Now that we are deep in space, we can't wait to get back to the real world. We're back in the Holocene, where we've been all along. The Holocene is a time before the Holograms were created. It's also a time when we're really, really close to the future. We get a brief glimpse of what it's like to be a kid in Holocene. We learn that Holocene's mother was a virgin who was destined to become an oracle of the empire, but the empire abandoned her because she was dishonorable. So she had to start breeding animals to make a living. She had to breed the guanodons to survive, and the little sister, onyx, had to live with the animals. Holocene says he's coming, and he wants to see his mother. She looks at him coldly, trying to gauge his sincerity of words. He kisses her hand, and says he loves her, but he fears that she's going to kill him if he doesn't do what she wants him to do. So he decides to save a spot on the factory floor for him, but soon his fears take him away from his goal of becoming a supreme technopriest. He's afraid that he won't be able to beat the obstacles of the future, so he goes to the training school of Don Mossimo, who's just arrived in the city. Don mossimo greets him and gives him a contract: if you pick one of the black balls, you lose, but if you choose the white balls, he'll give you three years to live under his roof, do whatever he wants, and follow his instructions.