In the hidden server room, Lukas is reading an old history book when the warning lights turn red, signaling activity above. He checks the cameras and sees Bernard arriving with food, then lets Bernard in through the hatch. Bernard brings him an unusually rich meal of pork ribs, explaining that rationing is still in effect but a pig was killed during a fresh flare-up of resistance in the bazaar.

As Lukas eats, Bernard updates him on the state of Silo 18. Bernard says five more people have died, in addition to the three killed in the first attack, but he treats the losses as manageable. Bernard believes Mechanical is contained behind its barricades and will eventually surrender, because cutting power to the farms would only hurt its own support. Bernard frames the conflict as predictable and under control, insisting that events are proceeding according to the Order.

Bernard then speaks as if Lukas has a future in IT leadership, urging him to keep studying and promising that once the election is rescheduled, Lukas may effectively inherit IT while Bernard spends more time up top. Their conversation is interrupted by the server’s buzzing incoming call, which visibly enrages Bernard. Because he is desperate to identify the source of the repeated calls, Bernard orders Lukas to design an external indicator light system, with one light specifically to mark calls from Silo 17. Bernard also mentions speaking to Lukas’s mother and says Sims still wants Lukas isolated because he distrusts the techs and fears leaks.

Before leaving, Bernard explicitly warns Lukas never to answer the server, claiming contact with other silos before formal induction could put Lukas in danger. Lukas pretends obedience and continues playing the grateful apprentice. Once Bernard locks him back in and the room goes quiet, Lukas reveals that he has secretly kept headphones hidden. He plugs them into the jack labeled for Silo 17, places the call through, and finally answers Juliette, reopening direct communication between Silo 18 and Silo 17.