Page 46 (1/2)

With growing excitement, Jenny said, "The brain cells would have at least one i in common with the scattered cells in the ae form themselves"

"That’s ical function, and intelligence could be stored in any tissue that didn’t have a relatively rigid, permanent cell structure"

"So the brain would be vulnerable," Jenny said

Hope crept into Sara’s eyes

Jenny said, "If the brain’s not amorphous tissue, then it can’t repair itself when it’s daed Punch a hole in it, and the hole will stay there The brain will be perh, it won’t be able to control the amorphous tissue that forms its body, and the body will die, too"

Sara stared at her "Jenny, I think "

Bryce said, "If we could locate the brain and fire a few shots into it, we’d stop the thing But hoe locate it? Soer keeps its brain well protected, hidden far away froround" Jenny’s exciteht be its weak spot, but they’d have no opportunity to test that theory

Sara pored over the results of the mineral and chemical analyses of the tissue sample

"An extremely varied list of hydrocarbons," she said, "And soh hydrocarbon content"

"Carbons are a basic ele tissue," Jenny said, "What’s different about this?"

"Degree," Sara said, "There’s such an abundance of carbon in such various forms…"

"Does that help us sohtfully She riffled through the print-out, looking at the rest of the data

Sow bug

Grasshopper

Caterpillar

Beetle Ants Caterpillar Sow bug

Spider, earwig, cockroach, centipede, spider

Beetle-wor

Lisa stared at the luh a rapid series of changes, much faster than before, faster and faster by the

"Petrolatum," Sara said

Bryce said, "What’s that?"

"Petroleum jelly," Jenny said

Tal said, "You mean… like Vaseline?"

And Flyte said to Sara, "But surely you’re not saying the a as simple as petrolatum"

"No, no, no," Sara said quickly, "Of course not This is living tissue But there are similarities in the ratio of hydrocarbons The composition of the tissue is far more complex than the coer list of minerals and chemicals than you’d find in the huin to figure out how it makes use of nourishment, how it respires, how it functions without a circulatory system, without any apparent nervous syste a cellular forh hydrocarbon values…"

Her voice trailed away Her eyes appeared to swi at the test results

Watching the geneticist, Tal had the feeling that she was suddenly excited about so It didn’t show in her face or in any aspect of her body or posture Nevertheless, there was definitely a new air about her that told hilanced at Bryce Their eyes e in Sara

Alers

"Better co by the petri dish that contained the portion of the tissue sample they hadn’t yet used

"Hurry, come here!" Lisa said when they didn’t iathered around and stared at the thing in the petri dish

Grasshopper-woroes faster and faster and faster," Lisa said

Spider-worm-centipede-spider-snail-spider-worm-spiderworm…

And then even faster

…spiderwonnspiderwored into a worain," Lisa said, "Frantic like See? So to it"

"Looks as if it’s lost control, gone crazy," Tal said

"Having some sort of breakdown," Flyte said

Abruptly, the coed A milky fluid seeped from it; the wad collapsed into a runny pile of lifeless mush

It didn’t move

It didn’t take on another form

Jenny wanted to touch it; didn’t dare

Sara picked up a small lab spoon, poked at the stuff in the dish It still didn’t move

She stirred it

The tissue liquefied even further, but otherwise did not respond

"It’s dead," Flyte said softly

Bryce seemed electrified by this development He turned to Sara "What was in the petri dish before you put the tissue sa"

"There must’ve been a residue"

"No"

"Think, da in the dish I took it from the sterilizer"

"A trace of some chemical"

"It was perfectly clean"

"Wait, wait, wait Soer’s tissue," Bryce said, "Right? Isn’t that clear?"

"And whatever was in the dish," Tal said, "that’s our weapon"

"It’s the stuff that’ll kill the shape-changer," Lisa said

"Not necessarily," Jenny said, hating to shatter the girl’s hopes

"Sounds too easy," Flyte agreed, co hand "Let’s not leap to conclusions"

"Especially when there’re other possibilities," Jenny said

"Such as?" Bryce asked

"Well… we know that the main mass of the creature can shed pieces of itself in about any form it chooses, can direct the activities of those detached parts, and can summon them back the way it summoned the part of itself that it sent to kill Gordy But now suppose that a detached portion of the shape changer can only survive for a relatively short period of time on its oay from the mother-body Suppose the amorphous tissue needs a steady supply of a particular enzyme in order to maintain its cohesiveness, an enzyme that isn’t manufactured in those independently situated control cells that’re scattered throughout the tissue-"

"-an enzyer’s brain," Sara said, picking up on Jenny’s train of thought

"Exactly," Jenny said, "So… any detached portion would have to reintegrate itself with the main mass in order to replenish its supply of that vital enzyme, or whatever the substance may be"

"That’s not unlikely," Sara said, "After all, the human brain produces enzymes and hormones without which our own bodies wouldn’t be able to survive Why shouldn’t the shape-changer’s brain fulfill a siht," Bryce said, "What does this discovery headed guess," Jenny said, "then it er if we could destroy the brain The creature wouldn’t be able to separate into several parts and craay and go on living in other incarnations Without the essential brain-manufactured enzymes-or hormones or whatever-the separate parts would all eventually dissolve into lifelessin the petri dish has done"

Bryce sagged with disappointment "We’re back at square one We have to locate its brain before we have any chance of striking a death blow, but the thing’s never going to let us do that"

"We’re not back to square one," Sara said Pointing to the lifeless sli else that’s important"

"What?" Bryce asked, his voice heavy with frustration, "Is it so that could save us-or is it just another item of bizarre information?" Sara said, "We no the amorphous tissue exists in a delicate chemical balance that can be disrupted"

She let that sink in

The deep worry lines in Bryce’s face softened a bit

Sara said, "The flesh of the shape-changer can be daed It can be killed Here’s proof in the petri dish"

"Hoe use that knowledge?" Tal asked, "Hoe disrupt the cheot to find out," Sara said

"Do you have any ideas?" Lisa asked the geneticist

"No," Sara said, "None"

But Jenny suddenly had the feeling that Sara Ya