The Practice Effect Read Free Page A

over one that resembled a small ferret, going through a short mental checklist. There were two nostrils above the mouth and below forward-facing hunter’s eyes. There were five clawed toes on each paw, and a long, furrytail. A tomography chart in front of the cage showed a four-chambered heart, a rather Earthly-looking skeleton, and apparently all the right sorts of viscera in all the right places.
    Yet it was alien!
    The creature stared back at Dennis for a moment, then yawned and turned away.
    “The biologists have checked for bad germs and such,” Brady said, answering Dennis’s next question. “The guinea pigs they sent through aboard one of the exploring robots lived on Flasteria for several days and came back perfectly healthy.”
    “What about the biochemistry? Are the amino acids the same, for instance?”
    Brady picked up a large binder, about five inches thick. “Doc Nelson was called away to Palermo yesterday. Part of the government shake-up, I suppose. But here’s his report.” He dropped the heavy tome into Dennis’s hands. “Study it!”
    Dennis was about to tell Brady where he could put the report for the time being. But just then a sharp, snapping sound came from the far end of the row of cages. Both men turned to witness a stout wooden crate begin shaking and rattling.
    Brady cursed loudly. “Hot damn! It’s getting out again!” He ran to one wall and slapped an alarm button. At once a siren began to wail.
    “What’s
getting out?” Dennis backed up. The panic in Brady’s voice had affected him. “What
is
it?”
    “The
creature!
” Brady shouted into the intercom, hardly encouraging Dennis. “The one we recaptured and put in that temporary box … 
yes
, the tricky one! It’s getting out again!”
    There was the sound of splintering wood, and a slat fell out of the side of the crate. From the blackness within, a pair of tiny green reflections gleamed at Dennis.
    Dennis could only presume they were eyes, small and spaced no more than an inch apart. The green sparks seemed to lock onto him, and he could not look away. They stared at each other—Earthman and alien.
    Brady was shouting as a work gang hurried into the room. “Quick! Get the nets in here in case it jumps! Make sure it doesn’t let the other animals loose, like the last time!”
    Dennis was growing increasingly uneasy. The green-eyedstare was disconcerting. He looked for a place to put down the heavy book in his hands.
    The creature seemed to come to a decision. It squeezed through the narrow gap between the slats, then leaped just in time to escape a descending net.
    In a glimpse Dennis saw that it looked like a tiny, flat-nosed pig. But this pig was one of a kind! In midleap its legs spread wide, snapping open a pair of membranes, creating two gliding wings!
    “Block it, Nuel!” Brady shouted.
    Dennis didn’t have much choice. The alien creature flew right at him! He tried to duck, but too late. The “flying pig” landed on his head and clung to his hair, squeaking frantically.
    As Dennis let go of the biochemistry tome in surprise, the heavy volume landed on his foot.
    “Ow!” He hopped, reaching up to grab at his unwelcome passenger.
    But the little creature peeped loudly, plaintively. It sounded more frightened than angry. At the last moment, Dennis restrained himself from using force to tear it off. Instead, he managed to peel one webbed paw away from his eye—just in time to duck beneath a wrench swung by Bernald Brady! Dennis cursed and the “piglet” squealed as the bludgeon whistled just overhead.
    “Hold still, Nuel! I almost had him!”
    “And almost took my head off, too!” Dennis backed away. “Idiot! Are you trying to kill me?”
    Brady seemed to contemplate the proposition syllogistically. Finally, he shrugged. “All right, then, Nuel. Come out slowly and we’ll grab him.”
    Dennis started forward. But as he approached the other men, the creature squeaked pathetically and tightened its