Chapter Two

Murderbot, now free from its governor module and separated from Mensah, travels through a transit ring trying to reach a destination while remaining anonymous. When a news broadcast reveals an image of Murderbot from the recent DeltFall incident, Murderbot decides to board an outgoing research transport to escape and pursue a mysterious plan.

Murderbot crosses a crowded transit mall while disguised in work clothes, trying to pass as an ordinary augmented human. While scanning news feeds, Murderbot discovers a newsburst from Port FreeCommerce (the station where it gained freedom) that includes an image of itself in the background with Pin-Lee and Ratthi at a hotel, though it is only tagged as "bodyguard" rather than identified as a SecUnit. The news report covers the DeltFall habitat incident, mentioning that Dr. Mensah purchased a SecUnit, and includes security recordings from various perspectives, though none reveal Murderbot's face. Disturbed by the exposure and realizing the newsburst is old, Murderbot decides it must leave the transit ring quickly. After noting that weapons scanners and passenger transport facilities would be problematic, Murderbot initially heads toward a cargo transport but discovers too many humans in the commercial docks due to a hauler accident. Instead, Murderbot decides to board a private research vessel headed to its desired destination via a different dock. After infiltrating the private docks by hacking security systems, Murderbot successfully contacts the unmanned research transport and negotiates passage by offering media downloads in exchange for transport, presenting itself as a free bot returning to its human guardian.