Chapter 26

Five days of preparation follow as Jack reframes his group as a ka-tet of misfits. Alice recruits Palle Dawson to build vented wooden crates for the Doom Boxes. Larry proves invaluable, testing the SAW and Dragonfire missiles, then is tasked to train Jory Fields to drive a Binny for supply runs.

Alice and Mary open a soup kitchen at the Brown Hotel, feeding shocked survivors and returning diggers. Ryall coordinates cooking and logistics; Jory gathers food from nearby farms. Larry and Jory recover two armed trucks and confirm workable weapons and fuel. Hestin provides a holographic map of the smoother, shorter Bayver Road through the Ridges, setting their westward route.

As Dezi rebuilds and counts its dead, Jack helps feed people and debates why he can’t simply flip the Doom Boxes; he confirms he cannot flip within Mid-World or to other Americas. He and Mary share weary honesty about grief and time running short. Jack checks Alice’s healing wound, then rests, dreaming of Speedy Parker, who offers no answers but reinforces urgency.

At dusk, Jack flips to the Cornells’ bathroom via the WASH BRUSH FLUSH hook, startling Helen and meeting Damon. They warn he’s a sought “person of interest.” Despite risks, they’ve acquired the requested gear: solar-capable portable AC units with extra batteries and supplies packed in a heavy trunk. Jack avoids involving them further and moves the trunk.

Invoking the Talisman in his mind, Jack flips the loaded trunk back. The trunk becomes a larger vented crate marked with a circular hole pattern. Inside, the ACs function; some items bear Mid-World brands like North Central Positronics, but all remain usable. Jack beds down, knowing the Doom Box retrieval and their departure are imminent.