Meshner and Zaine move through the dead station toward an airlock, while Meshner struggles with fear, awkward EVA movement, and intense emotions that may be bleeding through his implant from Fabian, Kern, or his own suppressed mind. Kern reports that the nearby local ships are increasingly interested in their actions, raising pressure on the expedition.

Zaine opens the alien airlock, and Meshner follows her into a breathable chamber with a primitive-looking console apparently designed for human use. Kern insists that Meshner, not Zaine, operate it. Through Meshner's implant, Kern guides his hands and mentally explores the station's systems, expecting to contact the intelligence behind the Lante signal.

Kern's hopes collapse when she finds no living operator or preserved system, only an incomplete archive resembling a dead naturalist's travelogue. Kern reacts with frustration and then savors the recovered sensation of disappointment through Meshner's mind. At the same time, Zaine reports a signal, and Meshner reconnects to ship communications long enough to learn that Helena and Portia are alive and have reached some détente with their captors.

Fabian, watching through Artifabian, asks who is with Meshner and Zaine. Meshner receives the text message, We're going on an adventure, and realizes that an old environment suit in the room is standing beside Zaine. The suit contains no human body; instead, something fluid and shapeless animates it.

The suited entity touches Zaine, who panics and loses contact with the floor. Artifabian knocks Zaine toward safety, then attacks the entity's leg, tearing the suit and releasing a dark, oily substance. The substance briefly forms a human-like figure, then divides into many living shapes that move through the chamber and begin crawling over Meshner's suit.

As Zaine reaches the airlock and shouts for Meshner, the organism learns the mechanism of Meshner's helmet release. Kern suppresses Meshner's panic and tells him to escape because she needs him, but Meshner calmly orders Artifabian into the airlock to close the inner door. With Meshner still outside, the organism opens his faceplate and reaches for him.