Dunnefisk sifted through the papers, shook his head and looked up at his colleague. "Either I'm too tired to understand what exactly youre on about, or you just don't make sense full stop." Atriscemy shook his head impatiently : "This is the only thing that is going to keep our careers going – its not a norn, not a monster, we don't even KNOW what it is, but its perfect!" Dunnefisk looked doubtful despite Atriscemy's efforts. "There's one factor youre not reckoning with." The cynical look on the Shee's face seemed to be fixed these days – the defeat lodged in his eyes like a splinter that no one could remove.
"Dunnefisk…I know. I know….really. Then we don't really have a choice but exclude him." "We're a team, Atris, we are specialists, we don't know the first thing about creating brain tissue or neurons." Atriscemy sat and thought for a while and then jumped up, surprizing himself with an answer. "But you know who did?" " What…..oh no….we can't raid the archives posthumously, that's just wrong…it's…it's…disrespectful." "No it's common sense – and the only source we have for an alternative."
With that the two Shee set off to the Archive Room, all the while talking about the new project. A few days later they returned with the necessary documentation and restored enthusiasm.
On their way to the Archive Room they had stopped on numerous places and took samples of plants they had never encountered before – probably evolutionary descendants of the original ones they planted when they first came to Albia. They were amazed at how much the environment had changed in the time that they were practically confined to their laboratory.
Upon return they unpacked everything and then settled down to study the blueprints. Dunnefisk spread the blueprints across a wide part of desk and supported himself on his arms while he studied the instructions.
After a while shook his head slightly and looked up at Atriscemy, who was also inspecting the papers. "We can't do this." Atriscemy brushed off the comment with a " You just have to have faith and be positive." Dunnefisk replied agitatedly. " No I mean we can physically not do this. I went to check for synaps-endings in Netalisys's department just before we left and I couldn't find anything. He overturned everything before he left so we couldn't go on without him, the cunning bastard."
"So we're back to square one."
"Yep. I hate to say I told…"
"Isnt there something we can do? We've got pretty much everything except a brain."
Dunnefisk chuckled dryly. "Kinda sounds like the Shee back home."
Atriscemy let a skew smile slide onto his face. "That would have been funny if we werent so desperate."
"Ok youre right. I think we should take a break and think about possible alternatives."
With that they put paperweights onto the sheets of paper and walked around, searching for some inspiration within the depressing confines of the laboratory.
The older Shee's eyes wandered over the various metal cabinets that lined the main room's walls. Labels like "Breed Concepts", "Planetary Studies" and "Prototypes" were among them. The last name sparked an idea with Dunnefisk and he pried open the door carefully. Inside he found a white plant, partly rotten with flies growing from where there were supposed to be leaves. The label read "Self sustaining carnivorous plant." From the same cabinet came a long water-filled rod, a brown disk and a pink brain-like structure.
At that moment Dunnefisk studied the brain with vested interest and was on the verge of announcing a victory when he noticed that the brain was very small and that it was incomplete. His colleague though, saw him holding the brain and paced over excitedly , congratulating him. Dunnefisk silenced Atriscemy by telling him his observations.
"This brain has important parts missing and other parts are very undeveloped. The creature that uses this brain would almost not survive, nevermind save our careers."
Atriscemy's smile faded for the second time that day. It seems as if odds were constantly stacked against them. Still searching for a shred of hope though, he pushed.
"Ok so what exactly is wrong with it?"
"Well.." Dunnefisk lifted the brain so that the bright laboratory light shone directly onto it. " The pituary gland, responsible for the creature's growth, is almost non-existent. So is the Cerebrum. The Cerebrum is the central of all intelligent thought. The only part that seems intact is the cerebellum , the centre of reflexes and instincts."
"So what we basically have here is a programmable dummy."
Suddenly the idea of a totally predictable creature did not sound that bad. Nevertheless, it would be unethical to create a living creature that was totally dependent on their creators – he told Atriscemy as much.
Atriscemy went to rummage through Netalisys's books on brain structure. It still gave him the jitters to step into his nemesis's territory. Finally he found something that could prove relevant. It was Morphex's notebook.
"According to this, the earliest brain's devised by Shee, well , Morphex actually, was exactly like this. Small glands and all.
"So this is a complete brain?"
"Yes, just a very primitive one. It would be like creating a cavenorn."
"Well, that changes the situation somewhat." Dunnefisk replied, relieved. "Maybe we do need a harmless creature in Albia. After what happened with that Grendel…"
Neither Shee had to speak for the horrifying mental images to return in painstaking detail – every second dragging past like a movie in slow motion.
"Well now we have the brain, you just have to devise some sort of look for the creature. Do you have anything in mind?"
Dunnefisk shook his head. "Haven't given it any thought, really." While saying that he lazily leant backwards, putting his hands onto the counter. At that exact moment he must have put his hand on something slippery because the one second the Shee was still standing next to Atriscemy, the next he was lying on the floor.
Atriscemy burst out laughing, and helped his perplexed colleague from the floor.
"What was that for?" Dunnefisk asked.
Atriscemy burst out laughing once more and blurted out inbetween high-pitched titters to reply: "You're crediting me with a mushroom's job, my friend."
The other Shee swung round and looked at where he had put his hand earlier. There, on the edge of the counter lay a small button-like mushroom. He picked it up, inspecting the little culprit closeby. It had a off-white colour and it seemed to have a soft, fuzzy texture.
"Did we name these plants when we brought them back?"
"Erm…..nope." Atriscemy didn't really know what the name of a mushroom had to do with anything.
"Ah. I will see you in a few hours, ok?" Dunnefisk walked to his department, and would only emerge 5 hours later.