The conclusion of Merryn and Corin's adventure. The girl and robot reconvene with their classmates to discover the true nature of the test.

“As Merryn made her way to Gwennap Pit Speaking Place, the mild night soothed her worry. The moon had not yet risen above the tors, and there was a strong wind which stirred the long grass and foxgloves, and sang through the gorse bushes which grew near the meadows. A light rain washed her. The green plovers were up and about, and their pee-wits made the loneliness of the scene seem less lonely. The whoo-whoo-whoo of a short-eared owl echoed. Merryn was getting wet and tired; she crawled up into Corin’s inner capsule, which sheltered the girl and wheeled them through the night. In the insulated quiet of the capsule, she thought about her classmates and friends. “I can’t believe they would drill so recklessly, just for the sake of a competition.” She pictured Nessa with hair the copper of autumn sunlight, and chubby Zennor with a will as tough as iron - idealists, Merryn had thought, not people who would betray their principles for profit.”