He, She and It

Shira and Yod travel to the Y-S enclave, stopping in a rundown Chicago hotel for a night. As they travel on public transport the next day, Shira reflects on Yod’s state of being. She thinks about Ari and how much she misses him. They arrive in a frontier town and rent a vehicle to cross the vast, dangerous desert. Inside the vehicle, it is noisy and very uncomfortable. They pause to eat an expensive meal of real food—a treat—and Shira thanks Yod for his efforts to “extract her stolen son” (348). Shira knows that, soon, she will have to free Yod from Avram. They leave the vehicle and walk to a train refueling station, stowing away in one of the carriage cars that takes them into the dome of the Y-S enclave. Inside, they disguise themselves as gardeners; the officials barely notice service workers, allowing them to travel anywhere. They pass stores selling expensive, frivolous commodities and arrive at Ari’s day care center. After a long wait, Josh approaches with Ari and a security guard. They watch all morning as the guard stands in front of the center. Shira searches for Josh’s house but fails.