Nittix hovered by the bars of the cell a few inches from the floor.  Larry nodded, and Nittix began to exhale, slowly at first, and then more rapidly in a steady flow.  As he exhaled, he began to shrink.

Larry pinched his nose.  When Nittix had demonstrated the inversion the first time in space, the expelled air had a musty, pungent smell.  This time was no different.

Nittix began to sink as he exhaled the air, and soon he was flat against the floor like a deflated tire.  Only his twitching antennae showed signs of life.

“Sorry about this, buddy,” Larry said, picking up the deflated sack as gracefully as possible.  He turned it sideways through the bars of the cell and deposited it carefully like a dirty T-shirt on the floor in front of the cell.

Afte...

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