Asimov and the others prepare to enter the underground cave, Asimov laments that he and the water have a "bad history" . He tells them that they will need to repair the walls of the shelter, and that they should not worry because the radiation levels are at "safe levels" in the cave. Asimov says that the cave is too big for them to enter, and they should stay on the strip of land that leads to it. He says that today is the day that the doctor gives medical exams, so they should breathe in and out, and he says that they owe him a "past" because he came to help them when the doctor passed away. He wishes that he could forget where he had run off to, but he realizes that they still have a long way to go