Rosabelle sat restrained in an interrogation chair, subjected to a neural procedure that simulated paralysis and tracked her brain capacity as it deteriorated. Under the strain of hunger, nausea, and pain, she answered a series of yes/no loyalty questions. She admitted to doubting The Reestablishment but denied that her doubts outweighed her loyalty. With seconds to spare before the threat of permanent brain damage, the machine retracted its laser prongs and released her, and her monthly authorizations were approved.

Throughout, Lieutenant Sebastian Rivers held her hand and spoke gently, revealing he had assumed both the management and execution of her interrogations after Lieutenant Soledad’s death. He framed his involvement as protection and care, citing their engagement as a path to longer intervals between interrogations. Rosabelle, physically weakened and disgusted by his touch, asked only for water, which he denied because her meal vouchers had not renewed.

As Rosabelle tried to steady herself, she requested to see Clara and plan for her absence during the upcoming deployment. Sebastian allowed a brief interlude before the next day’s mission and reminded her that Klaus’s behavioral script for James would last only twenty-four hours, with under three hours remaining by sunrise; after that, James’s behavior would be unpredictable and Rosabelle would be on her own.

When Rosabelle considered asking a neighbor, Zadie, to help, Sebastian informed her he had already arranged for Clara to be transferred the next morning to his mother’s home with a dedicated nurse and continuous care, claiming he had approval. Rosabelle was stunned by both the promise of relief and the implicit control. Sebastian then disparaged Clara as parasitic, triggering Rosabelle’s dissociative shutdown.

Sebastian professed lifelong love, positioned himself as Rosabelle’s protector after her family’s downfall, and pressed for their future together. He placed an engagement ring on her finger. The gesture unleashed traumatic memories of prior abuse and conditioning, including his past role in her punishments and the invasive surveillance that branded privacy as criminal.

He urged her to take the ring on the mission as a reminder of their shared purpose. Rosabelle recognized Sebastian’s delusion and the surveillance around them, acknowledging that if she failed the mission, she would have no options left and would remain trapped under Sebastian’s control indefinitely.