"Yes. Just think of it, Dura; once the wormholes must have riddled the Star." He shook his head. "Well, the Colonists put a stop to that. Now we're reduced to crawling around the Star in wooden boxes drawn by Air-pigs." Again anger, resentment welled in his voice.

"Do you think we're still here?" She pointed to the Core of the Star map, at the knot of wormholes which looped around it.

"No," he said briskly. "Why would we be given an Interface which took us into the Core? Remember, the Colonists have a goal too — they also have to find a way to stop the Glitches. They surely can't use the wormholes themselves — after all, we know the wormholes were built for humans. Real humans, I mean. Us. So they have to rely on us."

She found herself shivering. "Then if we're not in the Core, we must be here." She drew her finger along the threads of wormhole paths which left the main circle and crossed the gray spaces to the second, smaller disc. "...Outside the Star." She looked at him. "Hork — what are we going to find when we open the door to this chamber?"

He stared into her eyes, his brashness gone, utterly unable to answer.

—

Farr was waiting for Adda at Toba Mixxax's home. Ito Mixxax was there, but not Toba or Cris. The City-tilt had made a mess of the Mixxaxes' domesticity: crockery and other material had been smashed against the walls, and fragments drifted in the Air.

Ito had her arm around Farr, trying to comfort or reassure him; when Adda opened the door to the home, Farr greeted his arrival with relief, a smile, while Ito looked merely disappointed that it wasn't her husband or son. They were both uninjured, though Farr looked shocked. Adda came to them both and placed a hand on their shoulders. The three of them drifted there, at the center of the Mixxaxes' cozy room, their human warmth sufficient for a brief moment.

Then they pulled apart. Ito Mixxax looked drawn, but composed. "What are you going to do? Do you want to stay here?"

He looked at Farr. The boy must be worried sick about his sister. But it would do no good to stay here and let him brood. Besides, despite its lingering domesticity, what sanctuary was this place, any more than the rest of Parz? "We're going to the Hospital," he said firmly. "Or at least, we'll try to get there. We'll find work to do there. What about you?"

"Toba was with me at the Games. In the Stadium." She sighed, looking more weary than afraid. "We got separated. I'll have to wait for him here. Then we'll start searching for Cris, I suppose. We ought to be able to get the car out of the City." She looked at Adda, appraising him, evidently trying to concentrate on his needs. "Do you want to rest here? Are you hungry?"