The Puppet Masters Page #3

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10,001.

- All right, Mary, let's go.

- OK.

Please keep in mind

we were a little rushed.

Here's the creature, with an incision

along its ventral surface.

The first thing that stands out

is the complexity of its neo-cortex.

In a human, brain tissue accounts

for about 5% of total body mass.

But in this creature,

and here's the brain tissue,

it accounts for about 60%.

This black tentacle, which we saw

jet across Barnes's office,

contains a probe. An interface

between the creature and its host.

The probe penetrates the brain

while these hooks here and here

lock into the spinal column.

Together they override

the human nervous system.

Wait. Are you saying that these slugs

are using us like puppets?

Exactly.

You didn't mention whether

the creature has eyes. Does it?

We haven't been able

to locate any sensory organs.

Anything else?

We found human DNA and protein

inside the creature.

They're able to adapt to whichever

life form they're riding on.

We breathe oxygen

so they breathe oxygen.

The two systems merge.

Can't we exploit this

potential weakness?

What affects the host

might also affect the parasite.

We must find something

they're vulnerable to and we're not.

The people being ridden

seemed stronger than normal.

We think they boost adrenaline

production into their host.

Like injecting nitro into

a car's fuel line.

The car will run faster

but the engine will burn out sooner.

It's really quite a remarkable

organism.

Much more efficient

than anything on earth.

Look how elegant

the cartilaginous structure is.

Incredible. It doesn't use

haemoglobin in oxygen transport.

It uses a chlorophyll derivative.

Jeez, Graves. He sounds like

he wants to f*** the thing.

Shut up, Holland.

Dr Sefton, do you have any idea

how we should proceed?

This was a preliminary postmortem...

When did you quit smoking?

- Must have left them in the car.

- Stop him!

Jesus. He's got one on him!

Security!

Alex, go upstairs!

Secure the exit.

Bonnie, call 334, main gate.

- Come on, upstairs.

- Main gate.

Alex!

- Where is it?

- I don't know.

- Harris, get a medic.

- Right.

- Sam?

- We got him.

I guess that thing

jumped onto whoever it ran into.

Put your gun down, Sam. Slowly.

Take off your shirt.

Thank you.

Well, let's find it.

Search everybody.

Right, everyone's accounted for.

- One of the aliens...

- This was on Jarvis.

It contains every emergency

contingency we've drawn up since '59.

One of the alien life forms

is loose in the building.

We have to presume that it's riding

on the back of one of us.

Sam, show them your back.

Sam is clean.

Holland. Gorman.

Miss Haines. Everybody.

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