Pages 304-358

After Tally's meeting with Dr. Cable and discovering how she inadvertently betrayed her friends to them, she artfully managed to escape from Special Circumstances by stealing a hoverboard and racing to the tunnel with the railroad. While in there, she found David had escaped too and she vowed to make the wrong she did right. Then after rushing to see if David's parents were alright, they discovered that their house had burned down and there was no evidence of their remains. Both of them then decided that they would rescue their friends and family, no matter what the cost.

On their way back to the city, Tally got a history lesson. David told her that the reason the Rusties destroyed their own society was because of the amount of wars they got into. It was during one of these that one scientist discovered a bacterium to eat up oil and cause it to catch fire on contact with air. He explained to her that was why all of the vehicles were left in the Ruins and he filled in some of the missing pieces that they were not told under such a strict society. Then when they did arrive back at the city, Tally came up with the idea to use bungee jackets to break in to Special Circumstances and rescue their friends.