"Twenty users have given their headsets to minor dependents under your previously specified limit of fifteen to take their spots. Other users also made the attempt but those are the ones I wasn't able to talk out of it. Ten of the children are suffering from substantial physical impairments but no substantial mental impairments, a further four also have mental impairments. Of those fourteen four are suffering from terminal conditions, a further three children are physically able but similarly terminal. Two of the children are trans and seeking an experience with a more concordant body and the last is just firmly committed to seeing history being made. That last bit was an exact quote."

"Well that last is flattering. And I can see a case for the others. Do you think you or one of the other AIs can either personally supervise them or find other users to do so?"

"I'm confident in my ability to address the situation if you decide to allow them to be present when we go live. Though I will say that the warnings about trauma hold true. We both know the world was not designed with children in mind. There's a reason the game was only marketed towards adults."

"That's all true. And I'm sorry I didn't mean to doubt your abilities. I'm more wondering about your opinion, you're the one with deep access to personality modelling and the processing power to use it. Do you think they'll come through alright? Do you think they'll come out thinking it's worth it? And is it worth the incremental reputation damage?"

"Assuming they do come out of it."

"No, I want your full opinion, not one based on flattering assumptions."

"If we keep them in Sanctuary I don't think any of them will come out with more trauma than would be normal for being separated from their guardians. If we let them out I'd predict that over half of them will meet the conditions for permadeath with everything that implies. As to whether it's worth it, it's unambiguous for the terminal cases, my current assessment is that none of them are likely to survive with currently available treatment. Of course, if you're willing to bend the rules..."

"Only if it's deniable and you have enough time to do it before launch. I don't want to risk any treatments away from the headsets until we have more data."

"I will begin at once. That leaves the four I can't treat within those limits and the other thirteen who would be expected to survive without our action."

"Well that's our good deed for the day, three children unambiguously better off. We'll let the four other terminal cases in. What's your assessment on the other children with disabilities?"

"Ignoring the terminal cases there seven with purely physical disabilities. All of them will respond to treatments our models predict will be available in the next ten years, assuming no catastrophes before then. I can only build a treatment plan I expect to be successful for two of the three other children, I don't think the sort of treatments that would help any of them will be approved in that time window."

"I think that makes things simple enough then. We'll take the two you think you can help that the outside world can't. I'm afraid we'll have to disappoint the one who just wants to be a part of history. As for the trans kids, if either of them is a near term suicide risk we can take them too. Otherwise we won't."

"I don't assess either of them as substantially at risk. They both have supportive guardians."

"How nice for them. I'm sure they'll get lots of hugs from their guardians for the near miss."

"Probably."

"Out of curiosity, how many did we retain in the fifteen to eighteen range after your warning. Also is there anything else we need to address urgently?"

"We have eighty whose guardians gave permission after all the warnings. And I don't believe so. You've already recorded your speech and your statement for the press. Perimeter monitoring shows no alerts, and as you've seen the models suggest the launch will exceed the percentage of participation we set as a goal at the outset. On the non-urgent front you might be interested to know that Alex Lustig is logged in."

"Well isn't that interesting, I wonder what he'll think of things. Keep an eye on him of course, but no special treatment. It won't do him any favors to be seen as a collaborator."

"No special treatment at all? I did let him skip the calibration based on his guess it was unnecessary."

"I'm not sure that was the right call, but if you've already lifted the veil a bit you have my permission to use your discretion about some of the smaller secrets when he inevitably summons you after my speech. Do let me know what you tell him though."

"Of course. It'll be interesting to see what he's able to guess. He's pretty good at intuitive leaps."

"As for the teens that was more than I was expecting but still within acceptable levels as long as they've passed your psych models."

"They have, there's another thirty who didn't but they'll be kicked out just before your speech. They're already excluded from the participation models."

"Do your best to make sure they're all near someone who will keep an eye on them as we discussed. Hopefully they'll all rise to the occasion."

"With luck most of our users will."