Orly remembers that Rowan's warning about moving anything stored below has pushed him to act, because he believes the disaster is partly his fault. He reveals that, on a sunny afternoon, he smashed the communications equipment and cut wires so no one could call for help. Orly had seen Hank Jones growing unstable under the pressure of deciding which seeds to save, and Orly believed that if anyone called a doctor, Hank would be removed before finishing his work.

Orly now understands the consequences of that choice. He made the island unable to summon help before Hank began throwing seed packets into the sea, before Tom, Naija, and Alex died, before Hank had to be locked away, and before the vault's flooding became critical. Realizing that a working radio could have changed everything, Orly decides the least he can do is save Hank from drowning.

He swims alone through the dark, freezing tunnel and flooded vault toward the shaft where Hank is trapped. Terrified, Orly is comforted by the voices of his dead friends, which he experiences as part of the island itself, guiding him through the water and urging him onward. Their encouragement helps him keep going despite the cold and his fear that he will drown.

When Orly reaches the shaft door and unlocks it, the water pressure blows it open and Hank bursts out, knocking Orly backward. Hank pulls Orly up, thanks him, and immediately tells him to climb down the ladder and wait there so Hank can get away before Orly alerts anyone. Dazed and obedient, Orly does as Hank says.

Once Orly is on the ladder, Hank closes and locks the door, leaving Orly trapped inside the narrow shaft. As his head clears, Orly realizes he failed to explain that the vault is flooding fast, the tunnel is becoming impassable, and no one knows where he is. What began as an attempt to rescue his former friend ends with Hank free and Orly in new danger.