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.This engineer at Indigo Gear is going to get me in – get us in, if you wantto come along.”“Into TreeHouse? Some guy you’ve never met is going to slip a couple of kids into TreeHouse?Just for fun? Shoot me again, Gardiner, I’m still breathing.”“Okay, not just for fun.I told them that I’d sign their sponsorship agreement if someone couldget me into TreeHouse for a day.”Fredericks sat up.“You what? Orlando, this is too far scanny! You signed up to go work forsome gear company for half your life just to find out who made that stupid gryphon?”“It’s not half my life.It’s three years.And it’s a pretty good deal, anyway.” He didn’t tellFredericks about his private disbelief that he would ever serve that sentence.“Come on,Frederico.Even if I have lost my mind – it’s TreeHouse! You’re not going to turn down thechance to go there, are you? To see it? You don’t have work for Indigo.”His friend looked at him carefully, as though hoping to see through the sim to the real personbeneath – a futile hope.Orlando wondered briefly if there was something bad for your brainabout having years-long friendships with people you’d never met in the real world.“I’m worried about you, Gardiner.You’re taking this much too seriously.First you get Thargorkilled, then you blow your chances with the Table of Judgment, now you’ve.I don’t know, soldyour soul to some corporation – and it’s all because of this city you saw for about five seconds.Are you going mental or something?”Orlando paused on the verge of saying something sarcastic.Instead, he found himself wonderingif Fredericks might be right, and the mere fact of wondering, the momentary loss of certainty,brought a stab of cold fear.The word was “dementia,” and he had seen it in more than a fewmedical articles.“Gardiner?”“Shut up for a second, Fredericks.” He tested the fear, felt its clammy extent.Could his friend beright?Then again, did it matter? If he was losing his mind, did it matter if he made a fool of himself?All he knew was that when he had seen the city, it had made him feel that there was somethingleft to wonder about, in a life that was otherwise full of dreadful certainties.And in his dreams,the city had taken on an even greater significance.It was the exact size, shape, and color of hopeitself.something he had never thought he would see again.And that was more important thananything.“I guess you’ll just have to trust me, Fredericks old chum.”His friend sat silently for some time.“Okay,” he said at last.“But I’m not going to break anylaws.”“No one’s asking you to break the law.TreeHouse isn’t illegal, really.Well, maybe it is, I’m notsure.But remember, we’re both minors.The guy who’s taking us is an adult.If anyone gets introuble, it’ll be him.”Fredericks shook his head.“You’re so stupid, Gardino.”“Why?”“Because if this guy is willing to break the law to get you to sign up for Indigo, they must reallywant you.Jeez, you probably could have gotten them to give you a private jet or something.”Orlando laughed.“Frederico, you are one of a kind.”“Yeah? All the more reason not to get wiped out on one of your stupid excursions, Gardiner.”“You’re not going to wear that sim, are you?”“Detox, Fredericks.Of course I’m going to wear it.” He flexed Thargor’s leather-vambracedarm.“I know it better than my own body.”Oh, yeah,he thought.I wish.“But it’s.it’s TreeHouse! Shouldn’t you wear something.I don’t know.more interesting?”Orlando glowered, something the Thargor sim did very well.“It’s not a costume party.And ifthe people in TreeHouse have been hacking forever, they probably wouldn’t be very impressedby some fancy sim.I just want to get the job done.”Fredericks shrugged.“I’m certainly not going to wear anything that someone might recognize.We might get in trouble – this is illegal, Orlando.”“Sure.Like there are a bunch of people hanging around in TreeHouse who are going to say,‘Look, isn’t that Pithlit, the famous slightly nervous person from the Middle Country simworld?’ ”“Get locked.I’m just not taking any chances.” Fredericks paused for a moment.Orlando feltsure he was doing the online equivalent of looking at himself in the mirror – studying his specs.“I mean, this is just an ordinary body.”“Still pretty musclebound, as usual.” Fredericks didn’t respond, and Orlando wondered for amoment if he’d hurt his friend’s feelings
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