Avery Dixon settled into a stark new room in Back Half, reflecting on the need for teamwork like building a Lego castle with his late father. He sensed a constant, amplifying hum in Back Half, loudest beyond a double-locked door leading to the deeper ward the caretakers called Gorky Park, where near-catatonic children were kept as “hummers.” Testing his telekinesis on his room’s lock, Avery felt close but lacked the strength alone, imagining George Iles could help.

At dinner, caretaker Jacob “Jake the Snake” escorted Avery to the cafeteria, where a dozen sedated and dulled kids ate stew; cigarettes were offered freely by staff. Avery saw Kalisha Benson and their group: Nicky Wilholm, George Iles, and Helen Simms, now severely diminished and needing to be fed. He restrained overt displays to avoid attention and joined them quietly while noting the staffers Corinne and Clint, and the oppressive routine of movie nights that induced the Stasi Lights.

Avery probed Helen telepathically and found her still present under a growing “headache-sponge” of pain. Using his enhanced TP—strengthened by his immersion tank experience and lack of limiting injections—he attempted to push back the pain. He called Kalisha, then Nicky and George, into a joint effort. George balked at the darkness of the shared mental space, but Kalisha urged him on. Together they pushed against the pain construct as the Stasi Lights swirled in Avery’s perception.

The collective push briefly worked: Helen focused, spoke, and ate on her own, prompting George to realize their group effort had helped. Avery knew the relief was temporary; movie sessions and Back Half routines would worsen everyone’s condition until they joined the hum of Gorky Park.

Recognizing escape was not currently possible, Avery proposed they “build a castle”—a metaphor for a shared psychic wall or shield—to protect themselves and potentially help Luke Ellis. Kalisha understood and, after cigarettes were handed out ahead of movie time, stated the strategy plainly: if they could not escape, they had to take over the place.