Avery Dixon was pushed in a wheelchair by Gladys through the cold, dim tunnel connecting Front Half to Back Half. Still soaked from the immersion tank used by Zeke and Carlos, Avery shivered and his teeth chattered. Gladys snapped at him to stop, revealing the staff’s mounting fear and anger over what Avery had done and, more broadly, over Luke Ellis’s escape.

Avery acknowledged to himself that he understood the consequences; he could sense Gladys’s fear like a frantic motion in her mind. Passing through the AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY door, the air grew warmer, and they entered a shabby lounge where Dr. James waited. Dr. James, with a misbuttoned lab coat, disheveled hair, and an inappropriate, broad smile, greeted him loudly and erratically, which Avery perceived as a sign that something was deeply wrong with her—like brain radiation poisoning.

As Avery warmed, the colored Stasi Lights returned to his perception, but he knew he could now dismiss them at will. He recognized that the immersion tank had changed him more than it had changed other kids; his telepathy and telekinesis felt stronger, and he believed this was only the beginning of his enhanced capabilities. He thought he could terrify Gladys if he chose, enjoying her sudden shiver when he fixed her with a long look.

Dr. James cheerfully announced that some of Avery’s friends were already in Back Half and said he would be taken to his room by Henry to change out of his wet clothes. Avery confirmed he could walk, stood from the wheelchair, and assessed Gladys, who scratched at her arms as if plagued by a buzzing sensation. Avery noted her fear of him and found it beautiful, but decided that this was not the time to use his power to frighten her.

The scene closed with Avery under Dr. James’s erratic oversight, preparing to move deeper into Back Half, newly empowered and aware that staff terror over Luke’s escape could be turned to his advantage later.