The most unsettling thing was the Pureblood Larva's brain.
Its enormous head made up nearly a third of its body.
Through the translucent skull, Rovi could clearly see the brain tissue beneath, throbbing violently.
With each pulse, the pale green Nutrient Paste around it rippled faintly, so subtly it was almost impossible to see.
"It's 'speaking,' Advisor."
Priest Alpha's voice came through the loudspeaker.
"Its vocal cords haven't fully developed, but the readings from the Geiger Counter and Psyker Monitor show that its cerebral cortex is emitting a peculiar waveband at a frequency of three pulses per second."
Rovi asked, "Like a beacon?"
"Yes, a living Bio-Beacon."
Priest Alpha's three Mechanical Tentacles danced rapidly over the control panel.
A complex set of data was projected into the air.
"And its growth rate is astonishing. It left its mother's body, yet it's displaying even greater activity in the Nutrient Paste. It's adapting. Evolving."
Rovi was silent for a moment, then asked, "Alpha, you mentioned earlier that in the metal samples from the 'Wall of Gluttony,' Nurgle's power of decay and the Tyranid's devouring genes had reached a delicate dynamic balance?"
"Yes. An eternal war on the microscopic level. It's a work of art."
"If it's a war, then it can be put to use."
Rovi pointed to the carapace on the fetus's back.
"What would happen if we extracted the carapace genes of this Fifth Generation Pureblood and used them as a 'binding agent' or 'catalyst,' injecting them into the Plague Metal?"
Priest Alpha's electronic eye flashed red.
The Machine Spirit seemed to be undergoing a fierce logical conflict.
"In theory—the Pureblood's genes possess exceptional powers of control."
"They might suppress the ordinary Tyranid Biomass in the metal, making it controllable."
The Priest's voice trembled with longing for forbidden knowledge.
"I