the.lost.world-第42部分

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w　research　project；　it　was　rejected　at　once。　It　was　a　dark　time　in　his　life。
　　　　Then　Lewis　Dodgson　suggested　they　have　lunch。

Dodgson　had　an　unsavory　reputation　among　the　researchers；　he　was　known　as　〃The　Undertaker；〃　because　of　the　way　he　took　over　the　work　of　others；　and　prettied　it　up　as　his　own。　In　earlier　years；　King　never　would　have　been　seen　with　him。　But　now　he　allowed　Dodgson　to　take　him　to　an　expensive　seafood　restaurant　in　San　Francisco。
　　　　〃Research　is　hard；〃　Dodgson　said；　sympathetically。
　　　　〃You　can　say　that　again；〃　King　said。
　　　　〃Hard；　and　risky；〃　Dodgson　said。　〃The　fact　is；　innovative　research　rarely　pans　out。　But　does　management　understand？　No。　If　the　research　fails；　you're　the　one　who's　blamed。　It's　not　fair。〃
　　　　〃Tell　me；〃　King　said。
　　　　〃But　that's　the　name　of　the　game。〃　Dodgson　shrugged；　and　speared　a　leg　of　soft…shell　crab。
　　　　King　said　nothing。
　　　　〃Personally；　I　don't　like　risk；〃　Dodgson　continued。　〃And　original　work　is　risky。　Most　new　ideas　are　bad；　and　most　original　work　fails。　That's　the　reality。　If　you　feel　pelled　to　do　original　research；　you　can　expect　to　fail。　That's　all　right　if　you　work　in　a　university；　where　failure　is　praised　and　success　leads　to　Ostracism。　But　in　industry。。。no；　no。　Original　work　in　industry　is　not　a　wise　career　choice。　It's　only　going　to　get　you　into　trouble。　Which　is　where　you　are　right　now；　my　friend。〃
　　　　〃What　can　I　do？　〃　King　said。
　　　　〃Well；〃　Dodgson　said。　〃I　have　my　I　own　version　of　the　scientific　method。　I　call　it　focused　research　development。　If　only　a　few　ideas　are　going　to　be　good；　why　try　to　find　them　yourself？　It's　too　hard。　Let　other　people　find　them　…　let　them　take　the　risk　…　let　them　go　for　the　so…called　glory。　I'd　rather　wait；　and　develop　ideas　that　already　show　promise。　Take　what's　good；　and　make　it　better。　Or　at　least；　make　it　different　enough　so　that　I　can　patent　it。　And　then　I　own　it。　Then；　it's　mine。〃
　　　　King　was　amazed　at　the　straightforward　way　that　Dodgson　admitted　he　was　a　thief。　He　didn't　seem　in　the　least　embarrassed。　King　poked　at　his　salad　for　a　while。　〃Why　are　you　telling　me　this？〃
　　　　〃Because　I　see　something　in　you；〃　Dodgson　said。　〃I　see　ambition。　Frustrated　ambition。　And　I'm　telling　you；　Howard；　you　don't　have　to　be　frustrated。　You；　don't　even　have　to　be　fired　from　the　pany　at　the　next　performance　review。　Which　is　exactly　what's　going　to　happen。　How　old　is　your　kid？〃
　　　　〃Four；〃　King　said。
　　　　〃Terrible；　to　be　out　of　work；　with　a　young　family。　And　it　won't　be　easy　to　get　another　job。　Who's　going　to　give　you　a　chance　now？　By　thirty…five；　a　research　scientist　has　already　made　his　mark；　or　he's　not　likely　to。　I　don't　say　that's　right；　but　that's　how　they　think。〃
　　　　King　knew　that's　how　they　thought。　At　every　biotechnology　pany　in　California。
　　　　〃But　Howard；〃　Dodgson　said；　leaning　across　the　table；　lowering　his　voice；　〃a　wonderful　world　awaits　you；　if　you　choose　to　look　at　things　differently。　There's　a　whole　other　way　to　live　your　life。　I　really　think　you　should　consider　what　I'm　saying。〃
　　　　Two　weeks　later；　King　became　Dodgson's　personal　assistant　in　the　Department　of　Future　Biogenic　Trends；　which　was　bow　Biosyn　referred　to　its　efforts　at　industrial　espionage。　And　in　the　years　that　followed；　King　had　once　again　risen　swiftly　at　Biosyn　…　this　time　because　Dodgson　liked　him。
　　　　Now　King　had　all　the　accoutrements　of　success：　a　Porsche；　a　mortgage；　a　divorce；　a　kid　he　saw　on　weekends。　All　because　King　had　proven　to　be　the　perfect　second　in　mand；　working　long　hours；　handling　the　details；　keeping　his　fast…talking　boss　out　of　trouble。　And　in　the　process；　King　had　e　to　know　all　the　sides　of　Dodgson　…　his　charismatic　side；　his　visionary　side；　and　his　dark；　ruthless　side。　King　told　himself　that　he　could　handle　the　ruthless　side；　that　he　could　keep　it　in　check；　that　over　the　years　he　had　learned　how　to　do　that。
　　　　But　sometimes；　he　was　not　so　sure。
　　　　Like　now。
　　　　Because　here　they　were；　in　some　rickety　stinking　fishing　boat；　heading　out　into　the　ocean　off　some　desolate　village　in　Costa　Rica；　and　in　this　tense　moment　Dodgson　had　suddenly　decided　to　play　some　kind　of　game；　meeting　this　woman　and　deciding　to　take　her　along。
　　　　King　didn't　know　what　Dodgson　intended；　but　he　could　see　the　intense　gleam　in　Dodgson's　eyes　that　he　had　seen　only　a　few　times　before；　and　it　was　a　look　that　always　alarmed　him。
　　　　The　woman　Harding　was　now　up　on　the　foredeck；　standing　near　the　bow。　She　was　looking　off　at　the　ocean。　King　saw　Dodgson　walking　around　the　Jeep；　and　beckoned　to　him　nervously。
　　　　〃Listen；〃　King　said；　〃we　have　to　talk。〃
　　　　〃Sure；〃　Dodgson　said；　easily。　〃What's　on　your　mind？〃
　　　　And　he　smiled。　That　charming　smile。

Harding

Sarah　Harding　stared　at　the　gray；　menacing　sky。　The　boat　rolled　in　the　heavy　offshore　swell。　The　deckhands　scrambled　to　tie　down　the　Jeep；　which　threatened　repeatedly　to　break　free。　She　stood　in　the　bow；　fighting　seasickness。　On　the　far　horizon；　dead　ahead；　she　could　just　see　the　low　black　line　that　was　their　first　glimpse　of　Isla　Sorna。
　　　　She　turned　and　looked　back；　and　saw　Dodgson　and　King　were　huddled　by　the　railing　amidships；　in　intense　conversation。　King　seemed　to　be　upset；　gesticulating　rapidly。　Dodgson　was　listening；　and　shaking　his　head。　After　a　moment；　he　put　his　arm　on　King's　shoulder。　He　seemed　to　be　trying　to　calm　the　younger　man　down。　Both　men　ignored　the　activity　around　the　jeep。　Which　was　odd；　she　thought；　considering　how　worried　they　had　been　earlier　about　the　equipment。　Now　they　didn't　seem　to　care。
　　　　As　for　the　third　man；　Baselton；　she　had　of　course　recognized　him；　and　she　was　surprised　to　find　him　here　on　this　little　fishing　boat。　Baselton　had　shaken　her　hand　in　a　perfunctory　way；　and　he　had　disappeared　belowdecks　as　soon　as　the　ship　pulled　away　from　the　dock。　He　had　not　reappeared。　But　perhaps　he　was　seasick；　too。
　　　　As　she　continued　to　watch；　she　saw　Dodgson　break　away　from　King；　and　hurry　over　to　supervise　the　deckhands。　Left　alone；　King　went　to　check　on　the　straps　that　lashed　the　boxes　and　barrels　to　the　deck　farther　aft。　The　boxes　marked　〃Biosyn。〃
　　　　Harding　had　never　heard　of　the　Biosyn　Corporation。　She　wondered　what　connection　Ian　and　Richard　had　with　it。　Whenever　Ian　was　around　her；　he　had　always　been　critical；　even　contemptuous；　of　biotechnology　panies。　And　these　men　seemed　to　be　unlikely　friends。　They　were　too　rigid；　too。。。geeky。
　　　　But　then；　she　reflected；　Ian　did　have　strange　friends。　They　were　always　showing　up　unexpectedly　at　his　apartment　…　the　Japanese　calligrapher；　the　Indonesian　gamalan　troupe；　the　Las　Vegas　juggler　in　a　shiny　bolero　jacket；　that　weird　French　astrologer　who　thought　the　earth　was　hollow。。。。And　then　there　were　his　mathematician　friends。　They　were　really　crazy。　Or　so　they　seemed　to　Sarah。　They　were　so　wild…eyed；　so　wrapped　up　in　their　proofs。　Pages　and　pages　of　proofs；　sometimes　hundreds　of　pages。　It　was　all　too　abstract　for　her。　Sarah　Harding　liked　to　touch　the　dirt；　to　see　the　animals；　to　experience　the　sounds　and　the　smells。　That　was　real　to　her。　Everything　else　was　just　a　bunch　of　theories：　possibly　right；　possibly　wrong。
　　　　Waves　began　to　crash　over　the　bow；　and　she　moved　a　little　astern；　to　keep　dry。　She　yawned；　she　hadn't　slept　much　in　the　last　twenty…four　hours。　Dodgson　finished　working　on　the　Jeep；　and　came　over　to　her。
　　　　She　said；　〃Everything　all　right？〃
　　　　〃Oh　yes；〃　Dodgson　said；　smiling　cheerfully。
　　　　〃Your　friend　King　seemed　upset。〃
　　　　〃He　doesn't　like　boats；〃　Dodgson　said。　He　nodded　to　the　waves。　〃But　we're　making　better　time。　It'll　only　be　an　hour　or　so；　until　we　land。〃
　　　　〃Tell　me；〃　she　said。　〃What　is　the　Biosyn　Corporation？　I've　never　heard　of　it。〃
　　　　〃It's　a　small　pany；〃　Dodgson　said。　〃We　make　what　are　called　consumer　biologicals。　We　specialize　in　recreational　and　sports　organisms。　For　example；　we　engineered　new　kinds　of　trout；　and　other　game　fish。　We're　making　new　kinds　of　dogs…smaller　pets　for　apartment　dwellers。　That　sort　of　thing。〃
　　　　Exactly　the　sort　of　thing　that　Ian　hated；　she　thought。　〃How　do　you　know　Ian？〃
　　　　〃Oh；　we　go　way　back；〃　Dodgson　said。
　　　　She　noticed　his　vagueness。　〃How　far？〃
　　　　〃Back　to　the　days　of　the　park。〃
　　　　〃The　park；〃　she　said。
　　　　He　nodded。　〃Did　he　ever　tell　you　how