After lights-out, Luke used a token to wake his laptop and accessed the Mr. Griffin back door, noting with cautious relief that it still worked. He reasoned that the Institute staff had not discovered his access and were lax because they treated the children as controllable rather than as true prisoners. From the back door, he navigated to the Star Tribune.

Luke hesitated, nearly backing out to avoid pain, but thinking of Nicky Wilholm’s courage pushed him forward. He reflected on his own compliant nature versus Nicky’s defiance, recalling a recent moment with Winona to illustrate the contrast. Steeling himself, he opened the Local section.

He immediately saw his school photo and read the headline: “Search Goes On for Missing Son of Slain Falcon Heights Couple.” Overwhelmed, he shut the laptop and lay in bed, fighting panic and the resurgence of colored lights behind his eyes. The word “slain” shattered his remaining hope that the Institute’s assurances had been true.

Luke concluded that his parents were dead and that outside authorities likely suspected him. He resolved not to show outward defiance like Kalisha Benson had, choosing instead to preserve his secrets: the undiscovered Mr. Griffin access and the change in his mind from the Stasi Lights that staff considered a failure. He believed the Institute had exploitable cracks—such as staff leaving kids unattended for brief periods—and determined to leverage his intelligence and secrets.

He set a long-term goal: escape first, then destroy the Institute, thinking, “Bring it down… Crush them all.” Eventually he drifted into a thin sleep and dreamed of an ordinary morning with his parents alive, only for the dream to twist as lunch money became Institute tokens.

The dream ended abruptly when Luke woke with the realization that someone was in his room, leaving the moment unresolved.