9 AM
OXENFORD MEDICAL was under siege. Reporters, photographers, and television crews massed outside the entrance gates, harassing1 employees as they arrived for work, crowding around their cars and bicycles, shoving cameras and microphones in their faces, shouting questions. The security guards were trying desperately2 to separate the media people from the normal traffic, to prevent accidents, but were getting no cooperation from the journalists. To make matters worse, a group of animal-rights protesters had seized the opportunity for some publicity3, and were holding a demonstration4 at the gates, waving banners and singing protest songs. The cameramen were filming the demonstration, having little else to shoot. Toni Gallo watched, feeling angry and helpless.
She was in Stanley Oxenford's office, a large corner room that had been the master bedroom of the house. Stanley worked with the old and the new mingled5 around him: his computer workstation stood on a scratched wooden table he had had for thirty years, and on a side table was an optical microscope from the sixties that he still liked to use from time to time. The microscope was now surrounded by Christmas cards, one of them from Toni. On the wall, a Victorian engraving6 of the periodic table of the elements hung beside a photograph of a striking black-haired girl in a wedding dress—his late wife, Marta.
Stanley mentioned his wife often. "As cold as a church, Marta used to say . . . When Marta was alive we went to Italy every other year. . .Marta loved irises7." But he had spoken of his feelings about her only once. Toni had said how beautiful Marta looked in the photograph. "The pain fades, but it doesn't go away," Stanley said. "I believe I'll grieve for her every day for the rest of my life." It had made Toni wonder whether anyone would ever love her the way Stanley had loved Marta.
Now Stanley stood beside Toni at the window, their shoulders not quite touching9. They watched with dismay as more Volvos and Subarus parked on the grass verge10, and the crowd became noisier and more aggressive.
"I'm so sorry about this," Toni said miserably11.
"Not your fault."
"I know you said no more self-pity, but I let a rabbit get through my security cordon12, then my bastard13 ex-partner leaked the story to Carl Osborne, the television reporter."
"I gather you don't get on with your ex."
She had never talked candidly14 to Stanley about this, but Frank had now intruded15 into her working life, and she welcomed the chance to explain. "I honestly don't know why Frank hates me. I never rejected him. He left me—and he did it at a moment when I really needed help and support. You'd think he'd punished me enough for whatever I did wrong. But now this."
"I can understand it. You're a standing16 reproach to him. Every time he sees you, he's reminded of how weak and cowardly he was when you needed him."
Toni had never thought about Frank in quite that way, and now his behavior made a kind of sense. She felt a warm surge of gratitude17. Careful not to show too much emotion, she said, "That's perceptive18."
He shrugged19. "We never forgive those we've wronged."
Toni smiled at the paradox20. Stanley was clever about people as well as viruses.
He put a hand on her shoulder lightly, a gesture of reassurance—or was it something more? He rarely made physical contact with his employees. She had felt his touch exactly three times in the year she had known him. He had shaken her hand when he gave her the initial contract, when he took her on the staff, and when he promoted her. At the Christmas party, he had danced with his secretary, Dorothy, a heavy woman with a maternally21 efficient manner, like an attentive22 mother duck. He had not danced with anyone else. Toni had wanted to ask him, but she was afraid of making her feelings obvious. Afterward23 she had wished she were more brash, like Susan Mackintosh.
"Frank may not have leaked the story merely to spite you," Stanley said. "I suspect he would have done it anyway. I imagine Osborne will show his gratitude by reporting favorably on the Inverburn police in general and Superintendent25 Frank Hackett in particular."
His hand warmed her skin through the silk of her blouse. Was this a casual gesture, made without thought? She suffered the familiar frustration26 of not knowing what was in his mind. She wondered if he could feel her bra strap27. She hoped he could not tell how much she enjoyed being touched by him.
She was not sure he was right about Frank and Carl Osborne. "It's generous of you to look at it that way," she said. All the same, she resolved that somehow she would make sure the company did not suffer from what Frank had done.
There was a knock at the door and Cynthia Creighton, the company's public-relations officer, came in. Stanley took his hand off Toni's shoulder quickly.
Cynthia was a thin woman of fifty in a tweed skirt and knitted stockings. She was a sincere do-gooder. Toni had once made Stanley laugh by saying Cynthia was the kind of person who made her own granola. Normally hesitant in manner, she was now on the edge of hysteria. Her hair was disheveled, she was breathing hard, and she talked too fast. "Those people shoved me," she said. "They're animals! Where are the police?"
"A patrol car is on its way," Toni said. "They should be here in ten or fifteen minutes."
"They should arrest the lot of them."
Toni realized, with a sinking feeling, that Cynthia was not capable of dealing28 with this crisis. Her main job was to dispense29 a small charity budget, giving grants to school football teams and sponsored walkers, ensuring that the name of Oxenford Medical appeared frequently in the Inverburn Courier, in stories that had nothing to do with viruses or experiments on animals. It was important work, Toni knew, for readers believed the local press, whereas they were skeptical30 of national newspapers. Consequently, Cynthia's low-key publicity immunized the company against the virulent31 Fleet Street scare stories that could blight32 any scientific enterprise. But Cynthia had never dealt with the jackal pack that was the British press in full cry, and she was too distressed33 to make good decisions.
Stanley was thinking the same thing. "Cynthia, I want you to work with Toni on this," he said. "She has experience of the media from her time with the police."
Cynthia looked relieved and grateful. "Have you?"
"I did a year in the press office—although I never dealt with anything this bad."
"What do you think we should do?"
"Well." Toni did not feel she was qualified34 to take charge, but this was an emergency, and it seemed she was the best candidate available. She went back to first principles. "There's a simple rule for dealing with the media." It might be too simple for this situation, she thought, but she did not say so. "One, decide what your message is. Two, make sure it's true, so that you'll never have to go back on it. Three, keep saying it over and over again."
"Hmm." Stanley looked skeptical, but he did not seem to have a better suggestion.
Cynthia said, "Don't you think we should apologize?"
"No," Toni said quickly. "It will be interpreted as confirmation35 that we've been careless. That's not true. Nobody's perfect, but our security is top-notch."
Stanley said, "Is that our message?"
"I don't think so. Too defensive36." Toni thought for a moment. "We should start by saying that we're doing work here which is vital for the future of the human race. No, that's too apocalyptic37. We're doing medical research that will save lives—that's better. And it has its hazards, but our security is as tight as mortal beings can make it. One thing certain is that many people will die unnecessarily if we stop."
"I like that," said Stanley.
"Is it true?" Toni asked.
"No question. Every year a new virus comes out of China and kills thousands. Our drug will save their lives."
Toni nodded. "That's perfect. Simple and telling."
Stanley was still worried. "How will we get the message across?"
"I think you should call a press conference in a couple of hours' time. By midday the news desks will be looking for a fresh angle on the story, so they'll be glad to get something more from us. And most of these people outside will leave once that's happened. They'll know that further developments are unlikely, and they want to go home for Christmas like everyone else."
"I hope you're right," Stanley said. "Cynthia, will you make the arrangements, please?"
Cynthia had not yet recovered her composure. "But what should I do?"
Toni took over. "We'll hold the press conference in the Great Hall. It's the only room big enough, and the chairs are already being set out for Professor Oxenford's address to the staff at half past nine. The first thing you should do is alert the people outside. It will give them something to tell their editors, and might calm them down a bit. Then phone the Press Association and Reuters and ask them to put it on the wire, to inform any of the media who aren't already here."
"Right," Cynthia said uncertainly. "Right." She turned to go. Toni made a mental note to check on her as soon as possible.
As Cynthia left, Dorothy buzzed Stanley and said, "Laurence Mahoney from the United States embassy in London is on line one."
"I remember him," Toni said. "He was here a few months ago. I showed him around." The U.S. military was financing much of Oxenford Medical's research. The Department of Defense38 was keenly interested in Stanley's new antiviral drug, which promised to be a powerful counter to biological warfare39. Stanley had needed to raise money for the prolonged testing process, and the American government had been eager to invest. Mahoney kept an eye on things on behalf of the Defense Department.
"Just a minute, Dorothy." Stanley did not pick up the phone. He said to Toni, "Mahoney is more important to us than all the British media put together. I don't want to talk to him cold. I need to know what line he's taking, so that I can think about how to handle him."
"Do you want me to stall him?"
"Feel him out."
Toni picked up the handset and touched a button. "Hello, Larry, this is Toni Gallo, we met in September. How are you?"
Mahoney was a peevish40 press officer with a whiny41 voice that made Toni think of Donald Duck. "I'm worried," he said.
"Tell me why."
"I was hoping to speak to Professor Oxenford," he answered with an edge to his voice.
"And he's keen to talk to you at the first opportunity," Toni said as sincerely as she could manage. "Right now he's with the laboratory director." In fact he was sitting on the edge of his desk, watching her, with an expression on his face that might have been either fond or merely interested. She caught his eye and he looked away. "He'll call you as soon as he has the complete picture—which will certainly be before midday."
"How the hell did you let something like this happen?"
"The young man sneaked42 a rabbit out of the laboratory in his duffel bag. We've already instituted a compulsory43 bag search at the entrance to BSL4 to make sure it can't happen again."
"My concern is bad publicity for the American government. We don't want to be blamed for unleashing44 deadly viruses on the population of Scotland."
"There's no danger of that," Toni said with her fingers crossed.
"Have any of the local reports played up the fact that this research is American-financed?"
"No."
"They'll pick it up sooner or later."
"We should certainly be prepared to answer questions about that."
"The most damaging angle for us—and therefore for you—is the one that says the research is done here because Americans think it's too dangerous to be done in the United States."
"Thanks for the warning. I think we have a very convincing response to that. After all, the drug was invented right here in Scotland by Professor Oxenford, so it's natural it should be tested here."
"I just don't want to get into a situation where the only way to prove our goodwill45 is to transfer the research to Fort Detrick."
Toni was shocked into silence. Fort Detrick, in the town of Frederick, Maryland, housed the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. How could the research be transferred there? It would mean the end of the Kremlin. After a long pause, she said, "We're not in that situation, not by a million miles." She wished she could think of a more devastating46 put-down.
"I sure hope not. Have Stanley call me."
"Thank you, Larry." She hung up and said to Stanley, "They can't transfer your research to Fort Detrick, can they?"
He went pale. "There's certainly no provision in the contract to that effect," he said. "But they are the government of the most powerful country in the world, and they can do anything they want. What would I do—sue them? I'd be in court for the rest of my life, even if I could afford it."
Toni was rocked by seeing Stanley appear vulnerable. He was always the calm, reassuring47 one who knew how to solve the problem. Now he just looked daunted48. She would have liked to give him a comforting hug. "Would they do it?"
"I'm sure the microbiologists at Fort Detrick would prefer to be doing this research themselves, if they had the choice."
"Where would that leave you?"
"Bankrupt."
"I've invested everything in the new laboratory," Stanley said grimly. I have a personal overdraft50 of a million pounds. Our contract with the
Department of Defense would cover the cost of the lab over four years. But if they pull the rug now, I've got no way of paying the debts—either the company's or my own."
Toni could hardly take it in. How could Stanley's entire future—and her own—be threatened so suddenly? "But the new drug is worth millions."
"It will be, eventually. I'm sure of the science—that's why I was happy to borrow so much money. But I didn't foresee that the project might be destroyed by mere24 publicity."
She touched his arm. "And all because a stupid television personality needs a scare story," she said. "I can hardly believe it."
Stanley patted the hand she had rested on his arm, then removed it and stood up. "No point in whining51. We've just got to manage our way out of this."
"Yes. You're due to speak to the staff. Are you ready?"
"Yes." They walked out of his office together. "It will be good practice for the press later."
As they passed Dorothy's desk, she held up a hand to stop them. "One moment, please," she said into the phone. She touched a button and spoke8 to Stanley. "It's the First Minister of Scotland," she said. "Personally," she added, evidently impressed. "He wants a word."
Stanley said to Toni, "Go down to the hall and hold them. I'll be as quick as I can." He went back into his office.
收听单词发音 |
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harassing
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| v.侵扰，骚扰( harass的现在分词 )；不断攻击（敌人） | |
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desperately
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| adv.极度渴望地，绝望地，孤注一掷地 | |
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publicity
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| n.众所周知，闻名；宣传，广告 | |
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demonstration
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| n.表明，示范，论证，示威 | |
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mingled
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| 混合，混入( mingle的过去式和过去分词 )； 混进，与…交往[联系] | |
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engraving
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| n.版画；雕刻（作品）；雕刻艺术；镌版术v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的现在分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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irises
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| n.虹( iris的名词复数 )；虹膜；虹彩；鸢尾（花） | |
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spoke
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| n.（车轮的）辐条；轮辐；破坏某人的计划；阻挠某人的行动 v.讲，谈（speak的过去式）；说；演说；从某种观点来说 | |
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touching
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| adj.动人的，使人感伤的 | |
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verge
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| n.边，边缘；v.接近，濒临 | |
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miserably
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| adv.痛苦地；悲惨地；糟糕地；极度地 | |
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cordon
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| n.警戒线，哨兵线 | |
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bastard
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| n.坏蛋，混蛋；私生子 | |
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candidly
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| adv.坦率地，直率而诚恳地 | |
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intruded
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| n.侵入的，推进的v.侵入，侵扰，打扰( intrude的过去式和过去分词 )；把…强加于 | |
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standing
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| n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的 | |
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gratitude
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| adj.感激，感谢 | |
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perceptive
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| adj.知觉的，有洞察力的，感知的 | |
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shrugged
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| vt.耸肩（shrug的过去式与过去分词形式） | |
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paradox
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| n.似乎矛盾却正确的说法；自相矛盾的人(物) | |
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maternally
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attentive
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| adj.注意的，专心的；关心(别人)的，殷勤的 | |
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afterward
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| adv.后来；以后 | |
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mere
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| adj.纯粹的；仅仅，只不过 | |
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superintendent
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| n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长 | |
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frustration
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| n.挫折，失败，失效，落空 | |
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strap
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| n.皮带，带子；v.用带扣住，束牢；用绷带包扎 | |
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dealing
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| n.经商方法，待人态度 | |
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dispense
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| vt.分配，分发；配(药)，发(药)；实施 | |
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skeptical
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| adj.怀疑的，多疑的 | |
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virulent
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| adj.有毒的，有恶意的，充满敌意的 | |
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blight
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| n.枯萎病；造成破坏的因素；vt.破坏，摧残 | |
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distressed
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| 痛苦的 | |
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qualified
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| adj.合格的，有资格的，胜任的，有限制的 | |
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confirmation
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| n.证实，确认，批准 | |
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defensive
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| adj.防御的；防卫的；防守的 | |
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apocalyptic
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| adj.预示灾祸的，启示的 | |
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defense
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| n.防御，保卫；[pl.]防务工事；辩护，答辩 | |
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warfare
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| n.战争(状态)；斗争；冲突 | |
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peevish
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| adj.易怒的，坏脾气的 | |
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whiny
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| adj. 好发牢骚的, 嘀咕不停的, 烦躁的 | |
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sneaked
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| v.潜行( sneak的过去式和过去分词 )；偷偷溜走；（儿童向成人）打小报告；告状 | |
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compulsory
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| n.强制的，必修的；规定的，义务的 | |
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unleashing
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| v.把（感情、力量等）释放出来，发泄( unleash的现在分词 ) | |
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goodwill
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| n.善意，亲善，信誉，声誉 | |
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devastating
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| adj.毁灭性的，令人震惊的，强有力的 | |
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reassuring
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| a.使人消除恐惧和疑虑的，使人放心的 | |
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daunted
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| 使（某人）气馁，威吓( daunt的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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appalled
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| v.使惊骇，使充满恐惧( appall的过去式和过去分词)adj.惊骇的；丧胆的 | |
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overdraft
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| n.透支，透支额 | |
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whining
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| n. 抱怨，牢骚 v. 哭诉，发牢骚 | |
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