FORTY-SIX

Castle explains that Omega Point means the final development and presents the organization as civilization’s last hope. When Juliette questions how such a small group could challenge The Reestablishment, Castle says Omega Point has spent years planning for society’s collapse and preparing to resist whoever used fear to seize power.

Castle then tells Juliette that much of what she has learned about the ruined world is false. He claims The Reestablishment restricts access to food, hides animals and farms, and exaggerates environmental damage to keep people weak and dependent. Although Castle speaks with conviction about restoring water, crops, and healthier living conditions, Juliette remains skeptical and asks for proof.

Castle says Omega Point itself is proof because its members survive by discovering The Reestablishment’s storage compounds, fields, farms, and enslaved laborers. He explains that the regime controls the rest of society by killing people or forcing them into monitored sectors.

Juliette asks why Castle needs her, but Castle instead brings her to a glass wall overlooking the medical wing. Juliette sees Adam asleep and healing without ordinary machines or needles, and Castle reveals the severity of Adam’s injuries: broken ribs, a wounded thigh, damaged kidneys, blood loss, and other trauma.

Castle finally reveals a larger truth about Omega Point: nearly two hundred people live there, and fewer than half have some kind of gift. Castle tells Juliette he brought her there because she belongs among them and because she needs to know she is not alone.