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want to touch it, so he looked around, back over the lab area, and called out, “This one’s hatched and I think she might eat it.”
    A man in a lab coat hurried over and picked up the tongue.
    “Stay,” Portafack said when she started to follow the technician. She stopped and looked at him. “Good. That’s very good. Come here now.” She went to him, reluctantly.
    He lifted her chin with his hand, studying her. The girl’s face had a slight ridge from her forehead to her nose. It was hard for him to figure out whether she looked dull-witted or smart, because it all depended on perspective, didn’t it? From whose point of view, human or dog? “Are you a good girl?” he breathed into her face. “Or do you fight back? Which will it be?” His voice was coaxing; Tercepia tensed and he released her.
    “Let’s go to Dr. Sandam, shall we?” he said. She looked alert, and he repeated, “Sandam.” She took off at a trot.
    He didn’t take much notice of the brown dog that was in sight again, moving through the trees a hundred yards from the barn. Tercepia saw the dog and started running to him, but Portafack called her back and she moved in an arc on line again to go find Sandam.
    He watched her run. She was barefoot, with strong calf muscles. Her arms pumped rhythmically. He would let her hair grow longer; right now it was short and uncared for. He didn’t mind its roughness, but he wanted it to get in her face more; he wanted to be able to twist it around in his hand.
    Sandam was standing outside, waiting for them.
    “Well?” he asked.
    “I’ll take her,” Portafack said. “If she’s as good as you say, I’ll probably come back and take some more. I have friends who will be interested.”
    Sandam nodded. “I have to admit I’m sorry to see her go. She’s very sweet and very loyal. She may seem depressed for a few days, they do sometimes, until she adjusts. We spent a lot of time on her.” There was regret in his voice as he led Portafack to his office and began writing out the receipts. “It was a pleasure to see how much she could learn. I do want you to send me reports every month or so. We want to track them as much as possible. Her brother’s reports have been good, and we sold two of the younger girls last week as nannies. They’ve adjusted very quickly, though the first few days, I have to warn you, can be very sad for them.”
    When he had finished all the paperwork, he handed the bill to Portafack, who studied it and then gave him a credit card.
    “How will she know she belongs to me now?”
    “She’s trained to accept orders, so use voice commands, just as you would with any dog. But be kind. They respond to kindness more than anything else. Persuasion. Affection. That sort of thing.”
    When they’d finished all the paper work, they went outside again. Tercepia was playing with the dog a little distance away.
    “That dog,” Portafack murmured. He could see the dog opening and shutting its mouth, but there was no sound. “Did you de-bark it or something?”
    Sandam cleared his throat. “It made too much noise. It kept distracting the hybrids.”
    “Oh? Then barking bothers them?”
    Sandam hesitated. “No. It wasn’t really the barking that did it, but don’t worry. It doesn’t affect you.”
    “If you say so. Do I just call her to me?” He was eager; his eyes were locked on her.
    He called and the girl came to him, but stood a few feet away. She looked uneasy. The blue-eyed dog went off to the other side of the yard, and sat down watching them.
    “Car, Tercepia,” Sandam said. He patted Portafack on the shoulder. “She likes cars. They all do.”
    “I could have guessed. Let’s go to the car, Tercepia.”
    Tercepia looked alert when she heard the word and happily ran over to Sandam’s car.
    “No,” he said.
    “Here, Tercepia,” Portafack said, motioning her to the right vehicle. “Car.” He opened the door for her.
    She went over slowly and climbed in. When