“Some. That it’s different from Zeal, and they need lucid dreamers to mine it. I didn’t realize that I’d have to do it so soon. Or that there were lounges for it.”

“By the time that happens, you’ll be trained and know what to do.” His words are so confident I allow myself to believe them, at least a little.

“OK,” he continues. “Today, you’ll be contacting people with your cover story, and we’re going to switch your VeriChip to your sister’s. Once that happens, you’ll contact your friends to tell them her cover story, and then you’ll be able to contact the Ratel. We’ll also start your training. It’ll be physical, hand-to-hand combat, and weapons, and as much information as you can retain. I’m here every step of the way, and any questions you have, you can ask me.”

Despite his harsh features and his scars, his eyes are warm. It steadies me a little more.

“How long have you been undercover?” I ask.

“A little over two years.”

That’s a long time. If he’s deep undercover, that means he might not have been able to contact his close friends and family, and even if he could, he’d have to lie to them day in and day out about what he was really doing with his time.

Like Tila lied to me. And how long will I be doing this? A few days, weeks, months? Years?

I push the thought away, but a worse one follows in its place. “Have you … met my sister?”

“I have. Not often, but we were at some of the same parties, and I saw her in passing if I dropped off deliveries at the Verve warehouse.”

A strange thought. I feel strangely exposed. “What about … the fact we don’t look alike?”

“Visiting a flesh parlor will be one of the last steps.”

I touch my face. Like everyone else, I’ve been to flesh parlors and erased a line here, a dimple there. I’ve never done anything drastic, but I’ll have to change my hair, my nose and my cheekbones. Not much, but enough that I won’t recognize myself so easily in the mirror. Enough that I’ll look like Tila again. “Can I change it back … after?”

“There’s no reason you can’t.”

I’m not reassured. I stare at the dregs of my coffee, counting my steady heartbeats.

“Do you feel ready for the first step?” he asks gently.

I look up, pressing my lips together. “Sooner we start, the sooner it’s over with.”

He gives me a smile, and it transforms his face. His eyes light up, and they crinkle around the corners. I can almost forget the scars hiding beneath the buzz cut of his hair, and the smile puts me a bit more at ease, despite the strangeness of this day.