[Illustration: Illustrated by CONNELL] the Leech By PHILLIPS BARBEE _A visitor should be fed, but this one could eat you out of house and home . .. Literally!_ The leech was waiting for food. For millennia it had been driftingacross the vast emptiness of space. Without consciousness, it had spentthe countless centuries in the void between the stars. It was unawarewhen it finally reached a sun. Life-giving radiation flared around thehard, dry spore. Gravitation tugged at it. A planet claimed it, with other stellar debris, and the leech fell, still dead-seeming within its tough spore case. One speck of dust among many, the winds blew it around the Earth, playedwith it, and let it fall. On the ground, it began to stir. Nourishment soaked in, permeating thespore case. It grew--and fed. * * * * * Frank Conners came up on the porch and coughed twice. "Say, pardon me, Professor, " he said. The long, pale man didn't stir from the sagging couch. His horn-rimmedglasses were perched on his forehead, and he was snoring very gently. "I'm awful sorry to disturb you, " Conners said, pushing back hisbattered felt hat. "I know it's your restin' week and all, but there'ssomething damned funny in the ditch. " The pale man's left eyebrow twitched, but he showed no other sign ofhaving heard. Frank Conners coughed again, holding his spade in one purple-veinedhand. "Didja hear me, Professor?" "Of course I heard you, " Micheals said in a muffled voice, his eyesstill closed. "You found a pixie. " "A what?" Conners asked, squinting at Micheals. "A little man in a green suit. Feed him milk, Conners. " "No, sir. I think it's a rock. " Micheals opened one eye and focused it in Conners' general direction. "I'm awfully sorry about it, " Conners said. Professor Micheals' restingweek was a ten-year-old custom, and his only eccentricity. All winterMicheals taught anthropology, worked on half a dozen committees, dabbledin physics and chemistry, and still found time to write a book a year. When summer came, he was tired. Arriving at his worked-out New York State farm, it was his invariablerule to do absolutely nothing for a week. He hired Frank Conners to cookfor that week and generally make himself useful, while ProfessorMicheals slept. During the second week, Micheals would wander around, look at the treesand fish. By the third week he would be getting a tan, reading, repairing the sheds and climbing mountains. At the end of four weeks, hecould hardly wait to get back to the city. But the resting week was sacred. "I really wouldn't bother you for anything small, " Conners saidapologetically. "But that damned rock melted two inches off my spade. " Micheals opened both eyes and sat up. Conners held out the spade. Therounded end was sheared cleanly off. Micheals swung himself off thecouch and slipped his feet into battered moccasins. "Let's see this wonder, " he said. * * * * * The object was lying in the ditch at the end of the front lawn, threefeet from the main road. It was round, about the size of a truck tire, and solid throughout. It was about an inch thick, as far as he couldtell, grayish black and intricately veined. "Don't touch it, " Conners warned. "I'm not going to. Let me have your spade. " Micheals took the spade andprodded the object experimentally. It was completely unyielding. He heldthe spade to the surface for a moment, then withdrew it. Another inchwas gone. Micheals frowned, and pushed his glasses tighter against his nose. Heheld the spade against the rock with one hand, the other held close tothe surface. More of the spade disappeared. "Doesn't seem to be generating heat, " he said to Conners. "Did younotice any the first time?" Conners shook his head. Micheals picked up a clod of dirt and tossed it on the object. The dirtdissolved quickly, leaving no trace on the gray-black surface. A largestone followed the dirt, and disappeared in the same way. "Isn't that just about the damnedest thing you ever saw, Professor?"Conners asked. "Yes, " Micheals agreed, standing up again. "It just about is. " He hefted the spade and brought it down smartly on the object. When ithit, he almost dropped the spade. He had been gripping the handlerigidly, braced for a recoil. But the spade struck that unyieldingsurface and _stayed_. There was no perceptible give, but absolutely norecoil. "Whatcha think it is?" Conners asked. "It's no stone, " Micheals said. He stepped back. "A leech drinks blood. This thing seems to be drinking dirt. And spades. " He struck it a fewmore times, experimentally. The two men looked at each other. On theroad, half a dozen Army trucks rolled past. "I'm going to phone the college and ask a physics man about it, "Micheals said. "Or a biologist. I'd like to get rid of that thing beforeit spoils my lawn. " They walked back to the house. * * * * * Everything fed the leech. The wind added its modicum of kinetic energy, ruffling across the gray-black surface. Rain fell, and the force of eachindividual drop added to its store. The water was sucked in by theall-absorbing surface. The sunlight above it was absorbed, and converted into mass for itsbody. Beneath it, the soil was consumed, dirt, stones and branchesbroken down by the leech's complex cells and changed into energy. Energywas converted back into mass, and the leech grew. Slowly, the first flickers of consciousness began to return. Its firstrealization was of the impossible smallness of its body. It grew. * * * * * When Micheals looked the next day, the leech was eight feet across, sticking out into the road and up the side of the lawn. The followingday it was almost eighteen feet in diameter, shaped to fit the contourof the ditch, and covering most of the road. That day the sheriff droveup in his model A, followed by half the town. "Is that your leech thing, Professor Micheals?" Sheriff Flynn asked. "That's it, " Micheals said. He had spent the past days lookingunsuccessfully for an acid that would dissolve the leech. "We gotta get it out of the road, " Flynn said, walking truculently up tothe leech. "Something like this, you can't let it block the road, Professor. The Army's gotta use this road. " "I'm terribly sorry, " Micheals said with a straight face. "Go rightahead, Sheriff. But be careful. It's hot. " The leech wasn't hot, but itseemed the simplest explanation under the circumstances. Micheals watched with interest as the sheriff tried to shove a crowbarunder it. He smiled to himself when it was removed with half a foot ofits length gone. The sheriff wasn't so easily discouraged. He had come prepared for astubborn piece of rock. He went to the rumble seat of his car and tookout a blowtorch and a sledgehammer, ignited the torch and focused it onone edge of the leech. After five minutes, there was no change. The gray didn't turn red oreven seem to heat up. Sheriff Flynn continued to bake it for fifteenminutes, then called to one of the men. "Hit that spot with the sledge, Jerry. " Jerry picked up the sledgehammer, motioned the sheriff back, and swungit over his head. He let out a howl as the hammer struck unyieldingly. There wasn't a fraction of recoil. In the distance they heard the roar of an Army convoy. "Now we'll get some action, " Flynn said. * * * * * Micheals wasn't so sure. He walked around the periphery of the leech, asking himself what kind of substance would react that way. The answerwas easy--no substance. No _known_ substance. The driver in the lead jeep held up his hand, and the long convoy groundto a halt. A hard, efficient-looking officer stepped out of the jeep. From the star on either shoulder, Micheals knew he was a brigadiergeneral. "You can't block this road, " the general said. He was a tall, spare manin suntans, with a sunburned face and cold eyes. "Please clear thatthing away. " "We can't move it, " Micheals said. He told the general what had happenedin the past few days. "It must be moved, " the general said. "This convoy must go through. " Hewalked closer and looked at the leech. "You say it can't be jacked up bya crowbar? A torch won't burn it?" "That's right, " Micheals said, smiling faintly. "Driver, " the general said over his shoulder. "Ride over it. " Micheals started to protest, but stopped himself. The military mindwould have to find out in its own way. The driver put his jeep in gear and shot forward, jumping the leech'sfour-inch edge. The jeep got to the center of the leech and stopped. "I didn't tell you to stop!" the general bellowed. "I didn't, sir!" the driver protested. The jeep had been yanked to a stop and had stalled. The driver startedit again, shifted to four-wheel drive, and tried to ram forward. Thejeep was fixed immovably, as though set in concrete. "Pardon me, " Micheals said. "If you look, you can see that the tires aremelting down. " The general stared, his hand creeping automatically toward his pistolbelt. Then he shouted, "Jump, driver! Don't touch that gray stuff. " White-faced, the driver climbed to the hood of his jeep, looked aroundhim, and jumped clear. There was complete silence as everyone watched the jeep. First its tiresmelted down, and then the rims. The body, resting on the gray surface, melted, too. The aerial was the last to go. The general began to swear softly under his breath. He turned to thedriver. "Go back and have some men bring up hand grenades and dynamite. " The driver ran back to the convoy. "I don't know what you've got here, " the general said. "But it's notgoing to stop a U. S. Army convoy. " Micheals wasn't so sure. * * * * * The leech was nearly awake now, and its body was calling for more andmore food. It dissolved the soil under it at a furious rate, filling itin with its own body, flowing outward. A large object landed on it, and that became food also. Then suddenly-- A burst of energy against its surface, and then another, and another. Itconsumed them gratefully, converting them into mass. Little metalpellets struck it, and their kinetic energy was absorbed, their massconverted. More explosions took place, helping to fill the starvingcells. It began to sense things--controlled combustion around it, vibrations ofwind, mass movements. There was another, greater explosion, a taste of _real_ food! Greedilyit ate, growing faster. It waited anxiously for more explosions, whileits cells screamed for food. But no more came. It continued to feed on the soil and on the Sun'senergy. Night came, noticeable for its lesser energy possibilities, andthen more days and nights. Vibrating objects continued to move aroundit. It ate and grew and flowed. * * * * * Micheals stood on a little hill, watching the dissolution of his house. The leech was several hundred yards across now, lapping at his frontporch. Good-by, home, Micheals thought, remembering the ten summers he hadspent there. The porch collapsed into the body of the leech. Bit by bit, the housecrumpled. The leech looked like a field of lava now, a blasted spot on the greenEarth. "Pardon me, sir, " a soldier said, coming up behind him. "GeneralO'Donnell would like to see you. " "Right, " Micheals said, and took his last look at the house. He followed the soldier through the barbed wire that had been set up ina half-mile circle around the leech. A company of soldiers was on guardaround it, keeping back the reporters and the hundreds of curious peoplewho had flocked to the scene. Micheals wondered why he was still allowedinside. Probably, he decided, because most of this was taking place onhis land. The soldier brought him to a tent. Micheals stooped and went in. General O'Donnell, still in suntans, was seated at a small desk. Hemotioned Micheals to a chair. "I've been put in charge of getting rid of this leech, " he said toMicheals. Micheals nodded, not commenting on the advisability of giving a soldiera scientist's job. "You're a professor, aren't you?" "Yes. Anthropology. " "Good. Smoke?" The general lighted Micheals' cigarette. "I'd like you tostay around here in an advisory capacity. You were one of the first tosee this leech. I'd appreciate your observations on--" he smiled--"theenemy. " "I'd be glad to, " Micheals said. "However, I think this is more in theline of a physicist or a biochemist. " "I don't want this place cluttered with scientists, " General O'Donnellsaid, frowning at the tip of his cigarette. "Don't get me wrong. I havethe greatest appreciation for science. I am, if I do say so, ascientific soldier. I'm always interested in the latest weapons. Youcan't fight any kind of a war any more without science. " * * * * * O'Donnell's sunburned face grew firm. "But I can't have a team oflonghairs poking around this thing for the next month, holding me up. Myjob is to destroy it, by any means in my power, and at once. I am goingto do just that. " "I don't think you'll find it that easy, " Micheals said. "That's what I want you for, " O'Donnell said. "Tell me why and I'llfigure out a way of doing it. " "Well, as far as I can figure out, the leech is an organic mass-energyconverter, and a frighteningly efficient one. I would guess that it hasa double cycle. First, it converts mass into energy, then back into massfor its body. Second, energy is converted directly into the body mass. How this takes place, I do not know. The leech is not protoplasmic. Itmay not even be cellular--" "So we need something big against it, " O'Donnell interrupted. "Well, that's all right. I've got some big stuff here. " "I don't think you understand me, " Micheals said. "Perhaps I'm notphrasing this very well. _The leech eats energy. _ It can consume thestrength of any energy weapon you use against it. " "What happens, " O'Donnell asked, "if it keeps on eating?" "I have no idea what its growth-limits are, " Micheals said. "Its growthmay be limited only by its food source. " "You mean it could continue to grow probably forever?" "It could possibly grow as long as it had something to feed on. " "This is really a challenge, " O'Donnell said. "That leech can't betotally impervious to force. " "It seems to be. I suggest you get some physicists in here. Somebiologists also. Have them figure out a way of nullifying it. " The general put out his cigarette. "Professor, I cannot wait whilescientists wrangle. There is an axiom of mine which I am going to tellyou. " He paused impressively. "Nothing is impervious to force. Musterenough force and anything will give. _Anything. _ "Professor, " the general continued, in a friendlier tone, "you shouldn'tsell short the science you represent. We have, massed under North Hill, the greatest accumulation of energy and radioactive weapons everassembled in one spot. Do you think your leech can stand the full forceof them?" "I suppose it's possible to overload the thing, " Micheals saiddoubtfully. He realized now why the general wanted him around. Hesupplied the trappings of science, without the authority to overrideO'Donnell. "Come with me, " General O'Donnell said cheerfully, getting up andholding back a flap of the tent. "We're going to crack that leech inhalf. " * * * * * After a long wait, rich food started to come again, piped into one sideof it. First there was only a little, and then more and more. Radiations, vibrations, explosions, solids, liquids--an amazing varietyof edibles. It accepted them all. But the food was coming too slowly forthe starving cells, for new cells were constantly adding their demandsto the rest. The ever-hungry body screamed for more food, faster! Now that it had reached a fairly efficient size, it was fully awake. Itpuzzled over the energy-impressions around it, locating the source ofthe new food massed in one spot. Effortlessly it pushed itself into the air, flew a little way anddropped on the food. Its super-efficient cells eagerly gulped the richradioactive substances. But it did not ignore the lesser potentials ofmetal and clumps of carbohydrates. * * * * * "The damned fools, " General O'Donnell said. "Why did they have to panic?You'd think they'd never been trained. " He paced the ground outside histent, now in a new location three miles back. The leech had grown to two miles in diameter. Three farming communitieshad been evacuated. Micheals, standing beside the general, was still stupefied by thememory. The leech had accepted the massed power of the weapons for awhile, and then its entire bulk had lifted in the air. The Sun had beenblotted out as it flew leisurely over North Hill, and dropped. Thereshould have been time for evacuation, but the frightened soldiers hadbeen blind with fear. Sixty-seven men were lost in Operation Leech, and General O'Donnellasked permission to use atomic bombs. Washington sent a group ofscientists to investigate the situation. "Haven't those experts decided yet?" O'Donnell asked, halting angrily infront of the tent. "They've been talking long enough. " "It's a hard decision, " Micheals said. Since he wasn't an officialmember of the investigating team, he had given his information and left. "The physicists consider it a biological matter, and the biologists seemto think the chemists should have the answer. No one's an expert onthis, because it's never happened before. We just don't have the data. " "It's a military problem, " O'Donnell said harshly. "I'm not interestedin what the thing is--I want to know what can destroy it. They'd bettergive me permission to use the bomb. " Micheals had made his own calculations on that. It was impossible to sayfor sure, but taking a flying guess at the leech's mass-energyabsorption rate, figuring in its size and apparent capacity for growth, an atomic bomb _might_ overload it--if used soon enough. He estimated three days as the limit of usefulness. The leech wasgrowing at a geometric rate. It could cover the United States in a fewmonths. "For a week I've been asking permission to use the bomb, " O'Donnellgrumbled. "And I'll get it, but not until after those jackasses endtheir damned talking. " He stopped pacing and turned to Micheals. "I amgoing to destroy the leech. I am going to smash it, if that's the lastthing I do. It's more than a matter of security now. It's personalpride. " That attitude might make great generals, Micheals thought, but it wasn'tthe way to consider this problem. It was anthropomorphic of O'Donnell tosee the leech as an enemy. Even the identification, "leech, " was ahumanizing factor. O'Donnell was dealing with it as he would anyphysical obstacle, as though the leech were the simple equivalent of alarge army. But the leech was not human, not even of this planet, perhaps. It shouldbe dealt with in its own terms. "Here come the bright boys now, " O'Donnell said. * * * * * From a nearby tent a group of weary men emerged, led by Allenson, agovernment biologist. "Well, " the general asked, "have you figured out what it is?" "Just a minute, I'll hack off a sample, " Allenson said, glaring throughred-rimmed eyes. "Have you figured out some _scientific_ way of killing it?" "Oh, that wasn't too difficult, " Moriarty, an atomic physicist, saidwryly. "Wrap it in a perfect vacuum. That'll do the trick. Or blow itoff the Earth with anti-gravity. " "But failing that, " Allenson said, "we suggest you use your atomicbombs, and use them fast. " "Is that the opinion of your entire group?" O'Donnell asked, his eyesglittering. "Yes. " The general hurried away. Micheals joined the scientists. "He should have called us in at the very first, " Allenson complained. "There's no time to consider anything but force now. " "Have you come to any conclusions about the nature of the leech?"Micheals asked. "Only general ones, " Moriarty said, "and they're about the same asyours. The leech is probably extraterrestrial in origin. It seems tohave been in a spore-stage until it landed on Earth. " He paused to lighta pipe. "Incidentally, we should be damned glad it didn't drop in anocean. We'd have had the Earth eaten out from under us before we knewwhat we were looking for. " They walked in silence for a few minutes. "As you mentioned, it's a perfect converter--it can transform mass intoenergy, and any energy into mass. " Moriarty grinned. "Naturally that'simpossible and I have figures to prove it. " "I'm going to get a drink, " Allenson said. "Anyone coming?" "Best idea of the week, " Micheals said. "I wonder how long it'll takeO'Donnell to get permission to use the bomb. " "If I know politics, " Moriarty said, "too long. " * * * * * The findings of the government scientists were checked by othergovernment scientists. That took a few days. Then Washington wanted toknow if there wasn't some alternative to exploding an atomic bomb in themiddle of New York State. It took a little time to convince them of thenecessity. After that, people had to be evacuated, which took more time. Then orders were made out, and five atomic bombs were checked out of acache. A patrol rocket was assigned, given orders, and put underGeneral O'Donnell's command. This took a day more. Finally, the stubby scout rocket was winging its way over New York. Fromthe air, the grayish-black spot was easy to find. Like a festered wound, it stretched between Lake Placid and Elizabethtown, covering Keene andKeene Valley, and lapping at the edges of Jay. The first bomb was released. * * * * * It had been a long wait after the first rich food. The greater radiationof day was followed by the lesser energy of night many times, as theleech ate away the earth beneath it, absorbed the air around it, andgrew. Then one day-- An amazing burst of energy! Everything was food for the leech, but there was always the possibilityof choking. The energy poured over it, drenched it, battered it, and theleech grew frantically, trying to contain the titanic dose. Still small, it quickly reached its overload limit. The strained cells, filled tosatiation, were given more and more food. The strangling body built newcells at lightning speed. And-- It held. The energy was controlled, stimulating further growth. Morecells took over the load, sucking in the food. The next doses were wonderfully palatable, easily handled. The leechoverflowed its bounds, growing, eating, and growing. That was a taste of real food! The leech was as near ecstasy as it hadever been. It waited hopefully for more, but no more came. It went back to feeding on the Earth. The energy, used to produce morecells, was soon dissipated. Soon it was hungry again. It would always be hungry. * * * * * O'Donnell retreated with his demoralized men. They camped ten miles fromthe leech's southern edge, in the evacuated town of Schroon Lake. Theleech was over sixty miles in diameter now and still growing fast. Itlay sprawled over the Adirondack Mountains, completely blanketingeverything from Saranac Lake to Port Henry, with one edge of it overWestport, in Lake Champlain. Everyone within two hundred miles of the leech was evacuated. General O'Donnell was given permission to use hydrogen bombs, contingenton the approval of his scientists. "What have the bright boys decided?" O'Donnell wanted to know. He and Micheals were in the living room of an evacuated Schroon Lakehouse. O'Donnell had made it his new command post. "Why are they hedging?" O'Donnell demanded impatiently. "The leech hasto be blown up quick. What are they fooling around for?" "They're afraid of a chain reaction, " Micheals told him. "Aconcentration of hydrogen bombs might set one up in the Earth's crust orin the atmosphere. It might do any of half a dozen things. " "Perhaps they'd like me to order a bayonet attack, " O'Donnell saidcontemptuously. Micheals sighed and sat down in an armchair. He was convinced that thewhole method was wrong. The government scientists were being rushed intoa single line of inquiry. The pressure on them was so great that theydidn't have a chance to consider any other approach but force--and theleech thrived on that. Micheals was certain that there were times when fighting fire with firewas not applicable. Fire. Loki, god of fire. And of trickery. No, there was no answer there. But Micheals' mind was in mythology now, retreating from the unbearablepresent. Allenson came in, followed by six other men. "Well, " Allenson said, "there's a damned good chance of splitting theEarth wide open if you use the number of bombs our figures show youneed. " "You have to take chances in war, " O'Donnell replied bluntly. "Shall Igo ahead?" Micheals saw, suddenly, that O'Donnell didn't care if he did crack theEarth. The red-faced general only knew that he was going to set off thegreatest explosion ever produced by the hand of Man. "Not so fast, " Allenson said. "I'll let the others speak forthemselves. " The general contained himself with difficulty. "Remember, " he said, "according to your own figures, the leech is growing at the rate oftwenty feet an hour. " "And speeding up, " Allenson added. "But this isn't a decision to be madein haste. " Micheals found his mind wandering again, to the lightning bolts of Zeus. That was what they needed. Or the strength of Hercules. Or-- He sat up suddenly. "Gentlemen, I believe I can offer you a possiblealternative, although it's a very dim one. " They stared at him. "Have you ever heard of Antaeus?" he asked. * * * * * The more the leech ate, the faster it grew and the hungrier it became. Although its birth was forgotten, it did remember a long way back. Ithad eaten a planet in that ancient past. Grown tremendous, ravenous, ithad made the journey to a nearby star and eaten that, replenishing thecells converted into energy for the trip. But then there was no morefood, and the next star was an enormous distance away. It set out on the journey, but long before it reached the food, itsenergy ran out. Mass, converted back to energy to make the trip, wasused up. It shrank. Finally, all the energy was gone. It was a spore, drifting aimlessly, lifelessly, in space. That was the first time. Or was it? It thought it could remember back toa distant, misty time when the Universe was evenly covered with stars. It had eaten through them, cutting away whole sections, growing, swelling. And the stars had swung off in terror, forming galaxies andconstellations. Or was that a dream? Methodically, it fed on the Earth, wondering where the rich food was. And then it was back again, but this time above the leech. It waited, but the tantalizing food remained out of reach. It was ableto sense how rich and pure the food was. Why didn't it fall? For a long time the leech waited, but the food stayed out of reach. Atlast, it lifted and followed. The food retreated, up, up from the surface of the planet. The leechwent after as quickly as its bulk would allow. The rich food fled out, into space, and the leech followed. Beyond, itcould sense an even richer source. The hot, wonderful food of a sun! * * * * * O'Donnell served champagne for the scientists in the control room. Official dinners would follow, but this was the victory celebration. "A toast, " the general said, standing. The men raised their glasses. Theonly man not drinking was a lieutenant, sitting in front of the controlboard that guided the drone spaceship. "To Micheals, for thinking of--what was it again, Micheals?" "Antaeus. " Micheals had been drinking champagne steadily, but he didn'tfeel elated. Antaeus, born of Ge, the Earth, and Poseidon, the Sea. Theinvincible wrestler. Each time Hercules threw him to the ground, hearose refreshed. Until Hercules held him in the air. Moriarty was muttering to himself, figuring with slide rule, pencil andpaper. Allenson was drinking, but he didn't look too happy about it. "Come on, you birds of evil omen, " O'Donnell said, pouring morechampagne. "Figure it out later. Right now, drink. " He turned to theoperator. "How's it going?" Micheals' analogy had been applied to a spaceship. The ship, operated byremote control, was filled with pure radioactives. It hovered over theleech until, rising to the bait, it had followed. Antaeus had left hismother, the Earth, and was losing his strength in the air. The operatorwas allowing the spaceship to run fast enough to keep out of the leech'sgrasp, but close enough to keep it coming. The spaceship and the leech were on a collision course with the Sun. "Fine, sir, " the operator said. "It's inside the orbit of Mercury now. " "Men, " the general said, "I swore to destroy that thing. This isn'texactly the way I wanted to do it. I figured on a more personal way. Butthe important thing is the destruction. You will all witness it. Destruction is at times a sacred mission. This is such a time. Men, Ifeel wonderful. " "Turn the spaceship!" It was Moriarty who had spoken. His face waswhite. "Turn the damned thing!" He shoved his figures at them. They were easy to read. The growth-rate of the leech. Theenergy-consumption rate, estimated. Its speed in space, a constant. Theenergy it would receive from the Sun as it approached, an exponentialcurve. Its energy-absorption rate, figured in terms of growth, expressedas a hyped-up discontinuous progression. The result-- "It'll consume the Sun, " Moriarty said, very quietly. The control room turned into a bedlam. Six of them tried to explain itto O'Donnell at the same time. Then Moriarty tried, and finallyAllenson. "Its rate of growth is so great and its speed so slow--and it will getso much energy--that the leech will be able to consume the Sun by thetime it gets there. Or, at least, to live off it until it can consumeit. " O'Donnell didn't bother to understand. He turned to the operator. "Turn it, " he said. They all hovered over the radar screen, waiting. * * * * * The food turned out of the leech's path and streaked away. Ahead was atremendous source, but still a long way off. The leech hesitated. Its cells, recklessly expending energy, shouted for a decision. The foodslowed, tantalizingly near. The closer source or the greater? The leech's body wanted food _now_. It started after it, away from the Sun. The Sun would come next. * * * * * "Pull it out at right angles to the plane of the Solar System, " Allensonsaid. The operator touched the controls. On the radar screen, they saw a blobpursuing a dot. It had turned. Relief washed over them. It had been close! "In what portion of the sky would the leech be?" O'Donnell asked, hisface expressionless. "Come outside; I believe I can show you, " an astronomer said. Theywalked to the door. "Somewhere in that section, " the astronomer said, pointing. "Fine. All right, Soldier, " O'Donnell told the operator. "Carry out yourorders. " The scientists gasped in unison. The operator manipulated the controlsand the blob began to overtake the dot. Micheals started across theroom. "Stop, " the general said, and his strong, commanding voice stoppedMicheals. "I know what I'm doing. I had that ship especially built. " The blob overtook the dot on the radar screen. "I told you this was a personal matter, " O'Donnell said. "I swore todestroy that leech. We can never have any security while it lives. " Hesmiled. "Shall we look at the sky?" The general strolled to the door, followed by the scientists. "Push the button, Soldier!" The operator did. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the sky lit up! A bright star hung in space. Its brilliance filled the night, grew, andstarted to fade. "What did you do?" Micheals gasped. "That rocket was built around a hydrogen bomb, " O'Donnell said, hisstrong face triumphant. "I set it off at the contact moment. " He calledto the operator again. "Is there anything showing on the radar?" "Not a speck, sir. " "Men, " the general said, "I have met the enemy and he is mine. Let'shave some more champagne. " But Micheals found that he was suddenly ill. * * * * * It had been shrinking from the expenditure of energy, when the greatexplosion came. No thought of containing it. The leech's cells held forthe barest fraction of a second, and then spontaneously overloaded. The leech was smashed, broken up, destroyed. It was split into athousand particles, and the particles were split a million times more. The particles were thrown out on the wave front of the explosion, andthey split further, spontaneously. Into spores. The spores closed into dry, hard, seemingly lifeless specks of dust, billions of them, scattered, drifting. Unconscious, they floated in theemptiness of space. Billions of them, waiting to be fed. --PHILLIPS BARBEE Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from _Galaxy Science Fiction_ December 1952. Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that the U. S. Copyright on this publication was renewed. Minor spelling and typographical errors have been corrected without note.