Lexis seats Carl and Donut beside Odette for a controlled, audience-free segment meant to reunite them with Beatrice. Before Beatrice appears, a censored video explains the official story that she survived Earth's collapse, was kidnapped by bounty hunters, and ended up off world as a Syndicate citizen. Carl distrusts the setup, Donut is visibly tense, and Odette presents the interview as something all parties previously agreed to.

Beatrice then appears remotely and cannot physically touch Carl or Donut, confirming the reunion is being mediated at a distance. Carl immediately sees that Beatrice looks traumatized, underweight, and disoriented. When Odette questions her about the kidnapping and supposed black-market sale, Beatrice gives fragmented answers about waking in chaos, losing pieces of memory, and being moved from place to place. Her version does not fully match Odette's polished story, and Odette keeps probing, seemingly trying to expose weaknesses in the official narrative, but Beatrice remains too confused and impaired to say much.

On camera, Donut initially keeps her composure and answers with cold restraint. When Odette asks if Donut has anything to say to her former owner, Donut tells Beatrice to have a good life and bitterly advises her not to mistreat another cat the way she mistreated Donut. Carl refuses to add anything meaningful, and Odette's effort to provoke a dramatic exchange fails because Beatrice can barely respond, Donut shuts down emotionally, and Carl only wants the segment finished.

Once the cameras are off, Donut drops the performance and unleashes the anger and grief she had been suppressing. Donut accuses Beatrice of making her feel loved while planning to give her away, says Beatrice also betrayed Carl, and admits that she still hates how much she misses her. Donut declares that Beatrice is no longer her person and that Carl is. Carl reinforces Donut's choice by saying he is genuinely glad Beatrice survived but that their old relationship no longer matters compared with the larger fight they are facing. He tells Odette to remove Beatrice, and the reunion ends permanently.

Afterward, Carl and Donut briefly enjoy the relief of having finished this emotional distraction, but the moment is interrupted by two system messages. First, Carl is told he has lost Valtay as a sponsor because a regency change created a conflict of interest. Then a planet-wide notice announces that a Syndicate court has recognized Borant Corporation as independent from the Borant government, automatically giving Valtay 51 percent ownership of Borant and sole regency over the crawl. Odette says the contracts remaining intact is good news for Mordecai and other bound workers, though Valtay's rise is ominous. Donut reacts with cryptic satisfaction, implying that an unnamed woman has successfully set this upheaval in motion.