Lukas sits with his mother in the open doorway of the server room while Bernard and Sheriff Billings wait nearby. Mrs. Kyle proudly assumes Lukas’s secret work will bring status, food, and a promotion, and Lukas reassures her as best he can without telling the truth. When Bernard ends the visit, Billings escorts Mrs. Kyle away, and Lukas forces himself to appear ready for what comes next.

Bernard seals Lukas inside the server room and prepares the hidden communication equipment. Lukas tries to disguise his fear and briefly hopes Bernard might connect him to Juliette, but Bernard instead plugs him into a formal conversation with an unknown superior. The unseen man immediately places Lukas under scrutiny, demanding his name and confirming Lukas’s background in IT.

The superior questions Lukas about his duty, the Order, what must be protected, and what sacrifice is required. Because Bernard has coached him, Lukas gives the expected answers, even when they feel false to him, especially when he thinks about Juliette and the violence in the lower levels. The man also asks about Suit Labs, the rebellion, and whether Lukas would have changed anything from the beginning; Lukas says no and insists everything has been done according to the Order. As a result, the superior officially tells Lukas that he is next in line for control and operation of Silo 18, then warns that leadership requires cruelty toward one’s own people in order to preserve them.

Given permission to ask a question, Lukas asks how everything began, hoping forbidden history will help him understand the purpose of his role. Instead of answering directly, the superior leads Lukas through a line of reasoning about why there are only fifty silos and why they exist in one small part of the world. Lukas realizes the answer is not that silo leaders predicted disaster better than anyone else, but that their side caused it. The call ends with a final warning from the superior: Lukas must stop looking up at the stars and focus on what lies beneath his feet.