Chapters 25-28 Summary

In 2065 aboard Bruno Emilio is withdrawn from Quell lest he grow psychotic. Sean, who sees the Divine Intelligence in chemistry, agrees to talk to him. They talk of Rakhat's deities and Orthodox Judaism counting lineage through the mother's ancestry before Sean insists on knowing why Emilio blames God rather than Satan for his misfortunes and demands that he, like Jesus, embrace suffering to find meaning. The deaths and rapes cannot be undone and Emilio will not live with Gina and her daughter. He must show God what he is made of. Danny keeps vigil during the forty-eight-hour withdrawal, during which Emilio engages in brutal mockery and moral rage. In the end, Emilio quotes Nietsche and accepts that God uses everyone. John, who watches silently, comforts Danny that Emilio has accepted Danny's role and they make peace.

Chapter 26 returns to Rakhat in...