Sphere (深海圓疑) 原版小說

第54部分 (第2/7頁)

ldn't　have　guessed　that　men　would　send　a　ship　through　a　black　hole…we　didn't　even　suspect　the　existence　of　black　holes　until　a　few　years　ago…and　we　certainly　can't　guess　what　men　might　acplish　thousands　of　years　in　the　future。〃　〃Assuming　the　sphere　was　made　by　men。〃

〃Yes。　Assuming　that。〃

〃And　if　it　wasn't？　If　it's　really　a　sphere　from　an　alien　civilization？　Are　we　justified　in　erasing　all　human　knowledge　of　this　alien　life？〃

〃I　don't　know；〃　Harry　said；　shaking　his　head。　〃If　we　decide　to　forget　the　sphere　。。。〃

〃Then　it'll　be　gone；〃　Norman　said。

Beth　stared　at　the　table。　〃I　wish　we　could　ask　someone；〃　she　said　finally。

＇＇365＇＇　〃There　isn't　anybody　to　ask；〃　Norman　said。

〃But　can　we　really　forget　it？〃　Beth　said。　〃Will　it　work？〃

There　was　a　long　silence。

〃Yes；〃　Harry　said；　finally。　〃There's　no　question　about　it。　And　I　think　we　already　have　evidence　that　we　will　forget　about　it。　That　solves　a　logical　problem　that　bothered　me　from　the　beginning；　when　we　first　explored　the　ship。　Because　something　very　important　was　missing　from　that　ship。〃

〃Yes？　What？〃

〃Any　sign　that　the　builders　of　the　ship　already　knew　travel　through　a　black　hole　was　possible。〃

〃I　don't　follow　you；〃　Norman　said。

〃Well；〃　Harry　said；　〃the　three　of　us　have　already　seen　a　spaceship　that　has　been　through　a　black　hole。　We've　walked　through　it。　So　we　know　that　such　travel　is　possible。〃

〃Yes　。。。〃

〃Yet；　fifty　years　from　now；　men　are　going　to　build　that　ship　in　a　very　tentative；　experimental　way；　with　apparently　no　knowledge　that　the　ship　has　already　been　found；　fifty　years　in　their　past。　There　is　no　sign　on　the　ship　that　the　builders　already　know　of　its　existence　in　the　past。〃

〃Maybe　it's　one　of　those　time　p