Langdon leaves Ambassador Heide Nagel’s office uneasy about what comes next. Nagel explains her plan to rebuild Project Threshold under strict oversight, making herself an on-site guardian for Sasha Vesna and any future participants to ensure safety, informed consent, and humane treatment as a way to atone for her past mistakes.

Nagel says the plan has one final obstacle: Sasha’s full, voluntary consent. She insists nothing can proceed without it, and she believes the outcome could benefit Sasha, the CIA, and all involved—if presented correctly.

Nagel asks Langdon to speak with Sasha because Langdon is the only person who has spent time with her and may be the only one she will trust. Langdon admits he cannot be sure whether he interacted with Sasha or her alter earlier, but he suggests the key is “bilateral absolution”: Sasha forgiving the agency that betrayed her, and the agency forgiving Sasha for retaliating, so both can move forward.

Langdon enters the embassy conference room and finds Sasha alone at the far end of a long table, wet-haired, exhausted, and apparently restrained. He sits at a distance and carefully tells her Nagel wants to protect her and has a plan that could offer a safer, more normal life.

Before explaining further, Langdon asks a crucial question: who is he speaking to right now? The young woman answers in a deep, hollow voice that she is not Sasha, claiming she has not “released” Sasha yet for Sasha’s own safety.