Michael Crichton - The Lost World

But nobody answered. After a moment, he looked at the dashboard systems monitor, which registered all the systems that were operative. He didn't see anything about communications. It occurred to him that the communications system was probably hooked into the computer. He decided to turn the computer on.

So he went back to the middle of the trailer, unstrapped the keyboard, plugged it in, and turned the computer on. There was a menu screen that said "Thorne Field Systems" and underneath that a listing of subsystems inside the trailer. One of them was radio communications. So he clicked on that, and turned it on.

The computer screen showed a scrambled hash of static. At the bottom was a command line that read: "Multiple Frequency Inputs Received. Do you want to Autotune?"

Arby didn't know what that meant, but he was fearless around computers. Autotune sounded interesting. Without hesitation, he typed "Yes."

The static scramble remained on the screen, while numbers rolled at the bottom. He guessed he was seeing frequencies in megahertz. But he didn't really know.

And then, suddenly, the screen went blank, except for a single flashing word in the upper-left corner:

LOGIN:

He paused, frowning. That was odd. Apparently he was required to log into the trailer's computer system. That meant he would need a password. He tried: THORNE.

Nothing happened.

He waited a moment, then tried Thorne's initials: JT.

Nothing.

LEVINE

Nothing.

THORNE FIELD SYSTEMS.

Nothing.

TFS.

Nothing.

FIELD.

Nothing.

USER.

Nothing.

Well, he thought, at least the system hadn't dumped him out. Most networks logged you off after three wrong tries. But apparently Thorne hadn't designed any security features into this one. Arby would never have made it this way. The system was too patient and helpful.

He tried: HELP.

The cursor moved to another line. There was a pause. The drives whirred.

"Action," he said, rubbing his hands.

As Thorne's eyes adjusted to the low light, he saw they were standing inside an enormous space, consisting of row after row of rectangular stainless-steel boxes, each fitted with a tangled maze of plastic tubing. Everything was dusty; many of the boxes were knocked over.

"The first rows," Malcolm said, "are Nishihara gene sequencers. And beyond are the automatic DNA synthesizers."

"It's a factory," Eddie said. "It's like agribusiness or something."

"Yes, it is."

At the corner of the room was a printer, with some loose sheets of yellowing paper lying beside it. Malcolm picked up one, and glanced at it.

[GALRERYF1] Gailimimus erythroid-specific transcription factor eryf1

mRNA, complete cds. [GALRERYF1 1068 bp ss-mRNA VRT 15-DEC-1989]

SOURCE [SRC]

Gallimimus bullatus (Male) 9 day embryonic blood, cDNA to mRNA,

clone E120-1.

ORGANISM Gallimimus bullatus

Animalia; Chordata; Vertebrata; Archosauria; Dinosauria;

Ornithomimisauria.

REFERENCE [REF]

1 (bases 1 to 1418) T.R.Evans, 17-JUL-1989.

FEATURES [FEA]

Location/Qualifiers

/note='Eryf1 protein gi: 212629"

/codon_start=l

/translation="MEFVALGGPDAGSPTPFPDEAGAFLGLGGGPRTEAGGLLASYPP SGRVSLVPWADTOTLGTPQWVPPATQMEPPHYLELLQPPRGSPPHPSSGPLLPLSSGP PPCEARECVNCGATATPLWRRDGTGHYLCNACGLYHRLNGQNRPLIRPKKRLLVSKRA GTVCSNCQTSTTTLWRRSPMGDPVCNACGLYYKLHQVNRPLTMRKDGIQTRNRKVSSK GKKRRPPGGONPSATAGGGAPMGGGGDPSMPPPPPPPAAAPPQSDALYALGPVVLSGH FLPFGNSGGFFGGGAGGYTAPPGLSPQI"

BASE COUNT [BAS]

206 a 371 c 342 g 149 t

"It's a reference to a computer database," Malcolm said. "For some dinosaur blood factor. Something to do with red cells."

"And is that the sequence?"

"No," Malcolm said. He started shuffling through the papers. "No, the sequence should be a series of nucleotides…Here."

He picked up another sheet of paper.

SEQUENCE

1 GAATTCCGGA AGCGACCAAG AGATAARTCC TGGCATCAGA TACAGTTOGA GATAAGGACG

61 CACGTGTGGC AGCTCCCGCA GAGGATTCAC TGGAAGTGCA TTACCTATCC CATGGGAOCC

121 ATGGAGTTCG TGGCGCTGGG GGGGCCGGAT GCGGGCTCCC CCACTCCGTT CCCTGATGAA

181 GCCGGAGCCT TCCTGGGGCT GGGGGGGGOC GAGAGGACGG AGGCGGGGGG GCTGCTGGCC

241 TCCTACCCCC CCTCAGGCCG COTGTCCCTG GTGCCGTGGG CAGACACGGG TACTTTGGGG

301 ACCCCCCAGT GGGTGCCGCC CGCCACCCAA ATGGAGCCCC CCCACTACCT COAGCTGCTG

361 CAACCCCCCC GGCGCAGCCC CCCCCATCCC TCCTCCGGGC CCCTACTOCC ACTCAGCAGC

421 GGGCCCCCAC CCTGCGAGGC CCGTGAGTGC GTCATGGCCA OGAAGAACTG CGGAGCGACG

481 GCAACGCCGC TGTGGCGCCG GGACGGCACC GGGCATTACC TGTGCAACTG GGCCTCAGCC

541 TGCOGGCTCT ACCACCGCCT CAACGOCCAG AACCGCCCGC TCATCCGCCC CAAAAAGCGC

601 CTGCTGGTGA GTAAGCGCGC AGGCACAGTG TGCAGCCACG AGCGTGAAAA CTGCCAGACA

661 TCCACCACCA CTCTGTGGCG TCGCAGCCCC ATGGGGGACC CCGTCTGCAA CAACATTCAC

721 GCCTGCGGCC TCTACTACAA ACTGCACCAA GTGAACCGCC CCCTCACGAT GCGCAAAGAC

781 GGAATCCAAA CCCGAAACCG CAAAGTTTCC TCCAAGOGTA AAAAGCGGCO CCCCCCGGGG

841 COGGGAAACC CCTCCGCCAC CGCGGGAGGG GGCGCTCCTA TGGGGGGAGG GGGGGACCCC

901 TCTATGCCCC CCCCGCCGCC CCCCCCGGCC GCCGCCCCCC CTCAAAGCGA CGCTCTGTAC

961 OCTCTCGGCC CCGTGGTCCT TTCGGGCCAT TTTCTGCCCT TTGGAAACTC CGGAGGGTTT

1021 TTTGGGGGGG GGGCGGGGGG TTACACGGCC CCCCCGGGGC TGAGCCCGCA GATTTAAATA

1081 ATAACTCTGA CGTGGRCAAG TGGGCCTTGC TGAGAAGACA GTGTAACATA ATAATTTGCA

1141 CCTCGGCAAT TGCAGAGOGT CGATCTCCAC TTTGGACACA ACAGGGCTAC TCGGTAGGAC

1201 CAGATAAOCA CTTTGCTCCC TGGACTGAAA AAGAAAGOAT TTATCTGTTT GCTTCTTOCT

1261 GACAAATCCC TGTGAAAGGT AAAAGTCGGA CACAGCAATC GATTATTTCT CGCCTGTGTG

1321 AAATTACTGT GAATATTGTA AATATATATA TATATATATA TATATCTGTA TAGAACAGCC

1381 TCGGAGGCGG CATGGACCCA GCGTACATCA TGCTGGATTT GTACTGCCOG AATTC

Distribution [DIS]

Wu /HQ-Ops

Lori Ruso /Prod

Venn /LLv-1

Chang /89 Pen

PRODUCTION NOTE [PNOT]

Sequence is final and approved.

"Does this have something to do with why the animals survived?" Thorne said.

"I'm not sure," Malcolm said. Was this sheet related to the final days of the manufacturing facility? Or was it just something that a worker printed out years ago, and somehow left behind?

He looked around by the printer, and found a shelved stack of sheets. Pulling them out, he discovered that they were memos. They were on faded blue paper, and they were all brief.

From: CC/D-P. Jenkins

To: H. Wu

Excess dopamine in Alpha 5 means DI receptor still not func-

tioning with desired avidity. To minimize aggressive behavior in

finished orgs must try alternate genetic backgrounds. We need

to start this today.

And again:

From: CC/D

To: H. Wu/Sup

Isolated glycogen synthase kinase-3 from Xenopus may work

better than mammalian GSK-3 alpha/beta currently in use.

Anticipate more robust establishment of dorsoventral polarity

and less early embyro wastage. Agree?

Malcolm looked at the next one:

From: Backes

To: H. Wu/Sup

Short protein fragments may be acting as prions. Sourcing

doubtful but suggest halt all exogenous protein for carniv. orgs

until origin is cleared up. Disease cannot continue!

Thorne looked over his shoulder. "Seems like they had problems," he said.

"Undoubtedly they did," Malcolm said. "It would be impossible not to have them. But the question is…"

He drifted off, staring at the next memo, which was longer.

INGEN PRODUCTION UPDATE 10/10/88

From: Lori Ruso

To: All Personnel

Subject: Low Production Yields

Recent episodes of wastage of successful live births in the

period 24-72 hours post-hatching have been traced to contami-

nation from Escherichia coli bacteria. These have cut produc-

tion yields by 60%, and arise from inadequate sterile

precautions by floor personnel, principally during Process H