Short Fiction · Chapters
Chapters explained
Chapter companions for Short Fiction by Frederik Pohl.
Chapter 1
Asteroid of the Damned
MacCauley, a T.P.L. agent, finds himself stranded and penniless on the asteroid Pallas after being robbed. He attempts to report the crime to the local Kiddie police but is thwarted by a corrupt Venusian interpreter who demands a filing fee. Even revealing his T.P.L. affiliation fails to gain him any leverage, highlighting the lawless and alien nature of the asteroid.
Chapter 2
Conspiracy on Callisto
The chapter follows Peter Duane as he is arrested on Callisto and brought before Governor Andrias, who reveals a conspiracy involving the manipulation of time and reality. Duane learns of a plot by the Old Ones to control humanity through a time loop, and he must navigate a web of deceit and power struggles.
Chapter 3
I
Herrell McCray, a ship's navigator on the Starship Jodrell Bank, suddenly finds himself transported from his navigator's cubicle to a dark, silent room filled with random objects. He discovers a spacesuit and tries to use its radio to call for help, but receives no response. The pinkish light that appeared when he wished to see vanishes, and he realizes he cannot see his own body.
Chapter 4
II
Hatcher, a non-human probe team leader, reports to his council about the captured Earthman Herrell McCray. The council pressures Hatcher to establish communication quickly due to the threat of the Old Ones and the disappearance of a team member from the Central Masses. Hatcher struggles with the alien nature of the Earthman and the urgency of the situation.
Chapter 5
III
Herrell McCray, trapped in a mysterious room on an unknown planet, discovers a light on a spacesuit and uses it to navigate. He realizes there is a significant time lag in his radio communications with the Jodrell Bank, estimating he is over 500 light-years away. As the room heats up and fills with toxic halogen fumes, he dons the suit, retrieves a space-ax, and breaks through a door into another room filled with cryptic, alien workbenches and shelves.
Chapter 6
IV
Herrell McCray, having escaped the first lethal chamber, discovers a female alien specimen unconscious in a tunnel. He cautiously removes his helmet to test the air, which is breathable but tainted. Meanwhile, the non-human Hatcher observes the specimens, noting that the male (McCray) is in paranormal communication with his ship, the Jodrell Bank, while the female's thoughts are dangerously unshielded. Hatcher fears the Old Ones may detect her. McCray receives a transmission from Captain Tillinger, who confirms he has been kidnapped and is a thousand light-years away near the Orion Nebula. McCray faces the dilemma of whether to stay or try to escape, burdened by the unconscious woman and her heavy suit.
Chapter 7
V
Herrell McCray, having undergone a transformation that freed his mind, returns to the Jodrell Bank and recounts his experiences to the ship's officers. He explains the nature of Hatcher's people, the threat of the Old Ones from the galaxy's core, and his newfound abilities. After nourishing his body, he resolves to teach humanity to become gods to face the coming conflict.
Chapter 8
Double-Cross
On Venus, a group of native Venusian conspirators led by Svan plot to destroy an Earth-ship to prevent colonization. Svan secretly marks his own slip to plant an atomite bomb, kills a guard who discovers them, and sets a plan in motion while the Earth-ship crew grows increasingly suspicious of the natives.
Chapter 9
Let the Ants Try
Salva Gordy and John de Terry travel 40 million years back in time to introduce ant queens into the primordial Coal Measure forest, hoping to create an alien race that might unite humanity. Upon returning to the present, they find a world dominated by intelligent, man-sized ants. Gordy is captured and forced to reassemble his time machine, but the ants betray him, nearly killing him. He escapes back to the ancient forest, only to discover the ants have built their own time machine and are hunting him. Gordy realizes his plan has backfired: the ants have prevented humanity from ever rising.
Chapter 10
The Tunnel Under the World
Guy Burckhardt awakens from a nightmare of an explosion to find his world subtly off-kilter. He experiences strange repetitions, a pervasive advertising assault, and a growing sense that his reality is manufactured. The chapter culminates in his discovery of a tunnel leading to a control room where he learns he and others are part of a commercial experiment, reliving the same day in a simulated town.
Chapter 11
I
Herrell McCray, a ship's navigator on the Starship Jodrell Bank, suddenly finds himself transported from his navigator's cubicle to a dark, silent room filled with random objects. He discovers a spacesuit and tries to use its radio to call for help, but receives no response. The pinkish light that appeared when he wished to see vanishes, and he realizes he cannot see his own body.
Chapter 12
II
Hatcher, a non-human probe team leader, reports to his council about the captured Earthman Herrell McCray. The council pressures Hatcher to establish communication quickly due to the threat of the Old Ones and the disappearance of a team member from the Central Masses. Hatcher struggles with the alien nature of the Earthman and the urgency of the situation.
Chapter 13
III
Herrell McCray, trapped in a mysterious room on an unknown planet, discovers a light on a spacesuit and uses it to navigate. He realizes there is a significant time lag in his radio communications with the Jodrell Bank, estimating he is over 500 light-years away. As the room heats up and fills with toxic halogen fumes, he dons the suit, retrieves a space-ax, and breaks through a door into another room filled with cryptic, alien workbenches and shelves.
Chapter 14
IV
Herrell McCray, having escaped the first lethal chamber, discovers a female alien specimen unconscious in a tunnel. He cautiously removes his helmet to test the air, which is breathable but tainted. Meanwhile, the non-human Hatcher observes the specimens, noting that the male (McCray) is in paranormal communication with his ship, the Jodrell Bank, while the female's thoughts are dangerously unshielded. Hatcher fears the Old Ones may detect her. McCray receives a transmission from Captain Tillinger, who confirms he has been kidnapped and is a thousand light-years away near the Orion Nebula. McCray faces the dilemma of whether to stay or try to escape, burdened by the unconscious woman and her heavy suit.
Chapter 15
V
Herrell McCray, having undergone a transformation that freed his mind, returns to the Jodrell Bank and recounts his experiences to the ship's officers. He explains the nature of Hatcher's people, the threat of the Old Ones from the galaxy's core, and his newfound abilities. After nourishing his body, he resolves to teach humanity to become gods to face the coming conflict.
Chapter 16
VI
Glenn Tropile is inducted into the Wolves, a group that opposes the Pyramids. Haendl shows him working guns and explains their mission to learn about the Pyramids and eventually fight them. Tropile and his wife Gala flee Wheeling, but are captured by a helicopter from the Wolves. Haendl reveals that Tropile is expected to join an expedition to Mount Everest to study a Pyramid. Despite his doubts, Tropile agrees to join.
Chapter 17
Pythias
The narrator, a Senate guard named Dick, recounts his friendship with Laurence Connaught and the events leading to Connaught's murder. After Connaught saves his life by seemingly miraculously neutralizing a grenade, Dick deduces that Connaught possesses a secret technique that allows him to manipulate physical forces with his mind. Confronting him, Connaught demonstrates his powers and reveals the existence of a formula—twenty-three words—that grants such abilities. Fearing the corrupting influence of absolute power, Dick knocks Connaught unconscious, steals his notes, and then shoots him dead, confessing the murder to the police.
Chapter 18
The Day of the Boomer Dukes
The chapter follows the Boomer Dukes, a violent youth gang, as they roam the city engaging in random acts of brutality and theft. The narrative focuses on their leader, Glenn Tropile, and his internal conflict between the gang's savage code and a flicker of conscience, culminating in a confrontation that exposes the dehumanizing effects of their environment.
Chapter 19
I: Foraminifera 9
Foraminifera 9-Hart Bailey's Beam, a being from a future era of extreme tedium, uses a viewing machine to scan history for a time of adventure and excitement. After finding every age boring, he uses an index at the Learning Lodge to locate a period with secret, colorful desperadoes. He chooses the mid-20th century, packs his gear, and travels via transmission capsule. Upon arrival, he encounters two rival gangs—the Leopards and the Boomer Dukes—and attempts to find the Mafia, but is betrayed and knocked unconscious.
Chapter 20
II: Shield 8805
Walter Hutner, a newly appointed rookie patrolman (Shield 8805), waits in a candy store called Chris's in East Harlem, trying to connect with a juvenile gang called The Leopards. The atmosphere is tense; the counter boy, Walt, is unusually quiet, signaling trouble. Hawk summons Walt outside, then reports that five Leopards have been 'chilled' by a mysterious weapon called a 'zip.' Hutner finds the victims unconscious in a cellar. They revive, and one finds a small, glowing, talking object that identifies itself as a 'portatron attuned only to Bailey's Beam percepts' and warns them to remain quiescent. Hutner decides to report to the precinct, but finds himself and the Leopards mysteriously stuck to the floor, unable to move.
Chapter 21
III: Cow
Cow, a member of the Boomer Dukes, recounts how he and his gang ambush a mysterious stranger carrying advanced weaponry, take his loot, and use heroin to fuel their aggression. Under Cow's leadership, the gang prepares for a rumble, intending to take on the world.
Chapter 22
IV: Sandy Van Pelt
Sandy Van Pelt, a disillusioned newspaperman stuck on the night shift with a rookie photographer, Sol Detweiler, is dispatched to cover a gang fight in East Harlem. Despite his skepticism, the situation escalates into something far more serious, involving atomic weapons, a mysterious silvery dome in the sky, and an invulnerable gang member. Van Pelt's instinct for self-preservation leads him to seek shelter in a cellar as the chaos unfolds.
Chapter 23
V: Priam’s Maw
The chapter details the perspective of an Adjuster, Besplex Priam's Maw, as she responds to a temporal disturbance caused by Foraminifera 9-Hart Bailey's Beam, who brought advanced weapons into 20th-century New York. Working alongside her father Alephplex, she helps quarantine the area, neutralize affected aboriginals, and prepare for the fabrication of simulacra to cover up the anachronisms.
Chapter 24
The Engineer
Muhlenhoff, a high-ranking engineer in an undersea oil operation, reflects on his rise to power and his management style during a crisis involving corrosion and leakage. He dismisses his subordinates' panic, indulges in a book about an alternate history where the U.S. lost the Mexican War, and rationalizes his own lack of technical expertise as a necessary part of leadership. The chapter ends with him noticing the door bulging and the air growing stuffy, hinting at an impending disaster.
Chapter 25
I
Herrell McCray, a ship's navigator on the Starship Jodrell Bank, suddenly finds himself transported from his navigator's cubicle to a dark, silent room filled with random objects. He discovers a spacesuit and tries to use its radio to call for help, but receives no response. The pinkish light that appeared when he wished to see vanishes, and he realizes he cannot see his own body.
Chapter 26
II
Hatcher, a non-human probe team leader, reports to his council about the captured Earthman Herrell McCray. The council pressures Hatcher to establish communication quickly due to the threat of the Old Ones and the disappearance of a team member from the Central Masses. Hatcher struggles with the alien nature of the Earthman and the urgency of the situation.
Chapter 27
III
Herrell McCray, trapped in a mysterious room on an unknown planet, discovers a light on a spacesuit and uses it to navigate. He realizes there is a significant time lag in his radio communications with the Jodrell Bank, estimating he is over 500 light-years away. As the room heats up and fills with toxic halogen fumes, he dons the suit, retrieves a space-ax, and breaks through a door into another room filled with cryptic, alien workbenches and shelves.
Chapter 28
IV
Herrell McCray, having escaped the first lethal chamber, discovers a female alien specimen unconscious in a tunnel. He cautiously removes his helmet to test the air, which is breathable but tainted. Meanwhile, the non-human Hatcher observes the specimens, noting that the male (McCray) is in paranormal communication with his ship, the Jodrell Bank, while the female's thoughts are dangerously unshielded. Hatcher fears the Old Ones may detect her. McCray receives a transmission from Captain Tillinger, who confirms he has been kidnapped and is a thousand light-years away near the Orion Nebula. McCray faces the dilemma of whether to stay or try to escape, burdened by the unconscious woman and her heavy suit.
Chapter 29
V
Herrell McCray, having undergone a transformation that freed his mind, returns to the Jodrell Bank and recounts his experiences to the ship's officers. He explains the nature of Hatcher's people, the threat of the Old Ones from the galaxy's core, and his newfound abilities. After nourishing his body, he resolves to teach humanity to become gods to face the coming conflict.
Chapter 30
VI
Glenn Tropile is inducted into the Wolves, a group that opposes the Pyramids. Haendl shows him working guns and explains their mission to learn about the Pyramids and eventually fight them. Tropile and his wife Gala flee Wheeling, but are captured by a helicopter from the Wolves. Haendl reveals that Tropile is expected to join an expedition to Mount Everest to study a Pyramid. Despite his doubts, Tropile agrees to join.
Chapter 31
VII
Glenn Tropile, now living among the Wolves, is assigned to nursery school and later to farming. He learns the Wolves' view of meditation as dangerous and is forbidden from practicing it. Despite his new sense of purpose and physical improvement, he questions the colony's military preparations against the Pyramids. The chapter ends with Tropile unknowingly entering a deep meditative state while boiling water, which triggers his Translation—he vanishes in a mild thunderclap, harvested by the Pyramid.
Chapter 32
VIII
Glenn Tropile is harvested by the Pyramids and transformed into a mindless Component, wired into a nutrient tank to perform a specific biochemical task. Meanwhile, Haendl and Innison of the Wolves detect an Eye forming above Tropile during his Meditation, capture instrumental readings at the moment of his Translation, and deduce that he has been sent toward the Pyramids' home planet. The chapter also reveals the Pyramids' origin and their method of harvesting blank human minds.
Chapter 33
Survival Kit
Mooney steals a survival kit from the prison supplies, setting off a chain of events that highlights the desperate measures inmates take to survive in the harsh prison environment.
Chapter 34
I
Herrell McCray, a ship's navigator on the Starship Jodrell Bank, suddenly finds himself transported from his navigator's cubicle to a dark, silent room filled with random objects. He discovers a spacesuit and tries to use its radio to call for help, but receives no response. The pinkish light that appeared when he wished to see vanishes, and he realizes he cannot see his own body.
Chapter 35
II
Hatcher, a non-human probe team leader, reports to his council about the captured Earthman Herrell McCray. The council pressures Hatcher to establish communication quickly due to the threat of the Old Ones and the disappearance of a team member from the Central Masses. Hatcher struggles with the alien nature of the Earthman and the urgency of the situation.
Chapter 36
III
Herrell McCray, trapped in a mysterious room on an unknown planet, discovers a light on a spacesuit and uses it to navigate. He realizes there is a significant time lag in his radio communications with the Jodrell Bank, estimating he is over 500 light-years away. As the room heats up and fills with toxic halogen fumes, he dons the suit, retrieves a space-ax, and breaks through a door into another room filled with cryptic, alien workbenches and shelves.
Chapter 37
IV
Herrell McCray, having escaped the first lethal chamber, discovers a female alien specimen unconscious in a tunnel. He cautiously removes his helmet to test the air, which is breathable but tainted. Meanwhile, the non-human Hatcher observes the specimens, noting that the male (McCray) is in paranormal communication with his ship, the Jodrell Bank, while the female's thoughts are dangerously unshielded. Hatcher fears the Old Ones may detect her. McCray receives a transmission from Captain Tillinger, who confirms he has been kidnapped and is a thousand light-years away near the Orion Nebula. McCray faces the dilemma of whether to stay or try to escape, burdened by the unconscious woman and her heavy suit.
Chapter 38
V
Herrell McCray, having undergone a transformation that freed his mind, returns to the Jodrell Bank and recounts his experiences to the ship's officers. He explains the nature of Hatcher's people, the threat of the Old Ones from the galaxy's core, and his newfound abilities. After nourishing his body, he resolves to teach humanity to become gods to face the coming conflict.
Chapter 39
VI
Glenn Tropile is inducted into the Wolves, a group that opposes the Pyramids. Haendl shows him working guns and explains their mission to learn about the Pyramids and eventually fight them. Tropile and his wife Gala flee Wheeling, but are captured by a helicopter from the Wolves. Haendl reveals that Tropile is expected to join an expedition to Mount Everest to study a Pyramid. Despite his doubts, Tropile agrees to join.
Chapter 40
The Hated
The narrator, Byron, recounts his experience as a space traveler confined to a designated area on Earth due to the psychological tensions of space travel. He undergoes a 'psychic rehabilitation' with Dr. Santly, but secretly harbors violent intentions toward his former crewmate, Chowderhead (Marvin T. Roebuck). In a bar across the river from his assigned zone, he meets a woman and reveals his obsessive search for Roebuck, whom he blames for past grievances. The chapter culminates in a violent confrontation when Roebuck appears, armed with a knife, and Byron arms himself with a broken bottle.
Chapter 41
I
Herrell McCray, a ship's navigator on the Starship Jodrell Bank, suddenly finds himself transported from his navigator's cubicle to a dark, silent room filled with random objects. He discovers a spacesuit and tries to use its radio to call for help, but receives no response. The pinkish light that appeared when he wished to see vanishes, and he realizes he cannot see his own body.
Chapter 42
II
Hatcher, a non-human probe team leader, reports to his council about the captured Earthman Herrell McCray. The council pressures Hatcher to establish communication quickly due to the threat of the Old Ones and the disappearance of a team member from the Central Masses. Hatcher struggles with the alien nature of the Earthman and the urgency of the situation.
Chapter 43
III
Herrell McCray, trapped in a mysterious room on an unknown planet, discovers a light on a spacesuit and uses it to navigate. He realizes there is a significant time lag in his radio communications with the Jodrell Bank, estimating he is over 500 light-years away. As the room heats up and fills with toxic halogen fumes, he dons the suit, retrieves a space-ax, and breaks through a door into another room filled with cryptic, alien workbenches and shelves.
Chapter 44
IV
Herrell McCray, having escaped the first lethal chamber, discovers a female alien specimen unconscious in a tunnel. He cautiously removes his helmet to test the air, which is breathable but tainted. Meanwhile, the non-human Hatcher observes the specimens, noting that the male (McCray) is in paranormal communication with his ship, the Jodrell Bank, while the female's thoughts are dangerously unshielded. Hatcher fears the Old Ones may detect her. McCray receives a transmission from Captain Tillinger, who confirms he has been kidnapped and is a thousand light-years away near the Orion Nebula. McCray faces the dilemma of whether to stay or try to escape, burdened by the unconscious woman and her heavy suit.
Chapter 45
V
Herrell McCray, having undergone a transformation that freed his mind, returns to the Jodrell Bank and recounts his experiences to the ship's officers. He explains the nature of Hatcher's people, the threat of the Old Ones from the galaxy's core, and his newfound abilities. After nourishing his body, he resolves to teach humanity to become gods to face the coming conflict.
Chapter 46
VI
Glenn Tropile is inducted into the Wolves, a group that opposes the Pyramids. Haendl shows him working guns and explains their mission to learn about the Pyramids and eventually fight them. Tropile and his wife Gala flee Wheeling, but are captured by a helicopter from the Wolves. Haendl reveals that Tropile is expected to join an expedition to Mount Everest to study a Pyramid. Despite his doubts, Tropile agrees to join.
Chapter 47
Wolfbane
The chapter introduces a dystopian world where the Pyramids, alien structures, have taken over Earth, and the remaining humans are struggling to survive. The narrative follows Glenn Tropile, a man who has been 'processed' by the Pyramids and now lives in a controlled society. He encounters various characters, including Howard Mooney and Peter Duane, as they navigate the oppressive regime. The story explores themes of survival, adaptation, and the loss of identity under alien domination.
Chapter 48
I
Herrell McCray, a ship's navigator on the Starship Jodrell Bank, suddenly finds himself transported from his navigator's cubicle to a dark, silent room filled with random objects. He discovers a spacesuit and tries to use its radio to call for help, but receives no response. The pinkish light that appeared when he wished to see vanishes, and he realizes he cannot see his own body.
Chapter 49
II
Hatcher, a non-human probe team leader, reports to his council about the captured Earthman Herrell McCray. The council pressures Hatcher to establish communication quickly due to the threat of the Old Ones and the disappearance of a team member from the Central Masses. Hatcher struggles with the alien nature of the Earthman and the urgency of the situation.
Chapter 50
III
Herrell McCray, trapped in a mysterious room on an unknown planet, discovers a light on a spacesuit and uses it to navigate. He realizes there is a significant time lag in his radio communications with the Jodrell Bank, estimating he is over 500 light-years away. As the room heats up and fills with toxic halogen fumes, he dons the suit, retrieves a space-ax, and breaks through a door into another room filled with cryptic, alien workbenches and shelves.
Chapter 51
IV
Herrell McCray, having escaped the first lethal chamber, discovers a female alien specimen unconscious in a tunnel. He cautiously removes his helmet to test the air, which is breathable but tainted. Meanwhile, the non-human Hatcher observes the specimens, noting that the male (McCray) is in paranormal communication with his ship, the Jodrell Bank, while the female's thoughts are dangerously unshielded. Hatcher fears the Old Ones may detect her. McCray receives a transmission from Captain Tillinger, who confirms he has been kidnapped and is a thousand light-years away near the Orion Nebula. McCray faces the dilemma of whether to stay or try to escape, burdened by the unconscious woman and her heavy suit.
Chapter 52
V
Herrell McCray, having undergone a transformation that freed his mind, returns to the Jodrell Bank and recounts his experiences to the ship's officers. He explains the nature of Hatcher's people, the threat of the Old Ones from the galaxy's core, and his newfound abilities. After nourishing his body, he resolves to teach humanity to become gods to face the coming conflict.
Chapter 53
VI
Glenn Tropile is inducted into the Wolves, a group that opposes the Pyramids. Haendl shows him working guns and explains their mission to learn about the Pyramids and eventually fight them. Tropile and his wife Gala flee Wheeling, but are captured by a helicopter from the Wolves. Haendl reveals that Tropile is expected to join an expedition to Mount Everest to study a Pyramid. Despite his doubts, Tropile agrees to join.
Chapter 54
VII
Glenn Tropile, now living among the Wolves, is assigned to nursery school and later to farming. He learns the Wolves' view of meditation as dangerous and is forbidden from practicing it. Despite his new sense of purpose and physical improvement, he questions the colony's military preparations against the Pyramids. The chapter ends with Tropile unknowingly entering a deep meditative state while boiling water, which triggers his Translation—he vanishes in a mild thunderclap, harvested by the Pyramid.
Chapter 55
VIII
Glenn Tropile is harvested by the Pyramids and transformed into a mindless Component, wired into a nutrient tank to perform a specific biochemical task. Meanwhile, Haendl and Innison of the Wolves detect an Eye forming above Tropile during his Meditation, capture instrumental readings at the moment of his Translation, and deduce that he has been sent toward the Pyramids' home planet. The chapter also reveals the Pyramids' origin and their method of harvesting blank human minds.
Chapter 56
IX
Citizen Germyn is visited by Gala Tropile, who is terrified of two men she believes are Wolves. The men, Haendl and his companion, arrive seeking information about Glenn Tropile, who has been Translated along with other Wolves. They question Gala, but she provides no answers.
Chapter 57
X
Glenn Tropile awakens to find himself merged with seven other individuals into a single eight-branched entity, a 'snowflake' of human bodies in a nutrient bath, serving the Pyramids. He struggles with disorientation, false memories, and the challenge of communicating with the dormant personalities within him. He successfully awakens Citizeness Alla Narova, and together they explore their shared control over the Pyramids' machinery.
Chapter 58
XI
Haendl, on the verge of breakdown, struggles to maintain order among the Wolves in Princeton as members continue to vanish through Translation. After a helicopter is Translated by an Eye, Haendl decides to seek help from the Citizens and visits Citizen Germyn in Wheeling. Germyn, haunted by the disappearances and the lure of Connectivity, lies awake at night, trying to avoid thoughts of Translation.
Chapter 59
XII
Glenn Tropile, now part of the Pyramid communications network, orchestrates a rebellion from within. He and Alla Narova awaken other Components, revealing their underlying humanity. Citizen Germyn is Translated to the binary planet, where he finds himself among a naked, armed group led by Haendl. They receive orders from Tropile via a telepathic alien creature named Joey, and prepare to sabotage Pyramid operations. The Pyramids begin to fight back, cutting off circuits, but Tropile remains defiant, using the system's own invulnerability against it.
Chapter 60
XIII
Tropile, now merged with the Pyramid network, wages a war of disruption against the Pyramids by attacking their communications at a thousand points, taking over their network, and using it to Translate humans into fighters. He awakens a telepathic Component named Joey to serve as liaison. Meanwhile, on Earth, Citizeness Roget Germyn wakes to witness an auroral display caused by the conflict, and encounters Gala Tropile, who shares her unspoken concern about her husband. Tropile's mind spans two planets, and he becomes his own environment, beyond human concepts of sanity.
Chapter 61
XIV
The Pyramids launch a counterattack, using ancient machines to threaten the Components. Tropile leads a defense, coordinating with his army and Alla Narova to block the Pyramids' efforts. Alla Narova sacrifices herself to sever a critical section, leaving Tropile devastated but ultimately enabling the Components to seize control and destroy the Pyramids.
Chapter 62
XV
Glenn Tropile awakens from surgery, now fully human and out of circuit with the Pyramids. He is hailed as a hero but feels disconnected from a society that seems indifferent or accusatory. He seeks understanding from Haendl and Citizen Germyn, reflecting on humanity's historical and psychological parallels with Native Americans facing European colonization. Tropile struggles with his new identity and the temptation to return to the transcendent state of the Pyramids, ultimately choosing to stay with his wife Gala.
Chapter 63
I
Herrell McCray, a ship's navigator on the Starship Jodrell Bank, suddenly finds himself transported from his navigator's cubicle to a dark, silent room filled with random objects. He discovers a spacesuit and tries to use its radio to call for help, but receives no response. The pinkish light that appeared when he wished to see vanishes, and he realizes he cannot see his own body.
Chapter 64
II
Hatcher, a non-human probe team leader, reports to his council about the captured Earthman Herrell McCray. The council pressures Hatcher to establish communication quickly due to the threat of the Old Ones and the disappearance of a team member from the Central Masses. Hatcher struggles with the alien nature of the Earthman and the urgency of the situation.
Chapter 65
III
Herrell McCray, trapped in a mysterious room on an unknown planet, discovers a light on a spacesuit and uses it to navigate. He realizes there is a significant time lag in his radio communications with the Jodrell Bank, estimating he is over 500 light-years away. As the room heats up and fills with toxic halogen fumes, he dons the suit, retrieves a space-ax, and breaks through a door into another room filled with cryptic, alien workbenches and shelves.
Chapter 66
IV
Herrell McCray, having escaped the first lethal chamber, discovers a female alien specimen unconscious in a tunnel. He cautiously removes his helmet to test the air, which is breathable but tainted. Meanwhile, the non-human Hatcher observes the specimens, noting that the male (McCray) is in paranormal communication with his ship, the Jodrell Bank, while the female's thoughts are dangerously unshielded. Hatcher fears the Old Ones may detect her. McCray receives a transmission from Captain Tillinger, who confirms he has been kidnapped and is a thousand light-years away near the Orion Nebula. McCray faces the dilemma of whether to stay or try to escape, burdened by the unconscious woman and her heavy suit.
Chapter 67
V
Herrell McCray, having undergone a transformation that freed his mind, returns to the Jodrell Bank and recounts his experiences to the ship's officers. He explains the nature of Hatcher's people, the threat of the Old Ones from the galaxy's core, and his newfound abilities. After nourishing his body, he resolves to teach humanity to become gods to face the coming conflict.
