Salamander, Benik and Bruce meet at the Centre and realise the severity of the situation. When he is alone, Salamander dons a radiation suit and enters a secret lift, which transports him to a secret bunker. In the bunker are a group of people who believe Salamander has just ventured to the surface of the allegedly irradiated planet to look for food. He claims to have found a safe new food stock to sustain them after their five years below ground. He also urges them to continue fighting the war against the surface by using technology to create natural disasters. Most of the people accept this, but one, Colin, urges Salamander to take him to the surface the next time, even though no one who has accompanied Salamander there has ever returned.