　mouth　shut　or　you　spend　a　long　time　in　military　prison。　And　there's　no　calls　in　or　out。　Yes；　Norman；　I　think　it　must　be　real。〃
〃There's　a　spacecraft　down　there？〃
〃There's　something　down　there。　It's　pretty　exciting。〃　She　began　to　speak　more　rapidly。　〃Why；　for　biology　alone；　the　possibilities　are　staggering…everything　we　know　about　life　es　from　studying　life　on　our　own　planet。　But；　in　a　sense；　all　life　on　our　planet　is　the　same。　Every　living　creature；　from　algae　to　human　beings；　is　basically　built　on　the　same　plan；　from　the　same　DNA。　Now　we　may　have　a　chance　to　contact　life　that　is　entirely　different；　different　in　every　way。　It's　exciting；　all　right。〃
Norman　nodded。　He　was　thinking　of　something　else。　〃What　did　you　say　about　no　calls　in　or　out？　I　promised　to　call　Ellen。〃
〃Well；　I　tried　to　call　my　daughter　and　they　told　me　the　mainland　　links　are　out。　If　you　can　believe　that。　The　Navy's　got　more　satellites　than　admirals；　but　they　swear　there's　no　available　line　to　call　out。　Barnes　said　he'd　approve　a　cable。　That's　it。〃
〃How　old　is　Jennifer　now？〃　Norman　asked；　pleased　to　pull　the　name　from　his　memory。　And　what　was　her　husband's　name？　He　was　a　physicist；　Norman　remembered；　something　like　that。　Sandy　blond　man。　Had　a　beard。　Wore　bow　ties。
〃Nine。　She's　pitching　for　the　Evanston　Little　League　now。　Not　much　of　a　student；　but　a　hell　of　a　pitcher。〃　She　sounded　proud。　〃How's　your　family？　Ellen？〃
〃She's　fine。　The　kids　are　fine。　Tim's　a　sophomore　at　Chicago。　Amy's　at　Andover。　How　is　。。。〃
〃George？　We　divorced　three　years　ago；〃　Beth　said。　〃George　had　a　year　at　CERN　in　Geneva；　looking　for　exotic　particles；　and　I　guess　he　found　whatever　he　was　looking　for。　She's　French。　He　says　she's　a　great　cook。〃　She　shrugged。　〃Anyway；　my　work　is　going　well。　For　the　past　year　I　have　been　working　with　cephalopods…squid　and　octopi。〃
〃How's　that？〃
＇＇24＇＇　〃Interesting。　It　gives　you　quite　a　strange　feeling　to　realize　the　gentle　intelligence　of　these　creatures；　particularly　octopi。　You　know　an　octopus　is　smarter　than　a　dog；　and　would　probably　make　a　much　better　pet。　It's　a　wonderful；　clever；　very　emotional　creature；　an　octopus。　Only　we　never　think　of　them　that　way。〃
Norman　said；　〃Do　you　still　eat　them？〃
〃Oh；　Norman。〃　She　smiled。　〃Do　you　still　relate　everything　to　food？〃
〃Whenever　possible；〃　Norman　said；　patting　his　stomach。　〃Well；　you　won't　like　the　food　in　this　place。　It's　terrible。　But　the　answer　is　no；〃　she　said；　cracking　her　knuckles。　〃I　could　never　eat　an　octopus　now；　knowing　what　I　do　about　them。　Which　reminds　me：　What　do　you　know　about　Hal　Barnes？〃
〃Nothing；　why？〃
〃I've　been　asking　around。　Turns　out　Barnes　is　not　Navy　at　all。　He's　ex…Navy。〃
〃You　mean　he's　retired？〃
〃Retired　in　'81。　He　was　originally　trained　as　an　aeronautical　engineer　at　Cal　Tech；　and　after　he　retired　he　worked　for　Grumman　for　a　while。　Then　a　member　of　the　Navy　Science　Board　of　the　National　Academy；　then　Assistant　Undersecretary　of　Defense；　and　a　member　of　DSARC；　the　Defense　Systems　Acquisition　Review　Council；　a　member　of　the　Defense　Science　Board；　which　advises　the　Joint　Chiefs　and　the　Secretary　of　Defense。〃
〃Advises　them　on　what？〃
〃Weapons　acquisition；〃　Beth　said。　〃He's　a　Pentagon　man　who　advises　the　government　on　weapons　acquisition。　So　how'd　he　get　to　be　running　this　project？〃
〃Beats　me；〃　Norman　said。　Sitting　on　the　bunk；　he　kicked　off　his　shoes。　He　felt　suddenly　tired。　Beth　leaned　against　the　doorway。
〃You　seem　to　be　in　very　good　shape；〃　Norman　said。　Even　her　hands　looked　strong；　he　thought。
〃A　good　thing；　too；　as　it　turns　out；〃　Beth　said。　〃I　have　a　lot　of　confidence　for　what's　ing。　What　about　you？　Think　you'll　manage　okay？〃
＇＇25＇＇　〃Me？　Why　shouldn't　I？〃　He　glanced　down　at　his　own　familiar　paunch。　Ellen　was　always　after　him　to　do　something　about　it；　and　from　time　to　time　he　got　inspired　and　went　to　the　gym　for　a　few　days；　but　he　could　never　seem　to　get　rid　of　it。　And　the　truth　was；　it　didn't　matter　that　much　to　him。　He　was　fifty…three　years　old　and　he　was　a　university　professor。　What　the　hell。
Then　he　had　a　thought：　〃What　do　you　mean；　you　have　confidence　for　what's　ing？　What's　ing？〃
〃Well。　It's　only　rumors　so　far。　But　your　arrival　seems　to　confirm　them。〃
〃What　rumors？〃
〃They're　sending　us　down　there；〃　Beth　said。　
〃Down　where？〃
〃To　the　bottom。　To　the　spaceship。〃
〃But　it's　a　thousand　feet　down。　They're　investigating　it　with　robot　submersibles。〃
〃These　days；　a　thousand　feet　isn't　that　deep；〃　Beth　said。　〃The　technology　can　handle　it。　There　are　Navy　divers　down　there　now。　And　the　word　is；　the　divers　have　put　up　a　habitat　so　our　team　can　go　down　and　live　on　the　bottom　for　a　week　or　so　and　open　the　spacecraft　up。〃
Norman　felt　a　sudden　chill。　In　his　work　with　the　FAA；　he　had　been　exposed　to　every　sort　of　horror。　Once；　in　Chicago；　at　a　crash　site　that　extended　over　a　whole　farm　field；　he　had　stepped　on　something　squishy。　He　thought　it　was　a　frog；　but　it　was　a　child's　severed　hand；　palm　up。　Another　time　he　had　seen　a　man's　charred　body；　still　strapped　into　the　seat；　except　the　seat　had　been　flung　into　the　back　yard　of　a　suburban　house；　where　it　sat　upright　next　to　a　portable　plastic　kiddie　swimming　pool。　And　in　Dallas　he　had　watched　the　investigators　on　the　rooftops　of　the　suburban　houses；　collecting　the　body　parts；　putting　them　in　bags　。。。
Working　on　a　crash…site　team　demanded　the　most　extraordinary　psychological　vigilance；　to　avoid　being　overwhelmed　by　what　you　saw。　But　there　was　never　any　personal　danger；　any　physical　risk。　The　risk　was　the　risk　of　nightmares。
But　now；　the　prospect　of　going　down　a　thousand　feet　under　the　ocean　to　investigate　a　wreck　。。。
＇＇26＇＇　〃You　okay？〃　Beth　said。　〃You　look　pale。〃
〃I　didn't　know　anybody　was　talking　about　going　down　there。〃
〃Just　rumors；〃　Beth　said。　〃Get　some　rest；　Norman。　I　think　you　need　it。〃

THE　BRIEFING

The　ulf　team　met　in　the　briefing　room；　just　before　eleven。　Norman　was　interested　to　see　the　group　he　had　picked　six　years　before；　now　assembled　together　for　the　first　time。
Ted　Fielding　was　pact；　handsome；　and　still　boyish　at　forty；　at　ease　in　shorts　and　a　Polo　sport　shirt。　An　astrophysicist　at　the　Jet　Propulsion　Laboratory　in　Pasadena；　he　had　done　important　work　on　the　planetary　stratigraphy　of　Mercury　and　the　moon；　although　he　was　best　known　for　his　studies　of　the　Mangala　Vallis　and　Valles　Marineris　channels　on　Mars。　Located　at　the　Martian　equator；　these　great　canyons　were　as　much　as　twenty…five　hundred　miles　long　and　two　and　a　half　miles　deep…ten　times　the　length　and　twice　the　depth　of　the　Grand　Canyon。　And　Fielding　had　been　among　the　first　to　conclude　that　the　planet　most　like　the　Earth　in　position　was　not　Mars　at　all；　as　previously　suspected；　but　tiny　Mercury；　with　its　Earth…like　magnetic　field。
Fielding's　manner　was　open；　cheerful；　and　pompous。　At　JPL；　he　had　appeared　on　television　whenever　there　was　a　spacecraft　flyby；　and　thus　enjoyed　a　certain　celebrity；　he　had　recently　been　remarried；　to　a　television　weather　reporter　in　Los　Angeles；　they　had　a　young　son。
Ted　was　a　longstanding　advocate　for　life　on　other　worlds；　and　a　supporter　of　SETI；　the　Search　for　Extraterrestrial　Intelligence；　which　other　scientists　considered　a　waste　of　time　and　money。　He　grinned　happily　at　Norman　now。
＇＇27＇＇　〃I　always　knew　this　would　happen…sooner　or　later；　we'd　get　our　proof　of　intelligent　life　on　other　worlds。　Now　at　last　we　have　it；　Norman。　This　is　a　great　moment。　And　I　am　especially　pleased　about　the　shape。〃
〃The　shape？〃
〃Of　the　object　down　there。〃
〃What　about　it？〃　Norman　hadn't　heard　anything　about　the　shape。
〃I've　been　in　the　monitor　room　watching　the　video　feed　from　the　robots。　They're　beginning　to　define　the　shape　beneath　the　coral。　And　it's　not　round。　It　is　not　a　flying　saucer；〃　Ted　said。　〃Thank　God。　Perhaps　this　will　silence　the　lunatic　fringe。〃　He　smiled。　〃　'All　things　e　to　him　who　waits；'　eh？〃
〃I　guess　so；〃　Norman　said。　He　wasn't　sure　what　Fielding　meant；　but　Ted　tended　to　literary　quotations。　Ted　saw　himself　as　a　Renaissance　man；　and　random　quotations　from　Rousseau　and　Lao…tsu　were　one　way　to　remind　you　of　it。　Yet　there　was　nothing　mean…spirited　about　him；　someone　once　said　that　Ted　was　〃a　brand…name　guy；〃　and　that　carried　over　to　his　speech　as　well。　There　was　an　innocence；　almost　a　na？veté　to　Ted　Fielding　that　was　endearing　and　genuine。　Norman　liked　him。

He　wasn't　so　sure　about　Harry　Adams；　the　reserved　Princeton　mathematician　Norman　hadn't　seen　for　six　years。　Harry　was　now　a　tall；　very　thin　black　man　with　wire…frame　glasses　and　a　perpetual　frown。　He　wore　a　T…shirt　that　said　〃Mathematicians　Do　It　Correctly〃；　it　was　the　kind　of　thing　a　student　would　wear；　and　indeed；　Adams　appeared　even　younger　than　his　thirty　years；　he　was　clearly　the　youngest　member　of　the　group…and　arguably　the　most　important。
Many　theorists　argued　that　munication　with　extraterrestrials　would　prove　impossible；　because　human　beings　would　have　nothing　in　mon　with　them。　These　thinkers　pointed　out　that　just　as　human　bodies　represented　the　oute　of　many　evolutionary　events；　so　did　human　thought。　Like　our　bodies；　our　ways　of　thinking　could　easily　have　turned　out　differently；　there　was　nothing　inevitable　about　how　we　looked　at　the　universe。
Men　already　had　trouble　municating　with　intelligent　＇＇28＇＇　Earthly　creatures　such　as　dolphins；　simply　because　dolphins　lived　in　such　a　different　environment　and　had　such　different　sensory　apparatus。
Yet　men　and　dolphins　might　appear　virtually　identical　when　pared　with　the　vast　differences　that　separated　us　from　an　extraterrestrial　creature…a　creature　who　was　the　product　of　billions　of　years　of　divergent　evolution　in　some　other　planetary　environment。　Such　an　extraterrestrial　would　be　unlikely　to　see　the　world　as　we　did。　In　fact；　it　might　not　see　the　world　at　all。　It　might　be　blind；　and　it　might　learn　about　the　world　throu