- Still in the barn, Alek maneuvers the walker's viewport so that he can see through a gap in the wall.
- They get an all clear from Bauer once the last of some farming equipment and farmers make their way out of sight.
- Alek reflects that Bauer and Hoffman both gave up promising careers—and a lot of other elements of a happy life—to help him escape and keep him safe.
- If the group is caught, Alek will be quietly done away with, and the other four will be hanged for desertion. High stakes, yo.
- Once they get out of the barn, Klopp gives Alek a lesson in making a walker run.
- Alek nearly bites the dust though, which has got to be way more embarrassing in a giant machine than when you trip over your own feet in gym class.
- Klopp says everyone falls at first, so it's no big deal—the walker is really top-heavy.
- The top-heaviness is one of Volger's secrets. Just call him Count Secrets. He packed a dozen gold bars—nearly a quarter of a ton—which makes our vacation spending money seem a little lightweight.
- They continue moving toward Lienz, a nearby city where they hope to get supplies to keep the walker on its—er—feet.
- This will be the first time Alek has seen anyone other than his traveling companions in two weeks, and he realizes how weird he looks in farmer's clothes. No one will know he's a prince. Yet another first-world problem for Alek.