11 “I AM COMING!”

Following the abduction of Virginia Maxon by Muda Saffir, Professor Maxon, von Horn, Sing Lee, and the last remaining lascar from the Ithaca’s crew embark on a journey to Borneo in search of her. The group sets sail in a well-equipped boat, spotting the Ithaca, mismanaged by a Dyak crew they rescued from a typhoon’s aftermath. Von Horn negotiates their guidance to Rajah Muda Saffir’s stronghold in exchange for helping them steer the Ithaca.

Upon reaching the vicinity where Number Thirteen and Muda Saffir’s forces had clashed, the team finds leftovers of the battle and presumes an altercation over Virginia’s possession. Von Horn and Professor Maxon hope Virginia hasn’t fallen into Number Thirteen’s hands, fearing for her safety. The group decides to continue their search in a war prahu after failing to find the chest they sought on the Ithaca.

Meanwhile, Muda Saffir, blending his fate with the search party under false pretenses, directs them towards where he believes his enemies might be. On their journey, they gather clues and piece together the events leading up to their current pursuit, with von Horn misleading Professor Maxon about Virginia’s situation to maintain morale.

Simultaneously, Bulan and his created beings, now fewer due to battles with Dyak warriors, traverse the jungle, suffering and adapting to survive. Bulan hopes to find Virginia by following a river, believing it to connect with their initial pathway. Amidst their journey, Bulan encounters orangutan-like creatures, leading to a conflict within his group about their identity and purpose. Numbers Ten, Three, and Twelve challenge Bulan’s leadership, asserting they belong with the beasts, akin to their own kind. Bulan insists on acting human, highlighting the existential crisis they face, torn between their apparent nature and the human behavior Bulan aspires to embody. This division marks a critical moment in the group’s unity, confronting the harsh reality of their existence as engineered beings without a clear place in the world.