“Hm. Cam, where have I heard that before?” Hands behind his back, Pal is peering closely at the reflective screen at the top of the pedestal.

“Archivist Zeta made a very similar observation about herself during your last weekly appointment. I believe you reminded her that she should be required to coat her brain in thermal paste to keep it from overheating.”

“Ah, yes.” Pal looks at Jade with faint amusement and arches a brow. “What was I expecting? Ancient laboratory equipment. A doorway into there, maybe.” He gestures at the wall, on the other side of which is surely the glass chamber. “But I can’t tell what this is, either. A tablet of some kind, maybe?” Pal takes a small shard of bone out of his pocket and places it into his palm, where after a few minutes it grows into a skeletal replica of his own hand. With a satisfied little nod, he places it on the panel.

The good news is that nothing explodes. The bad news is that a metal cage immediately encircles the hand and the door slams shut.