“Fuck,” I say. Zealots are those who become so addicted to Zeal that they spend more of their lives plugged in than out. Sometimes, if their fantasies are too violent or depraved, the government takes an interest, worried that they might pose a threat to society despite Zeal’s soporific aftereffects. So some go off-grid and take Zeal in unregulated, horrible dumps. Anything for their dreams. Most of them don’t live long, spending so much time within the Zealscape they stop eating and waste away. I’ve always wondered why the government never cracked down on those illegal Zeal lounges. Now, with a sinking feeling, I wonder if it’s because letting them starve is easier and cheaper than stasis.

“I know. They have an orderly there, a lucid dreamer, who will be tasked to see how many dreams he can mine and how quickly. There might be more to it as well, but as a Knight, they don’t tell me much, and I can’t ask questions. I want to stop it, but I can’t.”

Because it’d blow his cover. That’s another aspect I haven’t thought of—how I’ll have to see horrible things and let them slide, because to speak up would make me stand out.

I don’t want to talk about it any more. “What are you shoving into my brain this time?” I ask in dread.

“We’ll give your brain a rest from Ratel info. Some of the data now will be physical fighting techniques. The rest of it…” Unease flickers over his features, and I can feel it mirrored in my own. “This … might not be easy for you.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, it’s to help you with going to Zenith. Help you fit in.”

“You interviewed a hostess?”

His eyes flick away from me.

Oh. Shit. I suddenly understand, and I don’t know whether to be hopeful or angry. “You spoke to Tila.”

He nods. “Yes. She gave us an interview. For you.”

He’s looking for a reaction, but I keep my face blank and still, despite my insides turning to water. “OK.”

“Are you all right with this?”

What does he expect me to say? Of course I’m not all right with this. I’m not remotely all right with any of this. It’ll be the first time I’ve seen my sister since she was literally dragged from my arms by the police. She’s the one who hasn’t spoken to me since—for if Detective Nazarin was right, she didn’t wish to speak to me. After everything I’ve discovered about her, everything I’ve learned she’s hidden from me, and everything I know I will learn, will she still look like the same Tila I thought I knew?