Luke Ellis went to lunch after the immersion tank ordeal, feeling both terrorized and ravenous. When Stevie Whipple asked what was wrong, Luke refused to talk about the tank, likening the experience to wartime trauma that one avoids discussing. He ate heavily in the cafeteria and then napped, waking slightly improved.

Searching for Maureen Alvorson, Luke found her working in the previously deserted East Wing, which now appeared to be preparing for more occupants. Concerned by Maureen’s visibly declining health, he offered help under the pretense of earning tokens. During the interaction, he slipped a folded note—written on a stolen memo sheet with a cheap pen—into her laundry basket. Maureen discreetly covered it and signaled understanding.

That night, Luke whispered with Avery Dixon across their beds, laying out an escape framework that required “two scripts.” Luke believed, or at least hoped, that Avery understood the plan and how they would coordinate.

Unable to sleep, Luke cataloged what he had learned: dusty, likely inactive surveillance bulbs; frequent periods when he had been left to roam; staff-known fake dead zones; and one real surveillance blind spot he believed the staff had missed. He weighed the absurdity against the feasibility and concluded that he had to attempt escape.

Luke enumerated the consequences of failure or delay: Back Half conditioning with the Stasi Lights, injections, films, and the sparkler that triggered unknown effects, culminating in deployment on a drone mission. He fixed on Maureen’s warning—when testing stops, his move to Back Half could come within three days—reinforcing the urgency of acting soon.