Part 4 — Chapter 7

Summary

• The main character, Gaspery, meets with his colleague Talia before his shift at their hotel workplace. This out-of-the-blue meeting surprises him.
• Gaspery and Talia take a walk along the river in Colony One, one of the three colonies where they live. This colony is identical to the others, including having a river for mental health reasons.
• They discuss their personal histories; Gaspery mentions that he relocated to the Colony from Night City due to a bad divorce, while Talia reveals that she moved to the Night City from the Colony at age nine.
• Talia reveals to Gaspery that she knows he is planning to leave his job at the hotel due to information from her superior, who had spoken with representatives from the Time Institute who were vetting him for a job.
• Talia discloses her family history of working for the Time Institute. Her parents were "travelers," presumably voyagers in time, but a mission went wrong, ending their jobs and eventually leading to their move to the Night City.
• Talia warns Gaspery about the Time Institute, claiming that it becomes hazardous and dismissive once the Bureau have finished with an individual.
• Gaspery reflects on Talia's warning but still wants to proceed with the Time Institute. He becomes impatient with his current life and calls Ephrem to ask if he can start his training that night, forsaking the usual two week notice period at his current job. Ephrem agrees.