Jack removes the cube of compacted garbage from beneath the sink and picks through it on the garage floor, desperately searching for the Dylar. He visits his physician, Dr. Chakravarty, with increasing frequency but refuses to reveal anything to the doctor about his Nyodene D exposure. During his most recent visit, Dr. Chakravarty expresses concern over Jack’s potassium levels and advises him to seek further testing at the Autumn Harvest Farms medical facility in nearby Glassboro.

Jack tells Babette that Denise trashed the remaining Dylar pills. Meanwhile, Babette still refuses to reveal Mr. Gray’s identity, certain that Jack will be tempted to carry out revenge. Jack tells her, “I depend on you to be the healthy outgoing former Babette. I need this as badly as you do, if not more” (251).

With Orest’s record-breaking snake feat on the horizon, Jack presses the young man on why he doesn’t fear dying from a snake bite. Orest responds, “I am nothing without the snakes” (253).

Later, Jack drives to the airport with Steffie, who opts to visit her mother in Mexico City rather than participate in the weekend’s disaster simulation. The next day, SIMUVAC performs a simulation for a noxious odor. Three days later, when there is an actual noxious odor, no official action is taken.