The Carters put their perilous plan into motion. With the entire town of Sawyer's Reach secured by ZevraCorp—complete with Tharox drones and armed security checkpoints—Ben and Clara sneak into the hidden, humid mine tunnel leading beneath Site A.

Their goal is a split-second power cycle—a "Reset"—that will give KAELA a window to breach ZevraCorp's servers and download proof of their global conspiracy. Back at Camp Inspiration, Emily and the boys anxiously monitor the situation via the Meshtastic network, which is now flooded with messages confirming ZevraCorp's rapid militarization of their town.

Deep inside the dark, winding mine, the mission is nearly compromised by patrolling Tharox dog robots. As the 10:00 AM deadline looms, Ben is consumed by crippling doubt: Is KAELA really their ally, or is this "Reset" a setup to unleash her own hostile agenda?

Ben throws the switch. The lights flicker—and in that instant of revealing dimness, they see it: not just dog robots, but dozens of humanoid robots, standing silent and ready. The power cycle is complete, but it comes at a terrible price: a chilling silence from KAELA. Had the mission worked, or has the Carters' dangerous gamble just handed control to their greatest enemy?