Jason arrives at an abandoned South Chicago power plant dusted with snow and finds a used ampoule, suggesting the site where Jason2 drugged him. Riding the El north, he feels a deep sense of belonging and confirms specific details at his brownstone and Suburban that prove this is his true world. Seeing Jason2 through the window with Daniela ignites rage, and Jason briefly plans to murder his counterpart, outlining tools and a body-disposal site.

At a sporting-goods store, Jason tries to buy a gun but is recognized; the clerk reveals someone identical to him has repeatedly come in seeking a handgun—one of several similar visits. Shaken, Jason checks into a cheap hotel and accesses a strange email and chat room where multiple Jasons coordinate, some armed and proposing Kankakee burials. One admits to killing other Jasons. A private message proposes an alliance. As Jason processes the game-theory nightmare—every move anticipated by himself—the phone to his room rings twice. He deduces another Jason traced him via the hotel and room alias.

Opening his door, Jason encounters an armed Jason and flees down the stairwell, only to be ambushed in the alley by another Jason with a knife. He escapes into a crowded bar, hides as one pursuer searches, and later shares a tense beer with yet another Jason. They compare journeys, acknowledge they cannot both reclaim the family, and part with veiled threats.

Homeless and paranoid, Jason beds down in Humboldt Park and conceives a random, unpredictable plan. In the morning, he deliberately smokes a cigar in a diner to provoke an arrest. At the 14th District, he uses his phone call to reach Daniela and asks her to bail him out. She arrives, stunned by his changed appearance. He proves an impostor is at Lakemont by having her call "him" at office hours; the man plays along, confirming Jason’s claim.

They hire a car, possibly tailed, and pick up Charlie from school. Jason directs the driver to Water Tower Place for anonymity, and, on a bench, he recounts his abduction, the lab, the box, worlds traversed, and Amanda, omitting some painful details. He explains branching choices and that Jason2 is a version who chose career over family and later stole Jason’s life. Jason also reveals many other returned Jasons, some violent. Daniela and Charlie are shaken but agree to stay with Jason, acknowledging the danger as they prepare to decide their next move.