Red Mars Part 7, Chapter 1 Summary

How It All Goes Down

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  • On the fourteenth day of the revolution, Arkady dreams of his father telling the story of his encounter with a snow leopard.
  • An alarm cuts into the dream, though, so Arkady gets ready; Janet comes looking for him to tell him they've blown up Nemesis.
  • The two go next door to watch the video and confirm the destruction of the asteroid. And yeah—it's toast.
  • Arkady is considering his "Swiss Defense" strategy when a call comes from the physical plant asking him to check their computers. On the way, he talks and answers the questions of his fellow revolutionaries.
  • A call comes in on his wristpad from Phyllis. It's a pretty brief conversation. She says surrender or die; he says no; the connection goes dead.
  • At the physical planet, a malfunction has led the city's oxygen levels to rise. They fix the problem, but Tati knows it was sabotage. But who would sabotage with an increase in oxygen? Why not a decrease?
  • Arkady heads back to the city's office when he hears a loud pop and sees a flash of light. Then his arm catches fire like a torch. So that's why they increased the oxygen…