第5部分(第2/7 页)

an。　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