A Carryx "librarian" escorts Rickar, Tonner, Else, Jessyn, Irinna, Campar, and Dafyd through immense corridors of the world-city toward "the complex," where "the work is done." Along the way, Rickar notices how the others have been cleaned and reissued clothing while he still feels raw and unstable, and he privately relives the first lethal strike on Anjiin that killed people around him.

They enter a vast, public-square-like chamber filled with many alien species and a strange, energizing atmosphere. The librarian leads them into an alcove outfitted as a familiar Anjiin-style laboratory, with replicated equipment and interfaces, implying the Carryx have rebuilt their tools to keep their research going.

At the back of the lab, the librarian shows them two transparent cages containing samples from different worlds: red orb-like organisms in one, and a flat, three-legged blue creature in the other. The librarian assigns their task plainly: they must make the first organisms nourishing for the second, offering them access to samples and duplicated supplies while implying further requests will be judged case by case.

Dafyd challenges what happens if they refuse or fail, and Else presses how impossible the problem may be with so little data. The librarian answers that there is only one test: whether a species is useful, and "usefulness is survival," making the stakes explicit and chilling. Campar tries to joke about funding committees, but no one laughs.

Back in their rooms, Synnia remains apart while the others eat real food and argue over what "not useful" might mean. Tonner shuts down speculation by declaring they will not fail, and the group begins planning the work: hypotheses about the red organisms, paired teams, rolling shifts, and note-taking needs. When Rickar asks where he fits, Jessyn reveals Synnia refuses to participate; Tonner responds by ordering Rickar to stay out of the way, openly stating Tonner never trusted Rickar and will not start now.