- Hip dozes off, yet another instance of this book making us sleepy. He thinks his problems are solved, but Janie wakes him and begins asking him questions.
- She asks him to explain the Private First Class. Hip says the soldier was stupid and mean and not Thompson. Janie points out the flaws in those arguments and asks what it'd mean if the other soldier sent the anti-gravity device flying away on purpose.
- Wham-o! Hip suddenly realizes the Private First Class, Thompson, and the inventor of the device are all the same individual. But he says the person would have to be able to read minds, hypnotize people, and do other tricks in order to pull all that off. Janie says he does do those tricks.
- She also tells him that he hadn't been allowed to put all these facts together previously. Hip sinks down, frustrated that he'd wanted to disregard Janie and go after the monster without understanding him. He asks Janie to tell him her story.