The train is two and a half hours late to Albuquerque. Instead of going to Blake’s Lottaburger to see if his prearranged ride is still there, Alex gets a ride with Zed and Zed’s roommate Steve, who comes to pick up Zed. When Alex tells Steve that he and Carl Sagan are traveling alone, Steve looks at Zed, but Zed’s non-verbal gestures indicate a calm response, which Alex appreciates: “Even though Zed doesn’t talk, I think I’m starting to understand him” (42). Alex’s recording picks up conversation between Steve and Alex; Steve wants Alex to prevent any backseat mess, as Steve’s girlfriend wants the car kept clean.

Alex whispers a late-night recording, describing his arrival at SHARF that evening: “The site here is just really flat desert with wide mountains in the distance, and when I first saw the tents and RVs on our way in, it felt like we were driving toward a colony on Mars […]” (46). He tells how Zed helps to construct his tent. Alex describes how he glues the sections of his rocket together for his launch and goes to chat with