…Minus 079 and COUNTING… The elevator opened directly onto th

The elevator delivers Ben Richards directly onto the street outside the Games Building by Nixon Memorial Park. A nearby cop ignores him, and Richards steps into the drizzle with a brief sense of release, even though he knows he has merely moved from one kind of confinement into another.

Richards considers Killian’s advice to stay close to his own people. Richards agrees with the logic but knows Co-Op City will be dangerous once the truce ends at noon the next day, so Richards intends to be gone before the search tightens there.

After walking three blocks, Richards hails a taxi and gives Robard Street as his destination, planning to get out five blocks from his true goal and reach Molie’s place by cutting through backyards. The taxi’s Free-Vee is working and is broadcasting the closing credits of The Running Man, which immediately increases the risk that Richards will be identified.

The cab driver recognizes Richards from the broadcast but misnames him as Pritchard. The driver reacts with excitement rather than fear, admiring Richards’s nerve while openly admitting he will have to report him, though he cannot collect the reward without a supporting witness.

Richards cuts the ride short after crossing the Canal, pays with one of the New Dollars Thompson gave him, and exits near Drummond Street. When the cab driver asks for a note that could help him claim credit, Richards insults him and walks toward the looming shape of Co-Op City while the driver curses after him.