"Cave 13" is the twenty-ninth chapter of Blame!, and the fifth chapter of Volume 5.
Synopsis[]
Cibo and Killy return to the universal constructor in the eighth cave of Toha Heavy Industries. Mensab uses it to heal Seu’s wounds. While it works superficially, his memories and mental faculties have been degrading steadily for some time.
Mensab explains that in response to the Silicon life’s invasion of Toha, she sent all the humans in her charge to the thirteenth cave, including the newcomers from the Electrofisher village. The Silicon creatures, she says, brought a contagion with them, but the thirteenth cave was uninhabited, and left uncontaminated.
Although Mensab accounts for Seu’s mental decline by the Silicon contagion, she blames a control system called Central for interfering with his regeneration. She and Seu depart, and Cibo and Killy leave for the thirteenth cave.
The Electrofishers have established a base in the thirteenth cave. Zuru and her scouts slay a Silicon creature, concluding that there are enemies similar to Safeguards in the area.
Ivy and Maeve discover the creature’s corpse, discerning that the Electrofishers are nearby from the arrows of their weapons.
Character Appearances[]
Notes & Trivia[]
- The Toha Custodians are confused that Cibo and Killy are aware of their power limitations. From the Custodians’ perspective, they have never met; in Log 28, Cibo and Killy travelled back in time to before the events in the Toha elevator.