Lefty analysis

D pressed the thin board into the palm of his hand. A second passed, then
two, then three.
“Good enough,” a cramped voice said, trickling out between the hand
and the board.

D opened his hand. The face on his palm had been reduced to just a pair
of lips. A red tongue hung from them. Apparently his left hand had
analyzed the material by licking it, as evidenced by the fact the surface of
the board was wet.

“The atomic arrangement of each element forms a single letter or digit in
the formula. That’s a real good hiding place. If any given element is too
thick or too thin, the letter disappears.”

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