"Whatever works. It seems obvious to me that our hosts are not ogres, and it's not likely we'll be mistreated—dazzled a bit, perhaps, subjected to all kinds of future shock, but. . . We can handle that. We all survived our time on the Stone, so we can survive this. Right?"

"Right," Farley said, regarding Lanier with an expression of something more than respect for authority. Patricia glanced between them and put on what Lanier thought of as her sharp cheery look—a smile with an edge, her square eyes intense.

Carrolson inspected all three intently.

"Olmy's in the lounge," Patricia said. "He has Ram Kikura with him. I told him to wait until we were finished—but they want to talk to us."

"So are we united?" Lanier asked.

"Of course," Heineman said softly.

Olmy and Ram Kikura entered Patricia's quarters and sat in the middle of the group, legs crossed. Ram Kikura smiled happily; to Lanier, she looked hardly more than Patricia's age, though she had to be much older.

Lanier presented their demands. To his surprise, Olmy agreed to almost everything, excluding only communication with the Thistledown. "That I cannot grant you right now. Perhaps later. We can allow you uncensored access to data, but that will require some education," he said. "Full access to data is very complicated, a great responsibility. There is potential for abuse. For a start, would you accept the help of a pedagog? Ram Kikura could assign a ghost—a partial personality base on her own. This pedagog will perform searches for you, as well as instruct. Our younger citizens use them all the time."

"It will let us research anything?" Patricia asked.

"That is a difficult request," Ram Kikura said. "Not even a citizen has access to everything in City Memory. There is much that could be dangerous for the untrained—"

"Like what?" Heineman asked.

"Programs that alter personality, or merge different personalities. Psyche enhancement. Various high-level fictions and theoretical programs. You may wish to explore these later, but for now a pedagog will protect you from inadvertently. . . let's say, getting in over your head."

"Or under," Carrolson said.

"Are we still being kept pure?" Patricia asked.

"To a certain extent," Olmy admitted. "But the tests have been performed—"

"They have?" Heineman betrayed his shock.

"Yes. While you slept."

"I think we should have been advised what was happening," Lanier said, frowning.

"You were. Your sleep personas guided our inquiries, and we did nothing they did not agree with."

"Jesus," Carrolson said. "What in the hell are sleep personas?"

Ram Kikura raised her hands. "Perhaps now you see why your legal status is that of children, or at best adolescents. You are simply unprepared for full exposure to all the Axis City has to offer. Please don't be offended. I'm here to help whenever possible—not to hinder or frustrate you. I'm also here to protect, and I will do that over whatever objections you may have."