Just after entering Beaufort, Luke Ellis tells Tim Jamieson to find a motel and park in back. They pull into an Econo Lodge and Tim parks by the rear fence. Luke declares that this is where Wendy Gullickson leaves them, and Tim backs him up, telling Wendy to get a room. Luke asks Wendy to bring paper and a pen, saying she will be their insurance policy.

Julia Sigsby tries to undermine Luke, telling Tim that Luke is crazy and urging them to abandon Sigsby and Dr. James Evans and flee. Luke rejects that, saying leaving would mean his friends’ deaths, and Sigsby mocks the idea that his friends ever did anything for him. Tim sends Wendy to get a room key; she hands Tim her Glock and departs.

Dr. Evans attempts to justify his presence as under protest, but Tim cuts him off. Luke asks to speak privately and he and Tim step out with both doors open so Tim can watch Sigsby and Evans. Luke lays out his thinking: they must reach the Alcolu-area airfield for the Challenger jet, then fly near Presque Isle and travel to the Institute, a journey he estimates puts them there around 2 a.m. He frames the situation as speed chess against Tony Stackhouse, where time favors both sides’ countermoves.

Luke worries that the roughly five-hour window gives Stackhouse time to reconsider and gas the captive children while fleeing, possibly across the Canadian border via an alternate route. Tim notes there may even be a photo of Stackhouse on Sigsby’s phone, bolstering Luke’s prior threat to expose him. Luke asks for Tim’s adult judgment, fearing Stackhouse might stay specifically to kill Luke, using Luke’s friends as bait; Tim agrees that revenge could keep Stackhouse in place.

Tim adds another angle: Sigsby is the boss and Stackhouse her enforcer, so who is Sigsby’s boss? This suggests orders might come from higher up, another reason Stackhouse could wait instead of bolting. As Wendy returns with a key card, Luke recognizes the implication and smiles, understanding that the power structure above Sigsby may shape Stackhouse’s decisions.