Summary

Control is remembering his father's last words to him. He'd told him that he only needed to close his eyes to remember him. Control reflects on the fact that these days, when he closes his eyes, all he gets is a sense of falling and the memory of past failed assignments. He opens his eyes, now, to look out over the compound that comprised the large U-shape of the Southern Reach facility. He states that a U shape is a terrible shape, as it represents something not completed...undone.

Beyond the facility was wilderness, and shortly beyond that, Area X, where people went and didn't (for the most part) come back. He wonders just how much has been divulged to the public, to him and those administering the project, and how much as been withheld. He suspects that quite a lot has been...