Bells sounded as the three icons lit up on Napoleon’s board. Dong ... dong ... dong! It was the same noise the Institute’s elevator made when it reached the lab every day.
The Nano-T stopped and swung its sleek head toward the display. Jan watched him through the shiny glass, her fingertips wavering over the symbols on the keyboard (a standard IBM inputter converted to an icon alphabet). She bit her lower lip, expectantly. Getting him to interact wasn’t always easy. The slightest little noise could—
There was the faintest draft, and the door to her office swung shut. The dinosaur crouched and turned, splaying its fore-claws. Its eyes rolled back in its skull. Jan had seen the gesture before, on countless occasions. It was Napoleon’s attack posture.
She looked at the room’s reflection in
