Чужой
VI
Andalotmoretiedupwiththenitrogeninvariousoxides.Isuspectthecreaturepossessestheabilitytobreakdownthoseoxidesandextracttheoxygen.CertainlyithasthecapabilitytopassitontoKane,perhapsalsoforitself.Agoodsymbiotewouldbeabletodeterminequicklywhatrequirementsitspartnerwouldhave.Certainplantshavethesameoxygen-extractingability;otherspreferdifferentgases.It’snotanimpossibility.’Heturnedbacktothescreens.
’Perhapsit’sourterrestrialprejudicesatworkandit’sreallyaplantandnotananimal.Ormaybeitpossessescharacteristicsandabilitiescommontoboth.’
’Itdoesn’tmakesense.’
Ashglancedathim.’Whatdoesn’t?’
’Itparalyzeshim,putshimintoacoma,thenworkslikemadtokeephimalive.’Heglancedupatthescreen.’Ithoughtitwouldbe,well,feedingonhimsomehow.Thepostureandpositionit’sinrightnowistypicaloffeeding.Butastheinstrumentssay,it’sdoingexactlytheopposite.Ican’tfigureit.
’Inanycase,wecan’tleavethedamnthingonhim.Itmightbedoingallkindsofthingstohim,maybegood,maybebad.Wecanbesureofonething,though.Noneofthemarenaturaltothehumansystem.’
Ashlookeddoubtful.’Idon’tknowifthat’sreallysuchagoodidea.’
’Whynot?’Dallaseyedhisscienceofficerquestioningly.
’Atthemoment,’Ashexplained,notoffendedbytheslightchallengeinDallas’svoice,’thecreatureiskeepinghimalive.IfweremoveitwerisklosingKane.’
’Wehavetotakethatchance.’
