“And help no one else,” I pointed out.

“Yes. Axiomatic.” He looked round at me. ”Are you a revolutionary too, then? One of the neoQuellist faithful?”

“Not as such.”

“But you have little sympathy with Renouncing?”

I shrugged. “It’s harmless. As you say. And no one has to play who doesn’t want to. But you kind of assume the rest of us are going to provide the powered infrastructure for your way of life. Seems to me that’s a basic failure in Renouncing, all on its own.”

I got the smile back for that. “Yes, that is something of a test of faith for many of us. Of course, ultimately we believe all of humanity will follow us into virtual. We are merely preparing the way. Learning the path, you might say.”

“Yeah,” snapped Brasil. “And meanwhile, outside the world falls apart on the rest of us.”

“It was always falling apart, Jack. Do you really think what I used to do out there, the little thefts and defiances, do you really think all that made any difference?”

“We’re taking a team into Rila,” said Brasil abruptly, decided. “That’s the difference we’re going to make, Nik. Right there.”

I cleared my throat. “With your help.”

“Ah.”

“Yeah, we need the route, Nik.” Brasil got up and wandered off into a corner of the quadrangle, raising his voice as if, now the secret was out, he wanted even the volume of conversation to reflect his decision. “You feel like giving it to us? Say, for old times’ sake?”

Natsume got up and regarded me quizzically.

“Have you climbed a sea cliff before?”

“Not really. But the sleeve I’m wearing knows how to do it.”

For a moment he held my eye. It was as if he was processing what I’d just said and it wouldn’t load. Then, suddenly, he barked a laugh that didn’t belong inside the man we’d been talking to.

“Your sleeve knows how?” The laughter shook out to a more governed chuckling and then a hard-eyed gravity. “You’ll need more than that. You do know there are ripwing colonies on the top third of Rila Crags? Probably more now than there ever were when I went up. You do know there’s an overhanging flange that runs all the way round the lower battlements, and the Buddha alone knows how much updated anti-intrusion tech they’ve built into it since I climbed it. You do know the currents at the base of Rila will carry your broken body halfway up the Reach before they drop you anywhere.”

“Well,” I shrugged. “At least if I fall, I won’t get picked up for interrogation.”

Natsume glanced across at Brasil.

“How old is he?”