At 9:45 p.m. in an Econo Lodge parking lot in Beaufort, South Carolina, Luke Ellis calls Tony Stackhouse and refuses negotiation, insisting Stackhouse only listen and take notes. Luke silences Stackhouse’s attempts to probe about Tim Jamieson and asserts leverage: Officer Wendy Gullickson knows the names and hometowns of several abducted children, which would be enough to trigger an investigation even without the flash drive.

Luke orders Stackhouse to prepare the Institute’s plane for their arrival: the pilots must lower the airstairs and then lock themselves in the cockpit without seeing the arrivals. Luke says they will come in one of the Institute’s own vans, emphasizing that Julia Sigsby’s ambush failed. Luke further demands a nine-seat van waiting at the airfield so they can travel directly to the Institute after landing.

Raising the stakes, Luke instructs Stackhouse to procure a school bus seating at least forty from Dennison River Bend using local police contacts. He details how to access the municipal lot, secure keys, and deliver the bus to the Institute’s flagpole with keys left inside. Luke states the exchange plainly: Stackhouse gets Maureen’s flash drive, Sigsby, and Dr. James Evans; Luke gets all the children from Back Half and Front Half ready for a 2 a.m. departure.

When Stackhouse questions where Luke will take the many impaired children, Luke replies “Disneyland,” refusing to divulge his real plan. Luke tells Stackhouse they will keep Wendy updated at each step—before takeoff, after landing, upon arrival at the Institute, and upon departure; if calls stop, Wendy will contact state and federal authorities.

Luke adds a final condition: Stackhouse must be physically present at the Institute during the handoff, with one hand on the bus hood and the other on the flagpole when the exchange occurs. Once all the children are on the bus and Tim is driving, Luke will hand over the flash drive and board. Stackhouse agrees crisply, sounding like a man who believes he has won.

Internally, Luke assesses that Stackhouse sees this as a manageable crisis he can explain to his superiors, making him more likely to comply. Luke refuses further discussion, ends the call, and sags with fatigue, while Tim and Wendy observe, and Julia Sigsby listens nearby.