human
What do you figure the Ambassador is? he asked Harrison.
gpt
Is he a man?
human
Looks like one,
gpt
But he doesn't act like one. I wonder if this is his true shape?
human
What is there of him? Cercy asked.
gpt
He looks like a man, but he can change into anything else. You can't attack him; he adapts. He's like water, taking the shape of any vessel he's poured into.
human
You can boil water,
gpt
Sure. Water hasn't any shape, has it? Or has it? What's basic?
human
Molecular pattern? The matrix?
gpt
Matrix, Cercy repeated, yawning himself.
human
Pattern. Must be something like that. A pattern is abstract, isn't it?
gpt
Sure. A pattern can be impressed on anything. What did I say?
human
Let's see, Cercy said.
gpt
Pattern. Matrix. Everything about the Ambassador is capable of change. There must be some unifying force that retains his personality. Something that _doesn't_ change, no matter what contortions he goes through.
human
Like a piece of string,
gpt
Sure. Tie it in knots, weave a rope out of it, wind it around your finger; it's still string.
human
Yeah.
gpt
But how do you attack a pattern?