Pandita’s eyes found Tom. “And you.” She beamed at him. “I know you. I enjoyed that tour of the Pentagonal Spire you gave my colleagues and me several months back. I recall you being a very charming and well-spoken young man.”

Tom remembered that tour. It was back when Dalton Prestwick reprogrammed him and he’d morphed into a pathetic little suck-up for a whole month. He’d been so very eager then to make connections that he’d even volunteered to lead a tour of business leaders through the Pentagonal Spire.

“Uh, thanks. That wasn’t really . . . Yeah.” Tom wasn’t sure what else to say.

Pandita frowned a bit, obviously perplexed by how much less charming and well-spoken Tom was now, but she beckoned with a finger for her assistant to snap a photo of his face. As she moved on to other trainees, Wyatt turned on Tom. “You talked! You’re not supposed to talk.”

“Wyatt, if neither of us had talked, she would’ve thought that there was something very wrong with us.”

“Yes!” She gave an eager nod. “But you know what she wouldn’t have been? Offended.”

Confused, Tom began to hover by a distant window, trying to be inconspicuous, imitating the way Wyatt hovered by an opposite window, also trying to be inconspicuous.

Then Vik appeared at his shoulder. “Why are you skulking here? You look like you’re plotting something.”

“I’m not plotting or skulking. I’m taking Wyatt’s advice and lying low.”

Vik’s eyes shot wide with horror. He grabbed Tom’s shoulders. “By God, Doctor, what are you doing?”

Tom’s brow furrowed. “I told you—”

“You are taking advice about how to deal with people from Wyatt Enslow.”

“But I just—”

“Let me rephrase: you are taking advice about how to deal with people from Wyatt Enslow.” Then Vik waited, letting that sink in this time.

It hit Tom. “Oh no, what am I doing? It’s like I want to sabotage myself.”

Vik nodded. “Never fear, Gormless Cretin. Now I am here.”

“That doesn’t sound promising, man.”

Vik cuffed the back of his head. “You need to learn the fine art of schmoozing. Just repeat after me: ‘I agree.’”

Tom pressed his lips together. Vik cleared his throat.

“I agree,” Tom grumbled.

“Right you are,” Vik said, then waited for Tom to say it.

“Right you are.”

“You stagger me with your knowledge.”

“Come on,” Tom said. When Vik raised his eyebrows, he said, “Fine, you stagger me with your knowledge.”

“Okay, now let’s give some context for these statements. Hmm. I say, ‘Vikram Ashwan is ten times the gamer Tom Raines is.’ You say . . .” Vik raised his eyebrows.

“Vikram Ashwan is ten times the gamer Tom Raines is . . . in his own sad, delusional mind.”

“Young Thomas, that is not what you are supposed to say. Listen to your Doctor: Vikram Ashwan is a hundred times the gamer Tom Raines is.”