Loreen rouses Fan from sleep and tells her they are to take a trip with Quig. They take an SUV, heading for a Charter village far to the north. Quig has made a deal with the owner of a mining operation there to utilize a large drill. They need the drill because there has been a drought, and their current tools cannot dig a new well through the hard granite foundation underneath Quig’s compound.

Fan wonders whether Quig has brought her along to barter her, as Quig has been known to trade people for equipment before. She wonders if Quig has discovered there is something special about her, such as the idea that she might be C-free. She admits that she’s not, as she and Reg had blood tests together only a year before, when they were considering setting up a household together in a less-populated part of B-Mor. Loreen sits in the front seat, knitting, and eventually falls asleep.

Fan tells Quig that she will help him find what he is looking for. When he asks whether she means a well drill, she replies that she will help him find the “other thing” he is looking for.