She rolled her head to face me. I could feel her stare pinned to the side of my face like heat. “I asked you a question. What’s the matter?”

I closed my eyes briefly.

“Nadia, right?”

“Yes.”

“Nadia Makita.”

“Yes.”

I glanced sideways at her. “How the fuck did you get here, Nadia?”

“What is that, a metaphysical question?”

“No. Technological.” I propped myself up on one arm and gestured at her body. Envoy response conditioning or not, most of me was amazed at the detached sense of calm I was managing. “You can’t be unaware of what’s going on here. You live in the command software, and sometimes you get out. From what I’ve seen, I’d guess you come up through the basic instinct channels, riding the surge. Sex, maybe fear or fury too. Stuff like that blots out a lot of the conscious mind’s functions, and that’d give you the space. But—”

“You’re some kind of expert, are you?”

“Used to be.” I watched her for reaction. “I was an Envoy once.”

“A what?”

“Doesn’t matter. What I want to know is while you’re here, what’s happened to Sylvie Oshima?”

“Who?”

“You’re wearing her fucking body, Nadia. Don’t get obtuse on me.”

She rolled onto her back and stared at the ceiling. “I don’t really want to talk about this.”

“No, you probably don’t. And you know what, nor do I. But sooner or later, we’re going to have to. You know that.”

Long quiet. She opened her legs and rubbed absently at a patch of flesh on her inner thigh. She reached across and squeezed my shrunken prick. I took her hand and pushed it gently away.

“Forget it, Nadia. I’m wrung out. Even Mitzi Harlan couldn’t get another hard-on out of me tonight. It’s time to talk. Now where is Sylvie Oshima?”

She rolled away from me again.

“I’m supposed to be this woman’s keeper?” she asked bitterly. “You think I’m in control of this?”

“Maybe not. But you’ve got to have some idea.”

More quiet, but this time it quivered with tension. I waited. Finally, she rolled back to face me, eyes desperate.

“I dream this fucking Oshima, do you know that,” she hissed. “She’s a fucking dream, how am I supposed to know where she goes when I wake up?”

“Yeah, she dreams you too, apparently.”

“Is that supposed to make me feel better?”

I sighed. “Tell me what you dream.”

“Why?”

“Because, Nadia, I’m trying to fucking help.”

The eyes flared.