In this chapter, we learn that the "fourth batch" of clones has been sent to the "netsphere" , and that the experiment is about to begin. The narrator tells us that he begged his father to make the experiment possible, and he's glad he did. He says that the whole thing is "essen the still" and that it's the brain of the original. They've just removed the pressure-resistant plating on the top of the structure, and they've started a chemical reaction to keep the brain from moving. They don't know yet if they'll be able to do anything about it, but they're planning to use the netsphere as a buffer between the brain and the rest of the universe. The captain asks if he can use this as an opportunity to cut through the "sub burble burbling pa move" . He's sure that the president already knows about this, but he still wants to go anyway.