Odds Against Tomorrow

Mitchell resigns from Fitzsimmons Sherman. FutureWorld is also located in the Empire State Building, and Charnoble greets Mitchell with excitement and takes him to their first appointment at Nybuster, Nybuster, and Greene. Ned Nybuster is egocentric and unimpressed with everyone. Charnoble begins his pitch and Nybuster eats grapes, uninterested in Charnoble’s warnings about the possibility of war with China. Mitchell steps in, running through a series of statistics and interconnected events that ultimately predict the general partner of Nybuster, Nybuster, and Greene will be locked in a dungeon. This logic catches Nybuster’s attention, and he explains that the general partner is his father. Mitchell successfully sells his fears to Nybuster.

Mitchell continues to exchange letters with Elsa, asking her earnest questions about how she copes with Brugada, her fear, and death.

Elsa sends Mitchell an article about a woman who lost her ability to feel fear during a childhood sickness. The woman continually put herself in dangerous situations, claiming she was compelled to do so by her insatiable curiosity. Mitchell does not understand why Elsa sent him the article. Elsa and Mitchell exchange daily letters about their lives, philosophies, and research. Elsa complains of a heat wave killing their crops at the camp.