‘I try to stay diversified.’

‘That’s not an answer.’

For the first time, Peravov’s irritation got the better of his fear. ‘It’s business, probator. Everything’s on the level here.’

‘Glad to hear it. I might want to talk about that some more, too. But, right now, I’m here to learn about non-licensed rejuve thera­pies. The kind that takes plasma and stems from live subjects.’

Peravov looked disgusted. ‘Vile,’ he said.

‘You wouldn’t have anything to do with that. Even if the prices were getting so high you couldn’t turn a profit any other way.’

He whitened a little. ‘No, of course not.’

Zidarov leaned forward. Nonchalantly, he reached for his Tzar­ina, turned it over in his hand, before placing it on the desk between them. ‘But you’re an expert in your field,’ he said. ‘You hear things from those with fewer scruples than you have. You want to know what’s going on.’

‘I wouldn’t know–’

‘But don’t you dare lie to me,’ said Zidarov calmly. ‘I’ll have a squad down here in five minutes, and those locked doors would be open before you could even switch the cold-storage off. You can make me do that, and we’ll finish this conversation up at the Bastion. Or we can pretend you’re not a scrap of filth for just a little longer.’

Peravov swallowed. He was trembling now, his mind no doubt racing down some dark alleys. ‘Hypothetically, you mean?’ he said. ‘I see. Well, I do hear things. If I were so inclined, and wanted to look into it, I believe it would be harder than ever even to get hold of these… inputs. What do they call the production process? Cell-draining. Bad practice. I heard it had been driven out of Varangantua. But then, the imports slow, prices rise. I guess some are tempted. Here’s the problem, though – it’s war out there. You must already know this.’

‘Just explain it to me. As if I didn’t.’

‘So, I was told there was enthusiasm for reviving it. Cell-draining. But it’s not easy – you still need slate and experience to set it up. Get it wrong, and all you’ve done is murder a lot of young bleeders for nothing worth using. You need to invest, and get the right machines, and they’re not easy to come by. Then you need to keep it hidden, and find a way to get the product out to those immoral enough to buy. And then you have to find a way to launder the slate, so you need other activities – industries you can funnel the coin through. Anyone doing it is already rich.’

‘Give me some names.’

‘I don’t know any.’