In 1996, Sadie arrives at Marx’s apartment to find Sam missing. After confirming his last email login at 3:03 a.m., Sadie scours Harvard and Central Square, growing frantic as she describes Sam to strangers and imagines worst-case outcomes. Marx reassures her, noting Sam’s privacy and toughness, and he continues his first full playthrough of Ichigo while Sadie, exhausted, sleeps at the apartment after a dismissive call with Dov.

The next evening, Marx finishes Ichigo and ecstatically praises it just as Sam calls from Mass General: he broke his ankle and had emergency surgery. Sadie, relieved and angry, scolds Sam for not calling sooner. Though visiting hours are nearly over, Sadie and Marx take a cab with champagne to toast their first game together at Sam’s bedside.

From the hospital, Sam reflects on pain, money, and shame, longing for Ichigo’s invincible tomorrows. Sadie and Marx arrive; they joke about the poem that distracted Sam and EmilyBlaster, and agree the next step is to show Dov. A nurse quietly lets them stay late, observing the trio’s easy intimacy and non-romantic love.

Despite Sam’s injuries, he and Sadie keep tweaking Ichigo. By late January, Sadie brings the finished build to Dov. During his playthrough, Dov orders Sadie out of the room, then handcuffs her to his bed so he can play uninterrupted, reflecting a controlling S&M dynamic she has uneasily accommodated. She calls Sam, declines going out, and worries that using Ulysses will let Dov eclipse their credit, a fear echoed by a later interview that centers Dov’s influence.

Dov finishes Ichigo in tears, telling Sadie, “It’s fucking beautiful.” He professes love, rhapsodizes about the game, and vows to talk to Sam and Marx to move fast toward a lucrative release. Still cuffed, Sadie feels profound relief at his approval even as his power over her—and over the game—becomes unmistakable.