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out the door。 D'Agosta moved to follow him。
〃Where're you going？〃 asked Coffey。 〃You better stick around while we work out the details。〃
〃I agree with Pendergast；〃 D'Agosta said。 〃This isn't the time to start messing with video games。 You're talking about people's lives here。〃
〃Listen up； D'Agosta。 We're the big boys； we're the FBI。 We're not interested in the opinions of a traffic cop from Queens。〃
D'Agosta looked at Coffey's sweaty red face。 〃You're a disgrace to law enforcement；〃 he said。
Coffey blinked。 〃Thank you； and I will note that gratuitous insult in my report to my good friend； Chief of Police Horlocker； who will no doubt take appropriate action。〃
〃You can add this one； then： you're a sack of shit。〃
Coffey threw back his head and laughed。 〃I love people who slit their own throats and save you the trouble。 It's already occurred to me that this case is much too important to have a lieutenant acting as NYPD liaison。 You're gonna be pulled off this case in twenty…four hours； D'Agosta。 Did you know that？ I wasn't going to tell you until after the party…didn't want to spoil your fun…but I guess now's a good time after all。 So put your last afternoon on this case to good use。 And we'll see you at the four o'clock briefing。 Be on time。〃
D'Agosta said nothing。 Somehow； he wasn't surprised。
= 37 =
An explosive sneeze rattled beakers and dislodged dried plant specimens in the Museum's auxiliary botanical lab。
〃Sorry；〃 Kawakita apologized； sniffling。 〃Allergies。〃
〃Here's a tissue；〃 Margo said； reaching into her carryall。 She'd been listening to Kawakita's description of his genetic Extrapolator program。 It's brilliant； she thought。 But I'll bet Frock supplied most of the theory behind it。
〃Anyway；〃 Kawakita said； 〃you start with gene sequences from two animals or plants。 That's the input。 What you get is an extrapolation…a guess from the puter of what the evolutionary link is between the two species。 The program automatically matches up pieces of DNA； pares like sequences； then figures out what the extrapolated form might be。 As an example； I'll do a test run with chimp and human DNA。 What we should get is a description of some intermediate form。〃
〃The Missing Link；〃 Margo nodded。 〃Don't tell me it draws a picture of the animal； too？〃
〃No！〃 Kawakita laughed。 〃I'd get a Nobel Prize if it could do that。 What it does instead is give you a list of morphological and behavioral features the animal or plant might possess。 Not definite； but probable。 And not a plete list； of course。 You'll see when we finish this run。〃
He typed a series of instructions； and data began flowing across the puter screen： a rapid； undulating progression of zeros and ones。 〃You can turn this off；〃 said Kawakita。 〃But I like to watch the data download from the gene sequencer。 It's as beautiful as watching a river。 A trout stream； preferably。〃
In about five minutes the data stopped and the screen went blank； glowing a soft blue。 Then the face of Moe； from the Three Stooges； appeared； saying through the puter's speaker： 〃I'm thinking； I'm thinking； but nothing's happening！〃
〃That means the program's running；〃 Kawakita said； chuckling at his joke。 〃It can take up to an hour； depending on how far apart the two species are。〃
A message popped on the screen：
ESTIMATED TIME TO PLETION： 3。03。40 min。
〃Chimps and humans are so close…they share ninety…eight percent of the same genes…that this one should be fairly quick。〃
A light bulb suddenly popped on the screen over Moe's head。
〃Done！〃 said Kawakita。 〃Now for the results。〃
He pressed a key。 The puter screen read：
FIRST SPECIES：
Species： Pan troglodytes
Genus： Pan
Family： Pongidae
Order： Primata
Class： Mammalia
Phylum： Chordata
Kingdom： Animalia
SECOND SPECIES：
Species： Homo sapiens
Genus： Homo
Family： Hominidae
Order： Primata
Class： Mammalia
Phylum： Chordata
Kingdom： Animalia
Overall Genetic Match： 98。4％
〃Believe it or not；〃 said Kawakita； 〃the identification of these two species was made solely on the genes。 I didn't tell the puter what these two organisms were。 That's a good way to show unbelievers that the Extrapolator isn't just a gimmick or a kludge。 Anyway； now we get a description of the intermediate species。 In this case； as you said； the Missing Link。〃
Intermediate form morphological characteristics：
Gracile
Brain capacity： 750cc
Bipedal； erect posture
Opposable thumb
Loss of opposability in toes
Below average sexual dimorphism
Weight； male； full grown： 55 kg
Weight； female； full grown： 45 kg
Gestation period： eight months
Aggressiveness： low to moderate
Estrus cycle in female： suppressed
The list went on and on； growing more and more obscure。 Under 〃osteology；〃 Margo could make out almost nothing。
Atavistic parietal foramina process
Greatly reduced iliac crest
10…12 thoracic vertebrae
Partially rotated greater trochanter
Prominent rim of orbit
Atavistic frontal process with prominent zygomatic process
That must mean beetle browed； thought Margo to herself。
Diurnal
Partially or serially monogamous
Lives in cooperative social groups
〃e on。 How can your program tell something like this？〃 Margo asked； pointing to monogamous。
〃Hormones；〃 said Kawakita。 〃There's a gene that codes for a hormone seen in monogamous mammal species； but not in promiscuous species。 In humans； this hormone has something to do with pair bonding。 It isn't present in chimps； who are notoriously promiscuous animals。 And the fact that the female's estrus cycle is suppressed…you also see that only in relatively monogamous species。 The program uses a whole arsenal of tools…subtle AI algorithms； fuzzy logic…to interpret the effect of whole suites of genes on the behavior and look of a proposed organism。〃
〃AI algorithms？ Fuzzy logic？ You're losing me；〃 Margo said。
〃Well； it really doesn't matter。 You don't need to know all the secrets； anyway。 What it boils down to is making the program think more like a person than a normal puter would。 It makes educated guesses； uses intuition。 That one trait； 'cooperative；' for example； is extrapolated from the presence or absence of some eighty different genes。〃
〃That's all？〃 Margo said jokingly。
〃No；〃 Kawakita replied。 〃You can also use the program to guess at a single organism's size； shape； and behavior by entering the DNA for one creature instead of two； and disabling the extrapolation logic。 And assuming the funding holds up； I plan to add two other modules for this program。 The first will extrapolate back in time from a single species； and the second will extrapolate forward。 In other words； we'll be able to learn more about extinct creatures of the past； and guess at beings of the future。〃 He grinned。 〃Not bad； huh？〃
〃It's amazing；〃 said Margo。 She feared her own research project seemed puny by parison。 〃How did you develop it？〃
Kawakita hesitated； staring at her a little suspiciously。 〃When I first started working with Frock； he told me he was frustrated by the spottiness of the fossil record。 He said he wanted to fill in the gaps； learn what the intermediate forms were。 So I wrote this pro