A Long Way from Home/summary

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A Long Way from Home summary

Following is a chapter-by-chapter summary of A Long Way from Home, a novel about a group of evos intent on escaping from the Renautas-controlled Temporary Assessment Camp Hale.

Summary

Prologue

Sam Conlon meets with a woman and makes a deal to "test them and the facility" in exchange for having his files wiped.

Chapter 1

Luther tries to escape from Temporary Assessment Camp Hale as he has done many times before. However, his yellow footprints get him caught (again), and Thomas Rizzoli returns him to TAC Hale.

Chapter 2

TAC Hale's Chief of Operations, Deborah Ruthers, tries to operate the facility as less of a prison, and more of a sanctuary for evos who are oppressed. She strives to promote camaraderie and teamwork. Most agree with her, but she gets frustrated when the evos at Camp Hale, who have "innocuous" abilities like Luther, try to run away or treat the place like a prison.

Chapter 3

Although his friend Reggie likes it at Camp Hale, Andrew Meek doesn't understand why he was "whisked off here to the mountains". He feels that his ability to lower the temperature ten degrees wasn't a threat to anybody, and neither was anybody else's at Hale. He understands the need for the lockup in the Max barracks, but he doesn't believe the camp was set up for altruistic purposes, as Ruthers would have them believe.

Chapter 4

Deborah Ruthers has a has a Webchat with Renautas head Erica Kravid. Erica chides Deborah for Luther's recent escape attempt, and insists that the evos in TAC Hale are dangerous. Sam Conlon comes to the office for a game of chess.

Chapter 5

Sam Conlon plays chess with Deborah Ruthers, all the while seeing connections in the air in Deborah's office. Sam fakes at playing his hardest, and sometimes works to keep Deborah guessing. They talk about TAC Hale, and Deborah insists that the evos at the camp are innocent and innocuous. Sam retorts that there are dangerous evos only because there are dangerous people.

Chapter 6

Thomas Rizzoli plays Evernow while the other guards listen to Jimmy Rourke. Andrew and Reggie come in the break room, and they all discuss their thoughts about the purpose of TAC Hale. Alexa Konig comes in and Rizzoli brags about his exploits with her.

Chapter 7

In the cafeteria, several of the evos eat and talk with each other. Dorian Avey demonstrates his non-terrifying ability to melt two grams of metal. Laina Jacobsen talks about being overlooked. Alexa Konig creates some pheromones to get some dessert.

Chapter 8

Alexa Konig goes to Deborah Ruthers's office and asks for a new mattress for her roommate, Laina Jacobsen. Deborah doesn't recall Laina, but Alexa's pheromones make Deborah give in and promise a new mattress for Laina. Just then, Deborah gets a call that "The Firestarter" has escaped Max Security and is burning down the facility.

Chapter 9

Andrew Meek and Reggie help put out the fire raging in Max Security. As "The Firestarter" lights himself on fire and throws fireballs at the guards, Andrew protects himself by lowering the temperature a bit. Guards try unsuccessfully to tranquilize the Firestarter, but he is only stopped when Thomas Rizzoli shoots him with his sidearm. Andrew is horrified at the scene, but even more horrified when he sees all the Max Evos being kept prisoner in medically induced comas.

Chapter 10

Laina Jacobsen is comfortable with her new mattress, but she is thinking about her ability and wanting to remain unnoticed. She recalls hiding from her physically and sexually abusive stepfather, moving out, and being marked as an evo at a checkpoint.

Chapter 11

Director Deborah Ruthers is frustrated that the incident with the Firestarter became so violent (and so public) since she tries maintain normalcy at TAC Hale. Erica Kravid, on the other hand, thinks that the guards acted appropriately, and suggests the possibility of subduing all the prisoners. Laina Jacobsen comes to the office unnoticed and hears the conversation between Kravid and Ruthers.