Tim checks on Luke and asks what he’s running from—however, his story is hard to believe. He notices Norbert Hollister, which he finds strange as the man rarely leaves his office at the motel.

Annie comes to see what all the fuss is about, hears Luke’s story, and believes it. She warns Tim that “the conspiracy” will come for the boy.

Back at the Institute, Avery, exponentially more powerful after his near-drownings in the tank, is moved to Back Half—where he is reunited with his friends from Front Half. The other children are damaged by the constant stream of movies and Stasi Lights; Kalisha spoon-feeds Helen, who is debilitated by a headache. With his newly magnified power, Avery unites their minds and temporarily suppresses Helen’s pain.

The children know they will eventually wind up in Ward A with their minds melted—so Kalisha suggests “If we can’t escape, we have to take the place over” (374).

Meanwhile, Mrs. Sigsby becomes increasingly deranged by the thought of her superiors finding out a child escaped. She decides to lead the retrieval team herself, to either collect Luke or see him dead before he can expose the Institute.