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Stone shook his head。 He simply couldn't dig it out。 The clues； the connection； the keys were all there； but he couldn't bring them to the surface。
He pressed his hands to his head； squeezing against the bones； and he damned his brain for being so stubborn。
Like many intelligent men； Stone took a rather suspicious attitude toward his own brain； which he saw as a precise and skilled but temperamental machine。 He was never surprised when the machine failed to perform； though he feared those moments； and hated them。 In his blackest hours； Stone doubted the utility of all thought； and all intelligence。 There were times when he envied the laboratory rats he worked with； their brains were so simple。 Certainly they did not have the intelligence to destroy themselves； that was a peculiar invention of man。
He often argued that human intelligence was more trouble than it was worth。 It was more destructive than creative； more confusing than revealing； more discouraging than satisfying； more spiteful than charitable。
There were times when he saw man； with his giant brain； as equivalent to the dinosaurs。 Every schoolboy knew that dinosaurs had outgrown themselves； had bee too large and ponderous to be viable。 No one ever thought to consider whether the human brain； the most plex structure in the known universe； making fantastic demands on the human body in terms of nourishment and blood； was not analogous。 Perhaps the human brain had bee a kind of dinosaur for man and perhaps； in the end； would prove his downfall。
Already； the brain consumed one quarter of the body's blood supply。 A fourth of all blood pumped from the heart went to the brain； an organ accounting for only a small percentage of body mass。 If brains grew larger； and better； then perhaps they would consume more perhaps so much that； like an infection； they would overrun their hosts and kill the bodies that transported them。
Or perhaps； in their infinite cleverness； they would find a way to destroy themselves and each other。 There were times when； as he sat at State Department or Defense Department meetings； and looked around the table； he saw nothing more than a dozen gray； convoluted brains sitting on the table。 No flesh and blood； no hands； no eyes； no fingers。 No mouths； no sex organs all these were superfluous。
Just brains。 Sitting around； trying to decide how to outwit other brains； at other conference tables。
Idiotic。
He shook his head； thinking that he was being like Leavitt； conjuring up wild and improbable schemes。
Yet； there was a sort of logical consequence to Stone's ideas。 If you really feared and hated your brain； you would attempt to destroy it。 Destroy your own； and destroy others。
〃I'm tired；〃 he said aloud； and looked at the wall clock。 It was 2340 hours almost time for the midnight conference。
21。 The Midnight Conference
THEY MET AGAIN； IN THE SAME ROOM； IN THE SAME way。 Stone glanced at the others and saw they were tired； no one； including himself； was getting enough sleep。
〃We're going at this too hard；〃 he said。 〃We don't need to work around the clock； and we shouldn't do so。 Tired men will make mistakes； mistakes in thinking and mistakes in action。 We'll start to drop things； to screw things up； to work sloppily。 And we'll make wrong assumptions； draw incorrect inferences。 That mustn't happen。〃
The team agreed to get at least six hours sleep in h c
twenty…four…hour period。 That seemed reasonable； Since there was no problem on the surface； the infection at Piedmont had been halted by the atomic bomb。
Their belief might never have been altered had not Leavitt suggested that they file for a code name。 Leavitt stated that they had an organism and that it required a code。 The others agreed。
In a corner of the room stood the scrambler typewriter。 It had been clattering all day long； typing out material sent in from the outside。 It was a two…way machine； material transmitted had to be typed in lowercase letters； while received material was printed out in capitals。
No one had really bothered to look at the input since their arrival on Level V。 They were all too busy； besides； most of the input had been routine military dispatches that were sent to Wildfire but did not concern it。 This was because Wildfire was one of the Cooler Circuit substations； known facetiously as the Top Twenty。 These substations were linked to the basement of the White House and were the twenty most important strategic locations in the country。 Other substations included Vandenberg； Kennedy； NORAD； Patterson； Detrick； and Virginia Key。
Stone went to the typewriter and printed out his message。 The message was directed by puter to Central Codes； a station that handled the coding of all projects subsumed under the system of Cooler。
The transmission was as follows：
open line to transmit
UNDERSTAND TRANSMIT STATE ORIGIN
stone project wildfire
STATE DESTINATION
central codes
UNDERSTAND CENTRAL CODES
message follows
SEND
have isolated extraterrestrial organism secondary to return of scoop seven wish coding for organism end message
TRANSMITTED
There followed a long pause。 The scrambler teleprinter hummed and clicked； but printed nothing。 Then the typewriter began to spit out a message on a long roll of paper。
MESSAGE FROM CENTRAL CODES FOLLOWS
UNDERSTAND ISOLATION OF NEW ORGANISM PLEASE CHARACTERIZE
END MESSAGE
Stone frowned。 〃But we don't know enough。〃 However； the teleprinter was impatient：
TRANSMIT REPLY TO CENTRAL CODES
After a moment； Stone typed back：
message to central codes follows
cannot characterize at this time but suggest tentative classification as bacterial strain
end message
MESSAGE FROM CENTRAL CODES FOLLOWS
UNDERSTAND REQUEST FOR BACTERIAL CLASSIFICATION
OPENING NEW CATEGORY CLASSIFICATION ACCORDING TO ICDA STANDARD REFERENCE CODE FOR YOUR ORGANISM WILL BE ANDROMEDA CODE WILL READ OUT ANDROMEDA
FILED UNDER ICDA LISTINGS AS 053。9 ＇UNSPECIFIED ORGANISM＇
FURTHER FILING AS E866 ＇AIRCRAFT ACCIDENT＇ THIS FILING REPRESENTS CLOSEST FIT TO ESTABLISHED CATEGORIES
Stone smiled。 〃It seems we don't fit the established categories。〃
He typed back：
understand coding as andromeda strain
accepted
end message
TRANSMITTED
〃Well；〃 Stone said； 〃that's that。〃
Burton had been looking over the sheaves of paper behind the teleprinter。 The teleprinter…wrote its messages out on a
long roll of paper； which fell into a box。 There were dozens of yards of paper that no one had looked at。
Silently； he read a single message； tore it from the rest of the strip； and handed it to Stone。
1134/443/KK/Y…U/9
INFORMATION STATUS
TRANSMIT TO ALL STATIONS
CLASSIFICATION TOP SECRET
REQUEST FOR DIRECTIVE 7…12 RECEIVED TODAY BY EXEC AND NBC…COBRA
ORIGIN VANDE