Summary

This chapter consists of a small amount of short statements and takes place an indeterminate amount of time after Ross is frozen in Zero K. Jeffrey has taken the ethics job and the college and is relatively content. On the street Jeffrey notices a taxi driver paying towards Mecca. Jeffrey also mentions his compulsion to check the expiration date on everything he purchases. He also mentions that he occasionally visits his father’s townhouse and looks at his paintings. He thinks about the words “gesso on linen.” Jeffrey mentions that he always feels the shadows of Artis and Ross over him. Emma calls Jeffrey and tells him that Stak is dead, and she will now be living with Stak’s father. Jeffrey does not mention that he watched Stak die.

Analysis

In this chapter, Jeffrey continues to exhibit his almost ambivalent behavior...